Syed Zaid Zaman Hamid

How can you describe a man who remains indescribable? How can you capture the magnanimity of a soulwhich still remains so mystifying? He dazzled the world when he came, transformed it when he was aroundand continues to amaze even today with his spectacular balance of contradictions within his soul. Soinfluential yet so merciful. So magnificent yet so humble. So lacking in worldly resources, yet so generous indistributing. Possessed so meager means yet shaped the world for all times to come. Had so little time yetchanged the destiny of the entire humanity till eternity. Such excellence in mystical spirituality, yet suchbrilliance in mundane management.

Companions adored him, enemies respected him, kings feared him and slaves followed him. He wasunlettered but world called him the Muallim, the teacher. He tended sheep yet he created empires ofunprecedentedly humane civilization which mesmerize the world even today. His innocence was startling,yet his wisdom was penetrating. His gaze was always lowered, yet his vision penetrated the soul of the menand the time. Could be wounded under the barrage of stones and arrows and yet on other occasions wouldperform astounding miracles defying human intellect or physics.

He never wrote a book, yet world acknowledge him as the greatest lawgiver of all times, bringing with himthe Quran, the epic divine literary and spiritual master piece. He was not a king, yet he still rules the heartsand minds of over a billion humans. He was a General in battles, yet with a healer's touch of mercy andbenevolence, and would appear as a monk at night, shunning all worldly pleasures and comforts. Yet hewould be a husband par excellence and a most loving father of daughters at a time when new born girlswould be buried alive.

He was born in the cruelest of times and in the darkest of age, yet he was the mercy to the creation for alltimes to come. He brought human rights at a time when the concept never existed. He spoke of slave rights,when the very idea was a blasphemy. He taught women rights when there existed none. He preachedanimal rights when mercy to these creatures was unheard of.

So predictable, yet so enigmatic. So human, yet so divine.

For Muslims, there is no god but Allah and indeed Muhemmed is His messenger! The last in thegolden chain of prophets from Adam to Noah to Ibrahim to Moses and to Jesus. Continuation of the divinechain of Ibrahimic religions Judaism and Christianity culminating into Islam.

Even as a child, he had a mysterious radiance about him. In the medieval world he lived in, was recognizableby the learned and wise men of the Ibrahimic religions. Once at a tender age of around 10 years, heaccompanied his uncle on a trading journey to Syria, under Byzantine rule at that time. There a Christianmonk not just recognized him as the future prophet but also warned his uncle to hide him and take himaway as the Jews were also looking for the awaited prophet and would be hostile enough to physicallyharm him if they see him.

When at the age of 40 years, he received the first divine revelation through angel Gabriel; he was intenselyshaken up emotionally and sought advice from another Christian monk, Warqa Bin Nofel, uncle of hisbeloved wife Khadija. Warqa recognized him instantly as well, promising to support him in the coming trialsdestined for a prophet sent by God to ignorant people.

Once, when the message had started to spread within the Arabs, Prophet was sitting with his companions.A Jew came and started to hurl abuses at the Prophet. Prophet responded with a pleasant smile and keptblessing the insolent man. Suddenly, that man changed his tone and openly testified that prophetMuhemmed is indeed the true messenger of Allah and added that he has now fully recognized him as

And Muhemmed is His messenger!

this was also an indication ofthe true prophet in Jewishscriptures that if abuses arehurled against him, hewould respond with mercy,benevolence and smiles.

The pagans of his nativetown of Makkah alsoimmensely respected him asa truthful and honest man,

evenbefore he proclaimed to be aprophet. But when hedeclared a war against theiridols, they became hisstaunch enemies. Jews ofthe nearby city of Medina,on the other hand, fullyunderstood his mission andthe message and were in no doubt about his prophetic credentials. Still, they decided to oppose himbecause he had been born in the bloodline of Prophet Ismail within the pagan Arabs and not within theJews.

The pagans of Makkah agreed with the man but had problems with his mission. Jews of Medina agreedwith his mission but had problems with the man.

King of Ethiopia at that time was a good Christian King, Nijashi. A group of early convert Muslims hadmigrated to Ethiopia to protect themselves from the ruthless prosecution at the hands of the pagan Arabsin Makkah. While the Prophet himself had stayed back in Makkah, his companions had the opportunity topresent the message of Islam to the Ethiopian King.

The King compared the teachings of the Prophet Muhemmed with those of the Prophet Jesus andtestified that both religions Christianity and Islam had emerged from the same tree. Later, he acceptedIslam as well and upon his death in Ethiopia, his funeral prayers were led in absentia by the Prophet himself.

