Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was both a prophet of Allah a nd a statesman.

His leadership was most comprehensive and dynamic. He was the pa ragon of virtue and spirituality. He was a noble and compassionate teacher, guid e, and reformer. He was a family man. Indeed, he was also a political leader. As a political leader the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) unified the Ar abian peninsula, established a great state whose capital was Madinah, defeated h is enemies, and had most successful military expeditions. However, his real poli tical leadership was in the realm of morality and spirituality in which he condu cted himself perfectly in situations of weakness as well as strength. His way of dealing in Makkah and Madinah indicates his great political leadership. He was always willing to help others. Allah granted him the special gift to reso lve conflicts and disputes. Even before he became the Prophet of Allah, he was a ble to resolve a major dispute between the people of Makkah. It is reported that the people of Makkah were repairing the walls of the Ka`bah. When the time came to place the Black Stone in its place in the southeast corner of the Ka`bah, ea ch tribe wanted to have this honor. Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) w as asked to be the judge and decide the matter fairly. He resolved this dispute with great wisdom in an amicable way. He spread his own cloak on the ground and placed the Stone upon it. He then asked representatives of each tribe to lift th e cloak together. When the Black Stone reached the required height from the grou nd he went forward and set it in its place.He always wanted to make peace among people. At an early age it is reported that when some people of Makkah wanted to establish a committee to suppress violence in their society, he immediately joi ned them. This committee took a pledge of virtue known as the Hilf al-Fudul. Lat er during his prophetic life he recalled this pledge and praised it highly and s aid, Even now if I am called upon in the name of this pledge, I shall not refuse.P rophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was a man of ideals but he was also a practical man. He preached the message to all and did not isolate himsel f from his society. He used any of the good traditions and customs they had and benefited from them. Although his uncle, Abu Talib, did not accept his message o f tawheed, he was willing to give him all his support and help in the Islamic wo rk. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) appreciated his uncles help. Af ter his uncles death he went to Taif to seek alliances with some other tribes ther e. He did not succeed, but it is important to note that he was trying to seek al liances for the cause of Islam. The Hijrah to Ethiopia is also an example of his political skill in seeking alli ances with others. When the persecution increased in Makkah and some of his foll owers found it difficult to live in that environment, he allowed them to migrate to Ethiopia and seek the help of the Christian King there. In Ethiopia Muslims found peace and they reciprocated the Kings hospitality with prayers and support for the King and his party. Muslims relations were so good with the monarch that he grew to love Islam and before his death he became a Muslim. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was a skillful and courageous political leader. His enemies could not scare or intimidate him. He never succu mbed to any temptations. The people of Makkah tried to turn him away from his me ssage and mission by offering him a great deal of money or anything that he want ed for himself but with one condition that he would give up his mission. The Pro phet (peace and blessings be upon him) very firmly, yet politely, turned down al l their offers. In Madinah he established a state where all people were equal, where matters wer e decided through consultation, and where all people had to follow the same law. It was a state without any favoritism in favor of any family or group. Even a n on-Muslim was not to be mistreated under his rule. The story of Tumah ibn Abraq i s an excellent example of justice and human rights for all people under his auth ority. Tumah, who was a Muslim, stole someones armor in Madinah and then he blamed

