by KHALID ISHAQUE
The Qur'an has described the Prophet, peace be upon him, as an
excellent model for those who fear Allah and the Last Day, and remember
Allah much. His mission has been crucial to the fulfilment of Divine
mercy. The breadth of his vision encompassed both the worlds; his
moral sensitivity, his concern and his commitment gave new spiritual
and moral dimension to every mundane act. In a variety of roles
he was and continues to be an example to emulate.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, lived within the searchlight of history.
Never in history has a human being been written and spoken about more
than him. Every time that we have reverted to his remembrance we have
naught but ennobled our minds and en- lightened our souls and found
solace when forces of darkness and press us from all sides.
The poor of the world are in revolt. They have rejected in the
most positive terms the world of the long and dismal yesterday that
for centuries was their lot. No one is willing to accept or reconcile
to the inevitability or permanence of deprivation and penury. Display
of wealth by others excites not envy but anger. What have we, heirs
to the Prophet's, peace be upon him, commitments-that he was the
father for every orphan-done in this behalf?
Have we, as the followers of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him,
sought or taught ways to make universal as he did the Divine promise:
"And He found you in want and put you beyond need" (g.38)
and carried on a struggle against those about whom Allah says:
"Woe to every backbiter, slanderer, who amasses wealth and
counts it time after time and thinks that his wealth will make him
immortal" (104. 1-3)
Have we devised any joint plans to give effect to the Qur'anic
"In their wealth is the share of those who seek help and
those who are deprived" (51.19)
Because we have failed to carry conviction as their champions,
the down trodden of the earth are looking in different directions
for guidance and are accepting new leadership, however phoney or
false its promises or plans.
On the other hand amongst the people of the industrially advanced
world, notwithstanding the glitter of greater prosperity and more
widespread sharing of means of comfort, health and know- ledge,
the individual is suffering acutely, because with all the impressive
gains made in the field of science and technology he is acutely
confused about his position in the Universe and particularly in
Science has given him great power to alter the environment around
him and to go forth as he likes, yet he does not know what destination
he is heading for; he has acquired power to mould and manipulate
the human mind but does not know to what end. He is deeply con-
fused about the relationship he must establish with his fellow beings;
he knows not what to withdraw from and what to feed the human mind
with, and above all what is he for in this world.
If he belongs to someone, then to whom? And if he is here for
himself, then for what? These are questions he is hard pressed to
answer, and can- not. These questions in a way are eternal, and
each one must find an answer at the individual and the communal
level. Many of us have found an answer in the glorious message Muhammad,
peace be upon him, introduced to us. However, a very large human
audience needs and seeks to share our experience, and they judge
the validity of our answers to these central questions about the
human situation, by the authenticity of our commitment, and the
meaningfulness of our solutions for the contemporary problems. It
is easy to shower praises on the way the Qur'anic tidings of Allah
were implemented in the Prophet's and his companions' times; but
the more difficult question to answer is as to how in the 20th Century
does the Muslim Community propose to rise up to the role of leadership.
The time has come when those who carry the burden of guiding or
leading the community must realise that mere panegyrics are no substitute
for positive plans.
We know the modern era as one of revolutions, and yet we have
failed to meaningfully convey to mankind the message of the greatest
revolutionary of history; we know that modern man is sick of phoney
guides, yet we have failed to properly introduce him to one who
was and remains the best of guides. We also know that ours is an
age of science and technology. What explanation do we have for our
dismal laggardness in this field even though it was the Muslims
who for centuries carried the torch of science and are duty bound
to introduce mankind to a Book whose contents appeal as much to
mind as to heart-in fact a Book which rejects the dichotomy of Reason
and Emotion and addresses man as one undivided unity. All this happens
because we have wilfully or unwittingly forgotten part of the Divine
guidance and are not fully aware of the factors which hurt or inspire
Our competence and bonafide are both suspect because we do not,
and cannot, offer ourselves as genuine intellectual leaders of mankind
and living examples of men with a great commitment. Our language
smells of historical mustiness.
The vocal cords seem to vibrate but the message reaches neither
the mind nor the heart. We are in fact party to a great treason.
We have accepted without demur the categories of con- temporary
secular Western thought and even its objectives. Are not many amongst
our ranks embarrassed to mention the life hereafter as the sole
object of social effort here? Have we not reconciled with the phoney
social justice and welfare schemes offered by Western or the Socialist
Imperialists. Were we not required by the words of Qur'an:
"And what is the matter with you that you fight not in the
cause of Allah and of the weak-men, women and children-who say,
our Lord take us out of this town whose people are oppressors, and
make for us some friends from Thyself and make for us some helper
from Thyself". (4.75)
to fight against every injustice? Have we denounced, as the Prophet
did, the glaring injustices going on around us? And have we, while
fighting for the weak, sought to undo the constant belittling of
man that goes on unceasingly? Have we not protested strongly against
the lesser failings and kept silence against the greater ones?
