PROPHET MUHAMMAD
The Last Messenger of God and The Seal of The Prophets
(Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him)
There are many claimants to the title of Prophet of God, but Muhammad (peace be upon him) had claimed to be the last Messenger of God (Rasulullah) and hence the Seal of the prophetic order.
A Prophet of God must satisfy many criteria to be worthy of the claim, so we shall apply some of these to him - based only on objective, independent analyses of his life, mission and achievements.
1. A PROPHET OF GOD MUST HAVE DIVINE AUTHORITY FOR HIS CLAIM, AND THIS MUST BE EVIDENT TO THOSE WHO STUDY HIS LIFE OBJECTIVELY - EVEN THOSE WHO ARE NOT HIS FOLLOWERS.
“The essential sincerity of Muhammad’s nature cannot be questioned: and a historical criticism that links no facts, yields nothing to credulity, weights every testimony, has no partisan interest, and seeks only the truth, must acknowledge his claim to belong to that order of prophets...”
- Annie Bessant (Theosophist/The Life & Teachings of Muhammad/Madras 1932.
“He was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope’s pretension and Caesar without the legions of Caesar: without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue; if ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by the right divine, it was Mohammad, for he had all the power without its instruments and without its support.”
- Rev. Bosworth Smith/Mohammad and Mohammadanism/London 1874
“(The Quran) is the literal revelation of God, dictated to Muhammad by Gabriel, perfect in every letter. It is ever-present miracle witnessing to itself and to Muhammad, the Prophet of God. Its miraculous quality resides partly in its style, so perfect and lofty that no one could produce a single chapter to compare with its briefest chapter, and partly in its content of teachings, prophecies about the future, and amazingly accurate information such as the illiterate Muhammad could never have gathered of his own accord.”
- Harry Gaylord Dorman/Towards Understanding Islam/New York 1948.
2. THE LAST PROPHET OF GOD - WITH SUCH AN IMPORTANT MISSION - MUST BE PROPHESISED IN PREVIOUS SCRIPTURES. ALTHOUGH THESES PROPECIES ARE OPEN TO VARYING INTERPRETATIONS, COMPELLING EVIDENCE CAN BE OBTAINED IF VARIED SOURCES ARE EXAMINED.
OLD TESTAMENT (OT)
“...he shined forth from Mount. Paran, and he came with Ten Thousand Saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.” [Deuteronomy 33:2 KingJamesVersion]
[Biblical scholars concur that the desert of Paran/Faran was the home of Ishmaelites. Muhammad was a direct descendant of Prophet Ishmael through his second son Kedar; Muhammad triumphantly marched into Mecca with 10,000 of his revered companions and established Islamic rule which was to spread to much of Arabia in his lifetime, and soon across northern India up to Spain.]
“...he is mahmad/mahmud/mahmudim.” [Song of Solomon 5:16]
[Here is a direct mention of Muhammad, the Arabic equivalent of mahmad. Jews interpret Song of Solomon to be about a lover and a maiden. Christians interpret it to be his love for Jesus. But in this crucial verse the object of praise is directly identified... he is mahmad (Muhammad). Readers of the English Bibles do not have a clue of this because the translators have translated the meaning of the name instead of retaining the name. Arabic and Hebrew have common roots. The root words for Muhammad are Ahmad (AHMD) or Hebrew Hamad (HAMD); and Mahmud (MHMD), meaning Praiseworthy (or Admirable/Desirable) and Praised-one (or Admirable-one) respectively. In fact these are also names of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Muhammad means The Praised One and Muhammadin (or Muhammadan, Muhammadun) are the form used in sentences according to the grammatical rules. So the object of praise was in fact a male whose name was Mahmad (or Muhammad in Arabic) which also means The Praised One. Unfortunately most Bible versions translate this to - `he is Altogether Lovely’ - thus no modern-day Christians realises the connection to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). That it refers to Muhammad is further evident since six verses earlier he is called `chief of ten thousand, (Song 5:10 KJV). Incidentally no man in Semitic history (Jew, Arab, Palestinian, etc.) was named Muhammad before this Prophet, yet today Muhammad is the commonest name in the world, more common than John or Lee or any other name! His other oft-quoted name is Mustafa, meaning The Chosen One. Indeed Muhammad Al Mustafa (pbuh) was The Praised and Chosen One who was sent as a mercy to mankind.
