UNIT 1
The Saviour of Mankind
TEXT
1. Arabia is a land of unparalleled charm and
beauty, with its trackless deserts of sand dunes in the dazzling rays of a
tropical sun. Its starry sky has excited the imagination of poets and
travellers. It was in this land that the Holy Prophetﷺ was born, in the city of Makkah, which is
about fifty miles from the Red Sea.
2. The Arabs
possessed a remarkable memory and were an eloquent people. Their eloquence and
memory found expression in their poetry. Every year a fair was held for
poetical competitions at Ukaz. It is narrated that Hammad said to Caliph Walid
bin Yazid: "I can recite to you, for each letter of the alphabet, one
hundred long poems, without taking into account short pieces, and all of that
composed exclusively by poets before the promulgation of Islam." It is no
small wonder that Allah Almighty chose the Arabic language for His final
dispensation and the preservation of His Word.
3.
In the fifth and sixth centuries, mankind stood on the verge of chaos. It seemed
that the civilization which had taken four thousand years to grow had started
crumbling. At this point in time, Allah Almighty raised a prophet from among
themselves who was to lift the humanity from their ignorance into the light of
faith.
4.
When Hazrat Muhammad was thirty-eight years of age, he spent most of his time
in solitude and meditation. In the cave of Hira, he used to retire with food
and water and spend days and weeks in remembrance of Allah Almighty.
5. The period of
waiting had come to a close. His heart was overflowing with profound compassion
for humanity. He had a pressing urge to eradicate wrong beliefs, social evils,
cruelty and injustice. The moment had arrived when he was to be bestowed with
prophethood. One day, when he was in the cave of Hira, Hazrat Jibril (Gabriel)
came and conveyed to him the following message of Allah Almighty:
Read in the name
of thy Lord Who created; created man from a clot (of congealed blood): Read and
thy Lord is most Bountiful, Who taught (the use of) the pen, taught man that
which he knew not. (Qur'an,
96:1-5)
6.
The flow of the Divine message which continued for the next twenty-three years had
begun, and the Holy Prophetﷺ
had arisen to proclaim Oneness of God (Tauheed) and the unity of
mankind. His mission was to destroy the nexus of superstition, ignorance, and
disbelief, set up a noble conception of life and lead mankind to the light of
faith and divine bliss.
7. Since this
belief was threatening their dominance in the society, the pagan Arabs started
to mount pressure on the Holy Prophetﷺ and his followers. They wanted them to renounce their
cause and take to idol worshipping. On one occasion, they sent a delegation to
the Holy Prophetﷺ's kind and caring
uncle, Abu Talib. They told him to restrain the Holy Prophetﷺ from preaching
Allah Almighty's message, or face their enmity. Finding himself in a dilemma,
he sent for his nephew, and explained to him the situation. The Holy Prophetﷺ answered with
these memorable words:
"My
dear uncle, if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, even
then I shall not abandon the proclamation of the Oneness of God (Tauheed). I
shall set up the true faith upon the earth or perish in the attempt."
8.
The Holy Prophetﷺ's uncle was so
impressed with his nephew's firm determination that he replied:
"Son
of my brother, go thy way, none will dare touch thee. I shall never forsake
thee."
9.
And the Holy Prophetﷺ did go the way
Allah Almighty had chosen for mankind. Imbued with Divine Guidance and firm
resolve, the Holy Prophetﷺ encountered all
the challenges with grace and dignity. In no time he elevated man to the
highest possible level in both spiritual and worldly domains. He was also a
driving force behind Arab conquests, which have created an everlasting
impression on human history. No wonder, he is universally acknowledged as the
most influential figure in history. In the words of Michael Hart, a great"
historian:
"Muhammad
however, was responsible for both the theology of Islam and its main ethical
and moral principles. In addition, he played a key role in proselytizing the
new faith, and in establishing the religious practices...
In
fact, as the driving force behind the Arab conquests, he may well rank as the
most influential political leader of all time. The Arab conquests of the
seventh century have continued to play an important role in human history, down
to the present day."
10.
Such a thorough transformation of man and society owes to the Holy Prophetﷺ's deep faith in
Allah Almighty, to his love for humanity, and to the nobility of his character.
