By Dr. M. Yunus
Role models are essentials for the development of individual and national character. However, being a role model for a family or nation is one thing, for the entire mankind another. The latter kind of role model is not easy to find.
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was one such role model who transcended the boundaries of space and time.
As there is a prerequisite for everything, so it is for the universal role model. Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as a role model of the entire mankind saw to it that his message was for all people, about all issues, for all times, and one that he practiced himself before preaching.
When we search in recent human history for such a role model who can fulfill all the above criteria, we can say without fear of contradiction that the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is the only such role model.
GUIDANCE FOR ALL MANKIND:
A study of Prophet Muhammad's Seerah (life history) clearly manifests that he was not an Arab nationalist leader. He had love, mercy, and concern for all mankind regardless of their ethnicity, national origin, language or tribe. He looked at blacks, whites, Arabs, non-Arabs, people from the east or the west as members of one human family. He never spoke one word or sentence throughout his life to indicate that he was more interested in the welfare of a certain group or people. For that reason, he had Africans, Persians, Romans, Egyptians, and Israelites amongst his prominent companions besides Arabs. After his death, he has been accepted as a leader and role model by people in all corners of the world. As a matter of fact, Arabs today are only a minority in the Muslim world.
Today, the Prophet's followers inhabit the globe from China , Japan , and Russia to Europe, America and Australia
The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) did not waste his time in addressing only certain problems of certain nations. He used all his energy to first address the fundamental issues of all mankind. In his message he emphasized that the root cause of all human ills and problems is man's rebellion against Allah's sovereignty. As a result of his rebellion one adopts one of the following two attitudes:
a. He considers himself independently sovereign and transgresses upon the rights of Allah and other people.
b. He submits to false gods and deities and as a result creates disruption on earth.
The real king of this universe is Almighty Allah. The only right behaviour for man is to submit to the sovereignty of Allah. He must sincerely obey Allah's commandments in his individual and family life and build a universal society of believers. Hence, he must establish Allah's kingdom on his earth and serve as a vicegerent of Allah implementing His law.
This law and code of life has been passed on to mankind in the form of Qur'an. The Qur'an is the most comprehensive book ever and addresses all issues concerning mankind. It has a solution for all ills man has suffered in the past or in the present time.
The Qur'an's message and the Prophet Muhammad's role model are as true and useful today as they were 1400 years ago. This is an established fact that Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) did not just present a written guidance. He presented a living example of his guidance in his life and then established a society and state in accordance with that guidance. He brought thousands of people from the paths of polytheism to the submission to one Allah. Then he gathered them under his dynamic leadership in the Islamic Jama'ah. This Jama'ah (or Party) then struggled to establish a true Islamic society, which exemplified the best moral system, best civilization, and the most exemplary political system.
NOTE: This article was taken more than 15 years ago from some issue of ‘The Message International’ published by ICNA. This article is typed by Sr. Nadia Arif and I thank her for the help. Jazakallah.
.jpg)
Posts
Post a Comment