The Relevance of his


Prophethood

All praise is due to Allah, the Rubb of the


worlds, and may Allah exalt the mention


of His Prophet, and render him and his


household safe and secure from all derogatory


things.


This Booklet sheds light on the requirements


of the testimony, that Muhammad


is the true messenger of Allah,


which people make in order to enter


into Islam. In specific, sixteen principles


should be understood by anyone who


embraces Islam, in order to fully commit


to the religion, and to be considered


a proper Muslim who truly believes that


there is nothing worthy of being worshipped


except Allah and that Muhammad


is the Messenger of Allah. Finally,


the booklet concludes with an important


discussion of the relevance of the


Prophet in our current times; the


twenty-first century. It addresses the


important question of how the Prophet


Muhammad remains both relevant


and influential in the lives of humanity


as a model of how best to live one’s life


and how best to worship the Creator.

12


7


The Testimony that Muhammad


is the Messenger of Allah


Just as it is important to fully understand


the meaning and the implications


of the testimony that there is


nothing worthy of worship except Allah,


it is equally important to understand


the second part of the testimony


of faith, namely that Muhammad is the


Messenger of Allah. Indeed, some will


stray from Islam simply by their disregard


for the second part of the declaration


of faith.


When one testifies that Muhammad is


the Messenger of Allah, he is stating


his belief that the Prophet Muhammad


was chosen by Allah to be


His Messenger and to convey His


Message. Allah specifically chose


the Prophet Muhammad to be


His Messenger. Allah says, “Allah


knows best with whom to


place His Message.” (6:124)


This is understood to mean that


the Prophet Muhammad


possessed the most appropriMUHAMMAD


The Messenger of Allah 7


ate characteristics for prophethood


as obviously Allah, due to His justice,


wisdom and mercy, would not choose


one who is treacherous to be His Messenger.


Allah would not choose for


such a mission anyone who would not


convey the message or who would


use the position to his own advantage.


If anyone claims that the Prophet


did not actually convey the entire message,


or that he distorted it in any way,


he is actually saying that Allah did not


know, and did not choose, the best


person to be a messenger. This is obvious


disbelief.


Furthermore, when one makes the


testimony of faith, he is also testifying


that the Prophet


has been sent for


all of mankind until the


Day of Judgment. Allah


says in the Quran,


“Say, [O Muhammad],


‘O mankind, indeed I


am the Messenger of


Allah to you all, [from


Him] to whom belongs


14


7


the dominion of the heavens and the


earth. There is no deity except Him;


He gives life and causes death.’ So


believe in Allah and His Messenger,


the unlettered prophet, who believes


in Allah and His words, and follow him


that you may be guided.” (7:158)


Thus, it is obligatory upon everyone


from the time of the Prophet until


the Day of Judgment to believe in


and follow the Prophet . This also


implies that the Prophet’s teachings


and his Sunnah are valid and obligatory


upon all of mankind until the Day


of Judgment. Yet, some people try to


resist the idea that they have to follow


the Prophet . By taking this attitude,

they must realize that they are going


against what they have testified to do.


Moreover, when one makes the declaration


of faith, he is testifying that


he believes with certainty that the


Prophet Muhammad conveyed the


message - he conveyed it correctly, he


conveyed all of it, and he conveyed it


clearly. Allah says in the Quran, “The


Messenger’s duty is only to convey


(the message) in a clear way.” (29: 18)


And the Prophet himself said, “I left


you on a bright path whose night and


day are alike. No one strays from it after


me except he is destroyed.” (Ahmad)


The obligations upon a believer


as regards the second


testimony can best be


summarized in the following


sixteen principles


or requirements:


To believe in the


Message of the


Prophet and


that he was sent to


mankind at large.


16


7


To believe that the Prophet is


infallible in matters pertaining to


the Deen.


To believe that the Prophet was


sent as a mercy to mankind and as


the seal (finality) of all messengers,


such that no prophet or prophets


will ever come after him.


