OUR PROPHET MUHAMMAD (P.B.U.H.) BY BABA ALI MUSTAPHA
The traditions in Sahih Al-Bukhari present to us a
clear description of the manners, mode and attributes of the Prophet (S.A.W.)
compilation are made subjective.
The
Man The Prophet (S.A.W.)
Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) was very particular in
differentiating between his commands as a Messenger of Allah and his personal
views and his opinions as a human being.
He told his companions that whatever disputes were
presented before him to resolve, he made his decision based on the presentation
of the case: “Maybe one of the parties or someone of them, presented his case
in a better way and made it look as if he was closer to truth, I am a human
being I decide a dispute on its apparent presentation. So if any Muslim
according to the judgement given by me gets the share of the One he is
contending with he should know that this share is a piece of fire for him. Then
it is up to him to give it up or keep it.
Barirah was a slave-girl who was married to Mughith.
After being freed, she separated from Mughith. The Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W)
asked her to remain in her marriage to Mughith. She asked whether it was an
order? The Prophet (S.A.W) answered in the negative upon which she declared
that she was not in need of Mughith.
Resident of Al-Madinah use to pollinate the date
palms by hand. The Prophet (S.A.W) asked them if there was a need of doing so.
They understood that the Prophet (S.A.W) was telling them that it was
unnecessary and they suspended this practice as a result the produce was much
less than before. They related to the
Prophet (S.A.W) what happened to the date palms upon which he told his
companions to follow him in respect of religion, but if worldly matters, they
were themselves more adapt than he was.
Affection
for Children
When he passed by the children he greeted them by
saying Assalamu Alaikum. He patted their heads and took them into lap and
played with them.
Kindness
to the Old
After the conquest of Makkah, Abu Bakr Siddiq (R.A.)
brought his blind and aged father to the Prophet (S.A.W) to embrace Islam.
Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) said to the oldman why did Abu Bakr (R.A.) trouble
him. He himself would have gone to him.
Respect
and Honor of the Learned
When Said Bin Muadh (R.A.) who had been injured in
the battle of Trench, reached the Mosque as an arbitrator for the Jews of Banu
Quraizah, Muhammad (S.A.W.) asked his companions, who were from the Aus clan,
to go forward and receive their leader warmly so they welcomed him accordingly.
Whenever Hassan bin Thabit composed poetry in favor of Islam in reply to the
infidels, a pulpit was placed in the mosque on which he ascended to recite it.
An
Invocation for His Servant
Anas bin Malik (R.A.) served the Prophet (S.A.W) for
ten years in Al-Madinah and Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) never spoke a harsh word
to him and the Prophet (S.A.W) prayed for him in the following words:
“ O Allah! Give much wealth and give him many
children and bless for him what is granted to him”.
Respect
and Courtesy
He never stretched his legs in the presence of
others. He always had due respect for others. He would be the first in
salutation and the first to shake hands.
It is customary in the Arab world to address someone
as father of (the name of) his first born son, to show honor and respect.
Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) always addressed others in this way. He never cut in
while someone was talking. He used to shorten his extra prayers, if somebody in
need come to seek help from him while he was praying, after giving the
necessary help he would go back to his prayers.
He smiled easily and beautifully. Muhammad (S.A.W)
had a she-camel named Adba, who was faster than other camels. Once another
camel beat her in a race, this shocked the companions and they were looking for
an explanation. The Prophet (S.A.W) said:
“Its Allah who elevates in this world and then when
He wants He lowers him:”
A person came and addressed the Prophet (S.A.W) with
these words: “O! Best of the Creation”. Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) said, Those
words are to be used for Ibrahim.
Once a person trembled on seeing the Prophet (S.A.W)
to which he remarked.
“Don’t be afraid I am not a king. I am the son of a
poor woman of Quraish who used to eat dry meat”.
Kindness
and Compassion
It is narrated by Aisha (R.A.) that the Prophet
(S.A.W) had the best manners and best behavior, whosoever called him, he would
always attend to him.
Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) offered supererogatory
prayers in private so that the Muslims would not feel the strain in trying to
follow his example.
He always opted for a convenient alternative if it
did not interfere with religion.
He pledged by Allah that whoever he scolded or spoke
a harsh word to, it should cause a decrease in his sins and should be made as a
blessing for him.
He said, “ Do not report to me concerning matters of
a third person, so that I can leave this world with a clean heart”.
