this is the prophet

8/6/2019 This is the Prophet

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TThhiiss IIss TThhee

PPrroopphheettMay Allah bless him and grant him peace

Prepared by

A Select Group

Of

Muslim Scholars

All rights reserved

First Print1427 A.H./2006 A.D.


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IInn TThhee NNaammee ooffAAllllaahh,, TThhee AAllll--MMeerrcciiffuull,, TThhee EEvveerr--MMeerrcciiffuullThis message is addressed to mankind everywhere. To anyone who still doesnot know who is the Last Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and granthim peace): he is the Prophet whom Allah willed to be His Last Messenger tothe earth not to certain people or a certain race but to all mankind andto all races, to you and us.

Indeed, all the Prophets and all the Messengers (peace and blessings beupon them all) were blessed with the most gracious appearance and had thenoblest form and character. Allah has chosen and elected them and certainlyAllah is most knowing of where He places His message [6: 124] and assuch was Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

When we say: Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is theProphet of Allah and His Last Messenger, we are talking about the Choice ofAllah, Blessed and Exalted is He, And your Lord creates what He wills and

chooses; not for them was the choice [28: 68] thus The Almighty chose him and He is the most knowing of His creatures to convey His Message andto set an excellent example to people. That choice dictates that theMessenger should be the highest in all human characteristics (both thephysical and the ethical]. He is a human just like the rest of people; he mayforget as they forget. He eats food and walks in the markets. He does notknow the Unseen except what Allah should will [He is] Knower of theunseen, and He does not disclose His [knowledge of the] unseen to anyoneexcept whom He has approved of messengers [72: 26-27] He is the same asall people but he is superiorly the highest in any quality that can exist in ahuman. How can it be otherwise and The One Who chose and elected him

above the worlds is Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He. Truly, as said one ofthe Companions of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace),Abdullah bin Masud (may Allah be pleased with him): Verily, Allah haslooked into the servants hearts and found Muhammads heart the best heartamong the servants, thus He chose him for Himself and sent him with HisMessage. Then, He looked into the servants hearts, after Muhammadsheart, and found his Companions hearts the best hearts among theservants, thus He made them the ministers of His Prophet, to fight for HisReligion. Thus, whatever the Muslims see good it is good in the Sight of Allahand whatever they see evil it is evil in the Sight of Allah.


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Who is a prophet?

The Word Nabi(i.e. Prophet) is derived from the word Naba(i.e. News); he isso termed for being an informant as well as an informed one. He is informed,

meaning that Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, informs Him and revealsto him. He is also an informant of Allahs Commands and Revelations. (LisnAl-Arab1 3/561-573)

Qualifications for Prophethood

It must be known that prophethood is a pure bounty from Allah, not to behad by acquisition or diligence. But it is a gift from Allah Who chooseswhomever He wills from His servants. He prepares and adapts him in aspecial way: He protects him from spiritual impurity, mental deviance, moralcorruption and inborn aberration. He bestows upon him spiritual, mentaland moral excellence that qualifies him for the noble station of prophethood,which are among the qualifications for prophethood and receiving DivineRevelation.

Among the qualifications for Prophethood

Idealism: meaning human perfection and spiritual sublimity unequalled innon-prophets.

Noble descent: he should be of noble birth and pure origin from the bestrighteous people. Nobility here means raising oneself highly above any moraldefects and freeing oneself from whatever may disturb the idealized qualities

of bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry and may undermine humanvalues through any disgraceful deviant behavior that sound naturescertainly abhor.

Freedom: prophets should not be salves, because slavery is a demerit thatcould never characterize or befit the high station of prophethood. Slaverywould then be the cause of refusing his message or taking him as a model.

Time factor: which signifies the existence of a pressing need such asspiritual emptiness, moral and social corruption that dictate the birth of aprophet who would restore to life its goodness and to man his value.

1The Arab tongue.


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TThhee PPrroopphheettssPPeeaaccee bbee uuppoonn tthheemm

There came a multitude of prophets, a very great number. Allah, all praiseand glory is to Him, says what means: And We certainly sent into everynation a messenger [16: 36] and He also says what means: And there wasno nation but that there had passed within it a warner [35: 24]

Among them are Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joshua, Lot, David,Solomon, Jonah, Zachariya, John, Moses, Aaron, Jesus and Muhammad,peace and blessings be upon them all.

Mankind should believe in all the Prophets. Whoever disbelieves in one ofthem, has in the Sight of Allah disbelieved in them all. Allah, all praise and

glory is to Him, says what means:

Indeed, those who disbelieve in Allah and His messengers and wish todiscriminate between Allah and His messengers and say, "We believe in someand disbelieve in others," and wish to adopt a way in between Those arethe disbelievers, truly. And We have prepared for the disbelievers ahumiliating punishment. [4: 150-151]

And this is the creed of the Muslims, followers of Muhammad (may Allahbless him and grant him peace), for Allah says (what means): TheMessenger has believed in what was revealed to him from his Lord, and [sohave] the believers. All of them have believed in Allah and His angels and His

books and His messengers, [saying], "We make no distinction between any ofHis messengers." [2: 285]

Thus, every human should believe in the infallibility and perfection of theProphets of Allah and fulfill the obligation of honoring and respecting themall.

TThhee AAttttrriibbuutteess oofftthhee PPrroopphheettss

Whoever Allah elects for the position of prophethood, Allah must grace withcertain attributes indispensable to the honorable station of prophethood.