“And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray yee: and he saith, I am not learned.” [Isaiah 29:12 KJV]
[This version of Prophet Isaiah predicted exactly the event in the Cave of Hira when Muhammad (pbuh) received the first revelation of the Quran through Angel Gabriel. He is know as the illiterate, unlettered of unlearned prophet. When Angel Gabriel said to him`Read!’ he replied: `But I am not learned’; this exchange was repeated twice before Angel Gabriel proceeded with `Read in the name of your Lord...’ which was the first Quranic verse dictated to Muhammad (pbuh) and marked his appointment as the last Prophet and Messenger of God. Unfortunately Christians and Jews who do not know what happened in the Cave missed the importance of this vision; hence the story in later versions of the bible (after KJV) loses its original meaning in the translator’s attempt to relate the vision which they themselves did not understand.]
“See my servant, whom I uphold; my Chosen One, in whom I delight. I have put my Spirit upon him; he will reveal justice to the nations of the world.: [Isaiah 42:1 Living Bible]
[God’s Chosen One was Muhammad Al Mustafa. The Quran states that Muhammad was to bring justice and guidance to mankind and the whole world; whilst the Bible states that Jesus `was sent only for the lost sheep of the house of Israel’ (Matthew 15:42). This vision of Prophet Isaiah again refers to Muhammad. In fact Isaiah 42:2-4 clearly desribe Muhammad’s character.]
NEW TESTAMENT (NT)
“You shall know them by their fruits.” [Matthew 7:16 & 20]
[Jesus (pbuh) did not deny the coming of prophets after him. The above Bible passage quotes his advice to his disciples on how to differentiate true and false prophets who come after him, i.e. by their teachings, deeds and the results of this. Therefore the Christians should study the deeds and teachings of Muhammad (pbuh) and decide if he was genuine or fake.]
[There are other references to Muhammad by Jesus in the NT, but these are disputed. These refer to who are the Advocate/Comforter/Counsellor/Intercessor that Jesus said will come after him. The Christians say it is the Holy Spirit - the third `person’ of their Trinity of Godhood. The original Greek word was paraklytos or periklytos (paraclete or periclete) meaning Intercessor or Admirable respectively. Muslims believe it refers to Muhammad because he is also called Admirable (Ahmad) and The Intercessor (As-Shafaat) for the believers on the day of Judgement.]
HINDU SCRIPTURES
“A foreign spritual teacher will appear with his companions. His name will be Mohammad...” [Maharisyi Vyasa/Bhavishya Puran/Prati Sarg Parv 111: 3, 3, 5-8.]
“... will be a man circumcised, keeping beard, creating a revolution, announcing the prayer-call. Eating all kind of animals except swine...they will be known as Musalman (Muslims). I (God) shall be the originator of this religion of the meat-eating nation.” [Bhavishya Puran/Shalokas: 10-27]
[That these refer to Muhammad and the Muslims are too obvious to require explanation.]
[The Kuntap Sukt of Atharva Veda prophesised, among other things, the Prophet’s name as Praiseworthy; his ten best companions; his hundred companions who migrated to Abbyssinia; the 313 companions who faught the Battle of Badr that saved Islam; and the 10,000 companions who conquered Mecca with him. But one must know Muhammad’s lifestory to understand the prophecies.]
“... the truthful, wise powerful and generous Mamah (Muhammad) has favoured me with his words...possessing all good attributes, the mercy for the worlds has become famous with ten thousand (companions).” [Atharva Veda].
BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES
“I am not the first Buddha who came upon the earth, nor shall I be the last. In due time another Buddha will arise in the world, a holy one, a supremely enlighten one, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the universe, an incomparable leader of men, a master of angels and mortals. He will reveal to you the same eternal truths which I have taught you. He will preach in his religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at its climax, and, glorious at the goal. He will proclaim. His disciples will number many thousands, while mine number many hundred. He will be known as Maitreya...” [The Gospel of Buddha by Carus].
[There are many claimants to this `Maitreya’: among them Shankaracharya, Jesus and Muhammad - each proposed by their followers or admirers. Shankaracharya is hardly known outside the Hindu world. Jesus did not have that many disciples, certainly not many thousands. Muhammad was an incomparable leader of man and had many thousands of companions/disciples. Among the meanings given to Maitreya are loving, kindness, benevolence, friendliness, compassionate, merciful, forgiveness, goodness, providence, etc. - precisely the same meaning for Rahmat (Arabic) which, for simplicity, is translated as mercy in the Prophet’s title of `Rahmat-ul-lil-Alamin’: mercy for all the Worlds. So Gautama Buddha was indeed talking about Muhammad.]
3. A PROPHET’S MISSION IS TO CONVEY GOD’S RELIGION, BUT THE LAST PROPHET’S MISSION MUST BE UNIVERSAL SINCE THERE WILL BE NO OTHER PROPHETS TO CONTINUE THE MISSION.
[The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled away before their very eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislation, empires, peoples and dynasties, but million of men in one-third of the then inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and souls...his forbearance in victory, his ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire; his endless prayers, his mystic conversation with God, his death and his triumph after death, all this attest not to an impostor but to a firm conviction which gave him the power to restore a dogma.”
