PROPHET
MUHAMMAD
(PEACE BE UPON HIM)
THE UNIQUE CHARACTER AND AMAZING EXEMPLARY LIFE
The unique character & amazing
exemplary life of Prophet (peace be upon him) is in itself testimony of his
prophethood. The two miracles granted to the last Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) are: firstly; the Holy Qur’an and secondly; the unique qualities
which made him pre-eminently deserving of prophethood (Though he did perform many other miracles, but they are not being
referred here). His life history was a miracle in itself! He was a human
being, like all other human beings and God commanded him to declare this fact
and make it clear to everyone, in case people made a god of, or ascribed Divine
attributes to him: Say (O Prophet): "I am but a mortal man like all of
you. It has been revealed unto me that our God is the One and Only
God"(Qur’an;18:110). However, it has been proved that no other human being
is similar to him in his greatness, even though he had all the physical and
mental characteristics of a human being. God Almighty has not created any
unique human being from among the children of Adam, save Muhammad (peace be
upon him), his father Abraham, Moses, Jesus - and on all the other prophets.
EXEMPLARY LIFE
& EXCEPTIONAL QUALITIES:
Incomparable to any other Human in History:
It would be both untrue and grossly
unfair to Muhammad (peace be upon him) if we were to compare him with all the
thousands of great men throughout history. Every great man has been known only
for a certain aspect of greatness: some have been known for their wisdom, but
notorious for their lack of sensitivity and difficulty in expressing
themselves; others were noted for their eloquence of speech and their power of
imagination, but the ideas they expressed were banal. Still others were most
able administrators and distinguished leaders, but corrupt in their personal
lives.
Epitome of Greatness Among Human:
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is
the only great man who can be described as the epitome of greatness. All the
others had a blind spot, maybe a guarded secret regarding their moral behaviour
- some sort of perversity or weakness. Only Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him), has a life history which is an open book, for everyone to read and
scrutinize.
Record of Life - An Open Book of History:
He is the only one who permitted his
companions to tell the public everything about him. They therefore described
every detail of his behaviour both during his hours of tranquility, as well as
times when he was open to human weakness; when he showed signs of anger, desire
or was prey to emotional reactions. We can also read all about his private and
domestic life, as told by his wives. With his permission, Aysha narrated every
detail regarding his family life. Nothing has been left out as all his actions
were carried out according to the Divine path and guidance. I would have quoted
details about his personal life, were it not for the fact that it might be
embarrassing for some readers. Nonetheless, all such aspects can be read about
both in the books about his life and in those on Islamic jurisprudence. You can
read about strictly personal aspects of his life: his habits with regard to
personal hygiene, the way he ate, dressed, slept, etc.
Is there any other great man who has
dared to say to the public, "Look - here is my life history, -everything I
have done. You can read it and tell others about it - friends and enemies! “And
I am open to criticism from anyone!”. Has anyone else's life history been
recorded and kept intact for so many centuries? A man may be great for his
intrinsic qualities, noble disposition and personal charm, and he can also be
revered for his intellectual brilliance, which he leaves behind as a heritage
for his own country and the world.
Comprehensive Greatness in All Aspects:
Every great man has only one such
dimension of greatness in him. But Muhammad's greatness represents every
aspect. We should also consider the fact that most great men are great only
among their own people. They may do good for them, while harming others who do
not belong to this category. The life histories of statesmen, warriors and
conquerors all show this. Or a man may be well known and respected all over the
world, but his fame may be due to a limited area: discovery of one of the many
laws of nature which God laid down for our universe, or a certain medicine for
a particular disease. He may have come up with a new theory of philosophy, or
written a masterpiece or the life story of a literary genius.
However Muhammad's (peace be upon him),
greatness was comprehensive in both range and scope, and he practiced what he
preached. He was unlike the many missionary zealots of the past and the
present, who fail to practice what they preach at the top of their voices!
Those whose true colours were exposed during moments of weakness: desire, fear,
anger, need and hunger. At moments like this they might completely forget what
they teach. Maybe I can hold myself up as an example. Sometimes I rise to
sublime heights when I am writing an article, or delivering a lecture
encouraging people to abide by truth, goodness, and righteousness. But as soon
as I reach these heights, my ego interferes! I start to long for some sort of
glory. In fact, man's inner self does try to lead him away form God. So, within
a few minutes I come down to earth again, to an ordinary existence. Because
people notice this very same attitude among preachers and religious men, they
do not take much notice of what they say.
