Life and Teachings
of The Holy Prophet Muhammad
By:
Kenneth Moakan
Arabia is a land of
unparalleled charm and beauty, with its trackless deserts of sand dunes
and mirages in the dazzling rays of a tropical sun. Its starry sky has
excited the imagination of poets, travelers and mystics. It was in this
land, that the Holy Prophet Muhammad, on whom be peace, was born in the
city of Mecca, which is about fifty miles from the Red Sea. (Culled from
Life of Muhammad by Sufi Mutiur Rahman Bengalee M.A. p.70)
It was in the latter
half of the sixth century, when the world was plunged in utter darkness
that the Holy Prophet Muhammad was born. The then known world stood on
the verge of destruction, with chaos as the order of the day and
pre-Islamic Arabia was no exception to this, rather it was in the lowest
depths of abysmal darkness; infanticide was rampant, debauchery was
looked upon as chivalrous, drunkenness was a common sight and all forms
of evil was glorified.
J.H. Denison in his
Emotions as the basis of Civilization wrote:
In the fifth and sixth
centuries, the civilized world stood on the verge of chaos.... it seemed
that the great civilization which had taken four thousand years to
construct was on the verge of disintegration ... Civilization like a
gigantic tree whose foliage had over-reached the world ... stood
tottering … rotted to the core ..... It was among the Arabs that the man
was born who was to unite the whole known world of the East and the
South.
(pp. 265-269)
The religious
attachment of 6th century Arabia was idolatry, though there were a
sprinkling of Atheists and worshippers of heavenly planets, who offered
sacrifices to the sun, moon and other heavenly bodies. Christians and
Jews were also to be found. The center of Christian activity was
al-Najran, while the Jews were concentrated in Khaibar and Medina. In
spite of these varied religious concepts, there was also a group who
sought to follow the religion of their forefather Abraham.
The administration of
their affairs, like their religious beliefs was also in a state of
disarray. Sir William Muir had this to say:
The prospects of
Arabia before the rise of Mohamet was as unfavorable to religious reform
as they were to political union or national regeneration. (Life of
Mohamet Intro. ch.2)
In spite of their
religious and administrative divisions, the Arabs possessed a remarkable
memory and were an eloquent people. Their eloquence and memory found
expression in their poetry. Every year a fair was held for poetical
competitions at Ukaz.
In his book The
Literary History of the Arabs, R.A.Nicholson writing about the poetical
ability of the Arabs, states:
It is related that
Hammad said to Caliph Walid bin Yazid: 'I can recite to you, for each
letter of the alphabet, one hundred long poems, without taking into
account short pieces, and all of that composed exclusively by poets
before the promulgation of Islam. (p. 1 32)
It is no small wonder,
therefore, that Allah chose an Arab and the Arabic language for His
final dispensation and the preservation of His Word.
The condition of the
world in general and Arabia in particular is graphically put in the Holy
Qur'an, when Allah says:
Corruption has
appeared on land and sea because of what men's hands have wrought.
(30:42)
This is the condition
which is painted by all the historians, in so many words, about the
sixth century.
Before the birth of
the Holy Prophet Muhammad, an Abyssinian army was on the verge of
conquering Mecca, but were totally annihilated by small-pox, reference
of which is in the Holy Qur'an chapter 105. This occurred fifty three
days before the birth of our Holy Prophet, on whom be peace.
His father's name was
Abdullah who died before his birth. His mother's name was Amina. A few
days after his birth, as was the custom among the nobility of the Arabs,
he was given to the care of a Bedouin wet nurse, whose name was Halima.
For two years, he grew up under her care, after which , she took him
back to his mother, but due to an epidemic in Mecca, he went back with
Halima for another three years.
When he returned to
his mother, she took him for a visit to Medina, but on the return
journey, she died. At the age of six, he was entrusted to the care of
his grandfather Abdul Muttalib who expired two years later. At this
stage he was placed under the care of his uncle Abu Talib. In his early
youth, he used to tend his uncle's flocks.