Once, the Prophet sent a letter to Ceaser Heracles, the ruler of Byzantium in Syria. Ceaser then invited agroup of Arabs, led by Abu Sufyan, a staunch opponent of the Prophet at that time. The objective of themeeting was to discuss this new prophet who had risen in Arabia and to put to test his claims of prophet-hood and to judge his character. History documents a very interesting conversation between the Ceaserand Abu Safyan. After this dialogue Caesar was fully convinced of the truthfulness of the prophet andremarked that the Prophet should one day be a master of the place, he (Caesar) was occupying. ThereafterCaesar ordered that the letter of Prophet be read.

Heracles was absolutely right. Within thirty years, Syria was under Muslim rule!

Prophet Muhemmed also sent a letter to the Christian ruler of Egypt, whom Arabs called Al-Muqawqis, who was the viceroy for the Byzantine Empire. Al-Maqawqis gave great protocol to theemissary of the Prophet and ordered that the letter should be placed in an ivory casket, to be kept safely inthe government treasury, and he sent the following reply:

Sadiq and Ameen,

I read your letter and understood what you have written.I have treated your messenger with respect and honor. I

am sending two maids for you as presents. These maids belong to a very respectable family amongstus. In addition I send for you clothes and a (steed) for riding. May God bestow security on you

I know that the coming of a is stilldue. But I thought, he would be born in

ProphetSyria

The magnanimity of the ProphetMuhemmed was not just recognizedby the finest visionaries, scholars and thewise rulers of that time, he has also beenhighly respected, admired and evenrevered by the many non-Muslims whohad the enlightenment within their soulsto recognize his divine attributes andprophetic mission. Throughout the ages,to those with vision and insight, hecontinues to mesmerize as the epitome ofwhat human excellence actually is.

Each one of them has understood ProphetMuhemmed according to their ownvision, understanding, depth andknowledge. Each one has tried but hasremained partially successful only, for theperson and the personality of the Prophetis too magnanimous to comprehend for allof them combined.

Duldul

Thomas Carlyle is one of the finest Britain has ever produced. ANobel laureate for his book The Heroes, he is indeed a goodChristian, just like the King of Ethiopia, honorably recognizingthe greatness of Prophet Muhemmed .

It is a great shame for anyone to listen to the accusation thatIslam is a lie and that Muhammad was a fabricator and a

deceiver. We saw that he remained steadfast upon hisprinciples, with firm determination; kind and generous,

compassionate, pious, virtuous, with real manhood,hardworking and sincere. Besides all these qualities, he waslenient with others, tolerant, kind, cheerful and praiseworthy

and perhaps he would joke and tease his companions. He wasjust, truthful, smart, pure, magnanimous and present-minded;

his face was radiant as if he had lights within him toilluminate the darkest of nights; he was a great man by naturewho was not educated in a school nor nurtured by a teacher

as he was not in need of any of this.

How one man single-handedly, could weld warring tribes andwandering Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation

in less than two decades

The lies (Western slander) which well-meaning zeal hasheaped round this man (Muhammad) are disgraceful to us

only.

A silent great soul, one of that who cannot but be earnest. Hewas to kindle the world; the world's Maker had ordered so.

George Bernard Shaw is another of the great writer,philosopher, thinker that the Western civilization hasproduced. His praise and admiration of the ProphetMuhemmed is stunning, to say the least, in the era ofwestern liberal democratic values and cultures.

I have always held the religion of Mohammad in highestimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the onlyreligion which appears to me to possess that assimilating

capacity to the changing phase of existence which canmake itself appeal to every age. I have studied him the

wonderful man and in my opinion, far from being ananti-Christ, he must be called the Saviour of humanity.

As a historian and a political philosopher ofcontemporary age, John. B. Noss's admiration of theachievements of the Prophet Muhemmedtouches the levels of amazed bewilderment.

How Muhammed Succeeded in so short atime, both in subduing the long-standing feudsamong the Arabs of Medina and in establishing

a brotherly unity between his Meccan fellowimmigrants and the native Medinese Arabs, has

been a marvel to historians

John B Noss, Man's Religions (1969). (Page 516)

Gandhi was perhaps the best Hindu produced by his pagan nation.Despite the fact that Islam and Paganism are antithesis of each other,Gandhi's honest admiration and understanding of ProphetMuhemmed and his merciful divine mission is interesting indeed .

It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of ProphetMuhammed the scrupulous regards for pledges, his intense

devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, hisfearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission.These and not the sword carried everything before them and

surmounted every obstacle.

Young India (23 sept, 1924) Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, My JailExperiences, Vol29, Pae 133

Leo Tolstoy, [1828-1920], Russian Writer, Novelist, Essayist,Philosopher and Educational Reformer said:

There is no doubt that Prophet Mohammad is one of thegreatest reformers who served the social framework

profoundly. It suffices him that he led a whole nation to theenlightenment of truth and made it more inclined towards

tranquility and peace, prefers modesty and prevented itfrom shedding blood and giving human sacrifices and

widely opened to it the gate to development andcivilization. This is a great deed that only a strong man cando and a man like that deserves to be regarded with respect

and admiration.

