His characteristics
Allah has not created a virtue by which man is honored and exalted except that it was among the elements of the Prophet’s personality. Allah has created and purified him from every defect. All lofty characteristics and high ideals were available in him by which he could change the course of the history of the world and destroyed the beliefs of that world of ignorance that practiced all kinds of sins.
In the history of the great personalities of the whole world there is no one that can be compared to Prophet Muhammad (a.s.) in his talents, geniuses, powers, and attributes. He raised the mission of his Lord whereas he had no force that could protect him against the tide of ignorance except his uncle Abu Talib the faithful one of Quraysh and his son the hero of Islam Imam Ali (a.s.)…The following are some of the Prophet’s attributes.
Willpower
It is certain in psychology that willpower is one of the most distinct qualities that man has and that it makes him immortal, great one. Immorality has been recorded for some men who entered the field of wars like Napoleon, Abu Muslim al-Khurasani, and others, whereas they had no other prominent quality except this one (willpower).
The Prophet (a.s.) entered into a terrible struggle against the evil, ignorant powers and destroyed their forts and pillars by his strong will and determination besides his other peculiarities…Quraysh was armed with all its material powers and it entered the field of disputes against the messenger of Allah (a.s.), but he did not care and the fact that he was alone with a very few believers who followed him and who had no strong fort to resort to, did not make him feel weak or unable before the great numbers of his opponents. The Prophet (a.s.), though his supporters were very few, imposed his will over the pages of the universe. He said to his uncle,
“By Allah O uncle, if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand so that I give up this matter (the mission), I will never do until Allah will make it prevail or I shall die for it…”
The Prophet’s grandson Imam al-Husayn (a.s.), the father of the free, had inherited this aspect from his grandfather when he stood against the head of ignorance and injustice Yazid bin Mo’awiya, Abu Sufyan’s grandson, and said his immortal word,
“I do not see death except happiness and life with the unjust except boredom…”
The Prophet (a.s.) kept on his struggle until Allah granted him victory and then he firmed monotheism everywhere and saved mankind from idolatry and ignorance.
High morality
Prophet Muhammad (a.s.) was a sign from the signs of Allah in morals and manners and he was distinguished from all the prophets and all human beings by his unequalled moralities. By his morals he could attracts the hearts, even of his opponents, and could unite the Arabs and lead them to purify the earth from idolatry and ignorance. Therefore, Allah praised him in the Holy Qur'an when saying, (And most surely you are with sublime morality).
The Prophet (a.s.) said about himself, “Surely, I have been sent to accomplish the nobilities of character.”
The Prophet’s high morals were from the essence of his nature. They were neither affected nor acquired. Historians say that the Prophet (a.s.) hated pretence and artificiality. He often prayed Allah saying, “O Allah, as You have bettered my creation, better my manners!”
Here, we mentions some examples of his moralities.
Some Jewish man was too spiteful to the Prophet (a.s.). He exaggerated in harming him. He threw soil and ashes on him whenever he passed by his house. One day, the Jew became ill. The Prophet (a.s.) went to the Jew’s house. He knocked the door and the Jewish man’s wife opened the door. The Prophet (a.s.) said to her, “Your husband has accustomed us to some habit, but he stopped it and I suppose he is ill. Now, I am coming to visit him.” She permitted him in. when the Jew saw the Prophet (a.s.), he was surprised and said, “These are the morals of prophets.” He turned a Muslim and took away all spites from his heart toward the Prophet (a.s.).
When someone greeted the Prophet (a.s.) in the street, the Prophet (a.s.) did not leave until that person would leave first. If some man shook hands with him, he did not take off his hand until that man would take off his hand first.
He did never say to anyone even one word that might tease or harm him, but he met people with nice and good statements.
One day, some man came to the Prophet (a.s.) but he hesitated and could not talk to him because of the Prophet’s gravity. The Prophet (a.s.) said to him, “I am but a son of a woman from Quraysh who ate jerked meat in Mecca.”
He divided his time (of meeting) among his companions equally.
He met the old and the young, the free and slaves with smiles without showing any sign of anger towards anyone except when he saw a bad deed that was unlike what Allah wanted; then, anger appeared on him.
Abdullah bin Umar narrated that the Prophet (a.s.) had never stretched his legs before anyone sitting with him at all. When someone sat with him, he would not leave until that one would leave first.
Aa’ishah (the Prophet’s wife) narrated, “No one at all was better than the messenger of Allah in good manners. Whenever someone of his companions and family called him, he would say to him: At your service!”
Aa’ishah said, “The Prophet’s morals were like the Qur'an whose meanings and attributes would not end.” These were just a few examples on the Prophet’s moralities that have filled the books of biographers and changed the course of history and established the government of Allah in the earth.
