Who is Muhammad (pbuh)?
"Perhaps the world was never in greater need of an accurate account of Prophet Muhammad's life than it is now." So states Adil Salahi, author of Muhammad: Man and Prophet 1. After 9/11, for whatever reason(s), many people began asking themselves: Just who is this Muhammad? As a result, awareness of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad has increased considerably.
“Perhaps the world was never in greater need of an accurate account of Prophet Muhammad’s ( Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) life than it is now.” So states Adil Salahi, author of Muhammad: Man and Prophet 1. After 9/11, for whatever reason(s), many people began asking themselves: Just who is this Muhammad? As a result, awareness of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad ( Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) has increased considerably. And yet so many people still do not really know who he was and what legacy he left behind. The recent infamous caricatures are a further reminder that many people’s understanding about Muhammad ( Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) is indeed flawed and far from the facts.
Such a lack of knowledge is, however, rather surprising, for unlike most other prophets or religious personalities whose life stories are full of myths and legends, Muhammad ( Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) lived in the full light of history. Almost every aspect of his life was recorded by those who lived with him and knew him intimately, and so we do not have to guess at what he said or did. When we read this vast body of literature, we can see that he was a man of exalted character and compassion, one who was kind and considerate to all people, regardless of how they treated him, and even to animals and plants. His revolutionary message changed not only his own society, but the very course of history, facts that even his bitterest enemies have acknowledged. Today, more than 1,400 years later, more than 1.5 billion people revere him and follow him as God’s last messenger.
The veneration of Muhammad ( Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) is not limited to his followers, however. Many great philosophers, thinkers, and reformers have praised him and said that it would be to humanity’s great benefit to follow his teachings. George Bernard Shaw called him “the savior of humanity” and said: “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 much needed peace and happiness.” 2 Echoing him, French historian Lamartine wrote: “As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?” 3 Similar statements were made by Thomas Carlyle, Edward Gibbon, and Mahatma Gandhi, to name only a few.
Born in Makka in 570, Muhammad ( Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) grew up as an orphan: his father died before he was born, and his mother died when he was only six years of age. He remained unlettered along with most of his contemporaries. But His noble and upright character, as displayed in his dealings with people while he was growing up, raised his status so high in the eyes of his fellows that they nicknamed him al-Ameen (the Trustworthy) long before he was chosen by God as His final messenger. Only after Muhammad ( Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) declared his prophet-hood did the Makkan polytheists turn against him.
When the Makkan leaders unleashed their hostility against him and his companions, he could still be heard saying: “O Allah! Forgive my people, for they don’t know.” For example, when he went to Ta’if, a village about 50 miles southeast of his hometown, Makkah, to spread Islam, they set the street urchins upon him, who chased him and threw rocks at him until they drove him out of town. Even at that point, when he was utterly exhausted and bleeding from head to foot, all he said was, “O my Lord, guide my people along the true path, as they are ignorant of the truth.” This is just one of the many examples in the life of the Prophet who faced constant death threats, actual attempts on his life, and abuse and humiliation at the hands of those threatened by his simple yet profound message: there is no god but Allah and Muhammad ( Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) is His Messenger.
"Perhaps the world was never in greater need of an accurate account of Prophet Muhammad's life than it is now." So states Adil Salahi, author of Muhammad: Man and Prophet 1. After 9/11, for whatever reason(s), many people began asking themselves: Just who is this Muhammad? As a result, awareness of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad has increased considerably.
“Perhaps the world was never in greater need of an accurate account of Prophet Muhammad’s ( Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) life than it is now.” So states Adil Salahi, author of Muhammad: Man and Prophet 1. After 9/11, for whatever reason(s), many people began asking themselves: Just who is this Muhammad? As a result, awareness of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad ( Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) has increased considerably. And yet so many people still do not really know who he was and what legacy he left behind. The recent infamous caricatures are a further reminder that many people’s understanding about Muhammad ( Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) is indeed flawed and far from the facts.
Such a lack of knowledge is, however, rather surprising, for unlike most other prophets or religious personalities whose life stories are full of myths and legends, Muhammad ( Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) lived in the full light of history. Almost every aspect of his life was recorded by those who lived with him and knew him intimately, and so we do not have to guess at what he said or did. When we read this vast body of literature, we can see that he was a man of exalted character and compassion, one who was kind and considerate to all people, regardless of how they treated him, and even to animals and plants. His revolutionary message changed not only his own society, but the very course of history, facts that even his bitterest enemies have acknowledged. Today, more than 1,400 years later, more than 1.5 billion people revere him and follow him as God’s last messenger.
The veneration of Muhammad ( Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) is not limited to his followers, however. Many great philosophers, thinkers, and reformers have praised him and said that it would be to humanity’s great benefit to follow his teachings. George Bernard Shaw called him “the savior of humanity” and said: “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 much needed peace and happiness.” 2 Echoing him, French historian Lamartine wrote: “As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?” 3 Similar statements were made by Thomas Carlyle, Edward Gibbon, and Mahatma Gandhi, to name only a few.
Born in Makka in 570, Muhammad ( Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) grew up as an orphan: his father died before he was born, and his mother died when he was only six years of age. He remained unlettered along with most of his contemporaries. But His noble and upright character, as displayed in his dealings with people while he was growing up, raised his status so high in the eyes of his fellows that they nicknamed him al-Ameen (the Trustworthy) long before he was chosen by God as His final messenger. Only after Muhammad ( Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) declared his prophet-hood did the Makkan polytheists turn against him.
When the Makkan leaders unleashed their hostility against him and his companions, he could still be heard saying: “O Allah! Forgive my people, for they don’t know.” For example, when he went to Ta’if, a village about 50 miles southeast of his hometown, Makkah, to spread Islam, they set the street urchins upon him, who chased him and threw rocks at him until they drove him out of town. Even at that point, when he was utterly exhausted and bleeding from head to foot, all he said was, “O my Lord, guide my people along the true path, as they are ignorant of the truth.” This is just one of the many examples in the life of the Prophet who faced constant death threats, actual attempts on his life, and abuse and humiliation at the hands of those threatened by his simple yet profound message: there is no god but Allah and Muhammad ( Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) is His Messenger.
