The Search for Light in a Period of Darkness: The Seeker of Truth

ِAs his biography (seera) is recorded we find Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) pondering over societal ills for years. The society he was born in was in a state of moral, religious, economic and social chaos. It is difficult to resist drawing analogies between the seventh century world and the state of the human morality in today's world at the beginning of the new millennium.

The nuclear man-woman two-parent family, as a core unit of society has eroded seriously in the west. brazen sexual exploitation in the media is commonplace and illicit sex condoned and even accepted. Violence at home, against women, children, and violence in the streets, is frightfully routine. substance abuse is widespread, with united states as the largest consumer of drugs in the world. alcoholism is rampant, especially among college students, with only feeble attempts being made to address the problem. african- americans have been liberated as slaves for a century and a half, yet many are still trapped in an unending cycle of poverty and discrimination, which is in a way a form of economic slavery. because of a system that allows unrestrained growth of wealth without encouraging proper redistribution, economic disparities and injustices continue to grow at an alarming rate.

There are many excellent characteristics in western societies, especially in the US that include the freedom of thought, speech and assembly, a tolerant attitude toward eccentricities in human nature and an ambition to be a just and compassionate society. these qualities of the ordinary american however are not always reflected in the policy makers and political leaders.

The unraveling of the moral fabric in today's society must weigh heavily on the minds of individuals with insight. They can draw personal solace and inspiration from the Prophet's life. The arab tribal society of the seventh century, whose structure was based on greed, debauchery, and violence, was changed in a very short time, by the prophet, into a society with one of the highest moral standards in history. Compassion, humility, devotion to God and egalitarianism replaced the old well-entrenched tribal attitudes of pride in wealth, family and class and self-centered behavior. Women, for the first time in history, had rights and dignity, and the vulnerable and weak sections of the society were protected. Sexuality was removed from public prurience and became private and wholesome. wealth was re-circulated so that even the poorest segments of the society were infused with energy and indigence became nearly extinct. .