Martin Luther King felt the need of time in United States of America and set campaign to end racial segregation. His famous speech ‘I have a Dream’ made home in peoples’ hearts but unfortunately he was assassinated in 1968. On this occasion, when we are honoring Martin Luther King on his birthday, I want to shed some light on a similar principle of Universal Brotherhood which was laid down 1400 years ago by Muhammad under divine guidance of God.
We are creation of God. He not only knows, but takes care of our needs, whether physical or spiritual. He has been sending messengers in different parts of the world since evolution of mankind. Among these have been Prophets Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Krishna, Ramchandra, Zoroaster, Confucius (peace be on all of them). Ultimately, when the human mind attained its full development and the time approached when mankind was ready for a Universal Message, the system of sending different messengers for different nations was terminated and Almighty God sent the Holy Prophet Muhammad, (peace and blessings be upon him, whose advent has been prophesied in different Holy scriptures) as an exemplar for all mankind. He appeared in Arabia about 1400 years ago. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) gathered all mankind irrespective of their race, color, status on one platform and established the principle of Universal Brotherhood. During his farewell sermon Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “All men, whatever nation or tribe they belong or whatever status they may have, are equal,” he further said, “an Arab possess no superiority over a non Arab, nor possesses a non Arab any superiority over an Arab.”
Today Muslims might have gone astray but the truth and Universality still lies in Islamic teachings. Assembly of Muslims every year during Hajj is one of the greatest example of Universal Brotherhood on earth, when Muslims from different parts of world, gather to perform Islamic pilgrimage in the month of Dhul hajj in Mecca. Clad in white sheets, irrespective of their economic or financial status, they bow to one God and demonstrate the phenomena that all men and women are equal in the eyes of their Creator.
