Quran Is Essential To Understand Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh)

By Mushtaq Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander, New Age Islam 5 May 2023 Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) Life: In the Light of the Quran Author: Abdul Majid Daryabadi Edited by Abdul Kader Choughley Publisher: K.A. Nizami Centre for Quranic Studies, Aligarh Muslim University, in collaboration with Brown Book Publications Pvt Ltd, India Year of Publication: 2021 Pages: 164, Price: Rs 350 ISBN: 9789390167784 ------ The life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is pivotal in understanding Islam. There can be no Islam without the personality of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The love of the faithful for the Last Messenger of God, is expressed by unique engagement with the precise details of his life. Numerous Muslim and non-Muslim scholars have written the biographies of Prophet (pbuh) in every major and even local vernacular languages, engaging with his life and legacy. The details of his life are available in the books of Hadith as well as the Quran. Quran time and again mentions about Prophet and he is the first recipient of its message. Quran is the abiding wonder of God and its revelation has to be on a personality that is flawless, impeccable and everlasting. Numerous scholars have deliberated about the various aspects of life of the Prophet (pbuh), his relevance, the lessons his rich life holds for us, towards living a God oriented life. Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi (1892-1977), was a great scholar of Islam. He was well versed in the contemporary idiom, as well as the tradition of Islam. He has written scores of books on variegated aspects of Islam, Urdu literature, book reviews and being well versed in philosophy and English language, a feat that only few scholars can be credited with, he wrote the exegesis of Quran both in vernacular Urdu and English. This book is a compilation of his nine lectures that he delivered in 1958 and have now been edited by another erudite scholar of Islam, Abdul Kader Choughley. Despite the elapse of more than half a century, these lectures still hold academic merit and contemporary relevance that makes them worthy of reading. Quran is very essential to understand the personality of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Any attempt at understanding the life of Prophet, without taking a cue from Quran will certainly lead to a flawed understanding of his message. Maulana Daryabadi, is very well aware about the fact, hence these lectures aim at understanding the life of Prophet (pbuh) in the light of the Holy Quran. The biblical passages that speak about Prophet are mentioned too, along with the different names and attributes that Quran mentions. Quranic discourse about Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is very different than what we find prevalent in our daily lives. The Prophet (pbuh) was not an angel or a supra human being, that most mullahs, vitriolic orators want to make us believe, but he is a role model, a sinless person, a prophet, messenger of God and is directly guided by him. The example set out by Prophet, how he conducted his affairs, lived in this world, are supposed to be emulated by Muslims, who have the responsibility of obeying the messenger of God. Numerous details about the life of Messenger of God, are documented in these lectures now transcribed, compiled and edited as a book. The Muslims are always instructed to obey the Messenger. His migration to Medina, how Quran contextualizes it, battle of Badr as enshrined in the Quran are deeply engaged. There are details about the battles, how the hypocrites and Jews were dealt with. But Maulana Daryabadi does not write about the battle of Mau’taa. It has been a dominant theme with most scholars, as they have mostly engaged with the battles that Prophet undertook, instead of focusing more about the other aspects of his life. This type of engagement and emphasis more on the battles, has presented Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as a warrior, instead as a pacifist, because Prophet led peaceful missions more than the battles during his life time. The vices prevalent in Medina are described, particularly worshipping idols and deities other than Allah, as Quran condemns it although the non-Muslims justify the same. Hence, Monotheism is the central pillar of Islam and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) vehemently condemned it. The Quranic message during the Makkan period was an invitation to polytheists to accept monotheism and believe in Islam, while in Medina the invitation is mostly addressed to the Jews, described as the people of book. But this invitation too was met with obstacles, as lies were invented and allegations hurled at the personality of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The Quran condemns this behavior of hypocrites and other non-Muslims. The clergy of non-Muslims is also ridiculed for corrupting the pristine message of the revealed scriptures, as they added to it by borrowing from Romans like Christians and Greeks like Jews. Despite these deviations, the Quranic message is directed at all polytheists, Jews, Christians and hypocrites. Time and again Maulana Daryabadi, through his loquacious prose maintains the stance of Quran being an immortal miracle for all the times to come. Also, the lectures delve with the personal life of Prophet (pbuh), his immediate family, wives and how they are expected to behave and conduct themselves. Maulana also acknowledges his gratitude to the earlier works that helped substantiate his lectures, although they are very few. Maulana has mostly researched for these lectures on his own. This work is a good read, and we must acknowledge the task that K.A Nizami Centre for Quranic Studies, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), India is undertaking under the able leadership of Prof A. R Kidwai in publishing relevant works like these. Our compliments should be reserved for both Prof Kidwai and Dr Choughley for publishing works like these. It is indeed a refreshing and academic read by the versatile late Maulana Daryabadi. ------- M.H.A.Sikander is Writer-Activist based in Srinagar, Kashmir URL: https://newageislam.com/books-documents/quran-prophet-pbuh/d/129704 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism