In the desert of Arabia was Muhammed born, according toMuslim historians. on April 20, 571. The name means,"Highlypraised". He is to me the greatest mind among all the sons ofArabia. He means so much more than all the poets and kingsthat preceded and succeeded him in that impenetrable desert ofred sand.
When he appeared, Arabia \:vas a dese11 .- a nothing. Out of
nothing of the desert a new world was fashioned by the mightyspirit of Muhammed -- a new life. a new culture, a ne\vcivilisation. a ne\\! kingdom \vhich extended from Morocco toIndies and influenced the thought and life of three continL'nts -Asia. AJi'ica and Europe.
NEED FOR UNDERSTANDING
When I thought of writing on Muhammed the Prophet. I was abit hesitant because it was to write about a religion one does notprofess I and it is a delicate matter to do so. for there are manypersons professing various religions and belonging to diverse
. schools of thoughts and dellominations even in the same
religion. Though it is sometimes claimed that a religion isentirely personal. yet it cannot be gainsaid that it has a tendencyto envelope the whole univcrse <;c':.'nas well as unseen. Itsomehow permeates, sometime or othcr. our h;::Ii"!S, our souls,
.our 111inds,' their conscious parts, subconscious parts.unconscious or \vhatever part they contain or are supposed tucontain. The problem assumes overwhelming importance whenthere is a deep conviction that our past prescnt and future all
hang by the soft delicate. tender-silked core!. If we further
I The author is a professing Hindu.
MUIIAMMED : THE PROPlIET OF ISLAM b--.~\ J
happen to be highly sensitive. the ccntn: of gravity is verylikely to be always in a state of extreme tension. Looked atfrom this point of view, the less said about other's religion thebetter. Let our religions be deeply bidden and embedded in therecesses of our innermost hearts fortified by unbroken seals ofour lips.MAN IS GREGARIOUS
But there is another aspect of this problem. Man lives insociety. Our lives arc bound with the lives of so many, willingor unwillingly, directly or indirectly. We eat the food grown inthe same soil, drink the w~lter from the same Sprit1g,breathe theail' of the same atmosphere. Even while staunchly holding omown views. it would be helpfuL if for no othel' purpose, at leastto promote proper adj llstl11\:mtto ollr surround Ings, if we alsoknow to some extent, how the mind of Ollr neighbour movesand Wh{ltare the muinsprings of his actions. From this angle ofvision, it is highly desirable that one should try to know allreligions of the world, in the proper spirit to promote mutualunderstanding and better appreciation of OUl'neighboUl'hood,immediute ancl remote.
Further, our thoughts are not scattered, as they appear to be onthe surface. They have got themselves cl'ystallised around a fewnuclei in the form of great world religions and living faiths thatguide and ,motivate the lives of millions that inhabit this earthof ours. It is our duty, in one sense, if we have the ideal of everbecoming citizens of the \\ drld before us. to make a littleattempt to know the great religions and systems of philosophythat have ruled mankind. '
THE PROPHET-A HISTORIC PERSONALITY
In spite of these p)~elil11inaryremarks, the ground in the field ofreligion, where the.re is often a_conflict between intellect andemotion, is so slippery that one is constantly reminded of foolsthat rush in where angels fear to tread. It is also so complextram another point of vicvv.
The subject of my writing is about the tenets of a religion.which is historic. and its Prophet. who is also a histor;~personality. Even a hostile critic like Sir William Muir speaking
. MUHAMMED: THE PROPHETOF ISLAM bob\ 4
about the Holy Qur'an says that. "There is probably in theworld no other book which has remained twelve centuries
with so purc n text".2 J may also add, Prophet Muhammed isalso a historic personality:l every event of whose life has beenmost carefully rcc(mled and even the minutest details preservedintact for posterity. His life and works are not wrapt in mystery.One need not hunt for the accurate information and embark on
arduous expeditions to sift: the chaH' and husk from the grain oftruth. '
PAST .MISREPRESENTA TION
My work is further lightened becl:1llse those days are t~lstdisappearing when lslam was highly misrepresented by some ofits critics.4 for reasons political and otherwise. P/'(~l Bevanwrites in Cambridge Mediaeval History. "The accounts. ofMuhammed um] Ishlm which were published in Europebefore the beginning of the 19th century are now to beregarded as literary curiosities". My problem to write thismonograph is easier L)(~causcwe arc not generally fed now onthis kind of history and much time need not be spent onpointing out our misrepresentations ofTs]am.
The theory of lslam and Sword for instance is not heard nowfrequently in any quarter worth the name. The Principle of
Islam that th'ere is no compulsion in religion is well known.Gibbon, a historian of world-wide fame, says, "A pernicioustenet has been imputcd to the Muhammedans,5 the duty ofextirpating all the religions by the swonf". This charge ofignorance and bigotry. says the eminent historian, is refuted byQur'all. by the history of Musalmail con-querers and by theirpublic and legal toleration of Christian worship. The greatestsuccess of Muhammed's life was affected by sheer moral forcewithout the stroke of a sword.
1 Now 14 centuries.
j "Most historical of all re Iiginus personalities,'\ Enc~I'c/()p((edia Britannica,,1"The lies which well-l11cnning ~eal has heaped round this man
of the Holy Prophet Muhammed (p,b,u,h,)": but 110Muslim evel' wOl'shipsthe Holy pf'()phet l1S God, -
==-= -------==~=~~.~.-=====-=---~~MUHAMMED: THI': PI~OPHETOF ISLAM ~~ 5
CHAPTER TWO
MustafaTHE CHOSEN ONE'
"WHO SUBDUE THEIR ANGER"
(Holy Qur'(in. 3: 134)
To the Arabs who would have fought for forty years on theslight provocation that a camel belonging to the quest of onetribe had strayed into the grazing land belonging to another andboth sides hac! fought till they lost 70.000 lives in all.
threatening the extinction of both tribes. To sllch furious Arabs.the Prophet of Islam taught self-colltrol and discipline to theextent of praying even on the battlefield.
