In the present day, suicide bombing is a unique and terrible manifestation of violence. The deadliest instance of such violence took place in New York, commonly referred to as 9/11 when the famous Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre (WTC) were destroyed by a group of Muslim militants. They hijacked four passenger airplanes, two of which were flown into the towers of the WTC. The attack resulted in the death of about 3,000 people and brought down the 110-story buildings, besides causing severe damage to surrounding buildings and structures.
It is apparent that Muslims top the list of those using such deadly methods of suicide bombing. Yet, suicide is completely forbidden in Islam. According to a tradition recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, a Muslim having been badly injured in a battle, could not bear the consequent pain, so he killed himself with his own sword. This was the first case of suicide in Islam. The Prophet said of this person to his companions that he would be among the people of Hell. (Sahih, Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 3062)
The truth is that suicide is totally forbidden (haram) in Islam. It is forbidden to the point where, if someone is dying, and it is certain that he will not survive, even in his final moments Islam does not allow him to take his own life.
Source: The Age of Peace
Human destiny, by Islamic lights, is a matter of man having been placed on this earth by God, so that he may be put to the test—the test being of his capacity to make correct moral choices. It is for this purpose that man has been given complete freedom, for without such freedom, the divine test would have no meaning and no validity.
It is required of man that he should lead his life on earth following a regimen of strict self-discipline. Wherein should he find the guiding principles for such a course? The answer, according to Islam, is in prophethood. Throughout the history of mankind, God appointed certain human beings—prophets—who would be the recipients and conveyors of His guidance as sent through His angels. The last in the series was the Prophet Muhammad.
When God created human beings, He also arranged for a series of prophets for their guidance. In every age and in every nation God has sent prophets so that they may convey God’s messages to people. So far as material resources were concerned, a person could find these on his own, but so far as life’s principles were concerned, God continued to send prophets for the purpose of conveying them to mankind.
Every prophet was an equally true representative. But, with the passage of time, the books brought by the previous prophets were either forgotten by their followers or had interpolations made in them by human beings. Ultimately, God sent the Final Prophet with the Quran, and God took it upon Himself to preserve this guidebook in its totality so that it might be a source of authentic guidance for people in every age.
The sum and substance of the reality revealed by Almighty God through His prophets is that every person has to receive whatever reward befits his deeds. Nobody can save himself from the fate resulting from his deeds and nobody other than himself can be his saviour. There are none more foolish in this world of God than those who are not affected by this prophetic warning.
So far as a person’s affairs in relation to God are concerned, everyone is responsible for his own deeds. No one can share in the consequences of the actions of others, nor can anyone be of help in any way to others. In the world of God, everyone will be rewarded according to what he has done for himself. As he sows, so shall he reap. No one’s efforts or deeds shall be of any benefit to others.
Source: Principles of Islam
When a machine is produced it is accompanied by a set of instructions for its use. An engineer is also commissioned to give a practical demonstration of how the machine functions. Man is an even more intricately designed but animate machine. When he is born, he suddenly finds himself in a world where no mountain bears an inscription answering questions concerning the nature of the world, or explaining how he should live on earth. No educational institution produces experts who know the secret of life or who can provide man with practical guidance.
To satisfy this need felt by man, God sent His prophets to the world, every one of whom brought with him the word of God. In the scriptures revealed to them, God has explained the reality of life to man, and has made it clear what man should and should not do. They showed man what sentiments and ideas he should adopt; how he should remember his Lord; how he should live with his fellows, what he should associate himself with and disassociate himself from. The prophets’ lives are a practical demonstration of how a person should live a God-fearing life.
