Who was Prophet Muhammad?

Muhammad (peace be upon him) lived in the 7th Century.

He was born in Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula, a town known as a hub of trade and pilgrimage, visited by people from Yemen in the South and Syria in the North.

The people of that time had some good qualities, but were also characterized with some extremely unpleasant values that had become norms within their society – in particular with regards to women, orphans, slaves, the poor and vulnerable, and in relation to their religion.

Until the age of forty, Muhammad (PBUH) lived an ordinary life, other than being widely admired for his integrity, honesty, manners and wisdom. He would show an uncommon concern for others, not least towards his family, friends and relations.

It was only when he was forty that he began his mission to try to change the society around him.

What was he calling for?

Muhammad (peace be upon him) challenged three core matters that upset the status quo in Mecca. These were: 

The irrational idea that material things were worthy of worship; 

The social hierarchy that maintained the superiority of certain tribes and families at the expense of others;

The corrupt and harmful practices of society.

Coupled with these, he called for some very positive alternatives:

He invited people to worship the one God, Who created all material things. 

The idea that no human being was superior to another because of race, gender or any physical quality. He argued   that it was one’s principles and behavior that defined a   person;

A society built around ideas of justice, charity and respect for others, with a strong spiritual and moral underpinning.

What was the impact of his call?

Many were convinced by him, from amongst the elite of society and from amongst the poor and the slaves – whereas those in positions of power responded with anger, intense hatred and slandered him.

Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his followers endured violence and torture from the people of Mecca, but they did not retaliate or raise arms. 

They responded to the aggression by stepping up their non-violent challenge of ideas in the society.

After thirteen years of persistence in Mecca, a group of people from another town called Medina invited Muhammad (peace be upon him) to live with them, accepting him as their leader, and pledging to defend him and his message.

This marked a switch from persecution by those in Mecca towards the Muslims to a declaration of war by them on him and his newly founded state.

After many battles over many years, the Prophet’s state, centered in the city of Medina, triumphed – and he entered Mecca victorious, but showing his incredibly magnanimous nature, forgave almost all his former enemies.

He then set about carrying his message to the neighboring regions.

He forbade anyone from being forced to convert to Islam. Belief, he said, had to be a free choice without compulsion. But where he saw oppression, or where people were not allowed that free choice, he used his army to end oppression, establish justice and allow people to choose if they wished to become Muslim, or not.

What were his beliefs?

Something that can be worshiped is termed ‘a god’ (Arabic ‘ilah’). He argued that people should worship the ONLY thing worthy of worship – ‘The God’ that created us all (Arabic ‘Allah’).

He explained that this central part of his message was not new. Rather it was the same message that had been proclaimed before by previous Prophets – Jesus, Moses, Abraham and others (peace and blessings be on them all).

Unlike other religions, he absolutely prevented any kind of priesthood or clerical hierarchy.

He ordered that after him, Muslims should choose their leader and remain united behind their leader as long as he fulfilled his contract and duty towards them, according to the laws of Islam.

The leader of the Muslims – the Caliph (the Arabic word ‘Khaleefah’ means ‘Deputy’) was not divinely chosen and had no divine right to rule.  He was rather, the one ‘deputized’ by the other Muslims to lead them.

The Prophet did not forbid his followers from asking questions. He did not stifle debate or scientific inquiry – and he obliged people to account their political leaders – warning of dire consequences if politicians were not brought to account by the people. However, he forbade mockery of other faiths; as well as the spread of malicious gossip and slander.

The Islamic world, built on the foundation of his example, entered a ‘golden age’ of intellectual and scientific inquiry, and academic thought, amidst unparalleled justice and harmony between people of different backgrounds.

What was his spiritual message?

As well as inviting people to think about where they had come from, and how they had been created, he tapped into that innate spiritual instinct people have – a desire to connect with something greater than themselves that inspires awe – and to search for tranquility in the heart.

He defined for his followers some simple regular rituals which encourage a spiritual connection saying “Worship Allah, say your five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in Zakat (charitable payment to the poor). Perform Hajj (pilgrimage) if you can afford to”.

He encouraged a direct link between an individual and God – and showed that any good deed could be an act of worship if done with a pure intention and connected to ones’ belief or in response to an order from God.

