Allah states in the Qur’an:
وَمَاۤاَرْسَلْنٰكَاِلَّارَحْمَةًلِّلْعٰلَمِیْنَ
“And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.”
— Surah Al-Anbiya: 107
Seeking Blessings, Not Curses
Hazrat Abu Hurairah (RA) narrates: Some people came to the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) and said, “O Messenger of Allah! These Quraish disbelievers of Makkah have caused immense hardship and loss to the Muslims. Therefore, please invoke a curse upon them.”
To this, the Prophet of Mercy (ﷺ) replied:
“I have not been sent to curse people; rather, I have been sent as a mercy to all of creation.”
The Incident of Ta’if
The Prophet (ﷺ) traveled to the city of Ta’if near Makkah to convey the message of Islamic Monotheism and teach righteousness to its inhabitants.
Not only did the people reject his message, but they also mocked him with harsh words, pelted him with stones, and drove him out of the city. As a result, blood flowed from the blessed body of the Prophet (ﷺ). At this critical juncture, Allah sent an angel to him.
Angel Jibril (AS) approached the Prophet (ﷺ) and pleaded: “O Messenger of Allah! Command me, and I will crush these people who have caused you such great suffering between these two mountains (Al-Akhshabayn).”
The Prophet (ﷺ) replied:
“I was not sent to destroy them. Even if they do not accept Islam today, I hope and pray to Allah that their future generations will accept it.”
He then prayed for their guidance. Such was the sublime character of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).
The Battle of Uhud
During the Battle of Uhud, when the disbelieving enemies launched a fierce attack against the Prophet (ﷺ), one of his blessed teeth (Mubarak teeth) was martyred, and blood flowed from his jaw. Seeing this, some of the Muslims urged him to curse the enemies.
However, the Prophet (ﷺ) supplicated:
“اللَّهُمَّاغْفِرْلِقَوْمِيفَإِنَّهُمْلَايَعْلَمُونَ“
“O Allah! Guide my people, for they do not know.”
On another occasion, the companion Umar (RA) remarked: “O Messenger of Allah! If you had cursed your people the way Prophet Nuh (AS) cursed his, we would have all been destroyed! You were subjected to various severe hardships and obstacles, yet you were always supplicating, ‘O Allah! Forgive my people, for they do not know.'”
Even when his enemies inflicted the most brutal torments upon him, the Prophet (ﷺ) continued to seek forgiveness and pray for their guidance. He never cursed anyone.
The Incident with Ghawrath ibn al-Harith
Once, while on a journey, the Prophet (ﷺ) went to rest alone under the shade of a tree, away from his companions. The companions were resting at a distance, scattered here and there. The Prophet’s sword was hanging from a branch of the tree, leaving him completely unarmed as he slept.
A disbeliever named Ghawrath ibn al-Harith passed by and thought, “This is the perfect opportunity. No one is nearby, and the Prophet does not have a sword in his hand. I can kill him now.” Armed with his unsheathed sword, he approached the Prophet (ﷺ).
The Prophet (ﷺ) woke up to find a man standing over him with a drawn sword. Pointing the sword at the Prophet’s neck, the man asked mockingly, “You are caught in my hands now. Who will save you from me today?”
Without an iota of fear, the Prophet (ﷺ) replied with great majesty:
“Allah!”
The moment the Prophet (ﷺ) uttered this, the man was struck with sudden panic and trembled, causing the sword to fall from his hand.
The Prophet (ﷺ) immediately picked up the sword in his blessed hand (Mubarak hand) and asked: “Now you tell me, who will save you?”
The man pleaded, “You are the one; please forgive me.”
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah is the one who saves you too,” and forgave him. Later, the man recited the Kalimah (testimony of faith) and embraced Islam.
The Poisoned Meat at Khaybar
In Khaybar, a Jewish woman invited the Prophet (ﷺ) to a feast and laced the food with poison. The Prophet (ﷺ) partook of the food before it was revealed that it was poisoned. Despite this assassination attempt, he did not seek revenge and forgave the woman.
The Woman Who Threw Trash
Desiring to humiliate the Prophet (ﷺ), a woman used to collect the garbage from her house and dump it on him from her upper floor whenever he walked past. The Prophet (ﷺ) never said a word and would quietly pass by. This became a daily routine.
One day, as the Prophet (ﷺ) passed by, no garbage was thrown on him. He inquired about the woman from the neighbors, who informed him that she was bedridden due to illness.
The Prophet (ﷺ) immediately went up to her house, sought permission to enter, visited her to ask about her health, and prayed for her recovery.
Overwhelmed with shame, the woman thought to herself, “Is this the man of such sublime character whom I have been tormenting?” Regretful of her actions, she apologized to the Prophet (ﷺ). The Prophet (ﷺ) comforted her, and she immediately recited the Kalimah and embraced Islam.
Forgiving Wahshi
The Prophet (ﷺ) held immense love and respect for his paternal uncle, Hamzah (RA). During the Battle of Uhud, Hamzah (RA) was brutally martyred, and his body and face were horribly mutilated. Upon seeing this, the Prophet (ﷺ) wept bitterly for a long time. The person responsible for this horrific act was Wahshi, an Ethiopian slave belonging to Abu Sufyan.
Years later, after fleeing to various places, Wahshi returned to Madinah. He approached the Prophet (ﷺ), begging for forgiveness and asking to be taught Islam. The Prophet (ﷺ) forgave Wahshi, taught him the Kalimah of Monotheism, and prayed for his forgiveness.
Conclusion
There are countless such incidents in the life of the Prophet (ﷺ); a lifetime would not suffice to narrate them all.
O Allah! Bestow Your eternal Mercy, Peace, and Pleasure upon Muhammad (ﷺ)—the Mercy to the Worlds—and upon his family and his companions! Ameen!!
