The
Ummatic Obligation of Muslims
The vital
question that a true Muslim must ask himself is this: Did Prophet Muhammad
(SAW) himself fulfill the prophetic mission assigned to him by Allah (SWT)
completely and in all respects? Or has that mission to be continued and carried
out by Muslims to its completion at the global level? If we concede the truth
projected in the latter question, can we really accomplish this gigantic task
merely by celebrating annually the prophet’s birthday with devotion and fervour
and by eulogizing his life and character traits? The right answer to this is definitely
in the negative.
We
Muslims must understand very clearly the all-important corollary of the belief
in the Finality of Prophethood with the advent of Muhammad (SAW). That the
institution of Prophethood has reached its zenith means that there will be no
more prophets, and, therefore, the responsibility for the task executed by the
chain of prophets has now been placed on to the shoulders of the Muslim Ummah.
In respect of both types of duties — those pertaining to the basic purpose of
Prophethood, which is preaching, and those related to the consummatory nature
of Muhammad’s Prophethood, which is establishing the Deen of Allah in its
totality — the responsibility lies with those who take pride in belonging to
the Muslim Ummah and who adore and eulogize the Prophet.
All
convinced and committed Muslims must realize that, since after Prophet Muhammad
(SAW) there is going to be no prophet for the guidance of mankind, Prophet
Muhammad’s mission has therefore acquired the following two-fold direction and
significance. Firstly, he is the Messenger of Almighty Allah (SWT) to his
contemporary Arab people (in particular) and, secondly, he is also the
Messenger to the entire humanity till the end of the world (in general). It is
stated quite clearly in the Qur’an (Al-Jum’ah 62:2,3) that the Prophet
(SAW) was sent unto both the unlettered people (ummiyeen) and unto all the
people belonging to other lands and future times (akhereen). The latter aspect
of Muhammad’s Prophethood stresses the universality and timeless validity of
all that was revealed to him. In a sermon already referred to, the Prophet
(SAW) addressed his audience thus:
Verily, I
am God’s Messenger unto you people in particular and unto all mankind (of other
lands and of future times) in general. (Cf. Sermons of the Holy Prophet,
reproduced in Nahjul Balaghah)
Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) executed and fully achieved the target envisaged by the more
immediate or “particularized” aspect of the prophetic call in his own life
time, through the myriad activities of preaching and disseminating the Truth as
well as persistent active struggle and even armed conflicts, in making Islam
the supreme and dominant force in all of the Arabian peninsula.
In this struggle, the Prophet (SAW) and his Companions (RAA) had to put up with all sorts of opposition, verbal and physical persecution, slander and mental anguish, conspiracies and armed attacks, vilifications and disinformation campaigns. Prominent landmarks in this arduous struggle include the confinement in the Sheb of Bani Hashim, the extremely insulting treatment and physical assault in Ta’if, the ordeal of hiding in the cave of Thaur while the Prophet and his Companion Abu Bakr were chased by the Quraysh, the migration to Medinah, and the battles of Badr and Uhad and Khyber and Tabuk; the Prophet (SAW) was forced to see hundreds of his devoted and cherished Companions martyred in this struggle, including Mus’ab Ibn Umair and Hamza (May God be pleased with them). But without faltering a bit, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his Companions (RAA) endured all the hardships and tribulations with patience and perseverance, and continued to work persistently for the execution of the Divinely ordained mission, until Islam gained ascendancy in all walks of life and the Qur’anic values and laws were implemented at all levels.
In this struggle, the Prophet (SAW) and his Companions (RAA) had to put up with all sorts of opposition, verbal and physical persecution, slander and mental anguish, conspiracies and armed attacks, vilifications and disinformation campaigns. Prominent landmarks in this arduous struggle include the confinement in the Sheb of Bani Hashim, the extremely insulting treatment and physical assault in Ta’if, the ordeal of hiding in the cave of Thaur while the Prophet and his Companion Abu Bakr were chased by the Quraysh, the migration to Medinah, and the battles of Badr and Uhad and Khyber and Tabuk; the Prophet (SAW) was forced to see hundreds of his devoted and cherished Companions martyred in this struggle, including Mus’ab Ibn Umair and Hamza (May God be pleased with them). But without faltering a bit, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his Companions (RAA) endured all the hardships and tribulations with patience and perseverance, and continued to work persistently for the execution of the Divinely ordained mission, until Islam gained ascendancy in all walks of life and the Qur’anic values and laws were implemented at all levels.
The
climax and finale of the prophetic mission came at the pilgrimage performed by
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in 9 AH, when he addressed a mammoth gathering of
Muslims at the Hajj Congregation and asked them whether he had fully
transmitted to them the Truth. In reply, all testified that he had indeed
communicated the Truth, that he had conscientiously discharged the duty
entrusted to him by Almighty Allah (SWT), and that he had worked for their
spiritual well being in the best possible manner. Only a few months later the
Prophet (SAW) left this world for the Heavenly abode. Now, in the light of
the following Qur’anic verse:
He has
chosen you….so that the Messenger may be a witness (to Truth) before you and
you might bear witness (to it) before all mankind.
(Al-Hajj
22:78)
The
execution of the prophetic mission at the global level is the obligation of the
Muslim Ummah as a whole. In the pursuance of this very objective the noblest of
the Prophet’s Companions, i.e., the four Rightly Guided Caliphs, carried the
banner of Islam on his behalf to the wide world outside the Arabian Peninsula.
Indeed, Islam reigned supreme in its pristine excellence on a vast area of the
then civilized world, and the obligations of witnessing to the Truth before
mankind, preaching the message of Almighty Allah (SWT) and making Islam
dominant as a system of life were discharged with utmost dedication for almost
three decades. Thereafter, the Deen of Allah experienced a slow and gradual
decline till it reached its lowest ebb in the first quarter of the present
century.
Starting
as an ideology believed in by a handful of people, Islam became the rock-bottom
foundation of a whole world civilization. Now it has been reverted back to a
position in which very few Muslims genuinely and whole-heartedly adhere to its
dictates. We have, however, seen that Almighty Allah (SWT) demands of us a
struggle and persistent endeavour to re-establish the link between faith and
power, bringing both of them into a single unified whole.
So let us
passionately involve ourselves in our society to do His will, and still more
passionately let our hearts yearn for His pleasure. Let the life of the Prophet
energize our ambitions and priorities. Let his message be our message, let his
conduct be our conduct, and let his goals be our goals. Let nothing motivate us
but an intense longing to please our Lord in the world to come, and let this
expectation and desire give a decisive impetus to our life in this world.
The hope
of meaningful future must make us bold enough to confront the risks and endure
the pains that lie in living by God’s will. We, as Muslims, have but one
option: to strive to change the world to conform to the model given to mankind
by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Any other choice will only betray our hypocrisy.
To Be Continued ....
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