3/6/2009 - Religious - Article Ref: IC0903-3823
Number of comments: 6
Opinion Summary: Agree:4 Disagree:0 Neutral:2
By: Dr. Aslam Abdullah
IslamiCity* -
Every year around 12 Rabi ul Awwal, the Muslim world once again wakes
up from its slumber and starts the ritual of praises of Prophet
Muhammad . Articles are published and speeches are delivered focusing
on every aspect of the Prophet's life.
People are inspired by the character and the wisdom reflected in his
actions. Yet memory is short lived and after a few days of
celebrations, he is once again forgotten only to be remembered during
the Friday sermons and an occasional gathering.
The day of the Prophet's birth should be a day of joy where we can all
produce results for a better humanity as a sign of our commitment to
him.
Within a short span of 23 years, Prophet Muhammad succeeded in
establishing a state run by a community that had disciplined itself in
following the eternal principles of justice and equality in all
aspects of life. In an age where mass communication was by word of
mouth only, the mission of one Prophet had become the call of over a
million people.
"We take great pride in recounting heroic tales of Islamic battles,
but we must remember that the Prophet spent less than 20 hours in
battles which cost less than 500 casualties, nearly half of them
Muslims."
During his life time, the Prophet motivated a whole generation of
people on the basis of the divine teachings and his character. Only 24
years after the death of the Prophet, believers, who were expelled
from their own homeland, now extended from North Africa to Central
Asia including present day Afghanistan.
We take great pride in recounting heroic tales of Islamic battles, but
we must remember that the Prophet spent less than 20 hours in battles
which cost less than 500 casualties, nearly half of them Muslims. Yet
he brought a peaceful world in existence where slavery was abolished,
persecution of women was stopped and divisions on the basis of one's
creed and color or status were destroyed.
He stood up for the rights of the neglected and marginalized and
showed the utmost respect to those ordinary men and women who used
legitimate means to earn their livelihood in a manner sanctioned by
the divine guidance.
He was commissioned by the All Mighty to instill in humanity respect
for character, sincerity and labor of all people. He worked to
establish a culture where human resources would not be exploited by
the powerful to serve their tribal and political interests. He
visualized a world where people would rise about their sectarian and
racial differences to identify with the concept of oneness of
humanity.
He wanted the bloodshed in the name of religion and tribalism to come
to an end. He wanted people to accept the differences they inherited.
He promoted the idea of free will and free inquiry in determining
one's own course of life. His plea was simple. Every human being has
the capacity to discover his humanity to create a better environment
for each and every human being and to live a dignified life.
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Some 1419 years after his physical departure from the world, the
number of those who love him has increased by millions and the number
of those who are willing to die for him has also multiplied. But not
many are there to live for him and live according to his teachings.
Against his teachings, the Umma is divided on sectarian lines, shia,
sunnis, hanafis, shafais, malikis, tablighis, barelveis, deobandis and
others. Every sect wants to own him and claims that it is following
his path.
The Prophet was neither Shia or Sunni, shafai, or hanafi or Ismaili or
Bori. Where is the sense of loyalty to him? What happened to his
teachings that reminded people that you are one people and if one
suffers than the others feel the pain. On the contrary, those who
swear by his name take pride in killing each other in his name. If one
just looks at the past 20 years, various sects and parties of Muslims
have killed each other in millions and their leadership promises them
a guaranty of paradise. How do these people celebrate the Prophet when
they cannot even overcome their petty sectarianism? How do these
people celebrate the Prophet when they are promoting bloodshed of the
innocent?
With the example of his personal life, the Prophet encouraged a
peaceful family life where love and compassion would dominate the
behavior among spouses. Yet more than 40 percent Muslim women suffer
from some kind of domestic violence. There are more than quarter of a
million women who are bought and sold in black market all over the
world every year by all kind of people including Muslims who claim
their loyalty to Prophet Muhammad . How do these people identify with
his life when they are violating every principle that he stood for?
The Prophet inspired the aspect of justice when he urged believers to
give a labor his wages before his sweat is dried. But what an irony
that the people who build mosques in his name, and monuments to
civilizations give little concern to the rights of the laborer.
As the Umma of Prophet Muhammad we must take stock of our actions and
make sure we work to build a model character within our selves and our
families.
By (the Token of) Time (through the ages), - Verily Man is in loss, -
Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together)
in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy. (Quran
103:1-3)
We should understand that his struggles and his teachings were not
only meant to be marveled during public meetings but to be lived in
every day life. The true respect to the Prophet is when the principles
that he stood for are lived by his followers. Otherwise, whatever we
say and do will be nothing more than a ritual.
The fact that the Prophet was chosen by the Divine to communicate His
message for the last time to humanity should remind us of our
responsibility to humanity.
Let us remember the Prophet by striving within ourselves to build a
model character.
You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of
conduct) for any one whose hope is in God and the Final Day, and who
engages much in the Praise of God. (Quran 33:21)
Dr. Aslam Abdullah is editor of the Detroit based English weekly,
Muslim Observer, director of the Islamic Society of Nevada, Las Vegas
and the recently elected General Secretary of the World Council of
Muslims for Interfaith Relation.
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Abdul Karim Chisthi
MD Cptr Sect., Almech Enterprise,
c 15 Industrial Estate, Coimbatore- 641021,
ak@almech.co.in, mobile: 9944497786.
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All my Articles Available At http://karim74.blogspot.com
Assalaamu Alaickum
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