During his youth, he
joined a society whose aims were, to help the poor and the needy,
safeguard the rights of the oppressed and support and uphold the cause
of justice. He was also launched into commercial enterprises and
undertook journeys with caravans to Yemen and Syria. His honesty and
integrity earned him the title of Al-Amin - The Trustworthy. At the age
of twenty-five, he was married to Khadija - a
wealthy widow, whose caravans he commanded.
She offered her hand
to him in marriage, after she received very good reports about his
conduct and honesty in the discharge of his duties as the leader of her
caravans.
The Divine Call came
to him in his fortieth year and depicting the state of mind of the Holy
Prophet, on whom be peace, Thomas Carlyle in his book Heroes and Hero
worship writes:
The great mystery of
existence… glared in upon him, with its terrors, with its splendors; no
hearsay could hide that unspeakable fact `Here am I'. Such sincerity, as
we named it has in very truth something divine. The word of such a man
is a voice from nature's own heart. Men do and must listen to that and
to nothing else - All else is wind in comparison. From of old a thousand
thoughts, in his pilgrimings and wanderings, had been in this man: What
am l? What is this unfathomable thing I live in, which men call
Universe? The grim rocks of Mount Hira, of Mount Sinai, the stern
solitudes answered not. The great heavens rolling silently overhead,
with its blue glaring stars, answered not. There was no answer. The
man's soul and what of God's inspiration dwelled there had to answer.
(pp. 63-64)
The first persons to
have accepted his call , were his wife Khadija, his cousin Ali, a freed
slave Zaid and his friend Abu Bakr. For three years after receiving the
Divine Call, the preaching was conducted rather quietly with the number
of his followers increasing rapidly. After this rather quiet start, the
Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, was commanded to proclaim his message
which he received from Allah, publicly. Accordingly, he addressed his
message about the Unity of God and of his being the Messenger of God
from every available quarter.
Since this belief was
threatening their very existence, the pagan Arabs started to mount
pressure on the Holy Prophet, and his followers to renounce their cause
and take to idol-worshipping. On one occasion, they sent a delegation to
the Holy Prophet's uncle that he should restrain the Holy Prophet, from
preaching his message. They threatened Abu Talib with their combined
opposition. Finding himself in this state, he sent for the Holy Prophet,
and explained to him the situation. The Holy Prophet, answered with
these memorable words:
My dear uncle, if they
should put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, even then I
shall not abandon the proclamation of the Unity of God. I shall set up
the true faith upon the earth or perish in the attempt.
Impressed with his
nephew's firm determination and high resolve, Abu Talib replied:
Son of my brother, go
thy way, none dare touch thee. I shall never forsake thee.
Not being satisfied,
they sent one of their chiefs to entice the Holy Prophet, and in the
following words addressed the Holy Prophet:
O Muhammad, if you
want to sit on the throne of Arabia we shall elect you our monarch; if
you want money we shall give you no end to it and if you desire the hand
of a beautiful woman, we are ready to present you the most beautiful
lady in the land.
The Holy Prophet was
far above any worldly temptations and in reply he recited some verses of
the Holy Quran proclaiming the Unity of Allah and his claim of being a
true Messenger of Allah.
The Meccans were
alarmed at the prospects of trying to halt the progress of Islam, so
they went to physical torment and boycott. Many influential
personalities were being converted and a great mass of following were
joining the religion of Islam. This in itself was a mortal threat to the
existence of the Meccan chiefs, since their source of livelihood
depended from the trade which came from the traffic of idol-worshippers.
Seeing that these
could not be of any help, they decided to exert more pressure to the
degree that when the sufferings of the Muslims became unbearable, the
Holy Prophet decided to send some of his followers to Abyssinia to take
refuge. The Meccans in their quest to put an end to the new religion
sent a deputation to the king, seeking the return of the refugees. The
king summoned the refugees and questioned them about their beliefs.
Being satisfied, that they were no threat to the state, he refused to
hand them over and was convinced that the revelations of the Holy
Prophet and that of Jesus sprang from the same fountain.
The failure of the
Abyssinian delegation, humiliated the Meccans. They pledged to
completely boycott the family who defended the Holy Prophet, on whom be
peace. Every kind of relationship was cut off; even food and water were
denied them. The family who defended the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace,
were in a desperate situation and they along with the Holy Prophet, on
whom be peace, and his followers had to take refuge in the Vale of Abu
Talib from where they could not escape for fear of their lives. They
suffered starvation, personal indignities and humiliation of every kind.