For political leaders and revolutionary icons, the stunningrole model set by Prophet Muhemmed defies logic andunderstandings when seen through contemporary vision.Modern political philosophy fails to answer the reasons forthe fundamental strength in the movement built by ProphetMuhemmed . Their bewilderment is amusing. It was themerciful character of the Prophet which attracted the peoplearound him like a magnet, galvanizing them into a hurricanebuilt on moral and spiritual foundations which tore throughthe cruel decayed and obsolete systems and the powers ofthe time, either pagan, Roman or the Persians.

The words 'revolution' and 'revolutionary' have amodern ring to them. Yet they do not seem out of placewhen applied to Muhammad's achievement in seventh

century Arabia. Muhammad's career was the classic oneof a revolutionary leader.

Edward Mortimer, Faith and Power- The politics of Islam (Page39&40)

Annie Besant, The Life and Teachings of Muhammad, Madras1932, p.4.

It is impossible for anyone who studies the life and character ofthe great Prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught and howhe lived, to feel anything but reverence for that mighty Prophet,one of the great messengers of the Supreme. And although in

what I put to you I shall say many things which may be familiarto many, yet I myself feel whenever I re-read them, a new way

of admiration, a new sense of reverence for that mighty Arabianteacher.

W. Montgomery, Mohammad at Mecca, Oxford, 1953, p. 52.

His readiness to undergo persecutions for his beliefs, the highmoral character of the men who believed in him and looked

up to him as leader, and the greatness of his ultimateachievement all argue his fundamental integrity. To suppose

Muhammad an impostor raises more problems than it solves.Moreover, none of the great figures of history is so poorly

appreciated in the West as Muhammad.

Alphonse de Lamartine, the renowned French historian, speaking on the essentials of human greatnesswonders in 'Histoire De La Turquie', (Paris, 1854, Vol. II, p 276-277)

If greatness of purpose, smallness of means and astounding results are the three criteria ofhuman genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad?

The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, nomore than material powers which often crumbled away beforetheir eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislation, empires,

peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of thethen inhabited world; and more than that, he moved 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 deathand his triumph after death; All these attest not to an imposture

but to a firm conviction which gave him the power to restorea dogma. This dogma was two-fold, the unity of God

and the immateriality of God; the former tellingwhat God is, the latter telling what God is not; the

one overthrowing false gods with the sword, theother 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 spiritualempire that is MUHAMMAD

As regards all the standards by whichHuman Greatness may be measured, we

may well ask,

IS THERE ANY MAN GREATER THAN HE?

Followers adhered tothe new prophet witha loyalty and devotionseldom paralleled inthe world's history.

Huston Smith, TheReligions of Man (1958).

(Page 223)

Diwan Chand Sharma, another Hindu and acontemporary of Gandhi was equally honest inaccepting the benevolence and mercy inpersonality and the mission of the ProphetMuhemmed .

Muhammad (pbuh) was the soul of kindnessand his influence is felt and never forgotten by

those around him.Diwan Chand Sharma, The Prophets of the East,

Calcutta, 1935, Page 12

Michael Hart, author of the book The 100: A Ranking of theMost Influential Persons in History' explains his reasons for

placing Prophet Muhemmed on the top of this list of greatpeople of all times.

My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world'smost influential persons may surprise some readers andmay be questioned by others, but he was the only man

in history who was supremely successful on both thereligious and secular levels. Muhammad founded and

promulgated one of the world's great religions, andbecame an immensely effective political leader. Today,Islam exerts an enormous influence upon the lives of

its followers. It is for this reason that the founders of theworld's great religions all figure prominently in this book.

Since there are roughly twice as many Christians asMoslems in the world, it may initially seem strange that

Muhammad has been ranked higher than Jesus. There are twoprincipal reasons for that decision.

First, Muhammad played a far more important role in thedevelopment of Islam than Jesus did in the development of Christianity.

Although Jesus was responsible for the main ethical and moral precepts ofChristianity (insofar as these differed from Judaism), St. Paul was the main developer of

Christian theology, its principal proselytizer, and the author of a large portion of the NewTestament.

Muhammad, however, was responsible for both the theology of Islam and its main ethical andmoral principles. In addition, he played the key role in proselytizing the new faith, and in

establishing the religious practices of Islam.

Moreover, he is the author of the Moslem Holy Scriptures, the Koran, a collection of certain ofMuhammad's insights that he believed had been directly revealed to him by Allah. Most of theseutterances were copied more or less faithfully during Muhammad's lifetime and were collectedtogether in authoritative form not long after his death. The Quran therefore, closely represents

Muhammad's ideas and teachings and to a considerable extent his exact words.

No such detailed compilation of the teachings of Christ has survived. Since the Koran is at leastas important to Moslems as the Bible is to Christians, the influence of Muhammed through the

medium of the Koran has been enormous. It is probable that the relative influence ofMuhammad on Islam has been larger than the combined influence of Jesus Christ and St. Paul

on Christianity.

