You may be a Ramadan Muslim, Jummah Muslim or a practicing Muslim… You may even have friends who are atheists or non-believers. You may belong to any of the dogmas and denominations that exist in the world today or you may have been a Communist or a believer in democracy and freedom. No matter what you are, and no matter what your religious and political beliefs, personal and social habits are— YOU STILL MUST KNOW THIS MAN! He was by far the most remarkable man that ever set foot on this earth. He preached a religion, founded a state, built a nation, laid down a moral code, initiated countless social and political reforms, established a dynamic and powerful society to practice and represent his teachings, and he revolutionized the worlds of human thoughts and action for all time. His name was Muhammad (peace and blessings of Almighty Creator be upon him)—and he accomplished all these wonders in an unbelievably short span of twenty-three years Muhammad (pbuh) was born in Arabia in 570 CE, and when he died at the age of 63, the whole of the Arabian Peninsula had changes from paganism and idol worship to the worship of One God; from tribal quarrels and wars to national solidarity and cohesion; from drunkenness and immorality to moderation and piety; from lawlessness and anarchy to disciplined living; from utter moral bankruptcy to the highest standards of moral excellence. Human history has never known such a complete transformation of people or place before or since. Quran - Sura 21 - Al-Anbiya [The Prophets] Verse 107-107: 107. We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures.
The Encyclopedia Britannica calls him "the most successful of all religious personalities of the world." Bernard Shaw said, "If Muhammad (pbuh) were alive today, he would succeed in solving all those problems which threaten to destroy human civilization in our time." Thomas Carlysle was amazed as to how one man, single-handedly, could weld warring tribes and wandering Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation in less than two decades. Napoleon and Gandhi never tired of dreaming of a society along the lines established by this man in Arabia fourteen centuries ago. Indeed no other human being ever accomplished so much, in such diverse fields of human thought and behavior, in so limited space of time, as did Muhammad (pbuh). He was a religious teacher, a social reformer, a moral guide, a political thinker, a military genius, an administrative colossus, a faithful friend, a wonderful companion, a devoted husband, a loving father—all in one. No other man in history ever excelled or equaled him in any of these difficult departments of life. Quran - Sura 68 - Al-Qalam [The Pen] Verse 4-4: 4. And thou (standest) on an exalted standard of character.
The world has had its share of great personalities. But these were one-sided figures who distinguished themselves in but one or two fields, such as religious thought or military leadership. None of these great leaders of the world ever combined within themselves so many different qualities to such an amazing level of perfection as did Muhammad (pbuh). The lives and teachings of these other great personalities of the world are shrouded in the mist of time. There is so much speculation about the time and the place of their birth, the mode and style of their life, the nature and detail of their teachings and the degree and measure of their success or failure that it is impossible for humanity today to reconstruct accurately and precisely the lives and teachings of those men. Not so this man, Muhammad (pbuh). Not only was he born in the fullest blaze of recorded history, but every detail of his private and public life, of his actions and utterances, has been accurately documented and faithfully preserved to this day. The authenticity of the information so preserved is vouched for not only by faithful followers but also by unbiased critics and open-minded scholars. At the level of ideas, there is no system of thought and belief—secular or religious, social or political — that could surpass or equal ISLAM—the system which Muhammad (pbuh) propounded. In a fast-changing world, while other systems have undergone profound transformations, Islam alone has remained above all change and mutation, and retained its original form for the past 1400 years. What is more, the positive changes that are taking place in the world of human thought and behavior truly and consistently reflect the healthy influence of Islam in these areas. Even the best of thinkers couldn’t put their ideas completely into practice, and to see the seeds of their labours grow and bear fruit in their own lifetime, except for Muhammad (pbuh), who not only preached the most wonderful ideas but also successfully translated each one of them into practice. At the time of his death his teachings were not mere precepts and ideas straining for fulfillment. They had become the very core of the life of tens of thousands of perfectly trained individuals. In what other time or place and in relation to what other