Having briefly described the outstanding events in the life of the Holy Prophet we would now attempt a short sketch of his character. In this connection we have available the collective testimony of his own people which they bore to his character before he claimed to be a Prophet. At that stage he was known among his people as “The Trusty” and “The True.”1 There are living at all times large numbers of people against whom no charge of dishonesty is preferred. There are also large numbers who are never exposed to a severe trial or temptation and in the ordinary affairs and concerns of life they behave with honesty and integrity, yet they are not regarded as worthy of any special distinction on that account. Special distinctions are conferred only when the life of a person illustrates in a conspicuous degree some high moral quality. Every soldier that goes into battle puts his life in jeopardy but not every such British soldier has been regarded as worthy of the award of the Victoria Cross, nor every such German soldier of the Iron Cross. There are hundreds of thousands of people in France who occupy themselves with intellectual pursuits but not every one of them is decorated with the Legion of Honour. The mere fact, therefore, that a man is trustworthy and true does not indicate that he possesses eminence in these respects, but when a whole people combines to confer upon an individual the titles of “The Trusty” and “The True”, that is evidence of the possession of exceptional qualities. Had it been the practice of the people of Mecca to confer such a distinction upon some individual in each generation, even then the recipient would have been looked upon as occupying a high position. But the history of Mecca and of Arabia furnishes no indication that it was customary for the Arabs to confer these or similar titles upon eminent individuals in each generation. On the contrary, through centuries of Arab history we find that it was only in the case of the Holy Prophet of Islam that his people conferred the titles of “The Trusty” and “The True”. This is proof of the fact that the Holy Prophet possessed these qualities in so eminent a degree that within the knowledge and the memory of his people no other individual could be regarded as his equal in these respects. The Arabs were well-known for their keenness of mind and what they chose to regard as rare must in truth have been rare and unique.
When the Holy Prophet was summoned by God to assume the burden and responsibilities of prophethood, his wife, Khadijah, testified to his high moral qualities—an incident which has been related in the biographical portion of this General Introduction. We shall now proceed to illustrate some of his high moral qualities so that the reader may be able to appreciate even those aspects of his character which are not generally well-known.
It is related of the Holy Prophet that his speech was always pure and that he was (unlike most of his contemporaries) not given to the use of oaths.2 This was something exceptional for an Arab. We do not imply that the Arabs at the time of the Holy Prophet habitually indulged in foul language, but there is no doubt that they were in the habit of punctuating their speech with a generous measure of oaths, a habit that persists among them even to this day. The Holy Prophet, however, held the name of God in such reverence that he never uttered it without full justification.
He was very particular, even punctilious, with regard to physical cleanliness. He used to brush his teeth several times a day and was so keen on the practice that he used to say that were he not afraid that the ordinance might prove onerous, he would make it obligatory upon every Muslim to brush his teeth before every one of the five daily prayers. He always washed his hands before and after each meal and, after eating anything that had been cooked, he always rinsed his mouth and considered it desirable that every person who had eaten anything cooked should rinse his mouth before joining in any of the prayers.3
In the polity of Islam a mosque is the only place of gathering prescribed for the Muslims. The Holy Prophet, therefore, laid particular stress upon the cleanliness of mosques, especially on occasions when people were expected to collect in them. He had directed that on such occasions incense should be burnt in the mosques to purify the air.4 He also gave directions that nobody should go to a mosque on the occasion of a congregation or gathering after eating anything that was likely to exhale an offensive odour.5
He insisted upon streets being kept clean and clear of twigs, stones, and all articles or matter which was likely either to obstruct or to prove offensive. Whenever he himself found any such matter or article lying in a street he would remove it, and he used to say that a person who helps to keep streets and roads clean and clear, earns spiritual merit in the sight of God. He is also reported to have enjoined that public thoroughfares should not be so used as to cause obstruction nor should any unclean or undesirable matter or article be thrown on to a public street, nor should a street be defiled in any other way, as all such acts are displeasing to God. He was very keen that all supply of water conserved for human use should be kept clean and pure. For instance, he prohibited anything being thrown into standing water which might befoul it and any reservoir of water being used in a manner which would render it impure.6
The Prophet was extremely simple in the matter of food and drink. He never expressed displeasure with ill-prepared or ill-cooked food. If he could eat such food he would do so to save the person who had prepared it from disappointment. If, however, a dish was uneatable, he merely refrained from partaking of it and never expressed his disapproval of it. When he sat down to a meal he paid attention to the food placed before him and used to say that he did not like an attitude of indifference towards food as if the person eating was above paying attention to mere matters of food and drink. When any eatable was presented to him he always shared it with those present. On one occasion somebody presented him with some dates. He looked round and after making an estimate of the number of people present divided the dates equally among them, each of them receiving seven. Abu Hurayrah relates that the Holy Prophet never ate his fill even of barley bread.7
On one occasion while he was passing along a road he noticed some people gathered round a roast kid ready to enjoy the feast. When they saw the Holy Prophet they invited him to join them, but he declined. This was not due to his not having a liking for roast meat but to the fact that he did not approve of people indulging in a feast in the open where they could be observed by poor people who had themselves not enough to eat. It is related of him that on other occasions he did partake of roast meat. Ayesha has related that the Holy Prophet did not, till the day of his death, on any occasion, eat his fill on three consecutive days. He was very particular that a person should not go to a meal in another person’s house uninvited. On one occasion somebody invited him to a meal and requested that he might bring four other persons with him. When he arrived at the house of his host he found that a sixth person had also joined his party. The host came to the door to receive him and his party and the Holy Prophet drew his attention to the fact that there were now six of them and that it was for the host to decide whether he would permit the sixth person to join them in the meal or whether the latter should depart. The host, of course, readily invited the sixth person also.8
Whenever the Holy Prophet sat down to a meal he always began to eat by invoking the name and blessings of Allah, and as soon as he concluded he rendered thanks in these words: “All praise is due to Allah, Who has given us to eat: Praise, abundant and sincere and ever-increasing: Praise, which does not leave an impression upon one’s mind that one has rendered enough praise but which creates in one’s mind the feeling that enough has not been said and the praise which ought never to be terminated and which makes one think that every divine act is worthy of praise and should be praised. O Allah! do Thou fill our hearts with these sentiments.” Sometimes he used these words: “All praise is due to God Who has satisfied our hunger and thirst. May our hearts ever yearn after His praise and never be ungrateful to Him.” He always admonished his Companions to stop before they had eaten their fill and used to say that one man’s food should always suffice for two. Whenever any special food was prepared in his house he used to suggest that a portion of it should be sent as a present to his neighbours; and presents of food and other articles used constantly to be sent from his house to his neighbours’ houses.9
He always tried to ascertain from the faces of those who were in his company whether any of them was in need of sustenance. Abu Hurayrah relates the following incident: On one occasion he had been without food for over three days. He stood at the entrance to the mosque and observed Abu Bakr passing near. He asked Abu Bakr the meaning of a verse of the Quran which enjoins the feeding of the poor. Abu Bakr explained its meaning and passed on. Abu Hurayrah when relating this incident used to say with indignation that he too understood the Quran as well as Abu Bakr did. His object in asking the latter to explain the meaning of the verse had been that Abu Bakr might guess that he was hungry and might arrange to get food for him. Shortly after, ‘Umar passed by and Abu Hurayrah asked him also to explain the meaning of the verse. ‘Umar also explained its meaning and passed on. Abu Hurayrah, like all Companions of the Holy Prophet, was loath to make a direct request and when he perceived that his indirect attempts to draw attention to his condition had failed, he began to feel very faint. Thereupon he heard his name being called in a very soft and tender voice. Looking to the side from which the voice came he saw that the Holy Prophet was looking out from the window of his house and was smiling. He inquired of Abu Hurayrah: “Are you hungry?” to which Abu Hurayrah replied: “Verily, O Messenger of Allah! I am hungry.”
The Holy Prophet said: “There is no food in our house either, but somebody has just sent us a cup of milk. Go to the mosque and see whether there are any other persons there who may be hungry like you.” Abu Hurayrah goes on to relate: “I thought to myself, I am hungry enough to consume the whole of the milk in the cup, yet the Prophet has asked me to invite any other persons that may be in a similar situation, which means that I shall get very little of the milk. But I had to carry out the Prophet’s orders, so I went into the mosque and found six persons sitting there whom I brought with me to the Prophet’s door. He gave the cup of milk into the hands of one of them and asked him to drink. When he had finished and put away the cup from his mouth the Prophet insisted upon his drinking a second time and a third time till he had had his fill. In the same way he insisted upon every one of the six drinking his fill of the milk. Each time he asked anyone to drink I was afraid that little would be left for me. After all the six had drunk of the milk the Prophet gave the cup to me and I saw that there was still plenty of milk in it. In my case also he insisted that I should drink my fill and made me drink a second and a third time and at the end he drank what was left in the cup himself and rendered thanks to God and shut the door.”10 The Holy Prophet’s object in offering the milk to Abu Hurayrah last of all may have been to indicate to him that he should have continued to endure the pangs of hunger, trusting in God, and should not have drawn attention to his condition even indirectly.
He always ate and drank with his right hand and always stopped three times to take breath in the middle of a drink. One reason for this may be that if a person who is thirsty drinks water at one stretch he is apt to drink too much and thus upset his digestion. In the matter of eating the rule that he followed was that he partook of all things that are pure and permissible but not in a manner which would savour of indulgence or would deprive other people of their due share. As has been stated, his normal food was always very simple but if anybody presented him with something specially prepared he did not decline it. He did not, however, hanker after good food, though he had a particular liking for honey and for dates. As regards dates, he used to say that there was a special relationship between a Muslim and the date tree whose leaves and bark and fruit, both ripe and unripe, and even the stones of whose fruit could all be put to some use or the other and no part of which was without its proper use. The same was the case with a true Muslim. No act of his was without its beneficence and all that he did promoted the welfare of mankind.11
The Holy Prophet preferred simplicity in dress. His own dress normally consisted of a shirt and an izar12or a shirt and a pair of trousers. He always wore his izar or his trousers so that the garment covered his body up to a point above his ankles. He did not approve of the knee or any portion of the body above the knee being exposed without extreme necessity. He did not approve of the use, whether as part of dress or in the way of curtains, etc., of cloth which had figures embroidered or painted on it, especially if the figures were large and might be interpreted as representing gods or goddesses or other objects of worship. On one occasion he found a curtain hanging in his house bearing large figures and he directed it to be removed. He, however, saw no harm in the use of cloth bearing small figures which could not be so interpreted. He never wore silk himself and did not consider it permissible for Muslim men to wear it. For the purpose of authenticating the letters that he wrote to certain sovereigns inviting them to accept Islam he caused to be prepared a signet ring, but directed that it should be made of silver and not of gold, for he said that the wearing of gold had been prohibited to Muslim men.13 Muslim women are permitted to wear silk and gold but in their case also the Holy Prophet’s direction was that excess should be avoided. On one occasion he called for subscriptions for the relief of the poor and a lady took off one of her bracelets and placed it before him as her contribution. Addressing her, he said: “Does not your other hand deserve to be saved from the Fire?” The lady thereupon removed her bracelet from the other hand also and offered it for the purpose that he had in view. None of his wives possessed ornaments of any considerable value and other Muslim women also very seldom possessed any ornaments. In accordance with the teachings of the Quran he deprecated the hoarding of money or bullion, as he held that this was harmful to the interests of the poorer sections of the community and resulted in upsetting the economy of a community and was thus a sin.
