Islam The Most
Suitable Religion for Mankind
The role of the Prophet Muhammad and the revealed message, which
he communicated to mankind were revolutionary; they brought about a radical
transformation in society. Man was freed from slavery to innumerable nameless
and arbitrary forces into the service of One God. He was raised from an
abject position to one of supremacy second only to God. He learned of the
dignity of man, and the universal brotherhood and equality of all men before
God. He was given a new purpose in life, and with the gift of his own free
will became master of his destiny as never before. It is difficult to imagine
a more fundamental revolution nor one whose dynamic has continued for so
long. The forces which transformed men in the seventh century still have
the power to inspire him today.
The liberal and revolutionary aspects of Islam and its Prophet Muhammad,
which transformed society in the seventh century, are still today amongst
the most potent forces at work for the betterment of humanity. They brought
not only a new ideology, but inspired the energy and confidence which so
radically altered man and the society in which he lived. They provided
the impetus for a new age of culture and civilization, arts and learning,
material and spiritual progress.
What was the nature of the service rendered to mankind? What were the gifts
of the Prophet that so profoundly affected man and society as he found
it? First
and foremost he proclaimed belief in the Oneness of God. No more
revolutionary, more life giving and more profitable creed could have been
vouchsafed to humanity. Man had been proud and presumptuous, boastful of
his creations. He took pride in enslaving other countries and nations,
often arrogating to himself even the position of God; yet at the same time
he demeaned himself by bowing his head before idols, inanimate, lifeless
objects, artifacts of his own creation. He subjected himself to the elemental
forces of nature and war, a slave to credulous belief and irrational fears
of demons and devils. His life was spent in fear of the unknown and helpless
belief in nameless powers, which could not hut, foster confusion, cowardice,
doubt and indecision. By removing the fear of all else save God alone,
the Prophet of lslam made him a self-reliant, courageous, rational believing
being. It was through Muhammad that man came to recognise his Creator as
the Supreme Power, the sole Enricher and Destroyer of life. By submitting
only to the will of the one true God, man was freed from servility to all
other powers. He was enabled to see the unity of Cause in the multiplicity
of phenomena; he was reassured of his pivotal position in the scheme of
creation; he became aware of his worth and dignity. In short, by accepting
the role of servant to the One and only God, he became master of every
other created being and object. For the first time man became aware of
the exalted position allotted to him by God in the scheme of things.Unity
of Godhead came to be recognised, thanks to the last Prophet, as the guiding
principle for all schools of thought. The power of his message undermined
the polytheistic religions of the day. Pagan belief and practice, though
it persisted, suffered a blow from which it never recovered. Man was released
from slavery to creation. Could there be a greater gift to humanity than
this?
The second great favour conferred by
the Messenger of God on human beings was the concept of the equality and
brotherhood of all mankind. Before him the world was divided into innumerable
castes and creeds, tribes and nations, some claiming nobility for themselves
and condemning others to the position of serfs and chattels. It was from
Muhammad that the world first heard the revolutionary message of human
equality.
“O Mankind, Your
God is one and you have but one father. You are all progeny of Adam, and
Adam was made of clay. Lo! The noblest among you, in the sight of God,
is the best in conduct. No Arab has any preference over a non-Arab save
by his piety.”
The Prophet
made this declaration on the occasion of his last Haj before a congregation
of one hundred and twenty four thousand persons. His announcement put the
seal on the twin principles of the Unity of God and the Unity of Mankind.
These are the two natural foundations for raising any edifice of peace
and progress, friendship and cooperation between different peoples and
nations. Together they create a bond of brotherhood between human beings
that of One Lord and one father for them all. Oneness of God is the spiritual
principle of human equality; common lineage of high and low, white and
coloured, places all men on the same plane of humanity.
So radical
a message was not well received. The world was in no mind to listen to
a message, which struck so sharply at the roots of existing social, relationships
are economic and political order. Its cataclysmic consequences threw the
world into confusion. This was a time when numerous clans and families
claimed their descent from the sun or moon. The Pharaohs of Egypt had believed
themselves to be the re-incarnation of the sun-god, while in India several
ruling families claimed their descent from the sun and moon. The Emperors
of Iran called themselves Kisra or Chosroes implying that Divine blood
flowed in their veins. The Chinese rulers too, deemed themselves to be
the sons of Heaven. According to the Qur'an even:
"The Jews and the
Christians say that they are the children of God and those whom He loves".