This siege continued for three years; in the meantime, the Declaration
of Boycott which was hung on the walls of the Ka`ba had been destroyed
and the hearts of some of the enemies were appeased. These new-found
friends were bold enough to rescue the innocent sufferers from their
plight.
With the boycott
ended, the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, and a companion went to Taif
to invite the people there to Islam, but he faced the same fate of
rejection. The chiefs of Taif sent some youths after them. They were
stoned mercilessly, to the point of fainting and the body of the Holy
Prophet, on whom be peace, was cut and he was bleeding profusely. The
Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, and his companion Zaid, took shelter in
a garden belonging to two Meccans, who, after seeing their plight, sent
some grapes with a slave who was an inhabitant of Nineveh. The message
of Islam was conveyed to the slave who readily accepted it.
Of this journey to
Taif, Sir William Muir remarked:
There is something lofty and heroic on this journey of Mohamet to Taif;
a solitary man, despised and rejected by his own people, going boldly
forth in the name of God, and summoning an idolatrous city to repent and
support his mission. It sheds a strong light on the intensity of his
belief in the divine origin of his calling. (Life of Mohamet p.109)
Returning to Mecca,
the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, and his followers, faced mounting
persecution, the intensity of which exceeded the limits bearable by any
human. At this juncture, having had assurance from some of the chiefs
and people of Medina, of his and his followers' safety, he immigrated to
that city with his followers. The importance of this memorable event of
migration marks the reckoning of the Islamic calendar.
The Meccans did not
leave the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, and his followers to live
peacefully in Medina. They sent numerous expeditions against them and
waged wars against the Muslims. Every advance of the Meccans against the
Muslims was crushed and they suffered humiliating defeats in their wars
with the Muslims. Having been totally humiliated in their desire to
crush Islam, they fell before the banner of Islam and Mecca was
conquered peacefully when the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, at the
head of ten thousand of his followers entered the gates of Mecca and
demolished the idols which infested the Holy Ka`ba, thus fulfilling a
prophecy mentioned in the Bible as follows:
He shined forth from
Mount Paran, and he came with ten thousand saints; from his right hand
went a fiery law for them. (Deut. 33:2)
The Holy Prophet, on
whom be peace, did not let the achievement of victory un-nerve his
equilibrium in acting in a manner which would have justifiably been done
in these so-called modern and advanced times. Today, many a nation and
party which when placed under the said circumstances as was the Holy
Prophet, on whom be peace, and his followers, would unleash a calculated
and total annihilation of its enemies when it gains power and victory.
Unlike these modern barbaric tendencies, when victory was the Holy
Prophet's, he never sought to seek out all those who had committed the
most heinous of crimes against him and his followers. With one stroke,
he forgave them all, except those few who had committed the most
barbaric and unspeakable crimes against humanity.
History bears
testimony to the fact, that at every step, the Holy Prophet, on whom be
peace, sought to achieve peace. He even accepted a treaty which appeared
to be at a disadvantage to him and his followers, simply with the
intention that peace may prevail and that all forms of strife may be
eliminated.
His memorable words at
the Fall of Mecca are worth to be inscribed in letters of gold, studded
with the most precious of gems. He said:
By God, you will have
no punishment today and no reproof. (Hisham)
The teachings which
were vouchsafed to him, in the form of the Holy Qur'an, lay down the
principles and mechanics for the attainment of peace and the elimination
of war. It says that if two parties are fighting, then peace should be
made between them and the dispute settled amicably. If one or both of
the parties, fail to yield to the award and all efforts of persuasion
have failed, then force should be administered as a last resort, to
bring the recalcitrant party or parties to submit to a peaceful
settlement.
This system has laid
the foundation of a powerful League of Nations, unlike the present U.N.O.
whose resolutions are looked upon scornfully by defaulting nations. The
U.N.O. is so structured and composed, that it is quite impotent to bring
peace to the world. The two superpowers, for obvious reasons, side with
one or the other of the disputing parties. If they can achieve their
goal of pedaling their influence, then without any justification, they
would side with any of the parties, world opinion means nothing in the
present context, only might is right. The teachings of the Holy Prophet,
on whom be peace, are, therefore, the only solution for the attainment
of world peace and no Muslim or Muslim state which does not strive for
the achievement of peace can rightfully claim a place in the
body-politic of the Islamic nation and therefore cannot with any
justification be among his true followers.
