How I Connect With Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

Mike Ghouse
Speaker, thinker, writer, pluralist, activist

How do I relate with the prophet? I don’t wear clothes like him, eat like him or live like him. But when it comes to respecting fellow beings, nurturing goodwill, mitigating conflicts, forgiving others and building cohesive societies, I can relate.

First thing first, he took the larger view of the society and became a model of what it takes to be an exemplary citizen. The first requirement of any civil society is to trust each other in living their daily life safely and without fear of the other. The Jews, Christians, pagans and others called him Amin, the trust worthy. Indeed, he was committed to building a cohesive society, where no one feared the other, and he continuously built upon creating balance and harmony in the society. That was indeed the first foundational Sunnah (prophet’s example).

Wherever he saw conflicts between people, he found a way to mitigate and nurture goodwill amongst them.

When someone dialogues with me, prophet’s words jump at me, to respect the otherness of other, without having to agree but respectfully differ and move on. Indeed, it is a big lesson in conducting civil dialogue.

When I see injustice done to others, the prophets words ring again, the least you can do is to speak out against injustice. Injustice to one is injustice to the whole humanity.

When I see inequality in our society, our immortal declaration of independence kicks in for me, that all men are created equal. I think of prophet’s last sermon, where he said no man is superior to the other and that all are equal.

Whenever I feel judgmental toward others, the prophet’s voice pulls me back, only God knows everything about the other, not me, then let me not judge anyone without the full knowledge.

When I am frustrated, I think of prophet’s narration, God told him to do his work, and not worry if people don’t get his message, give them the room to make up their own minds, and let me guide them, and you respect everyone’s free will.

As a kid I learned things about him and did not relate with him at all, he was too divine and remote for me. All that changed when I read the book “Muhammad” by Karen Armstrong. She narrates his life from a non-religious point of view, as a civic leader of the society, a dimension that I appreciated it very much. Karen Armstrong’s book is one of the five reasons I chose to become a Muslim after a lapse of nearly three decades.

I will be writing a full chapter on the prophet in my upcoming book, as to how I relate with him in my daily life, and I have learned to give a 20 minutes motivations talk on “Prophet the Peacemaker” and that is rejoicing.

God willing, I will follow him to the best of my ability.

Read more of the author’s thoughts here @ How I Connect With Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)