The Prophet never cursed or attacked non-believers. He simply prayed for their forgiveness when they rejected his message or harmed him.
On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammed, the sermon reminds people of his mercy.
As a verse from the Quran says: “And We have not sent you, [O Mohammed], except as a mercy to the worlds.”
Which means he was sent with a mission of mercy for all mankind – believers and disbelievers alike.
“Those who believed, they were guided by Allah through His Messenger, and those who did not were invited by the Messenger to follow the righteous path,” explains the sermon.
“When the latter didn’t respond, the Messenger never supplicated to Allah to punish them, nor did he curse them despite all the bad treatment and harm he received from them. Instead, he used to say, ‘O Lord! Forgive my people, as they do not know’.”
In fact, the Quran ordered the Prophet to spread his message through knowledge and thought. A verse says: “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best.” Therefore, he adopted tenderness and wisdom in calling people for good conduct.
“He enjoined upon them what is good, prohibited for them all that is evil, relieved them from their burdens and made things easier for them.”
“The Prophet [pbuh] came with a message of leniency and ease through which the Almighty opened broad gates for Muslims and made their matters easier,” continues the sermon.
This is evident in the traits he made them embrace, such as honouring parents and establishing a sympathetic and harmonious relationship between spouses, keeping good relations with one’s neighbours and using manners to deal with others.
“He also advocated us to raise our children well and prepare them to stand on their own feet and lead a successful life.”
The sermon cites an incident when Jaafar bin Abu Talib, the Prophet’s cousin, explained to Al Najashi, who was the Christian king of Al Habasha, the teachings of Islam.
He said: “(The Prophet) prohibited us from doing the evil actions, eating up the property of an orphan and wrongly accusing the chaste women.”
hdajani@thenational.ae