Category Archives: Prophets
Celebrating the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him): The Eternal Light of Truth and Guidance
Issue #11
July 8, 2006 / Jamaduth Thani 12, 1427
Truth is life’s essential. It is truth that keeps us alive and creates within us a desire to recognize who we are as individuals and as societies. And it is through this Truth that we realize the Existence of God Almighty with love. All religions and creeds in this world are at some level related to truth. Hence there exists the usage of the term “universal truthâ€. To understand this concept of universal truth and to apply it is the purpose and theme of this year’s Conference.
Every individual is in search of themselves. Humanity is lost in this day and age to the extreme that neither do we recognize other humans nor humanity itself. We say that truth is lost, and we need to find it. No matter which religion we belong to, which creed we believe in, or which school of thought we subscribe to, we cannot deny that we are all oriented to the truth.
It is a common belief however, that truth leads to many difficulties and always being truthful can lead to problems. This is not the case. There is no doubt that the path of truth is difficult, and is laden with temporary anxieties. However the direction in which the truth gears us is a path of success, and happiness. We cannot deny that the Prophets and the Saints (may Allah be pleased with them) practiced Truth and taught the message of Truth. And they were indeed successful. If we analyze Plato’s philosophy or the teachings of Aristotle, even though these are not religiously based, the philosophy of truth can be found there as well. The “Truth of Socrates†is very famous. How did Socrates gain such victory through this value of Truth? This is because he made this universal message a part of his being. He said that his life and his death are for Truth. When his students came to him and advised him to flee from the government’s punishment, he replied, “All my life I have lived for truth; should I leave it now for fear of death? This cannot be.†Socrates was ready to give up his life but stayed steadfast on the Truth. This is the reason why today the name of Socrates is associated with the concept of Truth.
Which power of the world is not familiar with the Blessed Personality of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (b. 570 CE, Peace Be Upon Him) and which religion is not familiar with His (Peace Be Upon Him) teachings. Every language of the world has received the teachings of the religion of Islam. This message is now widespread. The question arises as to how this message became widespread. This is a very important point. The Arab society of the 7th century CE worshiped itself. The people of those days of ignorance fought through generations upon the theft, murder or injury of a single camel. The ethnocentric Arabs of those days went to such extremes in their self made actions of idol worship that they forgot about their own true existence. But they held on to one identity: Being Arab. The Holy Messenger of Allah Almighty (Peace Be Upon Him) transformed that ignorant and negative attitude and behavior reminding them that it was not being Arab which defined their existence, but being the noble creation of Allah Almighty which was the heart and soul of their being. He (Peace Be Upon Him) further warned them that they had forgotten Allah Almighty, the Truth, and the teachings which they were given; and instead had begun to consider themselves as the source of beneficial knowledge, considering that as their way of life, religion, creed, and truth. He y reminded them that they needed to return towards Allah Almighty. When the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) asked the disbelievers what they believed in relation to the Message that He (Peace Be Upon Him) had brought, and about Him (Peace Be Upon Him), the disbelievers and those who opposed Him (Peace Be Upon Him) said that they considered Him (Peace Be Upon Him) “Sadiq†(truthful) and “Amin†(trustworthy). They did not doubt the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s (Peace Be Upon Him) truthfulness, trustworthiness, veracity and nobility. But they were shackled to their old ways which in their minds obstructed them from accepting the Divine Message, i.e. the religion of Islam. The point to be noted here is that despite their opposition to the message, the disbelievers did not doubt the Blessed Character of the Holy Messenger (Peace Be Upon Him). So what we observe is that the Truth gets itself uttered from the tongues of the enemies. Countless Peace and Blessings be upon the Messenger of Truth!
Truth is the name of character, behavior, attitude, and ethics. Truth begins with Prophethood and ends at martyrdom which is when it becomes victorious as is the case with the beloved grandson of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), Hazrat Imam Husayn (b. 626 CE, may Allah be well pleased with him) who is a symbol of truth. Similarly, Hazrat Abubakr Siddeeq (b. 573 CE, may Allah be well pleased with him), the closest Companion and first of the Rightly Guided Caliphs is a symbol of truth. All of the Noble Companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) are symbols of truth.
In Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and all the heavenly religions, truth is the real essence of life. It purifies the heart. It reveals reality. The entire systematic approach of Islam deals with truth. Our social, political, ethical, and professional institutions are based on truth. Islamic society is formed on the genuine principle of truth. We cannot deny that all the governmental laws must be made on the foundation of truth. If falsehood creeps into law, then it is called diplomatic law. In this type of law, truth is not revered as an inherent quality. If falsehood comes into law then its goodness is destroyed. This is why it is said that if we want to progress our societies, we must progress towards truth. If one observes all the religions of the world, they all have a common thread. They all advise to speak the truth in order to find success. They warn against lying as it leads to harm. This is why the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said:
“Truth liberates and falsehood destroysâ€
[Tahawi]
This concise statement embodies universal principles. This is the wisdom of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) that in concise statements He (Peace Be Upon Him) used to convey universal teachings and deep philosophies with great clarity and beauty. He (Peace Be Upon Him) always relayed the Divine Intention and Will as testified by Allah Almighty in the Holy Quran [53:3-4]. The above Prophetic statement includes specific individual and social analysis. The person who lies is always ashamed and anxious. In order to cover up his lies he tries to avoid people and may in some instances even become suicidal. Therefore, lying is such a negative behavior that it eventually destroys us. What then is the source of relief and freedom? The greatest Truth is the Divine Message and the Greatest Personality who practiced the final Divine Message is the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and His Blessed Family, the Ahle Bayt. They are the symbols of truth, followed by the Noble Companions. When we find the reflection of these blessed personalities in our society then we say that it is a successful society. This is why in the Holy Quran, Allah, the Most Exalted clearly established the topic of truth. Over and over again attention is drawn towards truth. If there is no truth, there is no society, no individualism, no humanity, no ethics, nothing in the world. Everything is in truth. And its reflection is in the human. As a famous poet has said:
“Don’t consider me merely of clay,
I reflect Divine Beauty.â€
We are a body with a soul. What is the purpose of our creation? Is it simply to satisfy the flesh in this life and then enter the door of death? No. The truth lies in that primordial covenant we took with Allah Almighty which is called the First Covenant or First Social Contract – the one that all the souls took with Allah Almighty where He Almighty asked us: “Am I not your Lord (Rabb)?†To this, all the souls replied in the positive. Why did Allah ask this question? Rabb means Kingship. When does one accept a King – when there is truth in ones mind, heart, and feelings. And where there is truth, there is purity, and success. What is God consciousness – it is truth. What is religion – it is truth. Unity of God is truth, Prophethood is truth, God’s Essence is truth and the Essence of the Chosen One (Peace Be Upon Him) is truth. We cannot escape truth. As the poet has written:
“Jhulas jaen akhlaq ki khetian,
na barse agar Unka abre karamâ€
The above couplet refers to the generous waters of truth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) without which any field of moral behavior would wilt. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is a complete role model for those who are in search of the truth, and for those who are really anxious to have the complete picture of truth so that they could follow and obey. Who is He (Peace Be Upon Him)? According to the Holy Quran the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is a “Complete Role Model†for all of humanity. [Al-Quran, 33:21] He (Peace Be Upon Him) is the legitimate authority, lawyer, socio-political leader, Messenger, Complete Interpreter of Islamic Law. He (Peace Be Upon Him) is a true and last Messenger of Allah Almighty. As the Holy Quran says:
“…Be with the honest peopleâ€
[Al-Quran, 9:119]
The honest people are the followers of truth. What is the reason for this order? Indeed, because the Holy Quran supports logic, philosophy and reasoning. The reason is so that we can be amongst the successful. The successful are the ones who are believers in the Oneness of God and the finality of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). These are the two realities that belong to truth. The Holy Quran which is a complete code of ethics, code of life, and comprehensive cosmic law, teaches all about truth. The real meaning of truth from other religions like Judaism, and Christianity, offer the same principle. There is no clash between Islam and Christianity or Judaism regarding truth because the essence of the message of truth is the same in all these religions. We must not differentiate ourselves on the basis of religion – Muslim, Christian, Jew, or another school of thought. The basic school of thought is truth. Truth is a religion and religion comes through a proper channel. And this is the channel of Prophecy. Whether it is Prophet Moses, Prophet Jesus or Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon them all), they are all beacons of truth. They are the authorities and the real sources of spreading truth in society because of their delegation of power. Because Judaism, Christianity and Islam are the real channels of truth for those who seek the real meaning of life through truth, therefore truth is the authority, the power, the strength and a way to find God. There is nothing wrong with the ideology of truth in any religion. There are similar definitions of truth in all these religions because these were revealed through Prophets to human beings for guidance and patronage. And these are character makers.
