You Must Know This Man

You may be an atheist or an agnostic; or you may belong to any of the religious denominations that exist in the world today. You may be a communist or a believer in democracy and freedom. No matter what you are, and no matter what your ideological and political beliefs, personal and social habits happen to be — YOU MUST STILL KNOW THIS MAN

The Encyclopedia Britannica calls him “The MOST successful of all religious personalities of the world” and it also confirms:

“…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 like-wise honest and upright men.” (Vol. 12)

Bernard Shaw said about him:

“He must be called the Savior of Humanity. 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”.
(The Genuine Islam, Singapore, Vol. 1, No.8, 1936)

He was by far the most remarkable man that ever set foot on this earth. He preached a religion, founded a state, built a nation, laid down a moral code, initiated numerous social and political reforms, established a powerful and dynamic society to practice and represent his teachings and completely revolutionized the worlds of human thought and behavior for all times to come.

His name is MUHAMMAD May Peace of God Be Upon Him (pbuh)

Born in Arabia in the year 570 A.D., started his mission of preaching the religion of Truth, Islam (submission to One God) at the age of forty and departed from this world when he was sixty three.

During this short period of 23 years of his Prophethood, he changed the complete Arabian peninsula from paganism and idolatry to worship of One God, from tribal quarrels and wars to national solidarity and cohesion, from drunkenness and debauchery to sobriety and piety, from lawlessness and anarchy to discipline living, from utter bankruptcy to highest standards of moral excellence. Human history has never known such a complete transformation of a people or a place before or since - and IMAGINE all these unbelievable wonders in JUST OVER TWO DECADES.

Lamartine, the renowned historian speaking on the essentials of Human Greatness wonders:

“If greatness of purpose, smallness of means and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peoples, and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and souls…his forbearance in victory, his ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire; his endless prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after death; all these attest not to an imposture but to a firm conviction which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was two-fold, the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with the words.
Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images, the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is MUHAMMAD. As regards all the standards by which Human Greatness may be measured, we may well ask, IS THERE ANY MAN GREATER THAN HE?
(Lamartine, Historire de la Turquie, Paris, 1854, Vol. II, pp. 276-277).

The world has had its share of great personalities. But these were one-sided figures who distinguished themselves in but one or two fields, such as religious thought or military leadership. The lives and teachings of these great personalities of the world are shrouded in the mist of time. There is so much speculation about the time and place of their birth, the mode and style of their life, the nature and detail of their teachings, the degree and measure of their success or failure that it is impossible for humanity to reconstruct accurately the lives and teachings of these men.

Not so this man. Muhammad (pbuh) accomplished so much in such diverse fields of human thought and behavior in the fullest blaze of human history. Every detail of this private and public utterances has been accurately documented and faithfully preserved to our day. The authenticity of the records so preserved are vouched for not only by the faithful followers but even by his prejudiced critics.

Muhammad (pbuh) was a religious teacher, a social reformer, a moral guide, an administrative colossus, a faithful friend, a wonderful companion, a devoted husband, a loving father - all in one. No other man in history ever excelled or equaled him in any of these different aspects of life - but it was only for the selfless personality of Muhammad (pbuh) to achieve such incredible perfections.

Mahatma Gandhi, speaking on the character of Muhammad (pbuh) says in ‘Young India’:

“I wanted to know the best of one who holds today undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind…I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle.
When I closed the 2nd volume (of the Prophet’s biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of the great life”.

Thomas Carlyle in his ‘Heroes and Heroworship’, was simply amazed as to:

“How one man single handily, could weld warring tribes and wandering Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation in less than two decades”.

Diwan Chand Sharma wrote:

“Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never forgotten by those around him”
(D.C. Sharma, ‘The Prophets of the East’, Calcutta, 1935, pp.12)

Edward Gibbon and Simon Ockley speaking on the profession of ISLAM write:

” ‘I BELIEVE IN ONE GOD, AND MAHOMET, AN APOSTLE OF GOD’ is the simple and invariable profession of Islam. The intellectual image of the Deity has never been degraded by any visible idol; the honor of the Prophet have never transgresses the measure of human virtues; and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his disciples within the bounds of reason and religion”.
(History of the Saracen Empires, London, 1870, p.54).

Muhammad (pbuh) was nothing more or less than a human being. But he was a man with a noble mission, which was to unite humanity on the worship of ONE and ONLY ONE GOD and to teach them the way to honest and upright living based on the commands of God. He always described himself as, ‘A Servant and Messenger of God’, and so indeed every action of his proclaimed to be.

Speaking on the aspect of equality before God in Islam, the famous poetess of India, Sarojini Naidu says:

“It was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy; for, in the mosque, when the call for prayer is sounded and worshippers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant and king kneel side by side and proclaim: ‘God Alone is Great‘… I have been struck over and over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that makes man instinctively a brother.”
( S. Naidu, Ideals of Islam, vide Speeches & Writings, Madras, 1918, P.169).

In the words of Prof. Hugronje:

” the league of nations founded by the prophet of Islam put the principle international unity and human brotherhood in such universal foundations as to show candle to other nations”. He continues, “the fact is that no nation of the world can show a parallel to what Islam has done towards the realization of the idea of the League of Nations”.

