KNOW THIS MAN:
MUHAMMAD (peace be upon him)
You may be an atheist or an agnostic; or you may belong
to anyone of the religious denominations that exist in the
world today. You may be 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 happen to be - YOU MUST STILL 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 numberless
social and political reforms, established a dynamic and
powerful society to practice and represent his teachings,
and completely revolutionized the worlds of human thought
and action for all times to come. HIS NAME WAS MUHAMMAD,
peace and blessings of Almighty God be upon him-and he
accomplished all these wonders in the unbelievably short
span of twenty-three years.
Muhammad was born in Arabia on 20th August, in the year
570 of the Christian era, and when he died after 63 years,
the whole of the Arabian Peninsula had changed from paganism
and idol-worship to the worship of One God; from tribal
quarrels and wars to national solidarity and cohesion; from
drunkenness and debauchery to sobriety 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 a people or a place before or since!
The Encyclopedia Britannica calls him 'the most
successful of all religious personalities of the world".
Bernard Shaw said about him that if Muhammad were alive
today he would succeed in solving all those problems which
threaten to destroy human civilization in our times. Thomas
Carlysle was simply 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 thirteen centuries ago.
Indeed no other human being ever accomplished so much, in
such diverse fields of human thought and behavior, in so
limited a space of time, as did Muhammad, peace and
blessings of God Almighty be upon him. 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.
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 the other great leaders of the world
ever combined in himself so many different qualities to such
an amazing level of perfection as did Muhammad, peace and
blessings of God Almighty be upon him.
The lives and teachings of 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, peace and blessings of God
Almighty be upon him. 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 our 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 - which
could surpass or equal ISLAM - the system which Muhammad
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.
Further, it is not given to the best of thinkers to put
their ideas completely into practice, and to see the seeds
of their labors grow and bear fruit, in their own lifetime.
Except of course, Muhammad, peace and blessings of God
Almighty be upon him, who not only preached the most
wonderful ideas but also successfully translated each one of
them into practice in his own lifetime. At the time of his
death his teachings were not mere precepts and ideas
straining for fulfillment, but had become the very core of
the life of tens of thousands of perfectly trained
individuals, each one of whom was a marvelous
personification of everything that Muhammad taught and stood
for. At 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?
Indeed no other system or ideology secular or religious,
social or political, ancient or modern - could ever claim
the distinction of having been put into practice in its
fullness and entirety EVEN ONCE in this world, either before
or after the death of its founder. Except of course ISLAM,
the ideology preached by Muhammad which- was established as
a complete way of life by the teacher himself, before he
departed from this world. History bears testimony to this
fact and the greatest skeptics have no option but to concede
this point.
In spite of these amazing achievements and in spite of
the countless absolutely convincing and authentic miracles
performed by him and 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 God to be a teacher of truth to
mankind and a complete model and pattern for their actions.
He was nothing more or less than a human being. But he
was a man with a noble and exalted mission-and his unique
mission was to unite humanity on the worship of 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, and so
indeed every single action and movement of his proclaimed
him to be.
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,
peace and blessings of God Almighty be upon him, 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, peace and blessings of God
Almighty be uponmhim, 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, peace and blessings of God Almighty
be upon him, 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, are really
true? Supposing they really are true, and you did not know
this man Muhammad or hear about his teachings? Or did not
know him well and intimately enough to be able to benefit
from his guidance and example? Isn't it 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 live.
Come, let us make a new discovery of the life of this
wonderful man Muhammad, 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! (H. Pasha)
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