A word by Imam Ali
We end this article with a word said by Imam Ali (a.s.) about the morals and manners of the Prophet (a.s.). He said,
“The messenger of Allah did never shake hands with anyone and took off his hand (first), and no one talked with him about something and he left (first) until that one would leave. No one argued with him (and he interrupted him) except that that one would stop talking first. He had never been seen while stretching his legs before anyone sitting with him. Whenever two things occurred to him, he chose the severest of them. He did not avenge himself when being wronged except when the laws of Allah were violated, and then his vengeance would be for the sake of Allah. He did never have food while leaning (on something) until he left this world. He was never asked for something and he said “no” at all. He did not return a beggar, except by satisfying his need or with lenient reply. He offered the lightest prayer and made the shortest speech. He was the least of people in wasting. He was known by his good fragrance when he came. When he had food with people, he was the first one to eat and the last one to stop eating. When he ate, he ate from the food that was directly before him, but when the food was dates or ripe dates, his hand would move here and there. When he drank water, he drank (from a cup) in three drinks. He sucked water and not quaffed it. His right hand was for eating, drinking, taking, and giving. He did not take anything except with his right hand and did not give anything except with his right hand, and his left hand was for other than that. He liked the right side in all his affairs; putting on clothes and shoes and in dismounting (that he began with his right hand or right leg). When he prayed Allah (for himself or for others), he repeated his prayer three times, when he spoke, he spoke once (he did not repeat his saying), and when he asked permission, he asked three times. His speech was so clear that whoever heard it could understand it. When he spoke, something like light was seen coming out from between his teeth. When you see him, you say: there is a gap between his two front teeth. His looking was glancing. He did never say to anyone anything that he hated. When he walked, he walked as if he came down from a slope. He often said: the best of you are the best in morals. He neither dispraised nor praised an epicure. He did not interrupt his companions when talking. Everyone that talked about him said:
I have not seen with my eyes anyone like him before or after him.”
Forbearance
From the most prominent characteristic of the Prophet (a.s.) was his great patience and forbearance. He was the best of all people in this concern. Historians mention many cases on his patience that we mention here some examples of them.
Anas bin Malik narrated, “Once, I was with the Prophet (a.s.) who was wearing a garment with course edges. A Bedouin drew the Prophet’s garment severely and the edge affected the Prophet’s neck while he (the Bedouin) cried harshly at the Prophet (a.s.), “O Muhammad, load on my these two camels from the wealth of Allah. Surely, you do not load from your wealth or from the wealth of your father…!”
However, the Prophet (a.s.) was not angry and he said kindly to the Bedouin, “The wealth is Allah’s and I am His slave…”
Then, the Prophet (a.s.) smiled at the man and said, “O Bedouin, would it be avenged on you for what you did to me?”
The Bedouin said, “No.”
The Prophet (a.s.) asked why not and the Bedouin said, “Because you do not requite a bad deed with a bad deed.”
The Prophet (a.s.) smiled and ordered his companions to load on one of the Bedouin’s camels some dates and on the other some barley.
Another example on the Prophet’s patience is that when his front teeth were broken and his forehead was wounded in the Battle of Uhud, his companions, who were very angry for that, asked him to pray Allah against the enemy, but he replied kindly and mercifully, “I have not been sent as a curser but a herald and mercy. O Allah, guide my people for they do not know!”
Thus, mercy, in the full sense of the word, appeared in his great soul towards his enemies who exceeded in wronging and harming him. He prayed Allah for and not against them.
One day, the Prophet (a.s.) was sleeping at midday. When he woke up, he saw a man standing with an unsheathed sword intending to kill him. The man said to the Prophet (a.s.), “Who can protect you from me?”
The Prophet (a.s.) said with confidence, “Allah is the one who protects me from you.”
The man was upset and the sword fell down from his hand. The Prophet (a.s.) took the sword and said to the man, “Who can protect you from me?”
The man said submissively, “Be the best taker (of the sword)!”
The Prophet (a.s.) pardoned the man who went back to his people while being astonished at the Prophet’s morals. He said to his people, “I have come to you from the best one of all people.”
Bujayr bin Zuhayr became a Muslim. His brother Ka’b knew about that and wrote to him a letter blaming him for that. At the end of the letter he mentioned some verses of poetry in which he scolded Bujayr and criticized Islam. Bujayr went to the Prophet (a.s.) complaining against his brother and mentioning his poetry to the Prophet (a.s.) who felt pain and announced that Ka’b was to be killed. Bujayr sent a letter to his brother informing him that the Prophet (a.s.) would pardon whoever came to him repenting and would not ask him about what he had committed before Islam. When the letter reached Ka’b, he resorted to his tribe asking them to protect him, but no one responded to him. He went to Medina and came to Imam Ali (a.s.) as guest. Imam Ali (a.s.) took him to the mosque and said to him, “This is the messenger of Allah. Go to him and ask for security!”
Ka’b went to the Prophet (a.s.) saying to him, “O messenger of Allah, I am Ka’b bin Zuhayr.”
Some man from the Ansar jumped to him asking permission saying, “O messenger of Allah, let me alone with this enemy of Allah to cut his neck!’
