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::artpretitle::Inspired by the Prophet's Wisdom::/artpretitle::
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::artseries::Teaching wisdom is an integral part of the mission of the earlier Prophets. The Quran speaks of Prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them), how they were sent to teach wisdom along with their respective scriptures. In the previous parts, we saw Prophet Muhammad's wisdom in important decisions he took. This part of the series basically focuses on how the Prophet implemented wisdom in other sensitive social and political situations.::/artseries::
::artlead::Why did the Prophet marry a widow residing one thousand miles away from him? His wisdom in dealing with his opponents is based on achieving fruitful results and correcting what is in their hearts...::/artlead::
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The well-being of a community or a nation has its respected place in the Islamic tradition.
Shaping and improving believers’ communities and organizations reflect improvement on all members of the community.
The Prophetic Tradition outlined for this communal purpose carry greater weight over other individual or personal type traditions, such as the non-obligatory.
For example, if one has a rightful duty to one's family or community, one must not dwell on one's personal, non-obligatory duties, while failing to meet the obligations due to the family or community.
Prophet Muhammad: A Role Model - Muhammad: A 21st Century Prophet? - What Prophet Muhammad Gave Humanity |
Islam teaches that one must not profit at the expense of harming others. Furthermore, failure of the group effects directly or indirectly all members of this group. Therefore, these Prophetic traditions must be given their due place and priority with respect to the personal traditions.
Preparing for One's Mission in Life (the Sunnah of Qualification)
The Sunnah of Qualification for appointment is a social, but less common practiced sunnah, while its re-establishment in society is an essential beginning step to societal reform.
Muslims in today's world are taught that washing their hands and face is sunnah, but Muslims are not taught that the four to five years of the Prophet's frequent visits to the cave of Hira' for contemplation, prior to his receiving the first Revelation, were a period of preparation is also a sunnah. The appointment of Muhammad to his role of Prophecy to deliver the message of Islam was approaching.
Prophet Muhammad had to be qualified and conditioned to receive the Words of God. He had to be able to withstand spiritually and mentally the coming of the Revelation. He must be extremely close to God in his soul, heart, and mind. This closeness required much contemplation; hence the cave of Hira' and its school of contemplation. Our substitution for the cave of Hira' is the establishment of regular training in and the practice of contemplation.
Similarly, in chapter 73 we see that God Almighty had enjoined upon the Prophet long night prayers. The purpose for that, God revealed, was the upcoming revelation of a heavy and weighty Message. Let us read and learn from these Quranic verses:
{Oh you in garments enfolded! Stand (to prayer) by night, but not all night, half of it or a little less, or a little more; and recite the Quran in slow, measured rhythmic tones. Soon We shall send down to you a weighty Message. Truly the rising by night (in prayers) is most potent for governing (the soul), and most suitable for (framing) the word (of prayer and praise).} (Al-Muzzamil 73: 1-6)
| The sunnah of qualification and preparation of people for a particular task is forgotten by the majority of Muslims today |
It is very clear from these first revealed verses, that Prophet Muhammad was asked to do heavy training in night prayers to prepare him for facing hard tasks such as receiving and delivering the message:
{Soon We shall send down to you a weighty Message}.
The sunnah of qualification and preparation of people for a particular task is forgotten by the majority of Muslims today. It is self-evident today across the Muslim world that people are appointed to positions for which they are not qualified. From as high as leaders of countries and communities down to drivers of automobiles, lack of qualification for jobs or appointments is evident. It is no wonder we are failing.
Why is so much importance given to the physical sunnah like ablution, about which many spend time and energy arguing and fighting about its correct performance, while the sunnah of qualification, which leads to triumph and safety, is not practiced or even considered?
Why is one sunnah picked and one dropped?
Taking the sunnah of qualification from a different perspective, we observe that a true Muslim must not hold a position for which he or she is not qualified. The Prophet warns against appointing people to where they should not be, saying:
"Whoever appoints a person over a group of people, while among that group there is another person who is more acceptable to Allah than the appointed one, indeed, has betrayed the trust of Allah and His Messenger and the believers."
Building Common Grounds
Another political and social but less known and practiced sunnah of the Prophet is the sunnah of building common grounds, and changing enemies into friends.
Prophet Muhammad's wisdom in dealing with his opponents is based on achieving fruitful results and correcting what is in the hearts of his opponents. He did this peacefully, not as a result of battles and bloodshed.
