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Wednesday, July 16, 1997
President Mubarak’s Speech on the Occasion of Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday July 16, 1997 Egypt’s honourable guests, Reverend Ulemas, Brothers and Sisters, May I extend my heartiest greetings and congratulations to you all on this great Islamic occasion when we always meet in good faith to exchange views, derive lessons and good advice, which we place not only in the service of this country and all Moslems with their different views, but also in the service of humanity to whom Prophet Muhammad was sent to guide along the path of right and justice as God Almighty says, in the Holy Quran "and we have sent you but as a mercy to the world". Brothers and sisters, The commemoration of this holy occasion should not merely stop at relating the biography of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Biographies of prophets are not stories to be recounted or historical events to be recalled but are bright landmarks and permanent canons to be used and followed by mankind in all epochs, for God Almighty says, "In their histories there is certainly a lesson for men of understanding. It is not a narrative which could be forged ". In order to derive full lessons from this genial biography, we have to reconsider it from two perspectives, namely; that of the Prophet and that of his message which is a guide to mankind. As for the Prophet, he was a great man of sublime morality, honest, elevated and impressive to those around him, as well as to those who came after him. He was a unique all-embracing exponent of goodness and generosity. Humanity really needs to take inspiration from the aspects of his great personality and elevated manners and derive good example from his conduct and biography. This is a fact which has been verified by Ulemas and scholars of various creeds and from different countries, and acknowledged by his enemies before his supporters and followers. As for his message, which was in fact addressed to humanity at large, it is one of unlimited sublimity and greatness, and good intentions for the world. We should look into all its aspects as we are on the threshold of a new century fraught with challenges, where cultures interact, civilisations converge and all peoples seek to exchange knowledge and expertise, join forces to confront violence, terrorism and strife among fellow countrymen. All people work together to deal with environment problems and dangers to which our planet is exposed. They seek to maintain a level of justice among countries in economic issues, so that Third World States might be able to protect their rights and defend their interests at a time of huge economic grouping from which developing countries are excluded. It is an age of numerous attempts to standardise production, distribution and service within the concept of globalisation. We should also, at this turbulent stage of transition reconsider once again the essence of the message of Prophet Muhammad Bin Abdullah (Peace be upon him). It is a message which ended all heavenly messages, crowning the procession of prophets and messengers. No doubt, any thoughtful and intensive research will reveal that this message is cultural, humanitarian, sublime and comprehensive. It brings together people from various races and colours. It seeks to raise the standard of living, whether from a moral point of view represented in the relationship among men, or in its material perspective represented in reconstruction and harnessing wealth of the world for the good of mankind. Regarding the relationship among men, the message of Islam is based on social solidarity, cooperation, mercy, as God Almighty says, "And help one another in goodness and piety." Thus it calls for peace rather than aggression and harm. It urges nations to be cooperative rather than fighting to grab and exploit booties and privileges. Moreover, the immortal message of Islam seeks to raise the standard of living. Moslems are a Nation that builds rather than destroys, reconstructs rather than devastates, and preserves the rights of the coming generations, so that life may move towards progress. Hence it is keen on preserving life and rejecting killing and bloodshed as God Almighty says, "Whoever slays a soul, unless it be for manslaughter or for playing havoc in the land, it is as though he slew all men, and whoever keeps it alive, it is as though he kept alive all men." There is no one but the Prophet Muhammad who could incarnate all these sublime meanings. He used to urge his comrades and soldiers, who fought for Jihad, not to end the life of the wounded, nor to trace down a retreating enemy in action, nor to kill a child, an old man or a woman. Thus the genial Prophet is linked to his sublime message which is a beacon of mercy to the entire world, and a haven for mankind. The faithful Prophet is ever merciful, keen on the welfare of his Nation and is described by God Almighty as, "It grieves him that ye should perish: ardently anxious is he over you: to the believers is he most kind and merciful." Dear brothers and sisters, May all people get the gist out of this occasion; commemorating the great Prophet's birthday, so that they may reconsider their guiding thoughts, values and behaviour. Contemporary man should truly comprehend the laws that protect him from going astray or committing sins. He should follow a course of life that will help him meet his obligation to his Creator and to his fellow men, in order to attain a better world in which heavenly messages prevail. All heavenly messages are essentially one and the same and are complementary to one another. They differentiate between what is right and what is wrong, what is true and what is false, what is good and what is evil, so man may lead a virtuous life that enriches his present and future. May Moslems, who believe in Prophet Muhammad's message, sincerely seek to be well-informed of the true spirit of Islam. May they resort to the search for the basics of their creed, the canons of Islam in worshipping and in dealing with others without extremism or deviation from its spirit. Its spirit is based on tolerance and mercy, renunciation of hatred, malice and bigotry that instigate man against his brother, drive a wedge