Think of a monk who lives in a monastery or in a cave. He will be free from social dilemma and untouched by societal incidents. He will neither be concerned about the tragic aspect of life going on in his surroundings. His only claim to fame is to quench his spiritual thirst in solitude regardless of his physical needs. His soul is the only entity he cherishes, and mundane life will seem nauseous for him. Just the same as Sufis who disregarded their physical needs. It is said that people couldn’t approach the abbeys due to unpleasant smell caused by the physical filth of Sufis. Hence, do you think that the one who turns his back on the challenges, suffered by his fellows, will obtain salvation?
On the contrary, consider a teacher who is deeply involved in social issues and teaches from dawn to dusk wholeheartedly. The societal challenges touch him seriously and he reacts with high concern. He makes great efforts to lighten the heavy burden of the weak, pull the society out of ignorance and support his fellows in one way or another. Which one will be favored by Allah or His messenger?
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did not choose to live the life of monks and prevented his Ummah, as well, from such type of living. Giving your fellows the cold shoulder and being unconcerned with the challenges going on in your vicinity is a curse in Islam. Moreover, living in solitude and celibacy is abdicating your responsibility. Man does not live by bread alone. Ignoring physical needs and refusing to form a family is abominable in Islam. One has to experience the warm and amiable atmosphere of family so as not to satisfy his/her physical needs illegally. Therefore, living in solitude regardless of social issues puts one’s humanity under question, doesn’t it?
The Holy Prophet chose to live as a teacher. When people were kept in dark, for better exploitation, by the aristocrats, he beckoned them to salvation. He shouted angrily against ignorance, darkness and cruelty. In other words, the Prophet came to humanize the societies and imbue people with moral standards and religious values. He took a stand against the cruelties imposed on deprived individuals who lacked property and social status. At a time when Arab society shrouded in the darkness of violence and aggression, the Prophet protested with all his might. As a divine messenger, he had to carry out his sacred mission of breaking the chains of slavery from slaves and of abolishing tyranny from the human society. So, he was a torch bearer in the dark days of ignorance and barbarity.
The Holy Prophet lived a life of virtue not only through spiritual experiences but also social ones. Besides praying and worshipping, he was involved in alleviating social challenges. Holy Qur’an was the spiritual experience of the Prophet. The verses were not sent to him once for all the time rather it was sent gradually and social conditions were considered in them. Since the Prophet played the role of a teacher, sometimes the verses were sent to answer the questions and address the problems of the people.
One will be surprised to hear that how the verses of Holy Qur’an were influenced by social condition. But to ponder over the verses, there is no matter of surprise. The verses were not formed before as an ideology regardless of social condition. For instance, if the war of Ahzab did not happen, the Surat Al-Ahzab was not sent about that issue. Moreover, if a person by the name of Abu-Lahab did not live, the Surat Abu-Lahab was not sent either. If the Prophet lived in a society with different policy or economy or social phenomena, the verses were also different to suit that society. So, the Prophet experienced spiritually with the verses of Holy Qur’an besides his social and political experiences. Of course, Islam is the outcome of the Prophet’s subjective and objective experiences. In short, Islam’s historical-gradual birth took place in the heart of social and political issues rather than in privacy. I believe that this is one of the reasons behind the permanence of the Holy Qur’an. So, didn’t people play a crucial role in the formation of the verses of this Sacred Book?
No doubt, the people played the role of active students. They asked questions, carried out role-play and took active parts in the class. Some played the role of heroes, some the role of villains, some watched and applauded the heroes and booed the villains and vice versa. In short, they took part in some ways. Then, the verses of Holy Qur’an were sent not only as a guideline but also answered their questions, praised and promised award for the heroes and punishment for the villains who remained villain for their whole life without repentance. Moreover, the Holy Qur’an recommended people to play the role of heroes and prevented them from being villain.
Unluckily, in traditional way of thinking, the Prophet is surrounded with a halo of sanctity which makes it too difficult to talk about him in simple way. In other words, the spiritual aspects of the Prophet are so salient which put him beyond human being whereas he has said that he is the same as we are. I believe that he was a great spiritual leader; however, he was still a human. If we consider the Prophet out of our own species, then it will be difficult to follow him. Of course, humans cannot follow angels properly due to a wide difference between them.
I can say with full confidence that Islam passed a very natural process. The gradual birth, maturity and growth are a natural flow passed by this religion and will grow further. I emphasize again that this religion is the spiritual, social, political, economic and historical experiences of the Prophet which was completed within 23 years. Yet, there are many mysteries to be discovered and developed with the passage of time.