As in the recent years so today, while celebrating the Birthday of Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) with traditional fervour, many among the believers in this country, as elsewhere, will find themselves still intrigued by the distortion of his message in such a manner as to make perceptions of Muslim behaviour and thought pattern quite contradictory to the teachings and fundamental principles of Islam. This has reference, primarily, to increasing evidence during recent years, of intolerance and extremism, as preached from pulpits and public platforms, out of an ill-conceived urge for glorification of Islam! Needless to point out, it has culminated in influencing impressionable minds with outrageous ideas of hate and violence, on which the cult of terrorism has been fed.
An idea of the havoc this campaign of blind hatred has produced in the Muslim world in general, may well be had from the aftermath of the ghastly nine-eleven misadventure, rendering all Muslim peoples an object of naked hostility in the western world, and a potential threat in the eyes of others.
Pakistan's prompt response to the western coalition's war on terrorism, primarily focusing on Afghanistan, where it was found to have originated, proved instrumental in containing the western wrath to a considerable extent. As a frontline ally in the war on terrorism, President Musharraf did well to counter the spread of terrorism that was being pursued in the garb of Jihad, in the country.
It will be seen that Pakistan having remained, rather too long, a victim of this and other brands of terrorism, lost no time in countering it with a campaign to lay bare the un-Islamic nature of the adventure, and to promote, instead, the Islamic message of peace and tolerance from the approach of enlightened moderation. It goes without saying that it has worked.
There can be no doubt that it has helped to avert the catastrophe that could have otherwise befallen Pakistan and, in its aftermath, the whole Muslim Ummah.
The root cause of the predicament of the Muslim peoples can be traced to influences extraneous to the cardinal principles of Islam, as enshrined in the Holy Quran, and deviation from tradition set by the Holy Prophet himself. The plight of Muslims, as accumulated over several centuries, has been brought about by the failure of the so-called religious leaders to follow the behaviour pattern set by the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in day to day life.
It will be noted that enshrined in the Holy Quran are the basic beliefs and principles of ethical behaviour, as revealed to the Last of the Prophets on the day of his ascension. Foremost among these principles focuses Unity or Oneness of Allah, and the others lay emphasis on moral behaviour in all its forms and manifestations.
Islamic morality enjoins respect of parents, giving all others what is due to them, dealing kindly with the orphans, besides honest in trading. Other obligations for the faithful include fulfilling promises, and not extinguishing human life unlawfully and without valid reasons.
These and other easily understandable commands, including those against extremism and intransigence, along with the stress laid on adopting the middle course, should leave little to doubt the kind of life Allah has asked the Muslims to lead.
It will, thus, be seen that the thrust of the Holy Prophet's teachings, and his tradition, is on adhering to these cardinal principles. Today is the occasion to give a serious thought to the message of the Holy Prophet, and to resolve to adopt it as the guideline in our life and living.