Muhammad the kindred to Humanity — Page 20
20 later, a ship from Persia brought a letter addressed to the. Governor of Yemen. The Governor wondered on looking at it, as it bore a new seal. He opened and read, and found it was from the Chosroe's son, who tired of his father's tyrannies, had deposed and killed him. The letter continued to speak of the cruel orders of the late Chosroes about "a man of. Arabia" and said that those should be considered null and void. Mark the Prophet's deference towards a poor old woman and his firmness towards a proud and powerful Monarch. . Dealings with Foreigners. When it came to dealing with foreigners his demeanour was equally appropriate. When Salman the Persian came to him, as a stranger he felt estranged and ill at ease among. Muslims. The Prophet however showed his solicitude for him by announcing to his companions, "Salman is one of our own kin," and he could hardly have desired more to reassure himself about his safety. . In short, the Prophet's life is so rich in incident and in the variety of its aspects, that all people whatever their station or situation in life can claim Muhammad as their kindred, as one of themselves. . The Prophet's Kinship to Non-Muslims. Let me admit, however, that the examples I have given can gladden and inspire the heart only of a Muslim, one who believes implicitly in the value of the Prophet's teaching, and who will, no doubt, find in the Prophet one who has been through difficulties same as his, and who can now brighten up and make worthwhile his own journey of life. But how about a non-Muslim, one who does not believe, as a Muslim believes in the apostleship of Muhammad? What affinity or sense of kinship can he discover in the life of our Holy Prophet?. Remember in this connection, the claim of the Quran according to which all that is best and essential in the teach-