On the purely religious level, then, it seems likely that Muhammad has been as influential inhuman history as Jesus. Furthermore, Muhammad (unlike Jesus) was a secular as well as a

religious leader. In fact, as the driving force behind the Arab conquests, he may well rank as themost influential political leader of all time the Arab conquests of the seventh century have

continued to play an important role in human history, down to the present day. It is thisunparalleled combination of secular and religious influence which I feel entitles Muhammad to

be considered the most influential single figure in human history.

And indeed we have sent you (Muhemmed ) asthe mercy to the entire creation

It would only be prudent if we try to understand the profound depth of his mercy through his ownexamples, as referred to by the Muslims. After Quran, the remains the primary source ofIslamic faith and law. Prophet's words, , and his biography, has been most carefullydocumented and preserved for centuries. Unlike Prophet Jesus or Prophet Moses, the life of ProphetMuhemmed is well preserved for all times to come giving a clear window to this wonderfully amazing andmystifying life. It is a consistent example of the strength of character, patience, wisdom, tolerance,benevolence and mercy for all creation friends, followers, family, slaves, enemies, animals and evenplants and trees -- the gold standards of morality and mercy for the coming centuries, for all humanity, forall times to come. In the medieval dark ages, he came with such divine benevolence and mercy that heappeared surreal.

He came into the pagan Arabia, in the city of Makkah, where idol worshiping powerful elite immediatelytook his benevolent message of one God and equality of man, mercy, tolerance and justice as a mortalthreat to their system and faith. More than the unseen God of Muhemmed , it was his revolutionaryand benevolent message, which made slaves as equal humans to their masters, which threatened theruling elite.

The persecution began almost immediately. For 13 years, the Prophet and his small band of poor anddestitute followers had to brave the worst crime against humanity. Not allowed to retaliate and almostdefenseless, the poor followers were burnt on hot sands, imprisoned, chained, beaten, exiled and evenkilled. They were rebels of the system and gods and in those times there was no concept of human rights orslave rights or women rights. The persecution was brutal and total. The Prophet would see with teary eyes,his beloved follower Bilal, a black slave, beaten mercilessly on hot sands, being forced to abandon his newfaith. Old Yasir and his aged wife Sumayya's story is yet another tale of soul shaking cruelty which they hadto bear for being followers of the Prophet. Sumayya too was brutally killed.

Prophet himself went through the worst of atrocities against him. Once on a visit to Taif, he was so badlybeaten with stones that his sandals were soaked with his blood oozing from his head and face. Even then,he refused to curse the perpetrators, praying for their guidance instead. History records these words of theProphet at this most difficult time of his life till date.

Sunnah, SunnahHadees Seerat,

O Allah! I complain to You of my weakness, my scarcity of resources and the humiliation I havebeen subjected to by the people. O Most Merciful of those who are merciful. O Lord of the weakand my Lord too. To whom have you entrusted me? To a distant person who receives me with

hostility? Or to an enemy to whom you have granted authority over my affair? So long as You are

not angry with me, I do not care. Your favor is of a more expansive relief to me. I seek refuge inthe light of Your Face by which all darkness is dispelled and every affair of this world and the next

is set right, lest Your anger or Your displeasure descends upon me. I desire Your pleasure andsatisfaction until You are pleased. There is no power and no might except by You.

I pray that Allah (S.W.T) blesses their children to be Muslims and worship Allah (S.W.T) alone.Even if they have rejected Islam, I pray that Allah (S.W.T) blesses their progeny to be Muslim.'

Have mercy on those who are on the planet earth and you shall have the mercy of He who is inheaven.

The Prophet still bleeding and his shoes still wet with blood then went on to pray for the guidance of thesepeople.

It was during these times of persecution that he had allowed a band of his followers to migrate to Ethiopia,where they had met the good King Nijashi. Every day, the Prophet would be insulted, humiliated, harmedand even attacked. His patience was stunning, his kindness shocking even to his worst enemies. It was hisacts of kindness and mercy that would win him many followers from his staunchest of enemies. A womanwould always throw garbage on him to hurt him as much as she could. One day, Prophet found the womanabsent from her routine. Upon inquiry, it was told to him that she was sick. Prophet visited her, tended herand prayed for her speedy recovery. She was moved beyond words, instantly converting to the new faith.

Throughout this period of most brutal persecution, called the Mekkan period, the focus of his mission wason building a spiritual, benevolent and merciful group of followers who were to lead the world tomorrowand capture the Roman and the Persian empires to create such a magnificent and benevolent civilizationwhich was never seen by the world before. His vision was clear, his mission defined, his teachings incrediblyspiritual, simple and humane. Worship only one God, prepare for the Day of Judgment, Feed the hungry,give charity, free the slave, protect the orphan, respect the women, do not bury your daughters, bemerciful to the creation, do not be arrogant, be forgiving. The teachings documented in the Quran at thattime are still called the Mekkan revelations.