Truth is the soul of religion, society, an individual, and of the entire system. Whether someone follows Socialism, Communism, Marxism, Liberalism, Modern Democracy, and Individualism – these schools of thought cannot exist in society without truth. Every school of thought, every individual or political party calls for truth. As human beings we believe that truth is an authority and a power. The meaning of life is to keep oneself with genuine people who are the successful ones. We pray that this Conference will help all of us in the search of truth, for the real knowledge, and for the real authority so that we could be satisfied in our lives not only in this world but also after our death. Ameen.
Prof. Dr. Mohammad Ahmed Qadri
Founding Director, IECRC
The above is a translated and edited transcription of Vol. 1 of “The Truth,†a 5 Volume VCD set where Dr. Qadri, Professor of Political Science at Karachi University and recipient of the National Education and Research Award in 2005, expounds in both Urdu and English on some very pertinent Islamic topics related to the Soul, Tolerance, Sufism, Patience, Code of Ethics, Relation with Other Faiths, Gratitude, and the Rights of Women in Islam.
Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) – The Ideal Model
Almighty Allah (the most Gracious and most Exalted) says in Surah Al-Ahzaab [33:56]:
“Surely, Allah (The Most Exalted) and His Angels shower their blessing on the Nabi (Peace be upon him and his family). O, you who believe! Send upon him (Divine) blessings and salute him fully well with best salutation.â€
This is a divine gift to the Muslim Ummah that Almighty Allah (Most Glorified and Exalted) invited them to join Him in His favorite pursuit of showering of blessing upon His Beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). Almighty Allah (The Most Exalted) and His angels have been sending and shall continue to send his blessings upon Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). This is a reward unparallel to any person in history on the face of earth.
Almighty Allah awarded him with another great reward: “And we exalted thy name”. Holy Prophet’s name is a part of the Kalimah Tayyaba “Lailaha illallah Muhammad ur Rasoolullah “In every Azan, Iqama, Salaat, Friday khutbas, sermons on Eids and Hajj, this Kalimah Tayyaba is repeated and raised loudly. In every Azan his name (peace be upon him and his family) is repeated twice. There are five azans per day – lets assume that there are 2 million mosques around the globe then the Prophet’s name Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is raised 20 million times daily from the minarets of the mosques alone! Subhan Allah!
Let’s look at one more example: there are 20 Farz (compulsory) rakaats daily Salaat for every Muslim where the name Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is repeated 35 times a day. For instance we take 500 million Muslims, which is a small figure according to this CNN World report 2009 “There are about 1.57 billion Muslims in the world, according to the report, “Mapping the Global Muslim Population” by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. That represents about 23 percent of the total global population of 6.8 billion. (http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/10/07/muslim.world.population/index.html).
So, if 500 million Muslims in the world offer daily Salaat regularly. Prophet’s name Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is repeated 17,500,000,000 times per day on the face of earth!
There is no such example of any person, male or female whose name is repeated so abundantly and with such high dignity daily on earth and for the last 1400 years. This is NOT because of human efforts BUT because of this divine declaration in the Holy Quran :
“And We (Allah) have exalted high your dignity†[Surah Inshirah:4]
Whatever position Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was called upon to occupy, he brought to it a gleam, the like of which the history of man has not known. There is Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), the Prophet. There is Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), the Leader. There is Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), the King. There is Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), the Patriot. There is Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), the Warrior. There is Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), the Legislator, Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) the Friend, Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), the Compassionate, Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) the Affectionate and so on…..