Practiced Whatever He Preached:
As for our Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him), he practiced whatever he taught. He exhorted people to do good, and
shun temptation; what's more, he translated his words into actions, using the
Holy Qur’an as his guiding force. He was tireless in his effort to reform
people by his words and deeds. He was not invited to give lectures and seminars
at universities and such places. He carried out his mission wherever he was: at
home, in the mosque or in a public place. He really demonstrated everything
that the Holy Qur’an pleads for and exhorts people to do, in his everyday life.
He used to offer night prayers for such a long time that his feet became
swollen. He always sought God's forgiveness. Someone once asked him
"Hasn't God forgiven you for all your sins (then why do pray such long
hours)?” to which he replied, "Shouldn't I be a thankful servant of God?"
Every single action was like a prayer, because he always sought to do good and
banish evil, and he unceasingly sought to serve the common good.
I would like to quote just one incident
to show how he practiced what he believed and adhered strongly to the
principles he held high, and kept above all other considerations. But before I
relate the incident, let me preset the following prelude. If a girl from a
distinguished family was caught stealing, would she get the same sort of
punishment as a girl from a working class background, accused of a similar
crime? Probably not! In most cases, many secret efforts would be made to see
that the whole matter was hushed up, or the legal punishment was not severe. A
similar incident happened during the Prophet's lifetime. A young woman coming
from one of the most distinguished and noblest Muslim families committed a
theft. She was found to be guilty and this verdict was announced. Immediately
some people tried to intervene, hoping that the Prophet, well-known for his magnanimity
and love of forgiveness, would grant pardon in this case. Not at all! In fact
he was angry that he had been approached in this way, and reminded people of
how earlier generations had been ruined because crimes committed by people of
influence and position went unpunished, while the weak and humble were
punished. He then made a remarkable statement which came to be accepted as a
firm principle of Islam. "Indeed - by God, if Fatima, daughter of
Muhammad, were to steal, her hand would be amputated." This statement put
an end to interference in legal verdicts. The above attitude was natural for
the Prophet, because his whole life was a life of dawah (spreading the message of Islam).
Lived Simple Life but not as a Hermit:
His personal likes and dislikes, and his
friendships with people were governed by the Divine Message. And he did not
hesitate to break any bonds which conflicted with his mission. The Prophet
(peace be upon him) had elevated himself above all desire for the good things
of life which human beings usually crave for. However, he did not live like a
hermit and deprive himself of food or become mystic wearing strange clothes.
Food: He
ate whatever good food was served to him, provided it came within the confines
of Divine Law. He was never seen to look down on any kind of food. He had
tremendous willpower which enabled him to be patient at all times, and stay
without food for days on end. If hunger pangs overwhelmed him, he would tie a
stone over his stomach to suppress his hunger.
Clothing:
As
regards his clothes, he did not stick to one particular way of dressing
himself. He sometimes wore both a cap and a turban at the same time, or at
times one or the other. He usually wore an under-garment, with a robe and an
outer garment over it. The jubba
(long outer garment) he sometimes wore sometimes had narrow sleeves, not the
wide sleeves we see today. His turban consisted of a length of cloth tied round
his head, which he would drape over his shoulder when it was not being worn.
This type of turban can be used for other purposes during times of peace, or
for tying up prisoners in times of war. At times he made a tuft for it. It is
necessary to wear turbans in the Arabic peninsula due to climatic reasons and
to protect oneself form the intense heat. This has given rise to the saying,
"Turbans are the Arabs' crowns."
Regarding colour, the Prophet did not
stick to any particular one, but wore a black turban on the day of his
victorious re-entry into Mecca
Adornments not Forbidden but Himself Avoided:
While the Prophet (peace be upon him)
did not forbid people to enjoy the beautiful and good things of life that God
has bestowed on mankind, he did not indulge in them himself. He had risen above
the desire to have lust or wealth. It is a well-known fact that the tribe of
Quraysh offered him wealth, power and the position of leader, and tried to
tempt him with many other offers in order to persuade him to give up his
mission. But he firmly refused all these offers, and felt pity and concern for
the people who had made them.