After facing 13 years of brutal persecution and suffering atrocities at the hands of Makkans, The Prophetdecided to migrate to the city of Medina, where he founded the first Islamic state and formed agovernment, created civil and social administration and formulated laws of economics, warfare andinternational relations. He was so sure of his destiny and purity of the cause that while he was secretlymigrating from Mekkah to Medina, apparently, to save his life and flock from total decimation, he foretoldhis followers that within their lifetime, they will be capturing the Roman and the Persian empires! Within35 years of this migration, Muslim armies had marched out of the Arabian Peninsula and had taken overIraq, Persia, Syria and Egypt and had marched into North Africa, Central Asia and China and had created thegreatest benevolent human society ever known to man.

He was a divinely blessed Prophet besides being a conquering worldly ruler and his personality reflected anamazing and precise balance between the two seemingly diametrically opposite duties. He was a mentorand a teacher to his flock, while planning and executing military campaigns and expeditions, both withsublime spiritual purity and overflowing benevolence. The spiritual and merciful dimension never left themundane management of secular world-craft, a concept not known to the world before him. A spiritualbenevolent dictatorship!

Rules of warfare were defined in a time when Roman and Persian empires were famous for massbutchery and rape of non-combatants, women, children and the infirm.

Women and Children are not to be harmed. Honor of women to be protected. Those who surrender to beprotected. Those in places of worship to be protected. No trees to be cut. No farms to be burnt. No animalsto be killed. No freed man to be turned into a slave. No amputation or disfiguring of slaves or prisoners.

And then lead by his own example of such mercy that drove even his staunchest of enemies into a state ofdisbelief. After 21 years of facing persecution, warfare and hardships, Muslims armies finally marchedvictoriously into Makkah. Everyone, including some of his followers, expected scores to be settled.Makkans expected worst for their crimes as now the persecuted ones marched as victorious Generals. TheProphet asked the Makkans who were awaiting their fate,

Rules of warfare were changed forever!

For all times to come, this benevolence of the Prophet became the Muslim law of warfare and conquests.When conquering Muslim armies captured Christian Jerusalem from the Roman Empire, nearly 10 yearsafter Prophet's demise, the same laws were applied to the local population. Unlike the traditions of the warof the time, not a single soul was killed, not a woman dishonored, not a coin robbed, not a churchdestroyed. Entire population was brought under the protection with full freedom to practice their faith,trade and customs. The Caliph Umerrefused to pray in the ChristianChurch under the fear that Muslimsmight be tempted to convert thisplace into a Masjid later. He steppedout and prayed in an open unclaimedpiece of land, where later on,Muslims did construct a Masjid asmemorial.

Almost 3 hundred years later, whenthe marching Christian armies re-took the city during Crusades, everysingle Muslim in the city wasbutchered, woman raped, childrenthrown from watch towers and suchslaughter was carried out that it isreported that Muslim blood reachedthe knees of the Knights' horses inthe same Masjid of Umer!

How do you expect me to treat you? They responded unanimously: "You are a noble one, the sonof a noble one."

Then came the judgment:

You are free to go. There is not going to be any revenge or punishment.

May God forgive you.

Ninety years later, Syrian Sultan Salahuddin once again re-took the city and once again displayed thesame benevolent and merciful character which the Prophet had showed in Makkah and Caliph Umerhad shown in the first capturing of Jerusalem not a single soul, not even the armed knights, wereharmed and all were forgiven, treated with mercy, allowed to leave with all their belongings underprotection of Muslim patrols.

When Muslim armies captured a city in Syria in the earliest campaigns of the companions of the Prophet, atax was imposed upon the local Christian population for their protection and security. But later, Muslimarmies had to abandon the city due to campaigns elsewhere and the agreement to protect the localpopulation stood breached. On the orders of the Muslim theatre Commander, Khalid Bin Waleed, theentire tax collected was refunded to the local Christian population before the Muslim armies marched out.The local Roman Christian population was so stunned by this justice and magnanimity that they begged theMuslim army to return at their earliest!

In those times, it was the warfare between the empires which brought out the worst face of humanity.Butchery, slaughter, rape, arson, looting and destroying the cities, orchids and the farmlands anddecimating the animals was a standard norm practiced by all societies Christian Romans, ZoroastrianPersians or Pagan Arabs. Prisoners had no rights, slaves were not considered humans. Women wereauction-able commodity and concepts of human or animal rights were considered lunacy. It was in thosetimes of total darkness, the Prophet and his companions created an empire nurtured on such stunningbenevolence and mercy that it defies human logic. In 23 years of his struggle from facing brutalpersecution to finally capturing Makkah and creating a State in Arabian Peninsula, Prophet only had to killless than a thousand opponents in battles! A mind boggling figure considering the staggering size of theaccomplishment. Enemy prisoners caught in battle were released if they would teach ten Muslim childrento read and write! Captured enemy combatants were treated better than own household members andfed better than the food Muslim families would eat.

