You Should Know This Man !
ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA confirms:
“.... A mass of detail in the early sources show
that he was an honest and upright man who had
gained the respect and loyalty of others who
were like-wise honest and upright men." (Vol.
12)
MICHAEL H. HART in his recently published
book on ratings of men who contributed towards
the benefit and uplifting of mankind writes:
"My choice of Muhammad (pbuh) to lead the list
of the world's most influential persons may
surprise some readers and may be questioned by
others, but he was the only man in history who
was supremely successful on both the religious
and secular levels." (M.H. Hart, THE 100: A
RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN
HISTORY, New York, 1978, p. 33)
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW said about him:
"He must be called the Savior of Humanity. I
believe that if a man like him were to assume
the dictatorship of the modern world, he would
succeed in solving its problems in a way that
would bring it much needed peace and happiness."
(THE GENUINE ISLAM, Singapore, Vol. 1, No. 8,
1936)
He was by far the most remarkable man that ever
set foot on this earth. He preached a religion,
founded a state, built a nation, laid down a
moral code, initiated numerous social and
political reforms, established a powerful and
dynamic society to practice and represent his
teachings and completely revolutionized the
worlds of human thought and behavior for all
times to come.
"HIS NAME IS MUHAMMAD"- May Allah’s peace be
upon him (PBUH)
He was born in Arabia in the year 570 C.E.
(common era), started his mission of preaching
the religion of Truth, which is Islam
(submission to One God), at the age of forty and
departed from this world at the age of
sixty-three.
During the short period of 23 years of his
prophethood, he changed the complete Arabian
peninsula from paganism and idolatry to worship
of One God, from tribal quarrels and wars to
national solidarity and cohesion, from
drunkenness and debauchery to sobriety and
piety, from lawlessness and anarchy to
disciplined living, from utter bankruptcy to the
highest standards of moral excellence. Human
history has never known such a complete
transformation of a people or a place before or
since - and IMAGINE all these unbelievable
wonders in JUST OVER TWO DECADES.
LAMARTINE, the renowned historian
speaking on the essentials of human greatness
wonders: "If greatness of purpose, smallness of
means and astounding results are the three
criteria of human genius, who could dare to
compare any great man in modern history with
Muhammad (pbuh)? The most famous men created
arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if
anything at all, no more than material powers
which often crumbled away before their eyes.
This man moved not only armies, legislation,
empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of
men in one-third of the then inhabited world;
and more than that, he changed the altars, the
gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and
souls.... his forbearance in victory, his
ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea
and in no manner striving for an empire; his
endless prayers, his mystic conversations with
God, his death and his triumph after death; all
these attest not to an imposture but to a firm
conviction which gave him the power to restore a
dogma. This dogma was two-fold, the unity of God
and the immateriality of God; the former telling
what God is, the latter telling what God is not;
the one overthrowing false gods with the sword,
the other starting an idea with the words.
"Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator,
warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of
rational dogmas, of a cult without images, the
founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one
spiritual empire, that is MUHAMMAD (pbuh). As
regards all the standards by which Human
Greatness may be measured, we may well ask, IS
THERE ANY MAN GREATER THAN HE?" (LAMARTINE,
HISTOIRE DE LA TURQUIE, Paris, 1854, Vol. II, pp
276-277)
The world has had its share of great
personalities. But these were one-sided figures,
who distinguished themselves in but one or two
fields, such as religious thought or military
leadership. The lives and teachings of these
great personalities of the world are shrouded in
the mist of time. There is so much speculation
about the time and place of their birth, the
mode and style of their life, the nature and
detail of their teachings and the degree and
measure of their success or failure that it is
impossible for humanity to reconstruct
accurately the lives and teachings of these men.
Not so this man. Muhammad (PBUH) accomplished so
much in such diverse fields of human thought and
behavior in the fullest blaze of human history.
Every detail of his private life and public
utterances has been accurately documented and
faithfully preserved to our day. The
authenticity of the records so preserved are
vouched for not only by the faithful followers,
but even by his prejudiced critics.
Muhammad (PBUH) was a religious teacher, a
social reformer, a moral guide, an
administrative colossus, a faithful friend, a
wonderful companion, a devoted husband, a loving
father - all in one. No other man in history
ever excelled or equaled him in any of these
different aspects of life - but it was only for
the selfless personality of Muhammad (PBUH) to
achieve such incredible perfections.
MAHATMA GANDHI, speaking on the character
of Muhammad, (PBUH) says in YOUNG INDIA: "I
wanted to know the best of one who holds today's
undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of
mankind.... I became more than convinced that it
was not the sword that won a place for Islam in
those days in the scheme of life. It was the
rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of
the Prophet (pbuh), the scrupulous regard for
his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends
and followers, his intrepidity, his
fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in
his own mission. These and not the sword carried
everything before them and surmounted every
obstacle. When I closed the 2nd volume (of the
Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not
more for me to read of his great life."
