Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 78 - The Conquest of Makkah Part 3 ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 5th March 2014
Seerah of Prophet Muhammad 78 - The Conquest of Makkah Part 3 ~ Dr. Yasir Qadhi | 5th March 2014
When Did the Conquest of Makkah Take Place?
We return to the story of the conquest. (Today's lesson is primarily about conversions before the actual conquest). The Prophet PBUH departed Madinah 10th Ramadan 8 H and arrived in Makkah on the 17th.
He leaves one of the sahaba in charge of Madinah, who was not very famous, Abu Rihm Kulthum ibn al-Husayn. Every single other sahabi and all major sahaba went to Makkah.
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The Ruling of Travel Does Not Begin From Within the City
As soon as the Prophet PBUH reached Qudaid, he broke his fast since it is Ramadan. And the sahaba broke their fast as well. And this shows us a simple and important fiqh point: Travel does not begin from within the city. You cannot break your fast or shorten your prayer from within your home city if you haven't left yet. If your flight is at 3 PM you cannot shorten salah before this time. Similarly if it's Ramadan and your flight is at 4 PM, you cannot break your fast before this. You must remain fasting until the plain departs and you are outside the city limits; then you may break the fast and start praying jama'/qasr.
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Encounter With al-Abbas Who's on His Way to Do Hijrah
So they are barely 2 days outside Madinah and they pass by the Valley of Juhfa. Lo and behold they find someone coming from Makkah to Madinah. It was none other than al-Abbas (the uncle of the Prophet PBUH) with his family. Abbas had NO idea the conquest is taking place. Lo and behold Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib comes to do Hijrah. Allah had written for him and his family the honor that nobody else got after them, and that is the LAST group of people ever to enter into the realm of the Muhajirun. Allah gave it to them just barely. Abbas and his family comes and he announces his Islam. The Prophet PBUH rejoices immensely and tells his uncle, "Go take care of your family and then join us quickly." So he quickly does this and he catches up to the caravan.
How many uncles of the Prophet PBUH play a role in the seerah? 4: Hamzah, Abbas, Abu Talib and Abu Lahab. As for the other uncles they are not alive when the dawah phase begins. Only four uncles lived to see the Prophet PBUH as a prophet. One of the them, Abu Lahab, the worst enemy; another, Abu Talib, the best non-Muslim EVER. This is the qadr of Allah; two blood brothers - one of them is the worst of the non-Muslims, the other is the best. And then we have the Muslims Hamzah and Abbas and again there is a difference. Hamzah converts earlier in the middle of the Makkan period and becomes the Sayyid of the Shuhada. Abbas is the very last Muhajir. There is a famous mutawatir hadith, "There is no Hijrah after the conquest."
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When Did Abbas Accept Islam?
There is a huge controversy among the scholars of the seerah. When did Abbas accept Islam? Scholars have written pages and pages on this. There are varied opinions:
1) One is that he accepted Islam even before the Prophet's PBUH Hijrah. But there is not any evidence for this.
2) He accepted Islam right before Badr. The evidence for this is that the Prophet PBUH said, "Do not kill three people because they have been forced to come and fight against us: Number one Abbas."
3) He accepted Islam post-Badr. Abbas RA was taken a prisoner of war along with his sons and nephews and when he had to ransom himself he accepted Islam. Remember after Badr, Abbas said, "Do you want me to become poor? I don't have the money you want!" The Prophet PBUH said, "What happened to the money you buried at such-and-such a place the night before you left for Badr and you told your wife, 'I will hide the money here.'" Abbas said, "HOW did you know? Nobody was there except for me and Ummi Fadl." So the Prophet PBUH said, "Allah told me." And then Abbas said, "There is no doubt you are the messenger of Allah." This phrase has been interpreted to many scholars as an acceptance of Islam.
4) He accepted Islam before the Battle of Khaybar. What is the evidence? When the news falsely reached Makkah that the Prophet PBUH had been defeated at Khaybar (it was a tactic that one of the Muslims said, 'Defeat has occurred') - when this news spread Abbas became distressed and extremely grieved. So that sahabi went to Abbas and said, "Ya Abbas it's actually the biggest victory the Muslims have seen." And at this he shouted, 'Allahu'akbar.' So for him to be happy the Muslims have won at Khaybar shows he is a Muslim.
5) He converted right now where we are.