WAR FOR SELF-DEFENCE
When. after repeated efl()rts at conciliation had utterly failed.circumstances arose that dragged him into the hattlefield purelyin self-defence, the Prophet of Islam changed the wholestrategy of the battlefield. The total number of casualties in allthe wars that took place during his lifetihle. when the wholeArabian Peninsula came under his banner. docs not exceed a .
few hundreds in all. He taught the Arab barbarians to pray. to
pray not individually but in congregations. to God Almightyeven amidst the dust and storm of warfare. Whenever the time
for prayer came -- and it comes five times every day - thecongregational prayer had not to be abandoned or evenpostponed. A party had to be engaged in bowing their headsbefore God while another was engaged \vith the enemy. Afterfinishing the prayers. the two porties had to exchange theirpositions.
BA TTLf}.'FIELD HUMANISED
In an age of barbarism. the battlefield itself was humanised and
MUHAMMED; TilE PROPHET OF ISLAM c;..~, 6
strict instructions were issued not to embez'zle, not to cheat. notto break trust. not to mutilate. not to kill a minor child or a
woman or an old man. not to hew down date palm nor burn it,not to cut down a fruit tree. not to niolest monks and personsengaged in worship. His own treatment of his bitterest enemies
was the noblest example for his followers. At the conquest ofMecca. he stood at the zenith of his powei'. The city which hadtortured him and his followers. which had driven him and his
people into exile and which had unrelentingly persecuted andboycotted him even when he had taken reflige in a place morethan 200 miles away. that city now lay at his feet. By the lawsof war he could have justly avenged all the cruelties inflictedon him and his people. But what treatment did he meet· out tothem? Muhammed's heart overflowed with the milk of love and
kindness as he declared. "This d~,y, there is no reproofagainst you and you are all free."
BITTEREST ENl:.MIES PARDONED
This was one of the chief objects why he permitted war in self ..defence - to unite human beings. And when this object wasachieved. even his worst enemies were pardoned. Even those
who had killed his beJoved uncle. HUMZA, mutilated his deadbody, had ripped it open and chewed a piece of his liver.
THEORY MERGED WITH PRACTICE
The principle of universal brotherhood and the doctrine of the
equality of mankind which he proclaimed represent very greatcontribution of Muhammed to the social uplift of humanity. Allgreat religions have also preached the same doctrine. but The
Prophet of Islam had put this theory into actual practiceand its value will be fully recognised. perhaps, sometime hence,when international consciousness being awakened, racial
prejudices would disappear and a stronger concept of thebrotherhood of humanity comes into existence.
PEASANT AND KING EQUAL BEFORE GOD
Sarojini Naidu. speaking about this aspect of Islam. says:
MUHAMMED: 'h-IE PROPHET OF ISLAM !±l, 7
'~lt was the first religion that preached andpractised democracy~ for, in the mosqu,,,, when theAZAAN (the Muslim call to prayer) is sounded andthe C worshippers are gathered together, thedemocracy of Islam is embodied five times a daywhen the peasant and ldng kneel side by side andproclaim, 'God alone is,great'."
The 'great poetess oflndia continues.
"I have been strucli over and agtlin by this
indivisible unity of Islam that malies maninstincth'ely a brother. When you meet anEgyptian, an Algerhm, an Indiun and a Turl" inLondon, what matters is that Egypt is the motherland of one and Indhl is the motherland of'another."
ISLAM -CIVIL/SED SPAIN AND IS ANSWER TOTODA .v'S SOCIAL DILEMMA
Mahatma Gandhi, in his inimitable style. says:
"Someone has said that Europeans in South Africadread the adv.ent of Islam -.. Islam, that civilized
Spain; Islam, that took the torch of' light toMorocco and preached to the world the Gospel ofBrotherhood. The Europeans of South Africadread the advent ,of Islam, as they claim equality,with the white races. They may well dread it. IfBrotherhood is a sin, if it is equality oCthe colouredraces that they dread, then their dread is well-founded." '
PILGRIMAGe -HAJ-A LIVING TESTIMONY
Every year. during the pilgrimage season, the world witnessesthe wonderful spectacle of this intemational Exhibition of Islamin levelling all distinctions of race. colour and rank, Not onlythe Etu'opeans. the Africans. the Persians. the Indians, theChinese. all meet together, in Mecca as members of one divine
-,MUHAMMED: THE PROPHET OF ISLAM m 8
family. but they are all clad in one dress. every person in twosimple pieces of white seamless cloth. one piece round the loinand the other piece over the shoulders. bare-headed. withou.tpomp or ceremony. repeating, "Here am r. 0 God; at Thycommand; Thou art One and the Only; Mere am 1." Thus thereremains nothing to differentiate the high from the low andevery pilgrim carries home the impression of the internationalsignificance of Islam.
In the words of Prof." Hurgronje.
"The League of Nations founded by the Prophet ofIslam put the principle of international unity andhuman brotherhood on such universal foundationsas to show candle to other nations."
He continues:
"The fact is that no nation of the wodd can show a
parallel to what Islam has done towards, therealisation of the idea of League of Nations."
ISLAM-A BEACON TOA DRIFTING WORLD
The Prophet of Islam brought the reign of democracy in its bestform. Caliph Umar, Caliph AlL the son-in-law oJ the Prophet,Caliph Mansur. Abbas, the son of the Caliph Manum, andmany other caliphs and kings had to appear before the judge asordinary men in Islamic courts. Even today w€) all know howthe black Negroes are treated by the civilized white races.Consider the state of Bilal, a Negro slave in the days of theProphet of Islam nearly 14 centuries ago. The office of callingMuslims to prayer was considered to be a position of honour inthe early days of Islam and it was offered to this Negro slave.After the conquest of Mecca, the Prophet ordered him to callfor prayer and the Negro 'slave, with his black colour and histhick lips, stood over the roof of the holy KAABA, the mosthistoric and the holiest place in the Islamic world, when someproud Arabs painfully cr.ied aloud, "Oh, this Black Negroslave, woe to him. He stands on the roof of holy KAABA tocall for prayer."
