The Last Prophet of Allah
by Ghulam Nabi Muslim
The Conquest of Mecca
The Battle of the Ditch was a turning point in the life of the Prophet [Muhammad (pbuh)]. The number of his followers increased. The Meccans dared not attack them anymore. The Muslims wanted to go to Mecca to perform hajj (pilgrimage). So, in the sixth year of Hijrat [migration] the Prophet went to Mecca for hajj with a large number of his followers. The Meccans dared not stop them with force and made a truce with the Prophet for ten years. They allowed the Muslims to perform the hajj the next year. It was agreed that the Arab tribes were free to join the Muslims or the Quraish. This was a great triumph for Islam. The Prophet then returned to Madina. The Muslims were now free to move about in the country. A large number of the Arabs accepted Islam. Many tribes joined the Muslims as allies. The Prophet wrote letters to the great kings and chiefs of his day inviting them to accept Islam. Some of them followed his call. Khalid bin Walid and many other Meccans became Muslims. This was disliked by the Quraish, but they were helpless. One day they broke the agreement and attacked a tribe which was an ally of the Muslims. The Prophet then marched to Mecca at the head of ten thousand brave Muslims. The Meccans were taken by surprise. The Prophet promised to spare anyone who took refuge in the Kaaba or in his own house. Thus, he entered Mecca peacefully.
His enemies lay at the feet of the Prophet. Theyhad tortured him and the Muslims for 20 years. They forced them to escape to Madina. They attacked them many a time, so they deserved every punishment. But the Prophet was a mercy to mankind. He did not take revenge but forgave them all. No house was plundered, no women were molested and no person was killed. He even did not allow the early Muslims of Mecca to take their houses back. When the Quraish begged for mercy the Prophet said,
“You will have it. Go, you are free.”
He was a conqueror, but he was unique in the history of man. Mankind had never known such a merciful conqueror. This treatment had a wonderful effect. The Quraish were moved by this kindness and accepted Islam.
The Holy Prophet then went to the Kaaba. There were 360 idols in it. They were thrown out and the sacred House of Allah was cleared of them for ever.
The victory at Mecca spread the fame of the Prophet far and wide. The Arab tribes came one after another and embraced Islam. The Prophet had told earlier,
“A horseman will ride from the north of Arabia to the south and everywhere he will find Muslims.”
These words now came true for all the Arabs accepted Islam.
After that, the Prophet marched towards Taif. On the way he forced certain tribes to live peacefully. The people of Taif were very vicious. They had once pelted the Prophet with stones and had wounded him. But now they begged for peace, which was granted to them. The Prophet then returned to Madina.