ABU DHABI // All Muslims should study the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed to enrich their lives and set an example for others, a noted Saudi scholar said last week. Last Wednesday night, the founder of the privately funded research institute the Tabah Foundation, stressed the importance of adopting the Islamic messenger's character and ways in everyday life. "We need to know him more and more as a prophet and a human being, a perfect human," he said. "He is an ideal sample of humankind; we know him as a teacher, an imam and a person who has mercy."
Sheikh Habib, who lives in Abu Dhabi, was speaking to an audience of about 100 at the Cultural Foundation as part of a Ramadan lecture series hosted by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (Adach). Sheikh Habib, 38, a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed's grandson Hussein, urged people to buy books and examine the Messenger's life, teach their children of his lessons and discuss him among friends, colleagues and fellow students to reignite the love Muslims should cherish for their final prophet.
"Our relationship with the Almighty will not be correct unless we follow the sayings and acts of Prophet Mohammed. If you love God, you have to follow the Prophet Mohammed." Among the Prophet's teachings, he said, are maintaining a good relationship with one's wife and servants, looking after the environment and engaging in discussions about religion with friends. "It's not just a few stories; it's a way of life. It's love, history, relationships, how he dealt with death, how he treated his wives," he said.
Muslims could also learn humility when addressing their servants. "Servants today complain about how they are treated," he said. "If we knew how Prophet Mohammed treated his servants, it could even bring them to Islam. He never asked his servants why they did or do not do something. He didn't get angry. He didn't even say bad words about his food." When a member of the audience asked how young Muslims could imitate the Prophet's life, Sheikh Habib said knowledge would increase people's love for the Messenger.
"Read all the time about his life. Mothers and fathers should teach their children. The house itself should become like a school for teaching his life," he said. "There is a secret in the human creation: if you love something, you will follow it. If there is a strong love, it will guide us." asafdar@thenational.ae