among Moslems, create ideological and intellectual dissension among the different sects, and erase from people's minds the essence of this immortal message which will thus be exposed to destructive differences and animosities that are virtually groundless. Certainly such a message cannot possibly lead to the loss of efforts and factors of unity among its followers if they adhere to its canons in all walks of life. May the sons of the one Islamic Nation be aware that they should work hard in all spheres that realize progress. They should exert sincere efforts, because success in all domains is contingent upon perseverance which makes dreams and hopes come true through knowledge and continual study rather than through merely praying to our Creator. Prayers alone if not linked to work become wishful thinking. Our Prophet said, "Belief is not attained through wishes, but rather by a deep feeling in the heart and sincere work. There are people who indulged in praying for forgiveness, saying it was enough to have faith in God, but they went wrong. If they worked hard, they could have faith in God in so doing. Therefore, good work that realizes the welfare of a nation is not merely confined to praying, fasting and performing other rituals. It is, in fact, sincere efforts for the good of the individual and the people around him. It is a sacrifice that makes use of all means. It is production that entails prosperity to all, and its fruits will bear witness to posterity. This can only be achieved, at this particular age, if every Moslem becomes aware of the fact that he has to follow the path of knowledge. In the race track, a civilisation whose exponents lag behind the progress of science and new discoveries and technologies that tremendously affect man’s present and future life, will never be abreast of competition. May non-Moslems justly and impartially judge Islam and its doctrines. In assessing Islam as a message and culture, they should rise above malice and bigotry. No one is to claim that the impending danger in the new era will arise from a conflict between Islam and other religions and cultures. No one is to unfairly claim that Islam repulses of other religions, or fights and persecutes their followers and encroaches upon their rights. All these are false accusations that are completely untrue as can be judged by any fair and meticulous observer, who seeks but truth. Unfortunately, some foreign elements have recently made it a point to launch a hostile and unjust campaign against Islam and its doctrines, either out of ignorance or with private intent, or instigated by some circles hostile to this religion and to Moslems. They seek with a private intent to falsely distort its image based on a misconception that Islam adopts a hostile stance against them. These circles and those behind them, whom we know, should listen to the voice of reason and their conscience, and look objectively for the truth without false accusations. An objective, scientific judgement undoubtedly reveals that Islam is complementary to other religions. It recognises the oneness of the heavenly messages and gives high priority to the freedom of the creeds and equality of human beings regardless of their ethnic or religious affiliations as God Almighty says in the Holy Quran, "O mankind ! We created you of a male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other, not that ye despise each other"..."Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of God is he who is the most righteous. God has full knowledge and is well-acquainted with all things." God has also said," Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error." Over the years the Moslems have adhered to these noble concepts and lived side by side with followers of other religions in full tolerance and conviction that religion is for God alone. The great Prophet had set the most sublime example in this respect when he emigrated to Medina. The first convention he signed with the Jews was called "Al Saheefah", in which he acknowledged that God is one and the same for all and His path is known to everyone. Whoever of the Jews, follows us shall be supported and equally treated. Jews shall have their religion and Moslems theirs. Each party shall bear its own responsibility. They shall have to stand against those who encroach upon the convention (Al Saheefah). A neighbour is like one’s self. Whoever gets out is safe and so is he that stays in. The Prophet asserted such exalted meanings in his Hadith (tradition). He said, "Whoever harms a Jew, I become his opponent in life and in afterlife," and "Whoever wrongs a Jew by placing a burden on him greater than he can bear, or gets something from him against his own will, then he is to be my enemy on the Day of Judgement". In fact, God does not confine protection to Jews only but also to infidels. He says in the Holy Quran, "If one of the infidels asks for asylum, grant it to him, so that he may hear the word of God, and then escort him to where he can be secure." These are the laws and principles of Islam, and this is the course followed by the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and by his great successors and by those who took his life as an example. Such an outlook is closely connected to the essence of the creed and the contents of the message which has always been intact without any amendments or change. In this context, if we are to take Egypt as an example of adherence, it will not be difficult for a fair observer to find out that all Egyptians are equal before the law, and that the Constitution protects this equality and gives it top priority. In fact affiliation to a country is citizenship, and nothing else. In conclusion, I pray to God Almighty on this most cherished occasion to support this people and remove all obstacles on our path to glory and progress. This people exert sincere efforts to secure life and stability in every inch of this good earth of Egypt, to pave the way for a better future for the coming generations, to protect the peace process from impending dangers, to defend the rights of Arabs and Moslems in Jerusalem, so that peace may prevail and the banners of freedom and equality are hoisted high on the entire region. Peace be upon you. |
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