These attributes are: truthfulness, honesty, conveyance of the Message, andinsight (adapted from Aqidah Al-Mumin2by Al-Jaziri).

No doubt, the Messengers and the Prophets represent human perfection inits most sublime forms. Even if they differed in shape and outwardappearance, they, peace and blessings be upon them, are the utmost ofperfection. Indeed, they arouse wonder and admiration for Allah broughtthem up under His Eye.

Together with the perfection of form they are graced with a high status ofmoral perfection that none can ever excel them in.

2The Believer's Creed.


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These noble manners certainly have the greatest influence in guiding andinstructing people.

Had not the Prophets been marked by this perfection, which Allah bestowedupon them, people would not have followed them. For people never follow a

man whose defects are many and whose virtues are little.Such noble attributes, excellent qualities and virtues are a must inprophethood which Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, confers upon HisProphets in support of them and can never be to other than them.

Truly, if we examine the biography of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allahbless him and grant him peace), we will see that Allah has graced him,perfected him, honored him and favored him far more than what we havementioned.

How many people have entered into the Religion of Allah and followed the

Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) just byseeing the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).Abdullh bin Salm (may Allah be pleased with him), the Jewish rabbi, whowas the most knowledgeable in the Torah, embraced Islam just by seeing theProphet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and discerning theagreement of his physical and moral description with his description statedin the Torah.

Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant himpeace), is the mercy that Allah has sent to mankind. He was the best of allpeople, the most graceful of all people and the most perfect of all people, may

Allah bless him and grant him peace:

BBeetttteerrtthhaannyyoouummyyeeyyeesshhaavveenneevveerrsseeeennAAnnddmmoorreeppeerrffeeccttwwoommeennhhaavveenneevveerrbbeeggoott

YYoouuaarreeccrreeaatteeddffrreeeeffrroommeevveerryyddeeffeeccttAAssiiffccrreeaatteeddjjuussttaassyyoouuwwaanntt


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WWhhoo iiss MMuuhhaammmmaadd??(By analogy with the previously mentioned)

HHiiss nnaammee aanndd lliinneeaaggee::

He is Muhammad bin Abdullh bin Abdul-Mutalib bin Hshim bin Abd-Manf bin Qusai bin kilb bin Murrah bin Kab bin Luaiy bin Ghalib binFahr bin Mlik bin An-Nadr bin Khuzaimah bin Mudrikah bin Ilys binMudar bin Nizr bin Mad bin Adnn, and Adnn is from the children ofIshmael, son of Abraham (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them both).

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:Verily, Allah has chosen Kinanah from the Children of Ismail (Ishmael), andhas chosen the Quraish from Kinanah, and has chosen from the Quraish

Banu Hashim, and has chosen me from Banu Hashim. [Sahh Muslim]

Among his names:Ahmad, Al-Aqib (there will be no prophet after him), Al-Muqaf (the Last of the Prophets), the Prophet of mercy, Al-Hashir(gatherer)and Al-Mahi(the one through whom Allah obliterates disbelief).

His nickname: Abul-Qsim(may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

His birth:The Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) wasborn on Monday in the month of Rabi I in Makkah Al-Mukarramah[Makkahthe Honored] in a house known by the House of Birth, in the Year of the

Elephant 571 A.H. from known parents.

His father: Abdullh bin Abdul-Mutalib, and his mother: minah bintWahb.

His grandfather named him Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant himpeace) before his birth. He neither named him Abdul-Uzza nor Abd-Shams.

HHiiss DDeessccrriippttiioonn

PPhhyyssiiccaall cchhaarraacctteerriissttiiccss::

Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, bestowed upon His MessengerMuhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) from the perfectionof form, grace of countenance, strength of mind, soundness ofunderstanding, eloquence of tongue, powerfulness of senses and organs,temperance in action, nobility of descent which none among people has everhad.


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TThhee MMeesssseennggeerraass tthhoouugghh yyoouu aarree sseeeeiinngg hhiimm::

The Messenger of Allah: Had the handsomest face of all people, and hadthe best appearance. He was neither very tall nor short [Agreed upon]

The Messenger of Allah: Had a white handsome face [Reported byMuslim]

The Messenger of Allah was: Of moderate height, having broadshoulders, a thick beard, (of a white complexion) suffused with redness,hishair reaching his earlobes. Once I saw him in a red cloak; never have I seenanyone more handsome than him [Reported by An-Nasay]

The Messenger of Allahhad: Big hands and feet, and a handsome face.I have not seen anybody like him, neither before nor after him [Reported byAl-Bukhary]

His face was: Like the sun and the moon, and it was round [Reported byMuslim]

The Messenger of Allah:Whenever the Messenger of Allah was happy,his face brightened, as if it was a piece of the moon, and we used torecognize it (i.e. his happiness) from his face[Agreed upon]

The Messenger of Allah: His laughter was no more than smiling, and ifyou look at him you will say that his eyes are outlined in Kohl, though he isnot [Reported by At-Tirmidthy]

Jbir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I have seen theMessenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) on a full-moonlit night wearing a red garment, so I kept looking at him and at themoon, and truly he was more beautiful in my eyes than the moon [Reportedby Ad-Drmy, At-Tirmidthy, Al-Hakim in Al-Mustadrak; also Al-Dhahabi andAbu Yal approved it]

Abu Ishaq reported that Al-Bar (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked,

Was the face of the Prophet (as long or bright) as a sword? He said, No,but (as round and bright) as a moon. [Reported by Al-Bukhary]

Abu Ubaidah bin Muhammad bin mmr bin Ysir narrated that he said toAr-Rab bint Muwwadh bin Afr (may Allah be pleased with her), Describeto us the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). She said, My son! If you see him you see the sun shining. [Reported by Ad-Drmy and Yaqb bin Sufyn Al-Faswai in Al-Marafah wa At-Trikh3]

Ibn Abbs (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The front teeth of theMessenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) were evenlyspaced. When he talked like light was seen shining forth his front teeth.

