Yes. Prophethood or Risalah is a fundamental article of faith in Islam. A Muslim should believe in Prophethood and in all the prophets sent by God and make no distinction between them.
Man has been placed on this earth by God in order that his obedience to his Maker may be put to the test. For this purpose, he has been given complete freedom to tread the paths of either good or evil. He has a choice. But to follow the path desired for him by God, man is in need of guiding principles. The true source of guidance, according to Islam, is to be found in prophethood. Throughout human history, God in His infinite mercy selected certain individuals to communicate His message to humankind, so that all human beings might be given an opportunity to follow the right path. These chosen people are called prophets, or messengers.
A prophet is a person chosen by God as His representative. When God appoints someone as His Messenger, He sends His angel to him to inform him of his new status. In that way, the individual can have no doubts about his appointment as God’s apostle. Later, God reveals His message to him through His angels, so that he may communicate the divine teachings to all his fellow men.
Source: The Spirit of Islam
After the final prophet, Prophet Muhammad, the role of the dayee is transferred to his people, that is, those who believe in the Quran, the book of God, and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. Thus, they come to acquire the position of dayees and their contemporary nations have the position of madus. Thus, being dayees, it is their responsibility, to convey the religion of God to people of all ages. They become God’s witnesses, so that those who want to accept God’s guidance may accept it, while those who knowingly deny the religion of God, when the case of such people (deniers) is presented in the court of the Hereafter, then the dayees will perform their duty in the court of the Hereafter as being God’s witnesses.
Ibn Ishaq (the Prophet’s earliest biographer) said that when Prophet Muhammad came to the Companions and reminded them of the dawah work, he said: ‘God has sent me to the entire world as a blessing, so you should carry out this responsibility on my behalf. God will show His mercy to you.’ (Seerah Ibn Hisham, Vol. 4, pp. 278-79)
Muslims, as the followers of Prophet Muhammad, have the primary duty to convey the divine message to their contemporaries in every age, generation after generation. That is why the Muslim community has been called ‘The Middle Nation’ (ummat-e-wasat) in the Quran in the following verse of the second chapter, which states: “We have made you a middle nation, so that you may act as witnesses for mankind, and the Messenger may be a witness for you.” (2:143)
This verse speaks of the role of Muslims as dayees. It explains that they have received the divine religion through God’s Messenger. Therefore, they now must communicate God’s message to every generation in every age.
It was the responsibility of the followers of Prophet Muhammad to pass on the truth they had received from the Prophet to others. The same responsibility devolved upon the ancient people of the Book. That is, making the message of God clear to people. (The Quran, 3:187)
The Call to God is to acquaint man with the creation plan of God. It is to tell man what his relationship with God is and how God will deal with him after death. In other words, this is like introducing a man to God. Its objective is to awaken man from his slumber, to make him realize his servitude, and incline him to turn towards God.
Addressing the Prophet Muhammad, God says in the Quran: “We have sent you forth as a mercy to all mankind.” (The Quran, 21:107)
The advent of the Prophet was an expression of God’s mercy for the whole of humankind. Through him, God informed us about the principles on the basis of which human beings can come to inhabit what the Quran (10: 25) refers to as Dar us-Salam or ‘the Home of Peace’, an abode of peace and security for its inhabitants. Through the Prophet, God conveyed to us teachings that can make for a peaceful society. The Prophet presented humankind with a complete ideology of peace. He provided us with a formula that can enable us to abstain from hatred and violence and lead a healthy life. He ushered in a revolution that made it possible for humanity to avoid confrontation and war and nurture a peaceful society.
Because of certain compelling circumstances, the Prophet had to fight some battles, but these were so minor that they can be more appropriately called skirmishes, rather than wars. The great revolution that the Prophet wrought can, therefore, definitely be termed a bloodless revolution.
