6 Significance of Iman in Muhammad (PBUH) and Other Messengers of Allah

“Take whatever the Messenger gives you and refrain from whatever he forbids you. Fear Allah, Allah is severe in inflicting punishment.” (Quran 59:7)

“Allah has sent me to teach and make things easy” (Muslim 1478)

• Allah has sent His Messengers to people throughout human history to guide them on their way of life. The first of these Messengers was Adam (Alaysalaam) and last of them was Muhammad (PBUH). There will be no Prophet after Muhammad (PBUH) until the end of the world. So, Allah has introduced him in the Quran as the Seal of the Prophets. Allah says:

“Muhammad is not the father of any of your males, but he is The Messenger of Allah, and last of the Prophets” (Quran 33:40).

• Islam is the way of life that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has received from Allah for mankind:

“Truly the way of life with Allah is Islam” (Quran 3:19).

Islam is a perfect way of life that covers everything in life. No one can add nor is allowed to remove anything from Islam. No other way of life except Islam is acceptable. Allah says:

“Today I have perfected your way of life for you and I have completed my favor upon you, and I have chosen Islam as your way of life” (Quran 5:3)

“Whoever desires a way of life other than Islam; it will never be accepted from him and in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers” (Quran 3:85)

• The parable of Muhammad (PBUH) with the Quran is extremely significant. The Quran introduces Muhammad (PBUH) as the Prophet of Allah and Muhammad (PBUH) introduced the Quran as the word of Allah. Muhammad (PBUH) is the only source to know Allah and His Book, ‘the Quran’. So, it is very important to know his life. A believer needs to know about how he lived, what he did, how he did it, what he taught to people and what was the result.

Faith in Muhammad (PBUH) as a Messenger of Allah is so important that it is integrated in the Testimony of Faith by which a person becomes a Muslim. He is required to believe and declare: “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.” A believer is required to render committed faith in him, because only through him, can he take the Quran as the ‘Words of Allah’.

Therefore, to know him intimately, believers need a thorough and deep study of his life. Allah has illustrated his noble life in detail in the Quran. His words and actions are preserved in authentic books of Hadith. His achievements and contributions to mankind are recorded in authentic books of his biography. Deep study of these help to understand his life, the significance of Iman in him and his contributions to mankind. Believers should try to learn from these sources what ‘Model of Life’ Muhammad (PBUH) left for them to follow.

• By accepting Muhammad (PBUH) as the Prophet of Allah, a believer practically accepts him as a guide for his life and rejects all other leadership opposed to his teachings.
• Muhammad (PBUH) was free from mistakes because Allah guided him directly in all affairs. Acceptance of his divine leadership helps people to protect them from following all sorts of misguidance and wrong pathways that usually happen from leadership devoid of divine guidance.
• By accepting Muhammad (PBUH) as the Messenger of Allah, a believer accepts him as a Role Model in every sphere of life. He tries to know and follow the Model of Mohammad (PBUH) for anything he plans to do. In this way, a believer plans and executes his activities in accordance with faith in Mohammad (PBUH). Allah says:

“Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah has the best Model to follow for him who looks forward to Allah, the Last Day and remember Allah much” (Quran 33:21).

Moreover, Allah certifies that he is bestowed and adorned with the best human qualities and manners. Allah says:

“Surely you are standing on and adorned with the best of Qualities” (Quran: 68:4).

Allah has decorated the life of the Prophet (PBUH) as a Model life with virtue of the Quran and presented him as a Model for people to follow.

Saad Ibn Hisham reported: “Ammar came to the wife of the Prophet (PBUH) to inquire about the Prophet’s life and asked; ‘O mother of believers, tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH).’ Aysha (RA) replied; ‘Have you not read the Quran? Verily the character of the Messenger of Allah was Quran’” (Abu Dawud 1342).

