The image of Islam and Muslims portrayed in the western media makes us believe that Islam and its Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) propagate terrorism and violence and the cult of violence owes much to these teachings. These assertions have no iota of truth as Islam and Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) have given the concept of peace, tolerance and co-existence and the Prophet always advised the Muslims to eschew violence. These views were expressed by a renowned faculty member of Aligarh Muslim University and president Sir Syed Awareness Forum, Prof. Shakeel Samdani while speaking on “Prophet Muhammad and Global Peace” at Miya Sahab Islamia Inter College, Gorakhpur as Chief Guest on 2 December.
Prof. Samdani said that the last Prophet emphasised on justice and education and his life is full of the examples of justice. When Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) declared his Prophethood, at that time there were only 17 literate persons in Makkah. And after 23 years, when he left this world, there were lakhs of people who were not only literate but well educated and experts in the Qur’ān, Hadith, law, literature, history, etc. The most important feature of the Prophet’s life was democratisation of knowledge/ education. This achievement of Prophet Muhammad is unique in the history of Prophets.
Expressing his views on the battles fought by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him), Prof. Samdani said that most of them were defensive in nature and total causalities from both the sides was around one thousand. Had the Prophet believed in violence and killing, the figure would have been much higher. History stands as witness that most of the Islamic rulers especially the Rightly Guided Caliphs have spread love, affection, tolerance and peace after their victories.
The learned speaker further said that Islam has given equal protection to men and women and for the first time in the history of the civilized world women were declared as owners of their body and soul. They were given share in property and their status was enhanced to such an extent that the road to jannah was declared to be through the mother, wife and the daughter. It means that if a person wants to go to Paradise then he will have to respect the rights of women and restore them. Due to the successful mission of Prophet, the non-Muslim scholars have acknowledged him as the most successful person in the history of mankind which is evident from The Hundred written by a Christian scientist Michel Hart who placed Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) as number one.
In a jam packed auditorium, Prof. Samdani urged the audience to lead their life in accordance with the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) and devote their time and energy to constructive activities and spend their money on social work as well. He also requested the audience to abstain from difference on the basis of schools of thoughts and remain united.
Inaugurating the Islamic exhibition, Prof. Samdani congratulated the Manager, Rashid Kamal Samani, Principal, Zafar Ahmad Khan and Convenor, Mukhtar Ahmad. A three-day Seerat Conference and state level competition was organised by the college in which a large number of students from all over the state participated. The programme was presided over by Dr. Mirza Shafi Baig (London). The programme was concluded after the dua of Mufti Waliullah.