Be’that of the Holy Prophet: the source of all virtues

 

The birth of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) is a significant point in history for any Muslim. Later on, this birth led to a great movement in the history of mankind. Any virtue that exists in the world directly or indirectly originates from be’that of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and his efforts to uphold moral virtues in society. Any Muslim knows that the existence of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) is the best factor that can bring together Muslim emotions in the world of Islam, the emotions of followers of different Islamic denominations.

This is because Muslims love the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and he has been the pivot of the Islamic Ummah. Therefore, the birth of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) is very important for us.

Of course, the history of Islam shows that around one hundred years after the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) had passed away, one of his descendents, Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.), opened a new door to achieving Islamic goals and promoting Islamic teachings when he reached imamate.

The Islamic Republic attaches special importance to the birth and be’that of the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) and anything that is related to him. Why? Because throughout the world, Islamic Iran is the only place where Islamic rules are officially implemented, the only place where the laws and regulations are formulated and implemented on the basis of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet’s (s.w.a.) Sunnah. In other words, Islamic Iran is the most important place in the world in which such a great movement is going on.

The government of Iran is Islamic and this puts a responsibility on the shoulders of all Muslims throughout the world because if there is a government in the world that is based on Islam, this means that Islam is being implemented. However, if Islam exists in a society in the form of personal beliefs and actions and not in the form of an Islamic government, the Holy Quran and Islam will be sidelined in such a society. An example of this has been mentioned in the Holy Quran, in Sura Furqaan: “And the Messenger cried out: O Lord, surely my people have treated this Quran as a forsaken thing.” (1)

The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) tells the Creator: “Surely my people have treated this Quran as a forsaken thing.” What does “forsaken” mean? Undoubtedly, it does not mean that Muslims completely distanced themselves from the Holy Quran and Islamic characteristics. This is not the  meaning of “treated this Quran as a forsaken thing.”

It means that the Holy Prophet’s (s.w.a.) people kept the Holy Quran, but at the same time they treated it as a forsaken thing and they sidelined it, in the sense that the Holy Quran would still be recited and respected in society, but its teachings would not implemented and its rule would be prevented under the pretext of separating religion from politics.

If Islam and the Holy Quran were supposed to be kept apart from government, then what was the purpose of the Holy Prophet’s (s.w.a.) battles? If the Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) believed that Islam should not interfere in government, in managing the affairs of the people and in political power in society, if he believed that personal faith in Islam was sufficient and that people could practice religious rituals in their homes, he would not have taken the trouble of carrying out all those battles.

The Holy Prophet (s.w.a.) made those efforts for political power and for putting the Holy Quran in charge. When the Holy Quran is forsaken, it means that it exists in name only and does not have political power. In the world of Islam, the ayah “surely my people have treated this Quran as a forsaken thing” is true of all the places where the Holy Quran is not in charge. 

1. Sura al-Furqaan, Ayah 30

Reference:Lessons from the Holy Prophet of Islam (s.w.a.) A selection of statements by Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei on the personality and be’that of the Holy Prophet of Islam (s.w.a.)