Opinion 3, 4, 5 say he remained in Makkah as an informant at the command of the Prophet PBUH. The evidence is ambiguous and you cannot say for certain when he accepted Islam. Ibn Abd al-Barr says before Khaybar. Ibn Hajar argues right now (this incident). Ibn Kathir argues he remained in Makkah as a Muslim obeying the command of the Prophet PBUH. So we have three great scholars with three different opinions. One thing for sure we can say without a shadow of a doubt: After Badr, his heart opened to Islam. Whether he accepted or not Allah knows best. After Badr he knows Islam is true. That is why he's helping and informing the Prophet PBUH. And why he was so happy at the conquest of Khaybar. Perhaps the best thing to say is his heart was a heart of Islam post Badr, and he was a believer, but he publicly declared it now. But Allah knows best. Also in a non-authentic, actually very weak hadith where the Prophet PBUH said to Abbas, "You are the last Muhajir just like I am the last prophet."
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Al-Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib RA
Abbas was the only elder of the Banu Hashim to live after the Prophet's PBUH death - he lived for another 20 years (died in 32 H in Uthman's khilafa). And the sahaba respected him an IMMENSE amount. After all, he is the brother of Abdullah and the uncle of the Prophet PBUH. Once when someone irritated Abbas, the Prophet PBUH gave a khutbah and said, "Oh Muhajir and Ansar, verily the uncle of a man is like his father. So do not irritate me though al-Abbas." Subhan'Allah. And it's mentioned whenever Abu Bakr or Umar or any senior sahaba saw al-Abbas, they would get off their camel as a token of respect and not ride at a level above him. In the hadith of Bukhari when the Muslims were suffering the drought in the 18 H, Umar RA gathered all the sahaba to perform Salah al-Istisqa (prayer for rain) to stop people dying from thirst. Umar RA finished the khutbah by saying, "O Allah, we used to go through the Prophet PBUH to get to you. And now we will do tawassul through the uncle of the Prophet PBUH. Stand up, O Abbas, and make du'a for us." This is a great honor. When there are Badriyun and many senior sahaba, Umar chooses Abbas to make du'a for the entire community for rain to fall.
And Abbas lived a long life; he became blind towards the end of it and is described as being very handsome and loud voiced. In Hunayn when the people fled, the Prophet PBUH told Abbas, "Oh Abbas call them," and he stood on a mount and called them. It is said in the books of the Seerah that Abbas had a slave who was a shepherd. And when the slave was grazing the flock 3 miles away, Abbas would just shout out from 3 miles away and the shepherd would hear. There is a famous question that someone asked Abbas, "Who's bigger (older) you or the Prophet PBUH?" So al-Abbas smiled and said, "Rasulullah is bigger than me (in status), and I am more 'aged' than him." Subhan'Allah look at the intelligence of Abbas. And one of the biggest blessings Allah gave Abbas is that one of the longest reigning dynasties of Islam were the 'Abbasids.' Direct descendants from Abbas. They ruled Islam from 750 CE–1510 CE. So for ~750 years they were the khalifa of Islam.
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Conversion of Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith & Abdullah ibn Abu Umayyah
So Abbas accepts Islam and reaches the army and proceeds with them to Makkah.
Today's lesson is about conversions before the actual conquest and two very more important conversions take place.
The army is coming close to Makkah and the news has spread and reached Makkah that the Prophet PBUH is coming; but they don't know when. Of course the news will reach there since you cannot hide 10,000 men in one caravan. So the Makkans were taken by surprise. However, two people out of panic and fear decided to exit Makkah and tried to embrace Islam before the Prophet PBUH conquered Makkah. There are another two famous conversion stories: But note these two weren't Muhajir, they are simply converting outside of Makkah. And they precisely convert around 20km outside of Makkah (1 day journey).
1. Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith ibn Abdul Muttalib
The first person was Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith ibn Abdul Muttalib, NOT the famous Abu Sufyan who was the leader of the Quraysh. The first cousin of the Prophet PBUH. And his father al-Harith is the eldest son of Abdul Muttalib, and Harith died before the Prophet PBUH was born most likely. And he was the only son present when zamzam was discovered. And that was the time when Abdul Muttalib said, "O Allah, if you ever give me 10 sons, I will sacrifice one of them for you."
2. Abdullah ibn Abu Umayyah ibn al-Mughira
The second one was another cousin of the Prophet PBUH, Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah ibn al-Mughira. Abdullah's mother is Atikah, the aunt of the Prophet PBUH i.e. the daughter of Abdul Muttalib. So Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith ibn Abdul Muttalib is a first cousin to the Prophet PBUH from the father's side (father's brother) and Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah ibn al-Mughira is a first cousin to the Prophet PBUH also from the father's side (father's sister). By the way Atikah was alive when Islam came because she saw the dream of Badr - we don't know what happened to her after that. Nonetheless this is Atikah's son, Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah. So both of them are first cousins to the Prophet PBUH, but they are also open enemies and mockers of Islam. And they caused a lot of pain to the Prophet PBUH.
