Prophet Muhammad - peace be upon him

If we compare the life of Muhammad before his mission as a
prophet
and his life after he began his mission as a prophet, we will conclude
that it is beyond reason to think that Muhammad was a false prophet, who
claimed prophethood to attain material gains, greatness, glory, or
power.
Before his mission as a prophet, Muhammad had no financial
worries. As a successful and reputed merchant, Muhammad drew a
satisfactory and comfortable income. After his mission as a prophet and
because of it, he became worse off materially. To clarify this more, let
us browse the following sayings on his life:
Aa’isha, Muhammad’s
wife, said, “O my nephew, we would sight three new moons in two months
without lighting a fire (to XXXX a meal) in the Prophet’s houses.” Her
nephew asked, “O Aunt, what sustained you?” She said, “The two black
things, dates and water, but the Prophet had some Ansar neighbors who
had milk-giving she-camels and they used to send the Prophet some of its
milk.”


Sahl Ibn Sa’ad, one of Muhammad’s companions, said,
“The Prophet of God did not see bread made from fine flour from the
time God sent him (as a prophet) until he died.”


Aa’isha, Muhammad’s wife, said, “The mattress of the
Prophet , on which he slept, was made of leather stuffed with the fiber
of the date-palm tree.”


Amr Ibn Al-Hareth, one of Muhammad’s companions, said
that when the Prophet died, he left neither money nor anything else
except his white riding mule, his arms, and a piece of land which he
left to charity.
Muhammad lived this hard life till he died although
the Muslim treasury was at his disposal, the greater part of the
Arabian Peninsula was Muslim before he died, and the Muslims were
victorious after eighteen years of his mission.
Is it possible that
Muhammad might have claimed prophet hood in order to attain status,
greatness, and power? The desire to enjoy status and power is usually
associated with good food, fancy clothing, monumental palaces, colorful
guards, and indisputable authority. Do any of these indicators apply to
Muhammad ? A few glimpses of his life that may help answer this question
follow.
Despite his responsibilities as a prophet, a teacher, a
statesman, and a judge, Muhammad used to milk his goat, mend his
clothes, repair his shoes, help with the household work, and visit poor
people when they got sick. He also helped his companions in digging a
trench by moving sand with them. His life was an amazing model of
simplicity and humbleness.


Muhammad’s followers loved him, respected him, and
trusted him to an amazing extent. Yet he continued to emphasize that
deification should be directed to God and not to him personally. Anas,
one of Muhammad’s companions, said that there was no person whom they
loved more than the Prophet Muhammad , yet when he came to them, they
did not stand up for him because he hated their standing up for him, as
other people do with their great people.


Long before there was any prospect of success for
Islam and at the outset of a long and painful era of torture, suffering,
and persecution of Muhammad and his followers, he received an
interesting offer. An envoy of the pagan leaders, Otba, came to him
saying, “...If you want money, we will collect enough money for you so
that you will be the richest one of us. If you want leadership, we will
take you as our leader and never decide on any matter without your
approval. If you want a kingdom, we will crown you king over us...” Only
one concession was required from Muhammad in return for that, to give
up calling people to Islam and worshipping God alone without any
partner. Wouldn’t this offer be tempting to one pursuing worldly
benefit? Was Muhammad hesitant when the offer was made? Did he turn it
down as a bargaining strategy leaving the door open for a better offer?
The following was his answer: {In the XXXX of God, the Most Gracious,
the Most Merciful} And he recited to Otba the verses of the Quran
41:1-38. The Following are some of these verses:
A revelation from
(God), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful; a Book whereof the verses
are explained in detail; a Quran in Arabic, for people who know, giving
good news and warning, yet most of them turn away, so they do not
listen. (Quran, 41:2-4)


On another occasion and in response to his uncle’s
plea to stop calling people to Islam, Muhammad’s answer was as decisive
and sincere: {I swear by the XXXX of God, O Uncle!, that if they place
the sun in my right-hand and the moon in my left-hand in return for
giving up this matter (calling people to Islam), I will never desist
until either God makes it triumph or I perish defending it}


Muhammad and his few followers did not only suffer from
persecution
for thirteen years but the unbelievers even tried to kill Muhammad
several times. On one occasion they attempted to kill him by dropping a
large boulder, which could barely be lifted, on his head. Another time
they tried to kill him by poisoning his food. What could justify such a
life of suffering and sacrifice even after he was fully triumphant over
his adversaries? What could explain the humbleness and nobility which he
demonstrated in his most glorious moments when he insisted that success
is due only to God’s help and not to his own genius? Are these the
characteristics of a power-hungry or a self-centered man?

