The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) not only emphasized the desirability of tolerance in religious matters but set a very high standard in this respect. A deputation from the Christian tribe of Najran visited him in Medina to exchange views on religious matters. It included several Church dignitaries. The conversation was held in the mosque and it extended over several hours. At one stage the leader of the deputation asked permission to depart from the mosque and to hold their religious service at some convenient spot. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
There is no need for you to go out of the mosque, because the mosque is the place to worship one God, if you want to do so, you have every freedom of worship, and holding the services in it. (Zurqani)
The Holy Prophet (peace nd blessings of Allah be upon him) was not after any worldly respect or honor. He was very sensitive about the respect of others more than his own. He always tried to educate his followers on the same lines. He was the most broadminded, and liberal person, and he tried his best to infuse this spirit in his followers:
It is narrated by Abu Said Al Khudri, that once it so happened that a Jew came to the Prophet and said, “O Muhammad! A man from your Ansari companions slapped me.” The Prophet said, “Call him.” They called him and the Prophet asked him, “Why did you slap his face?” He said, “O Allah’s Apostle! While I was passing by the Jews, I heard him saying, “By Him Who chose Moses above all the human beings.” I said (protesting), “Even above Muhammad?” He said, ‘Yes.’ So I became furious and slapped him.” The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was very much disturbed to hear that and said, “Do not give me preference over other prophets.” (Sahih Bukhari)
Once a funeral procession was passing in a street of Medina, when it reached near the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), he stood up in respect to the funeral. Another Muslim who was watching this, drew the attention of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), that the funeral was that of a Jew. When the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard that he replied, “Was Jew not a human being?” After that the Muslims had great respect for the funerals of the other faiths.
It is mentioned in Bukhari, narrated by Abdur Rahman bin Abi Laila:
“Sahl bin Hunaif and Qais bin Sa‘d were sitting in the city of Al-Qadisiya. A funeral procession passed in front of them and they stood up. They were told that the funeral procession was of one of the inhabitants of the land, that is, of a non-believer, under the protection of Muslims. They said, “A funeral procession passed in front of the Prophet and he stood up. When he was told that it was the coffin of a Jew, he said, “Was Jew not a human being?” (Sahih Bukhari)
On the day of the victory of Mecca ten thousand soldiers of the Muslim army marched into the city but with great care that nobody should be disturbed. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) himself was controlling the situation with great concern for the safety and welfare of the people. That was the day when the enemies of Mecca fully surrendered themselves before the Muslim army. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had full control not only upon his opponents but also upon his own army. As the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his army marched through the heart of Mecca, he did so in all peace, humbleness, and justice. That was a very great achievement and victory of Islam. That was the day when the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) returned to Mecca, the city from where he was expelled along with his helpless companions. He had not yet forgotten his helpless position the day he left Mecca. Every scene was fresh in his memory. When he was leaving the city, he had a last glance at it, while tears rolled down from his eyes and he could not control his emotions and said, “O city of Mecca, I don’t like to leave you but the people of Mecca don’t permit me to live in.” It was the same city where he was severely tortured and humiliated. It was the city where his loved ones were tormented and killed mercilessly. Now he was entering the same city as a victor. He was the champion, he was the conqueror, but very different from the worldly kings. He was a wonderful man, that the history is not able to produce single one parallel to him. He entered in Mecca while the people of Mecca were at his mercy, but there was not any sign of pride on his face. He was riding on camel and his head was bowing down so much so that it was touching the back of the camel. A man spoke to him on that day, trembling with fear. As he did so, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) consoled him saying, “Calm yourself, for I am not a king. I am but the son of a humble and poor woman from Quraish.”
It was a day of great victory of Islam; it was a day of happiness and joy for every one. But during these moments of pleasure the Holy Prophet remembered well the sufferings of his companions. It was a day of understanding their sentiments and emotions. That was the day when Bilal, an Ethiopian slave, was honored. It was announced that whoever would be under the banner of Bilal would be in peace. What a great tribute was paid to the sacrifices of Bilal?
As Sa‘d ibn Obadah, one of the generals of the Islamic army, passed by Abu-Sufyan, he murmured,
“Today is the day of revenge. Today that which is unlawful is made lawful. Today Allah has dishonored Quraish.”
When the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed by Abu-Sufyan, he complained to him of what Sa‘d had said to him. Muhammad disliked what he heard and responded,
“Today is the day of mercy. Today Allah shall honor Quraish, and shall honor the Kaaba.”
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) then commanded that the banner be taken from Sa‘d and given to his son Kais.
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) then stood in the door of the Kaaba. The people had gathered below him, waiting for him to issue his decree regarding the fate of his enemies. Finally he spoke and said,
“There is non worthy of worship except Allah, He has no partner. He has fulfilled His promise, given victory to His servant, and defeated the confederates by His own Self. I declare that every glory, money, or blood has been placed under these, my two feet, except for the “sidanah,” custodianship of the Kaaba, and “siqaya,” watering of the pilgrims … O people of Quraish, I relieve you of the false pride of the age of ignorance. Mankind is from Adam, and Adam was from dust.”
He then recited:
“O mankind, we have created you from a male and a female; And We have made you tribes and sub-tribes that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable among you, in the sight of Allah, is he who is the most righteous among you. Surely, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” (Holy Quran, 49: 14)
Standing among the people of Mecca, while each one of them was bowing his head with shame, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked them in great humility and humbleness, “O people of Quraish, what do you expect from me?”
The people reflected on their past history and their treatment of the Prophet of Islam and of his followers, how they had abused and fought against Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the Muslims. However, they were completely and utterly at his mercy now and could only respond, “You are a noble brother, the son of a noble brother. We expect the treatment of Joseph that he gave to his brothers.” At this the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied to them, “Go, you are all free There is no reproach against you this day!”.
The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) then commanded Bilal the Ethiopian to call Adhan (call to Prayer). From that day forward, the inhabitants of Arabia began to enter into Islam in flocks.
One of those who were forgiven on the day Mecca fell, was Ikrima the son of Abu Jahl, the greatest enemy of Islam. Wife of Ikrima was a Muslim at heart, she requested the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to forgive him. The Prophet forgave Ikrima. At that time Ikrima was trying to escape to Abyssinia. His wife pursued him and got him on the way while he was about to embark a ship. She said; “Are you running away from a person who is a mercy for mankind, and who has forgiven every one in Mecca?”
Ikrama said, “What about me?” She replied, “You are also forgiven.” Ikrama was really astonished to hear that an enemy like Ikrama was pardoned by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). So Ikrima and his wife planned to go back to Mecca, but when they reached the city of Mecca, what they witnessed was never witnessed by any one in the history of mankind. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) of Islam, the king, the victor, himself was standing at the door of the city to receive Ikrima, the bitterest enemy of Islam. When the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw Ikrima approaching him, riding on a camel, he chanted in a loud voice, “You are welcome. You are welcome, O rider of the camel.”