The second event I have chosen to compare is the Farewell Pilgrimage of the Holy Prophet.

While there are many similarities between the content narrated by both Afsaruddin and Ishāq,
there are still some difference in the content of instructions put forth by the Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) which portray different images of the Prophet.
In Ishāq’s account of the farewell pilgrimage there is an abundance of evidence given
as to the demonstration given by the Prophet in the context of the rites to be performed in the
Hajj. There is mention of when the ihram is to be worn, along with the sacrifice that is to be
done. In addition to that, the account mentions that the Prophet stated that if a woman is on
her menses “she can perform every rite except for going around the temple”. Moreover, the
example of Hazrat Fatima being sent on umrah with her brother can be seen as an indication
of the importance of a “mehram” being alongside women while performing Hajj or Umrah.
Therefore, it can be seen that Ishāq gives a detailed account of the Prophet’s instructions on
the performance of Hajj for both men and women, and thus portrays a gender-egalitarian
image of the Prophet (PBUH). In contrast to Ishāq’s account, Afsaruddin’s account of the
farewell pilgrimage barely makes any indication towards the Prophet’s demonstration of the
rites to be performed at Hajj. Therefore, Ishāq’s account can be seen as more detailed in this
context than Afsaruddin’s.
In addition to that, while both writers mention the last sermon and many instructions
of the Holy Prophet overlap some aspects are found in Ishāq’s account which are not found in
Afsaruddin’s account, and vice versa.
Afsaruddin’s account of the last sermon stresses upon showing the last sermon as a
manifestation of basic religious ideals of Islam for both pre-modern and modern Muslims,
this can be seen as an attempt by Afsaruddin to portray the Prophet (PBUH) as inviting new
followers to Islam. Such an aspect is not found in Ishāq’s account, in my belief Ishāq’s
account speaks more to Muslims as the religious terms used by him such as ‘ihram’ would be
better understood by Muslims. In addition to that, to support the previous claim of
Afsaruddin’s attempt to portray the Prophet Pbuh as inviting new followers through the last
sermon , it must be acknowledged that she mentions the importance of praying 5 times a day,
giving Zakat and fasting in the month of Ramadhan. She further also mentions that the
Prophet spoke about the importance of an obligation on Muslims attending his sermon to
convey his message, therefore Afsaruddin’s account mentioning basic ideals of Islam
provides proof to my claim that Afsaruddin’s account is an attempt by her to spread Islam in
modern times. Lastly, she also mentions that the Prophet stated “an Arab has no superiority
over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab any superiority over an Arab; also a white person has no
superiority over a black person nor a black person over a white person except through piety
and good deeds”, this can be seen as her attempt to show the aspect of equality as espoused
by Prophet in Islam in order to put forth positive aspects of Islam in a world where it is
demonized by events like the 9/11. Therefore, it must be noted that an image of the Prophet
(PBUH) is portrayed as a welcoming leader willing to guide new followers on the aspects of
Islam. This can be seen as important for Afsaurddin because of the fact that in modern times
even learning about Islam is corrupted by the West. Moreover, Afsaruddin’s account
furthermore also mentions Prophet’s declaration of him being the last of Prophets, thus this
can be seen as an attempt by Afsaruddin to portray Prophet (PBUH) as shutting down claims
of there being prophet’s after him in modern times and to inform non-Muslims of the basics
of Islam.
While Afsaruddin’s account of the last sermon can be seen as more focused on basic
religious ideals of Islam, in my belief Ishāq’s account can be seen as a more detailed and in
depth account of the last sermon. Ishāq mentions more sensitive matters which are not
mentioned by Afsaruddin. Ishāq explicitly states that the Prophet stated in the last sermon
that there are 4 sacred months in a year in Islam, and he furthermore goes on to mention that
postponing a sacred month is an act of disbelief in Islam. Therefore, it must be understood
that Ishāq is attempting to portray an image of the Prophet (PBUH) as a source of authority
on deeper questions about Islam. In addition to that, he mentions the Prophet’s instructions on
adultery and the punishment regarding adultery. Such a sensitive matter is not seen in
Afsaruddin’s account. Another sensitive matter which is touched upon in Ishāq’s account is
the right given to men to lightly beat their wives for defiling them in bed, while Afsaruddin’s
account talks about rights of men over women, and women over men she does not go as far
as talking about beating your wife (ANALYSE THIS BIT). Furthermore, in his account the
Prophet’s instructions on bloodshed in the pagan period to be left unavenged is also
mentioned, therefore it can be seen that the Prophet (PBUH) is being portrayed as a human
being who did not resort to violence.
In my opinion, in Ishāq’s account the Prophet is shown solely as a religious leader
where rules and regulations of Islam are given. Whereas in Afsaruddin’s account the prophet
is shown as a universal leader and talks about how the community should be set up, as she
talks about equality both in race and gender, thus she takes into account modern
discrimination by race or gender and tries to nullify these claims throught the last sermon of
the Prophet.Again this falls under the time at which each of was written as during Ishaqs time
the sole reason of the writing was to carry forth the teachings of islam and to educate the
future generation of muslims where as Afsaruddin takes a modern approach to address
modern issues such as domestic violence and racial differences among people. This portrays
the prophet as an ideal human being who promotes equality.