Model and Mercy to Mankind (3/3)

Furthermore, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) (unlike Jesus) was a secular as well as a religious leader. In fact, as the driving force behind the Arab conquests, he may well rank as the most influential political leader of all time. It is this unparalleled combination of secular and religious influence which I feel entitles Muhammad (Peace be upon him) to be considered the most influential single figure in human history. (Michael H. Hart, 1978, pp. 33, 38-40)

Philosopher, orator, Messenger, 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 (Peace be upon him). As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask: is there any man greater than he?

Never has a man set himself, voluntarily or involuntarily, a more sublime man, since this aim was superhuman: to subvert superstitions which had been interposed between man and his Creator, to render God unto man and man unto God; to restore the rational and sacred idea of divinity amidst the chaos of the material and disfigured gods of idolatry then existing.

To have undertaken a work never done before so far beyond human power with so of one-third of the earth to his dogma was his miracle; or rather it was not the miracle of a man but that of reason. The idea of the unity of God proclaimed amidst the exhaustion of fabulous theologians was in itself such a miracle that upon its utterance from his lips it destroyed all the ancient temples of idols and set on fire one-third of the world.

His life, his meditations, his heroic reviling against the superstitions of his country, and his boldness in defying the furies of idolatry; his acceptance of the role of public scorn and almost of being a victim of his fellow-countrymen; all these are feeble means, for he had in the conception as well as in the execution of such a great design no other instrument than himself, and no other aid except a handful of men living in a corner of the desert.

Finally, never has a man accomplished such a huge and lasting revolution in the world, because in less than two centuries after its appearance. Islam, in faith and arms, reigned over the whole of Arabia, and conquered in God’s name Persia, Khorasa, Transoxania, Western India, Syria, Abyssinia, all the known continent of Northern Africa,’ numerous islands of the Mediterranean, Spain, and a part of Gaul.

If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great men in modem history to Muhammad? The most famous men created arm, 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, legislation, empires, peoples, and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the inhabited world: and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and the souls.

On the basis of a Book, every letter of which has become law, he created a spiritual nationality which has blended together peoples of every tongue and of every race. He has left us, as the indelible characteristic of the Muslim nationality, the hatred of false gods and the passion for the one and Immaterial God.

This avenging patriotism against the profanation of Heaven formed the virtue of the followers of Muhammad (Peace be upon him): the conquest finally his incessant preaching, his wars against odds, his faith in his success and his superhuman security in misfortune, his forbearance in victory, his ambition which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire; his endless prayer, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after death; all these attest not to an imposture but to a firm conviction.

It was his 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. Philosopher, orator, Messenger, 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 (Peace be upon him). As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask: is there any man greater than he? (Lamartine, Historic de la Turquie, Vol. II, pp. 276-277, quoted by U. A. Samad, 1984, pp. 23-24)

If the devotion that a leader commands is the criterion of greatness, the Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) name even today exerts a magic charm over millions of souls, spread all over the world:

If for instance, greatness consists in the purification of a nation, steeped in barbarism and immersed in absolute darkness, the dynamic personality who has transformed, reformed and uplifted an entire nation, sunk low as the Arabs were, and made them the torch-bearers of civilizations and learning, has every claim to that greatness. If greatness lies in unifying the discordant elements of society by ties of brotherhood and charity, the Prophet of the desert has got every title to this distinction.

If greatness consists in reforming those wrapped in degrading superstition and pernicious practices of every kind, the Prophet of Islam has wiped out superstitions and irrational fear from the hearts of millions. If it lies in displaying high morals, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has been admitted by friends and foes as Al-Amin, and As-Sadiq, the trustworthy and truthful.

If a conqueror is a great man, here is a person who rose from a helpless orphan and a humble creature to be the ruler of Arabia, the equal of Khosros and Caesars, one who founded a great empire that has survived all these 14 centuries. If the devotion that a leader commands is the criterion of greatness, the Prophet’s name even today exerts a magic charm over millions of souls, spread all over the world. (K. S. Ramakrishna Rao, 1987, p.l7)

Muhammad’s (Peace be upon him) unique position in religious history is due to the fact that he inspired all:

“Muhammad’s (Peace be upon him) unique position in religious history is due to the fact that he inspired all he did without being a saint or an angel, without having any attributes which were not strictly human. Outside his tremendous personality, he had nothing in his life to distinguish himself from other Muslims.” (R. V. C. Bodley, The Messenger, quoted in A. R. Shad,1987 ed, p.192)