Prophet Muhammad married his worst enemy's daughter, the widowed Umm Habibah, daughter of Abu Sufian, in order to demolish and diminish her father's animosity to Islam. What is important to know here is that Umm Habibah was in Ethiopia at the time of her husband's death, while the Prophet was in Madinah, in the Arabian peninsula, about one thousand miles away. Umm Habibah and her husband, Abdullah ibn Jahsh, had earlier immigrated to Ethiopia to escape the torture of the Quraysh, the tribes that ruled Makkah at that time. After her husband's death, Prophet Muhammad sent a messenger to Ethiopia carrying his request to marry her.
Why would the Prophet marry a widow residing one thousand miles away from him? Were there not enough women in Arabia or in the city of Madinah?
The answer to this is better put from the mouth of his enemy, her father Abu Sufian, who said: "The healthy strong (male) camel is not to be prevented from mating with the she camel." This language is nowhere near his earlier position that: "Muhammad must be killed."
Prophet Muhammad's wisdom, here, is that he employed the highly respected, social blood-tie resulting from marriage that is still in existence in the Arab culture today to improve his relationship with one of his worst enemies. Any time a person marries from a clan outside of his own, he becomes honored and protected by the entire tribe of the bride. Later, when the Muslims entered Makkah without bloodshed, the Prophet announced:
"Any one enters the house of Abu Sufian is safe." (Muslim)
| As a result of the wise and compassionate work of the Prophet toward Abu Sufian, he embraced Islam |
In taking this approach, the Prophet was in effect acknowledging the stature of the leaders of Makkah and that Muslims were not to abuse the social and family structure of people. As a result of the wise and compassionate work of the Prophet toward Abu Sufian, he embraced Islam.
In a different matter, and before the coming of Islam, Ibn al-Athir, in his book Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, reported that several Arabian tribes, amongst them the tribe of Bani Hashim (the Prophet's family tribe), met and formed Hilf al- Fudhool (the Alliance of Virtue) to help the oppressed and remove injustice in and around Makkah. After Islam, the Prophet clearly spoke about Hilf al-Fudhool and said:
"I had witnessed (before Islam), along with my uncles, a meeting of the Alliance in the house of Abdullah ibn Jud'an, whom I loved more than the most precious thing, and if I were to be called to join it in Islam, I would join." (Authenticated by al Albani)
If things in common are not available to improve relations, the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad demonstrates that we should create social common bonds in order to build upon as yet non-existent relationships.
Accepting Humiliation for Avoiding Catastrophes
Beyond the sunnah of building common grounds with other communities, there are other traditions that are instrumental for preventing crises. One of those traditions is accepting humiliation so as to avoid war and collision.
Perpetrators of evil often use superficial and false statements, accusations, and intimidation to bring about their evil acts of war and destruction. In contrast, deep insight, with proper calculations and consideration, with focus on the long term victory, not just the present conflict is the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad.
Prior to the peace treaty of Hudaibiyah between Prophet Muhammad and Quraysh, the Prophet patiently took and swallowed all intimidation and harassment. Prior to and during the negotiation of the Hudaibiyah treaty, the Prophet and his companions were intimidated and attacked. Muslim negotiators were imprisoned and harassed. This agreement would have ceased to exist if the Prophet had responded to the intimidation his enemies engineered for him. Instead, the Prophet practiced humility for the well-being and good of all.
The treaty of Hudaibiyah marks the highest achievement of victory for Muslims. In fact, historians report that the surah, al-Fath (the victory) or more accurately (the opening) was revealed after this treaty, giving divine endorsement to this successful step.Subsequent to the treaty, many Quraysh leaders embraced Islam, including Khalid ibn al-Walid, who later was Islam's most successful military leader, who succeeded in liberating greater Syria from the Roman Empire. Amr ibn al-'As, who liberated and ruled Egypt was another one of Quraysh leaders who accepted Islam after this treaty.
If the closely related sunnah of Absorbing Intimidation and the deep insight of the affairs of Muslims had been considered prior to the United States' attack on Iraq in 1990, a whole nation of Muslims and all the industry and technology in Iraq could have been saved from devastation.
When will the Muslims learn?
| Prevention of violence, wars and bloodshed is engrained in the fabric of Islam. |
How could they not see such precious sunnah shining and emitting wisdom, like the sun in the middle of the day, emitting light?
Wise political and social sunan of Prophet Muhammad and all other Prophets are set before our eyes in the Quran in its history of nations.
