Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- Part I Muḥammad in his world
- Part II Muḥammad in history
- 4 The Prophet as lawgiver and legal authority
- 5 Personal piety
- 6 Muḥammad as the pole of existence
- 7 The Prophet Muḥammad in ritual
- 8 Muslim philosophers’ rationalist explanation of Muḥammad’s prophecy
- 9 Where earth and heaven meet: remembering Muḥammad as head of state
- Part III Muḥammad in memory
- Index of Quaran Verses
- General Index
9 - Where earth and heaven meet: remembering Muḥammad as head of state
from Part II - Muḥammad in history
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 May 2010
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- Part I Muḥammad in his world
- Part II Muḥammad in history
- 4 The Prophet as lawgiver and legal authority
- 5 Personal piety
- 6 Muḥammad as the pole of existence
- 7 The Prophet Muḥammad in ritual
- 8 Muslim philosophers’ rationalist explanation of Muḥammad’s prophecy
- 9 Where earth and heaven meet: remembering Muḥammad as head of state
- Part III Muḥammad in memory
- Index of Quaran Verses
- General Index
Summary
“God has elevated the dignity of His prophet and granted him virtues, beautiful qualities and special prerogatives. He has praised his high dignity so overwhelmingly that neither tongue nor pen are sufficient [to describe him]. In His book, He has clearly and openly demonstrated his high rank and praised him for his qualities of character and his noble habits. He asks His servants to attach themselves to him and to follow him obediently.” / The foregoing quote, taken from a well-known work composed in praise of the Prophet Muḥammad by Qāḍī 'Iyāḍ b. Mūsā (d. 545/1150), underscores for Muslims the importance of emulating their prophet in many facets of their lives. This imperative is established by the Qur'ān itself, which declares Muḥammad to be “a beautiful example” (uswa ḥasana; Q 33:21). According to a report, when 'Ā'isha, the Prophet's wife, was asked to describe her husband's character, she replied succinctly that his character was the Qur'ān. The notion of imitatio muhammadi is thus a central one for believing Muslims, allowing for a remarkable consistency in their ethical, cultural, and social outlook and practices, regardless of the diversity of their lives and circumstances. It was only natural, therefore, that when Muḥammad died in 11/632, his followers, unprepared for his death, would turn to the Qur'ān and the Prophet's sunna (customs, practices) for guidance on the fraught issue of leadership of the polity.
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- The Cambridge Companion to Muhammad , pp. 180 - 198Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010
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