MUHAMMAD (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) – THE IDEAL PROPHET
Man needs the light of his past experiences to
brighten his present and future. And, as we have seen earlier, all the
different segments of humanity which have done anything to make this
world a better place to live in deserve our gratitude; but, the most
deserving of our regard are those whom we call the prophets of
Alla(Ah.s). Each one of them has, in his own time, presented a winsom
example of his sublime conduct and moral behaviour. If one was a model
of endurance, others were emblems of selflessness, sacrifice, fervour
for Truth and Oneness of Allah, submission to the Will of the Lord,
chastity and piety, in short, each of them was a lighthouse of guidance
showing the path of exalted behaviour in one or the other walk of life
everyman has to tread in his sojourn on the earth. Man, however, stood
in the need of another guide who could illuminate the entire gamut of
human behaviour, in all its manifoldness, by his comprehensive example
of goodness and virtue. Man, in other words, needed a perfect and
universal exemplar who could place in his hands a guide-book of
practical life, so that every wayfarer may reach his destination safely.
And, this exemplar did come to the world in the person of the last of
the prophets, Muhammad, on whom be peace and blessings of the Lord,
SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam.
The Qur’an announced this truth in these words:
“O Prophet! Lo ! We have sent thee as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner. And as a summoner unto Allah by His permission, and, as a lamp that giveth light.” (Qur’an: 2: 253)
He is the prophet well-informed, the witness to Allah’s commandments, the bringer of glad tidings, the warner unto those who are heedless, the summoner of the erring to the way of Allah, the resplendent light which dispels the darkness and shows the right path.
Every prophet of Allah came to this world as a witness, or a harbinger of good tidings, or as a warner, or as a summoner, but never in the past there came a prophet who combined all these qualities. There were witnesses to Allah’s majesty and overlordship like Jacob, Isaac and Ishmael (Ah.s). Others like Abraham and Jesus (Ah.s) were the heralds of glad tidings. There were also warners like Noah, Moses, Hud and Shuoyeb (Ah.s), the key-note of whose forebodings was terrible punishment awaiting the evildoers. Then, there were the prophets like Joseph and Jonah (Ah.s) whose teachings set the tone for summoners to divine guidance. But the messenger par excellence who had all these marks of prophethood — a witness as well as a welcomer, a warner as well as a caller—and who was a distinguished Apostle in every respect was none else save Muhammad (SAWS). He was sent to the world as the last Prophet, the final one, after whom no other messenger was to be sent again by Allah. This is the reason why he was granted a shaff’ah or the law that was perfect and final requiring no revision in the days to come.
For the teachings of the last Prophet were to be everabiding, to remain unchanged to the end of time, he was sent as an acme of perfection with ever-blooming guidance and resplendent light. This is an indisputable fact attested by the pages of history.
A character held out as an ideal or model for humanity needs must fulfil certain conditions before such a claim can be universally accepted. The first and foremost test to which the character of such a guide should be put is historicity.
Historicity means that the genuineness of the accounts of life and character of any man put forth as a perfect exemplar should proceed notfrom any fable or a legendary tale, but from reputed sources and methodical records of what we call as history. Man is never disposed, by his frame of mind, to be deeply impressed by any happening, event or biography which he knows to be fictitious. For a lasting impression of any character, one needs the assurance that every detail of the life, saying and doing of such a personality is perfectly genuine and verifiable. Historical stories have, for that very reason, a greater appeal than the works of fiction. Another reason for the historicity of a character, particularly if it is intended to impart a lesson to others, is that no bed-time fable, told to while away the hours of leisure, can be deemed to hold up a model for emulation or following its example.
For nobody can be expected to follow a mythical or imaginary character, it is absolutely essential that the journal of a life presented as an emblem of virtuous human conduct should be perfectly authentic in accordance with the criterion set for acceptance of any event as historical.
We hold all the prophets of Allah in reverence and pay homage to them. We also agree that every one of them was a truthful messenger of divine guidance but the Lord has Himself told us that —
“Of these messengers, some of whom We have caused to excel others”
We believe that this was the honour granted to Muhammad, SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, since he was the last of the line of prophets, bearer of the final and ever-abiding message of Allah and, thus, he was sent as a standard of virtue and goodness for the guidance of mankind to the end of time. No other prophet than he was intended to be the seal of the divine messengers ; nor were the teachings of any other prophet to last till the Doomsday. They were all sent as models teachers and guides, no doubt; but for a particular age and people, and, hence, whatever they had taught gradually vanished from the memory of humanity.