It does not make sense for a believer to follow any other leader, as he believes in God’s word that the life of the Prophet (PBUH) is the best model to follow in every affair. Therefore, understanding his Model Life from the Quran is important for the sake of Iman in Muhammad (PBUH). With deep study of the Quran and reflection on the activities that Muhammad (PBUH) did, it becomes evident that God has sent him as a “Role Model “for everything. Whether it be personal life, family life, social life, economy, judiciary, ritual worship, government affairs, business, inter-faith relations, international affairs, defence, state affairs – his is the best example for the believers to follow. As part of his faith, a believer is obliged to follow Muhammad (PBUH) in all affairs of life. Following the Prophet (PBUH) is a sign of love for Allah:

“If you desire to love Allah, then follow me (Muhammad)” (Quran 3:31).

A believer obeys the order of Allah and demonstrates his love for Allah by following the Prophet’s (PBUH) methods.

• A believer needs to understand that if he follows Muhammad (PBUH) as his Role Model in every affair of life, then he is true in his faith in Muhammad (PBUH). If he does not follow him in action, then he is contradicting with Iman in Muhammad (PBUH).

It is not acceptable to claim Iman in Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by only doing a few rituals and Sunnah. In fact, it is just like taking a few drops of water from the ocean. A believer, as a part of faith in the Prophet (PBUH), must accept and live according to the teachings of the Prophet (PBUH) in every affair throughout his life. He must obey Allah in a way set forth by Mohammad (PBUH). Allah says: “He who obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah” (Quran 4:80).

For example, the five daily prayers are a compulsory element of worship. However, a believer cannot do this as he likes. He needs to do this worship in the way the Prophet (PBUH) has demonstrated. This sort of obedience is compulsory in all worship and all worldly affairs. Any violation with respect to this is a violation of Iman in the Messenger and subject to severe punishment. Allah orders:

“Take whatever the Messenger gives you, and refrain from whatever he forbids you. Fear Allah, for Allah is stern in inflicting punishment.” (Quran 59:7).

Believers need to obey the above order with all seriousness. There is no scope to be selective in obeying the order of Prophet (PBUH). Nowadays, we see some Muslims are selective in obeying Muhammad (PBUH). They practice rituals like Prayer, Fasting, Hajj etc. in his way but ignore his way in many other affairs of life like economy, judiciary, legislation, family life, government, state affairs, international affairs, business, etc. In contrast, Allah has ordered believers to take whatever he has given as the way of life. There is no scope to obey him in something and deny him in other things. Muhammad (PBUH) said:

“All Muslims will enter Paradise except he or she who is disobedient to the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)” (Bukhari).

Those who intend to introduce the concept of secularism in Islam by introducing western style of dual leadership, where they obey the Imam in religious matters and obey other leaders in social and state affairs, are like Christians who obey the Pope of the Vatican in religious matters and obeying the head of state who runs the country with laws passed by parliament, not from the Bible.

For these types of people, there is an example in the life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): “The people of Madina organized a grand reception for Muhammad (PBUH) upon his arrival in Madina. In the reception meeting Abdulla Ibn Ubay, the leader of Madina at the time, announced that he would remain head of Madina in all affairs except religious affairs. Muhammad (PBUH) will be religious leader. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) rejected the idea of dual leadership and assumed total leadership of the country.”

The above action by Muhammad (PBUH) establishes the concept of leadership in Islam. According to this concept, religious leadership cannot be separated from state and social leaderships. The action of the Prophet (PBUH) clearly rejects dual leadership that we see in many Muslim countries nowadays. This is not in line with faith in Muhammad (PBUH). Faith in Muhammad (PBUH) means accepting his leadership in all affairs of life. This unified leadership is not only for the Prophet (PBUH), rather it is God’s way of leadership established in Islam by the Prophet (PBUH). After his death, this system of leadership was continued by the rightly guided Caliphs. Even after them, unified leadership continued over 700 years by dynastic caliphs.

