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"O mankind, We have created you
from one male and female, and then set you up as nations and tribes so
you may recognize (and cooperate with) one another.
The noblest among you with Allah is he who is the most
pious…" [Qur'an, 49: 13]
The state in Madina established by
the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a model pluralistic
society in practice. The pluralistic environment that he had
cultivated along with its concomitant social values, civil rights and
responsibilities, individualism and diversity, freedom of speech and
religion, community building, elimination of prejudice, outreach
initiatives, empowerment of minorities, and governance through
consultation and inclusiveness was a glorious demonstration of the
global view of Islam and its vision of a just society. The guiding
principle of such a society is the universal perspective of humanity
under One Creator and a harmonizing character to be judged only by
Him.
It is a known fact that the period
in which the Prophet was born was the darkest in human history. There
was no moral code; ignorance was a symbol of pride; slavery was
commonly practiced; women, orphans and the weak had no rights or human
dignity; man could have unlimited number of wives; young girls used to
be buried alive; warfare and bloodshed was a hobby; and idolatry was
prevalent everywhere.
The Prophet began his mission as a
Messenger of Allah in Mecca. But all his efforts to reform the society
were met with resistance, hostility and increasing violence. After
exhausting all his efforts for thirteen years in the community of his
birth, he migrate to Madina. The environment in Madina was rather
receptive to the message of Islam. Prior to the Prophet's arrival,
there was a complete anarchy in Madina. But, in just a few weeks, the
Prophet succeeded in rallying all the inhabitants of Madina into
order.
He constituted a city-state in which
Muslims, Jews, pagan Arabs, and Christians all entered into a state
organism by means of a social contract. Islam began to gain momentum
in Madina and within eight years the Prophet re-entered Mecca without
any bloodshed. Rather than settling old scores, he granted a general
amnesty to his enemies in Mecca and advised them to seek Allah's
forgiveness and mercy instead. To those Muslims who were overwhelmed
by the victory and wanted to seek revenge, his order was: We are
returning from a minor jihad (military campaign) to a major jihad
(fighting the evil of own-self) of reconciliation. Impressed by his
magnanimity, the entire population of Mecca embraced Islam forthwith.
With Mecca firmly under the banner
of Islam, the Prophet returned to Madina and concentrated more in the
affairs of state. As head
of state and the chief executive by virtue of being a Prophet, he made
the pursuit of peace, justice and piety the directive principles of
his state policy. The fraternal relationship that he fostered between
the emigrants from Mecca and the residents of Madina and the covenants
of peace he worked out with non-Muslim communities were in line with
his statesmanship instincts for a pluralistic society. Making equality
of man the foundational principle of the Islamic state, the Prophet
endowed it with a written constitution. It was framed in consultation
with the representatives of both Muslims and non-Muslims citizens and
it recognized the freedom of religion for all.
The political system of Islam is
based on its concept of the universe itself. The authority to rule and
make decisions belongs to Allah; man must submit to his Creator:
"…The authority rests with Allah alone, Who has commanded you
that you worship none but Him. This is the right religion, but most people do not
know." [12:40] With
this role of man in the universe, the Prophet delivered the Final
Message of Allah contained in the Qur'an. The life of the Prophet is
an epitome of the Qur'an. He
was a divinely inspired reformist and disciplinarian.
As Prophet of Allah, he showed his kindness and compassion not
only to those who belonged to the Islamic fraternity but also to those
outside its fold. The morally pure, socially vibrant, racially and
religiously coherent, and economically prosperous society that the
Prophet built was a fulfillment of mission.
To the Prophet the entire human race
was one extended family as Islam views the children of Adam (see Q,
49: 13). He called himself " a slave of Allah" and "a
servant of humanity." Thus, he considered discrimination in all
its various forms as the most lethal enemy of the human race and
vigorously expunged it from the society. This Qur'anic statement
highlights three cardinal pieces of truth: our origin is one, our
natural distinctions are for cooperation in worldly affairs, and the
moral excellence is the only criterion for judging people. It is then
obvious that establishing peace, fairness, and human dignity by
galvanizing people of all shades and stripes as one body was high on
the Prophet's agenda as head of state.
The Prophet, as the writer James
Michener points out, always substantiated practically what he preached
verbally. He freed his own slave and adopted him as his son. He not
only stood against racial discrimination but appointed Bilal - a freed
African slave - as the
first mu'azzin (caller to prayers) in the Prophet's Mosque in Madina
and always honored him as a distinguished companion. The status of
Bilal in Islam is an undeniable proof of Islam's universal vision of
brotherhood, equality of all races and opposition to slavery.
