Prophet Muhammad: The Best Example for Youth Today

Br. Idris Tawfiq

(British Muslim writer Idris Tawfiq was a Roman Catholic priest before embracing Islam. You can visit his website at www.idristawfiq.com )

[Abridged from an article taken from www.witness-pioneer.org]

Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but he is the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets, and Allah has full knowledge of all things.
— Al-Ahzab, 33:40

Young people today see a lot of pomp and ceremony when it comes to politicians and
leaders. It seems as though the more authority you have, the more the red carpet is laid out, the more special attire and finery you are expected to wear, and the more freedom you have to express your opinions.
But how is this scene different from what we used to see of the final Prophet (SAW)?
"Which one is Muhammad?" So humble was the Messenger of Allah (SAW) that strangers looking for him in the mosque in Madinah had to ask this. Sitting in the row of believers for the daily prayers, Muhammad (SAW), with his simple and modest bearing, could not be distinguished from anyone else.

He was so calm, so dignified, and so peaceful that no one could single him out as the leader. Children and youth could approach him to receive a warm greeting or to ask this great, yet humble, man a question or some advice. There was no sign here of the great warrior, the skillful negotiator in times of war and peace, the statesman. There was no sign either that this was the man, from among all men, was chosen to receive the Creator's final message to mankind.

He was like every Muslim who enters the mosque to pray. And yet, unlike any other
Muslim, he had been chosen as the Seal of the Prophets, the most honorable and the noblest of men. He was the one whom Allah selected to guide all mankind.

Disadvantages in Youth

Orphaned by the age of 6 and born in a relatively unimportant region of the world to a simple family, Muhammad could neither read nor write. When commanded by the Angel
Jibreel to recite the first glorious verses of the Qur'an, Muhammad could only respond that he was unable to read or recite them. Having neither power nor wealth, Muhammad (SAW)possessed none of the things that the world considers important. Yet Allah chose him from all men in the world to be what the Qur'an calls "a mercy to mankind."

A Mercy

In his person, the Prophet (SAW) was a mercy to all the people on earth. One so kind, so pious, so devout in prayer and obedience to the will of Allah had been chosen as the guide for mankind. This is the role that young Muslims today, being the standard-bearers of the message of Muhammad (SAW), should take on in this world that is so full of turmoil and hate.

We should ask ourselves, how closely are we living our lives according to the message of Muhammad (SAW)? If today’s young Muslims join in the ranks of the followers of Muhammad (SAW), they will be joining the ranks of the merciful, pious, and just people through all the ages, from the beginning of time. Indeed, Allah opens the way for those who sincerely obey Him and His Messenger.

Friends

The Prophet (SAW) was always surrounded by people who sought the pleasure of Allah.
Ask yourself: Who do you mix with and why? Your friends reflect who you are.
At the end of his life, Muhammad (SAW) was laid to rest in the earth. His body, instead of being laid to rest in some grand tomb as one might expect for so important and so influential a man, was placed in the earth beneath the spot where he used to sleep on a simple mat. Among the, it fell upon his close friend Abu Bakr to deliver the funeral sermon. At this key moment in the development of Islam, his words to the heartbroken Companions were filled with wisdom. "O men," he said, "if anyone worships Muhammad, let him know that Muhammad is dead. But if anyone worships Allah, then know that Allah is alive and will never die."

Only Human Abu Bakr (SAW) told the Muslim faithful that Muhammad (SAW) was the greatest man to have lived but he was not the Lord of all creation. He was a man like all men. And this is what makes Islam so extraordinary. The love and reverence which the two billion Muslims today have for Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is both real and deep. We see him as the gentlest, the kindest, and the sweetest of men, and yet he remains for us precisely that: a man, neither a god nor a saint. We see him as a simple man, chosen from among men, with the same cares and worries we might have.

But in Muhammad (SAW) we see that it is possible for us to dedicate all our lives to Allah and to live under His guidance, yet live in the midst of life. Prophet Muhammad showed us by his life and example that Islam is the perfect way of life and that it is possible to achieve happiness by following this way.

Something Special

In Islam there are no priests or popes. That, perhaps, is the secret of Islam. There is no special knowledge reserved for a professional religious class. There are no go-betweens between the

Creator and the created.

Islam is ours for the taking. How many of us reach out and take what Islam has to offer?
How many of us are shining examples of mercy and justice that Islam can develop in us?
Each of us can fall prostrate before our Maker and say what we need to say without the help of anyone else. Just you and your creator! We can see this clearly inside any mosque. Muslim men and women, each in their own place, gather in the mosque for the five daily prayers. Although they pray together as a community, in congregation, receiving blessings for doing so, each Muslim is concerned with speaking to his or her Lord individually. It is perhaps this, more than anything else that makes the place of Prophet Muhammad so strong in the heart of every Muslim.

Muhammad SAW was a man and he found it possible, with Allah's help, to live out every
requirement of Islam. So if we try to do the same and, with Allah's help, we can live out our faith like our beloved Prophet.