Chapter Two: The Character of the Prophet –peace be upon him– and the Secrets of His Biography

Chapter Two: The Character of the Prophet –peace be upon him– and the Secrets of His Biography
Section One: The Character of the Prophet –peace be upon him–
Section Two: Mercy in the Life of the Prophet –peace be upon him–
Section Three: Secrets of the Prophetic Biography

Section One: The Character of the Prophet –peace be upon him–
Our Prophet Muhammad –peace be upon him– was the best of creation; the purest of mankind; the highest of them in rank; the greatest of them in standing; the best of them in character; and the noblest of them with Allah –the Exalted and Most High–.

Allah chose him with knowledge and honoured him with messengership, and He aided him with revelation.

He created him upon praiseworthy traits and originated him upon noble characteristics, then He cultivated him and perfected his cultivation, and He nurtured him and perfected his nurturing. His character was the Quran, just as the Mother of the Believers –`Aa•ishah, may Allah be pleased with her– mentioned when she was asked regarding his character.

The Prophet –peace be upon him– was the main intent behind such nurturing and cultivation, after which he enlightened the rest of creation. He was nurtured by the Quran and he nurtured others by it.

After Allah perfected for him his character, He praised him by saying:
]وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٖ]
Sura al-Qalam; (68):4
]Meaning: And indeed, you are of a great moral character.]

The scholars –may Allah have mercy upon them– have written regarding his characteristics and his manners, and have discussed his forbearance; his clemency; his mercy; his compassion; his modesty; his courage; his kindness; his generosity; his honesty; his sincerity; his honour; his trustworthiness; his altruism; his humbleness; his leniency; his benevolence; and the like of such noble traits which he reached the pinnacle in.

Whoever follows his example and imitates his manners shall be granted the very best of final abodes, and a well-guarded honour.

A person is given honour, aid, and sufficiency in accordance with their adherence to the way of Prophet –peace be upon him–. Likewise, guidance, prosperity, and success are granted in accordance with adherence to his way. Thus Allah –the Almighty– made following the Prophet –peace be upon him– a condition for bliss in this life and the next, just as He made opposing him a cause of misery in this life and the next.

For his followers is guidance, security, success, honour, sufficiency, victory, leadership, aid, and a fine life in this world and the next.

And for his opponents is humiliation, disgrace, fear, misguidance, desertion, and misery in this life and the next.[465]

Spreading his praiseworthy characteristics and propagating his noble manners is from the best of ways and from the most just of paths. Doing so is a means to cutting off all corruption and quashing falsehood. Rather it is a means to honour and glory; a way to bliss; and a path to forbearance.

That which follows is a summary of what the scholars have penned regarding the character of the Prophet –peace be upon him–. The chains of transmission and referencing have been omitted as the intent is brevity, not wordiness and prolixity.

From that which has been said regarding his character is:
He was the most forbearing of people, the bravest of people, the most just of people, and the most abstinent of people.

He was the most generous of people and would sleep not possessing a single dinar or dirham. If there was anything leftover when night fell, he would not go to bed until he had given it away to someone in need.

He would only take a year’s sustenance from that which Allah provided him with, in the form of dates and barley. This was something he was pleased with for the sake of Allah. He did not refuse anybody their request, and after giving them what they had asked for, he would return to his limited sustenance. He even chose to give others from it, to the extent that on some occasions he became needy before the year ended.

He would mend his shoes, repair his garments, serve his family and cut up meat with them. He was the shyest of people and never fixed his eyes upon the face of anybody.

He would attend the invites of slaves and freemen alike, and he would accept gifts – even if they were something small, such as a drink of milk or a rabbit’s thigh, being grateful by eating from it and repaying their givers. He would not take from charity, and he was not too proud to accept the invites of bondmaids or the poor.

He would become angry for the sake of his Lord and not for himself. He would bind stones to his stomach out of hunger, occasionally eating whatever was present. He would not refuse that which was available or leave that which was permissible. If he found dates without bread, he would eat them; and if he found roasted meat, he would eat it; and if he found bread made from barley or wheat, he would eat it; and if he found something sweet such as honey, he would eat it; and if he found milk without bread, he would suffice himself with it; and if he found watermelon or fresh dates, he would eat them.

He would visit the sick, attend funerals, and walk amongst his enemy alone and unguarded.

He was the humblest of people, and the most serene of them without being haughty. He was the most eloquent of people without being wordy, and the best of mankind absolutely. Nothing of the worldly affairs worried him.

He would wear whatever was available from permissible clothing – sometimes he would wear a cloak; sometimes a striped Yemeni mantle; and sometimes a woollen jubbah (gown).

