Signs of Relaxation and Generosity of History

The date and topic of the new lecture was announced. Dr. Adam will lecture on Prophet Muhammad, pbuh,  in the University Cultural Season.

After welcoming and thanking the audience, she said that she had chosen for her topic Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, . She went on to say, “You might ask why I have chosen Prophet Muhammad, pbuh? What are the justifications for distinguishing him from those we have mentioned in the previous lecture?”

She heard whispers and saw looks on the faces of the audience, which indicated, as a whole her true intuition, proper expression and correctapt assumption.

She began saying, in complete confidence, “As a result of my research, I have discovered four facts, which, I believe, provide, as a whole, satisfactory answers to the questions raised in the previous lecture. I leave it to you to judge, after hearing them.”

“The first is the abundance of detailed and factual information on the life of Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, in all phases of his life.. There is no missing link in his life, which lasted sixty three years. Neither are there any of the questions that were raised in the previous lecture when talking about his predecessors among the great figures.

All those who read his life story, and I am one of them, are agreed that it is an open book, before both his followers and his enemies.

The most conspicuous of this description is that a researcher hardly encounters a question mark throughout his life story as a whole, in its most delicate and private aspects. In this respect, I find that I must open the index of the smallest book my hands could lay on, concerning an aspect of the character and manners of the Prophet, pbuh, in order to acquaint ourselves with the details it contains. I must confess that I was almost bored with these details, although you accuse me of being keen on them and seek them. This book is “The Character and Ethics of the Prophet, pbuh,”, which was written by Jaafar bin Hayyan Al-Asfahani, who died in the year 369 H. corresponding to 952 G.

This book contained an accurate description of all the clothes of Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, a description of all the tools he used, a minute description of his table manners, his drinks, sleep, entering, leaving, sitting, speech, laughter, tears, dialogue and the way he treated people.

There was also an accurate description of all the members of his body that were visible to his companions, and included an account of the mounts he used to ride and their names and other things, which we need not mention in this context.

Such information was not confined to one or two books. It occurs in hundreds of reliable books, whose authors are well known for their scientific rigor, truthfulness and honesty. I invite any one who wishes to consult these books. This justly confirms that we are here concerned with  a personality that is considered an open book in all its pages.”

She went on to say, “It is quite in order, in this context, that I quote some testimonies of my predecessors, who wrote on Prophet Muhammad, pbuh. Thus R. F. Bodley, the contemporary English author said, ‘We find that the story of Muhammad is abundantly clear.’[1]

History has pronounced its verdict on the life story of the Prophet, pbuh,  which story is far beyond legends and forgery. Claude Cahen, Professor of Islamic History at the University of Paris, said, ‘the personality of Muhammad has a historical character that is not found in the case of any other founder of other religions.’[2]

Prophet Muhammad lived in Mecca for more than fifty years, the major part of his life, and his enemies there were by far more numerous than his followers, and none of his enemies denied anything in his eventful life, or claimed that there were obscure pages therein.

History has recorded a dialogue between Abu Sufyan, Mecca’s leader and the notorious enemy of Muhammad, pbuh, before the former had embraced Islam, and the Roman Emperor, in which dialogue Abu Sufyan could not change any facts or change any data, for fear that history would record that he told lies before the Roman Emperor[3], because Muhammad’s life was too well known to be distorted or concealed.”

 “ The Second: The great many books that were written on his life story throughout 1400 years. There are hundreds of them; anyone can make use of the data-base at the University and benefit from the links connecting the University with other universities to ascertain the truthfulness of this fact. The number he finds may reach four digits, provided one is patient and willing to search. Moreover, if I did not dare to give a firm figure because I have no documented data, let me quote from the great historian, Durant, who said in his book on the Story of Civilization that ‘the stories reported of Muhammad may fill ten thousand volumes’[4].

An examination of these works will reveal that they have written at different times, places, and by various authors, with different approaches, but all of them contain almost the same facts.

Any difference between them is a matter of drafting, focus, expansion and analysis, as well as the attitude of each author towards these facts, all  of which relate to differences in opinion, and are not problematic in the majority of cases.”

