Do you know this man?
MUHAMMED(saw): SALVATION TO MANKIND
Prophet Muhammed (saw) was raised for the whole of mankind, not only for a specific race or nation. Prophet (saw) is the salvation to mankind. He provided humanity with spiritual salvation, political, social, economic and cultural salvation.
Spiritual Salvation
1. TAWHEED (Oneness of God)
The Prophet told mankind there is no God but Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. After Jesus (as), the concept of Tawheed was altered and false ideas were thought. The Prophet (saw) came to remind people who had forgotten the concept of worship of one God alone, Allah.
2. EVERLASTING PROPHETHOOD
The Prophet (saw) is the last and final messenger of Allah and no new messenger will come after him.
3. LIFE AFTER DEATH
The Prophet (saw) reminded people of the Hereafter, i.e. that people would be answerable to their Lord. Due to the fear and consciousness that arose from this idea, people led pious lives, because before the Prophet (saw) people had forgotten about the life after death.
4. QUR’AN
The Prophet gave the source of eternal guidance, the Qur’an, to mankind. Anywhere, and at anytime, if people want guidance they will not need to look to any other book but the Qur’an. It will suffice them for their every need and necessity of life.
5. ALL-EMBRACING DEEN
The Prophet gave mankind the idea of an all embracing Deen. The Prophet did not give mankind a religion but the Deen of Islam.
If he had given a religion then there would have been spiritual guidance from the religion of Islam and secular guidance from other sources. The prophet managed to combine both secularism and politics in an all-embracing Deen. In the West, the Church deals with religion and the secular guidelines come from the state. Religion only deals with the life hereafter, acts of faith, spiritual rituals, worship and morality. Deen deals with religion, law, culture, civilisation, politics, economics, international affairs, war and peace, individual to international, these are all dealt with in the Deen of Islam.
Social Salvation
1. LIBERATION OF SLAVES AND PROTECTION OF THE WEAK
The Prophet (saw) taught the lesson that to feed people who are hungry is an excellent and spiritual act. The Qur’an says: ‘You can’t be pious until you spend for the poor.’ Islam also lays down laws such as, ‘Whosoever kills his slave: he shall be killed. Whosoever imprisons his slave and starves him, he shall be imprisoned and starved himself.’ (Tirmidhi). It is hadith such as this that led to slaves retaining their humanity and moral dignity and a place equal to his master.
2. STATUS OF WOMEN IN ISLAM
Before the Prophet, women were not given any rights. The Prophet gave them matrimonial, domestic, social, economical, fiscal and political rights. The dignity and honour of women was upgraded.
Mother: The Prophet placed paradise under her feet.
Wife: The Prophet stated: ‘The best amongst you is who is best for his wife, children and family and I am the best for my family.’ (Bukhari)
Daughter: Before the Prophet, if a daughter was born, she was buried alive. Hazrat Ibn-I Sareet narrates that once he heard the Prophet saying: ‘When a female child is born, almighty Allah sends His angels to that house and prays that peace be upon them. The angels then cover the new born girl under the shadow of their wings and caressing the head of the baby with their hands, say that this is a weak person. Who ever will bear the responsibility of her cherishment will go on having the blessings of the almighty as long as that person remains alive.’ (Al mojam al saghir tibriani) The Prophet came and abolished the superiority of gender.
3. EQUALITY OF MANKIND
The Prophet (saw) eliminated all wrong superiority’s: territorial, tribal, linguistic, racial. He (saw), declared: ‘No Arab is superior over an non-Arab, no non-Arab is superior over an Arab. No white is superior over a black, no black is superior over a white. All these superiority’s are man-made. Only superiority is that of piety, human conduct and moral behaviour.’ (Bukhari)
Economic Salvation
Before the coming of the Prophet (saw) people were obsessed with the accumulation of wealth, they didn’t care about others around them even if they were in poverty. Before (and after) the Prophet, interest was used to exploit the poor and help the rich to become richer. When the Prophet came, Allah revealed that Zakah had to be paid. Zakah helps to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor by distributing wealth more fairly in society. Zakah also helps those people who are inflicted with poverty-something which today’s governments are unsuccessfully trying to do.
