Revolution of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH): like the Roman emperor accepting Christianity, there are other examples in very recent history, like in 1917 in the USSR, there was a fundamental change brought about by the Bolshevik Revolutions’ implications in the social structure.
Unlike the former, latter will be called a revolution because it changed one of the three secular pillars of life. It implied that nothing except the articles of use will be owned by an individual. Everything will be property of the state.
In 1920, at Brad Law Hall in Lahore, MN Roy said that the biggest of all revolutions in history was brought about by Mohammad (PBUH).
In 1980 in “The 100”, Michael Hart put Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) on the top of the list in which second was Isac Newton and third was Jesus Christ (PBUH).
Hart justified this as follows:
“My choice of Mohammad to lead the list of world’s most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was only man in history, who was supremely successful on both of the religious and secular levels.”
The notable point here is that Elia and Alexander did not top the list and Christian’s representing the biggest religious community; admit to the greatness of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
HG Wells has admitted to the revolutionary greatness of Prophet Mohammad in the very context of Hajja tul Wida, the last major sermon of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
The Prophet said!
“O people, your God is one, your father is one, beware, no Arab is above a non Arab and no non-Arab is above an Arab. No white is above a black nor is any black above a white, the only yardstick of the gradation is piousness”.
Karl Marx wrote a book known as ‘Das Capital’.
The thought was never encouraged in his country Germany, nor in England where he moved to. But later, in USSR, by others the ideas were taken up and implemented.
In similar ways, in France, a couple of revolutionary thinkers promoted democracy with their writings but it was made possible by street urchins; it was a revolution, fundamentally uprooting kingdom concept and establishing popular democracy.
It brought about political changes like Bolshevik Revolution did the economic changes; basically redesigning the one out of three secular sides of a community life, each of the two stated revolutions.
The noteworthy point is that these revolutions were partial not complete, and they were designed by one individual or group and implemented by the others.
On the other hand Mohammad PBUH, started with street preaching in Mecca, trained his people, made sacrifices, fought in the way of God, and ultimately restructured the society.
Toynbee has been a famous history philosopher of his time. He made an audacious remark that Mohammad succeeded as a statesman later but initially had problems as a Prophet.
Montgomery Watt was a professor from England; he later used superlative degree to praise Prophet Mohammad at Mecca but was critical and subtle on his role at Madina.
Average people do not comprehend Watt’s subtlety, and overrate his work named ‘Mohammad at Mecca’ and don’t see the way he tries to establish contrast with his other work named ‘Mohammad at Madina’.
Even former president of Pakistan, General Zia ul Haque was in his awe and invited Watt to attend the conference on Ways of Prophet PBUH, in Pakistan.
Western intellectuals, have called moving of Prophet from Mecca to Madina, ‘flight’, what it actually was, was a strategy to establish an alternate base.
After moving to Madina, the prophet took some steps like signing treaties and launching expeditions as well as building a mosque to serve as an institution; that equivalent to Baet e Arqam in Mecca. These decisions and steps taken clearly show statesmanship of Holy Prophet PBUH.
People who have background in sociology and political science know that the term ‘social revolution’ has been perverted in terms of its meaning.
The only example the human history has for a total revolution is in the life of Prophet Mohammad PBUH.
