Allah Subhanoho wa-T'ala Says to Prophet Muhammad (s.a.a.w.) in The Holy Quran:
وَمَاأَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِين
"And We have not sent you except as a mercy to mankind."
(The Prophets 21:107)
Hadrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) said: the Prophet (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) was asked to curse the infidels. He said, "I have not been sent to curse people but as a mercy to all mankind." (Muslim)
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was born in Makkah which is one of the most important cities of the Jazeeratul-'arab (the Arabian Peninsula).
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was born in the tribe of Quraysh in Makkah on a Monday in the year 571 C.E. His father’s name was 'Abdullah and his mother’s name was Aaminah bint-e-Wahab. His grand-father 'Abdul-Muttalib was very pleased and named him Muhammad (pbuh). His complete name is Muhammad bin 'Abdullah bin 'Abdul Muttalib bin Hashim from the tribe of Quraysh.
The Prophet’s father 'Abdullah was one of the best youth in all of Makkah. After his marriage with Aaminah he travelled to a land called Bilaad ush-Shaam. Today this comprises West of Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine. On his way back to Makkah he fell ill and died. His death occurred seven months before the birth of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
When Muhammad (pbuh) turned six years old, his mother Aamina died.
'Abdul Muttalib took Muhammad (pbuh) in his custody and took care of him. He loved Muhammad (pbuh) very much but he died when the Prophet was only eight years old. The Prophet was then looked after by his uncle, Abu Taalib, who loved him dearly.
The Prophet (pbuh) started working at a very young age as a shepherd for the people of Makkah but did not get much in return. At the age of fifteen he started going with his uncle on business trips. He gained a lot of good reputation and thus the people of Makkah started calling him Al-Ameen (the trustworthy).
In Makkah there lived a very honorable woman by the name of Khadeejah bint
Khuwaylid. She heard about the Prophet’s (pbuh) truthfulness and sent him on a business trip. She had a servant-boy by the name of Maysara who accompanied the Prophet on that journey. The Prophet took her caravan to the lands of Ash-shaam and came back with a lot of profit. The servant-boy informed Khadeejah of his excellent manners and qualities. Khadeejah was very impressed by this and wanted to marry the Prophet. The Prophet’s uncle, Abu Taalib, arranged the marriage between them.
At that time Khadeejah was forty years old and the Prophet was twenty five years old. She was a very good wife and a great help to the Prophet (pbuh).
The Prophet (pbuh) had six children with Khadeejah, two boys and four girls. Their names were 'Abdullah, Qaasim, Zainab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum and Fatimah. 'Abdullah and Qaasim died at a young age.
He also had another son named Ibraheem from Maria al Qibtiyah who was from Egypt. Ibraheem too died at a very young age. All his daughters became Muslims.
Once the people of Makkah differed amongst themselves as to who will rebuild the Ka’bah when its building became weak. There is a special stone called the ‘Black Stone’ and all the tribes wanted this great honor to place it in position. They could not come to a solution thus they started arguing and even were getting prepared to fight. Some amongst them suggested that the first person to come to their meeting would be the judge and will decide about whom amongst them would place the Black Stone. The Prophet (pbuh) was the first one to come to the meeting and he was thirty five years old at that time. When they saw the Prophet come they all shouted with joy, "this is Al-Ameen (the trustworthy) and we accept him as our judge." The Prophet was a very wise man. He ordered for a sheet to be placed on the ground and
then he placed the Black Stone in the middle of it. The Prophet asked each tribe to hold one end of the sheet thus all the tribes worked in unity and carried the stone. All the tribes being pleased with this judgment showed once again the wisdom of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
The word ‘Islam’ means ‘submission’ (to the Will of God) and is related to the word ‘salam’ (the daily greeting of the Muslims) meaning peace. Nothing in the teachings of the Prophet or his life represents anything other than peace.
