Discussing the contemporary lessons of the Seerah in Toronto

Muslims throughout the world celebrate with great fervour the birthday of the noble Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, during the month of Rabi al-Awwal. This year, the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought and the Islamic Centre of York Region organised a conference on the Seerah in Toronto on May 10. ZAFAR BANGASH, director of the ICIT, was there.

Muslims throughout the world celebrate with great fervour the birthday of the noble Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, during the month of Rabi al-Awwal. This is understandable in view of the great love and affection Muslims have for the Prophet, whom Allah Himself has described as uswatan hasanah ("an excellent example") in the Qur’an (33:21). As the last and final Messenger, he is a guide and light for all humanity till eternity (9:40). As is the case for the noble Qur’an, no amount of study of and reflection on the Seerah (life-history of Allah’s Messenger) can be considered enough, beyond which a Muslim can feel that he knows it all; the Prophet (saw) is a source of guidance and inspiration in all situations and at all times.

Muslims know from the Qur’an and the Seerah that he led a pure and simple life even before he was formally commissioned as Allah’s Messenger, earning the title of al-Amin ("the trustworthy one") in the conflict-ridden society of Makkah and its environs. He was soft-spoken, kind and compassionate and had an engaging personality. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, in His Infinite Wisdom and Mercy, has called his beloved Prophet a "mercy for all the worlds" (rahmatan lil-alameen, 21:107). The Creator also commands those who have made a faith-commitment to Him to "obey Allah and obey the Messenger" (4:59) in all matters. In fact, Allah reminds His servants that, if they truly love and revere Allah, they should show it by loving and obeying the Messenger of Allah.

Almost all Muslims are aware of these lofty qualities of the noble Messenger. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says in the Qur’an that the Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace, was sent with clear signs in order to bring those who commit themselves to Allah, and do good deeds, out of darkness and into the light (65:11). Syed Qutb Shaheed (d.1966), one of the great Muslim thinkers and writers, has said that any action or behaviour that does not conform with the commands of Allah is darkness; similarly, all action and behaviour that is in consonance with Allah’s prescribed path is good and wholesome. Thus even a simple act of kindness to one’s family, friends, relatives, neighbours or even strangers becomes an act of ibadah (worship, devotion) because it is pleasing to Allah.

The Prophet (saw), however, was not sent merely to correct people’s personal behaviour and morals, important as these are. As the last and final Messenger of Allah, he was and continues to be an example in all spheres of human endeavour, from the personal to the collective, from family to society and from community to state. The noble Messenger transformed both individuals individually and society collectively.

These aspects of the Seerah, with much greater emphasis on the practical aspects of life, were highlighted at a conference on the Seerah organized by the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT) on May 10 at the Islamic Centre of York Region (Toronto), Canada. The ICIT has held a number of conferences in the last three years (Sri Lanka in 2000 and 2002, Pakistan in 2000, South Africa in 2001, and Canada this year). Three well-known scholars – Imam Mohammad al-Asi, Imam Abdul Alim Musa and Dr Muzaffar Iqbal – presented papers on different aspects of the Seerah. The ICIT has charted a distinctly different course in studying the Seerah, following closely the late Dr Kalim Siddiqui’s proposals, which were outlined in his pioneering paper Political Dimensions of the Seerah (1998), placing greater emphasis on the power perspective. A number of papers have also been published since 2000.

This is the first time that the Muslim community in Toronto has made a serious attempt to study and understand the Seerah. A number of other programmes were held in the city that coincided with the ICIT conference, but the fact that hundreds of Muslims attended the ICIT conference showed both their interest in the subject-matter and the popularity of the speakers. Other programmes were comprised of traditional patterns of na’at and nashid recital; while these have their own utility, they are limited in the sense that Muslims do not get any intellectual stimulation from them, nor learn anything about addressing the myriad problems facing the Ummah. Simply feeling good by listening to na’at recitals hardly adds up to improving one’s life or understanding; listening to songs and music is only a few steps away from that. Given the Muslims’ present predicament, with crises gripping us everywhere, the need to understand the Seerah in these trying times for mere survival and to revive the Ummah has never been more urgent. Speakers at the ICIT conference paid close attention to this aspect of our situation.

Comparing the present plight of the Ummah with the Seerah, all the speakers touched on the Muslims’ lack of commitment and how it pales in comparison with the strong commitment of the early Muslims. During the Prophet’s time, Muslims were few but they achieved great successes because of their commitment; today the Muslims number more than 1.2 billion yet exist on the margins of life, being suppressed, persecuted and ridiculed all over the world. Drawing comparisons between the past and present was a common theme in all the speakers’ presentations.

