Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Caring for Children

Children who are the future of society, are usually not treated with a lot of importance by their elders. Sometimes they are even looked down upon. The Messenger of God, however, was different. He considered children to be precious in value and he kept their feelings and particular circumstances in mind.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) told grownups and parents to play with children at home. Without a doubt, this type of attitude gives children the feeling that they are individuals and that they are important. In this way, if children have problems with their parents they can more easily solve them and they can see their parents as friends, rather than as rulers. Also, while playing, parents can teach their children lessons about life.

Here reference will be made to a few examples of the respect the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would show towards children:

1. "If the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) heard the sound of a child crying while he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was leading the prayer he would make the prayer short so that the child's mother could attend to her child sooner."1

2. When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) saw the children of the Ansar [those who provided the Prophet with help amongst the people of Madinah] he would stroke their heads with his hand, greet them with peace and pray for them.2

3. When the Eminent Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would return from a journey, children would come to welcome him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would wait and ask them to ride with him. He would seat some of them on his steed, some sitting in front and others behind. He would also tell his companions to give some of them a ride.3

4. "Small children would be brought to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) for him to name them and pray for them. He would put such children on his lap out of respect for their families. Sometimes a child would urinate while in his lap and those who witnessed this would often yell at the child. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would say kindly, 'Do not prevent a child from urinating with harshness, (rather wait) until he finishes urinating.' When the Prophet had finished praying for or naming the child, the family would be filled with delight and they would see no signs of annoyance in the Prophet as a result of the urine of their child. When the family would leave, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would wash his clothes."4

Notes

1. ‘Ilal ash-Shara’i‘, vol. 2, p. 33, also to be found in Sunan an-Nabi, p. 273.

2. Sharaf an-Nabi, p. 65.

3. Sharaf an-Nabi, p. 85.

4. Makarim al Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 25.

Forgiveness

Forgiving others and overlooking their faults is a virtue that is held in high esteem by all schools of thought and all nations. People consider those who are willing to forgive others to be unparalleled in value.

The Noble Qur’an, the Disciplinarian of all mankind, advises all of us to adhere to this enlightened value, saying:

"And they should pardon and excuse their faults. Do they not love for God to forgive them? And God is very forgiving and merciful."1

The Noble Qur’an does not just consider forgiving the mistakes of others to be desirable; rather, it considers doing good to one who has harmed you to be of even more value and to be one of the attributes of true believers:

"And they ward off evil with good and they give in charity from that which We have given them in sustenance."2

Doing good when one has been wronged is a fine art that only those with strong (spiritual) foundations can accomplish. Regarding this, Khwajah 'Abdullah Ansari has said, "Doing bad in response to bad is dog-like behavior. Doing good in response to good is donkey-like behavior. Doing good in response to bad is the work of Khwajah 'Abdullah Ansari."

In other words, responding to evil and good in kind are natural and normal. But doing good in response to bad is superior to the behavior of animals and is a quality to which only humans can aspire.

The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), who derived his discipline from the Qur’an, was always forgiving and he would also do good (ihsan) when he was wronged. This was also true of the other infallibles (peace be upon them).

Concerning the Prophet's virtues, it has been related that: "The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would never take revenge (on someone) for (having wronged) him. Rather, he would pardon and excuse."3

The following story is an example of the Prophet's tendency to pardon others: "One day a Bedouin man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and requested something from him. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) gave it to him and asked, 'Have I done good to you?' The man replied, 'No, you've never done good to me.' His companions got upset as a result of the man's ungratefulness and intended to harm him. The Prophet, however, prevented them from showing aggression. At that point, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) went home and gave the man even more and asked, 'Now have I done good to you?' The man said, 'Yes, may God reward you with goodness.'

The Messenger of God said, 'As a result of what you said in front of my companions, it is possible that they may think negatively about you. If you like, go to them and announce your contentment.' The man went to the Prophet's companions and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: 'This man has become satisfied with me, hasn’t you?'

The man responded, 'Yes, may God reward you and your family with goodness.'

Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said, 'This man and I are like one whose she-camel has run away, others follow it but the camel only runs further away. But the owner of the camel says, 'Let her go. I know how to tame her.' The camel comes back and he pats her head and face and dusts her body and face and takes her bridle in his hand. Yesterday, if I were to have given you (speaking to his companions) permission, you would have killed this man due to his foul tongue and (if he had died) in such a state he would have entered Hell.'"4

In addition to being the type of person who overlooked the faults of others, the Noble Prophet of Islam also made others conscious of this eminent, spiritual and humanistic principle and he said, "You must pardon others for verily pardoning others only increases the servant (of God) in might. So be forgiving so that God may make you mighty."5

Similarly, on another occasion he stated eloquently: "Shall I inform you of the best (most beneficial) traits for this world and the Hereafter? They are pardoning one who has done injustice to you, bonding with one who has cut off ties with you, doing good to one who has wronged you and giving to one who has withheld from you."6

Notes

1. Surah an-Nur 24: 22.

2. Surah al-Qisas 28: 54.

3. Mustadrak al-Wasa'il, vol. 2, p. 87.

4. Safinah al-Bihar, vol. 1, p. 416.

5. Mir’at al-‘Uqul, vol. 8, p. 194.

6. Mir’at al-‘Uqul, vol. 8, p. 192.

Courteousness

Being polite and showing others respect are admirable traits that both Islamic law [shari‘ah] and the methodology of religious leaders have advised us to follow. The Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) placed great importance on such principles and always preserved the dignity of others by treating them with respect. There are numerous instances of the Prophet's behavior that teach us to honor others. Here reference is made to a few of such instances:

1. "Whenever a man would sit next to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), he would not get up until that man got up."1

2. "He (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would address his companions by their kunyah (referring to one as the father of such-and-such or the mother of such-and such which was a sign of respect in Arab culture), in order to show them respect and win their hearts. And he would give a kunyah to whosoever did not have one and, thereafter, such a person would be addressed by this kunyah. Similarly he would give kunyahs to women who had children as well as those who did not. He would also give kunyahs to children."2

3. One of the memorable things the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) reported about sitting with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was that: "The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would never stretch his legs towards anyone."3

4. The Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would even treat his servants with courteousness. Anas ibn Malik is quoted as saying, "I swear by the One who dispatched him (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) with truth! Never would he say, 'Why did you do that?' if I did something he didn't like. And whenever one of his wives would blame me for something, he would say, 'Leave him alone. This was prescribed and (divinely) ordained."4

5. He (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would show extraordinary respect to guests. Escorting his guests to the door is one of the customs of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). Similarly, when the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) entertained guests, he would eat with them and he would continue to eat so long as his guests had not finished eating.5

Notes

1. Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 15.

2. Ihya’ al-‘Ulum, vol. 2, p. 363.

3. Makarim al-Akhlaq, p. 22.

4. Ihya’ al-‘Ulum, vol. 2, p. 361.

5. Sunan an-Nabi, p. 67.

Humility

Behaving humbly towards others and distancing oneself from arrogance and conceitedness are some of the greatest human attributes. The Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) possessed these attributes to a high degree and it can be said with certainty that one of the reasons this spiritual role model was so beloved was the humility he displayed in dealing with others. To give the reader a deeper appreciation of this, some examples of such behavior will be mentioned:

1. "When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would enter a social gathering, he would sit in the nearest place possible upon entering [the would not give importance to sitting in a particular place]."1

2. "He disliked for others to stand up for him, so people [his companions] would not stand up when he would arrive since they knew he did not like them to do so. Then, when he would stand up (to leave) they would get up and accompany him until he entered his house."2

3. Abu Dharr al-Ghaffari (one of the Prophet's greatest companions) said, "The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would sit amongst his companions and when a stranger entered, the stranger would not know which of these men was the Prophet and would have to ask. We requested the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to arrange the seating in our gatherings in such a way that a stranger would be able to tell which one is the Prophet. So, we built a bench out of clay and he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would sit on it and we would sit around him."3

4. Just as the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would show humility towards God's servants, he would also show the highest form of humility in God's presence so that, God forbid, even the smallest amount of pride would not enter his blessed heart: Abu 'Abdullah (Imam as Sadiq, peace be upon him) said, "From the day he was sent by God, Mighty and Sublime is He, until the day He took his soul, The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would never lean back while eating. He would eat like a slave and sit like a slave." The narrator of this tradition asked the reason behind it. He replied, "Out of humility towards God, the Mighty and Sublime."4

Notes

1. Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 25.