“This dogma was twofold, the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with the words.
- Lamartine/Histoire de la Turquie?Paris 1854
“Four years after the death of Justinian, A.D.569, was born at Mecca in Arabia, the man who, of all men, exercised the greatest influence upon the human race...”
- John William Draper/A History of the Intellectual Development of Europe/London 1875
“The Christians and their missionaries have presented a horrible picture of Islam. Not only that, they also carried out an organized and planned propaganda against the personality of Prophet Muhammad and the religion he preached. I have very carefully studied Islam and the life of its prophet. I have done so both as a student of history and as a critic, and have come to a conclusion that Mohammad was indeed a great man and a deliverer and benefactor of mankind...”
I have studied him - the wonderful man - and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the Saviour of humanity.”
“I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving problems in a way that would bring the much-needed peace and happiness.”
- George Bernard Shaw/A Collection of Writings of Some Of the Eminent Scholars/1935
[Today Islam is already sweeping across Europe. While the churches are being abandoned all over Europe, for example less than 3% of Christians still go to church in England and many churches have been bought over and turned into mosques and temples, the rate of conversion to Islam has made it the fastest growing religion in England and Germany. It is already the second largest religion in France. Christians may argue that Christianity is more universal, with fifty percent more followers than Islam presently, and therefore Jesus has more right to the claim. However in the New Testament, Jesus himself proclaimed that he was sent only for the Jews (Matthew 15:24) and that there would be prophets after him, and that by their fruits (their deeds and the results of their deeds) we shall know whether these prophets are genuine or false.]
4. THE LAST PROPHET OF GOD MUST BE A PERFECT MODEL OF HIS TEACHINGS FOR HUMANITY TO FOLLOW, AND THIS EXEMPLARY CHARACTER MUST BE CONFIRMED BY INDEPENDENT OBSERVERS.
“It is impossible for anyone who studies the life and character of the great Prophet Of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he lived, to feel anything but reverence for that mighty Prophet...”
- Annie Bessant (Theosophist/The Life & Teachings of Muhammad/Madras 1932.
“Our authorities all agree in ascribing to the youth of Muhammad a modesty of deportment and purity of manners rare among the people... refined mind and delicate taste, reserved and meditative...he received the title, by common consent, of al-Ameen, the trustworthy.”
- Sir William Muir/Life of Muhammad
“Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never forgotten by those around him.”
- Diwan Chand Sharma (Hindu scholar)/1935
“In the person of the Prophet of Islam the world has seen this rarest phenomenon (the union of the theorist, organiser, and leader in one man) on earth, walking in flesh and blood.”
- Prof. K S Ramakrishna Rao (Hindu Philosopher)/Muhammad - The Prophet of Islam.
“His readiness to undergo prosecutions for his beliefs, the high moral character of the men who believed in him and looked up to him as leader, and the greatness of his ultimate achievement - all argue his fundamental integrity. To suppose Muhammad an impostor raises more problems than it solved. Moreover, none of the great figures of history is so poorly appreciated in the West as Muhammad.”
- W. Montgomery/Mohammad at Mecca/Oxford 1953.
5. THE LAST PROPHET OF GOD MUST SUCCEED IN HIS MISSION AND THIS SUCCESS MUST NOT BE TRANSIENT DURING HIS LIFETIME OR ONLY FOR A SHORT TIME AFTER. GOD COULD NOT MAKE A MISTAKE. THE DIVINE MISSION MUST END IN SUCCESS.
“World’s Major Religions 1934-84: increase in number of adherents;
Judaism - 4%
Confucianism & Taoism - 13%
Christianity - 47%
Buddhism - 63%
Hinduism - 117%
Shintoism - 152%
Islam - 235%”
- Keith W. Stump/A Crucial Half Century of Religion/The Plain Truth.
[With a lead of about 600 years, there are now about 1.5 billion Christians to 1.0 billion Muslims. But by the year 2000, Muslims will outnumber Chatolics (who constitutes two-thirds of Christians). This has been acknowledged even by the Pope. At the rate of growth five times that of Christianity (as admitted by The Plain Truth, a Christian publication), Islam will be the largest religion well before the year 2500. It would have taken about 2000 Islamic calendar years for Muhammad’s (pbuh) prophecy (that Islam will become the largest world religion before the last day comes) to be fulfilled.]
“If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad?”
- Lamartine/Histoire de la Turquie?Paris 1854
“Mohammad was the most successful of all religious personalities.”
- Encyclopedia Britannica.
“Perhaps the greatest leader of all times was Muhammad.”
