Muhammad the Greatest: A comparative study

A non-believer woman wants to know:

how is it that a muslim sister can't date out their religion but a muslim man can?

Asalamwualaykam my sister/brother

The reason why so many people show hate towards the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W, P.B.U.H) is because Iblis (Satan) is playing with their minds & leading them onto a bad path away from accomplishing good deeds. The most common reason why they show Negativity on the Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) is because they are being brainwashed by the media, the media reviews negative stuff against our religion and the teachings of Islam. Do not be blind, open your heart and recognize how beautiful and peaceful this Religion is, I am a black man who was once a gang member, been to prison and all that but now that my heart just knew that Islam is the way of life I am certainly amazed to be guided onto the right path from the most merciful, the most beneficial, the 1 true God (Allah)

The Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W, P.B.U.H) is the best Character, This is a man who Allah had chosen to lead human beings onto a new religion ISLAM. The prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) guided people onto the right path and to perform good acts just as any other Prophet before him did, but what you must realize is this, that the religions before Islam (Christianity, Judaism) were taught the same subject as Islam, due to the corruption years after Prophets Musa (Moses) (P.B.U.H) & Hazarat Isa (Jesus, P.B.U.H), Allah had prepared the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) as the final messenger to bring mankind at peace & to remember that Allah does exist. that Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) was the last & final messenger of Allah, Non shall come after him, although we are awaiting Hazarat Isa (P.B.U.H) arrival, you should know that the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W, P.B.U.H) was the last and final messenger and none shall come after him.

Only Allah knows best, All's i can say to you is to keep your mind conscious and your heart open, Allah has shaded blessings all over us and we must realize this & that this life is only temporary, so do your best and do good deeds, may Allah guide us all onto the right path, Ameen.

To be honest both Muslim Sister and Brother are not allowed to date anyone out of Religion, depending on whether both have someone in mind and that individual will agree to convert to Islam because He/She really and truly wants to, it is then acceptable. Please inform this non-believer that it is a sin (Haram) for a Muslim Man/Women to date anyone who is outside of our religion but if the person submits them self to willingness of Allah, It is then legit and accepted for them to get married etc.

Thanks for your reply. Yes. I fully understand that marriage outside the religion is haram. This particular non-muslims woman wanted to know why muslim men are allowed to marry women of the ahle-kitab(Women of the Book), but muslim women are not allowed the same to marry men of the Book. I explained the reason, but she was interested in hearing other viewpoints as well.

Many Western Scholars and famous personalities have admitted that no faults or flaws are to be found in the character and behaviour of the Prophet (pbuh). Some of their observations are remarkable. George Bernard Shaw wrote:
I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving the problems in a way that would bring the much needed peace and happiness. Europe is beginning to be enamoured of the creed of Muhammad. In the next century it may go further in recognizing the utility of that creed in solving its problems. (A Collection of writings of some Eminent Scholars,1935)

"HIS NAME IS MUHAMMAD"(May Peace of God Be Upon Him )
He was born in Arabia in the year 570 C.E, started his mission of preaching the way of Truth, Islam (submission to One God) at the age of forty and departed from this world at the age of sixty-three.
During this short period of 23 years of his Prophethood, he changed the complete Arabian peninsula from paganism and idolatry to worship of One God, from tribal quarrels and wars to national solidarity and cohesion, from drunkenness and debauchery, to sobriety and piety. He reformed the lawlessness and anarchy to disciplined living, from utter bankruptcy to the highest standards of moral excellence. Human history has never known such a complete transformation of a people or a place before or since - and IMAGINE all these unbelievable wonders in JUST OVER TWO DECADES.

Lamartine praised the Prophet (pbuh) writing:

If greatness of purpose, smallness of means and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, more than material powers which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislation, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of man in one third of the then-inhabited world; and more than that he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and souls… His forbearance in victory, his ambition which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire, his endless prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after death-all these attest not to an imposture but to a firm conviction which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was twofold: the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with the words. Philosopher, Orator, Apostle, Legislator, Warrior, Conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad.

