By Hilal Ahmed
06 Nov 2020
It is very
difficult for someone like me to talk about the moral significance of the
message of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, in today’s world, for at least two
reasons.
The global
public discourse is already divided into two camps: the ‘protectors of Islam’
and the ‘champions of freedom of expression/speech’. The violent events in
Europe followed by an equally powerful global political reaction to them have
virtually forced us to take a clear, unambiguous, and blunt position on these
events, as if the figure of the Prophet can only be understood through these
two conflicting interpretations.
Secondly,
there is a personal dilemma. I find a serious tussle between two attributes of
my identity, which make it even more difficult to get rid of the established
imaginations of Islam and Prophet Muhammad. As a professional researcher, I am
encouraged to have a critical perspective on every historical personality
including the Prophet, and every religious scripture including the Quran. On
the other hand, as a born Muslim, it is expected of me to recognise Prophet
Muhammad as the ‘messenger of Allah’, the ‘last Prophet’ – and the Quran as the
‘ultimate source of knowledge’.
To resolve
this contradiction, I do not evoke the conventional faith versus reason
dichotomy. Instead, I study the personality of Muhammad in his own context – critically
– and evaluate his active social life to find out the core elements, which
constitute what we call his ‘message’.
The Prophet’s Advocacy Of Free Speech &
Expression
I would
like to mention two such constitutive elements, which are relevant for us.
The first
is his strong adherence to freedom of speech and expression. Despite declaring
himself a Prophet of Allah, Muhammad always reminds us that he is a human
being. This makes his claims highly exceptional. In a way, he invites us to
have a dialogic relationship with him. We also find this tradition of
negotiation and critical conversation in early Islamic society. The companions
of the Prophet, as well as those who had not recognised him as a Prophet of
Allah, were allowed to ask critical questions.
The Sulah-e-Hudaibiya
Is The Best Example That Underlines His Openness And Rational Generosity.
This was a
treaty between the companions of the Prophet representing Medina, and the
non-Muslims of Mecca – to establish peace between these two city-states. The
Mecca rulers made it very clear that since they did not recognise the
Prophethood of Muhammad, he would not be mentioned as the Prophet of God in the
final version of the document.
Muhammad
not just accepted this condition, but also convinced his followers too that, as
Muslims, they should adhere to the values that create peaceful coexistence.
The second
element of Muhammad’s message may be characterised by his enduring struggle for
the protection of the rights of the marginalised sections of society. He
questions the existing power structure that creates inequalities and produces
forms of injustice.
The
principle of equality, that the Quran establishes in the name of Almighty
Allah, is practised by the Prophet.
In this
sense, Muhammad calls upon all of humanity to fight against injustice and
create an egalitarian and just social order. His last Haj sermon is very
relevant, in which he strongly argues for the rights of the slaves and women.
He said:
“All mankind is from Adam and Eve; an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab
nor does a non-Arab have any superiority over an Arab; also a White has no
superiority over a Black nor does Black have any superiority over a White,
except by piety and good action.”
In my view,
Muhammad’s message gives us hope to assert basic human freedom and equality,
even towards those who call themselves Muslims but misuse his name to
legitimise their criminal acts.
May Allah —
the idea that I recognise primarily as a knowledge tradition — give us courage
to draw constructive meanings from the Prophet’s message.
-----
Hilal Ahmed is Associate Professor at the
Centre for the Study of Developing Societies. This is an opinion piece and the
views expressed above are the author’s own.
The New Age Islam neither endorses nor is responsible
for the same.
Original Headline: Why We Must Recall Prophet
Muhammad’s Message Of Freedom, Equality
Source: The Quint
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-human-rights/sulah-e-hudaibiya-best-example/d/123401
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