------------------------MUHAMMED: THE PROPHET OF ISLAM m 9
As if to ariswer this outburst smacking of pride and prejudice,. both of which the Prophet of Islam aimed at eliminating, hedelivered a sermon in which he said:
"ALLAH IS TO BE PRAISED AND THANKEDFOR RIDDING US OF THE VICES AND PRIDEOF THE DA YS OF IGNORANCE. 0 PEOPLEINOTE THAT ALL MEN ARE DIVIDED IN TWOCA TEGORIl-:i ONL Y: THE PIOUS AND GODF,EARING WHO ARE ESTEEMABLE IN ALLAH'SRECKONING, AND THE TRANSGRESSORS ANDHARDHEARTED, WHO ARE LOWLY AND
CONTEMPTIBLE IN THE EYE OF ALLAH,OTHERWISE ALL HUMAN BEINGS ARE THEPROGENY OF ADAM AND ALLAH HASCREA TED ADAM OF CLA Y"
This was later approved and confirmed by Qur';:1n in thefollowing words: .
"0 MANKINDI MOST CERTAINLY, IT IS WE(GOD ALMIGHTY) .WHO HA VE CREA TED YOUALL FRO}l;-[A SINGLE (PAIR) OF A MALE ANDA FEMALE, AND IT IS WE WHO HA VE MADEYOU INTO NA TIONS AND TRIBES,' THA T YEMA Y RECOGNISE EA eH OTHER (NOT THA. T YEMAY DISPISE EACH OTHER) VERILY, THENOBLEST OF YOU IN THE SIGHT OF ALLAH IS(HE WHO IS) THE MOST RIGHTEOUS OFYOU."
(HOLY QUR'AN 49:13)
TRANSFORMATION EXTRA ORDINARIA
The Prophet of Islam thus brought about such a mightytransformation that the noblest and purest among Arabs bybirth offered their daughters in' m~rriage to this Negro slave(Bila!) and whenever the second Caliph of Islam. ~nown tohistory as UMAR the Great. the commander of the faithful, sawthis Negro slave. he immediately stood in reverence and
--------- --------------------.-----MUHAMMED: THE PROPHET OF ISLAM m 10
welcomed \him by exclaiming. "He~e comes our master, herecomes oUlllord". What a tr~l11endjb\.lschange was brought byQur'fm an9 Prophet Muhammed ,n the Arabs. the proudestpeople at that time on earth. This is'the reason why Goethe, thegreatest of German poets, speakil1g about the Holy Qur'an,declared that, "This book will go on exercising through allages a most potent influence". This is also the reason whyGeorge Bernard Shaw says, "If any religion has a chance ofruling over England, nay, Europe, within the next 100years, it is Islam."
ISLAM-EMANCIPATED WOMEN
It is this same democratic spirit of Islam that has emancipatedwomen from the bondage of man. Sir Charles EdwardArchibald Hamil/on says. "Islam teaches the inherentsinlessness of man. It teaches that man and woman have
come from the same essence, possess the same soul and havebeen equipped with equal capabilities for intellectual,spiritual and moral attainments."
WOMEN HAD RIGHT TO OWN PROPERTY
The Arabs had a very strong tradition that he alone can inheritwho can smite with the spear and can wield the sword. ButIslam came as the defender of the 'A'caker sex and entitled
women to sharc in the inheritance of theil: parents.)t gavewomen, centuries ago, the right of owning property. YeUt wasonly 12 centuries later. in 1881. that England. supposed to bethe cradle of democracy, adopted this institution of Islam andan Act was passed, called. "The Married Women's Act". Butcenturies earlier, the Prophet of Islam had proClaimed that"Women are the twin halves of men. The I'ights of womenare sacred". "See that women are maintained in the rightsgranted to them."
MUHAMMED: THE PROPHET OF ISLAM m 11
CHAPTER 1HREE
o AI-Aimeen
THE TRUSTWORTHY
THE GOLDEN MEAN
Islam is not directly concerned with political and economicsystems, but indirectly and, in so far as political and el;onomic
affairs influence man's conduct, it does lay down some veryimportant principles of economic life. According to ProfMassignon, Islam maintains the balance between exagge.ratedopposites and has always in view the building of characterwhich is the basis of civilization. This is secured by its law ofinheritance; by an organised, and not an optionai,. syst(~m ofcharity known as Zakat; and by lregarding as illegal all antisocial practices in the economic' field like monopoly, usury,securing of predetermined Lmearned incomes and incn~ments,cornering markets, hoarding and creating artificial scarcity ofany commodity in order to force the price to rise. Gambling isillegal. Contributions to schools, to places of worship, hospitals, digging of wells, opening of orphanages are the highestacts of virtue. Orphanages have sprund for the first time, it issaid, 'under the teaching of the Prophet of Islam. The worldowes its orphanages to this Prophet who was himself born anorphan. "Good all this", says Carlyle about Muhammed.,
"The natural voice of humanity, of piety and
equity, dwelling in the heart of this wild son ofnature, speaks."
THE TEST
A historian' once said, a great man should be judged by threetests:
(1) Was he fOlmdto be of true mettle by his contemporaries?
MUHAMMED: THE PROPHET OF ISLAM m 12
(2) Was he great enough to rise above the standards of hisage?
(3) Did he leave anything as permanent legacy to the worldat large?
Thi~; list may be further extend( ~d, but all these three tests ofgreatness are eminently satisfied to the highest degree in thecaSte of Prophet Muhammed. SOEne illustrations of the last twohave already been mentioned.
The first of the three is; was thep1rophet of Islam found to be oftrue mettle by his contemporaries?'
IMPECCABLE CHARACTER
Historical records show that. all co ntemporaries of Muhammed,both friends and foes, ackilowledg ed the sterling qualities, thespotless honesty, the noble virtues, the absolute sincerity andthe absolute trustworthiness of the ;apostle of Islam in all walksof life and in every sphere of human activity. Even the Jewsand those who did not believe in h:is message accepted him as'arbitrator in their personal disputes on account of hissCl:upulous impartiality. Even those who did not believe in hismes~age were forced to say, "0 M:uhammed we do not callyou a liar, but we deny Him who Ihas given you a Book and·inspired you with a Message." They thought he was onepo:ssessed. They tried violence to ,cure him. But the best ofthem saw that a new light had dawned on him and theyha:stened to seek that enlightenmen1L. It is a notable feature inthe history of the Propbet of Islam t hat his nearest relation, hisbeloved cousin and his bosom frie nds, who knew him mostintimately, were thoroughly imbued with the truth of his mission and convinced of the genuinene ss of his divine inspiration."lif these men and women. noble, intelligent, and certainly notl(~ss educated than the fishermen of Galilee. had perceived theslightest sign of earthliness. decepti on, or want of faith in thelreacher himself: Muhammed's hope s of moral regeneration andsocial reform, would all have bec:n crumbled to dust in amoment." From "The Spirit ofIslam", by Sayed Ameer Ali.
