To begin: you may be a Christian protestant, Catholic, Jew, an atheist or an agnostic; or you may belong to any of many different religious denominations existing in today's world. You might even be a communist or believe in man's democracy as the rule on earth. Whoever you are and whatever ideological or political beliefs, social habits you may hold, there is no doubt - you should understand what others have to say about this man.
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. The lives and teachings of these great personalities of the earth are shrouded in the mist of time. There is so much speculation about the time and place 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 is impossible for humanity to reconstruct, accurately the lives and teachings of these men and women.
But this is not the case of this man, Muhammad (peace be upon him) who accomplished so much in such diverse fields of human thought and behavior in the fullest blaze of human history. Every detail of his private life and public utterances has been accurately documented and faithfully preserved up until our day. The authenticity of the records so preserved is vouched for not only by the faithful followers but even by his prejudiced critics.
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a religious teacher, a social reformer, a moral guide, 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 different aspects of life - but it was only for the selfless personality of Muhammad (peace be upon him) to achieve such incredible perfection.
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 numerous social and political reforms, established a powerful and dynamic society to practice and represent his teachings and completely revolutionized the worlds of human thought and behavior for all times to come.
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born in what was then known as felix Arabia, fourteen hundred years ago. He started his mission of preaching a religion of monotheism; a way of life based on the surrender, submission and obedience to the commandments of almighty God, in sincerity and peace.
The word "Islam" in Arabic means "the submission to God, in peace."
Muhammad's (peace be upon him) mission began at the age of forty and departed from this world at the age of sixty-three. During this short period of 23 years of his prophethood, he changed the complete arabian peninsula from paganism and idolatry to 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 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 - and imagine all these unbelievable wonders in just over two decades.
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was nothing more or less than a human being. But he was a man with a noble mission, which was to unite humanity on the worship of one and only one god and to teach them the way to honest and upright living, based on the commands of God. He always described himself as, 'a servant and Messenger of God' and so indeed every action of his proclaimed to be.
Today after a lapse of fourteen centuries, the life and teachings of Muhammad (peace be upon him) have survived without the slightest loss, alteration or interpolation. They offer the same undying hope for treating mankind's many ills, which they did when he was alive. This is not a claim of MUhammed's(peace be upon him) followers, but the inescapable conclusion forced upon by a critical and unbiased history.
The least you can do as a thinking and concerned human being is to stop for a moment and ask your self: could these statements sounding so extraordinary and revolutionary really be true? and supposing they really are true and you did not know this man Muhammad (peace be upon him) or hear about him, isn't it time you responded to this tremendous challenge and put in some effort to know him?
It will cost you nothing, but it may prove to be the beginning of a completely new era in your life.
We invite you to make a discovery of this wonderful man, Muhammad (peace be upon him) the like of whom never walked on the face of this earth.