( 5 )


Compassion and Mercy of the Prophet Muhammad

بعثة النبي للبشر رحمة للعالمين



As for compassion, tenderness and mercy to all creation, Allah said about him: "Grievous to him is what you suffer, anxious for you, compassionate is he, merciful to the believers." (10:128) Allah says: "We only sent you as a mercy to all the worlds." (21:107)


Part of his excellence is that Allah gave him two of His XXXXs, saying: "merciful, compassionate to the believers."


Ibn Shihab said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went on a raid [and he mentioned Hunayn]. The Messenger of Allah gave Safwan ibn Umayya a hundred camels, then a hundred, then a hundred." Ibn Shihab said, "Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab related that Safwan said, 'By Allah, he gave me what he gave me. He was the most hated of people to me and he continued to give to me until he was the most beloved of people to me.'

It is related that a bedouin came asking for something from him. He gave the man something and said, "Have I been good to you?" The bedouin said, "No, you have not and you have not done well." The Muslims became angry and went for him. The Prophet indicated that they should hold off. Then the Prophet got up and went into his house. Then the Prophet sent for him and added something to his gift and said, "Have I been good to you?" The bedouin replied, "Yes, may Allah repay you well in family and tribe." The Prophet said, "You said what you said and that angered my Companions. If you like, say what you said in my presence in their presence so as to remove what they harbour in their breasts against you." He said, "Yes." He came back later and the Prophet said, "This bedouin said what he said and then we gave him more. He claims that he is XXXXXXX. Isn't that so?" He said, "Yes, may Allah repay you well in your family and tribe." The Prophet said, "The example of this man and me is like a man who has a she-camel who bolts from him. People chase it and they only make it shy away more. The owner calls to them to stay clear of him and his she-camel, saying, 'I am more compassionate and better to it than you.' He goes in front of it and takes some clods of dirt and drives it back until it comes and kneels. He saddles and mounts it. If I had given you your heads when the man said what he said, you would have killed him and he would have entered the Fire."(Al-Bazzar from Abu Hurayra)


It is related that the Prophet said, "None of you should come to me with anything about any of my Companions for I do not want to go out to you except with a clear heart.” (Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi from Ibn Mas'ud)


Part of his compassion towards his community was that he made things easy for them. He disliked doing certain things out of the fear that they would become obligatory for them. He said, "If I had not been compassionate to my community, I would have commanded them to use the siwak every time they did wudu'.” (Muslim and al-Bukhari.)


There is also the tradition about the night prayer and the one forbidding them to fast continuously and the one about his dislike of entering the Ka'ba lest it became incumbent on his community and his desire that his Lord should make his curse against them a mercy to them. When he heard a child weeping, he would shorten the prayer.


An instance of his compassion was that he called on his Lord and made a compact with Him saying, "If ever I curse a man or make an invocation against him, make it zakat for him and mercy, prayer, purification and an act of drawing-near by which he will draw near to you on the Day of Rising.” (Muslim and al-Bukhari and Abu Hurayra)


When his people rejected him, Jibril came to him and said, "Allah has heard what your people say to you and how they reject you. He has ordered the angels of the mountains to obey whatever you tell them to do." The angel of the mountains called him, greeted him and said, "Send me to do what you wish. If you wish, I will crush them between the two mountains of Makka." The Prophet said, "Rather, I hope that Allah will bring forth from their loins those who will worship Allah alone and not associate anything with Him.” (Muslim and al-Bukhari and the Six Books)


Ibn al-Munkadir related that Jibril told the Prophet, "Allah has ordered heaven, earth and mountains to obey you." He said, "Reprieve my community. Perhaps Allah will turn to them." (Mursal hadith)


'A'isha said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was never given a choice between two things but that he chose the easier of the two."


