Life-of-Muhammad

Life of Muhammad sa 185What I have said to you, you should communicate to theends of the earth. Maybe those who have not heard memay benefit by it more than those who have heard (SihahSitta, Tabari, Hisham and Khamis).The Prophet's sa address is an epitome of the entireteaching and spirit of Islam. It shows how deep was theProphet's sa concern for the welfare of man and the peaceof the world; also how deep was his regard for the rightsof women and other weak creatures. The Prophet sa knewhis end was near. He had had hints from God about hisdeath. Among the cares and anxieties to which he gaveexpression were his care and anxiety about thetreatment women received at the hands of men. He tookcare that he should not pass away from this world to thenext without assuring to women the status which wastheirs by right. Since the birth of man, woman had beenregarded as the slave and handmaid of man. This wasthe Prophet's sa one care. His other care was for prisonersof war. They were wrongly looked on and treated asslaves and were subjected to cruelties and excesses ofall kinds. The Prophet sa felt he should not leave thisworld without assuring to prisoners of war the rightswhich were theirs in the sight of God. Inequalitybetween man and man also oppressed the Prophet sa .Occasionally differences were stressed to a degree whichcould not be endured. Some men were raised to theskies and others were degraded to the depths. Theconditions which made for this inequality wereconditions which made for antagonism and war betweennation and nation and country and country. TheProphet sa thought of these difficulties, also. Unless thespirit of inequality was killed and conditions whichinduced one people to usurp the rights of another and toattack their lives and their possessions—unless theseconditions which become rampant at times of moraldecay were removed, the peace and progress of theworld could not be assared. He taught that human lifeand human possessions had the same sacredness whichbelonged to sacred days, sacred months and sacred