Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the Eyes of Non-Muslims

 

“And most certainly, Thou (Oh Muhammad PBUH) are of the most Sublime and Exalted in Character”  (Holy Quran 68:4)

Introduction

Presented are quotes from unbiased non-Muslim historians, friendly critics and even avowed enemies of the Mightiest Messenger of God-Muhammad (PBUH).

Michael H Hart

An historian, mathematician & astronomer wrote the famous book

‘The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History’, describing the 100 most influential men in history including Aristotle, Buddha, Hitler, Plato, Jesus (Isa AS), St Paul etc, and gave them all a rating from 1 to 100 and he put our Prophet (PBUH) as number 1, while placing his own Prophet Jesus (PBUH) number 3! He gave three principal reasons for this choice:

“First, Muhammad (PBUH) played a far more important role in the development of Islam than Jesus did in the development of Christianity. Muhammad was responsible for both the theology of Islam and its main ethical and moral principles.

In addition, he played the key role in proselytizing the new faith, and in establishing the religious practices of Islam.’

‘My choice of Muhammad (PBUH) to lead the list of the world’s most influential persons may surprise some readers & maybe questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious & secular level.’

Thomas Carlyle

This great Christian said the following words in May, 1840 when it was a sacrilege to say anything good about Muhammad (PBUH) and the Christian West was trained to hate the man and His religion (just like today). He wrote a series of lectures called ‘Heroes and Heroship’. One has to note that his audience was a very hostile Christian crowd!

‘The lies, which well-meaning zeal, has heaped round this man, are disgraceful to ourselves only.’

‘As there is no danger of our becoming, any of us, Mahometans (Muslims), I mean to say all the good of him I justly can.’

‘The great man’s sincerity is of the kind he cannot speak of; such sincerity, as we named it, has in very truth something of divine, the word of such a man is a voice direct from natures own heart, men do and must listen to that and nothing else; all else is wind in comparison.’

‘A man of truth and fidelity, true in what he did, in what he spake and thought. They noted that he always meant something. A man rather taciturn in speech; silent when there was nothing to be said; but pertinent, wise, sincere, when he did speak, always throwing light on the matter. This is the only sort of speech worth speaking.’

‘It goes greatly against the imposter theory, the fact that he lived in this entirely unexceptionable, entirely quiet and common place way, till the heat of his years was done. All his ambition, seemingly, had been hitherto, to live an honest life; his fame: the mere good opinion of neighbors that knew him.’

‘A false man found a false religion? Why, a false man cannot build a brick house! If he does not know and follow truly the properties of mortar, burnt clay and what else he works in, it is no house that he makes, but a rubbish heap, it will not stand for 12 centuries.’

‘Muhammad (PBUH) elevated his people into torch-bearers of light and learning. To the Arab nation it was a birth from darkness into light. Arabia first became alive by means of it. A poor shepherd people, roaming unnoticed in its deserts since the creation of the world. See, the unnoticed becomes world notable, the small has grown world-great. Within one century afterwards Arabia was at Granada one the one hand and at Delhi on the other. Glancing in valor and splendor, and the light of genius, Arabia shines over a great section of the world.’

‘Forger & Juggler! No, no! This great fiery heart, seething, simmering, like a great furnace of thoughts, was not a juggler’s.’

And so many other great words in his book that one would think he must have died a Muslim by heart. His best words that bring tears from one’s eyes:

‘They called him prophet, you say? Why, he stood there face to face with them; bare, not enshrined in any mystery; visibly clouting his own cloak, cobbling his own shoes; fighting counseling, ordering in the midst of them: they must have seen what kind of man he was, let him be called what you like. No emperor with his tiaras (ministers) was obeyed as this man in a cloak of his own clouting, during three and twenty years of rough actual trial. I find something of a veritable HERO necessary for that , of itself.’

‘I have studied him-The wonderful man-and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ-he must be called the saviour of humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it much needed peace and happiness.’

Napoleon Bonaparte

Encyclopedia Britannica (11th Edition)

‘Muhammad was the most successful of all religious personalities’.

Mahatma Gandhi

‘I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter-self effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. 

Dr. William Draper

Lamartine

‘If greatness of purpose, smallness of means and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad. Philosopher, Orator, Apostle, Legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, Restorer of rational beliefs, of a cult without images, the founder of twenty terrestial empires and of one spiritual empire. As regards all standards by which human greatness maybe measured, we may well ask, ‘is there any man greater than he?’

Undoubtedly, one who is your enemy, he is cut of from every good (Holy Quran 108:3)

Leo Tolstoy

Edward Gibbon & Simon Ocklay

D.G. Hogarth

Prof KS Ramakrishna Rao

A Hindu Philosopher responds to Adolf Hitler’s words:

‘The union of the theorist, organizer, and leader in one man is the rarest phenomenon on this Earth; therein consists greatness’ by saying himself:

‘In the person of the prophet of Islam, the world has seen this rarest phenomenon on Earth, walking in flesh and blood.’

Annie Besant

Sarogini Naidu

Pandit Gyanandra

‘They (Muhammad’s critics) see fire instead of light, ugliness instead of good. They distort and present every good quality as a great vice. It reflects their own depravity. The critics are blind. They cannot see that the only sword Muhammad (PBUH) wielded was the sword of mercy, compassion, friendship and forgiveness-the sword that conquers enemies and purifies their hearts. His sword was sharper than the sword of steel.’

Time Magazine 15 July, 1974

This world famous magazine asked a variety of historians, writers, military men & businessmen and others for their selections as to whom they thought were the history’s great leaders. Everyone gave their choice according to their understanding, awareness and prejudice. Following are a few excerpts:

Bosworth Smith

‘By a fortune absolutely unique in history, Muhammad (PBUH) is a threefold founder of a nation, of an empire and of a religion.’

‘He was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without the Pope’s pretentions and Caesar without the lesgions of Caesar: without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue; if ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by the right divine, it was Mohammad (PBUH), for he had all the powers without its instruments and without its supports.’

William McNeill

‘If you measure leadership by impact, then you would have to name Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, The Great Prophets of the World.’

James Gavin

‘Among leaders who have made the greatest impact through the ages, I would consider Muhammad, Jesus Christ (PBUH), maybe Lenin, possibly Mao. As for a leader whose qualities we could most use now, I would choose John F. Kennedy.’

Jules Masserman’

Jewish US psychoanalyst gives three criteria for greatness. ‘Leaders must fulfill three functions’

1. The Leader must provide for the welfare of the lead

2. The leader must provide a social organization in which people feel relatively secure

3. This leader must provide his people with one set of beliefs’.

Finally he concludes, ‘Perhaps the greatest leader of all times was Muhammad (PBUH, SubhanAllah), who combined all three functions and to a lesser degree, Moses (PBUH), did the same.’  He put his own prophet Moses after Muhammad (PBUT).

‘And have we not raised High the Esteem (in which) thou art held? (Quran 94: 4)

Diwan Chand Sharma (Hindu Scholar)

‘Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never forgotten by those around him.’

RVC Bodley

‘I doubt whether any man whose external conditions changed so much ever changed himself less to meet them’.

A.S. Tritton

US Supreme Court

Chicharito (Footballer)

A Bus in London

Even Hitler?

Miscellaneous

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