The Prophet's legacy: Peace, harmony and prosperity amidst a differing political landscape

The divine declaration states that Muhammad (p.b.u.h), is “rahmatul-lilalamien” which means that the Prophet was sent as a mercy (rahmah) to the world, the physical world, humanity as a whole and the world beyond the realm of reality, the meta-physical world of jinns and creations unknown to human perception.

Therefore, the message conveyed to and transmitted through him and contained and codified in the Quran is a guidance to all and sundry, commensurate with its attribute of being “a mercy to mankind”.

By extension, the religion attributed to Muhammad (p.b.u.h) and relating to the origins of religious reckoning, is inclusive and embraces the entirety of humanity, and not exclusive nor confined to a selective group or chosen people. Such a notion is an antithesis to Islam.

At the outset, Islam advocated the oneness of God, and along with it the one “race” concept, that is mankind itself is a race. All men and women are children and descendants from Adam and Eve and we are the progeny from these two. So, the dissection of humanity into distinct races, creeds and people of different colours is a man-made concoction that is anathema to Islam.

The Quran explicitly and unequivocally states:

“O mankind! We created you from a single pair, of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. (Not that you may despise each other)” [QURAN 49:13]

This verse speaks to all humanity, and not to Muslims only. In a perfect world there is, and there should be, no difference. In a world driven not by divine command, but by human conceits, this Quranic diction is conveniently sidelined. The Prophet of Islam, during his entire life upheld this belief and unity doctrine and his life-long journey bears testimony to this unity doctrine.

First, when he was chastised by his own clan, the “Quraish”, an elitist Meccan clan, he was steadfast to hold on to the Quranic principle. The onslaught of a reformist idea in a society on a tribal mould with absolute loyalty and homage to kith and kin, was an existential threat. It was not surprising, therefore, that Muhammad (p.b.u.h) should be ostracized and threatened with death. The ensuing episode was the monumental and epoch-making “hijrah”, the flight or migration to Medina.

Second, earlier events of his life reveal affinitive relations with other religious groups, intuitive of his impending prophethood. The first person to be told of the “wahy”, the message, was Khatijah, the first wife and first follower (later given the honorific title of “ummul mukminin”, (Mother of Believers). She sought the help of her uncle and a learned Christian, Warakah Naufal to comment and confirm on the spiritual experiences of Muhammad (p.b.u.h).

Third, when the migration to Medina was planned, the guide and path finder was Abdullah bin Uraikath Laisi, a non-Muslim, probably of the Jewish faith.

Fourth, the arrival of Muhammad (p.b.u.h) in Medina was received by not only Muslims who had moved from Mecca to Medina, but those in Medina who had accepted Islam, and more importantly by people of Medina who were not even Muslims. Among them were Salman al Farsi, a Zoroastrian Persian and Bilal ibn Rabah al Habashi, an Ethiopian black slave.

Fifth, the cooperation between the Medina residents, affectionately described in the Quran as “ansars”-helpers, who extended their hands in comradeship to the migrants, the “muhajirs” who came from Mecca.

The “muhajirs” in our Malaysian context, were the “pendatang” – the migrants. The citizenship of Medina comprised people of all colour, creed, religion, language and descriptions of every kind prevalent at that time.

Sixth, the prophet went on to formalise an agreement between the Muslims and the residents of Medina who were of different faiths and race. This document is a precursor to any constitution, historical or modern and more importantly laid the corner stones for any Islamic constitution. This constitution also ended the intertribal fighting between rival clans as the prime motive was to maintain peace harmony and cooperation among all groups in Medina.

So, true to the Quranic diction of the unity of humanity, the race-religion-language mosaic was embedded as an inherent feature of Islam in the congregation for prayers and in every aspect of Muslim social interaction.

From that perspective, the Quranic injunctions and the conduct of Muhammad (p.b.u.h), as the person in charge of the governance of Medina exhibits an impeccable interfaith harmony and goodwill. This account in the early years of what may be termed as an Islamic state, made a clear distinction between an Islamic state, that is a government and/or a territorial jurisdiction under Muslims and Islamic governance, where the government administers on Islamic principles for all, for Muslims and non-Muslims and such administration may even be led by qualified and competent non-Muslims.

If a constitution is not a mere legal document, but a vehicle for the journey of a nation, such a document becomes the spirit and guide for the times and circumstances we live in. In this sense the constitution of Malaysia is a document of the destiny of our nation. It is a document of national affinity, the DNA of our nation. If the genetic DNA is a double spiral intertwined, so is our societal DNA, intertwined with the Malay-bumiputras and the other races who were constituent parties for the creation of Malaya/Malaysia, and citizens of this country.

Any attempt to frustrate this balance, from the standpoint of Islam or the constitution of Malaysia, is both sacrilegious and treacherous. If Malaysia Madani is an embodiment of the spirit of Medina as a viable opportunity for peace, harmony and prosperity, and at the same time, exemplifying democratic ideals, alternative narratives of any other kind should be countered and resisted vigorously because such a trend destroys the very existence and essence of a nation of people united by a bond inherent in nationhood.

> The writer is the World Muslim Leadership Forum president