Lokacin da Annabi Muhammadu صلى الله عليه وسلم ya fara kiran mutane zuwa Musulunci a bayyane, mabiyansa na farko sun gano cewa kawai bayyana imani yana nufin fuskantar azaba mai tsanani har ma da kisa. Wasu an yi musu duka har kusan mutuwa a kan tituna, wasu kuma an ja su zuwa hamada suna ihu na tsawon sa'o'i a ƙarƙashin zafin rana da ke ci a tsakar rana. An ajiye manyan duwatsu masu zafi a kan ƙirjinsu don murkushe su, an ɗaura musu rigunan sulke masu zafi don gasa jikinsu, kuma wasu, kamar Khabbāb ibn al-Aratt, an jefa su kai tsaye a kan garwashi mai wuta, har suka ji ƙamshin naman jikinsu yana gasuwa.89 Yawancin wannan zalunci ya ƙara tsananta yayin da wannan shekara mai ban tausayi ta ci gaba, kuma Annabi صلى الله عليه وسلم da kansa ya sha mugun cin zarafi daga mushrikan Quraishawa. Ba su bar wata dama ba wajen ɓata masa suna, sun sake 'ya'yansa mata, kuma sun yi wa dukan iyalinsa yunwa na tsawon shekara uku, wanda hakan ya kai ga mutuwar matarsa da kuma kawunsa mafi goyon bayansa. Dangane da cin zarafi na zahiri, ‘Uqbah ibn Abī Mu‘ayṭ yakan shaƙe shi daga baya a lokacin da yake sallah a fili, Abū Jahl ya zubo masa hanjin raƙumi masu jini yayin da yake sujjada, ‘Utaybah ibn Abī Lahab ya tofa masa yau, wasu kuma suka doke shi har ya suma. Waɗannan misalai ɗigo ne kawai daga cikin tekun zalunci da tsanantawa da Annabi صلى الله عليه وسلم da farkon Musulmi suka fuskanta. Duk da haka, wannan teku bai taɓa iya nutsar da jinƙai, kyakkyawar niyya, da kulawa ta kariya da zuciyar Annabi صلى الله عليه وسلم ke da ita ga abokai da abokan gaba ba. Ga wasu takaitattun misalai na kyawawan halayensa, har ma a lokacin da ƙarfinsa ya kai kololuwa, a fuskar ƙiyayya da zagi.

When the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم began to call to Islam openly, his initial followers discovered that merely professing faith meant facing ruthless torture and even execution. Some were beaten to near death in the streets, and others were dragged out to the desert to scream for hours under the inferno of its midday sun. Hefty, sizzling hot stones were situated atop their chests to crush them, scorching suits of chainmail armor were fastened to roast their bodies, and some like Khabbāb ibn al- Aratt  were hurled directly upon ignited coals which caused them to smell their own flesh cooking.89 Many of these atrocities only escalated as this tragic decade progressed, and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم himself suffered brutal abuse from the idolaters of Quraysh. They spared no opportunity to demonize him, they divorced his daughters, and they starved his entire clan for three years which led to the death of his wife and his most supportive uncle. In terms of physical assault, ‘Uqbah ibn Abī Mu‘ayṭ would strangle him from behind when he prayed in public, Abū Jahl had bloody camel intestines dumped over him while he prostrated, ‘Utaybah ibn Abī Lahab spat at him, and others beat him unconscious. These examples are a drop from the ocean of cruelty and persecution faced by the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the earliest Muslims. And yet, this ocean was never able to drown the mercy, goodwill, and protective concern the Prophet’s صلى الله عليه وسلم heart had for friends and foes alike. The following are a few brief depictions of his magnanimous character, even at the height of his power, in the face of enmity and insult.

Abū Jahl na ɗaya daga cikin farkon abokan adawarsa kuma mafi tsananin cikinsu; shi ne Fir'auna na al'ummarsa. Duk da raunukan jiki da na zuciya da ya jawo wa Annabi ﷺ, da karya kasusuwan sahabbansa, da kuma jagorantar runduna ta farko da aka yi yaƙi da su daga baya, shiryarwa da tsira ga Abū Jahl na nan a zuciyar Annabi ﷺ. Yana cewa tun yana Makka, “Ya Allah, ka ƙarfafa Musulunci da Abū Jahl ɗan Hisham ko kuma da 'Umar ɗan al-Khaṭṭāb.” Ba da daɗewa ba bayan haka, 'Umar ɗan al-Khaṭṭāb ya karɓi Musulunci.90 Kasancewar Abū Jahl mai kisan kai marar tausayi bai hana Annabi ﷺ yi masa addu'a ba, ko kuma yabawa da kyawawan halayen jagoranci nasa, waɗanda za a iya amfani da su wajen alheri.