‘Umar suggested to the Holy Prophet on one occasion that as he had to receive Embassies from great monarchs, he should have a rich cloak prepared for himself which he could wear on such ceremonial occasions. The Prophet did not approve of the suggestion and said: “It would not be pleasing to God for me to adopt ways like this. I shall meet everybody in the clothes that I normally wear.” On one occasion silk garments were presented to him and of these he sent one to ‘Umar. Upon this ‘Umar said, “How can I wear it when you have yourself disapproved of wearing silk garments.” The Holy Prophet observed: “Every present is not meant for personal use.” His meaning was that since the garment was of silk ‘Umar should have presented it to his wife or to his daughter or should have put it to some other use.14
The Prophet’s bed was also very simple. He never used a bedstead or a couch but always slept on the ground, the bedding consisting of a piece of leather or of a piece of camelhair cloth. Ayesha relates: “Our bedding was so small that when the Holy Prophet used to get up at night for prayers I used to lie on one side of the bedding and stretched out my legs while he was in the standing posture and folded them back when he had to prostrate himself.15
He adopted the same simplicity with regard to his residential arrangements. His house consisted normally of one room and a small courtyard. A rope used to be strung half way across the room so that when he had visitors a piece of cloth could be hung from the rope to convert a part of the room into an audience chamber separated from the portion occupied by his wife. His life was so simple that Ayesha related that during the lifetime of the Prophet they often had to sustain themselves on dates and water and that on the day of his death there was no food in the house except a few dates.16
Every aspect of the Holy Prophet’s life appears to have been governed and coloured by his love for and devotion to God.
In spite of the very heavy responsibilities that had been laid upon his shoulders the greater portion of his time during the day as well as during the night was spent in the worship and praise of God. He would leave his bed at midnight and devote himself to the worship of God till it was time to go to the mosque for the morning prayers. He sometimes stood so long in prayer during the latter part of the night that his feet would get swollen, and those who saw him in that condition were always much affected. On one occasion Ayesha said to him: “God has honoured you with His love and nearness. Why then do you subject yourself to so much discomfort and inconvenience?” He replied: “If God has by His Grace and Mercy conferred His love and nearness upon me, is it not my duty in return to be always rendering thanks to Him? Gratitude should increase in proportion to the favours received.”17
He never entered upon any undertaking without divine command or permission. It has already been related in the biographical portion that, in spite of the very severe persecution to which he was subjected by the people of Mecca, he did not leave the town till he received the divine command to do so. When persecution became very severe and he gave permission to his Companions to migrate to Abyssinia, some of them expressed a desire that he should accompany them. He declined to do so on the ground that he had not received divine permission to that effect. Thus, during a period of hardships and persecution when people usually like to keep their friends and relations close to themselves, he directed his Companions to seek refuge in Abyssinia and himself stayed behind in Mecca, for God had not yet directed him to leave it.
Whenever he heard the word of God being recited, he was overcome by emotion and tears would start from his eyes, especially if he was listening to verses which emphasised his own responsibilities. ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ud relates that he was on one occasion asked by the Holy Prophet to recite some verses of the Quran to him. He said: “O Messenger of Allah! The Quran has been revealed to you (i.e. you know it best of all). How then shall I recite it to you?” But the Holy Prophet said: “I love to hear it recited by other people also.”
Thereupon ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ud began to recite from Surah an-Nisa’. When he recited the verse: “And how will it fare with them when We shall bring a witness from every people, and shall bring thee as a witness against them,”18 the Holy Prophet exclaimed: ‘Enough! Enough!” ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ud looked up and saw that tears were streaming from the Holy Prophet’s eyes.19
He was so particular about joining the congregational prayers that, even during severe illness when it is permissible not only to say one’s prayers in one’s room but even to say them lying in bed, he would go to the mosque to lead the prayers himself. On one occasion when he was unable to proceed to the mosque he directed that Abu Bakr should lead the prayers. Presently however, he felt some improvement in his condition and asked to be supported into the mosque. He rested his weight on the shoulders of two men but was in so feeble a condition that, according to Ayesha, his feet trailed along the ground.20
It is a common practice to give expression to one’s pleasure or to draw attention to any particular matter by the clapping of hands and the Arabs used to follow the same practice. The Holy Prophet, however, so loved the remembrance of God that for these purposes also he substituted the praise and remembrance of God in place of the clapping of hands. On one occasion while he was occupied with some important matter, the time of the next service drew near and he directed that Abu Bakr should lead the prayers. Shortly thereafter he was able to conclude the business upon which he was engaged and proceeded at once to the mosque. Abu Bakr was leading the prayers but when the congregation perceived that the Holy Prophet had arrived, they began to clap their hands for the purpose both of giving expression to their joy at his arrival and also to draw Abu Bakr’s attention to the fact that the Prophet himself had arrived. Thereupon Abu Bakr stepped back and made room for the Holy Prophet to lead the prayers. When the prayers were over, the Prophet addressed Abu Bakr and said: “Why did you step back after I had directed you to lead the prayers?” Abu Bakr replied: “O Messenger of Allah! How would it befit the son of Abu Quhafah to lead the prayers in the presence of the Messenger of Allah?” Then addressing the congregation the Prophet said: “Why did you clap your hands? It is not seemly that while you are engaged in the remembrance of God you should clap your hands. If it should so happen that during the course of prayers attention has to be drawn to some matter, instead of clapping your hands you should utter the name of God aloud. This would draw attention to whatever may have to be taken note of.”21
The Prophet did not approve of prayers or worship being carried on as a penance or imposition. On one occasion he came home and observed a rope dangling between two pillars. He inquired what its purpose was, and was informed that his wife Zaynab was in the habit of supporting herself by means of the rope when she became tired in the course of her prayers. He directed the rope to be removed and said that prayers should be continued only so long as one felt easy and cheerful and that if a person became tired he should sit down. Prayers were not an imposition, and if carried on after the body became fatigued they failed of their purpose.22
He abhorred every action and practice which savoured even remotely of idolatry. When his end was approaching and he was in the grip of the death agony he turned from side to side exclaiming: “May the curse of God descend upon those Jews and Christians who have converted the graves of their Prophets into places of worship.”23 He had in mind those Jews and Christians who prostrated themselves at the graves of their Prophets and saints and addressed their prayers to them, and he meant that if Muslims fell into similar practices they would not be deserving of his prayers but would, on the contrary, cut themselves asunder from him.
