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the prophets of God, but it also has a broader application, according to which everyone is worthy of respect, regardless of his creed or culture. Such belief promotes a culture of equal respect among mankind. Difference in belief is necessarily subject to discussion, but it is not a reason for discrimination. If your belief system is different from that of others, you have every right to engage in discussion and dialogue on the subject, but in the process you have no right to show disrespect to others. This holds true even if you feel that your personal ideology enshrines the supreme truth. The culture of discrimination is, after all, quite alien to a divine religion. What was the character of Prophet Muhammad really like? The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, was born in Arabia on 22 April AD 570, and died on 8 June AD 632. He grew up orphaned and his childhood gave indications of the sublime and dynamic personality that was to emerge. As he grew up, the nobility of his personality, soft-spoken and genial disposition made him a benevolent member of the society. A perfectly balanced personality—tolerant, truthful, perspicacious and magnanimous—he presented the highest example of human nobility. According to Daud ibn Husayn, he became known as the most chivalrous among his people, tolerant and forbearing, truthful and trustworthy, always an epitome of good behaviour. He would stay aloof from all quarrels and quibbles and never indulged in foul utterances, abuse or invective. People even left their valuables in his custody, for they knew that he would never betray them. His unimpeachable trustworthiness won for him the title of “al-Amin,” an unfailing trustee and of “al-Sadiq”, the truthful. As a Prophet, he was an embodiment of virtues a true believer must imbibe and uphold. A Prophet is a well-wisher for mankind and the entire life of Prophet Muhammad is a testament to this fact. He never discriminated among people on the basis of their colour, creed or social status; in the heydays of slavery, he advocated freedom of slaves; in an environment full of resentment and staunch opposition, he always adopted a forgiving approach, never avenging any wrong done to him. His experience at Taif is an example where the leaders of the Thaqif tribe had refused to extend their support to his mission and their street urchins pelted stones at the Prophet till the cover of night made him invisible. Despite being humiliated, injured and wearied, the Prophet did not resort to cursing the tribe of Taif; rather he prayed for their guidance (Sahih al Bukhari). His wife Aisha said about the Prophet Muhammad, “He would not follow an evil with an evil, rather he would pardon and forgive.” (Ahmad)