God has given everyone the power to distinguish between right and wrong. He has also placed countless signs in space and on Earth from which man can learn. Moreover, His revelations have been set down in human language and several of His servants chosen from amongst mankind as prophets, so that there should be no doubt as to the true path.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
The focus of the Prophet’s Last Sermon (Khutbah al-Hajjat al-Wida) was to instill in his Companions the spirit to undertake planning for dawah work. Human beings need guidance to make their lives successful in this world and the Hereafter. Prophets and messengers were sent by God for the purpose of guiding people on the path of spirituality and wisdom. The Prophet’s Last Sermon marked the end of an era and the beginning of a new one; The culture of fighting and bloodshed, which was prevalent in the tribal age, was to be completely abandoned. Now, a new era was to begin in which believers were to strive to impart the message of God to people. During his final Hajj, the Prophet while addressing his Companions said:
“O People! No prophet or messenger will come after me and no new faith will be born. All those who are listening to me should pass on my words to those who are not present.” (Ibn Hisham)
Therefore, those who return from performance of Hajj must be imbued with the spirit to act on this prophetic advice and should henceforth make it their goal to devote their lives to God’s cause so that they can fulfil the prophetic mission of having the word of God reach every home on the planet.
Source: Spirit of Islam September 2018
The Prophet had performed Hajj towards the end of his life. On this occasion, all of the Prophet’s Companions gathered in the plain of Arafat, which is 20 kilometres east of Makkah.
Here the Prophet delivered a sermon while being mounted on his camel. This sermon is famously known as Khutbah Hajjatul Wida, or ‘The Sermon of the Farewell Pilgrimage’.
At this juncture, the Prophet addressed his contemporary believers thus: “God has sent me for all mankind, so convey [my message] on my behalf.” When the Prophet issued this call, the Companions went forward in whichever directions their horses were facing, so that they could reach out to those people who were still unaware of the message of God brought by the Prophet. The efforts of the Companions helped in conveying the teachings of Islam to the inhabited world of that time.
Source: Spirit of Islam September 2017
After having consolidated the power of Islam in Arabia, the Prophet set out to perform Hajjatul wada‘, his Farewell Pilgrimage. It was the last year of his life. He left Madinah for Makkah accompanied by Madinan Muslims. When the news spread that the Prophet was going to perform the pilgrimage, various tribes living in Arabia began pouring into Makkah.
Therefore when the Prophet of Islam performed his first as well as his last pilgrimage, he was joined by nearly 125,000 Muslims. During this pilgrimage, the revelations about the rules of the hajj were given to him. These are followed by all Muslims to this day.
When the Prophet arrived at Mount Arafat, he imparted some teachings to the people present on that occasion. These are preserved in the form of the “Final Sermon.”
During the Sermon of Arafat the last passage of the Quran was revealed:
“Today I have completed your religion for you, and completed My blessings upon you. I have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” (Al Ma’idah, 5:3)
This proved to be his last visit, that is why it came to be called the “Farewell Pilgrimage”. Only three months after his return to Madinah, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ fell ill and, with the consent of all of his wives, stayed in the house of Aishah. He had fever and headache. He remained ill for about two weeks and breathed his last on 12 Rabiul Awwal, 632 A.D. He continued leading prayers till he became too weak to go to the mosque. But before his death, he said his last prayer in the Prophet’s Mosque and made Abu Bakr, his closest companion, the Imam of this prayer.
The Prophet died in the room attached to the Prophet’s Mosque. He was buried in the same place. Later when Abu Bakr and Umar died, they were also buried to the right and left side of the Prophet.
Source: The Life of Prophet Muhammad
Prophet Muhammad always considered himself accountable to God Almighty. We learn from a tradition that once when the Prophet of Islam was at home with his wife Umm Salmah, he sent her maidservant on an errand of some urgency. She took some time to come back. So Umm Salmah went to the window and saw that the maid was watching some children playing a game in the street. When she eventually came back, signs of anger appeared on the Prophet’s face. At that time the Prophet had a miswak (a small twig used as a toothbrush) in his hand.
“If it wasn’t for the fear of retribution on the Day of Judgement, I would have hit you with this miswak,” said the Prophet to the maid. (Al-Adab al-Mufrad, Hadith No. 184)
The Prophet of Islam warned the people of the chastisement of Doomsday. This incident shows that this warning was not just meant for others. He too always went in fear of it. He wanted people to live in this world in such a way that the fear of God’s chastisement should be embedded in their hearts. The same applied to the Prophet himself. The impending Doomsday was a matter of grave concern to everyone including himself. His prophethood did not in any sense exempt him from accountability in the life Hereafter.
