TODAY when a new world order is being forced on the world, humanity in general and Muslims in particular, we need to look up to and practically follow the message given to us by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Mere processions, celebrations and hollow expressions of devotion will not lead the Muslims out of the abyss of darkness, dismay, disappointment and humiliation onto the road to dignity, honour, respectability and authority.

Numerous books have been written about the benefactor of humanity by Muslims and Non-Muslims. While the West is often criticised by the Muslims for being disrespectful to the Prophet, there have been great philosophers, thinkers, poets and leaders who have not only eulogised Muhammad (SAW), but have presented him as a model for humanity. Excerpts from the writings of these great thinkers show that Muhammad’s ideal character is universal and for all times.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica under the article on the Quran mentions “Of all the religious personalities of the world, Muhammad was the most successful.”

“A silent great man, he was one of those who cannot but be in earnest: Whom Nature herself has appointed to be sincere. The word of such a man is a voice direct from Nature’ sown heart. No other man has founded a strong and enduring monotheistic religion” (Thomas Carlyle “On Heroes. Hero Worship and the Heroic in History”). “Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, the restorer of rational belief, and the preacher of a religion without images. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask: Is there any man greater than him?” (Alphonse La-Martine ‘Histories De La Tourquie’).

Referring to the ignorance of the western world about Muhammad’s devotion to God and righteousness of conduct, G. Lindsay Johnson (The Two Worlds) says: “The ignorance displayed by most Christians regarding Islam is appalling. Muhammad alone, among the nations at that time, believed in One God. He insisted on righteousness as the source of conduct, and of respect to all other peoples, and of justice and mercy to and moderation in all things and to hold in great respect learning of every kind.”

Prof. K.S. Rama Krishna Rao (Muhammad — the Prophet of Islam) says “In the person of the Prophet of Islam we see the rarest phenomenon on earth walking in flesh and blood i.e. the union of the theorists, the organiser and the leader in one man!” Throughout history religious scholars and historians have given importance to miracles. Superstitions and misplaced conceptions of faith had made miracles a prophetic necessity. The same was demanded of Muhammad (SAW). This had made him despondent and on such occasions the Divine Revelation counselled him to remain firm and not give way to despair. He occasionally grew impatient and felt frustrated when he often came across people who were completely unresponsive to his words.

The Quran guided him to be patient, forgiving and tolerant, “Haply you will kill yourself with grief if they do not believe in the message” (18:6). The Quran also reminded him that the purpose of Divine Revelation (Wahi) is not to compel man, but to make him aware of the vices and virtues of life. It imparts the requisite knowledge to man, who is then free to act upon it or not. “Say it is the truth from Allah then whosoever will let him believe and whosoever will let him reject” (18:29). Muhammad SAW would always tell the people that Allah wants them to serve and accept the truth through understanding and not dogmatically and irrationally.

To act as a perfect model for humanity, the Prophet had to pass every phase of life. According to Washington Irving “His military triumphs awakened no pride or vainglory as they would have done had they been affected for selfish purposes. As to the temporal rule which grew up in his hands, he used it without ostentation. So he took no step to perpetuate it in his family.”

Arnold Toynbee (The World and the West) says: “The solution to all international conflicts lies only in embracing Islam en masse because Islam is the only religion that can transcend nationalism. I will hope for the day when all humanity will break this idol and unite as the children of God.” According to Goethe: “The message of Muhammad is flowing towards its noble destination like a pure, fresh and transparent rivulet.” Dr. E.B. Hocking (The Universal Faith) Says,” All religions save the word of Muhammad are broken boats. They cannot take humanity to the shore of serenity.”

He emphasised that the measure of greatness lay in virtuous deeds and piety. The new world order recognises the survival of the fittest and most powerful. Muhammad’s message puts forth the principle of the survival of the most beneficial to mankind.

Islam disapproves asceticism and it was for this reason that Muhammad held the use of the delicacies and enjoyments of life lawful. He always said that he had no treasures, nor did he claim to know the secrets of the future (18:110). The Arabs were a superstitious people like most of the Muslims today. Had Muhammad so wished he could have claimed any supernatural power for himself. Many incidents occurred in his lifetime when people would have ascribed divine powers to him; but he rejected all such suggestions by a plain denial. According to M.H. Hyndman (The Awakening of Asia): “Muhammad never assigned himself a status of more than a common man and a messenger of God. He was a man of spotless character who always had confidence in himself and in God’s help.” Bernard Shaw (The Genuine Islam) says,” Islam is the only religion in the world that will remain eternally practicable with changing times. I believe that if today an autocrat of Muhammad’s calibre assumes world leadership, he could solve all problems facing humanity. I predict that tomorrow’s Europe will embrace Islam.”

