Muhammad the Greatest

موضوع: Muhammad the Greatest الثلاثاء 27 يوليو 2010, 5:15 pm

_________________

قولوا: لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله
اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد وعلى آل سيدنا محمد

Muhammad the Greatest

by
Ahmed Deedat

Chapter
1

"And most certainly, thou (O Muhammad)
are of most sublime and exalted character." (Holy Qur’ân, 68:4)

How
the Topic Arose

About ten years ago, a distant cousin of mine - Mr.
Mohamed Mehtar Farooki gave me a typed quotation by the French historian,
Lamartine. The quotation [A detailed exposition of the quotation will be found
on page 38] purported to prove that Muhammad (pbuh), the Prophet of Islam, was
the greatest man that ever lived. Mr. Mehtar was in the habit of passing
information on to me, believing that I might put the same to some good use at
the proper time and place. Before this he had presented me with "The
Call of the Minaret," an expensive book written by (Bishop Kenneth
Cragg). By analysing this book I discovered the masterful deceit of the
Christian Orientalists. Lamartine's tribute to our prophet inspired me and I
had a great desire to share his thoughts about our Nabi with my Muslim
brethren. The opportunity to do so was not long in coming.

I received a phone call from the Muslim community
in Dannhauser, a small town in Northern Natal, who were
organising a birthday celebration of the Holy Prophet. They invited me to give
a lecture on that auspicious occasion. So I deemed it an honour and a privilege,
I readily agreed. When they inquired, in view of their advertising needs, as to
the subject of my lecture, I suggested on the inspiration from Lamartine, "Muhammad
(pbuh) the Greatest."

REPEATED LET-DOWNS

On my arrival in Dannhauser, I noticed a lot of
posters advertising the meeting which in essence said that Deedat would be
lecturing on the subject "MUHAMMAD THE GREAT" I was somewhat
disheartened and, on inquiring was told that the change in the title was due to
a printer's error.

Some two months later, I got another, similar
invitation. This time from the Muslim community of Pretoria the
administrative capital of South Africa. The subject I
had mooted was the same - "Muhammad (pbuh) the Greatest." To my dismay the
topic was again changed to "MUHAMMAD THE GREAT." Identical reasons
and excuses were given. Both these incidences happened in South Africa, my own country.
But, let me give you one more example of our inferiority complex - so much part
of the sickness of the Ummah.

USA
NO DIFFERENT

On my lecture tour of the mighty United States in 1977, I
discovered that our soldiers in the New World also had feet of
clay. Out of the many sad experiences I have had, I think that this one will
suffice to prove the point. The Muslims of Indianapolis were advised to
organise a lecture for me on the subject "What the Bible says about
Muhammad (pbuh)" They agreed to advertise just that, but their timidity did not permit
them to do so. They thought the topic was too provocative, so they, in their
wisdom (?), toned it down to "A PROPHET IN THE BIBLE." A lifeless,
insipid title you will no doubt agree. Which Hindu, Muslim, Christian or Jew
would be intrigued to attend? What does "A PROPHET" mean? To most A
PROPHET means ANY PROPHET, and who would be interested in attending a meeting
where just any prophet in the Bible was debated? Job, Joel, Jonah, Ezra,
Elisha, Ezekiel are just a few of the many mentioned in the Bible. As was to be
expected the attendance left much to be desired.

INFERIORITY COMPLEX

What is the cause of this sickness? This
inferiority complex? "Yes!" We are an emasculated people. Dynamism
has been wringed out of us, not only by our enemies but by our own spiritless
friends. We even dare not repeat Allah's Own testimony regarding his beloved
- And Most Certainly, Thou (O Muhammad) Are of most sublime And Exalted
Character. (Holy Qur’ân 68:4)

THE MOST INFLUENTIAL

Normally, it is quite, natural for anyone to love,
praise, idolize or hero-worship ones leader, be it a guru, saint or prophet:
and very often we do.

However, if I were to reproduce herewhat
great Muslims have said or written about our illustrious prophet, it could be
played down as exaggeration, fancy or idolization by the sceptics and the
opponents of Islam. Therefore, allow me to quote unbiased historians, friendly
critics and even avowed enemies of that mighty Messenger of God - Muhammad (peace
be upon him). If the tributes of the non-Muslims do not touch your hearts, then
you are in the wrong faith. Opt out of Islam! There is already too much deadwood
on the "ship" of Islam.

In recent times, a book has been published in America titled "The
100," or the Top One hundred, or the Greatest Hundred in History. A
certain Michael H. Hart, described as a historian, mathematician and astronomer
has written this novel book. He has searched history, seeking for men who had
the greatest influence on mankind. In this book he gives us The hundred most
influential men, including Asoka, Aristotle, Buddha, Confucius, Hitler, Plato,
and Zoroaster. He does not give us a mere chart of the topmost "one
hundred" from the point of view of their influence on people, but
he evaluates the degree of their influence and rates them in order of their
excellence from No. 1, through to No. 100. He gives us his reasons for the placing
of his candidates. We are not asked to agree with him, but we cannot help
admire the man's research and honesty.

The most amazing thing about his selection is that
he has put our Nabi-e-Kareem, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as
No. 1,the first of his "100!" Thus confirming,
unknowingly, God's Own testimony in His Final Revelation to the World:

"MOST CERTAINLY, YOU HAVE IN THE
MESSENGER OF ALLAH AN EXCELLENT PATTERN (OF BEHAVIOUR)" (Holy Qur’ân
33:21)

JESUS (PBUH) No. 3!

Hart placing the Prophet of Islam as No. 1, has naturally
pleased the Muslims. But his choice as shocked the Non-Muslims, more specially
the Jews and the Christians, who consider this as an affront. What? Jesus (peace
be upon him) No. 3 and Moses (peace be upon him) No. 40! This is for them very
difficult to stomach, but what says Hart? Let us hear his arguments –

SINCE THERE ARE ROUGHLY TWICE[The
latest estimate is that there are one thousand million Muslims in the world and
one thousand two hundred million Christians] AS MANY CHRISTIANS IN THE WORLD,
IT MAY INITIALLY SEEM STRANGE THAT MUHAMMAD HAS BEEN RANKED HIGHER THAN JESUS.
THERE ARE TWO PRINCIPAL REASONS FOR THAT DECISION.

FIRST, MUHAMMAD PLAYED A FAR MORE IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE
EVELOPMENT OF ISLAM THAN JESUS DID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHRISTIANITY. ALTHOUGH
JESUS WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MAIN ETHICAL AND MORAL PRECEPTS OF CHRISTIANITY
(INSOFAR AS THESE DIFFERED FROM JUDAISM), ST. PAUL WAS THE MAIN
DEVELOPER OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY, ITS PRINCIPAL

PROSELYTIZER, AND THE AUTHOR OF A LARGE PORTION OF
THE NEW TESTAMENT.

MUHAMMAD, HOWEVER, WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR BOTH THE
THEOLOGY OF ISLAM AND ITS MAIN ETHICAL AND MORAL PRINCIPLES. IN ADDITION, HE
PLAYED THE KEY ROLE IN PROSELYTIZING THE NEW FAITH, AND IN ESTABLISHING THE
RELIGIOUS PRACTICES OF ISLAM.

Michael H. Hart in his book - "THE
100"-pages 38/39

PAUL THE FOUNDER OF CHRISTIANITY

According to Hart, the honor for founding
Christianity is to be shared between Jesus (peace be upon him) and St. Paul. The latter he
believes to be the real founder of Christianity.

I cannot help agreeing with Hart. Out of the total
of 27 Books of the New Testament, more than half is authored by Paul. As
opposed to Paul, the Master has not written a single word of the twenty-seven
books. If you can lay your hands on what is called "'A Red Letter
Bible," you will find every word alleged to have been uttered by Jesus (peace
be upon him) - in red ink and the rest in normal black ink. Don't be shocked to
find that in this so called "Injeel," the Gospel of Jesus, over
ninety percent of the 27 Books of the New Testament is printed in black ink!

This is the candid Christian confession on
what they call the "Injeel." In actual any confrontation with
Christian missionaries, you will find them quoting one hundred percent from
Paul.

NO ONE FOLLOWS JESUS (PBUH) Jesus (peace be upon
him) said, "If you love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15)

He said further, Whosoever
therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach
men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven . .
." (Matthew 5:19)

Every Christian controversialist asks you question,
"Do you keep the laws and the commandments?" will answer,
"No!" If you ask further, "Why don't you?" He will if he is
a Bible-thumper, invariably reply, "The law is nailed to the cross!"
Meaning the law is done away with. "We are now living under grace!"

Every time you prod him with what his Lord and
Master (pbuh) had said, he will confront you with something from Cornithians,
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, etc. If you ask, "Who are they?"
You will hear, 'Paul, Paul, and Paul!" "Who is your master?" you
question, and he will say, "Jesus!" But he will ever and anon
contradict his own Jesus (pbuh) by his Paul!

No learned Christian will ever dispute the fact
that the real founder of Christianity is St. Paul. Therefore,
Michael H. Hart to be fair, had to place Jesus (peace be upon him), in slot
number three. WHY PROVOKE YOUR CUSTOMER? This placing of Christ in the number
three spot by Michael H. Hart poses a very serious question for us. Why would
an American publish a book of 572 pages in America and selling in America for $15 each, go
out of his way to provoke his potential readers? Who will buy his books?
Surely, not the Pakistanis and the Bangladeshis, neither the Arabs nor the
Turks! Except for a few copies here and there, the overwhelming number of his
customers will be from the 250 million Christians and the 6 million Jews of
America. Then why did he provoke his customers? Did he not hear the dictum -
"the customer is always right!" Of course he did. Then
why his daring choice. But before I close this episode of Hart, I will allow
him to make his one last apology for his "temerity."

"MY CHOICE OF MUHAMMAD TO LEAD THE
LIST OF THE WORLD'S MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS MAY SURPRISE SOME READERS AND MAY
BE QUESTIONED BY OTHERS, BUT HE WAS THE ONLY MAN IN HISTORY WHO WAS SUPREMELY
SUCCESSFUL ON BOTH THE RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR LEVEL." Michael H. Hart
"The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History",
New York: Hart Publishing
Company, Inc., 1978, p.33.

WHO WERE HISTORY'S GREAT LEADERS

TIME, JULY 15, 1974

The world famous "Time" carried the above
rubic on its front cover. Inside the magazine were numerous essays as to 'What
makes a great leader?' 'Throughout history, who qualifies?'
TIME asked a variety of historians, writers, military men, businessmen and
others for their selections. Each gave his candidate according to his
"light" as objectively as is humanly possible, depending on one's own
awareness and prejudice.

WHO KNOWS DR. SALAZAR?

It is my habit and pleasurable duty to take
non-Muslims on a guided tourof the largest mosque in the Southern
Hemisphere - "The Jumma Masjid" Durban.

On one occasion I was hosting a Portuguese couple,
a husband and wife team. At some stage during the discussion the Portuguese
gentleman said that "Dr. Salazar was the greatest man in the
world!" I did not debate the point with him as I personally knew
little about Dr. Salazar except that he was a one time dictator of Portugal
albeit to many a great benefactor to his nation. My poor visitor was, however,
speaking according to his own knowledge, point of view and prejudice.

MUHAMMAD (PEACE BE UPON HIM) CAN NOT BE IGNORED!

Among the contributors to the "Time,"
it seems that none could ignore Muhammad (peace be upon him).

WILLIAM McNEILL, a United States historian, of
the University of Chicago, records:

"IF YOU MEASURE LEADERSHIP BY
IMPACT, THEN YOU WOULD HAVE TO NAME JESUS, BUDDHA, MUHAMMAD, CONFUCIUS, THE
GREAT PROPHETS OF THE WORLD ..."

McNeill does not go into details, nor does he give
us any explanation as to why he placed Jesus (peace be upon him) first and
Muhammad (peace be upon him) number three. Perhaps it was by force of habit. It
is very likely that McNeill is a Christian. However, we will not argue with
him. Then comes -

JAMES GAVIN, described as a United States army man, a
retired lieutenant general. He says - "AMONG LEADERS WHO HAVE MADE THE
GREATEST IMPACT THROUGH AGES, I WOULD CONSIDER MUHAMMAD, JESUS CHRIST, MAYBE
LENIN, POSSIBLY MAO. AS FOR A LEADER WHOSE QUALITIES WE COULD MOST USE NOW, I
WOULD CHOOSE JOHN F. KENNEDY."

The General does not say much more, yet we have to
salute him. It calls for tremendous fortitude to pen the name Muhammad before
that of Christ (peace be upon them both). It surely, was no slip of the pen.

JULES MASSERMAN, United States psychoanalyst
and professor of the Chicago University, gives us,
unlike the other contributors, the basis for making his selection. He gives us
his reason for choosing his greatest LEADER of all times. He wants us to find
out, what we are really looking for in the man, the qualities that sets him
apart. We may be looking for any sets of qualities. As in the case of Michael
H. Hart, he was looking for a person wielding the MOST Influence.¹

However, Masserman does not want us to depend on
our fancies or prejudices: he wants to establish objective standards for
judging, before we confer greatness upon anybody.

He says that "Leaders must fulfill three
functions--"

No. 1 THE LEADER MUST PROVIDE FOR THE WELL-BEING OF
THE LEAD...

The leader, whoever he is, must be interested in
your welfare. He must not be looking for milking cows for his own greed like
the Rev. Jim Jones of Jonestown, Guyana, of the
"Suicide Cult" fame. You will remember him as the man who committed
suicide together with 910 of his followers, all at the same time EN MASSE!

The United States Government was on his trail and
he was on the verge of being caught for certain felonies. But before they could
apprehend him, he thought it wise to eliminate himself, together with all his
followers, so that no one would be left to testify against him. He laced
lemonade with cynide and inspired his devotees to drink it, and so they did and
they all died in disgrace! In the meantime, it was discovered that the Rev. Jim
Jones had salted away fifteen million dollars and stacked it in his own account
in banks throughout the world. All his victims were his milking cows and he was
exploiting them to satisfy his own lust and greed. Masserman's hero must be
found to benefit his sheep, his flock, and not himself.

No. 2 THE LEADER OR WOULD BE LEADER MUST PROVIDE A
SOCIAL ORGANIZATION IN WHICH PEOPLE FEEL RELATIVELY SECURE...

Unlike the Marxist, the Facist, the Nazi, the
Neo-Nazi the Ashkenazi,[The Jews from Germany, Central Europe
and Eastern Europe, mostly from Russia who are in
unlawful occupation of Palestine. There is
something prophetic in the name itself - the Jews are doing to the people of
the occupied territories exactly what the Nazis did to them. What an irony!]the Zionist, and their fellow-travellers, Professor Masserman, in his
brief essay in the TIME magazine, did not spell this out. But his beliefs and
feelings are abundantly clear. He is in search of a Leader, who will provide a
social order free of self, and greed and racism: for all these "isms"
carry within them the seeds of their own destruction.

There's still with us much sorrow and sin, Injustice,
Oppression, wrong and hate. Still does Arrogance deaden Conscience Rob struggling
souls of e'en the crumbs Of Pity, and make, of loathsome flesh And crumbling
dust, fair-seeming Idols For worship. Still does Ignorance blow A mighty Horn
and try to shame True Wisdom. Still do men drive Slaves,

- -
Protesting smoothly the end of Slavery! Still does Greed devour the substance
Of helpless ones within her power. Nay, more, - -

the fine Individual Voice Is smothered in the
raucous din Of groups and Crowds that madly shout What they call Slogans New, -
- Old Falsehoods long discredited ... Abdullah Yusuf Ali

No. 3 THAT THIS LEADER MUST PROVIDE HIS PEOPLE WITH
ONE SET OF BELIEFS

It is easy to talk of the Fellowship of Faith and
the Brotherhood of Man, but in South Africa today, there are
a thousand different sects and denominations among the Whites (people of
European descent) and three thousand among the Blacks (of African descent). The
White Churches in my country are Spawning "Black" Bishops, fast, but
in the first three hundred years of European conquest, they did not produce a
single Black Bishop. Even now, the Black, the White, the Colored and the Indian
cannot pray together in most of the Dutch Reformed Churches. The hatred between
the Christian sects was aptly described by the Christian Emperor Julian, who
said: "NO WILD BEASTS ARE SO HOSTILE TO MAN AS CHRISTIAN SECTS IN GENERAL
ARE TO ONE ANOTHER." Syed Amir Ali in his "Spirit of Islam,"-
page 1 ii.

With the foregoing three standards, Masserman searches
history and analyses Louis Pasteur, Salk, Gandhi, Confucius, Alexander the
Great, Caesar, Hitler, Buddha, Jesus and the rest;finally coming to
the conclusion that - PERHAPS THE GREATEST LEADER OF ALL TIMES WAS MUHAMMED,
WHO COMBINED ALL THREE FUNCTIONS. (and) TO A LESSER DEGREE, MOSES DID THE SAME

We cannot help marveling at Masserman, that as a
Jew he condescends to scrutinize even Adolf Hitler, the arch-enemy of his
people. He considers Hitler to be a great leader. His race, the mighty German nation
of 90 million people, was ready to march to destiny or destruction at his
behest. Alas, he lead them to ruin. Hitler is not the question. The question is
why would Masserman, as an American Jew, a paid servant of the Government
proclaim to his countrymen of over two hundred million Jews and Christians that
not Jesus, not Moses but Muhammad was "The greatest
Leader of all times!" ACCOUNT FOR THAT!

WHAT SAY THE SCEPTICS?

Michael H. Hart put Muhammad No. 1 on his list and
his own Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (pbuh) No. 3. Why? -"He was
bribed!"(?) William McNeill considers Muhammad as worthy of honour in
his list of the first three names of his. Why? "He was bribed!"
(?) James Gavin puts Muhammad (peace be upon him) before Christ (peace be upon
him). Why? "He was bribed!" (?) James Masserman adjudges
Muhammad (peace be upon him) No. 1 and his own hero Moses (peace be upon him) a
close second. Why? "He was bribed!" (?) "ARE
WE TO SUPPOSE THAT ALL THE GLOWING ADULATION OF MUHAMMAD (PEACE BE UPON HIM)
WAS A MISERABLE PIECE OF INTELLECTUAL LEGERDEMAIN, HOCUS POCUS . . . I, FOR MY
PART, CANNOT FORM ANY SUCH SUPPOSITION ... ONE WOULD BE ENTIRELY AT A LOSS WHAT
TO THINK OF MANKIND AT ALL IF QUACKERY SO GREW AND FLOURISHED IN THE
WORLD."¹

Yet the scoffers bemoan anyone who has anything
good to say about Muhammad (peace be upon him) or Islam AS HAVING BEEN BRIBED
by the Arabs! They are giving too much credit to my brethren. I repeat: "It
is possible, but it is improbable!"

During the Second World War, Norway produced only
one "Quisling." He was tried for treason and executed. It is unlikely
that America and the Western
world have just reached puberty to spawn a breed of Quislings nurtured by hot
petrodollars from the Middle East. Please do not
demean your honest, courageous men, who without fear or favour are prepared to
suffer obloquy for their convictions. We must all admire them! We can now
justifiably conclude that the God of Mercy, Who forever recognises the sincere
efforts of His servants, is only fulfilling His Promise to Muhammad (peace be upon
him), His Chosen Messenger -

"AND HAVE WE NOT RAISED HIGH THE
ESTEEM (IN WHICH) THOU (ARE HELD)?" (Holy Qur’ân 94:4)

Alternative renderings:

(a)
Have We not exalted thy fame?

(b)
And have We not raised thy name for thee?

(c)
Have We not given you high renown?

Friends and foes alike, as if by some secret
compulsion are made to pay unsolicited tributes to this mighty Messenger of
God. But the Almighty commanders even the devil into His service, as He had
done in the time of Jesus (peace be upon him), (Matthew 4:1 -11). Even the
devil sometimes speaks Gospel truths. Professor K. S. Ramakrishna Rao, a Hindu
philosopher in his book "MUHUMMED - The Prophet of Islam",
quotes the arch-devil himself, yes, Adolf Hitler, to prove the unique greatness
of Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Professor, like Jules Masserman who had
evaluated the Prophet of Islam on three grounds (see appendix "C" on
page 63) also saw in Hitler's "Mein Kamp!" a three faceted
jewel, a rare commodity which he found in our hero under discussion. Quoting
Hitler, he says:

"A GREAT THEORIST IS SELDOM A GREAT
LEADER. AN AGITATOR IS FAR MORE LIKELY TO POSSESS THESE QUALITIES. HE WILL
ALWAYS BE A BETTER LEADER. FOR, LEADERSHIP MEANS THE ABILITY TO MOVE MASSES OF
MEN. THE TALENT TO PRODUCE IDEAS HAS NOTHING IN COMMON WITH THE CAPACITY FOR
LEADERSHIP." HITLER CONTINUES, "THE UNION OF
THE THEORIST, ORGANISER, AND LEADER IN ONE MAN IS THE
RAREST PHENOMENON ON THIS EARTH; THEREIN CONSISTS GREATNESS." PROFESSOR
RAO CONCLUDES, IN HIS OWN WORDS, "IN THE PERSON OF THE PROPHET
OF ISLAM THE WORLD HAS SEEN THIS RAREST PHENOMENON ON EARTH, WALKING
IN FLESH AND BLOOD."

SHARE THE ANGER

Before anyone assails the Professor of undue bias
and "bribery," let me give them a few more names of admirers of
Muhammad (peace be upon him).

1. "MUHUMMAD WAS THE SOUL OF KINDNESS,
AND HIS INFLUENCE WAS FELT AND NEVER FORGOTTEN BY THOSE AROUND HIM." A Hindu scholar
- Diwan Chand Sharma in his "The Prophets of the East," Calcutta 1935, p. 122.

2. "FOUR YEARS AFTER THE DEATH OF
JUSTINIAN, A.D. 569, WAS BORN AT MAKKAH, IN ARABIA THE MAN WHO, OF ALL MEN
EXERCISED THE GREATEST INFLUENCE UPON THE HUMAN RACE ... MUHAMMAD ..." John William
Draper, M.D., LLD., in his "A History of the lntellectual
Development of Europe",- London 1875.

3. "I DOUBT WHETHER ANY MAN WHOSE
EXTERNAL CONDITIONS CHANGED SO MUCH EVER CHANGED HIMSELF LESS TO MEET
THEM." R. V. C. Bodley in "The Messenger,"- London 1946, p.9.

4. "I
HAVE STUDIED HIM - THE WONDERFUL MAN - AND IN MY OPINION FAR FROM BEING AN
ANTI-CHRIST, HE MUST BE CALLED THE SAVIOUR OF HUMANITY." George Bernard
Shaw, in "The Genuine Islam,- Vol. 1, No. 81936.

5. "BY
A FORTUNE ABSOLUTELY UNIQUE IN HISTORY, MUHAMMAD IS A THREEFOLD FOUNDER OF A
NATION, OF AN EMPIRE, AND OF A RELIGION." R. Bosworth-Smith in "Muhammad
and Muhammadanism".- 1946.

6. "MUHAMMAD
WAS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL OF ALL RELIGIOUS PERSONALITIES." Encyclopedia
Britannica, 11th Edition

Chapter
2

FROM THE HISTORICAL PAST

It is not difficult to reproduce a further dozen or
more eulogies by the admirers and critics of Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Despite all their objectivity, jaundiced minds can always conjure up some
aspersions. Let me take my readers deep down in past history

It was Friday the 8th of May, 1840, that is about a
hundred and fifty years ago, at a time when it was a sacrilege to say anything
good about Muhammad (peace be upon him), and the Christian West was rained to
hate the man Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his religion, the same way as
dogs were at one stage trained in my country to hate all black people. At that
time in history, Thomas Carlyle, one of the greatest thinkers of the past
century delivered a series of lectures under the theme - "Heroes and
Hero-worship."

DEVELOPED SICKNESS

Carlyle exposed this blind prejudice of his people
at the beginning of his talk. He made reference to one of the literary giants a
Dutch scholar and statesman, by the name of Hugo Grotius,[From
page 57 of the book - "On Heroes Hero-worship and the Heroic in
History" by Thomas Carlyle, London 1959.] who had written
a bitter and abusive invective against the prophet of Islam. He had falsely
charged that the Holy Prophet had trained pigeons to pick out peas from his
ears, so that he could by this trick bluff his people that the Holy Ghost in
the shape of a dove was revealing God's
Revelation to him, which he then had them recorded in his Bible the Qur’ân.
Perhaps Grotius was inspired into this fairy-tale from his reading of his own
Holy Scriptures: 'Then, Jesus, when he had been baptized (by John the Baptist
in the Jordan River), came up immediately from the water; and behold, the
heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God Descending Like A Dove
and alighting upon him. (Emphasis added) Matthew 3:16

WHERE'S THE AUTHORITY

Pococke, another respected intellectual of the
time, like "doubting Thomas" (John 20:25), wanted proof about
Muhammad (peace be upon him), the pigeons, and the peas? Grotius answered "THAT
THERE WAS NO PROOF!" He just felt like inventing this story for his
audience. To him and his audience the "pigeons and peas" theory was
more plausible than that of the Archangel dictating to
Muhammad (peace be upon him). These falsities wringed the heart of Carlyle. He
cried: "THE LIES, WHICH WELL-MEANING ZEAL HAS HEAPED ROUND THIS
MAN, ARE DISGRACEFUL TO OURSELVES ONLY." Thomas Carlyle

THE HERO PROPHET

Carlyle was a man of genius and God gifted him with
the art of articulation. In his own way, he wanted to put the records straight.
He planned to deliver a lecture and he chose a very provocative topic "The
hero as Prophet." and he chose this hero-prophet to be the most
maligned man of his time, "MUHAMMAD (PBUH)!" Not Moses, David,
Solomon, or Jesus but Muhammad!To placate his overwhelming Anglican
(belonging to the Church of England) fellow countrymen, he apologised - "AS
THERE IS NO DANGER OF OUR BECOMING, ANY OF US, MAHOMETANS, I MEAN TO SAY ALL
THE GOOD OF HIM I JUSTLY CAN."

In other words he, as well as his elite audience
were free from the fear of converting to Islam, and could take a chance in
paying some compliments to Muhammad (peace be upon him). If he had any fears
regarding the strength of their faith, he would not have taken that chance. In
an era of hatred and spite towards evernhing Islamic and to an audience full of
scepticism and cynicism, Carlyle unfolded many a glowing truth about his hero -
Muhammad (peace be upon him). To the praise-worthy," indeed be praise. For
that is what the very name Muhammad means - the Praised One - the Praiseworthy.
There are times when Carlyle uses words and expressions, which might not be too
pleasing to the believing Muslim, but one has to forgive him as he was walking
a cultural tightrope, and he succeeded eminently. He Paid our hero many ardent
and enthusiastic tribute, and defended him from the false charges and calumnies
of his enemies, exactly as the Prophet had done in the case of Jesus (peace be upon
him) and his mother.

HIS SINCERITY

l a. "THE GREAT MAN'S SINCERITY IS OF
THE KIND HE CANNOT SPEAK OF: NAY, I SUPPOSE, HE IS CONSCIOUS RATHER OF
INSINCERITY; FOR WHAT MAN CAN WALK ACCURATELY BY THE LAW OF TRUTH FOR ONE DAY?
NO, THE GREAT MAN DOES NOT BOAST HIMSELF SINCERE, FAR FROM THAT; PERHAPS DOES
NOT ASK HIMSELF IF HE IS SO: I WOULD SAY RATHER, HIS SINCERITY DOES NOT DEPEND
ON HIMSELF: HE CANNOT HELP BEING SINCERE!" Heros and Hero-Worship, p.59

b. "A SILENT GREAT SOUL, HE WAS ONE OF
THOSE WHO CANNOT BUT BE IN EARNEST, WHOM NATURE HERSELF HAS APPOINTED TO BE
SINCERE. WHILE OTHERS WALK IN FORMULAS AND HEARSAYS, CONTENTED ENOUGH TO DWELL
THERE, THIS MAN COULD NOT SCREEN HIMSELF IN FORMULAS; HE WAS ALONE WITH HIS OWN
SOUL AND THE REALITY OF THINGS . . . SUCH SINCERITY, AS WE NAMED IT, HAS IN
VERY TRUTH SOMETHING OF DIVINE. THE WORD OF SUCH A MAN IS A VOICE DIRECT FROM
NATURE'S OWN HEART. MEN DO AND MUST LISTEN TO THAT AS TO NOTHING ELSE, - - -
ALL ELSE IS WIND IN COMPARISON." Heros and Hero-Worship, p.71

In his lengthy speech, Carlyle did not have the
opportunity to inform his audience about the sources of his inferences. I may
furnish just one incident from the life of the Prophet. An incidence which
reflects the highest degree of his sincerity in recording a Revelation in the
Holy Qur’ân even if it seems to reprove him for some natural and human zeal.

ADMONITION AS REVEALED

It was in the early days of his mission in
Makkah. Muhammad (peace be upon him) was deeply engrossed in trying to wean
the leaders of the pagan Quraish to his teachings. Apparently one of them was
giving him an attentive hearing when a poor blind man by the name Of Abdullah
lbn Umm-1- Maktum tried to barge in into the discussion and wanting to draw
attention to himself. The blessed Prophet said nothing, but a thought went
through his mind (why don't you have a little patience, can't you see (sense)
that because of your impatience I might lose these customers). I believe that
lesser men, sinners and saints, will not be questioned for such lapses, but
not so for Muhammad (peace be upon him). Did not God choose him and honour
him with that lofty status as recorded? And Most Certainly
Thou (O Muhammad) Are of Most sublime And Exalted Character.

(Holy Qur’ân 68:4)

HE FROWNED

Whilst in the midst of the conversation with his
pagan fellow tribesmen, God Almighty sends Gabriel, the Angel of Revelation,
with this admonition:

(THE PROPHET) FROWNED AND TURNED AWAY, BECAUSE
THERE CAME TO HIM HE BLIND MAN (INTERRUPTING). BUT WHAT COULD TELL THEE THAT
PERCHANCE HE MIGHT GROW (IN SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING)? OR THAT HE MIGHT RECEIVE
ADMONITION, AND THE TEACHING MIGHT PRORT HIM? Holy Qur’ân 80:1-4

The holy Prophet (peace be upon him) had naturally
disliked the interruption. Perhaps the poor man's feelings were hurt. But he
whose gentle heart ever sympathised with the poor and the afflicted, got new
Light (Revelation) from his Lord, and without the least hesitation, he
immediately published it for all eternity! Subsequently, every time he met this
blind man, he received him graciously and thanked him that on his account the
Lord had remembered him. During Muhammad's (peace be upon him) absences from
Madinah, the blind man was made the Governor of the City twice. Such was the
sincerity and gratitude of Carlyle's Hero Prophet.

HIS FIDELITY

2. "IT IS A BOUNDLESS FAVOUR. HE NEVER
FORGOT THIS GOOD KADIJAH. LONG AFTERWARDS, AYESHA HIS YOUNG FAVOURITE WIFE, A
WOMAN WHO INDEED DISTINGUISHED HERSELF AMONG THE MOSLEMS, BY ALL MANNER OF
QUALITIES, THROUGH HER WHOLE LONG LIFE; THIS YOUNG BRILLIANT AYESHA WAS, ONE
DAY, QUESTIONING HIM.'NOW AM NOT I BETTER THAN KADIJAH? SHE WAS A WIDOW; OLD,
AND HAD LOST HER LOOKS: YOU LOVE ME BETTER THAN YOU DID HER?' 'NO, BY ALLAH!'
ANSWERED MAHOMET: 'NO, BY ALLAH! SHE BELIEVED IN ME WHEN NONE ELSE WOULD
BELIEVE. IN THE WHOLE WORLD I HAD BUT ONE FRIEND, AND SHE WAS THAT!... Heros and
Hero-Worship, p. 76 It would have been
easier to repel the temptation of the devil than to succumb to the ego of a
young, loving, brilliant and beautiful wife like lady Ayesha Siddique. Why not
let her hear the soft soothing balm of flattery-, it will not harm anyone. Even
the soul of Bibi Khadijah, the mother of the Faithful, would look
light-heartedly at the ruse. There is no shamming, no innocent "white
lies" with Muhammad (peace be upon him). Traits of this kind show us the
genuine man, brother of us all, brought visible through fourteen centuries, - -
- the veritable son of our common mother.