Ibn Mas'ud said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was careful when he admonished us, fearing he would tire us." (Muslim and al-Bukhari)


'A'isha was riding an unruly camel which was recalcitrant and started to hit it repeatedly, The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said,
"You must have compassion." (Al-Bayhaqi)

( 6 )


The Message

نبذة عن مكة المكرمة قبل البعثة
وحياة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قبل تلقي الرسالة,
نزول الوحي عليه الصلاة والسلام في غار حراء






In or about the year 570 the child who would be XXXXd Muhammad and who would become the Prophet of one of the world's great religions, Islam, was born into a family belonging to a clan of Quraysh, the ruling tribe of Mecca, a city in the Hijaz region of northwestern Arabia.

Originally the site of the Ka'bah, a shrine of ancient origins, Mecca had with the decline of southern Arabia (see Chapter l ) become an important center of sixth-century trade with such powers as the Sassanians, Byzantines, and Ethiopians. As a result the city was dominated by powerful merchant families among whom the men of Quraysh were preeminent.

Muhammad's father, 'Abd Allah ibn'Abd al-Muttalib, died before the boy was born; his mother, Aminah, died when he was six. The orphan was consigned to the care of his grandfather, the head of the clan of Hashim. After the death of his grandfather, Muhammad was raised by his uncle, Abu Talib. As was customary, Muhammad as a child was sent to live for a year or two with a Bedouin family. This custom, followed until recently by noble families of Mecca, Medina, Tayif, and other towns of the Hijaz, had important implications for Muhammad. In addition to enduring the hardships of desert life, he acquired a taste for the rich XXXXXXXX so loved by the Arabs, whose speech was their proudest art, and learned the patience and forbearance of the herdsmen, whose life of solitude he first shared and then came to understand and appreciate.

About the year 590, Muhammad, then in his twenties, entered the service of a widow XXXXd Khadijah as a merchant actively engaged with trading caravans to the north. Sometime later Muhammad married Khadijah, by whom he had two sons - who did not survive - and four daughters.

During this period of his life Muhammad traveled widely. Then, in his forties he began to retire to meditate in a cave on Mount Hira outside of Mecca, where the first of the great events of Islam took place. One day, as he sat in the cave, he heard a voice, later identified as that of the Angel Gabriel, which ordered him to:

Recite: In the XXXX of thy Lord who created, Created man from a clot of blood.

Three times Muhammad pleaded his inability to do so, but each time the command was repeated. Finally, Muhammad recited the words of what are now the first five verses of the 96th surah or chapter of the Quran - words which proclaim God the Creator of man and the Source of all knowledge.

At first Muhammad divulged his experience only to his wife and his immediate circle. But as more revelations enjoined him to proclaim the oneness of God universally, his following grew, at first among the poor and the slaves, but later also among the most prominent men of Mecca. The revelations he received at this time and those he did so later are all incorporated in the Quran, the XXXXXXure of Islam.

Not everyone accepted God's message transmitted through Muhammad. Even in his own clan there were those who rejected his teachings, and many merchants actively opposed the message. The opposition, however, merely served to sharpen Muhammad's sense of mission and his understanding of exactly how Islam differed from paganism. The belief in the unity of God was paramount in Islam; from this all else followed. The verses of the Quran stress God's uniqueness, warn those who deny it of impending punishment, and proclaim His unbounded compassion to those who submit to His will. They affirm the Last Judgment, when God, the Judge, will weigh in the balance the faith and works of each man, rewarding the faithful and punishing the transgressor. Because the Quran rejected polytheism and emphasized man's moral responsibility, in powerful images, it presented a grave challenge to the worldly Meccans.

( 7 )


Mohammad's manners and disposition

من أخلاق النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم




"By the grace of Allah, you are gentle towards the people; if you had been stern and ill-tempered, they would have dispersed from round about you" (translation of Qur'an 3:159)

About himself the prophet (pbuh) said
"Allah has sent me as an apostle so that I may demonstrate perfection of character, refinement of manners and loftiness of deportment."

