WHO IS MUHAMMAD?
Muslims believe in the Prophets (messengers) of Allah (peace and blessings be upon them – PBBT), beginning from Adam and including Noah, Ibrahim (Abraham), Ishak (Isaac) and Ismail (Ishmael), along with Yaakob (Jacob or Israel), Yusuf (Joseph), Daud (David), Sulaiman (Solomon), Musa (Moses), Isa (Jesus) and of course Muhammad, the Final Messenger (PBBT). Yes, Muhammad is one of the prophets of Allah. Prophets were human beings chosen by Allah to receive and then communicate the divine message to mankind. Blessed were those who followed them, and wretched were those who disobeyed them.
Who is Muhammad? In a lecture by Pope Benedict XVI entitled Faith, Reason and the University: Memories and Reflections at the University of Regensburg on Tuesday 12 September 2006, the Pope quoted a Byzantine Emperor, Manuell II Paleologus, who said, “Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached”. (www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/speeches/2006/september/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060912_university-regensburg.html) – extracted 8/2/23
Uri Avnery, an Israeli journalist and a former member of the Knesset (from 1965-1973, and again from 1979-1981), in his article dated September 23rd 2006 under the title Muhammad’s Sword, disagreed with the Pope. He said, “In his lecture at a German university, the 265th Pope described what he sees as a huge difference between Christianity and Islam: while Christianity is based on reason, Islam denies it. While Christians see the logic of God’s actions, Muslims deny that there is any such logic in the actions of Allah. In order to prove the lack of reason in Islam, the Pope asserts that the prophet Muhammad ordered his followers to spread their religion by the sword.. To support his case, the Pope quoted – of all people – a Byzantine Emperor, who belonged, of course, to the competing Eastern Church”.
He continued, “For many centuries, the Muslims ruled Greece. Did the Greeks become Muslims? Did anyone even try to Islamize them? On the contrary, Christian Greeks held the highest positions in the Ottoman administration. The Bulgarians, Serbs, Romanians, Hungarians and other European nations lived at one time or another under Ottoman rule and clung to their Christian faith. Nobody compelled them to become Muslims and all of them remained devoutly Christian. There is no evidence whatsoever of any attempt to impose Islam on the Jews. As is well known, under Muslim rule the Jews of Spain enjoyed a bloom the like of which the Jews did not enjoy anywhere else until almost our time. Poets like Yehuda Halevy wrote in Arabic, as did the great Maimonides. In Muslim Spain, Jews were ministers, poets, scientists. In Muslim Toledo, Christian, Jewish and Muslim scholars worked together and translated the ancient Greek philosophical and scientific texts. That was, indeed, the Golden Age. How would this have been possible, had the Prophet decreed the spreading of the faith by the sword?” (http://fatherdave.com.au/mohammads-sword-by-uri-avnery/) – extracted 8/2/23
Who Is This Man?
The world has had its share of great personalities. But these were one-sided figures who distinguished themselves in one or two fields, such as religious thought or military leadership. Moreover, the lives and teachings of these great personalities of the world are usually not described in details and at times are shrouded in mysteries. Not so to this man, Muhammad (peace be upon him). Every detail of his private life and public utterances have been accurately documented and faithfully preserved until today.
However, certain Western groups preferred to distort the image of Muhammad (peace be upon him) by calling him a womanizer and terrorist. Some even stoop so low as to publish cartoons depicting Muhammad (peace be upon him) in a humiliating manner as was done by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on September 30th 2005. As a matter of fact, no Muslim, yes, no Muslim, would ever do the same thing to Jesus Christ and Moses (peace be upon them) because Muslims venerate them as prophets of God.
Who was Muhammad (peace be upon him)? Muhammad was a religious teacher, a social reformer, a moral guide, an administrator, a statesman, an army general, a judge, a faithful friend, a wonderful companion, a devoted husband and a loving father – all in one. No other man in history had ever excelled or equalled him in all these fields at once.