3Knowledge and History.


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[Reported by Ad-Drmy and At-Tirmidthy in Ash-Shamil; also by Al-Baghawiin Sharh Al-Sunnah4]

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I have never seenanyone more handsome than the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him

and grant him peace), as if the sun is running through his face. [Reportedby Imam Ahmad, Ibn Habn, Ibn Sad in At-Tabakt, and Ibn Al-Mubrak inAz-Zuhd5]

Al-Bara bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger ofAllah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was the handsomest of allthe people, and had the best appearance. He was neither very tall nor short.[Reported by Al-Bukhary and Muslim]

Al-Bara bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) also said: The Prophet(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was of moderate height, havingbroad shoulders, his hair reaching his earlobes. Once I saw him in a red

cloak; never have I seen anyone more handsome than him [Reported by Al-Bukhary and Muslim]

Hind bin Hlah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger ofAllah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was majestic and highlyhonored. His face used to glisten as the glisten of the moon on a full moonlitnight. Taller than a man of medium height but shorter than the oneconspicuously tall [Reported by At-Tirmidthy in Ash-Shamil, Ibn Sad in At-Tabakt and Al-Baihaqi in Dala'il An-Nubuwwah6]

Ali bin Abu Tlib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of

Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had a white complexion, hiswhiteness tinged with redas if sweat on his face was pearls. I have neverseen anybody like him, neither before nor after him [Reported byIbn Sad inAt-Tabakt]

Jbir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I saw the seal (ofprophethood) between shoulders of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah blesshim and grant him peace), a red gland (its size was) like a pigeons egg andits color was the same as that of his body [Reported by Muslim]

His arrival at a place was known by his pleasant scent, Anas (may Allah bepleased with him) said: and I have never smelt ambergris or musk more

pleasant than the smell of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant himpeace) [Agreed upon]

And he was given Jawmi Al-Kalim7 (The pithy yet comprehensive sayings).ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allah didnot use to narrate (tell hadiths) as you narrate (i.e. did not narrate hadithsquickly one after another as you narrate quickly), but he used to speak forthclear decisive words, memorized by those who sit with him [Reported by At-Tirmidthy]

4Commentary on hadith.5

Asceticism.6Proofs of Prophethood.7i.e. the shortest expression carrying the widest meanings.


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When the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) migrated fromMakkah to Al-Madinah together with Abu Bakr and mir bin Fahrah, AbuBakrs servant, and their guide, Abdullh bin Uraiqt Al-Laithy, they passedby the tents of Umm Mabad Al-Khuzaiyah who was an old woman. Sheused to sit in the tent yard, offering food and water. They asked her for date

or meat to buy. But they did not get any of this from her and their supplyhad already run out. She (Umm Mabad) related saying: So, the Messengerof Allah looked at a goat at one side of the tent and said: What is this goatUmm Mabad? She (Umm Mabad) said: This is a goat that fatigue left itbehind the sheep. He (the Prophet) asked: Is there milk in it?She (UmmMabad) replied: It is weaker than this.He (the Prophet) said: Would youpermit me to milk it? She (Umm Mabad) said: Yes, let my father andmother be sacrificed for you, if you see that it can be milked then do milk it.So, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) askedto bring him the goat; he wiped its udder with his hand and he mentionedthe Name of Allah and said: O Allah! Give her blessings in her goat.He (thesub-narrator) said: So, she (Umm Mabad) moved its legs farther apart for

milking. Then, the Prophet asked for a big vessel that would suffice thecompany. And He milked in it lots of flowing milk. He gave Umm Mabadmilk to drink and she drank till she was satisfied. He then gave hisCompanions milk to drink till they were satisfied. The Messenger of Allah(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was the last to drink. So, they alldrank and satisfied their thirst. Then, he milked into the vessel again and heleft it with her. Then they departed from her.

It did not take long before her husband, Abu Mabad, came driving skinny,emaciated sheep. On seeing the milk he was amazed, and said: From wheredid you get this (milk) when only an unmated goat that does not give milk is

in the house? she (Umm Mabad) replied: No by Allah, but a blessed manpassed by us and such and such things happened from his narrative. AbuMabad said: By Allah, I believe he is the man wanted from the Quraish.Describe him for me Umm Mabad.

She said: I saw a man possessed of visible brilliance, his face bright, hisappearance graceful, neither weak nor his head small, handsome andelegant. His eyes had a deep black hue with long eyelashes. His voice wasmellow and his neck long. He had a thick beard. His long black eyebrowswere beautifully arched and connected to each other. When silent, dignitywas upon him. And when he spoke, he transcended and magnificencecrowned him. From far, he was of all people the most beautiful and glorious,

and from near he was the most handsome and graceful. His speech wasagreeable, his words decisive, none spoken more or less, as though a stringof beads flowing down. He was of moderate height, neither the eye woulddislike him because of tallness nor scorn him because of shortness. Abranch between two branches. Among the three he appeared the mostflourishing and the most honorable. He had companions who surroundedhim. When he spoke, they listened to him attentively. When he gave orders,they were quick to execute them. Honored, obeyed and surrounded by hiscompanions. He never frowned or confuted (others), may Allah bless him andgrant him peace.


