Prophet’s birth anniversary: A timeless message for the present times

Nearly 1,450 years ago, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) came into this world as the final messenger of God and a guiding light for all humanity. He brought the eternal message of One God and One Humanity. Through the Holy Quran, the Divine Guidance revealed to him by the Master and Creator of the uni verse, he transformed hearts, awakened minds, and inspired one of the greatest revolutions in human history. At the heart of this revolution was the worship of the One God, complete submission to Him, and the profound awareness that every human being is accountable before the Creator for his or her actions.

It began with the transformation of the individual from within. The transformed individual then became the instrument through which the entire society was transformed. This revolution was not confined to mere teachings and principles; it was brought to life in practice. In the short span of just 23 years, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) laid the foundations of a new society, a new civil isation, a new culture and, in many ways, a new world. This brief Message, in particular focuses on: • The Prophet’s Vision for Women: Relevant to the Present Times.

At a time when women in many societies were denied dignity, security and fundamental rights, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) brought about a profound moral and social transformation. Revolu tionary for the seventh centu ry, its principles remain deeply relevant even today. • Spiritual Equality: Men and women were affirmed as equal in spiritual worth and moral responsibility. True hon our was linked not to gender, wealth or race, but to righ teousness and good deeds. • Complementary part ners: Women are not merely mothers, wives and daughters, they are equal partners and contributors to the family, society and the nation.

Rather than being competitors, they are complimentary partners working together for the well-being and progress of humanity. • The Dignity of Daughters:The birth of a daughter, once regarded in some Arab com munities as a cause for shame and many a times buried alive, was transformed into a blessing. Daughters were to be welcomed, loved, protected, educated and honoured, and their right to life was firmly es tablished. • Consent in Marriage: A woman’s consent was made essential to marriage. She was not to be treated as the property of another.

• Right to Separation: Women were granted the right to seek separation from a marriage, through Khula, particularly when the marital relationship became oppres sive or unbearable. • Right of Widows to Re marry: Widows were given the freedom and right to remarry, restoring dignity and choice at a time when such freedom was denied. • Financial Independence and Inheritance: Women were recognised as indepen dent owners of property and earnings and were given de fined rights of inheritance. At the same time, the financial responsibility of maintaining the family was placed upon men.

• End of Dowry and Right to Mehar: The practice of demanding wealth from the bride’s family was condemned. Instead, Mehar—a mandatory financial gift from the groom to the bride—was established as the woman’s own right and property. • Protection from Sexual Violence: Sexual violence was condemned as a grave crime, with strong accountability and severe punishment prescribed for perpetrators, even death in the case of Rape. • Freedom of expression: speaking truth to power. During the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA), a woman publicly questioned and challenged him when he proposed regulating the amount of mahr (marriage gift). Umar (RA) listened to her argument and accepted that she had a valid point and withdrew his proposal. The Prophet foretold a time when a woman would be able to travel alone, carrying a bag of gold, without fear or apprehension- an enduring vision of a society where safety, dignity and freedom were so firmly established that wom en could move about without fear.

• The Prophet (PBUH) taught: The best among you is the one who is best to his wife. He elevated the sta tus of mothers in words that continue to touch hearts across generations: “Paradise lies beneath the feet of the mother.” In his Farewell Sermon, the Prophet gave a final and pow erful reminder concerning women, urging men to treat them with care, kindness and responsibility, and reminding them that they would be an swerable before God for how they treated them. The Prophet’s teachings on the dignity, rights and protection of women are not merely part of history; they remain profoundly relevant in the twenty-first century. At a time when violence, sexual exploitation and abuse of women continue across the world, and revelations like Epstein Files #MeeToo move ment and surveys regarding *Sexual harassment at work place and the pornography industry earning billions of dollars have once again exposed the shameless exploitation and abuse of women, these teachings acquire renewed significance and offer a pow erful moral framework for our times. His teachings remind us that women are not objects of ex ploitation or commodities to be used and discarded, but human beings endowed with dignity, rights and honour— and that those who violate these rights must be held ac countable. Today, when humanity struggles with corruption, vi olence, deceit, social division, economic inequality, envi ronmental crises and the exploitation of women, the life and message of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) offer pro found guidance. On this auspicious occasion, let us remember the Prophet not merely with words of praise, but by striving to live by the noble values he taught and embodied.