In the year 632 A.D.
after fulfilling his mission which was entrusted to him by Allah, the
Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, passed away.
This in a nutshell is
a brief sketch of the' LIFE OF THE HOLY PROPHET MUHAMMAD.
We will now turn our
attention on the TEACHINGS OF THE HOLY PROPHET
MUHAMMAD, and as time may permit, only a few salient features may be
attempted.
In dealing with his
teachings it may well be summarized in the historic answer which his
wife Ayesha gave in response to a question about the morals and
character of the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace. She said:
His morals and
character are an embodiment of the Holy Qur'an.
Thus in dealing with
the teachings of the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, we necessarily
speak on the Teachings of the Holy Qur'an, since to him was revealed the
Holy Qur'an by God Almighty thus his teachings are contained in the very
Word of God and not of his manufacture.
If one were to discuss
the teachings contained in the Holy Qur'an then it would require hours
on end and still one would not be able to exhaust all the beautiful
teachings which it holds out for humanity. It is therefore advised, that
in order to be able to understand the teachings of the Holy Prophet, on
whom be peace. Then one should study the Holy Qur'an in order to be able
to gain an insight into his teachings. We pray that the audience may
explore the Holy Qur'an and thus derive the benefit of the knowledge of
the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad and enshrine them in their
lives.
The Holy Prophet, on
whom be peace, received his first divine revelation in the year 610 C.E.
and it continued up till a few days before his death. Thus the Holy
Quran was revealed piece-meal to the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace,
during those years, sometimes after the interval of months and sometimes
in great rapidity; sometimes in short sentences and sometimes in long
chapters; sometimes with a new law and sometimes confirming an existing
law; sometimes repealing an impractical custom and sometimes giving a
new direction. This is in conformity with a prophecy in the Bible which
runs as follows:
Whom shall he teach
knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are
weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts, for precept must be
upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line; here a little and
there a little: for with stammering lips and another tongue will he
speak to his people. (Isaiah 28:9-11)
It may be noted that
in this prophecy it is mentioned that the people will be spoken to in
another tongue and how true was this fulfilled with the revelation of
the Holy Qur'an in the Arabic language, to an Arab in the land of Paran
where the greatest manifestation of the Lord was scheduled to occur.
(Deut. 33:2 & Habakkuk 3:3). It may here be pointed out that Ishmael,
the son of Abraham, who is the forefather of our Holy Prophet, on whom
be peace, dwelt in Paran vide Gen. 21:21 and the descendants of Ishmael
lived in the Arabian Peninsula and the neighboring territories as is
evident from Gen. 25:12-18 and Isaiah 21 :1 3-1 7.
The Holy Prophet, on
whom be peace, was a Law-giver and he was the object of the prophecy of
Moses as mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:18. The greatest teaching which he
gave forth to the world is that there is but one God Who has no partner,
Who was no begotten and Who neither begets. A short chapter in the Holy
Qur'an is devoted to this theme. It runs as follows:
In the name of Allah,
the Gracious, the Merciful
Say, 'He is Allah, the One: Allah, the Independent and besought of all.
He begets not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him '
(112:1-4)
It has been
erroneously stated by others that the followers of the Holy Prophet, on
whom be peace, are known as Mohammedans and their religion is
Mohammedanism. This is a totally wrong statement. We, the followers of
the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, are Muslims and the name of our
religion is Islam. These names were given by God Almighty vide the Holy
Qur'an 22:79 and 5:4 in conformity with Isaiah 62:2 which says in part:
And thou shalt be
called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.
The declaration of
faith of a Muslim is such, that it cannot lend itself to associate the
Holy Prophet on whom be Peace in partnership with God. The declaration
runs as follows:
"There is
no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger".
The teaching of the
Holy Prophet Muhammad, as contained in the Holy Qur'an, is a
treasure-house of unlimited knowledge and wisdom in every field of
endeavor. By following the teachings contained in it and by applying
them for the benefit and welfare of humanity tremendous progress is the
virtual outcome.