By nature he was gentle and kind hearted, always inclined to be gracious and to overlook the faults of others. Politeness and courtesy, compassion and tenderness, simplicity and humility, sympathy and sincerity were some of the keynotes of his character. In the cause of right and justice he could be resolute and severe but more often than not, his severity was tempered with generosity. He had charming manners which won him the affection of his followers and secured their devotion. Though virtual king of Arabia and an apostle of Allah, he never assumed an air of superiority. Not that he had to conceal any such vein by practice and artifice: with fear of Allah, sincere humility was ingrained in his heart. He used to say,
"I am a Prophet of Allah but I do not know what will be my end."

In one of his sermons calculated to instill the fear of Allah and the day of reckoning in the hearts of men, he said,
"O people of Quraish be prepared for the hereafter, I cannot save you from the punishment of Allah; O Bani Abd Manaf, I cannot save you from Allah; O Abbas, son of Abdul Mutalib, I cannot protect you either; O Fatima, daughter of Muhammad, even you I cannot save."

He used to pray,
"O Allah! I am but a man. If I hurt any one in any manner, then forgive me and do not punish me."

He always received people with courtesy and showed respect to older people and stated:
"To honor an old man is to show respect to Allah."
He would not deny courtesy even to wicked persons. It is stated that a person came to his house and asked permission for admission. The prophet (pbuh) remarked that he was not a good person but might be admitted. When he came in and while he remained in the house, he was shown full courtesy. When he left Aiysha said,
"You did not think well of this man, but you treated him so well."
The prophet (pbuh) replied,
"He is a bad person in the sight of Allah who does not behave courteously and people shun his company bacause of his bad manners."

He was always the first to greet another and would not withdraw his hand from a handshake till the other man withdrew his. If one wanted to say something in his ears, he would not turn away till one had finished .

He did not like people to get up for him and used to say,
"Let him who likes people to stand up in his honour, he should seek a place in hell." .
He would himself, however, stand up when any dignitary came to him. He had stood up to receive the wet nurse who had reared him in infancy and had spread his own sheet for her. His foster brother was given similar treatment. He avoided sitting at a prominent place in a gathering, so much so that people coming in had difficulty in spotting him and had to ask which was the Prophet (pbuh). Quite frequently uncouth bedouins accosted him in their own gruff and impolite manner but he never took offence.
.
He used to visit the poorest of ailing persons and exhorted all muslims to do likewise ". He would sit with the humblest of persons saying that righteousness alone was the criterion of one's superiority over another. He invariably invited people be they slaves, servants or the poorest believers, to partake with him of his scanty meals .

Whenever he visited a person he would first greet him and then take his permission to enter the house. He advised the people to follow this etiquette and not to get annoyed if anyone declined to give permission, for it was quite likely the person concerned was busy otherwise and did not mean any disrespect (Ibid).

There was no type of household work too low or too undignified for him. Aiysha has stated,

"He always joined in household work and would at times mend his clothes, repair his shoes and sweep the floor. He would milk, tether, and feed his animals and do the household shopping."

He would not hesitate to do the menial work of others, particularly of orphans and widows (Nasi, Darmi). Once when there was no male member in the house of the companion Kabab Bin Arat who had gone to the battlefield, he used to go to his house daily and milk his cattle for the inhabitants .

( 8 )


Love for the poor

خلق النبي الكريم مع الفقراء





The Prophet (pbuh) enjoined upon Muslims to treat the poor kindly and to help them with alms, zakat, and in other ways. He said:
"He is not a perfect muslim who eats his fill and lets his neighbor go hungr."
He asked,
"Do you love your Creator? Then love your fellow beings first."
Monopoly is unlawful in Islam and he preached that
"It is diffucult for a man laden with riches to climb the steep path that leads to bliss."

He did not prohibit or discourage the aquisition of wealth but insisted that it be lawfully aquired by honest means and that a portion of it would go to the poor. He advised his followers
"To give the laborer his wages before his perspiration dried up."

He did not encourage beggary either and stated that
"Allah is gracious to him who earns his living by his own labor, and that if a man begs to increase his property, Allah will diminish it and whoever has food for the day, it is prohibited for him to beg."
To his wife he said,
"O Aysha, love the poor and let them come to you and Allah will draw you near to Himself."

