In celebrating today the Birthday of Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) Muslims in this country and elsewhere will, as usual, frequently seek to glorify him, in various ways, for having fulfilled the divine mission he was chosen by Almighty Allah to pursue.
This, of course, has reference to the rejoicing marked with traditional congregations, to commemorate his matchless excellence in all respects. Mention may be made here of individual and collective offering of sweets, and distribution of alms, along with illumination of homes and public places, and big and small processions taken out all over the country.
Needless to point out, all this symbolises the believers' deep sense of gratitude to the Holy Prophet (SAW), for raising them head and shoulders above the rest of mankind.
Viewed in its historical perceptive, this perception is fully substantiated by the accounts left by renowned non-Muslim historians of the revolutionary changes he brought about by him in the contemporary Arab world. For, one among them, Gibbon has been quoted as recording thus:
"Through Islam, Muhammad banished from the Arabs within ten years their hard-heartedness, spirit of revenge, anarchy, female infanticide, degradation, rivalry, lawlessness, usury, drunkenness, infanticide, murderous quarrel and human sacrifice as well as stupid superstitions and fetishes".
In the midst of traditional celebration of the day in this country and elsewhere, however, Muslims will find themselves caught in a common despair and degradation. This, obviously, is due to flagrant distortion of much of what the Holy Prophet (SAW) had so assiduously preached and lived by, in accordance with Allah's Will evidently, gradually falling from grace, down the past several centuries, Muslims as a people, deviating from the teachings of Islam and traditions of the Holy Prophet (SAW) and departing from the ways of the pious caliphs, have now come to be regarded a menace to mankind.
Of course, generally speaking, their ideological behaviour pattern, contradictory to the teachings and principles of Islam, has so changed as to bring forth an increasing evidence of abject ignorance, intolerance and extremism, too often preached from pulpits and public platforms from an ill-conceived urge for irrational glorification of Islam.
This, indeed, is the worst ignominy brought to bear on the image of Islam and its followers the world over.
It will be noted that this image, which had been gaining attention of the modern world for quite some time, reached its climax in the aftermath of the ghastly nine-eleven events, painting Muslims as enemies of the civilise world who deserve to be hated and punished, redeeming feature for Pakistan, which too had been a target of Islam-phobia that it promptly responded to the Western coalition's call for war on terrorism, primarily focusing Afghanistan.
Significantly, President Musharraf aptly chose to counter the threat to Pakistan's own security from blind terrorism. He has been continuously trying to do the needful to tackle it internally with a valiant campaign, not only to expose the un-Islamic character of terrorism, but also to promote the real Islamic message of peace, tolerance and enlightened moderation. It seems to be working in the desired direction, but a great deal more is to be desired.
This has reference to the need of more and more Muslim scholars and opinion-makers the world over, joining the effort, as in this lies the way to present Islam in the light of the true teachings of the Holy Prophet (SAW). This is of course, worth taking the great challenge facing the Ummah today.