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Prophet
Muhammmad (Sallalahu Alaihe Wasallam)
Savior of Peace, Justice and Humanity
By Dr.Faizan Ahmed Azizi
"My
choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons
may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the
only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and
secular level." Said by Michael H Hart, a Christian American,
astronomer, mathematician, lawyer, chess master and scientist, in book The
100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History (New York, 1978, p
33), has ranked the great men in history with respect to their influence on
human history. For the second time he ranked the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be
upon him) as the most influential man in the human history.
If we look in to the history we
will find that not only Michael H Hart impressed by Prophet Muhammad (Peace
be upon him) but there are list of many
eminent non-Muslim scholars social activist who have rated Prophet Muhammad
(Peace be upon him) most highly and have given due recognition to his
greatness. Why? To know the reason of such though, we have to study about the
teaching and behaviors of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) If we read the
detailed record of his life, from his birth to his passing away, we find that
He was “the bearer of glad tidings” as he
removed ignorance and brought humanity out of the depths of darkness to the
light. Prophet Muhammad (Peace
be upon him) was born on 12th Rabee al Awwal 570AD the town of Makkah. At the
time the whole world was steeped in moral degradation. Racial and caste-based
discrimination and the dogma of “untouchability” were rampant. Even the
so-called civilised nations were at the lowest rung of the religious, moral
and spiritual ladder. In fact, in the 5th and 6th centuries, the civilised
world was standing at the precipice of moral annihilation. People in general
were ill-mannered, unlettered and ignorant. The vices of alcoholism,
gambling, oppression, tyranny, violence, cruelty and various other wrongdoings
were the order of the day. It was because the Holy Prophet(Peace be upon
him)’s personality was naturally imbued with auspiciousness, obedience to his
Creator and the inner-light of Prophethood that he was never affected by the
aforementioned ills of society. He was an embodiment of purity, chastity and
piety.
Under these circumstances
Allah’s mercy stepped in and Allah the Almighty commissioned the Holy
Prophet(Peace be upon him) to rid humanity of the evil, direct it to the
right path and lead it “out of the depth of darkness into light”. at the age
of 40, in 610AD. When the Holy Prophet(Peace be upon him) start preaching
message of Almighty and invited the world towards the true and real unity of
God, the people of his tribe, and in fact the whole Arab nation, vehemently
opposed him.
They persecuted him and his
followers, but the Holy Prophet(Peace be upon him) never wavered and stood
firm on his belief in the Oneness of God. Despite having to face intense
sufferings and oppression, he steadfastly conveyed the message of God. His
followers offered all kinds of sacrifices to nurture the plant of the new
faith. They were ready to part company with their near and dear ones and
suffered the loss of their assets and possessions for their faith. They were
banished from their homes but that failed to move them away even a fraction
from their resolve.
The time then came, after
thirteen years of persecution, when the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) and
his followers had to migrate from Makkah to Madinah. Even there the opponents
did not leave them alone. They wanted to wipe out Islam with force. For this
reason Allah permitted the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) to fight in
self-defence in order to establish peace and freedom of conscience. With the
help of his followers, the Holy Prophet(Peace be upon him) confronted the
perpetrators of suffering. Despite being ill-equipped and with an army of
small numbers, Allah made him successful, and this was possible only because
Allah’s help, support and succour was with the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
Only eight years after the
migration from Makkah, the Makkans offered their welcome to the Holy Prophet
(Peace be upon him) At that juncture, he could have taken revenge from the
Makkans for their previous inhumanity as he had entered as a victorious man,
but he chose to forgive all those persecutors. This very act of forgiveness,
pardon and general amnesty has no match in the annals of mankind.
The
every character and teachings of Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him)’s life, is
the ‘torchbearer of humanity’ and the unifier of world nations. Some of them
am presenting here.
Universal Prophethood
It must be remembered that
before the advent of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) all prophets,
apostles and reformers were sent to specific nations and were confined to
certain areas. None of them were given a universal mission, and in fact, none
of them made a universal claim. It is the distinction of the Holy Prophet of
Islam (Peace be upon him) that this message was not confined to the Quraish,
or to the Makkans or to the Arabs alone, but was meant for all mankind and
all nations. He claimed in the Qur’an:
Say, ‘O mankind! truly I am a
Messenger to you all… (Ch7:V.159)
Thus he invited all nations of
the world to the one centre and thus became a harbinger for the unity in
their thoughts and actions.