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Whereupon, Abu Mabad said: By Allah, it is him. The man from theQuraish whom we were told of his story what was narrated in Makkah. And Ihave resolved to accompany him and I will if I find the way to it.

MMoorraall cchhaarraacctteerriissttiiccss::

The Messengeris the perfect man and the absolute excellent example.He was endowed with praiseworthy noble manners and civilities. He reachedperfection and moderation in them, so greatly that Allah, all praise and gloryis to Him, praised him in His Saying: And indeed, you are of a great moralcharacter [68: 4] ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said in SahhMuslim: His manners were (that of) the Quran which endorses his saying:Verily, Allah has sent me to perfect noble manners, and complete gooddeeds

The Messenger

possessed all nobilities of character and it is no wonder.

For Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, says (what means): And has taughtyou that which you did not know. And ever has the favor of Allah upon youbeen great [4: 113] Since Almighty Allah is The One Who taught him andedified him, certainly the learner must attain the highest, most perfect, andmost complete education.

Therefore, not a fault was known about our Prophet or a slight mistakewas reported that he made. Persecution only increased him in patience andthe transgression of the ignorant only increased him in tolerance. As ishah(may Allah be pleased with her) attested: He never retaliatedfor himself buthe only prayed: O Allah! Forgive my people for they know not. His nobilityon the Day of the Conquest of Makkah towards the disbelievers proves thisfor he pardoned them all saying: Go, for you are the free ones.

His biographyis rich in examples and testimonies on this. The religiousscholars cared to single out his merits and his noble manners for studyingand writing, owing to their great importance to the Muslim and non-Muslim.Knowing his virtues (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is the way offilling the heart with love and veneration towards him; which in turn is theway of venerating his Shariah [Islamic Law] and following his religion andSunnah.

HHiiss nnoobbllee mmaannnneerrss aanndd ggoooodd ffeelllloowwsshhiipp::

Indeed, any speaker who wishes to discuss the biography of this Prophet, hismanners and virtues (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) feelsprofound reverence and high esteem. No matter what he says, still he willnever do him justice. For what can a human negligent and intemperate possibly do when speaking about the Chosen Prophet (may Allah bless himand grant him peace), whom Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, has electedfor conveying His Message and Religion.


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What can we say about the one whom Almighty Allah, Blessed and Exalted isHe, has praised and testified that he is on an exalted standard of character;about the man whose manners are that of the Quran. But although wecannot fully and justly discuss the exalted manners of the Messenger (mayAllah bless him and grant him peace), even if we do our utmost, still we feel

that the Ummah8

and the whole world need today to have this ideal modelpresented before it. To open for it these pages from the biography of theProphet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), who serves as the bestexample. For we are living today in a world where selfishness and desiresmaster people.

When you read one of the books of the Sunnah9, Sirah10 or Shamil11 youfind them replete with proofs on the noble manners of the Prophet (mayAllah bless him and grant him peace).

It is impossible when discussing the noble manners of the ProphetMuhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) to give him his due.

Not a single quality of moral excellence and righteousness but the Messenger(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had the greatest share of. Nowonder for Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, has sent him to perfectgracious good manners. Since this was the purpose of sending theMessenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) his biographyand way of life must be a speaking witness to this. And here are the eventsand circumstances of his life stand giving testimony.

If you discuss one from among his high noble manners like mercy, leniency,agreeable companionship, modesty, generosity, munificence and patience

you will not give it all due honor even if you strived. Still you will find the

context inadequate to give him his due. Let alone when you want to discusshis manners in general. Therefore, we here summarize some of thetestimonies to the perfection of his manners,peace and blessings of Allah beupon him.

The Companions described his noble manners in many hadiths. Ali bin AbuTlib (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Of all people the Messenger ofAllah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was the mostmagnanimous, the most truthful, the most lenient in disposition, and(affording) the noblest companionship. [Reported by At-Tirmidthy]

Of all people he was the most peaceful, the most just, the most chasteand the most truthful since the beginning of his life. His opponents andenemies acknowledged this and before prophethood he was known by Al-Ameen[the Honest, the Reliable and the Trustworthy].

Ibn Ishaq said: He was named Al-Ameen for the righteous, good mannersthat Allah gathered in him.

8Nation.

9

Prophetic Tradition.10Biography of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).11The virtues and noble character of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).


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Before his mission as a prophet people used to turn to him for judgment andconsultation. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:By Allah, I am the trustworthy in the heaven and the trustworthy on theearth

As for his dignity, his silence, his deliberation, his magnanimity and hisgood guidance, Jbir bin Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) narratedthat the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to sitcross-legged and maybe he squatted. He talked but little. He was oftensilent; did not talk unless it was necessary. He turned away from those whotalked unmannerly. His laughter was no more than smiling. His speech wasdecisive, neither excessive nor incomplete. Out of reverence and following hisgood example (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), his Companionslaughter at his presence was smiling as well. His assembly was that ofpatience, modesty, goodness and honesty. Voices were never raised in it, northings prohibited praised. When he spoke people bowed their heads (i.e. fellsilent), as though upon their heads were birds.

Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, gifted him with kindness and leniency,saying: So by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient withthem. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they wouldhave disbanded from about you. [3: 159] Allah, all glory is to Him,conferred great favor upon the believers by sending them this Prophetendowed with these great qualities: There has certainly come to you aMessenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [heis] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful. [9: 128]

The gracious manners he observed in associating with his Companions arecelebrated. He used to respond to the call of any asker whenever he calledupon him. He accepted the gift from generous givers and rewarded them forit.

The Prophetbrought people affectionately together and never set themapart. He was always thoughtful for others; inquiring about peoples affairsand paying them visits. He gave every attender of his assembly due attentionand care so much that he felt that none was more honorable than him. Henever openly confronted anyone with what he disliked of him.

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I served the Messenger of Allah(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) for ten years but he never said tome: Fie. And he never said to me about something I did: Why did you dothis? Nor about something I did not do: Why did not you do this? [Reported by At-Tirmidthy and Abu Dwd]

Abdullh Jarr Al-Bajly (may Allah be pleased with him) described how theProphet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) treated him saying: TheMessenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) had neverprevented me from entering upon him since I embraced Islam, and wheneverhe saw me, he would smile in my face. [Reported by Ibn Mjah]


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For his gentleness he never turned down an asker and he was never askedanything and he said: No.

And here is Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) when awoman who used to clean the Masjid died people thought little of her; they

offered the Funeral Prayer for her and buried her at night, so he said: Willyou allow me? and he went to her grave and offered Funeral Prayer for her.

The Prophet cared about those people. He is the one who led theUmmahwhile confronting the Jews, the tribes of Ghatfan and Quraish, thehypocrites and the Bedouins here and there. He is the one who shouldered

judgment between people, issuing Fatwas12, solving peoples problems andtheir education!

HHiiss sspplleennddiidd lliibbeerraalliittyy aanndd ggrreeaatt ggeenneerroossiittyy::of all people the Messenger ofAllah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was the most generous andhe was even more generous in the month of Ramadan, when Angel Jibrl(Gabriel, peace be upon him) used to meet him every night of Ramadan toteach him the Quran; he was more generous than the fast wind (whichbrings rain and welfare).

Never anything was asked of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless himand grant him peace) but he liberally gave it. A man once came to him andthe Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) gave him a herd ofsheep that filled the area between two mountains, so the man returned tohis people and said: O people! Embrace Islam, for Muhammad gives like theone who does not fear poverty.

HHiiss kkiinnddnneessss:: The Prophetsaid: Verily, Allah is kind and loveskindness and He gives for kindness what He does not give for violence andwhat He does not give for anything else other than it (kindness)

The Prophetalso said: Be kind and beware of violence. Verily, kindnesswhenever exists in a thing graces it, and whenever taken away from a thingdisgraces it

A Bedouin once urinated in the Masjid whereupon the people ran to punish

him but the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)prevented them and he asked for water to be poured over the place of urineto purify the place. He then talked to the man kindly and taught him that heshould not urinate over the land of the Masjid; that there were special placesfor that. He explained this while showing utmost kindness and mercy.

When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)deputed any of his Companions on a mission, he would say: Give gladtidings and do not cause aversion (towards Islam), facilitate (religious)matters and do not render them difficult

12Legal rulings.


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HHiiss mmooddeessttyy:: the Messenger of Allah said: Allah has revealed tome that you must be humble, so that no one boasts over another and no oneoppresses another

ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) was asked: What did the Prophet(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) use to do in his house? Shereplied: He used to keep himself busy serving his family.

From his modesty is that he used to ride the donkey and also ridebehind others on the same mount; he used to visit the sick; attend funerals;he neither had a doorkeeper nor shut himself away from people.

HHiiss mmeerrccyy:: he used to say: Show mercy to those who are on the earth,He Who is in the heaven will show mercy to you

He was merciful to hisUmmah. Allah, all praise and glory is to Him,

says (what means): There has certainly come to you a Messenger fromamong yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over

you and to the believers is kind and merciful. [9: 128]

The Messenger of Allah said: When anyone of you leads the people inthe prayer, he should shorten it for amongst them are the young, the old,the weak, the sick and people who have business to attend. And whenanyone among you prays alone then he may prolong (the prayer) as much ashe wishes

He was merciful to the weak. About servants he said: They (theservants) are your brothers. Allah has put them under your command. Sofeed them from what you eat and clothe them from what you wear and donot charge them (with duties) beyond their capacity. And if ever you chargethem (with a hard task) then help them [Reported by Muslim]

The Messenger of Allah said: I strongly warn you against (wasting orusurping) the right of the two weak ones: the orphan and the woman[Reported by Ahmad]

The Messenger of Allah also said: I enjoin you to be good to womenHis mercy towards animals, plants and inanimate objects truly fill you withwonder. He informed that Allah made a woman enter Hellfire because shetortured a cat and imprisoned it till it died of hunger [she neither gave itfood nor water nor set it free to eat from the vermin of the earth]. And Allahmade another women enter Paradise because she watered a dog that wasabout to die of thirst.

