muhammad the messenger of allahسيرة النبي انكليزي

8/7/2019 Muhammad the messenger of Allah

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MuhammadThe Messenger of God

MayGodExalthisMention

SecondEdition

Writtenby:

AbdurrahmanalSheha

Translatedby:

AbdurrahmaanMurad

Edited

by:

TheIslamicPropagationOfficeatRabwah

(www.islamhouse.com)

M.M.AbdusSalam

AbuAyoubJeromeBoulter


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Muhammad,theMessengerofAllah

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2

)(

:

:

(www.islamhouse.com)

..


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SecondEdition,1427/2006

Copyright2006AbdurrahmanalSheha

Allrightsreserved.

Thisbook iscopyrighted.Anyorallpartsof thisbookmaybeused

foreducationalpurposesaslongastheinformationusedisnotinany

wayquotedoutofcontextorusedforprofit,and thesource ismen

tioned.

Wewouldliketoexpressoursincereappreciationtothosewhocon

tributed to thepublicationof thisbook.MayAllah reward them for

their efforts. If you have any corrections, comments, or questions

aboutthispublication,pleasefeelfreetocontactusat:

[email protected]

1427H

[3787]Publishedby:

TheIslamicPropagationOfficeinRabwah

Tel.+4454900 4916065

Email:[email protected]

www.islamhouse.com


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1427/2006

.

:

[email protected]

:44549004916065

:[email protected]

:www.islamhouse.com


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TableofContents

1.Terminologyusedinthisbook

2.Introduction

3.WhoistheMessenger?

4.Hislineage

5.Placeofbirthandchildhood

6.ThedescriptionoftheProphet()

7.Prophetsmanners&Characteristics

8.SomeoftheProphetsethicalmanners

9.Statementsofjusticeandequity

10.ThewivesoftheProphet()

11.Textualproofs

12.ProofsfromtheQuran

13.ProofsfromtheSunnah

14.PreviousScriptures

15.FromtheGospel

16.Intellectualproofs

17.WhattheTestimonyofFaithentails

18.Conclusion

19.Glossary


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AllpraiseisduetoGod,theLord1oftheworlds,andmayGod

praiseProphetMuhammad,andrenderhimandhishousehold

safeandsecurefromallevil.

WhentalkingaboutProphetMuhammad()2,oneshouldkeep

in

mind

that

he

is

talking

about

the

greatest

individual

in

his

tory.Thisisnotabaselessclaim;fortheonewhoreadshisbi

ographyand learnsofhismannerismsandethics,whilekeep

ing aside allpreconceivednotions,would certainly reach this

conclusion.Some fairandjustnonMuslimshavereached this

conclusionaswell.

ThelateProfessorHasanAli,mayGodhavemercyonhim,said

inhismagazineNooralIslamthataBrahmin3colleagueofhis

once toldhim:I recognizeandbelieve that theMessengerof

Islam isthegreatestandmostmatureman inhistory.Profes

sorHasanAli,mayGodhavemercyonhim,askedhim:Why

doyouconsiderhimasthegreatestandmostmatureman?He

replied:

1 The actualword used in theQuran isRubb. There is no proper

equivalentforRubbintheEnglishlanguage.ItmeanstheCreator,the

Fashioner,theProvider,theOneuponWhomallcreaturesdependfor

theirmeans of subsistence, and theOneWho gives life and causes

death.

2ThisArabictermmeans,mayGodpraisehimandrenderhimsafe

fromallevil.

3 Brahmin: member of the highest of the four Hindu castes: the

priestlycaste.


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Nomanpossessedthecharacteristics,mannerismsandethics

thathepossessedatonetime.Hewasakingunderwhomthe

entirepeninsulawasunified;yethewashumble.Hebelieved

thatthedominionbelongedtohisGodalone.

Greatricheswouldcometohim,andyethelivedinastateof

poverty;firewouldnotbelitinhishouseformanydays,and

hewould stayhungry.Hewas a great leader;he led small

numbersintobattleagainstthousands,andyethewouldde

cisivelydefeat them.He lovedpeaceagreementsandwouldagree to themwith a firmheart, even thoughhehad thou

sandsofhisbraveand courageousCompanionsbyhis side.

EachCompanionwasverybraveandcouldconfrontathou

sand enemies alone, while not feeling the least bit intimi

dated.Yet, theProphetwaskindhearted,merciful, anddid

notwant toshedadropofblood.Hewasdeeplyconcerned

abouttheaffairsoftheArabianPeninsula,yethedidnotne

glect the affairs of his family, household, or the poor and

needy.HewaskeentodisseminateIslamamongstthosewho

hadgoneastray.Ingeneral,hewasamanconcernedwiththe

bettermentandwellbeingofmankind,yethedidnotindulge

inamassingworldlyfortune.Hebusiedhimselfwiththewor

shipof

God

and

loved

doings

deeds

which

pleased

Him.

He

never avenged himself on account of personal reasons.He

even prayed for his enemies wellbeing, and would warn

themofthepunishmentofGod.

Hewasanasceticregardingworldlyaffairsandwouldwor

shipGodthroughoutthenight.Hewasthebraveandcoura

geoussoldierwho foughtwiththesword and the infallible

Prophet the conquerorwho conquered nations and coun

tries.Hesleptonamatofhayandapillowfilledwithcoarse

fibers.PeoplecrownedhimastheSultanoftheArabs,orKing


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of theArabianPeninsula, yethis family lived a simple life,

evenaftertheyreceivedgreatfortunes;thericheswerepiled

in theMosque.Fatima4complained tohimabout thestrenu

ousworkshedid,thegrindingstoneandwaterjugwhichshe

usedtocarry howtheyhadleftmarksonherbodyHedid

notgiveheraportionofthatwealth;instead,theProphet()

taught her a fewwords and supplications.HisCompanion

Umar5 came tohishouse and looked inhis room, and saw

nothingbut

ahay

mat

which

the

Prophet

was

sitting

on,

whichhadleftmarksonhisbody.Theonlyprovisionsinthe

housewerehalfaSaa6ofbarley inacontainer,andawater

skin thathungon thewall this isall theMessengerofGod

ownedatatimewhenhalftheArabswereunderhiscontrol.

WhenUmarsawthis,hecouldnotcontrolhimselfandwept.

TheMessengerofGod()said:

Why are you weeping O Umar? He replied: Why

shouldntIweep KhosrauandCaesarenjoythemselves

in thisworldand theMessengerofGod ()onlyowns

whatIsee!Heresponded:OUmar,wouldnt itplease

you that this is theshareofKhosrauandCaesar in this

life,and in theHereafter thispleasurewouldbe forus

alone?

When theProphet examinedhis troopsprior to theoccupa

tionofMakkah,AbuSufyanstoodbesidealAbbas,theuncle

4Fatimahwasoneof thedaughtersof theProphet,mayGodpraise

him.

5OneoftheProphetsclosecompanions,andthesecondCaliphafter

hisdeath.

6Saa:ameasureofcapacityequaltofourhandfulsofthetwohands

heldtogether.


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oftheProphet()andtheylookedatthebannersoftheMus

limarmy.AbuSufyanatthattimewasnotaMuslim.Hewas

amazedby the vastnumber ofMuslims; they advanced to

wardsMakkah like a torrent ofwater.No one could stop

themandnothingstoodintheirway.AbuSufyanthensaidto

alAbbas:OAbbas,yournephewhasbecomeagrandKing!

alAbbas responded saying: This is not kingship, rather

prophethood,andtheMessageofIslam.

Adee atTaee, the son ofHatim atTaeewho is the paradigmofgenerosity,attendedtheassemblyoftheProphet()

whilehewasstillaChristian.WhenhesawhowtheCompan

ionsaggrandizedandrespectedtheProphet(),hewascon

fused washeaProphetoraking?Heaskedhimself,Ishea

king or aMessenger of theMessengers ofGod?While he

was pondering over this, a destitute woman came to the

Prophet()andsaid:"Iwishtotellyouasecret.Hesaidto

her: Inwhich road inMadeenahdoyouwantme tomeet

you?TheProphet () leftwith thedestitutemaidand took

care of her needs.WhenAdee saw the humbleness of the

Prophet (),he realized the truthanddiscarded thecrosses

thathewaswearingandbecameaMuslim.

WewillmentionsomestatementsoftheOrientalistsconcerningMuhammad().WeasMuslimsfirmlybelieve intheProphet

()andhisMessage,andassuch,donotneedthestatementsof

nonMuslims to establish this fact.We arementioning these

statementsforthefollowingtworeasons:


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a.ToserveasareminderandadmonitionfornamesakeMus

limswhohaveabandoned theirProphetandhis teachings,so

thattheywouldheedandreturntotheirreligion.7

b.So thatnonMuslimswouldknowwho theProphet is from

the statements of their own people, so that they would be

guidedtoIslam.

I ask all readers to not hold any preconceived notionswhen

searching for the truth,whether itbe thisoranyother Islamic

material.IaskGodtoopentheirheartsandcheststoacceptthe

truth,andtoshowthemtherightpathandinspirethemtofol

lowit.

Abdurrahmaanb.AbdulKareemalSheha

Riyadh,11535

P.O.Box59565

Email:[email protected]

http://www.islamland.org

7ThewordtranslatedasreligionisDeen,whichinArabiccommonly

referstoawayoflife,whichisbothprivateandpublic.Itisaninclu

sive termmeaning:actsofworship,politicalpractice,andadetailed

codeofconduct,includinghygieneoretiquettematters.
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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WhoistheMessenger,Muhammad()?

HisLineage

HeisAbulQasim(fatherofAlQasim)Muhammad,thesonof

Abdullah,thesonofAbdulMutalib.Hislineagetracesbackto

thetribeofAdnan,thesonofIshmael[theProphetofGod,the

son

of

Ibraheem

(Abraham)]

may

God

praise

them

all.

His

motherisAminah,thedaughterofWahb.

TheProphet()said:

IndeedGodchose the tribeofKinanahoverother tribes

fromthechildrenofIshmael;HechoseQuraishoverother

tribesofKinanah;HechoseBanuHashimover theother

familiesof

the

Quraish;

and

He

chose

me

from

Banu

Hashim. (Muslim#2276)

Thus,theProphet()hasthenoblestlineageonearth.Evenhis

enemiesattestedtothisfact,asdidAbuSufyan,thearchenemy

of IslambeforehebecameMuslim, in frontofHeraclius8, the

EmperorofRome.

Abdullahb.Abbas, thenephew of theProphet, reported thattheMessengerofGod ()wrote toHeracliusand invitedhim

toIslamthoughaletterhesentwithacompanionofhisnamed

Dihya alKalbi. Dihya handed this letter to the Governor of

BusrawhothenforwardedittoHeraclius.

