The Prophet Muhammad a Mercy To the World

Chapter Four

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?

Lamartine "Historie de la Turquie", Paris 1854, vol. II, p 276

The Messenger of Allah remained constantly on the road, touring the districts of Medina, visiting domiciled tribes, meeting with people, providing them with guidance, leading them in prayers at their mosques and at his own mosque, visiting their sick, walking behind their coffins [during their funeral processions] and delegating to whoever he wanted from among his companions the responsibilities of the state and the nation.

He appointed for the women a virtuous lady named Omm Waraqah to lead their prayers. Women who wanted to offer prayers used to go to the house of Omm Waraqah to pray with her. He also built in Medina about fifty other mosques. He paid a great deal of attention to construction in Medina after it became completely Muslim, urging people to build and to construct. He invited the Bedouins surrounding Medina to migrate and settle there and to abandon their migratory habits. Many Bedouins went and resided in Medina, becoming members of the Islamic nation. Theirs became the migrants' centres and they made alliances with whoever they wanted from among the tribes of the AnN"r. Many of them entered

into an alliance with the Messenger of Allah and with Bani H"shim.

Medina expanded and its population increased. People started cultivating the vast lands in the valley without anyone to deter them or to stop them, and there was no tax on construction or agriculture. Historians have mentioned that the number of the Muslims from among the residents of Medina increased by a third before the battle of the Khandaq (moat) and doubled thereafter.

The Messenger of Allah wrote a document for the Muh"jirYn and the AnN"r making the residents of each quarter responsible for their quarter in particular and for the security of the city in general. Thus, it was a popular government whose reins were in the hands of the people themselves, and the settlement of anyone who migrated to Medina was done upon that basis. The Messenger of Allah used to distribute to the Muslims whatever he obtained of the charity, zak"t, khums, donations and occasionally booty.

The Prophet also made large quarters in his Mosque where homeless people could stay. According to some historical records, the number of those residents reached four hundred. They formed part of the army of the Prophet during war time, stood in rows behind him whenever he led the congregational prayers, sat under his pulpit whenever he delivered sermons and conveyed his orders to other Muslims as needed. The Messenger of Allah used to gradually help them get married and get them to acquire housing and means of earning a living and the like. People sensed the bliss of Islam, so they remained on its path.

Medina enjoyed a measure of prosperity which no other areas of the Arabian Peninsula had ever known before, nor did the

world ever before come to know a government such as that. Chosroe and Caesar's governments and the like were distant from people, arrogant towards them, not mixing with them. They used to levy huge taxes, rule the people as despots, plundering their wealth, causing poverty, diseases, ignorance and chaos prevailed in their lands.

However, the government ruling Medina and its suburbs was an ideal one. Although historians have documented the events taking place during the Prophet's time, we never heard about crimes or disputes except rarely. The role model of the Prophet was present in people's minds, and they used to emulate it; so, there was no need for a police force or an executive power, usury, monopoly, or taxes other than zak"t152 or jizya153 or khir"j154. Everything went very well; therefore, we do not find in the history of Medina that there were complaints about chaos or the absence of law and order.

His Government

The Islamic legislative system benefits everyone and equates everyone, giving the nation true power, peace of mind, stability, firmness and progress. People's belief in lofty Islamic ideals, represented in the person of the Prophet, prevailed on everything. It is obvious that in such an environment, personal problems and disputes are minimized, and people are overwhelmed by the spirit of togetherness, adopting the trend of giving, generosity, avoiding falling into

152 Zak"t is the generic term for the tax Muslims pay under the Islamic government, and it consists of two categories, the Zak"t that is levied on certain categories of goods, and Khums that is levied on annual income surplus. 153 Jizya is the tax the non-Muslims pay under the Islamic government. 154 Khir"j is the income the gets government from land letting.

prohibitions and sins such as theft, rape, adultery, murder, sodomy, backbiting and other such crimes. People demonstrated beautiful manners which had hitherto never been known, whether throughout the Arabian Peninsula or anywhere else then. People used to favour others over their own selves in giving in the cause of Allah Almighty. One favours his friend over himself as far as wealth is concerned. The incident involving the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali and his family, wherein the verse saying eAnd they feed the poor, the orphan and the captive, for the love of God, (saying,) "We feed you for the sake of God alone: We desire no reward from you, nor thanks. We only fear a Day of distressing Wrath from our Lord f 155 is a glorious example.