“The third: The great number of followers round him. Reliable books which deal with the classification of men in terms of their character and reliability, and have had wide circulation, have mentioned that about ten thousand men have kept the company of Muhammad, pbuh, though this companionship varied in terms of duration and nature.

It is fortunate that Anas bin Malek, who kept the company of the Prophet, pbuh, for ten consecutive years, was the last companion to die. It is established that he died in 93 H., which means he lived almost 80 years after the death of the Prophet, pbuh. Moreover, his wife Aisha, his closest spouse, lived after him for almost 45 year, having died in 58 H.

There is also his cousin Abdullah bin Abbas, who was close to him, lived 55 years after his death and died in 68 H. There are many others who had ample opportunity to report on the life of the Prophet, pbuh - all that they remembered of him and saw of him, in addition to others whose number was in the thousands.

There is  no doubt that there was a great number of people round him, watching every minor or major thing in his life, even the most intimate aspects of a man’s life with his wife.

These details were reported in authentic traditions through uninterrupted,  reliable and trustworthy sources. Thanks to such reports all question marks regarding his life were removed.

This fact did not escape the professor of Islamic civilization, Professor Hamilton Jep, who said, ‘If it had not been for the traditions, Muhammad’s picture would have been , at least general if not remote , at least, in its historical and religious origins. These traditions have portrayed his human aspect, in an abundant collection of living and tangible details.’[5]

 This has also prompted the scholar Lora Vencia Vaglery to say, in his reference to the social and economic condition of prophets, ‘It would seem that we have no details of the daily life of Moses and Jesus, while we know everything on Muhammad’s family life.’[6]

A similar testimony is given by Monte, Professor of Oriental languages at the University of Geneva: ‘Rare are the reformers, the details of whose lives are known as those pertaining to Muhammad.’[7]

Such information is corroborated by the fact that they are reported by more than one source, and under various circumstances.

In light of the science of Isnad (attribution) and the science which scrutinizes men (ílm naqd al-rijaal), the like of which humanity has not known, nor do I pretend to have a wide knowledge of, those acquainted with the principles of these two sciences will be amazed to witness such scrupulous accuracy and impartiality that characterize them.

It is worth pointing out that the Arabs, the nation to whom Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, belongs, are well known for their strong memory among nations. Thus, the great historian George Zaidan, testifies to the strong memory of the Arabs and says that they have conserved, in addition to their annals, those of previous nations, such as those of the people of Áad and Thamud;[8] no wonder they have preserved the details of the life of their Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, who loved them and whom they loved, a love that has no parallel throughout history.”

“The Fourth: is that Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, has laid down for his followers a meticulous scientific methodology in the reporting of information. Thus he warned against lying, particularly in reporting facts concerning him, telling them: ‘He who reports lies about me shall occupy a place in hell.’[9] This is a severe warning by the Prophet, pbuh, to his followers, urging them to stick to accuracy and to admit only such information as is firmly established as being correct and true, and to shun conjectures, against which he also warns, saying, ‘Conjecture is the phoniest type of lying.’ [10]

There remains, dear audience, a fifth fact to complete the series of justifications. This relates to the nature of the life story of Prophet Muhammad, pbuh. A consideration of this life story will amply reveal its realism; it is easy for anyone to understand, accept and emulate, if they so desire, without feeling embarrassed or going against instinctive disposition, as is happening and witnessed in the hundreds of millions of Muslims, who follow on the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad, pbuh.

While this, for example, is not possible for the followers of Buddha, of whom there are hundreds of millions, the scanty information that has reached us on Buddha is confined to the facts that he was a prince living in a palace, that he had a wife and a son, that he abandoned his palace, leaving his wife and son alone, and wandered in the deserts and forests, until he died, a lonely ascetic.[11]

One may ask whether this culture of asceticism still prevails among the nations that believe in him among the Chinese, the Japanese and the Koreans. These nations have set up gigantic industrial states, which means that almost  none of them thinks of reviving this culture of asceticism, because following it would paralyze life  and take humanity back to centuries of primitive life.

