Prophet Muhammad

Prophet Muhammad. A Guiding Light for All Nations.

I spread these words though I did not write them, for it is my sacred duty as a Moslem who knows who our beloved Prophet Muhammad truly was, to do so.

These words are about one who towers above all people, dead or living. He whose name is found in the original versions of the Torah and the Bible, he in whose support stands, in person, the Archangel Gabriel.

As a child he was the best mannered, as a youth the most virtuous, in his old age the most noble and throughout his life, this world held no sway over him. He was the fairest of judges, the bravest of leaders. In him, God has gathered every virtue and from him, were removed any vices or impurities. God has guarded him from human weaknesses and it was God who personally took charge of his upbringing and so he was brought up free of any faults and weaknesses and was a living embodiment of decency and morality.

All who truly knew him bore witness to his nobility, his superior intellect, his resolve and his kindness. 

In fact, even unbiased non-Muslim orientalist such as Washington Irving said of Him:” Muhammad was the last and greatest of God’s Prophets, he was sent to call for the worship of Allah!”

Another scholar, Professor Kozan, Director of the Tokyo observatory said about the Prophet (PBUH):” My life’s greatest achievement was to have had the privilege to study the life of Prophet Muhammad. This has allowed me to grasp the true greatness and immortality of his teachings.”

Swiss theologist Dr. Hanz Koenig:” My search for a role model for humanity has led me to the discovery of Muhammad, the Arabian Prophet.”

Thomas Carlisle:” I have read the Prophet’s life thoroughly. A truly great soul. He was to kindle the world, the world’s Makerhad ordered so.”

These are but a few samples of what western thinkers had to say about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It is obvious here that western prejudice against Islam such as we sees it today has not always been present. It is a fact that many western thinkers openly admit the crucial role that Islam, and its Prophet, have played in the rise of western civilization.  However, Western civilizations such as we see it today, in its current prejudiced and self-centered form, seeks to silence these voices of truth and reason. 

The purpose of this behavior is to prevent access by the common western citizen to any information, which might jeopardize the policy set by their leaders. So, why have the leaders chosen to adopt this policy? Two reasons: 1) Despite huge efforts and money spent on reviving the Christian faith in the West, the number of true Christians continues to dwindle. The message of Islam on the other hand has achieved huge success in the Christian world due to the simplicity of the message and its appeal to human nature. The second and more obvious reason is to serve the interests of Zionism and international masonry by exacerbating the conflict between the Western and Muslim worlds. 

His moral values:

Allah has said about  his Prophet in the Holy Quran:” And indeed you are of a great moral Character” (Al-Qalam-4.) Throughout his life, the Prophet (PBUH) was known as having the highest moral values, of being the most generous and God fearing of all people.

His servant, Anas Ibn Malek is known to have said:” The Prophet (PBUH) had the highest moral standards.”

His wife, Safeyya Bint Hayy has said:” I have never seen higher moral standards that those of the Prophet (PBUH.)

When asked about the Prophet (PBUH) moral code, Aisha answered:” the Quran was his moral code.” This great statement tells us that the Quran inspired his moral code. This means following the Quran’s teachings, obeying its commandments and staying away from that which is prohibited. In his interpretation on the Quran, Imam Ibn Kathir said:” It means that the Prophet (PBUH) has become a living embodiment of the Quran’s values. Obeying every letter of the Quran to the fullest.”

Another companion, Ata, says:” I once asked Abdullah Ibn Amro to tell me what the Torah says about the prophet (PBUH) and he said:” It speaks of him exactly the way the Quran does:” O prophet we sent you to bear witness, to carry the good news, to serve warning and to help the nations. You are my subject and my messenger, the one who relies on me. You are neither cruel nor brutal and you are soft spoken. You do not return the bad deed; instead, you forgive and forget. We shall not recall you to us till you have straightened the crooked nation by teaching them that there is no God but Allah; and once they have learned it, the blind shall see, the deaf shall hear, and the sealed hearts shall be opened.”

How the Prophet (PBUH) treated his family

In his treatment of his family, The Prophet (PBUH) taught us that:” You are as good as you treat your family and I treat my family better than any of you.” As such, he treated his wife with love and respect. He showed children great kindness and always sought to please them and have fun with them. He spoiled his wife and called her by a variety of nicknames. He often called his wife Aisha: “ daughter of Al-Saddiq” as an expression of friendship and affection towards his friend Abo-Bakr. He was also known to help with house chores like any other man. He even once bent his knee to allow his wife to step on it to reach the saddle of her mount.