2. Mustadrak al-Wasa'il, vol. 2, p. 113.

3. Makarim al-Akhlaq, vol. 1, p. 15.

4. Da‘a’im al-Islam, vol. 2, p. 119.

Fulfilling Promises

Fulfilling one's promise shows one's true personality and being true to one's word plays a great role in strengthening social ties. It is one of the greatest virtues which can be witnessed in every aspect of the Prophet's life, in family relations and social and political interactions alike.

Both before and after he was appointed as a prophet, when it came to fulfilling promises he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) held a high position and a well-deserved station. He would fulfill his promises under all circumstances, whether they were made to friends or enemies. If the other party had not negated their side of the agreement, he would always honor his word. Not even one case has been related where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was the first to fail to act in accordance with an agreement. Instead, he tried to fulfill his promise at any cost, even when doing so caused him harm. Mention will be made of some examples demonstrating the importance he placed on this characteristic.

1. Abu 'Abdullah (Imam as Sadiq, peace be upon him) is quoted as saying, "The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) made an arrangement with a man that they would meet next to a boulder and so he said, 'I will wait for you here until you come back.' Then the heat of the sun began to beat down where he was standing and his companions urged him, 'O Messenger of God, what would happen if you were to just move to the shade?' He (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said, 'I promised him (I would meet him) right here so if he doesn't come, he will be the one to have violated his oath.'"1

2. In the Age of Ignorance (the period before the dawn of Islam) a number of youth from the tribe of Quraysh contracted an agreement called “hilf al-fudhul” aimed at defending the rights of the oppressed. The Most Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was one of those who took part in this agreement. Not only did he fulfill his word prior to his prophetic mission but also afterwards, whenever reference was made to this agreement, he would say, "I'm not willing to violate my oath even if I were to be offered the most valuable possessions to do so."2

3. ‘Ammar Yasir has said, "I would graze our own sheep. Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would also graze sheep. One day I said to him, 'I know of a good pasture located at 'Fajj'. Would you like to go there tomorrow?' He answered, 'Yes.' The next morning I saw that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) came sooner than I but he had not taken his sheep to the pasture. I asked, 'So why are you standing (here)?' He replied, 'I made a promise with you that we would take our sheep to the pasture together and I didn't want to violate my oath and take my sheep to the pasture before you.'"3

4. It was the month of Dhu’l-Qa‘dah and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) had decided to set out for Mecca in order to perform the lesser pilgrimage ('umrah). He invited all the Muslims to take part in this journey with him. Then the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) headed for Mecca with a group of his followers. While on their journey, they were told, "(The tribe of) Quraysh (in Mecca) have learned of your journey and have prepared themselves for war, having set up at Dhi Tuwa, swearing not let you enter Mecca."

Since the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) had not set out with the intention of engaging in war, but had intended to perform 'umrah, he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) started negotiations with them and they made a treaty that came to be known as the treaty of Hudaybiyyah. In this treaty, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) agreed to a number of things, including: "Any individual from the Quraysh who runs away from Mecca without his guardian's permission and becomes Muslim and joins the Muslims, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) must send him back to the Quraysh. But if a Muslim runs away and goes to the Quraysh, they are not obliged to return the Muslim."

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) made this pact with Suhayl, the representative of the Quraysh. However, Suhayl's son, Abu Jandal, who had become Muslim, and had been imprisoned by his father, ran away from Mecca and joined the Muslims.

When Suhayl saw him he said, "O Muhammad, this is the first case where you can fulfill your promise. If you want us to have peace, you must return him to us."

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) accepted to do so. Suhayl took his son by the collar and headed towards Mecca.

Abu Jandal cried, "O Muslims, are you going to allow them to take me back to the idol worshippers and be in their clutches?"

The Most Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said, "Be patient, Abu Jandal. God will provide relief for you and others like you. We have made an oath with them and we cannot violate our oath."4

5. One of the clearest examples of the Prophet keeping his word in social matters is the incident concerning Abu Basir. Abu Basir was one of the Muslims in the battle of Mecca who fled to Madinah after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. The elders of the Quraysh wrote a letter to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and gave it to a particular individual who, along with his slave, was to take it to Madinah in order to implement the law in regards to Abu Basir and bring him back to Madinah. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) received the letter, he requested Abu Basir to come and he said to him, "You know that we have made an oath with the Quraysh and it is not right for us to violate our oath. God will provide relief for you and others like you."

