Test The Teachings

Test The Teachings“There did not come to them any messenger except that they used to ridicule him”    [Quran, chapter 36: verse 30]
 Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is a messenger sent by God. With the film and cartoon mocking him and the resulting riots,
demonstrations and media hype, you may ask the question:

“What is all this about? Why are people so enraged?”

But there is a more important point that the media, rioters and bloggers have forgotten in their discussions:

What was the Prophet Muhammad’s message?

Please join us for a short journey to discover his true teachings…
The Prophet Muhammad’s life (peace be upon him)
 
The noble person of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stands prominent, dignified and mighty in all qualities, habits and manners. He was a loving husband, father, friend and leader. It was the sublimity of his character which won the hearts and minds of his severest enemies. Abu Sufyan and Khalid ibn Walid, the renowned figures of Makkah, for example, accepted Islam simply by being impressed with the character of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
 
What others have said of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
 
Even before the advent of Islam, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was renowned for his honesty; he was known as Al-Amin (the trustworthy) and As-Sadiq (the truthful).
Not only have the Muslims praised and recognised the greatness of the final Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) but the likes of the Indian freedom fighter Mahatma Ghandi and the world renowned author George Bernard Shaw too have testified the greatness of the character and manner of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
 
 

“I wanted to know the best of one who holds today 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 his 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.”

[Mahatma Ghandi speaking on the character of Muhammad in Young India]

 

 

“I have always held in high regard the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilation 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 far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the saviour 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 problem 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 as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe of today.”

[George Bernard Shaw, The Genuine Islam, Vol 1, no 81936]

 

 

A professor of philosophy wrote regarding the messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): “The personality of Muhammad, it is most difficult to get into the whole truth of it. Only a glimpse of it I can catch. With dramatic succession of picturesque scenes! There is Muhammad the prophet. There is Muhammad, the warrior, Muhammad the businessman, Muhammad the statesman, Muhammad the reformer, Muhammad the refuge of orphans, Muhammad the protector of slaves, Muhammad the orator, Muhammad the emancipator of women, Muhammad the judge, Muhammad the saint. All in these magnificent roles, in all these departments of human activities, he is like a hero.”

[KS Ramakrishna Rao, Muhammad, The Prophet of Islam]

 

 

“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. Of humble origins, Muhammad founded and promulgated one of the world’s great religions, and became an immensely effective political leader. Today, thirteen centuries after his death, his influence is still powerful and pervasive.”

[Michael Hart ‘The 100: a ranking of the most influential people in history’]

The Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) teachings:

It is unfortunate that very few people in our day and age are actually aware of the true teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Reflecting on some of the messages quoted above, it is clear that the Prophet Muhammad made an indelible impression on humanity – perhaps it is time to unearth some of those hidden treasures.
We have categorised some of these teachings into five broad areas to demonstrate not only the character and persona of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), but the lessons he imbibed in those that followed his teachings. These categories are reflective of the relationships that any individual has with the following:

A. The Creator
B. One’s self development – i.e. developing good character and becoming a better person
C. Society at large and the environment

1. The nature of man and his relationship with God:

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“No one among you attains true faith, until he likes for his brother what he likes for himself.”

[Narrated in Bukhari]

A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon Him) and asked:

“O messenger of God, tell me of some deeds which I may do, so that Allah will love me as well as people love me.” He said; “Do not covet this world, and Allah will love you; do not covet what people posses and people will love you.”

[Narrated in Ibn Majah]

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“Remain conscious of God and fear Him wherever you are, and follow a bad deed with a good deed which will wipe it out, and behave well towards people.”

[Narrated in Tirmidhi]

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“God records the good deeds and the bad deeds thus: If anyone intends to do a good deed but does not actually do it, God writes it down with Him as a full good deed. If he intends it and does it too, God writes it down with Him as ten to seven hundred times that good deed, or many times over. If anyone intends to do a bad deed but does not actually do it, God writes it down with Him as a full good deed. When he intends a bad deed and does it as well, only then God writes it down as one bad deed.”

[Narrated in Bukhari]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“There is a lump of flesh in the body. If it is set right and made good, the entire body becomes good and healthy, but if it becomes diseased, the entire body becomes diseased. Remember well: it is the heart.”

[Narrated in Bukhari]

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said to Abdullah ibn Amr:

“Have I heard right that you fast every day and stand in prayer all night? Abdullah replied, “Yes, O messenger of God”. The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said: “Do not do that. Fast, as well as eat and drink. Stand in prayer, as well as sleep. For your body has a right over you, your eyes have a right over you, your wife has a right over you and your guest has a right over you.”

[Narrated in Bukhari]

2. Developing good character:

The messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was neither obscene nor was he crude. He used to say

“The best among you is he who has the best manners”

[Narrated in Bukhari]

Allah’s messenger (peace be upon Him) said:

“Be calm O Aisha! Allah loves that one should be kind and lenient in all matters.”

[Narrated in Bukhari]

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“Beware of suspicion, for suspicion is the worst of false tales, and do not look for the others faults and do not spy and do not be jealous of one another and do not desert (cut your relation with) one another and do not hate one another and O Allah’s worshippers! Be brothers (as Allah has ordered you).

[Narrated in Bukhari]

Allah’s messenger (peace be upon Him) said:

“The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger.”

[Narrated in Bukhari]

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“Modesty does not bring anything except good.”

[Narrated in Bukhari]

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“No one will be admitted into paradise who has even a tiny grain of pride in his heart.” A man asked him: “but what if someone likes to dress well and put on good sandals?” He replied: “Truly God is beautiful, and He love beauty. Pride is to disdain the truth, and to belittle and despise other people.”