As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he? (Histoire de la Turquie,1855)

What Many Western Scholars have said about the personalities and character of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Miss. Sarojini Naidu speaking about this aspect of Islam says, "It was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy; for in the mosque, when the minaret is sounded and the worshipers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant and the king kneel side by side and proclaim, God alone is great." The great poetess of India continues, "I have been struck over and over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that makes a man instinctively a brother. When you meet an Egyptian, an Algerian and Indian and a Turk in London, it matters not that Egypt is the motherland of one and India is the motherland of another."

The Hindu leader Mahatma Gandhi wrote about the Prophet (pbuh) :

I become more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days. 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 and his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. (Young India, 1922)
Mahatma Gandhi, in his inimitable style, says "Some one has said that Europeans in South Africa dread the advent Islam -- Islam that civilized Spain, Islam that took the torch light to Morocco and preached to the world the Gospel of brotherhood. The Europeans of South Africa dread the Advent of Islam. They may claim equality with the white races. They may well dread it, if brotherhood is a sin. If it is equality of colored races then their dread is well founded."
Every year, during the Haj, the world witnesses the wonderful spectacle of this international Exhibition of Islam in leveling all distinctions of race, color and rank. Not only the Europeans, the African, the Arabian, the Persian, the Indians, the Chinese all meet together in Medina as members of one divine family, but they are clad in one dress every person in two simple pieces of white seamless cloth, one piece round the loin the other piece over the shoulders, bare head without pomp or ceremony, repeating "Here am I O God; at thy command; thou art one and alone; Here am I." Thus there remains nothing to differentiate the high from the low and every pilgrim carries home the impression of the international significance of Islam.
In the opinion of Prof. Hurgronje "the league of nations founded by prophet of Islam put the principle of international unity of human brotherhood on such Universal foundations as to show candle to other nations." In the words of same Professor "the fact is that no nation of the world can show a parallel to what Islam has done the realization of the idea of the League of Nations."
And these words of the holy Quran created such a mighty transformation that the Caliph of Islam, the purest of Arabs by birth, offered their daughter in marriage to this Negro Slave, and whenever, the second Caliph of Islam, known to history as Umar the great, the commander of faithful, saw this Negro slave, he immediately stood in reverence and welcomed him by "Here come our master; Here come our lord." What a tremendous change was brought by Quran in the Arabs, the proudest people at that time on the earth. This is the reason why Goethe, the greatest of German poets, speaking about the Holy Quran declared that, "This book will go on exercising through all ages a most potent influence." This is also the reason why George Bernard Shaw says, "If any religion has a chance or ruling over England, say, Europe, within the next 100 years, it is Islam".

What some Westerners said about Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him)

My work today is further lightened because those days are fast disappearing when Islam was highly misrepresented by some of its critics for reasons political and otherwise. Prof. Bevan writes in Cambridge Medieval History, "Those account of Mohammad and Islam which were published in Europe before the beginning of 19th century are now to be regarded as literary curiosities." My problem is to write this monograph is easier because we are now generally not fed on this kind of history and much time need be spent on pointing out our misrepresentation of Islam.
The city which had refused to listen to his mission, which had tortured him and his followers, which had driven him and his people into exile and which had unrelentingly persecuted and boycotted him even when he had taken refuge in a place more than 200 miles away, that city now lay at his feet. By the laws of war he could have justly avenged all the cruelties inflicted on him and his people. But what treatment did he accord to them? Mohammad's heart flowed with affection and he declared, "This day, there is no REPROOF against you and you are all free." "This day" he proclaimed, "I TRAMPLE UNDER MY FEET ALL DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN MAN AND MAN, ALL HATRED BETWEEN MAN AND MAN."
This was one of the chief objects why he permitted war in self defense, that is to unite human beings. And when once this object was achieved, even his worst enemies were pardoned. Even those who killed his beloved uncle, Hamazah, mangled his body, ripped it open, even chewed a piece of his liver.
"In all things Muhammad was profoundly practical. When his beloved son Ibrahim died, an eclipse occurred, and rumours of God's personal condolence quickly arose. Whereupon Muhammad is said to have announced, "An eclipse is a phenomenon of nature. It is foolish to attribute such things to the death or birth of a human being."
At Muhammad’s own death an attempt was made to deify him, but the man who was to become his administrative successor killed the hysteria with one of the noblest speeches in religious history: "IF THERE ARE ANY AMONG YOU WHO WORSHIPPED MUHAMMAD, HE IS DEAD. BUT IF IT IS GOD YOU WORSHIPPED, HE LIVES FORE EVER."
James A. Michener, "ISLAM: THE MISUNDERSTOOD RELIGION," in READER'S DIGEST (American edition), May 1955, pp. 68-70.