'AL AMEEN. THE FAITHFUL'

3 a. "A MAN OF TRUTH AND FIDELITY; TRUE
IN WHAT HE DID, IN WHAT HE SPAKE AND THOUGHT. THEY NOTED THAT HE ALWAYS MEANT
SOMETHING. A MAN RATHER TACITURN IN SPEECH; SILENT WHEN THERE WAS NOTHING TO BE
SAID; BUT PERTINENT WISE, SINCERE, WHEN HE DID SPEAK; ALWAYS THROWING LIGHT ON
THE MATTER. THIS IS THE ONLY SORT OF SPEECH WORTH SPEAKING!" Heros and Hero-Worship,
p. 69

b. "MAHOMET NATURALLY GAVE OFFENCE TO
THE KOREISH, KEEPERS OF THE KAABAH, SUPERINTENDENTS OF THE IDOLS. ONE OR TWO
MEN OF INFLUENCE HAD JOINED HIM:

1. “THE THING SPREAD SLOWLY, BUT IT WAS
SPREADING, NATURALLY HE GAVE OFFENCE TO EVERYBODY."[The Jews hated the
Prophet: the Christians hated the Prophet: the mushriks (the
Polytheists) hated the Prophet, and the Munafiqeen (the hypocrites)
hated the Prophet. It is the nature of Falsehood to hate the Truth. Light
dismisses Darkness, but darkness does not take kindly to light. ] Heros and
Hero-Worship, p. 77 c.

"NOT A MEALYMOUTHED MAN! A CANDID
FEROCITY, IF THE CASE CALLS FOR IT, IS IN HIM; HE DOES NOT MINCE MATRERS! THE
WAR OF TABUC IS A THING HE OFTEN SPEAKS OF: HIS MEN REFUSED, MANY OF THEM, TO
MARCH ON THAT OCCASION; PLEADED THE HEAT OF THE WEATHER, THE HARVEST, AND SO FORTH;
HE CAN NEVER FORGET THAT. YOUR HARVEST? IT LASTS FOR A DAY. WHAT WILL BECOME OF
YOUR HARVEST THROUGH ALL ETERNITY? HOT WEATHER? YES, IT WAS HOT; 'BUT HELL WILL
BE HOTER!' SOMETIMES A ROUGH SARCASM TURNS UP: HE SAYS TO THE UNBELIEVERS, YE
SHALL NOT HAVE SHORT WEIGHT!" Heros and Hero-Worship, p. 95/6.

Remember, Thomas Carlyle uttered these words, and
many more to a shocked and bewildered Christian audience in England, a hundred and
fifty years ago. History did not record for us the lively arguments and debates
which his lecture must naturally have caused. He kept to his promise: "I
mean to say all the good of him (his Hero Prophet) I justly can'" and he went on
in his talk to I defend Muhammad (peace be upon him) against the false charges,
slander and calumnies of his enemies:

CHARGE OF FALSITY

4a. "A FALSE MAN FOUND A RELIGION? WHY,
A FALSE MAN CANNOT BUILD A BRICK HOUSE! IF HE DOES NOT KNOW AND FOLLOW TRULY
THE PROPERTIES OF MORTAR, BURNT CLAY AND WHAT ELSE HE WORKS IN, IT IS NO HOUSE
THAT HE MAKES, BUT A RUBBISH HEAP. IT WILL NOT STAND FOR TWELVE CENTURIES, [Now,
fourteen centuries] TO LODGE A HUNDRED-AND EIGHTY MILLIONS;[A
thousand million today.] IT WILL FALL STRAIGHT AWAY. SPECIOSITIES ARE SPECIOUS[Specious: Having the ring of truth or plausibility but actually
false.]. . . IT IS LIKE A FORGED BANK NOTE; THEY GET IT PASSED OUT OF THEIR
WORTHLESS HANDS: OTHERS, NOT THEY, HAVE TO SMART FOR IT. NATURE BURSTS-UP IN
FIRE-FLAMES, FRENCH REVOLUTIONS AND SUCH-LIKE, PROCLAIMING WITH THE TERRIBLE
VERACITY THAT FORGED NOTES ARE FORGED." Heros and Hero-Worship), p.58

b. "IT GOES GREATLY AGAINST THE
IMPOSTER THEORY, THE FACT THAT HE LIVED IN THIS ENTIRELY UNEXCEPTIONABLE,
ENTIRELY QUIET AND COMMON PLACE WAY, TILL THE HEAT OF HIS YEARS WAS DONE. HE
WAS FORTY BEFORE HE TALKED OF ANY MISSION FROM
HEAVEN. . ALL HIS 'AMBITION,' SEEMINGLY, HAD BEEN, HITHERTO, TO LIVE AN HONEST
LIFE; HIS 'FAME,' THE MERE GOOD OPINION OF NEIGHBOURS THAT KNEW HIM..." Heros and
Hero-Worship, p. 70

"AMBITION? WHAT COULD ALL ARABIA DO
FOR THIS MAN; WITH THE CROWN OF GREEK HERACLIUS, OF PERSIAN CHOSROES, AND ALL
THE CROWNS IN EARTH; - WHAT COULD THEY ALL DO FOR HIM? IT WAS NOT OF THE HEAVEN
ABOVE AND OF THE HELL BENEATH. ALL CROWNS AND SOVEREIGNTIES WHAT- SOEVER, WHERE
WOULD THEY IN A FEW BRIEF YEARS BE? TO BE SHEIKH OF MAKKAH OR ARABIA, AND
HAVE A BIT OF GILT WOOD PUT INTO YOUR HAND, - - - WILL THAT BE ONES SALVATION?
I DECIDEDLY THINK, NOT, WE WILL LEAVE IT ALTOGETHER, THIS IMPOSTER HYPOTHESIS,
AS NOT CREDIT- ABLE: NOT VERY TOLERABLE EVEN, WORTHY CHIEFLY OF DISMISSAL BY
US." Heros and Hero-Worship, p. 72/3

CHARGE
OF SINNING

5. "FAULTS? THE GREATEST OF FAULTS, I
SHOULD SAY, IS TO BE CONSCIOUS OF NONE. READERS OF THE BIBLE ABOVE ALL, ONE
WOULD THINK, MIGHT KNOW BETTER. WHO IS CALLED THERE 'THE MAN ACCORDING TO GOD'S
OWN HEART'? DAVID, THE HEBREW KING HAD FALLEN INTO SINS ENOUGH; BLACKEST
CRIMES; THERE WAS NO WANT OF SINS. [This is the Jewish and Christian concept of
God's prophets. They charge their prophets with incest, adultery and even
murder. They impure horrendous crimes to them on the authority of the Holy
Bible.] AND THEREUPON THE UNBELIEVERS SNEER AND ASK, IS THIS YOUR MAN ACCORDING
TO GOD'S HEART? THE SNEER, I MUST SAY, SEEMS TO ME BUT A SHALLOW ONE. WHAT ARE
FAULTS, WHAT ARE THE OUTWARD DETAILS OF A LIFE; IF THE INNER SECRET OF IT, THE
REMORSE, TEMPTATIONS, TRUE, OFTEN-BAFFLED, NEVER ENDED STRUGGLE OF IT BE
FORGOTTEN? 'IT IS NOT IN MAN THAT WALKETH TO DIRECT HIS STEPS.' OF ALL ACTS, IS
NOT, FOR A MAN, REPENTANCE THE MOST DIVINE? THE DEADLIEST SIN, I SAY, WERE THE
SAME SUPERCILIOUS CONSCIOUSNESS OF NO SIN; THAT IS DEATH; THE HEART SO CONSCIOUS
IS DIVORCED FROM SINCERITY, HUMILITY, AND FACT; IS DEAD: IT IS 'PURE' AS DEAD
DRY SAND IS PURE." Heros and Hero-Worship. p. 61

CHARGE OF "THE SWORD"

The greatest crime, the greatest "sin" of
Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the eyes of the Christian West is that he did
not allow himself to be slaughtered, to be "crucified" by his
enemies. He ably defended himself, his family and his followers; and finally
vanquished his enemies. Muhammad's (peace be upon him) success is the
Christians' gall of disappointment: he did not believe in any vicarious
sacrifice for the sins of others. He believed and behaved naturally. IN THE
STATE OF NATURE, EVERY ONE HAS A RIGHT TO DEFEND HIS PERSON AND POSSESSIONS,
AND EXTEND HIS HOSTILITIES TO A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF SATISFACTION AND
RETALIATION," says Gibbon, the master historian in his "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." His
struggle and victory over the forces of unbelief and evil made the editors of
the Encyclopedia Britannica to exclaim, Muhammad (peace be upon him} to be - -
- "THE MOST SUCCESSFUL OF ALL RELIGIOUS PERSONALITIES."
How can the enemies of Islam account for Muhammad's phenomenal achievements
except to decry that he spread his religion at the point of the sword? He
forced Islam down peoples' throats!?

6a. "HISTORY MAKES IT CLEAR HOWEVER,
THAT THE LEGEND OF FANATICAL MUSLIMS SWEEP- ING THROUGH THE WORLD AND FORCING
ISLAM AT THE POINT OF THE SWORD UPON CONQUERED RACES IS ONE OF THE MOST FANTASTICALLY ABSURD MYTHS THAT HISTORIANS
HAVE EVER REPEATED." De Lacy O'Leary in "Islam at the Crossroads''
London, 1923, p.8 You do not have to be a historian like
O'Leary to know that the Muslims ruled Spain for 736 years.
The longest the Christians ever ruled over Muslims was 500 years in Mozambique, a territory
captured from an Arab governor by the name of Musa-bin-baique, a name they
could not properly pronounce, hence the name Mozambique. Even today,
after five centuries of Christian overlordship the country is still 60 percent
Muslim.

However, after eight centuries in Spain the Muslims were
totally eliminated from that country so that not even one man was left to give
the Azan {the Muslim call to prayer}. If the Muslims had used force, military
or economic there would not have been any Christian left in Spain to have kicked
the Muslims out. One can blame the Muslims for exploitation if you like but one
cannot charge them with using the sword to convert Spaniards to the Islamic
religion. Today, Islam is still spreading all over the world and Muslims have
NO sword!! The Muslims were also the masters of India for a thousand
years, but eventually when the sub-continent received independence in 1947, the
Hindus obtained three quarters of the country and the Muslims the balance of
the one-quarter. Why? Because the Muslims did not force Islam down the Hindus'
throats! In Spain and in India, the Muslims were
no paragons of virtue, yet they obeyed the Qur'anic injunction to the letter "LET
THERE BE NO COMPULSION IN RELIGION: FOR TRUTH STANDS OUT DISTINCT FROM ERROR. (Holy Quran
2:256)

The Muslim conquerors understood from this command
that "compulsion" was incompatible with true religion: because

(a) Religion depends on faith and will, and these
would be meaningless if induced by force. Force can conquer but cannot convert.

