YOU SHOULD
KNOW THIS NOBLE MAN
ENCYCLOPEDIA
BRITANNICA
confirms:
A mass of detail in the early sources show that he was an honest and upright man
who had gained the respect and loyalty of others who were like-wise honest and
upright men." (Vol. 12)
GEORGE
BERNARD SHAW
said about him:
"If
any religion had the chance of ruling over
I
have always held the religion of Muhammad
in
high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It ! is the only religion,
which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase
of existence, which can make itself appeal to every age. I have studied him -
the wonderful man and in my opinion for from being an anti-Christ, he must be
called the Savior of Humanity."
"I
believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern
world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the
much needed peace and happiness: I have prophesied about
the
faith of Muhammad
that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow a! s it is beginning to be
acceptable to the Europe of today.
(Sir
George Bernard Shaw
in
'The
Genuine Islam,'
Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936.)
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
numerous social and political reforms, established a powerful and dynamic
society to practice and represent his teachings and completely revolutionized
the worlds of human thought and behavior for all times to come.
"HIS
NAME IS MUHAMMAD"
May Peace of God Be Upon Him (pbuh)
He
was born in
During
this short period of 23 years of his Prophethood, he changed the complete
MICHAEL
H. HART
in his recently published book on ratings of men who contributed towards the
benefit and upliftment of mankind writes:
"My
choice of Muhammad
to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some
readers and may be questioned by others, but he! was the only man in history who
was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels." (M.H.
Hart,
THE
100:
A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN ! HISTORY, New York, 1978, p.
33)
Lamar
tine the
renowned historian speaking on the essentials of human greatness
wonders:
"If
greatness of purpose, smallness of means and astounding results are the three
criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern
history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only.
They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often
crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislation,
empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then
inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the
religions, the ideas, the beliefs and souls.... his forbearance in victory, his
ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for !
an empire; his endless prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and
his triumph after death; all these attest not to an imposture but to a firm
conviction which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was two-fold,
the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the former telling what God is,
the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the
sword, the other starting an idea with the words.
"Philosopher,
orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational
dogmas, of a cult without images, the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and
of one spiritual empire, that is MUHAMMAD. As regards all the standards by which
Human Greatness may be measured, we may well ask, IS THERE ANY MAN GREATER THAN HE?"
(Lamar
tine, HISTOIRE DE LA TURQUIE, Paris, 1854, Vol. II, pp
276-277)
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. The lives and teachings of these great personalities of
the world are shrouded in the mist of time. There is so much speculation about
the time and 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 to reconstruct accurately the lives
and teachings of these men.
Not
so this man. Muhammad
(pbuh)
accomplished so much in such diverse fields of human thought and behavior in the
fullest blaze of human history. Every detail of his private life and public
utterances has been accurately documente! d and faithfully preserved to our day.
The authenticities of the record so preserved are vouched for not only by the
faithful followers but also even by his prejudiced critics.
Muhammad
(pbuh)
was a religious teacher, a social reformer, a moral guide, 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 different aspects of life - but it was only for the selfless
personality of Muhammad
(pbuh)
to achieve such incredible perfections.
MAHATMA
GANDHI Speaking
on the character of
Muhammad,
(pbuh)
"I
wanted to know the best of one who holds today's undisputed sway over the hearts
of millions of mankind.... I became more than convinced that it was not the
sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the
rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous
regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to this friends and followers, his
intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission.
These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every
obstacle. When I closed the 2nd volume (of the! Prophet's biography), I was
sorry there was not more for me to read of the great life."
THOMAS
CALYLE
in
his
HEROES AND HEROWORSHIP, 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."
"The
lies (Western slander) which well-meaning zeal has heaped round this man
(Muhammad)
are disgraceful to ourselves only."
"A
silent great soul, one of that who cannot but be earnest. He was to kindle the
world, the worlds Maker had ordered so."
DIWAN
CHAND SHARMA
wrote:
"
Muhammad
was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never forgotten by
those around him." (D.C. Sharma, THE PROPHETS OF THE EAST, Calcutta, 1935, pp.
12)
EDWARD
GIBBON and
SIMON OCKLEY speaking
on the profession of
ISLAM
write:
"'I
BELIEVE IN ONE GOD, AND MAHOMET, AN APOSTLE OF GOD' is the simple and invariable
profession of Islam. The intellectual image of the Deity has never been degraded
by any visible idol; the honor of the Prophet has never transgressed the measure
of human virtues; and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his
disciples within the bounds of reason and religion." (HISTORY OF THE SARACEN
EMPIRES, London, 1870, p. 54)
Muhammad
(pbuh)
was nothing more or less than a human being. But he was a man with a noble
mission, which was to unite humanity on the worship of ONE and ONLY ONE GOD and
to teach them the way to honest and upright living based on the commands of God.
