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RayOfHope 2002may
RayOfHope 2002may
RayOfHope 2002may
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Vol.1 No.4 Rabee‟-ul Awwal 1423 A.H. May-Jun 2002
PATRON: MAULAANAA RIZWAN AL QASMI
C O N T E N T S
1 Muhammad صلى هللا عليه وسلم: the benefactor of Noamaan Bader 2
humanity
2 Sayings of Prophet Muhammad Md Jamaluddin 3
3 Muhammad صلى هللا عليه وسلمin the eyes of Non- Syed Rashid Hussain 4
Muslims
4 Major events in the life of Prophet Muhammad Shamsul Islam 5
5 Teachings of Prophet صلى هللا عليه وسلم Wasi Akhtar Nadvi 7
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The Ray of Hope Rabee‟-ul Awwal 1423 May-Jun 2002
Editorial
The religion preached by the last prophet صلى هللا عليه وسلمis as much perfect,
ever-abiding and universal as are his own life and character perfect models of
goodness and virtue for all the people and for all times to come. Through him, the
human spirit embarks on a voyage of adventure, acquires a new culture and light,
wins a mastery over nature, and finds a key to unlock the secrets of the material
world. In him resides the collective instinct of the whole human race. He makes no
distinction between the Gentile and the Jew, the Arab and the non-Arab, the black
and the white, the poor and the rich. His prophetic vision ranges the entire gamut of
human history when he warns mankind against worshipping the idols of Caste, Co-
lour and Race: “The Arab is not superior to the non-Arab; the non-Arab is not supe-
rior to the Arab. You are all sons of Adam, and Adam was made of earth. Verily, all
Muslims are brothers. You are all members of one common brotherhood … If a de-
formed Abyssinian slave holds authority over you and leads you according to the
Book of Allaah, hear and obey him.” Nowhere have the Muslims ethics of democ-
racy and equality been as tersely summarized as in this, the last sermon of the
Prophet. In the annals of mankind there is none save Muhammad صلى هللا عليه وسلمto
deal a stunning blow to the racial antipathy that has proved the bane of Western ci-
vilization. It is due to his teachings that Muslims have never known the problem.
Bilaal رضي هللا عنه, the Negro slave, becomes the first muezzin of Islaam and is res-
pected and loved by the aristocratic Quraish.
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The Ray of Hope Rabee‟-ul Awwal 1423 May-Jun 2002
Indeed, Prophet Muhammad صلى هللا عليه وسلمdeserves the unique credit of
creating a social order which knows not the meaning of class distinction and proc-
laims the principle of the brotherhood of man. Muhammad صلى هللا عليه وسلمalone is
the savior of the modern world as his religion condemns the vested interests of
caste, colour and race, and is absolutely free from every sort of class exploitation.
He left a new system of law, which dispensed impartial justice, in which even the
head of the state was as much a subject to it as any commoner, and in which reli-
gious tolerance was so great that non-Muslim inhabitants of Muslim countries
equally enjoyed complete judicial and cultural autonomy. Above all, Prophet Mu-
hammad صلى هللا عليه وسلمset a noble example and fully practiced all that he taught
to others.
§ § § § § § § § § §
3
The Ray of Hope Rabee‟-ul Awwal 1423 May-Jun 2002
“My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world‟s most influential per-
sons 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 secular and religious
level. … It is probable that the relative influence of Muhammad on Islam has been
larger than the combined influence of Jesus Christ and St. Paul on Christianity. .. It
is this unparalleled combination of secular and religious influence which I feel en-
titles Muhammad to be considered the most influential single figure in human histo-
ry.” (Michael Hart, The 100, a ranking of the most influential persons in history,
New York)
“He must be called the Saviour of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him
were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving
its problems in a way that would bring it much needed peace and happiness.”
(George Bernard Shaw, The genuine Islam, Singapore, Vol.1, No.8, 1936)
“Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never
forgotten by those around him.” (D. C. Sharma, The prophets of the east, Calcutta,
1935, pp. 12)
§ § § § § § § § § §
4
The Ray of Hope Rabee‟-ul Awwal 1423 May-Jun 2002
Major Events In The Life Of Prophet Muhammad صلى هللا عليه وسلم
Shamsul Islam
PART 1: EVENTS BEFORE PROPHETHOOD
(* Here „1‟ stands for the first year since Prophet‟s صلى هللا عليه وسلمbirthday, and so on.)
1
According to Ibn Kaseer and Muhammad bin Is-haaq
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The Ray of Hope Rabee‟-ul Awwal 1423 May-Jun 2002
The event of Mi‟raaj takes place i.e. Prophet miraculously 11 621
ascends to the heavens and returns to his home the same
night
Twelve men of Yasrib take part in the First Pledge of 12 621
„Aqabah
Seventy-three men and two women of Yasrib take part in 13 622
the Second Pledge of „Aqabah
Prophet migrates to Madeenah. This event is known as Hi- 11 Rabee‟-ul 20 Sep
jrah (migration) to Madeenah Awwal 13 622
6
The Ray of Hope Rabee‟-ul Awwal 1423 May-Jun 2002
7
The Ray of Hope Rabee‟-ul Awwal 1423 May-Jun 2002
The first and fundamental teaching of Prophet Muhammad was Tauheed i.e.
belief in Oneness of God which implies rejection of all false gods and goddesses.
He taught the Muslims to believe in his prophethood and to obey all the commands
of Allaah that were sent to the humanity through him.
He laid great stress on the regular compulsory prayers five times a day in
which a Muslim stands before his Lord, glorifies Him, thanks Him for His innumer-
able gifts and bounties, admits his faults and shortcomings, seeks forgiveness for
his sins and transgressions and beseeches his Lord to guide him to the straight path
of piety and righteousness.
Prophet صلى هللا عليه وسلمcommanded the Muslims to observe fasts in the holy
month of Ramazaan and to observe other forms of prayers, seeking the Divine plea-
sure. He asked the economically sound Muslims to spend a stipulated portion of
their wealth in charity and to perform the Pilgrimage (Haj) at least once in lifetime.
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The Ray of Hope Rabee‟-ul Awwal 1423 May-Jun 2002
Prophet صلى هللا عليه وسلمraised the status of women and orphans and granted
them their due rights. Women were given a share in the inheritance – a right denied
to them till then. The Muslims were enjoined to respect their mother and to be at her
beck and call. Similarly, due rights were allocated to sisters, wives, etc.
Prophet صلى هللا عليه وسلمurged the Muslims to look after the needs of the poor
and the needy and to spend as much as possible, in addition to the compulsory
amount of charity (Zakaah) for their welfare and upliftment.
He strictly forbade all sorts of frauds, deceptions and unfair dealings in all
sorts of business and trade. He prohibited all sorts of professions and trades harmful
to the society, e.g. interest and usury, lotteries, etc.
In short, Prophet Muhammad‟s teachings have all the good elements and are
devoid of all shortcomings. This teaching has the ability to establish peace and bro-
therhood in the entire human race – a goal that all other non-divine teachings have
failed to achieve.