It was the end of one of the lectures of the “Studies in the Quran” class at the university when a Japanese classmate asked the professor:
“I was wondering, what exactly is the role of Muhammad in Islam or with regards to the Quran?”
A rush of thoughts and emotions hit me.
“Muhammad…,” I whispered to myself. He asks about Muhammad (peace be upon him)…The Messenger of God!”
Even though the question wasn’t directed to me, I most definitely took it upon myself to answer it.
Was it an attempt to express love, to express gratitude to God? Only God knows the real intention.
I stayed up that night working on an email to send to my classmate.
I thought to myself: “What can I say about the one whom the Creator of the heavens and the earth chose to be the carrier of His last message to mankind?
Where do I begin talking about the beauty, purity and mercy that is Muhammad?
How can I encapsulate so much love, longing, admiration and awe in words?
Should I mention how learning about Muhammad helped me see the immense beauty that could exist in human beings?
Should I mention how reading into his biography helped me humble my ego before the Might, Power and Beauty of My Creator? That I finally know the incomparable Majesty of My Creator… and that it’s incredibly beautiful and incredibly liberating?
Should I mention how I started to find deep meaning in life, richness in the poverty to God, power in the humbleness before Him and modesty in His remembrance and His presence?
“No, no”, Rather, since this is a “studies in the Quran” class; let me quote the Quran …
{Muhammad is not the father of any one of your men; he is God’s Messenger and the seal of the prophets: and indeed God has full knowledge of everything... O Prophet [Muhammad], We have sent you as a witness, as a bearer of good news and warning, as one who calls people to God by His leave, as a light-giving lamp.} (Al-Ahzab 33: 40-8)
I remembered in the field of mass communication they teach us that a given message operates as follows: Sender----- (Message) ----Receiver. There is a sender, a receiver, a message and a channel transmitting this message.
In our case, The Quran is the message, sent by the Creator of mankind—to Man (His created being), through his last and final Messenger Muhammad (the channel).
Obviously, in this case, for the receiver to receive this message he/she needs to read it.
Intriguingly, the first word revealed from the Quran was ‘Read’… (96: 1-5)
However, in some cases during the process of communicating a message, factors get involved leading to failure in the reception of the message. The factors could be called noise/distortions; they could be pre-established biases or skepticism among other factors. So for the receiver to successfully receive a message, he/she needs to eliminate this “noise” and just listen, learn and “Read”!
I recalled a lecture delivered by Dr. Jeffrey Lang, an American Mathematics Professor and an author, in which he narrated his experience reading the Quran.
All messengers, from Adam to Muhammad (peace be upon them) are part of God’s guiding plan for mankind.He observed that the word ‘ilm’- which means knowledge in Arabic, is mentioned hundreds of times in the Quran. Repeatedly, the Quran asks the readers “‘have you considered this or that?”, “Did they not ponder?” encouraging people to think. He also found that the Quran stated over 100 times that it was revealed to make things clear, and over 21 times that in the Quran there are signs and lessons for those who are wise and use their reason.
He realized, accordingly, that “to gain truth or faith we need to free ourselves from inherited notions and examine our beliefs rationally. Learning plays a key role in human development. ‘Read!’ the Quran urges the reader. God taught us the use of the pen and taught human kind what it otherwise could not know. In life, nature and history there are signs and lessons for those who are wise. God teaches humanity both directly and indirectly and sometimes so subtly that we are unaware of his instruction. Thus, He touches us in multifarious ways.” (Lang).
The reader of the Quran would realize that it recognizes values and honors all messengers of God who came to inform, guide and enlighten. (2: 285)
All messengers, from Adam to Muhammad (peace be upon them) are part of God’s guiding plan for mankind. They’re milestones in the history of mankind. They’re beacons of light, or –if you will- pearls in the crown of faith….and Muhammad is the last diamond in this crown.
But, in addition to carrying God’s last message to mankind (the Quran), Prophet Muhammad set a model to be followed. He didn’t only deliver the Book; his character was the implementation of the teachings of this Book. (33: 21; 68: 4)
How is this relevant?
Just recently, I faced quite a troubling situation, one that leaves the person feeling deeply distressed - and even broken. Amidst the distress, I remembered what Muhammad did and what he said when he went through a similar situation. His actions and wisdom put things in perspective for me. Almost immediately this replaced my feelings of discomfort with contentment and gratitude. It was a healing experience for me to go from the depths of distress into comfort and relief. A true blessing. God sent this Messenger and had him go through all what he went through so that even when a young woman like me, 1400 years later, needed help, reassurance and direction, she would find it.
