Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)
Loving him is following him
Muslims all over the world
are deeply hurt by the recent caricatures of our beloved Prophet Muhammad , in
Danish
and several other publications.
Every now and then, some
Western media outlets provoke Muslims by insulting the Prophet Muhammad . The
baiting
often succeeds in eliciting Muslims' outrage and sporadic violence.
The latest incident
started with a Danish newspaper's caricature portraying the Prophet Muhammad as
a
terrorist. To add insult to injury, Norwegian, French, German, Dutch and a few
other newspapers reprinted the defamatory cartoons to "defend"—they claimed—the
freedom of expression.
The real issue is not the
freedom of expression. Free speech is not and was never meant to be absolute.
There are laws in the West that ban certain kinds of speech, including those
that incite anti-Semitism, racism and violence. Moreover, some countries have
laws against blasphemy and defamation. To Muslims, banning blasphemy against Allah and the Prophet Muhammad has a higher priority.
For the European
newspapers to reprint the offensive cartoons to show solidarity with their
Danish counterpart seems akin to the plot the leaders of Quraysh had hatched to
assassinate Prophet Muhammad .
The Quraysh masterminds
had figured that including representatives from major tribes of Makkah in the
heinous plot would make it impossible for the Prophet's clan, Banu Hashim, to
avenge. But Allah
willed that the Prophet Muhammad would migrate
to Madinah unscathed while the plotters laid siege to his house.
The West often
underestimates the Muslims' reverence for their beloved Prophet Muhammad,
(sallallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and is, therefore, staltred by the fierce
Islamic reaction to an insult against him. Few in the West know that for
Muslims, loving their Prophet more than themselves is a matter of faith, not
choice.
Further, the depiction of
the Prophet Muhammad , as a
terrorist is a falsification of history. He was considered "Al-Ameen," the
trustworthy, by his people even before he received the Prophethood.
Once, when asked by some
of his followers to invoke Allah's wrath on the enemies, he refused
saying he had been sent
as a mercy unto mankind.
Objective Western
intellectuals have acknowledged the superior character of Prophet Muhammad . In
his “The
100, a Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History," Michael H. Hart
ranked Prophet Muhammad, (sallallallahu alayhi wa sallam) No. 1 because "He was
the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and
secular levels.”
Alphonse de Lamartine, a
renowned 19th Century French writer, had this to say about the Prophet Muhammad : "As regards
all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is
there any man greater than him?”
Unfortunately, some
Muslims forget that loving their Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) means
following him. Burning Danish embassies, as they did in Damascus and Beirut, to
avenge the insult to the Prophet Muhammad is a complete
disservice to him. Our violent reaction only plays into the hands of those who
wish to reinforce the negative stereotypes about Muslims.
Do Muslims need reminding
that Prophet Muhammad , forgave the
people of Ta'if who had rejected his message of monotheism and pelted him with
stones, bloodying him? Islamic tradition has it that when Jibreel (Archangel
Gabriel) sought his permission to punish the perpetrators, the Prophet , instead
prayed that some day the inhabitants of Ta'if would leave their idols and
worship Allah alone. Within a few years they did.Prophet Muhammad's,
(sallallallahu alayhi wa sallam) servant once noted his forgiving disposition,
said, "I served
the Prophet , for ten
years, and he never said ‘uf’ (a word indicating impatience or discontent) to me
and never blamed me by saying, `Why did you do so or why didn't you do so?"
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)Prophet Muhammad's,
(sallallallahu alayhi wa sallam) archenemies hated his Message and hurled
malicious insults at him, to which he responded with forbearance. Years later
when he, sallallallahu alayhi wa sallam returned as victor to Makkah, his city
of birth which he was forced to leave, he asked its awed citizens,
"What do you think I'm
going to do to you."
They said,
"You are a noble
brother, son of a noble brother; we expect only good from you."
The Prophet responded
with a general amnesty.
Let Muslims not forget
that the Prophet , encouraged
freedom of expression. In the Battle of Badr, he changed the
battlefield against his own opinion due to the passionate advice of some young
soldiers.
Part of the West's success
today is the freedom of expression, of thought, of religion—that draws Muslims
to it from their oppressed societies. For that, Muslims should be thankful to
the West. After all, freedom is an Islamic value that the West has embraced
while Muslim societies have forsaken.
Defending Prophet Muhammad requires
allowing freedom and practicing compassion and forgiveness, like he did. In his
lifetime he , bore
insults with magnanimity and devoted his time to spreading the Message of Allah.
In fact, he never avenged anyone for a personal offence. Can we really respect
him by violent retaliation?
Muslims should turn this
extremely painful incident into something positive, by teaching the world what
the Prophet , means to us
and what his life was like.
As for the West, there
really is a need to reexamine the notion of free speech. Without safeguards, the
exercise of this freedom can be lethal, as we have seen.
One may ask, is it morally
defensible to provoke violence, cause death, and create a civilizational
conflict for one cartoonist's freedom of expression?
The West already has laws
to protect religious freedom, which Muslims and other peoples of faith admire.