Abū Jahl was one of his earliest and staunchest adversaries; the pharaoh of his nation. Despite all the physical and emotional wounds he inflicted on the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, and despite breaking his Companions’ bones and later leading the first army against them, the guidance and salvation of Abū Jahl was still on the Prophet’s mind. He صلى الله عليه وسلم used to say while still in Mecca, “O Allah, strengthen Islam with Abū Jahl ibn Hishām or ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb.” A short time thereafter, ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb  embraced Islam.90 Abū Jahl being a heartless murderer did not prevent the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم from praying for him, nor from appreciating his promising leadership qualities that could potentially be used for good.

Sa'ad da ya riƙe ikon shugabanci, Annabi ﷺ bai taɓa kafa wata manufa ta ramuwa ko ƙiyayya ba. Maimakon haka, ya kafa tsarin rahama, wanda ya sha bamban da zaluncin da shi da sahabbansa suka sha a Makka. Wata rana, wasu Yahudawa daga Madina suka shiga wajen Annabi ﷺ suka ce da izgili, "Al-sāmu 'alaykum (mutuwa ta tabbata a kanku)," maimakon gaisuwar Musulunci ta al'ada, "Al-salāmu 'alaykum (aminci ya tabbata a kanku)." Matarsa 'Ā'isha, cikin fushi saboda rashin kunyarsu, ta maimaita musu la'antar, amma Annabi ﷺ ya ce, "Ya 'Ā'isha, ki yi laushi! Allah Mai laushi ne, yana son laushi a cikin dukkan al'amura, don haka ki kiyayi tsauri da rashin mutunci." Ikon da yake da shi a wannan lokaci bai sa shi son ramuwa ba, ko mayar da martani irin nasu, ko ma barin matarsa ta mayar musu da tsauri ga waɗanda suka zage shi ﷺ. A yakin Uhudu, sojojin Quraishawa, dubu uku, sun yi wa Musulmi ɗari bakwai kwantan ɓauna, suka yi nasarar kai wa Annabi ﷺ hari. Haƙorinsa na gaba ya karye, jikinsa ya ji rauni, kuma jini ya zubo inda kwalkwalinsa ya soki fuskarsa. Duk da zubar jini a hannunsu, Manzon Allah ﷺ bai rasa jajircewar halinsa ba, sai ya ce yayin da yake share jini daga fuskarsa, "Ya Allah, ka gafarta wa jama'ata, don ba su sani ba." A wasu riwayoyin, ya fara cewa, "Ta yaya mutane za su yi nasara bayan sun raunata Annabinsu, suka sa shi zubar da jini alhali yana kiran su zuwa ga Allah?" Sannan ya yi shiru na ɗan lokaci, kafin ya roƙi Allah da addu'ar gafara. Sahabbansa suka zo wajensa ﷺ bayan ƙurar yaƙin ta lafa, suka ce, "Ka yi wa mushrikai la'ana." Sai ya ce, "Ban aiko ni a matsayin mai la'ana ba. Ni dai an aiko ni ne a matsayin rahama." 93 Ko da yake Alkur'ani ya ambata cewa mugayen Isra'ilawa an la'anta su a bakin annabawansu,94 kuma Annabi ﷺ ya la'anci wasu ayyuka kamar riba, kuma da farko ya roƙi Allah ya la'anci manyan masu tsananta masa, amma halinsa na yau da kullum shi ne neman gafara ga waɗanda suka cutar da shi da mabiyansa.

Upon wielding the power of a statesman, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم never enacted a policy of vengeance or intolerance. Instead, he implemented a system of mercy that was in direct opposition to the cruelty he and his followers had been subjected to in Mecca. On one occasion, a group of Jews from Madinah entered upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and mockingly said, “Al-sāmu ‘alaykum (death be upon you),” in place of the customary Islamic greeting of “Al-salāmu ‘alaykum (peace be upon you).” His wife ‘Āishah , appalled by their brazen disrespect, repeated the curse back to them, but the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “O ‘Āishah, be gentle! Allah is Gentle and loves gentleness in all matters, so beware of harshness and vulgarity.”91 His authority in that phase still did not tempt him to retaliate, or respond in kind, or to even let his wife respond harshly to those who had insulted him .صلى الله عليه وسلم During the Battle of Uḥud, Quraysh’s army—3,000 strong against the Muslims’ 700—managed to ambush the Prophet .صلى الله عليه وسلم His front tooth was broken, his body was battered, and blood flowed from where his helmet had pierced his face. Somehow, after bleeding at their hands yet again, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم still had the resilience of character to say as he wiped the blood from his face, “O Allah, forgive my people, for they do not know.”92 In other narrations, he first said, “How can a people succeed after they have wounded their Prophet and caused him to bleed as he calls them to Allah?” Then, he صلى الله عليه وسلم fell silent for a moment, before appealing to Allah with the prayer for forgiveness. His Companions came to him صلى الله عليه وسلم and said as the dust cleared, “Invoke a curse against the polytheists.” He صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “I have not been sent as a curser. Rather, I was sent as a mercy.”93 Though the Qur’an mentions that the wicked among the Israelites were cursed on the tongue of their prophets,94 and though the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم cursed certain practices like usury, and initially asked Allah to curse the leading persecutors, his normative demeanor was to seek forgiveness for those who wronged him and his followers.