As for Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith, he was known for his poetry. And he composed many poems mocking the message of Islam and ridiculing the Prophet PBUH. And in those days this was the worst type of slander; to write poetry against another.
As for Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah, an incident occurred in Makkah in public that Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah challenged the Prophet PBUH in early Makkah, "O Muhammad, your people have given you so many offers yet you've refused them all, and they have asked you for wealth from your God (turn this mountain to gold) and you have not given us that. So I swear by Allah I will never believe in you until you climb up into the skies in front of me with a divine ladder, and bring down a book from Allah (note this exact phrase is mentioned in the Quran), show us the angels; and even if you do so, I still won't believe in you." So he is showing the height of arrogance and he's doing this in front of the Nadi (parliament of the Quraysh) to embarrass the Prophet PBUH. And no doubt can you imagine how the Prophet PBUH felt? These are first cousins with whom the Prophet PBUH has grown up with. But now they are mocking him publicly in a vulgar manner.
Now Abdullah's father is the father of Ummi Salama, the mother of the believers (so they are half siblings). So Abdullah goes to his sister Ummi Salama and begs her, "Can you go and get shafa'a from the Prophet PBUH for us?" So Ummi Salama feels pity for him and enters in the tent of the Prophet PBUH and she says, "Ya Rasulullah your cousins are here, can you help them out?" The Prophet PBUH said, "I have no need for any of them." Subhan'Allah. When people hear these types of incidents for the first time, it clashes with their perception of the Prophet PBUH.
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Tangent: Forgiveness VS Harshness
They say, "How could the Prophet PBUH say this? Wasn't he a mercy for mankind? Wasn't he someone who spared Ta'if? Didn't he forgive all the people of Makkah? Didn't he, didn't he etc." So their perception of the Prophet PBUH seems to clash with this harsh side of the Prophet PBUH. So people are shocked when they hear such phrases that, "I don't want to see them" which is a very frank and blunt way of telling them to 'get lost.' However the fact of the matter is that, "You have in the example of the Prophet PBUH the perfect methodology." Yes he was the mercy for mankind. Yes he forgave and forgave. But you simply cannot establish politic rule and firmness by ALWAYS turning the other cheek. You cannot forgive and forgive without once in a while showing harshness. Thus any religion that preaches 'turn the other cheek,' they cannot live up to it as a society. No society cannot follow this ruling. Because people WILL take advantage of you, and that is why we see in the Prophet PBUH that the general rule is mercy and forgiveness, but there is a line. And both of these crossed the line.
Also we notice the Prophet PBUH treated people according to who they are. The Bedouin is not treated like the senior sahaba. The Bedouin is shown mercy, while the senior sahaba have a higher standard to follow. When Mu'adh recites a long prayer the Prophet PBUH gets angry, "Will you cause fitna for the people?" When Usama ibn Zayd killed a person who had said, 'La ilaha illaLlah' the Prophet PBUH is furious and kept on repeating, "What are you going to do with 'La ilaha illaLlah' on the Day of Judgement?" until Usama said, "Wallahi, I wish I could be a new Muslim, I would rather obliterate my good deeds to be a new Muslim so all my sins are gone and the Prophet PBUH would treat me with forgiveness.' He wanted to be a brand new Muslim so that the Prophet PBUH could have been softer with him. Indeed when Usama killed a person and the Prophet PBUH kept on telling him, "Did you open up his chest? did you see why he accepted Islam?" What did Usama say?, "I wish I was a brand new Muslim - because of who I was, he was so harsh with me."
Therefore we understand why the Prophet PBUH said what he said to Abu Sufyan and Abdullah ibn Abi Umayyah. These are cousins. They knew better. How could they have done this to their own cousin, someone who they grew up with, loving, playing with each other. How could they have betrayed him when he was most in need? So yes strictness must be demonstrated and so the Prophet PBUH said, "I have no need for them" meaning, "Just tell them to go back I don't even want to see them after what they did."
And there's another wisdom that in this harshness there is a test for them. This is a test of their sincerity. If they're half sincere they will reject Islam and be arrogant. That, "Okay fine you don't want to see us, we don't want you either." But if they understand what Islam is, and WHO the Prophet PBUH is, they will insist, beg and plead. Just look at Adam AS and Iblis. Iblis is arrogant but Adam AS begs Allah for forgiveness. So this harshness has wisdom to test.