One or two instances of the Prophet's (pbuh) concern for the poor may be given here. A Madinan, Ibad Bin Sharjil, was once starving. He entered an orchard and picked some fruit. The owner of the orchard gave him a sound beating and stripped off his clothes. The poor man appealed to the Prophet (pbuh) who remonstrated the owner thus:
"This man was ignorant, you should have dispelled his ignorance; he was hungry, you should have fed him."

His clothes were restored to the Madinan and, in addition, some grain was given to him .
A debtor, Jabir Bin Abdullah, was being harassed by his creditor as he could not clear his debt owing to the failure of his date crop. The Prophet (pbuh) went with Jabir to the house of the creditor and pleaded with him to give Jabir some more time but the creditor was not prepared to oblige. The Prophet (pbuh) then went to the oasis and having seen for himself that the crop was really poor, he again approached the creditor with no better result. He then rested for some time and approached the creditor for a third time but the latter was adamant. The Prophet (pbuh) went again to the orchard and asked Jabir to pluck the dates. As Allah would have it, the collection not only sufficed to clear the dues but left something to spare .

His love for the poor was so deep that he used to pray:

"O Allah, keep me poor in my life and at my death and raise me at resurrection among those who are poor."

( 9 )


Kindness to animals

النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يحث على الرفق بالحيوان





The Prophet Mohammad(pbuh) not only preached to the people to show kindness to each other but also to all living souls. He forbade the practice of cutting tails and manes of horses, of branding animals at any soft spot, and of keeping horses saddled unnecessarily . If he saw any animal over-loaded or ill-fed he would pull up the owner and say,
"Fear Allah in your treatment of animals."
A companion came to him with the young ones of a bird in his sheet and said that the mother bird had hovered over them all along. He was directed to replace her offspring in the same bush
During a journey, someXXXX picked up some birds eggs. The bird's painful note and fluttering attracted the attention of the Prophet (pbuh), who asked the man to replace the eggs .

As his army marched towards Makkah to conquer it, they passed a female dog with puppies. The Prophet (pbuh) not only gave orders that they should not be disturbed, but posted a man to see that this was done.

He stated,

"Verily, there is heavenly reward for every act of kindness done to a living animal."

(10 )



Equality

النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يحث على المساواة




The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) asked people to shun notions of racial, family or any other form of superiority XXXXd on mundane things and said that righteousness alone was the criterion of one's superiority over another. It has already been shown how he mixed with everyone on equal terms, how he ate with slaves, servants and the poorest on the same sheet (a practice that is still followed in Arabia), how he refused all privileges and worked like any ordinary laborer. Two instances may, however, be quoted here:
Once the Prophet (pbuh) visited Saad Bin Abadah. While returning Saad sent his son Quais with him. The Prophet (pbuh) asked Quais to mount his camel with him. Quais hesitated out of respect but the Prophet (pbuh) insisted: "Either mount the camel or go back." Quais decided to go back.

On another occasion he was traveling on his camel over hilly terrain with a disciple, Uqba Bin Aamir. After going some distance, he asked Uqba to ride the camel, but Uqba thought this would be showing disrespect to the Prophet (pbuh). But the Prophet (pbuh) insisted and he had to comply. The Prophet (pbuh) himself walked on foot as he did not want to put too much load on the animal.

The prisioners of war of Badr included Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet (pbuh). Some people were prepared to forgo their shares and remit the Prophet's (pbuh) ransom but he declined saying that he could make no distinctions."

During a halt on a journey, the companions apportioned work among themselves for preparing food. The Prophet (pbuh) took upon himself the task of collecting firewood. His companions pleaded that they would do it and that he need not take the trouble, but he replied,

"It is true, but I do not like to attribute any distinction to myself. Allah does not like the man who considers himself superior to his companions."

( 11 )


Justice

عدالة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم




The Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) asked people to be just and kind. As the supreme judge and arbiter, as the leader of men, as generalissimo of a rising power, as a reformer and apostle, he had always to deal with men and their affairs. He had often to deal with mutually inimical and warring tribes when showing justice to one carried the danger of antagonizing the other, and yet he never deviated from the path of justice. In administering justice, he made no distinction between believers and nonbelievers, friends and foes, high and low. From numerous instances reported in the traditions, a few are given below.
Sakhar, a chief of a tribe, had helped Muhammad (pbuh) greatly in the seige of Taif, for which he was naturally obliged to him. Soon after, two charges were brought against Sakhar: one by Mughira of illegal confinement of his (Mughira's) aunt and the other by Banu Salim of forcible occupation of his spring by Sakhar. In both cases, he decided against Sakhar and made him undo the wrong.