(V.18).
Even amongst the
Arabs things were little better. So proud were they of their language that
every other nation besides their own was an Ajami or dumb to them. Further,
the Quraish of Mecca, being extremely conscious of maintaining their superiority,
claimed a position of privilege even in the performance of Haj. This was
the shape of things all over the world, when the Qur'an heralded that all
human beings were equal.
"O Mankind! Lo! We
have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes
that ye may know one another. Lo! The noblest of you, in the sight of Allah,
is the best in conduct. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware.'' (XLIX. 13).
In the opening Surah of the Qur'an, Allah
is invoked as:
"Lord of the Worlds".
(I.I).
Man had been accustomed
to associate nobility with those who claimed themselves to be the progeny
of gods and demi-gods. In order that the honour of the common man was not
usurped again by the selected few, the Prophet announced:
"The whole of, mankind
is the family of God and he amongst His family, is dearest to Him, who
does good to others.''
Today
we find the principle of human equality enshrined in the constitutions
of different countries and proclaimed from the forum of the United Nations
Organisation in the shape of the Charter of Human Rights. Yet long before
the days of UN Charters, it was in Islam that the concept of equality was
first proclaimed as a human right. The indefatigable efforts of Muhammad
and his followers to create a truly egalitarian Muslim society established
the principle later adopted as the basis for human existence throughout
the world.
The third great gift bestowed by the
Prophet of Islam is the concept of human dignity. During the age of darkness
when Islam made its appearance, none was more ignoble and humiliated than
man. Without realisation of his worth, he had no sense of human dignity.
A sacred tree or animal, dedicated to some religious belief or practice,
enjoyed a more coveted place than man himself. Human sacrifice on the altars
of countless deities was a common spectacle It was solely through Muhammad
the Prophet that men came to appreciate the fact that human beings,the
glorious creation of God, were entitled to much more loving regard, respect
and honour than any other creature. The rank accorded to man was next only
to God, for God had Himself heralded the purpose of man's creation in words
of lasting beauty:
"He is who created-for
you all that is in the earth". (II.29).
Man was declared as the best of creations,
the ruler of the world and all that existed in it:
"Verily have honoured
the children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made
provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of
those whom we created with a marked preferment''. (XVII. 70).
A celestial Tradition
of the Prophet alludes to the deep concern of God for the welfare of human
beings:
God will ask someone on the Day of Judgement:
"I fell ill but thou
did not pay a visit to Me".
The man will reply:
"How can l have paid
a visit to Thee? Thou art the Lord of the worlds".
But God will say:
"Did thou not know
that one of my slaves was ill? Had thou gone to see him, thou would have
found me by his side".
Then God will again
ask:
"O Son of Adam, I
asked thee to feed Me, but thou refused it to Me." The man will submit:
"How could I have
fed Thee? Thou art the Lord of the worlds".
But the reply of
God will be:
"Did thou not know
that one of My slaves had asked for food from Thee? Did’st thou not know
that if thou had given him food, thou would have found it with Me?"
God will again ask:
“O son of Adam, I
asked thee water to drink but thou refused it to Me". The man will say
in reply:
"O Lord, How could
have I given water to Thee? Thou art the Lord of the worlds''.
But the reply given
by God will be:
"Did thou not recollect
that one of My slaves asked for water from thee, but thou refused? Did
thou not know that if thou had given him water, thou would have found it
with Me?''
Islam preaches
unalloyed and absolute unity of God and rejects every form of anthropomorphism.
Even so, it can employ this analogy to drive home the rank and dignity
of man in the eyes of God. Has any other religion or philosophical thought
accorded a nobler place to human beings than Islam?
The Prophet
of Islam stressed the importance of right actions in attracting the blessings
of God. Most praiseworthy were kindness and consideration from one man
to another.
"The Most compassionate
(God) is kind
to those who are kind to others. If you would show kindness to those who
live on the earth, He who lives in the Heaven shall shower His blessings
on you. "
The condition
of mankind when this powerful voice was raised in the world was pitiable.
Human life was of little account. Rulers diced with the lives of their
subjects as they chose: a man was subject to his master's whim. For centuries
the world had been one vast battlefield where kings and emperors fought
for supremacy with the lives of their subjects. The entire population of
a conquered land could be put to the sword at the hand of the victor.
In addition
a profound sense of pessimism springing from the worthlessness of human
nature and hopelessness of divine succour filled the air. The ancient religions
of the East and the perverted form of Christianity in the West, both had
a share in producing a climate of despair. The philosophy of re-incarnation
preached by the ancient religion of India assigned no place to the will
and decision of man in shaping his destiny. This present life was but a
form of retribution for his actions during his previous life. The Christian
doctrines of Original Sin and Atonement had joined hands to shake man's
confidence all over the world in the determination and accountability of
human actions. Mankind had lost faith in the mercy of God. His eternal
and immutable decrees seemed to condemn man to a pre-determined destiny
in which his own conduct, good or bad, was of little consequence. But Muhammad
affirmed that Man was born with a clean slate and perfect freedom of action.
He was, declared the Prophet, the author of his actions, both good and
evil. As such he was solely responsible for his deeds, and would earn reward
or punishment according to his deserts. Discarding the theory of vicarious
atonement, the Qur'an established the principle, once for all, that every
man was his own redeemer.
"And that man hath
only that for which he maketh effort. And that his effort will be seen".
(LII. 39-40).
This was the message of salvation which
gave man a new confidence as master of his own destiny. He could apply
himself with renewed vigour, confidence and determination to shaping his
own life and re-forming the future of humanity.
The doctrine of forgiveness of sins was one of the most bounteous gifts
of Islam to mankind. The Prophet declared that sins were but temporary
deviations from the right path inherent in the nature of man, and were
brought about by ignorance, mistake, man's own desire and the promptings
of the devil. But man's deeper desire was to regret his mistakes and seek
pardon of God with a contrite heart. To be broken in spirit by a sense
of guilt and to seek forgiveness of God showed the innate goodness of human
nature and attracted the mercy of God. This gospel of hope and good tidings
was a revolutionary message to despondent humanity condemned forever by
the guilt of original sin and past misdeeds. How profound a change it wrought
on the prevailing atmosphere of gloom and depression is illustrated by
the fact that the Prophet came to be known as the ‘Apostle of Repentance’.
Repentance, he said, did not involve faint-heartedness, nor did it arise
from fear of disapprobation, but was a bold and daring step taken by the
first man Adam, which showed the innate nobility of his nature. Repentance
was sanctified as one of the acts of devotion due to God. So forcefully
did the Prophet preach the virtue of repentance, that even those who seemed
irredeemably sunk in sin turned in repentance to God and attained a sublimity
of spirit that was envied by others.
Describing
the clemency of God which is ever willing to forgive sinners, the Qur'an
speaks with such alluring charm that one wonders whether God loves best
those who seek His forgiveness after deviating from the path of virtue.
God's magnanimity to those who turn to Him for forgiveness, is endless;
He is long suffering and of great mercy. In the words of the Qur'an:
"Say: O My slaves
who have been prodigal to their own hurt! Despair not of the mercy of Allah,
who forgiveth all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful''. (XXXIX.
53).
Other verses in the
Qur'an exhort believers to acquire positive merit and win everlasting Bliss:
"And vie one with
another for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Paradise as wide as are
the heavens and the earth, prepared for those ward off (evil);
Those who spend (of
that which Allah hath given them) in ease
and in adversity, those who control their wrath and are forgiving toward
mankind; Allah loveth the good;
"And those who, when
they do an evil thing or wrong themselves, remember Allah and implore forgiveness
for their sins - Who forgiveth Sins, save Allah only? - and will not knowingly
repeat (the wrong)
they did.
"The reward of such
will be forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens underneath which rivers
flow, wherein they will abide for ever - a bountiful reward for workers''
(III. 133-136).
