A Prophet for all humanity

In all the pages of human history the Prophet Muhammad, peace and the mercy of Allah be upon him, is one of the very few figures whose personality, teachings and the book he brought to the people from God the Almighty, have survived intact. Most other such prophetic personalities, philosophers or sages lived only in the shadows of human history and their teachings and history of their work have failed to survive with such clarity. The closest to Prophet Muhammad’s time was the Prophet Jesus, Isa, may Allah shower him with peace and mercy and even his life is disputed by many historians. We Muslims, in addition to the Christians, do believe he existed, but only as a previous Prophet sent by Allah.  

Unfortunately, hysterical attacks on the character and person of this most dignified and moral prophet, Muhammad, continue to be perpetrated by extremely prejudiced, blindly biased and supposedly arbitrarily opinionated people who express their criticisms for no sane reason. The internet is awash with vile comments that can only emanate from people of lewd character.

At the height of the hostility and even animosity from the opponents of the Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, during his time in Makkah, no such similar comments were ever issued by anyone.  Their accusations and grievances were largely regarding two different subjects, and not directed at his personal character. The first described the message of the Quran as a work of Magic and the second, that it was destroying their old belief system and the legacy of their culture.

Indeed, the Prophet was well known among them by the title of ‘As-Sadiq Al-Ameen’ the most truthful and the most trustworthy. He even retained the people’s trusts at the time of migration to Madinah.

When the prophet married with young Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her, none of his opponents took issue with it, nor used it to trash his character. The prophet married at different times and in different situations, with more than one wife, and no one from among his opponents objected or used these occasions to attack him.

Islam took exceptional steps to acknowledge the Jews and Christians as people of the Book and adopted a kinder and a softer approach towards them. The Prophet Mohammad helped to write a ‘Memorandum of peaceful co-existence’, that came to be known as the ‘Convention of Madinah’, whereby all parties became one community defending each other.

He never sought the destruction of Jews or any other community, but when some of the Jewish community betrayed the convention, inevitably, they were dealt with as had been agreed upon in the ‘Convention’.

The Prophet is described in the Quran in these following words: ‘There has come to you a Messenger of Allah from among yourselves, who is distressed by the suffering you sustain, who is ardently desirous of your welfare and is tender and merciful to those that believe’. S9 V128

Further, the Quran describes his mission saying: ‘We have sent you forth as nothing but mercy to the whole world’. S21 V107

The actions of such a Prophet cannot be other than merciful, tender and ‘ardently desirous of everyone’s welfare’. Many of the critics who repeatedly twist and misquote, out of context, the Quran and the sayings of the Prophet, or attack his character, are not only being completely unfair but display a viciousness present in their own characters that appears to teeter on the edge of insanity at times.

The Quran has not changed one iota since it was first revealed to our Prophet and was committed into the memories of people. Its message is universal and for the welfare of all humanity; believers or non-believers. The Prophet Muhammad was sent for the benefit of all people of all times and he is a prophet for all, whether they believe in the message or not. The Quran says: ‘and proclaim: the truth is from your Lord. Now let him who will, believe, or let him who will, disbelieve’. S18 V29

Everyone has the right to believe in his message or reject it in a dignified way, but civilised persons will do so without attempting to assassinate his character or malign his person.

The Prophet Muhammad is the bearer of a truthful message which needs to be analysed with all honesty from a neutral perspective. People indeed have the right to be different and believe what they think is right. Prophet Muhammad is a person of high morals and led people by the examples of his good character. With his leadership qualities and his concern for people’s welfare and deliverance he deserves all our respect and at the very least, to be studied in all objectivity.

There is no unfinished business with the mission of the Prophet Muhammad. He is one of the most clearly defined and featured persons in history. Perhaps he is the only prophet and  man of his calibre in history, whose biography was written so shortly after his death. Vivid descriptions of his physical and moral character were registered in his lifetime. His high morals and humane qualities were acknowledged even by his opponents.

Guidance is a divine gift from God and He guides to Him whom He wants to. Such guidance encompasses the acknowledgment of the existence of the Creator and His role in people’s life and being among those whom God has chosen to bless with His mercy. 

The Quran says: ‘Say to them, ( O Prophet! ‘I give you but one counsel: stand up singly and in pairs, and then think: what is it in your companion that could be deemed as madness? He is nothing but a warner, warning you before the coming of a grievous chastisement’. S34 V46