Muhammad a Prophet For all Humanity
9. The Prophetic Method
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Islam. On reaching the mountain pass of Rakubah he
met two men whom he told about Islam, and who
accepted the Faith. When the Prophet asked them
their names, they said that they belonged to the tribe
of Aslam, and were bandits. For this reason, they
explained, they were called “Muhanan,” or “The
Two Despicable Ones.” “No,” the Prophet told them,
“you are two honourable ones.”
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The Prophet Muhammad inculcated in his
companions the same attitude. It was not to be their
aim to conquer territory or accumulate spoils of
war. Rather they were to become a source of
wealth—the wealth of true faith—for others. When
the Prophet entrusted ‘Ali with the Muslim
standard in the field of Khaybar, he told his cousin
to proceed softly: “And when you reach their fields,
call them to Islam and tell them what their
responsibilities to God are. By God, if the Lord
guides just one of them through you to Islam, then
that will be better for you than a herd of red
camels.”
Missionary activity was such a prominent part of
the Prophet’s life, that if one were to put his whole
