The Russian novelist and moral philosopher Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828-1910) ranks as one of the world’s great writers, and his “War and Peace” has been called the greatest novel ever written.
Although he was born into nobility, Tolstoy spent much of his life as a champion of Russia’s peasant class, notably in the field of education.
He began his literary career in the 1850s, publishing a trilogy about his own life: Childhood (Detstvo, 1852), Boyhood (Otrochestvo, 1854) and Youth (Yunost’, 1857).
Tolstoy served in the Russian army during the Crimean War, and his book Sevastopol Sketches (Sevastopol’skie Rasskazy, 1855-56) was well-received in literary circles and praised for its realistic depiction of war.
After traveling throughout Europe, Tolstoy returned to the family estate and devoted himself to raising a family and writing his great psychological novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina.
From the 1880s until his death, he devoted himself to more spiritual and philosophical matters, writing several essays on ethics and morals and coming to terms with his own Christian conversion (described in 1879’s Confessions).
Leo Tolstoy was one of the great rebels of all time, a man who during a long and stormy life was at odds with the Church, government, literary tradition, and his own family. Yet he was a conservative, obsessed by the idea of God in an age of scientific positivism.
His persistent quest for the meaning of life, the moral ideal, the covert general regularities of existence as well as his spiritual and social criticism run through all his creative work. Since the 1870s he has paid more attention to the subjects of death, sin, penance, and moral revival.
In the context of his quest for an exemplary model of ethical behavior, Tolstoy took a special interest in the study of the life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which led him to hold great admiration and love for him. He was attracted by the Prophetic traditions which matched up and concurred with his ideas.
The philosopher noted the prejudice of some missionaries in Kazan, Russia, where they made a number of baseless claims against Prophet Muhammad, in an attempt to paint a distorted picture of the religion of Islam and its prophet to the Russians. He deployed what he learnt in this regard in order to reveal the true picture and express his love for the ethical heritage and meanings contained in many of the sayings of the Prophet. Later on, he wrote a book entitled “Selected Sayings of the Prophet” in which he gathered the Prophetic traditions that encourage people to attain to the highest of their human potential.
Tolstoy stated in this book: “anyone who wants to verify the tolerance in Islam should only read the Qur’an carefully. Its verses are indicative of the high spirit of Islam, such as: [And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among your-selves; and remember with gratitude Allah’s favor on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided] (3: 103)”.
He also said: “I am one of those who are very much impressed by the Prophet Muhammad who was chosen by the One God to have His last message revealed through his soul, heart and mind. He chose him to be the last prophet; hence, no other prophets would come after him. His acknowledgement of the prophets, who had been sent by God before him to produce the global social building for which Muhammad had been sent to complete, is indubitable evidence that he came with Islam to conclude the social building for the entire humanity everywhere.”
He further mentioned: “there has been no prophet who gained the respect of his enemies save the prophet Muhammad. This is why a lot of them embraced Islam later on. It seems surprising that those who declared themselves enemies of him certainly knew that he was trustworthy and was calling them to the truth; they even respected him in the depth of their hearts, but they concealed this respect for they did not want to be accused of leaving their faiths.”
He continued to describe aspects of Prophet Muhammad’s characteristics by saying: “he endured in his first years of inviting people to Islam tremendous tyranny and persecution from the pagans and others, just like every Prophet before him. He invited people to the truth, without these massive adversities undermining him and his cause, but instead strengthened his determination to carry on with his propagation. He did not claim to be the only prophet, but he believed in Moses and Jesus as prophets, and called people to this belief. He also said that the Jews and Christians must not be coerced to leave their religions, but he said that they should fulfill the commandments of their prophets.”
Tolstoy also stated: “Undoubtedly, the Prophet Muhammad is one of the greatest reformers who rendered extensive service to the human community. As an indication of his greatness, it suffices to mention that he guided an entire nation to the light of truth and made it incline to serenity and peace and opted to live a life of asceticism. He forbade acts of bloodshed or human sacrifice. He opened up for his nation the way to progress and civilization. That was a great feat which nobody – no matter how powerful he may be – is able to achieve. Such a man, indeed, is highly respectable and estimable.”