It was only Muhammad (SAWS), the last of the prophets, who was sent by Allah for all the nations, as a shining example, to be followed by the entire humanity until the Day of Judgement. His biography, the record of his sayings and doings, had thus to be perdurable and everblooming, and this is the greatest testimony, a practical attestation of the finality of Muhammad’s (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) prophethood.
“Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets ; and Allah is Aware of all things.”
(Quran: 33: 40)
The Qur’an announced this truth in these words:
“O Prophet! Lo ! We have sent thee as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner. And as a summoner unto Allah by His permission, and, as a lamp that giveth light.” (Qur’an: 2: 253)
He is the prophet well-informed, the witness to Allah’s commandments, the bringer of glad tidings, the warner unto those who are heedless, the summoner of the erring to the way of Allah, the resplendent light which dispels the darkness and shows the right path.
Every prophet of Allah came to this world as a witness, or a harbinger of good tidings, or as a warner, or as a summoner, but never in the past there came a prophet who combined all these qualities. There were witnesses to Allah’s majesty and overlordship like Jacob, Isaac and Ishmael (Ah.s). Others like Abraham and Jesus (Ah.s) were the heralds of glad tidings. There were also warners like Noah, Moses, Hud and Shuoyeb (Ah.s), the key-note of whose forebodings was terrible punishment awaiting the evildoers. Then, there were the prophets like Joseph and Jonah (Ah.s) whose teachings set the tone for summoners to divine guidance. But the messenger par excellence who had all these marks of prophethood — a witness as well as a welcomer, a warner as well as a caller—and who was a distinguished Apostle in every respect was none else save Muhammad (SAWS). He was sent to the world as the last Prophet, the final one, after whom no other messenger was to be sent again by Allah. This is the reason why he was granted a shaff’ah or the law that was perfect and final requiring no revision in the days to come.
For the teachings of the last Prophet were to be everabiding, to remain unchanged to the end of time, he was sent as an acme of perfection with ever-blooming guidance and resplendent light. This is an indisputable fact attested by the pages of history.
A character held out as an ideal or model for humanity needs must fulfil certain conditions before such a claim can be universally accepted. The first and foremost test to which the character of such a guide should be put is historicity.
Historicity means that the genuineness of the accounts of life and character of any man put forth as a perfect exemplar should proceed notfrom any fable or a legendary tale, but from reputed sources and methodical records of what we call as history. Man is never disposed, by his frame of mind, to be deeply impressed by any happening, event or biography which he knows to be fictitious. For a lasting impression of any character, one needs the assurance that every detail of the life, saying and doing of such a personality is perfectly genuine and verifiable. Historical stories have, for that very reason, a greater appeal than the works of fiction. Another reason for the historicity of a character, particularly if it is intended to impart a lesson to others, is that no bed-time fable, told to while away the hours of leisure, can be deemed to hold up a model for emulation or following its example.
For nobody can be expected to follow a mythical or imaginary character, it is absolutely essential that the journal of a life presented as an emblem of virtuous human conduct should be perfectly authentic in accordance with the criterion set for acceptance of any event as historical.
We hold all the prophets of Allah in reverence and pay homage to them. We also agree that every one of them was a truthful messenger of divine guidance but the Lord has Himself told us that —
“Of these messengers, some of whom We have caused to excel others”
We believe that this was the honour granted to Muhammad, SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, since he was the last of the line of prophets, bearer of the final and ever-abiding message of Allah and, thus, he was sent as a standard of virtue and goodness for the guidance of mankind to the end of time. No other prophet than he was intended to be the seal of the divine messengers ; nor were the teachings of any other prophet to last till the Doomsday. They were all sent as models teachers and guides, no doubt; but for a particular age and people, and, hence, whatever they had taught gradually vanished from the memory of humanity.
It was only Muhammad (SAWS), the last of the prophets, who was sent by Allah for all the nations, as a shining example, to be followed by the entire humanity until the Day of Judgement. His biography, the record of his sayings and doings, had thus to be perdurable and everblooming, and this is the greatest testimony, a practical attestation of the finality of Muhammad’s (SallAllahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) prophethood.
“Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets ; and Allah is Aware of all things.”
(Quran: 33: 40)
