By: Osman Nuri Topbaş
Source: Osman Nuri Topbaş
Allah’s Messenger Fulfilled Trusts
During the Battle of Khaybar, a shepherd, a slave of a Khaybarite Jew, came to the Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings. After conversing with him for a short time, he accepted Islam and joined the Muslims. However, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ordered him to first return the flock with all the sheep and goats of his master, which he tended as a shepherd and to only then join the Muslim ranks. And what is more, he had done so at a critical moment, when the battle had dragged on and the Muslims had begun to experience food shortages. This command is, no doubt, a rather meaningful example of a sense of responsibility and the importance of fulfilling a trust.
Beware of the Rights of Your Neighbour!
The Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, demanded that the rights of neighbours be observed. In one Prophetic Tradition he states:
“Gabriel advised me in observing the rights of neighbours to such a degree that I thought he would order me to name them my heirs.”(Bukhari, Adab 28; Muslim, Birr 140)
“One is not a believer who sleeps while his neighbour is hungry.” (Hakim, II, 15; Haythami, VIII, 167)
“A non-Muslim neighbour (with whom there are no family ties) enjoys one right. A neighbour who is Muslim enjoys two rights (as they have a claim as a neighbour as well as a fellow Muslim). And the neighbour who is both Muslim and a relative enjoys three rights. They have a claim as a neighbour, as a fellow Muslim and as a relation.”(Suyuti, Al-Jami’ al-Saghir, I, 146)
It ought not be forgotten that peering through a neighbour’s window, tormenting them with the aroma of food coming from one’s house, or disturbing or offending them in any way constitutes a violation of the rights of neighbours.
The Bravest of Them All
It is not possible to conceive of a hero greater than the Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, for there was no incident throughout his life in which he was seen to have been overcome by fear or panic. He was patient and steadfast even in the face of the most extraordinary of situations. He would not be seized by fear or panic or act in an unbecoming manner.
‘Ali, may Allah be well pleased with him, the symbol of courage and heroism, says:
“When the battle grew fierce, we would seek protection behind him…” (Muslim, Jihad, 79)
The Prophet of Forgiveness and Mercy
That Prophet of Mercy forgave both Wahshi who had killed his beloved uncle Hamza and Hind who had instigated him, upon their acceptance of Islam. He even pardoned the ruthless enemy of Islam, Habbab ibn al-Aswad, when he came before him to profess his acceptance of Islam. Habbab had pursued the camel of his daughter Zaynab, who was pregnant at the time, pushed her off the camel and thus caused the death of both her unborn child and later her own death.
During the conquest of Makka, when the Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, possessed the opportunity and power to put the Makkan polytheists who had persecuted the Muslims for years on end to the sword in retribution, he asked the Makkans gathered at the Ka’ba:
“O people of the Quraysh, How do you expect that I shall treat you now?”
The Quraysh replied:
“We expect nothing but goodness to come from you. You are a noble man and the son of a noble man.”
Upon this, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
“I say as Joseph said to his brothers: ‘No reproach this day shall be on you. May Allah forgive you; indeed, He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.’ (12:92) Go, for you are free.”
Many lifeless hearts revived before such virtue and attained the felicity of belief with Islam’s elixir of forgiveness and mercy.
A Heart Beating with Mercy
As declared in a Qur’anic verse:
“There has come to you (O people) a Messenger from among yourselves; extremely grievous to him is your suffering, full of concern for you is he, and for the believers full of pity and compassion.”(9:128)
Allah’s Messenger was in a Constant State of Supplication
When the Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, went to the city of Ta’if to convey the message of Islam, the ignorant, idol-worshipping and arrogant populace stoned him. The Angel of the Mountains came to the Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, accompanied by Archangel Gabriel and said:
“Should you command it, I would crush the people between these two mountains (for what they have done to you).” The tender and loving heart of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that overflowed with mercy and compassion could not bear this and he said:
“No! I hope instead that Allah will bring forth from among their progeny people who will worship Him alone, and who will not associate anything (as partners) with Him.” (Bukhari, Bad’u al-Khalq, 7; Muslim, Jihad, 111)
Unequalled Refinement
The Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, the light of existence, neither caused offence to, nor took offence by anyone. He forever emanated the virtue of forgiveness. He did not hold the faults and shortcomings of others against them due to his sense of shame (haya’) before Allah and his elevated character. He would not refer by name to those who behaved in a manner with which he was displeased, merely sufficing to say, “What is the matter with the people that they are doing such and such?” Sometimes, he would ascribe the error to himself saying, “What is it that I see you [doing such and such]?” thus reproving in a gentle but earnest manner.
The Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, once ate a dish made of camel meat together with his Companions. Just as they were about to stand for the prayer, a smell that was the result of someone’s having passed wind became perceivable. So as not to embarrass that individual before the rest of the gathering, the Messenger of Allah, the Pride of Humanity, said, “Let those who have eaten camel meat perform the ablution.” All the Companions performed the ablution. In other words, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ordered the whole gathering to perform their ablution once again in order to avoid embarrassing the particular individual concerned.
A Countenance Most Beautiful
The blessed countenance of the Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, which exuded trust and tranquillity to his surroundings, was the purest and most cheerful of countenances. This was owing to the fact that the immensurable beauty of his inner world had projected onto his outward form.
When the Messenger of Allah emigrated to the city of Madina, Jewish scholar ‘Abd Allah ibn Salam inquired after him, curious as to his person, and upon seeing his blessed face, exclaimed, “One with such a face cannot lie,” and thus professed his acceptance of Islam.
Such was the beauty, stateliness, luminance and grace he possessed that there was no need for any further miracle or proof concerning his being a Prophet of God.
