By Sajid Iqbal

There was a man born over 1400 years ago. A great man. A special man. A man who changed the world. A man who conquered the world. A man recognised as the most influential person in history.

A man who brought a message, a religion, a faith, a code of life and a system of life. A man who brought about the greatest revolution ever.

Today that religion and system of life has over 1.6 billion followers world-wide. This man is Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)- Messenger of God.

The Prophet (pbuh) sacrificed everything to give us Islam. He went through a lot of hardship, suffering and pain for the sake of Islam. Just check this out and put yourself in the shoes of the Prophet:

• Many attempts were made to kill the Prophet
• He had animal excrement thrown on him whilst in prayer
• He was stoned by children in Mecca and was badly injured
• His followers and supporters were tortured and killed
• He and his supporters had sanctions put on them and were boycotted by the rest of Mecca. He went through many periods of bitter starvation.
• He had to leave his homeland and migrate to Medina to escape the persecutions in Mecca
• He fought or was in charge of about 80 battles in 10 years to defend Islam
• The Prophet was called a madman and ridiculed

The Prophet (pbuh) was offered money, gold, power, status and women as long as he stops calling people to one God- Allah. But the Prophet (pbuh) said no and continued his struggle to spread the message of Islam.

Now you’re probably thinking why would the Prophet go through all this suffering and pain? Simply because he refused to give up the mission of Islam, to worship one god, even if it would cost him his life.

Why? Because he loved us. Why? Because all he wanted was to bring us the message of Islam. He did this for the likes of you and me. If it was anyone of us we would have said ‘thanks…but no thanks, just give me the money, the bling bling, a ‘sick’ Subaru or M3, the fittest gals on earth and the power and I’m all yours baby…’ but not the Prophet!

And What Do We Do?

Today we have got Islam on a golden plate yet many of us do not know what Islam is. Many of us do not practice it, we do not value it, and we do not promote or spread it.

Today we are too busy ‘living the life’ and chasing the sex, drugs and rock n roll. It’s all about having the latest beamers, wearing the latest design, ‘killing time’ and ‘having a buzz’. Its all about getting that fit girl/boy to notice us, sneaking out to that late night gig and going to the library to “study”.

It’s all about reading the in's and out's of J Lo's and Beyonce's life and making sure you have a copy of the latest Urban Flavas, Niche(Neesh) or RDB album.

It's all about driving round and round the block at least 50 times a day, smoking a spliff and blasting the tunes of the likes of Juggy D and Rishi Rich.

The people that some of us look upto today are the likes of Tu Pac, 50 cent and real life drug dealers and gangsters or Bollywood heroes Sharukh Khan and Aishwariya Rai.

In a lot of cases life has lost its true purpose and is being wasted, the clock is ticking and our Islam is either forgotten or at the bottom of our ‘to do ‘list. Our policy is simple: read the Eid prayer twice a year and Bob’s your uncle!

Today the sad reality is that a lot of us have forgotten the Prophet (pbuh). We have forgotten the sacrifices and struggles of the Prophet (pbuh). We have forgotten his teachings.

How incredibly sad! Did the Prophet (pbuh) go through all these sufferings, sacrifices and hardships for nothing? He did everything for you and me…just think about it.

Today the Muslims and the world at large are in need of the Prophet (pbuh). We need his wisdom, his manners, his etiquette and his tolerance. We need his love, his solutions, his guidance and his leadership. It is time to stand up for Islam. It is time to be proud to be a Muslim and revive the teachings of Prophet Muhammad in our lives and in our society.

Never forget what the Prophet (pbuh) has done for you. Don’t you think it’s time we did our bit for Islam?

What can I do?

• Get a good understanding of Islam; study Islam, know the basics and research Islam in detail
• Look at the life of the Prophet (pbuh), look at the way he lived his life, understand his mission and get inspiration and motivation from his life.
• Practise your Islam; do your 5 daily prayers, give your zakat, keep your fasts etc.
• Follow the Prophets example in your daily life: the way you eat, sleep, talk, behave, interact, manners, etiquette’s, buying, selling, marriage, celebrations etc. – don’t be a part-time Muslim.
• Do good and forbid evil. Do acts of goodness and charity and do what you can to stop evil in your community.
• Just to be a good human being
• Have a close link with your local mosque and get involved in the activities in the mosque.
• Be an active Muslim in your school, college, university.
• Spread the message of Islam to your families, friends, and colleagues.
• Defend you faith when it is attacked (no…don’t get any ideas of being a suicide bomber) by answering the misconceptions about Islam
• Be a role model for the community- follow the example of the Messenger of God

Do your bit for Islam

We only get one opportunity, if you don’t grab hold of it now, there will come a day, when we will be disgusted with ourselves for not practising our Deen. Don’t worry about what people think of you, they will eventually start to follow you, and they will look upon you as an inspiration for themselves.

Never think there’s no point in changing because of sins you have committed in the past. Allah (swt) knows that we are weak. Look to correct your faults and seek forgiveness.

Don’t be a part time Muslim. Don’t be a gangster wanna-be. Don’t waste your life. Live your life as a good Muslim and follow the example of the Prophet (pbuh). Do your bit for Islam.