The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets - Volume I

A minority of Muslims were compelled to save themselves from being completely eliminated by a majority of tyrannical disbelievers. Now we are entering into the second year of migration. We now enter that era of Islamic history in which war between the disbelievers and Muslims commenced. The issue of Jihad by the sword, on account of which the swords of the Muslims were unsheathed, despite actually being a very straightforward and simple issue, has become very confused.

Unfortunately, this is due to the contradictory notions, which have been expressed by Muslims themselves in this regard. Furthermore, the writings of various non-Muslim historians, which they have written not in their capacity as historians, but as prejudiced religious critics, have also contributed to the confusion. It is alleged that Islam was initially nurtured under the shadow of the sword, which was raised against every such individual who refused to accept Islam, and that it was made a religious obligation upon Muslims to convert people to Islam by force of the sword.

How far off is this notion from the truth, and how contradictory is it to authentic historical account? The answers to this shall be provided in the following pages. The truth is that, in this early period, the actions of the Holy Prophet saw and his Companions were solely in security and self-defense, and evidence in support of this shall be provided ahead. Moreover, these measures were only undertaken when the Quraish of Makkah, and upon their instigation, the hostile designs of the other Arabian tribes had reached such an extent, that remaining silent in response, and refraining from physical action, was equivalent to suicide for the Muslims.

No sensible individual can deem this as being worthy of praise. Then, the various measures employed by the Holy Prophet saw in this defensive war were not only perfectly permissible and correct in light of prevalent events; rather, the standard of the code of conduct in war, as established by the Holy Prophet saw , is an excellent model for the world even today. As such, further inclination towards severity and punishment would have been at odds with justice, whereas a course of mercy and leniency would have proven to be a lethal poison for world peace.

In truth, the claim of Islam is that it is a religion that appeals to human nature. Therefore, it does not prescribe a punishment in all circumstances for every sin and every crime, nor does it teach that evil should never be repelled, because both of these teachings are at extreme odds. Acting upon such extreme teachings can never establish peace, nor can the morality of nations and individuals be reformed.

Hence, the most perfect and equitable teaching is:. The recompense of an injury or crime should be one which is most appropriate.

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If however, forgiveness brings about reformation, then one should forgive. A person who forgives in this manner shall be worthy of reward from Allah. Prior to analysing the early wars of Islam, it is incumbent upon us to first study the teachings presented by Islam regarding compulsion in religious matters. In other words, is it permissible — in light of Islamic teachings — that people should be converted to Islam by force, and that Islam be propagated by the sword?

If Islam permits compulsion, then undoubtedly, the issue would become dubious. In this case, the possibility would exist that perhaps the early wars of Islam were also fought for the purpose of converting people to Islam by force. However, if it is proven that in light of the Islamic teaching compulsion in religion is prohibited, this would be a powerful argument to substantiate that these early wars of Islam were not for the purpose of converting people to Islam by force, rather, there were other reasons for them.

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For it is not possible in the least, nor can any sensible individual accept, that the Holy Prophet saw himself and his Companions could have acted so openly against that teaching, which they conveyed to the people in the name of God, and upon which their national identity was based.

Allah the Exalted states:. And say to the people that Islam is the truth from your Lord; wherefore let him who will believe and let him who will, disbelieve.

The Life & Character Of The Seal Of Prophets Volume III

Say to the people that now has the truth come to you from your Lord. So whosoever accepts the guidance, follows it only for the good of his own soul, and whosoever treads the wrong path, the consequence thereof would also befall him. And I am not a keeper over you. There should be no compulsion in the matter of religion. Right has become distinct from wrong; whosoever abandons misguidance and believes in Allah, it shall be as if he has grasped a strong handle, which knows no breaking.

There should be no compulsion in religion. If then, they submit then know that they have been guided. But if they reject your message, then your duty is only to convey the message. And Allah is Watchful of His servants. Rather, Islam has left the issue of religion to the conscience of every individual, in that every individual may choose to follow whichever religion he so desires.