Had They Seen His Blessed Countenance
The Mother of Believers ‘A’isha, may Allah be well pleased with her, describes the luminous countenance of Allah’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, in the following words:
“Had the women of Egypt seen the beauty of the Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, that captivating beauty of Joseph would have signified nothing in their eyes. Had the women who disparaged Zulaykha seen the luminous face of Allah’s Messenger, they would have stabbed their hearts instead of their hands.”
The Prophet of Mercy
‘A’isha, may Allah be well pleased with her, wife of the Prophet, relates several aspects of the boundless mercy and compassion of the Noble Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, as follows:
“The Messenger of Allah never struck anyone with his hand, neither maid nor servant, but only, in the case when he had been fighting (on the battlefield) in the cause of Allah and he never took revenge for anything unless the things made inviolable by Allah were made violable; he then took revenge for Allah, exalted and glorified be He.” (Muslim, Fada’il, 79)
A Generous One Unafraid of Poverty
It is not possible to duly appreciate the position of the Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, in generosity and beneficence. His generosity surpassed even that of the honouring of a person who has no fear of poverty.
As reported by Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah, may Allah be well pleased with him:
“It never happened that Allah’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was asked for anything and he said, no.” (Muslim, Fada’il, 56)
If I Had as Much Gold as the Weight of Mount Uhud
The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not hold onto anything with respect to worldly possessions and would spend whatever he had in the way of Allah. This was a virtue pertaining uniquely to his person.
The Companion Abu Dharr, may Allah be well pleased with him, reports:
“I was once walking in the company of the Prophet on the stony grounds on the outskirts of Madina when the mountain of Uhud came into sight. The Messenger of Allah said, ‘O Abu Dharr!’
I said, “I am here, at your service, O Messenger of Allah!”
He said, ‘It would not please me to have gold equal to the weight to this mountain (of Uhud) unless nothing of it, not even a single dinar remains of it with me for more than three days (for I would have spent all of it in Allah’s Cause), except that which I will keep for repaying debts.’” (Muslim, Zakat, 32; Bukhari, Istiqrad, 3)
If You Can Give Nothing Else
The poor, lonely and the forlorn would come to the Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, in expectation of something to be given to them in the way of charity. There were times when Allah’s Messenger had nothing whatsoever to give. Moreover, he himself would go hungry most of the time. When the Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, had nothing to give in way of meeting the expectations of the needy, he would be overcome with a sense of sorrow and would subtly turn his face away, for which Allah, glorified and exalted be He, admonished him:
“But if you (must) turn away from those (who are in need, because you are yourself in need, and) seeking mercy from your Lord in hopeful expectation, then (at least) speak to them gently and well-meaning [qawlan maysūran].”(17:28)
Allah’s Messenger Never Took a Liking to the World
Despite the fact that the Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, obtained worldly opportunities the likes not seen by any king in a short period of time and conquered hearts as an ideal guide for humanity, he took no liking to any of the great worldly bounties at his feet. On the contrary, he continued his humble existence. As was the case before, he led a simple and ascetic life in his modest mud-brick chamber. He slept on a mattress filled with the leaves of a date palm and wore simple clothing. His standard of living was lower even than society’s weak. What is more, despite the fact that he could not find anything to eat sometimes, he would strap a rock to his stomach to suppress his hunger and would give thanks to his Lord.
‘A’isha, may Allah be well pleased with her, relates:
Never had the family of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, eaten to their fill with the bread of wheat for three successive nights, from the day of their arrival in Madina up until his death.” (Muslim, Zuhd, 20)
The True Life is the Life of the Hereafter
One day, ‘Umar, may Allah be well pleased with him, came to the house of Allah’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. He cast his eye around the room. Every corner of it was empty. The only piece of furniture in the room was a mat of woven palm leaf. The Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, was lying upon it and it had imprinted itself on the body of Allah’s Messenger. All there was in the room was a little barley and an old waterskin hung up on a nail beside it. That was all. This was all the wealth and worldly possessions that the Messenger of Allah, the pride of humanity, possessed on a day when the entire Arabian Peninsula had surrendered themselves to him. ‘Umar, may Allah be well pleased with him, could not contain himself and was moved to tears before such a sight. The Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, asked:
“What makes you weep, O ‘Umar?”
‘Umar said, “Why shouldn’t I weep, O Messenger of Allah, when Caesar and Khosrau wallow in worldly bounties and the Messenger of Allah lives thus!”
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, consoled ‘Umar’s grieved heart and said:
“Weep not, O ‘Umar! Would you not wish for this world (with all its blessings and pleasures) be their share in this life and the Hereafter be for us alone?“ (Ahmad, II, 298; Tabarani, al-Mu’jam al-Kabir, X, 162)
Allah’s Messenger Divided His Time into Three
When the Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, came to his felicitous home, he would divide his time into three, allocating one-third to worship, one-third to his family, and the other third to himself. The time that he set aside for himself he devoted to the people – from all echelons of society – and would not deprive anyone of his company. He conquered the hearts of all those around him.
The Felicitous Home of Allah’s Messenger
The felicitous home of the Messenger of Allah was the happiest of all households. It exuded the fragrance of great happiness.
No woman could possibly love her husband like the Mothers of the Believers, his esteemed wives, loved the Messenger of Allah. And no man could possibly love his wife like the Messenger of Allah loved his wives. No child can love their father like Fatima loved her father and no father could possibly their child like Allah’s Messenger loved his children. Through the manner of nurture and education that the Messenger of Allah, upon him be peace and blessings, practised in his familial life, he established an exceptional bond of love in the hearts of his wives and children.
The Mothers of the Believers could only enter their chambers ducking their heads, as their chambers provided just enough room for them. Many days would pass before a fire was lit in that home and food made available. But existence in that happy household was felt with the savour of contentment, patience and surrender rather than with material provisions.