MUHAMMED: TJLlEPROPI-If:T o.F ISLAM m 13
On the contrary we find. that the devotion of his followers wassuch that he was voluntarily acknowledged kader of their lives.They braved for his sake, perseclItions and danger; they
believed, trusted, obeyed and honoured him even in the mostexcruciating toi·ture and severest mental agony caused byexcommunication; even unto death. Wo.uld this have been so
had they noticed the slightest backsliding in their leader?
UNDYING LOVE FOR THE IlOLYPROPHET
Read the history of the early converts to Islam and every heartwould melt at the sight of the brutal treatment of innocent menand women. Sumayya, an innocent woman, is cruelly torn into
pieces by piercing through with spears. An example is made ofYasir whose legs are tied to two camels and the beasts aredriven in the opposite direction. Khabbab Bin Arth is made tolie down on a bed of burning coal with the brutal legs of themerciless tyrant on his breast so that he may not move and thismakes even the fat beneath his skin melt. Khabbab Bin Adi is
put to death in a cruel manner by mutilation and cutting off hist1esh piecemeal. In the midst of his tortures. when askedwhether he did not wish Muhammed in his place while he was
in his house with his family, the sufferer cried out that he wasgladly prepared to sacrifice himself. his family and children andall to save Muhammed from the prick of a thorn. Scores ofheart-rending incidents of this type may be narrated. But whatdo all these incidents show? Why was it that these sons and
daughters of Islam not only surrendered to their Prophet. theirallegiance but also made a gift of their bodies, hearts and souls?Is not the intense faith and conviction on the part of theimrllediate followers of Muhammed, the noblest testimony tohis sincerity and to his utter self-absorption in the task assignedto him?
FOLLOWERS OF BEST CALIBRE
And these men were not of low station or of an inferior mental
calibre. Around him, in quite eady days, gathered what wasbest and noblest in Mecca. its flower and cream. men of
position, rank. wealth and culture. and from his own kith and
MUHAMMEO : THE PROPHET OF ISLAM m 14
kin, those who knew the ins and outs or his life. All the first
four Caliphs, with their towering personalities, were converts ofthis early period.
The Encyclopaedia Britannica says that: "Muhammad is themost successful of all Prophets and religious personalities".But this success was not the result of a mere accident. It was
not a windfall. It was recognition of the fact that he was found
to be of true mettle by his contemporaries. It was the result ofhis admirable and all-compelling personality.
MUHAMMED: THE PROPHET OF ISLAM m 15
CHAPTER FOUR
As-SadiqTHE TRUTHFUL
PERFECT MODEL FOR HUMAN LIFE
The personality of Muhammed, it is most difficult to get into'the whole truth of it. Only a glimpse of it I can catch. What adramatic succession of picturesque scenes? There isMuhammed; the Prophet. There is Muhammed, the Warrior:Muhammed, the Businessman: Muhammed, the Statesman: ,Muhammed, the Orator: Muhammed, the Reformer;Muhammed, the Refi./ge olOrphans: Muhammed. the protectorof Slaves;' Muhammed. the emancipator oj' women,:Muhammed, The.Judge: Muhammed, the Saint. All in all thesemagnifIcent roles, in all these departments ojhumun activities,he is alike a hero.
Orphanhood is the extreme of helplessness and his life uponthis' earth began \vith it. Kingship is the height of the materialpower and his life ended \vith it. From an orphan boy, to apersecuted refugee, then to an overlord -- spiritual as well astemporal - of a whole nation and arbiter or its destinies. withall its trials and temptations. with all its vicissitudes andchanges, its lights and shades. its ups and downs, its terror andsplendour, he has stood the fire of the world and come outui1scathed to serve as a model in every phase of life. Hisachievements are not limited to one aspect of life, but cover thewhole field of human conditions.
MUHAMMED (P.B. U.H.) THE GREA TEST
If for instance, greatness consists in the purification of a nation,steeped in barbarism and immersed in absolute moral darkness,that dynamic personality who has transformed. refined anduplifted an entire nation, sunk low as the Arabs were, and made
MUHAMMED: THE PROPIIET OF ISLAM / T-'\ 16
r
J
\
J
them the torch-bearers of civilizations and learning, has everyclaim to that greatness. If greatness lies in unifying thediscordant elements of society by the ties of brotherhood andcharity, the Prophet of the desert has got every title to thisdistinction. If greatness consists in reforming those wrapt in adegrading superstition and pernicious practices of every kind,the Prophet of Islam has wiped out superstitions and irrationalfear from the hearts of millions. If it lies in displaying highmorals, Muhammed has been admitted by friends and foes asA]-Amin,and As-Stidiq, the trustworthy and truthful. If a conqueror is a great man, here is a person who rose from a helplessorphan and a humble creature to be the ruler of Arabia, theequal of Khusros and Caesars, one who founded a great empirethat has survived all these 14 centuries. If the devotion that a
leader commands is the criterion of greatness, the Prophet'sname even today exerts a magic charm over millions of souls,spread all over the world.
THE UNLETTERED PROPHET
He had not studied philosophy in the schoo] of Athens or
Rome, Persia, India or China, yet he could proclaim the highesttruths of eternal value to mankind. Unlettered himself, he couldyet speak with an eloquence and fervour which moved men to
tears of ecstasy. Born an orphan and blessed with no worldlygoods. he was loved by a]1. He had studied at no militaryacademy; yet he could organise his forces against tremendousodds and gained victories through the moral forces which hemarshaled. Gifted men with a genius for preaching are rare.Descartes included the perfect preacher among the rarest kindin the world. Hitler in his 'Mein Kamp' has expressed a similarview. He says:
"A gl'eat theorist is seldom a great leader. Anagitatol' is far .more likely to possess these qualities.He will always be a better leader. For, leadershipmeans the ability to move. masses of men. Thetalent to produce ideas has nothing in common'with the capacity for leadership."