Abdullah Bin Sahal, a companion, was deputed to collect rent from Jews of Khaibar. His cousin Mahisa accompanied him but, on reaching Khaibar, they had separated. Abdullah was waylaid and done to death. Mahisa reported this tragedy to the Prophet (pbuh) but as there were no eye-witnesses to identify the guilty, he did not say anything to the Jews and paid the blood-money out of the state revenues .

A woman of the Makhzoom family with good connections was found guilty of theft. For the prestige of the Quraish, some prominent people including Asama Bin Zaid interceded to save her from punishment. The Prophet (pbuh) refused to condone the crime and expressed displeasure saying,

"Many a community ruined itself in the past as they only punished the poor and ignored the offences of the exalted. By Allah, if Muhammad's (My) daughter Fatima would have committed theft, her hand would have been severed."

The Jews, in spite of their hostility to the Prophet (pbuh), were so impressed by his impartiallity and sense of justice that they used to bring their cases to him, and he decided them according to Jewish law.

Once, while he was distributing the spoils of war, people flocked around him and one man almost fell upon him. He pushed the men with a stick causing a slight abrasion. He was so sorry about this that he told the man that he could have his revenge, but the man said, "O messenger of Allah, I forgive you." .

In his fatal illness, the Prophet (pbuh) proclaimed in a concourse assembled at his house that if he owed anything to anyone the person concerned could claim it; if he had ever hurt anyone's person, honor or property, he could have his price while he was yet in this world. A hush fell on the crowd. One man came forward to claim a few dirhams which were paid at once.

( 12 )


Examples of the Prophet Muhammad’s Sayings

من أقوال النبي الكريم ( أحاديث )





{The believers, in their love, mercy, and kindness to one another are like a XXXX: if any part of it is ill, the whole XXXX shares its sleeplessness and fever.}

{The most perfect of the believers in faith are the best of them in morals. And the best among them are those who are best to their wives.}

{None of you believes (completely) until he loves for his
brother what he loves for himself.}

{The merciful are shown mercy by the All-Merciful. Show mercy to those on earth, and God will show mercy to you.}

{Smiling at your brother is charity...}

{A good word is charity.}

{Whoever believes in God and the Last Day (the Day of Judgment) should do good to his neighbor.}

{God does not judge you according to your appearance and your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and looks into your deeds.}

{Pay the worker his wage before his sweat dries.}

{A man walking along a path felt very thirsty. Reaching a well, he descended into it, drank his fill, and came up. Then he saw a dog with its tongue hanging out, trying to lick up mud to quench its thirst. The man said, “This dog is feeling the same thirst that I felt.” So he went down into the well again, filled his shoe with water, and gave the dog a drink. So, God thanked him and forgave his sins.} The Prophet was asked, “Messenger of God, are we rewarded for kindness towards animals?” He said: {There is a reward for kindness to every living animal or human

( 13 )



The Message of Peace

الإسلام دين سلام يتمثل في شخصية النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم





The Prophet's most important task was to bring peace to the world. To this end, he urged people to accept the fact that, regardless of skin colour, XXXXXXXX, lifestyle or dwelling place, they were all blood brothers and sisters. Only if they saw each other in this light could there be mutual love and respect.

To his followers he would say, "You are all Adam's children, and Adam was made of clay," and, asking them to live in peace, would add, "A true believer is one with whom others feel secure - one who returns love for hatred." He taught believers that returning love only when love was given was XXXX human conduct. The true believer causes no harm to those who mistreated him, but chose rather to work for their good.

The Prophet (PBUH) himself led the way with his common sense, kindness, gentleness, humility, and good humour. He greatly loved all people and even animals.

The Prophet (PBUH) was a leader, yet, believing he was no greater or better than others, he never made people feel small, unwanted or embarrassed. He urged his followers to behave kindly and humbly, to release slaves whenever possible and to give alms, especially to very poor people, orphans and prisoners - with no thought of reward.

