Muhammad a Prophet For all Humanity
5. Lessons of the Prophet’s Life
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an abject and destitute state. You became rich while
with us, until eventually you reached your present
state of wealth. Do you think we will let you run away
and take everything with you? If so you are
mistaken!” Suhayb enquired, “If I hand over all of my
wealth to you will you let me go then?” They said they
would, so Suhayb gave them everything he had.
When the Prophet heard about this, he said: “Good for
Suhayb! He has made a fine profit.”
If the previously mentioned
hadith
means—in an
absolute sense—that one should fight and give
one’s life in defence of one’s property under any
conditions whatsoever, the Prophet should then
have condemned Suhayb’s failure rather than
felicitated him on his success.
The case of Abu Jandal (see Part I, Chapter IV) also
illustrates this point. When, at Hudaybiyyah, in the
year of A.H. 6 during peace negotiations with the
Quraysh young Abu Jandal, bloodstained and in
chains, pleaded with the Muslims not to send him
back to the idolaters now that he had accepted
Islam, the Prophet ordered that, according to the
terms of the treaty which had been agreed upon, he