Heraclius,asasignofgratitudetoGod,hadwalkedfromHims

toIlya(i.e.Jerusalem)whenGodhadgrantedHimvictoryover

8 Hewas theEmperorof theByzantineEmpire (610641)who cap

turedSyria,Palestine,andEgyptfromPersia(613628).


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the Persian forces.When the letter of theMessenger ofGod

reachedHeraclius,hesaidafter reading it,Seek formeany

oneofhispeople,(ArabsoftheQuraishtribe)ifpresenthere,

inordertoaskhimabouttheMessengerofGod!Atthattime

Abu SufyanbinHarbwas inShaam (theGreater SyriaArea)9

withsomemenfromQuraishwhohadcomeasmerchantsdur

ing the truce thathadbeenconcludedbetween theMessenger

ofGodandthepagansofQuraish.AbuSufyansaid,

Heracliusmessenger foundus somewhere in theGreaterSyriaarea, sohe tookmeandmy companions to Ilyaand

wewereadmitted intoHeracliuspresence.We foundhim

sitting inhis royal courtwearing a crown, surroundedby

the seniorByzantinedignitaries.He said tohis translator.

Ask themwhom amongst them is a close relation to the

manwhoclaimstobeaprophet.

AbuSufyanadded,

I replied: I am the nearest relative to him. He asked,

Whatdegreeof relationshipdoyouhavewithhim? I re

plied, Heismycousin,andtherewasnonefromthetribe

ofAbdManaf in thecaravanexceptmyself.Heracliussaid,

Lethimcomenearer.Hethenorderedthatmycompanions

standbehindmenearmyshoulderandsaid tohis transla

tor, Tellhis companions that I am going to ask thisman

about theonewhoclaims tobeaprophet. Ifhe tellsa lie,

theyshouldcontradicthimimmediately.

AbuSufyanadded,

9 This is a historic region in the Middle East bordering the

Mediterranean.Itisgenerallyconsideredtoincludethemodernstates

ofSyria,Lebanon,Palestine,andJordon.


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ByGod!Had itnotbeen for shame thatmy companions

brandme a liar, Iwouldnothave spoken the truth about

himwhenheaskedme.ButIconsidereditshameful tobe

calledaliarbymycompanions,soItoldthetruth.

Hethensaidtohistranslator,Askhimwhatkindoffam

ilyhebelongs to. I replied, Hebelongs toanoble family

amongstus.Hesaid, Hasanybodyelseamongstyouever

claimed the same before him? I replied, No. He said,

Have you ever blamed him for telling lies before heclaimed what he claimed? I replied, No. He said, Was

anybodyamongsthisancestorsaking?Ireplied, No.He

said, Dothenobleorthepoorfollowhim?Ireplied, Itis

thepoorwhofollowhim.Hesaid, Are they increasingor

decreasing(daily)?Ireplied,Theyareincreasing.Hesaid,

Doesanybodyamongstthosewhoembracehisreligionbe

come displeased and then discard his religion? I replied,

No.Hesaid, Doeshebreakhispromises?Ireplied, No,

butwearenowattrucewithhimandweareafraidthathe

maybetrayus.

AbuSufyanadded,

Other than the last sentence, I could not say anything

againsthim.

Heracliusthenasked,Haveyoueverhadawarwithhim?

Ireplied,Yes.Hesaid,Whatwastheoutcomeofyourbat

tleswithhim?Ireplied,Sometimeshewasvictoriousand

sometimeswe.Hesaid, Whatdoesheorderyou todo? I

said,HetellsustoworshipGodalone,andnottoworship

othersalongwithHim,andtoleaveallthatourforefathersused toworship.Heordersus topray, give in charity,be

chaste,keeppromisesandreturnwhatisentrustedtous.


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WhenIhadsaidthat,Heracliussaidtohistranslator,Say

tohim: I askedyou abouthis lineage andyour replywas

thathebelongedtoanoblefamily.Infact,alltheMessen

gerscamefromthenoblestlineageoftheirnations.ThenI

questioned you whether anybody else amongst you had

claimedsuchathing,andyourreplywasinthenegative.If

the answer had been in the affirmative, I would have

thoughtthat thismanwasfollowingaclaim thathadbeen

said

before

him.

When

I

asked

you

whether

he

was

ever

blamedfortellinglies,yourreplywasinthenegative,soI

took it for granted that apersonwhodidnot tell a lie to

peoplecouldnever tella lieaboutGod.Then Iaskedyou

whetheranyofhisancestorswasaking.Yourreplywasin

thenegative,and if ithadbeen in theaffirmative,Iwould

have thought that thismanwanted to takebackhisances

tral kingdom.When I asked youwhether the rich or thepoorpeoplefollowedhim,yourepliedthatitwasthepoor

who followed him. In fact, such are the followers of the

Messengers.Then Iaskedyouwhetherhis followerswere

increasingordecreasing.Yourepliedthattheywereincreas

ing.Infact,thisistheresultoftruefaithtillitiscomplete

[in all respects]. I asked you whether there was anybody

who, after embracing his religion, became displeased and

discarded his religion; your replywas in the negative. In

fact, this is thesignof truefaith,forwhen itspleasureen

tersandmixesintheheartscompletely;nobodywillbedis

pleasedwithit.Iaskedyouwhetherhehadeverbrokenhis

promise.Yourepliedinthenegative.AndsucharetheMes

sengers;

they

never

break

their

promises.

When

I

asked

you

whetheryoufoughtwithhimandhefoughtwithyou,you

replied that he did and that sometimes hewas victorious


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andsometimesyou.Indeed,suchare theMessengers; they

areputtotrialsandthefinalvictoryisalwaystheirs.ThenI

askedyouwhatheorderedyou.Yourepliedthatheordered

youtoworshipGodaloneandnottoworshipothersalong

withHim, to leave all that your forefathersused towor

ship, to offer prayers, to speak the truth, to be chaste, to

keeppromises,andtoreturnwhatisentrustedtoyou.These

are really thequalitiesofaprophetwho, Iknew [from the

previousScriptures]

would

appear,

but

I

did

not

know

that

hewouldbefromamongstyou.Ifwhatyousayistrue,he

willverysoonoccupytheearthundermyfeet,andifIknew

thatIwouldreachhimdefinitely,Iwouldgo immediately

tomeethim;andwere Iwithhim, then Iwould certainly

washhisfeet.

AbuSufyanadded,

HeracliusthenaskedfortheletteroftheMessengerofGod

anditwasread.Itscontentswerethefollowing:

Ibeginwith thenameofGod, themostBeneficent, the

mostMerciful[Thisletteris]fromMuhammad,theslave

ofGod,andHisMessenger,toHeraclius,theRulerofthe

Byzantine.Peacebeuponthefollowersofguidance.Iin

vite you to Islam [i.e. surrender toGod]).Accept Islam

andyouwillbesafe;acceptIslamandGodwillbestow

onyouadoublereward.Butifyourejectthisinvitation

of Islam, you shall be responsible for misguiding the

peasants[i.e.yournation].

OpeopleoftheScriptures!Cometoawordcommonbe

tweenyouandus,thatweworshipGod,andthatweassociatenothing inworshipwithHim; and thatnoneofus

shall takeothersasGodsbesidesGod.Then if they turn


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away,say:Bearwitnessthatwearetheywhohavesurren

dered[untoHim]. (3:64)

AbuSufyanadded,

WhenHeracliushadfinishedhisspeech,therewasagreat

hueandcrycausedby theByzantinedignitariessurround

inghim,andtherewassomuchnoisethatIdidnotunder

standwhattheysaid.So,wewereorderedoutofthecourt.

WhenIwentoutwithmycompanionsandwewerealone,Isaidtothem, Verily,IbnAbiKabshas(i.e.theProphets)

affair has gained power. This is theKing of theRomans

fearinghim.

AbuSufyanadded:

ByGod,Ibecamesurerandsurer thathis religionwould

bevictorioustillIendedupacceptingIslam.(Bukhari#2782)

SSSS


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PlaceofBirthandChildhood

TheProphet()wasbornintheyear571C.E.intothetribeof

Quraish [held nobleby all Arabs], inMakkah [the religious

capitaloftheArabianPeninsula].

TheArabswouldperformpilgrimage toMakkahand circum

ambulatetheKabahwhichwasbuiltbyProphetAbrahamand

hisson,ProphetIshmael,mayGodpraisethemboth.

TheProphet()wasanorphan.Hisfatherpassedawaybefore

hewasborn,andhismotherdiedwhenhewassixyearsold.

He was taken under the care of his grandfather, Abdul

Muttalib,andwhenhedied,hisuncle,AbuTalib,tookcharge

of him.His tribe, aswell as others,worshipped idolsmade

from stone, wood and even gold. Some of these idols wereplaced around the Kabah. People believed that these idols

couldwardoffharmorextendbenefit.

The Prophet () was a trustworthy and honest person. He

neverbehaved treacherously,nordid he lie or cheat; hewas

known amongst his people as AlAmeen, or The Trustwor

thy.People

would

entrust

him

with

their

valuables

when

they

wanted to travel. He was also known as AsSadiq or The

Truthfulforhenevertolda lie.Hewaswellmannered,well

spoken,andhelovedtohelppeople.Hispeoplelovedandre

vered him and he hadbeautifulmanners. God, the Exalted,

says:

Indeedyouareofagreatmoralcharacter. [68:4]


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The famousScottishhistorianandwriter,ThomasCarlyle (d.

1885)wroteinhisbook:Heroes,HeroWorshipandtheHeroic

inHistory:

But,fromanearlyage,hehadbeenremarkedasathoughtful

man.Hiscompanionsnamedhim AlAmin,TheFaithful. A

man of truth and fidelity; true inwhat he did, inwhat he

spokeand thought.Theynoted thathealwaysmeantsome

thing.Amanrathertaciturninspeech;silentwhentherewas

nothing tobesaid;butpertinent,wise,sincere,whenhedidspeak;always throwing lighton thematter.This is theonly

sortof speechworth speaking!Through lifewe findhim to

havebeenregardedasanaltogethersolid,brotherly,genuine

man.A serious, sincere character;yetamiable, cordial, com

panionable,jocose even agood laugh inhimwithal: there

aremenwhose laugh is as untrue as anything about them;

whocannot laugh.Aspontaneous,passionate,yetjust, true

meaningman! Full of wild faculty, fire and light; of wild

worth,alluncultured;workingouthislife takesinthedepth

oftheDesertthere.