- Jules Masserman (professor, Chicago University USA)/Time Magazine/July 15, 1974
EPILOGUE
“Endless are the words which have been spoken to described his noble life and personality. I believe no one can fail to be moved or inspired by the magnificence of his radiance character; even Muhammad’s (pbuh) greatest enemies had to admit that no fault could be found in his behaviour or integrity. In addition, those Western scholars and historical figures who over the centuries were brave enough to gaze with an honest heart at the miracle of Muhammad’s (pbuh) life and achievements have testified to this.
Strange indeed, therefore, that so many people on the face of the earth today have little or no knowledge of the life and mission of this last great Prophet of God (pbuh) and his historical impact on the world we live in.”
Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens)
It is so ironical that although glowing tributes are paid to him for his integrity and achievements, his claim of being the Prophet of God has been rejected either explicitly or implicitly. Even those who wrote that his prophethood cannot be denied refused to embrace his teachings, his holy book, and his religion. Prejudice, bigotry and dogmatism are the bane of man that have caused him to slaughter thousands of prophets and wise preachers in the course of history.
Although non-Muslim are now more open to accepting objective commentaries and testimonies on Muhammad (pbuh) and Islam the damage done by the prejudicial and slanderous image of Muhammad (pbuh) and Islam promulgated by the Christian West, especially during the centuries of the crusades, is only now being gradually repaired and the greatness of this Prophet of God is being understood, as shown by the numerous testimonies quoted above. Unfortunately, the arrogance of man is still evident as this great yet humble and benevolent Prophet of God still continues to be ridiculed by nonbelievers and apostates today. The religion that he preached - Islam means Peace (and Submission to the Will of God) - also suffers the same fate from those who fail to realise the beauty of sublimity of its teachings - and that truly it is the only recourse for man to be saved from the multitudinous predicaments that he has got himself into.
God had sent Muhammad (pbuh) as a grace to the Worlds (by bringing the Quran, Islam and being the perfect model of the teachings); and Islam is the only religion (way of life) God approves of:
“We have sent you (o Muhammad) only as a mercy for all the worlds.” [Quran 21:107]
“And most certainly, you (o Muhammad) are most sublime and exalted character.” [Quran 68:4]
“Verily in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example to follow for him who believes in Allah and the Last Day, and always remembers Allah.” [Quran 33:21]
“Truly, the way of life (religion) in the Sight (approved by) of Allah is Islam.” [Quran 3:19]
“It is He who has sent his Messenger with Guidance and the Religion of Truth. The he (Muhammad) may proclaim it over all religions. Even though the associators (those who associate false gods with Him) may detest.” [Quran 61:9]
Is it mere coincidence that Muhammad (pbuh) was everything the Quran said he would be, nearly 1400 years ago? He founded the first ever nation-state with a written constitution. He was the first to invite other great rulers of his time to submit to God. He is acknowledged by independent scholars as a great prophet, the most successful religious personality, the greatest leader, the most influential person and therefore the greatest man in history. The religion he founded is set to be the largest religion; and the Holy Book he brought remains the only book known to remain in its pristine original form after nearly fourteen centuries, and its authenticity, infallability, inerrancy, indefectability and absolute reliability remain unchallenged to this day.
The non-believer is beseeched to search his heart, question his own objectivity and sincerity, and examine the validity of his faith in the face of credible amount of evidence in support of Muhammad’s (pbuh) claim to be the last Prophet and Messenger of God.
The greatness of this Prophet will not be appreciated unless one knows the extent of his impact and influence upon humanity from his time, to the present, and into the future. This article is but a small attempt to inform the non-Muslim worlds that they should not ignore him; the greatest man with the greatest mission ever, whose stature and achievements remain unsurpassed in human history.
For further understanding of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) life, mission and achievements, the reader should refer to the numerous books written about him. A list of recommended books can be given by contacting RICOI.
[Compiled by Dr Amir Farid Isahak for RICOI] Sincere acknowledgements to the authors whose works have been freely quoted in this article.
RICOI
RICOI is a non-profit organisation dedicated towards research and propagation of Islamic information through publications, audio video, electronic media and the Internet.
RESEARCH & INFORMATION CENTRE ON ISLAM
Please address all enquiries to:
The Secretary, RICOI
17, Taman Zaaba,
Taman Tun Dr Ismail,
60000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel/Fax: 03 719 6658
(e-mail) ricoi@po.jaring.my
Those interested in the references used in this article and Non-Muslims interested in dialogues/discussions can contact Dr Amir Farid at 03 704 8833 Pager 1300.
This article was first published in commemoration of the anniversary of the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) on 12 Rabi’ul’awal 1417 (28 July 1996) and now republished again on 12 Rabi’ul’awal 1424 (13 May 2003). May Allah and his Messenger be pleased with our effort.
No comments:
Post a Comment