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(Cont.) Conversion of Abu Sufyan ibn al-Harith & Abdullah ibn Abu Umayyah
So as soon as Ummi Salama tells them, "Sorry no audience (no one allowed)," immediately Abu Sufyan began raising his voice begging for an audience. And he has with him one of his younger sons, Ja'far ibn Abu Sufyan who becomes a famous sahabi later on, and he raises Ja'far's hand and says, "If you don't let me come in, I swear by Allah my son and I will leave here, go into the desert and die a miserable death." So the books of seerah say, "The Prophet PBUH felt softness for them." Subhan'Allah at the end of the day they are his cousins, and this child is a nephew. So when the Prophet PBUH hears his cousin begging and pleading with his son (almost emotional blackmail), the Prophet's PBUH soft heart opened up and he allowed the two of them to come in.
And Abu Sufyan had a poem prepared and it's a beautiful poem. Note the seerah is FULL of these profound poems in Arabic that we lose in English. Even if we were doing it in Arabic, the Arabs need a translator. These poems are very high level classical Arabic. Even the sheikh needs a translator. So Abu Sufyan recites a one page poem mentioned in Ibn Ishaq and others. In it he says, "A guide other than myself guided me to Allah (meaning the Prophet PBUH); a guide whom I myself repelled at every opportunity but he continued to guide me to Allah." So he said this long poetry, and when he came to this line, the Prophet PBUH hit him in the chest and said, "You repelled me every time you could" i.e. It's brotherly joking. Subhan'Allah it shows us the Prophet PBUH is no doubt a human - he's hurt his brother has done this, so when Abu Sufyan says this, the Prophet's PBUH grief comes out and says, "Yes wallahi you repelled me." And Abu Sufyan showed many brave stances after this, especially in the Battle of Hunayn. We will see the Iman of this Abu Sufyan, the cousin of the Prophet PBUH, we'll see what he did and said and how he chastised the Quraysh for fleeing. And the Prophet PBUH accepted their repentance.
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Conversion of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb
Now we move on to the fourth conversion story. So the Muslims continued proceeding onwards and they are less than one day's distance to Makkah. And the Quraysh are expecting some attack but they don't know exactly when nor do they know how far the army of the Prophet PBUH is. And the Prophet PBUH camps outside Makkah in a place called Mar al-Dhahran. And this is the final camping station; after this you get up and march straight into Makkah. And so he tells the sahaba, "We will camp here, so go ahead and light your fires" i.e. showing that they aren't scared. How can the people of Makkah fight 10,000 people? Makkah only have 1/6th people left. It's now almost desolate and more than 3/4 of the tribes and allies of the Quraysh have accepted Islam. Whoever is left in alliance will not fight the Muslims. There is no question or doubt the table has fully turned now. Honor belongs to the Prophet PBUH and His messenger. So the Prophet PBUH tells the sahaba, "Light your fires" and can you imagine the scene of 10,000 people lighting fires? Subhan'Allah. And al-Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib, the brand new convert who feels sympathy for the Quraysh, he begs the Prophet PBUH, "Let me go and negotiate without an attack." So the Prophet PBUH gives him his own ride and tells him, "Go and see what you can do."
So al-Abbas goes to Quraysh and he narrates in the first person, "I said to myself, 'Oh, what an evil morning it is for the Quraysh if the Prophet PBUH enters Makkah by force; it shall be their destruction for all eternity.'" Meaning if the Prophet PBUH conquers Quraysh in this manner through a bloody war, there shall be no more Quraysh after this. And he's worried and he's walking he sees three people. So he becomes quiet and figures out who they are. It turns out they are three senior leaders of the Quraysh. Abu Sufyan ibn Harb ibn Umayyah, THE Abu Sufyan, the unified leader of the Quraysh. Along with Hakim ibn Hizam and Budayl ibn Warqa. And they've been on a nightly basis coming out to see where the army of the Muslims is. And they are worried when the Prophet PBUH will attack. And on this night they see the entire plain lit with 10,000 fires. And they are wondering, "What is happening?" In their minds they simply cannot imagine the Muslims are that large. So Abu Sufyan and Budayl have a conversation, "Who are these people?" It doesn't even occur to them it's the Muslim army. Budayl becomes happy and says, "It must be the Banu Bakr; they are here to defend us." And Abu Sufyan said, "They neither have the guts nor the quantity for it to be them." And while they're discussing, Abbas calls out, "Ya Abu al-Hanzala" (Hanzala is Abu Sufyan's oldest son). And Abu Sufyan recognizes this voice so says, "Abu al-Fadl?" Note they addressed each other by kunyas (i.e. son of so-and-so). So Abu Sufyan says, "What are you doing here?" i.e. they don't know he is a Muslim. So Abbas says, "Woe to you, this is the army of Muhammad PBUH. And if he conquers you tomorrow, know you shall be executed."
