The Prophet as a Model
The Prophet of Islam not only presented God’s religion theoretically, but also diligently followed it in practice. Therefore, he is not only one who has told us what to do, but is also one who has demonstrated a practical example of what he preached:
‘You have indeed in the Prophet of God a good example for those of you who look to God and the Last Day, and remember God always’ (The Quran, 33:21)
This verse was revealed in the context of the battle of Ahzab. However, according to the principle of exegesis, it has a general application. As regards its general sense, this verse means that not only in the context of the campaigns of Ahzab, but in every respect, the Prophet’s life serves as the best example for the believer. God’s true servant is one who adopts the model presented by God’s Prophet throughout his life.
A good or an excellent example does not mean a complete model as is generally understood. That is to say, it does not mean that from every aspect of human existence, all kinds of paradigms are to be found in the prophet’s life. Rather it means that as regards principles he demonstrated fully in his practical life, those moral values which are regarded as being the best for human beings to practice. In that sense his is the ideal example to follow.
Yet it should not be expected that the Prophet’s life will afford a list from A to Z of all the possible situations in which a model may be found necessary. No single person’s life can cover such a broad spectrum of practical or ethical issues.
For instance, in terms of an “A to Z” list, one can say that the Prophet’s life does not provide an example of normal family life with both parents alive but does provide an example of orphanhood. The Prophet’s life provides an example of how to bring up daughters but does not provide an example of how to give proper training to sons. Similarly, one can say that we can learn from him how to wage war with arrows and swords, but not with guns and missiles. We may find examples in his life relative to the pre-scientific or traditional age, but there is no direct example in his life for things pertaining to the scientific age.
The life of the Prophet of Islam is indeed a perfect example. But this perfect example concerns principles rather than their application. The Prophet of Islam brought to the world high principles of ethics. He lived his life in complete accordance with these principles and set a practical example in his resolution of the issues and problems faced by him. In this way he became the best model for all human beings. However, this model enshrines principles, but not practical details. For instance, when he presented the model of a businessman, it related to being honest and not to how to organize business either in ancient times or in the age of computers.
It should also be taken into consideration that the Prophet’s example does not relate to all human situations, but rather to certain basic matters. For instance, we find that the Prophet held some eatables lawful, and others unlawful, enjoining us to eat the lawful and forbidding us to eat the unlawful. On the other hand, in the context of the incident of pollination, the Prophet observed: ‘You know your worldly matters better.’ (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2363). That is to say that in areas such as horticulture, people are free to follow the method they find useful in terms of their research and experience.
Now let us look at this matter from another aspect. The above-mentioned verse of the Quran means that we must adopt whatever example we find in the life of the Prophet and follow that in our own lives. But on closer inspection, we find that it is not a simple matter.
The life of Muhammad as a prophet was 23 years in duration. During this period, we find many diverse, rather opposite examples in his life. For instance, when he was in Makkah, he said his prayers secretly, but thirteen years after he reached Madinah, he began praying publicly. In the Makkan period, for a span of 13 years the Prophet remained aware of the idols placed in Kabah, but he never attempted to destroy them. It was only after the conquest of Makkah, (after being away in Madinah for 10 years) that he ordered the removal of all the idols. In the Makkan period, he used to recite to the people only those verses concerning the concepts of monotheism, hell and heaven, but in the Madinan period he gave practical commands on different aspects of life. In the Makkan period the Prophet made the Kabah his direction for prayer, but when he reached Madinah, he made the Bait al-Maqdis in Jerusalem his qibla (direction) for a period of sixteen months. In the Makkan period, the Prophet did not establish the system of congregational prayer, but when he reached Madinah; he built the first mosque and established the system of congregational prayer, etc.
Now the question arises as to how these different and apparently contradictory examples have to be followed. It is quite clear that all these examples cannot be followed at the same time—in following one example, some other example has to be abandoned. For instance, the life of the Prophet set the example of patience and circumspection as well as of war and confrontation. Now it is not possible to follow both examples at the same time. Whenever one is opted for, another shall necessarily have to be abandoned.
