Page 67 - Islam Denounces Terrorism

Adnan Oktar (Harun Yahya) 65

The pagans of the time could not do much harm to members of
strong and eminent families, such as Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Uth-
man but they viciously mistreated poor and unprotected Muslims.
Worthy Muslims exposed to such severe mistreatment included Abu
Fakih, Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, Bilal ibn Rabah, Suhaib ar-Rumi, Ammar
ibn Yasir, Yasir ibn Amir and Sumayyah bint Khayyat.

This mistreatment of Muslims took place simply because they had
faith and preached Islam to others. Despite all that oppression, torture
and violence, Muslims never harmed those who were harming them,
which is one of the requirements of Islam, and never tried to defend

themselves, which is their most basic human right. Seeing that the
Muslims were not fighting back, the Quraysh stepped up their aggres-
sion and tortures. The Quraysh in question were now martyring Mus-
lims the moment they saw them.

As the persecution worsened, the Muslims, who did not respond
to it in any way and did not even defend themselves since the Qur'an
prohibits the shedding of blood, found themselves unable to remain in
Mecca any longer. That meant they had to migrate to Medina.

The Medina Period and the Battles

As the idolaters' attacks grew in severity in Mecca, the Muslims
migrated to the city of Yathrib (later known as Medina), where the cli-
mate was a great deal freer and friendlier, and set up their own admin-
istration there. Yet even after they established their own political struc-
tures, the attacks by the pagans of Mecca did not come to an end. The

Quraysh followed the Muslims and persisted in violent attacks against
them. But our Prophet (pbuh) and the Muslims around him never
embarked on a battle against the idolaters.

No person, community or country in the world will fail to respond
if they are attacked. They will always respond to the aggressor in "self