Today when there is need for an inter-faith dialogue, it must be remembered that Prophet Muhammad was most intimately aware of Jewish and Christian beliefs and practices. The Jewish and Christians communities were spread all over Arabia. He shared their belief in the supremacy of one God Who had spoken to Moses, Jesus and Abraham. He revered all the heroes of Jewish history, all the Old Testament prophets as King David and Solomon with the same passion — if not more — as shown by any Jew. Throughout his life he treated the followers of these religions with great affection. The Quran goes out of its way to honour both Jesus and his Mother, Mary (Miriam), gets more of a mention in the Quran than any of the four canonical Gospels.

In Madina, Muhammad ennobled and enlarged the laws of Moses and brought down upon earth the kingdom of heaven promised by Jesus. He produced a state populated and worked by men without any vice; men who needed no police force to keep them in order, who had no prejudice of class, race or colour left in them. Men amongst whom was no distinction between rulers and the ruled. For the first time in history, hereditary right to rule gave place to a right by consultation and election, and, no matter whosoever was appointed governor or on governing body, was only there to see that the Divine injunctions were faithfully followed and implemented.

The gist of Muhammad’s prophetic message lies in the words of Jaffar Bin Abu Talib in the court of the Abyssinian King Negus (Nejashi): “We were an ignorant and misled people. We worshipped images and idols, ate dead bodies, were lewd and ill-treated our neighbours. We had long been in this condition when God sent a Prophet to us amongst our own people whose noble birth, truthfulness, honesty and righteousness were well known to us. He ordered us to obey God alone and not to make anyone His equal. He commanded us to speak the truth, to give back safe and whole what is entrusted to us by others to be affectionate to our relations and kind to our neighbours, to shun wicked acts, licentiousness and bloody quarrels. He told us not to bear false witness, nor deprive the orphans of their property. He also told us to be kind to women. We have taken his advice and admonitions to heart and have followed all the orders of God.”

As Muslims we should assess our lives in the light of what Muhammad (SAW) preached and practised. As Hazrat Aisha (RA) said he was the walking example of how the Quran should be practically followed.

He would accept invitations to wedding feasts, visit the sick and accompany a funeral procession. He would go to the house of poor to console the afflicted and to comfort the heart-broken. He would go alone among his enemies unguarded and without the least show of pride. He excelled in hospitality. He shared his food, even in times of scarcity, with others he was eloquent without circumlocution; and when he spoke he spoke with emphasis and deliberation and no one could ever forget what he said. He liked perfume and disliked strong offensive smells.

He honoured the well-behaved and pardoned those who apologised. He never uttered any thing but the truth; lawful games he would witness and never a moment passed without his doing something important for God. He never cursed anyone and when maltreated he never took revenge save when God was reviled. His habit was to be the first to greet whomsoever he met. He was very fond of children and would stop them in the streets and pat their cheeks. These are but only a few examples of the benefactor of humanity.

In the present day scenario we should refute the accusations and doubts that non-Muslims cast on his life and achievements and erase the hostilities that have arisen due to ignorance and lack of knowledge about him. “The sayings of Muhammad are a treasure of wisdom not only for Muslims, but for all mankind” (M.K. Gandhi ‘Preface to the sayings of Muhammad’ by Suharwardy). He was the only messenger who himself worked out all the principles he taught to others. History fails to show any personality where we find the assemblage of all the virtues that constituted an evolved humanity.

IF Pakistan produces 100,000 MWs of power from coal and keeps producing this amount for the next 100 years, it would have consumed only about a quarter of the coal deposits in the country. On top of it, this one source, if exploited properly, would give the country energy security like no other option. The raw material lies all within the country, the technology is simple, tried and tested. It is cheap, flexible, non-controversial and the most job-creating vehicle for power generation in Pakistan.

But that should not be made an excuse for taking over coal resources through a ‘Wapda-like’ authority that a couple of officials from Islamabad have now been peddling. Such a scheme is neither necessary nor advisable and, as reactions from provincial capitals indicate, it would generate more controversies than power for Pakistan.

Earlier, in 1995-96, when a breakthrough coal fired power project of 5,200 MWs based on Thar coal was developed, foreign direct investment of about $2 billion had materialised without anyone feeling any need for any takeover from anybody else. A series of agreements had been satisfactorily negotiated and signed between the investors and all relevant federal and provincial agencies; the investors had deposited required performance guarantees, set up offices and started actual work on the project. It was the politics of the Nawaz Sharif government that later destroyed this project and Pakistan’s potential for development of coal based power; not its economics, nor any technical or administrative issues.

Such politics should not be allowed to play havoc the second time round. As it happens, our management of federal and provincial relations needs healing hands all around rather than more tensions. The few investors that are now returning to coal-based power after a 10 year gap, should be given ‘pioneer’ status and helped in their efforts to materialise their investments.

The energy portfolio of Pakistan must bear major responsibility for retarding the country’s development prospects over the years. Anyone looking at its lopsided shape could be forgiven for taking Pakistan to be one of the oil-and gas-rich Middle Eastern countries rather than one on the Asian mainland. We consume oil at three times our domestic production and burn gas at double its domestic production. And then we sell our assets through privatization to pay for some of this inflated import bill.