The Prophet (a.s.) blamed the man and said to him, “Let him alone. He has come repentantly.”
Then, Ka’b began reciting his famous poem in which he declared his fear and asked the Prophet (a.s.) to forgive him. When he recited this verse:
‘Surely the messenger is a light that it is guided by it,
and a strict sword from the unsheathed swords of Allah”
the Prophet (a.s.) offered to him his own garment as gift and welcomed him.
Once, Zayd bin Sa’nah, before being a Muslim, came to the Prophet (a.s.) to take back his debt from him. He drew the Prophet’s dress and took it off his shoulders and talked to him harshly. Umar scolded the man, but the Prophet (a.s.) smiled and said to Umar, “I and he are in need of something other than this. O Umar, you should ask me to pay back debt well and ask him to ask for debt in a good manner.”
The Prophet (a.s.) paid back the man’s debt and gave twenty Sa’s
more, and that was the reason for him to be a Muslim. Then, he said about the Prophet (a.s.), “The much ignorance towards him does not increase but his patience.”
Another example on his high patience is that he pardoned Abu Sufyan who often and always fought and tried to kill him. However, when the Prophet (a.s.) pardoned Abu Sufyan, he was astonished and said admiringly, “May my father and mother be sacrificed for you. How patient, how kind (to kin), and how generous you are!”
He also pardoned Wahshi (after being a Muslim) who had killed his (the Prophet) uncle Hamza. He announced a general amnesty to his enemies from the people of Mecca and said, “Go! You are the freed ones (tulaqa’).”
Requiting a bad doer with kindness was from the Prophet’s nature that he had been created with, and by which he occupied people’s hearts. Some poet says about the Prophet (a.s.),
“His people met him with harshness but he overlooked,
and a patient one always overlooks.
He held people with understanding and patience,
for he was a sea that burdens did not tire him.”
Generosity
Undoubtedly, the Prophet (a.s.) was the most generous, charitable one to the poor and the deprived. Historians mention many examples on this matter. Here are some:
Once, some man asked the Prophet (a.s.) for help, and the Prophet (a.s.) gave him sheep in so great number. When the man went back home astonishedly, he said to his people, “Be Muslims, for Muhammad gives in a way that he does not fear poverty.”
He set free the captives of Hawazin who were about six thousand persons.
He gave to more than one person one hundred camels, and gave to Safwan one hundred camels and then another one hundred camels.
Some woman gifted him with a garment and he was in need of it. When he put it on, some companion saw it and said, “O messenger of Allah, how beautiful it is!” The Prophet (a.s.) took it off and gave it to the companion.
When the Prophet (a.s.) came back from (the battle of) Hunayn, nomads came to him asking for giving until they forced him against a tree and took away his garment. He said to them, “Give me back my garment! If I had blessings as much as these shrubs, I would divide them among you, then you would not find me stingy, liar, or coward.”
One day, some wealth was brought to him from Bahrain. He asked his companions to scatter it and they did. It was the biggest wealth that had ever been brought to him. He went to the mosque and when he finished offering the prayer, he came and divided the wealth among his companions without leaving anything to himself.
Once, he went to al-Ja’ranah (near Mecca). He divided monies there and people crowded around him while he was giving to them until they forced him to a tree and took his cloak. He said to them, “Give me back my cloak. By Allah, if I had as much as the trees of Tehama, I would divide it among you.”
It is worth mentioning that the Prophet’s charity was not limited to the poor, but it included even animals. Once, ripe dates were offered to him and there was a sheep near him. He began eating the dates with his right hand and holding the stones with his left. He made a sign to the sheep and it came toward him and began eating the stones in his left hand. He did not throw the stones on the ground lest they would be dirty and the sheep might not eat them.
Imam Ali (a.s.) described the Prophet’s liberality saying,
“He was the most generous of all people in giving, the most in forbearance, the most truthful one, the most lenient, and from the noblest tribe. Whoever sees him once reveres him, and whoever mixes with him thoughtfully loves him. His describer says: I have seen like him neither before nor after him.”
It is worth mentioning that the Prophet (a.s.) undertook by himself the giving to the poor and he did not entrust that to anyone else. Aa’isha narrated that she had not seen the Prophet (a.s.) entrust his charities to anyone other than himself, but it was he himself who put the charity in the askers’ hands. Anyhow, the Prophet (a.s.) was the most generous one in goodness as ibn Abbas said.
This aspect had been inherited by his beloved grandson Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) who did not know any value to money except to satisfy the hunger of a hungry one or to clothe a naked one with it until he was called as “the munificent one of the Ahlul Bayt” though all of the Ahlul Bayt were generous.
Modesty
Though the Prophet (a.s.) was the master of all creatures and the greatest one in the universe, he was the most humble one. He said to his companions, “I am but a bondsman; I eat as a bondsman eats and sit as a bondsman sits.”
He himself milked his sheep, patched his clothes, mended his shoes, served himself, hobbled his camel, feed his sumpter, had food with his servant, and carried his baggage from the market.