-----_._---------_._._------~------_._---MUHAMMED: THE PROPHET OF ISLAM ,.1d 17
But, he says:
"The union of the theorist, organiscr, and leader iIi
one man is the rarest phenomenon on this earth;therein consists greatness."
In the person of the Prophet of Islam the world has seen thisrarest phenomenon on the earth, walking in flesh and blood.
"A poor, hard-toiling ill-provided man; careless ofwhat vulgar men toil for. Not a bad man, I should
say; something better in him than HUNGER of anysort - or these wild Arab men, fighting and.jostling three-and-twenty years at his hand, in closecontact with him always would not havereverenced him so!"
"They were wild men, bursting ever and anon into
quarrel, into all kinds of fierce sincerity; withoutright worth and manhood, no man could have
commanded them. TlJey called him Prophet, yousay? Why, he stood there face to face with them;bare, not enshrined in any mystery; visibly cloutinghis own cloak, cobbling his own shoes; fighting;counseling, ordering in the midst of ,them: theymust have se.en what kind of a man he WAS, let
hi~ be CALIrED what you Iik~! No Emperor withhis tiaras was obeyed as this man in a cloak of hisown clouting."
"During three-and-twenty years of rough actualtrial, I find som~thing of a veritable Hero necessaryfor that, of itself." Carlyle in, "Heroes and HeroWorship".
And more wonderful still is what the RC!verendBosworth Smithremarks:
"Head of the State as well as the Church, he wasCaesar and Pope in one; but, he was Pope withoutthe Pope's pretensions, and Caesar without the
legions of Caesar, without a standing army,
MUHAMMED: THE PROPHET OF ISI._AM.idd 18
without a bodyguard, without a police force,without a fixed revenue. If ever a man had the
right to say that he ruled by a right divine, it wasMuhammed, for he had all the powers withouttheir supports. He cared not for the dressings ofpower. The simplicity of his private life was inkeeping with his public life."
MUHUMMED (P.R.U.H.) - UNTAINTED AND PURE
After the fall of Mecca more than one million square miles ofland lay at his feet. Lord of Arabia, he mended his own shoesand coarse woollen garments, milked the goats, swept thehearth, kindled the fire and attended to other menial offIces ofthe family. The entire town of Madina, where he lived, grewwealthy in the later days of his life, Everywhere there was goldand silver in plenty and yet in those days of prosperity manyweeks would elapse without a fire being kindled in the hearthof the king of Arabia, his food being dates and water. Hisfamily would go hungry many nights successively because theycould not get anything to eat in the evening. He slept on no softbed but on a palm mat after a long busy day, to spend most ofhis night in prayer, often bursting with tears before his Creatorto grant him strength to discharge his duties. As the reports go,his voice would get choked due to weeping and it would appearas if acooking pot was on fire and boiling had commenced. Onthe day of his death his only assets were a few coins, a part ofwhich went to satisfy a debt alid the rest was given to a needyperson who came to his house for charity. The clothes in whichhe breathed his last had many patches. The house from wherelight had spread to the world was in darkness because there wasno oil in the lamp.
CONSISTENT UNTO DE-ATH
Circumstances changed. but the Prophet of God did not. Invictory or in defeat. in power or in adversity, in affluence or inindigence, he was the same man.' disclosed the same character.Like all the ways and laws of God, Prophets of God areunchangeable.
---------------------------MUHAMMED: TI:-IE PROPHET OF ISLAM ~ 19
Muhammed The Greatest
,If greatness of purpose,smallness of means,
and astounding results,
are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare tocompare any great man in modern history with Muhammed?
The most famous men created arms. laws and empires only.They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powerswhich often crumbled away before their eyes. This manMuhammed moved not only armies. legislations, empires,peoples and dynasties, but millions of men; and more than that,he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, thebeliefs and the souls ..
On the basis of a Book, every letter of which has become law;he created a spiritual nationality which blended 'together
peoples of every tongue. and of every race ..., The idea of the Uility of God, proclaimed amidst the exhaustion
of fabulous theologies, was in itself such a miracle that 1.1]:'onits
utterance from his lips it .destroyed all the· ancientsuperstitions ...
His endless prayers, his mystic conversations with God, hisdeath and his triumph after death: all these attest not to animposture but to a firm conviction which gave him the power torestore a dogma. This dogma was twofold, the unity of Godand the immateriality of God; the former telling what God is,the latter telling what God is not..,
.......... "PHILOSOPHER, ORATOR, APOSTLE,LEGISLATOR, WARRIOR, CONQUEROR OFIDEAS. RESTORER OF RATIONAL BELIEFS, of acult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrialempires . and of bne spiritual empire. that isMuhammed. AS REGARDS ALL STANDARDS BYWHICH HUMAN GREA TNESS MA Y BE
MEASURED, WE MAY WELL ASK, IS THEREANY MAN GREATER THAN HE?"
(Lamartine, Historie de 10 Turquie, Paris J 854, Vol. /l pp. 276-277)
MUHAMMED: THE PROPHET OF ISLAM m 20
CHAPTER FIVE
A PERPETUAL LEGACYTO THE WORLD
MORE THAN HONEST
An honest man, as the saying goes, is the noblest work of God.Muhammed was more than honest. He was human to themarrow of his bones. Humal1 sympathy, human love was themusic of his soul. To serve man. to elevate man. to purify man,to educate man, in a word, to humanise man - this was the
object of his mission, the be-all' and end-all of his life. Inthought, in word. in action he had the good of humanity as hissale inspiration, his sale guiding principle.
He was most. unostentatious and selfless to the core. What werethe titles he assumed? Only two, Servant of God, and HisMessenger; Servant first and then a Messenger. A Messenger,and Prophet like many other prophets in every pali of thisworld, some known to us and many not known. If one does notbelieve in any of these truths one ceases to be a Muslim. It is anarticle of faith; with all Muslims.
