2017 04 The Light April 2017

April 2017 The
Light 4
“It is impossible for anyone who studies the
life and character of the great Prophet of
Arabia, who knew how he taught and how
he lived, to feel anything but reverence for
that mighty
Boswoth Smith - If
ever a man had the
right to say that he
Prophet, one of
the great messengers
of the
ruled by a right divine,
Supreme. And
it was Muham-
mad,
although in what
I put to you I
shall say many
things which may be familiar to many, yet I
myself feel, whenever I reread them, a new
way of admiration, a new sense of reverence
for that mighty Arabian teacher.”
Mahatma Gandhi, the pre-eminent leader
of the Indian Independence Movement in British-ruled
India, and the person to whom modern
day non-violence movements trace their
roots (like that of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.’s
civil rights movement), after studying the life of
Prophet Muhammad wrote:
“I became more than ever 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
his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his
fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and
his own mission. These, and not the sword,
carried everything before them and surmounted
every trouble.”
Alphonso La Martine, famous French historian,
wrote in his, Histoire de la Turqe, 1854,
Vol 2:
“If greatness of purpose, smallness of
means and astounding results, are three criteria
of human genius, who would dare to
compare any great man in modern history
with Muhammad?”
Dr Michael Hart, an American, scientist by
profession, more recently, studied important
historical figures and ranked the top 100 most
influential persons in history. He published his
rankings in a book titled: The 100 and number
I Shall Love All Mankind.
one on his list was the “Prophet Muhammad”.
He writes:
“He [Muhammad] was the only man in history
who was supremely successful on both
the secular and religious level . . . It is this
unparalleled combination of the secular
and religious influence which I feel entitles
Muhammad to be considered to be the most
influential single figure in human history.”
Similarly, it was stated in the Encyclopaedia
Britannica that the Prophet Muhammad
was:
“. . . that most successful of all prophets and
religious personalities.” (11th edition, under
‘Koran’, 1st paragraph)
Distinguishing characteristic of the
Holy Prophet Muhammad (s):
From an orphan to a king of a great empire,
the Holy Prophet Muhammad passed through
all phases of life so that he was able to provide
a model for people in many different roles.
If he had not been a labourer, he could not
have revealed the value and integrity in working
with one’s own hands and earning an honest
living.
If he had not in his youth organized grassroots
campaigns to
serve the poor and it was not the
protect the weaker sword that won
members of society, a place for Islam
he could not have - Gandhi
been an inspiration
for socially conscious community organizers.
If he had not married, he would have left
people unguided in practically half of their daily
interactions, and could not have shown how to
be a kind and affectionate spouse and a loving
parent.
If he had not been the head of an armed
force, he could not have served as an example
for a responsible general or an accountable
commander-in-chief in the fight for justice.
If he had not formed rules and regulations