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Prophet Muhammad
(b.570 - d.632)
HE WAS BORN an orphan and was brought up in the Arabian village of Taâif (now a city located in the southwest of Saudi Arabia). He was subsequently raised in the town of Makkah by his extended family. He worked as a shepherd and a merchant, and never set a foot inside a school or college and was known to have been ummi, or an unlettered man. He came to be known to his fellow countrymen for his absolute honesty, impeccable character and strong sense of justice and fair play â so much so that they fondly called him al-amin (the trustworthy) and al-sadiq (the truthful). He led a hitherto uneventful life without in any way showing the signs of the great man that he was to be. Arabia was not necessarily known for rearing men of universal appeal and renown. His birth put an end to that drought and, for the first time in their history, the Arab descendants of the great patriarch, Abraham (Ibrahim), had something they could truly celebrate: the birth of the most influential man ever to walk on the earth. His name means the âpraiseworthy oneâ.
To some Arabs, history actually began in 570, the year in which their greatest son was born into the noble Makkan tribe of Quraysh. A direct descendant of Ishmael (Ismaâil ), the father of the Semitic Arab race, he single-handedly dragged the Arab people from being a footnote of human history to be the founders of one of historyâs greatest civilisations. More importantly, he accomplished such an unprecedented feat without any wherewithal. Caesar (b. cir. 100-d. 44 BCE) had the pomp and power of Rome; Alexander (b. 356-d. 323BCE) had a mighty army; Heraclius (b. cir. 575-d. 64ICE) had immense wealth and resources, while Napoleon (b. 1769-d. 1821) was trained at a military academy; but he had none of these things. He started with nothing but ended up with the whole world. That was the greatness of the man called Muhammad, historyâs most incomparable religious- cum-political genius.
Living in seventh century Arabia, Muhammad became increasingly detached from the superstitious beliefs and practices of his people. He began to explore and take a closer interest in spiritual matters by secluding himself on the Mount of Light (jabal al-nur), situated on the outskirts of the Arabian town of Makkah, for meditation and spiritual renewal. As political corruption, social inequality, economic disparity between the poor and rich, and religious superstition and tribal conflict increasingly became the order of the day in Makkah and across Arabia, Muhammad began to search for serious answers to his societyâs maladies. As he approached his fortieth birthday, his meditation and retreat on the Mount of Light intensified and reached its climax during one night in the month of Ramadan, which resulted in a direct visitation from archangel Gabriel ( Jibril ), conveying to him the first of a series of Divine revelations, which he continued to receive until his death in 632.
The angel confirmed that he, Muhammad, was Godâs last and final Prophet (nabi) to humanity and the Qurâan, consisting of one hundred and fourteen chapters (suwar) of variable length, was Godâs last and final revelation (wahy) to mankind. This Divine intervention in history marked the beginning of Muhammadâs Prophetic mission. The result was that Islam â meaning submission to the Will of One God (Allah in Arabic) â completely transformed Muhammad, and he went out to invite his fellow countrymen to the worship of One God. From that day on, the promulgation and propagation of Islam became his main preoccupation in life.
As soon as the Prophet publicly announced the message of Islam, some, especially those who had suffered hardship under the oppressive rule of the Makkan oligarchy, responded positively to his call. However, the ruling Makkan elites became very hostile and abusive towards Muhammad as soon as the implication of his new message became clear to them. In a fiercely feudalistic, tribally entrenched and paternalistic Makkan society, the message of Islam advocated the need for a different approach to politics, social justice, economics and human spirituality. Indeed, in a grossly unjust and unfair Makkah (and Arabian society as a whole), the Prophetâs message of freedom, equality, justice, fair play and brotherhood was nothing short of a breath of fresh air.
Not surprisingly, the status quo maintained and perpetuated by a handful of tribal chieftains in order to protect their own politico-economic interests soon came under direct threat from Islam. Thus, the Prophet and his message became the main target of their hostility and enmity. Undaunted by the severity of the hardship and hostility directed towards him and his small band of followers, Muhammad continued to proclaim the message of Islam in and around Makkah for more than a decade.
In 622, the Prophet was invited by a delegation from the nearby oasis of Yathrib to move to their city. The Prophet accepted their offer and moved to Yathrib, which later became known as madinat al-nabi (or the âcity of the Prophetâ). The Prophetâs migration to Madinah (hijrah) thus became a momentous event in Islamic history. The Islamic calendar, known as the Hijri calendar, is dated back to the day the Prophet left his native Makkah for Madinah. In this beautiful Arabian oasis, the Prophet received a heroâs welcome, as its inhabitants came out in their droves and pledged allegiance to him by embracing Islam. From that day on, Madinah became a very special place for all Muslims; and it also became the hub of Islamic learning, culture and civilisation for all times to come.