HHiiss ccoouurraaggee :: The Prophet Muhammad reached the acme ofperfection in bravery till his Companions said about him: Whenever thefight grew fierce and the eyes of fighters went red, we used to resort to the

Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) for protection. He wasalways the closest to the enemy And on the Day of (the Battle of) Hunain


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when his Companions were defeated he firmly stood in the battlefield,courageously fighting thousands alone, till his Companions returned to thebattle and fought with him and Allah granted them supreme victory.

HHiiss ffoorrggiivveenneessss :: He used to pardon those who wronged him. Hepardoned those who persecuted him, expelled him and conspired to kill him.When Allah, all praise and glory is to Him, made him prevail over them hecould have taken revenge, but he just said to them: Go, for you are the freeones.

He also pardoned the man who wanted to assassinate him: the story ofGhaurath bin Al-Harith.

HHiiss HHaayy1133:: The Messenger of Allah said: Verily, for every religionis a (special) character and the character of Islam is Hay13 [Reported byIbn Mjah and Al-Albany authenticated it]

From his Hay is what the mother of the believers, ishah (may Allah bepleased with her), narrated: that a woman asked the Prophet (may Allahbless him and grant him peace) about the ritual bath she should take aftercompletion of menstruation. He told her how to take the bath, then said:Take a piece of cotton scented with musk and purify yourself. The womanasked: How should I purify myself (with it)? He said, Glory by to Allah!Purify yourself. And he felt shy and turned away from her. Whereuponishah (may Allah be pleased with her) pulled her to her side and said:Follow with it the trace of blood (i.e. rub with it the place soiled withblood). [Agreed upon]

See how his Hayprevented him from going into details of this matter tillthe mother of the believers handled it, for being related to feminine issues.

The Messenger of Allah never confronted any person with whateverconduct he disapproved of him; he rather used to exclaim saying: What isthe matter with those people who?

HHiiss llooyyaallttyy::he wastrulyloyal to his Companions; even in dreams (fromthe hadith of Umar]. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant himpeace) was loyal to his wives. He always remembered the gracious acts of hiswife Khadjah (may Allah be pleased with her) towards him. Even after her

death and his remarriage still he never forgot her favor and never denied it.

Hewas loyal even to his enemies. He never made a covenant with one ofhis enemies and he broke it, never.

HHiiss jjuussttiiccee:: The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)realized justice with all its kinds and forms. The weak never despaired ofgetting his right. And the strong never sought to usurp the right of the other.

13Al-Hay: a sublime moral behavior involving a mixed emotion of modesty, virtue, bashfulness, chastity,

humility, purity, piety, courtesy and is marked by deep reverence, respect, dread and awe shown to Allahand reluctance to commit whatever He has forbidden.


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He used to inflict retribution on the oppressor, whoever he was, for whateverwrong he did to the oppressed, whoever he was. What outshines thisexcellence is his presenting himself to retribution, saying: If I have everinsulted or hit anyone let him return to me the offense When he was onlydeserving of all goodness, for he never hurt anyone.

HHiiss ppaattiieennccee::Of all people the Messenger of Allah was the mostpatient and the most forbearing. He was the most constant and patient inworshipping Allah. He used to arise and stand for more than half of thenight offering prayer. He showed patience in calling people to the worship ofAllah from the day Allah, all praise and glory it to Him, entrusted to him thisduty till the day he met Allah, all praise and glory it to Him, untiring,unyielding and never slacking.

The Messenger Muhammad

,

among all the Messengers of Allah (peace

and blessings be upon them all), shouldered the greatest share in theresponsibility of calling people to worshipping Allah, conveying the Messageand striving in His Cause. Therefore, he was the most persecuted andafflicted since the dawn of his Call to Islam till he met His Maker. He waspersecuted by the Quraish and other tribes in Makkah and after he migratedto Al-Madnah he suffered hard persecution at the hands of the disbelievers,the hypocrites and the Jews. But these hardships and severe trials onlyincreased his perseverance and steadfastness by the help of the firmness ofheart that Allah bestowed on him and the patience that Allah, The Exaltedand Ever-Majestic, gave him.

The disbelievers confronted him with all colors of harm for calling them toAllah from insult and abuse to physical injury. They pelted him withstones, cut his face, conspired to kill him.and so forth!!

In return, the Prophet met their harm and ignorance with graciouspatience; he even refused to invoke Allah against them. On the day Allahgranted him supreme victory over those who declared themselves his enemy;on this day he could have killed them, crucified them or burned them. Buthe was merciful to them and pardoned them. And as such are the mannersof the Prophets, especially Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him

peace) who excelled every noble manner, thus virtues became a fountflooding from the sublime manners of the Messenger Muhammad (may Allahbless him and grant him peace), whom Allah has educated and taught himgood manners and indeed He superbly educated him and taught him.


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FFrroomm aammoonngg tthhee vviirrttuueess ooffhhiiss nnoobbllee mmaannnneerrssWWhhoolleenneessss::

People who set an example in noble manners are celebrated for one kind ordomain of good behavior and hardly none other is known about them. As forthe Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), Allah gathered inhim the perfection of noble manners. For in every kind or domain you seethat the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has reached theutmost.

NNoott aa wweeaakknneessss aanndd ccoommbbiinniinngg tthhee aannttiitthheesseess::

Many people when blessed with a certain praiseworthy manner, suchmanner may dominate them in several situations and make them swerve

from rightness. The one who is blessed with mercifulness and his heartbecomes merciful and people praise his mercy may face a situation thatnecessitates behaving differently but pity prevails upon him. And the samecan be said about the one blessed with liberality and generosity; it may turninto extravagance and prodigality. Also the one blessed with bravery mayturn into a kind of rashness or may make him deviate from rightness at acertain situation.

