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Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi

In celebrating Eid-e-Milad - the birthday of holy prophet Muhammad (PBUH) - today the Muslim Ummah in general, and the Pakistani nation in particular - has every reason to feel genuinely elated over its sense of belonging to Islam, the Divine code of life that he was chosen by Almighty Allah to unfold for the guidance of the entire humanity and for all times to come. Many and varied were the creeds pursued and abandoned by mankind since times immemorial before this greatest of all the messengers of God, delivered to an utterly confused and strife-ridden mankind His final message. Surely, the message of Islam, as enshrined in the Holy Quran and fully reflected in the traditions of the holy prophet (PBUH), covers the whole range of human thought and behaviour that have been instrumental in the shifts and changes witnessed all through the never ending process of social development. Peace, both with one's own self and with the society at large, being the central idea of the code of life as preached by Islam, held a special appeal in the overall social environment when the holy prophet spelled out the Divine Will in all its aspects.

Those were the days when the inner conflicts of the existing societies in all parts of the world had given rise to savage laws and atrocious patterns of social behaviour that sanctified the authority of those who could succeed in imposing themselves as superior over others. No wonder then that in the beastly race for power and pelf all moral and ethical values preached by earlier messengers and reformers were not only cast aside contemptuously but also ridiculed as philosophies unfit to be followed. Of course, the world had witnessed several short-lived periods of comparative peace and tranquillity even prior to the revelation of the Islamic code of life by the holy prophet (PBUH). But these were mostly based on the triumph of the forces of positive thought and approach, inherent in man's nature. And hence those bright eras were soon destroyed by the forces of evil, seeking guidance and support of pseudo messengers and demi-gods, who prayed upon the ignorance and simplicity of the vast majority of the people.

It was in the thick of the accumulated darkness of a universal order that had condemned the masses the world over to live and die like beasts of burden, when prophet Muhammad (PBUH) fearlessly unfolded the Allah's Scheme of things for the human beings. Based essentially on the faith in the Unity of Allah and finality of Muhammad's prophethood, it is devoted entirely to the preaching of peaceful co-existence between man and man, in a setting in which none is superior over the other. Islam knows of no distinction of caste, creed and colour, allowing to each and every individual equal rights and privileges. Instantly identified as a charter of liberation and an invitation to civilised and harmonious living, Islam found an enthusiastic response, that led to its increasing acceptance even far and beyond the Arabian peninsula.

No wonder then that thus setting the pace for man's onward social development, its followers not only greatly enriched the spiritual side of human life but also revolutionised the whole process of thought and action, with a strong tilt towards scientific pursuit in quest of a better life. The contributions of Muslim scholars and researchers to the advancement of science stand widely acknowledged.

Unfortunately, however, they later lost track of the teachings and ways of the holy prophet (PBUH) leading itself to defeats and declines both on political and social fronts. However, that deviation has not gone unnoticed and efforts have continued to be made over the centuries past, to regain and relive the Islamic past. It was that pursuit that led to the creation of Pakistan as a separate and independent Islamic state in the Hindu dominated South Asian sub-continent. We won that part of the battle, but only to lose the track once again. However, the search for the lost part goes on in the hope that with the Blessings of Allah we will find it and firmly stick to it.