"Every Prophet of Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa) came to this world as a witness, or a harbinger of good tidings, or as a warner, or as a summonner, but never in the past there came a prophet who combined all these qualities. There were witnesses to Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa)’s majesty and, over-lordship, like Ya’qoob (Jacob), IsHaaq (Issac) and Ismail (Ishmael). Others like Ibrahim (Abraham) and ‘Eesaa (Jesus) were the heralds of glad tidings. There were also warners like Nooh (Noah), Hood (Hud), and Sho’aib, the main point of their warnings was terrible punishment awaiting the evil-doers. Then, there were the prophets like Yousuf (Joseph) and Younus (Jonah) whose teachings set the tone for those who summon to divine guidance. But the messenger par excellence who had all these marks of prophethood – a witness as well as a welcomer, a warner as well as a caller and who was a distinguished Apostle in every aspect was none other than Prophet Hadhrat Muhammad (SallAllaho Alaihe WaSallam). He was sent to the world as the Last Prophet, the Final one, after whom no other messenger was to be sent again by Allah (Subhaanahu Wa Ta’aalaa). This is the reason why he was granted a Shari’ah or the law that was perfect and final requiring no revision in the days to come.
For the teaching of the last Prophet were to be ever-binding, to remain unchanged to the end of time, he was sent as an acme of perfection with over-flowing guidance and resplendent light. This is an indisputable fact attested by history.” (Muhammad: The Ideal Prophet by Sayyid Sulaiman Nadwi)
The Non-Muslims Verdict
K.S Ramakrishna Rao, an Indian Professor of Philosophy in his booklet, ("Muhammad, The Prophet of Islam”) calls him the:
"Perfect model for human life.”
Prof. Ramakrishna Rao explains his point by saying: "The personality of Muhammad (SallAllaho Alaihe WaSallam), it is most difficult to get into the whole truth of it. Only a glimpse of it can I catch. What a dramatic succession of picturesque scenes! There is Muhammad, the Prophet. There is Muhammad, the Warrior, Muhammad, the Businessman; Muhammad, the Statesman; Muhammad, the Orator; Muhammad, the Reformer; Muhammad, the Protector of Slaves; Muhammad, the Emancipator of Women; Muhammad, the Judge; Muhammad, the Saint. All in all these magnificent roles, in all these departments of human activities, he is like a hero.”
Michael Hart in "The 100, A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in the History,” New York, 1978., p. 33
"My choice of Muhammad (SallAllaho Alaihe WaSallam) to lead the list of world’s most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in the history who was supremely successful on both the secular and religious level. It is probable that the relative influence of Islam has been larger than the combined influence of Jesus Christ and St. Paul on Christianity. It is this unparalleled combination of the secular and religious influence which I feel entitles Muhammad (SallAllaho Alaihe WaSallam) to be considered to be the most influential single figure in human history.”
M.K Gandhi, statement published in "Young India,” 1924
I wanted to know the best of the life of one who holds today an undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind……….I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and his mission.
These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the second volume (of the Prophet’s biography), I was sorry there was no more for me to read of that great life.”
Thomas Carlyle in his Heroes and Hero worship, was simply amazed as to:
"how one man single-handedly, could weld warring tribes and wandering Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation in less than two decades.”
Sir Bernard Shaw in "The Genuine Islam, Singapore, Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936”
"If any religion had the chance of ruling over England, nay Europe within the next hundred years, it would be Islam.”
"I have always held the religion of Muhammad (SallAllaho Alaihe WaSallam) in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion, which appears to me to possess that assimilation capacity to the changing phase of existence, which can make itself appeal in every age. I have studied him (Muhammad) – the wonderful man and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the savior of humanity.”
"I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness: I have prophesized about the faith in Muhammad (SallAllaho Alaihe WaSallam) that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe today.”
Sir Bernard Shaw said about him: He was by far the most remarkable man that ever set foot on this earth. He preached a religion, founded a state, built a nation, laid down a moral code, initiated numerous social and political reforms, established a powerful and dynamic society to practice and represent his teachings and completely revolutionized the worlds of human thought and behavior for all times to come.
Edward Gibbon and Simon Ockley speaking on the profession of Islam write:
"‘I believe in one God, and Mahomet, an apostle of God’ is the simple and invariable profession of Islam. The intellectual image of the Deity has never been degraded by any visible idol; the honor of the Prophet has never transgressed the measure of human virtues; and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his disciples within the bounds of reason and religion.”
(Continued)