Once, some man said to him, “O you, the best of mankind!” The Prophet (a.s.) replied to him, “That is Abraham”.
He said to his companions, “Do not praise me as the Christians praised the son of Mary. I am but a bondsman. You say: the slave of Allah and His messenger.”
Anas bin Malik narrated that once some woman met the Prophet (a.s.) in the street and asked him for a need. He responded to her. He sat down (with her) in the street and carried out her need.
One day, Adiy bin Hatim
came to the Prophet (a.s.), and the Prophet (a.s.) took him to his house. He welcomed and received him warmly. He spread out to him a rug and asked him to sit on it while he himself sat on the ground. Adiy was astonished at the Prophet’s high morals and he declared reverently and admiringly, “I acknowledge that you do not intend to exalt yourself in the earth nor to make mischief” and then he turned Muslim.
Really, the Prophet (a.s.) was the highest example in every virtue that Allah has created in the earth.
Asceticism
Another prominent characteristic the Prophet (a.s.) had was his asceticism towards the worldly life. He turned his back to this life’s pleasures and lived away from its desires. He lived the life of the poor and the needy. The following are some examples on his asceticism:
Aa’ishah narrated, “The Prophet’s stomach was not filled with food at all. He did not complain to anyone. Poverty was more beloved to him than wealth. Even if he remained hungry suffering from hunger all his night, that did not prevent him from fasting his next day; though, if he wished, he would ask his Lord to endow him with all treasures of the earth, its fruits, and the easiness of its living. I was pitiful to him for what I saw in him. I patted with my hand on his abdomen for the hunger I saw in him, and I said: may my soul be sacrificed for you! Would that you enjoy from this life what might sustain you! He said, ‘O Aa’ishah, what do I have to do with this life? My brothers the Arch-Prophets tolerated what was bitterer than this and they passed away and came to their Lord Who honored their coming and rewarded them abundantly, and so I feel shy that if I live at ease, that tomorrow I may miss many things. There is nothing is more beloved to me than to join my brothers and friends.”
One day, some man came to the Prophet (a.s.) and saw him sitting on a mat, which affected his body, and a pillow which affected his cheek. The man said painfully, “Neither Khosrau nor Caesar are satisfied with this! They sleep on silk and brocade while you sleep on this mat!” The Prophet (a.s.) said to him, “I am better than them both. What do I have to do with this life? The example of this life is like a rider who passed by a tree that had a shadow. He sat under it. When the shadow turned away, he went and left the tree.”
Aa’ishah narrated, “The messenger of Allah did never become satiated with bread for three successive days until he passed to his way (died).”
Ibn Abbas narrated, “The messenger of Allah and his wives spent successive nights hungrily finding nothing for dinner.”
Aa’ishah narrated, “The bed that the messenger of Allah slept on was from leather filled with palm-tree fibers. He (Allah’s blessing be on him) died while his armor was mortgaged to a Jew in return for the spending of his family. He often prayed, “O Allah, make the livelihood of Muhammad’s family (as enough as) sustenance.”
Some man from the Ansar offered to the Prophet (a.s.) a sa’ of ripe dates. The Prophet (a.s.) asked the maid that brought the dates to go in to see whether there was a plate in the house to put the dates in. She could not find any. Then, he swept a place with his dress and said to her, “Put them (the dates) on this ground!” Then he said, “By Him in Whose hand my soul is, if this world equaled to Allah a mosquito’s wing, He would not give anything from it to the unbelievers and the hypocrites.”
This is just a bit from the Prophet’s asceticism that his successor and guardian Imam Ali (a.s.) followed. He (Imam Ali) had divorced this life thrice until he left to the better world while leaving after him neither yellow (gold) nor white (silver). His whole intention during his reign was just to fulfill pure justice and truth caring for nothing else.
Turning to Allah
The Prophet (a.s.) feared Allah to a degree that Imam as-Sadiq (a.s.) said about him, “Nothing was more beloved to the messenger of Allah (a.s.) than to remain afraid and hungry for the sake of Allah the Almighty.”
Ibn Umar narrated, “We counted in a meeting of the messenger of Allah his saying for one hundred times: ‘My Lord, forgive me and turn to me (mercifully), You are the Oft-Returning, the Forgiver.’”
He turned to Allah totally and exhausted himself in worshipping until Allah revealed to him, (Taha. We have not revealed unto you this Qur'an that you might be distressed).
In fact, Prophet Muhammad (a.s.) exceeded all the prophets in his worshipping and turning to Allah. Here are some pictures about his worship:
His prayer
It may be more useful to talk about some matters concerning the Prophet’s prayer.
a. assigning the time of prayer
The one who announced the times of the Fajr (dawn), Dhuhr (noon), Asr (afternoon), Maghrib (sunset), and Isha’ (evening) prayers was Bilal,
and sometimes was Abdullah bin Mas’ud.
b. the caller (mu’azzin)
The Prophet’s special caller (one who calls out the azan) was Bilal al-Habashi.