Above Temptations of Sexual Desires:
The Prophet was also above the
temptations of sexual desire. However, the, subject of women is one which is
exaggerated by orientalists who have researched his life and sought to tarnish
his image and mislead the public. They use the fact that he married nine
wives as a case for him being "a man of lust". But they have
judged him in the same way as they judge other great men eminent writers or
brave warriors. For example: Napoleon was a notorious womanizer and made the
whole nation of Poland act as pimps in order for him to gain the hand of Mary
Valvdka, with whom he was madly in love. He forced her father to offer her to
him as a price to be paid for the independence of Poland
These people (orientalists) did not
study Muhammad's (peace be upon him) life in great depth, nor did they take
certain psychological factors into consideration. Furthermore, their judgments
were partial and showed no respect for moral behaviour. The sexual urge
manifests itself in people from the age of puberty until the age of twenty
five. A person is considered to be most vulnerable at this age, and sex can
become an obsession which leads to all sorts of pitfalls and deviation. This is
why free mixing of girls and boys at this age, even for academic purposes, is
discouraged.
Non-Indulgence in Immorality Even in Early Life:
Now let us consider the Prophet's life
at this stage of his life. Did he get misled and enjoy the pleasures his
contemporaries indulged in? After all, he was a free man living in a free
country and in a society which, at that time, was not governed by any religion
or law. He was therefore absolutely free to do as he wished. As we said before,
our Prophet's life history is an open book, which anyone can read. Can anyone
prove, therefore, that he was, in the full flush of youth, a man who indulged
in sensual and immoral pleasures? It is narrated that he was almost led into
temptation by his contemporaries, but luckily God saved him. He made him fall
asleep, and when he woke up he had forgotten what he had wanted to do. Had he
indulged in any such acts of pleasure, his enemies, the polytheists, would not
have hesitated to publicise the fact and blackmail him.
Marriages:
When our Prophet (peace be upon him) got
married at the age of twenty-five, did he marry a beautiful virgin? Not at all.
He married a widow who was his mother's age. Most of his other wives were also
widows, and he only married them for tactical reasons. God had granted him
permission to marry more than four wives - and this right was not granted to
other Muslims. However, God did not give him the right to divorce them, a right
which is given to Muslims. Of course, the sexual drive is not a human flaw. How
could a characteristic of man become a fault of mankind? But it can be harmful
when a man becomes sexually obsessive, making it his sole occupation, and
seeking to satisfy himself in ways which are not permitted.
Marriage with Zaynab:
The story of Zaynab is a favorite among
the critics of Islam. They try to find fault with it, through distortion and
misinterpretation, and their views do not, therefore, deserve any attention.
Zaynab was a good-looking girl and closely related to the Prophet (peace be
upon him). If he had so wished, he could have married her - an act which would
have been the greatest honour her family could have wished for. But the Divine
Will had ordained that her marriage would be the cause of two important social
reforms which were to come about in Islam. Firstly, she was the subject of a
test case, and secondly the Prophet was made to set an example to others. In
the first instance God Almighty sought to put an end to aristocratic pride and
class consciousness. So Zaynab, a girl belonging to the noblest Arab stock, was
married to Zayd, a man from a humble background, a fugitive and an adopted son
of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Society at that time considered him totally
unworthy of her. But she married him all the same, against the wish of her
family. Subsequently it was difficult for her to adjust to her new life, and
she and her husband were constantly bickering. Both partners were ill at ease
with each other and wanted to separate. But our Prophet (peace be upon him)
continued to advise Zayd: "Retain your wife and fear God." But the
couple had reached the end of their tether and divorce became inevitable.
What happened next involved the Prophet
(peace be upon him). He was put to the most difficult test. He had to marry
Zaynab in order to put an end to the practice of adoption and show the world
that it is lawful for a person to marry the wife of his adopted son. This was
extremely hard for the Prophet (peace be upon him) who did not want to bear the
stigma of society as one who had married his son's wife. However, he carried
out this duty with patience and in obedience to the Divine Will. However, the
above incident should be seen in perspective, and not in the way in which it is
presented by critics of Islam. The conclusions they draw are nonsense and do
not deserve any attention.
