Muslims Must Introspect and Strengthen Their Bond with the Prophet in Letter and Spirit
By Dr Aashiq-ul-Islam
November 7, 2020
Muslims once were on top of the world in every sphere of
life as it is evident from their progress when we turn the pages of history. In
essence this was a revolution, based on revelation that changed the destiny of
the world. The reason for their progress
was the observance of the relation they had with the Prophet. Everything will
be determined by the relation with the Prophet (pbuh) so far as success in this
world and hereafter is concerned. The universal degeneration in the rank and
file of Muslims also suggests that these bases are absent or have been
weakened, hence the degeneration; thus debate is closely related to the
renaissance of Muslims and Islam in the modern times.
Our relationship with Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is manifold.
Before proceeding on this topic it is better to quote a verse from the Qur’an,
which is the infallible word of Allah revealed upon the last Prophet and
Messenger of Allah. Allah says in Holy Qur’an:
……. those who believe in him,
and honor him, and help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him;
they are the successful” (7:157).
This verse states that there are four criteria for a
successful life in this world and here-after. And these four are also one of
the important bases of our relationship with Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
The first thing is to believe in the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
as not only the Messenger but as the final and last Prophet and Messenger of
Allah. He is the last Prophet, the divinely inspired man of truth and wisdom
who saw light in his heart and mind at a time when forces of evil and falsehood
had darkened the horizon. This belief should not be blind on our part but
should be embedded in our hearts. It should be a realization of Prophet’s
personality and his mission as divinely inspired. It is evident that his
mission and his success bear witness to this fact.
Thomas Carlyle is apt to quote: “It is a great shame for
anyone to listen to the accusation that Islam is a lie and that Muhammad (SAW)
was a fabricator and a deceiver. We saw that he remained steadfast upon his
principles, with firm determination; kind and generous, compassionate, pious,
virtuous, with real manhood, hardworking and sincere. Besides all these
qualities, he was lenient with others, tolerant, kind, cheerful and praiseworthy
and perhaps he would joke and tease his companions. He was just, truthful,
smart, pure, magnanimous and present-minded; his face radiant as if he had
lights within him to illuminate the darkest of nights; he was a great man by
nature who was not educated in a school nor nurtured by a teacher as he was not
in need of any of this.” Likewise Karen Armstrong: “If we are to avoid
catastrophe, the Muslim and Western worlds must learn not merely to tolerate
but to appreciate one another. A good place to start is with the figure of
Muhammad: a complex man, who resists facile, ideologically-driven
categorization, who sometimes did things that were difficult or impossible for
us to accept, but who had profound genius and founded a religion and cultural tradition
that was not based on the sword but whose name—“Islam”—signified peace and
reconciliation.” This shows that Prophet as an all-inclusive truthful social
reformer who saved Arabia and all humanity from the clutches of evil.
The second criterion in this verse is to honor the Prophet.
This is not the honor in the common usage but an intense feeling of reverence,
love and attachment towards him. According to Allama Iqbal true love of the
Prophet (pbuh) is not only emotional, but is manifested in all the spheres of
life. He says: “The revered position of Prophet is in every Muslim’s heart. Our
respect is due to the Holy name of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)” Iqbal
beautifully portrayed the reverence and love to Prophet in these verses:
Wo Danae Subl, Khatm-e-Rusl,
Maula-e-Kul Jis Ne
Gubra-e-Rah Ko Bakhsha Firoghe
Wada-e-Sina
Nigah-e- Ishq-o-Masti Me Wahi
Awal, Wahi Aakhir
Wahi Qur’an, Wahi Furqan, Wahi
Yasin, Wahi Taha
Prophet also said: “Hadrat Abu Huraira (R.A) and Hadrat Anas
(R.A) both have narrated this Hadith that Muhammad (pbuh) said, “No one among
you will become a believer until he or she will love me more than his parents,
children and all other people”
The third criteria for success and one of our relationships
with Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is to help him. Before his departure his
companions helped him to evolve and increase the intensity of his mission but
now can we help the Prophet (pbuh).
Preaching and propagating his message of salvation to all humanity, we
should be fully trained with the modern methods of argument to prove the
truthfulness of the message of Islam -Islam must be shown– as it is the highest
social order and the moderate spiritualism. Many predictions are written about
Prophet (pbuh) in the major world religious scriptures which must be brought
forward. It has to be shown that Islam has all the answers to the chaos
prevalent in this world. The system of Zakat, the spiritualism in Salah, the
brotherhood in Hajj, and the dignity for women etc. these and all other
socio-religious things must be preached.
The last criterion in this verse is to follow the light
which is sent down him from Allah. In most of the exegesis or Tafasir of
the Qur’an the Nur or light mentioned in this verse here is a synonym for
Qur’an. But I think that Nur or light mentioned here is the overall and
holistic guidance of Islam whose primary text, of course is the Qur’an. Islam
taken as a whole with the teachings stated in Qur’an and the teachings in the
sayings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is collectively a single light of Islam.
All the Muslims in this world claim that they have the
intense love for Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in their hearts. Our claim can only be
true if we fulfill certain conditions after which our claim of the love for the
beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) can be true. I will sum up those conditions.
The first and foremost condition for the true love is to follow the beloved
(pbuh). Following and adopting to our utmost the commands and Sunnah of
Prophet, second is to remember him all the time with intense affection, third
is to yearn for being close to him and the intense desire to see him, fourth is
to respect and revere him above all except Allah, fifth is to love all other
whom Prophet loved and who were the beloved of Prophet. And those are his companions
or Sahaba, his family or Ahli Bayat, his nation and language
which is Arab and Arabic etc., sixth condition is to hate the enemies of
beloved, seventh is to make the mission of our lives the very mission of our
beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and to care intensely for the Ummah or
community of Prophet without the barriers of caste, color, race etc. and the
most important condition for the truthfulness of our love with our beloved
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is to consider him completely infallible or Mas’um,
with the permission of Allah.
It can be argued from preceding discussion that Muslims
world over, rather humanity in general, must now introspect and strengthen
their bond with the Prophet in letter and spirit. Muslims are in dire need to
reflect on it.
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Dr. Aashiq-ul-Islam teaches at Department of Islamic
Studies, GDC Pampore.
Original Headline: Our Relationship with the Prophet
(pbuh)
Source: The
Greater Kashmir
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/muslims-introspect-strengthen-their-bond/d/124313
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