It was in such base collective customs that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) began his mission as the Messenger of Allah in Mecca.  Despite these conditions, all Prophet’s efforts to reform were met with hostility and increasing violence.  After exhausting all efforts for thirteen years, he had to migrate to Medina.  The environment in Medina was more receptive to the message of Islam, devoid of hostility.

The Prophet constituted a city-state in which: 1) Muslims, 2) Jews, 3) pagan Arabs, and 4) Christians entered into a social contract.  In Medina Islam gained momentum gradually, and within eight years the Prophet re-entered Mecca without bloodshed.  In Mecca, rather than settling old scores, the Prophet (pbuh) granted a general amnesty to his callous belligerent enemies.  He advised them to seek Allah's forgiveness and His mercy, but did not enforce Islam on them.

As head of state in Medina and the chief executive by virtue of being a Prophet, he made pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, peace, justice and piety the main principles of his state policy.

And making equality of man the principal foundation of the Islamic state, the Prophet endowed it with a written constitu­tion.  It was framed in consultation with the rep­resentatives of both Muslims and non-Muslims citizens, and it recognized the freedom of religion for all.

For the end of the 1^st part of the Khutba, read Surah Al-Asr, take a short intermission, then start the 2^nd part of the Khutba with a short Du’aa.

The authority to rule and make decisions in the political system of Islam belongs to Allah; man must submit to his Creator.  Allah says in the Quran Surah 12 (Yusuf), Ayah 40:

 إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلاَّ لِلّهِ أَمَرَ أَلاَّ تَعْبُدُواْ إِلاَّ إِيَّاهُ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ

وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ

"...The Command is for none but Allah:  He ordained you worship none but Him;

this is the ever-true faith, but most people know it not."

With this role of man in the universe, the Prophet deliv­ered the Final Message of Allah contained in the Quran.

As Prophet of Allah, Muhammad (pbuh) showed his kindness and compassion not only to those who belonged to the Islamic fraternity but also to those outside its fold. To the Prophet the entire human race was one extended family, since Islam views them as the children of Adam.  Muhammad (pbuh) called himself “a servant of Allah” and “a servant of humanity.”  Thus, Muhammad (pbuh) considered discrimination in all its many forms as the debilitating enemy of human race, and he vigorously tried to wipe it out from the society.  This Quranic statement highlights three cardinal pieces of truth: our origin is one, our natural dis­tinctions are for cooperation in worldly affairs, and the moral excellence is the only criterion for judging people.

It is obvious that establishing peace, fairness, and human dignity by galva­nizing people of all shades and stripes as one body, was very high on the Prophet's agenda as head of state.  He stood steadfastly against racial discrimination; he even appointed Bilal (a freed African slave) as the first Mu'athin (caller to prayers) in the Prophet's Mosque in Medina and honored him as a distinguished compan­ion. The status of Bilal in Islam is an undeniable proof of Islam's universal vision of brotherhood, equality of all races, and opposition to slavery.

While religious intolerance was prominent in neighboring countries, the Prophet devised an enlightened and liberal code to govern the relations between the Islamic state and its non-Muslim citizens.  He made all equal partners with their Muslim counter-part, in con­tributing to the progress of the State and in the enjoyment of the fruits of their collective efforts.

The Prophet fashioned for the Islamic state a dynamic foreign policy based on the ethi­cal postulates of Islam (See Surah 3 (Aali Imran), Ayah 109).  He also laid stress on the virtue of maintaining peace and respecting the sanctity of human life.

The Islamic concept of One Sovereign Allah, in particular, provides an atmosphere suitable for better understanding among the followers of monotheistic religions. Islam gave a prac­tical meaning to this universal concept to assimi­late all members of humanity into one natural unit.  The Islamic concept of social justice and security and its efforts to fight aggression in all its forms makes Islam a pioneering system to bring about universal peace through mutual understanding.

Imam Ali says in one of his sermons in this regard:[2]

In essence, there is much proof that the Prophet had hoped for the day when all who shared a common belief in Allah would exist together in peace with respect for one another.[3]

We pray Allah to help us deliver the message of Islam, offer it to others, grant us the opportunity to achieve both knowledge and piety, forgive us and our fathers and mothers, and grant us salvation in this world and in the hereafter.

Finally, let us read Surah Al-Nasr with a short Du’aa to close the Khutba.