of his Ascent and Night Journey to the heavens, which is recorded thus in the Qur’ān:
Glory be to Allah Who took His servant (Muḥammad) for the night journey from the sacred mosque to the farthest mosque, whose surroundings We have blessed in order that We might show him some of Our signs.
(al-Isrā’ 17:1)
More importantly, on that occasion, he was granted the following charter of social justice, which also spells out the role and features of believers:
The believers are constant in their Prayer. And in their wealth there is a recognised right for the beggar and the poor… They respect their trusts and covenants. They stand firm in their testimony.
(al-Ma‘ārij 70:23-25 and 32-33)
The same note of social justice permeates the Prophet’s sermon at ‘Arafāt which he delivered on the occasion of his farewell pilgrimage. It captures the essence of the mission which he professed and practised throughout his illustrious life:
No Arab is superior to a non-Arab and any non-Arab does not have superiority over an Arab. Piety alone confers honour on man. All men are from Adam and Adam was made of clay.
O people! Your lives, blood and property are sacred for one another … All of you will certainly appear before Allah and He will take you to account. Thus do I warn you. Whoever among you is entrusted with someone’s property shall return the trust to the rightful owner.
O people! Allah has laid down rights for everyone. No one should therefore, leave a will in favour of any of his heirs. Debt is to be repaid. Borrowed things are to be returned. It is not lawful to deprive anyone of what is due to him. Your wives have rights. They owe you obligations. Treat them well. For they are dependent upon you. If you follow the Book of Allah and my practice (Sunnah), which I leave behind with you, you will never go astray.
This sermon stands out as his strong exhortation for cordial human relationships and a tension-free society. His assertions about shunning violence and bloodshed, not usurping others’ belongings and refraining from betraying the trust reposed in one re-echo the following Qur’ānic verses: al-Baqarah 2:283, Āl ‘Imrān 3:161 and al-Nisā’ 4:93. He is also seen reminding everyone of the need to discharge their obligations, especially those which they owe to fellow human beings in general and to their family members, friends and neighbours in particular. Man is asked to keep the trust placed with him as a responsible member of the society and as a good citizen.
Even in the face of his life-giving message and his spotless character and conduct, to which the Arabs had been a witness since his birth, many in and around Makkah took to opposing the Prophet. The pretexts they employed for rejecting his mission bordered on absurdity. For some of them took exception to his humanness, thinking that a fellow human being with whom they were familiar, could not be appointed to such an august office as that of messengership. They suffered from the delusion that only an angel or superhuman creature could shoulder this responsibility. In raising this objection they disregarded the point altogether that such a messenger could not relate to men and women for being radically different from them. Nor could he serve as a role model for them. Some were so overawed by his persuasive charms and magnetic personality that they dismissed him as a magician. No magician is, however, on record in history as striving for human welfare. Some alleged that he had borrowed material from others. They did not, however, identify his source or sources. Others regarded him as the author of the Qur’ān. Once again they remained blind to common knowledge that he was an unlettered person who could not draw upon earlier Scriptures. The ignorant Arabs could be forgiven in view of the general ignorance of articles of faith among them. However, even the Jews and Christians disregarded their own Scriptures which contain prophecies about his advent. Some sought to discredit him by branding him as a poet and the Qur’ān as the product of his mind. It was a silly charge. For no poet before or since has composed such a perfect book of guidance as is the Qur’ān. To those who demanded that some palpable miracle be given to the Prophet, which would convince them of the truth of his messengership, the Qur’ān told them that if they persisted in their unbelief, it would incur devastating punishment for them. The Qur’ān refutes the objections raised against his claim to messengership and asserts his exalted position. Muslims are directed to treat the Prophet with great respect and love:
O Believers! Do not put yourselves forward before Allah and His Messenger. But fear Allah. For Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
O Believers! Do not raise your voice above the voice of the Prophet. Do not speak aloud to him in talk, as you may speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds go to waste while you do not perceive.
(al-Ḥujurāt 49:1-2)
You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah the perfect pattern of conduct.
(al-Aḥzāb 33:21)
Related Qur’ānic passages for self-study
4
Life and Afterlife
Present before them the similitude of the life of this world. It is like the rain which Allah sends down from the heaven. The earth’s vegetation absorbs it. But it soon becomes dry stubble which the winds scatter. And Allah prevails over everything.
Wealth and sons are the adornment of the life of this world. However, good deeds which last are best in the sight of your Lord as reward and excellent in respect of hope.