The world has not hesitated to raise to divinity, individuals whose lives and missions have been lost in legend. Historically speaking none of these legends achieved even a fraction of what Muhammad (pbuh) accomplished. And all his stiving was for the soul purpose of uniting mankind for the worship of One God on the codes of moral excellence. Muhammad (pbuh) of his followers never at any time that he was a Son of God or the God-incarnate or a man with divinity - but he always was and is even today considered as only a Messenger chosen by God.

Michael H. Hart in his recently published book on ratings of men who contributed towards the benefit and upliftment of mankind writes:

“My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels”.
(M.H.Hart,’The 100: A ranking of the most influential persons in history‘, New York, 1978, pp.33).

Jules Masserman (Jewish) in in TIME Magazine:

“Perhaps the greatest leader of all times was Mohammad, who combined all the three functions. To a lesser degree Moses did the same.”
(Jules Masserman, ‘Who Were Histories Great Leaders?‘, TIME Magazine, July 15, 1974).

K. S. Ramakrishna Rao, an Indian Professor of Philosophy in his booklet, “Muhammad, The Prophet of Islam,” calls him the “perfect model for human life.” Prof. Ramakrishna Rao explains his point by saying:

“The personality of Muhammad, it is most difficult to get into the whole truth of it. Only a glimpse of it I can catch. What a dramatic succession of picturesque scenes! There is Muhammad, the Prophet. There is Muhammad, the Warrior; Muhammad, the Businessman; Muhammad, the Statesman; Muhammad, the Orator; Muhammad, the Reformer; Muhammad, the Refuge of Orphans; Muhammad, the Protector of Slaves; Muhammad, the Emancipator of Women; Muhammad, the Judge; Muhammad, the Saint. All in all these magnificent roles, in all these departments of human activities, he is alike a hero.”

Today after a lapse of fourteen centuries the life and teachings of Muhammad (pbuh) have survived without the slightest loss, alteration or interpolations. They offer the same undying hope for treating mankind’s many ills, which they did when he was alive. This is not a claim of Muhammad’s (pbuh) followers but also the inescapable conclusion forced upon by a critical and unbiased history.

The least YOU could do as a thinking and concerned human being is to stop for a moment and ask yourself: Could these statements sounding so extraordinary and revolutionary be really true? And supposing they really are true and you did not know this man MUHAMMAD (pbuh) or hear about him isn’t it time to you responded to this tremendous challenge and put-in some effort to know him?

It will cost you nothing but it may prove to be the beginning of a completely new era in your life.

We invite you to make a discovery of this wonderful man, ‘MUHAMMAD (pbuh)’, the like of whom never walked on the face of this earth.

Muhammad the son of `Abdullah is Allah’s Prophet and the Final Messenger Sent by Allah

to the Inhabitants of Earth.

My brothers and sisters everywhere! You should know that the Messenger, Muhammad the

son of `Abdullah (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) is Allah’s Messenger in

reality and truth. The evidences that show his veracity are abundant. None but an

infidel, who out of arrogance alone, could deny these signs.

Among these proofs:

1. Muhammad (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) was raised illiterate,

unable to read or write, and remained like that till his death. Among all his people,

he was known as being truthful and trustworthy. Before receiving revelation, he had no

prior knowledge of Religion or any previously sent Message. He remained like that for

his first forty years. Revelation then came to Muhammad with the Koran that we now

have between our hands. This Koran mentioned most of the accounts found in the

previous scriptures, telling us about these events in the greatest detail as if he

witnessed them. These accounts came precisely as they were found in the Torah sent

down to Moses and in the Gospel sent down to Jesus. Neither the Jews or Christians

were able to belie him regarding anything that he said.

2. Muhammad (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) also foretold of everything

that would occur to him and his community after him, pertaining to victory, the

removal of the tyrannical kingdoms of Chosroes [the royal title for the Zoroastrian

kings of Persia] and Caesar, and the establishment of the religion of Islam throughout

the earth. These events occurred exactly as Muhammad foretold, as if he was reading

the future from an open book.

3. Muhammad (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) also brought an Arabic Koran

that is the peak of eloquence and clarity. The Koran challenged those eloquent and

fluent Arabs of his time, who initially belied him, to bring forth a single chapter

like the Koran. The eloquent Arabs of his day were unable to contest this Koran.

Indeed, till our day, none has ever dared to claim that he has been able to compose

words that equal-or even approach-the order, grace, beauty, and splendor of this

Glorious Koran.

4. The life history of this Noble Prophet was a perfect example of being upright,

merciful, compassionate, truthful, brave, generous, distant from all evil character,

and ascetic in all worldly matters, while striving solely for the reward of the

Hereafter. Moreover, in all his actions and dealings, he was ever mindful and fearful

of Allah.

5. Allah instilled great love for Muhammad (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon

him) in the hearts of all who believed in and met him. This love reached such a degree

that any of his companions would willingly sacrifice his (or her) self, mother or

father for him.

Till today, those who believe in Muhammad honor and love him. Anyone of those who

believe in him would ransom his own family and wealth to see him, even if but once.