Abu Basir said, "O Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family)! Are you going to return me to the enemies who will cause me to forsake my religion?

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said, "Go back, Abu Bas'ir. God will provide relief for you and others like you."

And so Abu Basir headed back with the two that were sent to take him. When they arrived at Dhil Halifah, they stopped next to a wall. Abu Basir looked at the man and asked, "Is that sword of yours sharp?"

"Yes it is," the man replied.

"Can I see it?" asked Abu Basir.

"Yes, if you would like," replied the man. Abu Basir took the sword and killed the man without hesitation. His slave, who saw this incident, ran to Madinah out of fear. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was sitting in a mosque when all of a sudden the slave entered. As soon as he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) saw him he said, "This man has seen a frightening scene." Then he asked, "What has happened?"

"Abu Basir killed that man," he replied.

At this point, Abu Basir arrived and said, "O Messenger of God, you were faithful to your oath in turning me over to these two men. But I feared my faith was in danger…”

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said, "If this man has supporters, this event will cause a great war." Abu Basir realized that if he stayed in Madinah the Makkans would send people after him once again. So he left Madinah and headed for the shores of the Red Sea. There, the Qurayshi caravans would pass by on their way to the province of Sham5 .

When the Muslims who were enslaved in Mecca heard the story of Abu Basir and what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) had said to him, they escaped at all costs in order to join Abu Basir. After a while, his supporters numbered about 70 in all. At this point, they had become a serious threat to the caravans of the Quraysh that passed by. They killed all members of the Quraysh that they could. And they would harass the Qurayshi caravans that passed that way.

In order to put an end to this harassment, the Quraysh wrote a letter to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) urging him to request these men to come to Madinah and thereby relieve the Quraysh of this hardship. The Most Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) summoned them and they came to Madinah.6

Notes

1. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 75, p. 95.

2. Sirah al-Halbi, vol. 1, p. 131.

3. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 16, p. 224.

4. Sirah ibn Hisham, vol. 3, p. 332.

5. Modern Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Syria

6. Sirah ibn Hisham, vol. 1, p. 337.

Encouraging Industriousness

Even though The Most Noble Prophet's generosity would prevent him from depriving a beggar of his charity, he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) did not like people to beg out of laziness or without good reason. Therefore, in order to discourage laziness, develop manpower and wipe out the inclination to seek help, at certain times he would suggest to beggars that they find work or a profession and seek their daily bread by means of labor. He (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) considered work to be sacred to such an extent that the esteem of one who did not work would be diminished in his eyes:

"When he would look at a man and was pleased with him, he would ask, 'Does he have a profession?' If a negative reply was given, the honor of that man would be diminished in his eyes. He was asked, 'Why so, O Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family)?' He replied, 'The reason is that if a believer does not work, he lives by means of his religion.'"1

There are two events that are worthy of mention here:

1. One of the companions of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was short of money. His wife told him, "If only you were to go to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and ask him for help (we would receive financial help)."

So the man went to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) saw him he said, "One who seeks something from us, we will give it to him. But if one shows freedom from want, God will make him free of want."

The man said to himself, "This remark of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was directed towards me." So he returned home and told his wife what had happened.

She said, "The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is human just like the rest of us (he cannot read your mind so his statement was not directed towards you). Go back and tell him about your (financial) situation." The man went back to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) who, upon seeing him, repeated the same sentence. This happened three times. After the third time, the man borrowed an axe and started gathering firewood. He would then take this firewood to town and sell it. He continued to do so until he gathered enough capital to buy equipment and an animal to help him in transporting the firewood and in time he became very wealthy.

Afterwards, he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and told him what happened. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said, "I told you that if one asks us for something, we will give it to him. But if one shows freedom from want, God will make him free of want."2

2. A man came to the Most Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and said, "I have not eaten for two days." He told him, "Go to the market and seek your daily bread there." The next day he came to him and said, "O Messenger of God, I went to the market yesterday, but I did not find anything and last night I slept without having eaten."