Based on the above references from Quran and Sunnah, we may summarize the actions of believers with respect to Iman in Muhammad (PBUH) as follows:

• A believer should try his best to know about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The best way to know Muhammad (PBUH) is to know him from the Quran. Allah has described about Muhammad (PBUH) in detail in the Quran. The second source to know him is his Sunnah. Studying hadith will help to know him. Believers can also take the help from authentic books of his biography.
• After knowing Prophet’s (PBUH) way of life, a believer needs to think about how to implement it in every activity of his life and then do them accordingly.
• A believer must believe that Muhammad (PBUH) is the Final Messenger of Allah.
• He must obey Muhammad (PBUH) as a proof of obedience to Allah.
• He must follow Muhammad (PBUH) as the only “Role Model” in every affair of his life. He is the only Role Model for a believer to follow in personal life, family life, social life, national affairs, international affairs, political affairs, economic affairs, law and legislation, diplomacy, foreign affairs, and interfaith relation. A believer is not allowed to follow the Prophet (PBUH) in some things and follow other leaders for other things. As a proof of Iman in Prophet (PBUH) and love for him, believers should try to follow his manner and lifestyle as much as possible. Instead of following other leaders and people, their aim and attention should only be to follow the noble character, habit, qualities, virtues, attributes, and practices of the Prophet (PBUH) as much as they can.
• The best way to know how to obey the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is to know how his companions (sahaba) obeyed him in his lifetime and follow their footsteps. This is the only way to do away with diverse religious and spiritual divisions that we see in the Muslims nowadays and unite them again as it was at the time of the Prophet (PBUH) and Rightly Guided Rulers after him.
• According to the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah, Muslims need a leader to lead the Muslim nation globally. It is so important that the Prophet (PBUH) commanded to choose a leader even if a group of believers are on a journey. Daily prayers are performed under the leadership of one Imam. Still, billions of Muslims around the world are without a national leader. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, they have since stayed leaderless. However, a nation needs a Leader, an Ideology, Followers, and a Land. Muslims have the best Ideology (Islam), largest number of followers, vast lands, and a huge natural resources, but are without a leader to lead them. The condition of the Muslim nation is like a fully loaded big ship in the middle of the ocean but without a captain. Believers of Divine Iman need to start the process of establishing a National Leadership as per the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Initiatives should be taken first by Islamic organisations working in different parts of the world for the Revival of Islam. They might choose a National Leader by making a Confederation of Islamic Organisations, then research and continue to work on the reconciliation among religious groups and countries. The ultimate target should be to unite the Ummah and Muslim countries under one national Leader and a “shura council” (consultative body) similar to the time of the Prophet (PBUH) and the Rightly Guided Caliphs after Him.
• Today, billions of people believe that Muhammad (PBUH) is the Prophet of Allah, and they remember him with great love and respect. Real love and respect of him is to try to understand the meaning of his life, accept him as the ‘Role Model’ in every affair of our life and represent him through our good deeds as per his teachings. In fact, this is the true way of expressing love, respect, and demonstration of Iman in Muhammad (PBUH) as our Prophet. This is the way to benefit from his life and to demonstrate his life through our deeds for the benefit of our own nation and people of other religions. This is the right way to represent Islam and the Prophet (PBUH) in our times. There is no other way to counter false propaganda by the media and wrong representations of his life by misguided leaders and their misguided followers. These misguided leaders and their followers from Muslims are virtually executing the plan of the enemies without knowing. They are taking ignorant Muslims to the wrong path in the name of Islam and spoiling the image of this Great Religion and its Prophet (PBUH).
• Finally, we must ponder on the vision of Allah for mankind in this world and think deeply on how Muhammad (PBUH) materialized His vision. Allah gave the Ideology of Islam, and commanded Muhammad (PBUH) and his followers to make Islam victorious for the welfare of mankind by commanding people to do good and prohibit them from doing evil. This is reflected in the verses of Quran:

“It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of Truth to make it victorious and prevail over all other religions.” (Quran 48:28)

