Islam Rediscovered
12. Islamic Fundamentalism
~ 199 ~
period of his involvement in these battles did not
total more than one and a half days. He fought, let it
be said, in self-defence, when hemmed in by
aggressors, where he simply had no option. But
historians—flying in the face of fact—have
converted his whole life into one of confrontation
and war.
We must keep it in mind that the Prophet
Muhammad was born at a time when an
atmosphere of militancy prevailed in the Arab
society. But the Prophet always opted for avoidance
of conflict. For instance, in the campaign of Ahzab,
the Prophet advised his Companions to dig a trench
between them and the enemies, thus preventing a
head-on clash.
Another well-known instance of the Prophet’s
dislike for hostilities is the Hudaibiyyah peace
treaty made by accepting, unilaterally, all the
conditions of the enemy. In the case of the conquest
of Makkah, he avoided a battle altogether by
making a rapid entry into the city with ten
thousand Muslims—a number large enough to awe
his enemies into submission.