When the Makkan chiefs were informed about the Prophetâs success in Madinah, they became very shocked and alarmed. Having tried to undermine him and his mission in Makkah and failed most miserably, they now conspired to create unrest in Madinah by setting factions of hypocrites, rival tribes of pagans, Jews and the new âimmigrantsâ (muhajirun) from Makkah against each other. But, thanks to the Prophetâs polished diplomatic skills, their strategies came to nothing. Undeterred, the Makkan chieftains then marched to Madinah with a large contingent in order to obliterate the nascent Muslim community. The Prophet and his small band of followers met the advancing Makkan army at the plain of Badr, located on the outskirts of Madinah. More than one thousand strong, the well-equipped Makkan army fought just over three hundred ill-equipped and unprepared Muslims. Miraculously, the Prophet and his followers inflicted a crushing defeat on their Makkan foes. The Muslims returned to Madinah in elation, while the Makkan army returned home in total disarray.
Determined to avenge their humiliation, the unrelenting Makkan chiefs attempted to obliterate the Muslims on a few other occasions, but they failed to breach the stiff defence put up by the Muslims. Demoralised by their failure to wipe out the Muslims, the Makkans were eventually forced to agree to a treaty with the Prophet and make peace. Even though the terms and conditions of the treaty were biased in favour of the Makkans, the Prophet agreed to sign it, despite protestations from some of his companions. This was a shrewd move on his part because this period of peace gave the people of Makkah the opportunity to see Islam in action in Madinah for the first time. During their journeys to Madinah, the Makkans saw a society utterly transformed. The Prophet had turned a warring and bitterly divided oasis into a thriving civil society.
For the first time in its history, tribal factionalism, social injustice, economic inequality, political oppression, physical torture and abuse, maltreatment of women and cruelty towards slaves were no longer the order of the day in Madinah. On the contrary, brotherhood and fraternity between the believers; love, understanding and co-operation between kith and kin; respect for the rights of women; freeing of slaves and an unrivalled interest in learning and education became the key features of the new society created by the Prophet only a few hundred miles away from Makkah. This unparalleled transformation of a tribal society and its peopleâs hearts, minds, thoughts, morals and customs was accomplished by the Prophet and done so within a matter of a decade.
Muhammad led the people of Madinah by his personal example. He did not say one thing and do another. Whether it was in the intense heat of the battlefield or during prayers in the mosque; during the daylight or in the middle of the night; at times of hunger and hardship or in times of happiness and joy, he was at the forefront of everything. The people of Madinah became so fond of him that they meticulously moulded their actions, behaviour and even their style of dressing, eating, drinking and sleeping in accordance with the Prophetâs norms and practices. To them, the Prophet Muhammad was simply al-insan al-kamil (or âthe perfect human beingâ). Such unfailing love and devotion shown to their leader by a people was not only unheard of, but it was also unprecedented in the annals of history.
In the year 630, the Prophet and a large contingent of his devout followers marched into Makkah, the city of his birth, without a single drop of blood being shed. On seeing him enter Makkah, the people of the city came out in their droves and pledged allegiance to him by embracing Islam. The Prophetâs most inveterate opponent, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb (b. 560-d. 652), was, however, offered protection by none other than the Prophetâs uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (b. 568-d. 652). Typical of the Prophet, on entering Makkah he announced that anyone who took shelter in the courtyard of the sacred Kaâbah, in the house of Abu Sufyan, or remained indoors would be safe. Even Abu Sufyan knew when Muhammad made a promise, he would stick to it come what might. The next morning, accompanied by Abbas, he went straight to the Prophet and most willingly pledged allegiance to him. The Prophet forgave him for his persistent past misdeeds and told him that he was free to go about his business as a free man. This was an extraordinary act of clemency and compassion. Hitherto, Abu Sufyan had been unrelenting in his pursuit of the Prophet and his followers, but Muhammad chose to forgive and forget rather than seek retribution. That was the quality and greatness of the man called âa mercy to the universeâ (rahmatun lil alamin).
With the conversion of Makkah and its neighbouring towns to the fold of Islam, the Prophet accomplished a feat never achieved by an Arab before him, namely, to unite the constantly bickering and rival Arabian tribes under the banner of a common denominator. That common denominator was Islam, which transcended all tribal affiliations and internal factionalism, as it collectively channelled the Arabsâ might and energy in one direction, namely the dissemination of Islam, and in so doing they transformed the course of human history forever. Muhammad, the Prophet par excellence and the Qurâan, the Divine revelation, thus combined to inspire the Muslims of Arabia to achieve the unprecedented success which they subsequently achieved.