I have come across a statement reported of Buddha, which I do not like his followers to hear from me in these major industrial states: ‘My Code is a universal blessing. It is like the sky; there is room in it for all people. However, it is difficult for the rich to follow its path.’[12]

Christ, pbuh, is well known for inviting people to practice tolerance, forgiveness and forbearance. He is reported to have said, while preaching to his followers: “You have heard the statement: ‘Any eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth,’ but I tell you not to resist evil, but rather, he who slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other cheek, as well; he who wishes to take your garment, let him have it as well; he who exploited you one mile, go with him two miles; he who asks you, give him; and he who wants to borrow from you, do not turn him down.”

“You have heard others say, ‘Love thy relative and hate thy enemy’, but I tell you: love thy enemy, bless those who curse you; be charitable towards those who hate you, and pray to those who wrong you and expel you.”

Dr. Adam gave a significant smile and asked the audience, “Which of the Western or Eastern states, have invariably adopted these teachings, or thought one day to partially apply them, even once in their long history, particularly towards their adversaries? We leave it to ancient and modern history to answer this question. But as far as we are concerned, we proceed with our lecture.

Let me point out, in this context, that these teachings of Christ, pbuh,   are not detrimental to his reputation and no one must criticize him on their account. No, and a thousand times no. This is because they emanated from Christ under special circumstances in order to deal with special circumstances. They are teachings springing from their environment, and were successful, at that time, in curbing injustice and revenge, and in restricting the evil among the Israelis in the midst of whom Christ was preaching.

Christ has also attempted to establish a balance in Roman society, in which he lived, for the culture of that society was confined to nurturing the body only at the expense of the spirit. It was a warlike and bloody culture, and it was this that prompted Christ to adopt such principles, which circumstances strongly called for. Hence, the followers of Christ did not assimilate these teachings and were unable to put them into practice.

I have read something interesting in this respect, which I propose to report to you. It was written by the great scholar Jameel Baiham, who wrote, “When, before the advent of Christ, moral chaos was exacerbated,  and reached alarming proportions as a result of the corruption that prevailed among both the Jews and the Romans, Christ came as a social reformer and not as a legislator, because neither the Jews nor the Romans lacked legislation. Hence, his message was a call for virtues and a warning against vices, and a promotion of love and peace.[13]

I am also impressed by statements that are appropriate in this context, which were made by the great scholar Sulaiman Al-Nadawi, who divided virtues into two categories: a negative category and a positive one.[14]

He said that secluding oneself from people is a negative virtue, because the person concerned does not harm any of them, but, at the same time, he does not offer any positive good. Moreover, forgiving the mistakes of people is also a negative virtue, but does not offer any positive good, such as giving advice and coming to the rescue of the wronged people. It must be pointed out that such virtues were propagated by reformers who antedated Prophet Muhammad pbuh.

In fact they lack universality and balance, which are clearly manifested in the character of Prophet Muhammad, pbuh,  as I shall soon demonstrate after a short break.

Dr. Adam was more than terrific. She delivered her lecture in full confidence, steadfastness and optimism. She looked happy in her exposition.

What contributed more to her happiness, is her feeling that the audience shared her feelings, and what made her even more pleased and amused was the statement by one who never missed any of her lectures, who said, “One of the five justifications you have touched on would have been enough to show the importance of the study of the life story of Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, but it seems you are keen on making us tired in listening, and yet, we greatly appreciate what you say. In any case, I hope you will stick to this method, which is both tiring and enjoyable.”

After the break, Dr. Adam began by saying:

“I have noticed a phenomenon, an aspect of which I have touched on a short while ago, namely, that the great figures we have considered had one distinctive quality that was associated with them and on account of which they won the respect of people and became famous. Thus Christ was tolerant, Buddha was ascetic, Alexander the Macedonian was strong, Aristotle was a philosopher, and none of them is known to have another distinctive attribute.