Bilal pronounced the [sh] as [s] and said in the azan (ass~hadu) instead of (ash~hadu). The hypocrites mocked at and criticized him for that. Bilal informed that to the Prophet (a.s.) who was pained by that and he said, “The (s) of Bilal is (sh) near Allah the Almighty. The (s) of Bilal is better than your (sh).”
Ibn Umm Maktum was another caller to the Prophet (a.s.).
He and Bilal called out the azan in Medina. It is said that the Prophet (a.s.) had five callers of azan. They were Bilal, Amr bin Umm Maktum, Owss Abu Makhdura, Sa’d, and Ziyad. A caller of azan had a special position in the Muslim society, and some tradition had been transmitted about this.
c. His care for congregational prayer
The Prophet (a.s.) took much care of the congregational prayer which is an important manifestation of worship and submission to Allah the Almighty, besides that it is an important manifestation of the Muslims’ power, unity, and cohesion. From his concern for this matter that he tried to set fire to the houses of those who refused to participate in the congregational prayer.
d. Regulating the rows of Muslims
Bilal al-Habashi regulated the rows of praying Muslims and he patted on their hamstrings by his durrah (a dried bunch of date-palm fruit) to be orderly,
so that the prayer would be offered splendidly.
e. His much praying
The messenger of Allah (a.s.) offered too many prayers. He found in prayer the greatest pleasure in his life for, in prayer, he talked with his Lord. His feet swelled because of his much praying. Aa’ishah said to him, “O messenger of Allah, why do you do so whereas Allah has forgiven you your previous and later error?” He said, “Do I not like to be a grateful slave?”
Umm Salama narrated, “The Prophet offers prayer and then he sleeps inasmuch as his praying, then he offers prayer inasmuch as his sleeping, then he sleeps inasmuch as his praying, and so on until the morning.”
Imam Ali (a.s.) narrated, “When these verses (O you wrapped up in your raiment! Keep vigil the night long, save a little)
were revealed to the Prophet, he began spending all the night in worshipping until his feet swelled. Then, he began lifting one leg and putting down the other. After that, Gabriel came down to him with this verse (Taha. We have not revealed unto you this Qur'an that you might be distressed).”
f. His weeping in his prayers
When Prophet Muhammad (a.s.) offered prayers, he wept because of the fear of Allah. Mutrif narrated that his father said, “I saw the messenger of Allah offer prayer while there was buzzing in his chest because of weeping like the buzzing of querns.”
Imam Ali (a.s.) imitated the messenger of Allah (a.s.) in his weeping in the prayer, and he, as historians say, approached to Allah with his heart and soul until he became unconscious.
And so, all the infallible imams followed this way. They, as most of historians say, were true examples of turning loyally to Allah and fearing Him. This could be clearly seen in their prayers that manifested the fear of Allah and the weeping because of the submission to Him.
Coyness
Abu Sa’eed al-Khidri said, “The messenger of Allah was coyer than a virgin in her veil.”
When Allah granted the Prophet (a.s.) with the great victory of conquering Mecca, which was a center of idolatry and a strong fort for the Prophet’s opponents, he entered the city surrounded by his armed forces but lowering his face to the ground feeling coy and shy towards the people of Quraysh who strived in their struggle against him and his mission. He addressed them softly saying, “Go! You are free.”
From his coyness was that he did not declare the names of whom he disliked, but he said, “What about some people who say so-and-as…what about some people who do so-and-so…”
He said, “When Allah wants to destroy someone, He takes coyness out of him. When Allah takes coyness out of him, you shall not find him except that he is hated and disdained. When you find him but hated and disdained, then fidelity is taken out of him. When fidelity is taken out of him, you shall find him disloyal and distrusted. When you find him but disloyal and distrusted, then mercifulness is taken out of him. When mercifulness is taken out of him, you shall not find him but cursed and damned, and when you find him but cursed and damned, then the noose of Islam is taken out of him.”
He also said, “Coyness and faith are associated with one link; when one of them is taken out, the other one shall follow it.”
The Prophet’s grandson Imam Zaynol Aabidin (a.s.) inherited this aspect from his grandfather and he was the coyest of people at his time. About this point, al-Farazdaq, the famous poet, recited,
“He overlooks because of his coyness and it is overlooked for his gravity,
that he is not talked with except when he smiles.”
Remembrance of Allah
The messenger of Allah was always busy mentioning Allah. Historians say, “When he woke up in the morning, he recited “praise be to Allah too much in any case”. He repeated that for three hundred and sixty times. In the evening, he did the same.”
He often said, “The best of worship is the saying of ‘la ilaha illallah; there is no god but Allah’.”
Imam Abu Abdillah (as-Sadiq) (a.s.) narrated, “The messenger of Allah (a.s.) did not leave a meeting, even if he was in a hurry, unless he asked Allah the Almighty twenty-five times to forgive him.”
