Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) - Mercy to Mankind

At the end of sixth century CE humanity had lost all the guidance that came from its Creator and Sustainer as how to live, act and behave on earth. There were no human rights anywhere in the world. Under the domination of both superpowers of the time, the Roman and the Persian Empires, only the ruling class was enjoying all the rights and privileges.

The common man had no rights worth its name and was treated as serfdom. Women were treated in Christianity something as “untouchables” and under the fold of Hindu paganism, they had no right to live after the death of their husband. They were to die (burn) with them alive due to the age old prevalent custom of “sati”. Europe was grappling under its dark ages and America was not known at all to the civilized world of the time. Humanity was, thus, passing through dark pages of its history; its fate was lying in obscurity and apparently had no hopes in its “destiny”.

The Christian priests, saints and hermits of the time were all in waiting for the coming of a Messenger from a land in the desert covered with date trees as prophesies in Bible foretold. Only the City of Madinah in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula fulfilled that criterion. They had established numerous monasteries at its northern arch. The monastery of Ba'hirah Rahib was one of them. Professor Taha Yaseen of Egypt has given a vivid description of these monasteries in his book of Seerah of Rasulullah (S) (Biography of Prophet Muhammad , peace be upon him) and has shown that how eagerly Judeo-Christian world was waiting for the new Messenger of God (Allah). The detailed account given by Prophet’s beloved companion Salman Al-Farsi of his reaching to Madinah in search of the Messenger as directed by Christian priests confirms the quest and long awaiting in the Christian world.

Unfortunately, at the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century, the humanity more or less as a whole was experiencing a similar situation as that of the 6th century but in a different perspective. In the 6th century, the causes of concern and waiting were genuine as all the previous guidance from God were either lost, or mutilated through human innovations and manipulations along with the life patterns of previous Messengers except some scanty accounts that could not lead or deliver a system and a model of their life-pattern to live by for the human society. In the context of the present world, both the Guidance from the Creator and Sustainer is available intact in its original form along with the life-pattern of the Messenger, the guide, the model as how to live, act and behave in the world in its minutest details. It is just the self-denial attitude of Judeo-Christian-Pagan world that is blind to its existence in its totality. It is due to the age old prejudices, historical animosity and ignorance of an unprecedented nature; that it is being ignored one way or the other.

Their blindness is by their free-choice and not by accident or any natural mishap. It can be termed as “day-light-blindness”. They are in desperate need of a system for getting justice, peace, security and an ideal model to lead a balanced and an organized life in their personal, family and society at individual, national and international levels. They are taking blind rough shots here and there, grappling in darkness an have no semblance of light either in their vision, approach, programming or projections. They are seeing everything from the ken of mortal eyes and not as their urgent need for Divine Guidance and the life-pattern that the Messenger sets in its minutest details for human beings to follow. That is why man has failed in all its programming, projections and man-made systems whether it was feudalism, monarchy, capitalism, socialism, communism and secular democracy or military dictatorship. All have multiplied human problems and provided only some band-aid-treatment or some namesake temporary respite. Problems are gradually heaping and pilling up in Himalayan sizes.

In sequence, humanity has lost all its hope. The forthcoming era of Globalization, World Trade and forming of different Group Markets on the pattern of EUC are bound to fail as their objective is to exploit the human needs and meager resources of under-developed and developing countries around the world to add a few degrees to the standard of living of the developed countries at the cost of increasing the poverty level in the poor countries higher and higher. By denying the existing Divine Guidance and the role of the Messenger of the time, humanity cannot survive anymore. It has no choice but to turn its face to follow the life-pattern of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) with all hopes and expectations and then it would get there. Let us see what hopes, the life of the Messenger of the time, Prophet Muhammad has in store for the suffering humanity that all the secular isms could not deliver at all.

THE FIRST STEP TOWARDS BUILDING THE FATE OF HUMANITY

After his appointment as the Messenger of Allah in the cave of Hira in 610 CE, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) concentrated on individuals, the epic center of all troubles and corruptions on earth. He rightly concluded that if individuals are corrected, reformed and their character is re-build on the basis of fear of Allah and accountability in Akhirah (Hereafter), society as a whole can be reconstituted afresh on balanced moral grounds.  As such:

* He cemented the relations of each individual with his/her Creator and Sustainer;

* Every individual is a trustee of what Allah has given him and not master or owner;

* Everyone is accountable to Allah for all his/her actions and deeds on earth and in the hereafter;

