Page 55 - Age of Peace Goodword.indd

The Age of Peace

But the Prophet Muhammad analyzed the situation
dispassionately and came to the conclusion that the presence
of idols in the Kaaba, although ostensibly a negative factor, also
had a positive side to it—that is, because these idols belonged
to different tribes of Arabia, people from all over Arabia
would come to Makkah all the year round to visit their idols.
Therefore, almost on a daily basis, in and around the Kaaba,
there would be gatherings of substantial numbers of people.
The Prophet Muhammad adopted the policy of delinking two
issues: the presence of idols in the Kaaba and the gathering of
people there. He decided to temporarily ignore the problem of
the presence of idols in the Kaaba and to avail of the gathering
of visitors there as an audience for his mission.

The Prophet adhered to this policy of delinking for a
period of thirteen years, until finally a substantial number
of Makkans became his companions. It is this wise strategy
which has been described by E. E. Kellet in these words: He
faced adversity with the determination to wring success out of
failure. In other words, the Prophet adopted this formula for
his mission: Ignore the problems, avail of the opportunities.

The principle adopted by the Prophet Muhammad in
ancient Makkah was not, in fact, a religious principle. This
principle was based rather on the law of nature. According to
the general law of nature, this principle applies to everyone,
whether one’s mission be religious or secular.
The truth is that, according to the law of nature, always in
every situation two things exist at the same time – problems
and opportunities. It can never happen that one aspect should
exist and the other not—that is, that problems should exist and
opportunities should not. That is why wisdom dictates that
before embarking on a mission, a person should review the
situation in a dispassionate way, and refrain from launching
himself on a course of action with an eye only on the problems,
for this is a way of proceeding which goes against nature.

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