Some scholars are of the opinion that the verse of Surah Yunus is from the last days of the Makkan era, whereas others believe it to be from the Medinite era. As such, these different verses were revealed in diverse eras during the life of the Holy Prophet saw. The last verse was revealed close to the demise of the Holy Prophet saw. All of these verses conclusively and definitely establish the prohibition of forceful propagation, and allude to the task of the Prophet inasmuch that he should openly convey his teaching to the people.

Thereafter, to accept or not to accept is the prerogative of people themselves. Now, in the presence of this clear and lucid teaching, which was loudly announced to the people day in and day out, and to which the disbelievers were invited, is it possible for the Holy Prophet saw and his Companions to set out, sword in hand, so as to forcefully convert people to Islam? In this case, would the disbelievers not object saying that you preach a so-called divine word, which speaks against compulsion, yet practice coercion yourselves?

Yet history proves that this allegation was never raised by the disbelievers, despite their habitual tendency to level allegations against the Holy Prophet saw without holding back. Then we see that when Jihad was initiated by the Muslims, their state at the time also refutes the notion of compulsion. Is it possible for a war of compulsion to be waged by a mere handful of people — against whom the entire country was armed — and who could barely sleep at night due to fear?

In such a state of affairs, only such a person can set out to fight who either believes that now the only means to avert death is to take up the sword in self-defense, or if he believes that now death is inevitable either way, so why not die in the field of battle like men. Additionally, another salient feature of his work is that it is a perfect balance between in-depth scholarship of the highest academic level and simple, easy to follow storytelling.

The Life & Character Of The Seal Of Prophets Volume III

The captivating mastery with which Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad takes us through the life of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, in this book is truly unparalleled. One feels as if they have been transported into the streets of Mecca as the Holy Prophet sa conveys his message of love and peace to the Quraish, or perhaps onto the battlefield of Uhud as a handful of companions guard their master like a shield in the face of arrows and swords. The deep love and eloquence with which Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad ra tells this riveting story of the life of the Holy Prophet sa can bring one to tears as the heart begins to race as perilous events with all their suspense reach their climax.

If ever a book could be as visually captivating as a film, it would be this book. Yet, this vivid storytelling does not take away from the academic value and scholarly nature of this book; and it is this very fusion which makes this literary masterpiece unique. This book is not only confined to the biography of the Holy Prophet sa but also describes the environment and times in which the Holy Prophet lived. These rebuttals are truly compelling and not mere passionate responses as one would expect from a religious apologetic; they are academic, well-reasoned and quite simply, irrefutable rebuttals.

Even as decades have gone by it appears that the allegations against Islam and its Founder remain the same. It is often alleged as a major point, even today, that the Prophet of Islam married the young Aisha ra when she was only six years of age, against her will. The author has demonstrated through concrete evidence and authentic hadith that this was definitely not the case.

In this respect, Sirat Khatam-un-Nabiyyin is as relevant and topical today as it was when first penned. Unfortunately, since most Muslims do believe in this event to have taken place literally and physically, they are often unable to respond to this criticism. In doing so, the author very eloquently dismantles a powerful argument used by atheists to attack religion at large.

He demonstrates through this discussion and elsewhere in the context of miracles, that Islam does not believe in fairy-tale stories that clearly contradict science and reason. Many of the things that a vast majority of Muslims believe to have occurred literally, are simply dreams, visions and spiritual experiences that take place in a realm that is beyond the physical.

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Moreover, miracles are nothing more than a timely culmination of various laws of nature in a manner that brings about an extraordinary result — a result that is beyond the power of man to create. He explains that Islam is a religion that believes in God to be the Creator of the universe. His words cannot contradict His acts. But the question is, can humans claim to know all the intricacies of the law of nature or even all the laws of nature themselves?