Who is the man who has over a billion followers in the world today? Who is the great man who was ranked #1 in a list, penned by a Christian, of the 100 most influential persons in history? Again who is the man who raised his contemporaries from a life of sin and vice 1400 years ago? The man is none other than Muhammad ibn Abdullah(Peace be upon him) the prophet of Islam.
All Muslims, regardless to sect, believe in this man named Muhammad and the book he presented to us, from the Lord of the worlds. If we accept this book, called in Arabic the Qur'an, as being revealed from Almighty God ALLAH then we must re-view deeper the great man through whom the Qur'an was revealed. We cannot accept the book(Quran) and deny the man through whom the book was revealed. What was the heart and character of such a man that ALLAH would let his precious word come through? The same must be done with any servant of ALLAH, but as Muslims we believe that Muhammad(PBUH) is the last of ALLAH's prophets and the Holy Qur'an the last revealed book to this world. So, we as Muslims, must look deeper into the inner sanctuary of Muhammad and discover deeper understanding of not only the book(Qur'an) but of the man.
The Man
A few days after the death of the Prophet some men came to his wife Aiisha bint Abu Bakr and inquired about Muhammad. They put questions to his wife concerning his character and other aspects of his life, and she replied have you ever read the Qur'an? The men replied in the affirmative, then she replied: "Muhammad was the living embodiment of the Qur'an." What a description of this Prophet of ALLAH from one who was most privy to his private character and morals. What his wife was saying is that all the good teachings of the Holy Qur'an were reflected in the man named Muhammad; from the Quran's teachings on beneficence and mercy, to love, forgiveness and brotherhood, and even warfare when it is acted in self-defense, Muhammad excelled in all of these Quranic teachings.
The Holy Qur'an our most accurate portrait of Muhammad says of him:
"Certainly You have in The Messenger of ALLAH an excellent exemplar for him who hopes in ALLAH and the latter day, and remembers ALLAH much."(33:21)
Also
"By the inkstand and the pen and that which they write! By the grace of thy Lord thou art not mad. And surely thine is a reward never to be cut off. And surely thou hast sublime morals. So thou wilt see, and they(too) will see."(68:1-5)
Some critics of Islam and the Prophet of Islam have claimed that Muhammad didn't bring any special "miracles" like we read of the prophets of old in the Bible. Prophet Muhammad claimed that his "one" and only "miracle" was The Holy Qur'an and the work of reformation he produced in his countrymen and women. Many have written that what Muhammad produced in Arabia, 1400 years ago, with his Holy Qur'an was nothing short of a miracle itself. The country of Arabia was renowned for its sin and evil. The abuse against women and girls, the drinking orgies, warfare, materialism also filthy and foolish song and dance is well known.
Islamic scholar Maulana Muhammad Ali speaks of the savage condition of Arabia prior to its "savior".
"At the time of his birth Arabia was steeped deep in the worst form of idolatry that has ever prevailed in any country. The Ka'ba itself was full of idols, and every household had, in addition, its own idols. Unhewn stones, trees and heaps of sand were also worshipped. In spite this vast and deep-rooted idolatry, the Arabs were, as Bosworth Smith remarks, materialistic. "Eat and drink is," as he says, "the epicurean tone of the majority of the poems that have come down to us." There was practically no faith in the life after death, no feeling of responsibility for one's actions. The Arabs, however, believed in demons, and diseases were attributed to the influence of evil spirits. "
"Ignorance prevailed among the high as well as the low, so much so that the noblest of men could boast of his ignorance. There was no moral code, and vice was rampant. The sexual relations were loose obscene poems and songs were recited in public assemblies There was no punishment for adultery, nor any moral sanction against it. Prostitution had nothing dishonourable about it, so that leading men could keep brothels. Women were "in the most degraded position, worse even than that in which they were under the laws of Manu in Hindustan." Woman was looked upon as a mere chattel. Instead of having any right to inheritance of property, her own person formed part of the inheritance, and the heir could dispose of her as he liked, even if he did not care to take her as a wife. There was no settled government, no law in the land, and might was practically right.