What it now needs to do is protect this freedom from being trampled by unbridled
free speech. No one should have to insult Prophet Muhammad, Jesus, or Moses, may
Allah exalt their mention to speak freely.
We can turn these
negative, malicious cartoons into something positive by learning about the Prophet , by
following him, and educating others about his teachings.Allah described the Prophet in the verse
(which means): "And
verily, you (O Muhammad) are on an exalted standard of character."
(Quran 68:4)
And (what means):
"Indeed in the Messenger
of Allah there is a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the meeting
with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much."
(Quran 33:21)
By a divine decision, the
status of Muhammad was
raised
forever, as in the verse (which means):
"And (has Allah not)
raised high your fame?"
(Quran 94:4)
Muslims were commanded to
lower their voices low in the presence of the Prophet , out of
respect, as in the verse (which means):
"O you who believe, raise
not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him as you
speak aloud to one another lest your deeds be rendered fruitless while you
perceive not. Verily, those who lower their voices in the presence of Allah's
Messenger, they are the ones whose hearts Allah has tested for piety. For them
there is forgiveness and a great reward."
(Quran 49:2-3)
While other prophets were
sent to their own people, Muhammad was appointed
as the Messenger to all mankind. And such he was asked to declare (what means):
"Say (O Muhammad):
`O mankind, verily I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allah - to Whom
belongs the Dominion of the heavens and the earth."
(Quran 7:158)
On the Day of Judgement he will be the
only Messenger to intercede with Allah to seek forgiveness for the wrongdoers.
As blasphemous as the
drawings are, we believe that behind all events there is Allah's pre-decree and
wisdom that mortal beings fully understand only in hindsight. In the end, this
deeply hurtful incident would be seen as benefiting the image of the Prophet .
A case in point is the
verse (which means):
"Verily, We have given you
(O Muhammad) a manifest victory."
(Quran 48:1)
When this verse was
revealed, even some of the most exemplary Muslims could not understand how being
prevented from performing pilgrimage by the enemies could be a manifest victory.
Prophet Muhammad had just
signed a treaty with non-Muslims of Makkah that imposed unfair restrictions on
Muslims.
The Prophet swore by Allah that no matter how restrictive this treaty seemed, it was a clear victory
for Muslims. Within a few years, the victory became abundantly clear when
Muslims marched into Makkah, not just as pilgrims but as victors.
Our love for the Prophet Muhammad cannot be
expressed except by following him. If we did that, we will see how Allah can
change this painful incident into a great opportunity for the Islamic cause.
Loving him is following him
Muslims all over the world
are deeply hurt by the recent caricatures of our beloved Prophet Muhammad , in
Danish
and several other publications.
Every now and then, some
Western media outlets provoke Muslims by insulting the Prophet Muhammad . The
baiting
often succeeds in eliciting Muslims' outrage and sporadic violence.
The latest incident
started with a Danish newspaper's caricature portraying the Prophet Muhammad as
a
terrorist. To add insult to injury, Norwegian, French, German, Dutch and a few
other newspapers reprinted the defamatory cartoons to "defend"—they claimed—the
freedom of expression.
The real issue is not the
freedom of expression. Free speech is not and was never meant to be absolute.
There are laws in the West that ban certain kinds of speech, including those
that incite anti-Semitism, racism and violence. Moreover, some countries have
laws against blasphemy and defamation. To Muslims, banning blasphemy against Allah and the Prophet Muhammad has a higher priority.
For the European
newspapers to reprint the offensive cartoons to show solidarity with their
Danish counterpart seems akin to the plot the leaders of Quraysh had hatched to
assassinate Prophet Muhammad .
The Quraysh masterminds
had figured that including representatives from major tribes of Makkah in the
heinous plot would make it impossible for the Prophet's clan, Banu Hashim, to
avenge. But Allah
willed that the Prophet Muhammad would migrate
to Madinah unscathed while the plotters laid siege to his house.
The West often
underestimates the Muslims' reverence for their beloved Prophet Muhammad,
(sallallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and is, therefore, staltred by the fierce
Islamic reaction to an insult against him. Few in the West know that for
Muslims, loving their Prophet more than themselves is a matter of faith, not
choice.
Further, the depiction of
the Prophet Muhammad , as a
terrorist is a falsification of history. He was considered "Al-Ameen," the
trustworthy, by his people even before he received the Prophethood.
Once, when asked by some
of his followers to invoke Allah's wrath on the enemies, he refused
saying he had been sent
as a mercy unto mankind.
Objective Western
intellectuals have acknowledged the superior character of Prophet Muhammad . In
his “The
100, a Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History," Michael H. Hart
ranked Prophet Muhammad, (sallallallahu alayhi wa sallam) No. 1 because "He was
the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and
secular levels.”
Alphonse de Lamartine, a
renowned 19th Century French writer, had this to say about the Prophet Muhammad : "As regards
all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is
there any man greater than him?”
