ISLAM AND THE PROPHET (S.A.W.) BY AMINA KHALEEL

ISLAM AND THE PROPHET (S.A.W)

BY AMINA KHALEEL

Allah bestowed Prophet Muhammad (sal-am) with the great honour of being His Last Messenger to propagate Islam and to teach people the right way of life, the difference between right and wrong, and the life in this world and the hereafter. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) fulfilled his mission with great success. What he has achieved and how he transformed uncivilised and uncultured people into God-fearing, law abiding, pious and sincere human beings is simply fabulous. We must understand his teachings, his qualities and behaviour with the thought that we might be able to imbibe at least some part of it in our lives. In this way we might at least come closer to live a life which Allah wants us to live – a pious, sincere, happy and guilt-free life.

We must learn about the scenario before the advent of Islam, the difficulties faced by the Prophet and his followers, the victories they won and finally the various practices and qualities which are needed to be practised and imbibed as mentioned in the Qur’ān and propagated by the Prophet to lead a pious and happy life. Even before our Prophet was ordained, he was known as ‘Amin’, the Trustworthy. People completely trusted him and had the highest regard for his honesty and integrity. It was Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) who was chosen to fix the Hajr-e-Aswad (the Black Stone) while the repairing of Ka’bah was carried out. He spread a sheet on the ground and placed the stone in the centre of the sheet and asked representatives of the tribes to take hold of the sheet at the four corners and raise it to the desired height. He then took the stone and placed it at the proper place. In this way he not only ensured equality but also won the hearts of the people. Because of his high moral calibre and exemplary qualities, Muhammad (sal-am) was destined to be a Messenger of Allah. Allah would not have given this huge responsibility to anyone less worthy.

Prophet Muhammad (sal-am) conveyed the word of Allah to people and lived his entire life in the light of the very principles Islam stands for. He was an inspiring orator, a just leader, an able adviser, and above all a good-natured, faithful, sincere and pious human being. He treated people equally and in spite of this great honour of being the Messenger of Allah, he always considered himself one among the people. The good qualities of our dear Prophet are endless.

The striking quality of the Prophet’s life that impressed us the most is his austere life. He had a very generous heart and always thought about others. He would give whatever he had as charity every day. Thus he never gave Zakath simply because he never had money for one year from which he could give Zakath. On many occasions he had gone to sleep without food. His room only had the basic requirements and he was averse to any kind of adornments. He did not have at any time more than two sets of clothes. He led a very simple, pious and selfless life. When Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) compared this state with the luxurious living of other rulers and protested tearfully, the Prophet queried, “O Ibn-i-Khattab! Do you not desire that they may have the world and we the hereafter?”

In times of difficulties and hardships, the Prophet’s calm would never waver. His trust in Allah always stood firm. He would go about doing his duties in the most efficient manner. He taught people the various qualities and principles which would make them worthy in the eyes of Allah. He asked people to show compassion towards one another, elderly and the needy and help their neighbours in times of distress. He not only preached but also practised. Every act of his was in accordance with the Islamic principles.

In about 23 years of his Prophethood, with the will of Allah he was able to make such a huge difference in the lives of people. No mean feat this considering the various difficulties and hardships he and his followers faced at every stage in their struggle. After his demise, his loyal and truthful companions carried his mantle forward. It is now left up to us to follow the Prophet’s Sunnah and become good human beings. People, who run behind money, success and power without sparing a thought to the sufferings of other people, should learn a lesson or two from the Prophet.

How can our life be complete and how can we ever be happy when there are several people who are in need. We must follow the Prophet’s example and do whatever we can for the betterment of the poor and needy. Allah has created all of us and He has also given us the wisdom to choose what is right for us. I pray that Allah bestow us with right thinking, good principles and habits. In our mad rush to succeed, we should not forget what Allah expects from us.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------