He (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said again, "Go to the market."

The third time he received the same response, he headed for the market and saw that a caravan had arrived. He helped the people of the caravan to sell their products. In the end, they gave him a share of the profit they had made from the goods they sold. Once again, the man went to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and said, "I did not find anything." He (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said, "Yes you did. They gave you a share." The man acknowledged this. "Then why did you lie?" the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) asked. The man said, "You are right but I wanted to find out if you are aware of people's actions. I also wanted to get something from you."

The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said, "One who shows freedom from want, God will make him free of want. And one who opens the door of begging for himself, God will open 70 doors of poverty for him that cannot be closed. It is not permissible to give charity to one who is free of need or one who has healthy limbs giving him the strength to remove his state of need."3

Notes

1. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 103, p. 9.

2. ‘Usul al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 112.

3. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 18, p. 115.

Kindness

Since Islam is the religion of love and friendship and the Most Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is the one entrusted with developing this school, love and affection were constantly flowing in the ocean of his existence. The scope of his kindness was so broad that it encompassed his closest family members, companions, supporters, children, orphans, those who had been taken captive and those who were lost. This was but an example of the radiance of God's mercy that had been cast in his existence (as supported by the Qur’an ic verse stating) "Due to a mercy from God, you were kind to them."1

Here reference will be made to some examples of the far-reaching mercy of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) that have been mentioned in books about his life:

1. His loving attitude towards servants and subordinates is a manifestation of his kindness. Anas ibn Malik has said, "I worked for the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) for ten years and not once did I even hear him say 'uff' to me and he never asked me, 'Why did you do this?' or, 'Why didn't you do that?'. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would have something to drink for ift'ar (breaking the fast) and something to drink for sahar (the meal before dawn) and sometimes he would have one drink for both.

Sometimes that drink was milk and sometimes it was bread that had been mixed with water. One night, I prepared a drink for him, but he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) came home late that night. I thought that some of his companions had invited him [for ifṭar] so I drank that which I had prepared for him. An hour later, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) came home and I asked one of his companions if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) had eaten ift'ar or if someone had invited him.

The companion replied in the negative. I came to regret what I had done very much and that night, God knows, I was very upset right until morning. This was because I was expecting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to look for his drink any moment and not find it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) spent the whole night until morning without eating anything even though he had been fasting. Afterwards, he never asked me and he never mentioned anything about the drink."2

2. The Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) had particular affection for those who believed and loved the message he brought. "He constantly enquired as to how his companions were doing and would speak to them in an affable and encouraging manner. If he had not seen one of them for three days, he would ask about him. If they told him that he had gone on a journey, he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would pray for him. And if he had not gone on a journey, he would go and see him. If he was sick, he would go and visit him."3

3. Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him) has said, "A man named Thamamah ibn Uthal, who was being held captive, was brought to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). He was the leader of Yamamah people and it was said that his rulings were influential amongst the people of Tayy and Yemen. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) recognized him and ordered that he be treated well. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would send him food from his home every day. He (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would go and see him and invite him to accept Islam. One day he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) went to him and said, "I will give you the opportunity to choose one of three courses of action: The first is that I kill you." He replied, "If you do that, know that you would have killed a great personality."

"The second is that you give money in exchange for your freedom." He said, "In that case, it would have to be a very large amount since my price is very high (my people would have to pay a large sum since I am a great personality)."

Then the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said, "The third course of action is that I should be kind to you and free you (without receiving anything in return)."He replid, "If you do that, you will find me to be a grateful individual."

Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ordered that he be set free. The man accepted Islam and said, "I swear by God, when I saw you, I knew you were a prophet but I considered you my greatest enemy in the world. Now, you are the most beloved person to me."4

4. It was a difficult time for the Prophet's companions when his teeth were broken and his blessed face wounded and stained with blood during the Battle of Uhud. They requested to be allowed to curse the disbelievers and the enemies. But he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said, "I was not appointed (as a prophet) for cursing. Rather, I am the Prophet of Mercy and I will pray for them, so that God may guide my people, for they are ignorant."5