One would inquire about the well-being of his neighbour and his family before inquiring about those of his own, and wealthy people used to provide aid and food for those who needed it without being asked. The Prophet did not need to force or coerce anyone nor did he confiscate anyone's wealth, nor did he kill anyone arbitrarily. News of the new community continued to reverberate throughout the Arabian Peninsula, the community about which the Holy Qur'an said, eYou are the best nation sent to peoplef 156, and throughout surrounding countries which claimed to have deeply rooted civilizations.

Everyone felt that a new era had dawned, so all hearts were attracted to Islam and people rallied behind it willingly and obediently. Thus, tribes, countries and groups hostile to Islam yielded before the Messenger of Allah on account of the

155 The Holy Qur'an, The Human (76): 8-10 156 The Holy Qur'an, The Family of Emran (3): 110

popularity of his government and the freedom of the people, blended with conviction, virtue, piety, cooperation and love for everything good. As part of his socio-economic policy on welfare and inheritance the Prophet used to say, "He who dies and leaves poor family behind, then they should come to me for I am responsible for them [and their welfare]." Then he went further with monitory policy and said, "One who dies and leaves a bequest, it belongs to his family. And whoever dies leaving a debt behind, I am responsible for it."157

His Manners and Ethics

The Prophet was extremely humble, a man who mended his own sandals, patched his clothes, milked his she-camel, served his family lovingly. He loved the poor and the indigent, sat with them, visited their sick, and never insulted anyone who fell into poverty on account of his poverty nor venerated anyone wealthy on account of his wealth. He always accepted another's excuse, never dealt with anyone in a way which the latter did not like, walked with widows and with slaves, never feared kings nor rulers, and never despised the weak. He always walked behind his companions saying, "Let me turn my back only to the angels" and sometimes walked in their midst.

He always responded to whoever invited him, accepted any present, even if it were a trotter meal, and he rewarded the giver. He would only become angry with regards to the breaches of the commands of his Lord but never for himself. He was easygoing, lenient, neither harsh nor rough, nor was 157 On this precedence, it is the duty of the leader of the Islamic State to do the same in these respects.

he boisterous, nor profane, nor pointing out people's faults, nor was he a flatterer. He overlooked whatever he disliked and always gave hope to whoever asked him for something. Nobody feared evil coming from him, but everyone expected good to come from him. One of his servants have narrated saying, "I was in the service of the Messenger of Allah for ten years. Never did he ever complain to me, nor did he ever ask me why I did or did not do this or that."

It was his habit to respond to those who called upon him with the very best of response. Whoever called him, he would respond with the words "At your service"

Jurayr ibn Abdull"h is quoted as having said, "The Messenger of Allah never put a barrier before me since I accepted Islam. Whenever he saw me, he smiled. He used to joke with his companions, socialize with them, talk with them, tease their children and seat them in his lap, and he used to respond to anyone who invited him, visit the sick even if they lived in distant parts of the city, accept everyone's apology and never put himself above anyone, including his servants, be it with regard to what he ate or wore."

He used to ride the camel, the mare or the mule, and used to tie a stone on his stomach on account of the pangs of hunger. He always initiated whoever he met with his greeting of peace, prolonged his prayers whenever he prayed alone, but whenever he led others in the congregational prayers, he shortened it out of his concern for the convenience of those whom he led. He used to make his sermons on Fridays and on other occasions brief so that the people would not be bored. He used to be a friend of men of dignity, dealing generously with those of distinction, being humorous and never saying anything but the truth. Whenever he was assaulted and exposed to hardships because of the ignorant people, he used to say, "Lord! I plead to You to guide my people, for they do not know." He did not invoke the Almighty's wrath against them. When his molar teeth were broken and he was wounded in the face, it was extremely hard for his companions to see him in that state, so they said, "O Messenger of Allah! Why don't you pray against them?" he said, "I was not sent to curse; rather, I was sent as a Caller [of people to God] and as a Mercy. Lord! I plead to You to guide my people, for they do not know!"

Thus, he did not content himself by simply remaining silent while facing their mischief but forgave them, demonstrated compassion towards them, prayed for them and sought an excuse for them when he said that they did not know any better, just like a kind and compassionate father.

His Compassion

Some of his companions narrated saying that he was once wearing a mantle with coarse edges and a Bedouin pulled him very hard, so much so that the edges left their marks on his shoulder. Then the Bedouin said, "O Muhammad! Load for me on these two camels of mine with the wealth of Allah which you have for you will not be loading for me anything of your own wealth nor the wealth of your father." The Prophet remained silent for a moment then said, "The wealth belongs to Allah and I am His servant; O Bedouin! Shall I seek retribution for what you have done to me?" The Bedouin said, "No." He said, "Why not?" The Bedouin said, "It is so because you do not reward evil with evil." The Prophet smiled then ordered barley to be loaded for him on one camel and dates on another.