His sermons were not so frequent or so long that the
people felt weary or uncomfortable. Once during a solar eclipse he prayed and
invoked the blessing of Allah and while praying tears rolled on his cheeks. He
said:
“O my Sustainer! You have promised that you would
not punish these people while I am among them and so far as they seek your
forgiveness. O Allah I am present among them and am seeking your forgiveness.
“There has been a specified prayer assigned to every
Prophet, which they made and it was accepted by You. I have reserved my prayer
for intercession on the day of Judgement.
Justice
and Mercy
He was richly endowed with the qualities of justice
and equality, which were manifested at every stage of his life. In a dispute
between two persons that was refered to him, he judged very carefully and very
strictly. But in any matter related to himself, he always pitied the opponent
and showed mercy.
Once a woman named Fatimah belonging to the Makhzim
tribe committed a theft. The Prophet (S.A.W) gave his verdict as per the
Islamic code of justice. So, they sent Usamah bin Zaid (R.A.) who was very dear
to the Prophet (S.A.W) with a petition for mercy. The Prophet (S.A.W) became
visibly angry with this, and said, “Prior to this, the Jews met destruction
because when some influential person committed a crime, they use to absolve him
but when some weak person committed the same crime, they punished him. By
Allah, had my own daughter Fatimah committed this same crime, I would have
surely had her hand amputated.
Sawad bin Amr narrated that once he went before the
Prophet (S.A.W) wearing colored clothes. The Prophet (S.A.W) said, “Away, away”
and placed a stick on his stomach and pushed him. He demanded equal retribution
(Qisas). The Prophet (S.A.W) at once took off his shirt and offered himself for
the same punishment.
Mercy
on Enemies
Once there was severe famine in Makka and the people
were forced to eat the meat and bones of dead animals. Abu Safiyan bin Harb (an
avowed enemy of Islam in those days) went to the Prophet (S.A.W) and requested
the favor of a prayer for rain, which the Prophet (S.A.W) did and it rained torrentially.
When Thumamah bin Athal held up the food grain supply to Makkah from Najd,
Muhammad (S.A.W) asked him to lift the ban.
Muhammad (S.A.W) and other Muslims were praying on
the plain of Hudabiyah when 70 to 80 men intending to kill the Muslims during
the prayer, sneaked dawn from the Mount of Tanim and were captured. Prophet Muhammad
(S.A.W) freed them without taking any ransom or giving any punishment.
Generosity
Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) never said “No” to a needy
person, when he had something to give he readily gave it otherwise he asked
them to come another time in such a way that he was apologizing to them.
Once a person came and asked for alms, the Prophet
(S.A.W) asked him to raise a loan for meeting his requirement, which he
promised to repay. The Prophet (S.A.W) used to take loans for meeting the
demands of such needy people. Umar (R.A.) once remarked that Allah had not
ordained him to go beyond his capacity, the Prophet (S.A.W) kept quite. One of
the Ansar sitting near by hinted that Allah is the sustainer of all and there
was no fear of destitution. The Prophet (S.A.W) smiled on hearing this answer
of the Ansar and his face lit up and said, “Yes! This is the Divine Order to
me”.
Once a beggar came to the Prophet (S.A.W) for some
food grain. The Prophet (S.A.W) borrowed food grain from someone and gave it to
him. After sometime the lender came to collect his food grain. The Prophet
(S.A.W) returned to him two portions of the grain, one portion to pay his debt
and one portion from his generosity.
The Prophet (S.A.W) used to say if someone died with
debts and left no property behind, he would be responsible for his debt, and if
he left property, it would go to his heirs.
Modesty
Abu said Khudri (R.A.) stated that our beloved
Prophet (S.A.W) was extremely shy so much so that he exceeded the veiled virgin
girl in modesty and shyness. Because of his modesty he refrained from staring
at other, neither did he look into the eyes of others. Aishah (R.A.) said that
if the Prophet (S.A.W) disliked someone’s action or some deed, he would never
mention his name, but would forbid the action or deed in general.
Prophet (S.A.W) would endure any kind of hardship
himself but would not ask anybody t do something on his behalf.
If somebody came to him to apologise, the Prophet
(S.A.W) would receive them gently. He would lower his eyes and forgive them.
Aishah (R.A.) states that she never saw the Prophet (S.A.W) naked.
Endurance
and Patience
The Prophet (S.A.W) was most forbearing and
forgiving. If anyone misbehaved with him, he still used to treat him well. Zaid
bin Sa’nah was a Jew, the Prophet (S.A.W) owed him some money, one day he came
and all of a sudden pulled his clothes and shoulder. He caught hold of his
clothes and rudely demanded repayment of the debt, talked ill of Abdul
Mutalib’s family and called them bad prayers and closefisted. Umar (R.A.) got
infuriated. But the Prophet (S.A.W) pacified Umar (R.A.) and told him to treat
the lender in a polite manner. The Prophet (S.A.W) told the creditor that there
were still three days to conclude the promise. He then asked Umar (R.A.) to
repay the loan more than the actual due because Umar (R.A.) had ill-treated
him.
