MUHAMMED (SAW) AS A PROPHET AND STATESMAN

The point about the Prophet’s role as a statesman is important because it is often used to say that violence was part of the faith from the beginning, especially now in a post-9/11 world. In other words, Muslims are violent because their Prophet was. However, learning about the Prophet Muhammad’s life and the early Muslim community in Medina will show that violence is not central to the faith, but that warfare within clear guidelines might be needed when diplomatic efforts fail. This is important to highlight, also, for some Muslims who use violence as a means to achieve certain ends and have contributed to the negative image of the faith. The Prophet used it as a last resort and never used it to instill fear into a people nor did he use it against his own. Terrorism and the violence we have seen by leaders in the Middle East against protesters, for example, deviate from the example set by the Prophet Muhammad over 1400 years ago