6. All of history has not preserved the biography of any person in the manner it has

preserved the life of Muhammad, who is the most influential human in history.

Nor has the entire earth known of anyone whom every morning and evening, and many

times thereafter throughout the day, is thought of by those who believe in him. Upon

remembering Muhammad, the believers in him will greet him and ask Allah to bless him.

They do such with full hearts and true love for him.

7. Nor has there every been a man on earth whom is still followed in all his doings by

those who believe in him.

Those who believe in Muhammad, sleep in the manner he slept; purify themselves

(through ablution and ritual washing) in the manner he purified himself; and adhere to

his practice in the way they eat, drink, and clothe themselves.

Indeed in all aspects of their lives, the believers in Muhammad adhere to the

teachings he spread among them and the path that he traveled upon during his life.

During every generation, from his day till our time, the believers in this Noble

Prophet have fully adhered to his teachings. With some, this has reached the degree

that they desire to follow and adhere to the Prophet’s way in his personal matters

regarding which Allah has not sought of them to adhere to in worship. For example,

some will only eat those specific foods or only wear those specific garments that the

Messenger liked.

Let alone all that, all those who believe in Muhammad repeat those praises of Allah,

special prayers, and invocations that he would say during each of his actions during

day and night, like: what he would say when he greeted people, upon entering and

leaving the house, entering and leaving the mosque, entering and leaving the bathroom,

going to sleep and awaking from sleep, observing the new crescent, observing the new

fruit on trees, eating, drinking, dressing, riding, traveling and returning from

travel, etc.

Let alone all that, all those who believe in Muhammad fully perform-even to the minute

detail-every act of worship-like prayer, fasting, charity, and pilgrimage-as this

Noble Messenger (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) taught and as he himself

performed.

All of this allows those who believe in him, to live their lives in all aspects with

this Noble Messenger as their example, as if he was standing before them, for them to

follow in all their doings.

8. There has never been nor will there ever be a man anywhere upon this earth who has

received such love, respect, honor, and obedience in all matters-small and large

alike-as has this Noble Prophet.

9. Since his day, in every region of the earth and during every period, this Noble

Prophet has been followed by individuals from all races, colors and peoples. Many of

those who followed him were previously Christians, Jews, pagans, idolaters, or without

any religion. Among those who chose to follow him, were those who were known for their

sound judgment, wisdom, reflection, and foresight. They chose to follow this Noble

Prophet after they witnessed the signs of his truthfulness and the evidences of his

miracles. They did not choose to follow Muhammad out of compulsion or coercion or

because they had adopted the ways of their fathers and mothers.

Indeed many of the followers of this Prophet (may Allah’s blessings peace be upon

him), chose to follow him during the time when Islam was weak, when there were few

Muslims, and when there was severe persecution of his followers on earth. Most people

who have followed this Prophet (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) have done

so not to acquire some material benefits. Indeed many of his followers have suffered

the greatest forms of harm and persecution as a result of following this Prophet.

Despite all this harm and persecution, this did not turn them back from his religion.

My brethren! All of this clearly indicates to anyone possessing any sense, that this

Prophet was truly and really Allah’s messenger and that he was not just a man who

claimed prophethood or spoke about Allah without knowledge.

10. With all this, Muhammad came with a great religion in its credal and legal make-

up.

Muhammad described Allah with qualities of complete perfection, and at the same time

in a manner that is free of ascribing to Him any imperfection. Neither the

philosophers or the wise could ever describe Allah like such. Indeed it is impossible

to imagine that any human mind could conceive of an existing being that possesses such

complete ability, knowledge, and greatness; Who has subdued the creation; Who has

encompassed everything in the universe, small or large; and Who possesses such perfect

mercy.

Nor is it in the ability of any human being to place a perfect law based upon justice,

equality, mercy and objectivity for all human activity on earth like the laws that

Muhammad brought for all spheres of human activity - like buying and selling, marriage

and divorce, renting, testimony, custody, and all other contracts that are necessary

to uphold life and civilization on earth.

11. It is impossible that any person conceive wisdom,, morals, good manners, nobleness

of characters as what this honorable Prophet (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon

him) brought.

In a full and complete manner, Muhammad spread a teaching regarding character and

manners toward one’ parents, relatives, fiends, family, humanity, animals, plants and

inanimate objects. It is impossible for the human mind alone to grasp all of that

teaching or come with a similar teaching.

All of that unequivocally indicates that this Messenger did not bring an) of this

religion from his own accord, but that it was rather a teaching and inspiration that

he received from the One Who created the earth and the high heavens above and created

this universe in its miraculous architecture and perfection.

12. The legal and credal make-up of the religion that the Messenger, Muhammad, (may

Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) brought resembles the engineering of the

heavens and the earth. All of that indicates that He who created the heavens and the

earth is the One Who sent down this great law and upright religion.

The degree of inimitability of the Divine law that was sent down upon Muhammad is to

the same degree of inimitability of the Divine creation of the heavens and earth. For

just as humanity cannot create this universe, in the same manner humanity cannot bring

forth a law like Allah’s law that He sent down upon His servant and messenger Muhammad

(may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him).