Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and greet him) was the embodiment of truth, purity and righteousness. He was the fountain of eternal light that illuminated the minds and souls of human beings and enabled them to identify the path that leads to peace, prosperity, happiness and perfection. He saved humanity from disaster, destruction, oppression, suppression and the domination of evil forces. He preached submission to God, high standards of morality, good conduct, peace and tranquillity among human beings, virtuous living, decency and felicity.
The Arabian society before him was characterised by tribal feuds and superiority, quarrels and bitter fighting among tribes, shedding of blood on petty matters, vice, barbarism and superstition. There was no respect for human beings particularly for weaker sections and the weaker sex. Women were considered commodities to be used for the pleasure of men. Even the birth of a girl was the subject of embarrassment and she was buried by the father himself. The entire condition was full of evil and malice. Oppression and violence were spread in every nook and corner. Thus, humanity was engrossed in darkness and ignorance, gasping in agony and groaning under torture, injustice, depravity and decadence. The Qur’ān describes it as “mischief has appeared on land and sea because (the meed) that the hands of men have earned (30:41)”.
In such a despondent and gloomy condition the Lord of the universe stepped in and sent Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and greet him) as a mercy and grace to the entire humanity and the world as well. He liberated humanity from suffering and distress and apprised it of what is upright, virtuous, dignified and desirable in order to lead a happy, peaceful and contented life. He carried the torch of the divine message to every nook and cranny and ingrained the Absolute Reality, the reality of one God, His sovereignty and suzerainty, His omnipotence, power of creating the universe and things that lie in between the earth and heaven, maintaining, sustaining and perpetuating them as He likes, in the minds and hearts of the people. He instilled the truth into human beings and inspired them to completely submit to the will of God and keep from the worship of false and fallacious forces. He, thus, lit the torch of knowledge, brightened the path of humanity and removed the darkness of ignorance.
The contribution of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and greet him) to the enrichment and development of humanity is manifold. He raised humanity to the high level of purification, enriched the human soul by lighting the torch of truth and inspiring human beings to act on the guidance of God and implant His system on earth. The magnitude of his benefaction to humanity lies in the following points:
He diverted humanity from the worship and obedience of humans and iniquitous forces to the obedience and submission to God alone “to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and earth: [and] there is no god but He: it is He that gives both life and death (7:158)”. He, thus, established servitude to Allah and emancipated humanity from the servitude to other forces, distorted and untruthful. This was the great act of history that humankind condemned falsehood and mendacity and embraced truthfulness and righteousness. He introduced the criteria of right and wrong and discharged his duties as ‘a bearer of good tidings and a warner to all humankind’.
The system that he set forth and the guidance that he provided to people were not meant for or limited to one group or section of human beings but for the entire humanity. He claimed that ‘he has been raised for all nations of the world’ (Sahih). He conveyed the message and guidance of Allah effectively to the entire humankind and impressed them to follow the guidance to make their stay on earth meaningful and successful, otherwise suffering and pain will be their companions. Of course, the guidance was universal for all human beings irrespective of caste, creed and colour as well as for all times. He first changed the mindset of people that ‘Allah is the only Reality and whatever people invoke besides Him is falsehood; He is the Most High and Most Great’. Those who believe, take the straight path, seek forgiveness of Him, and do righteous deeds will be rewarded, and get the ‘Gardens of Paradise’. This was filled in the consciousness of people and purified their soul. Later he inspired people to manifest this reality in their actions and transform their body by submitting themselves to the will of God as well as by modifying their relations with their fellows and the world at large. This transformation brightened the minds and souls of people and helped them to form an altruistic society based on peace and prosperity.
Prophet Muhammad, when he achieved power, established the Deen of Allah and laid the foundations of Islamic society. One of the salient features of this system was to respect human beings, give due consideration and importance to human dignity. This is the reason why he defended and granted human rights to all people, males and females, young and old. He granted the basic rights necessary to lead a respectful and dignified life to every citizen. He formulated a set of sublime principles to guide human relations and to deal with different sorts of people. He prohibited suppression and oppression as well as transgression against people’s lives, property and honour. No one could usurp the property of others under one or another pretext and deprive others of their basic rights of existence. He also initiated certain sets of norms based on justice and equity to be followed in relations between husband and wife, parents and offspring, and masters and servants.
