What was the Prophetic mission of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him)? In one word it was Dawah. But when we ponder over this one word and delve deep into the aspects of Dawah, we have a firmament full of galaxies with countless stars within.
Generally it is mistaken that the Prophet’s mission was only to establish a religion named Islam. No doubt he perfected Islam, a system of faith and worship. But he bestowed much more in his Prophetic Mission.
SOCIAL ASPECT OF DAWAH
He was a messenger for human beings. So his mission was to bring forth a society of brethren – loving, helping, cooperating, protecting and living in peace and harmony, saving its members from harms and evils, and creating social order, harbour of justice, fraternity and equality.
He propounded brotherhood in many forms layer by layer. He said that the whole humanity is the offspring of one man and his only wife. So by birth all men and women are brothers and sisters. Secondly, by belief they are brothers. It can further be extended to territorial brotherhood of a country up to neighbourhood. He eliminated all discriminations on the basis of colour, creed and race. He explained many rules to develop high standards of social moral values. He said that a person, who is beneficial to other human beings, is really good. He exclaimed he, whose neighbour is not safe from his artifice and deception, wouldn’t enter the heaven. la yadkhul-ul-jannata man la yamanu jaarahu lawaeqahu (Muslim)
He said one who believes in Allah and the Day of Resurrection should extend hearty welcome to one’s neighbour and guests. He postulated two ways of human upliftment. An individual is the unit of social order. If individuals are uplifted in thoughts and behaviour, the society is uplifted. And, when a society strives for the uplift of its members, it raises its own standard. Thus the mission of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) was to enforce a social order of ethically high sophisticated behaviour in all respects.
ETHICAL ASPECT OF DAWAH
The principles of good conduct and behaviour of human beings towards his fellow beings have been propounded and preached throughout the history by a galaxy of great human reformers, thinkers and prophets. But the peculiar feature in the perspective of human affairs is the perfection and appealing form that we find in the patterns of principles of akhlaque i.e. good conduct and behaviour taught by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him)
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) brought grace, glorification and guided mankind onto the path of truth, righteousness and peace. The world through Muhammad got a final, complete and the highest code of conduct for the human race. He declared that he had come to complete moral and ethical standards, to refine human behaviour and conduct up to the highest level. The world witnesses that he did it.
He became the greatest promoter of learning. Passion for knowledge drove Muslims to every nook and corner of the globe which resulted in enlightening the whole world. He taught the lesson of fraternity to the world. He eliminated the difference between the white and the black. He made the master and the slave stand side by side. He declared that man’s eternal peace and contentment is under the feet of mother, thus raising high the status of woman. His teaching surpassed not only the previous laws and code of conducts but also the so-called modern ones.
In these modern times it is a fashion of the day to talk of human rights, fundamental rights and constitutional guarantees of citizens. Modern philosophers have laid maximum stress on rights of the people. We do not find in these philosophies the apt and equal stress on the duties and obligations arising out of these rights. It is here that we find all the difference in the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him).
In his teachings we find priority being given to the obligation of every individual to protect and presume rights of fellow beings. In every individual, in the light of teachings of the Prophet, were in a continuous state of struggle for preservation of rights of fellow beings. If every individual, in the light of teachings of the Prophet, were in a continuous state of struggle for preservation of rights of fellow beings, the process by itself would ensure the protection of their own rights. Let us take the illustration of an individual, who day in and day out is struggling for the betterment of his neighbours, relatives and fellow beings. By such conduct he will in fact create around himself almost an army of people for whose rights he has been fighting. If to them his conduct is truly and in full measure in accordance with the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him), the affected people who had been benefited through his conduct, are bound to respond in equal measure when and if his personal rights are in jeopardy.
The theory of human rights as propounded by modern philosophers gives rise to two separate and conflicting streams of rights and obligations, while the teachings of the Holy Prophet prescribe these two channels to flow in the same direction, supporting each other and not in conflict to each other.
The mode and manners in which proposition of rights of fellow beings has been taught by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) is more logical and more rational and much conducive to much more harmonious and happy social order.
POLITICAL ASPECT OF DAWAH
Politics is the science and art of governance for better human life on earth. Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) brought up and raised such noble personalities who presented a model of governance in which an old destitute woman couldn’t remain unnoticed from the eyes of the Head of State i.e. Caliph Umar, who loaded food material upon his own shoulders for her hungry children. The world, which was formerly full of dacoits, turned into such a citadel of peace and safety that a woman travelled from Yemen up to Makkah and from Makkah to Yemen but she had no fear except of beasts.
Justice was quick and without burden of money. Society was safe from exploitation, injustice and profiteering. National natural resources were not the property of a few but the whole society was blessed with prosperity and riches. One simple citizen had courage to put a question to the ruler concerning the possession even of a peace of cloth. Muslim rulers used to stand side by side of slaves and citizens but sometimes stood where shoes were left over while offering prayer to the Almighty. Numerous events history puts forward to show the governance truly for the people, not showcase of by the people and of the people. Muhammad’s politics and governance was for the welfare of the whole humanity and till the resurrection.
ECONOMIC ASPECT OF DAWAH
The world has got mountains of wealth yet humanity is not safe from anxieties and atrocities in human treatment of tyrant and powerful personalities. At one side a man has captured such a big portion of wealth that it is not going to finish even if it is lavishly spent on dogs, wines and nude shows. While the bigger chunk of humanity is bound to spend life below the standard of dogs and cats. They don’t have medicine, food and clothing for their children, who die in front of poor mothers. Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) provided so noble a system of economy that even modern scholars have started to demand Islamic banking, and abolition of interest which is the basis of inhuman disparities. Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) discarded hoarding and monopolistic tendencies. He thus saved the society from clutches and cruelties of traders and hoarders. With a single phrase of Halal and Haram, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) provided key to justice, fraternity, equality in the economic field.
EDUCATIONAL ASPECT OF DAWAH
Progress, growth and extension of knowledge after the prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) witnesses as if it was destined for being the last but one. Muhammad gave so high dimensions to knowledge and education that there were a few persons able to read and write but after a short period the sky of knowledge was shining with countless stars. In exegesis, branches of Traditions, Ilmulkalam, Geography, Technology, Scientific inventions, History, Travelling we see a galaxy of luminaries. They become the originators of many sciences and arts. A few out of so many we can name are Jabir bin Hayyan in Chemistry and Physics (103-199H), Al-khawarzimi in Astronomy and Algebra (159-233H), Ibne-Sina in Medicine and Chemistry (371-427H), Ibne-Rushd in Philosophy and History (520-594H). Thirst for knowledge never quenched and the journey of education didn’t stop, it lapped the world.
HEALTH CARE ASPECT
We hear a large cry for health care in the modern world. Medical field has grown very vast. Fourteen hundred years ago Muhammad (be peace and blessing of Allah to him) gave such fine instructions concerning cleanliness, quality and quantity of food and drink, preventive measures that every research in health confirms his teachings.
I think we cannot encompass the Prophetic mission’s benefits to human dignity, upliftment and salvation. We can only choose a few stars out of the firmament of his Prophetic Mission: Dawah, which paves the way for the only path to success.