As for the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) who neverturned down a person in need or a person asking intercession, he acceptedthe intercession of the bondwoman and the bondman, the old and the

young. When Usam bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him), his beloved

one, son of his beloved one, came to intercede for a woman who stole inorder not to be punished, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant himpeace) became angry and he said to him: Do you intercede in one of thepenalties prescribed by Allah? Then he rose and delivered a sermon saying:What destroyed those who came before you was that if the noble amongstthem stole, they would leave him, and if the weak amongst them stole, theywould inflict the prescribed penalty of Allah upon him. By Allah, if Ftimah,daughter of Muhammad, stole I would cut off her hand.

What we have mentioned from his noble manners and good companionshipare just tiny drops from a deluge, which cannot be wholly brought in an

article or a book. And we beg that Allah blesses us with noble manners andfaithful adherence to the example of the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad(may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

PPeerrffeeccttiioonn

Among the attributes that supports prophethood is human perfection. Thisperfection is considered from four aspects: perfection of form, perfection ofcharacter, virtues of speech and virtues of action. And all these forms ofperfection existed in the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (may Allah blesshim and grant him peace).


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PPeerrffeeccttiioonn ooffffoorrmm

Through having moderate appearance and form. And to be marked bytranquility, dignity and inspiring veneration within souls, even though henever exalts himself because of grandeur or trespasses because of sway.

Together with being endowed with utmost modesty.

And that is attained through cheerfulness, affability and cordiality. In theseaspects Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is in thelead. For he was always cheerful and smiling. He even commanded to actlikewise, saying: Smiling in the face of your brother is charity. He wascertainly more beloved to his Companions and to the Muslims whosucceeded them than their parents, their children and everything.

Such perfection is also attained through being approachable to people, andthe haste of hearts to believe him and obey him, and the inclination of soulsto comply and follow him. And that how Muhammad (may Allah bless him

and grant him peace) was with everyone he met: amiable, beloved, obeyed,awed by mankind and jinn; even by animals, trees and stones. Except thosewho are destined to misery and torment from the disbelievers amongmankind and jinn.

PPeerrffeeccttiioonn ooffmmaannnneerrss

Through sagacity, truthful insight, sound opinion and right management.He is not to be deceived by a trick and is never helpless in adversities. But isalways patient and persevering neither weakens nor surrenders. In all thisthe Messenger of Allah Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him

peace) stands as a matchless model and an excellent example.

From the perfection of manners is also modesty, lowering the wing14,meekness, patience, honoring the pledge and fulfilling the promise.

Perfection of manners is also achieved through renunciation of worldlypleasures and satisfaction with having little of it. Thus, the person shouldnever crave after worldly life even if he possesses it. The Messenger of Allah,Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) ruled a state andAllah, all praise and glory is to Him, gave him many booties nevertheless hedid not keep to himself or to his family any of them. But he gave it all to thepoor and the needy. And sometimes he borrowed or incurred debts to help aperson in need. When he died he left nothing to his family, no estates, nolands, no gold or silver!!!

He who was in the life of this world an ascetic and just with the little of itcontented and did not care whether it smiled or frowned at him how muchthe more he is obligated not to lie about Allah by falsely claimingprophethood and preaching the life of the Hereafter.

14Leniency, softness, mildness, gentleness...


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VViirrttuueess ooffssppeeeecchh

Through extreme wisdom and encompassment of great knowledge though hemight be illiterate, can neither read or write, as the Messenger of Allah,Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). For he showed in

the precision of the matters he clarified and the accuracy of the matters herevealed what dazzled the minds and amazed the wise, not for once falteringin words or actions. Up till now the wonders of his faith and the marvels ofhis knowledge are endless, inexhaustible; unlike opinions of philosophersthat soon sink into oblivion!

Among the virtues of speech: precision of what he legislates throughgiving proof and clarifying with the most evident justification. And warning

just with little (words) against serious matters.

Among the virtues of speech: keeping the tongue from distorting words orspeaking false news detached from truth. The Messenger of Allah,

Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), was known by hishonesty and truthfulness before and after his mission as a prophet. And if alie was known about him this would have been taken as a plea against himand a proof for belying his message. But he never lied therefore they had noplea against him.

Among the virtues of speech: the clarity of his answer if a question isposed to him. And the strength of his plea if someone argues with him,without stammering or faltering.

Among the virtues of speech: calling people to adhere to virtues and reject

demerits and vice. As encouraging people to stick to commendable behavior,like keeping good relations with kith and kin and being kind to the orphans.

Among the virtues of speech: fluency, perspicuity, brevity, eloquencewithout affectation or arbitrariness. Together with uttering graceful wordshaving lucid meanings. Indeed, of all people Muhammad (may Allah blesshim and grant him peace) was the most eloquent.

VViirrttuueess ooffaaccttiioonn::

Through his high repute and just policy till souls willingly submittedand followed him with hope and fear of Allah.Among these virtues was his fairness in the law of his religion, with neitherexcess nor negligence; but observed moderation with neither intolerance norlaxity, for the best of matters are the middle.

