Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto loved to hear incidents of Quaid’s life from his Army Chief General Gul Hasan, who in his youth was ADC to the Father of the Nation. One day, while traveling in the president’s automobile, Hasan narrated the story in which he had told the man on duty to lift the railway-crossing barrier to let the Governor General’s car pass. A visibly upset Quaid ordered the barrier down saying, ‘If I won’t obey the law, who will?’ On hearing the heart-warming story, Bhutto was beside himself with emotion. His exhilaration came down more than a notch however when his vehicle suddenly came to a rude halt. The driver explained that it was on account of the red light. To which Bhutto said: ‘To hell with traffic lights… Bhutto is unstoppable!’
We all have our heroes whom we claim to love. That is the easy part. But most of us leave a lot to be desired when it comes to putting money where our mouth is. Sadly, self-professed love for the prophet (peace be upon him) is rarely any different. It is the actions and attitudes that tell the real story. It is bad enough if one keeps making all the correct noises about loving the prophet (peace be upon him) but makes no effort to follow in his footsteps. It is egregious if one does exactly the opposite of his teachings, and attributes it to his ‘love’ for him.
Love of the prophet (peace be upon him) is not the biological kind of thing that one feels for one’s offspring, parents, or siblings. Natural and healthy that that sort of love is, the love of the prophet (peace be upon him) is a far nobler thing – at least it ought to be – in that it is rational. It stems from a deep respect – every bit of which has been earned – for the prophet’s (peace be upon him) character and conduct in every circumstance. Where one’s lofty claims are not accompanied by at least a sincere attempt to emulate his conduct, they amount to lip service at best. Can it be anything more than an exercise in hypocrisy and self-deception?
The prophet (peace be upon him) was a study in continuity of purpose and steadfastness. Despite the countless setbacks he received, never once did he resort to shortcut or compromise on principle. What, then, is one to make of somebody’s ‘love’ for the prophet if he habitually justifies his dubious means by his ends.
There is so much worth emulating in the prophet’s conduct provided one is rational and sincere. The Quran declares the prophet (peace be upon him) to be the ideal for all Muslims. Unfortunately, most of us have taken this to mean switching off the mind, praising him at mawlids by reciting formulas learnt by heart but not understood, and thinking our job as done.
It is one thing to fulfil the bare minimum religious requirements of dos and don’ts, but quite another to try and follow the best example of the prophet (peace be upon him) – how he made everything as perfect as it was humanly possible: not only acts of worship but the way he treated his companions, subordinates, children, neighbours, his wives, and perfect strangers. The reward for following the footsteps of the prophet, according to the Quran, is that God will then love you.
And no wonder. This is a man who was born an orphan, who lost his mother when he was six, and his grandfather (and guardian) when he was eight, who buried all but one of his children, who was relentlessly persecuted for siding with the truth. And yet, he remained a picture of kindness and concern for others, without a trace of bitterness. How many of us facing much smaller challenges resist being mean and unkind to those who have nothing whatever to do with our problems?
It is reported that during a Friday sermon, a man told the prophet (peace be upon him) that he had some questions on religion, but he had to leave immediately after the prayer. The prophet (peace be upon him) paused his sermon, sat him down in front of him, answered all his questions, and then resumed the sermon. The head of the state with countless commitments, and yet no fuss, no ceremony, no red tape to speak of! Compare this with the attitude of lowly government officials, who claim to be lovers of the prophet (peace be upon him), but who are too ‘important’ to have time or a kind word for anybody. A point to ponder for the self-proclaimed aashiqaan-e-rasool, surely!
One could go on indefinitely. Recall the day when the prophet’s (peace be upon him) son Ibrahim died. There was a solar eclipse that day. Some people remarked that the sun too was mourning. The prophet (peace be upon him) told them that the sun and the moon were signs of God and they did not bother themselves with the births and deaths of men. To be so clear-headed – that too on such a devastating occasion! If one claims to love the prophet (peace be upon him) but is superstitious and delusional in everyday life, one must think long and hard about what ‘love’ means anyway.
The prophet (peace be upon him) was a study in continuity of purpose and steadfastness. Despite the countless setbacks he received, never once did he resort to shortcut or compromise on principle. What, then, is one to make of somebody’s ‘love’ for the prophet if he habitually justifies his dubious means by his ends.
Genuine love for the prophet (peace be upon him) is manifested not in slogans but in one’s conduct. Zeal and enthusiasm are no replacements for sincerity.
Finally, a few words on the madness that was witnessed on the streets last week. One need not be religious to know that hooliganism, violence, blocking of roads, and generally being a public nuisance are deplorable activities. They become especially heinous when they are perpetrated in the name of ‘love for the prophet’.
