History has recorded the appearance and deeds of many religious leaders: Moses, Jesus Christ, Zoroaster, and Abraham, to name just a few. There have also been many self-proclaimed prophets and messengers, each of whom has claimed to bring a divine revelation for mankind. Some have proven to be false, and others have been forgotten. But there is one religious leader who stands alone, an unlettered man who transmitted a revelation from God that literally changed the course of history and the destinies of a major portion of mankind: Muhammad, the Prophet and Messenger of God.
ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA confirms:
"...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)
BERNARD SHAW said about him: "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. X 1936)
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 time to come.
"HIS NAME IS MUHAMMAD" May the Peace of God Be upon Him (PBUH) Born in Arabia in the year 570 CE, Muhammad started his mission of preaching Islam, the religion of truth and the submission of man to one God, at the age of forty and died at the age of sixty-three. During the short twenty-three year period of his prophet hood, Muhammad (PBUH) changed the entire Arabian peninsula forever. Within the space of one generation, the vast majority of people went from paganism and idolatry to devout and strict monotheism, from tribal quarrels and wars to national solidarity and cohesion, from drunkenness and debauchery to sobriety and piety, from lawlessness and anarchy to a lifestyle characterized by discipline, from moral bankruptcy to the highest standards of moral excellence. Human history has never seen such a complete transformation of a people or a place before or since-and just imagine that all of these unbelievable wonders took place in just over two decades and because of the efforts of one man.
Mahatma Gandhi, speaking on the character of Muhammad (PBUH), 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 intrepidness, 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."
This article is published by:
World Assembly of Muslim Youth