His extreme sense of jealousy for the honour of God has already been referred to in the biographical portion. The people of Mecca sought to place all sorts of temptations in his way to persuade him to give up his opposition to idol-worship.24 His uncle Abu Talib also tried to dissuade him and expressed his fear that if he persisted in his denunciation of idol-worship, Abu Talib would have to choose between ceasing to give him his protection and the bitter opposition of his people. The only reply that the Prophet made to his uncle on that occasion was: “If these people were to place the sun on my right hand and the moon on my left, I would not desist from proclaiming and preaching the Unity of God.”25 Again, during the Battle of Uhud when a remnant of wounded Muslims were grouped round him at the foot of a hill and their enemies were giving vent to their feeling of jubilation at having broken the Muslim ranks in shouts of victory and their leader Abu Sufyan called out: “May Hubal (one of the idols worshipped by the Meccans) be exalted! May Hubal be exalted!” the Holy Prophet, in spite of realising that his own safety and that of the small band of Muslims who were gathered round him lay in keeping silent could restrain himself no longer and directed his Companions to shout in reply, “To Allah alone belongs victory and glory! To Allah alone belongs victory and glory!”26
It was a common misconception among the followers of different religions before the advent of Islam that heavenly and terrestrial manifestations took place to mark occasions of joy and sorrow for Prophets, saints and other great men and that even the movements of the heavenly bodies could be controlled by them. For instance, it is related of some of them that they caused the sun to become stationary in its course or stopped the progress of the moon or caused running water to become still. Islam taught that such notions were baseless and that references to phenomena of this kind in religious Scriptures were only by way of metaphor which, instead of being interpreted in accordance with its correct significance, had given rise to superstitions. Nevertheless, some among Muslims were prone to attribute these phenomena to events in the lives of the great Prophets. In the closing years of the Holy Prophet’s life his son Ibrahim died at the age of two and a half years. An eclipse of the sun occurred on the same day. Some Muslims in Medina gave currency to the idea that the sun had been darkened on the occasion of the death of the Prophet’s son as a mark of divine condolence. When this was mentioned to the Holy Prophet he expressed great displeasure and severely condemned the notion. He explained that the sun and the moon and other heavenly bodies were all governed by divine laws and that their movements and the phenomena connected with them had no relation to the life or death of any person.27
Arabia is a very dry country and rain is always welcome and is eagerly waited for. The Arabs used to imagine that the coming of rain was controlled by the movements of stars. Whenever anybody gave expression to that idea, the Holy Prophet used to be very upset and admonished his people not to attribute favours bestowed upon them by Providence to other sources. He explained that rain and other natural phenomena were all governed by divine laws and that they were not controlled by the pleasure or displeasure of any god or goddess or of any other power.28
He had perfect trust in God which no combination of adverse circumstances could shake. On one occasion an enemy of his, finding him asleep and unguarded, stood over his head with drawn sword and threatened to despatch him at once. Before doing so he asked: “Who can rescue you from this predicament?” The Holy Prophet calmly replied: “Allah.” He uttered this word with such perfect assurance that even the heart of his disbelieving enemy was forced to acknowledge the loftiness of his faith and trust in God. The sword fell from his hand, and he, who a moment before was bent upon his destruction, stood before him like a convicted criminal awaiting sentence.29
At the other end of the scale was his sense of perfect humility vis-a-vis the Divine. Abu Hurayrah relates: “One day I heard the Holy Prophet say that no man would attain salvation through his own good deeds. Thereupon I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! 'Surely you will enter Paradise through your own good actions,' to which he replied: 'No, I too cannot enter Paradise through my own actions save only that God’s Grace and Mercy should envelop me'.”30
He always exhorted people to choose and follow the right path and to be diligent in their search for means whereby they could attain nearness to God. He taught that no man should desire death for himself, for if he is good he will, by living longer, be able to achieve greater good; and if he is evil, he may, if given time, be able to repent of his evil ways and start on a good way. His love for, and devotion to, God found expression in many ways. For instance, whenever after a dry season the first raindrops began to descend, he would put out his tongue to catch a raindrop and would exclaim: “Here is the latest favour from my Lord.” He was constantly occupied in praying for God’s forgiveness and beneficence, more particularly when he was sitting among people so that those who were in his company or were connected with him and Muslims generally should save themselves from divine wrath and should become deserving of divine forgiveness. The consciousness that he was always in the presence of God never deserted him. When he used to lie down to sleep, he would say: “O Allah! let me die (go to sleep) with Thy name on my lips and with Thy name on my lips let me rise.” When he woke up, he would say: “All praise is due to God who has brought me to life after death (sleep) and one day we shall all be gathered unto Him.”31
He constantly yearned for nearness to God and one of his oft-repeated prayers was “O Allah! Do Thou fill my heart with Thy light and fill my eyes with Thy light and fill my ears with Thy light and put Thy light on my right and put Thy light on my left and put Thy light above me and put Thy light below me and put Thy light in front of me and put Thy light behind me and do Thou, O Allah, convert the whole of me into light.”32
Ibn ‘Abbas relates: “Shortly before the Holy Prophet’s death, Musaylimah (the false prophet) came to Medina and proclaimed that if Muhammad would appoint him his successor he would be prepared to accept him. Musaylimah was accompanied by a very large retinue and the tribe with which he was connected was the largest among the tribes of Arabia. When the Holy Prophet was informed of his advent he went to meet him, accompanied by Thabit bin Qays bin Shams. He had in his hand a dried palm twig. When he arrived at Musaylimah’s camp he went and stood in front of him. In the meantime some more of his Companions had come up and ranged themselves round him. Addressing Musaylimah he said, ”It has been conveyed to me that you have said that if I were to appoint you my successor you would be ready to follow me, but I am not willing to bestow even this dried palm twig upon you contrary to God’s commands. Your end will be as God has appointed. If you turn your back on me God will bring you to naught. I perceive very clearly that God will deal out to you what He has revealed to me.” He then added: “I will now retire. If you have anything further to say, you may talk to Thabit bin Qays bin Shams, who will act as my representative.” He then returned. Abu Hurayrah was also with him. Somebody inquired of the Prophet what he meant by saying that God would deal out to Musaylimah what had been revealed to him. The Holy Prophet replied: “I saw in a dream two bracelets round my wrists which I disliked. While still in my dream I was directed by God to blow upon the bracelets. When I blew upon them, both of them disappeared. I interpreted this to mean that two false claimants (to prophethood) would appear after me.”33 This incident occurred towards the end of the Holy Prophet’s life. The last and the largest of the Arab tribes who had not yet accepted him was prepared to make its submission and the only condition put forward by it was that the Holy Prophet should appoint its chief as his successor. Had the Prophet been actuated even remotely by any personal motives, nothing stood in the way of his securing the unity of the whole of Arabia by promising his succession to the chief of the largest tribe of Arabia. The Holy Prophet had no son of his own and no dynastic ambition could have stood in the way of such an arrangement, but he never regarded even the smallest thing as belonging to him and as being at his absolute disposal. He could, therefore, not deal with the leadership of Muslims as if it were in his gift. He regarded it as a sacred divine trust and believed that God would bestow it upon whomsoever He thought fit. He therefore rejected Musaylimah’s offer with contempt, and told him that, let alone the leadership of Muslims, he was not prepared to bestow upon him even a dry palm twig.
Whenever he referred to or discoursed about God, it appeared to onlookers as if his whole being was in the grip of a passion of love for and devotion to God.
He always insisted upon simplicity in divine worship. The mosque, that he built in Medina and in which he always led prayers, had only a mud floor which was innocent of all covering or matting and the roof, which was made of dried palm branches and leaves, leaked whenever it rained. On such occasions the Holy Prophet and members of the congregation would be drenched with rain and mud but he would continue with the prayers till the end and on no occasion did he give any indication that he would postpone the service or remove to more weather-tight shelter.34
He was also watchful regarding his Companions. ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar was a man of extreme piety and purity of life. Concerning him the Holy Prophet once said: “‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar would be an even better man if he were to be more regular with regard to his Tahajjud prayers.”35 When this was communicated to ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar he never thereafter missed these prayers. It is recorded that the Holy Prophet, happening to be in the house of his daughter Fatimah, inquired of her and his son-in-law, ‘Ali, whether they were regular with regard to their Tahajjud prayers. ‘Ali replied: “O Messenger of Allah! We try to get up for Tahajjud prayers but on occasion when God so wills that we are unable to wake up in time we miss them.” He went back and, on the way, repeated several times a verse of the Quran which means that a man is often reluctant to admit his fault and tries to cover it up with excuses.36 The Prophet meant that ‘Ali should not have attributed his default to God by saying that when God willed that they should not wake up they were unable to wake up in time, but should have admitted his own weakness in the matter.
The Holy Prophet, however, strongly disapproved of formality in the matter of worship and condemned the imposition of any penance upon oneself as a form of worship. He taught that true worship consists in the beneficent use of the faculties with which God has endowed man. God having bestowed eyes upon man to see with, it would not be worship but impertinence to keep them shut or to have them removed. It is not the proper use of the faculty of sight which can be regarded as sinful, it is the improper use of the faculty that would be a sin. It would be ingratitude on the part of a man to have himself deprived of the faculty of hearing, though it would be sinful of him to use that faculty for the purpose of listening to slander and backbiting. Abstention from food (except on occasions when it is prescribed or is otherwise desirable) may amount to suicide and thus constitute an unforgivable sin, though it would also be sinful on the part of a man to devote himself entirely to food and drink or to indulge in the eating or drinking of prohibited or undesirable articles. This is a golden principle which was taught and emphasised by the Holy Prophet of Islam and which had not been inculcated by any previous Prophet.
The correct use of natural faculties constitutes high moral qualities; the frustration or stultification of those qualities is folly. It is their improper use that is evil or sinful. Their proper use is true virtue. This is the essence of the moral teachings inculcated by the Holy Prophet of Islam. And this, in brief, was also a picture of his own life and actions. Ayesha relates: “Whenever the Holy Prophet had a choice of two courses of action he always chose the easier of the two, provided it was free from all suspicion of error or sin. Where a course of action was open to such suspicion, the Holy Prophet of all men gave it the widest berth.”37 This is indeed the highest and the most admirable course open to man. Many men voluntarily court pain and privations, not for the purpose of winning God’s pleasure, for God’s pleasure is not to be won by inflicting purposeless pain and privations upon oneself, but with the object of deceiving mankind. Such people possess little inherent virtue and wish to cover up their faults and to acquire merit in the eyes of others by assuming false virtues. The object of the Holy Prophet of Islam, however, was to attain to real virtue and to win the pleasure of God. He was, therefore, completely free from pretence and make-believe. That the world should regard him as bad or should appraise him as good was a matter of complete indifference to him. All that mattered to him was how he found himself and how God would judge him. If in addition to the testimony of his conscience and the approval of God he also won the true testimony of mankind he was grateful, but if men looked upon him with jaundiced eyes he was sorry for them and attached no value to their opinion.
He was extremely kind and fair towards his wives. If on occasion any one of them failed to comport herself with due deference towards him he merely smiled and passed the matter over. He said to Ayesha one day: “Ayesha, whenever you are upset with me I always get to know it.” Ayesha enquired: “How is that?” He said: “I have noticed that when you are pleased with me and in the course of conversation you have to refer to God, you refer to Him as the Lord of Muhammad. But if you are not pleased with me, you refer to Him as the Lord of Ibrahim.” At this Ayesha laughed and said he was right.38 Khadijah was his first wife and had made great sacrifices in his cause. She was much older than the Prophet. After her death he married younger women but never permitted the memory of Khadijah to become dim. Whenever any of Khadijah’s friends visited him he would stand up to receive her.39 If he chanced to see any article that had belonged to or had been connected with Khadijah, he was always overcome by emotion. Among the prisoners taken by the Muslims in the Battle of Badr was a son-in-law of the Prophet. He possessed nothing which he could offer as ransom. His wife Zaynab (the Prophet’s daughter) sent to Medina a necklace which had belonged to her mother (Khadijah) and offered it as ransom for her husband. When the Prophet saw the necklace he recognized it and was much affected. He said to his Companions: “I have no authority to give any direction in this matter, but I know that this necklace is cherished by Zaynab as a last memento of her deceased mother and, provided it commends itself to you, I would suggest that she should not be deprived of it and it may be returned to her.” They intimated that nothing would give them greater pleasure and readily adopted his suggestion.40 He often praised Khadijah to his other wives and stressed her virtues and the sacrifices that she had made in the cause of Islam. On one such occasion Ayesha was piqued and said: “O Messenger of Allah, why go on talking of the old lady? God has bestowed better, younger and more attractive wives upon you.” The Holy Prophet was overcome by emotion at hearing this and protested: “O no, Ayesha! You have no idea how good Khadijah was to me.”41
He was always very patient in adversity. He was never discouraged by adverse circumstances nor did he permit any personal desire to get a hold over him. It has been related already that his father had died before his birth and his mother died while he was still a little child. Up to the age of eight, he was in the guardianship of his grandfather and after the latter’s death he was taken care of by his uncle, Abu Talib. Both on account of natural affection and also because he had been specially admonished in that behalf by his father, Abu Talib always watched over his nephew with care and indulgence but his wife was not affected by these considerations to the same degree. It often happened that she would distribute something among her own children, leaving out their little cousin. If Abu Talib chanced to come into the house on such an occasion he would find his little nephew sitting apart, a perfect picture of dignity and without a trace of sulkiness or grievance on his face. The uncle, yielding to the claims of affection and recognizing his responsibility, would run to the nephew, clasp him to his bosom and cry out: “Do pay attention to this child of mine also! Do pay attention to this child of mine also!” Such incidents were not uncommon and those who were witnesses to them were unanimous in their testimony that the young Muhammad never gave any indication that he was in any way affected by them or that he was in any sense jealous of his cousins. Later in life when he was in a position to do so, he took upon himself the care and upbringing of two of his uncle’s sons, ‘Ali and Ja‘far, and discharged this responsibility in the most excellent manner.