He (may the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon him) was born in Makkah, a city in present day Saudi Arabia, in the year 570 CE (Christian Era). His father, Abdullah, was the great-great-grandson of Qusay, the founder of Mecca, and belonged to the Hashimite family of Quraish. Abdullah died several months before the birth of Prophet Muhammad. His mother’s name was Aminah, and she descended from Qusay’s brother. When the Prophet was six years old Aminah took him on a visit to Yathrib (Medinah), and there she fell ill and died on the journey home.
Muhammad then came under the guardianship of his grandfather, Abdul Mutalib, chief of the Hashimite clan. Abdul Mutalib died when the Prophet was eight years old, and thus he entered under the care of his uncle, Abu Talib.
Prophet Muhammad was a very trustworthy person and was given the title of Al-Amin (meaning The Trustworthy One) by the Arabs. Once he was employed by a reputable Quraish woman by the name of Khadijah, to take her merchandise to Syria. Impressed by his competence and trustworthiness, she (a widow) sent him a proposal for marriage and the Prophet accepted it. He was then twenty-five years of age, and Khadijah was at the age of forty. Khadijah bore Muhammad six children, including one boy, Qasim, who died before his second birthday.
The Meccans believed in many gods and worshipped idols and statues. Prophet Muhammad was not in agreement with the belief and way of life of the Meccans, thus occasionally he went to a cave known as Hira (about two miles from Makkah) to reflect and meditate in solitude. It was during this solitude at Hira that the Archangel Gabriel (Jibrael) came with the first revelation from Allah. This was the same Gabriel that came to Mary, the mother of Jesus, before this. Gabriel said, ‘Read (Iqra)’ and Muhammad answered, “I am not able to read!” and Gabriel revealed to him, “Read in the name of your Lord who created. He created man from a clot. Read, for your Lord is Most Bountiful, who teaches by the pen, teaches man that which he knew not”. (Chapter al-Alaq 96:1-5)
With that the Prophet Muhammad (PBBH) officially became the Last and Final Messenger of Allah to deliver the Final Message from Allah.
Era of Prophethood
For the first few years of his mission, the Prophet preached to his family and his intimate friends. The first women to convert was his wife Khadijah, the first child was his first cousin Ali, and the first bondsman was his servant Zaid, a former slave. His old friend, Abu Bakr, was the first adult free male to convert.
At the end of the third year of his prophethood, the Prophet began to preach in public, inviting people to Islam and at the same time denouncing polytheism and idolatry. The Quraish reacted with fury and started to ridicule him, and persecute his followers. After thirteen years of sufferings and hardship Allah allowed the Muslims to migrate to Yathrib (Medinah). This in history was known as Hijrah or Emigration and it took place around the year 622 CE. Since then Yathrib had a new name, Madinat-un-Nabi or in short Medinah, meaning the City of the Prophet.
In Medinah the first task that the Prophet undertook was to build a Mosque. The mosque served as a place of worship and also a meeting place for Muslims. Then he proceeded to strengthen the brotherhood of Muslims by establishing a system whereby Muslims staying in Medinah (known as Ansar or Helpers) helped the Emigrants (known as Muhājirūn) by taking them as family members, and in so doing shared their wealth and belongings with the Emigrants. The Prophet then made a solemn covenant of mutual obligation between the Muslims and the Jews of Medina and its surrounding areas. It was agreed that the Jews would have equal status as citizens of the Islamic state and they were given full religious freedom, and that each would defend the other if attacked by enemies.
In the second year after Emigration, war erupted between the Muslims and the Quraish. This was known as the Battle of Badar. The Quraish with 1,000 soldiers was defeated by the Muslims with only 313 soldiers. This battle was followed by other battles, for example, the Battle of Uhud and Khandaq.
In the sixth year after Emigration the Treaty of Hudaibiyah was concluded between the Muslims and the Quraish. The treaty stipulated that all war activities be suspended between the two parties for ten years. The truce provided the Muslims an opportunity to spread Islam over areas not then explored. Two years after that the Quraish broke the truce and the Prophet reacted by gathering about 10,000 Muslim soldiers to teach the Quraish a very important lesson.
