Prophet of Islam: Muhammad, a man of peace

The Bin Ladens and Zawahiris have done their part in propagating a great disservice to people all around the world who seek to follow a religion which literally means peace.

MUHAMMAD'S CHARTER OF PRIVILEGES TO CHRISTIANS

Ahmadiyya Times | News Staff | Article
Source & Credit: Ahmadiyya Times Contributor
By Abdul Naseer M.K | St Paul, MN. | July 12, 2010

Today, Islam is the religion of a billion people worldwide. In fact, it is not just a “religion” but essentially a way of life for those of us who choose to be Muslims. Despite being the way of life of a sizable portion of the world's population, in combination with the fact that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, Islam is also the most misunderstood faith. In order to emphasize the irony, Islam is the most popular and the most misunderstood 'way of life.' In the West, the word Islam, or even the Muslim greeting of Assalamu Alaikum [that is, peace be upon you], conjures up images of various atrocities committed by people who claim to follow Islam. The Bin Ladens and Zawahiris have done their part in propagating a great disservice to people all around the world who seek to follow a religion which literally means peace.

In this article, I would like to offer a viewpoint on Islam based on the life of its holy founder – Prophet Muhammad of Arabia. Muslims refer to him as Rahmatul-lil-Alamin [meaning, mercy for the worlds], while to many individuals who are unaware of his life history, the image of a sword brandishing Arab comes to mind! An interesting paradox indeed! I would like offer a brief synopsis of the life history of Prophet Muhammad as the true representation of Islam for even though Muslims at present are divided into many different groups with varying interpretations of Islam, we all agree that Prophet Muhammad was the messenger who conveyed the essence of Islam to humanity.


Muhammad – literally meaning, the 'the praised one'

From his most humble beginnings, the compassion and dutifulness with which Muhammad comported his life is astounding. One event, from very early on in his life, is especially inspiring. He had a slave (who was presented to him by his wife) called Zaid bin Harith. It so happened that the birth father of Zaid traced him to Mecca (since children were abducted from their parents and sold into slavery at that time) and wanted to free him on ransom. On his father’s request, Muhammad set Zaid free without demanding any ransom. However, Zaid preferred to remain as a slave to Muhammad rather than return to his family. Muhammad was so touched by Zaid's response that he adopted Zaid as a son. An interesting question is why did Zaid prefer to stay with Muhammad rather than going back to his family? Certainly he had a direct experience of Muhammed’s most loving and compassionate personality.

Period of persecution

Eventually, after receiving revelations from God Himself, he claimed to be a prophet – a prophet like Abraham, Buddha, Krishna, Moses and Jesus (mentioning just a few among thousands of messengers) before his time. The response of the general public of Mecca was to vehemently deny his claim at the behest of the rich and powerful in the society who saw a threat to their wealth, power and status in the message of Prophet Muhammad who preached equality, charity, and above all, claimed that true honor belonged to those who were the most righteous albeit not the richest or the most powerful. Persecution against him and his followers reached such a degree that, at one point, social boycott was instituted against the fledgling Muslim community. One event at about this time is particularly touching. Once Prophet Muhammad decided to travel to a nearby city called Ta'if wherein he hoped people would heed his message. As he went to convey his message, people not only refused to accept him but turned him away pelting him with stones. What was the response of this noble yet a most humble man? His response was to pray to His Creator that may the good ones among the people of the city turn to Islam and worship the One God. His response was not of violence, but, one of submission to the Power of the Ultimate Creator. I often ask myself, have the present day “so-called” Muslims who turn to violence ever taken the time to read and understand the life history of the person who established the very faith that they claim to follow? Obviously not.

Muhammad and the Jews

Eventually, after having experienced 13 years of constant persecution in Mecca and having taken no part in any retaliation, he emigrated to a nearby town called Medina (while there was a bounty on his head) where he came into contact with the Jews who inhabited the city. The people of Medina had heard about a prophet in their nearby city and welcomed him with open arms and in fact asked him to be their leader. It was Medina that was to be the setting for the portion of Muhammad's life where suddenly he was no longer just a spiritual prophet but a worldly leader as well. A testimony of the peaceful and loving society that he sought to establish is evident from the “Constitution of Medina II: Pact with the Jews of Medina.” Article 15a of this document states: “the Jews of the clan of 'Auf are a community with the faithful covenanters. The Jews have their religion and Muslims their religion, their clients and their persons, except for any wrongdoer or traitor who brings perdition upon himself and his household.” Yet another article of the same Constitution states: “Let there be goodwill and counseling between them (that is, Jews and Muslims).” The legacy set by the prophet of Islam lived on well beyond his death. In fact, during the golden era of Muslim civilization (AD ~700 – AD 1200), many Jewish tribes settled in and thrived under Islamic rule especially in Spain where they were free to practice their faith and way of life until Muslims were forced to leave or convert to Christianity.

Muhammad and the Christians

From the earliest days of his mission, Muhammad always claimed to be a prophet who came to fulfill what was before him. Being so, he always accorded respect and dignity to the founder of Christianity. In fact, verse 46 from chapter 3 of the Holy Qur'an states:

“When the angels said, ‘O Mary, Allah gives thee glad tidings of a word from Him; his name shall be
the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, honored in this world and in the next, and of those who are
granted nearness to God.”

Such an attitude towards Jesus also characterized his relation with the Christian communities in and around Arabia. For instance, I would like to present a pact between the Christian monks of St Catherine's Monastery (located in Sinai) and Muhammad:

“This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them. Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them. No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate. No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants. No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).”

Having such an illuminating example based upon the life history of Prophet Muhammad himself, I wonder how could one ever subvert such a beautiful teaching of Islam into one of strife and discord?

In essence, Muhammad (peace be upon him), was a living example of how best human beings could conduct their lives from every imaginable standpoint – a spectrum ranging from that of a spiritual leader and a temporal king to being a husband and a father.

I would like to conclude by presenting an example of his attitude towards children. The prophet had a granddaughter called Umamah. He would take her with him to the mosque while she was perched on his shoulder. Even during prayer, and while reciting the Qur'an, he would keep her on his shoulder only putting her down before the act of prostration that is part of Islamic prayer. In fact, after the prostrations he would restore her to his shoulder and continue on with prayers.

Having presented a brief life history of a humble being who is revered by billions worldwide, I ask, would this man ever condone unjustifiable violence?




-- Prophet of Islam | Abdul Naseer