(^184) In the Footiltp,; Df 1/" Prophet
poorly dressed, he demanded that money be taken from the booty to buy
a new garment from the market for each prisoner. He then decided to
share out the spoils, but he did not hand out the prisoners, who had
become war captives, for he thought the H awazin would surdy send a del-
egation to a~k for them.
He began sharing out the goods, and to the Ansar's surprise, he gave
the Q uraysh, and particularly Abu Sufyan and Hakim (Khadijah's nephew,
who had just converted to I slam), an important part of the captured treas-
ure. H e did the same with Safwan and Suhayl, both of whom had both
fought at Hunarn but still hesitated to embrace Islam. Revelation had
ordered the Prophet to keep part of the booty for "those whose hearts
are to be reconciled [to faithl"; this \vas not a means to convert people but
rathet was intended to strengthen, by a material gift, a faith that had
already more or less expressed itself but remained fragile.^8 The Prophet
knew that Safwan and Suhayl we re se nsitive to faith and that they had
fought bravely along with the Muslims, so he gave them large amounts of
goods and did not require them to convert. His forgiving attitude at the
time of the conquest of Mecca, then his courage and determination dur-
ing war, and finally his generosity after the battle eventually convinced
them that he was indeed a prophet. As for Abu Sufyan, the P rophet knew,
as we have seen, how important social recognition and honors were to
him, and Muhammad confirmed his status. For his part, Hakim expressed
some pride when he received his share of the spoils: it \vas considerable,
and he seemed to rejoice at the material gain more than anything else.
l\fuhammad accompanied that gift with an essential spiritual teaching,
reminding Hakim to resist the pride of possessing wealth and adding:
"T he upper hand is better than the lower hand."9 He thereby reminded
him that those who arc generous with their wealth and care fo r the poor,
making gifts of both themselves and their possessions, are spiritually
endowed with a far higher stat us than those who simply receive or beg.
He also advised him to give some of his belongings to his family and all
those who depended on him. Furthermore, he raught I-Jakim to receive in
a more dignified manner, so as to give more humbly.
Seven days had elapsed since the surrender, and the Hawazin had not
appeared to ask for their womcn and children back. Now thinking that
they wo uld not come, Muhammad decided to share out the captives
between the Qurayshr-.l uslims (who o nce again rcceived a more impor-
martin jones
(Martin Jones)
#1