By virtue of the
teachings contained in the Holy Qur'an, the Muslims scaled the heights
of scientific achievement and progress. A famous prayer taught in the
Holy Qur'an is:
O my Lord increase me
in knowledge. (20: 115)
The seeking of
knowledge was enhanced by the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, who
enjoined his followers to seek it even if they have to travel to China
in quest of it.
The Holy Qur'an has
placed great emphasis on the acquisition of the mastery of nature,
through scientific knowledge as much as on the creation of knowledge. It
says:
Allah it is Who has
subjected the sea to you that ships may sail thereon by His command, and
that you seek of His bounty, and that you may be grateful. And he has
subjected to you whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the
earth; all this is from Him, in that surely there are signs for a people
who reflect. (45:1 3-14)
In respect to
technology, the example of David is set forth as
And We made iron soft
for him, Saying. 'Make thou full-length coats of mail, and make the
rings of a proper measure. (34:11-12)
Precision is here
emphasized and it is a fact that the Muslims have developed many
sciences with the utmost of precision.
Also emphasized in the
Holy Qur'an are the harnessing of wind power (34:13), modern means of
transportation to the degree of going beyond the confines of the heavens
and the earth (55:34), astronomical discoveries of great magnitude
(81:12), harnessing of water-power (55:20-21), etc.
When scientists shall
discover that there are worlds other than our own, then the truth of the
Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, shall become more manifest. It was
revealed to him by God Almighty that Allah is:
"Lord of all the worlds"(1:2).
The manifestation of
this truth is slowly being unraveled by science and the day seems not
far off when the world will be startled with the discovery and then
mankind will fully realize the truth of the revelation which was granted
to the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace.
There are so many
aspects in which one can dilate about the teachings of the Holy Prophet,
on whom be peace, but time being a determining factor, we shall look
briefly into a few.
Great emphasis has
been placed by him on the performance of prayers. In this regard, he was
commanded by God to institute the five daily prayers which every good
Muslim performs. Next to prayers comes a tax known as Zakaat which is
levied for the uplift of the poorer members of the society and for
community affairs. After this is Fasting for a whole lunar month and
then comes Pilgrimage to Mecca which may be performed at least once in a
lifetime by the able-bodied. These four along with the Declaration of
Faith forms the five pillars of the religion of Islam.
These apart, there are
general teachings which regulate the conduct of a Muslim's behavior in
every walk of life. A complete social order is presented. Ways and means
are entrenched for spiritual advancement. Dietary laws are instituted.
In short, every conceivable aspect of human needs has been taken care
of. Such is the comprehensiveness of the teachings which was meant for
all times to come. None of the teachings which were given by the Holy
Prophet, on whom be peace, can ever be considered to be unsuitable for
any age or time.
One of the greatest
ills humanity is facing is the scourge of consumption of intoxicants.
Intoxicating liquors are responsible for many of the tragedies which we
witness daily on our streets and highways. Many innocent lives were
snuffed out due to reckless driving under the influence of alcohol.
Millions of dollars are lost due to those accidents caused by impaired
driving. Many homes have been shattered due to excessive use of alcohol
and families are torn apart for the same reason. Only as recently as
Dec. 31, 1987 there was an interesting article in The Toronto Star about
the ill-effects of the aftermath of alcohol consumption based on a
News-letter of the University of Toronto , Faculty of Medicine.
The study shows that
the hang over is a mini-version of alcohol withdrawal syndrome which
results in raised blood pressure, headaches, tremors, sweating, fatigue,
nausea, parched mouth, blood-shot eyes, jumpiness and difficulty in
thinking clearly. It continues:
That throbbing
headache occurs because blood vessels in the head are expanded - alcohol
widens blood vessels - and each heart beat sends more blood pulsing
through the brain and its covering membranes. Your eyes object to light
and your ears flinch from noise because nerves are overactive, as they
rebound from the dampening effect of alcohol. Your eyes can't fix on a
target and twitch because alcohol has affected the muscles and nerves
that control eye movements. The raging thirst is due to a disturbance of
body fluid balance. To get rid of alcohol your body shifts some water
out of the blood into the tissues and the kidneys. You didn't sleep
restfully because alcohol alters the amount of the sleep stage called
REM (rapid eye movement) during which you dream and wake up tired and
irritable.