* He presented his life as ideal for all individuals to follow in every walk of life till eternity.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) made every effort in remodeling their respective individual character on these principles and made them the most trustworthy people of the time. This was his team of workers that he first built and they were the instruments in changing the society altogether on the concept of Tawheed (Oneness of God), Amanah (Trust), Akhirah (Hereafter) and his Prophethood. He purified individual’s character and motivated them to carry out the mission of Islam to the four corners of the world. His Kalimah (Slogan): La Ilaha Ilallah, Muhammadun Rasulullah (There is no god worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger) was in fact, the most revolutionary political slogan and a motivating force that kept his followers always active, motivated and involved in the service of mankind: to be good to others, in removing the evil from the society and establishing the Ma’roof (all that is good) all around. This benevolent character that he created among his followers was by serving himself as its model in every walk of life. He, thus, transformed the Arab society of Jahiliyah [ignorance] into a benevolent and Allah conscious society all around in his life time within a limited period of 23 years. This is his prescribed, well-practiced and trusted model for mankind to follow till eternity. If humanity wants today to remove corruption, favoritism, nepotism and discrimination in all its forms and shapes, from its ranks and files, this is the only way now left for mankind to accept and follow, the only hope to get justice, peace and a balanced harmonious growth in the world.

Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) Most Inspiring Character of History

•    He was very kind and merciful and full of concern for believers in Allah [Quran 9: 128]

•    He was at the highest order of morality [Quran 68: 4]

•    His (S) morals were the embodiment of the Qur’an [Hadith – Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him]

•    He confirmed, “I have been appointed to perfect the morality”. [Hadith – Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him]

•    He was the Messenger for entire mankind [Quran 7: 158]

•    Arabs acknowledged him unanimously and used to call him Al-Sadiq & Al-Ameen [the Truthful and the Trustworthy]

•    He never speaks out of his own desire and that [what he coveys to you] is but [a Divine] inspiration with which he is being inspired” [Quran 53: 3-4]

•    He said, “Ana Afsahul Arab” [I am the most eloquent person among the Arabs]

•    An Extraordinary advocate and promoter of “Ilm” [knowledge] in the society:

•    “Talabul Ilme farizatun ala kulley Muslim” [Acquiring knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim [and Muslimah] – Hadith –Ibne Ma’jah]

•    He was the most ideal and perfect Da’ee Ilallah (Caller to Allah) for all time to come.

•    He declared the first Charter of Human Rights in 631 AD from the Mount of Arafat when he performed his first and last Hajj.

•    He was the most ardent advocate of human rights, wage-earners rights, very benevolent to slaves, care takers of the wayfarers and the oppressed, the orphans and the rights of women.

•   He established the concept of equality among human beings, eradicated all kinds of discrimination on account of color, race, wealth, language and geographical boundaries. He made Bilal bin Rabah, an African freed slave from Eretria the Moazzin (caller for prayer) of his Mosque and his personal exchequer.

•   He was an affectionate father, a dutiful and lovable husband, an ideal neighbor, a trustworthy and honest trader, an efficient administrator, a foresighted statesman and a brilliant general. In short he was the most accomplished human being. Whosoever came in contact with him adored him, including his adversaries. He is the most perfect ideal in every walk of life for any individual and society to follow as the model, the only hope of mankind to deliver Khair [good] to all who resolve to follow him and his teachings.

BUILDING A MODEL HUMAN SOCIETY

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) first built his team of workers on the lines stated above. We call them Sahabah (Companions) out of reverence. He built it through person to person contacts who in turn became the kingpins of the Islamic society that he established in Arabian Peninsula based on the principles of equality, justice and complete social security for the poor, needy, destitute, underfed, unemployed, incapacitated and wayfarers – the have-nots, through a well-established social-welfare system of Islam that advocates:  “Collect from your affluent and return it back to your poor and needy” [Hadith]

He (S) build a society in which justice was free, education was obligatory and free for all. It was free of corruption and favoritism. Rate of crime was extremely low to the extent that often jails were found empty. Situation of law and order was so perfect that an old lady could travel from Sana’a to Hazarmaut, a distance of about 1,000 miles with gold in her hands and she had no fear except that of Allah. Adi bin Hatim, confirmed it by his own observation.

CONCLUSION

The forgoing proves beyond any shadow of doubt the life pattern that Prophet Mohammad (S) demonstrated to the world and the system of life that he delivered to mankind are now the only hope of mankind to get justice, peace and security on earth. The more its adoption is delayed, the more it is drifting away from its cherished goal to attain perfection in transforming the abode of man into the cradle of peace and free of exploitation; where both the affluent and the poor will feel contented in their respective field and where the opportunity of progress will be available to all and sundry without any prejudice as a right of all human beings. Humanity can attain this goal only when it would accept the leadership of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the only hope of its survival.