“You are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind, you command the people to good and prohibit them from evil and you believe in Allah.” (Quran 3:110)

• Muslim scholars, social leaders, political leaders, scientists, and professionals of all disciplines should research his life in their respective field and use his ways in our time in every field. They should train young and talented Muslims in his ways so that they can take up future leadership of the nation. All research done on his life should be coordinated through Research Institutes worldwide for better performance and results.
• Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) started work to bring a change in the world as desired by Allah with the help of His Book of Guidance, ‘the Quran’. The time of his prophethood was also unique. The whole world was full of tyranny with oppression by autocrat emperors, tribal chiefs, and dynastic rulers. The people were oppressed and sharply divided between the haves and have-nots. No religion was intact, and polytheism was rampant. Almost every aspect of life was in chaotic conditions.

In such a world, the Prophet (PBUH) started his work with a mission to establish the Vision of Allah. His success in this mission was amazing to every expert, specialist, leader, and philosopher starting from his time until today. His all-around achievement in bringing a change in the world order within such a short span of time is unique.

His relation and status with other prophets are also very beautiful and remarkable. He is the prophet ranked by Allah as first and sent down on Earth as the last. Every prophet who came before him prophesied of his coming. From the pieces of known history, we can see that all the Scriptures and Books of ancient prophets described the signs and arrival of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

The Hindu scriptures ‘Vedas’ are one of the most ancient religious scriptures, which describes him as the “Kalki Avatar” – ‘the prophet of the last time’. The Vedas gave a vivid account of his dynasty, his parents, and his companions. The Torah and The Bible need not be mentioned because their reference of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is far more explicit and well known.

Therefore, it is logical that after his arrival, all other religious edicts are abrogated and only the latest update of God’s Religion ‘Islam’ revealed through him shall prevail all over the world. However, as believers of Islam, Muslims need to believe in the true teachings of previous scriptures and need to love and respect all previous Prophets as they respect Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Therefore, it is important for the believers to know how Muhammad (PBUH) solved the problems of mankind, raised humanity to its peak and established an all-around peace for all of humanity. Particularly, the first thing that Muslim nation need to do is to rectify their situation by building their life according to the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and then show this path of success to all people so that they can benefit from his life.

His success is not the story of the past. Mankind is still enjoying the fruits of humanity he has promoted 1450 years ago. Many good things that are practiced in the contemporary world by the United Nations, Human Rights Organisations, World Health Organisation, ILO, FAO, Women’s Rights, Children’s rights, Orphan’s Rights, Parents’ Rights, Animal Rights, Freedom etc. originated from him 1450 years ago. As a proof, one can compare the charter of these organisations with the Quran and Hadith.

Many non-Muslim scholars, Philosophers, and dignitaries of the contemporary world commended his success and are of the opinion that the way of life he founded is the best for mankind in the modern world just as much as it was during his time. The opinions of some of these world dignitaries are stated below as reference:

1. R. Bosworth Smith (1839-1908), British educationist, writes in his book “Mohammad and Mohammadanism”:

“He was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was a Pope without a Pope’s pretensions, 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 Mohammed, for he had all the power without its instruments and without its supports. He cared not for the dressings of power. The simplicity of his private life was in keeping with his public life.”

2. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), a British literary genius and winner of the 1925 Nobel prize for literature, writes:

“I have held the religion of Muhammed in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion, which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence, which can make itself appeal to every age. I have studied him-the wonderful man and in my opinion far from being anti-christ, he must be called the savior of humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much-needed peace and happiness” (‘The Genuine Islam’ Singapore vol.1 No. 8, 1936).

3. John William Draper (1811-1882), American Scientist, Philosopher, Physician, Chemist and Historian writes:

“Four years after the death of Justinian, 569 A.D., was born at Makkah, in Arabia, the man (Muhammad) who, of all men, has exercised the greatest influence upon the human race.”