In the Quran the Prophet Muhammad is described as being of “sublime character.” (68:4) Here are two sayings of the Prophet, which throw light on what this “sublime character” consists of:
Never debase your character by saying that if people treat you well, you will treat them well, and if they harm you, then you will do worse to them. Rather, become accustomed to being good to those who are good to you, and not wronging those who harm you. (Sunan Al Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2007)
Join hands with those who break away from you, forgive those who wrong you, and be good to those who harm you. (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 7725)
The sublime character described here was displayed in its noblest form by the Prophet himself Such character is required of ordinary Muslims as an accessory, but with the Prophet it was a basic requisite.
There are two levels of character, an ordinary and a superior level. An ordinary character is based on the principle: do as you have been done by. Such a character might be termed a “knee-jerk character,” for those possessed of such a character offer only reflex responses to treatment by others, breaking with those who break with them, wronging those who wrong them, and harming those who harm them.
But the higher level of character is based on the principle: do as you would be done by. Those possessed of such a character deal with both friend and foe in the same principled manner, irrespective of how they have been treated. They are reconciliatory, even joining with those who break with them. They are compassionate, even to those who seek to harm them. They are forbearing, even towards those who wrong them.
According to the French philosopher, Voltaire (1694–1778), “No one is a hero to his valet.” The reason for this is that a valet has access to a person’s private life, and in private life no one is perfect. Those close to a person usually do not hold him in such high esteem as those who are further off. That is why they cannot come to think of him as a hero. But this does not hold true for the Prophet Muhammad. History shows that the closer one came to him, the more one was impressed by his fine qualities.
Source: Life of Prophet Muhammad
The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, was born in Arabia on 22 April 570 AD, and died on 8 June 632 AD. He grew up orphaned and his childhood gave indications of the sublime and dynamic personality that was to emerge. As he grew up, the nobility of his personality, soft-spoken and genial disposition made him a benevolent member of society. A balanced personality—tolerant, truthful, perspicacious, and magnanimous—he presented the highest example of human nobility. According to Daud ibn Husayn, he became known as the most chivalrous among his people, tolerant and forbearing, truthful and trustworthy, and always an epitome of good behaviour. He would stay aloof from all quarrels and quibbles and never indulged in foul utterances, abuse or invective. People even left their valuables in his custody, for they knew that he would never betray them. His unimpeachable trustworthiness won for him the title of al-Amin, an unfailing trustee, and of al-Sadiq, the truthful.
The Prophet of Islam discovered Truth in the fortieth year of his arduous life. If was an attainment that was not to usher in ease and comfort, for this Truth was that he stood face to face with an Almighty God. It was discovery of his own helplessness before the might of God, of his own nothingness before the supernatural magnitude of the almighty. With this discovery it became clear that God’s faithful servant had nothing but responsibilities in this world; he had no rights.
The meaning that life took on for the Prophet after the Truth came to him can be ascertained from these words:
Nine things the Lord has commanded me. Fear of God in private and in public; Justness, whether in anger or in calmness; Moderation in both poverty and affluence; That I should join hands with those who break away from me; and give to those who deprive me; and forgive those who wrong me; and that my silence should be meditation; and my words remembrance of God; and my vision keen observation. (Jami ul-Usool, Hadith No. 9317)
These were no just glib words; they were a reflection of the Prophet’s very life. Poignant and wondrously effective words of this nature could not emanate from an empty soul; they themselves indicate the status of the speaker; they are an outpouring of his inner being, an unquenchable spirit revealed in verbal form.