Now, by now we all know who Abu Sufyan is. There is NO leader that competes with the seniority of Abu Sufyan. They've all died at Badr and Uhud. The only senior leader than can claim to rule and represent all of Makkah is Abu Sufyan. And according to Abbas there is NO way he will be allowed to live. So Abu Sufyan says, "What can I do, what do you advise me?" So Abbas tells him, "Come with me, I will intercede on behalf of you in front of the Prophet PBUH." So he agrees and he cannot see any other option. And al-Abbas puts him on his own mule, and it's not his mule, it's the Prophet's PBUH mule. So Abbas and Abu Sufyan in the middle of the night walk back into the army of 10,000 strong. And every time someone stops them and asks, "Who is there?!" Abbas said, "This is Abbas on the mule of the Prophet PBUH." Of course if this person has the mule of the Prophet PBUH, there are no questions asked. So wandering directly into 10,000 strong each one of whom would love to kill Abu Sufyan. But in front of him are Abbas and both of them are riding the most sacred animal, the mule of the Prophet PBUH himself. So no one dares to ask anything. And they get closer and closer to the tent of the Prophet PBUH, and as they get closer the seniority of the sahaba rises, until they pass by Umar RA. And again it shows you the love the sahaba had for the Prophet PBUH. That all the sahaba are protecting and guarding him. So Umar jumps up, "Who is there?" and he doesn't even ask any questions, he recognizes from the eyes. "Abu Sufyan the enemy of Allah?! Alhamdulillah Allah has given you to me without any covenant or treaty." He is saying, "It's a gift." Meaning, "You are wandering in with no protection?! Allah has blessed us."
Now, at this, Abbas says, "O Umar he is under my protection." Recall ANY Muslim who gives a protection to anyone they are protected. The Prophet PBUH said, "All Muslims can give personal aman (protection)" even small children - this is classical Islamic law. But Umar does not let this go. So he accompanies Abu Sufyan to the tent of the Prophet PBUH, and no matter what time of the night it is, this is Abu Sufyan so they are granted an audience with the Prophet PBUH. So Umar immediately asks for an execution. He says, "Ya Rasulullah this is the enemy of Allah, and Allah has given him to us without any covenant or treaty." And Abbas begins arguing, "No he is under my protection." But Umar insists, and then Abbas insists further. The Prophet PBUH is silent. And then Abbas says, "Stop it oh Umar! For wallahi if he was from the Banu Adi you would not want to kill him. But because he is from the Banu Abd Manaf you are brave enough to do this." Recall the Banu Abd Manaf combines the Banu Hashim and Banu Umayyah. So they are cousins.
So Abbas brings in the tribal card and this clearly shows that he's a new Muslim - he's still thinking somewhat in tribalism lines. At this Umar stops completely. THIS is crossing the line. And he says, "CAREFUL ya Abbas, for wallahi, your acceptance of Islam was more beloved to me than my own father Khattab had he been alive ONLY because the Prophet PBUH is happier at your Islam than he would have been at the Islam of my father." Subhan'Allah. And this is exactly what Abu Bakr said when his own father accepts Islam. And Abu Bakr cries, "Ya Rasulullah I would give anything to see Abu Talib here accepting Islam rather than my own father." This is the true love for the Prophet PBUH.
