T h e Ess e n ce o f Re lig i o n
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are present must convey this message to those who are absent.”
(
Al-Istiab
)
The most important responsibility of the followers of
Muhammad (on whom be peace), is to end all kinds of differences.
According to Miswar bin Makhrama, Tabarani relates that:
“The Prophet came to his companions and said, ‘God has sent
me as a blessing to all mankind. So you people—may God have
mercy on you—fulfil this obligation on my behalf and do not have
differences as did the followers of Jesus (on him be peace).”
Just as the Prophet was ordained by God for this purpose,
likewise the Muslim
Ummah
has been ordained till Doomsday to
perform this duty. During the Caliphate of Umar Faruq when Rabi
ibn ‘Amir was sent as the representative of Islam to the court of
the Iranian rulers, a part of the conversation recorded is as follows:
‘The latter asked him why they (he and other Muslims) had come
to their country? Rabi ibn ‘Amir replied: “God has sent us so that
He may take away those whom He likes, from the worship of His
creatures to the worship of the Creator; from the narrowness of
the world to its vastness. Thus God has sent us with His religion
to His creatures, so that we may invite people to come to Him.”
(
Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah
)
That this responsibility is a universal one, which does not stop
at any geographical boundaries is illustrated by the speech Noman
bin Muqrin gave in the Court of Caesar. Here is an extract from
the speech where Noman answers one of Caesar’s questions:
“When Islam had spread in Arabia, the Prophet commanded
us to go to the neighbouring nations and invite them to justice,
so we invite you to Islam. What is good has been described by
this religion as good, and what is bad has been described by this
religion as bad” (
Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah,
Vol. 7, p. 41).
This responsibility was quite clear to the companions of the
Prophet. During the Caliphate of Umar Faruq, when ‘Amr ibn al
‘As invited the religious leaders of Egypt to enter the fold of Islam,
he said: God has sent our Prophet with a message for mankind. He
has fully carried out his responsibility, and has left behind a clear
