The birth of the last Prophet to lead humanity

Now we are in the third month of the Islamic calendar, Rabi al-Awwal, the First Spring. This month has seen many important events in Islamic history, of which the birth of the Prophet Mohammed sits at the very top. Every year its arrival reminds the Muslim community of a great favour that Allah, the Lord of the heavens and the earth, bestowed in this month upon the whole of humanity.

Allah says in the Quran: ‘Surely Allah conferred a great favour on the believers when He raised from among them a Messenger to recite to them His Signs, and to purify them, and to teach them the Book and Wisdom. For before that they were in manifest error.’ S3 V164

To understand this ‘great favour’ that Allah bestowed upon the believers, one has to understand the whole framework of Islamic teachings and guidance and their purpose and overall impact on the destinies of people.

In this time, in a world where animosity flourishes and we are continually bombarded with misinformation, which spews forth without any investigation as to its accuracy, a belittling of the greatness of this Prophet in the eyes of non-believers has become inevitable.  History, however, is witness to the fact that every time someone has taken on the task of studying this Prophet, with no prejudice or preconceived biased views, they have acknowledged his greatness and radically altered their views and even entered the fold of his followers.

When Michael Hart started ranking the 100 most influential people in the history of mankind, he felt he had no choice but to rank Prophet Mohammad at number 1. He indicated that ‘from a secular historian’s perspective, this was the correct choice’.

Karen Armstrong has written the famous biography of the Prophet with the title: ‘Muhammad: A Prophet for our time’. The title says it all about his place in modern times.

There are many other incidences where scholars studied the Prophet’s life from an unbiased perspective: they all ended up acknowledging his relevance and radically changed their positions and views about this great Prophet.

When the Prophet Muhammad was chosen by Allah to receive His revelation, the unblemished quality of his character was recognised in this Quranic verse: ‘and you are certainly on the most exalted standard of moral excellence’. S68 V4

That character was intended to lead humanity, in the light of Allah’s guiding revelations, to the best accomplishments in both this world and the next. The Quran expressed this by saying: ‘Surely there was a good example for you in the Messenger of Allah, for all those who look forward to Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah much’. S33 V21

The Prophet Muhammad’s life sets an exemplary example for all those who seek to understand his prophetic mission and duties. Critics fail to understand him and his teachings when they set themselves up as roll-models and standard-bearers and argue against his life and teachings only from their own narrow perspectives. He was a prophet for all humanity, bringing solutions to human problems from his wider ranging perspectives.

The Prophet was regarded as a role-model and he emphasised the importance of good morals in the spiritual lives of people and the position of those who finally attained good moral characters. Islam creates a good understanding of oneself in people and never demands a blind belief. Indeed, in its first revelation, the Quran said: ‘O Muhammad! Read in the Name of your Lord Who created, created man from a clot of congealed blood, Read and your Lord is Most Generous, Who taught by pen, taught man what he did not know’. S96 V1-5

The Prophet was the first example of all these and led believers by his example.

There are many in this world who continue to try to mock this prophet by attempting to ridicule his teachings. Now would probably be a good time for them to adopt a fairer stance towards his teachings and it is most certainly high-time that they start to study and begin to educate themselves, as many of them will undoubtably not live to see old age. They may even, possibly, refer to Muslim scholars and ask them why they revere him so much.  Failing to understand something is never a reason for destroying it. Understanding, freedom from prejudiced views and false propaganda, can only be arrived at if we take advantage of his good wisdom.

The Quran speaks of his teachings and guidance as follows: ‘By the stars when it sets. Your companion has neither strayed nor is he deluded, nor does he speak out of his desire. This is nothing but a revelation that is conveyed to him, something that a very powerful one has imparted to him, one endowed with immense wisdom’. S53 V1-6

The Prophet Muhammad is also described in the Quran as a Messenger who brings people out of darkness into light, with the permission of his Lord. Prophet Muhammad was the greatest leader, even acknowledged by Michael Hart and placed by him at the very top of mankind’s historical leadership list. Such a person deserves our attention, if not as a prophet and Messenger of God, then at least to be studied as being the greatest of the most successful leaders. Humanity needs all the wisdom of the wisest people if it is to find a path to human survival and continue to exist in this most troubled world.

We all hope that the fairest minds among people will always take the fairest stands against that which tries to destroy us. This month in the Islamic calendar reminds us of the birth of one who leads humanity to God and who created the most spiritual mindset ever in the history of mankind, in shaping the private and public lives of people. Let us take this opportunity to derive something from the blessings bestowed upon us by the Prophet Mohammed’s birth and his mission, follow his teachings without criticism and look forward to a brighter future.