Imam Abdul Alim Musa, speaking in his inimitable style, uplifted spirits by pointing out that we Muslims have no reason to be despondent, despite the recent setbacks; the Prophet (saw) never lost hope, even when he suffered great reverses and hardships. Imam Musa argued that the defeat of Saddam Husain has opened up vast opportunities for Muslims, if we would only reorient our outlook and understanding of life and the world. Illustrating his point with reference to the Seerah, he reminded the audience that in Makkah the companions had complained about the intensity of oppression; the Prophet counselled patience, reminding them that the followers of earlier Prophets had suffered much more. Imam Musa also warned against becoming submissive in the face of overwhelming oppression and the apparent technological superiority of the enemies of Islam. He said that some Muslims had adopted a cowardly attitude, feeling overwhelmed by the technological superiority of the kuffar. There is no permission for this in Islam, he said.

Linking up with this theme, Dr Muzaffar Iqbal, founder-director of the Centre for Islam, highlighted the dichotomy between the contemporary Muslims’ ‘ilm and action, between their hearts and minds, and between their ibadat (acts of devotion, worship) and their a’mal (deeds, actions). As a Muslim scientist who has produced voluminous works on Islam and science, he postulated that the environment today was being shaped by secularism and other related influences: even the Muslims’ understanding of Islam itself is being affected. He said that, unlike the present rulers in the Muslim world, the Prophet (saw) did not impose Islam from the top; he presented the message in such a way that it penetrated the hearts and minds of Muslims, motivating them to implement it in their lives. Dr Iqbal proposed the establishment of institutions rooted in iman (faith, belief, commitment, allegiance, trust in Allah) and the tradition of ‘ilm (knowledge, learning and understanding) to arrest the decline in Muslim intellectual life and thought. He said that it is now becoming clear that Islam’s message will henceforth go from Muslims in the diaspora to Muslim-majority areas of the world. Inquiry and intellectual curiosity are being stifled by oppressive, narrow-minded rulers, leading to stagnation of thought and intellectual activity in the Muslim world.

The mechanical and ritualistic Islam of most Muslims today was contrasted with the Prophet’s 13-year struggle in Makkah by Imam Mohammad al-Asi. He said that most people in the west (non-Muslims) have worked out a rationale to separate religion from politics; this is also being prescribed for Muslims, some of whom have subconsciously accepted this separation, although in public they would vehemently argue the opposite proposition. Imam al-Asi pointed out how during the Prophet’s time Muslims were subjected to immense persecution, but withstood that test. After failing in the attempt to break the Muslims’ spirit, the established powers in Makkah then resorted to propaganda to try and discredit the Prophet (saw) and his message. This strategy of the kuffar and mushrikeen in Makkah is emulated today by the Pharaonic powers led by the US, Britain et al. Committed Muslims are castigated as "terrorists" by these powers, just as the Prophet was accused of being "possessed" by jinns and of being coached by someone from "outside". This "outsider" accusation was an attempt to discredit his message by appealing to the Arabs’ prejudices. The mushriks failed because the Prophet and his companions were committed to their cause and steadfast in their purpose.

Muslims have lost this commitment and today seek refuge in rituals. Imam al-Asi pointed out that throughout his 13-year mission in Makkah the Prophet (saw) neither practised rituals, nor had they been mandated from on High. Does this mean that the Prophet and his companions were not Muslims in Makkah (nastaghfirullah)? Of course not. The ritual-obsessed contemporary Muslims have replaced the social character of the Prophet by his personal character; they see the individual trees of the Prophet’s personal sunnah but miss the forest of his noble personality and high purpsose. The Prophet, indeed all the Prophets of Allah (as), took on the powers-that-be by proclaiming the divine message without compromise; this naturally antagonised those with vested interests in the old order. None of the Prophets of Allah necessarily wanted to fight those who were entrenched in power, but the latter were not willing to allow them and their followers their freedom of thought and action in accordance with their consciences and the commands of their Lord. Like the Prophet’s experience in his own blessed life, Muslims will have to go through the same struggle. Understanding and following the Sunnah and Seerah of the Prophet means much more than just observing the rituals of Islam.

Today the rebellious forces have become so intoxicated with their technological prowess that they feel there is no power on earth that can challenge them; they are prepared to kill millions of people all over the world to achieve their nefarious designs. Muslims cannot match such technological superiority in the immediate future, but we can eventually overcome them by the power of iman, insha’Allah.

There is one other lesson from the Seerah that Muslims must internalize, according to Imam al-Asi. He has repeatedly stressed that unless Makkah and Madinah are liberated and brought under the control of the committed Muslims, we will continue to face difficulties because the true potential of Islam will not be realized. This is clear from the Seerah. Throughout his mission, Allah’s Messenger (saw) concentrated on liberating Makkah, rather than going for al-Quds first. Once Makkah was reclaimed for Islam, only then did the Muslims turn their attention to al-Quds. If we want to follow the Seerah faithfully, we will have to adopt the same priorities.