It was him (peace be upon him and his family) who brought the humanity to the zenith. He was the one (peace be upon him and his family) who received the title of “Rehmatul lil Alameen†(mercy for all the universe) from the Rabbul Alameen (Creator of all the universe). It was him (peace be upon him and his family) who Almighty Allah chose as the “Khatim un Nabi’een†and was named MUSTAFA (peace be upon him and his family) – the Chosen one!
“And We (Allah) have sent you (O dear Prophet Muhammad) except as a mercy for all the universe.†[Surah Al-Anbya – 107]
It was at the conquest of Makkah that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) stood at the peak of hispower. His unconquerable will, unshakable determination, un-distractible purpose, through-going firmness, uncompromising persistency, indomitable spirit, endless patience, eternal endurance, irresistible courage, and a stamp of the nobility of character, mark the special features of his life.
His graciousness, his affability, his dignified character, his compassion, and politeness, his equable treatment to the powerful as well as the weak, his respectful attention to the rich as well as the poor and his generosity to friend as well as enemy inspired everyone. Even after receiving all the dignified titles and high positions, the king of all the worlds as already remarked, he would mend his clothes himself, cobble his shoes, milk his goats, and sleep on palm tree leaves with the pillow of his hands underneath his head, and Hazrat Omar (may Allah be well pleased with him) was touched to see the stripes on his body. Dates and barley bread were his usual meal and milk and honey, all his luxuries!
This is the noble role model about which the Holy Quran says:
“Certainly, you have an excellent model in following the Rasool (Messenger) of Allah. This is (ideal model) for the one who has hope in Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah too much.†[Al-Ahzaab 33:21]
May Almighty Allah bless and guide us all to the right path and to follow His beloved Prophet’s (peace be upon him and his family) teachings. Ameen.
Sister Sadaf Akbani
Houston, Texas, USA
skakbani@hotmail.com
Sister Sadaf is a Computer Graphic Designer by profession. She is the Joint Secretary of Women’s Committee (Pakistani American Association Houston) and the Youth Secretary of Karwaan-e-Adab literary society Houston. She has received several awards in debates, essays, poetry and hosting.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) – The world’s most influential social reformer
Islam is by far the most powerful social movement, the world has ever observed. It proved to be a process, which brought revolutionary changes in the socio-economic and political values of, the then, prevailing society. Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), as a gift of Allah Almighty (The Most Exalted) for mankind, led the world to a new era of peace and prosperity. Based on pragmatic outlook, this short essay highlights the remarkable image of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) as the most distinguished social reformer of human history.
According to the famous psychoanalyst and ex-president of American Psychiatric Association Dr. Jules H. Masserman (1905-94) a true leader should fulfill the utilities of furnishing people the well being, secure social organization and one set of beliefs. Judged on this criterion Masserman further cited examples of people who can be regarded as leaders. These include: Pasteur and Salk as leaders in the first sense; Gandhi, Confucious, Alexander, Caesar and Hitler as leader of executing the second requirement while Jesus and Buddha as those fulfilling third category. Masserman, after arguing that none of the above mentioned perfectly matches with the norms, boldly suggests that “the greatest leader of all times was Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) who combined all three functions†[1]. Bearing in mind the universally accepted idea of leadership as the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task [2], one can easily recognize that a real leader can not only reshape the ideas and beliefs of people, but could also reform society in true sense of words.
Many of world’s renowned historians, including William L. Langer (1896 – 1977) [3], have given account of the dejected circumstances of the society before Islam. In general the whole world was clutched by extreme paganism, all sort of wickedness and chaos. The poor people and women were treated like animals. People were inundated in social evils, and their demeanor was not administered by any moral convention. The advent of Islam via Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) was a kind of blessing for the society as a whole as it actually brought revolutionary changes in the values. Applying mathematical modeling of social, economic, and historical dynamics it has been established that socioeconomic reform is the distinguishing success of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) [4].