"Looking at the circumstances of the time and the'unbounded reverence of his followers", says aWestern writer, "the most miraculous thing aboutMohammed is that he never claimed the power ofworking miracles,"
Miracles were performed but not to propagate his faith andwere attributed entirely to God and His inscrutable ways. He
would plainly say that he was a man like others. He had notreasures of earth or heaven. Nor did he claim to know theecrets that lie in the womb of future. All this was in an age
when miracles were supposed to be ordinary occurrences, at thebeck and call of the commonest saint and when the whole
MUHAMMED: THE PROPHET OF ISLAM ill 21
atmosphere was surch<.trged with super-naturalism in Arabiaand outside Arabia.
SCIENTIFIC ORIENTATION
LEGACY FROM MUHAMMED (P.R. U.H.)
He turned the attention of his followers towards the study ofnature and its laws. to understand them and appreciate theGlory of God. The Qur'an says:
WE (GOD ALMIGHTY) DID NOT CREATE THEHEAVENS AND THE EARTH, AND ALL BETWEENTHEM MERELY IN (IDLE) SPORT,6
WE CREATED THEM NOT EXCEPT FOR JUST ENDS,RUT MOST OF MANKIND DO NOT UNDERSTAND.
(HOLY QUR'AN, 44:38-39)
The world is not an illusion. nor without purpose. It has beencreated with truth. The number of verses in the Qur'an iiwitingclose observation of nature and several times more than those
that relate to prayer. fast. pilgrimage. etc., all put together. TheMuslims under its influence began to observe nature closely
and this gave birth to the scientific. spirit of observation andexperiments which was unknown to the Greeks. While theMuslim Botanist, Ibn Baitar wrote on Botany after collectingplants from all parts of the world, described by Mayer in hisGesch del' Botanika as a monument of industry, while AlBiruni travelled for forty years to collect mineralogicalspecimens, and Muslim astronomers made some observations"extending even over twelve years. Aristotle wrote on Physicswithout performing a single experiment, wrote on naturalhistory carelessly stating without taking the trouble to ascertainthe most ~asilyverifiable fact that men have more teeth thananimal.
DEBT OF ARABS TO WEST FOR SCIENCE
Galen. the greatest authority on classical anatomy, informed
(, All creation is for a wise and just purpose. But men usually do not realiseor understand it, because they are steeped in their own ignorance, folly orpassions.
MUHAMMED: THE PROPHET OF ISLAM m 22
that the lower jaw consists of two bones, a statement which isaccepted unchallenged for centuries till Abdul Lateef takes thetrouble to examine a human skeleton. After enumeratingseveral instances, Robert Briffalut concludes in his well knownbook, The Making of humanity:
"The debt of our science to the Arabs does notconsist in startling discoveries or revolutionarytheories. Science owes .a great deal more to theArab culture; it owes its existence."
The same writer says:
"The Greeks systematised,generalised andtheorised but the patient ways to investigation, theaccumulation of positive knowledge, the minutemethods of science~ detailed and prolongedobservation, experimental enquiry, were altogetheralien to Greek temperament. What ,we call sciencearose in Europe as a result of new methods ofinvestigations, of the method of experiment,observation, measurement, of the development ofmathematics in a form unknown to theGreeks ..... That spirit and these methods wereintroduced into the European world by the Arabs."
----.MUHAMMED: THE PROPHET OF ISLAM ill 23
CHAPTER SIX
Muhammed (P.B.U.H)
THE MESSENGEU. OF GOD
ISLAM-A COMPLETE WAY OF LIFE
It is the same practical character of the teaching of ProphetMuhammed that gave birth to the scientific spirit, that has alsosanctified the daily labours and the so-called mundane affairs.
The Qur'an says that God has created man to worship him butthe word 'worship has a connotation of its own. God's worshipis not confined to prayer alone, but every act that is done with
the purpose of winning the approval of God and IS for thebenefit of humanity comes under its purview. Islam sanctifies
life and all. its pursuits provided they are performed withhonesty, justice and pure intents. It obliterates the age-longdistinction between sacred and profane. The Qur'an says if you
eat clean things and thank God for it, it is an act of worship. Itis a saying of the Prophet of Islam that morsel of food that one
places in the mouth of his wife is an act of virtue to berewarded by God. Another tradition of the Prophet says:
"HE WHO IS SATISFYING THE DESIRE OFHIS HEART WILL BE REW ARDE)) BY GODPROVIDED THE METHODS ADOPTED AREPERMISSIBLK"
A person who was listening to him exclaimed,
"0 PROPHET OF GOD, HE IS ANSWERINGTHE CALLS OFP ASSIONS, HE IS ONLYSATISFYING THE CRA VINGS OF HISHEART,"
Forth with came the reply:
"HAD HE ADOPTED THE UNLAWFUL
MUHAMMED: TilE PROPHET OF ISLAM m 24
METHOD FOil THE SATISFACTION OF THISURGE. HE WOULD HAVE BEEN PUNISHED;THEN, WHY SHOULD HE NOT BE IlEW ARDEDFOR FOLLOWING THE RIGHT COURSE'!"
SUBLIME TEACHINGS
This new conception of religion that it should also devote itselfto the betterment of ~hislife rather than concern itself
exclusively with super-mundane affairs, has led to a neworientation oj' moral values. Its abiding influence on the
common relations of mankind in the affairs of everyday life, itsdeep power over the masses. its regulation of their conceptionsof rights and duty. its suitability and adaptability to the ignorantsavage and the wise philosopher aHke are characteristic featmesof the teachings of the Prophet ofTslam.
BASElJON Co.RRECT 1~4JTHAND RIGHT ACTIONS
But it should be 1110stcareililly borne in mind that his stress On
good actions is not at the sacrifice of correctness of faith. Whilethere are various schools of thought, one praising faith at the
expense of deeds. another exhorting various acts to thedetriment of correct belief, Islam is based on correct faith
and actions. Means are as important as end and ends are as
important as the means. It is an organic unity. Together theylive and thrive. Separate them and they both decay and die. InIslam, f~lith cannot be divorced 1'\'0111action. Right knowledge
should be transferred into right action to produce that rightresults: "THOSE WHO BELIEVE AND DO GOOD, THEYALONE SHALL ENTER PARADISE." How often these
words come in the Qur'an? Again and again, not less than fifty
times these words are repeated. Contemplation is encouraged,but mere contemplation is not the goal. THOSE· WHOBELIEVE AND DO NOTHING CANNOT EXIST INISLAM. Those \"v'ho believe and do wrong arc inconccivnbl .•.Divine law is the law of effol'l and not or idcals. It t:hnlks out
for the men the path of cte\'l1l1l ]1\'Ollrcss rrom kI10wll'dul' toaction and fl'OI" action to satisfllction.
