In Christian circles – and particularly in the West – it is widely believed today that Islam is a threat to Christians, to Christianity and to Christian values. Few men have been more hated, maligned, caricaturised, and misunderstood in the West than the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings of God be upon him).

However, Western intellectuals who took the trouble to study, in a dispassionate and unbiased way, the most revered figure of Islam – whom God calls “a Mercy for all peoples” (Qur’an: Chapter 21) – were profoundly touched by the magnanimity and noble character of Muhammad, the Messenger of God.

Annie Wood Besant, that well-known English theosophist, women’s rights activist, writer and orator of the late 19^th and early 20^th Centuries, was moved to write:

“It is impossible for anyone who studies the life and character of the great Prophet of Arabia, who knows how he taught and how he lived, to feel anything but reverence for that mighty Prophet, one of the great messengers of the Supreme. And although in what I put to you I shall say many things which may be familiar to many, yet I myself feel whenever I re-read them, a new way of admiration, a new sense of reverence for that mighty Arabian teacher.” (Annie Besant, THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF MUHAMMAD)

George Bernard Shaw, an Irish playwright, critic and political activist requiring no introduction in the West, wrote:

“I have always held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence which can make itself appeal to every age. I have studied him - the wonderful man - and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the Saviour of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness…” (George Bernard Shaw, THE GENUINE ISLAM, Volume I)

So what was it that prompted Western intellectuals to write of their admiration for Muhammad (pbuh)? We propose to present a series of posts on some of the aspects of the Prophet’s character and life that are not widely known in the West.

How did Muhammad, that man of whom Western nations are so distrustful, address the peoples of Christianity? The following charter extended to Christians by the Holy Founder of Islam – an amazing document when one considers that it was composed in the 7^th Century AD, an age of much savagery and darkness – shows without a shadow of doubt that not only had the Holy Prophet (pbuh) guaranteed Christians of all times and of all parts of the world freedom of expression, of religion and of residence, but he had also given his word of honour that they would be guaranteed assistance and full protection. He ordered all his followers to strictly observe the covenant until the Day of Judgment. Can the like of such a generous document be found at any other point in history?

(more…)