After the successful defending of Medina and its citizens weather Jew, Christian, Muslim; man or woman; young or old; from the Meccans in accordance to the Pact of the United People of Medina found in the Medina Charter – aka as the Constitution of Medina –some Muslims soldiers (who as a greater whole were of just as many kinds as the civilian citizenry) were boasting over their success in their jihad (struggle/strife) against the Meccans (better known as 'the infidels' by anyone who has encountered infamously quoted out of their full historically and literary context in the Quran referring to them). Muhammad said to the soldiers, "That was the lesser Jihad (the battle with the Meccans aka the infidels) and now we must focus on the greater Jihad of peace and inner struggle with ourselves."
The Meccans would have killed not only Muhammad and the first Muslims but also the non-Muslim citizens of Medina that have given the prior shelter. The Meccans issues with Muhammad and the Muslims? That Muhammad had reminded the Meccans of how classical Arabic tribal law expected the tribe to take care of the poor such as orphans and widows. Islam wasn't the issue.
Since his uncle Abu Tallif had taken him in, Muhammad had been lucky enough to be an orphan that was not allowed to die alone in starvation because of Meccan greed. He knew that the secular Arabic tribal law when properly followed was enough to address such and that there was no need to compel people through religion to do so. Even with one of the one of the five pillars in Islam being Zakat, an alms tax to distribute to the poor and only the poor, Muhammad had only compelled the Meccans to act in accordance to their own man made laws. Muhammad's lesser jihad wasn't to convert the infidels aka the Meccans to Islam but remind them of their own laws which were his as well. Then to protect Muslims and non-Muslims alike in Medina from the Meccans who would reply to reminder of THEIR laws with further ignoring of them by not matching debate with more debate but with initiating undue aggression and violence.
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My Islamic Primer for You - Some Answers for My Friends
Non-FictionMy Islamic primer from my religious studies course on Islam. Had to write a 5 to 7 pages primer on Islam for someone not familiar with Islam in double space 12 point Times News Roman font.