With that Makkah was liberated and the Prophet entered Mecca victorious with an army of 10,000, but he did not take revenge on anyone. The Prophet said to the Quraish, his enemies, “O people of Quraish! What do you think I will do to you?” They said: “You will do good. You are a noble brother, son of a noble brother.” The Prophet then said, “I say to you what Joseph said to his brothers: There is no blame upon you. Go, for you all free!” ( Refer: As-Seerah by Ibn Hishâm, Zâd al-Mi‘âd by Ibn al-Qayyim, Fath al-Bâri by Ibn Hajar)
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) died in the year 632 CE after 23 years of prophethood. Following his death, the pious companion, Abu Bakar al-Siddiq (who emigrated together with the Prophet and later became the first Caliph), delivered his famous address, “If any of you worship Muhammad, you should know that Muhammad is dead. But those of you who worship Allah, let it be known that Allah is alive and will never die”.
This powerful message affirmed what Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had taught to the Muslims based on the teachings of the Quran – that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was simply a man and Allah’s Messenger. Allah alone is deserving of worship and submission.
The span of Muhammad’s prophethood was 23 years, and during this short period he changed the Arabian peninsula from paganism and idolatry to the worship of One God, from tribal quarrels and wars to national solidarity and cohesion, from drunkenness and debauchery to sobriety and piety, from lawlessness and anarchy to disciplined living, and from utter bankruptcy to the highest standards of moral excellence. All these unbelievable transformation took place in just over two decades.
Muhammad’s Simple Life: A Proof of His Prophethood
If we were to compare the life of Muhammad before and after his mission as a Prophet, we will conclude that it is unreasonable to think that Muhammad was a false prophet. Before his mission as a Prophet, Muhammad had no financial worries. As a successful and reputed merchant, he drew a satisfactory and comfortable income. After his mission as a Prophet, he became worse off materially. Let us look at the following sayings on his life.
Muhammad’s wife, Aishah, once said to her nephew, Urwah, “O my nephew, we would sight three new moons in two months without lighting a fire (to cook a meal) in the Prophet’s houses.” Her nephew asked, “O aunt, what sustained you?” She said, “The two black things, dates and water, but the Prophet had some neighbours from the Ansar who had camels and they used to send the Prophet some of the milk”. (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)
In another tradition, she said, “The Prophet’s mattress on which he slept was made of leather stuffed with the fibres of date-palm trees”. (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)
Still in another tradition, Anas, a Companion of the Prophet, said, “The Prophet did not eat at a table till he died, and he did not eat a thin nicely baked wheat bread till he died”. (Narrated by Tirmizi)
Anas also said, “There was no person whom the companions loved more than the Prophet, yet when he came to them, they did not stand up for him because he hated their standing up to respect him, as other people did to respect their dignitaries”. (Narrated by Ahmad and Tirmizi)
The acts of worship of the Prophet was exemplary. In the middle of the night he would wake up to pray. Al-Mughira reported that, “The Prophet used to stand (for his night prayer) and pray till both his feet or legs swelled. When he was asked about this he said: Should I not be a thankful servant of Allah?” (Narrated by Bukhari)
In another narration reported by Aishah, she said, “I did not see the Prophet reciting (the Quran) in the night prayer while sitting except when he became old. He will recite (verses of the Quran) while sitting, and when thirty or forty verses remained from the surah (chapter of the Quran), he would get up and recite them and then bow (in prayer)”. (Narrated by Bukhari)
When the Prophet died, he left neither money nor anything else except his white riding mule, his armours, and a piece of land that he left to charity. This was reported by Amr ibn Al-Harith, another one of Prophet Muhammad’s Companions. (Narrated by Bukhari)
Despite his many responsibilities, Muhammad used to milk his goat (narrated by Ahmad), mend his clothes and repair his shoes (narrated by Bukhari), help with the household work (narrated by Bukhari), and visit the poor (narrated by Malek). He lived this hard life till he died although the Muslim treasury was at his disposal. His life was an amazing model of simplicity and humbleness. He chose to live in this manner because of his believe and love towards Allah and Islam. Definitely, this is not the way of life of a false prophet!