political, social, religious system, philosophy or ideology—did the world ever witness such a perfectly amazing phenomenon? Only in ISLAM, which is established as a complete way of life by Muhammad (pbuh) himself, did we witness that. History bears testimony to this fact and the greatest skeptics have no option but to concede this point. In spite of the phenomenal success which crowned his efforts, he did not for a moment claim to be God or God's incarnation or Son —but only a human being who was chosen and ordained by the Creator to be a teacher of truth to mankind and a complete model and pattern for their actions. He was a man with a noble and exalted mission —and his unique mission was to unite humanity in the worship of the One and only God and to teach them the way to honest and upright living in accordance with the laws and commands of God. He always described himself as a Messenger and servant of God, as indeed every single action and movement of his proclaimed him to be. In a world which has not hesitated to raise to Divinity individuals whose very lives and missions have been lost in legend and who, historically speaking, did not accomplish half as much—or even one tenth—as was accomplished by Muhammad (pbuh), should stop to take serious note of this remarkable man's claim to be God's messenger to mankind. Today, after the lapse of some 1400 years, the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), have survived without the slightest loss, alteration or interpolation. Today they offer the same undying hope for treating mankind's many ills which they did when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was alive. This is our honest claim and this is the inescapable conclusion forced upon us by a critical and unbiased study of history. The least YOU should do as a thinking, sensitive, concerned human being is to stop for one brief moment and ask yourself: Could it be that these statements, extraordinary and revolutionary as they sound, be really true? Supposing they’re true, and you did not know this man Muhammad (pbuh) or hear about his teachings, did not know him well and intimately enough to be able to benefit from his guidance and example; isn’t it about time you responded to this tremendous challenge and made some effort to know him? It will not cost you anything but it may well prove to be the beginning of a completely new era in your life Come; let us make a new discovery, the life of this wonderful man Muhammad (pbuh), the like of whom never walked on this earth, and whose example and teachings can change YOUR life and OUR world for the better. May God shower His choicest blessings upon him! Quran - Sura 33 - Al-Ahzab [The Clans, the Coalition, the Combined Forces] Verse 56-56: 56. Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.
Your Brother in Islam, Syed Masrur Islamic Mentor
It was here, in Medina, that Islam began to truly flourish. It was here that the laws of Islam were first put into practice, allowing the city and religion to blossom. Muhammad (PBUH) successfully brought peace amongst the warring factions of Medina, and quite a few of them became Muslim in the process. He drafted the Constitution of Medina which proclaimed the rights and duties of each of the citizens and detailed the relationship between each of the eight tribes of Medina and the Muslim emigrants.
Muhammad's (PBUH) success in Medina was like a thorn in the sides of the Meccans. Although he was no longer physically in their presence, he had become quite famous and was thus constantly with them through conversations. Muhammad (PBUH) knew that this was the time when he would have to make his military move if he was to be victorious in winning the Meccans to Islam. Also, there was a need for money since the Muslims had left all of their homes and means of wealth behind in Mecca. The solution was to raid the rich trade caravans coming and going from Mecca. This gave the Muslims a cache of military arms and wealth, but it also provoked the Meccans to war.
In 624 the first and possibly most famous major battle between the Muslims and the Meccans took place, the Battle of Badr. In this battle the Muslims were outnumbered more than 3 to 1, yet they were victorious. They killed at least 45 Meccans and took approximately 70 prisoners of war while losing only 14 Muslims. Many of the prisoners of war were wealthy, so the Muslims ransomed them off for high prices which further increased their growing wealth. The prisoners who could not afford to ransom themselves were let go for free.
Of course the Meccans were outraged and vowed all-out war on the Muslims until Muhammad (PBUH) was dead and Islam effectively obliterated. The next major battle was the Battle of Uhud, where the Muslims lost more than 75 men and were defeated by the Meccans. However, they were unsuccessful in killing the prophet or his closest companions, Umar and Abu Bakr, so they were not satisfied. It was in this battle that Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib, the beloved uncle of the prophet (PBUH) was killed.