Everyday, he asked Allah seventy times to forgive him and added to it (the asking for forgiveness) ‘and I turn to Him’.
His weeps when certain verses are recited before him
Ibn Mas’ud said, “I recited before the messenger of Allah some verses from the Sura of an-Nisa’, and when I reached this verse (How will it be, then, when We bring from every people a witness and bring you as a witness against these),
his eyes were filled with tears.”
Abdullah
narrated, “The messenger of Allah asked me, ‘Recite (from the Qur'an) to me!’ I said, ‘Do I recite to you while it (the Qur'an) has been revealed to you?’ he said, ‘I like to hear it from other than me.’ I recited until I reached this verse (How will it be, then, when We bring from every people a witness and bring you as a witness against these?). His eyes began shedding tears.”
The Prophet (a.s.) had attached to Allah with all his feelings and passions and this was due to his absolute knowledge of Allah the Almighty.
Compassion and mercifulness
The Prophet (a.s.) was too compassionate and merciful to all people even to his opponents. Allah has announced that in the Holy Qur'an when saying, (Certainly a Messenger has come to you from among yourselves; grievous to him is your falling into distress, excessively solicitous respecting you; to the believers (he is) compassionate).
He was merciful to his people, who considered him a liar, resisted him, and tried to kill him, that he did not invoke Allah against them. Once, Gabriel came to him and said, “Allah the Almighty has heard the reply of your people to you and what they faced you with, and so he has ordered the Angel of Mountains to obey you that you might order him to do to them as you like.” After greeting him, the Angel of Mountains said to the Prophet (a.s.), “Order me as you like! If you want, I will tear down the two submissive ones (two mountains in Mecca) over them.” The Prophet (a.s.) said, “I hope that Allah may make from among their progenies ones who shall worship Allah and not associate with Him anything else.”
It was infinite mercifulness that Allah had declared in the Qur'an. Allah had said about the Prophet (a.s.), (And We have not sent you but as a mercy to the worlds).
Was there any mercy to people greater than the Prophet (a.s.) who raised the Word of Allah high in the earth which was the source of every mercy and blessing, and established a wonderful, developed system to reform the life of all human beings?
From his compassionate and mercifulness was that some people brought their newborn children to the Prophet (a.s.) to name them and to pray Allah to bless them. The Prophet (a.s.) took the babies and put them in his lap. It happened that some babies made water in the Prophet’s lap, and so some companions might shout at the babies’ families, but the Prophet (a.s.) said, “Do not make the baby cut his urination!” Then, the Prophet (a.s.) prayed Allah for the new born children, and their families became delighted while the Prophet (a.s.) went to wash his body and clothes.
Prophet Muhammad (a.s.) was very merciful to his family and children. His servant Anas bin Malik said, “I have not seen anyone more merciful to his family than the messenger of Allah.”
Loyalty
There is no doubt that the Prophet (a.s.) was the most loyal of all human beings and the most careful in meeting good with good. From his loyalty to his wife Khadijah was that whenever a gift was offered to him, he gifted it to one of her friends.
Aa’ishah said, “I was not jealous of any woman as I was of Khadijah for what I heard about her from the messenger of Allah. He often slaughtered a sheep and offered its meat to her close friends. Once, a woman asked permission to come in to him (the Prophet). He welcomed her warmly and asked much about her affairs. When she left, he said, ‘She often visited us at the days of Khadijah, and being loyal (to one’s old fellows) is from faith.”
From his loyalty was that he often sent to Thuwaybah, Abu Lahab’s maid,
gifts and clothes because she had suckled him when child. When she died, he asked whether someone from her relatives was there, but it was said to him none.
Once, his foster-father came to him, and he received and welcomed him too warmly. He spread to him a part of his garment to sit on. Then, his breast-feeding mother came, and he spread to her the other end of his garment from the other side and she sat on it.
Really, he was the best example in loyalty. He had bound himself to that. From his loyalty to his companions was that if one of them was absent for three days, he would ask about him; if he was on travel, he would pray Allah for him, and if he was at home or ill, he would visit him.
One day, an-Najashi’s
delegation came to him. He himself began serving them. His companions said to him, “We do that for you.” He said, “They honored our companions, and I like to reward them.”
Courage
There is no doubt that the messenger of Allah was the bravest and most courageous one. Imam Ali (a.s.) said about the Prophet’s courage, “We, when war became hot and fighting fierce, took the messenger of Allah a shelter. No one would be nearer to the enemy than he would. On the Day (battle) of Badr, we sought protection with the Prophet, though he was the nearest of us to the enemy. He was the most courageous of people.”
