Islam Creator of the Modern Age
4. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
~ 167 ~
chosen to halt here because you were guided by
divine revelation, or is this choice of halting place
purely a matter of your own private opinion?” The
Prophet replied, “I have chosen this place myself”
At this, Khabbab ibn al-Mundhir said, “‘This is no
place to halt. Move from here with all your
companions.” The Prophet, far from rebuking the
man for this audacity, simply asked him why he
thought they should camp elsewhere. When he had
heard his reasons, he immediately agreed with him,
and he and his companions then set off to find
another halting place. The fact that neither the
Prophet nor his companions took exception to
Khabbab ibn al-Mundhir’s behaviour is a clear
illustration of the degree to which egalitarianism
was encouraged by Islam. (Details of this incident
are available in the books on
Sirah,
the Prophet
Muhammad’s biography.)
This revolution, imbued as it was with the spirit of
Islamic monotheism, was so powerful that its effects
continued to be felt throughout the whole of Islamic
history. After the Prophet, during the period of the
pious caliphs, anyone, irrespective of his social
