Mission Of The Prophet: To Humanize Man
By Dr Tauseef Ahmad
Parray
October 30,
2020
The Noble
Quran is the Last Revealed Book of Allah, and the Prophet (pbuh)—the person
through whom that Book came to humanity—is the person whose words and deeds are
the first and most important commentary, and explanation on it. Every detail of
his blessed life (Seerah) is thoroughly known to us. The Prophet (pbuh) was a
devoted husband, an affectionate father, and a sincere friend; a successful
business man, a far-sighted reformer, a brave warrior; a skilful general, an
efficient administrator, an impartial judge, a great statesman, and more. “In
all these roles, he played his part with exemplary ability, honesty, and integrity”.
In ‘Mohammed: The Prophet of Islam’, K. S.
Ramakrishna Rao describes Prophet’s various roles in these lines: “There is
Muhammad the Prophet; there is Muhammad the General; Muhammad the King;…;
Muhammad the Statesman; Muhammad the Orator; Muhammad the Reformer; Muhammad
the Protector of Slaves; Muhammad the Emancipator of Women;… In all these
magnificent roles and in all these departments of human activities he is
equally a hero”.
The Prophet
(pbuh) came to humankind, as Tariq Ramadan writes in his ‘In The Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad’/
The Messenger “with a message of faith, ethics, and hope, in which the One
reminds all people of His presence, His requirements, and the final Day of
Return and Encounter”. He touched every aspect of human life and proved the
greatest reformer the world has ever produced. He was a great savior,
liberator, and protector of the ‘oppressed’ humanity. He removed social
inequality; reconciled different creeds; bestowed security of life, property,
and religion on other faiths; united warring tribes; gave women an equal
footing with men; and did much more. In the modern times, Prophet (pbuh) is
presented as a ‘reformer’ who considerably raised the social and ethical level
of the Arabs of his time. He called for equality and mutual responsibility
among his followers, and for the abolition of class privilege and extremes of
wealth, and as Leo Tolstoy said, “Undoubtedly, Prophet Muhammad [(pbuh)] is one
of the greatest reformers who rendered extensive service to the human
community. … Such a man, indeed, is highly respectable and estimable”.
The Prophet
(pbuh) was not only a religious preacher and reformer, but a great
administrator as well. He presided over, after Hijrah from Makkah to Medina in
622 CE, the Commonwealth of Islam for ten years (622-632 CE). Syed Ameer Ali,
in his A Short History of the Saracens writes: “The work done within that short
period [of 10 years] will always remain as one of the most wonderful
achievements recorded in history”. On the same lines, Gerhard Bowering, an
‘Islamicist’ (in the ‘Introduction’ of his Princeton Encyclopaedia of Islamic
Political Thought) is of this opinion: “That one man could achieve so much in
such a short time is astounding. … His message has stood the test of time for
more than a thousand years, and his community has grown steadily over the
centuries”. Similarly, a French historian, Alphonse Lamartine in his Historie de la Turquie, pays tribute to
Prophet (pbuh) in these words: “he [Prophet (pbuh)] created a spiritual
nationality which has blended together peoples of every tongue and of every
race. He has left to us the indelible characteristic of this Muslim
nationality, the hatred of false gods, and the passion for the One and
immaterial Allah”.
A saviour
and liberator of oppressed humanity, the Prophet (pbuh) transformed the Arabs,
within a short span of 23 years, into a civilized and religious nation.
Justice, equality, and truth were his motto; and modesty, kindness, patience
and generosity pervaded his conduct. Hadrat Anas (RA) is reported to have said:
“I served the Prophet (pbuh) for ten years, and he never said to me, ‘Uf’ (a
minor harsh word denoting impatience)”.
The Prophet
(pbuh), as a leader and as political head of the City-State of Medina, never
led the life of a king: he was a “King without kingly pretension”. He had no
arms, no standing army, no body guard, and no palace. Bosworth Smith, in his
well-known book ‘Mohammad and
Mohammadanism’, describes him in these words: “Head of the State as well as
of the Church, he was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope’s
pretensions, Caesar without the legion of Caesar: without a standing army,
without a body-guard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue; if ever any
man had the right to say that he ruled by the right divine, it was Mohammad
[pbuh], for he had all the power without its instructions and without its
supports”.