4. British historian, Sir William Muir, in his book “Life of Mohammed” stated:

“Our authorities, all agree in ascribing to the youth of Mohammad a modesty of deportment and purity of manners rare among the people of Makkah. The fair character and honorable bearing of the unobtrusive youth won the approbation of his fellow-citizens; and he received the title, by common consent, of Al-Ameen, the Trustworthy.”

5. James Michener (1907-1997), an American author, writes in his well-known work, “Islam, The Misunderstood Religion”:

“Orphaned at birth, he was always particularly solicitous of the poor and the needy, the widow and the orphan, the slave and the downtrodden. At twenty he was already a successful businessman, and soon became director of camel caravans for a wealthy widow. When he reached twenty-five his employer, recognizing his merit, proposed marriage. Even though she was fifteen years older, he married her, and as long as she lived remained a devoted husband.”

6. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881), a British historian, writes in his book “On Heroes, Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History”, writes:

“Ah on this deep-hearted son of the wilderness with his beaming black eyes and open social deep soul, had other thoughts than ambition. A silent great man: he was one of those who cannot but be in earnest; whom Nature herself has appointed to be sincere. While others walk in formulas and hearsays, contented enough to dwell there, this man could not screen himself in formulas; he was alone with his own soul and the reality of things. The great mystery of Existence, as I said, glared in upon him, with its terrors, with its splendors; no hearsays could hide that unspeakable fact. ‘Here am I’; such Sincerity as we name it, has in very truth something of divine. The work of such a man is a voice direct from Nature’s own Heart. Men do and must listen to that as to nothing else; all else is wind in comparison.”

7. Dr. Marcus Dods (1834-1909) – a theologian, biblical scholar, and Minister of the Church of Scotland writes in his work, “Mohammad, Buddah and Christ” (1877): “Certainly, he had two of the most important characteristics of the prophetic order. He saw truth about God which his fellow men did not see, and he had an irresistible inward impulse to publicize this truth.”

8. John Davenport (1597-1670) – author, pastor of First Church at Boston, USA (1668), in his well known work, “An Apology for Mohammad and the Koran”, admits the honesty and sincerity behind Mohammad’s claim of being an apostle of God: “It is strongly corroborative of Mohammad’s sincerity that the earliest converts of Islam were his bosom friends and the people of his household, who all intimately acquainted with his private life, could not fail to have detected those discrepancies which more or less invariably exist between the pretensions of the hypocritical deceiver and his actions at home.”

He also writes: “With all that simplicity, which is so natural to a great mind, he performed the humblest offices whose homeliness it would be idle to conceal with pompous diction; even while Lord of Arabia, he mended his own shoes and coarse woolen garments, milked the ewes, swept the hearth, and kindled the fire. Dates and water were his usual fare and milk and honey his luxuries. When he traveled, he divided his morse with the servant. The sincerity of his exhortations to benevolence was justified at his death by the exhausted state of his coffers.”

9. William Montgomery Watt (1909-2006) – Historian and professor at the University of Edinburgh, writes in his book “Mohammad at Makkah” (1953): “His readiness to undergo persecution 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 Mohammed as imposter raises more problems than it solves. Moreover, none of the great figures of history is so poorly appreciated in the West as Muhammad. Thus, not merely must we credit Muhammad with essential honesty and integrity of purpose, if we are to understand him at all: if we are to correct the errors we have inherited from the past.”

10. Stanley Lane-Poole (1854-1931) – British Scholar, Orientalist and Archaeologist, writes in his thesis on the history of Arabs, “The Speeches and Table Talk of the Prophet Mohammad”:

“He was kind, brave, had admirable manners, had patience and gratitudes to his family and close associates. He was so noble that when shaking hands, he was not the first to move his hands from the other person’s grasp, even if the other person was a child. He never passed any group of man or children without greeting them with a beautiful smile.”