Source: Life of Prophet Muhammad
The historian Tabarani tells us on the authority of Masar ibn Makhramah, of how on one occasion the Prophet addressed the Companions with these words: “God has sent me as a mercy for all, so pass on what you have heard from me. God will make manifest His mercy. And do not quarrel with one another, as the disciples quarreled over Jesus, the son of Mary. He called on them to perform the same mission as I am entrusting to you now. But those who lived far away did not like the idea, and asked not to go, and Jesus remonstrated with his Lord over this matter.” “We will pass on your message,” the Companions assured him in response. “Send us wherever you please.”
Internal friction is the greatest thorn in the side of a community, preventing its members from pursuing a constructive course of action. The Companions did not let themselves sink into the quagmire of petty controversies. Fear of God had imbued them with a profound sense of responsibility. They concentrated on discharging these responsibilities and had no time for quarrels, which would have prevented them from doing so. Even during the Prophet’s lifetime, they had taken Islam to the borders of the Arabian Peninsula. After his demise, they continued to act as if at his behest. Blind to all thoughts of self—aggrandisement, they dispersed in the neighbouring lands. Their homes were just like small schools, in which they imparted to people knowledge of the Arabic language, the Quran, and the Prophet’s Sunnah. In this way, they passed on what they had heard from the Prophet.
Source: Life of Prophet Muhammad
We find an example of keeping a positive attitude from the life of a Companion of the Prophet. Khalid ibn al-Walid was an extremely brave and able soldier, who remained commander of the Muslim army in Syria from the time of the Prophet right throughout the caliphate of Abu Bakr. ‘Umar, however, disapproved of some of Khalid’s habits and asked Abu Bakr to remove him from his command. Abu Bakr did not act on ‘Umar’s advice, but ‘Umar was so set in his opinion that, on becoming Caliph, he dismissed Khalid. The commander of the Muslim army was demoted to the rank of an ordinary soldier.
When the order came, Khalid was laying all low before him as the Muslims’ triumphant march through Syria continued. All of a sudden came the news of his dismissal and the appointment of Abu ‘Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah in his place. The news shocked Khalid’s army, and a group of soldiers gathered in their leader’s tent. They assured him of their support and urged him to defy the Caliph’s orders. Khalid sent them away, telling them that he did not fight for ‘Umar’s cause; he fought for the cause of ‘Umar’s Lord. Before he had fought as commander; now he would fight as an ordinary soldier.
Only a person who rises above grudges and rancour can act in this manner—one who has a positive attitude to life and refrains from reacting adversely. Khalid’s words show how deeply involved he was in doing the will of God. So much so that he took ‘Umar’s decision completely in his stride.
Source: Life of Prophet Muhammad
Yes. Muslims must take lessons from the lives of the Companions and emulate them. The Companions of the Prophet—the Sahabah—stand alongside him in history just as they stood alongside him during his lifetime, for they were the ones selected by God to assist His messenger. They joined with him in seeing his divine mission through to its proper conclusion. As ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud said: “God chose them to accompany His Prophet, and to establish his religion.”
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
The prophethood chain ended with the last prophet, the Prophet Muhammad, but the prophetic mission continues as before. After the last prophet, God’s message must continue to be conveyed to humanity in every age and generation, which must continue until the Day of Judgment. This task is for the ummat-e-muhammadi, the followers of the Prophet Muhammad, to undertake. This witnessing continues the Prophet’s mission after he leaves this world. This task can be carried out properly only in a spirit of honesty and well-wishing. Honesty means nothing should be added to or mixed with the divine message. Well-wishing here means that those who witness Truth must be impelled, even on a purely unilateral basis, by a concern for the genuine well-being of the madu, those whom they call towards God so that the latter can have no reasonable ground to deny this call. This responsibility of the ummah of the Prophet Muhammad is explained in the Quran as follows: “Thus We have made you a middle nation so that you may act as witnesses for humanity, and the Messenger may be a witness for you.” (2:143) From this, we learn that as a ‘middle nation,’ the ummah of the Prophet Muhammad is an intermediary between the last prophet and later generations. It takes God’s religion from the last of the prophets and conveys it to later generations without expecting any recompense and engaging in this task until the Day of Judgment. This conveying of God’s religion is not a simple announcement. Instead, the religion must be conveyed, as the Quran (4:63) says, in such terms as will address people’s minds.
