An excellent pattern to follow
WHILE celebrating Eid-Milad-un-Nabi (ﷺ) we must ponder the Quranic observation that "assuredly there is for you in the messenger of Allah an excellent pattern to follow." Let us on this day search our souls to see whether we as individuals and a collectivity (Ummah) are following his Sunnah and how far we have strayed away from his Seerat. In his view, the faithful are like a body, so that if one limb aches or ails the whole organism is disturbed and gathers itself to defend. In more specific terms, he stressed the principle that a Muslim was a brother to another Muslim, who neither oppresses him nor refrains from going to his aid in distress. Unfortunately, if we survey the scene in the Muslim world today, we see it riven by numerous factions and divisions when the need for unity and fraternity is paramount. Divisive forces are at work in the shape of sectarianism, narrow nationalism, territorial ambitions and historical animosities. These schisms are being fed and fostered by our foes to keep the Ummah divided and weakened.
Although Eid-i-Milad-un-Nabi (ﷺ) is indeed an occasion for rejoicing and celebration, the teachings of the Prophet (ﷺ) emphasize that a more befitting homage to his memory is to follow him in words and deeds. He was not a philosopher in the abstract sense nor was his an academic exercise. There are numerous lessons in his life that we must learn and live by. Let us first see in the light of the Holy Quran the place and position of the Prophet (ﷺ) vis-a-vis the Muslims. It enjoins clearly that "if you differ in anything yourself refer it to Allah and His Messenger". Not only that, it goes further to emphasize the point in these words: "Nay by the Lord they will not (really) believe until they make thee a judge of what is in dispute among them and find no dislike of what thou decides and submit with full submission." It says "those who believed in him (Muhammad) (ﷺ) respected him, helped him and followed the Holy Quran (the light sent down with him) they are the successful". The call for conviction, obedience and action in this context is clear.
Today, when we demonstrate our devotion to and affection for the
Prophet (ﷺ), we must search our hearts
to determine whether we try to mould our character and conduct according to his
preaching and practice. He showed by personal example that Islam was a natural,
perfect and practical religion providing guidance for all problems, individual
and collective. The irony is that while we do not tire of repeating that Islam
is not a mere religion in the conventional sense but a complete code of life,
we have virtually confined it to the pulpit of the mosque instead of making it
a way of life in every sphere. The most striking quality of the Prophet's
leadership was its all-embracing content. His response to the most serious
challenges on a spiritual plane is as instructive and inspiring as in matters
mundane, for Islam recognises no such watertight compartments or invidious
distinctions. It will be appropriate to recall two or three such instances
which are relevant for the Millat in its present predicament. First and foremost,
the way he resolved tribal conflicts and warded off impending challenges by
drawing up the Treaty of Madina that reflected hikmat of the highest
order. He convened a general meeting of the population and suggested that in
order to contain internecine feuds and to keep external aggressors at bay it
was desirable to enter into what was virtually a "confederal compact"
and constitute the city-state of Madina. This document, still preserved in
writing, constitutes the basis of statecraft at its best. Similarly, the
integration between Mohajirs and Ansars was a masterpiece of the art of reconciliation.
The pact and peace of Hudaibiyah, though apparently a one-sided compromise,
was in fact a prelude to the conquest of Makkah and a turning point in the
history of Islam.
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