It was not the sword which brought him such stunning success or such die hard followers. It was him! It was

Taking of Jerusalem by the Crusaders, 15th July 1099. Painting by Emile Signol

impossible not to fall in love with him! He was the legend, the icon and personification of mercy never seenbefore.

The mission, whose beginnings were so humble, had turned into a powerful gale force wind within 22 yearswith over 125 thousand followers marching with him on his last Hajj, few months before his passing away.And within the next 30 years, Muslim empire had spread to 3 continents from China to North Africa. It wasan astounding welfare empire where no human being went hungry. Where every baby born was paid astipend. Where even an old Jew was given a pension. Where a Christian slave could win a case against aMuslim ruler and get him lashed. Where the Muslim Caliph could lose his case in court against a subjectJew. Where Muslim armies would simply hand over the city intact back to the defeated army because aMuslim judge had ruled that Muslim army had violated the terms of war. Where a Muslim Commander inEgypt would abandon his tent and place guards on it for protection just because a female pigeon had laideggs on it.

Every act done by his followers were reflecting him in them. It was the Prophet who had once cut off asleeve of his shirt because he needed his shirt but a cat was sleeping on it and he did not want to disturb theanimal. Once coming back from an expedition, the Prophet noticed a disturbed bird because its eggs werepicked up by one of his companions. He ordered him to return them to the nest and only after the restless

bird calmed down that he too felt at ease himself. He had taught thateven a sinful Jewish woman may be forgiven by God if she is kind towardsthe animals. He warned of hell fire if an animal is kept tied and not fed andwatered or burdened beyond his capacity. Once a man burnt a den ofants. Prophet was saddened and ordered that no creature should ever beburnt again. He would be saddened when he would see an underfedcamel, always warning his followers to fear God in such matters.

His benevolence towards children especially little girls was intense. Oncethe Prophet cried like a baby when a man told him the story that how hehad buried his own daughter alive for fear of poverty. In those timeswhen girls or women had no rights and were treated worse than animalsand even buried alive, he gave them the rights of inheritance, ofeducation, to chose in marriage, to separate from a husband and to ownwealth and do trade. He would play with his grandsons, making them rideon his shoulders and advising all around him to love and respect thechildren.

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It is called the last sermon of the Prophet in the Islamic scriptures. In the22 year of the mission, just few months before he passed away, when hehad firmly established his authority over the Arabian peninsula and hadwritten letters, as a sovereign head of the state and a prophet of God, to allthe major powers of the world, inviting them towards Islam, the Prophetgave this sermon at the time of Hajj. Over 125 thousand followers and diehard companions listened in awe and reverence and noted this universaldeclaration of human rights, spiritual enlightenment and benevolentgovernance for all humanity for all times to come. 1400 hundred yearsbefore any UN charter or centuries before any magna carta, this supremedeclaration of human rights and benevolence became the cornerstone ofIslamic civilizations over the following centuries. Human intellect andgenius still fails to produce such a masterpiece even today. It would beprudent to copy the contents of this amazing charter which is thefountainhead of all human rights charters ever known to man till this time.

nd

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"All praise is due to Allah, so we praise Him, and seek His pardon and weturn to Him. We seek refuge with Allah from the evils of ourselves andfrom the evil consequences of our deeds. Whom Allah guides aright there is none to lead himastray; and there is none to guide him aright whomAllah leads astray. I bear witness that there isno God butAllah, the One, having no partner with Him. His is the sovereignty and to Him is dueall praise. He grants life and causes death and is Powerful over everything. There is no God butAllah, the One; He fulfilled His promise and granted victory to His bondsman, and He alonerouted the confederates (of the enemies of Islam).

O' People! Listen to my words, for I do not know whether we shall evermeet again and perform Hajj after this year. O' Ye people! Allah says, O'people We created you from one male and one female and made you intotribes and nations, so as to be known to one another. Verily in the sight

of Allah, the most honored amongst you is the one who is mostGod-fearing. There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab and for a non-Arab overan Arab, nor for the white over the black nor for the black over the white except in God-

consciousness.All mankind is the progeny of Adam and Adam was fashioned out of clay.

Behold; every claim of privilege whether that of blood or property, isunder my heels except that of the custody of the Ka'bah and supplying ofwater to the pilgrims, O' people of Quraish, don't appear (on the Day of

Judgment) with the burden of this world around your necks, whereas other people mayappear (before the Lord) with the rewards of the hereafter. In that case I shall avail you

naught against Allah.Behold! All practice of the days of ignorance are now under my feet. The

THE LAST SERMON

blood revenges of the days of ignorance are remitted. The first claim onblood I abolish is that of Ibn Rabiah bin Harith who was nursed in the

tribe of Sa'ad and whom the Hudhayls killed.All interest and usurious dues accruing from the times of ignorance stand wiped out.