Pearls of Wisdom From the Prophet
Sayings of Prophet Muhammad are called Hadith (Narrations) or Sunah (Prophetic Traditions). His sayings are full of wisdom that guide Muslims all over the world towards achieving excellence in this world and the hereafter. Here are some of them:
On being kind and merciful even to non Muslims: Prophet Muhammad said, “Allah will not be merciful to those who are not merciful to mankind”. (Narrated by Bukhari)
Importance of knowledge: The Prophet said, “Allah makes the way to Jannah (Paradise) easy for him who treads the path in search of knowledge”. (Narrated by Muslim) “He who goes forth in search of knowledge is considered as struggling in the cause of Allah until he returns”. (Narrated by Tirmizi) “People are like mines. Those who were excellent in the Days of Ignorance are excellent in Islam provided they are knowledgeable and understand their religion”. (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)
Importance of good manners: The Prophet said, “The best among you are the best in character (having good manners)”. (Narrated by Bukhari)
Importance of charity: Prophet Muhammad also said, “Guard yourselves against the Fire (of Hell) even if it be only with half a date-fruit (given in charity). If you cannot afford even that, you should at least say a good word”. (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)
Importance of being truthful: The Prophet said, “Truth leads to piety and piety leads to Jannah (Paradise). A man persists in speaking the truth until he is recorded by Allah as a truthful man. Falsehood leads to transgression and transgression leads to the Hell fire. A man continues to speak falsehood until he is recorded by Allah as a great liar”. (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim) “I warn you against making a false statement and giving a false testimony”. (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)
Able to control emotions: The Prophet said, “A strong man is not one who wrestles well but a strong man is one who controls himself when he is in a fit of rage”. (Narrated by Muslim)
Being kind to animals: The Prophet said, “A woman was punished in Hell because of a cat which she confined inside a room until it died. She did not give it food or water, nor did she let it free so that it might eat the vermin of the earth”. (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim) In another narration, “A Muslim who plants a tree or sows a field from which man, birds and animals can eat, is committing an act of charity”. (Narrated by Muslim)
Being nice to guests: The Prophet said, “Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should entertain his guest generously; and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day let him speak good or remain silent”. (Narrated by Bukhari)
Treating one’s wife with love and care: Muawiyah al-Qushayri once asked the Prophet, “What do you say (command) about our wives?” He replied, “Give them food that you consume for yourself, and clothe them with what you clothe yourself, and do not beat them, and do not revile them”. (Narrated by Abu Daud) In another narration the Prophet said, “The best of you is one who is best towards his family and I am best towards my family”. (Narrated by Tirmizi)
To respect women: “None but a noble man treats women in an honourable manner. And none but an ignoble treats women disgracefully”. (Narrated by Tirmizi) “A believing man should not hate a believing woman; if he dislikes one of her characteristics, he will be pleased with another”. (Narrated by Muslim)
Being kind to one’s mother: “A man came to the Prophet and said, ‘O Messenger of God! Who among the people is most worthy of my good companionship?’ The Prophet said: ‘Your mother.’ The man said, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: ‘Then your mother.’ The man further asked, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: ‘Then your mother.’ The man asked again, ‘Then who?’ The Prophet said: ‘Then your father’.” (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)
Muhammad In Non-Muslims’ Eyes
Michael H. Hart was a mathematician, historian and astronomer. In 1978 he listed 100 influential men throughout history and he singled out Prophet Muhammad as the most influential among them! In his book, The 100: A Ranking Of The Most Influential Persons In History, he wrote, “My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world’s most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels. Of humble origins, Muhammad founded and promulgated one of the world’s great religions, and became an immensely effective political leader. Today, thirteen centuries after his death, his influence is still powerful and pervasive.” (M.H. Hart (1978); ‘The 100: A Ranking Of The Most Influential Persons In History,’ New York)