The Prophet gave peace the status of a complete and comprehensive way of life. He taught us that violence leads to destruction, while peace leads to construction. He termed patience as the highest form of worship, which means remaining fully established on the way of peace. He termed strife, the disruption of the peaceful system of Nature, as the biggest crime. He gave complete importance to peace in accordance with the Quranic teaching that equated the killing of a single individual with the slaying of the whole of mankind.
Source: Spirit of Islam October 2014
The Prophet Muhammad exemplified peace and tolerance throughout his life. Once, on being asked for a master advice, he replied: ‘Don’t be angry.’ He said that the strongest among us is the one who can control his anger. He propagated the pursuit of the easier choice of peace and tolerance as against being intolerant or violent.
During the course of his lifetime, there were certain defensive skirmishes that took place. Even during these, Prophet Muhammad strictly prohibited the ill-treatment of non-combatants and prisoners of war. For example, the Prophet did not approve of any ill-treatment of prisoners of war that were taken after the Battle of Badr:
He instructed Muslims to share equal food with the prisoners. (Majma ul Zawaid, hadith no. 10007)
He declared that any prisoner who could teach ten children of Madinah to read and write would be set free. (Musnad Ahmad, hadith no. 2216)
It is also worth noting that in future battles, no prisoners of war were taken in by the Muslims.
The Prophet Muhammad taught believers to be virtuous and compassionate towards fellow human beings. He preached selfless service and the development of piety and modesty among individuals. He believed that a Muslim is soft, simple, and lenient. He cautioned Muslims from falling into extremism: “Those who go to extremes are doomed.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2670)
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
Prophet Muhammad was an embodiment of virtues a true believer must imbibe and uphold. He was a well-wisher for mankind. His entire life is a testament to this fact. He never discriminated between people on the basis of their colour, creed, or social status; in the heydays of slavery, he advocated freedom of slaves; in an environment full of resentment and staunch opposition, he always adopted a forgiving approach, never avenging any wrong done to him.
Prophet Muhammad taught believers to become conscientious members of society. He advised that ‘A Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand people are safe.’ (Sunan al-Nasai, hadith no. 4998)
He propagated caring and supporting the sick, feeding the hungry and being kind, living as no-problem persons for neighbours, refraining from using offensive names, and caring for animals. He encouraged responsible living and judicious utilization of natural resources, such as water, even if one has limitless access to them. Once the Prophet passed by a Companion when he was performing ablutions and said to him:
‘What is this extravagance?’ The Companion asked, ‘Can there be extravagance in ablutions?’ The Prophet replied, ‘Yes, even if you are on the bank of a flowing river!’ (Sunan ibn Majah, hadith no. 460)
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
The Prophet of Islam not only presented God’s religion theoretically but also diligently followed it in practice. Therefore, he is not only one who has told us what to do but is also one who has demonstrated a practical example of what he preached:
“You have indeed in the Prophet of God a good example for those of you who look to God and the Last Day, and remember God always.” (The Quran, 33:21)
This verse was revealed in the context of the battle of Ahzab. However, according to the principle of exegesis, it has a general application. As regards its general sense, this verse means that not only in the context of the campaigns of Ahzab, but in every respect, the Prophet’s life serves as the best example for the believer. God’s true servant is one who adopts the model presented by God’s Prophet throughout his life.
A good or an excellent example does not mean a complete model as is generally understood. That is to say, it does not mean that from every aspect of human existence, all kinds of paradigms are to be found in the prophet’s life. Rather it means that as regards principles he demonstrated fully in his practical life, those moral values which are regarded as being the best for human beings to practice. In that sense, his is the ideal example to follow.
A prediction of the Prophet about dawah work in later times has been recorded in these words: “To every home, big or small, God will bring this message.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 23814) The printing press and modern communication and technology have made it possible to turn this prediction into reality. The Companions of the Prophet used to recite passages from the Quran to people. These Companions were called ‘Muqris’—reciters. Now in the age of the printing press and technology, we have to distribute printed and soft copies of the Quran and Islamic literature so that they reach each and every home. If the Companions became Muqris of the Quran, now the need is for every Muslim to become the distributors of the Divine Book.
