|
If
we cast a glance at the world in the atlas, we find that no other
country could have been more suitable for the much-needed world
religion than Arabia. It is situated right in the middle of Asia,
and Europe is not far away from it. At the time of Muhammad’s
appearance the central part of Europe was inhabited by civilized and
culturally advanced nations; thus these people were more or less at
about the same distance from Arabia as were the people of India.
This fact gave Arabia a central position.
And
look at the history of that era and you will find that no other
people were more suited for the endowment of this prophethood than
the Arabs. Great nations of the world had been struggling hard for
world supremacy, and in this long struggle and incessant strife,
they had exhausted all their resources and vitality. The Arabs were
a fresh and virile people. The so-called social progress had
produced bad habits among the advanced nations, while among the
Arabs no such social organization existed, and they were, therefore,
free from the inactivity, debasement, and indulgences arising out of
luxury and sensual satiety.
The
pagan Arabs of the fifth century had not been affected by the evil
influence of the artificial systems and civilization of the great
nations of the world. They processed all the good human qualities,
which the people untouched by the “social progress” of the time
ought to possess. They were brave, fearless, generous, faithful to
their promises, lovers of freedom, and were politically
independent—not subject to the hegemony of the imperial powers.
They lived a very simple life and were strangers to the life of
luxury and indulgence.
No
doubt, there were certain undesirable aspects of their life as well,
but the reason for the existence of such aspects was that for
thousands of years no prophet had risen among them, nor had there
appeared a reformer who might have civilized them and purged their
moral life of all evil impurities. Centuries of free and independent
life in sandy deserts had bred and nourished extreme ignorance among
them. They had, therefore, become so hardhearted and firm in their
traditions of ignorance that to make them human was not the task of
an ordinary man.
At
the same time, however, they did possess a capacity that if some
person of extraordinary powers were to invite them for reform and
give them a noble ideal and a complete program, they would accept
his call and readily rise to act effectively for the achievement of
such a goal, and spare no strife for or sacrifice in the cause. They
would be prepared to face without the least scruple even the
hostility of the entire world in the cause of their mission. And
verily it was such a young, forceful, and virile people that were
needed for disseminating the teachings of the World Prophet:
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
And
then look to the Arabic language. If you study that language and
fathom deep into its literature, you will be convinced that there is
no other language than Arabic which is more suited to give
expression to high ideals, to explain the most delicate and subtle
problems of divine knowledge, and to impress the heart of man and
mold it into God’s submission. Small phrases and brief sentences
express a world of ideas, and at the same time they are so forceful
that they steal into the heart, their every sound moves man to tears
and ecstasy. They are so sweet that it is felt as if honey were
being poured into the ears; they are so full of harmony that every
fiber of the listener’s body is moved by their symphony. It is
such a rich and powerful language that was needed for the Qur’an,
the Great Word of God. It was, therefore, the manifestation of
God’s great wisdom that He chose the land of Arabia for the birth
place of the World Prophet.
*Source:
Abul A`la Mawdudi, Towards Understanding Islam, here cited, with
some modifications from: http://www.ymofmd.com/books/tui/chp3.html
|
