YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
The remedy for ignorance is asking questions. (Prophet Muhammad)
The spirit of enquiry is the hallmark of an open society and the above saying of the Prophet aptly illustrates this principle. A culture of curiosity and open-mindedness will foster development in any society by motivating its members to learn enthusiastically and enrich their knowledge. This is because awareness of one’s ignorance is half of knowledge, as it becomes a stepping-stone to seeking and finding answers. A questioning mind is like a flowing river that is replenished with fresh thoughts and ideas and continues on its journey.
Who is Muhammad, the person believed by Muslims as the Prophet of God?
Muhammad, meaning the ‘praised one’, was born in AD 571 in the North Arabian city of Makkah, which was then inhabited mainly by the tribe of Quraysh. Muhammad’s family belonged to one of the noble clans of Quraysh – the clan of Banu Hashim. He grew up as an orphan. His father, Abdullah died before he was born, and his mother passed away when he was just six years old. He was looked after, first by his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, and then his uncle, Abu Talib. From his early youth, he impressed his countrymen as a person of high integrity, and they called him Al-Ameen (The Trustworthy). Muhammad was a Truth-seeker. He would often spend days in contemplation in the cave of Hira. He would think about the universe, how it has been made, the people around him, growing injustice in the society, what God expects from us, His Creation. It was on one such night that the Archangel Jibril came down to him with the first few verses of the chapter The Clot from the Quran. He had been chosen to convey God’s message to people. Thus began the journey of his prophethood. He conveyed the message of God to people for the next 23 years.
What is the status of Prophet Muhammad in Islam?
Prophet Muhammad was the last Prophet sent to all humankind. The word of God, the Holy Quran, was revealed to him through the Angel Jibril. The Prophet went through sorrows and joys like an ordinary human being. What sets him apart from the rest of humankind is his sublime character. He was the most noble person. His task was to receive God’s revelations, and communicate it to people, teach them wisdom and help them in purification of their souls.
How should we show our reverence to the Prophet?
Islam gives man a twofold formula: Worship of One God and obedience to the Prophet. The Prophet was a live example of how a God-oriented person should be. His character was that of the Quran. His life, recorded in the books of Hadith and Seerah, clearly document the various stages of his life. As believers, we are expected to follow the Prophet in all that he said and did.
Consider the current Muslims and the fervor during processions of Milad-un-Nabi, claiming to be their way of showing love to the Prophet. What does Islam have to say about this?
It is an innovation, not practised either by the Prophet during his lifetime or by his Companions after his death. Showing love to the Prophet should entail following his teachings and conveying the message he brought to all humankind.
What does the Quran say about Shatm-e-Rasul, blaspheming against the Prophet?
The term Shatm-e-Rasul is Arabic for blasphemy or using abusive language against the Prophet. It is generally held that Islam prescribes capital punishment against a person who has abused the Prophet. However, this is entirely untrue. The Quran tells us that the Prophet’s contemporaries, misusing their freedom, would address him as ‘man possessed’ (15: 6), a ‘liar’ (23: 24), and a ‘forgerer’ (25: 4). The Quran has referred to these incidents, but it does not give the command to kill those who abuse the Prophet. Rather, in one place, the Quran asks the Prophet to ‘bear patiently with what they say and ignore them politely.’ (73: 10)
What should be a Muslim’s attitude be towards someone who talks about the Prophet in an abusive language?
If someone uses abusive language against the Prophet, Muslims must take it as a case of misunderstanding and then try to remove this misunderstanding in peaceful ways. They must do so by engaging in discussion or by providing the ‘blasphemer’ with Islamic literature that gives the actual image of the Prophet of Islam. The notion of killing the blasphemer is forbidden. Muslims must understand that, according to the Creation Plan of God, man has been granted freedom and none can take away this freedom. While exercising one’s freedom of expression, the only condition should be that one doesn’t resort to violence. The Prophet himself, when encountered by such abuses would react calmly. Once, a poet wrote a poem condemning him, one line of which was, “You are a condemned person, we reject you.” This poet once came to see the Prophet and uttered these words, but the Prophet was not enraged. He did not ask his Companions to beat the poet or kill him. Rather, his reaction was totally different. Ibn Ishaq writes: the Quraysh had named him ‘condemned’(muzammam) and they abused him by this name. The Prophet would counter it by saying: “Aren’t you surprised by how God has saved me from the abuses of the Quraysh? For they abuse a person called ‘Muzammam’, while my name is ‘Muhammad’ (meaning ‘The praised one’).
