Towards the end of his earthly sojourn, when he could look back to a hectic and dangerous past, now crowned with success; he now feels that he could sit back and enjoy the fruits of his toil; he dreams of a life free from turmoil and full of satisfaction and relaxation. Not for him! There is no time to rest or relax. There is work still to be done. God Almighty reminds him - -
WE HAVE NOT SENT THEE (O MUHAMMAD) BUT TO THE WHOLE OF MANKIND.
AS
A GIVER OF GLAD TIDINGS AND AS A WARNER, BUT MOST OF MANKIND STILL DO
NOT KNOW.
Holy Quran 34:28
[This is your last chance to
memorize the text and the translation of this verse. If you are
lackadaisical, we can only mourn
your loss.]
How
was he to respond to this new challenge in his ripening old age?
There were no electronic gadgets of
modern communication methods at
his disposal; there were no telex and fax machines which he could
exploit. What could he do?
Being an ummi (unlettered), he called the scribes and dictated five
letters, one each
to
He called forth five Sahaaba (his holy companions) with five Arab steeds and set them out in five different directions inviting the nations of the world to the universal religion of God.
- the Emperor at Constantinople,
- the King of Egypt,
- the Negus of Abyssinia,
- the King of Yemen and
- to the Emperor in Persia.
He called forth five Sahaaba (his holy companions) with five Arab steeds and set them out in five different directions inviting the nations of the world to the universal religion of God.
I
had the good fortune of seeing one of those holy epistles in the
Topkapi Museum in Istanbul (old
Constantinople) Turkey. That
letter is collecting dust! Materially the Turks have preserved the
parchment. But the Message is collecting dust, as I have said.
The
letter begins, "From Muhammad the Messenger of God, to Heraclius
the Emperor at Constantinople: Accept Islam and be benefited."
followed by this exhortation from the Book of God - - SAY: "O
PEOPLE OF THE BOOK! ["People of the Book," stands for the
Jews and the Christians. You will
never have it so good for
learning Allah's Kalaam. Don't ignore this opportunity. Memorize
the verses as they
occur.]
COME
TO COMMON TERMS AS BETWEEN US AND YOU:
THAT
WE WORSHIP NONE BUT GOD;
THAT
WE ASSOCIATE NO PARTNERS WITH HIM;
THAT
WE ERECT NOT, FROM AMONG OURSELVES,
LORDS AND PATRONS OTHER THAN GOD."
LORDS AND PATRONS OTHER THAN GOD."
IF
THEN THEY TURN BACK, SAY YE:
"BEAR WITNESS THAT WE (AT LEAST) ARE MUSLIMS" (BOWING TO GOD'S WILL)
"BEAR WITNESS THAT WE (AT LEAST) ARE MUSLIMS" (BOWING TO GOD'S WILL)
Holy Quran 3:64
After
the above Quranic insertion in the letter, it is concluded with
felicitation in the Prophet's own words,
ending with a seal on which is
inscribed - "There is no other
object of worship but Allah, and Muhammad
is His Messenger."
The
letter in Turkey arouses our curiosity; and interest with regards to
its preservation, but the preservation
itself is lost upon the
sightseer. The same Quranic Message is in almost every Muslim home;
being read and
re-read a thousand times over
without the reader being moved to deliver its Message to the
addressees!
Glance
once more at the above verse. It is addressed to the "ahle-Kitaab,"
- the People of the Book, the
Jews and the Christians. But,
for over a thousand years we have utterly ignored that great
directive at our own
peril. We are sitting on that Message like a cobra on a pile of
wealth, keeping the rightful heirs at bay. This utter neglect will
continue to inflict untold suffering to the Ummah for generations to
come.
To Be Continued....
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