In just over two decades, Muhammad radically transformed a hitherto neglected, barren and primitive Arabian Peninsula into a thriving centre of learning, culture, commerce and civilisation. By all accounts, this was a truly remarkable achievement, unprecedented not only in Arab history, but also global history. As he approached his sixtieth birthday, he knew his mission was drawing to an end. In the tenth year of the hijrah, the Prophet performed his farewell pilgrimage and delivered one of the most powerful, eloquent and inspiring sermons ever composed by a religious leader. Standing on the plain of Arafat in front of around one hundred and twenty thousand people, he began by praising and thanking God, and said:
âO people, lend me an attentive ear for I do not know whether, after this year, I would meet you again. Therefore, listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and take these words to those who could not be present here today. O people, just as you regard this month; this day; this city as sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed appear before God and answer for your actions. All dues of interest shall stand cancelled and you will have only your capital back; God has forbidden interest. You will neither inflict, nor suffer, inequityâŚâ
âBeware of Shaytan (Satan) for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in great things, so beware of following him in small things. O people, your wives have a certain right over you, and you have certain rights over them. Treat them well and be kind to them, for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with anyone who you do not like as well as never be unchaste.â
âO people, listen to me carefully! Worship God, perform your five daily prayers (salah), fast the month of Ramadan (sawm), pay alms (zakat) and make the pilgrimage (hajj) if you can afford it. All humanity is from Adam and Eve. There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab, nor for a non-Arab over an Arab; a white man over a black man, nor for a black man over a white man, except through piety (taqwa). All the believers are brothers, and the believers constitute one nation. You are not allowed to take the things belonging to another Muslim unless he gives it to you willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.â
âO people, reflect on my words. Remember, one day you will appear before God and answer for your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone. O people, be mindful of those who work under you. Feed and clothe them as you feed and clothe yourselves. O people, no prophet or messenger will come after me and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore, O people, and understand the words that I convey to you. I leave behind me two things: the Qurâan and my example (sunnah), and if you follow these you will not go stray. All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness, O God, that I have conveyed Your message to Your people.â
The Prophet Muhammad was an outstanding orator and a master of succinctness. He spoke only when required and did so in a brief but comprehensive manner. This sermon illustrates how beautiful and unsurpassed his oratory and communication skills were. Although he was unlettered, he could nevertheless communicate with both men and women, young and aged, lettered as well as the unlettered in a masterly fashion. Even his critics admired his sound logic, sharp intellect, organisational ability and his down-to-earth approach. He was neither extreme, nor too lax in his words or deeds; instead, he preached and practiced moderation in everything. Whenever he was given an option between two things, he always chose the easy option and encouraged his companions to make religion easy for the people. According to his wife, Aishah, he was a âwalking Qurâanâ who was very kind and generous to those around him, and personified angelic qualities and attributes.
With the successful completion of his mission, the Prophet returned to Madinah where he passed away at the age of sixty-three. The Prophet Muhammadâs achievements are so varied and extensive that it would require a separate book to fully document them. He was an unusually gifted man who radically transformed the course of human history by the sheer dint of his unique character and powerful personality. Today, more than fourteen hundred years after his death, his powerful message and teachings continue to influence mankindâs journey in tune with the march of time. No other single human being has been able to influence our minds, thoughts, ideas and destinies like him. That is why Prophet Muhammad is not only the greatest Muslim; he was also the most influential man ever to walk on the earth.
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Umar ibn al-Khattab
(b.ca.581 - d.644)
AFTER THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD, Umar is undoubtedly the most influential and enduring figure in Islamic history. Strong, charismatic, firm but equally just; fair as well as a leader par excellence, gifted men like Umar are a very rare breed in human history. As an exceptional all-rounder, Umar was blessed with outstanding abilities in all spheres of human endeavour. Indeed, the Prophet Muhammad said if there was to be another prophet after him, it would surely have been Umar. The Prophet aside, Umarâs achievements are second to none in Islamic history. That is why today Muslims in every corner of the earth are praying for a leader like Umar to emerge and guide the ummah (global Islamic community) through the turbulent waters of history.
Umar ibn al-Khattab ibn Nufail ibn Abd al-Uzza was born into the Adi branch of the Qurayshi tribe of Makkah. Of medium height and muscular build, he was an accomplished wrestler in his pre-Islamic days. He was also a forceful orator and one of only a handful of Qurayshis who knew how to read and write at that time. Umar grew up to be an honest and likeable young man who became a relatively successful merchant and trader during his early twenties. After Muhammad anno...