The Holy Prophet, throughout his life, had to encounter a succession of bitter experiences. He was born an orphan, his mother died while he was still a small child and he lost his grandfather at the age of eight years. After marriage he had to bear the loss of several children, one after the other, and then his beloved and devoted wife Khadijah died. Some of the wives he married after Khadijah’s death, died during his lifetime and towards the close of his life he had to bear the loss of his son Ibrahim. He bore all these losses and calamities cheerfully, and none of them affected in the least degree either his high resolve or the urbanity of his disposition. His private sorrows never found vent in public and he always met everybody with a benign countenance and treated all alike with uniform benevolence. On one occasion he observed a woman who had lost a child occupied in loud mourning over her child’s grave. He admonished her to be patient and to accept God’s will as supreme. The woman did not know that she was being addressed by the Holy Prophet and replied: “If you had ever suffered the loss of a child as I have, you would have realised how difficult it is to be patient under such an affliction.” The Prophet observed: “I have suffered the loss not of one but of seven children,” and passed on. Except when he referred to his own losses or misfortunes in this indirect manner, he never cared to dwell upon them nor did he permit them in any manner to interfere with his unceasing service to mankind and his cheerful sharing of their burdens.
He always held himself under complete control. Even when he became a Sovereign he always listened to everybody with patience, and if a person treated him with impertinence he bore with him and never attempted any retaliation. In the East, one way of showing respect for a person whom one is addressing is not to address him by his personal name. The Muslims used to address the Holy Prophet as: “O Messenger of Allah”, and non-Muslims used to address him as “Abul-Qasim” (i.e. Qasim’s father: Qasim being the name of one of his sons). On one occasion a Jew came to him in Medina and started a discussion with him. In the course of the discussion he repeatedly addressed him as “O Muhammad, O Muhammad”. The Prophet paid no attention to his form of address and went on patiently expounding the matter under discussion to him. His Companions, however, were getting irritated at the discourteous form of address adopted by his interlocutor till one of them, not being able to restrain himself any longer, admonished the Jew not to address the Prophet by his personal name but to address him as Abul-Qasim. The Jew said that he would address him only by the name which his parents had given him. The Prophet smiled and said to his Companions: “He is right. I was named Muhammad at the time of my birth and there is no reason to be upset at his addressing me by that name.”
Sometimes people stopped him in the way and engaged him in conversation, explaining their needs and preferring their requests to him. He always stood patiently and let them go on and proceeded only after they had done. On occasion people when shaking hands with him kept hold of his hand for some time and, though he found this inconvenient and it occasioned a loss of precious time also, he was never the first to withdraw his hand. People went freely to him and laid their troubles and difficulties before him and asked him for help. If he was able to help he never declined to do so. Sometimes he was pestered with requests and they were unreasonably pressed but he went on complying with them as far as he was able. On occasion, after complying with a request, he would admonish the person concerned to have greater trust in God and to avoid asking others for relief. On one occasion a devout Muslim asked him several times for money and each time he complied with his request but in the end said: “It is best for a man to put his trust in God and to avoid making requests.” The person concerned was a sincere man. Out of regard for the feelings of the Prophet, he did not offer to return what he had already received but he declared that in future he would never make a request to anybody under any circumstances. Years later, he was taking part in a battle, mounted on a charger, and in the thick of it when the din and confusion and the clash of arms were at their highest and he was surrounded by his enemies, his whip fell from his hand. A Muslim soldier who was on foot, perceiving his predicament, bent down to pick up the whip for him but the mounted man begged him to desist and jumped from his horse and picked up the whip himself, explaining to the soldier that he had long since promised the Holy Prophet that he would never make any request to anybody and that if he had permitted the soldier to pick up the whip for him it would have amounted to his having made an indirect request and would thus have rendered him guilty of breaking his promise to the Holy Prophet.
The Arabs were greatly given to favouritism and applied different standards to different persons. Even among the so-called civilised nations of today one observes a reluctance to bring prominent persons or persons occupying high positions or offices to account for their doings, though the law is enforced rigorously against the common citizen. The Holy Prophet was, however, unique in enforcing uniform standards of justice and fair dealing. On one occasion a case came before him in which a young woman belonging to a highly respectable family was found to have committed theft. This caused great consternation as, if the normal penalty were imposed upon the young woman, a leading family would be humiliated and disgraced. Many were anxious to intercede with the Prophet on behalf of the offender but were afraid to do so. Eventually Usamah was prevailed upon to undertake the mission. Usamah went to the Holy Prophet but the moment the latter perceived the trend of his submission he was much upset and said: “You had better desist. Nations have come to a bad end for showing favours to highly placed persons while pressing hard on the common people. Islam does not permit this and I will certainly not do it. Verily, if my own daughter, Fatimah, were to commit an offence I would not hesitate to impose the appropriate penalty.”42
It has already been related that when the Prophet’s uncle ‘Abbas became a prisoner in the Battle of Badr, he was, like other prisoners, tied up with a rope to prevent his escape. The rope was so tightly secured that he groaned with pain during the night. The Prophet heard his groans and was unable to sleep. The Companions of the Prophet, perceiving this, loosened the rope that bound ‘Abbas. When the Prophet got to learn of this, he directed that all prisoners should be treated alike, saying that there was no reason for showing favour to his own relative. He insisted that either they must loosen the bonds of all the prisoners or must tighten the bonds of ‘Abbas like those of the others. As the Companions of the Prophet did not wish him to be subjected to uneasiness on account of his uncle they undertook to guard the prisoners carefully and loosened the bonds of all of them.43
Even during the exigencies of war he was most particular in observing all accepted rules and conventions. On one occasion he despatched a party of his Companions on a scouting expedition. They encountered some men of the enemy on the last day of the Sacred Month, Rajab. Thinking that it would be dangerous to let them escape and carry to Mecca the tidings of the scouting party being so near, they attacked them and in the course of the skirmish one of them was killed. After the scouting party had returned to Medina the Meccans began to protest that the Muslim scouts had killed one of their men in the Sacred Month. The Meccans had often been guilty of violating the sanctity of the Sacred Months vis-a-vis the Muslims whenever it suited them, and it would have been a suitable reply to their protest to say that as the Meccans had themselves set at naught the convention relating to the Sacred Months, so they were not entitled to insist upon their observance by Muslims. But the Prophet did not make this reply. He severely reprimanded the members of the party, refused to accept the booty and according to some reports even paid the blood money for the person killed, till the revelation of 2:218 cleared the whole position.44
People are generally careful not to hurt the feelings of their friends and relations but the Holy Prophet was very particular in this respect even regarding people who were opposed to him. On one occasion a Jew came to him and complained that Abu Bakr had hurt his feelings by saying that God had exalted Muhammad above Moses. The Prophet summoned Abu Bakr and asked him what had transpired. Abu Bakr explained that the Jew had started by saying that he swore by Moses whom God, he said, had exalted above the whole of mankind, and that he (Abu Bakr) had thereupon retorted by swearing by Muhammad, whom God had exalted above Moses. The Prophet said: “You should not have said this as the feelings of other people should be respected. Nobody should exalt me above Moses”.45 This did not mean that the Holy Prophet did not in fact occupy a higher position than Moses but that an affirmation like this addressed to a Jew was likely to hurt his feelings and should have been avoided.