Unfortunately, some
Muslims forget that loving their Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) means
following him. Burning Danish embassies, as they did in Damascus and Beirut, to
avenge the insult to the Prophet Muhammad is a complete
disservice to him. Our violent reaction only plays into the hands of those who
wish to reinforce the negative stereotypes about Muslims.
Do Muslims need reminding
that Prophet Muhammad , forgave the
people of Ta'if who had rejected his message of monotheism and pelted him with
stones, bloodying him? Islamic tradition has it that when Jibreel (Archangel
Gabriel) sought his permission to punish the perpetrators, the Prophet , instead
prayed that some day the inhabitants of Ta'if would leave their idols and
worship Allah alone. Within a few years they did.Prophet Muhammad's,
(sallallallahu alayhi wa sallam) servant once noted his forgiving disposition,
said, "I served
the Prophet , for ten
years, and he never said ‘uf’ (a word indicating impatience or discontent) to me
and never blamed me by saying, `Why did you do so or why didn't you do so?"
(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)Prophet Muhammad's,
(sallallallahu alayhi wa sallam) archenemies hated his Message and hurled
malicious insults at him, to which he responded with forbearance. Years later
when he, sallallallahu alayhi wa sallam returned as victor to Makkah, his city
of birth which he was forced to leave, he asked its awed citizens,
"What do you think I'm
going to do to you."
They said,
"You are a noble
brother, son of a noble brother; we expect only good from you."
The Prophet responded
with a general amnesty.
Let Muslims not forget
that the Prophet , encouraged
freedom of expression. In the Battle of Badr, he changed the
battlefield against his own opinion due to the passionate advice of some young
soldiers.
Part of the West's success
today is the freedom of expression, of thought, of religion—that draws Muslims
to it from their oppressed societies. For that, Muslims should be thankful to
the West. After all, freedom is an Islamic value that the West has embraced
while Muslim societies have forsaken.
Defending Prophet Muhammad requires
allowing freedom and practicing compassion and forgiveness, like he did. In his
lifetime he , bore
insults with magnanimity and devoted his time to spreading the Message of Allah.
In fact, he never avenged anyone for a personal offence. Can we really respect
him by violent retaliation?
Muslims should turn this
extremely painful incident into something positive, by teaching the world what
the Prophet , means to us
and what his life was like.
As for the West, there
really is a need to reexamine the notion of free speech. Without safeguards, the
exercise of this freedom can be lethal, as we have seen.
One may ask, is it morally
defensible to provoke violence, cause death, and create a civilizational
conflict for one cartoonist's freedom of expression?
The West already has laws
to protect religious freedom, which Muslims and other peoples of faith admire.
What it now needs to do is protect this freedom from being trampled by unbridled
free speech. No one should have to insult Prophet Muhammad, Jesus, or Moses, may
Allah exalt their mention to speak freely.
We can turn these
negative, malicious cartoons into something positive by learning about the Prophet , by
following him, and educating others about his teachings.Allah described the Prophet in the verse
(which means): "And
verily, you (O Muhammad) are on an exalted standard of character."
(Quran 68:4)
And (what means):
"Indeed in the Messenger
of Allah there is a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the meeting
with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much."
(Quran 33:21)
By a divine decision, the
status of Muhammad was
raised
forever, as in the verse (which means):
"And (has Allah not)
raised high your fame?"
(Quran 94:4)
Muslims were commanded to
lower their voices low in the presence of the Prophet , out of
respect, as in the verse (which means):
"O you who believe, raise
not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him as you
speak aloud to one another lest your deeds be rendered fruitless while you
perceive not. Verily, those who lower their voices in the presence of Allah's
Messenger, they are the ones whose hearts Allah has tested for piety. For them
there is forgiveness and a great reward."
(Quran 49:2-3)
While other prophets were
sent to their own people, Muhammad was appointed
as the Messenger to all mankind. And such he was asked to declare (what means):
"Say (O Muhammad):
`O mankind, verily I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allah - to Whom
belongs the Dominion of the heavens and the earth."
(Quran 7:158)
On the Day of Judgement he will be the
only Messenger to intercede with Allah to seek forgiveness for the wrongdoers.
As blasphemous as the
drawings are, we believe that behind all events there is Allah's pre-decree and
wisdom that mortal beings fully understand only in hindsight. In the end, this
deeply hurtful incident would be seen as benefiting the image of the Prophet .
A case in point is the
verse (which means):
"Verily, We have given you
(O Muhammad) a manifest victory."
(Quran 48:1)
When this verse was
revealed, even some of the most exemplary Muslims could not understand how being
prevented from performing pilgrimage by the enemies could be a manifest victory.
Prophet Muhammad had just
signed a treaty with non-Muslims of Makkah that imposed unfair restrictions on
Muslims.
The Prophet swore by Allah that no matter how restrictive this treaty seemed, it was a clear victory
for Muslims. Within a few years, the victory became abundantly clear when
Muslims marched into Makkah, not just as pilgrims but as victors.
Our love for the Prophet Muhammad cannot be
expressed except by following him. If we did that, we will see how Allah can
change this painful incident into a great opportunity for the Islamic cause.
The truth about
