Mohammed:The prophet of peace and brotherhood [Archives:2003/635/Opinion]

Hassan Al-Haifi
Great moments in history – and in life – are not born out of the making of great emperors or generals but rather the workings – and tidings – brought forth by men who come into this world, not to seek glory for glory's sake, or for the satisfaction and fulfillment of egotistical aspirations. It is out of the midst of simple folk, who never dream of ever leaving any mark in the annals of the ages, but nevertheless are driven to lead humanity towards the great destiny fated for mankind, as God would only want it. These great men, with their humble origins, have their Lord guiding every step they take in this world to ensure that their mission is both complete and enduring.
The humble beginnings of the Prophet Mohammed, whose birthday falls this week is the final missionary assignment delivered to Mankind, after having followed the long list of some 28 known and a number of other unknown prophets and messengers, who were assigned with the most difficult missions that anyone could be assigned: Put mankind in the proper course outlined by their Creator for them to achieve spiritual bliss in this momentary period of mundane existence and enlighten them to adhere to the truth and only the truth in all their doings. It is the truth, one of the attributory names of the Lord Al-Mighty, that produces justice and equity in this world and it is the only acceptable rapport in defining our relationship with Our Lord. It is this simple conceptual framework that underscores the Message of Islam, faithfully delivered by the Prophet Mohammed, which was also what underscored the missions of Jesus, Moses, Ibraham and his descendants, Noah, etc. (peace of Allah be upon them all). All of these prophets had to endure uncalled for hardships from evil men, who sought to discredit the Heavenly ordained missions of these great men. These great men sought no more than to bring rapport between mankind and their Lord, Who saw that his malignant creation on Earth, was far outreaching his limitations, and even bringing endless suffering to his own kind, needlessly. Has not the Lord set out everything that men need to survive, progress and prosper? Has not God made this man, unique among all of the Lord's creation, in being able to overcome the harsh elements surrounding him? More important, has not God given man that great power that no other beings have of choosing, rather than to simply act upon instinctive drives, albeit while ordaining that men (and women) shall be free to make the appropriate choices they have to make, even when it comes to choosing the religion they shall succumb to: “There is no compulsion in religion; reason has emerged over aberration”. With these powerfully confident words, the Lord insists that the wisdom and knowledge that man acquires should be prudent guidance towards that truth, which He alone accepts – the truth of Islam, Christianity, Judaism and all the other religions that call for the worship of He and He alone as the One and Only True Lord of Mankind. With this worship of a logical Wholeness of the Devine, it is only second nature to accept that men will submit to the reasonable order by which life is to be governed, as ordained by the Al-Mighty in this minute period of existence, we are allotted on this Earth. We should not forget how miniscule we become when our existence is weighted against the expanse of time and the existence of the universe. Otherwise, chaos and injustice will predominate, as men tend to be betrayed by their whims and greed and fall into the tendency of ordaining whatever will suit their own personal interests, even if at the expense of bringing about injustice and suffering to their own brethren.
With this Oneness of the Devine, Mohammed insisted to his followers that human beings shall also be compelled to consider the oneness of their own being, without regard to whatever superficial attributes they may have, and it is remarkable that this important teaching in Islam has now become part and parcel of the Laws governing mankind throughout this planet, after so many centuries of needless bloodletting for ethnic or racial reasons. Fifteen Centuries ago the followers of the Prophet Mohammed set up a social order in Medina, with unparalleled examples of brotherhood among all the different elements of the society, with some former slaves rising to the top of the ladder of social prominence. With the brotherhood that Islam invoked, prominence is no longer dictated by racial, economic, or tribal lines. The distinction amongst men is only as fine as God would have it: the most religiously conscientious, the active defenders of the faith, the advocates for social justice, freedom, and human liberty. These are the vanguard of the righteous and the favored by the Lord. Yet, God insisted that men carry on with pursuing their own aspirations and wealth. However, this wealth is no more than a trust left with the owner, not to spend on self gratification, but to make that wealth an economic undertaking that allows for the creation of jobs and the production of livelihoods for others, in addition to its use for the relief of the destitute, deprived and discontent. Thus, man truly sees himself in his right perspective with the Message of the Prophet Mohammed subtly revealing, along the course of a truly Islamic existence (or Christian or Judaic, etc.), those enlightening signs that tend to drive the worshipper almost unwillingly ever so closer to his Creator – to Eternal Bliss. May Allah Bless the Prophet Mohammed and all those other Prophets before him, who have really made it so much easier for us to see that the Truth is far closer to us than we ever thought it to be, if we only let reason prevail, in all our doing, and in all our thinking.
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