But what is really striking is the fact all these virtues, and others, converged in the person of Prophet Muhammad pbuh.

A consideration of the life story of this Prophet, and going through the pages of his life will certainly discover conclusive evidence that corroborate this fact. This fact I have reached after reading many and variegated books, which I approached, as much as possible without prejudices, though biased towards the true facts.

Prophet Muhammad, pbuh,   was the most courageous of men, the most forbearing, the most generous, the most ascetic. He was merciful, just, forgiving, sincere, continent, trustworthy, dignified, smiling, modest, unyielding in matters of principle, and at the same he was even more shy than an innocent young girl.

A reflective, analytic consideration of all these combined virtues that characterize the Prophet, pbuh, clearly indicates that the attribute of greatness is justified only when all of them are combined in a person, because fractional values cannot make greatness, nor can they contribute to the happiness of humanity.

This view has been reinforced when I recollected the views of certain specialists in ethics, to the effect that “Each virtue is reinforced by other virtues.”[15]

When a person combines all these virtues – which is the case in Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, one of these virtues stands out and comes to be associated with a person more than others. This fact is also established by the discipline of ethics. In this respect, the great scholar Draz says, “The human soul must practice all these virtues, before specializing in one of them[16] ,without such attribute predominating on other ones that weaken its effect and reduce its standing, so that all of them remain at their highest degrees, and the most perfect of their qualities.

Dr. Adam paused for a while and went on to say, “I have always been keen on making my lectures smoothly going and easily understood, unlike the academic lectures in the classes. However, it seems that, at times, we have no choice, in view of the nature of the subject. But I promise you to make abundant use of realistic stories and interesting and well established facts.

This being so, and it seems that it is so, at least on certain occasions, I shall do my best to make this lecture as brief as possible, lest the lectures should contribute to mutual oblivion. I shall end my lecture by dealing with an important matter that is closely linked to our subject, though I shall not elaborate too much in respect thereto. I refer to the motives underlying the cultivation of virtuous attributes.

Ethics scholars have considered this matter; and their overwhelming view was that these motives are material benefit, personal happiness, the environment, conscience or power.[17]

I do not intend to probe into these motives, in respect of their values and effect, and whether they are consistent or not. However, it would seem that the fact that Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, has combined all the virtues we have briefly outlined is attributed to prophethood.

This is because God Almighty is perfect and has all attributes of perfection, such as mercy, generosity, clemency, majesty, forgiveness, etc., and the Prophet is foremost among people to acquire such attributes of God Almighty. Thus the character of the Prophet is not tainted by mundane considerations, such as personal benefit, or his being affected by the environment, or the changes of circumstances.

R. F. Bodley was aware of this fact, without mentioning its cause. Thus he said, “I doubt whether there existed any man other than Muhammad whose external circumstances have so greatly changed, without himself being changed.[18]

Such consistency is easy to understand, when we remember that this greatness in all its aspects emanates from the spring of prophethood. Thus, although we conceded that before prophethood, Prophet Muhammad, pbuh,  was a noble person, of honorable and lofty character, yet the emergence of his greatness in his gathering all virtuous attributes in a unique balance in himself, was on account of the prophethood, as we have pointed out.

The foregoing perhaps explains, as well, why the virtues of Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, were enduring, everlasting, present at all times and valid everywhere. They were not relevant only to his own epoch and were not confined to the categories for whom they were relevant, and were not engendered by his environment.

These attributes and virtues were reflected in his actions more than in his words. This has made them accessible and familiar to people and capable of application.”

After a short break, Dr. Adam proceeded with her lecture, but having seen new faces in the hall that she may not have noticed at the beginning of the lecture, she said, “I thank the honorable audience for this perseverance and patience. Allow me to welcome the new faces in particular. It seems to me that, if I am not mistaken, I see them for the first time.

While welcoming them, I would like to draw their attention to the fact that our lectures are an interconnected series. Those who attend only some of them may not form an integrated conception of the subject we are dealing with. However, there are several means of making up.”