(b) Truth and Error have been so clearly shown up
by the Mercy of God that there should be no doubt in the minds of any person of
goodwill as to the fundamentals of faith.

(c) God's protection is continuous and His Plan is
always to lead us from the depths of darkness into the clearest light. [(a),
(b} and (c) are Yusuf Ali's comments on verse 256. Obtain his translation with
over 6000 explanatory footnotes from the IPCI.] Except for some eccentrics here
and there, the Muslims as a whole adhered to the commandment of God in the
lands over which they held sway. But what can the enemy say about countries
where no single Muslim soldier had set foot?

(i) INDONESIA: It is a fact
that over a hundred million Indonesians are Muslim, yet no conquering Muslim
army ever landed on any of its over two thousand islands.

(ii} MALAYSIA: The
overwhelming number of its people in this country are Muslims yet no Muslim soldier
had landed there either.

(iii} AFRICA: The majority of the people on the
East coast of Africa as far down as Mozambique, as well as the bulk of the
inhabitants on the West coast of the continent are Muslims, but history does
not record any invading hoards of Muslims from anywhere. What sword? Where was the sword? The Muslim
trader did the job. His good conduct and moral rectitude achieved the miracle
of conversion. "All what you say seems incontrovertible, Mr. Deedat,"
says the Christian controversialist, "but we are talking about Islam at
its very beginning, the way in which your prophet converted the pagans to his
faith! How did he do it if not with the sword?"

ONE AGAINST ALL?

We can do no better than to allow Thomas Carlyle
himself to defend his Hero Prophet against this false charge; - - -

7. "THE SWORD INDEED: BUT WHERE WILL
YOU GET YOUR SWORD! EVERY NEW OPINION, AT ITS STARTING, IS PRECISELY IN A
MINORITY OF ONE. IN ONE MAN'S HEAD ALONE, THERE IT DWELLS AS YET. ONE MAN ALONE
OF THE WHOLE WORLD BELIEVES IT; THERE IS ONE MAN AGAINST ALL MEN. THAT HE TAKE
A SWORD, AND TRY TO PROPAGATE WITH THAT, WILL DO LITTLE FOR HIM. YOU MUST FIRST
GET YOUR SWORD! ON THE WHOLE, A THING WILL PROPAGATE ITSELF AS IT CAN. WE DO
NOT FIND, OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION EITHER, THAT IT ALWAYS DISDAINED THE SWORD,
WHEN ONCE IT HAD GOT ONE. CHARLEMAGNE'S CONVERSION OF THE SAXONS WAS NOT BY
PREACHING." Heroes and Hero-Worship. p. 80

At the age of forty when Muhammad {peace be upon him}
declared his mission from heaven, there was no political party, or royalty,
and certainly no family or tribe to back him up. His people - the Arabs,
immersed in idol-worship and fetishism were not by any means a docile people,
they were no easy meat. They were a very volatile people. given to
internecine and fratricidal wars: subject to "all kinds of fierce
sincerities - " {Carlyle}. One man, single-handed, to wean such a people
required nothing short of a miracle. A miracle did happen. God alone could
have made Islam and Muhammad {pbuh} to triumph through with flimsy, gossamer
support. God fulfilling His promise: And have We not raised high
the esteem in which thou O Muhammad are held? (Holy Quran
94:4)

_________________

قولوا: لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله
اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد وعلى آل سيدنا محمد

Chapter
3

FASTEST GROWING RELIGION TODAY

THE SWORD OF THE INTELECT

The enemy, the sceptic, the missionary and their
passive camp followers will not stop bleating that "lslam was spread at
the point of the sword!" but they will not venture to answer our question
-- "WHO BRIBED CARLYLE!?" In 1840 when Carlyle defended
Muhammad (peace be upon him) and refuted the allegation about the sword, there
was nobody around to bribe. The whole Muslim world was in the gutters. The
countries of Islam were all under subjugation by the Christians, except for a
few like Persia, Afghanistan and Turkey who were only
nominally independent. There were no riches to flaunt and no petro-dollars to
bribe with!

That was yesterday and many yesterdays ago, but
what about today, in modern times? It is claimed that "Islam is the
fastest growing religion in the world." The overall increase of all the
sects and denominations of Christianity was a staggering 138 per cent with the
incredible increase of Islam by 235 per cent in the same period of time of
half-a-century. It is further affirmed that in Britain and the United States
of America, Islam is the fastest growing
faith. It is said that in Britain "There are
more Muslims than Methodists in the country." You have a right to ask,
"What sword?" The answer is, "THE SWORD INDEED!" {Thomas
Carlyle}¹
It is the sword of intellect? It is the fulfillment of yet another prophecy; IT
IS HE (God Almighty) WHO HAS SENT HIS MESSENGER (Muhammad) WITH GUIDANCE AND THE
RELIGION OF TRUTH (Islam) THAT HE MAY MAKE IT PREVAIL OVER ALL RELIGIONS, AND
ENOUGH IS GOD FOR A WITNESS.

(Holy Qur'an 48:28)

The destiny of Islam is spelt out here in the
clearest terms. Islam is to master, overcome and supersede every other faith -
That He (God Almighty) make it (Islam) prevail over all religions … In Arabic
the word is Deen [Usually translated as Religion, which
literally Islam is not.] (Literally meaning "Way of Life",), to supersede
all, whether it be Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianism, [In the time of Thomas
Carlyle this was the team applied to Christianity.] Judaism, Communism or any
other "ism." This is the destiny of Allah's Deen. The same
Qur'anic Verse is repeated in chapter 61 verse 9 which ends with this slight
variation - (Never mind) Though the unbelievers might be averse to it (Islam).

TRIUMPH OF ISLAM

Islam will prevail. It is the promise of God, and
His Promise is true. But how? With the sword? Not even if we had the laser gun!
Could we use it? The Holy Qur'an forbids us to use force as a means of
converting! Yet the verse prophesies that Islam would be the most dominant of
religions. The triumphs of its doctrines have already started and are gaining
hold over the religious ideology and doctrines of the various schools of thought
in the world. Though not in the name of Islam, but in the name of reformation
and amendments, the doctrines of Islam are being fastly grafted into the
various religious orders. Many things which are exclusively Islamic and which
were formerly unknown, or which were being opposed before with tooth and nail
by the other creeds, are now part of their believes. The Brotherhood of man The
abolition of the Caste system and untouchability The right of women to inherit
Opening the places of worship to all. Prohibition of all intoxicants The true
concept of the Unity of God etc. etc.

Just one word on the last subject above, before we
proceed further. Ask any theist, polytheist,[. Polytheist: One who
believes in many gods] pantheist,[Pantheist: The one who believes
that everything is god. Of course the "trinitarian,'' you already know] or
trinitarian: how many Gods he believes in? He will shudder to say anything
other than ONE! This is the EFFECT of the strict monotheism of Islam.

THE CREED OF MUHAMMAD IS FREE FROM THE SUSPICIONS
OF AMBIGUITY AND THE KORAN IS A GLORIOUS TESTIMONY TO THE UNITY OF GOD.

Gibbon in his "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.''

VERDICT OF NON-MUSLIM ORIENTALS

Almost all the defenders of Muhammad (peace be upon
him) who spoke out against the false theory that he spread his religion at the
point of the sword, were Westerners. Let us now hear what some non-Muslim
Easterners have to say on the subject:

8a. THE MORE I STUDY THE MORE I DISCOVER
THAT THE STRENGTH OF ISLAM DOES NOT LIE IN THE SWORD.

Mahatma Gandhi - the father of modern India, in "Young
India."

b. THEY {Muhammad's critics} SEE FIRE
INSTEAD OF LIGHT, UGLINESS INSTEAD OF GOOD. THEY DISTORT AND PRESENT EVERY GOOD
QUALITY AS A GREAT VICE. IT REFLECTS THEIR OWN DEPRAVITY... THE CRITICS ARE
BLIND. THEY CANNOT SEE THAT THE ONLY ‘SWORD' MUHAMMAD WIELDED WAS THE SWORD OF
MERCY, COMPASSION, FRIENDSHIP AND FORGIVENESS - THE SWORD THAT CONQUERS ENEMIES
AND PURIFIES THEIR HEARTS. HIS SWORD WAS SHARPER THAN THE SWORD OF STEEL.

Pandit Gyanandra Dev Sharma Shastri, at a meeting
in Gorakhpur lndia). 1928

c. HE PREFERRED MIGRATION TO FIGHTING HIS
OWN PEOPLE, BUT WHEN OPPRESSION WENT BEYOND THE PALE OF TOLERANCE HE TOOK UP
HIS SWORD IN SELF-DEFENCE. THOSE WHO BELIEVE RELIGION CAN BE SPREAD BY FORCE
ARE FOOLS WHO NEITHER KNOW THE WAYS OF RELIGION NOR THE WAYS OF THE WORLD. THEY
ARE PROUD OF THIS BELIEF BECAUSE THEY ARE A LONG, LONG WAY AWAY FROM THE TRUTH.

A Sikh journalist in "Nawan Hindustan," Delhi, 17 November
1947.

It was Rudyard Kipling who said, "East is East
and West is West, never the twain shall meet!" He was wrong! In the
defence of Muhammad {peace be upon him}, all, who are not blinded by prejudice
will converge.

THREE OTHER STANDARDS

Fourteen years after Thomas Carlyle had delivered
his lecture on his Hero Prophet, a Frenchman by the name of Lamartine wrote the
history of the Turks. Incidentally, the Turks being Muslims, Lamartine touched
on some aspects of Islam and its founder. Like our Jules Wasserman (see page
10) of current times, who had conceived three objective standards for
discovering greatness of leadership; Lamartine had over 2 century ago thought
of three other objective standards for conferring GREATNESS. We must give
credit to the Westemer for this type of insight. Lamartine opines:

9. IF GREATNESS OF PURPOSE, SMALLNESS OF
MEANS AND ASTOUNDING RESULTS[The full quotation from Lamartine's
book will be found in appendix''B" page 61.] ARE THE THREE CRITERIA OF
HUMAN GENIUS, WHO COULD DARE TO COMPARE ANY GREAT MAN IN MODERN HISTORY WITH
MUHUMMED? {Lamartine ends his lengthy segment of literary masterpiece with the
words): . . . PHILOSOPHER, ORATOR, APOSTLE, LEGISLATOR, WARRIOR, CONQUEROR OF
IDEAS, RESTORER OF RATIONAL BELIEFS, OF A CULT WITHOUT IMAGES: THE FOUNDER OF
TWENTY TERRESTRIAL EMPIRES AND OF ONE SPIRITUAL EMPIRE, THAT IS MUHUMMED. AS
REGARDS ALL STANDARDS BY WHICH HUMAN GREATNESS MAY BE MEASURED, WE MAY WELL
ASK, IS THERE ANY MAN GREATER THEN HE? Lamartine, "Historie de la Turquie," Paris 1854

The answer to his question, "Is there any
man greater than he?" is reposed in the question itself. By implication
he is saying . . . "there is no man greater than Muhammad. Muhammad is
the greatest man that ever lived!" And have We not raised high the
esteem (in which) thou (O Muhammad are held)?

