November 13
The month of RabiulAwwal holds a special place in the Muslim world, as it is the month in which the birth of the Prophet of Islam occurred. This month the Muslims all over the world celebrate the birth occasion of Muhammad, peace be upon him, the last Prophet sent by God to guide and reform the mankind. The prophet Muhammad was and is an excellent role model in his ethical behavior and teachings for all the humans. The Holy Quran indicates this fact in Chapter 33 (al-Ahzaab) , verse 21 “Certainly you have in the Messenger of God an excellent exemplar..”. Even those who opposed his mission during his lifetime had to acknowledge his unblemished character before and after his declaration of his mission.
He has taught the Muslims that their character should be such that others feel secure with him with respect to their lives and properties. He has told not to inflict any harm to the women and children during a war, not to mutilate the bodies of those who are killed in the battle, let alone killing innocent people. Once, a Christian chieftain named Adi bin Hatim al-Ta’i, came for an audience with the Prophet of Islam, who happened to be sitting on a cushion.
On seeing the visitor he took the cushion from underneath and offered it to his Christian guest, himself preferring to sit on the ground. This admirable display of modesty by the great Prophet so deeply affected Adi bin Hatim al-Ta’i, that the Christian chief immediately embraced Islam.
Unlike any utopian talks of a single nation, he has practically united warring tribes of Aws and Khazraj, and other nations in spite of their different languages and geographical features. He has emphasized on fraternity and removed all differences based on language, creed, tribe, wealth, etc. He has declared that all are equal and their grades exist on the bases of their fear of God. The Prophet said: “I will not give up five habits as long as I live: To eat sitting on ground with slaves, to ride on pony without a saddle, to milch goat with my own hands, to wear coarse woolen cloth and to greet children, so that it may become a popular habit after me and people follow suit.” When he would sit among the people, those who would see such a gathering for the first time would find it difficult to point who was the prophet, as he would be without any pomp or distinction from others.
Hence contemporary Muslims and even non Muslims can take the last Prophet Muhammad as a model in ethics and practically create a united mankind.