The Holy Prophet was ever concerned to ameliorate the condition of the poorer sections of the community and to raise their status in society. On one occasion while he was sitting with his Companions, a rich man happened to pass by. The Prophet inquired of one of his Companions what he thought of him. He replied “He is a well-to-do and well-connected man. If he were to ask for the hand of a girl in marriage the request would be favourably considered and if he were to intercede on behalf of anybody the intercession would be accepted.” Shortly after, another man passed by who appeared to be poor and of no substance. The Prophet inquired of the same Companion what he thought of him. He replied: “O Messenger of Allah! He is a poor man. If he were to request the hand of a girl in marriage the request would not be favourably received and if he were to intercede on behalf of any person the intercession would be rejected and if he were to seek to engage anybody in conversation no attention would be paid to him.” On hearing this the Prophet observed: “The worth of this poor man is much greater than the value of a quantity of gold sufficient to fill the whole universe.”46
A poor Muslim woman used to clean out the Holy Prophet’s mosque in Medina. The Prophet did not see her in the mosque for some days and made inquiries concerning her. He was told that she had died. He said: “Why was I not informed when she died? I would have wished to join her funeral prayers,” and added, “perchance you did not consider her worthy of consideration as she was poor. This was not right. Direct me to her grave.” He then proceeded to her grave and prayed for her.47 He used to say that there were people with tangled hair whose bodies were covered with dust and who were not welcomed by those who were well-to-do but who were so highly valued by God that if, trusting in God’s beneficence, they swore in His name that a certain matter would take a certain turn He would support them.”48 On one occasion some Companions of the Holy Prophet who were freed slaves were sitting together when Abu Sufyan (who was a chieftain among the Quraysh and had fought the Muslims up to the surrender of Mecca and had accepted Islam only on that occasion) happened to pass by. These Companions, addressing him, recalled the victory that God had bestowed upon Islam. Abu Bakr also heard this and did not approve of a chieftain of the Quraysh being reminded of their humiliation and he reprimanded the group of Companions. He then went to the Holy Prophet and related the incident to him. The Prophet said: “O Abu Bakr! I fear you may have hurt the feelings of these servants of God. If that should be so, God would be offended with you.” Abu Bakr at once returned to those people and inquired: “Brothers of mine! Did you feel hurt over what I said?” To which they replied: “We felt no offence at what you said. May God forgive you!”49
While, however, the Prophet insisted that poor people should be respected and their feelings should not be injured and strove to fulfil their needs, he also sought to instil the sentiment of self-respect into them and taught them not to beg for favours. He used to say that it behoved a poor man not to seek to be content with a date or two or with a mouthful or two of food but to restrain himself from making a request, however severely he might be tried.50 On the other hand he used to say that no entertainment would be blessed unless some poor people were also invited to it. Ayesha relates that a poor woman came to visit her on one occasion accompanied by her two little daughters. Ayesha had nothing with her at the time except one date which she gave to the woman. The woman divided it between her little daughters and then they all departed. When the Prophet came home Ayesha related this to him and he said: “If a poor man has daughters and he treats them with consideration, God will save him from the torments of Hell,” and added: “God will bestow Paradise upon this woman on account of the consideration she showed towards her daughters.”51 On one occasion he was told that one of his Companions, Sa‘d, who was a well-to-do person, was boasting of his enterprise to others. When the Prophet heard this, he said: “Let no man imagine that his wealth or standing or power is the result merely of his own efforts or enterprise. That is not so. Your power and your position and your wealth are all earned through the poor.” One of his prayers was: “O God! Keep me humble while I am alive and keep me humble when I die and let my resurrection on the Day of Judgement be with the humble.”52
On one occasion during the hot weather when he was passing through a street, he observed a very poor Muslim carrying heavy loads from one place to another. He was very plain of features which were rendered still more unattractive by a heavy coating of perspiration and dust. He bore a melancholy look. The Holy Prophet approached him stealthily from the back and, as children sometimes do in fun, he put forward his hands and covered the labourer’s eyes with them, expecting him to guess who he was. The man put back his own hands and feeling over the body of the Prophet realised that it was the Holy Prophet himself. He probably guessed also that nobody else would show such intimate affection for a man in his condition. Being pleased and encouraged, he pressed against the Holy Prophet’s body and clasped him to himself from the back rubbing his dust and sweat-covered body against the clothes of the Prophet, desiring perhaps to ascertain how far the Prophet would be willing to indulge him. The Prophet went on smiling and did not ask him to desist. When the man had been put in a thoroughly happy mood the Prophet said to him: “I possess a slave; do you think anybody will be willing to buy him?” The man realised that probably there was nobody in the whole world, save the Holy Prophet himself who would be ready to see any worth in him, and with a melancholy sigh he replied: “O Messenger of Allah! there is nobody in this world who would be prepared to purchase me.” The Prophet said: “No! No! You must not say that. You are of great worth in the eyes of God.”53
Not only was he himself watchful of the welfare of the poor but he constantly exhorted others to be the same. Abu Musa Ash‘ari relates that if a needy person approached the Holy Prophet and made a request, he would say to those around him, “You should also support his request so that you may acquire merit by becoming sharers in promoting a good deed.”54, his object being to create on the one side in the minds of his Companions a feeling of eagerness to help the poor and on the other in the minds of the needy a realization of the affection and sympathy felt for them by their better-off brethren.
When Islam began to be generally accepted over the greater part of Arabia, the Holy Prophet often received large quantities of goods and money which he immediately distributed amongst those who were in need. On one occasion his daughter Fatimah came to him and, showing him her hands which had become calloused by the labour involved in crushing grain with stones, requested that a slave might be allotted to her to lighten her labour. The Prophet replied: “I shall tell you something which will prove to be of far greater worth than a slave. When you go to bed at night you should utter the praise of God thirty-three times, and affirm His perfection an equal number of times and affirm His greatness thirty-four times. This will help you a great deal more than could the possession of a slave.”55
While distributing money on one occasion a coin fell from his hands and rolled out of sight. Having finished with the distribution he went to the mosque and led the prayers. It was his practice to remain sitting for a short while after the conclusion of the prayers, occupied in the remembrance of God and thereafter to let people approach him and put questions to him or proffer requests. On this occasion, as soon as the prayers were concluded, he got up and proceeded quickly to his house. He looked for the missing coin and, having recovered it, came back and bestowed it upon a needy person, explaining that the coin had fallen from his hands during the distribution of money and the matter had gone out of his mind but he suddenly recollected it while leading the prayers and he was made uneasy by the thought that if he were to die before he could recover the coin and give it away to some person in need, he would be held responsible for it before God; that was the reason why he had left the mosque in such a hurry to recover the coin.56
In his anxiety to fully safeguard the interests of the poor and the needy he went so far as to lay down that no charity should ever be bestowed upon his descendants, fearing lest Muslims out of their love for and devotion towards himself should in course of time make his descendants the principal objects of their charity and thus deprive the poor and needy of their due share. On one occasion somebody brought to him a quantity of dates and offered them as charity. His grandson Imam Hasan, who was then only two and a half years of age, happened to be sitting with the Prophet. He picked up one of the dates and put it into his mouth. The Prophet immediately put his finger into the child’s mouth and forced the date out of it saying: “We have no right in this. This belongs to the poor among God’s creatures.”57
He constantly exhorted those who owned slaves to treat them kindly and well. He had laid down that if the owner of a slave beat his slave or abused him, the only reparation that he could make was to set the slave free.58 He devised means for, and encouraged, the freeing of slaves on every pretext. He said: “If a person owning a slave sets him free, God will in recompense save every part of his body corresponding to every part of the slave’s body from the torment of Hell.” Again, he laid down that a slave should be asked to perform only such tasks as he could easily accomplish and that when he was set to do a task, his master should help him in performing it so that the slave should experience no feeling of humiliation or degradation. If a master went on a journey accompanied by a slave, it was his duty to share his mount with the slave either by both riding together or each riding in turn. Abu Hurayrah, who used to spend the whole of his time after becoming a Muslim in the company of the Prophet and who had repeatedly heard the Prophet’s injunctions regarding the treatment of slaves, has said: “I call God to witness in Whose hands is my life that were it not for the opportunities that I get of joining in holy war and of performing the Pilgrimage and were it not that I have opportunities of serving my old mother, I would have desired to die a slave, for the Holy Prophet constantly insisted upon slaves being well and kindly treated.”59 Ma‘rur bin Suwaid relates: “I saw Abu Dharr Ghifari (a Companion of the Holy Prophet) wearing clothes exactly similar to those worn by his slave. I inquired of him the reason of this and he said: 'During the lifetime of the Holy Prophet I once taunted a man with his mother having been a slave. Upon this the Holy Prophet rebuked me and said: You still seem to entertain pre-Islamic notions. What are slaves? They are your brethren and the source of your power. God in His wisdom confers temporary authority upon you over them. He who has such authority over his brother should feed him with the kind of food he himself eats; clothe him with the kind of clothes he himself wears and should not set him a task beyond his strength and should himself help him in whatever he is asked to do'.” On another occasion the Prophet said: “When your servant cooks food for you and sets it out before you, you should ask him to sit down with you to eat or at least to partake of a portion of it in your company, for he has established a right in it by working on it.”60
The Holy Prophet was very keen on improving the condition of women in society and on securing for them a position of dignity and fair and equitable treatment. Islam was the first religion which conferred upon women the right of inheritance. The Quran makes daughters along with sons heirs to the property left by their parents. In the same way a mother is made an heir to her son’s or daughter’s property and a wife is made an heir to her husband’s property. When a brother becomes an heir of his deceased brother’s property a sister is also an heir to that property. No religion before Islam had so clearly and firmly established a woman’s right of inheritance and her right to possess property. In Islam a woman is the absolute owner of her own property and her husband cannot obtain any control over it by virtue merely of their relationship. A woman is at full liberty to deal with her property as she chooses.
The Holy Prophet was so careful with regard to the kind treatment of women that those around him who had not previously been accustomed to looking upon women in the light of helpmates and partners found it difficult to accommodate themselves to the standards that the Prophet was anxious to see set up and maintained. ‘Umar relates: “My wife occasionally sought to intervene in my affairs with her counsel and I would rebuke her, saying that the Arabs had never permitted their women to intervene in their affairs. She would retort: 'That is all past. The Holy Prophet lets his wives counsel him in his affairs and he does not stop them. Why don’t you follow his example?' My reply used to be: As regards Ayesha the Prophet is particularly fond of her but as regards your daughter (Hafsah), if she does this she will one day have to suffer the consequences of her impertinence.' It so happened that thereafter on one occasion the Holy Prophet, being upset over something, decided to spend a period of time apart from his wives. When I learnt of this I said to my wife, What I had feared had come to pass. Then I went to the house of my daughter Hafsah and found her crying. I inquired of her what the matter was and whether the Prophet had divorced her. She said: 'I don’t know about divorce, but the Prophet has decided to remain away from us for some time.' I said to her: 'Did I not often tell you not to take the same liberties with him as Ayesha does, for the Holy Prophet is particularly fond of Ayesha, but you seem to have brought upon yourself what I had feared.' I then went to the Holy Prophet and found him lying down on a rough matting. He was at that time wearing no shirt and his body bore the marks of the pattern of the matting. I sat down near him and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! the Kaiser and the Chosroes do not deserve any of God’s favours and yet they pass their lives in great comfort and you who are His Messenger pass your days in such discomfort.' The Prophet replied: 'That is not so. The Messengers of Allah are not expected to spend their time in comfort. That kind of life befits only secular monarchs.' I then related to the Prophet all that had passed between me and my wife and daughter. Hearing me, the Prophet laughed and said: 'It is not true that I have divorced my wives. I have merely thought it advisable to spend a little time away from them'.”61
He was so careful concerning the sentiments of women that on one occasion when he was leading the prayers he heard the cry of a child and concluded the service quickly, explaining thereafter that as he had heard the cry of the child he imagined that the child’s mother would be distressed at its cry and he had therefore concluded the service quickly so that the mother could go to the child and look after it.