The prophetic mission has been continued after him and continues till today through dawah work being performed by Muslims. It is the task of conveying the message of God to all mankind generation after generation, making people aware of the divine will so that no one may blame God on the Day of Judgement for not having been informed of the Creation Plan.
The purpose of dawah is to acquaint man with the creation plan of God. He should be told what his relationship with God is, and how God is going to deal with him in the future. It is like introducing man to God. The purpose of this work is to put a lost person on the path to God, so that he may truly realize God.
This is the act that makes believers deserving of divine blessings. If we fail to perform this desired task, no other struggle can make us deserving of divine blessings.
Source: Calling People to God
The Arabian Prophet, may God’s peace and blessings descend upon him, was the last of God’s messengers. No other prophet will now come to the world.
All of God’s prophets have taught one and the same religion. They spoke different languages, but the religion they expounded was one. Since the followers of previous prophets were unable to preserve the prophetic teachings in their original form, messengers of God used to appear frequently in order to revitalize the true religion and refresh people’s memories of it. The Prophet Muhammad for his part initiated a revolutionary process, which ensured the preservation of religion in its original form and obviated the necessity for other prophets to follow him by preserving the Book of God intact, in its original form.
God’s final Prophet imparted to the true religion stability, which it had never had before. His own life was exemplary, as has been reliably recorded. It is noteworthy, too, that the community that developed after the Prophet continued to demonstrate Islamic practices, like prayer in a practicable and imitable form. People of every subsequent age have found this religion exactly as it was when God’s messenger preached it.
The preservation and continuity of religion are now ensured without prophets coming to the world. God’s Book and the Prophet’s Sunnah are now serving the same purpose, which it had taken a succession of prophets to accomplish. It is the duty of their followers to carry on their mission.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
The lives of all prophets provide guidance for mankind. Muslims can take guidance from the lives of all the prophets. Let us see what lessons we can draw from the life of Prophet Adam. Adam was the first man and also the first Prophet. God created Adam and his spouse Eve, and inhabited them in Paradise. God told them to enjoy freely all the bounties of Paradise except for one forbidden tree which they were not to approach or else they would be wrong doers. (The Quran, 2: 35)
However, Satan seduced them into eating the fruit from the forbidden tree. After this Adam and Eve were expelled from Paradise and were inhabited on the present earth. It was said to Adam and his progeny that only those who proved deserving by their deeds would be admitted to eternal Paradise.
This example from the beginning of creation shows the criterion for admission to Paradise. No one will be given Paradise magically or on the basis of recommendations from anyone. Paradise is not a birthright even for the Prophets.
Paradise is not a birthright even for the Prophets.
With the example of Adam, God set this precedent that Paradise will not be given on any self-established belief. There would be no exception in this rule even for the Prophets.
There is another important lesson in this example of Prophet Adam. The most basic yardstick of eligibility for Paradise is the control over one's desires and the development of one's intellectuality to safeguard oneself from the guile of Satan. Man has unlimited desires and every desire opens a door for Satan. Man has an innate desire for eternal success. This is the path from which Satan successfully instigated Adam. Man should remain vigilant at every such door, in order to ensure that Satan will not enter and lure him away from God's benevolence.
Source: Spirit of Islam March 2015
A believing Muslim is bound to respect all the prophets. He cannot differentiate between the messengers of God.
God had sent a prophet or messenger to every group and community of people in this world. All the messengers of God enjoy an equal status. In the chapter al-Baqarah (The Heifer), the Quran says:
We do not differentiate between any of His messengers. We hear and obey. Grant us Your forgiveness, Lord, to You we shall all return! (Quran 2:285)
The Prophet is recorded to have said, Do not give me superiority over other prophets. (Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith no. 4638)
This Quranic verse and the hadith relate directly to the messengers or the prophets of God. But both also have a broader application, according to which, every person is worthy of respect, regardless of creed or culture. Such belief promotes a culture of equal respect among mankind. Difference in belief is necessarily subject to discussion, but not a reason for discrimination. If your belief system is different from that of others, you have every right to engage in discussion and dialogue on the subject, but in the process, you have no right to show disrespect to others. This holds true even if you believe that your ideology enshrines the supreme truth. The culture of discrimination is, after all, quite alien to a divine religion.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
Whenever a controversy arises between two people or two groups, a practical working arrangement ultimately becomes established. An attempt to change this status quo in most cases results in futility or in all-out strife. What normally happens is that the status quo continues. If not, mutual retaliation results in further losses. In this pointless engagement, precious opportunities are also wasted.