MOST CERTAINLY THOU HAST, O MY LORD! (Holy Quran 94:4)

Before we absolve Lamartine of any favouritism,
partiality, or of the charge of being bribed, we will scrutinize his three
standards, and whether they can be justified in the case of Muhammad (peace be upon
him).

1. GREATNESS OF PURPOSE

History of the time will tell you that it was the
darkest period in the history of mankind when Muhammad {peace be upon him} was
commanded to declare his mission. The need was for the raising of prophets in
every corner of the world, or the sending of one Master Messenger for the whole
of mankind, to deliver them from falsehood, superstition, selfishness,
polytheism, wrong and oppression. It was to be the reclamation of the whole of
humanity. And God Almighty in His wisdom chose His prophet from the backwaters
of Arabia as His universal Messenger. Thus He records in His
Noble Book

AND WE SENT THEE NOT {O Muhammad}, BUT
AS A MERCY UNTO {all} THE WORLDS. (Holy Quran 21:107)

"There is no question now of race or nation,
of a "chosen people" or the "seed of Abraham," or the
"seed of David": or of Hindu Arya varta; of Jew or Gentile. Arab or
'Ajam {Persian), Turk or Tajik, European or Asiatic, White or Coloured; Aryan,
Semitic, Mongolian, or African: or American, Australian, or Polynesian. To all
men and creatures who have any spiritual responsibility, the principles
universally apply." Abdullah Yusuf Ali[Get your copy now of
Yusuf Ali's English translation and cornrnentary, with over 6000 annotations. Obtain
a copy for your non-Muslim friend, also.]

JESUS {PBUH) DlSCRIMINATES

Muhammad's (peace be upon him) immediate
predecessor advised his disciples, "Give not that which is holy unto the
dogs" (meaning non-Jews}, "Neither cast ye your pearls before
swine" (meaning non-Jews, Matthew 7:6). The Gospel writers are unanimous
in recording that Christ lived by the precepts which he preached. In his
lifetime he did not preach to a single non-Jew. In fact he spurned a gentile
woman who sought his spiritual blessings {"the woman was a Greek'' Mark
7:26). Then during the "Passover" season in Jerusalem when the master
with his disciples had congregated for the occasion, certain Greeks hearing of
his reputation sought an audience with him for spiritual enlightenment, but Jesus
{peace be upon him} gave them the "cold shoulder'' [Means a deliberately
unkind or unfriendly treatment; a slight; a snub.] as narrated by St.

John:

And there were certain Greeks among them that
came up to worship at the feast:

The same came therefore to Philip . . . and desired him saying, Sir, we would
see Jesus.

Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again
Andrew and Philip tell Jesus.

John 12:20-22

SELF GLORIFICATION

The verses that follow do not
even record the courtesy of "Yea,yea;" or "Nay, nay;" (Yes,
yes or no, no of Matthew 5:37). They continue
with his own praise

And Jesus answered them (Andrew and Philip),
saying, The hour is come, that the son of man (referring to himself} should be
glorified. John 12:23

HIGHEST STANDARDS

Muhammad (peace be upon him) could never afford any
such latitudes. Remember, how the Almighty reminded him of the highest
etiquette required from him. Even the thought of being ruffled by the untimely
intrusion of a blind man, was not accepted from him {see page 22 "He
frowned']. As a universal Messenger, God set for him the most lofty standards:
And Most Certainly, Thou (O Muhammad) Are of most sublime And Exalted
Character. (Holy Quran 68:4)

And his diocese, his field of mission? The whole of
mankind!

And We sent thee not (O Muhammad), but as a mercy
unto (all) the worlds. (Holy Quran 21:107)

UNIVERSAL MESSENGER

These are not mere platitudes; beautiful sentiments
bereft of action. Muhammad (peace be upon him) practiced what he preached.
Among his first Sahabas (companions) and converts, beside the Arabs can be
counted Bilal the Abyssinian, Salman the Persian and Abdullah Bin-Salaam the
Jew. The sceptics may say that his outreach was simply incidental but what can
they say about the historical fact that before his demise, he sent out five
epistles, one to each of the five surrounding countries, inviting them to
accept the religion of Islam.

1.
The Emperor of Persia

2.
The King of Egypt

3.
The Negus of Abyssinia

4.
The Emperor Hiraclius at Constantinople, and

5.
The King of Yemen

Thus he set the example for the fulfilment of his
impelling mission, his "greatness of purpose," the reclamation of the
whole of humanity into the Master's fold. Is there another example of such universality
in another religion? Muhammad (peace be upon him) was not out to set or to
break any records, he was simply carrying out the trust that was reposed in him
by the Lord of Creation!

1. SMALLNESS OF MEANS

Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born with no
silver spoon in his mouth. His life begins with infinitesimal support. His father
had died before he was born. His mother dies by the time he was six years old.
He was doubly-orphaned at this tender age, his grandfather Abdul-Muttalib takes
charge of the child, but within three years he also died. As soon as he was able,
he began to look after his uncle Abu Talib's sheep and goats for his keep.
Contrast this poor, double-orphaned Arab child with some of the great religious
personalities that preceded him, and you must marvel at what Destiny had in
store for him!

Abraham (peace be upon him) the spiritual father of
Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (May the peace of God be upon them all), was the son
of a very successful businessman of his time. Moses (pbuh) was reared in the
house of Pharoah. Jesus (pbuh) though described as "a carpenter and the
son of a carpenter," was well endowed with learning as well as material means.
Peter, Philip, Andrew, etc. all downed tools and followed him to be at his beck
and call, not because he had any halo[Halo.- An imaginary luminous
ring or disc surrounding the head of saintly men and women in religious
paintings.] on his head; there was no such thing, but because of his affluent
attire and princely bearing. He could command mansions in Jerusalem for himself and
his disciples even during the height of the festive season; and have sumptuous
suppers arranged; and you could hear him reproach the materialistic Jews -

And when they found him (Jesus) on the other side
of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"

Jesus answered them and said, "most assuredly,
I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw the signs,[The
veracity of the Messiah's message and his mission.] but because you ate of the
loaves and were filled. John 6:25-26

NOTHING TO OFFER

Muhammad (peace be upon him) had no bread nor meat
to offer, no sugar-plums of any kind, in this world or the next! The only thing
he could offer his bedraggled, poor shepherd people was trial and tribulations
and the strait-jacketing of their lives here on earth and the good pleasures of
God in the Hereafter. The life of the Prophet was an open book before them. He
had shown them as to what he was; the nobility of his character, his integrity
of purpose, his earnestness and fiery enthusiasm for the truth he had come to
preach revealed the hero; and they followed him. Mr. Stanley Lane Poole's
estimate of our hero is so beautiful and yet so truthful that I cannot resist
the temptation of quoting it here:

HE WAS AN ENTHUSIAST IN THAT NOBLEST SENSE WHEN
ENTHUSIASM BECOMES THE SALT OF THE EARTH, THE ONE THING THAT KEEPS MEN FROM
ROTTING WHILST THEY LIVE.

ENTHUSIASM IS OFTEN USED DESPITEFULLY, BECAUSE IT
IS JOINED TO AN UNWORTHY CAUSE, OR FALLS UPON BARREN GROUND AND BEARS NO FRUIT.
SO WAS IT NOT WITH MOHAMMED. HE WAS AN ENTHUSIAST WHEN ENTHUSIASM WAS THE ONE
THING NEEDED TO SET THE WORLD AFLAME, AND HIS ENTHUSIASM WAS NOBLE FOR A NOBLE
CAUSE. HE WAS ONE OF THOSE HAPPY FEW WHO HAVE ATTAINED THE SUPREME JOY OF
MAKING ONE GREAT TRUTH THEIR VERY LIFE-SPRING.

HE WAS THE MESSENGER OF THE ONE GOD, AND NEVER TO
HIS LIFE'S END DID HE FORGET WHO HE WAS, OR THE MESSAGE WHICH WAS THE MARROW OF
HIS BEING. HE BROUGHT HIS TIDINGS TO HIS PEOPLE WITH A GRAND DIGNITY SPRUNG
FROM THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF HIS HIGH OFFICE, TOGETHER WITH A MOST SWEET HUMILITY,
WHOSE ROOTS LAY IN THE KNOW-LEDGE OF HIS OWN WEAKNESS."

It may easily be conceded that Muhammad (peace be upon
him) was blessed with the flimsiest of human resources. In fact the odds were
loaded against him. But what about his fortune towards the end of his earthly sojourn?
He was the overlord of the whole of Arabia! What about the
endless means at his disposal then? We will allow a Christian missionary to
answer that -

HE WAS CAESAR AND POPE IN ONE, BUT HE WAS POPE
WITHOUT THE POPE'S PRETENTIONS, AND CAESAR WITHOUT THE LEGIONS OF CAESAR:
WITHOUT A STANDING ARMY, WITHOUT A BODYGUARD, WITHOUT A PALACE, WITHOUT A FIXED
REVENUE; IF EVER ANY MAN HAD THE RIGHT TO SAY THAT HE RULED BY THE RIGHT
DIVINE, IT WAS MOHAMMAD, FOR HE HAD ALL THE POWERS WITHOUT ITS INSTRUMENTS AND WITHOUT
ITS SUPPORTS." R. Bosworth Smith -Mohammad and Mohammadanism", London 1874, p. 92

HIS HANDICAPS

His "weakness" was his strength. The very
fact that he had no material means of support made him to put his entire trust
in God, and God the Merciful did not forsake him. His success was all the more
staggering. May not the Muslims justly say, the entire work was the work of
God? And Muhammad (peace be upon him) his Instrument?

OUTSTANDING RESULTS

In the words of Thomas Carlyle - "One man
against all men,"[See full quotation by Thomas Carlyle on page
31.] to a hundred and twenty four thousand at the Farewell pilgrimage alone.
How many were left behind of men, women and children, believers all?

On the 12th of RABI I., in the 11 th
year after the Hijra,[Hijra literally means Migration.]
approximating to the 8th of June 632 of the Christian Era, whilst praying
earnestly in whisper, the spirit of the great Prophet took flight to the
"blessed companion-ship on high" (Ibn Hisham).