If we were to take our moral inspiration only from the latter stage of the prophetic life and ignore the former stage, this stand would certainly not be right. For, the entire 23-year prophetic life of the Prophet rather than just the final period, serves as an example for us. Making such a division in the life of, the Prophet is patently wrong, not only in terms of the shariah, but also as a matter of reason.
In many verses of the Quran revealed in Makkah, God commanded the believers to follow the Prophet. For instance, in chapter, 7, God commands:
Say, ‘People, I am God’s Messenger to you all, He has sovereignty over the heavens and the earth. There is no god but Him. He ordains life and death, so believe in God and His Messenger, the unlettered prophet who believes in God and His words. Follow him so that you may be rightly guided.’ (The Quran, 7:158)
This verse and other similar verses go to show that the thirteen-year period of the Prophet’s life spent in Makkah is in all respects to be followed.
It is as good an example as that of the Madinan period. There is no difference between the two in so far as their being good examples is concerned.
This is an extremely serious matter requiring deep reflection. For instance, if one says that jihad is the sole solution to all communal problems, this assertion will not be true in its absolute sense; such statements negate all other examples of the Prophet, where he did not opt only for the way of jihad, but rather followed the path of patience and hijrah.
Similarly, if it were to be said that the goal of the Muslim ummah is the establishment of a complete Islamic system, such a statement likewise would not be right, for it would amount to a cancelling out of the entire life of the Prophet prior to the Last Sermon. As we know, several Islamic commands were finalized only on the occasion of the Last Pilgrimage. Neither had these commands been given previously nor had the revelation of the Quran been completed by that time. In such a case ‘the good example’ would amount to claiming that only the last phase of the Prophet’s life served as a good example, at the time when the Quran was completed.
Giving the above interpretation to this verse, “This day I have perfected your religion” (The Quran, 5:3) is wrong both from the point of view of the shariah and of reason. The truth is that the entire Prophetic life, and not just a part of it, serves as an excellent model for us. Of all the examples it affords, none is either undesirable or to be discarded.
There are some who say that the whole matter of the Prophet’s example is one of gradation. That is to say that the final goal of the Prophet of Islam is the one we find in his final phase after the last pilgrimage. That is to say, all the earlier examples are only those of initial stages, going by the principle of order and gradation, and not of the final and complete stage. This interpretation too is quite wrong, for there are statements in the Quran which clearly refute this theory.
For instance, the Quran tells the Prophet of Islam to follow the way of Abraham (The Quran, 16:123). As we know, the Prophet Abraham did not give his people a complete shariah in the sense of a comprehensive list of commands. His entire life was concentrated on the call of monotheism. Examples of the implementation of social commands or the establishment of the state do not exist in his life at all. In such a situation, according to the above-mentioned interpretation, this means that a prophet who has brought the complete shariah is being asked to follow a prophet who brought an incomplete shariah.
Similarly, after mentioning several prophets, the Quran says to the Prophet of Islam:
Those [the previous prophets] were the people whom God guided. Follow their guidance’ (The Quran, 6:90)
This statement of the Quran proves that the prophets mentioned therein were not bearers of the ‘complete shariah’ according to the above-mentioned interpretation, but rather had such basic teachings as that of monotheism, moral teachings, revealed to them. In such a situation if the above-mentioned interpretation is taken to be right, this would amount to saying that a bearer of the ‘complete shariah’ is being asked to follow the bearers of an ‘incomplete shariah.’
Implementation According to Circumstances
The truth is that each one of the diversity of examples, found in the 23-year prophetic period, enjoys the position of a good example. Each example is perfect in itself. On the count of desirability, no one example is better than any other.
The reason is that according to the established principles of the shariah, man is obligated to observe the precepts of religion in terms of the actual circumstances he finds himself in, rather than in terms of some supposed goal (The Quran, 2:286). That is to say that the objective of Islam is not to set some external target, like the establishment of the perfect Islamic system, as an absolute.