His Fairness

The Prophet (PBUH) was so fair and just as to apply the law equally to everyone, be he or she friend or foe, relative or stranger, believer on non-believer. He is known to have said that he would apply the law even to his own daughter. He often settled disputes between various members of his household.

His kindness to Children:

The Prophet (PBUH) was very kind to children, greeting them gently whenever he met them. He was known to speed up prayer if he heard a child crying, for fear of making it harder on the mother. He was very kind to his children and grand children often picking them up and playing with them.

His Courtesy to Servants and to the Poor and Helpless

Anas, the Prophet’s servant has said: “I have spent 10 years in the Prophet’s service, not once has he been mean or disrespectful to me.”

Aisha also said:” The Prophet (PBUH) never struck a servant, a woman or anything else for that matter, except in battle.” He has never sought vengeance for harm done to his own person except where God’s rules have been violated.”

He was also known to accompany the weak, the widowed and the poor on errands till their business has been concluded.

His Compassion

Allah has said:” And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.” (Al Anbyaa: 107)

He also said:” So by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him]. (Al Imran:159)

When asked to curse the non-believers his answer was:” I was not sent to curse people, but to show compassion.”

He used to say:

” O Allah! Whoever rules my people with cruelty, be cruel to him and whoever rules my people with compassion, be compassionate with him.”

“Have compassion to creatures on earthso that thosein heaven may have mercy upon you.” 

About those who dwell in Paradise he said: ” Three will dwell in Paradise, among them is he who was compassionate.”

His Tolerance

It is said that a desert dweller once started relieving himself in the mosque. Seeing that, people started rising angrily to stop him but the Prophet (PBUH) told them to leave him be. After the man had finished, he went to see him and gently explained to the man that it was not allowed to urinate in the mosque.

He (PBUH) was down to earth, in compliance with the verse which says: “

That home of the Hereafter We assign to those who do not desire exaltedness upon the earth or corruption. And the [best] outcome is for the righteous.” (Al qasass: 83)

He responded to the call of the rich and the poor, the free man and the slave, he visited the sick and pardoned those who harmed him.” he visited the sick, stood with the weak and the elderly, sat and slept on the ground. Once a man who had come to visit him stood shaking in front of him and the Prophet (PBUH) told him:” Take it easy! I am just the son of a dry meat eating woman from Mecca.”

He (PBUH) hated receiving compliments or being the subjectof flattery. He is known to have said:

” Do not praise me the way Christians praise Jesus. I am just God’s subject so say:”God’s subject and messenger.”

“ I eat what God’s subjects eat and sit as they sit.”

He was so down to earth that he would accept an invitation to share a loaf of barley bread dipped in cold hardened fat. He also accepted gifts.

His Posture

The Prophet (PBUH) used to sit on the hard ground or on thin straw mats. Whenever he shook a man’s hand he never withdrew his hand or broke eye contact first. Whenever he showed up at a place he forbade people from standing up upon his arrival.

His Soberness

The prophet (PBUH) had renounced all earthly desires and sought only salvation in the other life. When given a choice between being a subject messenger and a king messenger he chose to be a subject messenger. He often slept on the ground or on a thin straw mat. He lived in a small dried mud house with a low ceiling and he once had to pawn off his shield. He never ate on a table.

His servant Anas said:” I once saw the Prophet (PBUH) asleep on a bed that was mended with pipes and his head rested on a pillow made of dried hemp stuffed with dried fibers. At this point, Omar entered and the Prophet (PBUH) moved, so  Omar could see the mark that the tube had left on the Prophet’s side and he wept. The Prophet asked him:” Why do you weep Omar?” and Omar answered:” And how can I not weep when the kings of Rome and Persia live in luxury and you are in the state I now see?” And the Prophet (PBUH) answered:” They have chosen this life and we have chosen the other life.”  “ Yes indeed!” Said Omar.

He was so hard on himself that there would be no fire lit in his house for three months at a time and when asked once about their usual diet, Aisha answered:” Dates and water.” It is even said that they would sometimes go without sustenance for three full days.