Numerous examples can be cited on how Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) restructured the society. For the sake of brevity, we only consider a few aspects in a concise way, as otherwise an unlimited space is required to accomplish the job.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), by condescending the practices regarding mistreatment of the women, uplifted their position in the society [5]. For instance Muhammad’s (peace be upon him and his family) denunciation of infanticide has been regarded as the key facet of His (peace be upon him and his family) efforts to lift the position of women. Moreover, His (peace be upon him and his family) endeavors effectively influenced many matters relevant to marriage and legacy. Consequently women were accorded with exceptionally secured standing.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) by setting up the concept of shared society (i.e., Ummah) provided the basis equality of all human beings [6]. It was a milestone in history of mankind in context of sociology and turned out to be a significant factor for the ethical organization and establishment of justice in the society. It ought to be stressed that a salient feature of the societal restructuring was the economic perspective. For the assistance of the underprivileged, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) implemented a comprehensive system [7] comprising not only of Zakat as per order of Allah Almighty (The Most Exalted) but also Khairat and Sadaqaat clearly favoring equal distribution of capital [8].
It is also worth mentioning that today’s burning concern of environment was also effectively addressed by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). A modern anthropologist and an expert in the Middle East and North Africa region and environmental issues, Francesca De Chatel has skillfully analyzed this view. In one of her recent article [9], Frances, after carefully examining the philosophy of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), has emphasized that a closer reading of his teachings concerning land and water, proper treatment of animals, plants and birds and the equal rights of users reveals that He (peace be upon him and his family) is undoubtedly a strong promoter of environmental protection. She has therefore termed Him (peace be upon him and his family) as “environmentalist avant la letter- a pioneer in the domain of conservation, sustainable development and resource management, and one who constantly sought to maintain a harmonious balance between man and natureâ€.
As admitted earlier, it is impossible to encapsulate various aspects of life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) as the world’s most prominent communal reformer. Nevertheless it will be best to conclude the essay with the remarks of modern era’s renowned astrophysicist and historian Michael H. Hart concerning ratings of men who contributed for the boost-up of humanity. In his words, “My choice of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) to lead the list of the world’s most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he (peace be upon him and his family) was the only man in history who (peace be upon him and his family) was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels†[10].
References
[1]. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,879377-3,00.html
[2]. M. M. Chemers, Efficacy and effectiveness: Integrating models of leadership and intelligence. In Riggio, R. E., Murphy, S. E. & Pirozzolo, F. J. (Eds.) Multiple intelligences and leadership. Mahwah, NJ, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (2002).
[3]. W. L. Langer, An Encyclopedia of World History: Ancient, Medieval, and Modern, Chronologically Arranged. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, USA. (1968).
[4]. A. Korotayey, V. Klimenko and D. Proussakov, Origins of Islam: Political-Anthropological and Environmental Context. Acta Orientalia Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae. 53/3–4 (1999)
[5]. M. M. Valentine, Modernizing Women: Gender and Social Change in the Middle East. Lynne Rienner Publishers, USA. (1993).
[6]. S. Ganjoo, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family): The Greatest Benefactor. Anmol Publications, New Delhi, India. (2004).
[7]. M. Bonner, “Poverty and Economics in the Qur’an”, Journal of Interdisciplinary History, XXXV: 3 (2005).
[8]. B. Lewis, “Communism and Islam”, International Affairs, Royal Institute of International Affairs 30 (1), (1954).
[9].http://muslimvillage.com/story.php?id=828
[10]. M.H. Hart, “The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History”, Kensington Publishing Corp. New York, USA. (1978)
Prof. Intikhab Ulfat
Chalmers University of Technology
Goteborg, Sweden
intikhab@chalmers.se
Prof. Intikhab works at the Department of Applied Physics at Chalmers University, Sweden. He also worked at the University of Karachi Pakistan and is affiliated with the Swedish National Laboratory for Synchrotron Radiation.