The third major attack came in 627 when the Meccans once again mustered a huge army to attack Medina. The Muslims were forewarned of the impending attack and dug a trench around the unprotected parts of medina, making it impossible for the enemy to enter the city. The Meccan army led an ineffective attack and decided it was best to return home.
The next major event to take place was the Treaty of Hudaybiya. The verses commanding hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a person's life, had already been commanded, but the Muslims had not yet been able to make a pilgrimage. So, in the month of Shawwal in the year 628, the prophet (PBUH) and 1,400 Muslims set out for the lesser pilgrimage, Umra, wearing the simple white cloth that pilgrims wear. The Meccans heard the Muslims were coming and met them outside of Mecca at Hudaybiya. Here there were heavy negotiations that took place between the two sides, resulting in the treaty which made 4 main points:
1. Both sides would cease hostile activities against each other.
2. The Muslims would not be allowed to make the pilgrimage that year, but could return the following year for hajj.
3. When they come for hajj they should not stay in Mecca more than 3 days.
4. Any Muslims living in Mecca were forbidden to move to Medina, but any.
Muslims in Medina who wanted to return to Mecca could do so. Many of the Muslims were unhappy with the treaty since they felt it greatly favored the Meccans, but Allah revealed verses in the Qur'an that stated it was an emphatic victory. And indeed, it was. Because of the peace treaty the men of Mecca and Medina were able to meet in peace, and in the next two years the number of Muslims more than doubled.
Two years after the treaty was signed, a clan associated with the Meccans raided a clan associated with the Muslims, killing several people. Muhammad (PBUH) sent a letter to the Meccans stating that either they should pay blood money for the killed, or cease all ties with the offending clan, or consider the Treaty of Hudaybiya nullified. The Meccans chose to nullify the treaty, but soon realized that was a mistake. They sent a delegation to try to reinstate the treaty, but Muhammad (PBUH) denied them.
In the year 630 he prophet (PBUH) gathered a huge army of more than 10,000 men and marched on Mecca. Without a drop of blood shed, the Muslims marched into Mecca and took control. Muhammad forgave all of the Meccans for the crimes that they had committed against the Muslims, which was revolutionary for that place and time, the norm would have been revenge. Muhammad (PBUH) marched right up to the Ka?aba, entered it, and smashed all of the idols that were housed inside. Almost all of the Meccans converted to Islam though they were not forced to, and, because of Mecca's importance to Arabia, very shortly after all of Arabia converted to Islam.
In 632 Muhammad (PBUH) became ill and passed away at the age of 62. He had succeeded in taking the pagan, tribal society of Arabia and changing it to a monotheistic land that denounced tribalism and nationalism and completely changed every aspect of the society and government. He had proved himself to be a prophet of God, a man of truth, a man who revolutionized the world for all time, a loving husband and father, an intelligent and highly successful politician, a master of strategy and military command, a faithful friend, a good neighbor and the greatest man to ever walk the face of the earth. He is Muhammad (PBUH), the prophet of God sent as a mercy to all of the world.
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James English has sinced written about articles on various topics from Religion, Visa Credit Cards and Bank of America. Got questions for Syed Masrur ? Ask in our Forum: http://forum.challengeyoursoul.com Find out more about Islam: http://www.challengeyoursoul.com. James English's top article generates over 368000 views. to your Favourites.
Laura Cosse has sinced written about articles on various topics from Religion, Education and Religion. Laura Cosse' converted to Islam in 1996. She is the author of several Islamic children's books and currently resides in Virginia Beach, VA with her husband and twin sons, Muhammad and Hamza. For more info and articles please visit. Laura Cosse's top article generates over 3600 views. to your Favourites.