Political Salvation
Before the Prophet, there was the Divine Right of rule, monarchies, empires and dictatorships. The Prophet for the first time in history gave the idea of a public representation and consultation. He (saw) stated: ‘There is no rule without public consultation and representation.’ (Ibn-e-Maajah) The concept of Khilafah was created. He (saw) stated: ‘No ruler can be obeyed if he commands falsehood.’ (Ibn-e-Maajah) The Prophet highlighted that the government is a public trust and that it should only be controlled by those people who deserve it. The ruler is only the representative of the people, not their controller. In a nutshell, the government consisted of chosen representatives of the people. The appointment and removal of a ruler is made by the people. Before the Prophet those constitutional aspects were never offered to the people. The Prophet (saw) was the first human in history to give Universal Suffrage (votes to every adult) and this was only introduced in Britain 1350 years later. He (saw) brought mankind out of the darkness and ignorance and made the ruler answerable to the people.
MUHAMMED- THE MOST INFLUENTIAL MAN IN HISTORY
Why is mankind supposed to believe in the prophethood and messengership of Prophet Muhammed (saw) today? 1400 years have passed, human society and human life is constantly undergoing a process of change and alteration. A lot of change has come in 14 centuries. New human ideas, new philosophies and thoughts, new social aspects, new discoveries, and scientific developments have taken place. Despite of all these world wide changes, still humanity is supposed to stand before the door of Holy Prophet (saw) and to ask guidance from Islam and from the Prophet and to believe in his messengership. Why? Today, mankind is supposed to follow him even after 1400 years have past. Why?
Answer: Buddha was an ideal, but only for the spiritual meditators, worshippers and contemplators. But not for the common man.. Aristotle was an ideal, but only for the thinkers and philosophers, but not for the common man. Shakespeare was an ideal, but only for the poets and literary persons, not for the common man.
Whenever we study the various historical personalities of human history, we find them having mono-aspectional personalities. When we look at the personality of the Holy Prophet (saw), the source of light for the whole of mankind, his personality is multi-aspectational. His personality possesses military, political, administrative, moral, human, social and cultural aspects.
MILITARY The Prophet (saw) was undoubtedly the greatest military leader ever. Within 10 years, he conquered the whole of the Arab world (North Palestine, North Iraq) and established a stable government in a short period of time. When the Prophet (saw) lay on his deathbed he had the loyalty of 120,000 people. Even after he passed away, Islam’s empire spread to become the largest empire in the world. No military leader or commander, from Julius Caesar to Adolph Hitler, has ever achieved this.
POLITICAL
Born in a country where there was no government, no administration and no state policies. Despite the fact that he was born in such a society, he managed to establish and give the first written constitution to mankind, consisting of 60 articles. He was the first person to establish a political state. This state belonged equally to everyone, male or female, and everyone in it was subject to the Shariah, and it was the Prophet (saw) who established a government, state policies, and a highly appreciable administration.
MORAL & HUMAN
He wasn’t only the teacher, preacher and propagator of moral values but he practised them in his own life as well. The Prophet (saw) provided us with moral values, moral behaviour, human values and etiquette that are still practised world wide today.
He also showed us and was the perfect model of how to act as a husband, as a father, as a friend, as a neighbour, a teacher, a ruler, a reformer, a judge, and as a human being. Anybody can get light from following the lifestyle of the Holy Prophet (saw).
SOCIAL & CULTURAL
He showed us how to establish an economic system, moral system, commercial laws, civil laws, penal laws, executive laws, international laws all within the Deen of Islam. He also revealed to us the laws of war, the rights of non-Muslim minorities, and the rights of Muslim minorities. Nothing in the world of law and rights was left unturned or undefined by the Prophet. He gave the rights of women, children, parents, slaves and workers. He also give us a system of taxation.
The Prophet (saw) is the perfect example of what Allah (swt) wants us to be. He is also the best role model for mankind. There is no topic or idea that Muhammad (saw) did not cover when he gave us Islam, the all embracing Deen; that is why Muslims and non-Muslims need to follow the Holy Prophet today. 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. The Holy Prophet moved not only armies, legislation’s, empires, peoples and dynasties, but also millions of men: and more than that he moved the alters, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and the souls.