"Do you hold the giving of drink to the pilgrims, and the
maintenance of the sacred Mosque as equal to work of him who believes
in Allah and the Last Day and strives in path of Allah. They are
not equal in the sight of Allah and Allah guides not the unjust
While a great deal has been written about Seerat, a lot of effort
one must regretfully admit, has been self-defeating because of careless
or uncritical handling of the source material. Our mother Aisha
as-Siddiqa, may Allah be pleased with her, had once been asked about
the Seerat of the Prophet, and she referred the inquirer to the
Qur'an. It is necessary to study Seerat and to discover its significance
primarily from the Qur'an, whose contents the Prophet was commanded
to convey by word and by example. After the third century of Islam
the biographical writing about the Prophet progressively became
dominated by a passionate search for the miraculous, and quest for
detail. In some later writing the total effect created about his
personality differs sharply from that which is projected in Qur'an.
The Prophet,peace be upon him, was a human being sent to be a
model to human beings. Turning him into an angel does him no honour!
Time is ripe to reassess in the light of Qur'an what has already
been written. But before this is done, we must critically formulate
and restate the principles on which our impressive historical heritage
in this field is to be read, understood and utilized.
The duty of teaching Islam to mankind remains unfulfilled because
we have not yet written adequate material for proper introduction
of Islam, to non-Muslims and Muslims alike. What is even a greater
failing is the fact that we continue to speak in an idiom which
is completely out of date.
We talk about problems which are no more the prime concerns of
mankind, and offer solutions which show inadequate mastery of the
No human being has ever caused such radical changes in the social
order as the Prophet, peace be upon him. He was for ever conscious
not only of the community around him, but of the whole humanity
and even of generations to come. He changed the world around him
beyond recognition. He had no hesitation in accepting or devising
a new solution if it promised a more competent resolution of society's
problems, be it in the field of logistics, or reorganisation of
human relationships, or medicine, or dress. In his times numerous
changes in every aspect of society came about, but with a difference.
He did not reject the past as mere error. On the contrary he characterised
his mission as being the culmination of the old prophetic missions.
He could look at the past and the future with an equally clear gaze.
He retained what was good, and replaced that which could be improved.
His companions of Al-Khilafat al-Rashida continued the mission.
So astounding and attractive were the achievements of this era,
that the later generations chose to resist change because what had
already been achieved was so good. But uncreative conservatism ill
suits the community which is designed for leadership of the World.
The community ultimately went to the extent of equating all innovation
with disbelief with the consequences which need no recounting. On
its way in history it obviously made some wrong choices. It seems
necessary, that in an era where no "today" is ever like yesterday,
the Muslim community must know how to meet the challenge of change,
of that on going "revolution" which threatens to be the only abiding
characteristic of the last quarter of the 20th century. It is crucial
that we identify with a very clear vision the permanent frame of
reference within that which is constantly in a state of flux. Too
long the community has sought to carry the back breaking burden
of history-laden Islam of fourteen centuries because it has lost
its capacity to distinguish between Islam and the history of the
The community is deeply in need of guidance in regard to approach
and principles to be acted upon in dealing with this problem. The
Qur'an constantly speaks of the duties of Muslims, and the Prophet,
peace be upon him, lost no opportunity in developing in the community
a consciousness of their obligations, individual as well as collective.
The Qur'an is, however, equally clear that not all obligations
are of equal value, and the Prophet, peace be upon him, never failed
in sharpening the community's view in regard to their priorities.
Restoration of a correct perspective in this behalf is a matter
of paramount importance. We are pleased too easily if even a few
of the requirements of Islam are fulfilled even though the Qur'an
is quite explicit that commitment shall have to be complete (2.208).
Allah expressly rejects half-hearted commitment (2.85) and promises
people with such commitment nothing but disgrace in this world and
sever chastisement in the hereafter. If the believers have sold
their lives and their wealth in exchange of Paradise, what concrete
guidance can we obtain from the life of the Prophet when today the
Muslim community as a whole from Sahara to Philippines is locked
in a life and death struggle against a variety of evil forces? We
need some in-depth investigation of the possibilities in this direction.
The Economic Man of Marx, like the Sexual Man of Freud are on the
way to become part of history. The world needs a new vision and
a new meaning of human existence. People are watching with a very
critical gaze how we, following the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace
be upon him, propose to act as men believing in Islam.