“The day of Mohammad’s greatest triumph over his enemies was also the day of his grandest victory over himself. He freely forgave the Koraysh all the years of sorrow and cruel scorn in which they had afflicted him and gave an amnesty to the whole population of Makkah.”

11. Alphonse de Lamartine (1790-1869) – a French writer, poet, political leader, writes about Muhammad (PBUH) in his book “Histoire de la Turquie (1854)”: “If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Mohammed? 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 eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peoples, and dynasties, but millions 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 the souls. Based on a Book, every letter of which has become law, he created a spiritual nationality that blended peoples of every tongue and of every race. Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational beliefs, a founder of twenty terrestrial empires and one spiritual empire. Of all standards by which human greatness can be measured, we may well ask … is there any man greater than Mohammed?”

12. Michael H. Hart (born 1950), a Christian American, astronomer, mathematician, lawyer, and scientist, after extensive research, published an incisive biography of the 100 most influential persons in history. The biographical rankings with explanations describe the careers of religious and political leaders, inventors, writers, philosophers, scientist, and artists. From this research, which included illustrious personalities such as Jesus Christ, Moses, Caesar, etc. Michael H. Hart rated Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) as number one. He concluded the biography with the words: “My choice of Mohammed to lead the list of the world’s most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels.” (The 100: A ranking of the most influential persons in history” New York, 1978, p. 33)

13. Dr. Annie Besant (1847-1933) – a British Socialist, Women’s Rights activist and President of Women’s Indian Association (1917), writes in her book “The Life and Teachings of Muhammad” (1932): “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, one of the great Messengers of the Supreme? And although in what I put to you I shall say many things which may be familiar to many, yet I myself feel whenever I re-read them, a new way of admiration, a new sense of reverence for that mighty Arabian teacher.”

14. Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) – leader of the Indian Independence Movement, speaking on the character of Mohammed: “I wanted to know the best of one who holds today’s undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind. I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle.” (Young India, 1924)

15. Sarojini Naidu (1879-1949) – First woman governor of the Indian state under British Rule, civil and women’s rights activist says: “It was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy; for, in the mosque, when the call for prayer is sounded and worshippers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant and king kneel side by side and proclaim: ‘God Alone is Great’. I have been struck over and over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that makes man instinctively a brother” (S. Naidu, Ideals of Islam, vide Speeches & Writings, Madras, 1918, p. 169).

16. Prof. Dr. K. S. Ramakrishna Rao (born 1932), Philosopher, Educationist and Researcher, writes in his book ‘Mohammed: The Prophet of Islam’: “The personality of Mohammed is most difficult to get the whole truth of it. Only a glimpse of him I can catch. What dramatic succession of picturesque scenes? There is Mohammed the Prophet; there is Muhammad the General; Mohammed the King; Mohammed the Warrior; Mohammed the Businessman; Mohammed the Preacher; Mohammed the Philosopher; Mohammed the Statesman; Mohammed the Orator; Mohammed the Reformer; Mohammed the Refuge of Orphans; Mohammed the Protector of Slaves; Mohammed the Emancipator of Women; Muhammad the Judge; Mohammed the Saint… In all these magnificent roles and in all these departments of human activities he is equally a hero.”

The above references are a few of the numerous testimonies of intellectuals across the globe about Muhammad’s (PBUH) qualities and achievements. Impartial evaluations of his legacy by these Philosophers, Historians, Political leaders, Professors, Social Scientists and activists from different cultures, religions and sexes of the contemporary world prove that Muhammad (PBUH) is a ‘Role Model’ to follow for the welfare of mankind in the Modern World. Their evaluations about him echoed God’s words: “Surely you are standing on and with the best of qualities” (Quran 68:4). Whatever he demonstrated in his life, that is his way of life, ‘Islam’. He has left this for mankind to follow till the end of the world for their success. He demonstrated qualities of Islam in every department of human activity through his noble life. Some of these qualities are listed by intellectuals in the above references in the categories of family life, social life, governing state, Judiciary, economy, women’s rights, servant’s rights, human rights, equality, freedom etc. Many intellectuals of the modern world consider these qualities as the best for mankind today as were proven to be the best during his time. His legacy will continue to inspire people to work for peace and prosperity throughout all ages. Deep study of his life and the Quran will give insight into solutions to every problem and need in life.