TheProphet () liked to secludehimself in theCave ofHira

beforehewascommissionedasaprophet.Hewouldstaythere

manynightsatatime.

He()neverpartookinanyfalsehood;heneverdrankintoxi

cants,nordidheeverbow toastatueor idol, takeanoathby

themoroffer to them anoffering.Hewas a shepherdover a

flockofsheepwhichbelonged tohispeople.TheProphet ()

said:

Every prophet commissioned by God was a shepherdover a flockof sheep.His companions askedhim: Even

you,OMessenger ofGod?He said: Yes, Iwould take


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careofaflockofsheepforthepeopleofMakkah. (Bukhari2143)

At theageof forty, theProphet ()receiveddivinerevelation

whenatthecaveofHira.TheMotherofthebelievers,Aishah10

said:

ThefirstthingthatGodsMessenger()receivedwhileinthe

CaveofHira inMakkahweregoodvisions [dreams].Every

timehehadadream, itwould come trueand clear like the

split of the dawn. Later on,GodsMessenger ()began to

lovebeingalone inmeditation.Hespent lengthyperiodsfor

daysandnights to fulfill thispurpose in thecavebefore re

turningbacktohisfamily.Hewouldtakeasupplyoffoodfor

histrip.WhenhecamebacktohiswifeKhadeejah11hewould

geta fresh supplyof food andgoback to the same cave to

continue

his

meditation.

TheTruthcame tohimwhilehewas in theCaveofHira.The

AngelGabrielcametoMuhammad()andcommandedhimto

read.Muhammad () replied, I cannot read! Gabriel em

bracedMuhammad() untilhecouldnotbreathe,andthenlet

him go saying, O Muhammad! Read! Again,Muhammad

() replied, I cannot read! Gabriel embracedMuhammad

() for the second time.He thenorderedhim to read for the

third time,whenhedidnotheembracedhim tightlyuntilhe

couldnotbreathe,and then releasedhimsaying,OMuham

mad!

RecitewiththeNameofYourLordWhohascreated(all

thatexists).Hehascreatedmanoutofa(mere)clotofcon

10 AwifeoftheProphet().

11KhadeejahwasthefirstwifeoftheProphet.


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20

gealed blood: Read! And your Lord is the Most Gener

ous.(96:13)

TheMessenger ofGod () returned home trembling.He en

teredhishomeand toldKhadeejah:Covermeup, coverme

up!KhadeejahcoveredMuhammad()untilhefeltbetter.He

theninformedheraboutwhathappenedtohimintheCaveof

Hira.He said, Iwas concerned aboutmyself andmywell

being.KhadeejahassuredMuhammad()saying:

ByGod!You dont have toworry!God, the Exalted,will

never humiliate you! You are good to your kith and kin.

Youhelpthepoorandneedy.Youaregenerousandhospi

tabletoyourguests.Youhelppeoplewhoareinneed.

Khadeejah took her husbandMuhammad () to a cousin of

hers namedWaraqahbinNawfalbinAsadbinAbdulUzza.

This man became a Christian during the preIslamic times,knownastheEraofIgnorance.Hewasascribe,whowrotethe

ScriptureinHebrew.Hewasanoldmanwhobecameblindat

thelatterpartofhislife.Khadeejahsaidtohercousin,

Ocousin,listentowhatyournephew[i.e.Muhammad]

isabout to tellyou!Waraqahsaid: What is ityouhave

seen,dearnephew?

TheMessengerofGod() informedhimofwhathehadseen

intheCaveofHira.Uponhearinghisreport,Waraqahsaid,

ByGod!ThisistheAngelGabrielwhocametoProphet

Moses,mayGodpraisehim.IwishIwouldbealivewhen

yourpeoplewilldriveyououtofMakkah!TheMessen

gerofGod()wondered: AretheygoingtodrivemeoutofMakkah?!Waraqahaffirmedpositivelysaying,Never

hasamanconveyedaMessagesimilar towhatyouhave


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21

been charged with, except that his people waged war

againsthim ifIamtowitnessthis,Iwillsupportyou.

Waraqah lived only a short period after this incident and

passedaway.Revelationalsostoppedforawhile. (Bukhari#3)

ThechapteroftheQuranquotedinthehadeeth12abovemarks

thebeginningwhenhewascommissionedasaProphet.God,

theExalted,thenrevealedtohim:

O you (Muhammad) enveloped (in garments);Ariseand warn! And your Lord (Allah) magnify! And your

garmentspurify! (74:14)

Thischapterof theQuranmarks thebeginningwhenhewas

commissionedasaMessenger.

With the revelationof this chapterof theQuran, theProphet

()begancallinghisnationtoIslamopenly.Hebeganwithhisownpeople.Someofthemrefusedadamantlytolistentohim,

for to them,hewas calling to amatterwhich theyhadnever

witnessedbefore.

ThereligionofIslamisacompletewayoflife,whichdealswith

religious,political,economicaland socialaffairs.Furthermore,

thereligion

of

Islam

did

not

only

call

them

to

worship

God

alone and to forsake all idols and things they worshipped;

rather,itprohibitedthemfromthingstheyconsideredpleasur

able, such as consuming interest and intoxicants, fornication,

andgambling.Italsocalledpeopletobejustandfairwithone

another, and to know that therewas no differencebetween

them except throughpiety.How could theQuraish [themost

12Thenarrationofastatement,deed, tacitapproval,orcharacteristic

oftheProphet.


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22

nobletribeamongsttheArabs]standtobetreatedequallywith

theslaves!TheydidnotonlyadamantlyrefusetoacceptIslam;

rather, theyharmedhimandblamedhim,saying thathewas

crazy,asorcererandaliar.Theyblamedhimwiththingsthey

woulddarenothavebefore theadventof Islam.They incited

theignorantmassesagainsthim,harmedhimandtorturedhis

companions. Abdullahb.Masood, a close companion of the

Prophetsaid:

WhiletheProphet()wasstandingupandprayingneartheKabah,agroupofQuraishweresittingintheirsitting

place, one of them said: Do you see thisman?Would

someone bring the dirt and filth and bloody intestines

from thecamelsofsoandso,andwait tillheprostrates,

and then place it between his shoulders? The most

wretched amongst them volunteered to do it, andwhen

theProphet ()prostrated,heput the filthbetweenhis

shoulders,so theProphet () stayed inprostration.They

laughedsohardthattheywereabouttofalloneachother.

Someonewent toFatimahwhowasayounggirl,and in

formed her of what had happened. She hurriedly came

towards theProphet () and removed the filth fromhis

back,and

then

she

turned

around

and

she

cursed

the

Quraishiteswhoweresittinginthatsitting. (Bukhari#498)

MuneebalAzdi,acompanionoftheProphet()said:

Isaw theMessengerofGod in theEraofIgnorancesay

ing topeople:Say there isnogodworthyofbeingwor

shippedexceptAllah ifyouwouldbesuccessful.There

were thosewhospat inhis face, thosewho threwsoil inhisface,andthosewhosworeathimuntilmidday.When

[once] a certain younggirl camewith abig container of


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23

water,hewashedhisfaceandhandsandsay:Odaughter,

donotfearthatyourfatherwillbehumiliatedorstruckby

poverty. (MujamalKabeer#805)

Abdullahb.AmralAas,acompanionof theProphet ()was

askedaboutsomeoftheevilthepagansdidtotheProphet(),

towhichhereplied:

[Onceapagan]approachedtheProphet()whilehewas

prayingnear theKabahand twistedhisgarmentaround

his neck.AbuBakr13 hurriedly approached and grabbed

hisshoulderandpushedhimawaysaying:Doyoukilla

man because he proclaims Allah as his Lord, and clear

signshavecometoyoufromyourLord? (Bukhari3643)

TheseincidentsdidnotstoptheProphet()fromcallingtoIs

lam.Hepreachedthismessagetothemanytribesthatcameto

MakkahforHajj14.AfewbelievedfromthepeopleofYathrib(asmall citynorthofMakkah),known todayasMadeenah, and

theypledged to supporthimandhelphim ifhe chose tomi

gratethere.HesentwiththemMusabb.Umairtoteachthem

thetenetsofIslam.AfterallthehardshipsthattheMuslimsof

Makkah faced from their own people,God granted them the

permission tomigrate toMadeenah.ThepeopleofMadeenah

greetedthemandreceivedthem inamostextraordinaryman

ner.MadeenahbecamethecapitalofthenewIslamicstate,and

theplacefromwhichthecalltoIslamwasspreadfarandwide.

TheProphet () settledthereandtaughtpeoplehow torecite

theQuran and the rulings of the religion.The inhabitants of

13TheclosestcompaniontotheProphet()andthefirstCaliphofIs

lamafterhisdeath.

14 PilgrimagetoMakkah.


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24

Madeenahweregreatlymoved and touchedby theProphets

manners. They loved him more than they loved their own

selves;theywouldrushtoservehim,andtheywouldspendall

theyhad in thepathof Islam.The societywas strongand its

peoplewererichinFaith,andtheywereextremelyhappy.Peo

ple loved each other, and true brotherhood was apparent

amongst itspeople.Allpeoplewereequal; therich,nobleand

poor,blackandwhite,ArabandnonArab theywereallcon

sideredas

equals

in

the

religion

of

God,

no

distinction

was

made among them except through piety. After the Quraish

learntthattheProphetscallhadspread,theyfoughthiminthe

firstbattleinIslam,theBattleofBadr.Thisbattletookplacebe

tween twogroupsunequal inpreparationsandweapons.The

Muslimsnumbered314;whereas,thepaganswere1000strong.

GodgavevictorytotheProphet()andtheCompanions.After

thisbattle,anumberofbattlestookplacebetweentheMuslimsandthepagans.Aftereightyears,theProphet()wasableto

prepareanarmy10,000strong.Theyproceeded towardsMak

kah and conquered it, andwith thisMuhamamad () over

came the peoplewho had harmed and tortured him and his

Companionswitheveryconceivablecruelty.Intheirfleeingfor

their lives, theyhad evenbeen forced to leave theirproperty

andwealthbehind.Theyear of thisdecisivevictory is called

TheYearoftheConquest.Allah,theExalted,says:

When the victory ofAllah has come and the conquest,

andyouseethepeopleenteringintothereligionofAllah

inmultitudes, then glorify thePraises of yourLord and

askHis forgiveness. Indeed,He is theOneWho accepts

therepentanceandWhoforgives. [110:13]

Upon the conquest, the Prophet () gathered the people of

Makkahandsaidtothem:


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25

What do you think Iwill do to you? They answered:

Youwill only do something favorable; you are a kind

andgenerousbrother,andakindandgenerousnephew!