Bosworth Smith:
He was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without Pope’s pretentions, Caesar without the legions of Caesar: without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue.IF EVER ANY MAN HAD THE RIGHT TO SAY THAT HE RULED BY THE RIGHT DIVINE, IT WAS MUHAMMAD,FOR HE HAD ALL THE POWER WITHOUT ITS INSTRUMENTS AND WITHOUT ITS SUPPORTS. Mohammad and Mohammadanism. London 1874, p92.

"My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, BUT HE WAS THE ONLY MAN IN HISTORY WHO WAS SUPREMELY SUCCESSFUL ON BOTH THE RELIGIOUS AND SECULAR LEVEL."
Michael H. Hart, THE 100: A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY, New York: Hart Publishing Company, Inc., 1978, p. 33.

Thomas Carlyle:
The lies, which well-meaning Zeal has heaped round this man, (Muhammad) are disgraceful to ourselves only. THE WORD OF SUCH A MAN (MUHAMMAD) IS A VOICE DIRECT FROM NATURE'S OWN HEART; MEN MUST LISTEN TO THAT, AS TO NOTHING ELSE; ALL ELSE IS WIND IN COMPARISON...."On Heroes, Hero Worship and the Heroic in History, The Hero as Prophet”

Professor Haroon Mustapha Leon (England)Etymologist, Geologist & Author

One of the glories of Islam is that it is founded upon reason, and that it never demands from its followers an abnegation of that important mental faculty. Unlike certain other faiths, which insist upon their votaries implicitly accepting certain dogmas without independent inquiry, but simply on the authority of “The Church”, Islam courts inquiry and counsels its disciples to study, search and investigate prior to acceptation.
The Holy Prophet, of ever-blessed memory, said:
“Allah hath not created anything better than reason, the benefits which Allah giveth are on its account, and understanding is begotten of it.”
On another occasion he said:
“Verily, I tell you, a man may have performed prayers, fasts, charity, pilgrimage and all other good works, but he will not be rewarded but by the manner in which he hath used and applied his reason.”
The parable of the ‘Talents’ narrated by Saiyiddena ‘Issa’, i.e. Jesus (on whom be peace) is in strict accordance with Islamic doctrine, as also is the maxim: ‘Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good.’ The similitude of those who follow blindly and who neglect to use the intelligence which the Divine Giver, of all good, hath bestowed upon them, is declared in the imperishable pages of Al-Qur’an ( Sura 52: Al-Jumm’a – ‘The Assembly’) to be that of ‘an ass laden with books.’
The noble and learned Caliph, Hazrat Ali (on whom be peace) said:
“The world is darkness; knowledge is light; but knowledge without truth is a mere shadow.”
Muslims believe that Islam is a term synonymous with truth, and that under the glorious and ever-brilliant sun of Islam, by the light of reason and knowledge, truth can be obtained but in order to obtain that knowledge, and thus attain that truth, man must use his reasoning faculties.

Salam-wu-alaikum brother

I am impressed with the amount of knowledge you have shared with us

Can I just ask where you got the information from?

I'm really interested in learning more, can you inbox me or something if possible?

Salam-wu-alaikum brother

I am impressed with the amount of knowledge you have shared with us

Can I just ask where you got the information from?

I'm really interested in learning more, can you inbox me or something if possible?