Dr. Adam was silent for a while; then she smiled to the audience and said, “I am thinking of availing you with the papers I am using, or at least those that contain texts and figures.” The audience rejoiced at this proposal, but she cautioned, “My proposal does not mean at all that you  can dispense with attendance, which is undoubtedly an optional matter, as you well know.”

“I have considered the attributes associated with the Prophet and found that they were quite numerous. Thus there is no sublime attribute in which he does not excel. This conclusion may have caused me some difficulty, because I am inclined to highlight an attribute that distinguished the Prophet, among all the attributes, though we have admitted in a previous lecture that they are all a characteristic of him. But what I mean, here, is an attribute that was more conspicuous than others.

“If anyone should ask why look for one particular attribute to discuss, I say that our approach is to trace, document and analyze information, which takes quite a lot of effort and plenty of time. Hence, it would not be possible to consider all the attributes of Prophet Muhammad pbuh. Moreover, the aim of these lectures is to determine one particular attribute, if possible, which, if mentioned, Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, is remembered, and if he is mentioned, then such attribute comes to our mind as well.

“I was expecting – on the basis of the exposition in the previous lecture – that I will be able to put my finger on such an attribute. I am pleased to tell you that it seems to me that I have realized what I wanted. This attribute is that of mercy, whose exponents are seen encompassing humanity now and in the past. This is the attribute that is characteristic of Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, and which colored the majority of the other attributes. Following are more details and analysis, and I hope that I will not burden you.

“I have followed three paths in searching for and grasping this attribute, and in setting it apart from the other attributes, namely:

The First: Contemplative search in the Holy Qur’an, in which I hoped to find what I was looking for, and was not disappointed. Thus God Almighty has ascribed this attribute to Himself in many verses, and has derived from its root two of His names, which occurred in many verses. Examples are: Praise be to God, the Sustainer of the worlds, the Merciful the Compassionate (Al-FatiHah (1-2), and so in the verses: Verily God is Most Merciful, Most Compassionate to people. Another verse: Yet, thy Sustainer is limitless in His forgiveness, full of mercy (Al-Kahf, 58)

In the aforementioned verses, God Almighty has stressed his attribute of mercy and named Himself as Most Merciful, Most Compassionate, as a bounty and mercy to mankind. In other verses, He says: “Is it they who would portion out the Mercy of thy Lord. It is We Who portion out between them their livelihood in the life of this world; and We raise some of them above others in ranks, so that some may demand work from others. But the Mercy of thy Lord is better than the wealth which they amass. (Al-Zukhrof, 32).

Some exegesists of the Qur’an said, “Wht is meant by Mercy here is the Prophethood and  the Revelation. This is reflected in the following verse: “And thou hadst not expected the Book would be sent to thee except as a Mercy from thy Lord. Therefore, lend thou not support in any way to those who reject (Allah’s Message) (Al-Qassas, 86).

“It is appropriate that I quote the view of an exegesist, to confirm this view and assure ourselves of his view. The great exegesist, Al-Shanqiti, said, ‘It is immediately apparent that what is meant by the Mercy of thy Lord is the Prophethood and the Revelation; referring to them as Mercy in the Qur’an occurs frequently.”[19]

Moreover, the Qur’an described Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, in the Qur’an as being characterized by the attribute of mercy, as follows: “Now has come unto you a messenger from amongst yourselves; it grieves him that you suffer, ardently anxious is he over you, to the believers is he most kind and merciful (Al-Tawbah, 128). Indeed Allah Almighty has considered Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, mercy itself: “We sent thee not but as mercy to all creatures (Al-Anbiyaa’, 107).

This exposition must have impressed on you the dazzling harmony of these attributes. Thus he Merciful God has sent down a religion that abounds in mercy towards His creatures. It was natural for the one who preaches this religion to be a merciful person. Such person was Prophet Muhammad pbuh.

I do not blame some who consider my words as impressionistic and emotional. I must point out that, before preparing these lectures, I had taken a neutral, unbiased attitude when such matters were brought up and I often used to remain silent unless I had evident proofs that corroborate my beliefs. I hope to succeed in this task and then I leave it to you to make your own judgment.