Among the virtues of action: is that he did not make his Companionsincline towards worldly life nor towards its renunciation, but towardsmoderation as Allah, The Most Exalted, says (what means): But seek,through that which Allah has given you, the home of the Hereafter; and[yet], do not forget your share of the world. [28: 77]


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Among the virtues of his deeds: is that he clarified to the Ummah howthey should worship Allah and showed them what is lawful and what isunlawful; he also detailed the permissible and the impermissible regardingcontracts, marriage and transactions.

To the extent that the people of the Book (i.e. the Jews and Christians)needed much of his Shariah15 during his time; but his Shariahneeded noother law. Then he settled for the Shariah the principles that regulateneglected affairs and deduced for them justified rules. All this during hisbrief mission, which certainly bespeaks of its miraculousness and the factthat: [it is] a revelation from a [Lord who is] Wise and Praiseworthy [41: 42]

Among the virtues of his deeds: was his munificence, generosity andsplendid liberality as far as giving all he had and keeping nothing to himselfor to his family, be it at the beginning of his mission as a prophet or afterAllah opened before him from the splendor of worldly life. Because hebelieved in another everlasting life of the Hereafter. Its delights are

inexhaustible and its blessings are endless. Indeed, Muhammad (may Allahbless him and grant him peace) shall have in it a greater share and a farblessed fortune; he and whoever follows him.

Among the virtues of his deeds: and proofs of his prophethood is that hestrove against all his enemies who beset him on all sides, though in acountry only supported by a meager, small party. Still Allah, all praise andglory is to Him, granted him supreme victory with fighting and with terror(cast into the hearts of his enemies); a victory incompatible with the smallnumber of his soldiers and their scant weapons. Which only serves to assertthat this victory is only from Allah, The Best of Supporters, Who grants

victory to His Messengers and those who follow them.

Among the virtues of his deeds: washis valor and might in fighting. Hewas never affected by the force of his enemies, their hosts and their multipleadvanced weapons, and the day his Companions and followers were affectedand tried to run away he remained steadfast; he neither fled, nor run away.But he unsheathed his sword and fought thousands alone, while repeating:I am the Prophet, no lying. I am the grandson of Abdul-Mutalib. And heremained thus till his Companions returned to fighting and Allah grantedthem supreme victory. Such bravery and courage in battles, along with trustin victory, in spite of the flight of his followers can only be shown by a

Prophet! For Allah promised him this, saying (what means): Indeed, We willsupport Our messengers and those who believe during the life of this worldand on the Day when the witnesses will stand [40: 51]

15Islamic Law.


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TThhee QQuueessttiioonn tthhaatt ppoosseess iittsseellff

Is it possible that all these fine qualities and excellent attributes, all thesesublime merits and virtues be combined except in an honorable Prophet and

Messenger?

Besides, only little have we mentioned from his gracious qualities andvirtues that are truly countless and endless; moreover they never fullyexisted in anyone among the worlds except in Muhammad (may Allah blesshim and grant him peace), according to the testimony of his enemies beforehis companions and his opponents before his followers.

His enemies struggled hard to seize against him a fault or a lapse or to winagainst him a slight error in jest or in earnest, but they found no way tothat, and his history is the best witness:

CCrreeaattuurreessddiiddtteessttiiffyyttoohhiissvviirrttuueeeevveenneenneemmiieessAAnnddttoovviirrttuuoouussnneesssseenneemmiieessnneevveerrtteessttiiffyy

On the whole: the sign of his noble manners is a major great signamong the signs indicative of his prophethood and his message: his virtues,his noble manners and his sublime attributes have never been united in anyhuman before him, nor shall they be in any human after him. None has everheard or seen the like of his patience, his meekness, his fidelity, hisasceticism, his generosity, his truthfulness, his modesty, his silence, hiswords, his deeds, his forgiveness, let alone his high noble descent.

SSoommee ooffhhiiss mmeerriittss1-He shall intercede the greatest intercession on behalf of the creatures until

judgment is executed between them.

2-His sins of the past and the future are forgiven.

3-He is the Sayyid16 of the Offspring of Adam; he is the Sayyid of allcreatures.

4-He shall be given the Flag of Praise on the Day of Resurrection.

5-He shall have the Praised Station, which is interpreted as intercession andhis prostration under the Throne of the Most Merciful, be ever glorified HisMajesty and Might.

16A sayyid is one who possesses the most superior characteristics and highest manners, and thus holds anexalted position above the rest of the people. This title befits the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant

him peace) since he is the best of mankind in both this life and the next. As for this life, he was described as

having the highest morals and manners. As for the next life, then the reward is connected to the manners and

actions of this life. So if he (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) surpassed their best commendable actsand traits in this life, then he will also surpass their positions in the next life. [Excerpted from the IslamicNetwork]


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6-He was granted victory with terror cast into the hearts of his enemies.

7-Booty was made lawful to him though it was unlawful to the Prophetsbefore him.

8-The whole earth has been made to him and to his Ummah a Masjid (aplace for praying) to pray wherever he was, and its soil a purifier: when noclean water is available Tayammum17 can be performed using clean earth.

9-The Prophet who has the largest number of followers on the Day ofResurrection.

10-The first to enter Paradise and knock at its door.

PPeeaacceeaannddBBlleessssiinnggssooffAAllllaahhBBeeeevveerrbbeessttoowweedduuppoonnBBeelloovveeddPPrroopphheettMMuuhhaammmmaadd

17Tayammum: The ablution which is performed when no clean water is available, it involves using clean

earth (i.e. dust or soil).

this is the prophet

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