Indeed, his life is a perfect model to follow. In reply to a question about the
life of the Holy Prophetﷺ, Hazrat Ayesha
said:
"His
morals and character are an embodiment of the Holy Quran." The final word
about the saviour of mankind g6es to the Holy Quran:
O Prophet! Surely,
We have sent you as a witness, and as a bearer of good news and as a warner.
And as one inviting to Allah by His permission, and as a light-giving torch. (Quran, 33:45-46)
READING COMPREHENSION
1. Answer the following questions.
1. What type of land Arabia is?
Arabia
is a land of unmatched charm and beauty. It has trackless deserts of sand dunes
which look beautiful in the extremely bright and hot sun. It is the land where
the Holly Prophet ﷺ was
born in the city of Makkah.
2. Why was the Holy Quran sent in Arabic?
The Holy Quran was sent in Arabic as it
is a comprehensive and expressive language. It
is unparalleled in eloquence and oration. It has been the language of poets,
scholars and eloquent people for centuries.
3. For which ability were the Arabs famous?
The Arabs were famous for their
eloquence and remarkable memory.
4. What was the
condition of mankind before the Holy Prophet ﷺ?
The
condition of mankind before the Holy Prophet was pathetic and miserable. Mankind
stood on the verge of chaos. It seemed that their civilization had started deteriorating.
5. Why did the
Holy Prophet ﷺ
stay
in the cave of Hira?
The Holy Prophet used to stay for
most of his time in the cave of the mount Hira for meditation and remembrance
of Allah Almighty
6. What was the first revelation?
The first revelation was: Read
in the name of thy Lord Who created; created man from a clot (of congealed
blood): Read and thy Lord is most Bountiful, Who taught (the use of) the pen,
taught man that which he knew not.
7. Why did the
pagan Arabs threaten the Holy Prophetﷺ's uncle?
The
pagan Arabs threatened the Holy Prophetﷺ's uncle because the
teachings of the Rasool were against their dominance in the society. They forced him to
stop his nephew from preaching the message of Allah.
8. What did
Hazrat Ayesha say about the life of the Holy Prophetﷺ?
Hazrat Ayesha said about the life
of the Holy Prophetﷺ:
"His morals and character are an embodiment of the Holy Quran."
A. Consult a thesaurus and find out the synonyms of the following words.
dazzling, imagination, remarkable, composed, preservation, bestowed, message,
superstition, abandon
B. Add appropriate prefixes or suffixes to the following root words to make other words.
One, belief, parallel, justice,
flinching, knowledge, construction
D. Use the following words in the sentences.
century, conquest, influential,
determination, delegation, quietly, urge, ignorance
CHOOSE THE CORRECT ADJECTIVE.
1. Ashfaq Ahmad was a _________________
writer.
a.
famed b. famous c. famously d. infamous
2. This is a very _________________
seminar.
a.
information b. informed c. informative d. informing
3. My mother becomes
_________________ if I get home late.
a.
anxiety b. anxious c. anxieties d. anxiously
4. It is _________________ to get
the correct information from the university office,
a.
advisable b. advisible c. advising d. advised
5. Who is _________________ for
this chaos,
a.
responding b. responsible c. responsive d. responded
C. Complete the sentences using the correct form of verb given below.
invite, go, play,
sell, help, allow, win, inform, pass
1. If I see Aslam, I'll him to dinner tomorrow.
2. If I out, I'll turn off the TV
3. If you tricks on people, they
will not trust you again.
4. If the farmer all his kiwi-fruit
in the market, he will be very pleased.
5. I'll you with your homework if I
can.
6. I'll you to ride my bike if you
like.
7. Will you a message to Auntie
Sophie if you see her?
8. If you don't now, you will be
late from school.
9. Will you me, if you're going to
be late?
10. If he works hard, he will the
competition.
D. Put the correct verb in blanks.
1. I living in this house since
1970.
(has been, have been, was, will be)
2. He . here yesterday.
(has come, came, will come, come)
3. If you. I shall be available.
(will come, come, have come, came)
4. He_ take the examination next
year.
(will have, will, will be, shall)
5. He to us tomorrow.
(comes, will come, came, had come)
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