But while the UK uses coal for 44 per cent of its power production, the US 56 per cent, Australia 60 per cent, India 65 per cent and China 70 per cent, only one per cent of our power production comes from coal. Our heavy dependence upon imported fuel, capital-intensive technology, foreign shipments and fluctuating prices has erected roadblocks in the country’s path to rapid progress. Such policies have created wealth and jobs abroad but have burdened the country and its people with high-energy costs and rising unemployment.

Pakistan’s energy needs are genuine but its solution would lie in greater reliance upon its indigenous resources. Whether the new 25-year Energy Plan (2005-2030) adding $40 billion of debt on the country is the answer to the energy problems of Pakistan is a different matter altogether. Even otherwise and looking at the sad spectacle of our unpredictable governance, a 25-year plan for anything — much less a sensitive subject like energy — without a broad based democratic consensus would suffer from credibility deficit in achieving its objectives.

Pakistan’s energy security depends upon three principal pillars of public policy. Diversity of energy sources remains the first guiding principle. Second, a favourable investment climate — internal and external — that allows heavy investment outlays to be continuously made over long periods of time. Third, a realisation that our energy security is enhanced through development of a regional framework for energy security.

Pakistan’s geo-economic potential has always been great, but our geo-politics has often checkmated the former. And yet, there is little evidence on the ground to show that we have seriously adopted these three pillars of public policy in delivering energy security to our people.

The buzzword of Pakistan being an “energy corridor” so often heard these days, has been doing the rounds for over 15 years; ever since the Central Asian republics gained independence from the USSR. Pakistan, Iran and Central Asian countries have all been under the same umbrella of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) for 15 years. And yet, we don’t have even one kilometre of this “energy corridor” on the ground despite several pronouncements made from time to time.

As against this, the countries more handicapped than Pakistan in many ways were able to develop appropriate policy initiatives, and their ‘energy corridors’ with oil and gas pipelines, highways and rail links have been functioning.

While coal should take care of the bulk of power generation problems in Pakistan, oil addiction in transportation can also be reduced by tapping into other indigenous sources of energy before rising oil prices bring our transportation networks to a halt. Brazil has already found a solution to this problem. By using ethanol with a little dash of petroleum in its transport vehicles, it has made savings of over $70 billion in its oil import bill.

Now 75 per cent of new cars and light trucks manufactured in Brazil by even leading manufacturers like Ford and VW use this ethanol-petroleum combo and technology is on the way to completely eliminate the remaining 15 per cent of consumption of petroleum. Many other countries including the US are already following the lead given by Brazil, but there is nothing in this ‘new’ energy plan to show that this news has travelled to Islamabad.

Some of the alternatives receiving policy and publicity support from government are equally import-intensive as oil. A big advantage of this option over these other alternatives is that the development of this option would necessarily result in the revitalisation of our agricultural sector especially sugarcane and corn cultivation and trigger large-scale industrialisation in Pakistan. The benefits of savings in foreign exchange are thus doubled by the benefits of additional income accruing from agricultural development and rural industrialisation within the country.

Another important initiative that was taken to reduce the country’s dependence upon oil was using the inland water transportation system for meeting some of its transportation needs. The Asian Development Bank had financed a study that showed that the Indus River can be used very economically for transportation of heavy cargo from Attock to Keti Bandar — with some modifications along the way.

This would substantially reduce the transportation costs of doing business and curtail the country’s oil import bill by about 30 per cent (moving heavy cargo over the same distance by river transportation costs one third of the costs by train and one-fifth of transporting costs by road). Again, a look at this 25-year energy plan shows that this news, too, hasn’t travelled to decisions makers in Islamabad.

An important by-product of the inland river transportation transport system comes from opening up the most backward hinterlands of the country and turning these into Pakistan’s new frontiers for development. The new opportunities for trade, commerce and industry opening up along the two banks of Indus all the way from Attock to Keti Bandar can create new urban and industrial centres for growth. Anyone who has been driving in Europe and North America would have seen scores of such prosperous towns along the banks of their rivers.

Putting these pieces together will create an energy profile for Pakistan that is built around indigenous potential, generates jobs and wealth within the country, provides diversity and delivers energy security better than anything else. Such a profile acquires added urgency in view of the recent setbacks to the development of regional networks on account of the situation in Afghanistan, Iran and Balochistan. And if the external environment deteriorates further, these may be the only realistic security options for quite some time.

This long-term and capital intensive energy plan must be discussed with various stakeholders and democratic consensus developed around its modified form. Without a democratic consensus owning it, pinning hopes on a 25-year long energy plan where even the annual budget estimates of income and expenditure cannot be maintained may only be slightly better than putting faith in fairy tales.

The writer is a former federal secretary.

Email: smshah@alum.mit.edu