The command to do battle given here after the lapse of four months of respite was not about an ordinary fight. This was God’s retribution imposed on those who denied the truth due to their rejection of the Prophet. By rejecting God’s prophet even after the completion of the process of arguments, they had made themselves liable to be left with no option but to accept the faith or fight. This was a special principle of God which related to the addressees of the Prophet and not to the general people. However, even after the completion of the process of preaching, this order was not made applicable immediately; even at the last stage they were given four months’ respite. Revenge does not know pardon. One with a revengeful mentality is satisfied only when he sees his opponent disgraced and destroyed. But the action taken against the polytheists of Arabia was not in any way connected with any type of revenge; it was based on an absolutely realistic principle. That is the reason why, in spite of the order being so severe, it was always open to them to embrace the Islamic religion and save themselves from punishment and acquire a respectable position in the Islamic brotherhood. For anybody’s repentance to be acceptable, only two practical conditions were enough—prayer (salat) and religious alms-giving (zakat). In times of conflict, if any individual from amongst the enemies says that he wants to understand Islam, Muslims have been ordered to give him protection, to give him an opportunity to be in their atmosphere and to try to see that the message of Islam is implanted in his heart. Even then, if he does not accept Islam, he should be led back to his place of residence under their protection. In wartime, it is usually unwise to give such a concession to the enemy, because it is quite possible that an enemy spy, taking advantage of this concession, may enter the Muslim camp and try to find out its strategic secrets. But, Islam holds that, the question of preaching in order to invite people towards the right path is so important that, in spite of this risk, its door should never be closed. If a man indulges in transgression unknowingly or out of ignorance, he will be treated with all possible lenience until his unawareness or ignorance is rectified.