True Immortality
The Prophet (peace be on him) said, Do
not glorify me in the same manner as the Christians glorify Jesus, son
of Mary, but say, 'He is a slave of Allah and His Messenger.'
(Reported by al-Bukhari and others.)
When his Companions wanted to stand up to greet him out of respect,
he forbade them, saying, "Do not
stand up as the Persians do, some people honouring the others."
(Reported by Abu Daoud and Ibn Majah.)
And he warned his followers against praising him excessively after
his death, saying, "Do not make of
my grave a site for festivals," (Reported by Abu
Daoud.) and he prayed to his Lord, "O
my Lord, do not let my grave be made into an idol to be worshipped."
(Reported by Malik in Al-Muwatta.)
Once some people came to the Prophet (peace be on him) and addressed
him in the following words: "O Messenger of Allah, the best of
us and the son of the best of us, our leader and the son of our leader."
He said, "O people, say what you
said previously or a part of it, and do not let Satan mislead you. I
am Muhammad, a slave of Allah and His Messenger. I do not like your
raising my status above the status which Allah, the Mighty and Glorious,
has given me." (Reported by al-Nisai on good authority.)
When Islam came, it declared that the best of Allah's creation and
the last of His Messengers (peace be on him) was but a mortal man. It
emphasized that the worth of human beings lies in their deeds and not
in their physical form; it made the Messenger (peace be on him) an example
for all mankind to follow; and it forbade such sanctification and exaggerated
respect for men which resembles adoration and which, by implication,
signifies the belittlement of the rest of mankind.
The believers aspire only to that true immortality which can be bestowed
by Allah alone, Who knows the secret and the hidden, Who neither misleads
nor forgets. In His register of immortality there is the name of many
a person whose greatness has remained unrecognized by the people. Indeed,
the Most High loves those Godfearing and religious souls who remember
Him in the secrecy of their hearts, who do great service without fanfare,
whose presence is not felt in a gathering of people and whose absence
is not missed.
Islam immortalizes the memories of people because of their good and
beneficent deeds; the remembrance of them remains in the hearts of Muslims.
Thus, the literate and illiterate, the young and the old, know about
the justice of Umar, the firmness and wisdom of Abu Bakr, and the piety
and courage of Ali. No statue made of stone was needed to commemorate
any of them because their deeds and qualities are inscribed in peoples'
hearts.
Compiled From:
"The Lawful and Prohibited in Islam" - Yusuf Al-Qaradawi