Hazrat Omar (May Allah be pleased with him), on
receiving the sad news of the demise of the Holy Prophet, lost his bearings. He
was so shocked that he blurted out "if anyone says that Muhammad is dead,
I will chop off his head!" Hazrat Abu Bakr As-Siddiq presently verified
that the Master had indeed departed from this world; and coming out from the
Prophet's apartment announced to the gathering throng outside, that,
"Muhammad (peace be upon him) had indeed passed away. Those that
worshipped Muhammad," he said, "'Let them know that Muhammad is dead,
but those who worship Allah, let them know that Allah lives for ever!"

This brought Omar al-Farooq (R.A.) back to his
senses. Could this man who was to become the second great Khalifah of Islam at
this moment imagine that fourteen hundred years later there would be a thousand
million followers of Muhammad (peace be upon him) at one time? Could he have
visualized that the religion of the Prophet would be the fastest growing
religion in the world?¹

Christianity had a 600-year start on Islam.
Numerically the Christians claim to outnumber the followers of any other faith;
this is true but let us look at the picture in its true perspective -

THERE ARE MORE PROFESSING CHRISTIANS IN THE WORLD
THAN PROFESSING MUSLIMS, BUT THERE ARE MORE PRACTISING MUSLIMS IN THE WORLD
THAN PRACTISING CHRISTIANS. (Emphasis added) R.V.C. Bodley (the American) in
"The Messenger: The Life of Mohammed." U.S.A. 1969

1 understand from the above that Mr. Bodley is trying
to tell us that there are people in the world who, when filling their census
forms, will tick off the term Christian under "Religion." It is not
necessarily that they believe in the dogmas of Christianity. They could
actually be atheists or bush-Baptists,[Bush-Baptist: There are
forty different Baptist Churches in the United States
of America. But bush-Baptists are people with
strong religious feelings yet will not go to any Church; and will not affiliate
with any sect or denomination.] as opposed to being a Jew or Hindu or Muslim;
coming from a Christian background they would for the purpose of convenience
label themselves "Christian." From that point of view, and from the
point of view that a person who practices what he believes, there would be more
Muslims in the world than Christians. Chronologically, Islam is six hundred
years behind Christianity, but amazingly it is at least a very close second,
and is catching up fast - the fastest growing religion in the world today (see
chart on page 34). "One Billion!" The figure is outstanding and the
sincerity and practise of the Believers astonishing!

Taking into account his own three objective
standards: (a) "greatness of purpose;" (b) "smallness of
means;" and (c) "outstanding results;" does Lamartine dare to
produce another candidate greater than Muhammad (peace be upon him)? He further
awes his readers with the multifarious roles of Muhammad (peace be upon him) in
which he excelled, ie. Philosopher, Orator, Apostle, Legislator, Warrior,
Conqueror of Ideas, the Restorer of Rational Beliefs, of a Cult without Images,
the Founder of twenty Terrestrial Empires and of one Spiritual Empire, that Is
Muhammad. As regards ALL standards (I repeat "ALL") by which Human
Greatness may be measured, we may well ask, "IS THERE ANY MAN GREATER THAN
HE?" (Emphasis added).

No! Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the greatest
man that ever lived! According to Lamartine the French historian. And God
Almighty questions –

And Have We not raised high the esteem (in which)
thou (O Muhammad) are held?

MOST ASSUREDLY THOU HAST, O MY LORD! (Holy Quran 94:4)

THE QUALITY OF MERCY

The Christian propagandists make the wild boast
that there is nothing in the history of mankind to compare with the merciful
and forgiving cry of Jesus (pbuh) on the cross ... "Father, forgive them,
for they know not what they do."

Luke 23:34

Amazing as it may sound, of the four writers of the
Canonical Gospels, only St. Luke was inspired by the Holy ghost (?) to pen
these words. The other three - Matthew, Mark and John never heard these words
or they felt them to be too insipid or not important enough for recording. St.
Luke was not even one of the twelve disciples selected by Jesus (pbuh).
According to the revisers of the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible,
these words are not in the most ancient manuscripts which by implication means that
they are an interpolation.

In "The New King James Version,"
(Copyrighted by the Thomas Nelson Publishers in 1984), we are told that these
words are "not in the original text" of the Greek manuscripts of St.
Luke. In other words they have been fabricated by some pious gentleman.
Although the quotation is unauthentic, we will still entertain it because it
demonstrates great piety of loving one's enemies and of unsurpassed forgiveness
as preached by the Master himself.

For forgiveness to be of any worth, the forgiver must
be in a position to forgive. If the victim of injustice is still in the
clutches of his enemies; in that helpless position and he would cry out,
"I FORGIVE YOU!" it would be meaningless. But if the aggrieved party
had turned the tables on his enemies and was in a position of taking revenge or
exact retribution, and yet say "I forgive you!", only then would it
mean something!

MUHAMMAD'S (PBUH) CLEMENCY

Contrast the alleged forgiveness from the
"cross" with the historical bloodless conquest of Makkah by Muhammad
(peace be upon him) at the head of ten thousand "saints"[A
fulfilment of another prophecy in Muhammad (peace be upon him). "...He
came from mount Paran (that is in Arabia), and he came
with ten thousand saints..." Deuteronomy 33:2.] (his companions).

"THE CITY WHICH HAD TREATED HIM SO CRUELLY,
DRIVEN HIM AND HIS FAITHFUL BAND FOR REFUGE AMONGST STRANGERS, WHICH HAD SWORN
HIS LIFE AND THE LIVES OF HIS DEVOTED DISCIPLES, LAY AT HIS FEET. HIS OLD
PERSECUTERS RELENTLESS AND RUTHLESS, WHO HAD DISGRACED HUMANITY BY INFLICTING
CRUEL OUTRAGES UPON INOFFENSIVE MEN AND WOMEN, AND EVEN UPON THE LIFELESS DEAD,
WERE NOW COMPLETELY AT HIS MERCY. BUT IN THE HOUR OF HIS TRIUMPH EVERY EVIL
SUFFERED WAS FORGOTTEN, EVERY INJURY INFLICTED WAS FORGIVEN, AND A GENERAL
AMNESTY WAS EXTENDED TO THE POPULATION OF MAKKAH ..." Sayed Amir Ali in
"The Spirit of Islam"

Calling before him the populace of the vanquished
city, he addressed them with "What do you expect at my hands today?"
His people had known him too well, even from his childhood so they replied,
"Mercy, 0 generous brother and nephew!" Tears came into the eyes of
the Prophet, and he said, "I will speak to you as Joseph spoke unto his
brethren, I will not reproach you today: go you are free!"

And now a scene was enacted of which there is
really no parallel in the history of the world. Hosts upon hosts came forward
and adopted the religion of Islam. God Almighty testifies as to the lofty and
exalted behaviour of His Messenger - Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a
beautiful pattern (of conduct). (Holy Quran 33:21)

How well has Lamartine¹ unknowingly
echoed these sentiments -

"AS REGARDS ALL STANDARDS BY WHICH HUMAN
GREATNESS MAY BE MEASURED, WE MAY WELL ASK, IS THERE ANY MAN GREATER THAN
HE?"

In reply, we too can say once more, "No! there
is no man greater than Muhammad (peace be upon him). Muhammad (peace be upon him)
was the greatest man that ever lived!"

So far, our hero has earned the unsolicited and
ungrudging tributes from many non-Muslims of different religious persuasions
and from varying intellectual fields of endeavour. But all this still remains
incomplete without the Master's verdict; Muhammad's (peace be upon him) predecessor
- Jesus Christ, (pbuh). We will now apply his own standard for evaluating
greatness.

JOHN THE BAPTIST

1. John
the Baptist,["JOHN- not to be confused with John the disciple
of Jesus (pbuh). A very common name among the Jews and Arabs, even today, like
Tarik Aziz the recent Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs. Real name Tarik Hanna
Aziz; Hanna short for Yuhanna meaning John. No one in the non-Arab Muslim world
knowing that our friend is a Christian Marxist.] Known throughout the Muslim
world as Hazrat Yahya Alaihis-salaam (Peace be upon him) was a contemporary
prophet of the Messiah. They were also cousins. Here is what the Master has to
say of him:

2. Full
quotation of Larmartine will be found in Appendix "B" on page 61.

Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of
women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: Matthew 11:11

Every son of man is "born of women." By
this very fact John the Baptist is greater than Moses, David, Solomon, Abraham
or Isaiah; none of the Israelite prophets excluded. What gives John this ascendancy
over every other prophet? It could not be any miracle, because the Bible
records none to his credit. It could not be his teachings, because he brought
no new laws or regulations. Then what makes him the greatest? Simply because he
was the heralder, a pre-cursor, a harbinger of the happy news of the coming of
the Messiah. This is what made John the greatest, but Jesus (pbuh) claims that
he himself was even greater than the greatest (ie. John). Why?

But I have greater witness than that of John (the
Baptist): For The Works which the Father hath given me to finish:
(Emphasis added) John 5:36

It is the "witness," the commission which
God Almighty had entrusted him with, which makes Jesus (pbuh) greater than even
John. Applying these very standards as enunciated by the Master, we find that –

1. John the Baptist was the greatest of all the
Israelite prophets, because he heralded the mighty Messiah (Jesus pbuh).
Similarly Jesus (pbuh) would be greater than even John because he heralded
"The Spirit of Truth, the Comforter," who was to guide mankind into
all Truth (of the Gospel of St. John, chapter 16).[For a detailed
explanation about this prophecy, obtain today your FREE copy of the book
-MUHUMMED (peace be upon him) the Natural Successor to CHRIST (pbuh) from the
IPCI.]

2. The diocese, the mission of Jesus (pbuh), or
"the works which God had given him to accomplish," was limited to the
Lost sheep of the House of Israel (Matthew 15:24), whereas the mission of
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was universal. He had been told -

And we have sent thee not (O Muhammad),
but as a Mercy unto (all) the worlds. (Holy Quran 21:107)

In keeping with his grand commission, Muhammad (peace
be upon him) consistently delivered his Message to one and all who would hear,
irrespective of race, class or creed, He welcomed them all in the religion of God,
without any discrimination. He had no thought of dividing the creatures of God
into "dogs and pigs" (Matthew 7:6) or into "sheep and
goats" (Matthew 25:32). He was the Messenger of the One True God, who was
sent as a Mercy unto all mankind, nay, unto the whole universe (H.Q. 21:107
above). And, he never forgot this mission even right up to his dying day.

Towards the end of his earthly sojourn, when he
could look back to a hectic and dangerous past, now crowned with success; he
now feels that he could sit back and enjoy the fruits of his toil; he dreams of
a life free from turmoil and full of satisfaction and relaxation. Not for him!
There is no time to rest or relax. There is work still to be done. God Almighty
reminds him - - WE HAVE NOT SENT THEE (O MUHAMMAD) BUT TO THE WHOLE OF MANKIND.

AS A GIVER OF GLAD TIDINGS AND AS A WARNER,

BUT MOST OF MANKIND STILL DO NOT KNOW.