The article goes on to
state that brain function may be diminished for up to a day after a
drinking session and that researchers have found high contents of
methanol, histamine and sulfites in alcoholic drinks. In the end of
article gives a very sound advice. It says:
And try to remember
next time that an ounce of prevention is better than a pounding
headache. (The Toronto Star Thursday December 31, 1987, page 1)
There are many more
studies being done about the evils of alcohol, yet in spite of all of
these, the consumption of alcohol goes on unabated and is encouraged.
Ask yourself this question and search your conscience for the answer -
If the consumption of alcohol is right. then why is it that if one has
alcohol reading at a certain level and is caught driving a motor vehicle
a charge is laid against such a one by the police? And why is it that
when one is under the influence of alcohol one behaves in a manner which
would not ordinarily be done by that person?
The teaching of the
Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, has with one stroke totally prohibited
intoxicants. (Holy Qur'an, 2:220; 5:9l - 92).
As with the Law of
Moses (Leviticus 11:7 & 8, Deuteronomy 14:8) so too the Law which was
granted to the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, has prohibited the
consumption of the flesh of swine (Holy Qur'an 2:174; 5:4; 6:146;
16:116)
The effects produced
by food have a profound impact on the minds of human beings as
experience has shown, food, therefore plays an important role in the
formation of our character, our physical state is closely connected to
our moral and spiritual well-being, this being the case, it is equally
important that we consume such food which will have a desirable
influence in moulding our moral and spiritual conditions and which will
have no ill-effects on our physical bodies.
It is rather curious
that both the Bible and the Holy Qur'an prohibit the eating of the flesh
of swine and this must be of very great significance. It is alarming to
note that the flesh of swine has been responsible for the transmission
of many diseases to human beings. In spite of the advances made in the
fields of dehydration and preservation, there is evidence that suggests
that a number of diseases are directly transmitted through the flesh of
swine.
Apart from the flesh
of swine, Muslims are prohibited to consume blood, any animal which dies
of itself, is strangled, beaten fell or gored to death. Also in the list
of prohibition is that on which the name of any other than Allah has
been invoked and that which has been slaughtered on an altar (Holy
Qur'an 2: 174; 5:4; 16: 116,146). On the other hand a Muslim is
permitted to partake only of those legal meats on which the name of
Allah has been invoked. (6:122). A Muslim is also allowed to eat those
meats, lawful of course, which have been caught by animals and birds
that have been specially trained for that purpose, but before eating
those meats the name of Allah must be pronounced over it. (5:5)
Another teaching of
the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, we would like to deal with, though
in a very brief manner, is the role and status of women in Islam. The
Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, and Islam have been the target of many
an unfounded criticism in this respect. It was the Holy Prophet, on whom
be peace, who has raised the status of woman after she was abased in all
the previous cultures. Today, all the rights which women in societies
other than Islam enjoy are a direct result of their struggle which were
grudgingly allowed them. On the contrary, all those rights were granted
her more than fourteen hundred years ago by Islam.
Islam places both men
and women in spiritual equality (Holy Qur'an 3:196; 33:36; 57:13) and
has granted her the right of inheritance (4:8, 12, 13 & 177). In
marriage, the woman receives a dowry from the husband as her personal
property (4:5 & 25) and she cannot be forced into or kept in marriage
against her will. (4:20). A woman has the right to seek the annulment of
her marriage (2:228). A woman has been invested the right of ownership
of property by virtue of her own initiative (4: 33), thus she can
conduct any business for her welfare.
A very beautiful
aspect of a Muslim woman is that she, in spite of her wealth which she
may acquire, is not expected to spend for the welfare and well-being of
her family. This responsibility is vested in her husband (4:35),
although she may condescend to help in sharing the responsibility (4:5;
& 25).
Lastly in this brief
exposition we will say that according to Islam, the relationship between
a husband and wife is a bounty from Allah, through love, tenderness and
comfort (7:190; 16:73; 30:32).