This quality of mercy is appropriate for the realization of God’s purpose in sending the Apostle with this religion. Thus He has sent one who is innately merciful and, hence, he was a mercy from God to humanity in implementing His Shari’ah.[20]

In this context, I have noticed that God Almighty did not describe any of His prophets as merciful, except Prophet Muhammad, pbuh. Thus the Holy Qur’an has mentioned twenty four prophets and described them as possessing the most beautiful and perfect attributes and spoke highly of them wherever mention was made of them, but none of them was described as merciful, despite their other virtuous attributes.

In His wisdom, God has vested Prophet Muhammad alone with the quality of mercy, although all God’s prophets were full of mercy in dealing with their people and were keen on planting faith in them. However, my talk here is about that very same attribute of mercy.

The second path: it is related to a consideration of the life story of Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, of his sayings and guidance. But more details on this subject will be given in future lectures. What I would like to say here is that the attribute of mercy was manifested in all that emanated from the Prophet, be it his statements or deeds. It is the attribute manifested in all attributes and overwhelms and guides them. Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, used to manifest this attribute in every move and thing he did, as he said of himself, “I am but a gift of mercy,”[21] and I have no doubt whatsoever that when he made that statement he was thinking of God’s words: “We did not send thee but as a mercy to all creatures.” (Al-Anbiyaa, 107).

The third path: it may look somehow cute and different from the preceding paths. Thus I have asked the students, to whom I teach the philosophy of ethics, to consider the attributes of Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, and that each of them should determine the attribute they think more apparent than others.

I was extremely pleased when about 60% had chosen the attribute of mercy. As to those who had chosen an attribute other than that of mercy, such as the attribute of modesty, or benevolence towards others, they had not gone far from the attribute of mercy, because this attribute  is closely linked to the attributes they had chosen.

Mercy is associated either with the motives of courage, as true mercy, which is not out of place, emanates only from those who possess courage. It is manifested in benevolence to others and treating them with modesty or forgiving them.

This view is corroborated by the definitions given, by scholars, to this attribute, although I do not wish to address and follow these definitions critically in such lectures – as the definition which states that “Mercy is an emotional condition that is felt by those who are tender hearted, and is a beginning of benevolence.”[22] The clearest and the easiest definition is that: “it is a tenderness that a creature finds in his heart that prompts him to be sympathetic and benevolent towards others, to console them and to alleviate their suffering.”[23] It is the mercy that is appropriately applied as a description to a person.

However, I have come across a definition by Ibn Al-Qayyem, which says, “Mercy is an attribute that requires the bringing of benefits and interests to a person, though against his will. Such is true mercy. The most merciful of people is he who compels himself to protect your interest and guards you against harm.[24]

Ibn Al-Qayyem has added another dimension to the concept of mercy, as you see, i.e. it means practicing mercy on those one loves, even if such one does not like that, as in the case of a doctor with his patient, particularly dentists. Every one of us has a story to tell about dentists.

Before ending her lecture, Dr. Adam, contrary to her habit, asked the audience, after thanking them for their attendance and attentive listening, if they wish to make any suggestion or express a particular view point, before proceeding with her lecture and said, “But allow me to put forwards a suggestion before you, namely, that as of now we shall use, in talking about Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, the term ‘The Prophet of Mercy’ and I believe that you agree and your conviction will grow more and more.”

A member of the audience stood up and said, “We appreciate this suggestion of yours. We had a discussion about the causes of misunderstanding the life story of the Prophet of mercy, pbuh, on the part of non-Muslims, particularly in Western countries in general, and we strongly hope to hear the view of our illustrious lecturer on the subject. We are encouraged to make this request by the fact that one who had participated with us in the discussion on the subject, told us that he had heard something on the subject, in one of your previous interventions.

Dr Adam welcomed the suggestion and the audience took it that she had something to say on the matter. In fact, she told the audience that she would try her best to talk on the subject at the beginning of the next lecture.