GOD -THERE IS NONE LIKE UNTO HIM7
But what is the correct faith from which right actianspontaneously proceeds, resulting in complete satisfaction?Here the central doctl~ine of Islam is the Unity of God. There isno God but one God, is the pivot from which hangs the wholeteaching and practice of Islam. He is unique not only as regardsHis divine being but also as regards His divine attributes.
As regards the attributes of G,od, Islam adopts here as in otherthings too, the law of the golden mean. It avoids, on the onehand. the view of God which divests the divine being of everyattribute and rejects on the other, the view which likens H.im tothings material. The Qur'an says, on the one hand, there isnothing which is like Him; on the other, it affirm that He isSeeing, Hearing. Knowing. He is the King who is without astain of fault or deficiency. the 111ightyship of His power floatsupon the ocean of justice and equity. He is the Beneficent. theMerciful. He is the Guardian over all. Islam does not stop withthis positive statement. It adds further which is its most specialcharacteristic. the negative aspect of the problem. There isalone no one else who is guardian ,over anything. He is themender of every breakage, and no one else is the mender of anybreakage. He is the restorer of any loss whatsoever. There is nogod but one God. above any need, the Maker of bodies, Createrof souls, the Lord of the day of judgement and in short, in thewords of Qur'an.
SA Y: "CALL UPON ALLAH, OR CALL UPON RAHMAN/
BY WHA TEVER NAME YE CALL HIM, (IT IS WELL):FOR TO HIM BELONG THE MOST REA UTIFUL NAMES.
(Holy Qur 'an, j 7: j j 0)
POSITION OF HUMAN BEINGS IN CREATION
Regarding the position of man in relation to the Universe. theQur'an says:
7 Holy Qur'an, 112:4,
gOne of the 99 names (attributes) of God in the Holy Qur'an,
MlJHAMMFD : THE PROPHET OF ISLAM m 26
ALLAH IS HE WHO HAS SUBJECTED TO YOUTHE SEA, THA T YOU MA Y SAIL YOUR SHIPSTHROUGH IT BY HIS COMMAND, THAT YEMAY SEEK OF HIS BOUNTY AND THAT YEillA Y BE GRA TEFUL AND HE HAS SUBJECTEDTO YOU, ALL THA T IS IN THE HEA VENS ANDON EARTH AS FROM HIMSELF, BEHOLD, INTHA T ARE SIGNS INDEED FOR A . PEOPLEWHO REFLECT. (Holy Qur'an. .:15:J 2-13)
But in relation 10 God, the Qur'an says:
HE (ALLAH) IT TS WHO HA TH . CREA TEDDEATH9 AND LTFE, TIlAT HE illAY TEST AS TOWHICH OF YOU TS BEST IN DEEDS; AND IT ISHE WHO IS EXALTED IN MIGHT, OFT-FORGIVTNG. (Holy Q1Ir'an, 67:2)
In spite of free-will which he enjoys to some extent, every manis born under certain circumstances and continues to live undercertain circumstances beyond his control. With regard to this.
God says according to Islam. it is My \A;illto create any manunder conditions that seem best to Me. Cosmic plans. finitemortals cannot fully comprehend. But I will certainly test you
in prosperity as well as in adversity. in health as well as in.sickness. in heights as well as in depths. My ways of testingdiffer from man to man. from hour to hour. In adversity do not
despair and do not resort to unla\.vful means. It is but a passingphase. In prosperity do not forget God. God's Gifts are giyen .only as trust. You are always on trial; every moment on test. Inthis sphere of life. "their's is not to reason why, their's is butto do and die." If you Jive, live in accordance with God; and if
you die, in the path of God. You may call it fatalism. But thistype of fatalism is a condition of vigorous increasing effort.keeping you ever on the alert. Do not consider this temporal lifeon earth as the end of human existence. There is a life afterdeath and it is eternal. Life after death is only a connectinglink, a door that opens up hidden reality of life. Every action in
<) "Created Death and Lik" Ol:alh is h\:rl: pilI bL'lllll: lire.and it is created.
Death is therefore 110111ll'rl'I\ :111l''',lli\l' -,'01'
life. however insignificant. produces a lasting effect. It IS
.con'ectly recorded somehow.
THIS LIFE IS PREPARATION FOR HEREAFTER
Some of the ways of God are known to you, but many of His.ways are hidden from YOLl.What is hidden in you and from youin this world will he unrolled and laid open before YOLlin thenext. The virtuous will enjoy the hlessings of God which theeye has not seen. nOl"has the ear heard, nor have they enteredinto the hearts of men to conceive of them. They will marchonward reaching higher and higher stages of evolution. Thosewho have wasted opportunity in this life shall under tl1einevitable law. which makes every 111antaste of what he hasdone, be subjected to a course of treatment of the spiritualdisease which they have brought about with their own hands.Beware, it is a terrible ordeal. Bodily pain is torture, you canbear it somehow. Spiritual pain is hell, YOll will find itunbearable. Fight in this life itself the tendencies of the spiritprone to evil, tempting to.lead you into .iniquitous ways. Reachthe next stage when the self-accusing spirit in your conscienceis awakened and the soul is anxiolls to attain moral excellence
arid revolts against disobedience. This will lead YOLlto the finalstage of the soul at rest, contented with God, finding itshappiness and delight in Hiin alone. The soul no morestumbles. The stage of struggle passes away. Truth is victoriousand falsehood lays down its arms. All complexes will then beresolved. Your hOllse will not be divided against itself. Your
personality will get integrated rOllnd the central core ofsubmission to the will of God and complete surrenper to Hisdivine purpose. All hidden energies will then be released. Thesoul then will have peace. God will then address you,
"0 THOU SOUL THAT ART AT REST, ANDRESTEST FULLY CONTENTED WITH THY
LORD, RETURN TO THY LORD, HE ISPLEASED WITH THEE AND THOU BE
PLEASED WITH HIM; SO ENTER AMONG MYSERVANTS AND ENTER INTO MY])ARADISE."