Stanley Lane Pool, an eminent historian especially in oriental history, had these to say about the Prophet in The Speeches and Table Talk of Prophet Muhammad, “There is something so tender and womanly, and withal so heroic, about the man, that one is in peril of finding the judgment unconsciously blinded by the feeling of reverence and well-nigh love that such a nature inspire. He who, standing alone, braved for years the hatred of his people, is the same man who was never the first to withdraw his hand from another’s clasp; the beloved of children, who never passed a group of little ones without a smile from his wonderful eyes and kind words for them, sounding all the kinder in that sweet-toned voice. The frank friendship, the noble generosity, the dauntless courage and hope of the man, all tend to melt criticism into admiration.” (Stanley Lane Poole (1882); ‘The Speeches and Table Talk of Prophet Muhammad,’ London)
Thomas Carlyle, a famous historian, thinker, writer and social activist from Scotland, called Prophet Muhammad a veritable hero that was hard to emulate. In On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History, he wrote, “Mahomet himself, after all that can be said about him, was not a sensual man.. His household was of the most frugal; his common diet barley-bread and water; sometimes for months there was not a fire once lighted on his hearth. They record with just pride that he would mend his own shoes, patch his own cloak.. careless of what vulgar men toll for.. or these wild Arab men, fighting and jostling three-and-twenty years at his hand in close contact with him always, would not have reverenced him so! They were wild men, bursting ever and anon with quarrel with all kind of fierce sincerity; without right worth and manhood, no man could have commanded them.. No emperor with his tiaras was obeyed as this man in cloak of his own clouting. During three-and-twenty years of rough actual trial, I find something of a veritable hero necessary for that myself.” (Thomes Carlyle (2013); ‘On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History,’ Yale University Press, London)
For Reverend Bosworth Smith, Muhammad cared not for the dressings of power. In Muhammad and Muhammadanism (London, 1874), he said, “Head of the State as well as the Church, he was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without the Pope’s pretensions, and Caesar without the legions of Caesar, without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a police force, without a fixed revenue. If ever a man ruled by a right divine, it was Muhammad, for he had all the powers without their supports. He cared not for the dressings of power”.” (Reverend Bosworth Smith (1874), Mohammad and Mohammedanism, London)
For Professor K.S. Ramakrishna Rao, a dean at the School of Philosophy, University of Mysore, Prophet Muhammad was simply the greatest in every aspect of life. In Islam and Modern Age, he said, “There is Mohammad the Prophet, there is Mohammad the General; Mohammad the King; Mohammad the Warrior; Mohammad the Businessman; Mohammad the Preacher; Mohammad the Philosopher; Mohammad the Statesman; Mohammad the Orator; Mohammad the Reformer; Mohammad the Refuge of Orphans; Mohammad the Protector of Slaves; Mohammad the Emancipator of Women; Mohammad the Law-giver; Mohammad the Judge; Mohammad the Saint.. If for instance, greatness consist in the purification of a nation steeped in barbarism and immersed in absolute moral darkness, that dynamic personality who has transformed, refined and uplifted an entire nation, and made them the torch-bearers of civilization and learning, has every claim to greatness. If greatness lies in unifying the discordant elements of society by ties of brotherhood and charity, the prophet of the desert has got every title to this distinction. If greatness consists in reforming (people) warped in blind superstition and pernicious practices of every kind, the prophet of Islam has wiped out superstitions and irrational fear from the hearts of millions. If it lies in displaying high morals, Mohammad has been admitted by friends and foe as Al-Amin, or the faithful. If a conqueror is a great man, here is a person who rose from a helpless orphan to be the ruler of Arabia, equal to Chosroes and Caesars, one who founded a great empire that has survived all these 14 centuries. If the devotion that a leader commands is the criterion of greatness, the prophet’s name, even today, exerts a magic charm over millions of souls, spread all over the world.” (Professor K.S. Ramakrishna Rao (1978); ‘Islam and Modern Age,’ Hyderabad, India)
Written by:
Dato Dr. Danial Zainal Abidin,
Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia.
8/2/2023
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