Mosque of Medina, first built by the Prophet Muhammad, in the first year after migration to the city

By Dr. Lutf ur Rehman, Nashville, USA

The Muslims not only love the Holy Prophet Muhammad, but also love Jesus as a noble prophet.  Actually the name of Jesus appears far more frequently in the Holy Quran than of Muhammad himself.

Muslims also love and cherish mother Mary.  There is a chapter in the Holy Quran named after her.  In one of the verses of the Holy Quran she is mentioned as a role model, not only for Muslim women but also Muslim men (66:12-13).  This also reflects moral and spiritual equality in Islam, among men and women.

Muhammad, may peace be on him, was born in the year 570 of the Christian Era in Arabia. He was born an orphan. His father passed away before his birth. His mother also died a little while after his birth and he was brought up under the care of his grandfather and then his uncle. He had no brothers or sisters.

From his early childhood Muhammad was known to be gentle, patient, and obedient. Respectful toward his elders, affectionate with his companions, and full of compassion for those who, for their age, infirmity, or adversity, were in need of help.

As he grew older, his contemporaries were impressed by his high integrity, in word and deed, and he became generally known among them as “El Ameen,” meaning “the Trustworthy.”

He lived a simple, austere life and started working for a well established business woman of Mecca, who was a widow. He took her merchandize to other cities in Arabia for trading and was quiet successful. The woman was so impressed with his integrity and hard work that she proposed to him and he accepted. At the time of marriage Muhammad was 25 and his wife was 40. For next 25 years they lived happily until she passed away. From this marriage Muhammad received wealth and many slaves. He gave away most of this wealth to the poor and freed all of the slaves.

From the very beginning Muhammad was driven to help the poor and the weak in the society. Not only he was helping others as an individual, he also joined a group of young men to bring relief to those who were in difficulty. His time was spent in helping others and worshipping God. Many times he would retire in a cave outside the city of Mecca and spend days in worship. This was the place where Muhammad experienced his first revelation. The angel appeared to him in the form of a man, squeezed him hard and asked him to recite. This was a life changing experience and Muhammad was terrified. Eventually it became clear to him and others that God had chosen him to be His Messenger for the people of the world.

As Bible tells us that a Prophet is not accepted by his own people, Muhammad was also rejected and persecuted. He steadfastly preached the message of God, but for next thirteen years there were only few who accepted him. They enticed him with reward, wealth, power and women, but he remained firm and continued to preach the Message of God.

His passion in life was to help others. The Holy Quran describes this referring to true Muslims, Kuntum khaira ummatin ukhrayjat lin-nasay…. (3:111): You are the best people raised for the good of mankind; And the Prophet was an embodiment of service for the poor and the weak.

He declared life to be sacred and instructed the followers to protect it. The Quran equates the killing of one innocent person to killing of the whole mankind, a genocide or a holocaust.

Abdullah bin Umar, a Companion of the Prophet asked him, “who was the most dear to God and what actions are most loved by God?” The Prophet replied: God loves most the person who provides the greatest benefit to others. And the best of deeds is the one which brings relief to someone who is hungry or in debt.

Muhammad ranked service of mankind higher than worship. He said that he is happier helping people out in the street than sitting in worship in the mosque. He did this regardless of their religion or belief.

This reminds me of a teaching of Jesus, may peace be on him, from the Gospel of Mark:

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:28-31)

A man came to the Prophet and said I have suffered huge losses in my fruit business. Prophet made an appeal on his behalf and the people collected some money for the man but it was not enough. So the Holy Prophet petitioned the debtors to forgive his loans. Now this is happening in a tribal society about 1500 years ago where the concept of social welfare and service did not exist.

Once someone gave 10 dirhams to the Prophet as a gift. He bought a shirt for 4 dirhams. A companion passed by and asked if he could have the shirt. The Prophet took off his shirt and gave to that person. He then went back to the merchant and bought another shirt for himself. On the way to home he saw a little slave girl who was crying by the side of the street. The Prophet asked her, what happened. She said that she was sent by her master to bring bread but she has lost her 2 dirhams. Prophet gave her the last two dirhams but the girl was still crying. She was afraid that her master will punish her for being late. Prophet accompanied the girl all the way to her home. The master of the girl was so happy to see the Prophet that he not only forgave the girl but also freed her.

Life of the Prophet Muhammad is full of such compassion and mercy. He visited the sick, helped the poor, and worked for the benefit of everyone in his community.

First thirteen years of Prophet’s ministry were in Mecca where he faced severe opposition and persecution. His message was not received well. Only few people accepted him. Most were opposed many violently.

One day the Prophet decided to go out of Mecca to the next town of Taif and preach there. The people of that town were even worse. They refused to listen and young boys pelted him with stones and chased him out. Injured, thirsty, tired and disappointed, the Prophet sat under a tree to compose himself and take a breath. An angel of God appeared to him and said, O Prophet you have been hurt by the people of this town. If you so wish I can crush them between these two mountains. The Prophet said, no. Have mercy on them because they know not what they do.

