The Peacemaker

Conflict Resolution

Dalia Mogahed

Dalia Mogahed is a community researcher, Pollster and research analyst, author and advisor based in the United States, and is the Director of Research at the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding.

Among the most vital and urgent messages of the Quran (Qurʾān) revealed in the seventh century, was the call to spread peace throughout society and the wider world. True to God’s (Allāh’s) instruction, Prophet Muhammadﷺ was intensely committed to maintaining peace and harmony as well as building bridges between people at every opportunity. Even before he received his prophethood, Muhammadﷺ was a man of impeccable integrity and intelligence, constantly encouraging compassion over conflict and unity over discord.

Prophet Muhammadﷺ resolved potential conflict between tribal leaders over who should place the oldest part of the Kaaba, the black stone, back in the sacred building.

The black stone and conflict prevention

Acting with astuteness and foresight, Muhammadﷺ was able to maintain the dignity and honor of the different tribes and crucially managed to prevent what could have become an escalating conflict.

An early example of Muhammad’sﷺ ability to resolve disagreement arose at a time when a flood in Mecca (Makkah) had damaged the Kaaba (Kaʿbah). The Kaaba was built thousands of years earlier for the purpose of worshiping One God, by the forefather of prophets, Abraham (Ibrāhīm) with the help of his son Ishmael (Ismā’īl). Even though the pagan Arabs had long forgotten the original significance of the Kaaba, they still held it in the highest honor.

Once the structure was rebuilt, the oldest and most sacred element of the Kaaba, which was the black stone, had to be placed back in position – a privilege that the belligerent tribal leaders were ready to go to war over.

They agreed on asking Muhammadﷺ to decide, since they respected him as an honest and trustworthy young man. He suggested that they place the black stone on a rug, and that a member of each tribe hold a corner, thus enabling them all to carry the black stone together. They agreed to this wise approach and asked Muhammadﷺ to be the final hand that would place the black stone in its rightful place.

Acting with astuteness and foresight, Muhammadﷺ was able to maintain the dignity and honor of the different tribes, and crucially managed to prevent what could have become an escalating conflict.

Despite enduring years of persecution from the city’s pagan elite, the Prophetﷺ led his victorious army in a peaceful conquest of Mecca.

The peaceful conquest of Mecca

In the Quran, God describes Prophet Muhammadﷺ as a “mercy to the worlds”, a title that was perhaps nowhere more powerfully illustrated than at the conquest of Mecca.

After suffering years of persecution and exile at the hands of the Meccan ruling tribe, the Prophetﷺ returned to the city with an army of 10,000 soldiers, one of the largest armies Arabia had ever seen. Yet he did not shed one drop of blood.

The Prophetﷺ heard one of the flag bearers of the Muslim army say, “Today is a day for revenge.” He responded, “No. Today is the day for mercy.” The Prophetﷺ then took away the man’s flag privileges sending a message to everyone that this attitude would not be tolerated,. Yet the Prophetﷺ was also careful to contain the situation. Not wishing to dishonor the man, the Prophetﷺ gave the flag instead to the man’s father, so that it stayed within the family. In doing so, he prevented a different type of tension by maintaining the family dignity.

Having prevented a potential conflict within his own battalion, the Prophetﷺ proceeded to end the greater conflict facing them all. With extraordinary forbearance and the utmost desire for peace, he forgave his enemies who had defamed him and abused the early Muslims for years. He used his position of power to liberate the people of Mecca instead of holding them as captives, telling the leaders, “Today there is no blame on you. Go, you are free.” Through compassion and benevolence rather than any notion for revenge, Prophet Muhammadﷺ finally brought dignity and peace back to the people.

Constitution of Medina

With visionary leadership, the Prophetﷺ created an agreement known as the Constitution of Medina, bringing the Muslims and the city’s Jewish and pagan residents together as one community.

After surviving the persecution in Mecca inflicted by its pagan ruling elite, the Prophetﷺ and the early Muslim community finally migrated to find sanctuary in a city over a hundred miles away, earlier known as Yathrib, later renamed Medina.

While the people of Medina warmly welcomed the Muslims, they had their own internal issues. Medina was home to many different tribes that had been engaged in internal fighting for generations. They searched for years for some kind of intervention and invited Prophet Muhammadﷺ to be the voice of authority and order.

With visionary leadership, the Prophetﷺ created an agreement known as the Constitution of Medina, bringing the Muslims and the city’s Jewish and pagan residents together as one community. The constitution was revolutionary. For the first time, all inhabitants were treated equally and granted protection and respect for their beliefs. The agreement erased tribal divisions, establishing peace and uniting the people through the common ideals of their new nation state.

Bringing peace to two warring tribes

With his actions and wise choice of words, the Prophetﷺ dissipated the tension and ended what might have been the beginning of a new civil war.

Peace is not something that comes once and lasts, it must be worked at constantly, and this is what the Prophetﷺ did for the rest of his life in Medina.

There were two tribes in the city of Medina, called the Aws and Khazraj, that had been at war for generations. After embracing Islam, they enjoyed a period of peace. But a weapons seller arrived in the city, looking to stoke up old hostilities. He sold his wares to both sides and sang evocative battle cries of the past. The hankering for revenge reignited between the two tribes and they began to assemble in an open desert plain ready to fight.

The Prophetﷺ found out what had transpired and ran with such urgency to the battlefield that his clothing flapped about him as he rushed. He yelled out to them, “O Muslims!” calling them by their new unifying identity, reminding them to remember God, and to remember they were no longer warring tribes, but brothers in Islam. He brought them back to their senses, calling them to their higher ideals. With his actions and wise choice of words, the Prophetﷺ dissipated the tension and ended what might have been the beginning of a new civil war.

The blood feud

Through diplomacy and the encouragement of clemency and hospitality, the Prophetﷺ ended the blood feud.

The resentment between the two tribes of the Aws and Khazraj was deep-seated due to years of bitter feuding before they adopted Islam. Even after they became Muslim, tensions surfaced from time to time yet they were always resolved by the Prophet’sﷺ authority, wisdom and sheer commitment to peace.

There was a man named Asad bin Zurara who was being sought out for revenge by a family of his opposing tribe. The Prophetﷺ went to the family seeking revenge and stood among them, asking “Where is Asad? Bring him here”. Asad who would never refuse the Prophetﷺ and would go to him wherever he was, appeared at the Prophet’sﷺ request in his enemy’s home.

The Prophetﷺ took his hand and said to the crowd that had gathered, “Who will offer this man protection?” knowing that the Arab code of protection had to be honored.

A man from the crowd offered Asad refuge in his home, so the Prophetﷺ went with Asad, but also brought the family seeking revenge to the protector’s house. Under this neutral roof, the Prophetﷺ provided a unique opportunity to resolve their hitherto irreconcilable differences.

Through diplomacy and the encouragement of clemency and hospitality, the Prophetﷺ ended the blood feud, showing that peace and forgiveness was always achievable.

TextureTexture
TextureTexture
TextureTexture
Loading