Muhammad – Prophet of Islam

What Did His Followers Say? "His name was Muhammad" (peace and blessings be upon him)

To
begin: You may be a Christian Protestant, Catholic, Jew, an atheist or
an agnostic; or you may belong to any of many different religious
denominations existing in today's world. You might even be a communist
or believe in man's democracy as the rule on earth. Whoever you are and
whatever ideological or political beliefs, social habits you may hold,
there is no doubt - you should understand what others have to say about
this man.

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 earth are shrouded in
the mist of time. There is so much speculation about the time and place
their birth, the mode and style of their life, the nature and detail of
their teachings and the degree and measure of their success or failure
that is impossible for humanity to reconstruct, accurately the lives and
teachings of these men and women.

But this is not the case of
this man, Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, who accomplished so
much in such diverse fields of human thought and behavior in the
fullest blaze of human history. Every detail of his private life and
public utterances has been accurately documented and faithfully
preserved up until our day. The authenticity of the records so preserved
is vouched for not only by the faithful followers but even by his
prejudiced critics.

Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him,
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, peace and
blessings be upon him, to achieve such incredible perfection.

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.

Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was
born in what was then known as Felix Arabia, fourteen hundred years
ago. He started his mission of preaching a religion of monotheism; a Way
of Life based on the surrender, submission and obedience to the
Commandments of Almighty God, in sincerity and peace.

The word "Islam" in Arabic means "the submission to God, in peace."

Muhammad's
(peace and blessings be upon him) mission began at the age of forty and
departed from this world at the age of 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
disciplined living, from utter bankruptcy to the 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.

Muhammad,
peace and blessings be upon him, 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.

Today after a lapse
of fourteen centuries, the life and teachings of Muhammad, peace and
blessings be upon him, have survived without the slightest loss,
alteration or interpolation. 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 Mohammed's(peace and blessings be upon him) followers,
but the inescapable conclusion forced upon by a critical and unbiased
history.

The least YOU can do as a thinking and concerned human
being is to stop for a moment and ask your self: Could these statements
sounding so extraordinary and revolutionary really be true? And
supposing they really are true and you did not know this man Muhammad,
peace and blessings be upon him, or hear about him, isn't it time 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, peace
and blessings be upon him, the like of whom never walked on the face of
this earth.

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."

While
we are reviewing statements from famous non-Muslims about Prophet
Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, consider this:
"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 standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may
well ask, is there any man greater than he?"

[Lamartine, HISTOIRE DE LA TURQUIE, Paris, 1854, Vol. II, pp. 276-277.]

And then we read what George Bernard Shaw, a famous writer and non-Muslim says:
"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]

Then
we found that K. S. Ramakrishna Rao, an Indian (Hindu) professor of
Philosophy, in his booklet "Muhammad the Prophet of Islam" calls him the
"perfect model for human life." Professor 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."

What should we think about
our prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, when someone
with the worldly status such as Mahatma Gandhi, speaking on the
character of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, 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."

English author Thomas Carlyle in his 'Heroes and Hero Worship', was simply amazed:
"How
one man single handedly, could weld warring tribes and wandering
Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation in less than two
decades."

And Diwan Chand Sharma wrote in "The Prophets of the East":
"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]

Muhammad,
peace and blessings be upon him, 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 Professor Hurgronje:
"The
league of nations founded by the prophet of Islam put the principle of
international unity and human brotherhood on 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."

Edward Gibbon and Simon Ockley, on the profession of ISLAM, writes in "History of the Saracen Empires":
"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 transgressed 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]

EWolfgang
Goethe, perhaps the greatest European poet ever, wrote about Prophet
Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. He said:
"He is a prophet
and not a poet and therefore his Koran is to be seen as Divine Law and
not as a book of a human being, made for education or entertainment."

[Noten und Abhandlungen zum Weststlichen Dvan, WA I, 7, 32]
Source: http://prophetofislam.com introduced by Shaikh. Yusuf Estes