His Tolerance

His people harmed him in many ways; they spat on his face, emptied sheep's stomach over his head, knocked him to the ground and trampled on his back, put thorns in his path, confiscated his property, exiled him, conspired against him, killed his uncle, [step] daughter, [step] granddaughter, ridiculed him, called him a wizard, possessed, insane, a poet, a priest upon whom the wrath of some of their gods had befallen, ... in addition to other types of harm, so much so that he said, "No prophet has been harmed as much as I have been." Yet he remained patient in the face of such hardships till Allah granted him the upper hand over them, placing him in charge of their affairs while they had no doubt that they would be uprooted, their community annihilated, and their wealth confiscated.

After the fall of Mecca, he did not go beyond forgiving and overlooking the harm dealt to him by the Meccans to whom he said, "What do you think I am going to do to you?" They said, "With kindness. You are a gracious brother and the son of a gracious brother." He said, "I shall say to you just as my brother the Prophet Joseph said: 'No harm upon you; go, for you are free,'" thus forgiving them all including the most bitter of his enemies such as AbY Sufy"n and Hind.

He forgave men like !Ikrimah ibn AbY Jahl who was similar to his father in his harming of the Messenger of Allah and in his animosity, spending a great deal on fighting him, like Safw"n ibn Omayyah ibn Khalaf who was very cruel to the Prophet and who used to finance the armies of the polytheists, a man who can be called in today's terminology the "Minister of Defence" of the infidels.

His Forgiveness

He forgave men like Habb"r ibn al-Aswad who terrorized Zainab, his [step] daughter, causing her to miscarry, and consequently died after falling ill. The Messenger of Allah permitted anyone to kill him. When the man knew that the Prophet was used to forgiving criminals, he went to him seeking his forgiveness, apologizing for his ill deeds. He said, "We, O Prophet of Allah, used to associate partners with Allah, but Allah Almighty guided us through you, saving us from perdition; so, do forgive my ignorance and forgive what you are told about me, for I do admit the evil of my actions and confess my sins." The Messenger of Allah said to him, "I have forgiven you, and Allah has fared very well with you since He guided you to Islam, and Islam cancels whatever precedes it."

The Prophet also forgave Wa9shi, killer of H{amzah [the Prophet's beloved uncle and partisan]. It is narrated that Wa9sh: embraced Islam then went to the Messenger of Allah after feeling secure from his wrath. The Prophet said to him, "O Wa9shi!" He said, "Yes!" The Prophet said, "Tell me, how did you kill my uncle?" Wa9sh: told him how, and he wept, then he forgave him.

He also forgave Hind despite her numerous crimes. 158 The Prophet also forgave men like Abdull"h ibn al-Zub!ari who used to lampoon the Messenger of Allah, speaking ill of him and of the Muslims. When Mecca fell in the hands of the Muslims, he fled away, and when he came to know that Muhammad was a merciful and humane Messenger of Allah, 158 Amongst her many crimes, Hind commissioned Wahshi to kill Hamzah. Out of her hatred, she then cut open Hamzah's abdomen and ate his liver.

he returned to him and apologized. The Messenger of Allah accepted his apology, so the man accepted Islam and composed the following poetic verses:

I apologize to you for what I did When in misguidance I aimlessly was lost, So forgive me, may both my parents be For your sake offered as a sacrifice. Forgive my slippage for you give mercy And upon you did mercy descend, And I have already testified that your creed Is truly the right creed and that you are Among God's servants great indeed.

Amongst the many assassination attempts on the Prophet's life, one was that by a Jewish woman. However, the Prophet forgave the Jewess who served him poisoned sheep's meat. The Prophet sought her, and she admitted it. Imam B"qir said, "The Messenger of Allah summoned the Jewess who served him poisoned sheep's meat and said to her, 'What prompted you to do what you did?' She said, 'I said to myself that if he truly is a Prophet, it would not harm him, but if he seeks authority, I would relieve people of him.' The Messenger of Allah, then, forgave her and let her go.

His Generosity

The Prophet used to say, "Allah taught me good manners and I taught Ali. My Lord ordered me to be generous and kind and forbade me from being miserly or mean. There is nothing Allah hates more than miserliness and bad manners which ruin one's good deeds just as vinegar ruins honey." He used to spend everything he had by way of charity till he and his family would be bitten by hunger.