When during any of his journeys women were also among the party he always gave directions that the caravan should move slowly and by easy stages. On one such occasion when the men were eager to push forward, he said: “Take care of glass! Take care of glass!” meaning thereby that women were of the party and that if camels and horses were put to the gallop they would suffer from the joltings of the animals.62 During a battle confusion arose among the ranks of the mounted soldiers and the animals became unmanageable. The Holy Prophet fell from his horse and some of the women also fell from their mounts. One of his Companions, who was riding a camel immediately behind the Prophet jumped down and ran towards him crying: “May I be your sacrifice, O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet’s foot was still in the stirrup. He released it hastily and said to his Companion: “Don’t bother about me, go and help the women.” Just before his death one of the injunctions he addressed to Muslims and laid stress upon was that they should always treat women with kindness and consideration. It was an oft-repeated saying of his that if a man had daughters and he arranged to have them educated and took pains with their upbringing, God would save him from the torment of Hell.63
It was a common practice with the Arabs to inflict physical chastisement upon women for every little fault. The Holy Prophet taught that women were equally with men the creatures of God and were not the slaves of men and should not be beaten. When women got to know of this they went to the other extreme and began to oppose men in everything, with the result that in many homes domestic peace was continually disturbed. ‘Umar complained of this to the Holy Prophet and said that unless women could on occasion be chastised they would become unruly and there would be no holding them in check. As detailed Islamic teachings with regard to the treatment of women had not yet been revealed, the Prophet said that if a woman was guilty of serious transgression she might be chastised. This in its turn led the men in many cases to revert to the old Arab practice. It was now the turn of the women to complain and they laid their grievances before the Prophet’s wives. Thereupon, the Prophet admonished men and told them that those who treated women with unkindness could never win the favour of God. Thereafter the rights of women were established, and for the first time women began to be treated as free individuals in their own right.64
Mu‘awiyyah al-Qushayri relates: “I inquired of the Holy Prophet what claim my wife had upon me,” and he replied: “Feed her with that which God bestows upon you in the way of food, and clothe her with that which God bestows upon you in the way of clothes and do not chastise her nor abuse her nor put her out of your house.” He was so careful of the feelings and sentiments of women that he always exhorted those who had to go upon a journey to finish their errands quickly and return home as soon as possible so that their wives and children should not suffer separation longer than was necessary. Whenever he returned from a journey he always came home during the daytime. If he found night approaching towards the end of his journey, he would camp outside Medina for the night and enter it next morning. He also told his Companions that when they returned from a journey they should not come home suddenly without notice of their return.65 In giving this direction he had in mind the fact that the relations between the sexes are largely governed by sentiment. In the absence of the husband a wife may often neglect the care of her body and of her dress and if the husband were to return home unexpectedly the finer sentiments of the wife or the husband might be upset. By giving the direction that when a man returns from a journey he should contrive to arrive home during the daytime and after intimation to the members of his family of his return, he ensured that the members of his family would be ready to receive the returning member in a befitting manner.
He enjoined that every person should make a will concerning the regulation of his affairs after his death so that those connected with him should suffer the minimum of inconvenience after his demise.
He laid down that no man should speak ill of a person who was dead but that whatever of good he had possessed should be emphasised, for no benefit could result to anybody from mentioning the weaknesses or vices of the deceased but by emphasizing his virtues people would be inclined to pray for him.66 He insisted upon a deceased person’s debts being paid before he was buried. He very often satisfied the liabilities of a deceased person himself, but if he was not able to do this, he exhorted the heirs and relatives of the deceased or other persons to discharge his liabilities and would not say the funeral prayers over a deceased person till his liabilities had been discharged.
He always treated his neighbours with extreme kindness and consideration. He used to say that the angel Gabriel had emphasised consideration towards one’s neighbours so often that he sometimes began to think that a neighbour would perhaps be included among the prescribed heirs. Abu Dharr relates that the Holy Prophet said to him: “Abu Dharr, while broth is being cooked for your family, add a little more water to it so that your neighbour might also share in it.” This does not mean that the neighbour should not be invited to share in other things but, as the Arabs were mostly a migratory people and their favourite dish was broth, the Holy Prophet referred to this dish as a typical one and taught that one should not think so much of the taste of the food as of the obligation to share it with one’s neighbour.
Abu Hurayrah relates: “On one occasion the Holy Prophet exclaimed: 'I call God to witness that he is not a believer! I call God to witness that he is not a believer! I call God to witness that he is not a believer!' The Companions inquired: 'Who is not a believer, O Messenger of Allah?' and he replied: ‘He whose neighbour is not secure against injury and ill-treatment at his hands.' On one occasion when he was addressing women, he said: 'If anybody finds only the foot of a goat to cook, that person should share it with his or her neighbour.' He asked people not to object to their neighbours driving pegs into their walls or putting them to any other use which occasioned no injury.” Abu Hurayrah relates: “The Prophet said: ‘He who believes in God and in the Day of Judgement should occasion no inconvenience to his neighbour: he who believes in God and in the Day of Judgement should occasion no inconvenience to his guest, and he who believes in God and in the Day of Judgement should utter only words of virtue or should keep quiet'.”67
Most people suffer from the failing that when they marry and set up house for themselves, they begin to neglect their parents. The Holy Prophet, therefore, laid great stress upon the meritoriousness of serving one’s parents and treating them with kindness and consideration. Abu Hurayrah relates: “A man came to the Holy Prophet and asked to be told who was most deserving of kind treatment at his hands. The Prophet replied: 'Your mother'. The man asked 'And next to her?' The Prophet repeated, 'Again thy mother'. The man asked a third time, 'And after my mother?' and the Prophet again replied, 'Still thy mother', and when the man asked him a fourth time, he said: 'After her thy father and after him thy nearest relatives and after them thy more remote relatives'.” The Prophet’s own parents and grand parents had died while he was still a child. The parents of some of his wives were, however, alive and he always treated them with great consideration and deference. On the occasion of the surrender of Mecca when the Holy Prophet entered the town as a victorious general, Abu Bakr brought his father to meet him. He said to Abu Bakr: “Why did you trouble your father to come to me? I would gladly have gone to him myself.”68 One of his sayings was: “Unlucky is the man whose parents live to old age and he fails to earn Paradise even then”, meaning that the service of one’s parents particularly when they reach old age attracts the grace and favour of God and, therefore, a person to whom is afforded the opportunity of serving his aged parents and who avails himself of the opportunity to the full is bound to become confirmed in righteous ways and a recipient of the grace of God.
A man once complained to the Holy Prophet that the more benevolence he exercised towards his relations the more hostile they became towards him; and that the more he treated them with kindness the more they persecuted him; and the more he demonstrated affection towards them the more they frowned upon him. The Prophet said: “If what you say is true you are very fortunate, for you will ever be the recipient of God’s succour.”69 On one occasion when the Holy Prophet was exhorting people to give alms and charity one of his Companions, Abu Talhah Ansari, came to him and offered to dedicate an orchard for charitable purposes. The Prophet was very pleased and exclaimed, “What an excellent charity! What an excellent charity! What an excellent charity!” and added: “Having dedicated this orchard to the service of the poor, I want you now to divide it among your poor relatives.”70 A man came to him on one occasion and said: “O Messenger of Allah! I am prepared to make a covenant of Hijrat and I am prepared to make a covenant to take part in the holy war, for I am anxious to win the pleasure of God.” The Holy Prophet inquired whether either of his parents was alive and the man told him that both were alive. He then asked: “Are you indeed anxious to win the pleasure of God?” and on the man replying in the affirmative the Prophet said: “Then go back to your parents and serve them and serve them well.” He pointed out that one’s non-Muslim relations were equally entitled to be treated kindly and with consideration along with one’s Muslim relations. One of Abu Bakr’s wives, who was a non-Muslim, visited her daughter Asma’ and the latter inquired of the Holy Prophet whether she might serve her and make presents to her, to which the Holy Prophet replied: “Certainly, for she is thy mother.”71
He treated not only his near relatives but even remote ones and anybody connected with them with great consideration. Whenever he sacrificed an animal he would send a portion of the meat to the friends of Khadijah (his deceased wife) and told his wives never to overlook them on such occasions. Many years after Khadijah’s death when he was sitting with some of his Companions, Khadijah’s sister, Halah, came to see him and asked permission to enter. Her voice sounded in the Prophet’s ears very much like that of Khadijah and when he heard it he said: “Oh Lord! This is Halah, Khadijah’s sister.” Indeed, true affection always manifests itself thus that one becomes fond of and considerate towards all those who may be connected with a person whom one loves or holds in high esteem.
Anas bin Malik relates that during the course of a journey he found himself in the company of Jarir bin ‘Abdullah and observed that the latter busied himself in looking after him as a servant looks after his master. As Jarir bin ‘Abdullah was older than Anas, the latter was embarrassed and protested that Jarir should not put himself out on his account. Jarir replied: “I used to observe how devotedly the Ansar served the Holy Prophet and, being impressed with their devotion to and love for the Holy Prophet, I had resolved in my mind that if I ever happened to be in the company of an Ansari, I would serve him like a servant. I am, therefore, only carrying out my resolve and you should not seek to dissuade me.”72 This incident affirms that where one person truly loves another, his affection extends also to those who sincerely serve the object of his attachment. In the same way those who truly honour their parents are always deferential and considerate towards those who may be connected with their parents through bonds of affection or relationship. On one occasion the Holy Prophet stressed it as the highest virtue for a man to honour the friends of his father. Among the persons addressed was ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar. Many years after, while proceeding on Pilgrimage, he met a Bedouin and he made over to him his own mount and also presented him with his turban. One of his companions observed that he had been over-generous as a Bedouin would be pleased with very little. ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar said: “This man’s father was a friend of my father’s and I have heard the Holy Prophet say that it is one of the highest virtues for a man to honour his father’s friends.”
