In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Dispenser of Grace
In this second post of the project, I thought to share about a period of the Prophet's youth that he looked back upon proudly. He s.a.w. later used to say about the pact that he undertook as a teenager to be "so excellent that I would not exchange my part in it even for a herd of red camels; and if now, in Islam, I was asked to take part in it I would be glad to accept."
When I first read about this period, I never really gave it much thought but later I realised its significance. As mentioned, this was during the Prophet's youth, before he was a prophet and the time before Islam. Yet, what is so significant about this pact that the Prophet s.a.w. would gladly have repeated it?
This was the pact called "Al-Fudhool", a pact that ensured justice for everyone. The reason for this pact was because of an injustice inflicted upon an outsider by a powerful and influential Quraish man. The man from a different clan arrived in Mecca to sell some goods. The Quraish man, Al-Aas ibn Wa'il, bought the goods but refused to pay him. When he appealed to several clans of the Quraish for help, they declined and even scolded him.
In desperation, he stood on a hill overlooking the Kaabah at sunrise and made his appeal to the Quraish men gathered there, reminding them of their position as custodians of the Sacred House of Worship. Among the men moved by his speech was the Prophet's uncle, Az-Zubair ibn Abd al-Muttalib who stood up and said that injustice must not be allowed.
Subsequently, a meeting was organised and attended by representatives of many Quraish clans, among them was a twenty year old Muhammad ibn Abdullah. The pact was then formed with the following terms:
1. They would stand united, supporting anyone in Mecca who suffered injustice, be he local or foreigner.
2. They would stand firm against the perpetrator of that injustice until right and justice were restored.
These were the men who made sure that Al-Aas returned the goods to the man.
What is clear from this incident and the Prophet's words is that Muslims should value justice in all its forms. There is no such thing as justice for one particular people/group - justice is for all no matter their background. Therefore, while we feel loyalty to our family, friends or brothers/sisters-in-Islam, if they are the perpetrators of injustice, we should stand firm against them until right and justice is restored.
Another point is that it does not matter if a pact is made with Muslims or non-Muslims (which in this case, they were non-Muslims), as long as it is founded on the basis of justice and goodness, it is binding upon us to honour it.
Insya Allah, may we learn and take inspiration from the Prophet's life.