The Prophet
(pbuh) devoted all his life to the realization of his mission. A mission which
every Prophet is bestowed by Allah: To illuminate humanity’s way (Q. 51: 56;
21: 25; 16: 36); to guide people to the service of Allah (Q. 3: 164); to teach
people Allah’s Laws (Q. 5: 67); to be Examples/ Models (Q. 6: 90; 33: 21); to
establish ‘Balance’ (Q. 28: 77); and to be Allah’s Witnesses (Q. 4: 165).
Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) mission was also same: “To liberate man, to unite
man, to educate man, in a word to humanize man”.
The
nobility of soul, purity of heart, austerity of conduct, refinement of feeling,
and stern devotion to duty and responsibility, were the distinguishing traits
of the character of Prophet (pbuh). The Qur’an describes his character as
“Uswah-e-Hasanah”: “Verily, in the
Apostle of God
you have a
good example for
everyone” (Q. 33: 21). Professor Tamara Sonn, in her ‘Islam: A Brief History’, admits that
Prophet’s life is “a model for humanity of how to live every moment, and make
every choice, in accordance with God’s will. The way he lived his life is
described by the Quran as the best example of Islam”; and together with the
Quran, his example (Sunnah) comprise the guidance and direction “Muslims need
in their collective responsibility to establish justice”. Hadhrat Ayesha (RA)
was questioned about Prophet’s personality and she replied: “His character [the
ethics underlying his behaviour] was the Qur’an”. A “Living Quran” indeed!
The Prophet
(pbuh) was a human being; a special human being (Q. 18: 111). He has been
described by the Qur’an with many titles: “the best of the creation” (Q. 33:
21); “a mercy to the worlds” (Q. 21: 107); “the seal of all Prophets” (Q. 33:
40); and the Quran shows its respect for him in these words: “Verily, God and
His angels bless the Prophet: [hence,] O you who have attained to faith, bless
him and give yourselves up [to his guidance] in utter self-surrender!” (Q. 33:
56). Furthermore, the Prophetic Tradition states: “None of you is a believer
till I am dearer to him than his child, his father and whole of mankind”
(Muslim). Thus, all this brings us to the point that while God and the Quran
have a higher status, it is Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who, par excellence, is the
“human face of Islam”. Abdul Hamid Sidiqqi (the translator of Sahih Muslim),
has made this point clear and simple in the following passage: “It is often
asked why love for the holy Prophet [pbuh] has been made the test of a man’s
faith.
The answer
is quite simple. It is in his august personality that we can know the Will of
the Lord, His love for humanity, and his view, how man should live in this
world. In him all those values which our Lord wanted us to uphold took flesh
and blood without compromise and without alloy. He had been, therefore, made
for us the focus of loyalty because it is through him that we have learnt the
true concept of God, the real implication of Tauhid [monotheism], the role of
man, his accountability in the Hereafter—in fact the whole of the religion”.
In the
Prophet’s illustrious life, absolutely everything was “an instrument of renewal
and transformation” from the slightest detail to the greatest events. All
those, irrespective of their faith or ideology, who study Prophet’s life, can
derive teachings from this, thus reaching toward the essence of the message of
light of faith. Dr. Annie Besant, in her book ‘The Life and Teachings of
Muhammad’, says: “It is impossible for anyone who studies the life and
character of the great Prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he
lived, to feel anything but reverence for that mighty Prophet, one of the great
messengers of the Supreme”.
Calling the
Prophet (pbuh) as “the Saviour of Humanity”, George Bernard Shaw (in ‘The
Genuine Islam’) puts forth the view that the present world needs leaders like
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) for the general peace and comfort. Shaw states 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 the much needed
peace and happiness”.
It is apt
to conclude with this statement from Syed Ameer Ali’s The Spirit of Islam:
“Fourteen centuries have passed since he [Prophet (pbuh)] delivered his
message, but time has made no difference in the devotion he inspired, and today
as then the Faithful have in their hearts and on their lips those memorable
words: ‘May my life by thy sacrifice, O Prophet of God’.”
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Dr Tauseef Ahmad Parray is Assistant Professor,
Islamic Studies, at GDC for Women, Pulwama (J&K).
Original Headline: A Mercy for Humankind from
the All Merciful
Source: The Greater Kashmir
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/mission-prophet-humanize-man/d/123355
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