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What famous Non-Muslims said about Prophet Muhammad
peace and blessing be upon him
The Rule of Prophet Mohamed
By: Leo Tolstoy
Introduction:
This article is based on the book (The Rule of Prophet Mohammed) by the Russian writer Tolstoy presented by Dr. Mahmoud AhNujairi. The book analysis the relation between the most famous Russian writer and Islam. The book also presents the opinions of many Russian thinkers as well as the conditions of Muslims in Russia.
In the book you can read the correspondences between Tolstoy and Imam Sheikh Mohammed Abdou, the grand Mufti of Egypt at that time.
The book also added a full chapter containing selected articles and poems that some of the most famous Arabic poets and writers, like Ahmed Shawki, Hafez Ibrahim, Mostafa lotfi Almanfaloti, wrote about him after his death
Who is Tolstoy:
He is Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828-1920) commonly referred to in English as Leo (Lyof, Lyoff) Tolstoy, he is considered the most influential and famous a Russian writer – novelist, essayist, dramatist and philosopher – as well as a famous educational reformer.
He was the most influential member of the aristocratic Tolstoy family. His family was considered the second most influential family in Russia at that time after the royal family. His father was a count and his mother was from the princes’ grade.
As a social reformer and a fiction writer, Tolstoy is widely regarded as one of the greatest of all novelists, particularly noted for his masterpieces War and Peace and Anna Karenina. In their scope, breadth and realistic depiction of 19th-century Russian life, the two books stand at the peak of realist fiction.
Tolstoy believed in the importance of education in reforming nations so he organized a school at his village called ‘Yasnaya Polyana’ when he was only nineteen years old. He travelled to Germany, france, switzerland and Italy where he studied their educational institutions as well as art and literature. In 1872 he wrote his book “The Alphabet" which had a tremendous effect on Russian education. He then developed his “Alphabet" till the Russian government decided to teach it throughout the country.
He studied Arabic literature in the University of Kazan, faculty of Eastern languages (department of Turkish and Arabic languages)
There was a very strong dispute between him and the church because he accused it of allying with the emperor against the people. He said: “Power desire has governed the hearts of the church men as it has governed the souls of government men so the church men are willing to strengthen the church power from one side and helping governments to strengthen their power from the other side". Of course the church rejected Tolstoys’ opinions so the church accused him of Atheism and consequently excommunicated him.
Tolstoy was a great defender of the poor, he would build primary schools to teach peasants’ children. He severely criticized the aristocrats of Russia and condemned their corruption at that time. Despite his criticism of the aristocrats, he was strongly against violence and terrorism acts that showed up at that time.
Who is Mohammed By: Leo Tolestoy
Tolstoy wrote a brief biography of Mohamed, peace and blessings be upon him, and how Islam spread all over the world. He said: “Muslims excelled over other Arabs by their modesty, their asceticism, their love of work and their contentment. They exerted their efforts to help their brothers in faith in times of difficulties and it has not been a long time till all who surrounded them felt great respect for them and their number was increasing day after day"
He also said: “Although the wide spread of Islam by the hands of those people was not liked by some of the Buddhists and Christians, this does not conceal the fact that Muslims in the heart of Islam were known by their refusal of false religion, their virtuous life, their straightforwardness and their integrity to the extent that they amazed all who surrounded them by their nobility and placidity." He added: “And from the virtues of Islam is that it commanded Muslims to treat Christians and Jews well especially men of religion. Islam even allowed Muslims to marry Christian and Jewish women and permitted them to maintain their religion and any one having enlightened sagacity can easily see how much that reflects Islamic tolerance"
He said about our noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: “There is no doubt that Prophet Muhammed is one of the greatest reformers who served the social framework profoundly. It suffices him that he led a whole nation to the enlightenment of truth and made it more inclined towards tranquility and peace, prefer modesty and prevented it from shedding blood and giving human sacrifices (though this was never proved against Arabs before Islam) and widely opened to it the gate to development and civilization. This is a great deed that only a strong man can do and a man like that deserves to be regarded with respect and admiration"
The Rule of Mohamed By:Leo Tolestoy
Tolstoy in this book chose a number of our noble Prophets’ sayings (Hadiths) in his book (The Rule of Prophet Muhammed). He said that his teachings are not at all different from that of other religions that lead to the truth, commands its’ followers to do what’s right and avoid what’s wrong. Tolstoy translated these sayings (Hadiths) from English to Russian based on a book written by Abdullah Alsahrudi that contained lots of our noble prophets’ sayings.
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