To believe that the Messenger of


Allah is the most honorable


Prophet and Messenger.


To believe that the Prophet


conveyed to us the true and complete


Deen of Islam.


To believe the Messenger of


Allah conveyed the message


in its entirety and gave


sincere counseling to the


Muslim people.


To believe the


Shari’ah (law) of Muhammad


is the only


acceptable law and to


obey the Prophet as Allah


commands.


To be content with the

judgment of the Messenger and


not object to what the Prophet


has legalized and made law,


and to adhere to


the Sunnah of the


Prophet .


To hold the Prophet


in high esteem,


and to revere him, and to ask


Allah to exalt the mention of the


Prophet.


To love and respect the Prophet


as he should be revered and


respected, and to invite and persuade


people to accept Islam, using


wisdom and good manners.


To defend the Prophet


and his Sunnah


against the haters


of Islam, and


to adhere to the


Sunnah of the


Prophet.


• Muhammad


18


7


Conclusion


We conclude this treatise with the


words of Alphonse de LaMartaine1 in


Historie de al Turquie:


“Never has a man set for himself, voluntarily


or involuntarily, a more sublime


aim. Since this aim was superhuman, to


subvert superstitions which had been


imposed between man and his Creator,


to render God unto man and man unto


God, to restore the rational and sacred


idea of divinity amidst the chaos of the


material and disfigured gods of idolatry,


then existing. Never has a man undertaken


a work so far beyond human power


with so feeble means, for he (Muhammad)


had in the conception as well as


in the execution of such a


great design, no other instrument


than himself and


no other aid except a handful


of men living in a corner


of the desert. Finally, never


has a man accomplished


such a huge and lasting


revolution in the world, be-


(1) He was a poet, a


member of the


provisional government,


and a onetime


French presidential


candidate.


19

cause in less than two centuries after its


appearance, Islam, in faith and in arms,


reigned over the whole of Arabia, and


conquered, in God’s name, Persia, Khorasan,


Transoxania, Western India, Syria,


Egypt, Abyssinia, all the known continent


of Northern Africa, numerous islands of


the Mediterranean Sea, Spain, and part


of Gaul. If greatness of purpose, smallness


of means, and astonishing results


are the three criteria of a human genius,


who could dare compare any great man


in history with Muhammad? The most famous


men created arms, laws, and empires


only. They founded, if anything at


all, no more than material powers which


often crumbled away before their eyes.


This man moved not only armies, legislations,


empires, peoples, dynasties, but


millions of men in one-third of the then


inhabited world. And more than that, he


moved the altars, the gods, the religions,


the ideas, the beliefs and the souls.


On the basis of a Book, every letter of


which has become law, he created a


spiritual nationality which blends together


peoples of every tongue and race. He


Islam is a complete


way of life. It


includes the social,


political, economical


and ethical aspects


of life.


20


7


has left the indelible characteristic of this


Muslim nationality, the hatred of false


gods and the passion for the One and


Immaterial God. This avenging patriotism


against the profanation of Heaven


formed the virtue of the followers of Muhammad.


The conquest of one-third the


earth to the dogma was his miracle, or


rather it was not the miracle of man, but


that of reason.


The idea of the unity of God, proclaimed


amidst the exhaustion of the


fabulous theogonies, was in itself such


a miracle that upon it’s utterance from


his lips, it destroyed all the ancient temples


of idols and set on fire one-third of


the world. His life, his meditations, his


heroic reveling against the superstitions


of his country, and his boldness in defying


the furies of idolatry, his firmness in


enduring them for fifteen years in Mecca,


his acceptance of the role of public


scorn and almost of being a victim of


his fellow countrymen. All these and finally,


his flight, his incessant preaching,


his wars against odds, his faith in his


success and his superhuman security


21

in misfortune, his forbearance in victory,


his ambition, which was entirely devoted


to one idea and in no manner striving


for an empire; his endless prayers,


his mystic conversations with God, his


death and his triumph after death. All


these attest not to an imposture, but


to a firm conviction which gave him the


power to restore a dogma.


