Saudi Gazette A growing concern among academicians now is the lack of Seerah or the history of the Prophet (peace be upon him) being taught in schools. At an educational forum recently held at Islamic University of Madinah, Dr. Abdulwahab Bin Nasser Al-Tarairi expressed his dismay over schools shrinking their syllabus on Islamic history and more precisely on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) life. The younger generation lacks knowledge about the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his companions, on their outlook toward life, on how they dealt with tribulations and triumphs or how they went about with their daily life without compromising on worship. Al-Tarairi said, “The school curriculum today only imparts a weak and superficial understanding of the life of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Students robotically memorize monotonous information, such as the number of the Prophet's (peace be upon him) battles and the number of martyrs in each battle. As for his family life and how he lived is gradually dwindling from the Islamic education syllabus.” “Muslims have a deep and unwavering love for the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) which genuinely springs forth from the heart. How can we not love the man who, if it were not for him we would end up in the Hellfire? He is the savior of the Arab world which was drwned in Jahiliya (ignorance). He is the one who opened their eyes, brought their hearts to life again, and taught them a life of virtue, piety, and doing good. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had so much compassion and mercy toward his wives, his companions and his future Ummah (Muslim nation) as well,”Al-Tarairi further added. During his speech, he also mentioned a beautiful and touching story about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which showed his soft and emotional side he had toward his people. His love for people for his Ummah far outweighed the pain and hurt he endured when he was mistreated by some. When he went to call the people of Taif to Islam, the tribes of Taif sent their young boys to scorn and mock the Prophet (peace be upon him) and to pelt stones at him and chase him out of the town. In his moment of distress, an angel was sent by Allah who told the Prophet (peace be upon him), “Allah has heard the words of your people to you. I am the angel of the mountains and Allah has sent me to fulfill any command you give me. If you wish, I could close these two mountains surrounding the town and crush the people.” Suppressing his personal hurt and humiliation, the Prophet (peace be upon him) wished for the survival of the people of Taif and he replied, “No, I would prefer that at least one man from the descendants of these people will worship Allah.” Love of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is not only encouraged in Islam, but is commanded by Allah. Al-Tarairi eloquently said, “It is only through knowledge of the Prophet's (peace be upon him) life, through reading about his Seerah, and understanding of his personality that we can fully appreciate and love him. All his companions loved him dearly, and even the objects of nature loved him.” Abu Sufyan, even before he embraced Islam used to say, “I never saw anyone love another person as much and as intensely as the companions of Muhammad love Muhammad.” __
