WAMY Series on
Islam No. 12
History has
recorded the appearance and deeds of many religious leaders: Moses, Jesus
Christ, Zoroaster, and Abraham, to name just a few. There have also been many
self-proclaimed prophets and messengers, each of whom has claimed to bring a
divine revelation for mankind. Some have proven to be false, and others have
been forgotten. But there is one religious leader who stands alone, an
unlettered man who transmitted a revelation from God that literally changed the
course of history and the destinies of a major portion of mankind: Muhammad,
the Prophet and Messenger of God.
ENCYCLOPEDIA
BRITANNICA confirms:
"...a mass
of detail in the early sources shows that he was an honest and upright man who
had gained the respect and loyalty of others who were likewise honest and
upright men." (Vol. 12)
BERNARD SHAW
said about him:
"He must be
called the Savior of humanity I believe that if a man like him were to assume
the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems
in a way that would bring it muchneeded peace and happiness." (The Genuine
Islam, Singapore, Vol. 1,No. X 1936)
He was by far
the most remarkable man that ever set foot on this earth. He preached a
religion, founded a state, built a nation, laid down a moral code, initiated
numerous social and political reforms, established a powerful and dynamic
society to practice and represent his teachings, and completely revolutionized
the worlds of human
thought and
behavior for all time to come.
"HIS NAME
IS MOHAMMED"
May the Peace of
God Be upon Him (PBUH) Born in Arabia in the year 570 CE, Muhammad started his
mission of preaching Islam, the religion of truth and the submission of man to
one God, at the age of forty and died at the age of sixty-three.
During the short
twenty-three year period of his prophet hood, Muhammad changed the entire
Arabian peninsula forever. Within the space of one generation, the vast
majority of people went from paganism and idolatry to devout and strict monotheism,
from tribal quarrels and wars to national solidarity and cohesion, from
drunkenness and debauchery to sobriety and piety, from lawlessness and anarchy
to a lifestyle characterized by discipline, from moral bankruptcy to the
highest standards of moral excellence. Human history has never seen such a
complete transformation of a people or a place before or since—and just IMAGINE
that all of these unbelievable wonders took place in JUST OVER TWO DECADES and
because of the efforts of one man.
The renowned historian
Lamartine, when speaking on the essentials of human greatness, wonders:
"If greatness of purpose, smallness of means and astounding results are
the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in
modern history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and
empires only They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers
which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies,
legislation, empires, peoples and dynasties but millions of men in one-third of
the then-inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods,
the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and souls.... his forbearance in victory,
his ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving
for an empire; his endless
prayers; his
mystic conversations with God; his death and his triumph after death; all these
attest not to an imposture but to a firm conviction which gave him the power to
restore a dogma. This dogma was two-fold: the unity of God and the
immateriality of God-the former telling what God is, the latter telling what
God is not; the one overthrowing false
gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with the words.
Philosopher,
orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational
dogmas, of a cult without images, the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and
of one spiritual empire: that is
MUHAMMAD.
As regards all
the standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask IS
THERE ANY MAN GREATER THAN HE?" (Lamartine: Histoire de la Turquie,
Paris, 1854Vol.11, pp 276- 277).
The world has
had its share of great personalities. But these were one-sided figures who
distinguished themselves in only one or two fields, such as religious thought
or military leadership. The lives and teachings of these great personalities
are shrouded in the mists of time. There is so much speculation about the time
and place of their
birth, the mode
and style of their life, the nature and detail of their teachings, and the
degree and measure of their success or failure that it is impossible for
humanity to reconstruct accurately the lives and teachings of these men. Not so
this man The Prophet Muhammad accomplished so much in so many fields of human
thought and behavior in the fullest blaze of human history. Every detail of his
private life and public utterances has been accurately documented and
faithfully preserved to our day
The authenticity
of the records so preserved are vouched for not only by the faithful followers
but even by his prejudiced critics. Muhammad was a religious teacher, a social
reformer, a moral guide, an administrative colossus, a faithful friend, a
wonderful companion, a devoted husband, a loving father—all in one. No other
man in history ever excelled or equaled him in any of these different aspects
of life— but it was only for the selfless personality of Muhammad to achieve
such incredible perfection. Mahatma Gandhi, speaking on the character of
Muhammad, says in
Young India:
"I wanted to know the best of one who holds today undisputed sway
over the hearts
of millions of mankind....I became more than convinced that it was not the
sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was
the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous
regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his
intrepidness, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own
mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted
every obstacle. When I closed the 2nd volume (of the Prophet's biography) I was
sorry there was not more for me t read of the great life." Thomas Carlyle,
in his Heroes and Heroworship, was simply amazed as to "how one man single-handedly
could weld warrin tribes and wandering bedouins into a most powerful and
civilized nation in less than two decades." Diwan Chand Sharma wrote:
"Muhammad was the soul of kindness and his influence was felt and never
forgotten by those around him. " (D. C. Sharma, The Prophets of the East,
Calcutta 1935, pp. 12) Edward Gibbon and Simon Ockley, speaking on the
profession of Islam write: "I believe in one God, and Mahomet, a Apostle
of God" is
the simple and
invariable profession of Islam. The intellectual image of the Diety has never
been degraded by any visible idol; the honor of the Prophet has never
transgressed the measure of human virtues; and his living precepts have
restrained the gratitude of his disciples within the bounds or reason and
religion." (History of the Saracen Empires, London, 1870, p. 54). Muhammad
was nothing more or less than a human being But he was a man with a noble
mission, one which was to unite all human beings on the worship of the one and
only God and to teach them the way to honest
and upright living based on the commands of God. He always described himself as
"a servant and messenger of God," and every single one of his actions
proclaimed loudly the truth of this phrase. Speaking on the aspect of equality
before God in Islam, the famous Indian poetess Sarojini Naidu says: "It
was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy for, in the mosque
when the call for prayer is sounded and worshippers are gathered together, the
democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant and king kneel
side by side and proclaim: "God Alone is Great." I have been struck
over and over again by this indivisible unity of
Islam that makes
man instinctively a brother. (S. Naidu, "Ideals of Islam," vide
Speaches ~ Writings, Madras, 1918, p. 169). In the words of Prof. Hurgronje:
"The League of Nations founded by the prophet of Islam put the principle
of international unity and human brotherhood on such universal foundations as
to show candle to other nations ... the fact is that no nation of the world can
show a parallel to what Islam has done towards the realization of the idea of
the League of Nations." The world has not hesitated to raise to divinity
individuals whose lives and missions have been lost in legend. Historically speaking,
none of these legends achieved even a fraction of what Muhammad accomplished.
And all of his striving was for the sole purpose of uniting mankind for the
worship of the one God on the codes of moral excellence. Muhammad or his
followers never at any time claimed that he was a son of God, a God-incarnate,
or a man having a divine nature-he always was and is even today considered as
only a human messenger chosen by God. Michael H. Hart, in his recently
published book on the rating of individuals who have contributed towards the
benefit and upliftment of mankind writes: "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 levels. (M H. Hart, The 100: A
Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History, New York, 1978, pp. 33)
Today even after a lapse of fourteen century, the life and teachings of
Muhammad have survived without the slightest loss, alteration, or
interpolation. They offer the same undying hope for treating mankind's many
ills that they did when he was alive. This is not a
claim of
Muhammad's followers but also the inescapable conclusion reached by a critical
and unbiased study of human history. Maybe it is time for you to get to know
this outstanding person who has influenced the life of billions of people over
the last fourteen hundred years. He could also change your life.
0 comments :
Post a Comment
May Allah Bless YOU.