[Narrated in Muslim]

3. Inter-personal relationships:

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“The young should greet the old, the passerby should greet the sitting one, and the small group of persons should greet the larger group of persons.”

[Narrated in Bukhari]

A man came to the Prophet (peace be upon Him) & said:

“O Allah’s messenger! Who is more entitled to be treated with the best companionship by me? The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said: “Your mother”. The man said: “Who is next?” The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said: “Your mother”. The man further said: “Who is next?” The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said: “Your mother”. The man asked (for the fourth time), “Who is next?” The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said: “Your father”.

[Narrated in Bukhari]

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“When you are three persons sitting together, then no two of you should hold secret counsel excluding the third person, until you are with some other people too, for that would grieve him.”

[Narrated in Bukhari]

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“Do not belittle even the smallest act of kindness, even if it were no more than meeting your brother with a smiling and cheerful face.”

[Narrated in Muslim]

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“The most perfect in faith among the believers are those who possess the best morals and the best among you are those who are kindest to their wives.”

[Narrated in Tirmidhi]

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“He does not belong to us Muslims who is not kind to our young and does not respect our old.”

[Narrated in Tirmidhi]

4. Community

Allah’s messenger said:

“Whosoever believes in Allah and the last day, should not harm his neighbour and whosoever believes in Allah and the last day should entertain his guest generously, whosoever believes in Allah and the last day should talk what is good or keep quiet.” (i.e. abstain from all kinds of evil talk – abusing, lying, backbiting, etc)

[Narrated in Bukhari]

A man asked the Prophet (peace be upon Him):

“What sort of deeds or traits of Islam are good?” The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said: “To feed others, and to greet those whom you know and those whom you do not know.”

[Narrated in Bukhari]

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“Giving charity is incumbent upon every bone of every human being every day the sun comes up. To judge fairly between two people is charity. To help someone mount his animal is charity. To help someone load his pack is charity. To say a good word is charity. To remove any harmful thing from the road is charity.”

[Narrated in Bukhari]

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“He who cares for the widow and the needy is like the one who struggles and fights in the way of God, or like the one who prays all night and fasts all day.”

[Narrated in Bukhari]

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“Help your brother, whether he is doing wrong to others or is being wronged.” A man protested: “O messenger of God, I can understand helping one who is being wronged, but how can I help him when he is doing wrong?”

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“Stop him from doing wrong; this is your help to him.”

[Narrated in Bukhari]

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“Every one of you is a shepherd; every one of you is responsible for his flock. A ruler is shepherd over his people; he is accountable for their welfare. A man is shepherd over his family; he is accountable for their welfare. A woman is shepherdess over her husband’s household and children; she is accountable for their welfare. A man’s servant is shepherd over his master’s property, he is accountable for it. Be careful! All of you are shepherds, and all of you shall be accountable for their flocks.”

[Narrated in Bukhari]

5. The environment and animals

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“If any Muslim plants any plant and a human being or an animal eats of it, he will be rewarded as if he had given that much in charity.”

[Narrated in Bukhari]

When the Prophet (SAW) saw Sa’d performing wudu he said :

“What is this? You are wasting water.” Sa’d replied: Can there be wastefulness while performing ablution? The Prophet (SAW) replied: “Yes even if you perform it in a flowing river.”

[Narrated in Ibn Majah]

Once the messenger of God, (peace be upon Him), passed by a camel who was so emaciated that his belly seemed to have disappeared. He said

“Fear God regarding the animals who cannot speak. Ride on them while they are healthy, and eat of them when they are healthy.”

[Narrated in Abu Dawud]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“While a man was walking he felt thirsty and went down a well and drank water from it. On coming out of it, he saw a dog panting and eating mud because of excessive thirst. The man said “This dog is suffering from the same problem as that of mine. So he went down the well, filled his shoe with water, caught hold of it with his teeth and climbed up and gave it to the dog. Allah thanked him for his good deed and forgave him.

[Narrated in Bukhari]

The Prophet (peace be upon Him) said:

“A woman was punished and thrown into hell on account of her cat. She kept it tied up till it died of hunger; neither did she give it something to eat and drink, nor let it go so that it could eat things on earth.”

[Narrated in Bukhari]

The Prophet Muhammad’s Last Sermon:

After praising, and thanking God, he said:

“O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether, after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and take these words to those who could not be present here today.

O People, just as you regard this month, this day, and this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds. Allah has forbidden you to take usury (interest); therefore all interest obligations shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer inequity. Allah has judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to `Abbas ibn `Abd al Muttalib (The Prophet’s uncle) shall henceforth be waived.

Beware of satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.

O People, it is true that you have certain rights over your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under God’s trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them, for they are your partners and committed helpers. It is your right and they do not make friends with anyone of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.

O People, listen to me in earnest, worship Allah (The One Creator of the Universe), perform your five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your financial obligation (zakah) of your wealth. Perform Hajj if you can afford to.

All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.

Remember, one day you will appear before God (The Creator) and you will answer for your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.

O People, no prophet or messenger will come after me and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand words which I convey to you. I am leaving you with the Book of God (the Quran) and my Sunnah (the life style and the behavioural mode of the Prophet), if you follow them you will never go astray.

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness O Allah, that I have conveyed your message to your people.

Notes:

Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) which are also known as “hadith” in Arabic, have been recorded in six major collections. These include “Bukhari”, “Muslim”, “Tirmidhi”, “Abu Dawud”, “Ibn Majah” and “An-Nisa’i”. For more information about the reliability of ‘hadith’ please refer to Test The Message

Source IERA   2012 Test The Message Islamic Education and Research Academy