Source: Dawah Made Simple
A prophet is one who has been selected to represent God on earth. When God chooses a human being as His messenger, His angel comes to him to inform him of this selection. In this way, he is left in no doubt that he is indeed God’s messenger. Afterwards God sends him His teachings through the angel so that he may inform all human beings of God’s will. The prophet is an intermediary between God and man. He takes from God His message and conveys it to human beings.
God has bestowed human beings with reason but, through reason alone, an individual cannot understand the deeper realities of the present life. So far as God and the world Hereafter are concerned, this is totally related to the invisible world and as such, these things are beyond human reason and understanding. What the prophet does is fulfill this need of every individual. The Prophet informs a person of the realities of life and of the world Hereafter. In this way, he enables people to plan their life in the full light of divine knowledge.
From the time that people inhabited this world, the prophets started arriving in every age. They told humans of God’s will but, there are no authentic records of the teachings of the prophets of ancient times. The later circumstances failed to authenticate their personalities as factually historical and their books also suffered the same fate.
Finally, God chose the Prophet Muhammad as His Messenger. He was born at a time when world history had begun to be put on record. Subsequently, with the invention of the printing press, he became widely acknowledged as a historically established figure, and the Book divinely revealed to him, was preserved for all eternity. Ultimately, there was no possibility that any changes could be made in this divine book he had brought to the world. The Prophet Muhammad was the final messenger to humanity. No prophet will come after him.
Source: The Spirit of Islam
Yes. Prophethood or Risalah is a fundamental article of faith in Islam. A Muslim should believe in Prophethood and in all the prophets sent by God and make no distinction between them.
Man has been placed on this earth by God in order that his obedience to his Maker may be put to the test. For this purpose, he has been given complete freedom to tread the paths of either good or evil. He has a choice. But to follow the path desired for him by God, man is in need of guiding principles. The true source of guidance, according to Islam, is to be found in prophethood. Throughout human history, God in His infinite mercy selected certain individuals to communicate His message to humankind, so that all human beings might be given an opportunity to follow the right path. These chosen people are called prophets, or messengers.
A prophet is a person chosen by God as His representative. When God appoints someone as His Messenger, He sends His angel to him to inform him of his new status. In that way, the individual can have no doubts about his appointment as God’s apostle. Later, God reveals His message to him through His angels, so that he may communicate the divine teachings to all his fellow men.
Source: The Spirit of Islam
After the final prophet, Prophet Muhammad, the role of the dayee is transferred to his people, that is, those who believe in the Quran, the book of God, and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. Thus, they come to acquire the position of dayees and their contemporary nations have the position of madus. Thus, being dayees, it is their responsibility, to convey the religion of God to people of all ages. They become God’s witnesses, so that those who want to accept God’s guidance may accept it, while those who knowingly deny the religion of God, when the case of such people (deniers) is presented in the court of the Hereafter, then the dayees will perform their duty in the court of the Hereafter as being God’s witnesses.
Ibn Ishaq (the Prophet’s earliest biographer) said that when Prophet Muhammad came to the Companions and reminded them of the dawah work, he said: ‘God has sent me to the entire world as a blessing, so you should carry out this responsibility on my behalf. God will show His mercy to you.’ (Seerah Ibn Hisham, Vol. 4, pp. 278-79)
Muslims, as the followers of Prophet Muhammad, have the primary duty to convey the divine message to their contemporaries in every age, generation after generation. That is why the Muslim community has been called ‘The Middle Nation’ (ummat-e-wasat) in the Quran in the following verse of the second chapter, which states: “We have made you a middle nation, so that you may act as witnesses for mankind, and the Messenger may be a witness for you.” (2:143)
This verse speaks of the role of Muslims as dayees. It explains that they have received the divine religion through God’s Messenger. Therefore, they now must communicate God’s message to every generation in every age.