He always preferred to keep company with the virtuous and if he observed any weakness in any of his Companions he admonished him gently and in private. Abu Musa Ash‘ari relates: “The Holy Prophet illustrated the benefit to be derived from good friends and virtuous companions and the injury to be apprehended from evil friends and vicious companions by saying: 'A man who keeps company with virtuous people is like a person who carries about musk with him. If he partakes of it he derives benefit from it, if he sells it he makes a profit out of it and if he merely keeps it he enjoys its perfume. A man who keeps company with evil persons is like one who blows into a charcoal furnace; all that he can expect is that a spark may alight upon his clothes and set them on fire or that the gas emitted by the charcoal may upset his brain'.” He used to say that a man’s character takes on the colour of the company he keeps and that therefore one should be careful to spend one’s time in the company of the good.73
The Holy Prophet was very careful to safeguard against possible misunderstandings. On one occasion his wife Safiyyah came to see him in the mosque. When the time came for her to return home it had become dark and the Prophet decided to escort her to her house. On the way he passed by two men and, wishing to avoid any speculation on their part as to his companion, he stopped them and lifting the veil from the face of his wife said: “See, this is Safiyyah, my wife.” They protested saying: “O Messenger of Allah! why did you imagine that we should fall into any misconception regarding you?” The Prophet replied “Satan (i.e. evil thoughts) often courses through a man’s blood. I was afraid lest your faith be affected.”74
He never gave publicity to the faults and shortcomings of others and admonished people not to proclaim their own faults. He used to say: “If a person covers up the faults of another, God will cover up his faults on the Day of Judgement.” And, “Every one of my followers can escape the consequences of his errors (i.e. by true repentance and reform) except those who go on proclaiming their wrongdoing” and illustrated this by saying: “A man commits a sin at night and God covers it up; in the morning he meets his friends and boasts before them: 'I did this last night, I did that last night,' and thus he himself lays bare that which God had covered up”.75
Some people foolishly imagine that a confession of sin helps towards repentance; the truth is that it only fosters immodesty. Sin is an evil and he who slips into it and becomes a prey to shame and remorse has a chance of climbing back into the path of purity and righteousness through repentance. His case is like that of a person who has been seduced by evil but is pursued by righteousness and as soon as a chance offers, the evil is vanquished and the sinner is claimed back by righteousness. Those, however, who proclaim their sins and take pride in them lose all sense of good and evil and become incapable of repentance.
On one occasion a man came to the Holy Prophet and said: “I have been guilty of adultery” (this when established by proper evidence being a punishable offence under Islamic Law). Hearing the man’s confession, the Holy Prophet turned away from him and became occupied with something else. He meant to indicate that the proper remedy in such a case was repentance and not public confession. But the man did not realise this and imagining that the Prophet had not heard him, went and stood in front of him and, addressing him, repeated his confession. The Holy Prophet again turned away from him but the man again went and stood in front of him and repeated his confession. When he had done this four times the Prophet said “I had wished that this man should not have proclaimed his sin till God should have indicated His will with regard to him but, as he has repeated his confession four times, I am compelled to take action.”76 He then added: “This man has himself confessed and has not been charged by the woman concerning whom he makes the confession. The woman should be questioned and, if she denies her guilt, she should not be molested and only this man should be punished in accordance with his confession but, if she confesses she should also be punished.” It was the practice of the Holy Prophet to follow the Law of the Torah in matters regarding which the Quran was silent, and as the Torah prescribes that an adulterer should be stoned to death he pronounced the sentence upon this man accordingly. When the sentence was being carried out the man tried to run away but the people pursued him and carried out the sentence. When the Prophet came to know of this he disapproved of it. He said that the man had been sentenced in accordance with his own confession. His attempt to run away was in effect a retraction of his confession and thereafter he should not have been subjected to a penalty which had been imposed upon him solely on account of his confession.
The Prophet laid down that the Law was concerned only with overt acts. During the course of a war, a party of Muslims came upon a non-Muslim who used to lie in wait in lonely places and whenever he found a solitary Muslim he would attack and kill him. On this occasion Usamah bin Zayd pursued him and, having overtaken and caught him, drew his sword to kill him. When the man found that no way of escape was left open to him he repeated the first portion of the Muslim confession of faith, viz., “There is no being worthy of worship save Allah,” thereby indicating that he had accepted Islam. Usamah paid no heed to this and killed him. When this, among the other incidents of the campaign, was related to the Holy Prophet he sent for Usamah and questioned him. On his confirming the account of the incident the Prophet said: “How will it be with you on the Day of Judgement when his confession of faith will bear witness in his favour?” Usamah replied, “O Messenger of Allah! that man was a murderer of Muslims and his declaring himself to be a Muslim was merely a ruse to escape just retribution.” But the Prophet went on repeating: “Usamah, how will it be with you when the man’s confession of faith will bear witness against you on the Day of Judgement?” meaning that God would hold Usamah to account for the man’s death, for though he had been guilty of the murder of Muslims, his reciting the confession was an indication that he had repented of his misdeeds. Usamah protested that the man’s reciting of confession of faith was due to his fear of death and was not an indication of repentance. Thereupon the Holy Prophet said:
“Did you peep into his heart to see whether he was telling the truth or not?” and went on repeating: “How will you answer on the Day of Judgement when his confession of faith will be cited in evidence against you?” Usamah says: “On hearing the Prophet repeat this so often I wished that I had become a convert to Islam only that moment and had not been guilty of what was charged against me.”77
The Holy Prophet was ever ready to forgive people their faults and trespasses. One of the persons concerned in the affair of the slander against his wife, Ayesha, was dependent for his living upon the charity of Abu Bakr (Ayesha’s father). When the falsehood of the allegation against Ayesha was clearly established, Abu Bakr stopped his support of this man. Even this is evidence of Abu Bakr’s commendable moderation and restraint. An average person would have proceeded to extreme lengths against a dependent who had been guilty of defaming his daughter. When the Prophet came to know of what Abu Bakr had done, he spoke to him and pointed out that though the man had been at fault, it did not behove a person like Abu Bakr to deprive him of his means of sustenance on account of his wrongdoing. Thereupon Abu Bakr resumed his patronage of the man.78
The Holy Prophet used to say: “For a Muslim, life is all full of good and nobody but a true believer finds himself in that position; for, if he meets with success he is grateful to God and becomes the recipient of greater favours from Him. On the other hand, if he suffers pain or tribulation he endures it with patience and thus again makes himself deserving of God’s favours.” When his end drew near and he gave vent to a groan in the extremity of his condition, his daughter Fatimah exclaimed that she could not bear to see him in that state. Thereupon he said: “Have patience! Your father will suffer no pain after this day,” meaning that all his troubles were confined to this world and from the moment that he was released from this life and entered the presence of his Maker he would be subject to no further pain. During the prevalence of an epidemic he would not approve of people moving out of an afflicted town into another, for this serves to enlarge the area of the pestilence. He used to say that in times of epidemic if a person stayed on in his own town and refrained from carrying infection into unaffected areas and died of the epidemic, he would be regarded as a martyr.79
He used to teach that one of the best Islamic characteristics was that a man should not interfere in matters with which he was not concerned and that people should not go about criticizing others and interfering in matters that were not their concern. This is a principle which if generally adopted and enforced would go a long way towards securing peace and orderliness in the world. A large part of our troubles is due to the tendency of the majority of people to indulge in undue interference and to hold back their cooperation when it may be needed in providing relief for those in distress.
The Holy Prophet laid great stress upon mutual cooperation. He had made it a rule that if any person was called upon to pay a sum of money by way of penalty and was unable to put up the whole amount, his neighbours or his fellow-citizens or his fellow-tribesmen should make up the amount by raising a subscription. People sometimes came and took up their residence near the Prophet, devoting their time to the service of Islam in various ways. He always counselled their relatives to assume the responsibility of providing for their modest requirements. It is reported by Anas that during the time of the Holy Prophet two brothers accepted Islam and one of them stayed on with the Holy Prophet while the other continued with his normal occupation. The latter, later on, complained to the Holy Prophet that his brother was spending his time in idleness. The Holy Prophet said: “God provides for you also on account of your brother and it behoves you therefore to make provision for him and leave him free to serve the Faith.”80
During the course of a journey, when the Prophet’s party arrived at their camping place, his Companions immediately occupied themselves with their respective tasks in setting up camp for the night. The Holy Prophet said: “You have allotted no task to me. I shall go and collect fuel for cooking.” His Companions protested and said: “O Messenger of Allah! why should you occupy yourself in that way when all of us are here to do whatever may be necessary?” He said: “No, No. It is my duty to do my share of whatever may have to be done,” and he collected fire-wood from the jungle for cooking the food.81
As has been related the Holy Prophet was himself so rigid in his standards of truthfulness that he was known among his people as “The Trusty” and “The True”. He was equally anxious that Muslims should adopt the same standards of truth as were observed by himself. He regarded truth as the basis of all virtue, goodness and right conduct. He taught that a truthful person is one who is so confirmed in truth that he is counted truthful by God.
On one occasion a prisoner was brought to the Holy Prophet who had been guilty of the murder of many Muslims. ‘Umar, who was also present, believed that the man richly deserved the imposition of the death penalty and he looked repeatedly at the Prophet expecting that the Prophet would at any moment indicate that the man should be put to death. After the Holy Prophet had dismissed the man ‘Umar submitted that he should have been put to death as that was the only appropriate penalty. The Prophet replied: “If that is so, why did you not kill him?” ‘Umar replied: “O Messenger of Allah! if you had but given me an indication even by a flicker of your eyelids, I would have done so.” To this the Prophet rejoined: “A Prophet does not act equivocally. How could I have employed my eye to indicate the imposition of a death penalty upon the man while my tongue was employed in talking amicably to him?”82 A man once came to the Holy Prophet and said: “O Messenger of Allah! I suffer from three evils: falsehood, indulgence in strong drinks and fornication. I have tried my utmost to get rid of them but have not succeeded. Will you tell me what to do?” The Prophet replied: “If you make a firm promise to me to give up one of them I guarantee that you will be rid of the other two.” The man promised and asked the Prophet to tell him which of the three he should give up. The Prophet said: “Give up falsehood.” Some time later the man came back and told the Holy Prophet that, having followed his advice, he was now free from all three vices. The Prophet asked him for the details of his struggle and the man said: “One day I wanted to indulge in liquor and was about to do so when I bethought myself of my promise to you and realised that if any of my friends asked me whether I had taken liquor, I would have to admit it as I could no longer utter a falsehood. This would mean that I would acquire an evil reputation among my friends and they would in future avoid me. Thinking thus, I persuaded myself to postpone drinking to some later occasion and was able to withstand the temptation at the time. In the same way when I found myself inclined towards fornication I argued with myself that indulgence in the vice would expose me to the loss of the esteem of my friends as I would either have to tell a falsehood if questioned by them, thus breaking my promise to you, or I would have to admit my sin. In this way I continued to struggle between my resolve to fulfil my promise to you and my desire to indulge in liquor and in adultery. When some time had passed I began to lose the inclination to indulge in these vices and the resolve to keep away from falsehood has now saved me from the other two also.”