Besides, he encouraged people to help each other, provide others privileges and facilities which they would expect for themselves. This created a congenial atmosphere to live together in peace and harmony with cooperation and coordination. He established these rules and norms at a time when the world had no idea of them. The world realised it quite late and enacted different charters and declarations to grant human rights but seldom are they followed in the true sense particularly in the case of poor and weak nations.
He established an egalitarian social system where all humans were equal and enjoyed the same status as servants of God. He abolished all distinction based on caste, creed and colour as well as of descent, power and wealth. He declared that no Arab is superior to a non-Arab and non-Arab to an Arab, master to slave and slave to master. He eradicated slavery that had existed in Arabian society from a long time. It was considered a noble act if a person freed a salve.
Similarly, he granted freedom and privileges to women and enabled them to lead a noble and dignified life. Killing a female child was considered a grave sin. He instructed people to treat women in a judicious and dignified way. Preferences to humans were given on the basis of piety, austerity, fear of God and dedication to the divine system. Many non-Arabs and members of the lower echelons of society were among his close companions and enjoyed high status only on the basis of their dedication and service to the religion. He presented a perfect model of brotherhood where everybody has the same status, enjoys similar privileges and treats others as his kith and kin, links together with the bond of love and sympathy, cooperates, coordinates and joins hands together to follow God’s guidance and establish His system on earth.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) played a significant role in the intellectual and spiritual development of humanity. He inspired people to acquire knowledge, ponder over the mysteries of nature and comprehend how the universe operates and things work in a most systematic way based on hard and fast laws. The Qur’ān itself underlines the importance of knowledge. The first Ayah of the Qur’ān instructs, “Read! in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher Who created. Created man, out of a clot of congealed blood. Read! And thy Lord is most bountiful. He Who taught the use of pen.”
It indicates how important the acquisition and transmission of knowledge are in Islam. The fact is that knowledge helps one to understand reality and translate it into action. Knowledge thus fortifies the faith and motivates one to follow Divine commandments with great force. This is the reason that the Qur’ān spurs on humans to make efforts for intellectual advancement. It provides us with a short prayer: “And say, O Lord increase me in knowledge.” It, further, elaborates that he who has been gifted with wisdom and philosophy of a high order has received a very great good.
There are various precepts of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) where he gave prominence to knowledge and made people aware of its benefits. He is reported to have said: ‘The learned are the heirs of the Prophets who have transmitted to them knowledge as a legacy.’ ‘He who has chosen learning has taken a great portion and for him who engages himself in the way of acquiring knowledge, God will pave a path to the very gates of Paradise.’ ‘It is necessary for him who enjoys the good pleasure of God to acquire knowledge of religion’ (Bukhari).
He, thus, inspired and encouraged people to apply their faculties of understanding to study the universe, find out the laws that govern it and enhance their knowledge. These are some pieces of evidence that denote how he made an effort to inspire people to pursue knowledge and their intellectual development.
He introduced a system of life revealed by God which was in complete harmony with human nature and accomplished the requirements of body and soul. It was a system that provided a synthesis of the profane and sacred aspects of life and gave utmost contentment to the human soul and body. It disciplined the human instincts and ego neither allowing them to go beyond their limits nor suppressing them completely. It always avoids extremes and adopts the middle path. The system the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) preached thus condemned renunciation of the world and self-abnegation. At the same time, it also rejected too much involvement in worldly affairs and the neglect of obligation towards the Lord as well as to one’s fellow beings.
Humans have certain inclinations that drag them towards satisfaction and fulfilment. If one completely surrenders to them and acts according to their command, one is heading towards disaster because of neglecting and avoiding one’s obligation and commitment to the Lord. It is necessary to channel and control them, not to go beyond their limits and turn into lust, anger and other emotions. If we purify and transform them, they will lead us to the path of righteousness and felicity. The Prophet expounded and communicated Divine message that humans think it is fair to love what they covet but nearness to Allah is the best of the goals (3:14).
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) assigned immense importance to moral character and motivated people to adopt it in their lives. He presented a comprehensive system of morality as revealed by God and manifested it in his day-to-day activities. He impelled people to observe high standards of morality, adopt good manners, honesty, loyalty and chastity. Moral character will elevate their position and make them true human beings. It will, further, strengthen their relations with other fellow beings, enable them to perform their duties with sincerity and devotion, make their lives peaceful and make this earth a worthwhile living place. He also warned them against odious acts such as lying, envy, betrayal, fornication and disrespect of other human beings that are harmful and lead them to fall from the high pedestal of human dignity.