TheProphet()said: Go youarefree.(Baihaqi#18055)

ThisincredibleactofforgivenesscausedmanytoacceptIslam.

TheProphet () thenreturned toMadeenah.Afteraperiodof

time, theProphet () intended toperformHajj, soheheaded

towards Makkah with 114,000 Companions and performed

Hajj.ThisHajjisknownasHajjatulWadaaortheFarewellPilgrimage since theProphet ()neverperformedanotherHajj,

anddiedshortlyafterheperformedit.

Onthe9thofDhulHijjahatMountArafat,theProphet(),de

liveredhisfarewellsermon.AfterpraisingAllah,hesaid:

OPeople!Lendmeanattentiveear,forIknownotwhether

afterthisyear,Ishalleverbeamongstyouagain.Thereforelisten towhat I am saying to you very carefully and take

thesewordstothosewhocouldnotbepresentheretoday.

OPeople!Justasyouregard thismonth, thisday, thiscity

assacred,soregard the lifeandpropertyofeveryMuslim.

Returnthegoodsentrustedtoyoutotheirrightfulowners.

Hurtnooneso thatnoonemayhurtyou.Remember,youwillindeedmeetyourLordandHewillindeedreckonyour

deeds.Allahhasforbiddenyouto takeusury; thereforeall

interestobligationshallhenceforthbewaived.Yourcapital,

however,isyourstokeep.Youwillneitherinflictnorsuffer

inequity.BewareofSatanforthesafetyofyourreligion.He

haslostallhopethathewilleverbeabletoleadyouastray

ingreatthings,sobewareoffollowinghiminsmallthings.


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OPeople!Itistruethatyouhavecertainrightswithregards

toyourwomen,buttheyalsohaverightsoveryou.Remem

berthatyouhavetakenthemasyourwivesonlyunderAl

lahs trustandwithHispermission. If theyabidebyyour

right, then to thembelongs theright tobefedandclothed

inkindness.Dotreatyourwomenwellandbekindtothem,

fortheyareyourpartnersandcommittedhelpers.Anditis

your right that theydonot take as intimate friends those

whom

you

do

not

approve

of

as

well

as

to

never

be

un

chaste.

OPeople!Listen tome inearnest;worshipAllah,perform

your fivedailyprayers, fast themonthofRamadhan,give

almsandperformthepilgrimage(i.e.Hajj)ifyoucanafford

to.AllmankindisfromAdamandAdamisfromclay.There

isnosuperiorityforanAraboveranonArab,norforanon

Arab over anArab; or for awhite over ablack,nor for a

blackoverawhite;except throughpiety.Know thatevery

Muslim is a brother to every other Muslim and that the

Muslimsareonecommunity.Nothingshallbelegitimateto

aMuslimthatbelongstoanotherunlessitwasgivenfreely

andwillingly.Donot,therefore,doinjusticetoyourselves.

Remember,onedayyouwill appearbeforeAllah and answerforyourdeeds.Sobeware!Donotstrayfromthepath

of righteousnessafter Iamgone.OPeople!Noprophetor

messenger will come after me and no new faith will be

born.Reasonwell,therefore,Opeople!Andunderstandthe

wordsthatIconveytoyou.Ileavebehindmetwothings,if

youfollowthemyouwillnevergoastray:theBookofAllah

(i.e.theQuran)andmySunnah.Allthosewholistentome

shallpassonmywordstoothersandthosetoothersagain;

and may the last ones understand my words better than


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27

thosewho listen tome directly.Bemywitness,OAllah,

thatIhaveconveyedYourMessagetoYourPeople.

TheProphet ()died inMadeenahon the12thdayofRabial

Awal in the 11thyearofHijrah andwasburied there aswell.

TheMuslimswereshockedwhentheylearntofhisdeath;some

Companionsdidnotbelieve it.Umarsaid: Whoeversaysthat

Muhammad is dead, Iwillbehead him!Abu Bakr then ad

dressedtheMuslimsandreadthewordsofGod:

Muhammad is not but aMessenger.Othermessengers

havepassed awaybeforehim.So ifhewas todieorbe

killed,would you turn back on your heels to unbelief?

AndHewhoturnsbackonhisheelswillneverharmGod

atall;butGodwillrewardthegrateful. [3:144]

WhenUmarheard thisverse,hestoppedsayingwhathewas

saying, sincehewasverykeenonapplying the rulesofGod.TheProphet()was63yearsofagewhenhedied.

TheProphet()stayedinMakkahforfortyyearsbeforebeing

commissioned as a Prophet. After being commissioned as a

Prophet;he lived there foranother thirteenyears, inwhichhe

calledpeopletothepuremonotheisticbeliefofIslam.Hethen

migratedtoMadeenah,andstayedtherefortenyears.Hecontinued toreceiverevelation there,until theQuranand there

ligionofIslamwerecomplete.

The famous playwright and critic, George Bernard Shaw (d.

1950)said:

IhavealwaysheldthereligionofMuhammadinhighestima

tionbecause of itswonderful vitality. It is the only religionwhich appears topossess that assimilating capability to the

changing phases of existence which make itself appeal to


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28

everyage IhaveprophesizedaboutthefaithofMuhammad

thatitwouldbeacceptabletomorrowasitisbeginningtobe

acceptable to theEuropeof today.Medievalecclesiastics,ei

therthroughignoranceorbigotry,paintedMuhammadanism

inthedarkestcolours.Theywere,infact,trainedtohateboth

themanMuhammadandhisreligion.To them,Muhammad

was an antiChrist. Ihave studiedhim, thewonderfulman,

andinmyopinion,farfrombeinganantiChrist,hemustbe

calledthe

Saviour

of

humanity.

15

SSSS15EncyclopediaofSeerah,byAfzalurRahman.


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TheDescriptionoftheProphet()

The Prophet was of a slightly aboveaverage height. Amaz

ingly,ingatherings,hewouldappeartallerthanthoseactually

taller thanhim until thepeopledispersed. Incomplexion,he

waswhitewith a rosy tinge;pale,butnot excessively so.His

hairwasjetblackandwavy,butstoppedshortofcurling,and

was keptbetween his earlobes and shoulders. Sometimes hewouldparthishairatthemiddle.Othertimes,hewouldwear

itbraided. The Prophet () had the physique of a powerful

man.Hehadabroadupperbackandshouldersbetweenwhich

was the Seal of Prophethood. He had longmuscular limbs,

largejointsandawidegirth.Hisleanstomachneverprotruded

outpasttheprofileofhischest.Hisfacewasradiant,asifthe

sun were following its course across and shining from hisface, said one Companion.His neckwas silverywhite; his

forehead,prominent;hispupils,largeandblack;hiseyelashes,

longand thick;hisnose,hightippedwithnarrownostrils.At

the time ofhisdeath, theProphethad exactly 17whitehairs

sharedbetweenhistemplesandthefrontofhisthick,beard.He

hadhaironhis forearmsandshinsanda lineof finehairalso

ranfromhischesttohisnavel.

The Prophet ()wouldwalkbrisklywith a forwardleaning

gait, moving with strength of purpose and lifting each foot

clearlyoff theground.Hispacewas such that fitmenwould

tire trying to keep up.When he turned, he would turn his

wholebody,givingfullattentiontotheoneaddressinghimand

showing complete concern towhatwasbeing said.When hepointed,hewoulduseanopenhandsoasnottooffend.Like

wise,whenhecriticizedapersonsbehavior,ratherthanname


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the individual,hewould simply say: Whydopeopledo so

and so?Hewould laughonly to the extent that thegapbe

tweenhisfrontteethwouldbecomevisible.Hewouldbecome

angryonly to theextent thathis facewould turn redand the

veinbetweenhis fine,bowshapedeyebrowswouldbulge.He

oncesaid:

IamthemasterofthedescendantsofAdamandIdonot

saysooutofpride. (Tirmidthi)

That freedom frompridewasobvious even to children,who

wouldplayfullyleadtheProphet()throughthestreetsofMe

dinawhilstgraspinghisfinger.Indeedhehadsaid:

Hewhodoesnot showmercy to our young,norhonor

ourold,isnotfromus. (AbuDawood)

(Allahhassentyou)aMessengerwhorecites toyou the

clearSignsofAllah thatHemay takeout thosewhobe

lieve and work righteousness from the darkness to the

light(ofIslamicMonotheism). [65:11]

Ali,cousinandsoninlaw to theProphet,saidofMuham

mad:

'Hewas

the

Last

of

the

Prophets,

the

most

giving

of

hearts,

themost truthful, the best of them in temperament and

themostsociable.Whoeverunexpectedlysawhimwould

stand inaweofhim,andwhoeveraccompaniedhimand

got toknowhimwould lovehim.Thosedescribinghim

wouldsay: Ihaveneverseenanyonebeforeorafterhim

whowascomparabletohim.

The Prophetsbelovedwife,Aishah, said of her selfless hus

band:


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31

He always joined in household chores and would at

timesmend his clothes, repair his shoes and sweep the

floor.Hewouldmilk,tetherandfeedhisanimals.(Bukhari)

Shealsodescribedhischaracteras:TheQuran(exempli

fied).

Indeed in theMessengerofAllahyouhaveanexcellent

exampletofollowforwhoeverhopesinAllahandtheLast

DayandremembersAllahmuch. [33:21]

SSSS


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SomeoftheProphetsManners&Characteristics:

1.Sound Intellect:TheMessenger ()hadanexcellent, com

pleteandsound intellect.Nomanhaseverhadan intellectas

complete and perfect as his. Qadhi Iyaadh16,may God have

mercyonhim,said:

Thisbecomescleartoanindividualwhentheresearcherreads

theProphetsbiographyandunderstandshisstateofaffairs,and hismeaningful and inclusive utterances and traditions,

hisgoodmanners,ethicsandmoralcharacter,hisknowledge

oftheTorahandGospelandotherDivineScriptures,andhis

knowledgeof statementsof thewise,andknowledgeofby

gonenations, and ability to strike examples and implement

policiesand correctemotionalmanners.Hewasanexample

and paradigm to which his people could relate to in all

branchesofknowledge;actsofworship,medicine,lawsofin

heritance, lineage, and othermatters aswell.He knew and

learned all of thiswithout reading or examining the Scrip

turesofthosebeforeus,nordidhesitwiththeirscholars.The

Prophet had no formal schooling, andwaswithout knowl

edgeof

the

above

before

being

commissioned

as

aProphet,

norcouldhereadorwrite.TheProphet ()waswise to the

fullest extent of hismental capacity. God, the Exalted, in

formedhimofsomeofwhathadtakenplace(inthepast)and

of thatwhichwould takeplace in the future.This is a sign

16AgreatscholarofIslamwhowrotemanyworks, includingon the

BiographyoftheProphet().