When the Prophet PBUH saw these tensions, he said, "Oh Abbas take Abu Sufyan to your tent and bring him to me tomorrow morning," and so Abbas did this. And Abbas and Abu Sufyan spent the entire night going back and forth that Abbas tries to convert him but Abu Sufyan is hesitant. Until finally he is brought to the Prophet PBUH and he says, "Isn't it time for you to acknowledge 'la ilaha illaLlah'?" Subhan'Allah. Abu Sufyan said, "May my mother and father be given in ransom for you." This is the height of praise. And he says, "How gentle are you and merciful are you, and fulfilling to the ties of kinship." Meaning, Abu Sufyan is saying he would never have done this. Abu Sufyan is willing to give his mother and father in sacrifice for the Prophet PBUH. As a mushrik he is so overwhelmed at this kindness of the Prophet PBUH that he says, "How gentle and sweet are you. As for this shahada, had there been any other Gods besides Allah, they would have helped me by now." What does this show us? It's amazing that deep down inside many of them believed in idolatry. Here we have the leaders of the Quraysh seeing the Prophet PBUH, interacting with him for 23 years, and they still believe al-Lat and al-Uzza are gods besides Allah. It's very difficult to change and abandon your theology. Abu Sufyan's light bulb is clicking NOW after 23 years. At Badr, Uhud and Khandaq he genuinely believes in his Gods. At Uhud he said, "U'lu Hubal." So Abu Sufyan is saying, "Yes I agree with you now." So the Prophet PBUH said, "Woe to you, isn't it time for you to testify I am the messenger of Allah?" And Abu Sufyan says the same phrase, "May my mother and father be given in ransom for you. How gentle are you and merciful are you, and fulfilling to the ties of kinship. As for this matter I am still hesitant." Abbas loses it. And says, "Either accept or you will get killed!" - notice this is not the Prophet PBUH speaking but this is Abu Sufyan's friend speaking, "That I did all this for you, you BETTER accept now!" And so with reluctance Abu Sufyan said the shahada. What a story, subhan'Allah.
After so many battles and years, after the torture, threat, now, right before entering Makkah the greatest chieftain of the Quraysh (with difficulty) accepts Islam. And wallahi just think of the perfect setup Allah planned. If we spent all the money in the world we would not have set this up. Who is Abbas? When does he meet Abu Sufyan? What time was it? Everything is perfect. Had any other sahabi seen Abu Sufyan he would have killed him. OR Abu Sufyan would not trust him; Abbas happens to be on the mule of the Prophet PBUH wandering straight through the camps with the disguise of Abu Sufyan. Truly this is Allah's qadr. There is no way you can set this up. So eventually after all these years he finally accepts Islam.
No doubt it's haram to threaten someone to accept Islam, but Abbas is being eager and he's a friend of Abu Sufyan. Also there's no problem with someone accepting Islam half-heartedly as in the case of Abu Sufyan. Because Islam is the truth and ultimately it will win that person's heart. And of course we discussed Abbas starting the Abbasid Dynasty; Abu Sufyan starts the Umayyad Dynasty. Here are two converts, speaking with one another, little do they realize, between the two of them they will RULE ISLAM for 1000 years. Subhan'Allah. They are in a tent together for a whole night discussing Islam, yet they don't know their OWN descendants will rule Islam for 1000 years.
So when he converted, Abbas said, "You know Abu Sufyan is a man of pride so give him a gift to make him feel proud." So the Prophet PBUH said the famous story, "We will enter Makkah, whoever is in the haram shall be safe, whoever is in his own house shall be safe, and whoever is in the house of Abu Sufyan shall be safe." And again this shows us you must treat people according to their background. So the Prophet PBUH gives them an honor that HIS house is a public house of protection. And the Prophet PBUH told Abbas to take Abu Sufyan at the neck of a valley so he can see all the army pass through as they entered Makkah. And he was amazed as far as the eye can see convoys are coming in. And he's asking, "Who is this banner?" and Abbas says, "This is the tribe of Sulaym." And again, "Who is this banner?" and Abbas replies, and so on. These are all new converts and Abu Sufyan cannot understand yet how Islam combines all these tribes. And he kept on saying, "How can we fight these tribes," until right at the end came al-Khadra, the convoy of the Prophet PBUH. And Ibn Ishaq said, "You could see nothing but the brightness of the armors." All the Muhajirun and all the Ansar. And Abu Sufyan was amazed when he saw this, and he said, "Who is THIS convoy?" And Abbas said, "This is the convoy of the Prophet PBUH and the Muhajirun and the Ansar." And Abu Sufyan says, "We have no manner of opposing all of them. O Abbas, the kingdom of your nephew has become great." Abbas said, "Woe to you, it is not a kingdom, it is prophethood which brought this." Imagine 10,000 sahaba marching in and the leader of the Quraysh is witnessing all of this. 3 years ago Arabia combined to destroy Islam. Look at the qadr of Allah. Yesterday our Prophet PBUH is expelled from Makkah and is fleeing for his life. He only has Abu Bakr after Allah. They have to hide in a cave for three days and now subhan'Allah just 8 years later, the Prophet PBUH is leading an army 10,000 strong.