His Worship

The Prophet (PBUH) was the most devout of men, for he believed that it was his duty to be a thankful subject. He knew that it was good manners to recognize and be thankful for God’s gifts by fulfilling the obligatory duties and then performing what optional prayers and invocations one can do. The more one advances on the road to God and the more his grasp of the reality of God grows and his eagerness to please Him increases, till he becomes one of those described in the hadith qudsi that says:” Verily, Allah Almighty said: Whoever shows hostility to a friend of mine, then I have declared war upon him. My servant does not grow closer to me with anything more beloved to Me than the duties I have imposed upon him. My servant continues to draw near me with extra works until I love him. When I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hands with which he strikes, and his foot with which he walks. Were he to ask something from me, I would surely give it to him; and if he were to ask me for refuge, I would surely grant it to him. The believer hates death and I hate to hurt him”

In order to be a thankful subject, the Prophet (PBUH) to whom God had already forgiven all past and future sins, used to spend the night in prayer till his feet bled. He used to spend the night in invocation till his chest could be heard wheezing. He used to say:

“To say:” Subhanallah, alhamdulillah, la ilaha illa Allah allahu Akbar” is worth more to me that anything this world has to offer.”

“ O God grant us a merit point in this life, and a merit point in the other life and protect us from Hell.”

“O God I seek thy protection from the evil I have done and that which I have not done.”

His message

His message covered the entire humanity and so he was the most active of all prophets, which brought upon him a lot of harm and hardships.

Transmission of the message was in four stages:

Stage one: From the Archangel Gabriel to the Prophet (PBUH).

Stage two: Informing family and close friends.

Stage three: informing His tribe.

Stage four: Informing all the Arabs.

Stage five: Informing all who live under heaven to the end of days.

It was a gentle process and the message was transmitted with kindness, compassion and a genuine desire to touch every heart and save every soul as described in the Holy Quran:” Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided.”(Al Nahl: 125.)

Once a young man came to see the Prophet to ask for permission to commit adultery. Instead of getting angry, the Prophet (PBUH) answered him softly:” Would you like it if someone committed adultery with your mother?” the man answered” No.” and so the prophet (PBUH) said:” And so does no other man wish that his mother were an adulterer. Would you like it if someone committed adultery with your daughter?” “No”, answered the man. The Prophet said:” And so does no other man wishes that his daughter were an adulterer. Would you like it if someone committed adultery with your sister?” “No”, answered the man. The Prophet said:” And so does no other man wish that his sister were an adulterer.” Would you like it if someone committed adultery with your aunt?” “No”, answered the man. The Prophet said:” And so does no other man wish that his aunt were an adulterer.” Then he laid his hand upon the young man and purified and blessed him. This young man never committed adultery.

His Generosity

The Prophet (PBUH) was the most generous of men, never denying anyone anything they ask for. He gave freely as one whose wealth is immeasurable, to the point of even giving a man his only cape in order not to have to deny his request.

Treasures of the world he had at the palm of his hand and he spent them on the poor and the needy, never keeping anything for himself, he encouraged generosity and alms and the spirit of giving. 

His Courage

The Prophet (PBUH) was very courageous and fearless in times of trouble. He has said:” I would not mind being killed while doing God’s work and then being resurrected only to be killed again and again.”

During the battle of Hanin, when everyone else had fled the field of battle, he and only six of his companions stood their ground and exposed themselves to death and harm while his face remained calm and composed throughout the ordeal.

His Honesty

It is He who brought the true word of God. His words are true as is his way. His anger is true as is his joy, his laughter is true as are his tears, he is true in his sleep and true while awake and every word he speaks is nothing but the truth. Never did he lie, seriously or jokingly.  Every deed, every transaction, every word of his is based on truth and sincerity.

His Strength

Despite all the hardships and difficulties he had to endure, the Prophet (PBUH) remained strong and unwavering. He withstood hunger, poverty and need. He endured exile and torture to himself and his companions. His entire life is characterized by strength and patience. He truly obeyed God commandment in the Quran:” So be patient, [O Muhammad], as were those of determination among the messengers and do not be impatient for them. It will be - on the Day they see that which they are promised - as though they had not remained [in the world] except an hour of a day. [This is] notification.  And will [any] be destroyed except the defiantly disobedient people?(Al Ahqaf:47.)

Nothing could lessen his resolve, neither the loss of his uncles and his wife and sons, nor exile, abuse, torture, jail and war. Through it all, he offered a magnificent example of strength, patience, generosity and gratitude.