Al- Abbas narrated about the Prophet’s courage saying, “When the Muslims and the unbelievers met on the Day (battle) of Hunayn, Muslims ran away, but the messenger of Allah hurried with his mule towards the unbelievers while I was holding its (the mule) reins trying to hinder it not to ran fast, and so was Abu Sufyan bin al-Harith. Then he (the Prophet) called out: O Muslims…”
Imran bin Hussayn said, “The messenger of Allah did not met a battalion (in a war), except that he was the first one to strike. When Ubay bin Khalaf saw him on the Day of Uhud, he began saying, ‘Where is Muhammad? May I not remain alive if he remains alive!’ When he saw the messenger of Allah, he attacked him, but some men got in his way. The Prophet ordered them to let him alone. He (the Prophet) took a bayonet from al-Harith and stabbed Ubay in his neck that made him about to fall down from his horse. He ran away back toward Quraysh while saying, ‘Muhammad has killed me.’ They said to him, ‘You are all right.’ He said, ‘If all people were there, Muhammad would kill them. Has he not said: I kill you? By Allah, if he spat on me, he would kill me.’ Then, he died in Serif (near Mecca).”
The Prophet’s courage was beyond description. It was inherited by his grandson Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) who was one of the most courageous people. He was in the middle of the battlefield alone before that blind army who ran away before the Imam as goats run away when a wolf attacks them according to the historians’ words. When Imam Husayn (a.s.) was felled in the field of honor and dignity, that huge army feared and felt coward to approach him.
The love to the poor
One of the Prophet’s splendid characteristics was his love to the poor. In the deep of himself he had great love and sincerity toward them. He was a father, shelter, and refuge to them. They got from him indescribable kindness and charity. He often recommended Muslims to be kind and charitable to the poor. He made to them an imposed share in the wealth of the rich. He legislated zakat for that purpose and made it obligatory. From his love to the poor was that he often prayed Allah to resurrect him with the poor. Abu Sa’eed narrated, “I heard the messenger of Allah (a.s.) saying, ‘O Allah make me live a poor, die a poor, and resurrect me with the community of the poor. The most wretched one of the wretched is he for whom the poverty of this life and the torment of the afterlife are gathered.’”
Anas narrated that the messenger of Allah (a.s.) said, “O Allah, make me live a poor and resurrect me with the community of the poor on the Day of Resurrection.” Aa’ishah asked him, “Why, O messenger of Allah?” He said to her, “They (the poor) enter the Paradise forty autumns before the rich. O Aa’ishah, do not reject a poor even by (giving him) a half of a date. O Aa’ishah, love the poor and approach to them, because Allah will approach you on the Day of Resurrection.”
Disdaining of haughtiness
The Prophet (a.s.) too much hated sublimity, haughtiness, and selfishness. Ibn Abbas narrated, “One day, I walked behind the messenger of Allah to see if he hated walking behind him or liked it. He caught me with his hand and made me beside him, and thus I knew that he hated that (walking behind him).”
He hated to be received with glorification and praising. He often said to his companions, “Do not get up for me as foreigners get up glorifying each other!”
Patience
The Prophet (a.s.) was patient with all kinds of hardships and calamities. He suffered from Quraysh too much. They harmed, abused, and fought him when he was in Mecca, and when he emigrated to Medina, they followed after him and provoked the tribes there against him. They waged severe wars against him, but he was patient towards all that.
Imam as-Sadiq (a.s.) said, “Allah the Almighty sent Muhammad (as prophet) and ordered him of patience by saying, (And bear patiently what they say and avoid them with a becoming avoidance).
He, blessings of Allah be on him, was patient towards the hardships he met from his people until Allah the Almighty granted him with the great victory.”
Allah has ordered his prophet to be patient by saying, (and bear patiently that which befalls you; surely these acts require courage).
Allah has educated him with these high morals to be a guide and educator to all human beings.
Justice
The Prophet (a.s.) undertook pure justice. He was natured with it and he fulfilled it in the world of existence. Justice was the most important element of his mission that he spared no effort to realize it among all classes of the society.
Once, an ignorant man said to the Prophet (a.s.), “Be just, O Muhammad!”
The Prophet (a.s.) said to him, “May Allah forgive you! Who will be just if I am not? Then, I fail and lose if I am not just.”
He did not punish anyone for another’s error and did not affirm anyone’s claim against another. He spread justices in the full sense of the word among all people with all their classes, ranks, and races. He did not differentiate anyone from another in rights and duties. He equalized the all without excluding anyone. He built his state on the best form of justice that assured all people’s rights, security, and easiness.
Cleanness
The Prophet (a.s.) was famous for his cleanness and neatness. Anas said, “I had never smelt ambergris, musk, or anything better than the scent of the messenger of Allah. When he shook hands with someone, he (someone) remained all his day smelling that scent. When he put his hand on some boy’s head, he (the boy) was distinguished by his scent among boys. When he walked in a street, his scent affected that street.”
The Prophet (a.s.) encouraged people to care much for cleanness. He said, “Islam has been built on cleanness.” The cleanness that the Prophet (a.s.) recommended includes all sides of life; the cleanness of drinking water, food, clothes, and dwellings.