"Indeed, God bestowed a favor upon the believers when he raised up in their midst an apostle from among themselves, to convey His messages unto them, and to cause them to grow in purity, and to impart unto them the divine writ as well as wisdom - whereas before that they were indeed, most obviously, lost in error." (3: 164)
In Every Aspect, Muhammad Inspires
In the book, “The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History” Prophet Muhammad is ranked first as the most influential person in history.
The list appeared in 1978 and the second edition appeared in 1992. In both editions, Muhammad tops the list; the book’s author, Michael H. Hart, said, “he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels."
When Prophet Muhammad used to pray, his awe of being in the presence of God would overwhelm his entire being.As for his secular leadership, writer George Bernard Shaw described him in his book, The Genuine Islam, saying, "He must be called the savior of humanity I believe that if a man like him were to assume the leadership of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it much-needed peace and happiness."
As a servant and an adorer of God, Muhammad immensely inspired. Turkish author and thinker, Fethullah Gulen, wrote in his book “An Analysis of the Prophet’s Life: The Messenger of God, Muhammad”:
“God’s Messenger represented and expressed what he wanted to teach through his actions, and then translated his actions into words. How to be in awe of God, how to be humble, how to prostrate with deep feelings, how to bow, how to sit in prayer, how to cry to God at night—all of these he first did himself and then taught to others. As a result, whatever he preached was accepted immediately in his house and by his followers, for his words penetrated all of their hearts. […] All who saw him remembered God.”
When Prophet Muhammad used to pray, his awe of being in the presence of God would overwhelm his entire being, to the extent that, his companions would hear the sound of his weeping coming out of his chest, like the sound of a boiling pot," (Abu Dawud)
As the one who delivered God’s message, Muhammad was the purest channel. He helped one see that real poverty is the lack of knowing God. Real darkness is the lack of seeing His Light. Real loneliness is the lack of His company. Real misery is the lack of His Love. Real loss is not finding Him.
In the book, The Sealed Nectar, by Saifur Rahman al-Mubarakpuri:
"Abu Huraira said: "I have never seen a thing nicer than the Messenger of God, it seems as if the sunlight were moving within his face. I have never seen one who is faster in pace than the Messenger of God it seemed as if the earth had folded itself up to shorten the distance for him. For we used to wear ourselves out while he was at full ease," "When he was pleased, his face would shine with so bright light that you would believe that it was a moon-piece."
"His stamina, endurance and forgiveness — out of a commanding position — his patience and standing what he detested — these were all talents, attributes and qualities God Himself had brought him on. Even wise men have their flaws, but the Messenger of God, unlike everybody, the more he was hurt or injured the more clement and patient he became. The more insolence an ignorant anybody exercised against him the more enduring he became."
{And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds [to all the peoples].} (Al-Anbiya’ 21: 107)
Inspired by Prophet Muhammad today are men and women of different nationalities, ages and walks of life… Scholars like Tim Winter of Cambridge University and Hamza Yusuf of Zaytuna College, even artists like British singer/song writer Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), or Swedish singer Maher Zain who tries to capture snapshots of the life of Muhammad in many of his songs like “The Chosen One” Young American poet Ammar AlShukry wrote in his poem “Until I see you” about The Messenger.
Yes, it doesn’t do him justice that we forget or neglect his teachings, that we infuse polluted cultural habits with the purity of his message, that we stop practically following him, remembering his message… remembering to be faithful and loving to the Creator… with every heart beat that He gave us, serving others, standing up for justice for He is The Just, pursuing truth for He is The Truth, seeking knowledge for He is the Source of Knowledge, showing mercy for He is The Continuously Merciful, The Especially Merciful, forgiving for He is The Most Forgiving,...
But, even if people forget, today and every day I remember Muhammad, the honest, the trustworthy, the slave of God and His last and final messenger whose beauty and purity transcends time and space to reach hearts of men and women who learned and loved… May the peace and blessings of your Creator be upon you, O beautiful messenger!
The email eventually sent to the classmate was much shorter fulfilling the initial academic query, many thoughts and feelings were withheld...maybe this is why I had the urge to write this….?