The Holy Prophet always exhorted people against inquisitiveness and to think well of each other. Abu Hurayrah relates: “The Prophet said: 'Save yourselves from thinking ill of others for this is the greatest falsehood, and do not be inquisitive or apply epithets to each other out of contempt nor be envious of each other and do not entertain ill feelings towards each other; let each of you regard himself as the servant of God and treat others as his brothers as God has commanded,' and also 'Remember that every Muslim is a brother to every other Muslim. No Muslim should trespass against another or desert another in times of distress or look down upon another on account of his lack of substance or learning or any other thing. Purity springs from the heart and it is enough to defile a man’s heart that he should look down upon his brother. Every Muslim must regard another Muslim’s life, honour and property as sacred and inviolate. God does not regard your bodies nor your countenances nor your external actions but looks into your hearts.”83
He was anxious to safeguard Muslims against indulgence in any form of unfairness in their transactions. Passing through the market-place on one occasion, he observed a heap of corn which was being put to auction. He thrust his arm into the heap and found that though the outer layer of the corn was dry the corn inside was wet. He inquired from the owner the cause of this. The man explained that a sudden shower of rain had made part of the corn wet. The Prophet said that in that case he should have allowed the wet layer of corn to remain on the outside so that prospective purchasers could have appraised its real condition. He observed: “He who deals unfairly with others can never become a useful member of society” (Muslim). He insisted upon trade and commerce being entirely free from every suspicion of sharp practice. He exhorted purchasers always to inspect the goods and articles they proposed to purchase, and forbade any person to open negotiations for a transaction while negotiations about it were in progress with any other person. He also forbade the hoarding of commodities against a rise in the market and insisted that the market should be regularly supplied.
He was an enemy of pessimism. He used to say that whoever was guilty of spreading pessimism among the people was responsible for the downfall of the people, for pessimistic ideas have a tendency to discourage people and arrest progress.84 He warned his people against pride and boastfulness on the one hand and against pessimism on the other. He exhorted them to tread the middle path between these extremes. Muslims must work diligently in the trust that God would bless their efforts with the best results. Each should strive to go forward and should seek to promote the welfare and progress of the community, but everyone should be free from any feeling of pride or any tendency towards boastfulness.
He warned people against cruelty to animals and enjoined kind treatment to them. He used to relate the instance of a Jewish woman who was punished by God for having starved her cat to death. He also used to relate the story of a woman who found a dog suffering from thirst near a deep well. She took off her shoe and lowered it into the well and thus drew up some water. She gave the water to the thirsty dog to drink. This good deed earned her God’s forgiveness for all her previous sins.
‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ud relates: “While we were in the course of a journey along with the Holy Prophet we saw two young doves in a nest and we caught them. They were still very small. When their mother returned to the nest, not finding her little ones in it, she began to fly wildly round and round. When the Holy Prophet arrived at the spot he observed the dove and said, ‘If any one of you has caught its young ones he must release them at once to comfort it'.”85 ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ud also relates that on one occasion they observed an anthill and, placing some straw on top of it, they set fire to it; whereupon they were rebuked by the Holy Prophet. On one occasion the Prophet observed a donkey being branded on the face. He inquired the reason for this and was told that the Romans had recourse to this practice for the purpose of identifying high-bred animals. The Prophet said that as the face was a very sensitive part of the body, an animal should not be branded on the face and that if it had to be done the branding should be done on its haunches.86 Since then Muslims always brand animals on their haunches and, following this Muslim practice, Europeans also do the same.
The Holy Prophet not only emphasised the desirability of tolerance in religious matters but set a very high standard in this respect. A deputation from a Christian tribe of Najran visited him in Medina to exchange views on religious matters. It included several Church dignitaries. The conversation was held in the mosque and extended over several hours. At one stage the leader of the deputation asked permission to depart from the mosque and to hold their religious service at some convenient spot. The Holy Prophet said that there was no need for them to go out of the mosque, which was itself a place consecrated to the worship of God, and they could hold their service in it.87
Several instances of his courage and bravery have been set out in the biographical portion. It suffices to relate one here. At one time Medina was full of rumours that the Romans were preparing a large army for its invasion. During that time Muslims were always on the qui vive at night. One night sounds of an uproar came from the desert. Muslims hurried out of their homes and some of them collected in the mosque and waited for the Holy Prophet to appear and to give them directions to meet the contingency. Presently they saw the Holy Prophet on a horse coming back from the direction of the sounds. They then discovered that at the very first sound of alarm the Prophet had mounted a horse and gone in the direction from which the sounds had come to find out whether there was any reason for alarm and had not waited for people to collect together so that he could proceed in company. When he came back he assured his Companions that there was no cause for alarm and that they could return to their homes and go to sleep.88
He was particularly considerate towards those who from lack of cultural training did not know how to behave. On one occasion a dweller of the desert who had only recently accepted Islam and who was sitting in the company of the Holy Prophet in the mosque got up and walking away a few paces sat down in a corner of the mosque to pass water. Some of the Companions of the Prophet got up to stop him from doing so. The Prophet restrained them, pointing out that any interference with the man was bound to cause inconvenience to him and might possibly cause him injury. He told his Companions to let the man alone and to clean the spot later.
The Holy Prophet was very particular with regard to the fulfilling of covenants. On one occasion an envoy came to him on a special mission and, after he had remained in his company for some days, he was convinced of the truth of Islam and suggested that he might declare his adherence to it. The Prophet told him that this would not be proper as he was there in a representative capacity and it was incumbent upon him to return to the headquarters of his Government without acquiring a fresh allegiance. If, after he had returned home, he still felt convinced of the truth of Islam he could return as a free individual and declare his acceptance of it.89
He paid special deference to those who devoted their time and substance to the service of mankind. The Arab tribe, the Banu Ta’iyy started hostilities against the Prophet and in the ensuing battle their forces were defeated and some were taken prisoner. One of these was the daughter of Hatim Ta’iyy, whose generosity had become a proverb amongst the Arabs. When Hatim’s daughter informed the Holy Prophet of her parentage he treated her with great consideration and as the result of her intercession he remitted all the penalties imposed upon her people on account of their aggression.90
The character of the Holy Prophet is so many-sided that it is not possible to deal adequately with it within the space of a few pages.
1 Sirat Ibni Hisham
2 Sunan-ut-Tirmidhi
3 Sahih-ul-Bukhari
4 Sunan Abu Dawud
5 Sahih-ul-Bukhari
6 Sahih-ul-Bukhari; Sahih-ul-Muslim, Kitab-ul-Birr was-Silah
7 Sahih-ul-Bukhari
8 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-At‘imah
9 Sahih-ul-Muslim; Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Adab
10 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ur-Riqaq
11 Sahih-ul-Bukhari; Sahih-ul-Muslim
12 A piece of cloth wrapped round the waist and hanging to the ankles—Ed.
13 Sahih-ul-Bukhari; Sahih-ul-Muslim
14 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Libas
15 Sahih-ul-Muslim; Sunan-ut-Tirmidhi; Sahih-ul-Bukhari
16 Sahih-ul-Bukhari
17 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Kusuf
18 Holy Quran, 4:42
19 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitabu Fada’il-il-Quran
20 Sahih-ul-Bukhari
21 Sahih-ul-Bukhari
22 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Kusuf
23 Sahih-ul-Bukhari
24 Tarikh-ut-Tabari
25 Zarqani
26 Sahih-ul-Bukhari
27 Sahih-ul-Bukhari
28 Sahih-ul-Muslim, Kitab-ul-Iman
29 Sahih-ul-Muslim, Kitab-ul-Fada’il; Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Jihad
30 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ur-Riqaq
31 Sahih-ul-Bukhari
32 Sahih-ul-Bukhari
33 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Maghazi
34 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-us-Saum
35 This is a voluntary prayer which is said in the latter part of the night and is not one of the five daily prayers.—Ed.
36 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Kusuf
37 Sahih-ul-Muslim, Kitab-ul-Fada’il
38 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-un-Nikah
39 Sahih-ul-Muslim
40 Sirat-ul-Halbiyyah, Vol.2
41 Sahih-ul-Bukhari
42 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Hudud
43 Zarqani, Vol.3, p.279
44 Tarikh-ut-Tabari and Sirat-ul-Halbiyyah
45 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ut-Tauhid
46 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ur-Riqaq
47 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-us-Salat
48 Sahih-ul-Muslim, Kitab-ul-Birri was-Silah
49 Sahih-ul-Muslim, Kitab-ul-Fada’il
50 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Kusuf
51 Sahih-ul-Muslim
52 Sunan-ut-Tirmidhi, Abwab-uz-Zuhd
53 Sharh-us-Sunnah
54 Sahih-ul-Bukhari; Sahih-ul-Muslim
55 Sahih-ul-Bukhari
56 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Kusuf
57 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Kusuf
58 Sahih-ul-Muslim, Kitab-ul-Iman
59 Sahih-ul-Muslim
60 Sahih-ul-Muslim
61 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-un-Nikah
62 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Adab
63 Sunan-ut-Tirmidhi
64 Sunan Abu Dawud, Kitab-un-Nikah
65 Sahih-ul-Bukhari; Sahih-ul-Muslim
66 Sahih-ul-Bukhari
67 Sahih-ul-Muslim
68 Sirat-ul-Halbiyyah, Vol.3, p.99
69 Sahih-ul-Muslim, Kitab-ul-Birri was-Silah
70 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ut-Tafsir
71 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Adab
72 Sahih-ul-Muslim
73 Sahih-ul-Bukhari; Sahih-ul-Muslim
74 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Abwab-ul-I ‘tikaf
75 Sahih-ul-Bukhari; Sahih-ul-Muslim
76 Sunan-ut-Tirmidhi
77 Sahih-ul-Muslim, Kitab-ul-Iman
78 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ut-Tafsir
79 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Kitab-ut-Tibb
80 Sunan-ut-Tirmidhi
81 Zarqani, Vol.4, p.306
82 Sirat Ibni Hisham, Vol.2, p.217
83 Sahih-ul-Muslim, Kitab-ul-Birri was-Silah
84 Sahih-ul-Muslim, Part II, Vol.2
85 Sunan Abu Dawud
86 Sunan Abu Dawud; Sunan-ut-Tirmidhi
87 Zarqani
88 Sahih-ul-Bukhari, Shaja‘atu f il-Harb
89 Sunan Abu Dawud, Wafa’u bil-‘Ahd
90 Sirat-ul-Halbiyyah, Vol.3, p.227