We will end this
discussion with one last aspect of the teachings of the Holy Prophet, on
whom be peace. This aspect is the unique tolerance which is embedded in
his message. We read in the Holy Qur'an:
There should be no
compulsion in religion. Normal behavior stands out clearly from error
(2:256)
Ironically enough, the
Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, the Muslims and the teachings of Islam
have been systematically accused, that the spread of the faith has been
achieved through force with the sword. This accusation is totally false
and without any foundation. The history of Islam belies such a charge.
The verse quoted before from the Holy Qur'an does not give any right to
anyone to force any belief on any other individual or group which may be
resentful or distasteful to the other party. This law is of general
application and concerns all religions. Every Muslim reveres every word
of the Holy Qur'an and it is highly impossible that they would use force
to promulgate their religion. However, I will not take up the gauntlet
to argue the issue any further, since whatever I may say, could be
deemed to be partial. I will assign this duty to a very well respected
author who is not a Muslim but who is renowned as a most penetrating
historian. This author has written two historical books of the Jewish
people and himself is a Jew. The books he has written are : The
indestructible Jews and Jews, God and History. His name is Max Dimont.
In opening the fifth
chapter and entitling it Mohammed, Allah, and Jehovah of his epoch
making book Jews, God and History, he states as an introduction the
following:
The improbable but
true tale of a camel driver's establishment of a world empire in the
name of Allah, wherein the Jews rose to their golden age of creativity,
only to be plunged into a dark age with the eclipse of the crescent and
the ascent of the cross.
He went on to assert
in the same chapter:
The Span of the Jewish
golden age in the Mohammedan civilization corresponded to the life span
of the Islamic Empire. When the latter broke up, the Jewish golden age
broke up.. We can only note in passing with brevity that does great
injustice to its quixotic complexity.
He ended that section
with the following statement:
By 1500 the world's
most incredible empire - tolerant and enlightened, luxuriant and
sybaritic, full of mathematicians and poets, warriors and sycophants -
had come to an end
Before ending the
chapter, he observed:
Thus the Jewish saga
in the Islamic Empire ends. It was conceived by fate, supported in
splendor, nourished by intellect, and buried by fate. By the fifteenth
century, Jewish life in the East emptied into Western Europe at a
juncture of Jewish history when the roads for the Jews led to the
ghetto. But before we leave the Mohammedan stage of Jewish history... it
is only fitting that tribute be paid the magnificent Arabic people who
wrought a dazzling and enlightened civilization out of the desert.
Though the Mohammedan
Empire is dead, the human element which shaped its grandeur is still
living. The Arabic culture was not built on the plunder of other
countries and the brains of other men. It sprang from deep wells of
creativity within the people themselves. For seven hundred years Arab
and Jew lived side by side in peace and with mutual respect.
He ended the chapter
by rightly summarizing the cause of strife and tension. He writes:
Astute statesmanship
can relax the present Israeli-Arab tensions, because they are not caused
by deep-rooted racial and religious antagonisms but by temporary
political expediencies. History has shown that Jew and Arab can live
together without strife and with mutual profit.
This is the tolerance
which Islam expounds and which was practiced in the expansion of the
faith. No force was used and every citizen of the Islamic State enjoyed
the same freedom of religion, irrespective of their religious
attachment. This, therefore, in brief, is the answer to all the false
accusations which were and are still being leveled by those whose sole
intentions are to create mischief and willful distortion of the truth.
Much more could have been said about the unique tolerance of Islam, but
consideration of time stand in the way.
I will now end this
discussion with this last note about the life of the Holy Prophet, on
whom be peace. Of all religious teachers and personalities, the life of
the Holy Prophet, on whom be peace, is strikingly different, in that it
is on record every minute details from before his birth right up to his
death about his life. His life furnishes historians with an open book to
delve upon and there are no gaps or room for speculation and mysterious
evaluations.
Whatever has been said
in no way constitutes a complete and full appreciation of the very many
sided LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF THE HOLY PROPHET MUHAMMAD. One can go on and
on citing many beautiful episodes in the life of the Holy Prophet, on
whom be peace, and so could it be done in respect to his teachings, but
again, time is a determining factor. Suffice it, therefore for this
presentation. |