Islam and...

Islam and the Prophet (PBUH)

As probably everyone knows, the harassment and ridicule against Muslims has increased. Our beloved Prophet (SAW) has been put under harsh scrutiny, with vile terms being thrown at his blessed image. As Muslims, it isn’t hard for us to recall the reasons why we love this man so much. He was someone who was there for everyone, no matter what their class, social status, language, past, and wealth level was. He is the type of person that teenagers and adults want in their lives; the one who loves them unconditionally, just for the sake of God.

                The Prophet (SAW) wasn’t just the person who preached Islam, but rather he lived it to its entirety. He was the walking and talking Quran, the best role model to all of us. Muslims and non-Muslims alike saw the grace in his character. Yet, this person who fought for the rights for everybody is having his reputation tarnished by ignorant and bigot individuals.

               Imagine a great civil right leader such as Martin Luther King or Ghandi or Martin Luther King Jr, and think of the level of respect they hold. Now quadruple that, add God’s commandment to love him, and that is the level of respect we have for him. He faced persecution, isolation, and boycott just to give people their God given rights. Now, imagine that person who holds so much respect being spat at, depicted in false images, and called vile things. It hurts beyond compare.

                        At the time of the Prophet (SAW), it wasn’t only that the non-believers living in Mecca didn’t want to believe in God, because they did believe in God. They associated partners with Him, but they stilled believed in His greatness. In fact, if the Prophet (SAW) has just asked them to believe in a supreme God, they might have agreed for a certain period of time. It was the fact that the Prophet (SAW) message stated that all humans are equal, and deserve equal rights. In fact there is a verse in the Quran that says, “We have created you in nations and tribes so that you may know one another.  Verily, the most honoured among you in the sight of Allah (God), is the one who is the most righteous.” The non-believers at that time couldn’t stomach that fact that a poor black slave could get a higher level than them in paradise when they were wealthy, free Arabs. This mentality of racism and the belief that they were superior over another is what caused the persecution that was to follow.

                        Islam truly is a way of life and a religion meant to benefit the whole of society, especially the slave, the women, the sick, the old, and the disabled. In fact, the earliest of converts into Islam were not those of immense wealth, in fact they were pretty poor. For example, the Prophet (SAW)’s slave, Zaid bin Harith, (who he later freed) was one of the first converters into Islam, despite not having much. Zaid was kidnapped from his caravan and sold on the slave market. He was given to the Prophet (SAW) as a present from the Prophet’s (SAW) wife, Khadija. Later on, Zaid’s father heard about his son’s whereabouts and went to the Prophet (SAW) and asked him to let him buy his son back. The Prophet (SAW) said that Zaid could go with his father for free if he so wished. The father was very happy because he was confident that his son would return with him. However, Zaid refused to go with his father and choose to stay with the Prophet (SAW) as a slave because of how well the Prophet (SAW) treated him. The Prophet (SAW) then freed him and declared him his adopted son. Think about it; a man choosing slavery over freedom because his ‘owner’ treated him better than the free world. This was the grace of our beloved Prophet.

  Another great example of a person who converted to Islam with rock like faith was Bilal. This man was a black slave under one of the most cruel and unjust master. Bilal was made to lie on the hot sands of Arabia during mid-noon, when the sun was the highest in the sky. He was made to wear heavy metal armour which melted into his skin. Furthermore, he had a boulder placed on his chest, and he was told to call for help to one of the pagan gods, yet this brave man refused, and claimed that God is one. He stood firm in his belief and refused to renounce his religion. This is the faith of a Muslim.

Anyway, getting back to the topic, before we can fully comprehend the greatness of the Prophet (SAW) and why he should be considered the best civil rights leader, we must look at the time before him. By looking at the darkness of the pre-Islamic era, can we fully understand the light of Islam. Before Islam, people were burying their daughters alive. They would be grief-stricken if they had a daughter and the father would take his infant daughter and bury her in the sand alive. This was the cruelty of those people. Now, if we look at the relationship between the Prophet (SAW) and his daughters, we can see the light he brought to the society. He loved his daughter immensely and had such a beautiful relationship with them that everyone was left in envy. He taught them right from wrong, tried to protect them as best he could, and made sure that they got married to those who respected and loved them.

Also, before the Prophet (SAW) time, women were treated harshly and were kept as sex slaves. They had no rights, especially the ones who weren’t from the higher classes. They couldn’t ask for a divorce or anything like that. The Prophet (SAW) fought to have the women in society treated better. He loved and cared for all his wives and made sure that they were loved. This was the greatness of that man that people now are calling harsh names to. For example, some disgusting people are referring to him as a ‘pedophile’ for his relationship with Aisha. Firstly, through Aisha’s reports we are told that she was 10 or 11 when she got married. However, at that time they didn’t record dates accurately. So, they didn’t really have a calendar to accurately record their ages. Furthermore, it is reported that Aisha didn’t consummate her marriage until she hit puberty, and according to the average rate of a girl getting her period at that time, it is speculated that Aisha was in fact 16 or 17 when she got married to the Prophet. Whatever the case might be, at that time it was considered socially acceptable for a woman to get married when she reaches puberty. So, according to that time and practice; their marriage was very okay and had nothing to do with pedophilia. In fact, the brutality of the people before Islam allowed girls who hadn’t hit puberty to get married and to be taken advantage of.

The Prophet (SAW) fought for the commandments that Allah had revealed to him. He struggled for his whole life, got banned and exiled for three years, and suffered so much at the hands of tyrants to be made a mockery of by ignorant people today. He loved everyone around him, he was respectful and kind to all his enemies, and he thought of us every day. He used to cry for long periods of time because of his worry for the Muslims of the future, meaning us. He prayed for us, he fought for us, he bled for us, and, most of all, he loved us. This is why we love him more than we love ourselves. This is why we fight for him more than we fight for ourselves.

Lastly, I want to clarify my purpose for this piece. This piece is not to justify the actions of those who don’t understand Islam and burn buildings and kill people as a result of it. This is not protecting anyone who hurts or kills in the name of Islam without knowing what Islam really means. This is just to show to people why Muslims get so hurt when people try to disgrace our beloved Prophet (SAW).

And to the Muslims; we have to practice what our Prophet (SAW) taught us. This means that though we should defend him, we should do it in such a way that is okay with his teachings. This means respecting others, not killing innocent people, and not making a mockery out of ourselves by acting like two year olds throwing a tantrum. If we claim that we love the Prophet (SAW), let us follow the way of the Prophet (SAW). Only by doing so can we really defend his honour and his love for us.

So, this is a call to all Muslims. Let us follow what our beloved Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessing be upon him), and please Allah. Instead of shouting and hurting people, let’s tell one story of the Prophet (SAW), one story of his kindness and greatness. So, in the comments below, leave a story and let’s send peace and blessings unto the man that gave up so much so that you and I can follow the true deen of Allah.

P.S. I wrote this piece right after the release and uproar of the video, but I forgot about it and am just posting it now. So, yes, it is somewhat outdated.