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33

that theDominionbelongs toGod, and thatHe is capable

overallthings.17

2.DoingThingsfortheSakeofGod:TheProphet()would

alwaysdodeedsthroughwhichhewouldseekthepleasureof

God.Hewasharmedandabusedwhenhe invitedand called

peopletoIslam;yethewaspatientandenduredallofthis,and

hopedfortherewardofGod.Abdullahb.Masoodsaid:

TheProphet () resembled aprophetwhowasharmedbyhispeople.Hewipedthebloodfromhisfaceandsaid:

OGod!Forgivemypeople,for theyknownot! (Bukhari#3290)

Jundubb.SufyaansaidthattheMessengersfingerbledduring

oneofthebattles,andhesaid:

Youarebutafingerwhichhasbled;whichsuffersinthepathofGod. (Bukhari#2648)

3.Sincerity:TheProphet()wassincereandhonestinallhis

matters,asGodhadorderedhim.Allah,theExalted,says:

Say, Indeed,myprayer,my ritesofsacrifice,my living

andmydyingareforGod,Lordoftheworlds.NopartnerhasHe.And this Ihavebeen commanded and I am the

first(amongyou)oftheMuslims. [6:162163]

4.GoodMorals,EthicsandCompanionship:TheProphet()

wasalivingexampleforallhumanstofollow.HiswifeAishah

wasaskedabouthismanners,andshesaid,

17QadhiEiyadh,AlShifabitareefiHoquooqilMostafa


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HismannersweretheQuran.

Inthis

statement,

Aishah

meant

that

the

Prophet

()

abided

by

its laws and commands and abstained from its prohibitions,

andobserved thevirtuousdeedsmentioned in it.TheProphet

()said:

Godhassentmetoperfectgoodmannersandtodogood

deeds. (Bukhari&Ahmed)

Allah,theExalted,describedtheProphet()saying:Andindeed,youareofagreatmoralcharacter [68:4]

Anasb.Malik served the Prophet () for ten years;Hewas

withhimdayinanddayout,bothwhentheProphet()trav

eledandwhenhewasaresidentinMadeenah.Hewasknowl

edgeableoftheProphetsmanners.Hesaid:

The Prophet () did not swear at anyone, nor was he

rude,nordidhecurseanyone.Ifhedesiredtoreprimand

someone, hewould say: What iswrongwith him,may

dustbecastinhisface! (Bukhari#5684)

5. Politeness and Good Manners: The Prophet () showed

goodmannersandwascourteoustoall,eventochildren.Oncewhen theProphetwas inagathering,adrinkwasbrought to

theProphet ()andhedrank from it.Onhis rightside there

wasayoungboyandonhisleftsidewereelderlymen.Feeling

obligedby the respect of elders, andnotwanting tohurt the

feelingsofthechild,heaskedtheyoungboy:

DoyoumindifIgivethedrinktothem?Theyoungboy

said: OProphetofGod!ByGod!Iwouldnotpreferany

onetodrinkfromtheplaceyoudrank.Thisismyfairsha


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re18.TheMessengerofGod()handedtheboythedrink.(Bukhari#2319)

6.LoveforReformationandReconciliation:Wheneverasitua

tion occurredwhich called for reconciliation, the Prophet ()

wouldhurrytoresolveit.Oncewhenheheardthatthepeople

of Qubaa19 disputed with each other about a matter, the

Prophet()said:

Letusgotoresolvethesituationandmakepeacebetweenthem. (Bukhari#2547)

7.Orderingwiththegoodandforbiddingevil:IftheProphet

()sawanactwhichopposedatenetofthereligion,hewould

reprimanditinasuitablemanner. Abdullahb.Abbassaid:

TheMessenger

of

God

saw

aman

wearing

agold

ring

20

,so

hereachedforit,[and]removedit.Hethensaid:

Wouldoneofyouseekaburningcharcoalandplaceiton

hishand?!

Themanwas later told, after the Prophet left: Take your

ring!Makegooduseofit[bysellingit].Themansaid:No,by

God! Iwillnever take itafter theMessengerofGodcast itaway. (Muslim#2090)

AbuSaeedalKhudrisaid:IheardtheMessengerofAllahsay:

Whoeverofyouseesanevilaction,lethimchangeitwithhis

18According to Islamicetiquette.Oneshouldalwaysbegin from the

right.

19AtownpreviouslyontheoutskirtsofMadeenah.

20 ItisprohibitedformentoweargoldinIslam.


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36

hand;andifheisnotabletodoso,thenwithhistongue;and

ifheisnotabletodoso,thenwithhisheart (Muslim)

8. Love ofPurification:A companion passedby the Prophet

()whilehewasnotinastateofpurification.Hegreetedhim

withGodsname,buttheProphet()didnotreturnthegreet

inguntilheperformedablutionandapologizedsaying:

Idisliked thatIshouldmentionGodsnamewhileIam

notinastateofpurity. (IbnKhuzaimah#206)

9.SafeguardingandMindingOnesLanguage:TheMessenger

ofGod()wouldbusyhimselfwiththeremembranceofGod;

hewouldnottalk invain.Hewouldlengthenhisprayersand

shortenthespeech,andhewouldnothesitatetohelpandtake

careoftheneedsofaneedy,poororwidow. (IbnHibban#6423)

10.ExcellinginActsofWorship:AishahsaidthattheProphet

ofGod ()used toprayduring thenightuntilhis feetwould

swell. She said, Why do you do this,OMessenger ofGod,

whileGodhasforgivenyourpastandfuturesins?TheProphet

()replied:

ShallInotbeagratefulslave(ofGod)? (Bukhari#4557)

11.Forbearance:Once some companions came to theProphet

()complainingabouta tribe,namely theDaws,who refused

to accept Islam, asking him to curse them. The Prophet ()

raisedhishandsinprayerandinsteadsaid:

OAllahguidethetribeofDawsandbringthemtoIslam!


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12.GoodAppearance:Thecompanionsknew theProphet ()

tobethemostbeautifulofpeople.Onecompanionsaid:

The Prophet () was a person of average height. His

shoulderswerewide.Hishairreachedhisearlobes.OnceI

sawhimadorned inaredgarment;Ineversawanything

morebeautifulthanhim. (Bukhari#2358)

13.AsceticisminWorldlyAffairs:Therearemanyexamplesin

theProphets lifewhichprove thathehadno concern for thepleasuresofthislife.Abdullahb.Masoodsaid:

TheMessenger ofGod ()went to sleep on amat.He

stoodupandhehadmarksonhissideduetothematthat

hehadslepton.Wesaid: OMessengerofGod,shallwe

notmake[aproper]beddingforyou?Hesaid:WhatdoI

havetodowiththisworld?Iamonlylikeawayfareruponamountthatstoppedtotakeshadeandrestunderatree,

andthenleavesitbehindandcontinuesonthejourney.(Tirmidthi#2377)

Amrb. alHaarith said theMessenger ofGod () did not

leaveanygoldorsilvercurrency,oraslave,maleorfemale,

afterhisdeath.Heonlyleftbehindhiswhitemule,hisweap

onsandapieceoflandwhichhedeclaredasCharity. (Bukhari#2588)

14.Altruism:Sahlb.Sadsaid:TheProphet()hadmorecare

forthosearoundhimthanforhisownself.

A woman gave the Messenger of God () a Burdah(gown).TheProphet ()askedhisCompanions: Doyou

knowwhataBurdahis?Theyreplied,Yes,OProphetof


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God!Itisapieceofwovencloth[similartoashawl].The

womansaid:OProphetofGod!Ihavewoventhisshawl

withmyownhands, foryou towear.TheMessengerof

God () took itwhilehedirelyneeded it.Afterawhile,

theMessengerofGod ()cameoutofhishomewearing

it,andaCompanionsaidtotheMessengerofGod():O

ProphetofGod!Grantme thisshawl towear!TheMes

sengerofGod()said: Yes.Hethensatforawhile,and

headed

back

home,

folded

it

and

gave

it

to

the

person

who

askedforit.TheCompanionsscoldedhimsaying:Itwas

not appropriate for you to ask for his shawl; especially

since you know he does not turn anyone down or send

themawayemptyhanded!Themansaid: ByGod!Ionly

askedhimtogiveittomebecauseIwanttobeshrouded

inthisshawlwhenIdie.Sahl,thenarratoroftheHadeeth

said:Theshawlwasusedasashroudforthatmanwhenhedied. (Bukhari#1987)

15. Strong Faith and Dependence on God: Although the

Prophet () and his companions faced severe trials from the

disbelievers,healwaysremindedthemthattheendwasforthe

believers, and that theWill ofGodwill come to pass.When

AbuBakrandtheProphethidinacaveaftertheyhadlefttheir

homes in order tomigrate toMadeenah, the disbelievers of

Makkahhadsentscoutsinsearchofthem.Theycamesoclose

tothecavethatAbuBakrcouldseetheirfeet.AbuBakrsaid:

I lookedat the feetof thepaganswhilewewere in the

cave [ofThawr]. I said, OProphetofGod! If anyoneof

them looksdownathis feethewouldseeus!TheMessengerofGod()said: OAbuBakr!Whatdoyouthink


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oftwowithwhomGod,theExalted,istheirThird? (Muslim#1854)

16.KindnessandCompassion:TheProphetwasthekindestof

people,andthiswasalsoapparentinhistreatmentofinfants.

The Messenger of God () performed Salah (prayer)

while he was carrying an infant girl named Umaamah,

daughterofAbulAas.Whenhebowed,heputheronthe

ground,andwhenhestoodup,hewouldcarryheragain.(Bukhari#5650)

17.SimplificationandEase:TheProphet()alwayssoughtto

makethingseasyforpeople.TheMessengerofGod()said:

Istarttheprayerwiththeintentionoflengtheningit,but

whenIhearachildcrying,Ishortentheprayer,asIknow

itsmotherwouldsufferfromhisscreams!(Bukhari#677)

18. FearingGod, beingMindful to not trespassHis Limits:

TheMessengerofGod()said:

Sometimes,when I return tomy family, Iwould find a

datefruit on thebed. Iwouldpick itup to eat it;but I

wouldfearthatitwasfromthecharity21,andthus,throwit

back[ontheground]. (Bukhari#2300)

19.SpendingGenerously:AnasbinMaliksaid:

TheMessenger ofGod ()was never asked for some

thing when a person accepted Islam, except that he

21ItwasforbiddenbyGodfortheProphet()orhisfamilytoaccept

anyformofcharity.