He always described himself as, 'A Servant and Messenger of God,' and so indeed
every action of his proclaimed to be.
The
famous poetess of
"It
was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy; for, in the
mosque, when the call for prayer is sounded and worshippers are gathered
together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant
and king kneel side by side and proclaim: 'God Alone is Great'... I have been
struck over and over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that makes man
instinctively a brother."!
(S. Naidu, IDEALS OF ISLAM,
vide Speeches & Writings, Madras, 1918, p. 169)
In
the words of PROF.
HURGRONJE:
"The
league of nations founded by the prophet of Islam put the principle of
international unity and human brotherhood on such universal foundations as to
show candle to other nations." He continues: "The fact is that no nation of the
world can show a parallel to what Islam has done towards the realization of the
idea of the
The
world has not hesitated to raise to divinity, individuals whose lives and
missions have been lost in legend. Historically speaking, none of these legends
achieved even a fraction of what Muhammad
(pbuh) accomplished. And all his striving was for the sole purpose of uniting
mankind for the worship of One God on the codes of moral excellence.
Muhammad
(pbuh)
or his followers never at any time claimed that he was a Son of God or the
God-incarnate or a man with divinity - but he always was and is even today
considered as only a Messenger chosen ! by God.
K.
S. RAMAKRISHNA RAO,
an Indian Professor of Philosophy in his booklet,
"Muhammad,
The Prophet of Islam," calls him the "PERFECT MODEL FOR HUMAN LIFE." Prof.
Ramakrishna Rao explains his point by saying: "The personality of
Muhammad,
it is most difficult to get into the whole truth of it. Only a glimpse of it I
can catch. What a dramatic succession of picturesque scenes! There is
Muhammad, the Prophet. There is
Muhammad,
the Warrior; Muhammad,
the Businessman; Muhammad,
the Statesman;
Muhammad,
the Orator; Muhammad,
the Reformer; Muhammad,
the Refuge of Orphans; Muhammad,
the Protector of Slaves; Muhammad,
the Emancipator of Women; Muhammad,
the Judge; Muhammad,
the Saint. All in all these magnificent roles, in all these departments of human
ac! tivities, he is alike a hero."
Today
after a lapse of fourteen centuries, the life and teachings of
MUHAMMAD
(pbuh)
have survived without the slightest loss, alteration or interpolation. They
offer the same undying hope for treating mankind's many ills, which they did
when he wa! s alive. This is not a claim of Muhammad's (pbuh) followers but also
the inescapable conclusion forced upon by a critical and unbiased history.
The
least YOU could do as thinking and concerned human being is to stop for a moment
and ask yourself: Could these statements sounding so extraordinary and
revolutionary be really true? And supposing they really are true and you did not
know this man MUHAMMAD
(pbuh)
or hear about him, isn't it time you responded to this tremendous challenge and
put in some effort to know him?
It
will cost you nothing but it may prove to be the beginning of a completely new
era in your life.
VALOUR! HUMBLENESS! SOFT SPOKEN! LOVE FOR CHILDREN! UNDETERRED PATIENCE! DARING AGAINST EVIL! EARNING HIS LIVELIHOOD! COMPLACENCY IN POVERTY! COURAGE AGAINST INJUSTICE! STEADFASTNESS IN PRINCIPLE! RESPECTING EVERYBODY EQUALLY! FORGIVING ALL INCLUDING ENEMIES! HUMANE BEHAVIOUR WITH NON MUSLIMS! LEADING A PERFECT LIFE WITH WIVES! EQUAL JUSTICE TOALL INCLUDING ENEMIES! HUMILITY EVEN AT HIS HIGHEST POSITION! PRACTICED ALL WHAT HE PREACHED AND SAID! LEAVING NO PROPERTY FOR INHERITANCE BY HIS PROGENITORS! ATTACHING ALL HIS BELONGINGS TO THE GOVERNMENT TREASURY! BANNING ZAKAT TO HIM AND HIS FAMILY MEMBERS AND PROGENY FOR EVER!
Of course, we do witness some of these fine qualities in some people living with us. But we can neither trace anyone who possesses all these fine qualities altogether nor can any historical hero be found to have possessed all these qualities in him altogether, except in the greatest man Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) whom we address as "MAAMANITHAR NABIGAL NAYAGAM".
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