In such a controversial matter, the Prophet’s method was to accept the status quo. The great benefit of this status-quoism is that it gives one the respite to consolidate one’s energies. By removing oneself from the scene of controversy, one may strengthen oneself so greatly that a time will come when ultimately the balance of power will change without any major confrontation.
The Prophet of Islam adopted this wise course on the occasion of the drawing up of the Treaty of Hudaybiya. When the Makkans heard that their opponents had gathered at Hudaybiya, they too reached there to stop the Muslims from going any further. The Prophet at this juncture was on his way to Makkah to perform the rite of Umra (minor pilgrimage). Thus a situation of deadlock came to be created at Hudaybiya. The Prophet did not resort to breaking this deadlock in order to move ahead. Instead, he withdrew and came back to Madinah. It amounted to accepting the status quo already established between the Prophet and the other party. This wisdom gave the Prophet an opportunity for further consolidation, which became a reality within a period of a mere two years. It was at that stage that the Prophet’s victorious entry into Makkah became a possibility.
Source: Spirit of Islam June 2013
Dr. Michael Hart’s well-known book, The 100, was perhaps first introduced to the Muslim world through our Urdu monthly Al-Risala in October 1978. In it, the author selected one hundred of the most distinguished people in history and added accompanying articles about their lives and achievements. He placed the Prophet Muhammad at the top of his list. He wrote that Muhammad was the most supremely successful man in history.
After the publication of this article in Al-Risala, we received many letters from Muslims enquiring about a source from where they could order this book. A number of them even inquired whether an Urdu translation was available. On reading their letters, it was obvious that they were interested only in the supremely successful man, rather than in the secret of his supreme success as well.
What Dr. Hart called a supreme success, the Quran calls a clear victory (48:1). How did the Prophet of Islam achieve this supreme success or clear victory? This verse of the Quran tells us that this extraordinary success was achieved through the Hudaybiyya Peace Treaty. The Quran tells us that the secret of this success lay in the particular method that was employed: the ‘Hudaybiyya Method’.
Let us now consider what the Hudaybiyya Method is. This method entailed the greatest of all sacrifices. The Prophet of Islam, along with his Companions, decided to make a pilgrimage to Makkah. The Quraysh prevented the Muslims from entering the city, even though they wore the garb of pilgrims and bore no arms. To resolve the tension, the Prophet of Islam agreed to a treaty between the Quraysh and the Muslims that was heavily in favour of the Quraysh. He also agreed to return to Medina without completing the pilgrimage and to make the pilgrimage the next year.
Accepting a clearly unfair treaty was a difficult sacrifice to make, but most of the Prophet’s companions returned with him to Medina, on his express insistence.
The Prophet of Islam actually returned from Hudaybiyya without achieving his objective. So when the chapter ‘Victory’ was revealed on his way from Hudaybiyya to Medina, one of the companions remarked, “This is no victory. We were even stopped from entering the House of God.” The Prophet replied, “It is indeed the greatest victory.”
What was the special power of the Hudaybiya Method that unlocked the doors to a clear victory? The Prophet’s march to Makkah eight years after he moved to Medina gives us a clue. When the Prophet had undertaken the journey to Makkah two years earlier, he was accompanied by 1,400 companions. This time, however, he was accompanied by 10,000 companions. On the occasion of his first journey, the Makkans had forced him to return to Medina; they did not allow him to pass beyond Hudaybiya. On the occasion of this second journey, the Makkans were so awestruck upon seeing the huge number of the Prophet’s people that they accepted defeat and put up no resistance.
From this incident we learn that the Hudaybiya Method is the pacifist method of conquering people. The military option or the violent method causes death and destruction, while the Hudaybiya Method conquers the hearts of people. What characterizes the method of war is hatred, while what characterizes the Hudaybiya Method is love.
Source: Spirit of Islam August 2013
The natural formula of peace is based on the principle: Peace for the sake of peace, So, first of all, we have to establish peace and that at any cost. According to this law of nature, peace will certainly open the doors of opportunity and by making the most of those opportunities, you can achieve justice, peace, or any other goal.
This principle was successfully demonstrated by the Prophet of Islam in the form of Sulh al Hudaibiyah or the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. In fact, Sulh al Hudaibiyah was a peace agreement between Muslims and their opponents. The Prophet of Islam finalised this peace agreement by accepting injustice. At that time the Prophet and his companions wanted to visit Makkah and perform Umrah, but they were prevented from doing so. The Prophet dropped his Umrah plans and finalised the peace agreement by accepting all the conditions laid down unilaterally by the opponents. As a consequence, the companions of the Prophet were very disheartened: they considered it a degrading treaty. One of the companions said at that time, “Why are we accepting such a humiliating agreement?”
However, soon after this peace agreement was finalised, God Almighty revealed this verse in the Quran: “Truly, we have granted you a clear victory.” (The Quran, 48: 1)
Why does the Quran call it a “clear victory” when it was obviously a setback for the Prophet and his companions? This ‘victory’ was in terms of potential victory rather than immediate actual victory. The Sulh al Hudaibiyah agreement stopped all kinds of hostility between the two sides and opened up the doors of opportunity.
After this, it became possible to conduct a dialogue and, have an intellectual exchange, between the two parties. In other words, peace opened the doors for the Prophet to be able to spread his message throughout Arabia.
This prophetic example shows us the way to peace. It tells us how peace can be established and what actions must be taken in such situations of conflict. It is to detach peace from justice. It is to establish peace at any cost. It is to adopt peace for the sake of peace; to re-plan every strategy concentrating on opportunities and not on justice.
Justice is an indirect result of peace and not the direct outcome, so the formula for peace is to establish peace by accepting injustice for a temporary period. Peace will open the doors of opportunity and by availing the opportunities the goal of justice can be reached. The only formula for achieving justice is to accept injustice at the outset; then you will be able to achieve justice in the future by reaping the benefits of peace.
Source: Spirit of Islam February 2013
Prophet Muhammad provides guidance for the modern man. I will give you one example. In the modern age, freedom has been given the status of summum bonum. Its prevalence stemmed, in fact, from the general reaction to the coercive system established by the despotic monarchs of ancient times. Freedom is without doubt extremely precious so far as human progress is concerned. But unbounded freedom, on the contrary, results in disaster. In a hundred-year experiment with unlimited freedom, thinkers are coming to the fore in the West who hold that freedom cannot be given the status of an absolute good. For instance, B.F. Skinner has written a book titled, ‘We Can’t Afford Freedom.’ The title indicates the gist of the book.
Through the Prophet of Islam, modern man is being shown how to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy freedom. The Prophet has brought real knowledge to the demarcation of what is lawful and what is unlawful. Similarly, through the Prophet of Islam, modern man can understand how to arrange for a practicable division of the workplace between men and women by according them equal respect. A knowledge of human limitations is essential for the proper organization of all matters in life. And man receives this knowledge of right and natural limitation only through a prophet.
This is the greatest boon of the Prophet to modern man: his teachings give man the opportunity to organize his life in a far better way, and on a far higher plane.
The mission of calling people to God, in essence, a divine task, is to convey the message of God to those who are still unaware of it. From the viewpoint of real status, a Muslim is a dayee and all other nations are his madu. That is to say that God has made Muslims the trustee of His final book, the Quran. Now it is their responsibility to convey the message of this book to all humanity. The success of both worlds, the present world, and the Hereafter, lies in fulfilling this duty.