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40

granted that personwhat he asked.Aman came to the

Prophet () and he gave him a herd of sheep thatwas

grazingbetweentwomountains.Themanreturnedtohis

peopleandsaid: OmypeopleacceptIslam!Muhammad

()givesoutgenerouslylikeonewhodoesnotfearpov

erty. (Muslim#2312)

IbnAbbassaid:

TheProphet()wasthemostgenerousofpeople.Hewas

most generous during Ramadhan when he met Gabriel

();hewouldmeethimeverynightduringRamadhanto

practiceandreview theQuranwithhim.TheMessenger

ofGod ()was sogenerous, thathewas faster than the

swiftestwindinthisregard. (Bukhari#6)

AbuDharrsaid:

Iwaswalkingwith theProphet () in theHarrah (vol

canic region) of Madeenah and we faced the mount of

Uhud;theProphet()said:OAbuDharr!Isaid:HereI

amOMessengerofGod!Hesaid:Itwouldnotpleaseme

tohaveanamountofgoldequal to theweightofMount

Uhud,until Ispendandgive itout (in thesakeofGod)

withinanightorwithinthreenights.Iwouldkeepasinglesilverpieceofittohelpthosewhoareindebt. (Bukhari#2312)

Jabirb.Abdullahsaid:

TheProphetdidnotrefusetogiveanythingwhichhe

hadtosomeoneifheaskedforit. (Bukhari#5687)

20.Cooperation: The Prophet ()was not a kingwho com

mandedhisfollowerstocarryouthisorders.Ratherhealways


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carriedouthisownaffairsandhelpedothers incollectivedu

ties.Aishahwas once asked about how the Prophet ()be

havedwithhisfamily.Shesaid:

He helped and assisted his family memberswith their

chores;butwhen the call toprayerwasheard,hewould

[stopeverythingand]leavetoattendtheprayers.

AlBaraabinAzibsaid:

IsawtheMessengerofGod()ontheDayoftheTrenchcarryingdirt[thatwasdugfromthetrench]untilhischest

wascoveredwithdirt. (Bukhari#2780)

21.Truthfulness:Aishahsaid:

The traitand characteristicwhich theProphet ()hated

mostwas

lying.

A

man

would

tell

alie

in

the

presence

of

theProphet()andhewouldholditagainsthim,untilhe

knewthatherepented.(Tirmidthi#1973)

Even his enemies attested to his truthfulness.AbuJahl,who

wasoneoftheharshestenemiesofIslam,said:OMuhammad!

Idonotsaythatyouarea liar!Ionlydenywhatyoubrought

andwhatyoucallpeopleto.God,theExalted,says:

We know indeed that what they say certainly grieves

you,butsurely theydonotcallyoua liar;but theunjust

denytheversesofGod. [6:33]

22.AggrandizingthelimitssetbyAllah,andAlwaysSeeking

theModeratePath:Aishahsaid:

TheProphet()wasnotgivenachoicebetweentwomat

ters,exceptthathechosetheeasierofthetwo,aslongasit


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42

wasnotasinfulact.Ifthatactwasasinfulact,hewould

bethefarthestfromit.ByGod!Heneveravengedhimself.

Heonlybecameangrywhenpeopletransgressedthelim

itsandboundariesofGod;inthatcaseheavenged[forthe

sakeofGod]. (Bukhari#6404)

23.PleasantFacialExpression:AbdullahbinalHarithsaid:

IhaveneverseenamanwhosmiledasmuchastheMes

sengerofGod(). (Tirmidthi#2641)

24.Honesty,TrustworthinessandReliability:TheProphet()

waswellknown forhishonesty.ThepagansofMakkah who

wereopenlyhostile towardshim would leave theirvaluables

withhim.Hishonestyandreliabilitywas testedwhen thepa

gansofMakkahabusedhimandtorturedhiscompanionsand

drove themoutof theirhomes.Heorderedhis cousin,Alib.

AbiTalibtopostponehismigrationforthreedaystoreturnto

peopletheirvaluables.22

Anotherexampleofhishonesty,trustworthinessandreliability

isdemonstrated intheTruceofHudaibiyah,whereinheagreed

to thearticle in the treatywhichstated thatanymanwho left

theProphet ()wouldnotbe returned tohim, and anymanwholeftMakkahwouldbereturnedtothem.Beforethetreaty

wasconcludedamannamedAbuJandalb.Amrhadmanaged

toescape from thepagansofMakkahand rushed tojoinMu

hammad (). The pagans asked Muhammad to honor his

pledgeandreturntheescapee.TheMessengerofGod()said:

22IbnHishamsBiography,Vol.1,p.493[ArabicEdition].


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43

OAbu Jandal!BepatientandaskGod tograntyoupa

tience.Godwillsurelyhelpyouandthosewhoareperse

cutedandmakeiteasyforyou.Wehavesignedanagree

ment with them, and we certainly do not betray or act

treacherously. (Baihaquee#18611)

25.Braveryandcourage:Alisaid:

YoushouldhaveseenhimontheDayofBadr!Wesought

refugewiththeMessengerofGod().Hewastheclosestamongus to the enemy.On thatDay, theMessenger of

God()wasthestrongestoneamongus. (Ahmed#654)

As forhis courageandbraveryundernormal circumstances

Anasb.Maliksaid:

TheMessengerofGod()wasthebestofpeopleandthe

most courageous. One night, the people of Madeenah

were frightened and headed towards the sounds they

heard during the night.TheMessenger ofGod ()met

themwhilecomingbackfromtheplaceofthesound,after

hemadesure that therewasno trouble.Hewas ridinga

horse that belonged toAbu Talhahwithout any saddle,

andhehadhisswordwithhim.Hewasassuringthepeo

ple,saying: Donotbefrightened!Donotbefrightened!(Bukhari#2751)

Hemetupwithpeopleridingahorsewithnosaddle,andhe

carriedhissword,fortheremightbeareasonorneedtouseit.

Hedidnotwaitforotherstoinvestigatethesourceoftroubleas

isusuallydoneinthesesituations.

26.BashfulnessandModesty:AbuAyoubalAnsarisaid that

theMessengerofAllah()said:Four(traits)arefromtheprac


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tice of the Messengers; modesty, using perfume and siwak

(toothstick)andmarriage. (Tirmidthi)

Aishahsaid: Awomanasked theProphet ()about thebath

whichistakenattheendofthemenstrualperiod.TheProphet

() said: Purify yourselfwith a piece of cloth scentedwith

musk.TheProphet () felt shy and turnedhis face.Aishah

said:IpulledhertomyselfandtoldherwhattheProphet()

meant. (Bukhari#313)

27.Humbleness:TheMessengerofGod()wasthemosthum

bleperson.Hewassohumble that ifastrangerwere toenter

themosqueandapproach theProphetssittingplacewhilehe

wassittingwithhisCompanions,onewouldnotbeabletodis

tinguishhimfromhisCompanions.AnasbinMaliksaid:

Once,whileweweresittingwith theMessengerofGod() in theMasjid,amanonhiscamelapproached.After

hetieditwitharope,heasked:WhoamongstyouisMu

hammad?TheMessengerofGod ()was sittingon the

groundwhilehewas leaning,withhisCompanions.We

directedtheBedouin,saying: Thiswhitemanleaningon

the ground. The Prophet () did not differ nor distin

guishhimselffromhisCompanions.

TheProphet()wouldnothesitatetohelpthepoor,needyand

widowsintheirneeds.Anasb.Maliksaid:

Awoman from the people ofMadeenahwhowas par

tially insane said to theProphet (): Ihave to ask you

[yourhelp]aboutsomething.Hehelpedherandtookcare

ofherneeds.(Bukhari#670)

28.MercyandCompassion:AbuMasoodalAnsarisaid:


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Aman came to the Prophet () and said: OMessenger of

God! By God! I do not pray Fajr prayer because so and so

lengthenstheprayer. Hesaid: Ihaveneverseen theMessen

gerofGod()deliveraspeechinsuchanangrystate.Hesaid:

O People!Verily there are among you thosewho chase

people away! If you lead people in prayer, shorten the

prayer. There are old and weak people and those with

specialneedsbehindyouinprayer. (Bukhari#670)

OncewhentheProphet()wenttovisithisgrandchildheshed

sometears.

TheMessengerofGod()satwiththechildwhilehewas

onhisdeathbed.Thechildseyesfrozeintheirplaceslike

stones.Uponseeingthat,theMessengerofGod()wept.

Sad said to him, What is this O Prophet ofGod?He

said: This isamercy thatGod, theExalted,places in theheartsofHisslaves.Truly,God ismerciful to thosewho

aremercifultowardsothers. (Bukhari#6942)

29.PatienceandForbearance:AnasbinMaliksaid:

Once, I was walking with the Messenger of God ()

whilehewaswearingaYemeni cloakwithacollarwith

roughedges.ABedouingrabbedhimstrongly.Ilookedat

thesideofhisneckandsawthattheedgeofthecloakleft

amark on his neck. The Bedouin said, OMuhammad!

Giveme[some]ofthewealthofGodthatyouhave.The

MessengerofGod()turnedtotheBedouin,laughedand

orderedthathebegiven[somemoney]. (Bukhari#2980)

Another example of his patience is the story of the JewishRabbi,ZaidbinSanah.Zaidhadgivensomethingasaloanto

theMessengerofGod().Hehimselfsaid,


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Twoorthreedayspriortothereturnofthedebt,theMes

sengerofGod()wasattendingthefuneralofamanfrom

theAnsar.Abu Bakr andUmar,Uthman and some other

CompanionswerewiththeProphet().Afterheprayedthe

funeralprayerhe satdown close toawall,and I came to

wards him, grabbed him by the edges of his cloak, and

looked at him in a harsh way, and said: OMuhammad!

Willyounotpaymebackmy loan? Ihavenotknown the

family

of

Abdul

Mutalib

to

delay

in

repaying

debts!

I looked atUmar b. alKhattaab his eyeswere swollen

withanger!Helookedatmeandsaid:OEnemyofGod,do

youtalktotheMessengerofGodandbehavetowardshim

in thismanner?!By theOnewho senthimwith the truth,

had itnotbeen for the fear of not entering theHeavenly

Gardens, Iwouldhavebeheadedyouwithmysword!The

Prophet ()was looking atUmar in a calm and peaceful

manner, andhe said: OUmar, you shouldhave givenus

sincerecounseling,ratherthantodowhatyoudid!OUmar,

goandrepayhimhisloan,andgivehimtwentySaa(meas

urementofweight)extrabecauseyouscaredhim!