Only God knows the intention.
- Dina Bassiony
“I was wondering, what exactly is the role of Muhammad in Islam or with regards to the Quran?”
A rush of thoughts and emotions hit me.
“Muhammad…,” I whispered to myself. He asks about Muhammad (peace be upon him)…The Messenger of God!”
Even though the question wasn’t directed to me, I most definitely took it upon myself to answer it.
Was it an attempt to express love, to express gratitude to God? Only God knows the real intention.
I stayed up that night working on an email to send to my classmate.
I thought to myself: “What can I say about the one whom the Creator of the heavens and the earth chose to be the carrier of His last message to mankind?
Where do I begin talking about the beauty, purity and mercy that is Muhammad?
How can I encapsulate so much love, longing, admiration and awe in words?
Should I mention how learning about Muhammad helped me see the immense beauty that could exist in human beings?
Should I mention how reading into his biography helped me humble my ego before the Might, Power and Beauty of My Creator? That I finally know the incomparable Majesty of My Creator… and that it’s incredibly beautiful and incredibly liberating?
Should I mention how I started to find deep meaning in life, richness in the poverty to God, power in the humbleness before Him and modesty in His remembrance and His presence?
“No, no”, Rather, since this is a “studies in the Quran” class; let me quote the Quran …
{Muhammad is not the father of any one of your men; he is God’s Messenger and the seal of the prophets: and indeed God has full knowledge of everything... O Prophet [Muhammad], We have sent you as a witness, as a bearer of good news and warning, as one who calls people to God by His leave, as a light-giving lamp.} (Al-Ahzab 33: 40-8)
I remembered in the field of mass communication they teach us that a given message operates as follows: Sender----- (Message) ----Receiver. There is a sender, a receiver, a message and a channel transmitting this message.
In our case, The Quran is the message, sent by the Creator of mankind—to Man (His created being), through his last and final Messenger Muhammad (the channel).
Obviously, in this case, for the receiver to receive this message he/she needs to read it.
Intriguingly, the first word revealed from the Quran was ‘Read’… (96: 1-5)
However, in some cases during the process of communicating a message, factors get involved leading to failure in the reception of the message. The factors could be called noise/distortions; they could be pre-established biases or skepticism among other factors. So for the receiver to successfully receive a message, he/she needs to eliminate this “noise” and just listen, learn and “Read”!
I recalled a lecture delivered by Dr. Jeffrey Lang, an American Mathematics Professor and an author, in which he narrated his experience reading the Quran.
All messengers, from Adam to Muhammad (peace be upon them) are part of God’s guiding plan for mankind.He observed that the word ‘ilm’- which means knowledge in Arabic, is mentioned hundreds of times in the Quran. Repeatedly, the Quran asks the readers “‘have you considered this or that?”, “Did they not ponder?” encouraging people to think. He also found that the Quran stated over 100 times that it was revealed to make things clear, and over 21 times that in the Quran there are signs and lessons for those who are wise and use their reason.
He realized, accordingly, that “to gain truth or faith we need to free ourselves from inherited notions and examine our beliefs rationally. Learning plays a key role in human development. ‘Read!’ the Quran urges the reader. God taught us the use of the pen and taught human kind what it otherwise could not know. In life, nature and history there are signs and lessons for those who are wise. God teaches humanity both directly and indirectly and sometimes so subtly that we are unaware of his instruction. Thus, He touches us in multifarious ways.” (Lang).
The reader of the Quran would realize that it recognizes values and honors all messengers of God who came to inform, guide and enlighten. (2: 285)
All messengers, from Adam to Muhammad (peace be upon them) are part of God’s guiding plan for mankind. They’re milestones in the history of mankind. They’re beacons of light, or –if you will- pearls in the crown of faith….and Muhammad is the last diamond in this crown.
But, in addition to carrying God’s last message to mankind (the Quran), Prophet Muhammad set a model to be followed. He didn’t only deliver the Book; his character was the implementation of the teachings of this Book. (33: 21; 68: 4)
How is this relevant?
Just recently, I faced quite a troubling situation, one that leaves the person feeling deeply distressed - and even broken. Amidst the distress, I remembered what Muhammad did and what he said when he went through a similar situation. His actions and wisdom put things in perspective for me. Almost immediately this replaced my feelings of discomfort with contentment and gratitude. It was a healing experience for me to go from the depths of distress into comfort and relief. A true blessing. God sent this Messenger and had him go through all what he went through so that even when a young woman like me, 1400 years later, needed help, reassurance and direction, she would find it.