Tolstoy, in his book Selected Sayings of Prophet Muhammad, conveyed 64 sayings of the Prophet which clearly demonstrate the noble message of Islam. Amongst those sayings are:
“Speak the truth even if it is bitter.”
“Those who show mercy have God’s mercy shown to them. Have mercy on those here on earth, and the One in Heaven will have mercy on you.”
“Purity is half of Faith.”
‘Illicit sex begets poverty.”
“He who directs others to a good deed is as the one who did it; and, assuredly, God loves the act of aiding the distressed.”
“Prayer is the central pillar of religion; prayer is the key to every good.”
“A kind word is charity.”
“A person has done enough wrong in his life if he simply repeats everything he hears.”
“God loves a servant who when performing a task does so skillfully.”
“Practice humility until no one oppresses or belittles another.”
“When a person dies, his deeds die with him, except for three: charitable endowments, beneficial knowledge, and righteous children who supplicate on his behalf.”
“The best charity a Muslim practices is acquiring some knowledge and teaching it to his brother.”
“What enables people to enter Paradise more than anything is piety and good character.”
“The majority of man’s sins emanate from his tongue.”
“God does not regard your externals or your riches but rather your hearts and your deeds.”
“A believer is not one who eats his fill while his next door neighbor goes hungry.”
“Whoever fails to care for our youth, respect our aged, enjoin right, and denounce wrong is not counted among us.”
“God veils the faults of anyone who suppresses his anger.”
“Whoever has no shame before others has no shame before God.”
“Keep God in mind wherever you are; follow a wrong with a right that offsets it; and treat people courteously.”
“Love for humanity what you love for yourself.”
“The characteristics of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he gives his word, he breaks it; and when he is given a trust, he is unfaithful.”
“Should you wish to act, ponder well the consequences. If good, carry on; if not, desist.”
“He who believes in God and the Last Day should either utter good words or better keep silent; and he who believes in God and the Last Day should treat his neighbor with kindness; and he who believes in God and the Last Day should show hospitality to his guest.”
“That which is lawful is plain and that which is unlawful is plain..”
“Part of someone’s being a good Muslim is his leaving alone that which does not concern him.”
“Righteousness is good morality, and wrong-doing is that which wavers in your soul and which you dislike people finding out about.”
“Renounce the world and God will love you, and renounce what people possess and people will love you.”
“There should be neither harming nor reciprocating harm.”
“None of you [Truly] believes until has inclination is in accordance with what I have brought.”
“Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) once told a story to his companions. There was a man who went on a journey and on his way felt very thirsty. He found a well and went down into it and drank water. When he came out of the well he saw a dog that was also very thirsty and was licking the salty ground with his tongue. Thinking that the animal was thirsty like him, he again went down into the well, filled his leather socks with water and gave it to the dog. God was so pleased with this action of the man that He granted him Paradise. There is another story about a woman going to Hell who starved her cat to death.”
The great Russian thinker who is renowned for his tremendous contribution to Russian literature and history is more famous as a writer. His philosophical works that reflect not only his views on God and the soul, but also his admiration for the Prophet of Islam, are much less known.
Tolstoy was not the only littérateur and thinker who wrote about his immense admiration and high respect for the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him). Among those who also held the Prophet in high esteem, and wrote about him in venerable terms are: Michael Hart, Rev. R. Bosworth Smith, Lamartine, George Bernard Shaw, Thomas Carlyle, Edward Gibbon, and others.
A man like the Prophet Muhammad who inspires great minds from diverse backgrounds to acknowledge the greatness of his contribution to humanity must of necessity – to say the least – combine values that are universally upheld.
It’s our essential duty to show everyone these values, especially in an age in which we are trying to foster mutual understanding and respect among not only different cultures but also the great religions of the world?
By: M. Samer Al Sit
Tabah Foundation, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.