Anas (R.A.) states:
Once I was walking alongside the Prophet (S.A.W), he
had covered himself with a cloth with rough bordes. All of a sudden, a Bedouin
came and pulled his clothes with a wild jerk and the Prophet’s neck was
scraped. Then the Bedouin rudely said, “ This wealth and property doesn’t
belong to you nor your father, give me something out of whatever Allah has
given you”. The Prophet (S.A.W) kept quite for a moment then he said, “No doubt
everything belongs to Allah and I am His slave, and one camel load of barley
and one camel load of dates were given to that Bedouin.
Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) had gone to Ta’if to tell
the people about Islam. During his preaching, the people of Ta’if ridiculed
him, threw mud on him and stoned him until he was seriously injured and blood ran
dawn into his shoes, he fainted due to excessive loss of blood. Zaid (R.A.)
took him on his back and rescued him. Despite too much torment and pain, he
retrained from invoking a curse and destruction upon them and instead prayed
for their welfare and hoped that if they did not accept Islam today, their
future generations surely would embrace Islam.
Mercy
and Kindness
Aishah (R.A.) states that the Prophet (S.A.W) did
not take any revenge on personal grounds under any circumstances. On the day of
Uhud his teeth were broken, his head was wounded and he was forced to take
shelter in a cave. The companions of the Prophet (S.A.W) requested him to
invoke a curse on the infidels, but he replied that he was sent as a Messenger
to invoke the blessing of Allah and not to curse of Allah, he further stated
that Allah had sent him to call the people to Allah. The he prayed to Allah, “O
Allah give guidance to my people towards the right path, give them
understanding, they do not recognize me”. Once the Prophet (S.A.W) was resting
under the shade of a tree, he was almost asleep. His sword was hanging from a
branch of the tree. Ghaurath bin Al-Harith happened to come there. He saw the
Prophet (S.A.W) sleeping. He took the sword and awakened the Prophet (S.A.W)
very rudely and said, “Now who would save you from my hands?”. The Prophet
(S.A.W) said, “Allah”. On hearing this he trembled and the sword fell down from
his hand. The Prophet (S.A.W) picked up the sword and asked. “Now who can save
you?”. He got confused and baffled. The Prophet (S.A.W) said, “Go away, I
forgive you”.
Habbar bin Aswad attacked Zainab (R.A.) , the daughter of the
Prophet (S.A.W), with a spear because of which she fell down from the litter
she was riding on and had a miscarriage. She later died due to this incident.
Habbar requested forgiveness and mercy. The Prophet (S.A.W) pardoned him.
The Prophet (S.A.W) said that he had been sent to
eliminate all the vices of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance. He said, “First of
all I myself forego the blood money of my family and also give up the claim of
the interest on the debts of my uncle”.
Trustworthiness
and Honesty
He had earned, the title of Al-Amin or the honest
man from his youth. Honestly, trustworthiness and conscientiousness are basic
virtue and Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) had all of these to the utmost degree. He
was known as truthful and trustworthy. Not only his friends, even his enemies
acknowledged his honesty which had become famous.
When the Prophet (S.A.W) started to preach the
Divine Message, the whole nation turned against him. But even then there was
not even a single person among them who doubted his honesty and integrity. On
the contrary, these same people used to deposit their cash and valuables with
him for security.
Once Abu Jahl came to the Prophet (S.A.W) and said,
“Muhammad! I do not regard you as a liar and do not doubt your integrity, but
my heart and mind do not agree”.
The reason for leaving Ali (R.A.) behind in Makkah
at the time of the migration of Al-Madinah was basically so that he could
return the valuables left by the people for safekeeping with the Prophet
(S.A.W).
Chastity
Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) stated that he never took part
in the rites and customs of the period of ignorance before Islam. Twice he
tried, but Allah protected him and he wasn’t able to participate in their
gatherings. He narrates that before he was ten he asked his fellow shepherd to
take care of his goats so he could go to Makkah to the towns pavilions to
listen to the storytellers like the other young boys. As he reached the suburbs
of Makkah, there was a marriage ceremony being held and music was being played.
