HOW WOULD PROPHET MOHAMMED (PBUH) HAVE RESPONDED TO THE CURRENT HATE AND RIDICULE?

In the wake of the Charlie killings, one question kept whirling in my mind. How prophet Mohammed (SAW) would have reacted to the Charlie caricatures and the many insults thrown at him by people with no idea of who he was? I know him and I can tell you for sure that every aggression would have been repaid in kindness and compassion. He was patient and tolerant. He has been insulted, hated, ostracized and caused bodily harm. He was called a mad man, a witch and a camel’s placenta placed on his head while he prostrated in prayer. He was called saadiq and amen (Truthful and trustworthy) before his prophet hood but was later called a liar by those who did not believe in him. Some people made it their business to irritate and harm him on a daily basis.

How would he have responded to the current hate and ridicule? Let us explore a few examples from his life.

A neighbor of the Prophet tried her best to irritate him by throwing garbage in his way every day. One day, when he walked out of his home there was no garbage. This made the Prophet inquire about the old woman. He came to know that she was sick. The Prophet went to visit her and offer any assistance she might need. The old woman was extremely touched and humbled and at the same time ashamed of her actions. She planned to harm him but he showed concern and love for her.

A second incident happened when he went to a town called Taif. To humiliate and prevent him from preaching Islam, the inhabitants set children and vagabonds to chase him away. They pelted him with stones until his feet stuck to his shoes as a result of the blood from his head and body.Tired, forsaken and wounded, he sought refuge in a nearby garden. He prayed to God and angel Jibril (Gabriel) appeared to him. The angel told him if he (Mohamed) wished so he would bury the entire town between the two mountains. Taif was located between mountains.Although the prophet (pbuh) had suffered a great deal at the hands of these people, he replied that he did not wish destruction for the people of Taif. Rather than seek destruction for them, he prayed for them to see the light of Islam.

Once, the Prophet was seated at some place in Madinah, along with his Companions. During this time a funeral procession passed by. On seeing this, the Prophet stood up. One of his Companions remarked that the funeral was that of a Jew. The Prophet replied, “Was he not a human being?”

He taught us respect and honor for other religions. It is reported that a Muslim and a Jew quarreled over who is superior between prophet Musa (PBUH) and Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). The Jew man complained to the prophet and the Muslim companion was cautioned against demeaning the religious figures of other faiths. This is one teaching that Muslims have adhered to date. While many have made a career out of insulting and ridiculing prophet Mohammed (Pbuh), have you ever heard a Muslim demeaning Jesus, Moses or other religious figures of other faiths? Tell me. Muslims revere all these figures.

He Once allowed Christians to pray inside his own mosque.

Je ne suis pas Charlie. I am not Charlie. I don’t support their so called freedom of speech. When did abusing other people faith become freedom of speech? Why have they made Mohammed (pbuh) and Islam their specialization for ridicule? Is it not the same newspaper that sacked an editor for what was regarded anti-Semitism? Why the double standards? Where do we draw the line? Why does one become an instant hero when he makes his business the ridiculing and abusing of Islam? Was Ahmed, the soldier who took tens of bullets before the gunmen reached the editors, not a Muslim? Why has he been ignored despite sacrificing his own life to protect people who constantly ridiculed his faith and the most beloved person to him? Closer home, Allan Wadi abused President Kenyatta and for that he is in jail.

I don’t support the terrorists either. Killing the journalists just made their stereotyping of Muslims seem true. They did not exhibit the true teaching of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). No one can condone their killing however much they deserved it.  The best approach would have been to use every available means to refute and put their ill intentions to shame. Just a minute, How comes all terrorists have had jail stints or previous collaborations with western intelligence agents?  Why at this time when the caricatures were actually drawn in 2011? Didn't France and some other European nations recently announce their intentions to recognize some form of Palestinian statehood? You can call me a conspiracy theorist but I never take things at face value. There is always a deeper story to everything.

World leaders took turns at the microphone condemning the killing of the journalists. They should use the same microphones to preach respect and honor for all faiths and all races. The world stinks of hypocrisy. LET US RESPECT AND LIVE IN HARMONY DESPITE THE CHALLENGES.