Among the characteristics
of the true believer enumerated in another verse, repentance takes precedence
over all others.
"(Triumphant)
are those who turn repentant (to Allah)
those who serve (Him),
those who praise (Him),
those who fast, those who bow dawn, those who fall prostrate (in
worship), those who enjoin the right and who
forbid the wrong and those who keep the limits its (ordained)
of Allah - And give glad tidings to believers?" (IX. 112).
The place
of honour accorded to those who repent of their sins is further illustrated
by those verses of the Qur'an revealed on the occasion of the forgiveness
of three companions of the holy Prophet, who had been excluded from other
followers for their failure to accompany him on the expedition to Tabuk.
Before the verses alluding to the mistake of these companions being condoned
by God, the Qur'an mentions the Prophet and the Ansar and Muhajir companions
in order that no stigma may remain attached to them after their mistake
had been pardoned. The Qur'an in this way, teaches all believers who take
the companions of the Prophet as models of virtue, that no ignominy attaches
to a man after a genuine change of heart.
"Allah hath turned
in mercy to the Prophet, and to the Muhajirin and the Ansar who followed
him the hour of hardship. After the hearts of a party of them had almost
swerved aside, then turned He unto them in mercy. Lo! He is Full of pity,
Merciful for them.
"And to the three
also (did He turn in mercy)
who were left behind, when the earth, vast as it is, was straitened for
them, and their own souls were straitened for them ,till they bethought
them that there is no refuge from Allah save toward Him. Then turned He
unto them in mercy that they (too)
might turn (repentant unto him).
Lo! Allah He is the Relenting, the Merciful" (IX. 117-118).
Remission of sin
leads us to one of the chief attributes of the Divine Being - His mercy
and compassion. The bounty of God's mercy is the constant theme of the
Qur'an. Says God:
"My mercy embraces
all things" (VII 156),
while a celestial
Tradition of the Prophet tells us:
"Verily my Mercy
overcomes My anger".
To despair of God's mercy was made a cardinal
sin. Quoting Jacob and Ibrahim, two great Prophets of God, the Qur'an announces:
"Verily none despair
of the comfort of Allah except a people disbelieving". (XII. 87).
And:
"who despaireth of
the mercy of his Lard save those who are astray?" (xv. 56).
According
to the Jewish and Christian doctrines, the misery and suffering of humanity
on earth was but a feeble image of the never-ending agony, which awaited
them in the future world. The mediaeval monastic orders developed this
doctrine with appalling vividness and in graphic detail. Humanity, scared
by these ghastly visions and glimpses of eternal suffering, was relieved
by the Prophet's emphasis on God's all-embracing mercy and the efficacy
of repentance which could wipe clean the slate of even the most vicious
among the castaways of society.
There is yet another
gift of the prophethood of Muhammad still more far-reaching, more beneficial
to humanity at large. This is the concept of the unity of spirit and matter:
the harmony of the sacred and the profane. He taught that the dichotomy
between the two was superficial, more apparent than real. Every one of
man's actions, his behaviour and morality, is guided by his motive, which,
in the terminology of religion, is known as niyat or intention. No religious
belief is entirely divorced from the realities of human experience in its
manifold practical aspects. The intention or purpose with which any act
is done is the criterion of its moral worth. The Qur'an does not recognise
any division between the temporal and the spiritual since man's desire
to propitiate God and follow His commands permeates every fibre of human
activity, no matter whether it is the art of government or war; availing
oneself of one's earthly possessions or satisfaction of one's natural
desires; earning one's living or leading a satisfactory married life. If
the intention is good even the most mundane act is turned into a virtuous
deed, and becomes a means of bringing man nearer to God. On the contrary,
no merit whatsoever attaches to right acts - like devotion to God or fighting
in His cause - if the sincere desire to attain the will and pleasure of
God is absent.