He is described in the Quran as ‘mercy for the worlds’. And he lived up to this title showing compassion to Muslims and non-Muslims, friends and foes, humans and animals alike. The first pact that he concluded with the Jewish minority on coming to Madina was a peace treaty. This was the main object why he allowed war – to unite human beings and to perpetuate peace. Since not all human beings in this world are in favour of maintaining peace and many would disrupt it for their own vested interests, sometimes force has to be used to maintain peace. This is why we have the police who use force against criminals and anti-social elements to maintain peace in the country.
Throughout his life the Prophet (pbuh) practiced such exemplary forgiveness and magnanimity that it has no parallel in human history. In his personal life, he never hit a woman or child, never scolded his servants, never held a personal vendetta.
When he went to preach his message in the town of Taif, a few miles away from Makkah, the people set loose a mob of ruffians on him.
They called him names and threw stones at him till his shoes were full of blood. God sent the Archangel Gabriel to ask him if he wanted this town destroyed. Bleeding and beaten, he still forgave them.
He was forgiving not just in weakness but more so when he gained victory and had the power to punish. For 13 years he suffered inhuman torture at the hands of his people who rebuked him, beat him up, tried to kill him and when he was forced to migrate to Madina, waged many wars against him. When at last he returned to his hometown as a victor leading an army of 10,000, the city lay at his feet. Instead of a massacre in the name of ‘jihad’, plundering or even public
beheadings what did this great man do? He forgave his bitterest enemies saying “This day there is no reproof against you and you are all free.” Is this the image of a turbaned terrorist? Has the world ever seen such mercy? Compare this with what happened in the crusades, the mass killing of Muslims in different places, the rapes of Muslim women in occupied territories, the cruelty and havoc victorious armies wreck on the masses. Compare this to Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Palestine.
As he entered Makkah, Muhammad (pbuh) was all humility. There was no jubilation, no pride, no terror displayed by any Muslim that day. He forgave Hind, who had mutilated his uncle’s corpse after a battle and chewed his liver. He forgave Abu Sufyan who had fought bitter wars against him. The list goes on.
He would have been justified by the laws of war to avenge the great cruelties he and his followers had suffered, yet all he had for his enemies was love and sincerity.
Then how should the Muslims not be enraged at this cruel portrayal of such a man?
Diwan Chand Sharma wrote, "Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never forgotten by those around him." (D.C. Sharma, THE PROPHETS OF THE EAST, Calcutta, 1935)
It was Prophet (pbuh) kindness and noble qualities that won people’s hearts and not the sword. He was unlettered yet spoke with such eloquence and feeling as to melt the hearts of the listeners.
Mahatma Gandhi said about Muhammad’s (saw) character,
“I wanted to know the best of one who holds today's undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind. I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the 2nd volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of the great life.”
Inspite of ruling more than a third of the then inhabited world he was a man of heartbreaking simplicity. After Islam spread far and wide, wealth began to accumulate, yet this king mended his own shoes, swept the floor and helped his wives in household chores. Many weeks would lapse before fire could be kindled in his house, his food being only dates and water. He would spend his nights standing in worship till his feet swelled and slept on a coarse palm mat. When he died all he left behind were a few coins and grain.
Encyclopedia Britannica confirms, “A mass of detail in the early sources show that he was an honest and upright man who had gained the respect and loyalty of others who were like-wise honest and upright men." (Vol. 12)
Even after his death, his companions carried on his mission in the most scrupulous and dedicated manner as if he was still commanding their minds and hearts. Unlike other leaders, no skeletons in the cupboard were discovered, no scandals and deception, nothing to mar the image that Muhammad had left in the hearts of millions to come.
Thomas Carlyle praised him in the following words, “"A silent great soul, one of that who cannot but be earnest. He was to kindle the world, the world’s Maker had ordered so."
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ شَاهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا
O Prophet, We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of good news and a warner. (33:45)
I pray that this humble effort is accepted by Allah, to whom I pray for mercy and guidance (Aameen).
Authors Details:
SAEED AHMAD ANSARI
B.Sc. (Physics), B.Sc.Tech. (Computer Technology)
21/14, First Ghela Bhai Street, First Floor, Madanpura, M.A.Road,
Mumbai 400 008.
Maharashtra, India.
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Email: saeedbiniqbal@gmail.com