5. His method of dealing with the enemy in times of war and dealing with army personnel, demonstrated the magnificence of the soul of this ambassador of God, a soul full of kindness. Imam as Sadiq (peace be upon him) has said, "Whenever the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) wanted to dispatch an army, he would request at them to come to him and he would tell them: 'Go in the name of God, the Exalted. Seek perseverance from Him and fight for His cause. Do not steal from the war booty. Do not mutilate the disbelievers. Do not kill old men, children or women. Do not kill monks who live in caves. Do not uproot trees unless you are forced to do so. Do not burn palm trees nor destroy them. Never poison the water of the idol worshippers. Do not be deceptive nor treacherous. If a Muslim gives asylum to an idol worshipper, he is a refugee until he hears the word of God and Islam is presented to him. If he accepts, he is your brother in faith. If he does not accept, he is to be returned to a safe place (amongst his own people).’”6

6. The scope of the Prophet's mercy and affection was so wide that he would not even take part in hunting birds. If a bird had been hunted, he would make use of it. But he would never hunt birds himself: "The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) would eat the meat of birds that had been hunted but he would not pursue them himself nor would he hunt them."7

Notes

1. Surah Al ‘Imran 3:159.

2. Muntaha al-Amal, vol. 1, p. 18.

3. Sunan an-Nabi, p. 51.

4. Sirah Rasul Allah, vol. 2, p. 1092.

5. Muhajjah al-Baydha’, vol. 4, p. 129.

6. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 19, p. 177.

7. Ihya’ al-‘Ulum, vol. 2, p. 369.

Opposition to Negative Asceticism

Negative asceticism refers to behaving in an extreme manner or living in an austere way that is opposed to the common practice of Muslims. For example, one might refrain from bounties that are deemed permissible, one might behave abnormally in social settings, one might behave in a very dry and pseudo-pious fashion or one might not speak to others and behave as if he alone existed in this world. These sorts of behaviors have been seen amongst some proponents of pseudo-asceticism and amongst some Sufi sects.

Without a doubt, the Islamic legal system is a complete and comprehensive one. Its principles for life are based on man's innate nature as well as on his natural needs and desires. For this reason, any form of thinking or behavior that opposes man's innate nature is not to be considered Islamic.

Those who imagine that they can reach gnosticism (‘irfan) and perfection by means of negative asceticism are making a great mistake. The greatest personality that this world has ever known is the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) who, not only did not behave in such a manner, but also strongly opposed such thinking.

That which Islam and religious leaders are constantly warning us about consists of two things. The first thing we are warned to avoid is being attached to this world and to material possessions. The second is drowning ourselves in pleasure and lust. Making appropriate use of that which God has bestowed upon us while refraining from unnecessary luxuries, however, is the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and our religious leaders.

The Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) strongly opposed negative forms of asceticism and ignoring one's natural desires:

1. The Commander of the Faithful, ‘Ali, peace be upon him, has said, "A group from amongst the companions (of the Prophet) would abstain from women, eating during the day and sleeping at night. Umm Salamah (the Prophet's wife) informed the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) of this and so he went to these companions and said, Do you turn away from women? For verily I approach (my) women and I eat during the day and I sleep at night and he who turns away from my way of life (sunnah) is not of me."1

2. One day, three women came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). One of them said, "O Messenger of God, my husband has decided not to associate with women anymore."

Another one of them said, "O Messenger of God, my husband has decided not to eat meat anymore."

The third one said, "O Messenger of God, my husband has decided not to use pleasant fragrances anymore."

The Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) became upset upon hearing this for he came to realize that deviant ideas were becoming prominent amongst the Muslims. He went to the mosque even though it was not the customary time. He was in such a hurry that his blessed turban was partly on his shoulder and partly dragging on the ground as he walked. He ordered that the people gather [to hear what he had to say]. They came to the mosque. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) went on the pulpit and said, "I have heard that erroneous ideas have become common amongst my companions. What sort of mistaken way of life is this that has become apparent amongst Muslims? I, being a prophet, eat meat. I consume tasty foods. I wear good clothes. I use fragrances. I associate with my wives. So he whose way is not my way of life is not of me."2

Notes

1. Da‘a’im al-Islam, vol. 2, p. 191, as well as Jami' al-Akhbar, p. 118.

2. Wasa’il ash-Shi‘ah, vol. 14, p. 74.