The Arabs belonged to one race and spoke one language, yet they were the most disunited people. Tribe made war on tribe, and family on family, on the most trivial excuse. The strong among them trampled upon the rights of the weak, and the weak could not get their wrongs redressed. The widow and the orphan were quite helpless and slaves were treated most cruelly."
"Amongst this people was born Muhammad."
In a short period of "twenty three" years Muhammad wiped away these evil practices. This reform by Muhammad was seen as a miracle, because all previous attempts at the reform of his land failed; the Christian failed, indigenous movements failed, Jewish teachers failed they all tried but nothing worked except "The Man and The book."
Muhammad's Sunnah(way)The word Sunnah is translated as meaning mode of life and specially the course of The Holy Prophets life. Another word Hadith meaning news is another source of knowledge of Prophet Muhammad and the God he represented, ALLAH.
Muhammad is reported to have said in his last speech to his followers,
I leave you two things, which if you follow you will never deviate, "The Qur'an and my Sunnah"
As I have pointed out earlier Muhammad was voted "The most successful of all religious personalities". Also his wife spoke of him as being a living Qur'an. Considering these facts it would be incumbent upon us to follow the way established by Muhammad ibn Abdullah. There has been a misunderstanding among Muslims, both common believers and scholars, concerning what is the true Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad. There has been in some quarters a tendency to attach more importance to the Sunnah than The Qur'an, while others reject the Sunnah all together. What was the source of Muhammad's teachings other than the Qur'an? The Qur'an says of itself that it is the "Best Hadith". I remember reading The Prophet once said: "Islam compels us to take the middle course in all things". If we adopt this advice we as Muslims will accept the Qur'an(First) and then naturally accept the man of God's explanation of the book.
When we say of ourselves that we are following Muhammad's Sunnah we must be careful to not make a superficial example of him, like having a beard as the prophet or dressing like the prophet. These things in and of themselves are not bad, but Muhammad didn't make a change in the world because of facial hair or his dress style. Muhammad's Sunnah to me is Belief in ALLAH, prayer, fasting, giving in charity, doing good to others, respecting women and living a clean life.
Muhammad's disciples
After twenty three years of his office as Prophet of ALLAH Muhammad's life came to an end like all other men of God who went before him. The Holy Qur'an reminds us that,
"Muhammad is but a messenger---messengers have already passed away before him. If then he dies or is killed, will you turn back upon your hills? And he who turns back upon his heels will do know harm at all to Allah. And Allah will reward the grateful."(3:143)
Many didn't want to believe that The Holy Prophet was dead. Some Muslims threatened to kill anyone who would say that Muhammad was dead. One of Muhammad's trusted friends and earliest converts, Abu Bakr, rose to the occasion to address the mourning crowd. His famous words were:
"All that worship Muhammad know that Muhammad is dead. But those that worship ALLAH know that ALLAH lives!"
What a soothing affect these few words had on the crowd. These simple words reminded the crowd that ALLAH is the ever living and is present.
The death of Muhammad ends one chapter in the Muslims history only to open another called "Khilafah Rashidah" or the "rightly guided companions." A great man is not only known by the wisdom that he imparts during his life, but also the wisdom that comes through his students or disciples. Four men stand out in this period after the death of Muhammad. These four men names were Abu Bakr, Umar ibn Khataab, Uthman and Ali ibn abu Talib. Much like the Disciples of Christ before these men had a duty to continue the message and work of Muhammad. These four men carried the message of Islam far into the world and helped continue the revolution started by their master-Muhammad ibn Abdullah(Peace and Blessing be upon him).
Mustafaa Muhammad is an "African American" who is a follower of the Islamic faith. Through independent religious studies developed an ecumenical view of the world's religions and the people of God. And while he is devoted to Islam as his faith he is at home in the Church(or other religious institutions) as he is in the Mosque.
He has been featured on the Radio, Newspapers, public speaking events and at Mosques/Churches telling his story and offering his understanding of Almighty God's plan for salvation.
Mustafaa is involved in community activity. He believes that our faith must inspire us to greater service to humanity or we may be making a mockery of the purpose of faith. Contact him @ [http://brothermustafaa.com]