Zaidsaid:Umarwentwithme,andrepaidmethedebt,and

gavemeoverittwentySaaofdates.Iaskedhim: Whatisthis?He said: TheMessenger ofGod () orderedme to

giveit,becauseIfrightenedyou.ZaidthenaskedUmar:O

Umar,doyouknowwho I am?Umar said: No, Idont

who are you?Zaid said: I amZaid b. Sanah.Umar in

quired:TheRabbi?Zaidanswered:Yes,theRabbi.Umar

thenaskedhim: Whatmadeyousaywhatyousaid to the

Prophet ()anddowhatyoudid tohim?Zaidanswered:

OUmar, Ihave seen all the signs ofprophethood in the

faceoftheMessengerofGod()excepttwo(thefirst)his


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patience and perseverance precede his anger and the sec

ond,themoreharsheryouaretowardshim,thekinderand

morepatienthebecomes,andIamnowsatisfied.OUmar,I

hold you as awitness that I testify and am satisfied that

thereisnotruegodworthyofbeingworshippedexceptGod

alone,andmyreligion isIslamandMuhammad () ismy

Prophet.Ialsoholdyouasawitnessthathalfofmywealth

andIamamongthewealthiestpeopleinMadeenah Igive

for

the

sake

of

God

to

the

Muslims.

Umar

said:

you

will

notbeabletodistributeyourwealthtoalltheMuslims,so

say, I will distribute it to some of the followers of Mu

hammad ().Zaidsaid: I said, then Iwilldistribute (the

apportioned)wealthtosomeoftheMuslims.BothZaidand

Umar returned to theMessengerofGod ().Zaid said to

him: Ibearwitnessthatthereisnotruegodworthyofbe

ingworshippedexceptGodalone,andthatMuhammad()istheslaveofGodandHisMessenger.Hebelievedinhim,

andwitnessedmanybattlesand thendied in theBattleof

Tabookwhilehewas encountering the enemy mayGod

havemercyonZaid.(IbnHibban#288)

Agreatexampleofhis forgivenessandperseverance isappar

entwhen

he

pardoned

the

people

of

Makkah

after

its

conquest.

WhentheMessengerofGod()gatheredthepeople;whohad

abused,harmedandtorturedhimandhiscompanions,andhad

driventhemoutofthecityofMakkah,hesaid:

WhatdoyouthinkIwilldotoyou?Theyanswered:You

willonlydosomethingfavorable;youareakindandgen

erous brother, and a kind and generous nephew! The

Prophet()said:Go youarefreetodoasyouwish.(Baihaqi#18055)


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30.Patience:TheMessengerofGod()wastheepitomeofpa

tience.Hewaspatientwithhispeoplebefore calling them to

Islam;fortheywouldworshipidolsanddosinfulacts.Hewas

patient and tolerantwith the abuse and harm the pagans of

Makkah inflictedonhimandhisCompanionsandsought the

rewardofGod.Hewasalsopatientandtolerantwiththeabuse

ofthehypocritesinMadeenah.

Hispatiencewasseverely testedwhenhe losthis lovedones.

Hiswife, Khadeejah, died during his lifetime, as did all hischildren, save his daughter, Fatimah.His uncleHamzah and

AbuTalibpassed away aswell.TheProphet ()waspatient

andsoughttherewardofGod.Anasb.Maliksaid:

WeenteredthehouseofAbuSaif theblacksmith with

theProphet().AbuSaifswifewasthewetnurseofhis

son,Ibraheem.

The

Messenger

of

God ()

lifted

his

son

Ibraheem,andsmelledandkissedhim.Afterawhilehe

wentandsawhissonagain hewasdying.TheProphet

()startedtocry.Abdurrahmaanb.Aufsaid: OProphet

ofGod,youtoocry!TheMessenger()said:OIbnAuf,

thisisamercy theProphet()shedmoretearsandsaid:

Theeyes shed tears, theheart issaddened,andweonly

saywhatpleasesourLord,andwearesaddenedbyyourdeath,OIbraheem!(Bukhari#1241)

31. Justice andFairness:TheMessengerofGod ()wasjust

andfairineveryaspectofhislifeandintheapplicationofthe

religion.Aishahsaid:

ThepeopleofQuraishwere extremely concerned about aMakhzoomi woman (i.e. the woman from the tribe of

Makhzoom)whocommittedatheft.Theyconversedamong


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kissedit,saying:Ionlymeanttodothis,OMessengerof

God! (AbuDawood#5224)

32.FearingGod,andBeingMindfulofHim:TheMessengerof

God ()was themostmindfulperson ofGod.Abdullahbin

Masoudsaid:

[Once] theMessengerofGod () said tome: Recite to

mefromtheQuran!Abdullahb.Masoodsaid:ShallIre

citeittoyou,whileitwasyoutowhomitwasrevealed?!TheProphet()said:Yes.Hesaid:IstartedtoreciteSu

ratanNisaa23,untilIreachedtheverse:

How then ifWebrought from eachnationawitness,

andWebroughtyouasawitnessagainstthesepeople!(4:41)

Uponhearing thisverse, theMessengerofGod ()said:That is enough! Abdullah b. Masood said, I turned

aroundandsawtheMessengerofGod()crying. (Bukhari#4763)

Aishahsaid:

If theMessenger ofGod () sawdark clouds in the sky;he

wouldpaceforwardsandbackwardsandwouldexitandenterhishouse.As soon as it rained, theProphet ()would relax.

Aishahaskedhimaboutit,andhesaid:Idonotknow,itmay

beassomepeoplesaid:

Then, when they saw the (penalty in the shape of) a

cloud traversing the sky, coming to meet their valleys,

theysaid:

This

cloud

will

give

us

rain!

Nay,

it

is

the

(ca

23ThefourthchapteroftheQuran.


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lamity)youwereasking tobehastened!Awindwherein

isaGrievousPenalty!24(46:24)

33. Richness and Contentment of the Heart: Umar b. al

Khattabsaid:

Ientered theMessengershouseandIfoundhimsitting

onamat.Hehadaleatherpillowstuffedwithfibers.He

hadapotofwaterbyhisfeet,andtherewassomeclothes

hungonthewall.Hissidehadmarksduetothematthathelayon.Umarweptwhenhesawthis,andtheMessen

ger () asked him: Why do youweep?Umar said: O

ProphetofGod!KhosrauandCaesarenjoythebestofthis

world,andyouaresufferinginpoverty?!Hesaid:Arent

youpleasedthattheyenjoythisworld,andwewillenjoy

theHereafter? (Bukhari#4629)

34.HopingforGoodness,EvenforhisEnemies:Aishahsaid:

Iasked theMessengerofGod (): Didyou faceaday

harderandmoreintensethantheBattleofUhud?Here

plied: Isufferedalotfromyourpeople!TheworstIsuf

feredwasontheDayofalAqabahwhenIspoketoAlib.

AbdYaleelb.AbdKilaal(inordertosupportme)buthe

disappointedmeand leftme. I left theareawhile Iwas

quiteworried,andwalked whenIreachedanareacalled

QarnathThaalib,Iraisedmyheadtotheskyandnoticed

acloudthatshadedme.Gabriel()calledmeandsaid:O

Muhammad!God, theExalted,hasheardwhatyourpeo

plehavesaidtoyou andhassenttheAngelinchargeof

themountains,soyoucancommandhim todowhatyou

24Bukhari#3034.


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52

please.TheProphet()said:TheAngelinchargeofthe

mountains called me saying: May God praise you and

keepsafefromallevil!OMuhammad,Iwilldowhatever

youcommandme todo. Ifyou like Icanbring theAkh

shabainmountainstogetherandcrushthemall.TheMes

sengerofGod () said: Itmaybe thatGod raises from

amongthemaprogenywhoworshipGodaloneandasso

ciatenopartnerswithHim. (Bukhari#3059)

SSSS


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TheProphetsMannerswithThosearoundHim

1. The Prophets close relations with his Companions: The

Prophetwas very close to his companions, and this iswell

knownwhenonereadsthedetailedreportsabouttheProphets

biography.TheProphet () is the examplewhichwe should

emulateinallourmatters.Jareerb.Abdullahsaid:TheProphet

()did

not

prevent

me

from

sitting

with

him

since

Iaccepted

Islam.He always smiledwhenhe looked atme. I once com

plainedtohimthatIcouldnotrideahorseandhehitmeinmy

chestandsupplicatedGod,saying:

OGod!Steadyhim,andmakehimapersonwhoguides

othersandasourceofguidance. (Bukhari#5739)

2.TheProphet ()wouldentertainhisCompanionsandjokewiththem:AlHasansaid:Anoldwomancametothe

Prophet () and said: OMessenger ofGod, askGod to

admit me into the Heavenly Gardens. He said: Old

women will not enter the Heavenly Gardens! She then

walked away crying.TheProphet () said: Tell her that

shewillnotentertheHeavenlyGardensasanoldwoman,

forAllahsays:

Verily,Wehavecreated them (maidens)of specialcrea

tion. And made them virgins. Loving (their husbands

only),(and)ofequalage. [56:357]

TheProphet()didnotonlyverballyentertainandjokewith

hiscompanions,butsportedandamusedthemaswell.Anasb.

Maliksaid:


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54

A Bedouin named Zahir b. Haram would give gifts to the

Prophet()andhewouldpreparethingsforhimaswell.The

Prophet()said:Zahirisourdesert,andwearehiscity.

The Prophet () approached him while he was selling his

goods,and theProphet ()huggedhim frombehind,andhe

couldnot seehim.He then said: Letmego!Whenheknew

that itwastheProphet()whowashugginghim,hepressed

hisbacktowardstheMessengerschest!TheMessengerofGod

()thensaid:Whowillbuythisslavefromme?Zahirsaid:OMessengerofGod, Iamworthless!TheMessengerofGod

said:

You are not considered worthless by God! or he said:

YouarevaluableandprecioustoGod.(IbnHibban#5790)

3.HewouldconsulthisCompanions:TheProphet()would

consulthisCompanions,andtaketheiropinionsandpointsofviewintoconsiderationinissuesandmattersforwhichnotex

tualproofswererevealed.AbuHurairahsaid:

Ihavenotseenapersonmorekeenforthesincereadvice

ofhiscompanionsthantheMessengerofGod(). (Tirmidthi#1714)

4.Visitingthesick,whetherhewasMuslimornonMuslim:The Prophet () was concerned about his Companions and

wouldmake sure that theywerewell. Ifhewas told about a

Companionwhowassick,hewouldrushtovisithimwiththe

Companions that were present with him. He wouldnt only

visit theMuslimswhowere sick; rather,hewould even visit

nonMuslims.Anasb.Maliksaid:

A Jewish boywould serve the Prophet () and he fell

sick, so the Prophet () said: Let us go and visit him.


