Life-of-Muhammad

186Life of Muhammad saplaces. No man ever showed such concern and suchcare for the welfare of women, the rights of the weak,and for peace between nations as did the Prophet sa ofIslam. No man ever did as much as the Prophet sa topromote equality among man-kind. No man pined asmuch as he for the good of man. No wonder, Islam hasalways upheld the right of women to hold and to inheritproperty. European nations did not conceive of this rightuntil about one thousand three hundred years after theadvent of Islam. Every person who enters Islam becomesthe equal of everyone else, no matter how low the societyfrom which he comes. Freedom and equality arecharacteristic contributions of Islam to the culture of theworld. The conceptions which other religions hold offreedom and equality are far behind those which Islamhas preached and practised. In a Muslim mosque, aking, a religious leader and a common man have thesame status; there is no difference between them. In theplaces of worship of other religions and other nationsthese differences exist to this day, although thosereligions and nations claim to have done more thanIslam for freedom and equality.THE PROPHET sa GIVES HINTS OF HIS DEATHOn the way back, the Prophet sa again informed hisCompanions of his approaching death. He said, "O menI am but one like you. I may receive the Call any dayand I may have to go. My Kind and Vigilant Master hasinformed me that a Prophet sa lives up to half the years ofthe Prophet sa before him. 1 I think I shall soon receive theCall and I shall depart. O my Companions, I shall haveto answer God, and you will have to answer also. Whatwill you then say? "1 This was not meant as a general law. It referred only to the HolyProphet sa . A tradition puts down the age of Jesus at one hundred and twentyor so. As he had already attained to sixty-two or sixty-three, he thought hisdeath must be near.—Ed.