Muhammad SAW

MOHAMMAD IS A HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER
By Thalis Noor Cahyadi

In every year Moslem in the world commemorates Mohammad Birthday, some Moslem groups commemorate it with many religious activities, such as reading syiir, pengajian, manakib and conducting charity performances. Although there is no guidance in Islamic teaching but this is a good tradition because it is not against the Islamic teaching, there is no text prohibits it. The tradition is only done to respect Mohammad struggle. By the tradition they try to understand his character and try to implement his teaching in human life. Actually, according to As-Suyuthi, the tradition has been done since King al-Mudhaffar Abu Said ibn Zainuddin Ali ibn Bastakin (549-630H) in the Muawiya Dynasty. At the time, King Said shared 300.000 dinar to people on Mohammad birthday and conducted several ceremonies such as reading syi’ir and belles-lettres. Al-Barzanji’s book, written by Syaikh al-Barzanji, was the most often belles-lettres read by Moslem. This book told the history of Mohammad birth in the form of prose (natsar) and poetry (nadham). Moslems, especially in Indonesia still read the book until now.
Mohammad was born in Mecca, on Rabiul Awal 12th, the third month in the Islamic calendar coinciding with April 20th, 571. His mother, Aminah binti Wahab, was the daughter of Wahab bin Abdul Manaf from Zahra family. His father, Abdullah, was son of Abdul Muthalib. Mohammad was the fortieth descendant from prophet Ibrahim through Ismail line. Mohammad was born in the middle of Jahiyia society in which people liked to kill each other, killed their daughters, disrespecting women and enslavement. The birth of Mohammad gave a new color in Quraish people life. His adolescence had to run wistfully. As an orphan, he had to struggle to exist by helping his uncle Abu Thalib to shepherd sheep and running business together Abu Thalib to several places, such as Yaman and Sham (Shiria). At this moment, Mohammad learned more about leadership and trading. He tried to learn many characters of people as long as he ran uncle’s business. With honesty and probity, Mohammad could get confidence of the public of Mecca at the time, so that Mohammad got honour as al-Amin (who was believable). As a consequence, they always asked him to solve the people problems. At this time, actually, Mohammad had showed his talent as a leader and his response to his surrounding condition.
At 25, Mohammad married Khadija, his business partner. Although he became the honour man especially after getting married, but his disquiet can not loose, he always thought his people, how to remove the condition. Therefore, he used to contemplate (tahannus) in quite places, such as in Hira cave. For 40 days he contemplated until Gabriel met him and delivered divine revelation from God. Iqra, the first divine revelation, was taught to Mohammad by Gabriel on how to recognise and know God through knowledge.
This event was a pylon of Islamic history, from here humanity values under God guidance break through cultural arrogant of Jahiliya, reorganized and managed the customs of jahiliya which were against fitra of human being. By appealing of monotheism, Mohammad sat fitra and humanity values in the truth position. This appeal changed the face of jahiliya society toward the social order in harmony and dynamic under the God guidance.
Afterward, hijra event of Mohammad from Mecca to Medina was a shine momentum of Islam in the next development. In the short time, Mohammad succeeded to build brotherhood networking between Muhajirin, immigrant from Mecca, and Anshar, native people to Medina. He built great mosque and made agreement with non-Moslem community, such as Yahudi (Jews) and some ethnics in Medina. By this agreement, Mohammad not only laid political, social and economical foundation but also enforced human rights in the new society. It is an amazing phenomenon for historians, past and recent. They stated that the society was built by Mohammad as city state model, and then by supporting the clans of the Jazira Arab who became Moslem, so that appeared what so called nation state. Although, since early, Islam did not make rules exactly about how the formation and the concept of willing state was. However, as a fact that Islam is a religion that contains the principles of basic life including politic and state.
In the Moslem society, Mohammad became a leader in a wide context; both as a religious leader and a society leader. Mohammad’s concept inspirited by al-Qur’an bore the Medina Charter which consisted of 47 articles containing human rights enforcement, citizen rights and obligations, rights to legal protection and toleration of religion. This charter is the first constitution or political manifest in Islam even in the world.

Human Rights Protection
The content of Medina Charter was narrative which was first written completely by Ibn Ishaq (d.151 H) in Sirrah Nabawiyah and then quoted by Ibn Hisyam (d.213 H/828 AD), two writers who had the great name in their field. According to Ibrahim Syarif, there was no writer before who wrote as completely and systematically as both. Actually, there was no article in original text of the Medina Charter. Then, A.J.Winsinck added articles in his book Mohammed en de Yoden le Medina (1928) which was written to complete his doctoral degree in semit literature. Through this book, Winsinck had a great contribution to socialize the Medina Charter to West Scholars who concerned about Islamic studies. Meanwhile, giving chapters from 47 articles was done by Zainal Abidin Ahmad who divided them into 10 chapters.
Human rights were explained in chapter II which consisted of 14 articles (article 2-15). The articles stated that the Quraysh migrants are in themselves a party and as in the past shall be responsible for the payment of blood money on behalf of their criminals and shall themselves have their prisoners freed after the payment of ransom. The next articles stated that Banu Auf, Banu Saidah, Banu Harts, Banu Jusyam, Banu Najjar, Banu Amrin, Banu An-Nabiet and Banu Aws shall be responsible for their own tribe and shall equally pay their blood money, and shall themselves be responsible for ransoming their prisoners. All this work shall be completed in conformity with the principles of honesty and justice.
The articles above stated clearly that Mohammad through the Medina Charter took care and protected the existence of all ethnics surrounding Medina. He respected and fulfilled all their rights fairly based on the principles of honesty and justice. In the Medina Charter also contained obligations for all communities to help each other, to oppose openly any persons who make mischief, foment riots, make trouble for people, forcibly take the property of others, or oppress others(Article 13).
In addition, Mohammad through the Medina Charter protected freedom of religion and belief among the people. They were equal before the law and had together obligation to keep, to defend and to build their nation.
The description above showed that Mohammad was a leader who enforced and protected human rights seriously based on the principles of honesty and justice. By this character, Mohammad succeeded to unite many religions, beliefs and ethnics into the state frame, Medina. This success gave many commendations and acknowledgments from many historians and experts in Islamic Studies both West scholars and Moslem scholars, such as HR Gibb, Montgomery Watt, A Guillaume, R. Levy, Leone Caetani, A.J. Wensinck, Jamaludin Sarur, Muhammad Khlalid, Muhammad Hamidullah, Majid Khudari, etc. They admitted that Mohammad was the great leader who could unite the heterogeneous of Medina people in form of state, could enforce the law and protect and fulfill human rights of the Medina people. Mohammad was the great leader and a human rights defender.Therefore, these values of leadership and the personality of Mohammad should be preserved by Moslems and all people for societal life and actually this is a wisdom and philosophy of Mohammad Birthday.