The greatest of prophets, Islam was his only goal

Amid the confusion, the chaos and the pain
A man emerged and Muhammad was his name
And walking with nothing but Allah as his aid
And the mark of a prophet between his shoulder blades
In a cave in mount hira, the revelation came
Read o Muhammad, read in Allah’s name
May the blessings of Allah be on al-mustafaa (the selected one)
None besides him could have been al-mujtabaa (the chosen one)

Muhammad, peace be upon his soul
The greatest of prophets, Islam was his only goal
Muhammad, salla Allahu ‘ alayhi wa sallam
From among all the prophets, Muhammad was the last
As his was a mission of the greatest task
There was only moral degeneration
People clung to idol adoration
For all nations, he was al-mukhtaar (the preferred one)
So was he praised by Allah, al-ghaffaar
The bearer of glad tidings, al-basheer
Leading into light, as-seeraj-al-muneer (lamp of Radiance)

In handling the wicked, he had the best of skill
He pacified with tolerance and goodwill
The best of morals he aimed to attain
All he accomplished through suffering and pain
Reviving imaan as almuthakkir (the reminder)
He is known in the qur’aan as al-mud-dath-thir (covered up)
Only he was given the honour of miraaj
Unique was this glory to Muhammad asseeraj (the lamp)

He was ad daee ill Allah hil azheem
All hadi elaa seerauteem mustakeem
His mission complete, his held in great esteem
Allah praised him as bil-khuluqil azeem
May the blessings of Allah be on mustafaa
None besides him could have been al-mujtabaa
So perfect were his morals, so justly did he rule
Darkness had vanished and the word was full of noor

Balagha lula bikamalihi
Kashafa dduja bijamalihi
Hasunat jami u khisalihi
Sallu alayhi wa alihi

Muhammad, peace be upon his soul,
The greatest of Prophets, Islam was his only goal.

 

What Do Others Say About Him?

Before We Begin our “A to Z of Muhammad” – Let’s See What 12 Famous People Have Said About Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) Throughout the Centuries…

His complete biography has been authenticated and circulated amongst scholars around the world starting while he was still alive and continuing up until today. One of the first examples we quote from is from the Encyclopedia Britannica, as it confirms:

(Regarding Muhammad) “… a mass of detail in the early sources shows that he was an honest and upright man who had gained the respect and loyalty of others who were likewise honest and upright men.”

[Vol. 12]

Another impressive tribute to Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him is in the very well written work of Michael H. Hart, “The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History.” He states that the most influential person in all history was Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, with Jesus second. Examine his actual words:

“My choice of Muhammad 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 level.”

 

[Michael H. Hart, THE 100: A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY, New York: Hart Publishing Company, Inc., 1978, page. 33.]

According to the Quran, Prophet Muhammad was the most excellent example for all of humanity. Even non-Muslim historians recognize him to be one of the most successful personalities in history. Read what the Reverend R. Bosworth-Smith wrote in “Mohammed & Mohammedanism” in 1946:

“Head of the state as well as the Church, he was Caesar and Pope in one; but, he was pope without the pope’s claims, and 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 a Right Divine, it was Mohammad, for he had all the power without instruments and without its support. He cared not for dressing of power. The simplicity of his private life was in keeping with his public life.”

 

INTRODUCING ISLAM

I. ISLAM AND MUSLIMS

The name of this religion is Islam, the root of which is Silm and Salam which means peace. Salam may also mean greeting one another with peace. One of the beautiful names of God is that He is the Peace. It means more than that: submission to the One God, and to live in peace with the Creator, within one’s self, with other people and with the environment. Thus, Islam is a total system of living. A Muslim is supposed to live in peace and harmony with all these segments; hence, a Muslim is any person anywhere in the world whose obedience, allegiance, and loyalty are to God, the Lord of the Universe.

II. MUSLIMS AND ARABS

The followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslims are not to be confused with Arabs. Muslims may be Arabs, Turks, Persians, Indians, Pakistanis, Malaysians, Indonesians, Europeans, Africans, Americans, Chinese, or other nationalities. An Arab could be a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew or an atheist. Any person who adopts the Arabic language is called an Arab. However, the language of the Qur’an (the Holy Book of Islam) is Arabic. Muslims all over the world try to learn Arabic so that they may be able to read the Qur’an and understand its meaning. They pray in the language of the Qur’an, namely Arabic. Supplications to God could be in any language.

While there are one billion Muslims in the world there are about 200 million Arabs. Among them, approximately ten percent are not Muslims. Thus Arab Muslims constitute only about twenty percent of the Muslim population of the world.

III. ALLAH THE ONE AND THE ONLY GOD

Allah is the name of the One and Only God. Allah has ninety-nine beautiful names, such as: The Gracious, The Merciful, The Beneficent, The Creator, The All-Knowing, The All-Wise, The Lord of the Universe, The First, The Last, and others.

He is the Creator of all human beings. He is the God for the Christians, the Jews, the Muslims, the Buddhists, the Hindus, the atheists, and others. Muslims worship God whose name is Allah. They put their trust in Him and they seek His help and His guidance.

IV. MUHAMMAD

Muhammad was chosen by God to deliver His Message of Peace, namely Islam. He was born in 570 C.E. (Common Era) in Makkah, Arabia. He was entrusted with the Message of Islam when he was at the age of forty years. The revelation that he received is called the Qur’an, while the message is called Islam.

Muhammad is the very last Prophet of God to mankind. He is the final Messenger of God. His message was and is still to the Christians, the Jews and the rest of mankind. He was sent to those religious people to inform them about the true mission of Jesus, Moses, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham.

Muhammad is considered to be the summation and the culmination of all the prophets and messengers that came before him. He purified the previous messages from adulteration and completed the Message of God for all humanity. He was entrusted with the power of explaining, interpreting and living the teaching of the Qur’an.

V. SOURCE OF ISLAM

The legal sources of Islam are the Qur’an and the Hadith. The Qur’an is the exact word of God; its authenticity, originality and totality are intact. The Hadith is the report of the sayings, deeds and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet’s sayings and deeds are called Sunnah. The Seerah is the writings of followers of Muhammad about the life of the Prophet. Hence, it is the life history of the Prophet Muhammad which provides examples of daily living for Muslims.