And the first amount of interest that I remit is that which Abbas ibn Abd-al Muttalib hadto receive. Verily it is remitted entirely.

O' people! Verily your blood, your property and your honor are sacred andinviolable until you appear before your Lord, as the sacred inviolabilityof this day of yours, this month of yours and this very town (of yours).

Verily you will soon meet your Lord and you will be held answerable foryour actions.

O' people! Verily you have got certain rights over your women and yourwomen have certain rights over you. It is your right upon them to honor

their conjugal rights, and not to commit acts of impropriety, which ifthey do, you are authorized by Allah to separate them from your beds amd chastise

them, but not severely, and if they refrain, then clothe and feed them properly.Behold! It is not permissible for a woman to give anything from the wealth of her

husband to anyone but with his consent.Treat the women kindly, since they are your helpers and not in a position

to manage their affairs themselves. Fear Allah concerning women, forverily you have taken them on the security of Allah and have made their

persons lawful unto you by words of Allah.O' people! Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, has ordained to everyone hisdue share (of inheritance). Hence there is no need (of special) testament

for an heir (departing from the rules laid down by the Shari'ah).The child belongs to the marriage-bed and the violator of wedlock shall be stoned. And

Reckoning of their (deeds) rests with Allah.He who attributes his ancestry to other than his father or claims hisclient ship to other than his master, the curse of Allah is upon him.

All debts must be repaid, all borrowed property must be returned, giftsshould be reciprocated and a surety must make good the loss to the assured.

Beware! No one committing a crime is responsible for it but himself.Neither the child is responsible for the crime of his father, nor the

father is responsible for the crime of his child.Nothing of his brother is lawful for a Muslim except what he himself gives willingly. So

do not wrong yourselves.O' People! Every Muslim is the brother of every other Muslim, and all the

Muslims form one brotherhood. And your slaves; see that you feed them with such food

as you eat yourselves, and clothe them with the clothes that you yourselves wear.Take heed not to go astray after me and strike one another's necks. He who (amongst

you) has any trust with him, he must return it to its owner.O' people! Listen and obey, though a mangled Abyssinian slave is appointed

your Amir, provided he executes (the Ordinance of) the Book of Allah among you.O' people! No Prophet would be raised after me and no new Ummah (would be formed)

after you.Verily I have left amongst you that which will never lead you astray, the

Book of Allah, which if you hold fast you shall never go astray.And beware of transgressing the limits set in the matters of religion, for

it is transgression of (the proper bounds of) religion that broughtdestruction to many people before you.

Verily, the Satan is disappointed at ever being worshipped in this land ofyours, but he will be pleased by obedience in anything (short of worshipthat is) in matters you may be disposed to think insignificant, so beware

of him in your matters of religion.Behold! Worship your Lord; offer prayers five times a day; observe fast in the month ofRamadhaan; pay readily the Zakat (poor due) on your property; and perform pilgrimage

to the House of God and obey your rulers and you will be admitted to the Paradise ofyour Lord.

Let him that is present, convey it unto him who is absent, for many peopleto whom the message is conveyed may be more mindful of it than the

audience.And if you were asked about me, what would you say?"

Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) lifted his forefinger towards thesky and then pointing towards people said:

"O' Lord: Bear Thou witness unto it.O' Lord: Bear Thou witness unto it."

They answered, "We bear witness that you have conveyed the trust (ofreligion) and discharged your ministry of Prophet-hood and looked to our

welfare."

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Islam was an idea whose time had come!

People fell in love with the idea and the man who brought it. The sword only allowed the people to makefree choices as liberated men and they chose to follow the Messenger whom most of them had never seenbut had witnessed the incredible strength of character, benevolence and morality of his companions whichhe had trained in his own image. As one great companion of the Prophet and the theatre commander forthe Iraqi and Syrian fronts Khalid Bin Waleed explained the mission we have come to liberate humansfrom the slavery of man and to bring them under the protection of God!

Spiritual merciful benevolence woven into the brutal craft of warfare, seemingly diametrically oppositeconcepts, built an explosive ideology which took the world by the storm.

In the medieval dark ages, it was this incredible display of benevolence in shaping the global geo-politics bythe Islamic civilization which swelled its ranks staggeringly in such short period of time within the Christian,Persian, African and the Roman lands. Almost the entire population of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Egypt and NorthAfrica became Muslims and these countries remain Muslim majority lands even today.

The humble journey that began from the barrenmountains in Makkah and was led by a Sheppard andfollowed by the black slaves and the weakest of themen in the pagan society transformed the worldforever, creating the greatest spiritual civilizationsknown to man, larger than the Roman empire,expansive than Alexander's, all within a span of mere50 years! Indeed the phenomenon has baffled thesocial scientists and historians forever.

