Demise of Muhammad Rasululah
When the ferrous communists conquered Mainland China in 1949, the fugitive
nationalist leader Generalissimo Chiang Kai shek hurriedly packed his
possessions and fled to the mountainous Terrace-bay. Before he left however,
one of China’s most respected Muslim sages sent him an earthenware pot.
Inscripted on it was a simple message: “comrade, organisation doesn’t really
accomplish anything. Plans don’t much matter. Endeavours succeed or fail
because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you
accomplish great deeds”. Admittedly, the situation of Chiang Kai-shek and
Islam are far apart, but the moral undertone implanted in the message has a
lingering aroma of relevance.
The success of Muhammad Rasululah beside the divine authority of Allah,
heavily depended on the resilience and unprecedented persistence and
stoicism manifested by his aides (Shahabas). They followed Muhammad to every
inch of his life, defending, reflecting and propagating his excellent
examples of goodness and piety. In the fore front was Muhammad’s most loyal
friend Abu Bakr Siddiq whose inordinate ambition for spiritual heights and
expansion, matured on his own initiative, to utilise his existing resources
to function properly and explore the vast dominion of Allah. With the reins
of secular and religious control in his hands, Muhammad was able to clean
out the idolatrous images from the Kabbah and establish it as the focal
point of pilgrimages to Mecca that presently attracts over two million
pilgrims annually, denoting purity, beauty and self-fulfilment. Benefits are
often drawn from the inexhaustible treasures of Islam, a religion that has
incorporated, preserved and perfected the purity of the previous
revelations.
Although he is a living proof of what man can be and of what he can
accomplish in the realm of excellence and virtue, Muhammad was a mortal
being but above all a prophet commissioned by Allah to teach and lead. His
demise however shocking to the parochial minded, equally catapulted Islam to
a shaky posture; the confetti of confusion twenty-four years later, coupled
with a series of unfortunate happenings, meant that a spontaneous impulse of
personal judgement and crisis management had to be applied. The situation
was compounded by the presence of extremely loyal Shahabas with no intention
of accepting the dictates of mortality.
However, contemporary writers often maintain that the prophet’s death
provoked a cancerous crisis as he died without any male progeny culminating
in the explicit incubation of the struggle for political hegemony. This is a
fallacy that needs to be clarified from the on set. Indeed there was never a
succession dispute after the prophet’s death. A problem of relative
semblance only occurred twenty-four years later during the reign of Ali. For
the early part, this issue dangled under the carpet with the confirmation of
Abu Bakr Siddiq as Khalifah in an Islamic election (Mubayah-the most
transparent way of voting) way back in June 8th, 632 AD. But what could be
called voices of dissent emerged later echoing beneath the surface.
Apparently, all what they needed was a spark to set the whole thing ablaze.
The process started and gained pinnacle heights when the question of a
generally acceptable Khalifah after Saidina Ousman became a pointing cause
for division in the ranks. The two groups caught up in the helm of this
hitherto ominous imbroglio, both wanted an arrangement that could
precipitate implanting the Khalifah hegemony within their midst for
eternity. Although Islam fulminates any monopoly of spiritual leadership
without divine authority, this impasse is often erroneously described as “a
living issue and the oldest Islam had to face”. Indeed Muslim historian
Al-Shahrastani also erred when he said, “never was there an Islamic issue,
which brought about more bloodshed than the Khalifah”.
Ironically, opinions expressed on the Khalifah issue are evenly percolated,
nonetheless a look at some of these minutiae-mise-en scene suggest that
inordinate ambition and truancy of some top brass of these groups bear the
brunt of the blame more than the apparent ignorance and trumpery of its
followers. Along with these indifferent, withdrawn, and indulgent followers,
there were others who were probably fascinated by what seems to be a high
degree of effective organisation of certain religious groups or by wide
social circulation fostered by certain secular fraternities. Such
individuals are, for the most part, a marginal people viewed as souls lost
in the “lonely crowd” so characteristic of modern society.
But no sooner had Ali mounted the throne than struggle over leadership
reared its ugly head involving the Governor of Syria, Mu’awiyah. Ali’s brief
reign as Khalifah (656-661) was mainly overshadowed by intercine of
rebellion and repression. Ali’s acceptance of arbitration weakened his case
and alienated many of his followers, including the Khawarij (seceders). The
continuous existence of animosity and aggression engineered a soar internal
hatred that had potentials of resulting to slashing each other’s throats at
any given opportunity. And this came in 661 AD culminating in the murder of
Ali with a poisoned sabre. The Sunnis then chose a leader from the Ummaya,
wealthy Meccan chiefs outside of the prophet’s family.
For the Shiite however, Ali’s first born, Hassan, was dubbed the legitimate
successor. He resigned on grounds of principles, but was murdered all the
same. His brother Husayn became the new Imam, but he too was killed by
Ummaya troops on October 10 Th, 680 AD. The deaths however brutal were
regarded as martyrdom with significant effects on the segment.
EXPANSION OF ISLAM
The intrusion and expansion of Islam had been somewhat slow but systematic.
Beginning in the seventh century, Islam spread westward into North Africa,
eastward to Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and to Indonesia, the country with
the largest number of Muslims in the world. As it did so, it entered into
conflict with a militant Catholic Church, which organised crusades to
recover the Holy Land from the Muslims. In 1492 Queen Isabella and King
Ferdinand of Spain completed the Catholic reconquest of Spain. The mutual
tolerance that had existed under Muslim rule in Spain later evaporated under
the influence of the Catholic Inquisition. However, Islam survived and in
the 20th century has experienced resurgence and dramatic growth across the
board.
