ald muham
respected brothers and
sisters I only have 11 minutes so I'll
try to be as precise and as brief as
possible the question can a 7th Century
man be a role model in the 21st
century like Professor Jamal B before me
I will obviously be addressing this
topic from a Muslim perspective as a
believer in the Holy Quran and as a
follower of the Prophet Muhammad
sallallah alai
wasallam and I'll try to answer this
question mainly from a Muslim
perspective but then later also moving
on very briefly to a non-muslim
perspective
one to assess
whether this 7th Century
man can be a a viable and successful
role model in the 21st
century I believe we need to look at the
conditions when he appeared in
Arabia and the transformation that took
place and what he so successfully and
miraculously
achieved if those few years cons serve
as an
example then I believe not just the 21st
century with all its challenges and its
problems but any era any Century in
history or in the future despite the
challenges and the problems inherent
therein
will prove to be fertile ground to hold
and Herald the prophet Muhammad
sallallahu alaihi wasallam as a
successful role
model in
Arabia before the arrival of the Prophet
sallallahu alaihi wasallam the country
was ungovernable the Persian Empire and
the Roman Empire to the Northeast and
the Northwest two Mighty empires of the
time they considered the Arabian
Peninsula to be a Backwater area not
worthy of governing and
despite nominally staking a claim on the
peninsula neither of these Empires or
even the Abyssinian Empire at the time
actually tried to enforce the claim they
considered Arabia to be an ungovernable
area a place that had no
resources that could yield nothing and
whose people were just a bunch of wild
beduin tribes who were engaged in
internet scene Warfare that just
decimated the entire population they saw
nothing and no one in the whole of
Arabia Arabia was full of
idolatry writing and reading was a
rare availability most people were
illiterate and
unlettered there was it wasn't a major
Center of civilization no hardly any
history no major Center of Trade
Commerce nothing meccah was just a
sleepy desert town if it can be
described as such in that sleepy desert
town of Makkah was born a
child without a father and if we just
Trace his life very briefly
and in a con in a contemporary context
try to understand what a child of such a
description background and history can
achieve a child born without a father
having lost his mother at the age of six
not having lived with his mother for
approximately four years three two
approximately 3 years losing the mother
at the age of six losing the grandfather
at the age of eight moving on moving in
with an uncle who couldn't provide for
him and therefore at the tender young
age age of 10 he began working as a
Shepherd himself earning money and
living like that not marrying till the
age of 25 and not to a young virgin but
rather to a woman twice widowed with
children from two previous marriages 15
years a senior all the way up to the age
of 40 the prophet sallallahu alaihi
wasallam in despite being a brilliant
and a wonderful individual in other ways
was unassuming to the onlooker and could
not have had a promising future in the
manner that he had eventually
achieved a child that's born without a
father loses its mother and then moves
from one home to the other being
deprived of the father's care and
attention the mother's love Etc a family
units no brothers and sisters and then
facing hostility from one's own family
immediate family and then from an entire
city and an entire
nation living in a time when idolatry
was prevalent yet this child did not
believe in idolatry from a very young
age disturbed by the idolatry around him
becomes a monotheist and so on no
education no Center of civilization in
fact he couldn't read or write himself
we don't have time but if we trace the
history and the life of this man
beginning from his birth all the way
till the age of 40 it was very
unassuming and yet within a short
while in a place like
Arabia this same same man changed an
entire
civilization he destroyed the former
religions of idolatry and
oppression he changed the whole
society he despite all the opposition
and despite his Meek humble and soft
nature character conquered and
subjugated the whole of Arabia and
within a few years after him his legacy
his profited his teachings and his
religion spread the world over so much
so that today we find ourselves was here
discussing him even 14 centuries
on Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi
wasallam was able to achieve all of that
in the space of Amiga 10
years at a time when there were no
modern facilities available no
immunities available despite living a
desert existence in 10 years the prophet
sallallah Al wasallam changed religions
ideas philosophies communities sociey
entire
countries only a prophet of Allah could
have achieved that despite having the
childhood and the history that I just
described that is a miraculous
achievement and from a Muslim
perspective only a Muslim could achieve
that only a prophet of sorry only a
prophet of Allah could have achieved
that and what does the Holy Quran say
about the continuity of the Prophet
sallallahu alaihi wasallam teachings and
their suitability for any era for any
period for any location
Allah subh
says say oh prophets of Allah that oh
mankind oh people all of you I am
Allah's Messenger to you
all in another verse Allah says and we
have not sent you but as a bearer of
glad tidings and a Warner for all the
peoples in another verse
we have not sent you but as a mercy for
the world the prophet sallallah alai
wasallam as a person and his teachings
and his legacy and his Sunnah for we
cannot detach any of these from his
personality all of these are a mercy not
just for the time of the Prophet
sallallahu alaihi wasallam but till the
day of judgment for for the future for
all times whichever teaching you take
Allah's law repeatedly Allah says
Allah wishes ease and Comforts for you
Allah does not wish difficulty for you
throughout the Quran in in similar light
Allah has mentioned about the laws of
Islam and the teachings of the Prophet
sallallahu alaihi wasallam that they are
a mercy a comfort a concession the
lightening of our burden in fact in one
verse he says
Allah says those who follow the
unlettered messenger and Prophet whose
mention they find in their scriptures
before them in the T and in the injil of
the Prophet
ISAT he enjoins them to good forbids
them from Evil and he makes Halal and
lawful for them the pure things and
makes Haram and unlawful for them the
impure things and he removes their
burden from them and those shackles that
bound them this is a description of the
teachings of the prophet sallallahu
alaihi wasallam of the Quran they
unfetter our shackles they remove our
burdens they lighten our load that's the
mercy and the compassion in his
personality and in his teachings as
Muslims we believe that such a law such
a way of life such a Sunnah such
teachings can serve as a mercy not only
for the 7th century and not only for the
21st century but For All Mankind for
eternity
And he as a person would be regarded as
the most successful role model and that
leads me to we don't have time two
minutes we don't have time I'll move on
to the non-muslim perspective even from
a purely secular non-religious
perspective
as Imam Joi just mentioned that IM
impartial honest just historians and
academics who have studied the life of
the Prophet Muhammad sahu alaihi
wasallam and in the context of the
entire history of mankind they will come
to the inevitable conclusion that
without doubt he was and Remains the
most single influential powerful and
pervasive individual in the history of
mankind He commands respect and love the
awe and reverence and the tears and the
emotions of billions before now and in
the future and we hail him as our
Supreme example and role model and it's
not just Muslims but even non-muslims I
end with just quoting two individuals
many people have said much about the
prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi
wasallam just as was mentioned about
Michael Hart who drew up a list of the
100 most influential people he placed
the prophet sallallahu alaihi was at the
top but in any case two indiv many
people have said much I'll just quote
two individuals why I've men chosen
these two is because both of them
represented something on the one hand we
have a playright and a poet an amusing
philosopher who was concerned and
consumed by the worry of the world's
problems and what was their solution so
we have a thinking musing playright poet
and philosopher on the other hand we
have a another person who also had a
World Vision but he tried to tackle that
World Vision and address it and achieve
it by practically conquering legislating
and being a leader one the poet and
philosopher George Bernard Shaw the
other practical conqueror leader and
legislator Napoleon what did Napoleon as
a practical conqueror say he drew up
legislation he invaded countries tried
to be an emperor bring about a new
realization of new civilization Empire
altogether that same Napoleon says that
I hope the time is not far off when I
shall be able to gather all the wise and
educated men of all the countries and
establish a uniform regime based on the
principles of the Quran which alone are
true and which alone can lead men to
happiness and in the words of that
amusing philosopher playwright and poet
George Bernard sha again who had a World
Vision he says that I have always held
the religion of I have always held the
religion of Muhammad 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
far from being an
antichrist he must be hailed as a savior
of
mankind further he says that I believe
that if a man like him were to assume
the dictatorship of the modern world he
would succeed in solv it and solving its
problems in a way that would bring it
the much needed peace and happiness
I have prophesized about the faith of
muhammmad that it will be accept it
would be acceptable to Europe tomorrow
as it is beginning to be acceptable to
the Europe of today these are the
amazing words of a poet playwright and
philosopher who had a World Vision and
who was consumed by its problems and
another practical conqueror and
legislator and leader and Commander like
Napolean again who had a World Vision if
people of this caliber and capacity can
see
the prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi
wasallam as being not just a role ideal
role model but as a leader for the whole
of mankind not just for Europe than as
Muslims we believe in it even more so I
pray that Allah enables us to recognize
the prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi
wasallam for what he truly is I pray
that Allah blesses the whole of mankind
and the world with the Beauty and the
love of his message
Al