Life-of-Muhammad

Life of Muhammad sa 165again. The Prophet sa sent for water of the Zamzam. Hedrank some of it and with the rest performed ablutions.So devoted were Muslims to the Prophet's sa person, thatthey would not let a drop of this water fall on theground. They received the water in the hollows of theirhands to wet their bodies with it; in such reverence didthey hold it. The pagans who witnessed these scenes ofdevotion said again and again that they had never seenan earthly king to whom his people were so devoted(Halbiyya, Vol. 3, p. 99).THE PROPHET sa FORGIVES HIS ENEMIESAll rites and duties over, the Prophet sa addressed theMeccans and said: "You have seen how true thepromises of God have proved. Now tell me whatpunishment you should have for the cruelties andenormities you committed against those whose onlyfault was that they invited you to the worship of the Oneand Only God."To this the Meccans replied, "We expect you to treatus as Joseph as treated his erring brothers."By significant coincidence, the Meccans used in theirplea for forgiveness the very words which God had usedin the Surah Yusuf, revealed ten years before theconquest of Mecca. In this the Prophet sa was told that hewould treat his Meccan persecutors as Joseph as hadtreated his brothers. By asking for the treatment whichJoseph as had meted out to his brothers, the Meccansadmitted that the Prophet sa of Islam was the like ofJoseph as and as Joseph as was granted victory over hisbrothers the Prophet sa had been granted victory over theMeccans. Hearing the Meccans' plea, the Prophet sadeclared at once: "By God, you will have no punishmenttoday and no reproof" (Hisham).While the Prophet sa was engaged in expressing hisgratitude to God and in carrying out other devotions atthe Ka‘ba, and while he was addressing the Meccans