The Sunnah of Prevention of War, Catastrophes, and Bloodshed
Prevention of violence, wars and bloodshed is engrained in the fabric of Islam. The Prophet sent Abdullah ibn Unais after Sufian al-Huthaly, who was building up to wage war against the Muslims in Madinah. When the Prophet learned of his preparations, he sent Abdullah Ibn Unais after him. When Ibn Unais found Sufian al-Huthaly, he pretended to be a man of the tribe of Khuza'ah joining him to attack the Prophet. After dark, Abdullah ibn Unais killed Sufian al-Huthaly and returned to the Prophet. As a result of this action, the process of building the army was stopped and no war was initiated.
By this course, many human lives were saved and the fire that was going to turn into a major war was extinguished at its inception, before it flared out of control. There is more wisdom in this action of the Prophet than simply avoiding a major war. This action destroyed the danger from its point of control and strength. When the snake's head is knocked off, the danger from the rest of its body vanishes. Many more political, military, and social sunan will surface when the life of the Prophet is studied and analyzed in greater depth.
These Prophetic traditions must be practiced before the Ummah of Islam will see the light. Why is it that most of our emphasis is on the sunan of simple mechanics and details of bodily actions, instead of on the purpose intended by that mechanical function which is by far the more important? (See our article: "Islam: Legacy of Peace.")
Merely listing the events and the mechanics of the life of the Prophet Muhammad does not do credit to his great achievements. Instead, the wisdom, social theories, and essence of his actions that shows the inter-dimensions of Islam must be considered and studied. When the events and actions of the Prophet are studied and analyzed for their moral, social, and political values, as well as their role in increasing prosperity, many advantages to the Muslim's life affairs will be at hand.Reliability and Dependability
Unreliable or half-done work is not the trait of a believer.
The Prophet clearly outlined a prudent tradition revealing the principles of reliability and dependability. After his migration to the city of Madinah, the Prophet built the first Mosque. A portion of the ground where he built the Mosque was public, and a portion was a cemetery, and a third portion belonged to the family of Najjar, a family new to Islam. The Prophet asked the family what they wanted for their land, saying:
"How much would you want for your garden?"
They replied: "We accept no money for it. We look for rewards from Allah for its price."
The Prophet, however, negotiated a price for it with them and called upon his companion Abu Bakr to pay them 10 dinars.
This Prophetic tradition illustrates that the Prophet was hesitant to get land, even for free, from a family that only recently had embraced Islam. Actions of this level perhaps require a more developed faith.
Giving free land to the Prophet might be misinterpreted. For example, some members of the family or tribe might be unhappy about the loss of the land. Another possibility, which would bring damage to Islam, is that the hypocrites might take the news and say the Prophet is playing on the minds of his followers and stealing their land. Yet, a third possibility is that the people who give the land may have claim to a portion of the treasury of the Islamic state, since they have a share in the Mosque of the Prophet.
The study of how reliable an action or a person is must precede any decision-making...
To be continued...
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::artendnote::Source: Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies (IAIS) - http://www.islamic-study.org. Article republished with author's kind permission.::/artendnote::
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::artcaption::The Prophet clearly outlined a prudent tradition revealing the principles of reliability and dependability. ::/artcaption::
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::artlink1::Talk So They Can Listen – Listen So They Can Talk::/artlink1::
::artlinkurl1::http://www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/living-islam/islam-day-to-day/family/461282-talk-so-they-can-listen-listen-so-they-can-talk.html::/artlinkurl1::
::artlink2::Preserving Muslim Independence and Identity::/artlink2::
::artlinkurl2::http://www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/understanding-islam/islam-and-the-world/worldview/459157-preserving-muslims-independence-and-identity.html::/artlinkurl2::
::artlink3::Is It True That Muhammad Wrote the Quran?::/artlink3::
::artlinkurl3::http://www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/about-muhammad/461189-is-it-true-that-muhammad-wrote-the-quran.html::/artlinkurl3::
::artlink4::Blessed to Be the One Who Found Peace::/artlink4::
::artlinkurl4::http://www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/my-journey-to-islam/contemporary-stories/447367-blessed-to-be-the-one-who-found-peace.html::/artlinkurl4::
::artlink5::The Prophet’s Wisdom at Al-Hudaibiyah::/artlink5::
::artlinkurl5::http://www.onislam.net/english/reading-islam/about-muhammad/his-life/461419-the-prophets-wisdom-at-hudaibiyah.html::/artlinkurl5::
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