Continuation of the explanation of what is mentioned in the hadith of 'Amr ibn al-'As (may Allah be pleased with both of them): (… and do not repel evil with evil).

The Shaykh: And among his (peace be upon him) character traits mentioned in the Torah is: ; meaning: that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was predominantly such that if someone wronged him, he did not repay evil with evil, but rather repaid evil with good, and he forgave and pardoned, as we discussed in the previous lesson regarding His saying (Blessed and Exalted is He): . So why did the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) not retaliate and repay evil with evil, but rather repel evil with good? This is because of what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us of Islamic character, and it was not permissible for him to contradict us by doing what we were forbidden from doing. So if he forbade something, he was the first of people to abstain from it, and if he commanded something, he was the first of people to comply with it and obey it. Therefore, when the Muslim was commanded to repel evil with good, it was not permissible for him to contradict that by repelling evil with evil. But as it came in this hadith: "But he forgives and pardons." Among the examples I am mentioning now that illustrate this portion of this hadith, which is his saying: "But he forgives and pardons," is the story of that polytheist who followed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on one of his journeys or expeditions until he found him in seclusion and away from his companions in the desert wilderness. He found him and followed his trail until he found the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) having taken the sword out of its sheath and hung it on a tree, then he put his head down and slept. No sooner did that polytheist see that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was unarmed than he rushed to the sword, drew it from its sheath, and then woke him up, meaning he woke the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he said to him, having drawn his sword: "Who will protect you from me?" As if he was saying, "You are now under my sword's strike, so who will protect you from me? Who will save you from me?" But the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) only said: He is the one who will rescue me and save me from you. No sooner had he said this than the sword fell from the hand of that polytheist out of his awe and fear of the call of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) to his Lord. Soon, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) took the sword in his hand and said to him: The story reversed here; the polytheist submitted and asked him to forgive him, so he (peace and blessings be upon him) released him and he departed. Perhaps in the story, although I am not recalling it now, the polytheist, when he saw this noble and generous character of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), believed and embraced Islam. This is what testifies to this portion of this hadith: It is said in the Torah, of course, that these traits were in the Torah that the Jews circulated in the beginning of their religion, before it was subjected to alteration and change. But now, there are no such passages except for things from which it cannot be understood that the intended meaning is the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) who would be sent as a Prophet and Messenger to all people.