Freedom of Conscience
Freedom of conscience is the
fundamental birthright of every human being. In this contemporary age, after
years of experimentation, the United Nations adopted the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. In its section 18, this birthright has
been accepted as the cornerstone of human discourse. But, its foundation was
actually laid over 1400 years ago, when the Prophet of Islam(Peace be upon
him) presented the teaching of the individual and collective right of every
person to differ on matters of thought, opinion, attitudes and beliefs. This
difference, however, cannot be imposed on others with force, as this would
amount to preventing freedom of conscience and shedding the blood of
humanity.
The Holy Qur’an declares
forthrightly:
There should be no compulsion in
religion. Surely, right has become distinct from wrong… (Ch.2:V.257)
Also it says,
And say, ‘It is the truth from
your Lord; wherefore let him who will, believe, and let him who will,
disbelieve’… (Ch.18:V.30)
These teachings are testimony to
the freedom of conscience preached by the Prophet of Islam.
Equality for all
A factor that dismantles the
unity of nations is the absence of equality between them. The Holy Prophet of
Islam(Peace be upon him) played a leading role in doing away with and erasing
the racial, colour and caste-based distinctions that existed between various
people of the time, and presented before the world an unmatched charter of
equality. He gave shape to this charter by the following Qur’anic
injunctions:
O mankind, We have created you
from a male and a female; and We have made you into tribes and sub-tribes
that you may recognise one another. Verily, the most honourable among you, in
the sight of Allah, is he who is the most righteous among you… (Ch.49:V.14)
This Qur’anic principle of
equality was exemplified by the Prophet(Peace be upon him) on the occasion of
his last sermon. His sermon can be summarised in these words: You are one
brotherhood. All people are equal according to Islam. The Arab possesses no
superiority over a non-Arab, nor does a non-Arab over an Arab. A white man is
no way superior to black man, nor for that matter, a black man to a white
man, but only to the extent which a person exhibits righteousness and effort
to attain it. According to Islam, there is no distinction in the reward one
earns on the basis of colour or progeny.
Establishment of justice
The establishment of peace
requires the implementation of fairness and absolute justice; otherwise the
resultant severe repercussions can destroy nations with dreadful
consequences. The Holy Prophet(Peace be upon him) has therefore stressed that
all, irrespective of their status, should be treated with absolute justice.
The Qur’anic teaching is very clear on this subject:
Verily, Allah enjoins justice,
and the doing of good to others; and giving like kindred… (Ch.16:V.91)
The required standard of justice
is:
O ye who believe! be steadfast
in the cause of Allah, bearing witness in equity; and let not a people’s
enmity incite you to act otherwise than with justice. Be always just, that is
nearer to righteousness… (Ch.5:V.9)
The Holy Prophet(Peace be upon
him) is reported to have said that previous nations had been destroyed as
they punished the weak segment of the society and let go those who were in
high social status.
Respect for the Founders of all
faiths
To achieve unity among nations
of the world, the Holy Prophet(Peace be upon him) has given us a golden rule
of respecting and venerating the Founders and holy men of various faiths. If
we do not follow this golden rule, it has the potential of creating mutual
enmity and ill-will, which destroys the peace of the society and results in
bloodshed.
The Holy Prophet(saw) promoted
this Qur’anic teaching to put an end to these in-fights as:
…there is a Guide for every
people. (Ch.13:V.8)
and
…there is no people to whom a
Warner has not been sent. (Ch.35:V.25)
Because all God-sent apostles
were imbued with the light of the same One God, it is incumbent on us to
respect them in equal measure. So one who truly believes in the Holy
Prophet(Peace be upon him) will consider the respect of other founders of
faiths as a part of his faith.
During the lifetime of the
Prophet(Peace be upon him) a Jew and an Arab were quarrelling over the
superiority of their respective Prophets. The Jew’s sentiments were hurt by
the way the Muslim made his claim. When the Jew complained to the Holy
Prophet(Peace be upon him) he admonished the Muslim’s behaviour, “Do not
exalt me above Moses” he said. This was the high standard of tolerance and
courtesy the Holy Prophet(Peace be upon him) required from his followers.