Im"m £"diq has narrated saying that the Messenger of Allah went to al-Ji!rana where he distributed the booty (of Honain) which was quite large. People kept asking him, and he kept giving them till they pressed him against a tree, stripping him out of his garment and causing the tree to severely scratch his back, till they removed him from there and still kept asking him. He said to them, "O people! Give me back my garment for by Allah, had I had any wealth, I would have distributed it among you, and you know full well that I am neither a coward nor a miser."

He said the following to [his uncle] Abb"s during the time when he was sick and shortly before his demise, "O uncle of the Messenger of Allah! Do you accept to carry out my will, make all preparations for my funeral and pay my debts on my behalf?" Abb"s said, "O Messenger of Allah! Your uncle is an old man who has many dependants to take care of and you compete with the wind in your swiftness of generosity and open-handedness and you have a debt which is beyond your uncle's means."

The Messenger of Allah, as historians have recorded, used to give whenever he was asked, and when he did not have anything to give, he would make a promise of payment. Since his uncle refused to accept to carry out his will, he asked Ali to do that instead, and Ali assented and carried out the will of the Prophet.

J"bir ibn Abdull"h al-Ans"ri has said, "The Messenger of Allah never said 'No' to anyone who made a request of him."

There have been quite a few incidents narrated when a man would approach him requesting something and he would say to him, "I do not have what you are asking me for, but if we get something, we shall give it to you."

A man once asked him for something, and he did not have anything to give him, and some of his companions were present. The latter said, "O Messenger of Allah! Allah never required you to do what you cannot." Another companion responded to this comment and said, "O Messenger of Allah! Spend of what there is with you and do not fear that the One Who has the Throne will ever disappoint you." The Prophet smiled and signs of pleasure were seen on his face.

It is related that Im"m Ja!far £"diq said: 'Never was the Apostle of God asked by anyone for some worldly thing without him giving it. Once a woman sent him her son and said to him: 'Go to him and ask from him. If he says I have nothing then say to him: 'Give me your shirt.' The boy did what his mother had ordered him and the Apostle of God took his shirt and gave it to him.'159

With a Jew

The Commander of the Faithful is reported to have said, "The Messenger of Allah owed a Jew some money who came one day to collect them. The Messenger of Allah said to him, 'O Jew! I do not have it.' The Jew said, 'O Muhammad! I am not going to part with you till you pay me back.' The man confined the Messenger of Allah there and then till the Prophet had performed the noon, afternoon, sunset and evening prayers and went beyond that until he prayed the 159 bi9"r al-anw"r; vol. 16, chap. 9, p.271, 9ad:th 90.

morning prayer [of the following day] as well. The companions of the Messenger of Allah kept threatening that Jew. The Messenger of Allah looked at them and said, 'What are you going to do to him?' They said, 'O Messenger of Allah! How dare a Jew to confine you like that?' He said, 'My Lord, the most Exalted and the Greatest, did not send me to oppress anyone with whom I have entered into an agreement nor anyone else.' Some half of the day had passed away, when the Jew said, 'I testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger; and half of my wealth I shall give away in the way of Allah.'"

Since the Prophet was always moving around, checking about the different quarters of the city, he used to assign someone to succeed him in performing the prayers at the Mosque whenever he went elsewhere. It seems that the above incident took place at one of the quarters which he was checking.

His Helping and Hospitality

He never ignored anyone's need even if she were a bondmaid, nor did he sit leaning on some support, nor did he ever gaze at anyone, and he always accepted presents, even as little a present as a drink of milk.

Some of his companions have narrated that if he missed any of his brethren for three days, he would inquire about him; so, if he was away, he prayed for him; if he was present, he went to visit him; if he was sick, he would pay him a visit. He did not let anyone walk with him if he himself was riding till he let him ride with him. If the man refused, he would say to him, "Go ahead of me and join me at the place which you seek."

He used to help his companions as if he was one of them without reflecting an attitude of superiority to them in anything small or big. He was once travelling, when He ordered a sheep to be prepared for food. A man said, "O Messenger of Allah! I shall undertake slaughtering it." Another said, "I shall skin it." Another said, "I shall cook it." He said, "And I shall gather the firewood." They said to him, "We all can spare you the trouble." He said, "I know that you can spare me the trouble, but I do not want to have any distinction over you, for Allah hates to see His servant receiving a special treatment from his companions," then he went and gathered some firewood.

He was once on a trip when he alighted to perform the prayers, but then returned. It was said to him, "O Messenger of Allah! What do you wish to do?" He said, "I want to tie my she-camel." They said, "We will tie it for you." "No," he said, "None of you should exploit others, not even for a small piece of a toothstick." [short lengths of twigs used as toothbrushes.]

