By Mohammad Hassan Al-Thnaibat and Mohammad Niaz Aldalain
Ahmed Bahgat, an Egyptian writer, went to Mecca to perform Umrah rituals, and afterward, he wanted to visit the cave of Hira. On the way, he asked the taxi driver several times, "Are you sure we're on our way to the mountain where the Qur'an was revealed to the heart of Muhammad, may God's prayers and peace be upon him?" Each time, the driver answered him yes, and his astonishment grew, and when he arrived, he began asking the people there, "Are you sure this is the mountain where heaven and earth were one?" and they all respond to him Yes, he asked a police officer who was standing nearby!!, he asked a worker!! And he asked a foreigner the same question. and everyone gave him the same answer!
Yes, it was my perception, and I asked people, amazed, what God Almighty says (If We had sent down this Qur'an on a mountain, it would have humbled and cracked from God's fear). The burdens of receiving the message and conveying the revelation to guide all people were carried by the heart of the Messenger, may God's prayers and peace be upon him, on the mountain, on the Ummah (Nation of Islam), and even on the entire humanity.
In one of the chapters of 'Renewal of religious thought,' particularly in the chapter titled 'Is Religion Possible?!,' The poet Muhammad Iqbal comments on a phrase by an Indian cleric who says,(Muhammad, the Arab prophet ascended to heaven and met his god, I swear by my Lord, if I ascend I would not have descended), so Muhammad Iqbal says “This is the difference between the two understandings” and he added “The Prophet Mohammad, Peace and Blessings be upon him, has traveled the impenetrable heavens to come back stronger to guide the people to know their creator and to do their obligations towards him” yes, he was filled with the feeling of responsibility toward the humanity.
I have been a fellow in nephrology program in Canada. There were two Mohammads that time, and ‘one fills the place of the other’ according to a Canadian colleague! This has led one of the the highly regarded doctors as well as one of the patients to ask ‘Who is Mohammad?’, particularly after I worked on learning them how to pronounce the name properly; I have not found it acceptable on my part to be called with any other name other than Mohammad, nor I approved the shortened version of the name.
This is a name that is the most commonly used worldwide, excluding other variants of the name, like Ahmad, for instance. (80 millions according to some stats; one million in Turkey alone; Egypt has millions of Mohammads, some government members include five Mohammads). I can recall thirty Mohammads in my own first degree relatives.
Who is ‘Mohammad’ then?!
The whole world has known the Prophet Mohammad PBUH much before the exceptional Mohammad Ali; the rock-solid man in the boxing rings. A man who has presented to the world examples demonstrate human kindness such as refusal of army induction for the military service in Vietnam. He also rejected for his name to be on Hollywood Walk Of Fame, informing the HWOF association that the only way he would agree to having his name included in that line up, is if his star was placed on a wall, facing upright, so no one could step on it.
The whole world has known the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) much before the world-renowned Mohammad Salah (Mosalah in Liverpool supporters’ version); much before the less known football player the phenomenal Mohammed Aboutrika; much before the retired UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov; much before Cambridge Professor Mohamed El, Nashaee the Egyptian engineering scientist and theoretical physicist who has found a definite resolution to the missing dark energy of the cosmos based on a revision of the theory of Einstein’s Relativity; much before Ahmad Zweil Nobel laureate, master of femtosecond spectroscopy.
Again, the simple question: who is ‘Mohammad’?
Mohammad is the man described by his companions as ‘Whenever Allah's Messenger (Profet Mohammad) was given the choice of one of two matters he would choose the easier of the two as long as it was not sinful to do so.’
Anas Ben Malik, a man who served the Prophet for 10 years narrates that the Prophet never said to him “Why did you do it like this?” for something that he did and “Why did you not do it?” for something that he did not do.
He is the man who said about pilgrimage duties ‘do it with no concern’, highlighting the spirituality, not the physical side of the ritual, the man who sat with a child after a war to be sympathetic with a boy who lost his bird!
He answered for the question about The Day of Judgement saying ‘what have you prepared for it?”, inferring to do gain the rewards of Allah without needless implication for the subject.
Mohammad is the man who insisted on instilling in his companions the capacity to deduce, he ordered them not to pray until they arrive at Bani Qurayza, a tribe in Medina that failed to keep the pledge between them and Muslims. Some of them prayed at time and some of them delayed their prayer after the time and he accepted both of them.
Mohammad is the man who mercifully changed his orders for his companions not to drink from a well while traveling to help them with the scorching heat of the desert, as the safety of his companions is of greater importance than his commands.
Mohammad wanted his followers to ask questions, and never to be strict with the rules that may lead to the death of someone as what happened to a man who washed his wounds with water. Contamination led to his death thinking there is no way to do Woudou’ (Islamic ablution) without water spreading over the wounded organ.
One of his formidable enemies said ‘He is honest, never betrays and he is of great pedigree.’
Everyone with honesty would commend Mohammad, true history narrates his mercy in war, telling stories of his war in Medina where he forgave all who have inflicted pain on him. Any world ranking of great people in history starts with Mohammad. And the story never ends here or anywhere else with quotes, stories and even statistics.
The love for the Prophet Mohammad by us, his followers, is obligation, so as for his names, traits an traditions.
We pray for Allah to allow us to drink from the basin of Prophet Mohammad in the Day of Judgement as to allow us such a great deed.
To the world, this is Mohammad, follow him to guarantee the rewards of Allah in the final day!
Peace be upon him
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