The Universal Message of the Prophet Muhammad
Aspects of His Life - Celebrating the Blessed Birth
Written by Zeki Saritoprak

Theologically speaking, the universality of the Prophet Muhammad's
message, peace and blessings be upon him, comes from the concept of
one God who is the God of all, not only the God of Muslims. God
describes Himself in the first chapter of the Qur'an, which is recited
by all Muslims around the world in their five daily prayers; He is the
God of all creation, "Rabb al-Alamīn." Whether humans are aware of
this fact or not, God is the God of all mankind--Muslims, Christians,
atheists, etc.--regardless of their differences. God is the creator of
everything, with no exception. The Qur'an declares that a gigantic
star and an atom are shoulder to shoulder, worshipping the same God; a
fly and an elephant are brothers and sisters; all of creation is here
to help us understand the meaning and the mystery of the universe.

Before addressing the universality of Prophet Muhammad's message, it
is essential to focus our attention to the era when Muhammad's message
first emerged: 15 hundred years ago in pre-Islamic Arabia. Although
there were some positive characteristics of Arabs before Islam, such
as generosity, courage, and dignity, the feudal system of society was
so harsh that the marginalized did not have any rights. Slaves were
persecuted, women were sold like property, and female infants in many
cases were buried alive as a part of traditional tribal honor. Wars
between tribes occurred uncontrollably. People worshipped idols and
made their own gods according to thir own desires.

Image

In the midst of such chaos, Muhammad was born in 571 CE on the 12th
day of the third month of the Arabic calendar, Rabi al-Awaal.
Throughout his adulthood he was not satisfied with the tribal
traditions of his society. He would go into seclusion and meditate
for a long time, particularly for the whole month of Ramadan. In the
year 610 C.E., he experienced the first revelation which changed him
and transformed the world forever. The revelation that came to
Muhammad over a span of twenty-three years, constituted the Holy
Scripture of Islam, the Qur'an, which literally means recitation. In
a very short period of time, despite hostile reaction to his message,
the Prophet's kindness and tenderness made an impact on the hearts of
many in the city of Mecca. He did not consider himself a deity or a
part of God, rather he saw himself as the messenger of God who was to
convey God's message to the world.

The Qur'an speaks of many prophets, like Abraham, Moses, John the
Baptist, and Jesus. We have chapters in the Qur'an named after some of
these prophets. There are also particular verses about the personality
of the Prophet of Islam. In one verse the Qur'an speaks of him as
"rahmatan lil al-Amīn," the mercy for many realms and worlds. Islamic
scholars ask us to think, in order to understand the meaning of being
merciful to creation, of the oppression that was occurring in the
world into which Muhammad was born and the transformation that
Muhammad's message made.

Image

Although the message of Muhammad addressed Arabs first, its nearest
audience, it did not limit the message to the nation of Arabs, or for
that matter to any nation. Many Qur'anic verses transcend locality,
region, ethnicity, and nationality by starting with the call, "O Human
beings," or, "O People."

The Prophet's message brings the idea that everything in creation is a
living, chanting, obedient worshipper of God, regardless of whether
they are humans, animals, or other creatures. Bediüzzaman Said Nursi
speaks of one Qur'anic verse which says, "Everything in the heavens
and earth praises God, although you may not understand their
praise," (17:44) inviting the reader to enter the world in which the
Qur'an was revealed and see the darkness that dominated it. In Arabia,
before the Prophet, the meaning of creatures was not recognized. The
Qur'anic revelation breathed life into the world of nature and taught
that the creatures around us were not dead and meaningless matter.
Instead, all of them were praising God with great joy through their
own languages. The same Islamic scholar invites the audience to ride
the vehicle of history and travel to the land of Arabia to see the
situation there before and after the emergence of Islam. One should
keep in mind that to change a little vice, such as a bad habit, is
difficult enough, let alone changing the minds and the hearts of an
entire society as the Prophet did. Even in our modern world, with a
comparison made by this Islamic scholar, if 100 philosophers with all
their knowledge were to go to Arabia and work for 100 years, they
would not be able to make the changes that Muhammad made in twenty-
three years. He successfully transformed this wild society into a
civilized community and shaped leaders for a new civilization.[1]

Image

If one would like to see the power of transformation that Muhammad
made, one needs only to look at Omar, the second caliph: Omar before
Islam and Omar after Islam. Omar himself said that he remembered two
things from his pre-Islamic life: one, he would cry, and two, he would
laugh. He cried that he buried his own daughter alive and he was still
hearing her voice calling to him. He laughed that he made gods of
flour which people ate when they were hungry. The new Omar became a
symbol of justice for the world. Omar after Islam, during his
caliphate, is known for the following statement: "if a wolf attacks a
lamb at the shore of the Euphrates, I am afraid that God would ask me
why I did not protect the lamb against the wolf." Out of compassion,
he would walk among houses at night and see if there were some that
needed food and he would anonymously feed those people. It was the
universal message of Muhammad that transformed Omar into such a high
persona of humanity.