"Indeed, God bestowed a favor upon the believers when he raised up in their midst an apostle from among themselves, to convey His messages unto them, and to cause them to grow in purity, and to impart unto them the divine writ as well as wisdom - whereas before that they were indeed, most obviously, lost in error." (3: 164)
In Every Aspect, Muhammad Inspires
In the book, “The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History” Prophet Muhammad is ranked first as the most influential person in history.
The list appeared in 1978 and the second edition appeared in 1992. In both editions, Muhammad tops the list; the book’s author, Michael H. Hart, said, “he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels."
When Prophet Muhammad used to pray, his awe of being in the presence of God would overwhelm his entire being.As for his secular leadership, writer George Bernard Shaw described him in his book, The Genuine Islam, saying, "He must be called the savior of humanity I believe that if a man like him were to assume the leadership of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it much-needed peace and happiness."
As a servant and an adorer of God, Muhammad immensely inspired. Turkish author and thinker, Fethullah Gulen, wrote in his book “An Analysis of the Prophet’s Life: The Messenger of God, Muhammad”:
“God’s Messenger represented and expressed what he wanted to teach through his actions, and then translated his actions into words. How to be in awe of God, how to be humble, how to prostrate with deep feelings, how to bow, how to sit in prayer, how to cry to God at night—all of these he first did himself and then taught to others. As a result, whatever he preached was accepted immediately in his house and by his followers, for his words penetrated all of their hearts. […] All who saw him remembered God.”
When Prophet Muhammad used to pray, his awe of being in the presence of God would overwhelm his entire being, to the extent that, his companions would hear the sound of his weeping coming out of his chest, like the sound of a boiling pot," (Abu Dawud)
As the one who delivered God’s message, Muhammad was the purest channel. He helped one see that real poverty is the lack of knowing God. Real darkness is the lack of seeing His Light. Real loneliness is the lack of His company. Real misery is the lack of His Love. Real loss is not finding Him.
In the book, The Sealed Nectar, by Saifur Rahman al-Mubarakpuri:
"Abu Huraira said: "I have never seen a thing nicer than the Messenger of God, it seems as if the sunlight were moving within his face. I have never seen one who is faster in pace than the Messenger of God it seemed as if the earth had folded itself up to shorten the distance for him. For we used to wear ourselves out while he was at full ease," "When he was pleased, his face would shine with so bright light that you would believe that it was a moon-piece."
"His stamina, endurance and forgiveness — out of a commanding position — his patience and standing what he detested — these were all talents, attributes and qualities God Himself had brought him on. Even wise men have their flaws, but the Messenger of God, unlike everybody, the more he was hurt or injured the more clement and patient he became. The more insolence an ignorant anybody exercised against him the more enduring he became."
{And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds [to all the peoples].} (Al-Anbiya’ 21: 107)
Inspired by Prophet Muhammad today are men and women of different nationalities, ages and walks of life… Scholars like Tim Winter of Cambridge University and Hamza Yusuf of Zaytuna College, even artists like British singer/song writer Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), or Swedish singer Maher Zain who tries to capture snapshots of the life of Muhammad in many of his songs like “The Chosen One” Young American poet Ammar AlShukry wrote in his poem “Until I see you” about The Messenger.
Yes, it doesn’t do him justice that we forget or neglect his teachings, that we infuse polluted cultural habits with the purity of his message, that we stop practically following him, remembering his message… remembering to be faithful and loving to the Creator… with every heart beat that He gave us, serving others, standing up for justice for He is The Just, pursuing truth for He is The Truth, seeking knowledge for He is the Source of Knowledge, showing mercy for He is The Continuously Merciful, The Especially Merciful, forgiving for He is The Most Forgiving,...
But, even if people forget, today and every day I remember Muhammad, the honest, the trustworthy, the slave of God and His last and final messenger whose beauty and purity transcends time and space to reach hearts of men and women who learned and loved… May the peace and blessings of your Creator be upon you, O beautiful messenger!
The email eventually sent to the classmate was much shorter fulfilling the initial academic query, many thoughts and feelings were withheld...maybe this is why I had the urge to write this….?
Only God knows the intention.
- Dina Bassiony