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The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) as a diplomat



The life of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) provides complete guidance in all walks of life ranging from his conduct in family matters to his role as a warrior to his conduct as the head of the state. In this article, we are going to explore one aspect of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w)’s life, which is his career as a diplomat.

Important incidents from Pre-Islamic Era

Hilf al-Fudul and the installation of Blackstone (Al-Hajar al-Aswad) in Kabba

These two separate incidents have taken place prior to the Islamic era but have immense importance in Islamic history due to the role played by Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) in these agreements. Hilf al-Fudul was an alliance that was initiated by Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) to establish justice through collective action even for those who were rich and also to make sure fair commercial dealings among different Meccan tribes.

The installation of Black Stone was another matter of grave importance in the pre-Islamic era due to the approaching bloodshed owing to the tribal animosity over this installation. Finally, with consultation, it was announced that whoever reaches first the very next day will install the black stone in Kabba to avoid bloodshed. The next day Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) reached first but instead of installing the black stone himself, he invited the tribes to join him in the installation. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) held the sacred stone in the middle and asked the tribal chiefs to hold the stone from the corners. The wise strategy of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w)resolved the issue. This shows the diplomatic acumen of the Prophet of Islam even before the arrival of God’s message to him.

Important incidents from the Islamic Era

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) used to carry trade goods towards Syria with his uncle, Hazrat Abu Talib when he came in contact with a rich lady, Hazrat Khadija (r.a). The Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) served as a trade agent of Hazrat Khadija (r.a) and she got so impressed with his honesty, wisdom, and conduct that she sent a marriage proposal to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w).  At first, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) was reluctant but ultimately he accepted the proposal after consulting his uncle. The marriage stabilized his financial status.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) used to meditate in the holy cave of Hira when Angel Gabriel appeared to him, asking him to recite few words. These words were actually the initiation of a 23 year period of revelations that provided complete guidance in the form of the Quran. The Holy Prophet invited all Meccans to the mount of Safa and used his diplomat wisdom to give the message of Islam to them. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) asked them would they believe him if he tells them that an enemy is coming from the other side of the mountain. All the Meccans replied in affirmation. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) then told people about the arrival of revelation to him from the Allah almighty but they started mocking him by calling him magician and liar (Naozo Billah).

Though Muhammad (s.a.w) due to his uncle’s backing remained safe from their mischiefs yet some of his companions were brutally tortured by the Meccans. Upon seeing the dire condition of his followers, Muhammad (s.a.w) using his political and diplomatic acumen asked his companions to migrate to Abyssinia (present-day Ethiopia) where they sought refuge under the Christian ruler, Negus. Quraysh pursued the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) to the Abyssinia by sending a delegation led by Hazrat Amr bin Al-As (r.a) and Abdullah Ibn Abi Rabbiya Ibn e Mughira. When the delegation arrived in the court of Negus, they requested for the extradition of the fleeing Muslims. The Negus summoned Muslims to present their point of view. Hazrat Jaffar Tayyar (r.a) representing Muslims recited first few verses of Surah Maryam. The Negus was impressed so much that it is said that he embraced Islam. This was another successful venture of diplomacy from the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w).

In 619, Muhammad (s.a.w) traveled to the town of Ta’if to meet the chieftains of the tribe to invite them towards Islam. They instead of accepting Islam threw stones at the Prophet (s.a.w) but Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) did not react harshly and use his wisdom under God's guidance to attract them towards Islam. He (s.a.w) did not bog down and continued his mission with the words that their coming generations may accept Islam. In the next two years, many Muslims from Medina came secretly to Mecca to accept Islam in two successive phases called “ the first pledge of Al-Aqaba” and “ the second pledge of Al-Aqaba”.

Under tremendous pressure from Meccan tribes, Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) migrated with tearful eyes to the friendly state of Medina to propagate Islam. Here he unified all the tribes into one confederation of Medina including Pagans and Jews. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) framed a constitution for the state with consultations of all sections of society and resulted in the formation of a pluralistic state with full freedom of speech and freedom of worship. This constitution is accepted by all historians to be the first written constitution of the known history. The unity established under the constitution is considered to be one of the greatest diplomatic achievements in world history.

In 628, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) saw himself in a dream performing Pilgrimage in Kabba. This prompted Muslims to prepare themselves to travel to Mecca for the pilgrimage to the holy sites but Quraysh on hearing this sent out a force to stop Muslims from reaching there. In order to avoid bloodshed, the Prophet of Islam diverted his travel route towards Hudaybiyya. Here negotiations took place between Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and Quraysh, resulting in the postponement of Umrah from the Muslims on the condition that Muslim will be allowed to perform Hajj next year. Though on the surface, it looked like that Muslims have been on the losing side in the treaty but the diplomatic acumen of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) had judged the outcome, which was in their favor. Soon after the treaty of Hudaybiyya, Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) received the revelations of Surah Fatah (victory) from the God as a promise of ultimate victory. When they were signing the Hudaibiya treaty the Quresh refused to write "the Prophet of God" with the name of Muhammad (s.a.w) and hence Hazrat Ali (r.a) declined the agreement. However, the Prophet of Islam accepted the agreement and told his followers of the future victory waiting for the Muslims.

Muslims performing Hajj
Muslim performing Hajj following Muhammad (s.a.w)'s Sunnah


The diplomatic insight of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) is evident from the conquest of Makkkah when in 630 A.D when Muslims finally overcame the Meccan tribes establish an Islamic state there but one must keep in mind that the conquest of Mecca was the result of the Quraysh’s betrayal from their words written in the Treaty of Hudaybiyya. Under the treaty, tribes were allowed to be allied with either Quraysh or Muslims. on this pretext, Bani Bakkar allied with the Quraysh and Bani Khuza allied with the Muslims. Bani Bakar killed a person of the Khuza tribe by violating the sanctity of the treaty. Muslims in retaliation sent some legitimate conditions to the Meccan tribes with which they did not conform, resulting in the breakage of the treaty.

Prophet’s correspondence with other rulers

The Prophet of Islam also sent many letters to the rulers outside the Arab region to invite them towards Islam. Some accepted Islam, some replied with positive intent without accepting Islam, and some enraged with animosity by receiving these letters. Rulers include Negus of Abyssinia, Heraclius of Rome, Khosrau of Persia, ruler of Egypt and rulers of Yemen and Yamama.






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