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55

Theywenttovisithim,andfoundhisfathersittingbyhis

head,and theMessengerofGod ()said: proclaim that

there isno truegodworthyofbeingworshipped except

Allah alone and Iwill intercede on your behalf on ac

countofitontheDayofResurrection.Theboylookedat

hisfather,andthefathersaid:ObeyAbulQasim!25sothe

boyuttered: There isno truegodworthyofbeingwor

shippedexceptAllahaloneandMuhammad()isthelast

Messenger.

The

Messenger

of

God()

said:

All

praise

is

due toGod,Whosavedhim from theFireofHell. (IbnHibban#2960)

5.Hewas grateful for peoples goodness towards him, and

wouldrewardthatgenerously:Abdullahb.Umarsaidthatthe

MessengerofGod()said:

Whoever

seeks

refuge

with

God

against

your

evil,

then

do

notharmhim.WhoeverasksyoubyGod,thengivehim.

Whoever invitesyou, thenaccepthis invitation.Whoever

doesafavorforyouoranactofkindness,thenrepayhim

inasimilarmanner;butifyoudonotfindthatwhichyou

can reward himwith, then supplicateGod for him con

tinuously,untilyou thinkyouhave repaidhim. (Ahmed

#6106)

Aishahsaid:

TheMessenger ofGod () would accept gifts, and re

wardgenerouslyonaccountofthat.(Bukhari#2445)

6.TheMessengersloveforeverythingwhichisbeautifuland

good:Anassaid:

25AnothernameoftheProphet().


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56

Thehandof theMessengerofGod ()was softer than

anysilkthatIhadevertouched,andhisscentwassweeter

thananyperfumethatIhadeversmelt. (Bukhari#3368)

7.TheMessengerofGod()lovedtohelpothersbyinterced

ingontheirbehalf:

Abdullahb.Abbassaid:

Thehusband ofBareerahwas a slavewhosenamewas

Mugheeth IsawhimwalkingbehindherinthestreetsofMadeenahcrying,andhistearswerefallingoffhisbeard.

TheMessengerofGod () said toAlAbbas: Doesnt it

amazeyou,howmuchMugheethlovesBareerah,andhow

muchshedislikesMugheeth!

TheProphet()saidtoBareerah:Whydontyougoback

tohim?Shesaidtohim: Areyoucommandingmetodo

so?Hesaid:No,butIamintercedingonhisbehalf.She

said:Ihavenoneedforhim. (Bukhari#4875)

8.TheMessenger ofGod ()would servehimself:Aishah

said:

Iwasaskedhow theMessengerofGod ()behaved in

hishouse.

She

said:

He

was

like

any

man;

he

washed

his

clothes,milked his sheep, and served himself. (Ahmed24998)

TheProphetsexcellentmanners,notonlymadehimservehim

self;rather,hewouldserveothersaswell.Aishahsaid:

Iwasaskedhow theMessengerofGod ()behaved in

his

house.

She

said:

He

would

help

out

in

the

house

with

thedailychores,andwhenheheardtheAdthanhewould

leave[everythingandhead]fortheMosque. (Bukhari5048)


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StatementsofJusticeandEquity:

1.TheGermanPoet,WolfgangGethe26, said: I looked into

history for ahumanparadigmand found it tobe inMuham

mad.

2. Professor Keith Moore27, said in hisbook: The Developing

Human:

ItiscleartomethatthesestatementsmusthavecometoMu

hammadfromGod,orAllah,becausemostofthisknowledge

wasnotdiscovereduntilmanycenturieslater.Thisprovesto

methatMuhammadmusthavebeenamessengerofGod,or

Allah.

He further said: I have nodifficulty inmymind reconciling

thatthisisadivineinspirationorrevelation,whichleadhimto

thesestatements.

3.Dr.MauriceBucaille28,saidinhisbook:TheQuran,andMod

ernScience:

A totallyobjectiveexaminationof it [theQuran] in the light

ofmodern knowledge, leads us to recognize the agreement

26Germanwriter and scientist.Amaster ofpoetry,drama, and the

novel.Healsoconductedscientificresearchinvariousfields,notably

botany,andheldseveralgovernmentalpositions.

27 He was the former President of the Canadian Association of

Anatomists,Departmentof anatomy and cellbiology,University of

Toronto.

28 Dr. Maurice Bucaille was an eminent French surgeon, scientist,

scholarandauthorofTheBible,TheQuranandScience.


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betweenthetwo,ashasbeenalreadynotedonrepeatedocca

sions.ItmakesusdeemitquiteunthinkableforamanofMu

hammads time tohavebeen the authorof such statements,

onaccountofthestateofknowledgeinhisday.Suchconsid

erations are part ofwhat gives theQuranic Revelation its

uniqueplace, and forces the impartial scientist to admithis

inability to provide an explanationwhich calls solely upon

materialisticreasoning.

4.AnnieBesant29inTheLifeandTeachingsofMohammad,said:

Itisimpossibleforanyonewhostudiesthelifeandcharacter

ofthegreatProphetofArabia,whoknewhowhetaughtand

howhe lived, to feel anythingbut reverence for themighty

Prophet,oneofthegreatmessengersoftheSupreme.Andal

though inwhat Iput toyou I shall saymany thingswhich

maybe

familiar

to

many,

yet

Imyself

feel,

whenever

Ireread

them,anewwayofadmiration,anewsenseofreverencefor

thatmightyArabianteacher.

5.Dr.GustavWeilinHistoryoftheIslamicPeoplessaid:

Muhammadwasashiningexampletohispeople.Hischarac

terwaspureandstainless.Hishouse,hisdress,hisfoodthey

werecharacterizedbyararesimplicity.Sounpretentiouswashe that he would receive from his companions no special

markofreverence,norwouldheacceptanyservicefromhis

slavewhichhecoulddoforhimself.Hewasaccessibletoall

atalltimes.Hevisitedthesickandwasfullofsympathyfor

29 English theosophist, philosopher, and political figurewho advo

catedhomeruleandeducationalreformsinIndia.


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all.Unlimitedwashisbenevolenceandgenerosityasalsowas

hisanxiouscareforthewelfareofthecommunity.30

6.MauriceGaudefroysaid:

Muhammadwasaprophet,notatheologian,afactsoevident

thatoneisloathtostateit.Themenwhosurroundedhimand

constituted the influential elite of theprimateMuslim com

munity, contented themselveswith obeying the law thathe

hadproclaimed in thenameofAllahandwith followinghis

teachingandexample.31

7.WashingtonIrving32,said:

Hismilitary triumphs awakenednopridenorvainglory as

theywouldhavedonehadtheybeeneffectedbyselfishpur

poses. In the time of his greatest power hemaintained the

same

simplicity

of

manner

and

appearance

as

in

the

days

of

his adversity. So far from affecting regal state, hewas dis

pleasedif,onenteringaroom,anyunusualtestimonialofre

spectwasshowntohim.33

8.EdmundBurkesaid:TheMuhammadanlaw,whichisbind

ingonall from the crownedhead to themeanest subject, isa

law interwovenwitha systemof thewisest, themost learned

andthemostenlightenedjurisprudencethateverexistedinthe

world.34

30EncyclopediaofSeerah,byAfzalurRahman.

31ibid

32 Hewasafamouswriter.Hediedin1859.33EncyclopediaofSeerah,byAfzalurRahman.

34ibid


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TheWivesoftheProphet:

After the death of his firstwife,Khadeejah, the Prophet ()

marriedelevenwomen;allweredivorcees,exceptforAishah.

Sixofhiswiveswerefromthe tribeofQuraish,and fivewere

fromdifferentArabian tribes.TheProphet ()married these

womenforanumberofreasons:

1.Religiousandlegislativepurpose:TheProphet()married

Zainabb.Jahsh.TheArabsintheEraofIgnorancewouldpro

hibit aman frommarrying thewife ofhis adopted son; they

believedthattheadoptedsonwaslikeamansactualsoninall

aspects.TheProphet()marriedher,althoughshewasprevi

ously thewifeofhisadoptedson,Zaidb.Harithah.TheMes

sengerofGod ()marriedher toabolish thisbelief.God, the

Exalted,says:

AndwhenyousaidtohimtowhomAllahhadshownfa

vorandtowhomyouhadshownafavor:keepyourwife

toyourselfandbecarefulof(yourdutyto)Allah;andyou

concealed inyour soulwhatAllahwouldbring to light,

andyoufearedmen,andAllahhadagreaterrightthatyoushould fear Him. But when Zaid had accomplished his

wantofher,Wegavehaveher toyou as awife, so that

thereshouldbenodifficultyforthebelieversinrespectof

thewivesof their adopted sons,when theyhave accom

plishedtheirwantofthem;andAllahscommandshallbe

fulfilled.. (33:37)


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2.PoliticalreasonsandforthespreadofIslam,toinvitepeo

pletoIslam,andtogainthefavoroftheArabtribes:TheMes

sengerofGod()marriedwomenfromthelargestandstrong

estArabtribes.TheProphet()orderedhisCompanionstodo

thisaswell.TheProphet()saidtoAbdurrahmaanb.Auf:

Iftheyobeyyou(i.e.acceptIslam)thenmarrythedaugh

teroftheheadofthetribe.

Dr.Cahansaid: Someoftheaspectsofhis lifemayseemcon

fusing to us due to present daymentality. TheMessenger is

criticizedduetohisobsessionofattainingworldlydesiresand

his ninewives,whom hemarried after the death of hiswife

Khadeejah.Ithasbeenconfirmedthatmostofthesemarriages

wereforpoliticalreasons,whichwereaimedtogainloyaltyof

somenobles,andtribes.

3.Social reasons:TheProphet ()married someofhisCom

panionswiveswhohaddied,inbattleorwhileonamissionto

preach Islam.Hemarried them even though theywere older

thanhim,andhedidsotohonorthemandtheirhusbands.

Veccia Vaglieri35 in her book In Defense of Islam said:

Throughout

the

years

of

his

youth,

Muhammad

()

only

mar

riedonewoman,eventhoughthesexualityofmanisatitspeak

duringthisperiod.Althoughhelivedinthesocietyhelivedin,

whereinpluralmarriagewasconsidered thegeneral rule,and

divorcewasveryeasy heonlymarriedonewoman,althoug

muhammad the messenger of allahسيرة النبي انكليزي

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