The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) laid great stress upon mutual co-operation. He not only educated his followers on these lines but he also was the leading figure in this field. People sometimes came and stayed near the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), devoting their time to the service of Islam in various ways. He always counseled 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 (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) two brothers accepted Islam and one of them stayed on with the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) while the other continued with his normal occupation. The latter, later on, complained to the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that his brother was spending his time in idleness. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: God provides for you also on account of your brother and it behooves you therefore to make provision for him and leave him free to serve the Faith. (Tirmidhi)
Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) never ever liked to relax while his other colleagues were busy in work. During the course of a journey, when the Prophet’s party arrived at their camping place, his Companions immediately involved themselves with their respective tasks in setting up camp for the night. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “You have allotted no task to me. I shall go and collect the wood 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 firewood from the jungle for cooking the food. (Zurqani)
He was always at the vanguard even in the most difficult situation, and he worked shoulder to shoulder with his companions. It is mentioned in Hadith that during the battle of ditch, when the digging was going on, the Muslims came across a rock, which was hard to break. When it was reported to the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), he came and taking a pickaxe in his hands gave a heavy blow to the rock. A spark appeared and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) chanted, “Allahu Akbar.” He struck the rock again, another spark appeared, and again he said, “Allahu Akbar.” Third time he struck the rock, the rock tore into peaces and a spark appeared, and he chanted third time, “Allahu Akbar.” When the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was asked the reason for chanting “Allahu Akbar,” he answered:
In the first spark I saw the Syrian palaces of the Roman Empire, and the keys of the Roman Empires were given to me. The second time I saw the illuminated palaces of Persia, and the keys of the Persian Empires were given to me. The third time I saw in the light the gates of Sana, and the keys of Yemen were given to me. (Zurqani)
These were the scenes of the glory of Islam shown to the Prophet of Islam in vision, which proved to be true later on.
During the time when they were digging the ditch, one of the companions of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) complained agonizing hunger, and lifted up his shirt from his belly, and showed one stone tied at the belly to relieve the pain. Seeing that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) lifted up his shirt and there were two stones tied at his belly. This was the situation of his starvation.