Moral Strength, Patience & Forgiveness:
Physical strength builds up our physical
resistance, whereas moral strength - the courage of conviction of the heart -
brings us victory over our enemies. Yet the most powerful strength of all, more
powerful than the might of our enemies or of any material force, is the
strength of the willpower to overcome the self and its cravings impulses,
desires and inclinations. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) has, on different
occasions, exhorted us to cultivate such strength: "Strong is not the one
who is good at wrestling. Indeed strong is the one who controls himself at the
time of anger." And we all know that controlling our anger is the most
difficult of all tasks!
The amount of energy needed to keep our
temper is far greater than that required to knock down our opponent in the
boxing ring. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the ratio is 1:100.
You can try this theory out in everyday life by asking someone who is at the
peak of his fury to abide by the principles of good behaviour. You may not even
find one in a thousand men who would respond to your suggestion. Say you are a
religious person engaged in the task of spreading our religion and someone
murders a very dear relative of yours and then comes to you to confess his
crime and respond to your call to religion. How would you react? Our Prophet
(peace be upon him) pardoned the man who had brutally murdered his uncle when
that man accepted Islam. But even then our Prophet found it hard to suppress
his human instinct in such a way so as not to violate the principles of Islam.
He therefore said to the man, "Don't let me see you!" So this person
never appeared before the Prophet.
The story of Hind is also worth
mentioning in this context. Hind was the wife of Abu Sufyan, the arch enemy of
the Prophet and his mission. She committed a horrible crime which no human
being or wild beast would commit. She cut open the Prophet's uncle's chest,
took out his liver and chewed it But the Prophet forgave her, in spite of all
her sinful acts, and accepted her into the fold of Islam. The inhabitants of
the city of Taif
Then we have the most magnanimous act of
all-and a most important event in the history of Islam. That was the general
pardon the Prophet (peace be upon him) granted the people of Mecca
Then came the hour of retaliation - although
this word does not truly reflect this situation. It was time to impose lawful
punishment in answer to that long chain of aggressive and humiliating actions.
It was at this point that the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked the people of Mecca
Miraculous Aspect of His Personality:
It is a pity that I have only been able
to give such a brief account of this incident. I would have preferred to devote
a whole chapter to it in order to present the facts and the Prophet's
magnanimity in its true perspective. Indeed his attitude would have needed the
energy of ten thousand wrestlers! I wonder why the later day biographers of
our Prophet (peace be upon him) were so concerned with the miracles he
performed. In fact, they sometimes gave exaggerated versions and filled in details
on their own. This was sheer fabrication - why did they need to do this?
Wasn't every stand our Prophet (peace be upon him) took and every aspect of his
personality a miracle in itself? Which brings us to the definition of the
word miracle. Does it mean achieving something that others have been unable to
achieve? The Prophet's honesty and trustworthiness were miracles in
themselves.
One Example out of many Miraculous Aspects:
Alas, it is impossible to give many
examples because of the limitations of space, but I would like to mention just
one incident from his life. I have read about it hundreds of times and have
always regarded it as rather an ordinary story, until suddenly one day, I
realized it was a miracle. When the Prophet migrated to Medina Mecca
Can you imagine two different parties,
who have -been engaged in fierce battles, both verbal and on the battlefield
for the sake of faith and the Divine Message, entrusting the opposing party
with their assets and valuables? Have you ever heard such a story? How could
they trust their opponent unless his personal character, integrity and honesty
were, beyond any doubt, a miracle? To doubt him in any way was impossible. This
was what the personality of Muhammad was like.
Strength of Character & Fairness:
Another incidence which shows yet one
more aspect of his character. On the day of the battle of Badr, our Prophet was
inspecting the infantry. He was carrying a shaft of wood in his hand, and
thrust it gently into the abdomen of a soldier named Sawad ibn Ghizya, who was
standing apart from the troop formation. The Prophet (peace be upon him),
wanted to alert him and make him take his place, but as the prod of the shaft
of wood had hurt him, he said to the Prophet, "Oh Prophet of God, you have
hurt me. Indeed, God has sent you in order to spread the message of truth and justice!"