He stopped for a while and in no time he was fast asleep. When he woke up it
was morning. Another time he intended to do the same thing and again sleep
foiled his plan. After that he never thought of doing it again. Before the
period of his prophethood, once Zaid bin Amr bin Nufail invited the Prophet
Muhammad (S.A.W) said, “ I do not eat the meat of any animal which is
sacrificed in the name of other than Allah.
Abstinence
The following was the prayer by the Prophet (S.A.W):
“O my Sustainer! Let me remain hungry for one day
and give me food the next day. So that, while I am hungry, I should beg and
pray for food and while I am fed, I should praise and glorify You”.
Aishah (R.A.) states that their fireplace remained
cold many times for a full month and during those periods the entire family survived
on dates and water.
Aishah (R.A.) states that when the Prophet (S.A.W)
migrated to Al-Madinah, he had never eaten wheat loaf for three consecutive
days.
At the time of his death the Prophet’s armor was
with a Jew mortgaged for barley. On the last night of Prophet’s life, Aishah
(R.A.) asked her neighbor to provide some oil for lighting up the lamp.
The Prophet (S.A.W) used to pray, “O Allah give us
only that much which we can consume”.
He should be remembered that the Prophet (S.A.W)
himself chose this abstinence, it was not because of inability or force.
Abstinence from excessive use of things was to set an example for the Muslims.
Careful
Treatment of Women
Safiyyah (R.A.) the mother of the believers, was
once travelling with Prophet (S.A.W). during the journey she would cover her whole
body with a long gown and she rode a she camel. At the time of mounting, the
Prophet (S.A.W) would offer his knee to help her up.
Once the she camel stumbled and the Prophet (S.A.W)
and the mother of the believers both fell down. Abu Talhah (R.A.) hurried to
help. The Prophet (S.A.W) asked him to take care of the woman first.
Once during a journey, accompanied by women who were
riding on lifters, the camel driver started singing Huda, Huda is a song sung
particularly for keeping up the camel’s pace. The Prophet (S.A.W) advised the
camel drivers to be careful of the weaker vessels. In this statement the
Prophet (S.A.W) has compared women with glassware not only due to their
refinement and delicacy but it is also a reference to their natural weakness
for which they deserve care.
Treatment
of Prisoners of War
Prisoners of war were treated like guests. Prisoners
of the battle of Badr were kept in Al-Madinah for a few days, one of the
prisoners states that the Muslims treated them preferentially and even better
than their own families. They gave them better food, and clothing than they
gave to their families.
Exercises
The Prophet (S.A.W) liked strong exercises. Though
he himself was not a wrestler, he persuaded the people to take interest in
these type of exercise. Rukanah was a famous Arab wrestler who had said that he
would accept Islam if someone defeats him in wrestling. The Prophet (S.A.W)
defeated him three times.
Archery
Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) used to urge the Muslims to
learn the art of archery (modern day, pistol). He used to make two teams of
archers for competition. Once he said that he would be with one team and the
other team stopped shooting arrows saying that they cannot continue against the
Prophet (S.A.W). he said “ Keep practicing, I am with both teams”.
Racing
Horses
The Prophet (S.A.W) took interest in horse racing as
training. The Prophet (S.A.W) used to order horse racing. The longest distance
raced covered five to six miles and shortest distance covered was one mile.
Census
Once the Prophet (S.A.W) asked one of his companions
to count and make a survey of all the Muslims and prepare a list of their names
for his review. The survey was conducted and one thousand five hundred Muslims.
They felt blissful on account their big number. There was a time when the
number of Muslims could be counted on one’s fingers, those were encircled by
enemies on all side. Unfortunately, the year of this is not recorded. It is
clear from the Ahadith of Sahih Bukhari and other sources that this was the
third census. In the first survey report the number of Muslims was 500, and in
the second, the number of Muslims was between 600 to 700.
Baba Ali Mustapha is of Ngrannam Ward near 7up depot,
Bolori II, Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria.
Reference:
The Best Man who ever lived by Abu Abduraham,
Hishaam Muhammed Sa-eed Barghash, published by Muslim World League, The Global
Centre for Introduction the Messenger, Kingdom Saudi Arabia, P.O. Box 361199,
Riyadh.
Our Prophet Muhammed (P.B.U.H) by Qazi Muhammad
Sulaiman Salmal Mansurpuri published by Darussalam Publisher, Riyadh Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia.
Forty Encounters with the Beloved Prophet (P.B.U.H)
by Dr. Adel Ibn Ali Al-Shiddy (Associate Professor of Qur’an Science at the
King Saud University), Published by Muslim World League, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
No comments