MUHAMMED & SOLUTIONS TO MODERN DAY PROBLEMS
What are the problems being faced today by the non Muslim world? In the following section I will mention only a few of the problems that are epidemic in today’s society and that governments are struggling to solve. If the Prophet provides us with solutions to these problems, then we have to say that mankind should follow the Holy Prophet, whose teachings 1400 years ago give us answers to today’s problems.
Racism
All over the world today, people are murdered because of the colour of their skin. White and Black supremacist groups still exist (Ku Klux Klan) and as the brutal murders of Steven Lawrence and a disabled black American (who was dragged behind a truck for miles, beaten up, mutilated and killed) show, today’s governments aren’t able to prevent racism. Nobody is in a position to remove this conflict except the Prophet Muhammed (saw). In his last sermon, he said: ‘O mankind! All of you have one Lord. All of mankind are the children of Adam. I have crushed the exploitative thought of the old world under my feet. Today the Arab will not be superior over non-Arabs and non-Arabs will not be superior over Arabs, white is not superior over black and black is not superior over white.’ (Bukhari) The Holy Prophet also said: ‘All of you have been created from a single unit of creation. There is no superiority on the bases of race, tribe, language or territory. Superiority is only in character and piety. ‘The Prophet eliminated the concept of racism and developed the idea of brotherhood in Islam so that colour and race isn’t important.
Hunger, Homelessness and poverty
Today, millions of people are dying of starvation and are homeless. There are people who cannot meet the basic necessities of life, whilst others are living as kings, with excesses of everything. The Prophet, although he lived 1400 years ago, resolved this problem. He declared: ‘O people! If any of you posses food which is more than you require, then he should return it to those who do not have enough for their basic needs. Each and everything given to you is from Allah and the basic necessity should be fulfilled in each and every society. ‘(Narrated by Abu Syed Khudri Bukhari)
Sexual life
This has ruined mankind. It has destroyed the human and ethical values of mankind. The Prophet (saw) gave a balanced view. He resolved the problem saying that sex should be balanced and kept in check, not eliminated completely, nor should it become the meaning of life. He (saw) gave the idea that marriage should be used to keep your sexual desires in moderation. Sexual life should be enjoyed within marriage so that you can gain purity from sex. In today’s society, sex has become the motivation and ambition of many peoples lives. The Prophet (saw) stopped this by saying that sexual desires should be fulfilled, but at the same time they should be kept in moderation.
Alcohol & Narcotics
Today, the modern world has reached the conclusion that narcotics and alcohol are damaging and harmful to people. But it was the Prophet (saw) who came to this conclusion 1400 years ago. He (saw): ‘Every intoxicant is known to be alcohol and narcotics (and every khamr) is haraam. ‘(Bukhari - related by Aisha)
Environmental Health
Today mankind is destroying the beautiful world that Allah has created by polluting, depleting and destroying the enviroment. The Prophet (saw) said: ‘ If the day of judgment is imminent and one of you has a palm shoot in his hand and is able to plant it before the hour strikes, he should do so and he will be rewarded for the action.’ (Al Mishkaat) This shows that the Holy Prophet (saw) taught mankind to preserve and look after the world in which it lives.
World Peace
Today mankind is in the quest of world peace. The new world order is given in order to establish world peace. The Holy Prophet gave a new world order (through his Hijjat-ul-Widah to mankind & his Farewell Sermon) in which he declared the order of world peace by stating: ‘Your blood, your property and your honour have been made so dignified as the dignity of the Ka’abah’. The Holy Prophet showed the best form of world peace.
All the problems that are being faced by the modern world are clearly resolved in the Holy Prophet who gave us guidance about how to solve them. It is obvious that Islam and the teachings of the Prophet (saw) cater to humanity at large. All problems affecting man and his environment can be solved through proper implementation of Islamic law. That is why all of mankind should believe in the Holy Prophet Muhammed (saw).