The Beautiful Generosity of The Pious Predecessors During Armed Conflict

In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

True Believers’ Attitude Towards Feeding Those in Need, Including Captured Combatants

Allah, The Exalted, informed us of some of the qualities of the Abrar – the pious, who fear Allah and avoid evil:

ويُطۡعِمُونَ ٱلطَّعَامَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِۦ

“And they give food, in spite of their love for it”. – Meaning, they are in a state in which they love wealth and food, but they give precedence to the love of Allah over the what their souls love and seek to feed the people who deserve and need it the most.

مِسۡكِينً۬ا وَيَتِيمً۬ا وَأَسِيرًا

“The Miskin (poor), the orphan, and the captive”(1); saying:

إِنَّمَا نُطۡعِمُكُمۡ لِوَجۡهِ ٱللَّهِ

“We feed you seeking Allah’s Countenance only. We wish for no reward, nor thanks from you”. – Meaning, to seek Allah’s Reward. Mujaahid and Ibn Jubayr, may Allah have mercy upon them, said, “As for these people, they did not make this statement, but Allah knows this is what is in their hearts, so He praised them for it as an exhortation for the one who desires to do so”.

لَا نُرِيدُ مِنكُمۡ جَزَآءً۬

“We wish for no reward”. – Meaning, by way of actions;

وَلَا شُكُورًا
“nor thanks”.
Meaning, by way of statement. (2)

إِنَّا نَخَافُ مِن رَّبِّنَا يَوۡمًا عَبُوسً۬ا قَمۡطَرِيرً۬ا

“Verily, We fear from our Lord a Day, hard and distressful, that will make the faces look horrible (from extreme dislikeness to it)”.

فَوَقَٮٰهُمُ ٱللَّهُ شَرَّ ذَٲلِكَ ٱلۡيَوۡمِ وَلَقَّٮٰهُمۡ نَضۡرَةً۬ وَسُرُورً۬ا

So Allah saved them from the evil of that Day, and gave them Nadratan (a light of beauty) and joy]. [Al-Insan. 8-11]

The Quraish Attempted to Starve The Prophet and His Close Relatives

Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: On the Day of Nahr at Mina, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, “Tomorrow we shall stay at Khaif Bani Kinana where the pagans had taken the oath of disbelief.” He meant (by that place) Al-Muhassab where the Quraish tribe and Banu Kinaanah concluded a contract against Banu Haashim and Banu Abdul-Muttalib or Banu Al-Muttalib that they would not intermarry with them or deal with them in business until they handed over the Prophet to them. (3)

Usamah Bin Zayd, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I asked the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, during his Hajj,”O Allah’s Messenger! Where will you stay tomorrow?” He said, “Has Aqeel left for us any house?” He then added, “Tomorrow we will stay at Khaif Bani Kinana, i.e. Al-Muhassab, where Quraish (polytheists) took an oath of disbelief in that Banu Kinana allied with Quraish against Banu Hashim on the terms that they would not deal with the members of the tribe or give them shelter.” (4)

The incident mentioned in the above narrations took place when the Makkan polytheists had a meeting at a place called the Valley of Al-Muhassab, where they established an alliance against Banu Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib. They agreed not to have any business transactions with them, no marriage ties, no visits, and no verbal communication with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and those who aided him. So, Abu Talib – the Prophet’s uncle who stood by him at the time – decided to move to a valley in the eastern suburbs of Makkah, then Banu Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib also moved and they were all confined to a narrow passage. They remained in that situation for three years- from the 7th year of the Prophet’s Prophethood until the 10th year. It was a very repressive embargo that brought extreme hardship, and in addition to this, the vile polytheists bought everything that reached Makkah in order that nothing reached Banu Al-Mutallib and Banu Haashim. The situation became so bad that they had to eat the leaves of trees and animal skins, and children constantly cried due to hunger. They had nothing besides very little provision that was sometimes delivered secretly by some people in Makkah who sympathised with them. During the sacred months when fighting was not permitted, they used to go and buy provisions, but the prices of goods were inflated so that they would not be able to afford them. However, this great hardship never stopped the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, from calling to the truth, rather he used to go to the Kabah and call people to Islam. By the grace of Allah, the agreement between the polytheists ended in the 10th year of the Prophet’s Prophethood, because some of them could no longer bear to see their relatives in that situation. (5)

The Quraish implored the Prophet to refrain from interfering with their food supplies, even though they had previously engaged in the same wrongdoing when they were in a position of power

Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: “The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, sent a troop of fighters towards Najd and they brought a man from the tribe of Banu Haneefah who was called Thumamah bin Uthaal. He was then tied to one of the pillars of the Masjid. The Prophet went to him and said, “What have you got, O Thumama?” He replied, “I have got a good thought, O Muhammad! If you should kill me, you would kill a person who has already killed somebody, and if you should set me free, you would do a favor to one who is grateful, and if you want property, then ask me whatever wealth you want.” So, he was left till the next day when again the Prophet said to him, “What have you got, O Thumama?” He said, “What I have already told you”. The Prophet left him till the day after, and said to him again, “What have you got, O Thumama?” He said, “I have got what I told you. So the Prophet said, “Set him free”.

Then Thumamah) went to a garden of date palm trees near the Masjid, took a bath, entered the Masjid, and then said, “I testify that None has the right to be worshipped except Allah, and also testify that Muhammad is His Messenger! By Allah, O Muhammad! There was no face on the surface of the earth most disliked by me than yours, but now your face has become the most beloved face to me. By Allah, there was no religion most disliked by me than yours, but now it is the most beloved religion to me. By Allah, there was no town most disliked by me than your town, but now it is the most beloved town to me. Your troops arrested me (at the time) when I was intending to perform the Umra. And now what do you think?” The Prophet gave him good tidings of good in this world and the next, and ordered him to perform the Umra. So when he came to Makkah, someone said to him, “You have become a Sabian?” He replied, “No! By Allah, I have submitted to Islam with Muhammad, Allah’s Messenger. No, by Allah! Not a single grain of wheat will come to you from Yamamah unless the Prophet gives his permission.” (6)

The Prophet asked Thumamah, “What have you got O Thumamah?” He replied that he has good thoughts about the Prophet- Meaning, “You O Muhammad never oppress anyone, rather you are from those who pardon and do good”. So after he was set free, he entered Makkah to perform Umrah and then pronounced the Talbilya and he was the first to enter Makkah in that manner, so Quraish grabbed him and said, “You have the audacity to do this to us”, and they wanted to kill him; then a person amongst the Quraish said, “Leave him because you are in need of food from Yamaamah (i.e. from his land)”, so they released him. Then he said to them, “By Allah! Not a single grain of wheat will come to you from Yamamah unless the Prophet gives his permission.” Ibn Hisham said, “Then Thumamah returned to Yamamah and prevented the Quraish from bringing any food to Makkah, so the Quraish wrote to the Prophet saying, “Indeed, you command people to keep good the ties of kinship”, so the Prophet wrote to Thumamah to allow them to transport their food”.(7)

[1] Tafsir as-Sadi]

[2] Zadul Maseer Fee Ilmit Tafsir by Imam Ibn Al-Jawzi

[3] Al-Bukhari. 1590

[4] Al-Bukhari. 3058

[5] Zadul Ma’ad 3/31 and Seerah Ibn Hisham 1/350

[6] Al-Bukhari. 4372

[7] Fat’hul Bari Sharh Sahih Al-Bukhari 8/110-111 and Al-Hulalul Ibreeziyyah Min at-Taleeqaat al-Baaziyyah Alaa Sahih Al-Bukhari 3/319