Peaceful Verses

Gazing at the dozens of students gathered, Gus Reza told the story of a blind Jewish woman who reviled the Prophet Muhammad on a daily basis. Gus Reza, whose full name is Kiai Haji Reza Ahmad Zahid, was sitting cross-legged on the mosque's porch area at the Al-Mahrusiyah Islamic boarding school in Kediri, East Java, on the second day of the Ramadan fasting month. Whenever someone approached, said Reza continuing the story, the blind beggar woman who lived in a corner of the market in Medina spread hatred so that people would not believe in Muhammad's message. "Muhammad is a liar, a magician," said the woman, as told by Reza.

The Prophet was aware of all this. Yet, every morning he brought the elderly Jewish woman food and fed her by hand. He did not say a word when he did this. One day, Muhammad went away and the elderly woman felt the loss of the person who had always given her food. It was only after missing him for several days that the woman found out from Abu Bakar Ash-Shiddiq, a friend of the Prophet, that the despised Muhammad had been the one feeding her all along. "This teaches us that Muhammad respected his haters, as well as people of different faiths," said Reza.