Until 1337, the most reliable mode of expansion in West Africa was mainly
through the few intermittent commercial contacts between then “people of the
Sudan” and Berber traders from North Africa. These traders, who mostly were
Al-morabid a movement started and propagated by Abdullah Ibn Yassin aimed at
purifying Islam--- played a significant role in expanding Islam. Unlike the
Far East where violent resistance was put up, the penetration of Islam to
West Africa was relatively easy and peaceful as certain social
characteristics of the Islamic faith were already in place. Perhaps what was
needed was the conversion of some powerful traditional chiefs and emperors
who were by and large deified. In 1337, a notoriously lavish but politically
powerful and culturally influential King of the Mali Empire, Mansa Kankan
Musa, embarked on a caravan journey to Mecca to perform the Hajj. As lavish
as his journey was, its publicity opened up a Pandora’s box for the rapid
expansion of Islam and the subsequent immigration of Islamic scholars to
Timbuktu and Fezz (present day Mali).
By the second half of the 19th century, a bout of jihads (holy war) emerged
to sweep the unfinished debris apparently oversighted by Berber
traders-cum-missionaries. Thus the jihads of Sheikh Outhman Dan Fodio and
Alhaj Omar Taal in Gudu and Macina respectively, made Islam more of a way of
life than a religion on trial. The automatic conversion of subjects under
Islamised rulers made Islam a sojourned inspiration on the lives of many.
Today, Islam continues to influence the socio-economic activities of West
Africans, but more so in Senegambia where its tenets are most visibly
observed.
IMPACT OF ISLAM
The utopia of other religions and social systems has always remained in the
category of theories or wishful thinking and dreams, sometimes clear,
sometimes vague, sometimes near, most of the time far. But the utopia of
Islam was realised and put into practice and production at full capacity. In
a human and practical sense this means that the utopia of Islam can be
re-established once again right here on this politically turbulent earth.
The Muslims rightfully maintain that Islam is not simply an abstract ideal
conceived just for nominal adoration or a stagnant idol ton be frequented by
admirers every now and then. Islam is a complete way of life, a living force
manifest in every aspect of human life. The Muslims also believe that the
individual is the centre of gravity and is the launching instrument that can
put Islam into full action.
But to clarify things as much as possible, without getting entangled in
philosophical disputes or abstract controversy, it must be noted that Islam
organises the spiritual or moral life of man in such a way as to provide him
with all the spiritual nourishment needed for piety and righteousness,
safety and peace. The Islam prescription for the spiritual life of man
grants, when faithfully applied, maximum positive results as far as man’s
spiritual growth and maturity are concerned. When Islam demands faith in
Allah on the basis of knowledge and research, it leaves wide open all fields
of thought before the intellect to penetrate as far as it can. It lays down
no restriction against the free thinker who is seeking knowledge to widen
his vision and broaden his mind. By calling on the intellect in this way,
Islam shows its regard for and confidence in the intellectual abilities of
man and progressively endeavours to free his mind from the tight shackles
and limits of tangibility. It has provision to elevate the individual and
empower him with self-confidence and Heavenly authority to expand the domain
of his mind into all fields of thought; physical and metaphysical,
scientific and philosophical, intuitive and experimental, organic and
otherwise.
Indisputably, the centuries that were for Europeans, the Dark ages were for
Muslims scholars centuries of philosophical and scientific discovery,
interpretation, and development. The Muslim world had become the repository
of informed thought. It was in a Unique position for within the century that
began the revelation of the Qur’an and the unification of Arabia under the
guidance of Prophet Muhammad, the Muslim world had registered success of
immeasurable value.
If one Muslim contribution to world civilisation is to be singled out,
perhaps it should be the Islamic ability to reconcile monotheism and
science. It was the first time in human thought that theology, philosophy,
and scientific interpretations were coherently reconciled. Faith and reason,
religion and science were finally harmonised and understood as a unified
whole.
Demonstrably, the unifying perspective of Islam has never allowed various
forms of knowledge to be cultivated independently of each other.
Nevertheless, western history often slights the Muslim contributions to
philosophy and science by alleging that Muslims were merely the translators
of Greek thought. If this were the case it would have been no minor legacy.
As Phillip Hitti comments, “transmission from the stand point of the history
of culture, is no less essential than origination, for had the researches of
Aristotle, Galen and Ptolemy been lost to posterity the world would have
been as poor as could be imagined”. But Muslims did much more than preserve
ancient documents. They synthesised original ideas with those of age-old
intellectual traditions, composing a body of thought that was at once
related to but distinct from that which they inherited.
When the purpose and impact of Islam are carefully examined, it would be
explicitly found that this religion, besides its impressive outlook,
satisfies the spiritual and moderate material needs of mankind. It unties
our psychological knots and complexes, sublimates our instincts and
aspirations, and disciplines our desires. It improves our scanty knowledge
of Allah (Subhana Watala)----- the highest truth in the universe. It
purifies the soul from evil, clears the mind from doubts, strengthens the
character and corrects the thinking and convictions of mortals. All these
can be achieved only when humans faithfully observe the spiritual duties and
physical regulations mandated by Islam. The impact of Islam is as
inexhaustible as the horizons of its principles.
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