The Quran tells us that the Prophet of Islam was sent as “a mercy for all mankind” (The Quran, 21:107). There is nothing mysterious about this. It is a natural reality, which can be understood by making an academic and rational study of it.
When a human being is born, he finds himself in a world, which is astonishingly vast and complex. How man has to relate himself to his world and how he has to form his ideas are matters of which he is totally ignorant. Neither is his birth accompanied by a guidebook, nor does he find a board set up on some hilltop inscribed with the necessary guidelines, which he is to follow. That is why man continues to grope in the dark, finding only scraps of knowledge to lay his hands on.
Through Prophet Muhammad, God Almighty sent the Quran to serve as a guidebook that provides guidance to all humanity.
Dua of ism e aazam is a prayer that can invoke God’s infinite mercy. By the grace of God, I have frequently had significant experiences. On December 30, 2006, I went to Lodhi Gardens with certain CPS members. It was in the nature of a spiritual outing for us. On this occasion, a dua came out of my lips, which as I understood it was a dua of isme-aazam.
When we reached the Lodhi Gardens I asked one of my team members, “When you entered the garden what was your first impression, or feeling?” People mentioned different experiences, then I said that when I entered this beautiful garden, I felt as if I was looking at Paradise from a distance. This beautiful garden for me became a distant introduction to Paradise.
Then I said with tears in my eyes: “O God, when You have brought me to this imperfect paradise, then by Your grace, help me to enter the perfect Paradise also.” I added “O God, my companions and I are the least deserving candidates for Paradise. If you, in spite of our total lack of merit, give us entry into Paradise, then this event would be akin to a new expression of Your attribute of mercy. The whole earth and the heavens and all the angels will be surprised to know that the ocean of God’s mercy was so vast that even such undeserving people as us could not remain deprived of God’s boundless mercy. How boundless was Your mercy that it enveloped even the most undeserving!”
Source: Discovering God
No, we cannot make a Paradise in this world. This world can only serve as an introduction to Paradise. Paradise will come into existence in the world Hereafter.
On a trip to Switzerland, I had a chance to experience a unique ride on a yacht that had two floors. The yacht moved gently on the lake’s waters; the pace suitable for people to view the beautiful scenery. I took this opportunity to prepare some portions of my travelogue.
It is said that on witnessing the beauty of Kashmir, Babur (who was the first Mughal emperor) exclaimed: “If there is Paradise on Earth, It is this; it is this, it is this!”
However, when I witnessed the lovely natural scenes in Switzerland, my heart said that God had placed these beautiful sights in the world, so that man could obtain an initial introduction to Paradise through them. These world sights engender an intense desire for eternal Paradise in man. Their purpose is not that we should consider them to be Paradise itself and then try to build a dream world of happiness amidst them.
During the trip, a person in our group met with a young Swiss man, a 24-year-old student of engineering. He was a Christian. When he mentioned the concept of another world after death in the Christian religion, he was asked what he thought might happen to him after he died, the young man replied, “Jesus Christ has taken all our sins. So, Paradise is assured for all of us. Then why should we worry about it?”
I explained that Paradise is the name of the ideal world, where man will attain complete fulfilment and the company of those people who make his life highly meaningful. Man is a seeker of Paradise. He seeks Paradise in this world. However, this world is only an introduction to Paradise. Efforts to make a Paradise on Earth are futile. Paradise has been kept in the Hereafter after death. According to the Creation Plan, God created an eternal, perfect world called Paradise. Then God created man as an eternal creature and divided his life into two periods. During the temporary phase of man’s life, he has been placed in this imperfect world to be tested. Paradise is not assured for any group. It has to be earned individually. To be found eligible for entry into eternal Paradise, man in his life before death must realise his Creator while He is the unseen, submit to Him, and develop a Paradisiacal personality in himself. Only then will he be found eligible for inhabiting the perfect world of Paradise.
Source: God’s Creation Plan