It was the responsibility of the followers of Prophet Muhammad to pass on the truth they had received from the Prophet to others. The same responsibility devolved upon the ancient people of the Book. That is, making the message of God clear to people. (The Quran, 3:187)
The Call to God is to acquaint man with the creation plan of God. It is to tell man what his relationship with God is and how God will deal with him after death. In other words, this is like introducing a man to God. Its objective is to awaken man from his slumber, to make him realize his servitude, and incline him to turn towards God.
Addressing the Prophet Muhammad, God says in the Quran: “We have sent you forth as a mercy to all mankind.” (The Quran, 21:107)
The advent of the Prophet was an expression of God’s mercy for the whole of humankind. Through him, God informed us about the principles on the basis of which human beings can come to inhabit what the Quran (10: 25) refers to as Dar us-Salam or ‘the Home of Peace’, an abode of peace and security for its inhabitants. Through the Prophet, God conveyed to us teachings that can make for a peaceful society. The Prophet presented humankind with a complete ideology of peace. He provided us with a formula that can enable us to abstain from hatred and violence and lead a healthy life. He ushered in a revolution that made it possible for humanity to avoid confrontation and war and nurture a peaceful society.
Because of certain compelling circumstances, the Prophet had to fight some battles, but these were so minor that they can be more appropriately called skirmishes, rather than wars. The great revolution that the Prophet wrought can, therefore, definitely be termed a bloodless revolution.
The Prophet gave peace the status of a complete and comprehensive way of life. He taught us that violence leads to destruction, while peace leads to construction. He termed patience as the highest form of worship, which means remaining fully established on the way of peace. He termed strife, the disruption of the peaceful system of Nature, as the biggest crime. He gave complete importance to peace in accordance with the Quranic teaching that equated the killing of a single individual with the slaying of the whole of mankind.
Source: Spirit of Islam October 2014
The Prophet Muhammad exemplified peace and tolerance throughout his life. Once, on being asked for a master advice, he replied: ‘Don’t be angry.’ He said that the strongest among us is the one who can control his anger. He propagated the pursuit of the easier choice of peace and tolerance as against being intolerant or violent.
During the course of his lifetime, there were certain defensive skirmishes that took place. Even during these, Prophet Muhammad strictly prohibited the ill-treatment of non-combatants and prisoners of war. For example, the Prophet did not approve of any ill-treatment of prisoners of war that were taken after the Battle of Badr:
He instructed Muslims to share equal food with the prisoners. (Majma ul Zawaid, hadith no. 10007)
He declared that any prisoner who could teach ten children of Madinah to read and write would be set free. (Musnad Ahmad, hadith no. 2216)
It is also worth noting that in future battles, no prisoners of war were taken in by the Muslims.
The Prophet Muhammad taught believers to be virtuous and compassionate towards fellow human beings. He preached selfless service and the development of piety and modesty among individuals. He believed that a Muslim is soft, simple, and lenient. He cautioned Muslims from falling into extremism: “Those who go to extremes are doomed.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2670)
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
Prophet Muhammad was an embodiment of virtues a true believer must imbibe and uphold. He was a well-wisher for mankind. His entire life is a testament to this fact. He never discriminated between people on the basis of their colour, creed, or social status; in the heydays of slavery, he advocated freedom of slaves; in an environment full of resentment and staunch opposition, he always adopted a forgiving approach, never avenging any wrong done to him.
Prophet Muhammad taught believers to become conscientious members of society. He advised that ‘A Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand people are safe.’ (Sunan al-Nasai, hadith no. 4998)
He propagated caring and supporting the sick, feeding the hungry and being kind, living as no-problem persons for neighbours, refraining from using offensive names, and caring for animals. He encouraged responsible living and judicious utilization of natural resources, such as water, even if one has limitless access to them. Once the Prophet passed by a Companion when he was performing ablutions and said to him:
‘What is this extravagance?’ The Companion asked, ‘Can there be extravagance in ablutions?’ The Prophet replied, ‘Yes, even if you are on the bank of a flowing river!’ (Sunan ibn Majah, hadith no. 460)
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