a Jew. Allah sent a special revelation to warn people against such injustice (s ee Surat An-Nisaa: 110-112). The Jewish citizen of Madinah was declared innocent and Tumah was found guilty. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took great care of his peoples reli gious as well as economic needs. Not only did he preach, but he was also concern ed about their economic well-being. He made treaties and alliances with many tri bes. He had great diplomatic skills. He taught the world diplomacy that was buil t on morality and honesty. He honored all his treaties and he defended his peopl e. He was aware of the surrounding circumstances and made his people ready and a lert. He never initiated a battle or a war, but when he was attacked he was firm and decisive. He always emphasized peace and harmonious relations. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was a man of great patience a nd resolution. There are many lessons for us to learn from his life. The most im portant aspect of his leadership was that he was always honest and truthful. Eve n his enemies could not find any flaw in his honesty and truthfulness. The most beautiful example of this we find in the conversation between Heraclius, the Emp eror of Byzantium, and Abu Sufyan who was a bitter enemy of the Prophet at that time. This conversation took place in the year 628 CE when Heraclius received a letter from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Heraclius was on a pi lgrimage to Jerusalem when he received this important letter. After receiving th e message, the Emperor sent for his chief of police and told him to search the c ountry for a man from the same tribe as the one who claimed to be a prophet. Abu Sufyan, a leader of the Quraysh, who was a bitter enemy of the Prophet at that time, happened to be trading in Gaza with some of his companions from Makkah. Th e Emperors search party found them there and they were immediately taken to Jerus alem. Heraclius called them into his court and he had all the senior Roman dignitaries around him. He called for his translator who translated Heraclius questions and said to them, Who amongst you is closely related to the man who claims to be a pr ophet? Abu Sufyan replied, I am the nearest relative (amongst the group) to him. Heraclius said, Bring him (Abu Sufyan) close to me and make his companions stay b ehind him. Abu Sufyan added, Heraclius told his translator to tell my companions t hat he wanted to ask me some questions regarding that man (the Prophet) and that if I told a lie they (my companions) should contradict me. Abu Sufyan added, By A llah! Had I not been afraid of my companions labeling me a liar, I would not hav e spoken the truth about the Prophet. The first question Heraclius asked me was, What is the status of his family among you? I replied, He belongs to a good (noble) family amongst us. Heraclius further asked, Has anybody else amongst you ever claimed the same (that is, to be a proph et) before him? I replied, No. He said, Was anybody amongst his ancestors a king? I r eplied, No. Heraclius asked, Do the nobles or the poor follow him? I replied, It is t he poor who follow him. He said, Are his followers increasing or decreasing (day b y day)? I replied, They are increasing. He then asked, Does anybody amongst those wh o embrace his religion become displeased and renounce the religion afterwards? I replied, No. Heraclius said, Have you ever accused him of telling lies before his c laim (to be a prophet)? I replied, No. Heraclius said, Does he break his promises? I replied, No. We have a truce with him but we do not know what he will do. I could not find the opportunity to say anything against him except that. Heraclius ask ed, Have you ever had a war with him? I replied, Yes. Then he said, What were the out come of these battles? I replied, Sometimes he was victorious and sometimes we wer e. Heraclius said, What does he order you to do? I said, He tells us to worship Alla h and Allah alone and not to worship anything along with Him, and to renounce al l that our ancestors had said. He orders us to pray, to be chaste, and to keep g ood relations with our kith and kin. After this conversation it is reported that Heraclius said: I asked you about his

family and your reply was that he belonged to a very noble family. In fact, all the Messengers come from noble families amongst their respective peoples. I que stioned you whether anybody amongst you ever claimed such a thing, your reply wa s in the negative. If your reply had been in the affirmative, I would have thoug ht that this man was following the previous mans statement. Then I asked you whet her anyone from his ancestors was a king. Your reply was in the negative, and if it had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man wanted to ta ke back his ancestral kingdom. I further asked whether he was ever accused of te lling lies before he said what he is now saying, and your reply was in the negat ive. So I wondered how a person who does not tell a lie about others could ever tell a lie about Allah. I then asked you whether the rich people followed him or the poor. You replied that it was the poor who followed him. And in fact all th e Messengers are followed by the poor in the beginning. Then I asked you whether his followers were increasing or decreasing. You replied that they were increas ing, and in fact this is the way of true faith, till it is complete in all respe cts. I further asked whether there was anybody, who, after embracing his religio n, became displeased and discarded it. Your reply was in the negative, and in fa ct this is (the sign of) true faith when its light enters the hearts and mixes c ompletely. I asked you whether he had ever betrayed. You replied in the negative and likewise Messengers never betray. Then I asked you what he ordered you to d o. You replied that he ordered you to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to w orship anything along with Him and forbade you to worship idols and ordered you to pray, to speak the truth, and to be chaste. If what you have said is true, he will very soon occupy the place underneath my feet and I knew it (from the scriptures) that he was going to appear, but I did not know that he would be from among you, and if I could reach him I would go im mediately to meet him and if I were with him, I would certainly wash his feet. Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society of North Americ a (source: www.pakistanlink.com).