In the 8th year AH, the Prophet ﷺ entered Makkah. After having been exiled from his homeland and the homeland of his anctesors, the Prophet ﷺ came back at the head of an army of 10,000. The Prophet ﷺ split the army into 4 divisions and on the 20th of Ramadan, all four divisions marched simultaneously into Makkah from each entrance. Outnumbered beyond belief, the Makkans had no choice but to surrender. With the Makkans at his mercy, the Prophet ﷺ had the option to exact revenge upon those who had brutally tortured him and his followers. Instead, he told them, “I say to you what Yusuf (as) said to his brothers. ‘There is no reproach on you today.’ Go, for you are all free.” The following is a poem describing the scene.
Hymn On The Capture Of Mecca
by Amherst D. Tyssen
Ye gates, unfold; strong walls, fall down;
Bow minaret and dome!
The seer, who fled with life proscribed,
Returns as conqueror home.
Ten thousand followers swell his train,
All armed with sword and shield;
His foes have found their forces melt,
And now must humbly yield.
No blood he sheds, no fine exacts,
No prince to prison sends;
Forgives, forgets all injuries past,
Treats enemies as friends.
Oh, hence may we a lesson learn
Sweet tempers to display,
And ne’er resent the varied wrongs
We suffer day by day.
Tho’ others call our faith a sin,
And motives bad impute;
May we no angry word reply,
But rest in patience mute.
So shall they see that in our hearts
God’s spirit truly lives;
And honour with unfeigned respect
The gentle grace it gives.
From The Convert’s Passion: An Anthology of Islamic Poetry from Late Victorian and Edwardian Britain. pg. 175
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