Was the Muslims' Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) an intolerant man, as the west claims?

There were some important events in his life which refuse the charges:
His youth
His visit to Taif and the response he had
The Treaty of Hudibbaiya
The Conquest of Mecca
His Last Sermon

• His youth: The Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him ) was born an orphan in Mecca . His father died before his birth . His mother also left him when he was six years old . He lived in Mecca uptil the age of fifty three before his migration to Medina. The inhabitants of the city saw him in different phases of his life . They saw him as a boy ; in his youth ; as a husband ; as a father ; as a teacher and guide of people . Four times in his life , others vouchsafed for his nobility of character . Twice his by his inveterate foes : once when the Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him ) asked the people of Quraish if he were to tell them that an army was about to attack Mecca would they believe him . Abu Jahl told him that he was Amin and Siddiq meaning thereby that his was truthful . On another occasion , Abu Safyan went to the court of King Heraclius of Rome . In an interview with the King , Abu Sufyan praised his noble soul . And twice he was praised by his friends . When the Quraish asked Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq whether it was correct what the Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him ) told them he ascended to the heavens , Hazrat Abu Bakr says Muhammad( Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him ) that that would be correct. On another occasion when the Quraish sent a delegation to the court of the King of Abbasynia to hand over the Muslims to them , Hazrat Jafar bin Abu Talib made a speech which impressed the King and his court.

• His visit to Taif and the response he had: When visited to Taif , neighbouring town, from Mecca, he was treated harshly and was stoned . But he refrained ,unlike some other prophets, from condemning them.

• The Treaty of Hudibbaiya: His nobility , his kindness and his goodness are proved by two incidents .The first was the Treaty of Huddibiyya ( a place near Mecca) between the Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him ) and the Muslims on the one side and the disbelievers on the other side which put the former to a disadvantage in the short term . However , in the long run , the Muslims were victorious and they conquered Mecca.

• The Conquest of Mecca: Second was the Conquest of Mecca. Those writers who say that the Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him ) was intolerant must carefully read the events leading to the Conquest of Mecca to understand his noble nature .The Holy Prophet announced ‘ He who enters the house of Abu Sufyan (His inveterate foe) shall be safe . He who shuts himself up in his own house and locks his door shall be safe and he who the Mosque at Mecca shall be safe ‘. There was no blood bath which often happens in the annals of history.

• His Last Sermon: The limits of this column prevents me from reproducing the entire Sermon . However , it was the finest bill of rights ever found anywhere in the world.

Mahfooz ur Rahman

mahfoozurrahman_pk@hotmail.com