The ancient world had divided life into two compartments - the religious
and the secular. As a result a wedge had been driven between those who
selected one or other of these modes of life. Frequently the two groups
were at loggerheads with one another, for the `world' and `religion' were
to them incompatible spheres of human life. Every man was forced to choose
one or the other, since no-one could be expected to travel in two boats
at the same time. The prevalent view was that the path of salvation lay
not through the rough and tumble of life, but only in isolation from the
social, economic and political problems of worldly pursuits. No concept
of religion which barred the gates to material progress and acquisition
of power, riches and fame, could be of interest to intelligent, capable
and ambitious persons. Forced by this dichotomy to choose between the world
and religion, large numbers of the most able people dissociated themselves
from the rigours and constraints of religious and ascetic life. By withdrawing
themselves from the pursuit of virtue, such men frustrated any integration
of secular and religious affairs. Morality appeared to vanish from the
conduct of public affairs. The State eventually revolted against the Church
and made itself free from all obligations to it. This hideous schizophrenia
not only divorced what was called worldly from the benefit of spiritual
wisdom, but also gave birth to the faithlessness and agnosticism of modern
Europe, which is now threatening, because of its political and cultural
supremacy, to inundate the entire world. The present wave of gross materialism,
loss of faith and moral debasement can be seen as a direct consequence
of the division between spirit and matter effected by the older civilizations.
It was left to the Prophet to re-integrate the spiritual and temporal spheres
of life: to persuade men of religion and men of the world to unite in bringing
about God's kingdom on earth.
It would be difficult to conceive a more
complete transformation of life than the one brought about by the fusion
of the secular and the sacred. Let us leave the last word with Iqbal, one
of Islam's great poets:
"On monastic order
was laid the foundation of church,
How could mendacity
contain royalty in its confines?
The conflict was
deep between hermit and king,
One was triumphant,
the other subdued.
Politics got rid
of religion,
Helpless was the
high priest.
When the world
and religion parted ways,
Avarice was Ruler,
King and Vizier.
Dualism was the
doom of mind and matter,
Dualism made civilization
blind.
This is the miracle
of the dweller of the desert,
Whose warnings
reflected the tidings glad;
That humanity's
only refuge was this -
That the mystic
Junaid unite with Ardsher
the King".
Yet another radical
change brought about by the Prophet of Islam in the life of man was to
make him conscious of the ultimate end of existence. Unaware of any ultimate
purpose, man had for long fixed his eyes on trivial and ephemeral ends.
He directed his whole intelligence and labour to the acquisition of material
wealth fame or power. The only virtue lay in the pursuit of pleasure: happiness
became identified with the satisfaction of worldly desires. But Muhammad
told man that the business of mankind was to exert itself in striving to
attain perfect knowledge of God; to contemplate His nature and attributes;
to bring his soul nearer to God through awareness of the infinite; to seek
unity in the diversity of nature; to seek fulfilment in virtuous acts.
He told man that these were the objectives whose achievement conferred
on him a rank envied by the angels of God.
The prophethood
of Muhammad made a clean sweep of the existing order of things in the world.
The desire and longing of man was now centred on a new objective. Love
of God took possession of his being; the pleasure of God became the ever-lasting
thirst of the human heart; mercy and kindness to God's creatures became
the prime object of his endeavors. It was only after the advent of the
Prophet that the countries who submitted to Islam adopted the pursuit of
spiritual values as a way of life. In Arabia and Iran, Syria and Egypt,
Turkestan and Iraq, North Africa and Spain, thousands of souls undertook
the search for higher and tender virtues. During this period we find innumerable
men of God preaching to all mankind love of the Lord, kindness and compassion,
the merits of virtuous living, the acquisition of Divine knowledge, the
rejection of cruelty and indecency, and the race of humility and modesty.
They taught the lessons of human dignity and the brotherhood of man and
sought to bring about the kingdom of God on earth.
Could we
today look into the hearts of these supreme examples of mankind, we would
witness the depth and purity of their innermost being. We would see how
they were ever willing to put their own life at stake for others, made
their own children and family suffer for the good of all, compelled autocrat
kings and potentates to do justice to the weak and the poor, and dispensed
true justice even to their enemies. Had historians and biographers not
preserved a faithful record of their lives, the truth of their deeds would
be beyond belief. This revolutionary change in the manners and morals of
people was indeed a miracle worked by the holy Prophet of Islam; the sum
of his great gifts to mankind.
Abul
Hasan Ali Nadvi