According to this interpretation, the meaning of the verse about the ‘good example’ is that all the examples set by the life of the Prophet are equally worthy of being followed. That is, one has to study the life of the Prophet and follow to the letter that example which is applicable to his own particular set of circumstances. The Prophet had to face many kinds of situations. In this respect the Prophet’s life offers examples for a great variety of circumstances. Now God’s servants have to strive to find parallel examples and on finding guidance from his life, they must follow it whole-heartedly.
The contradictory examples in the life of the Prophet are generally regarded as a matter of abrogation, for instance, when the verses on qital (to do battle) were revealed, the command to exercise patience and to practice avoidance was abrogated. But any absolute concept of abrogation is erroneous. Abrogation of one set of commands, opening the way to applying another set of commands, is relative to circumstances, and as such is only of a temporary nature. Whenever the circumstances change, the abrogated command may again become the more desirable one, in which case it will be observed just as it had been, previously.
For instance, on the occasion of Badr (2 A.H.) the Prophet acted on the command of war instead of on the command of sabr (patience). He came out of Madinah and did battle with the idolaters at a place called Badr. But on several other occasions the Prophet adopted a patient attitude in response to the armed aggression of the idolaters. For instance, on the occasion of Ahzab (5 A.H.) in the face of the idolaters’ military challenge the Prophet stayed in Madinah and, by digging a long trench, successfully prevented the idolaters from advancing. Thus, by adopting this strategy, no actual fighting could take place. This clearly demonstrated an attitude of patience, which obviated qital or fighting.
Similarly, for instance, the Prophet said his prayers secretly during the first half of his stay in Makkah. But when he had migrated to Madinah, he began saying his prayers publicly.
The change of sunnah does not mean that now and for all time only the latter sunnah is applicable to the believers, and that praying secretly has been disallowed forever. Rather, according to circumstances, both the ways are equally desirable. When the circumstances are those of the Madinah period, the sunnah of the Prophet applicable to us would be that or public prayer. While the circumstances are those of the Makkah period, the same way of prayer which the Prophet adopted in Makkah would be applicable to the believers. From this analysis one can form a correct idea of all the other examples set by the Prophet Muhammad.
It should be kept in mind here that of all the prophetic examples, none is either superior or inferior, perfect or imperfect, eternal or temporary in nature. Each example to be found in the life of the Prophet is in itself a good example. Each example is equally a desirable sunnah of the Prophet. Given all these different sunnahs, the practice of anyone of them, according to a particular situation would amount to total adherence to the Prophet’s ideals. Provided the follower is sincere, he will be deserving of a full reward from God.
According to the above division, every set of sunnah is a complete sunnah, and following any set of sunnah is to follow the complete sunnah.
The believers are urged in the Quran:
Believers, surrender yourselves totally to God. (The Quran, 2:208).
According to this verse, total submission to Islam is required of every believer. But total submission does not mean that all the commands have to be followed at the same time. Nor does it mean that we should launch a campaign to bring about the implementation of the total Islamic system. This verse simply means that we must wholeheartedly obey the command of Islam which we find is addressed to us in our particular situation. We have to show no hesitancy or lacking on our part in following that command.
For instance, if we find ourselves in such circumstances as make it possible to perform our prayers freely; it will be incumbent upon us to say our prayers properly when the time of prayer comes. Similarly, when believers find themselves in circumstances where they have freedom to engage in dawah work, it will be incumbent upon them to fully devote themselves to discharging the relevant responsibilities. Employing all the necessary means, they must perform dawah in the best possible way. Similarly, if circumstances permit them to enjoin good and forbid evil, individually or collectively they must strive to stop people from following evil ways. In such circumstances, all Muslims would be required to discharge this responsibility according to their capacity, and so on.
To sum up, total ‘submission’ relates not to the complete list of divine commands but to those particular and specific commands, which from the point of view of the shariah are applicable to believers according to the situation in which they find themselves. There are so many commands in Islam, but all these commands are not required to be followed in their totality, rather the application of these commands depends upon circumstances. This means to follow fully and wholeheartedly whatever command is applicable to a particular situation rather than trying to obey at the same time each and every command enshrined in the Quran.
