Series of Statements by Grand Ayatollah Shirazi

During the Nights of the Blessed Month of Ramadan 1441 A.H.

Night 6th

In the Name of God, The Compassionate, The Merciful.

The story of Safwan son of Umayya was discussed in the previous two sessions. He was one of the polytheists of the city of Mecca, and as can be seen from the events and circumstances of his life, and as history has recorded, he may be regarded as one of the most important and active figures inciting war against the Messenger of God, Prophet Muhammad blessings of God be upon him and his family.

Safwan did not only incite war against the Prophet; he also financed warriors with money and weapons for confrontation with the Prophet of God, blessings of God be upon him and his family, and encouraged and provoked the polytheists to wage war against him.

The Battle of Badr was the first war launched by the polytheists against Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family. In that battle, huge sums of money were gathered to confront Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, and Abu Sufyan, Abu Jahl, and others all took part in covering its expenses.

Historical sources state that Safwan contributed five hundred dinars in support of the Battle of Badr. This amount was equivalent to the price of a flock of one thousand sheep. It is related that Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, gave one dinar to Urwah Al-Bariqi to buy a sacrificial sheep for him, and with one dinar he bought two sheep.

As mentioned earlier, Safwan son of Umayya supplied money and weapons and encouraged people to fight Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, while at the same time using his wealth to support poets so that, with their poems, they would stir up and provoke the enemies against Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, so that they would fight him with all their might.

Despite all this, shortly after the Liberation of Mecca by the Prophet, blessings of God be upon him and his family, Safwan came into his presence and embraced Islam. His children and grandchildren also became Muslims, and among his descendants were individuals counted among the companions of the Infallible Imams, peace be upon them. Of course, they were not among the trustworthy companions of the Imams, but they were included among their companions. Safwan had a son named Abdullah, and his son too was named Abdullah.

He (Safwan) who had devoted all his efforts and possessions to eliminate Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, came to the Prophet after the Liberation of Mecca and, seeing his open, gracious, and kind demeanor, became Muslim.

Cultural warfare against Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, was also one of Safwan’s activities. In this regard, Suhayl son of Amro, was a poet who received money from Safwan and was encouraged to compose provocative poems against the Prophet, stirring up the enemies, thereby sending them to the battlefield to fight the Prophet.

Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, never reacted negatively toward any of the poets who used their poems to incite against him. In a word, the conduct of Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, toward Safwan at the Liberation of Mecca was a magnificent miracle.

In well-known historical sources, as well as the noble book of Bihar Al-Anwar by Allama Majlisi, may God’s mercy be upon him, report that the Prophet’s companions summoned Safwan, Abu Sufyan, and others in order to reproach and admonish them for their behavior and actions. So they set out to do this.

As soon as Safwan, Abu Sufyan, and the others who had been summoned entered the presence of Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, they were met with the Prophet’s familiar open face and ever well-known smile, even though they were still polytheists and had not believed. The Prophet said to them: My story with you is the story of the Prophet Joseph and his brothers, and I tell you what Joseph said to his brothers: “No blame will there be upon you today.”

The companions who had summoned them, upon seeing this treatment from the Prophet, blessings of God be upon him and his family, said nothing and remained silent. In fact, it was precisely these methods and this conduct of Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, that laid the foundations of Islam, and made it firm, strengthening it and giving it durability. For this reason, the Holy Quran says regarding the manner in which people entered and came to Islam: “And you will see the people entering into the religion of God in multitudes.” (Chapter 110, Verse 2)

The “Mercy of Islam” as a Driving Force for Conversion

The wave of enthusiasm for Islam and the mass conversion of people mainly arose after the conquest of Mecca, when everyone saw, touched, and felt the mercy of Islam. A group of Prophet companions, while recounting the evil deeds and poetry of Suhayl ibn Amro, who, by aligning himself with the leaders of polytheism, had caused many Muslims, including Hamzah (Uncle of Prophet Muhammad), the Master of Martyrs, peace be upon him, to be martyred, said to the Prophet that it would be appropriate to deal with him severely.

Since Suhayl ibn Amro had still not believed and had not become Muslim, the Prophet Companions asked the Prophet, blessings of God be upon him and his family, to allow them to break his two front teeth so that he would no longer be able to speak clearly and eloquently, and thus would not be able to insult the Prophet and speak impudently to him. But he did not accept and did not permit this.

Can one truly find, in history, anyone who dealt with enemies in this manner and brought them onto the right path? Of course, not all of the enemies of the Messenger of God, blessings of God be upon him and his family, were guided or set upon the right course, and some outwardly became Muslims while concealing their enmity, harboring resentment and hostility inwardly.

What deserves attention and emphasis is that it was through this method and through the lofty character of Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, that Islam took root and continued along its path. The Holy Quran describes the Prophet’s method, conduct, and way of life, and says about him:

“Indeed, in the Messenger of God you have an excellent example.”

A Message to Human Society

In a world full of different and widespread challenges, human society should look to the Messenger of God, peace be upon him and his family, as its example (guidance) and follow his way and character as closely as possible. In this regard, Muslims, especially passionate young Muslims, should devote their attention to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, in every aspect of life, including war, peace, and governance, and share them with the world clearly and without ambiguity. That is to say, they should present these teachings in a way that leaves no doubt for anyone and leads people to the right and desired belief.

If only the leaders and rulers of Islamic countries would place these practical teachings of Prophet Muhammad, blessings of God be upon him and his family, on their agenda, and thereby become the best promoters and propagators of Islam.

May God Almighty, through His grace, guide everyone, gradually make up for the shortcomings of the past, and allow the culture of Islam to be presented to the world in both word and deed, so that the world may become familiar with this culture and its requirements, and political, economic, social, familial, and doctrinal troubles may depart from human societies, all of God’s servants may be saved, and the world may witness peace.

May blessings of God be upon Muhammad and his Infallible family.