Let us take an example of the dangerous pandemic COVID-19 in the modern world. It started in Wuhan, China in November 2019 and rapidly spread all over the world. By April 2020, it spread to 185 countries and devastated daily life and the economy. Referring to this subject in an article in Newsweek, USA (March 17, 2020), Professor Dr. Craig Considine of Rice University, USA writes: “Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, over 1300 years ago was by no means a traditional expert on matters of deadly diseases like COVID-19. Still, he gave sound advice to prevent and combat infectious disease.” He quoted from the advice of Muhammad (PBUH) as follows:

*“If you hear of an outbreak of plague in a land, do not enter it, but if the plague breaks out in a place while you are in it, do not leave that place.” (Bukhari)

*“Those with contagious diseases should be kept away from those who are healthy.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

* Muhammad (PBUH) strongly encouraged human beings to adhere to hygenic practices that would keep people safe from infection. He made this so important in ‘Islam’that he said: “cleanliness is a part of Faith” (Muslim). He precisely encouraged to wash hands frequently: “Wash your hands after getting up from sleep, before and after eating, before five times daily prayers.” These are recorded in Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and other authentic books of hadith.

*“Make use of Medical treatment.” (Tirmidhi)

We can also mention here another advice from Muhammad (PBUH) on the subject: “Staying home with patience during plague is very rewarding” (Musnad Ahmed).

We see all the above advice were being executed by Scientists and Medical professionals for controlling COVID-19 all over the world. In fact, if Muhammad’s (PBUH) advice to stop travel to and from the place of origin of COVID-19 was followed, it would not spread from the city of Wuhan to the rest of the world.

Although there are numerous testimonies of intellectuals across the globe about Muhammad’s (PBUH) qualities and achievements, there are always a few people who try to make false propaganda against him and his religion. Due to their false propaganda, many questions have arisen among those people who do not know much about Islam and its Prophet (PBUH). As an example, we can mention the false notion that Muhammad established Islam by Jihad (War). This criticism is rejected by even non- muslim scholars. They say Islam conquered the human soul by its merits, not by the sword. So, who is right? Allah orders: “Let there be no compulsion in religion” (Quran 2:256). Muhammad (PBUH) never disobeyed Allah in propagating Islam. He called people to Islam with logic and they started to accept his ideology. Adversaries waged war against him to stop this. In all the wars throughout the life of Muhammad (PBUH), approximately 1000 people died from both sides (Ref. “Muhammad: A prophet of humanity” by Wahid Uddin). A total casualty of 1000 in all wars over 23 years is very negligible. This minimum casualty was possible because he preferred peace treaties over war. It is also worth noting that there were no casualties of the children, women, and elderly people in any of the war.

From the points noted above, we can conclude that converting people to Islam by waging war is a false propaganda against Muhammad (PBUH).

Muslims need to do more to enlighten people about Islam and the glorious life of its Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) so that they are not misguided by false propaganda. They also need an effective planning to stop the wrong actions of misguided Muslims. Their wrong work is only fuelling conspiracies of enemies against Islam.

In the prevailing situation, I humbly request the readers to compare the intellectual and cultural levels of those people who are leading propagandas against Islam and its Prophet (PBUH) with those world-famous intellectuals who admire him as the best of the great men in the history of mankind.

Finally, my appeal to those who take Muhammad (PBUH) as their Prophet, is to use all means to help people understand his glorious life. The best way to do this is to follow his Model of life, propagate his teachings, and to strive hard to establish his legacy in the modern world. These are the actions that demonstrate Iman in Muhammad (PBUH), the Messenger of Allah.

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