How do you think the Prophet (peace be upon him) reacted to such an affront
from an ordinary soldier? Did he take any disciplinary action; - did he ignore
him or forgive him? Or did he apologize to the soldier in the usual way by
saying, "I'm sorry." He did none of these things. The Prophet did
what no one else would do, and something that may not even occur to anyone to
do. He uncovered his own abdomen and said, "Thrust the shaft and inflict
pain on me as I inflicted it on you!" This was what he was like. He caused
retaliation to himself, in spite of his exalted position among all mankind.
Achievements Unparalleled in the History:
Muhammad's (peace be upon him) life
history consists of a series of actions and achievements unparalleled in the
history of mankind. No other eminent person has left such a record of greatness
and glory in every aspect of his life, behind him. This greatness included
personal courage and valour, magnanimity, patience at times of defeat and self
restraint at times of anger.
Fearless
Warrior:
He was a firm and fearless warrior in the battlefield,
to such an extent that his companions always rushed to him at critical moments
to seek comfort and solace. Even the bravest of men were no challenge for him.
Man
of Extreme Compassion:
He was also a man of extreme
compassion. He gave a helping hand to the poor and the needy, and stood by the
widows and the aged. The Prophet (peace be upon him) always upheld truth,
faithfully conveying every verse of the Divine Revelation, including the verses
that mentioned his mistakes and reprimanded him.
Honourable and Trustworthy:
He honoured the treaties he made and
kept his word, despite the difficulties and hardships he had to face on that
count. He honoured his commitments, whether they concerned personal dealings or
matters of the state. Exemplary Personal Conduct and Behaviour:
Our Prophet (peace be upon him) was
meticulous in his personal conduct and behaviour. It was he who laid down rules
for table manners and personal hygiene. He educated his companions with regard
to these matters, setting himself up as an example for them to follow. His
standard of living was in no way different from theirs. He was never aloof from
them, always consulting them and listening 10 their views. He was self effacing
and whenever he met his companions he took his seat wherever there was an empty
place, even if it meant sitting in a comer, away from everyone else. In fact,
visitors had sometimes to strain their eyes in order to spot him. It is said
that at one such gathering, a visitor found that everyone who was seated looked
identical, and therefore asked, "Who among you is Muhammad?" Our
Prophet never distinguished himself from others. He was one of them: he dressed
like them and resembled them in every way.
Courteous Behavior and Love:
His attitude to women was very
courteous, and his conduct with the members of his family and at home was
remarkable for the unrestrained love and affection he showed. He was close to
everyone, because he never let people feel that he was superior to them, like a
king. He never allowed his companions to stand up in reverence to him when
he called on them. He used to attend personally to the requirements of his
household and even mended his shoes himself. Our Prophet preferred to lead a
frugal life, though he could, if he had wanted, have lived in grand style in a
fabulous palace with all the ensuing display of ostentatious living. But he
shunned all forms of show because his thoughts were always engaged in the
afterlife.
The house where he lived with his wives
was only twenty five meters long. Aisha's house consisted of one room made of
clay and mud, and it was so narrow that there was not enough room for her to
stretch out while the Prophet prayed, so that whenever he prostrated he had to
push her feet to one side. As for his eating habits, Aysha tells us that he had
a very light appetite and that, "a month or two may pass without a fire
being lit in the kitchen in order to make bread." When she was asked,
"Then what did you all eat?'’ she replied, "Dates and water."
This was the staple diet of the Prophet and his family.
Eloquence and Clarity of Speech:
Regarding his eloquence and clarity of
speech, he was always known for expressing himself clearly and simply. All the
qualities we have discussed prove that our Prophet (peace be upon him) was an
extraordinary man and that God Almighty chose him for the tremendous task, only
after preparing him fully for that responsibility.
CONCLUSION:
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),
the last prophet was granted two living miracles; The Holy Qur’an and the
unique qualities of a perfect human being. It has been proved that no other
human being is similar to him in his greatness in qualities. Indeed God knows
best upon whom to bestow His Message.
[Extract from book: “Islam: A General
Introduction”; “Ta’rif-e-Aam bi-Din il-Islam” By: Shaikh Ali Al-Tantawi]
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