THOMAS CALYLE, in his HEROES AND HERO WORSHIP,
was simply amazed as to: "how one man
single-handedly, could wield warring tribes and
wandering Bedouins into a most powerful and
civilized nation in less than two decades."
DIWAN CHAND SHARMA wrote: "Muhammad was
the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt
and never forgotten by those around him." (D.C.
Sharma, THE PROPHETS OF THE EAST, Calcutta,
1935, pp. 12)
EDWARD GIBBON and SIMON OCKLEY speaking on the
profession of ISLAM write: "'I BELIEVE IN ONE
GOD, AND MAHOMET, AN APOSTLE OF GOD' is the
simple and invariable profession of Islam. The
intellectual image of the Deity has never been
degraded by any visible idol; the honor of the
Prophet has never transgressed the measure of
human virtues; and his living precepts have
restrained the gratitude of his disciples within
the bounds of reason and religion." (HISTORY OF
THE SARACEN EMPIRES, London, 1870, p. 54)
Muhammad (PBUH) was nothing more or less than a
human being. But he was a man with a noble
mission, which was to unite humanity on the
worship of ONE and ONLY ONE GOD and to teach
them the way to honest and upright living based
on the commands of God. He always described
himself as, 'A Servant and Messenger of God,'
and so indeed every action of his proclaimed to
be.
Speaking on the aspect of equality before God in
Islam, the famous poetess of India, SAROJINI
NAIDU says: "It was the first religion that
preached and practiced democracy; for, in the
mosque, when the call for prayer is sounded and
worshippers are gathered together, the democracy
of Islam is embodied five times a day when the
peasant and king kneel side by side and
proclaim: 'God Alone is Great'... I have been
struck over and over again by this indivisible
unity of Islam that makes man instinctively a
brother." (S. Naidu, IDEALS OF ISLAM, vide
Speeches & Writings, Madras, 1918, p. 169)
In the words of PROF. HURGRONJE: "The
league of nations founded by the prophet of
Islam put the principle of international unity
and human brotherhood on such universal
foundations as to show candle to other nations."
He continues: "The fact is that no nation of the
world can show a parallel to what Islam has done
towards the realization of the idea of the
League of Nations."
The world has not hesitated to raise to
divinity, individuals whose lives and missions
have been lost in legend. Historically speaking,
none of these legends achieved even a fraction
of what Muhammad (PBUH) accomplished. And all
his striving was for the sole purpose of uniting
mankind for the worship of One God on the codes
of moral excellence. Muhammad (PBUH) or his
followers never at any time claimed that he was
a son of God or the God-incarnate or a man with
divinity - but he always was and is even today
considered as only a Messenger chosen by God.
K. S. RAMAKRISHNA RAO, an Indian
Professor of Philosophy in his booklet,
"Muhammad, The Prophet of Islam," calls him the
"PERFECT MODEL FOR HUMAN LIFE." Prof.
RAMAKRISHNA RAO explains his point by saying:
"The personality of Muhammad, it is most
difficult to get into the whole truth of it.
Only a glimpse of it I can catch. What a
dramatic succession of picturesque scenes! There
is Muhammad, the Prophet. There is Muhammad, the
Warrior; Muhammad, the Businessman; Muhammad,
the Statesman; Muhammad, the Orator; Muhammad,
the Reformer; Muhammad, the Refuge of Orphans;
Muhammad, the Protector of Slaves; Muhammad, the
Emancipator of Women; Muhammad, the Judge;
Muhammad, the Saint. All in all these
magnificent roles, in all these departments of
human activities, he is alike a hero."
Today after a lapse of fourteen centuries, the
life and teachings of MUHAMMAD (PBUH) have
survived without the slightest loss, alteration
or interpolation. They offer the same undying
hope for treating mankind's many ills, which
they did when he was alive. This is not a claim
of Muhammad's (PBUH) followers but also the
inescapable conclusion forced upon by a critical
and unbiased history.
The least YOU could do as a thinking and
concerned human being is to stop for a moment
and ask yourself: Could these statements
sounding so extraordinary and revolutionary be
really true? And supposing they really are true
and you did not know this man MUHAMMAD (PBUH) or
hear about him, isn't it time you responded to
this tremendous challenge and put in some effort
to know him?
It will cost you nothing but it may prove to be
the beginning of a completely new era in your
life.
Author : Husain Pasha
Source : Institute of Islamic
Information & Education |
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