The Road to Victory - 2. The second element: The beloved leadership of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be Upon Him).

The Messenger peace be upon him is the commander in chief for the Islamic Ummah and for all humanity. Humanity will never be happy until this divine leadership takes over and rule again. It is true that the Prophet peace be upon him had left this world, but his legacy and example will live forever. The Prophet peace be upon him had pointed out that the heirs of the Islamic leadership are those who have the knowledge of Islam. In Sahih Ibn Majah, the Prophet peace be upon him said, “The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets. The Prophet's don't leave money, but rather they leave knowledge. Whoever takes it after them such then take as much as they can." Islamic scholars of high knowledge should represent the Prophet in their people, they say what the Prophet had said and do as he did. That is why there is no refuge for the Ummah in times of hardship except with those who Allah had appointed to hold the flag of the Prophet peace be upon him.

The Prophet peace be upon him had all the noble characteristics that would attract the hearts to him. He portrayed the highest degrees of honor, goodness, kindness and bounty. He was the honesty and truthfulness in every way that even his enemies never doubted him, although they did not believe in his message. We bring some examples for this:

- Abu Jahl, the Prophet’s uncle used to say, “Muhammad, we don’t say that you are a liar but we do not believe in what you brought to us”. In that Allah sent down “It is not you who they reject: it is the signs of Allah, which the wicked contemn” (6:33)

- Three from the tribe of Quraish (the Prophet’s tribe) gathered after listening to the Quran separately. Abu Jahl, who was one of them, was asked about his opinion in what he heard from Muhammad. He said, “It does not matter what he says, we are continuously competing with Banu Abd Manaf (the Prophet’s clan) for honor; they feed the poor, we feed the poor, they give charity, we give charity. Now that we’re almost equal like two horses in a race, they say they have a Prophet sent by God. How can we compete with that, by God we will never believe in what he brought”.

- A bunch of the disbelievers were winking and making fun of the Prophet peace be upon him. Finally he said, “People of Quraish, I brought slaughter to you”. The whole group was taken back and scared by these words. Afterwards the Prophet’s worst enemies became softer on him.

- The disbelievers poured down blood and intestine of a dead camel on the Prophet peace be upon him while he was in sujud. When he supplicated against them they all stopped laughing, and became full of concern and worries because they knew they were ruined.

- Once the Prophet supplicated against Utbah bin Abu Lahab after being excessively harassed by him. The Prophet peace be upon him asked Allah to send one of his dogs to kill Utbah. When a lion in the middle of the desert killed Utbah, he knew for sure that that was the Prophet’s supplication coming true. His final words were “Muhammad killed me while in Mecca”.

- Ubay bin Khalaf always threatened to kill the Prophet, so one day the Prophet told him “I will kill you insha’Allah”. Ubay was lightly scratched in the neck at the battle of Uhud and while dying he said Muhammad could have killed me by just spitting on me.

That was the case of the Quraish chiefs of disbelief; they believed him and could never say that he is liar. Today come from his Ummah those who claim to follow him but deny his Sunnah. They say we only follow the Book. Some say we follow only what we accept by our minds and the rest we abandon. Now they worship their minds, and they make themselves judges and prosecute Allah’s Book. Religion should not cancel the mind but it should discipline it. The mind is a tool to understand the religion and not to judge it.

The Islamic Ummah should go back under the wings of our Prophet and follow his example. By Allah, nobody will enter heaven except under his flag.

“Then let those beware who withstand the Messenger’s order, lest some trial befall them, or a grievous penalty be inflicted on them.” (24:63)

So, Allah had threatened those who don’t follow the Prophet’s legacy and guidance by a trial in this world and grievous penalty in the hereafter.

Allah also said in His Book “The Day that the wrong-doer will bite at his hands, he will say, "Oh! Would that I had taken the path with the Messenger”. (25: 27)