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The beginning of the 20 century saw the zenith of thewestern civilization as industrial, economic, culturaland military power. The doctrine of separating theChurch from the State had been firmly established.Now the western world would be ruled by the secularvalues either democratic or dictatorial. God had noplace in the modern geo-politics. The industrial agemeant that now man could destroy itself at anindustrial scale too, unbridled, free from the shacklesof spiritual morality or prophetic guidance. The resultwas predictable.

The greatest mass slaughter of humanity began,hidden under the faade of liberty, equality andfraternity or ethnic, nationalist and linguistic arrogance. More humans women, children and the weak --died in brutal warfare in the first 50 years of the 20 century than in the last 1000 years of human history!Western civilization as we see today is built on the biggest mass slaughter of humanity known to historyand it is still continuing. Desperate efforts to find solutions by confused men to end the crisis created morechaos. Over 200 million more people were killed and counting in the anarchic wars, disease and povertyin the second half of the 20 century!

21 century brought more wars, more misery and more anarchy and it is clear that mad men are in chargeof the world today driven by greed, lust, power and the very Satan himself. The excellence of technologyhas brought out the worst of humanity. Search for the higher quality of life has brought out a disgustingquality of man. Oceans are polluted, acid rain is pouring, animal and plant species are becoming extinct,disease, poverty, wars are tearing apart the social and moral fabric of societies, over half the population ofthe world goes hungry when only 500 people control 90% wealth and resources of the world! Families aretorn apart, marriage has become obsolete, adultery has become a norm, racial, religious and ethnic hatredrule with vengeance in the space age, the dark ages have returned!

Humanity is heading towards a collective suicide led by the deaf, dumb and the blind. Human race is atrisk now. This is the very best this liberal, secular amoral western civilization has to offer!

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Dr. Muhemmed Iqbal, the greatest philosopher, thinker, poet, visionary and the ideologue born in the 20century is also called the poet of the East, , and the Messiah of the nation,

, had clearly prophesized that this western secular civilization will commit suicide with its owndagger and had given the final verdict that:

About the liberal secular western democracy of the present times, Iqbal had warned

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shair e Mashriq Hakeem ulUmmah

Whether it is powerful kings or the circus of democracy, whenever Statecraft and politics wouldbe devoid of the spiritual guidance, morality and the benevolence of the divine faith, the resultwould be anarchic chaos, death and destruction such as orchestrated by the Genghis Khan!

You consider democracy as a fairy of freedom, but in fact, it is a monster of tyranny and crueltywhich is charging towards you.

Have you not seen the democracy of the west? Its face may seem bright but what it hides withinits soul is darker and crueler than Genghis Khan.

Democracy is a system in which they count the people but do not respect their wisdom.

Taunting on the charter of the United Nations, Iqbal commented in an Urdu verse.

In another Urdu verse, Iqbal had called the modern secular nation states as the,

But was quick to clarify that he is talking of the nations in the western sense and not in the sense usedin Islam. He also introduced the terms spiritual democracy or benevolent dictatorship, an alternatepolitical model on the prophetic methods to create a universal welfare and benevolent state to replace

the modern divisive liberal secular amoral nation state concept.

Iqbal, like so many other finest minds from the western civilization, had reached the conclusion that it isonly the prophet Muhemmed and his model of spiritual benevolent leadership which can salvagehumanity from this present catastrophically abysmal state. Iqbal was also acutely aware that thefundamental responsibility of delivering this message remains on the shoulders of the Muslim civilization,as the custodians of the great inheritance of the Prophet. He would shake the collective conscious of theMuslims violently:

Makkah (where Muslims gather humbly in a bond of brotherhood from all over the worldirrespective of their caste, color or creed for the pilgrimage of Hajj) sends a message to Geneva:

is it better to divide people into small nations based on ethnic, linguistic and religious differencesor is it better to unite the humanity under a common bond of faith, equality, tolerance and love?

The largest of thenewly crafted idols, worshiped by the modern civilization which buries the moral and spiritual

benevolence of the divine faith,

You are the last message of God on earth.

The message is yet to be delivered to all humanity.

You would need fanatical zeal and passion to overcome the obstacles and you must hold thename of Prophet Muhemmed high to dazzle and brighten the world once again

He must be called the Savior of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume todictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed In solving its problems in a way that would

bring it much-needed peace and happiness

Bernard Shaw was not far behind Iqbal:

It is time the world listens to Iqbal and Bernard Shaw for there is no other alternate for humanity nowexcept to come under the benevolence of Prophet Muhemmed . God sent him as the mercy to theentre creation, for all times, for all ages, for all nations.

For indeed, there is no god but Allah and Muhemmed is His messenger!

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The Genuine Islam, Singapore, Vol 1, No 8, 1936)