Holy Quran 34:28[This is your last
chance to memorize the text and the translation of this verse. It you are
lackadaisical, we can only mourn your loss.]

How was he to respond to this new challenge in his
ripening old age? There were no electronic gadgets of modern communication
methods at his disposal; there were no telex and fax machines which he could
exploit. What could he do? Being an ummi (unlettered), he called the scribes
and dictated five letters, one each to the Emperor at Constantinople, the King
of Egypt, the Negus of Abyssinia, the King of Yemen and to the Emperor in Persia. He called forth
five Sahaaba (his holy companions) with five Arab steeds and set them out in
five different directions inviting the nations of the world to the universal
religion of God.

I had the good fortune of seeing one of those holy
epistles in the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul (old
Constantinople) Turkey. That letter is
collecting dust! Materially the Turks have preserved the parchment. But the
Message is collecting dust, as I have said.

The letter begins, "From Muhammad the
Messenger of God, to Heraclius the Emperor at Constantinople:

Accept Islam and be benefited." followed by
this exhortation from the Book of God - -

SAY: "O PEOPLE OF THE BOOK! ["People of the Book," stands
for the Jews and the Christians. You will never have it so good for learning
Allah's Kalaam. Don't ignore this opportunity. Memorize the verses as they
occur.]

COME TO COMMON TERMS AS BETWEEN US AND
YOU:

THAT WE WORSHIP NONE BUT GOD;

THAT WE ASSOCIATE NO PARTNERS WITH HIM;

THAT WE ERECT NOT, FROM AMONG
OURSELVES, LORDS AND PATRONS OTHER THAN GOD."

IF THEN THEY TURN BACK, SAY YE:
"BEAR WITNESS THAT WE (AT LEAST) ARE MUSLIMS (BOWING TO GOD'S WILL) (Holy Quran 3:64)

After the above Quranic insertion in the letter, it
is concluded with felicitation in the Prophet's own words, ending with a seal
on which is inscribed - "There is no other object of worship but Allah,
and Muhammad is His Messenger."

The letter in Turkey arouses our
curiosity; and interest with regards to its preservation, but the preservation
itself is lost upon the sightseer. The same Quranic Message is in almost every
Muslim home; being read and re-read a thousand times over without the reader
being moved to deliver its Message to the addressees!

Glance once more at the above verse. It is
addressed to the "ahle-Kitaab," - the People of the Book, the
Jews and the Christians. But, for over a thousand years we have utterly ignored
that great directive at our own peril. We are sitting on that Message like a
cobra on a pile of wealth, keeping the rightful heirs at bay. This utter
neglect will continue to inflict untold suffering to the Ummah for generations
to come.

After over fourteen hundred years of our reading,
and chanting the Quran in every rhythmic style, we still hear this poignant
cry:

But Most of mankind still do not know. (Holy Quran
34:28)

This is the concluding phrase of the verse revealed
fourteen hundred years ago. It was the factual situation of the then religious
world. The question which must be asked is if it is any different today? Not at
all! There are today more Mushriks in the world than there are believers
in the One True God.

Is there any hope of changing this situation? Allah
commanded His Prophet then as He is commanding us now through the first seven
verses of Sura Muddaththir (chapter 74).

1. 0 THOU WRAPPED UP (IN A MANTLE)! "As usual,
there is these wonderful early mystical verses (including the ones that
follow), a triple thread of thought:

(a)
A particular occasion or person is referred to

(b) a general spiritual lesson is taught, and

(c) a more profound mystical reverie is suggested.

As to (a), the Prophet was now past the stage of
personal contemplation. Wearing his mantle; he was now to go forth and boldly
deliver his Message and publicly proclaim Allah The One True God. His heart had
always been purified, but now all his outward doings must be dedicated to God,
and conventional respect for ancestral customs or worship must be thrown aside.
The work of his Messengership was the most generous that could flow from his
personality, but no reward or appreciation was to be expected from his people,
but quite the contrary, there would be much call on his patience, but his
contentment would arise from the good pleasure of God.

As to (b), similar stages arise in a minor degree
in the life of every good man, for which the Prophet's life is to be a
universal pattern.

As to (c), the Sufis understand, by the
mantle and outward wrappings, the circumstances of our phenomenal existence,
which are necessary to our physical comfort up to a certain stage; but we soon
outgrow them, and our inner nature should then boldly proclaim itself, not that
it brings any credit or reward with men; the very hope of expectation of such
would be inconsistent with our higher nature, which should bear all checks and
rejoice in the favour of God."

2. ARISE AND DELIVER THY WARMING!

3. AND THY LORD DO THOU MAGNIFY!

4. AND THY GARMENTS KEEP FREE FROM STAIN!

5. AND ALL ABOMINATION SHUN!

"(a) Rujz or Rijz means abomination and is
usually understood to mean idolatry. It is even possible that there was an idol
called RUJZ. But these days it has a wider significance as including a mental
state opposed to true worship, a state of doubt or indecision."

6. NOR EXPECT, IN GIVING, ANY INCREASE (FOR
THYSELF)!

"(b) The legal and commercial formula is that
you give in order to receive what is worth to you a little more than you give,
but expect nothing from the receiver. You serve God and God's creatures."

7. BUT, FOR THY LORD'S (CAUSE) BE PATIENT AND
CONSTANT! (c) [Remember to
memorize Allah's Kalaam with its meaning]

(Holy Quran 74:1-7)

"(c) Our zeal for God's Cause itself requires
that we should not be impatient, and that we should show constancy in our
efforts for His Cause. For we have faith, and we know that He is All-Good,
All-Wise, and All-Powerful, and everything will ultimately be right."
Abdullah Yusuf Ali[The English translation and the commentaries
were by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Obtain your volume from the IPCI at a specially
subsidised price. Ako order a volume for your non-Muslim friends.]

To the Arabs in general and to our Holy Prophet in
particular "a mantle" was the protective covering used for protection
against the sun, wind and sand. He was so to say girding himself, rolling up
his sleeves, to accomplish his task. Although most of the Muslims in the world
do not cover themselves with shawls (mantles), in their day to day living, they
carry a host of mantles in the way of inferiority complexes.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE GOD'S LIGHT SHINE FORTH THROUGH
THE DARKNESS AROUND US? WE MUST FIRST LET IT SHINE IN OUR OWN TRUE SELVES WITH
THAT LIGHT IN THE NICHE OF OUR INMOST HEARTS WE CAN WALK WITH STEPS BOTH FIRM
AND SURE: WE CAN HUMBLY VISIT THE COMFORTLESS AND GUIDE THEIR STEPS. NOT WE,
BUT THE LIGHT WILL GUIDE! BUT OH! THE JOY OF BEING FOUND WORTHY TO BEAR THE
TORCH, AND TO SAY TO OUR BRETHREN- "I TOO WAS IN DARKNESS,
COMFORTLESS, AND BEHOLD, I HAVE FOUND COMFORT AND JOY IN THE GRACE DIVINE!" THUS SHOULD WE
PAY THE DUES OF BROTHERHOOD, - - BY WALKING HUMBLY SIDE BY SIDE, IN THE WAYS OF
THE LORD, WITH MUTUAL AID AND COMFORT, AND HEARTFELT PRAYER, BACKED BY ACTION,
THAT GOD'S GOOD PURPOSE MAY BE ACCOMPLISHED, IN US ALL TOGETHER!

BUT MOST OF MANKIND STILL DO NOT KNOW

Thus spake, inspired our Holy prophet, Muhammad (peace
be upon him) on whom we invoke God's blessings for ever and ever - AAMEEN!

APPENDIX "A"

He attained the height
of eminence by his perfection;

He dispelled the
darkness (of the world) by his grace;

Excellent were all his
qualities,

Pray for blessings on
him and his descendants.

Sheikh Sa'di Sheeraazi (RA)

APPENDIX "B"

"If greatness of purpose, smallness of means
and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare
to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad?

The most famous men created arms, laws and empires
only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which
often crumbled away before their eyes. This man Muhammad moved not only armies,
legislations, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men; and more
than that 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 blended together peoples of every tongue and of
every race ... The idea of the unity of God, proclaimed amidst the exhaustion
of fabulous theologies, was in itself such a miracle that upon its utterance
from his lips it destroyed all the ancient superstitions ... His endless
prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after
death: all these attest not to an imposture but to a firm conviction which gave
him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was twofold, the unity of God and
the Immateriality of God; the former telling what God is, the latter telling
what God is not ...

... "PHILOSOPHER, ORATOR, APOSTLE, LEGISLATOR,
WARRIOR, CONQUEROR OF IDEAS, RESTORER OF RATIONAL BELIEFS, of a cult without
images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire,
that is Muhammad. AS REGARDS ALL STANDARDS BY WHICH HUMAN GREATNESS MAY BE
MEASURED, WE MAY WELL ASK, IS THERE ANY MAN GREATER THAN HE?"

(Lamartine, Historie de la Turquie, Paris 1854, Vol
II pp.276-277).

APPENDIX "C"

JULES MASSERMAN, U.S.
psychoanalyst

TIME, JULY 15, 1974

Leaders must fulfill three functions - - - provide
for the well-being of the led, provide a social organization in which people
feel relatively secure, and provide them with one set of beliefs. People like
Pasteur and Salk are leaders in the first sense.

People like Gandhi and Confucius, on one hand, and
Alexander, Caesar and Hitler on the other, are leaders in the second and
perhaps the third sense. Jesus and Buddha belong in the third category alone. PERHAPS
THE GREATEST LEADER OF ALL TIMES WAS MOHAMMED, WHO COMBINED ALL THREE
FUNCTIONS. To a lesser degree Moses did the same. (Emphasis added)

APPENDIX "D"

Fidelity is said to be a human attribute,

Which makes the modern gentleman distinguished from
the brute,

But that supreme fidelity, inborn in every hound,
Which is the mark of man's best friend, In man, it's rarely found!

A South African Poet.

_________________

قولوا: لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله
اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد وعلى آل سيدنا محمد

» Twelve Proofs that Muhammad is a True Prophet
» "YOU MUST KNOW THIS MAN "MUHAMMAD
» What the Bible Says About Muhammad
» تحميل الفيلم الوثائقي أعظم 10 اكتشافات أثرية بمصر Discovery Egypts Ten Greatest Discoveries
» Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him

Muhammad the Greatest

قولوا: لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول اللهاللهم صل على سيدنا محمد وعلى آل سيدنا محمد

قولوا: لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول اللهاللهم صل على سيدنا محمد وعلى آل سيدنا محمد

قولوا: لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول اللهاللهم صل على سيدنا محمد وعلى آل سيدنا محمد

قولوا: لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله
اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد وعلى آل سيدنا محمد

قولوا: لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله
اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد وعلى آل سيدنا محمد

قولوا: لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله
اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد وعلى آل سيدنا محمد