To the Christian readers these words may remind of similar prayer that Jesus said on the cross.  It is recorded in the Gospel of Luke:

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ (Luke 23:33-34)

Finally people of Mecca decided to murder the Prophet. They gathered one person from each tribe and raided his house in the darkness of night. God had already informed the Prophet of this scheme. Earlier that day he had left his house and migrated to Medina, a town 240 miles away from Mecca. The people of this town were much more accepting of his message. Very quickly he became the leader and sovereign. Now he had wealth and power. But this did not change him. He lived in a small mud hut next to the mosque and led a very simple life. He slept on a mat made of tree leaves. There was no door on his house. He was the leader of his people but lived a life of poverty. Large amount of wealth came in especially after wars. The Prophet gave away all of it and did not keep any for himself. Many times he borrowed money from people to get by. Once he was sitting among his companions when a Jewish person walked in and put his scarf around the Prophet’s neck and squeezed so hard that his eyes popped out. He was demanding his loan back. The companions were outraged. They wanted to punish this man. Prophet refused and said he had the right to demand his money. So his loan was returned earlier than promised.

There were many tribes in Medina, some Muslim, some Jewish and some pagans. They were always fighting among themselves. When Muhammad peace be on him migrated to Medina, they knew his reputation as an upright and righteous person. With mutual agreement they accepted him as their united leader. The Prophet Muhammad wrote down a document which is known as the charter of Medina or the constitution of Medina. This document protected the rights of all citizens of Medina regardless of their faith or tribe. Prophet permitted each group to follow their own family law. He did not impose on any one “the sharia” or Islamic law. He appointed judges who were accepted by all. He created order in the disorderly life of Medina.

At the time when Muhammad lived in Arabia, women were considered property of men. They had no rights. They lived and died by the wish of their men. It was a common practice in Mecca to bury the female child as she would bring disgrace to the family. Muhammad peace be on him, stopped this barbaric practice. He instructed his followers to respect their women and be gentle to them. Don’t strike them and give them equal rights. He gave defined share to the women in the inheritance. He protected their rights and made them equal to men. He promoted education of women and said that acquiring knowledge is incumbent on every man and woman. In the Quran, an expression, believing men and believing women has been used repeatedly. The Quran says that women have similar rights as men and elevates them to similar spiritual status.

The Meccans had not forgotten about the Prophet. They raided the city of Medina three times over the next five years with their army. Muslims were able to repel them under the leadership of Muhammad peace be on him. The Prophet never forgot his mission. He constantly preached the Message of God to the Arabs. Muslims were growing in numbers and gaining strength.

After eight years of exile, Muhammad returned to Mecca with a large army. Meccans had no power to fight, so they surrendered. Many fled the city. They were scared and expected a massacre and bloodshed. After all they had persecuted the Prophet and his companions for almost twenty years. They had killed many Muslims and made life impossible for them. They had thrown them out from their homeland.

In adversity, scarcity and weakness many are humble and gentle. But when they gain wealth and power, usually it changes them for the worse.

But when the triumphant Prophet entered the city of Mecca, he was riding on a camel, his head bowed low, reciting the praise of God. He declared general amnesty for all who would not fight. He declared their homes to be safe houses. No one was punished. No revenge was taken. No looting occurred. All were forgiven.

Two years later Prophet delivered his last sermon at the occasion of annual pilgrimage. If we look at this sermon carefully, it looks as if this is the working document from which, we believe, the United Nations Charter of Human Rights has been developed. In this sermon, the Prophet touched upon the basic themes of equality and fairness. He declared that all human beings are equal regardless of their race, color or creed. He said that life and property of everyone was sacred and to be protected.

Two years later, in the twenty third year of his ministry the prophet passed away after a short illness. When he died he was ruler of Arabia and mountains of wealth were coming in from all parts of the state. Muhammad passed away in his mud hut next to the mosque after a short illness. He did not have any property and left no worldly wealth for his children.

The religion of Muhammad, Islam, spread all over the world in a short time after his death. Today there are more than one billion Muslims around the world. In about 40 countries, Muslims are in majority. But many have forgotten the message of peace and love brought by the Prophet Muhammad.

What the western world knows about the religion of Islam or the Prophet of Islam is colored by the bad deeds of some of the Muslims. Although the bad element among Muslims is a very small, yet their actions carry a loud voice. They give a bad name to the Prophet Muhammad peace be on him and the religion of Islam. My hope and prayer is that we will all study the true message of Islam and the life of the Prophet and adopt his ways of love, compassion, charity and peace.

The Holy Quran summarizes the mission of the Prophet in one line, “We have not sent you but as a mercy for the whole mankind.”  I conclude with this profound description of the Prophet in one line which is especially true for our times, when all nations are being brought together in our global village.