ASK MAULANA
Your Questions Answered
How were Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Abraham interrelated?
Prophet Abraham was born in Ninevah (Iraq). His sons, Prophet Ismail (Ishmael) and Prophet Ishaaq (Isaac) were ancestors to two streams of Prophets. Prophet Ishaaq was the forefather of the line starting from Prophet Jacob till Prophet Jesus. Prophet Muhammad belonged to the Quraysh tribe, which traced its origin to Prophet Ismail.
The years of gap between the age of Abraham and the age of Prophet Muhammad is over two thousand. But all the prophets from Ismail and Ishaaq to Muhammad (including Jesus and Moses) share a common lineage going back to Prophet Abraham. This is why Judaism, Christianity and Islam are called Abrahamic religions.
Except Prophet Muhammad, which were the other prophets who took political positions?
In the modern sense of ‘politics’, Prophet Muhammad did not occupy any political position. He was only the chief of a tribal system. It was Prophet Dawud (David) and Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) who held positions of heads of state during their prophethood.
Even in the case of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph), he was only in charge of the food and agricultural ‘ministry’ whereas the Hyksos king prevailed upon the law. It is clearly outlined in the Quran and Torah that Prophet Yusuf did not have the system of law under him:
He could not have detained his brother under the King’s law (12: 76)
Why do Muslims only respect Prophet Muhammad?
A believing Muslim is bound to respect all Prophets. He cannot differentiate between the messengers of God.
God has 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 entitled 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!” (2: 285)
The Prophet is recorded to have said, “Do not give me superiority over other Prophets." (Sahih al Bukhari)
This Quranic verse and the Hadith relates directly to the messengers or the prophets of God, but it also has a broader application, according to which everyone is worthy of respect, regardless of his creed or culture. Such belief promotes a culture of equal respect among mankind. Difference in belief is necessarily subject to discussion, but it is 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 feel that your personal ideology enshrines the supreme truth. The culture of discrimination is, after all, quite alien to a divine religion.
What was the character of Prophet Muhammad really like?
The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, was born in Arabia on 22 April AD 570, and died on 8 June AD 632. He grew up orphaned and his childhood gave indications of the sublime and dynamic personality that was to emerge. As he grew up, the nobility of his personality, soft-spoken and genial disposition made him a benevolent member of the society. A perfectly balanced personality—tolerant, truthful, perspicacious and magnanimous—he presented the highest example of human nobility. According to Daud ibn Husayn, he became known as the most chivalrous among his people, tolerant and forbearing, truthful and trustworthy, always an epitome of good behaviour. He would stay aloof from all quarrels and quibbles and never indulged in foul utterances, abuse or invective. People even left their valuables in his custody, for they knew that he would never betray them. His unimpeachable trustworthiness won for him the title of “al-Amin,” an unfailing trustee and of “al-Sadiq”, the truthful.
As a Prophet, he was an embodiment of virtues a true believer must imbibe and uphold. A Prophet is a well-wisher for mankind and the entire life of Prophet Muhammad is a testament to this fact. He never discriminated among 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.
His experience at Taif is an example where the leaders of the Thaqif tribe had refused to extend their support to his mission and their street urchins pelted stones at the Prophet till the cover of night made him invisible. Despite being humiliated, injured and wearied, the Prophet did not resort to cursing the tribe of Taif; rather he prayed for their guidance (Sahih al Bukhari). His wife Aisha said about the Prophet Muhammad, “He would not follow an evil with an evil, rather he would pardon and forgive.” (Ahmad)
He preached, “A Muslim does not want for others what he does not want for himself.” He once was asked by the people to curse an aggressor and he replied “I have not been sent as the invoker of curse, but I have been sent as mercy.” (Sahih Muslim)
Prophet Muhammad taught the believers to become conscientious members of society. He advised that, “A Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the people are safe.” (Sunan An-Nasai)
He encouraged caring and supporting the sick, feeding the hungry, being kind, and no-problem persons for the neighbours, refraining from using offensive names and caring for the animals. He encouraged responsible living and judicious utilization of natural resources like water even if we have 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 as well?” Prophet replied, “Yes, even if you are on the bank of a flowing river!” (Sunan ibn Majah)
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 following intolerance or violence.
During the course of his lifetime, there were certain defensive skirmishes that took place. Even during these, Prophet Muhammad strictly prohibited ill treatment of non-combatants and the prisoners of war. For example, the Prophet did not approve of any ill treatment of the prisoners of war that were taken after the Battle of Badr. He instructed Muslims to share equal food with the prisoners (Majma ul Zawaid) and declared that any prisoner who could teach ten children in Madinah to read and write shall be set free (Musnad Ahmad). It is also worth noting that in future battles, no prisoners of war were taken in by the Muslims.
Prophet Muhammad taught believers to be virtuous and compassionate towards fellow human beings. He preached selfless service and development of piety and modesty amongst individuals. He said “A Muslim is soft, simple and lenient”. He cautioned Muslims from falling into extremism, “Those who go to extremes are doomed.” (Muslim)
In an American publication entitled ‘The 100’, the author mentions the one hundred people whom he believes to have exerted the greatest influence on human history. The author, Dr. Michael Hart, was born into a Christian family, and received a scientific education. But at the top of his roll of honour he has placed Prophet Muhammad. There was one person, he believes, whose achievements excelled all others: that person was the Prophet Muhammad. No one else has had such an impact on the history of man. “He was the only man in history,” he writes, “who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels.” Just as to the American, Michael Hart, he is the most outstanding figure of human history, to the English historian, Thomas Carlyle, he is “the hero of the Prophets.”
