As a Muslim, our role model is Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and no other person can occupy his place and honor in the hearts of his true followers or fan.
A role model is the one whom one admires in all aspects of life and imitates him with a heart full of love.
Nowadays it is very common that people those who call themselves Muslim and claims to be the greatest fan and disciple of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and yet do not even know his likes and dislikes. It can be seen very easily that when a new movie releases or a new social media trend starts the Muslim youth also starts imitating their favorite stars the very next hour whether it is the sense of dressing, hairstyle, talking style, or any filthy attitude of acting or any spreading shameful acts.
It is a bitter truth of our society that most of the Muslim youth who lack the teachings, nourishment, and development according to Islam knows more about the life of a drama, film actor, or a politician in comparison to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. For example, they know the likes and dislikes of their so-called actors even in the case of colors they prefer or the brand of cigarette their stars puff, or the names of their family members or friends and their enemies but they don’t know much about the Prophet ﷺ.
This kind of behavior leads to the misinterpretation and portrayal of wrong or distorted images of Islam. If a person claims to be a Muslim then he should also act like a Muslim. For this we need to educate ourselves, blaming others for our ignorance will never let the situation change. There is a hadith in which the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ says “None of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father, his children and all mankind”. So if we love our Prophetﷺ and claim that we can do anything for him, then the very first thing to do is to know him, to read his biographies (seerat) to understand and follow him. We cannot follow him before knowing him, his likes, his dislikes, his beautiful behavior, his guidance, and his mission.
The hypocrisy and double standard while choosing a role model will never give a fruitful result but choosing the chosen one ﷺ will provide the best of best results InShaAllah.