Shekaru bayan haka, yayin da Musulmi ke komawa gida daga Dhāt al-Riqā‘, Annabi ﷺ da sahabbansa sun sauka daga dabbobinsu, suka nemi inuwa daga rana ta tsakar rana. Ya ﷺ ya huta a karkashin wata bishiya mai ganye, ya rataye takobinsa a kanta. Sojojin sun yi barci na wani lokaci, amma sai suka ji Manzon Allah ﷺ yana kiran su. Jābir ibn ‘Abdillāh ya ruwaito cewa a lokacin da suka isa, sun tarar da wani Balarabe mai suna al-Ghawrath ibn al-Ḥārith zaune tare da shi. Manzon Allah ﷺ ya ce: “Wannan mutum ya zare takobina yayin da nake barci, sai na farka na tarar da takobi a zare a hannunsa. Ya ce mini: ‘Kana tsoron ni?’ Na ce: ‘A’a.’ Ya ce: ‘Wa zai kare ka daga gare ni?’ Na ce: ‘Allah,’ sau uku. Sai ya mayar da takobin cikin kubensa. Ga shi nan kuma yana zaune.” Jābir ya kara da cewa: “Manzon Allah ﷺ bai hukunta shi ba bayan haka.” A wata ruwayar kuma, takobin ya fadi daga hannunsa, sai Annabi ﷺ ya dauke shi ya ce: “Wa zai kare ka?” Ya ce: “Ka zama mafi alheri wajen nasara.” Ya ce: “Ba za ka shaida cewa babu abin bautawa da cancanta sai Allah ba?” Ya ce: “Zan yi alkawarin ba zan taba yakar ka ba, ko in kasance tare da mutanen da ke yakar ka.” Annabi ﷺ ya sake shi, sai mutumin ya koma wajen kabilarsa ya ce: “Na zo muku daga mafi alherin mutane.” Haka kawai, Annabi ﷺ ya yafe masa ba tare da wani sharadi ba, ya sake shi duk da cewa mutumin ya ki karbar Musulunci.

Years later, as the Muslims traveled home from Dhāt al-Riqā‘, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his Companions dismounted and sought shade from the midday sun. He صلى الله عليه وسلم rested under a leafy tree and hung his sword on it. The army slept for a while, but then heard the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم calling for them. Jābir ibn ‘Abdillāh  reports that upon their arrival, they found sitting with him a Bedouin man named al-Ghawrath ibn al-Ḥārith. The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “This person drew my sword as I slept, and I awoke to find an unsheathed blade in his hand.” He said to me, ‘Are you afraid of me?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Who will protect you from me?’ I said, ‘Allah,’ thrice, and so he returned the sword to its scabbard. And thus, here he is, sitting.”95 Jābir  added, “And the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم did not punish him thereafter.”96 In another narration, the sword fell from his hand, so the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم took it and said, “Who will protect you?” He said, “Be the better victor.” He said, “Will you still not testify that none is worthy of worship except Allah?” He said, “I will promise to never fight you, nor be with a people that fight you.” The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم let him go, and so the man returned to his tribe and said, “I have come to you from the best of people.”97 Just like that, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم forgave him unconditionally and released him despite the man’s refusal to convert to Islam.

Hind bint ‘Utbah matar Abū Sufyān ce kuma 'yar ‘Utbah ibn Rabī‘ah, manyan mutanen Quraysh biyu waɗanda dukansu maƙiyan Manzon Allah ﷺ ne masu faɗa. Hind mace ce da ƙiyayyar Muhammadu ta tafasa a cikinta, kuma ita da kanta ta yi yaƙi da Musulunci da Musulmi. Tana cikin waɗanda suka ɗauki Waḥshī aiki ya kashe Ḥamzah ibn ‘Abdul-Muṭṭalib, ɗan'uwan mahaifin Manzon Allah ﷺ, tana masa alkawarin lada mai yawa saboda ramawa mahaifinta da aka kashe a Badr. Tsoffin masana tarihi sun ruwaito cewa ta yanke kunnuwan Ḥamzah da hancinsa ta sa su zama abin wuya, kuma wasu sun ruwaito cewa ta tsage hantarsa ta yi ƙoƙarin cinta. Lokacin da Manzon Allah ﷺ ya tarar da gawar kawunsa da aka yi wa mummunan aiki bayan Uḥud, ya shiga damuwa mai tsanani yayin da yake yi wa ƙaunataccen kawunsa ban kwana, yana cewa: "Allah Ya yi masa rahama, kawuna."

