KHUTAB III - 12. THE IDEAL PROPHET (3)

12. THE IDEAL PROPHET (3) 

          The third condition laid down by the Muslim scholar al-Nadawī for an ideal prophet is the perfection and practicality of his teachings. It means that the ideal prophet, beside having clear biography based on fact and bringing to people comprehensive teachings which cover people from all walks of life, these teachings are also perfect and can be put into practice in our daily lives. The feasibility of his teachings should be demonstrated by his own actions.

Among the teachings of Jesus mentioned in the Bible is to love one’s enemy. He said:

But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to

 those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on your cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak [Ind. Jubah], do not stop him from taking your tunic [Ind. baju]. Give to everyone who asks you,

and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not

 demand it back.”  (Luke 6:27-30)

This teaching can hardly be put into practice, especially turning the other cheek to the one who strikes on the cheek, and letting someone take one’s possessions without any attempt to prevent him from doing it. In other words, self-defence, which is the nature of every living thing, is not allowed. This could only be put into practice when the Christians were so weak due to the weakness of its followers, that self-defence and retaliation would mean self-destruction. But when the Christians become strong enough to defend themselves, they have to abandon this teaching of Jesus, as self-defence is the right of every living creature. The world has just witnessed two world wars where those who were involved mostly Christians. Even today most of war conflicts have been instigated mostly by Christians—in abandoning the teachings of Jesus—resulting with the influx of refugees, most of them are Muslims.

Dr. Michael H. Hart, a Ph.D. graduate in astronomy from Princeton University in 1972, wrote a book entitled The 100 A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History (Cheltenham, Victoria, Vantage House, 1981), quotes similar verses and gives his comment as follows:

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy

 neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your

enemies, bless  them that curse you, do good to them that hate

 you and pray for  them which despitefully use you,

 and persecute you. (Matthew 5:43-4)

Dr. Michael Hart’s comment is as follows:

Now, these ideas—which were not a part of the Judaism of

 Jesus’s  day, nor of most other religions—are surely among the most remarkable and original ethical ideas ever presented. If they were widely followed, I would have had no hesitation in placing Jesus first in this book. But the truth is that they are not widely followed. In fact, they are not even generally accepted. Most Christians consider the injunction to “Love your enemy” as—at most—an ideal which might be realized in some perfect world, but one which is not a reasonable guide to conduct in the actual world we live in. We do not normally practise it, do not expect other to practice it, and do not teach our children to practice it. Jesus’

 most distinctive teaching, therefore, remains an intriguing

 but basically untried suggestion. (The 100., pp. 50-51).

It is also mentioned in the Bible the following teachings of Jesus about forgiveness.

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’

 Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-times

 seven.’” (Matthew 18:21-22)

Al-Nadawī said that how could a person forgive his enemies if he has not overpowered and subjugated them? Jesus himself had never had an opportunity to forgive anybody, and therefore he could not be a model for mercy and kindness, or of an ideal husband for being unmarried.

Rich people will have more difficulty to enter heaven than the poor, mentioned in the Bible as follows:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter

the kingdom of God. (Matthew 19:23-24).

Being poor and having nothing to spare a person cannot give charity and show his benevolence and philanthropy to others.

          There are two kinds of virtue: negative and positive. Negative virtue is abstaining from harming others, whereas positive virtue is doing good to others. The three year period, which was a short period of Jesus’ ministry on this earth, and the limited record of his life—not more than fifty days according to Rev. Dr Charles Anderson Scott—would not give us sufficient example of his practising these two kinds of virtue, even the negative one.

          If we read the biography of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. we shall see that he had gone through with suffering and relief, poverty and prosperity, persecution and victory over enemies. Allah addressed the Prophet about this as follows:

  Did He not find you an orphan and gave [you]  refuge?

And He found you lost and guided [you]?

And He found you poor and made [you] self-sufficient?

So as for the orphan do not oppress [him]

And as for the petitioner [i.e. anyone who seeks aid or

 knowledge] do not repel [him]

But as for the favour of your Lord, report [it].

 (Q. 93:6-11).

          In 1978 Dr. Michael H. Hart states that he has “ranked these 100 persons in order of importance: that is, according to the total amount of influence that each of them had on human history and on the everyday lives of other human beings.” (p. 26). In his book he ranked Prophet Muhammad s.a.w (570-632 CE) the most influential person in history, because “he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels…” (p. 33). He states “Muhammad founded and promulgated one of the world’s great religions, and became an immensely effective political leader.” (ibid.). He put Isaac Newton (1642-1727 CE) no. 2, and Jesus Christ (c. 6 BC – c. 30 CE) no. 3.

          Why was not Jesus the most influential person in history? Even less influential than Newton? He said that

 Jesus formulated the basic ethical ideas of Christianity,

 as well as its basic spiritual outlook and its main ideas concerning human conduct. Christian theology, however, was shaped principally by the work of St. Paul. Jesus presented a spiritual message; Paul added to that the worship of Christ. Furthermore St. Paul was the author of a considerable portion of the New Testament, and was the

 main proselytising force for Christianity during

 the first century.  (pp. 47-8)

          Due to St. Paul’s writing and activity in proselytising people, some people considered that it was St. Paul rather than Jesus Christ who should be considered the real founder of Christianity, and would place him higher on the list than Jesus. It is said that the present Christianity is “Pauline Chrstianity.” Dr. Hart’s argument is that without Paul, there would be no Christianity. (p. 48).

          Dr. Hart acknowledges the uncertainty of the information about Jesus’ life, including the year of his birth (6 BC a likely date), even his original name (probably the common Jewish name, Yehoshua, Joshua in English). He said,

Even the year of his death, which must have been well known

 to his followers, is not definitely known today. Jesus himself left no

writings behind, and virtually all our information concerning his life comes from the accounts in the New Testament.Unfortunately, the

 Gospels contradict each other on various points.For example,

 Matthew and Luke give completely different versions of Jesus’

 last words; both of these versions, incidentally, are direct

 quotations from the Old Testament.  (p. 49)

          In   prophet, and that of Dr. Hart for the most influential person in history have been fulfilled by Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. (ANUMA, 20 January, 06)

  KHUTAB III