Tolerance
The Holy Prophet(Peace be upon
him) not only left us with a teaching of respecting other founders of faiths
and apostles, but also taught us not to cast aspersions and malign their
beliefs and principles:
…And revile not those whom they
call upon beside Allah, lest they, out of spite, revile Allah in their
ignorance… (Ch.6:V.109)
There is a well-known incident
of great religious tolerance shown by the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) in
his life. He permitted a Christian delegation from Najran to perform their
religious service in his mosque in Madinah. World history has yet to produce
this kind of respect and tolerance for the faith of others.
Against cruelty to animals
The Prophet (Peace be upon him)
admonished against the cruel treatment of animals and instructed that they be
treated with kindness, for they are also God’s creation. ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ud
relates:
“While we were in the course of
a journey along with the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) we saw two young
doves in a nest and we caught them. They were still very small. When their
mother returned to the nest, not finding her little ones in it, she began to
fly wildly round and round. When the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) arrived
at the spot he observed the dove and said, “If any one of you has caught its
young ones he must release them at once to comfort it.”” (Abu Daw’ud)
On one occasion, the Holy
Prophet(Peace be upon him) observed somebody branding a donkey on its face.
When asked why he was doing this, the person told the Prophet (Peace be upon
him) that this was the practice followed by the Romans for identifying
animals. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said that animals should not be
branded on their face, it being a sensitive part of the human body. If
branding was necessary, then it should be performed on the animal’s haunch, a
less sensitive part of the animal’s body.
Last, but by no means least, is
how the universal teacher, the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) of Islam,
revolutionised the way the world looked upon women.
Women’s Rights
Before the advent of the Prophet
Muhammad Al-Mustafa (Peace be upon him) the status of women was deplorable.
Through his teachings, this status was uplifted to an extremely venerable
place in the society. This is attributed to the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon
him) as we read in the Qur’an:
…And they (the women) have
rights similar to those (of men) over them in equity. (Ch.2:V.229)
…and consort with them in
kindness… (Ch.4:V.20)
In the Traditions of Bukhari,
there is a specific saying of the Prophet(Peace be upon him) to the effect
that one who treats his wife in an excellent manner is very close to his God.
In the cultural arena, the Holy Prophet(Peace be upon him) allotted the same
rights to women as those of men, keeping in view their respective God-given
characteristics. Islam was the first religion that provided women with the
right of inheritance. In the matter of inheritance she receives a specified
share from the assets of her relatives. She is the full owner of her wealth
and savings, and is free to do with her property or money as she pleases.
And, of course, in the spiritual sense men and women are declared of equal
status as set forth in the Qur’an:
…‘I will allow not the work of
any worker from among you, whether male or female, to be lost. You are from
one another… (Ch.3:V.196)
The Holy Prophet(Peace be upon
him) was so sensitive of women’s feelings that once, when he was leading
prayers, he heard a child crying and finished the prayers quickly. Afterwards
he explained that, upon hearing the cry of the child, he thought that the
child’s mother must also have been troubled; hence he concluded the service
so that she could attend to the child. He would always advise those who had
to leave on journey to try and return home as soon as possible so that their
wives and children would not feel the pains of separation for too long. He
placed great stress on kindness to women, and would often say that if a
father took it upon himself to educate his daughters and care for their
upbringing, God would save him from the hell-fire. He said:
“Woman has been created from a
rib and the most crooked part of the rib is the uppermost. If you try to
straighten it you will break it and if you leave it alone it will remain
crooked. So treat women kindly.”
The Prophet Muhammad's Love for Children
The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him,
who was referred to as the “Living Qur’an” by his wife Aisha, is a primary
example of how to understand the Islamic concept of how to nurture children’s
spirituality. Just as in other aspects of life, the Prophet Muhammad serves
here as an example of how to raise children.
In many of his teachings, the Prophet Muhammad emphasized
the importance of showing children kindness and compassion. Since children
are weak and powerless, their spirits flourish best when they come to know
and experience for themselves their compassionate and powerful Creator.
