That most Muslims profess deep love for the Prophet (ﷺ) is not in doubt. What is lacking is a clear understanding of the broader dimensions of his seerah. He was not sent merely to call people to sessions of dhikr; his life was spent in intense struggle against the mushriks.
Missionaries, orientalists and other hostile creatures have spent their lifetime trying to distort the Sirah of the Prophet (ﷺ) and failed. The greater failure lies with the Muslims, by omission. By failing to see the larger picure, they are missing out on the totality of the Sirah.
In Makkah, the number of Muslims remained relatively small: some 200 people out of a total population of 5,000. Yet they were totally committed. Among them three individuals stand out for their dedication to the Prophet and their sacrifices for Islam.
As the last and final Messenger of Allah, Muhammad’s (ﷺ) mission was not only to inform but also to transform society. For this he needed power which has not received adequate attention. Muslims must study his seerah properly if they want to transform their errant societies today.
The Qur’an is Allah’s guidance to humanity and the Prophet’s Sunnah and Seerah are the practical manifestations of Qur’anic principles. The Prophet (pbuh) established a society and state based on social justice free from oppression and exploitation.
Examining the Prophetic mission in Makkah, it becomes clear that it was geared toward an ideological challenge to the entrenched power structure in society. Rituals were not a part of this phase of the Prophetic mission.
The noble messenger (pbuh) was sent not merely to teach rituals but to transform the society by instilling the understanding that power and authority belong only to Allah. From this follows that only Allah’s laws must be implemented in society. Muslims need to pay close attention to this aspect as they hold Mawlid celebrations this year.
The Prophet (pbuh) was chosen by Allah for a divinely-ordained mission. He received guidance from on high but on worldly matters he consulted his companions. Unless divinely instructed, he allowed them to decide on issues through mutual consultation.
Since the Seerah is central to the ethos of Muslim life, it must be properly understood beyond the aspects of rituals. There is need to look at in its broader context as a process of transformation.
As the Taliban grapple with the issue of recognition, they should study the Covenant of Madinah (aka the Constitution of Madinah) as to how the noble Messenger (pbuh) brought diverse groups together into a formal compact to establish the first Islamic State.
The noble Messenger (pbuh) was sent not only to communicate the message of Islam but also to implement it in society. This was also the message of all the earlier Prophets of Allah. The last and final Prophet (pbuh) was able to both communicate the message and transform people organized in a state.
Allah describes the noble messenger (pbuh) as the “best of exemplars”. We would do well to study his Sunnah and Sirah properly to imbibe his lofty characteristics in our lives. Many Muslims expect the world to respect the Prophet they ignore.
Muslims will have to reject the Saudi-Wahhabi distortion of the Prophetic Sunnah and Sirah to truly respect and love the Prophet (pbuh).
Muslims must not reduce the Sirah to a few anecdotal episodes. It is our guide for the total transformation of society.
Muslims living as minorities in the West have an obligation to become engaged in local issues of justice and equality even while struggling for their rights.
The noble Messenger (saws) was sent not only to inform but also to transform humanity by bringing it out of darkness and into light. Muslims ought to pay attention to this aspect of the Sirah in this month of Rabi al Awwal.
This is the second part of Zafar Bangash’s article on “change”; the first part was published in the October 2016 issue of Crescent International, concluding with outlining some of the qualities of muttaqi leadership.
3In June 2010, we published this commentary on the conflict in Karabakh. We reproduce it in view of the renewed conflict underway in Karabakh today between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