He brought a miracle, the Qur’an – a scripture of unparalleled quality and depth, which contained a challenge to anyone to produce even three verses of equivalent quality. Over the centuries, many tried but all failed - and have continued to fail.  

A way for humanity to live together

The Prophet defined a distinct way for people to live together. His society worked on two levels. The first was to encourage individual behavior by teaching the instructions of the Qur’an, by his personal example and by reminding people of their individual responsibility and accountability. ‘Remember, one day you will appear before Allah and answer for your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.’

The second was by implementing laws on a state level that secured the values he encouraged in individuals, as well as carrying them in the international arena.

His message was for all humanity – not for a few chosen people, nor for a single race. He showed how humanity could live together in peace and harmony.

He firmly opposed all forms of racism – calling it Jahiliyyah (ignorant backwardness), saying instead ‘All mankind is from Adam and Eve. No Arab has superiority over a non-Arab nor does a non-Arab have any superiority over an Arab. Also a white has no superiority over black nor does a black have any superiority over white except by piety and good action.’

He encouraged a meritocratic society where he said that people should follow their leader – even if he were a black slave (i.e. regardless of race or social status).

He encouraged the freeing of slaves – for slavery was a norm at that time – and following his teachings, slavery eventually died out in the Muslim world.

He insisted that everyone with any moderate means give 2.5% of their unused wealth as a regular charitable tax (called Zakat) – and beyond that if people were able to give more they would be rewarded (though that was not compulsory).

He forbade punitive taxes such as income tax, sales taxes, as well as interest bearing loans like those that cripple third world countries today.

He did not forbid the possession of personal wealth but discouraged people from pursuing it excessively.

Instead, his way encouraged wealth to circulate, stimulating trade and the economy.

He said: “Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds. God has forbidden you to take usury (interest); therefore all interest obligations shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity.”

While private citizens were allowed to own things, he insisted that vital commodities – water, sources of fuel, mineral wealth etc. – are for all citizens (Muslim and non-Muslim) to share, and not to be monopolized by a few saying: ‘People have a right in three things: water, pastures and fire (meaning all fuel).’

He ordered that land should be made productive by its owners, or else it would be given to hardworking people who would use it themselves. In this way he broke a monopoly of a few people owning vast tracts of unproductive land and allotted sections of it to those who had none.

He built an identity that overcame race, class, tribe and color – such that Muslims had to see each other as ‘brothers’ to one another.

He insisted that all citizens needed to be just to each other, protecting rights to worship, of property, life and honor for all non-Muslim citizens – which is why after hundreds of years non-Muslim communities continued to thrive in Muslim countries. He said that if people harmed non-Muslim citizens, it would be as if they had harmed the Prophet himself.

He even went so far as to say that people should treat animals well, not waste water, not cause pollution and not harm their surrounding environment. He established the Qur’anic ideal that man is a deputy on earth, with responsibility towards everything on the planet.

He encouraged all these things in peoples’ personal behavior but institutionalized many of them as laws in his state, so as to secure these values in society. 

Wasn’t he violent?

We have already mentioned that he did not respond to thirteen years of violent persecution except with persistent intellectual and political arguments.

When he established his authority in Medina - he and his people fought militarily to establish their security and to remove oppression. Furthermore, he put himself on the front line, enduring the risks and hardships his people had to endure.

In his capacity as a military leader, he defined rules of etiquette in war that showed his integrity – and the integrity he expected of all Muslims who followed him.

His successor and closest friend, Abu Bakr, summarized the Prophet’s teaching on warfare when he said to his armies: “I command you ten things. Learn them by heart: Don’t betray, defraud (by stealing the spoils of war), or break treaties. Don’t mutilate, kill women, young children, or the elderly. Do not uproot or burn palm trees. Do not cut down fruitful trees, slaughter sheep, cows or camels except for eating. You will come across people secluded in monasteries, so leave them and what they are devoted to.” [The History of At-Tabari, Volume 3]

Wasn’t he oppressive and didn’t he use harsh punishments?