Through trust in God and surrender to His guidance, children will be able to
face fears and challenges throughout their life.
A child needs to feel safe, and the best way to
give them this feeling is to teach them that God is the Most Merciful and the
Most Compassionate and that He is protecting them from all evil. A child,
weak and needy, can feel secure in life only through this belief.
Furthermore, teaching a child to be grateful for everything they possess and
receive is another vital aspect for healthy spiritual development. A child
should be made aware that everything that is given to them ultimately comes
from God. In this way, they will grow into a thankful and appreciative
person.
Showing mercy and love to children has a special place in
the Prophet Muhammad’s teachings. To address the importance of mercy in
children’s spiritual development, the Prophet stated, “Whoever does not show
mercy to his children is not one of us [Muslims].” Thus the Prophet Muhammad
taught that children should be approached with mercy, love, respect, and
trust, while Islamic teachings particularly emphasize mercy and love. His
wife Aisha gave the following example:
One day a person from the desert came to the Prophet
Muhammad and said, “You are kissing children but traditionally we don’t kiss
them.” The Prophet replied, “What can I do if God removed mercy from your
heart?” (Bukhari, Ahlaq; Muslim, Kitab al-Fadail)
Another teaching by the Prophet on this concept concerns
his grandson Hasan:
One day the Prophet was in one of the markets of Medina.
He left the market and so did I. Then he asked thrice, “Where is the small
child?” Then he said, “Call Hasan.” So Hasan got up and started walking with
a necklace of beads around his neck. The Prophet stretched his hand out like
this, and Hasan did the same. The Prophet embraced him and said, “O Allah! I
love him, so please love him and love those who love him.” Since Allah’s
Apostle said that, nothing has been dearer to me than Hasan. (Bukhari, Libas)
It is important to note, however, that the Prophet
Muhammad was overall even-handed in his approach toward raising children. He
was merciful and loving towards children,
Prophet Muhammad with his wives:
The Prophet never hit anybody although pagan Arabs used
to beat their wives and servants harshly and sometimes till death. Only while
fighting for the Allah's cause would the Prophet beat the enemy. He never
abused a domestic worker physically or emotionally and neither did he beat
any of his wives,' said his wife Hazrat Aisha (R.A). (Muslim)
In order to cement his marriage bonds, the Prophet
applied language to instill love and happiness in the hearts of his wives.
Instead of calling her Aisha, he would call her Aaish. He conveyed messages
and greetings of peace to them from Angel Gabriel as reported by his wife
Hazrat Aisha (R.A).. ( Bukhari )
The Prophet was a loving husband. Hazrat Aisha (R.A).
talked about the times when she enjoyed meals with him. He enjoyed his meals
only when she sat next to him. They drank from one cup and he watched where
she placed her lips so that he could place his lips on the same area. He ate
from a bone after she ate and placed his mouth where she had eaten. She also
said that he placed morsels of food into her mouth and she would do the
same.(Muslim)
Hazrat Aisha (R.A).accompanied the Prophet on a trip. She
and he were at the back of the group. They heard the guides in front calling
them and others to move faster. The Prophet challenged her to a race. She
beat him. Then, later, on another trip, he challenged her again. This time he
beat her. Hazrat Aisha (R.A) said that she was slender when she beat the
Prophet . When she put on weight, he knew he was going to beat her and
therefore he challenged her the second time. (Ahmad)
The Prophet
delivered this truth and inspired the people to act upon it. This gave a
meaning to the lives of the people who diverted all their actions to follow
the Divine system and earn the grace of the Lord. It brought about a radical
change in social life because those who were struggling tooth and nail to
obtain wealth, power and prestige began to struggle to seek the pleasure of
Allah and stopped exploiting their fellow human beings for physical pleasure
and material gain.
The personality, character,
actions and sayings of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) are such that if
they are adopted by the civilised world in real earnest, this world can
become a peaceful place and complex problems can be solved easily. A great
writer of the English world, George Bernard Shaw, said: “He must be called
the Saviour of humanity. I believe, if a man like him were to assume the
dictatorship of modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a
way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness.” And that the
reason due to which Michael H Hart put first ranked of the Prophet Muhammad
(Peace be upon him) as the most influential man in the human history
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