His fondness of perfumes
The Prophet (a.s.) was fond of perfumes. He spent on them more than his spending for food. Whatever good perfume was shown to him, he used it. He said, “It is good in scent and light in carrying.” He often anointed with violet oil and said that it was the best of all ointments. He also used musk and ghaliya (a kind of perfume).
When he perfumed himself with musk, the white of musk was seen in his partings.
Sense of humor
There was another character in the Prophet’s personality; it was the sense of humor and jesting with people.
Once, a somehow stupid man came to the Prophet (a.s.) and said to him, “O messenger of Allah, carry me (help me)!” The Prophet (a.s.) said to him, “I carry you on the kid of a she-camel.” The man said, “What can the kid of a she-camel benefit me with?” The Prophet (a.s.) said humorously, “Does a camel begot but the kid of a she-camel?”
One day, an old woman came to the Prophet (a.s.) to pray Allah for her that she would be in the Paradise. The Prophet (a.s.) said jestingly, “O Umm so-and-so, no old woman enters into the Paradise.” She left crying. The Prophet (a.s.) said to his companions, “Tell her that no old woman enters the Paradise. Allah the Almighty says, (Then We have made them virgins, loving, equals in age
).
Khawwat bin Jubayr al-Ansari, before the advent of Islam, roved about houses and committed adultery with women. When he was asked what he did, he claimed that he looked for his lost camel. Khawwat became a Muslim at the hand of the Prophet (a.s.). After some time, he came to the Prophet (a.s.). The Prophet (a.s.) said to him humorously, “What about your lost camel?”
Khawwat replied politely, “O messenger of Allah, Islam has hobbled it.”
One morning, the Prophet (a.s.) was somehow displeased. One of his companions said that he would make him laugh. He went to the Prophet (a.s.) and said to him, “May my father and mother die for you! I have been informed that when ad-Dajjal (charlatan ‘Antichrist’) will appear, people will be suffering hunger. He will invite them to meals. Do you see that if I shall live until that time, I shall devour from his porridge and when I shall be satiate, I shall believe in Allah and deny him, or I shall refrain from his food? The Prophet (a.s.) laughed and his laughing was just smiling. He said, “No, but Allah will satisfy you with what he satisfies the believers.”
Once, he said to a woman from the Ansar, “Follow your husband for there is white in his eyes.” She joined her husband and said to him, “The Prophet (a.s.) says that there is white in your eyes.” Her husband said, “Do you not see that the white of my eye is more than its black?!”
The Prophet (a.s.) saw Suhayb, whose eye was sore and he was eating some dates. The Prophet (a.s.) said to him, “O Suhayb, do you eat dates in spite of your sore-eyedness?” He said, “O messenger of Allah, I eat them by my sound half.”
There are many other examples showing that the Prophet (a.s.) dealt with people with high moralities and infinite politeness and he humored them and met their natures and likings.
Eloquence and rhetoric
The messenger of Allah was the master of eloquence and the head of all eloquent and elegant speakers. His eloquence and rhetoric had astonished the chiefs of wisdom and eloquence. His maxims were at the top that had no complication or ambiguity.
Al-Ghazali says, “The messenger of Allah (a.s.) spoke eloquently with neither excess nor shortage. His speech followed each other that his listener memorized and understood it.”
By his eloquence, the messenger of Allah (a.s.) could occupy the hearts and prevail the souls. Many of those, who believed in him, were attracted by his wonderful speech and truthful invitation. It is related that he has said, “I am the most eloquent of those who speak Arabic, and I have been grown up among the Bani Sa’d.”
Some of his companions said to him, “O messenger of Allah, how eloquent you are! We have not seen anyone more eloquent than you.”
He said, “What prevents me from that, while the Qur'an has been revealed in my tongue and in a clear Arabic tongue?”
It is related that the Prophet (a.s.) said, ‘I have been given all eloquence’ and ‘Wisdom has been briefed to me’.
Anyhow, we shall mention some of his educational recommendations, speeches, and maxims which are signs of eloquence and rhetoric.
Gravity
Prophet Muhammad (a.s.) was unique in gravity. Necks submitted to him and people had not seen like him in gravity and solemnity. Historians say that when he sat, nothing of his organs would appear. When he sat, he embraced his legs with his hands. He did not speak without reason, and he refrained from answering whoever talked impolitely. Ibn Abi Halah said, “The messenger of Allah (a.s.) kept silent on four things; forbearing, caution, estimation, and pondering.”
Prudent policy
Prophet Muhammad (a.s.) was distinguished by his prudent and intelligent policy like which had not been found in all periods of history. He ruled that ignorant society with his kindness and high morals and tolerated their severity, rudeness, and aggression. He was patient towards all harms and sufferings he met from the rude people of that society until they responded to his mission and believed in his principles and values. And then he made from them a strong army armed with faith, and they fought against their fathers and brothers willingly and satisfactorily until they built the great Islamic state that prevailed over most of the world and was the only power in the earth that could not be defeated. All that was due to the Prophet’s policy that was based on the pure justice and truth.
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Author: Baqir Sharif al-Qarashi