. MUHAMMED: TilE PROPIIEl' OF ISLAM m 28
MAN'S DESTINYThis is the Iinul goal for man; to become on the one hand themaster of the Universe and on the other to see that his soulfinds rest in his Lord, that not only his Lord will be pleasedwith him but that he is also pleased with his Lord .Contentment, complete contentment, satisfaction. completesatisfaction, peace, complete peace will result. The love of Godis his food at this stage and he drinks deep at the fountain oflife. Sorrow and frustration do not overwhelm him and successdoes not find him vain and exulting.
Thomas Carlyle, struck by thig philosophy of life writes:
"AND THEN ALSO ISLAM-THAT WE MUSTSUBMIT TO GOD; THAT OUR WHOLESTRENGTH LIES IN RESIGNED SUBMISSIONTO HIM, WHATSOEVER HE nOES TO US,THE THING HE SENDS TO US, EVEN IFDEATH AND WORSE THAN OEA TH, SHALLBE Goon, SHALL HE BEST; WE RESIGNOURSELVES TO GOO."
The same author continues.
"IF THIS BE ISLAM",
says Goethe."DO WE NOT ALL LIVE IN ISLAM?"
'arlyle himself answers this question of Goethe."YES, ALL OF US THAT HAVE ANY MORALLIFE, WE ALL LIVE SO. TI:IIS IS YET THEHIGHEST WISDOM THAT HEAVEN HASREVEALED TO OlJR EARTH."
Carlyle continues."THE WORD OF SUCH A MAN (MUHAMMED),IS A VOICE DIRECT FROM NATURE'S Q\VNHEART; MEN no AND MUST LISTEN TOTHAT, AS TO NOTHING ELSE; ALL ELSE ISWIND IN COMPARISON ...."
From the book - "Heroes and Hero-Hlorship"
MUHAMMED: THE PROPHET Of ISLAM t.;;J;;;A 29
Non-Muslim Verdict
ON MUHAMMED AND THE QUR'AN*
1. "'I believe in one God, and Mahomet, the' Apostle ofGod,' is the simple and invariable profession of Islam. The
intellectual image of the Deity has never been degraded byany visible idol; the honours of the prophet have never
transgressed the measure of human virtue; and his living. precepts have restrained the gratitude of his disciples withinthe bounds of reason and religion."
[Edward Gibbon and Simon Ockley.History o(the SaracenEmpire, London 1870, p. 54.]
2. "Muhammad was the ·soul of kindness, and his inlluencewas felt and never forgotten by those around him."
[Diwcll1 Chand Sharma. The Prophets of'the East, Calcutta1935, p. 122. ]
• 3. "Four years after the death of Justinian, A.D. 569, was bornat Mecca, in Arabia the man who. of all men exercised the
greatest influence upon the human race ...Mohammed ... "
[John' Willian Draper, M.D., LL.D" A History of' theIntellectual Development of' Europe. London !R7.5. Vnl Ipp. J29~33(}]
4. "I doubt whether any man whose external conditionschanged so much ever changed himself less to meet them."
[R Vc. Bodley. The Messenger, London 19-/6, p. 9.]
5. "That his (Muhammad's) reforms enhanced the status of
* Qur'an: is the closest approximation to the Arabic title of the Holy Book. of God, despite the numerous variant spellings by Western writers in thequotations that follow.
MUHAMMED: THE PROPHET OF ISLAM m 30
women in general is universally admitted."
[H.A.R. Gibb, Mohammedanism, London 1953, p. 33.]
6. "In little more than a year he was actually the spiritual,nominal and temporal ruler of Medina, with his hands onthe lever that was to shake the world."
[John Austin. "1vluhammad the Prophel a/Allah, " in T P. 's
and Cassel's Weeklyfor 24th September 1927.]
7. "Next to the Bible'o it (Qur'an) is the most esteemed andmost powerful religious book in the world."
. [J Christy Wilson, Introducing Nam, New York 1950, p. 30.]
8. "It is more read than any other book in the world. The
Christian Bible may be a world best-seller, but nearly 250million II followers of the Prophet Mohammed read or recite
long section~ of AI-Qur'an five times a day, every day oftheir lives, from the time they can talk."
[Charles r,'ancis Potter. The Faiths Men Live By. Kingswood,Surrey 1955, p. 81.]
9. "The Koran is the Mohammedan Bible, and is more
reverenced than any other sacred book, more than theJewish Old Testament or the Clu'istian New Testamei1t."
[J.Shillidy, DD., The Lord Jesus in the Koran, Sural,. 1913.p. 111.]
] 0 "Well then, if the Koran were his own compositioi1 othermen could rival it. Let them produce ten verses like it. If
they could not (and it is obvious that they could not), thenlet them accept the Koran as an outstanding evidentialmiracle."
[H.A.R. Gibh, Mohammedanism, London 1953. p. 33.]
11· "So there has been no opportunity for any forgery or pious
10 Coming from a Christian critic of Islam we will not take exception to this"SECOND PLACE" .
II Latest estimate is a thousand million Muslims.
--------------.-.-------MUHAMMED: THE PROPIIET OF ISLAM m 31 l
fraud in the Koran. which distinguisht)s it li'om almost allother important religious works of al1ci~nt times .... lt isexceedingly strange that this illiterate person should havecomposed the best book in the language."
12 "The picture of the Muslim soldier advancing with a swordin one hand and the Koran in the other is quite false."
[A.S. Tritton. Islam, London 1951, p, 21,]
13 "History makes it clear. however. that the legend offanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcingIslam at the point of the. sword upon conquered races isone of the most fantastically absurd myths that hbtorianshave evel' repeated." . ,
[De Lacy O'Leary, Islam al (he Crossroads, London 1923, p. 8.]