Hind bint ‘Utbah  was the wife of Abū Sufyān and the daughter of ‘Utbah ibn Rabī‘ah, two nobles from Quraysh who were both belligerent enemies of the Prophet Muhammad .صلى الله عليه وسلم Hind was a woman who boiled with venomous hate against Muhammad, and personally campaigned against Islam and the Muslims. She was among those who recruited Waḥshī to kill Ḥamzah ibn ‘Abdul-Muṭṭalib , the paternal uncle of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, promising him great rewards for avenging her father who was slain at Badr. Early chroniclers report that she had Ḥamzah’s ears and nose cut off and used for a necklace, and some report that she gouged out his liver and attempted to eat it. When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم located his uncle’s mutilated body after Uḥud, he was devastated as he bade farewell to his beloved uncle, saying, “May Allah have mercy on you, my uncle.

Lalle, kai kana sadar da dangantakar zumunci, kuma kullum kana gaggawar aikin alheri.” ‘Abdullahi ɗan Mas‘ūd ya ce, “Ba mu taɓa ganin Manzon Allah ﷺ yana kuka mai tsanani kamar yadda ya yi kuka saboda Hamzah ba.”98 Bayan shekara biyar, Hind ta tsaya a lokacin Fathu Makka, tana tsawatarwa ga Quraishawa saboda mika wuya ga Musulmi.

Indeed, you used to maintain the ties of kinship, and always rushed to do good.” ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd  says, “Never did we see the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم weep as intensely as he wept for Ḥamzah.”98 Five years later, Hind stood at the Conquest of Mecca, chastising Quraysh for surrendering to the Muslims.

Amma ba da daɗewa ba ta fahimci cewa tsayayya ba ta da amfani, kuma sammai da alama suna goyon bayan Muhammad ﷺ da gaske, sai ta je wurinsa tare da wasu mata, ta ba da alkawarin biyayyarta a matsayin Musulma. Da aka sanar da shi ko wacece ita, Annabi ﷺ ya amsa da kirki cewa, “Barka da zuwa, ya Hind.” Cike da mamaki game da karimcin Manzon Allah ﷺ da ba a zata ba, ta bayyana cewa, “Na rantse da Allah, babu gida da na so in hallakar fiye da naka, amma yanzu babu gidan da nake so in girmama fiye da naka.”99 Game da Waḥshī kuwa, bawan Habasha mai kashe mutane wanda ya sami 'yancinsa ta hanyar kashe Ḥamzah, ya gudu daga birnin a lokacin fatattakar Makka, yana tabbatar da cewa kashe dangin shugaba yana kawo mutuwa. Duk da haka, Annabi ﷺ bai kasance kamar kowane shugaba ba. Daga baya Waḥshī ya ce, “Na ji cewa komai girman laifin mutum a kansa, Annabi Muhammad ﷺ koyaushe yana zabar gafara.” Wannan ya ƙarfafa shi har ya koma Makka a ƙarshe, ya karɓi Musulunci, kuma ya dandana gafarar Manzon Allah ﷺ da idanunsa.100 Waḥshī da kyar ya yarda cewa ya rayu har ya sami damar gyara kansa.

But she soon realized that resisting was futile, and that the heavens really did seem to support Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, and so she went to him among a group of women and gave her pledge of allegiance as a Muslim. Upon learning who she was, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم kindly replied, “Welcome, O Hind.” Touched by the unexpected magnanimity of the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم, she proclaimed, “By Allah, there was no household that I wished to destroy more than yours, but now there is no household that I wish to honor more than yours.”99 As for Waḥshī, the Ethiopian slave-assassin who earned his freedom by killing Ḥamzah, he fled the city at the conquest of Mecca, certain that killing a ruler’s family member warranted his death. However, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was unlike any ruler. Waḥshī later said, “I heard that no matter how grave a person’s crime against him, the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم always chose forgiveness.” This encouraged him to eventually return to Mecca, embrace Islam, and experience firsthand the forgiveness of the Messenger of Allah 100 .صلى الله عليه وسلم Waḥshī  could hardly believe he lived long enough to redeem himself.

Yakan yi ta tuna wannan, yana cewa: "Allah ya girmama Hamzah ɗan ‘Abdul-Muɗɗalib da al-Ɗufail ɗan al-Nu‘man [da shahada] a hannuna, bai kuma wulakanta ni [ta hanyar a kashe ni alhali ina kafiri] a hannunsu ba."101

He would often recall it and say, “Allah honored Ḥamzah ibn ‘Abdil-Muṭṭalib and al-Ṭufayl ibn al-Nu‘mān [with martyrdom] at my hands, and did not humiliate me [by being slain while a disbeliever] at their hands.”101