Inspiring Person

                                   Prophet Muhammad

     Muhammad was a man from Mecca who unified Arabia into a single religious polity under Islam. Believed by Muslims and Bahá'ís to be a messenger and prophet of Allah, Muhammad, with the exception of Ahmadi Muslims, is almost universally considered by Muslims as the last prophet sent by God to mankind. While non-Muslims regard Muhammad as the founder of Islam, Muslims consider him to have restored the unaltered original monotheistic faith of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets.

         Born in about 570 CE in the Arabian city of Mecca, Muhammad was orphaned at an early age; he was raised under the care of his paternal uncle Abu Talib. After his childhood Muhammad primarily worked as a merchant. Occasionally he would retreat to a cave in the mountains for several nights of seclusion and prayer; later, at age 40, he reported at this spot, that he was visited by Gabriel and received his first revelation from God. Three years after this event Muhammad started preaching these revelations publicly, proclaiming that "God is One", that complete "surrender" to Him is the only way  acceptable to God, and that he was a prophet and messenger of God, in the same vein as other Islamic prophets.

         Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, is the man beloved by more than 1.2 billion Muslims.  He is the man who taught us patience in the face of adversity, and taught us to live in this world but seek eternal life in the hereafter.  It was to Prophet Muhammad that God revealed the Quran.  Along with this Book of guidance God sent Prophet Muhammad, whose behavior and high moral standards are an example to us all.  Prophet Muhammad’s life was the Quran.  He understood it, he loved it and he lived his life based on its standards.  He taught us to recite the Quran, to live by its principles and to love it.  When Muslims declare their faith in One God, they also declare their belief that Muhammad is the slave and final messenger of God.  

          What is it about Prophet Muhammad that inspires such devotion?  Is it his gentle and loving nature, his kindness and generosity or is it his ability to empathise with all of humanity?  Muhammad was a selfless man who devoted the last 23 years of his life to teaching his companions and followers how to worship God and how to respect humanity.  Prophet Muhammad was acutely aware of just how much responsibility had been thrust upon him by God.  He was careful to teach the message just as God had prescribed and warned his followers not to adulate him the way Jesus, son of Mary was praised

            Who is Prophet Muhammad?  Quite simply he is the man who will stand before God on the day of Requital and beg God to have mercy on us.  He will intercede for us. Muslims love him because he is the slave and messenger of God, he is a mercy to humankind and his gentleness, and devotion to humanity is unprecedented.