Conquest of Makkah

So many hundreds of years ago, Muslims entered the holy city of Makkah – with dignity, glory and pride – from where they were forced to migrate.

The holy Prophet (pbuh) and his companions had to migrate to Madina but enemies of Islam tried their best to harm Muslims. In this regard, various wars were also imposed by the Quraysh in order to destabilize the Madina state.

Despite all the bitter experiences of past, the Prophet (pbuh) preferred to set an example by announcing amnesty for everyone on the occasion of the conquest of Makkah. Even, today it is highly regarded as the only applicable roadmap process to resolve bilateral conflicts for the sake of humanity.

During the holy month of Ramazan, God’s blessing is showered equally on every person and an opportunity is granted to everyone for the practical implementation of teachings based on patience, brotherhood, tolerance and endurance.

The Message, released in 1976, is one of the most popular Hollywood movies of all time. The movie, produced with the collaboration of different Middle Eastern countries, serves as an introduction to early Islamic history and important events.

The movie was released separately in both Arabic and English versions. Geo Television Network performed a wonderful job by dubbing it into Urdu language. This initiative was indeed very beneficial for many people like me who are interested to learn about the life of the last Prophet (pbuh).

The climax of this movie is really very impressive and highly laudable. In the movie, Muslims are shown angry towards the Quraysh over the violation of the peace agreement. A large number of tribes start supporting the Prophet (pbuh) for moving towards Makkah. Muslims enter Makkah with the announcements that “Even he who enters the house of Abu Sufyan will be safe, He who lays down arms will be safe, He who locks his door will be safe”.

On hearing this unbelievable notice, Hind, wife of ruler of Makkah Abu Sufyan expresses with satisfaction that no storm has come so far. The leader of Quraysh replies that an invisible storm has come but in the hearts of the people that have been won over by the last Prophet (pbuh).

After the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet (pbuh) neither took any revenge nor let others harm anyone. Open amnesty was announced for everyone. In this way, the Prophet (pbuh once again demonstrated that the message of peace, love, brotherhood, forgiveness and tolerance is not for any specific community but for every creature.

In my view, there are three major lessons that we should learn from the historical conquest of Makkah. First, we may have to face many difficulties in our life struggle but if we keep moving consistently towards right direction with a trust in God then obviously we will be successful at the end of the day. Second, we should not forget that God has promised to help those who follow the right path, and thus, there is no need to become hopeless and desperate due to temporary hurdles and obstacles.

The third lesson is about promoting tolerance, high moral values and forgiveness. History discloses that many mighty victorious rulers used to destroy cities, shed rivers of blood, and murdered their opponents along with families brutally. However, the last Prophet (pbuh) set a new example that forgiving your enemy is very important in order to achieve sustainable peace.

Today, in the holy month of Ramazan, we should promise ourselves that we will adopt a peaceful approach in our lives at any cost and never ever indulge in taking revenge. We must understand that God never disappoints anyone who puts his/her trust in Him. Therefore, we should carry on our struggle for good cause and never become hopeless over the vicious tactics adopted by our opponents.

The writer is a member of the National Assembly and patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council.

Twitter: @RVankwani