Other religions also emphasise the need of moral character and lay down some principles to be followed by their followers but they are not as exhaustive as Islam presents. Maulana Sulaiman Nadwi describes that the Torah contains a few moral principles and the Ten Commandments of Moses including seven commandments six of which are in the negative form and only one of which is positive. Islam, on the other hand, expands the concept of morality and sets forth twelve principles which people have to observe. Of these one, the Unity of God, relates to the fundamental principle of Islam and the rest eleven to moral character. Five of these are positive and five are of a negative character and the last is a combination of both.
Nadwi, with reference to the chapter Isra of the Qur’ān, explains these principles as, ‘honour your parents’, ‘render unto others what is due to them’, ‘deal kindly with orphans’, ‘fill the measure when you measure and weigh with right balance’, ‘fulfil your promise’, ‘slay not your children fearing a fall to poverty’, ‘slay not life of which Allah has forbidden save with right’, ‘come not near to adultery’, ‘follow not that whereof you have no knowledge’, ‘walk not in the earth in exultance’, and ‘squander not your wealth in wantonness but take the middle path’. These are the principles that refine human personality, develop purity and perfection in the body and soul and elevate a human’s position in the eyes of God.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) himself manifested these principles in his actions and emerged as the epitome of good character. He had a perfect personality. He led a virtuous and pious life from his birth till his last breath. He was a perfect model of virtue, truthfulness and purity. People, including his enemies, considered him the most honest and righteous person, and, thus, accorded him the title of ‘al Amin’. He reminded us that “a Muslim with good manners and good moral dispositions gets the same reward as he who fasts (permanently) during the day and spends his nights in prayers.”
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) underpinned tolerance and patience among people. He never forced anybody to accept his ideas as well as verdicts but persuaded them with reasoning and justification to accept what appealed to their consciousness. He always listened to the problems and grievances of people attentively and suggested just and equitable solutions. He respected others, their views and culture and never tried to eliminate them either by force or by deceit.
He recognised the rights of non-Muslims, gave privileges to them who did not wage a war against Muslims, and granted protection of their lives, property, dignity and honour. He provided protection for non-Muslims and took care of their needs when he established the Islamic State in Medinah. The tradition is still followed in Muslim countries where non-Muslims are living in peace and security while during the Spanish Inquisition Muslims were exterminated in ethnic cleansing violating all the principles of humanity.
However, he always tried to find peace and mutual understanding between humans through dialogue and tolerance. He exhibited these characteristics in his behaviour and set examples for others. He had very good relations with Muslims as well as non-Muslims. He, in fact, respected humanity and always gave importance to humans irrespective of their ethnic and religious background. Once the Prophet sat down at a place with other people. In the meantime, some people passed in a funeral procession. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) stood up in respect. One person of his group warned him that the person who died was Jewish. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) emphasised that he was a human and enquired whether he did not possess a soul. This was his sense of benevolence, compassion and respect for a human being notwithstanding his ethnic, religious and socio-cultural background. The modern world requires this standpoint to establish peace, harmony and coherence among individuals and groups.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) showed great reverence to all the Prophets who preceded him. He appreciated their work and message because all of them were sent by God to direct humanity to the right path. All of them invited people of their age and place to truthfulness and righteousness and conveyed them the truth that ‘there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah Who is the one true God and besides Him all are falsehood’. All of them constitute a brotherhood, a chain of guidance provided by the Creator to save humanity from disaster and destruction. It is the duty of believers to respect them and hold them in high esteem. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) admired them and addressed some “as the righteous servant” or “my brother”. Allah clarifies the fact in the Qur’ān as “Those were the (prophets) who received Allah’s guidance; Copy the guidance they received; Say no rewards for this do I ask for you; This is no less than a message for the nations” (6:90).
These are some of the benefactions of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) who eliminated the suffering, agony and anguish of humanity and wipe away its moans and groans. He elevated humanity engrossed in transgression and introduced it to the monotheistic realism. He dispelled the darkness of ignorance and enlightened humanity’s path to proceed unwaveringly to achieve salvation, everlasting peace and comfort in this world and in the hereafter. This is the reason that Allah said, “And we have not sent you forth but as a mercy to mankind” (21:107).