The Prophet’s society addressed problems from a viewpoint of prevention. On a personal level, he encouraged a sense of right and wrong, along with consciousness of pleasing God, which established a wholesome environment. On a political level he made sure people were fed, clothed and sheltered. All of this reduced wrongdoing and crime.

But when it came to people violating the law within such an environment, he established an unparalleled system of justice as part of his state.

He ruled that it was better to let a guilty man free, rather than punish an innocent man, and he set the standards of evidence so high, that proof in the courts had to be beyond doubt – not beyond ‘reasonable’ doubt.

Thereafter, if someone was found guilty (a relatively rare occurrence) the punishments were very firm and therefore acted as a deterrent.

He made it very clear that no one was above the law – not even his own family members.

The British political philosopher and politician, Edmund Burke, once said:  “We have referred you to the Muhammadan law, which is binding upon all, from the crowned head to the meanest subject; a law interwoven with a system of the wisest, the most learned, and most enlightened jurisprudence that perhaps ever existed in the world.”

What about his attitude towards women?

Much that has been said about the Prophet’s attitude to women is false – whether it is looking at the treatment of women or about the numbers of wives he had.

He married for the first time later than average for a man in his community. He remained solely married to his first wife Khadija, until she passed away, which was also unusual as men at that time commonly had many wives. In the end Islam limited this practice to four wives and established strict conditions of justice on a man who took more than one wife.

Later, after his beloved Khadija passed away, he married again and more than once, but for different reasons: to give an example to others to marry widows and divorcees; or to strengthen political relationships.

In his personal life, he was the best of husbands. He did not raise his voice or lose his temper, even under provocation. He helped with the household chores. He showed affection and warmth to his wives. He took their opinions on matters and heard their criticisms.

He advised Muslims: ‘Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers.’

He was the best of fathers – and extremely kind to children – especially orphans.

What was his legacy?

Muhammad (peace be upon him) was both a Prophet of God and a statesman. His leadership was both comprehensive and dynamic. As a political leader, the Prophet unified the Arabian Peninsula, established the first Islamic state whose capital was Medina, and set the foundations for a distinct political system.

The state he established was both unique and timeless, built on justice, accountability and genuine care for all citizens.  Whether Muslim or otherwise, all were treated equally in the eyes of the law. The story of Tu’mah ibn Abraq is an excellent example of justice for all people under his authority. Tu’mah, who was a Muslim, stole someone’s armor in Medina and then he blamed a Jewish man. God sent a special revelation to warn people against such injustice (Qur’an chapter An-Nisaa’: 110-112). The Jewish citizen of Medina was declared innocent and Tu’mah was found guilty.

The state and political system he established, known as the Caliphate, endured for 1400 years, and ruled vast areas of the world encompassing areas as widespread as Spain, Eastern Europe, China, as well as Turkey, The Middle East, Africa, India and the Far East. The Caliphate was known in its heyday as a bastion of innovation, creativity and progress at a time when Europe was going through its dark ages.

What others have said about him

The details of the Prophet’s character, ideas, values and mission are well documented in the Qur’an, and rigorously authenticated texts about his life and that of his companions. So, what we have addressed very briefly here can be referenced elsewhere.

Those who have studied his life, have concurred with what we have said, even when they did not become Muslim.

Michael Hart, author of ‘The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History’ emphasized the Prophet’s spiritual and political authority when he said: “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 Persons in History’ emphasized the Prophet’s spiritual and political authority when he said: “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, 1992]

George Bernard Shaw, the great playwright and co-founder of the London School of Economics, recognized the slander written about the Prophet, and the nobility of his values and political system, saying:

“The world is in dire need of a man with the mind of Muhammad; religious people in the Middle Ages, due to their ignorance and prejudice, had pictured him in a very dark way as they used to consider him the enemy of Christianity. But after looking into the story of this man I found it to be an amazing and a miraculous one and I came to the conclusion that he was never an enemy of Christianity, and must be called instead the savior of humanity. In my opinion, if he was to be given control over the world today, he would solve our problems and secure the peace and happiness which the world is longing for.” [George Bernard Shaw 'The Genuine Islam,' Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936.]

Shaw’s words are eloquent expressions of just some of what Muslims feel about their Prophet. So there is virtually nothing more painful than to see his name degraded or slandered.