An envoy sent by the Negus visited the Prophet in Medina, so the Prophet stood up to personally tend to them. His companions said to him, "O Messenger of Allah! We can spare you the trouble!" He said to them, "They showered our folks with their generosity, so I love to reward them likewise."

Whenever he listened to someone, he would never turn his face away from him till the person himself did so. Whenever he shook hands with someone, he would not pull his hand away till the other person did. He never stood up after having sat with someone till the latter himself stood up, and would initiate anyone who met him with his greeting, including the children and the women, and he was the one to initiate shaking hands with his companions.

He used to shower whoever visited him with his generosity, so much so that he would even spread his outer mantle for him to sit on, or preferring him to sit on his mat instead. He used to choose nicknames for his companions, calling them by the names which they love the most in order to honour them. And he would never interrupt anyone.

Salm"n160 narrated once saying, "I entered once the house of the Messenger of Allah and found him leaning on a pillow. He placed it for me saying, 'O Salm"n! No Muslim receives a Muslim brother, and places for him a pillow out of respect, except that Allah forgives him."

If he was performing his prayers and someone came to see him, he would shorten his prayers so that he could finish quickly and help the man. Once he was through with helping the man, he would go back to his prayers. He used to smile the most and his breath was surely the very best of all. Those who used to serve the residents of Medina used to go to see the Messenger of God during early morning prayers, taking their pots of water with them to him so he might dip his hand in the water and thus bless it. He used to dip his hand in each pot, and one might even bring a pot of very cold 160 Salm"n al-Faresi was from Persia and a monotheist [some reports indicate he was following the teachings of the Prophet Jesus peace be upon him] before embracing Islam, and he knew of and was seeking the final Messenger of Allah before arriving at Arabia. Salm"n became one of the most devout companions of the Prophet Muhammad. Given his sincere devotion and piety, the Prophet said about him, "Salm"n is from us the Ahl al-Bayt", and thereafter the Prophet said he should be called Salm"n al- Muhammadi.

water, yet the Messenger of God did not mind it and would still dip his hand in it.

Usually a small child would be brought to him so that he would bless him. He would pray for him to be blessed, or he would choose a name for him or recite the Adhan (call to prayer) in his ears. He would take the child and place him in his lap as a sign of respect for his family, and occasionally a child would urinate on him, causing some of those present to rebuke the child. But he would say, "Do not thus hurt the feelings of the child." He would leave the child till the latter fully relieves himself, then he would then finish his prayers for him, or choosing a name for him or reciting the call to prayer in his ears. All of this caused the child's family to be very happy. They noticed how he was not offended. Once they were gone, the Prophet would wash his clothes.

If anyone sat near him, he would move a little to make room for him. Once a man said to him, "O Messenger of Allah! There is plenty of room in the place." He said, "Yes, but a Muslim is obligated, when another Muslim sits near him, to move a little [as a sign of respect for him]."

He Endeavours to Please Others

He never left anyone without pleasing him. It has been recorded that a Bedouin once came to ask him for something. He gave it to him then said, "Have I done good to you?" The Bedouin said, "No, you have not, nor have you done anything nice for me." The Muslims there were very angry with that man, and they stood up [to warn him], but the Prophet asked them to stay away, then he stood up and entered inside his home and called the man to him, giving him some more. Then he asked him again, "Have I now done something good for you?" The Bedouin said, "Yes, may Allah reward you goodness that encompasses your family and tribe." The Prophet said to him, "[Because of] what you said earlier, inside the hearts of my companions there is something resulting from that; so, if you like, go back to them and tell them what you have just told me so that what is in their heart against you will go away." The Bedouin assented.

Later on, the Prophet came and said, "This Bedouin said what he said, so we gave him an increase till he is pleased. Is not that so?" The Bedouin said, "Yes; may Allah reward you goodness that encompasses your family." Then the Prophet said to his companions, "My example and that of this man is one whose she-camel fled away from him, so people pursued her, causing her to be more rebellious, so her owner called upon them to leave him and his she-camel alone, since he was more kind to her than them. He went to her, took her back and mounted on her. Had I left you alone to deal with this Bedouin on account of what he had said, he would have been dead by now."

If anyone misbehaved towards him, he used to respond to him in a beautiful way. Al-!Al"' ibn al-Hadrami is quoted as having asked the Prophet saying, "I have a family whose members, when I am good to them, they reward me with evil, and when I maintain good ties with them, they sever their ties from me." The Messenger of Allah, reciting a Qur'anic verse, said, e Repel (evil) with that which is fairer and behold, he between whom and thee there is enmity shall be as if he were a loyal friend f 161 161 The Holy Qur'an, (41): 34.