While the fires of religious
intolerance howled savagely in most part of the world, as Qutubuddin
Aziz describes in his book, the Prophet devised an enlightened and
liberal code to govern the relations between the Islamic state and its
non-Muslim citizens. He made them equal partners with their Muslim
counter-part in contributing to the progress of the State and in the
enjoyment of the fruits of their collective efforts. He fostered
various institutions, Islamic laws and code of conduct for governing
an Islamic society in which the rights of religious minorities were
fully protected. The constitutional law of the first Islamic State -
which was a confederacy as sequence of the multiplicity of the
population groups - contains clauses such as: "To Muslim their
religion, and to Jews their religion," and "that there would
be benevolence and justice," or "The Jews… are a community
(in alliance) with the believers (Muslims)." According to this
document, autonomous Jewish villages were allowed to accede at will to
the confederal State, as most did. Further, the military defense was a
duty of all elements of the population, including the Jews.
In practice of statesmanship, the
Prophet fashioned for the Islamic state a dynamic foreign policy based
on the ethical postulates of Islam. All wars fought by Muslims under
the command of the Prophet were defensive in character. This was
because of the Prophet's aversion to unnecessary bloodshed. He laid
stress on the virtue of maintaining peace and respecting the sanctity
of human life. Describing a decent conduct in war, for example, the
Prophet instructed his soldiers: In avenging the injuries inflicted
upon us, faithfully carry out all covenants and agreements, avoid
treachery, disturb not the inmates of the shrines and monasteries,
spare women and children, touch not the suckling infant and the
patients in bed. Do not destroy the dwellings of the unresisting
inhabitants and their means of subsistence and spare the fruit trees.
He said those oppressed by the society inherit the earth, peace is
better than war, and justice prevails.
Impressed by the deep rooted
commitment of the Prophet to humanity, the French historian, Alphonse
de Lamartine, writes: "…Judged by all standards by which human
greatness may be measured, we may well ask: Is there any man greater
than he (Muhammad)?" It was this vision of the Prophet and his
demonstrated commitment to establishing and sustaining a pluralistic
society - a commitment also pursued by his followers - that touched
people from Morocco to Indonesia as a sign of hope and dignity.
Commenting on this phenomenon, John William Draper, a British
historian, describes the Prophet: "…of all men he (Muhammad)
exercised the greatest influence upon the human race…In a few years,
the Muslims conquered half of the world."
The Islamic concept of One Sovereign
Allah, in particular, provides an atmosphere suitable for better
understanding among the followers of monotheistic religions. The
Prophet gave a practical meaning to this universal concept to
assimilate all members of humanity into one natural unit. The Islamic
concept of social justice and security and its efforts to fight
aggression in all its forms makes Islam a pioneer system to adopt for
tackling common problems and to bring about universal peace through
mutual understanding. The Prophet was the first to allow the virtues
of democracy to enrich the society and advance the human civilization.
Perhaps the most characteristic feature of the pluralistic state
founded by the Prophet is that he granted social and judicial autonomy
to every non-Muslim community to run their own affairs. Notable
Christians and Jews, thus, have been among the highest dignitaries of
the State.
In essence, there is much proof that
the Prophet had hoped for the day when all who shared a common belief
in Allah would exist together in peace with respect for one another.
The world peace can be founded only on tolerance and promoted through
forbearance. Once a deputation of Christians visited the Prophet in
the mosque. When the time for Christian prayers arrived and they
started to leave, he insisted: "conduct your prayers right here
in the mosque. It is a place consecrated to God."
On his deathbed, the Prophet issued
a directive: "Observe scrupulously the protection accorded by me
to non-Muslim subjects."(cf. al'Mawardi) The Prophet has
expressed his utmost disapproval of any mistreatment accorded to
non-Muslims population in an Islamic state. He says: "Whoever
oppresses the non-Muslim subjects, shall find me to be their advocate
on the Day of Judgment (against the oppressing Muslims)." (Abu
Dawud) His inspiring last sermon, before passing away, reflects the
nobility and grace of the Prophet's thoughts and the beauty of the
language he spoke. He advised for the faith in Allah, non-aggression
and rising above the considerations of race, color and origin. He made
an impassioned plea for the observance of human rights enjoined by
Islam, a fair deal to women and the freeing of slaves.
Aug/Sept
2002
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