Mercy and compassion constitute the foundation of the Prophet's
message. In the beginning statement that comes before the 113
chapters of the Qur'an, called the Basmala, God is described as having
two attributes, the "Most Merciful and the Most Compassionate." This
very statement has become the symbol of Islam. The Qur'anic verse
says, "Muhammad, We have sent you as a mercy for all creation
[rahmatan lil al-Amīn]" (21:10). Being merciful towards all creation,
Muhammad's personal life has become a reflection of this Qur'anic
verse. In his relationships with people, he always smiled and no one
ever heard a bad word from his mouth. In his family life, he showed
the same mercy to his wives. His companion Anas ibn Malik, who
faithfully served him for 13 years, witnessed this mercy, saying that
he never received any reprimand for his service, despite his
mistakes.

The Prophet was also very sensitive towards human suffering. When he
heard of a slave being tortured, he commanded one of his companions to
buy that slave's freedom. His famous hadith about the treatment of
slaves is a great example of his universal teaching. He used to say,
"They are your brothers; give them to eat what you eat, and give them
to wear what you wear." Slaves demonstrated great love toward
Muhammad. On one occasion, he asked Zaid Ibn Haritha, a slave freed by
Muhammad, if he would like to go back to his family, but he chose not
to go with his father who had come to take him, instead preferring to
stay with the Prophet.

Image

His farewell sermon on the plain of Arafat also has remarkable aspects
of the universality of his message. In this sermon, he speaks about
women, the relationship between races, and slaves. About slaves he
says, "Fear Allah with regard to your slaves." In fact, because of
Muhammad's message, within the span of thirty years after his death it
was difficult to find one slave in Arabia. The Qur'anic verse clearly
says that "O people, We have created you from male and female and made
you into nations and tribes to know one another. The best of you is
the best in conduct" (49:13). In his last sermon he emphasized this
aspect of his message. He said that all humankind is from Adam and
Eve: an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab and a non-Arab has no
superiority over an Arab. Also, a white person has no superiority over
a black person and a black person has no superiority over a white
person. Furthermore, of women he said, "It is true that you have
certain rights in regard to your women, but they also have rights over
you." The Prophet successfully established a sense of responsibility
and conscience in the minds and hearts of his people.

The Prophet's universal message of mercy did not include only human
beings, but also animals. Among the miracles narrated in the
collections of hadith, there is the story of a camel that came to
Muhammad, prostrated itself before him as if saluting him, and spoke
to him. According to certain other narrations, this camel had gone
wild and would attack whoever attempted to come near to it. When the
Prophet appeared, it came to him, prostrated itself as a sign of
respect, and knelt beside him, allowing Muhammad could put a bridle on
it. Then the camel complained to the Prophet, "They have employed me
in the heaviest work and now they want to slaughter me." Muhammad
asked its owner, "Is it true?" "Yes," he said. Muhammad said to his
companions, "These animals are communities like you. Be compassionate
towards them." With regard to someone who overworked his donkey, the
Prophet said, "Don't make the backs of your animals chairs." On
another occasion, the Prophet saw a donkey on the road with a brand on
its face, and said, "Allah's curse is on him who branded it."

The Prophet's mercy even extended to his enemies--he never sought
revenge. It is reported in the hadith collection that at the battle
of Ghatfan and Anmar the courageous head of a tribe named Ghuras slyly
approached the Prophet and holding his sword over the Prophet's head
asked, "Who will save you from me?" Muhammad replied, "Allah!" and
prayed, "O Allah, suffice me against him." In the same breath, Ghuras
was knocked down by a mysterious blow he received between his
shoulders and his sword slipped out of his hand. The Prophet took the
sword and asked him, "Now who will save you from me?" But the Prophet
forgave him and allowed him to return to his tribe. His people were
all surprised that such a courageous man had not been able to do
anything against the Prophet. They asked, "What happened to you, why
couldn't you do anything?" He told them what had happened, and added,
"I am now coming from the presence of the best of men." In a fashion
similar to this event, at the battle of Badr, a hypocrite from among
his own men likewise approached Muhammad. He had just lifted his sword
when Muhammad turned and glanced at him, causing him to tremble and
drop the sword. The Prophet again did not take revenge.

As the famous Muslim poet and mystic, Rumi, wrote:

The light of Muhammad has become distributed in millions of pieces
And has encompassed the whole world.
The Prophet was like the lightening of that light.
When it strikes, all veils of disbelief are torn and
Thousands of monks are influenced by Muhammad and run toward him.
His Words are all pearls from the ocean of reality
Because his heart was united with the ocean of truth.