This dogma was twofold the unity of


God, and the immateriality of God. The


former telling what God is, the latter


telling what God is not. The one overthrowing


false gods with the sword,


the other starting an idea with words.


Philosopher, Orator, Apostle, Legislator,


Conqueror of Ideas, Restorer of


Rational beliefs... The founder of


twenty terrestrial empires and


of one spiritual empire; that


is Muhammad. As regards


all standards by which


human greatness may be


measured, we may well ask,


is there any man greater than


he?”


22

Relevance of the Prophet


Muhammad Today


In today’s modern and secular society,


we see many advances that demonstrate


the advancement of civilization.


More efficient cars, faster airplanes,


taller buildings, smart devices, AI, the


genetic engineering of everything from


foods to babies… indeed one could legitimately


wonder what a man living in


the desert fourteen hundred years ago


could contribute to such a society. Yet


beneath the advanced technology and


neon lit streets of today’s world teems


a world which seems only to be going


backwards in regards to moral integrity,


societal equality, environmental


protection and general kindness


and respect to one another.


Our world today experiences


more and more corruption and


vice where the strong devour


the weak. Advancement was


supposed to bring an end to


racism, murder, theft, rape and


all such evils; yet sadly the secular


experiment hasn’t been able to


23

do that. This is not to say that many


of our advances as a civilization are


without benefit. On the contrary, they


are great tools by which we can serve


one another and by which we can


make our world a better place to live.


Yet there is one critical ingredient that


continuously seems to be missing,


and that is the spiritual dimension. The


world today is in dire need for trust,


mercy, love and peace - all of which


stem from God alone.


The Prophet Muhammad was, is


and will always be an embodiment of


these excellent values, not to mention


his many other virtues. When his mission


began, the world around him was


struggling with many of the same vices


we find ourselves drowning in;


injustice, oppression, poverty,


petty wars, infanticide, and racism


amongst others. In twenty-


three years, the Prophet


Muhammad sparked


a revolution that would alter


world history and spread the


message of peace, justice and


mercy throughout many nations.


24

The message of the God, as delivered


and lived by the Prophet Muhammad


, continues today to guide millions


upon millions of people to improve


not only their own lives, but the lives


of those around them. It encourages


one to remember that this life is a life


of testing and not the goal which we


should be seeking. That there will be


a day when true and complete justice


will be meted out and where one will


find the complete fruit of their labor.


There is a distinct difference in the life


of one who follows in the footsteps of


the great men and women of faith before


them as opposed to the one who


denies any reason or purpose to life.


As you read more about Islam and see


the impact of the teachings


of Muhammad on


entire societies and nations,


as well as his specific


instructions to individuals,


you will gain the


best appreciation for the


true relevance of this man


in today’s world. Muslims


already know the rele25

vance of this great and noble prophet


to the human race every time they see


a Muslim put their faith into action.


It might be through selfless charity,


standing up for the rights of the oppressed,


the honor and respect given


to those who teach or any one from


among the many simple, yet profound,


lessons we have learned from that


great Prophet of the Almighty. And as


long as we continue to be members of


the human race, his teachings will always


be valid and practical.


سلام على نبينا محمد ù صلاة وال ü الحمد لله رب العالمين وال


سلم. S صلى الله عليه و U


All Praise is due to Allah Alone, the


Lord of the Worlds, and may God


Praise His Prophet Muhammad and


his household, and keep him safe


from all evil.


It is time to know Him


ش


His Lineage, Childhood and Prophethood


Persecution and Hijra


His Manners & Characteristics


The Prophet’s Manners With Those Around Him


Textual, Scriptural and Intellectual Testimonials of his Prophethood


Intellectual Proofs of his Prophethood


The Relevance of his Prophethood


This booklet is the seventh in a series


of publications based on a book titled


Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah.


Each booklet covers an aspect of the


Prophetʼs life, deeds and teachings and


aims to provide a better understanding of


Islam.