- You Must Know This Man Muhammad(pbuh)
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- You may be an atheist
or an agnostic or you may belong to any of the religious
denominations that exist in the world today. You may have
been a Communist or a believer in democracy and freedom.
No matter what you are, and no matter what your religious
and political beliefs, personal and social habits happen
to be - YOU STILL MUST KNOW THIS MAN!
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- He was by far the most
remarkable man that ever set foot on this earth. He
preached a religion, founded a state, built a nation,
laid down a moral code, initiated numberless social and
political reforms, established a dynamic and powerful
society to practice and represent his teachings, and he
revolutionized the worlds of human thought and human
action for all time.
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- His name was Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Almighty Creator be upon him) -
and he accomplished all these wonders in the unbelievably
short span of twenty-three years.
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- Muhammad (pbuh) was
born in Arabia on the 20th of August, 570 CE, and when he
died at the age of 63, the whole of the Arabian peninsula
had changes from paganism and idolworship to the worship
of One God; from tribal quarrels and wars to national
solidarity and cohesion; from drunkenness and debauchery
to sobriety and piety; from lawlessness and anarchy to
disciplined living; from utter moral bankruptcy to the
highest standards of moral excellence. Human history has
never known such a complete transformation of a people or
a place before or since.
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- The Encyclopedia
Britannica calls him "the most successful of all
religious personalities of the world." Bernard Shaw
said, " if Muhammad (pbuh) were alive today, he
would succeed in solving all those problems which
threaten to destroy human civilization in our
times." Thomas Carlysle was amazed as to how one
man, single-handedly, could weld warring tribes and
wandering Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized
nation in less than two decades. Napoleon and Gandhi
never tired of dreaming of a society along the lines
established by this man in Arabia fourteen centuries ago.
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- Indeed no other human
being ever accomplished so much, in such diverse fields
of human thought and behavior, in so limited a space of
time, as did Muhammad (pbuh). He was a religious teacher,
a social reformer, a moral guide, a political thinker, a
military genius, an administrative colossus, a faithful
friend, a wonderful companion, a devoted husband, a
loving father - all in one. No other man in history ever
excelled or equaled him in any of these difficult
departments of life.
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- The world has had its
share of great personalities. But these were one-sided
figures who distinguished themselves in but one or two
fields, such as religious thought or military leadership.
None of the other great leaders of the world ever
combined within himself so many different qualities to
such an amazing level of perfection as did Muhammad
(pbuh).
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- The lives and teachings
of other great personalities of the world are shrouded in
the mist of time. There is so much speculation about the
time and the place of their birth, the mode and style of
their life, the nature and detail of their teachings and
the degree and measure of their success or failure that
it is impossible for humanity today to reconstruct
accurately and precisely the lives and teachings of those
men.
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- Not so this man
Muhammad (pbuh). Not only was he born in the fullest
blaze of recorded history, but every detail of his
private and public life, of his actions and utterances,
has been accurately documented and faithfully preserved
to our day. The authenticity of the information so
preserved is vouched for not only by faithful followers
but also by unbiased critics and open-minded scholars.
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- At the lever of ideas
there is no system of thought and belief - secular or
religious, social or political - which could surpass or
equal ISLAM - the system which Muhammad (pbuh)
propounded. In a fast-changing world, while other systems
have undergone profound transformations, Islam alone has
remained above all change and mutation, and retained its
original form for the past 1400 years. What is more, the
positive changes that are taking place in the world of
human thought and behavior truly and concisely reflect
the healthy influence of Islam in these areas.
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- It is not given to the best of thinkers to
put their ideas completely into practice, and to see the
seeds of their labors grow and bear fruit in their own
lifetime. Except of course, Muhammad (pbuh), who not only
preached the most wonderful ideas but also successfully
translated each one of them into practice. At the time of
his death his teachings were not mere precepts and ideas
straining for fulfillment. They had become the very core
of the life of tens of thousands of perfectly trained
individuals. At what other time or place and in relation
to what other political, social, religious system,
philosophy or ideology - did the world ever witness such
a perfectly amazing phenomenon? Except of course, ISLAM,
which was established as a complete way of life by
Muhammad (pbuh) himself. History bears testimony to this
fact and the greatest skeptics have no option but to
concede this point.
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- In spite of the
phenomenal success which crowned his efforts, he did not
for a moment claim to be God or God's incarnation or Son
- but only a human being who was chosen and ordained by
the Creator to be a teacher of truth to mankind and a
complete model and pattern for their actions.
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- He was a man with a
noble and exalted mission - and his unique mission was to
unite humanity in the worship of the One and only God and
to teach them the way to honest and upright living in
accordance with the laws and commands of God. He always
described himself as a Messenger and servant of God, as
indeed every single action and movement of his proclaimed
him to be.
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- A world which has not
hesitated to raise to Divinity individuals whose very
lives and missions have been lost in legend and who,
historically speaking, did not accomplish half as much -
or even one tenth - as was accomplished by Muhammad
(pbuh), should stop to take serious note of this
remarkable man's claim to be God's messenger to mankind.
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- Today, after the lapse
of some 1400 years, the life and teachings of Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh), have survived without the slightest
loss, alteration or interpolation. Today they offer the
same undying hope for treating mankind's many ills which
they did when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was alive. This is
our honest claim and this is the inescapable conclusion
forced upon us by a critical and unbiased study of
history.
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- The least YOU should do
as a thinking, sensitive, concerned human being is to
stop for one brief moment and ask yourself: Could it be
that these statements, extraordinary and revolutionary as
they sound, are really true? Supposing they really are
true, and you did not know this man Muhammad (pbuh) or
hear about his teachings? Or did not know him well and
intimately enough to be able to benefit from his guidance
and example? Is it not time you responded to this
tremendous challenge and made some effort to know him? It
will not cost you anything but it may well prove to be
the beginning of a completely new era in your life.
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- Come, let us make a new
discovery, the life of this wonderful man Muhammad
(pbuh), the like of whom never walked on this earth, and
whose example and teachings can change YOUR life and OUR
world for the better. May God shower His choicest
blessings upon him!
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