He was the soul of goodness, so that even if people harmed him, he would pray for them, remaining unruffled, no matter how badly he was treated. In setting this example, he encouraged people to turn to Allah, as a Being of surpassing greatness.

He wanted all men and women to be unworldly and to have such great peace of mind that nothing could disturb them. Then, with no grudges to bear, they would seek no revenge, but would merely turn all events, whether material or spiritual, into food for thought.

Throughout the first thirteen years of his prophethood, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) preached in Makkah, although the Makkans bitterly opposed this. When things became impossible, he left for Madinah.

Wars were waged against him, but he convinced his enemies that peace had greater power than war, as was shown by the peace treaty of Hudaybiyyah. In this the Prophet (PBUH) agreed to every demand of his enemies, on the assurance that, in return, peace would necessarily ensue.

His life went through various stages of well-being and extreme hardship, yet never once did he stray from the path of moderation.

At all times, and right till the end, he remained the patient and grateful servant of the Almighty, bringing His message of peace and tolerance to all mankind.

Mahatma Gandhi, speaking on the character of Muhammad, (pbuh) says in (Young India)



"I wanted to know the best of one who holds today's undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind....I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to this friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the 2nd volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of the great life."

Lamartine says





"If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and souls. . . his forbearance in victory, his ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire; his endless prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after death; all these attest not to an imposture but to a firm conviction which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was twofold, the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with words.

"Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?"

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Lamartine, HISTOIRE DE LA TURQUIE, Paris, 1854, Vol. II, pp. 276-277.

The Final Days of the Prophet





On the ninth day of the Prophet's Hajj (Dhul Hijja, 10 AH), the pilgrims proceeded to the Plain of Arafat to stand on the Mount of Mercy. There they stood in the sweltering heat, bare-headed, and thought about Allah and prayed for His mercy. This is called the wuquf. Here, during the sermon on that day the last passage of the Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS): "Today I have perfected your religion and I have completed My blessing upon you, and I have approved Islam for your religion." (Qur'an 5:3)

After praying, the Prophet (SAWS) spoke to his followers. He told the Muslims to let the Qur'an and his own example be their guides in life. He ordered them to stop living as they had done before Islam. Revenge, a very old ended. Property was to be respected. And, he said, "Know that every Muslim is a Muslim's brother." This was a new idea to the quarreling tribes. "Have I made myself very clear?" asked the Prophet (SAWS) after every point.

After the sermon, the Prophet (SAWS) looked up and cried: "My Lord! Have I delivered aright the Message I was charged with and fulfilled my calling?" Then he told the gathering: "You will be asked about me, so what will you say?"

They answered with one voice: "We bear witness that you have conveyed Allah's message and have performed your duty and that you have meant goodness for us." Pointing his index finger toward heaven and then to the people, he said: "Oh, Allah, be witness; O Allah, be witness; O Allah, be witness."

The Prophet (SAWS) ended his speech by saying, "Let those present convey the message to the absent." By sunset, they headed back toward Mina, gathering pebbles along the way. On the next day, they performed the ritual of casting their pebbles at Satan, symbolized by three pillars set up in memory of how Ibrahim (SAWS) and his family resisted the temptation of Satan. In doing this, the pilgrims pledged themselves once more to Allah and promised to do their best to drive any devils out of themselves.

Finally, an animal was sacrificed, and the pilgrims returned to perform the farewell tawaf of the Kabah. The meat from the sacrifice was sent to the poor and needy.

Three months after returning from the Farewell Pilgrimage to Madinah, the Prophet (SAWS) fell ill. The Messenger of Allah died on 12th Rabei al-Awwal 11 AH (8th June 632 A.D). He was 63 years old.

As the news of his death spread, people refused to believe it. 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, with his sword unsheathed, swore that he would slay anyXXXX who said that the Prophet (SAWS) had passed away. Seeing the chaos, Abu Bakr mounted the pulpit and announced: "O people! For those who worshipped Muhammad, Muhammad is dead. But whosever worshipped Allah, let him know that Allah is alive, and will never die."

These brief words sum up an important belief Muslims have about the Prophet Muhammad (SAWS). Muslims do not worship any human being. They worship Allah and Allah only.