At the end of the 6th century C.E. humanity had lost all the guidance that came from its Creator and Sustainer as how to live, act and behave on earth. There were no human rights anywhere in the world. Under the domination of both the superpowers of the time, the Roman and the Persian Empires, only the ruling class was enjoying all rights and privileges. The common man had no rights worth its name and was treated as serfdom. The womenfolk were treated in Christianity something as “untouchables” and under the fold of Hindu paganism, they had no right to live after the death of their husbands. They were to die with them alive due to age old prevalent custom of “sati”. Europe was grappling under its dark ages and America was not known at all to the civilized world of the time. Humanity was, thus, passing through dark pages of its history; its fate was lying in obscurity and apparently had no hopes in its “destiny”.
The Christian priests, saints and hermits of the time were all in waiting for the coming of a Messenger from a land in the desert covered with date trees as prophesies in the Bible had foretold. Only the City of Madinah in the heart of Arabian Peninsula fulfilled that criterion. They had established numerous monasteries at the northern arch of Arabian Peninsula. The monastery of Ba’hirah Rahib was one of them. Professor Taha Yaseen of Egypt has given a vivid description of these monasteries in his book on the Seerah of Allah’s Messenger (may Allah bless and greet him) and has shown how eagerly Judeo-Christian world was waiting for the new Messenger of Allah. The detail account given by the Prophet’s beloved companion Salman Farsi of his reaching to Madinah in search of the Messenger as directed by Christian priests confirms the quest and long waiting of the Christian world.
Unfortunately, at the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st centuries, the humanity is experiencing as a whole more or less the similar situation as that of the 6th century but in a different perspective. In the 6th century, the causes of concern and waiting were genuine as all the previous guidance from God were either lost, or mutilated through human innovations and manipulations along with the life pattern of the previous Messengers too except with some scanty account that could not lead and deliver to human society a system and a model of their life-pattern to live with. In the context of the present world, both the Guidance from the Creator and Sustainer and the life-pattern of the Messenger, the guide, the model as how to live, act and behave in the world in its minutest details is available intact in its original form. It is just the self-denial attitude of Judeo-Christian-Pagan world that is blind to its existence in its totality. It is due to age old prejudices, historical animosity and ignorance of an unprecedented nature; it is being ignored one way or the other.
Their blindness is by their free-choice and not by accident or any natural mishap. It can be termed as “day-light-blindness”. They are in disparate need of a system for getting justice, peace, security and an ideal model to lead a balanced and an organised life at individual, family, national and international levels. They are making blind rough shots here and there, grappling in darkness but having no semblance of light either in their vision, approach, programming or projections. They are seeing everything from the ken of mortal eyes and not as their urgent need for Divine Guidance and the life-pattern that the Messenger sets in its minutest details for human beings to follow. That is why man has failed in all its programming, projections and man-made systems whether it was feudalism, monarchy, capitalism, socialism, communism and secular democracy or military dictatorship. All have multiplied human problems and provided only some band-aid-treatment or some namesake temporary respite only. Problems are gradually heaping and pilling up in Himalayan size.
In sequence, humanity has lost all its hopes. The forthcoming era of Globalization, World Trade and forming of different Group Markets on the pattern of EUC is bound to fail as their objective is to exploit the human needs and meagre resources of under-developed and developing countries around the world to add a few degrees to the standard of living of the developed countries at he cost of increasing the poverty level in the poor countries higher and higher. By denying the existing Divine Guidance and the role of the Messenger of time, humanity cannot survive anymore. It has no choice but to turn its face to follow the life-pattern of Muhammad (may Allah bless and greet him) with all hopes and expectations and it would get it there. Let us see what hopes the life of the Messenger of the time, Prophet Muhammad has in store for the suffering humanity that all the secular isms could not deliver at all.
TOWARDS BUIILDING THE FATE OF HUMANITY
After his appointment as the Messenger of Allah in the Cave of Hira in 572 C.E., Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and greet him) concentrated on individuals, the epicentre of all troubles and corruptions on earth. He rightly concluded that if individuals are corrected, reformed and their character is re-built on the basis of fear of Allah and accountability in Akhirah, society as a whole can be reconstituted afresh on balanced moral grounds. As such:
The Prophet cemented the relations of each individual with his/her Creator and Sustainer;
Every individual is a trustee of what Allah has given him and not master or owner;
Everyone is accountable in Akhirah to Allah for all his/her actions and deeds one earth;
The Prophet presented his life as ideal for all individuals to follow in every walk of life till eternity.
Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and greet him) made every effort in remodelling their respective individual character on these principles and made them the most trustworthy people of the time. This was his team of workers that he had nurtured who were instrumental in changing the society altogether on the concept of Tawhid, Amanah, Akhirah and his Prophethood. The Prophet (may Allah bless and greet him) purified individuals’ character and motivated them to carry out the mission of Islam to the four corners of the world. The very Kalimah: La Ilaha Illallah, Muhammadur Rasulullah was, in fact, the most revolutionary slogan and a motivating force that kept his followers always active, motivated and involved in the service of mankind: to be good to others, in removing the evil from the society and establishing the Ma’roof all around. This benevolent character he created among his followers by serving himself as its model in every walk of life. He, thus, transformed the Arab society of Jahiliyyah (ignorance) into a benevolent and Allah-conscious society all around in his lifetime within a limited period of 23 years. This is his prescribed, well-practised and trusted model for mankind to follow till eternity. If humanity wants today to remove corruption, favouritism, nepotism and discrimination in all its forms and shapes from its ranks and files, this is the only way now left open for mankind to accept and follow, the only hope to get justice, peace and a balanced harmonious growth in the world.
THE MOST INSPIRING CHARACTER OF HISTORY
Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and greet him) was very kind and merciful and full of concern for believers in Allah [Q. 9: 128];
He was at the highest order of morality [Q.68: 4];
His morals were the embodiment of the Qur’an [Hadith];
The Prophet confirmed, “I have been appointed to perfect the morality”. [Hadith];
He was the Messenger for entire mankind. [Q. 7: 158];
The Arabs acknowledged him unanimously and used to call him Al-Sadiq & Al-Ameen [the Truthful and the Trustworthy];
He never spoke out of his own desire and that [what he coveys to you] is but [a Divine] inspiration with which he is being inspired” [Q. An-Najm: 3-4]
He said, “Ana Afsahul Arab” [I am the most eloquent person amongst the Arabs];
An extraordinary advocate and promoter of Ilm [knowledge] in the society: Talabul Ilme farizatun ala kulley Muslim [Acquiring knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim – Hadith –Ibne Ma’ja];
He was the most ideal and perfect Da’ee Ilallah for all time to come;
He declared the first Charter of Human Rights in 631 C.E. from the Mount of Arafat when he performed his first and last Hajj.
He was the most ardent advocate of human and wage-earners rights. He was very benevolent to slaves, caretaker of wayfarers, the oppressed, the orphans and the rights of women, kids and animals;
He established the concept of equality among human beings, eradicated all kinds of discrimination on account of colour, race, wealth, language and geographical boundaries. He made Bilal bin Ribah, a Negro from Eretria the Moazzin of his Mosque and his personal exchequer;
He was an affectionate father, dutiful and loveable husband, ideal neighbour, trustworthy and honest trader, efficient administrator, foresighted statesman and brilliant general. In short he was the most accomplished human being. Whosoever, including his adversaries, came in contact with him adored him. He is the most perfect ideal in every walk of life for every individual and society to follow as model, the only hope of mankind to deliver khair [good] to all who resolve to follow him and his teachings.
BUILDING A MODEL HUMAN SOCIETY
Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and greet him) first built his team of workers on the lines stated above. We call them Sahabah out of reverence. The Prophet built this team through person-to-person contacts who in turn became the kingpins of the Islamic society that he established in the Arabian Peninsula based on the principles of equality, justice and complete social security for the poor, needy, destitute, underfed, unemployed, incapacitated and wayfarers, the have-nots, through a well-established social-welfare system of Islam that advocates: “Collect from your affluent and give it back to your poor and needy.” [Hadith]
The Prophet built a society in which justice was free and education obligatory and free for all. It was free of corruption and favouritism. The crime rate was extremely low to the extent that often jails were found empty. The law and order situation was so perfect that an old lady could travel alone from Sana’a to Hadarmaut, a distance of about 1,000 miles with gold in her hands and she had no fear except that of Allah. Adi bin Hatim confirmed it by his own observation.
The forgoing proves beyond any shadow of doubt that
Thus the life pattern that Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and greet him) to the world is now the only hope for human society to get justice, peace and security on earth. The more its adoption is delayed, the more it is drifting away from its cherished goal to attain perfection in transforming the abode of man into the cradle of peace and free of exploitation: where both the affluent and the poor will feel contented in their respective life and where the opportunities of progress will be available to all and sundry without any prejudice as a right of all human beings. Humanity can attain this goal only when it would accept the leadership of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and greet him) as the only hope of its survival.
However, it would be possible only when the Muslim Ummah establishes Islam as a political entity somewhere in its midst and sets a model for humanity to follow. If the Ummah does it, the world would rush to it and accept it like a hot cake, Insha Allah. Will the Muslim Community and its leadership accept it as the most important challenge of time and replenish the ‘skeleton’ cheeks of humanity with new hopes and fresh blood.