He would ride whatever he could – sometimes a horse; sometimes a camel; sometimes a grey mare; sometimes a donkey; and sometimes he would walk barefoot.

He would sit with the poor, eat with the needy, honour the virtuous for their good manners, and engage the nobles by treating them well. He would maintain good ties with his relatives, without favouring them over those of greater excellence.

He did not shun anybody; he accepted the apology of the apologiser; he would joke but never lied; he would laugh but never guffaw; he would compete with his family; and he was patient whenever anyone raised their voice at him.

None of his time passed without him either performing deeds for Allah –the Almighty– or seeing to his needs.

He never looked down upon a poor person because of their poverty or weakness, neither did he respect a king for his kingship – rather he invited them both to Allah with an equal call. Allah caused him to lead a virtuous life and granted him perfect governance, despite his illiteracy and inability to read or write.

He was raised in a desertous land of ignorance as a poor orphan who looked after sheep. Allah –the Almighty– taught him good character and praiseworthy traits and informed him about the former and later peoples. He educated him regarding that which leads to success and victory in the Hereafter, and to bliss and salvation in this world. He also instructed him to adhere to righteousness and to abandon unbeneficial matters.

He did not insult any of the believers except that he made it an expiation and a mercy for them. He never cursed or swore at a woman or servant.

He never raised his hand to hit anyone except when fighting in battle for the sake of Allah –the Almighty–. He never sought revenge for anything that was done to him unless it transgressed the bounds of Allah, and he was never given the choice between two affairs except that he chose the easier option – as long as it did not involve sin or severing the ties of kinship, as he was the furthest of people from that.

Nobody would come to him with a need except he would aid them in it; regardless of whether they were a freeman, bondsman, or bondswoman.

Muhammad –peace be upon him– was not severe or harsh, nor was he vociferous in the marketplaces. He did not requite an evil deed with one similar to it, rather he would pardon and overlook.

From his manners was that he would initiate whoever he met with the greeting of peace, and he would have patience with whoever approached him with a need until they were the ones to depart.

He did not let go of the hand of anybody that held his hand until they let go; and if he met any of his companions, he would initiate a handshake before taking hold of their hand, interlocking fingers, and squeezing tightly.

He used to sit most of the time with his shins raised while wrapping his arms around his knees – like the sitting of a person on their buttocks with their knees erected while tying them with a garment or holding them with their hands. His gathering was indistinguishable from the gatherings of his Companions, as he used to sit wherever there was space. He would never extend his legs while sitting with his Companions so that he did not restrict them, unless the area was spacious and uncrowded.

He would honour whoever entered upon him, to the extent that he would even lay his garment out for complete strangers so that they could sit upon it.

He would give preference to whoever entered upon him by giving them the cushion he was sitting upon, and if they refused, he would continue to insist until they gave in.

He made all of his Companions feel as if they were the closest of people to him; and he would give everyone that sat with him their share of his attention, time, speech, fine manners, and advice.

His gathering was one of dignity, clemency, modesty, goodness, and honesty. There was no raising of voices nor was the honour of anybody defamed. Likewise, any mistakes that occurred therein were not repeated.

‘Nor was the honour of anybody defamed’ – meaning:
the honour of the people was not mentioned in a bad light. It is said: ‘he defamed him’ if he mentioned him in a bad light. The intent behind honour here is: the dignity of the people and that which they refuse to be insulted regarding.

‘Likewise, any mistakes that occurred therein were not repeated’ – meaning that they were not mentioned again. ‘Slips’ is the plural of ‘slip’, i.e.: an unintentional mistake from saying or action. The intent is: the attendees of the Prophet’s gathering were trustworthy and averse to idle talk. If a slip occurred from one of them, the rest of them would not expose him by divulging or conveying such.

This is from the lofty etiquettes of the Arabs. Waddak bin Thumayl –who was from the poets featured in ‘al-Hamasah (An Anthology of Valour Poems)’– said in this meaning: The soundness of Ad’s intellects not be worry by those who sit in their company.

Those who sit in the company of Ad’s sound intellects need not worry * of sharp tongues if they err in speech.

The companions of Prophet Muhammad –peace be upon him– would never interrupt him while he was talking in a gathering. They would only speak when he was silent and would not differ or have prolonged arguments in his company.

They were attentive and would listen to whoever wished to speak until they had concluded their speech.

The last speaker in the gathering of the Prophet –peace be upon him– was given the same share of attention and consideration as the first speaker.

The Prophet –peace be upon him– would laugh with them, and marvel at that which they marvelled at, as long as it conformed to etiquette.

He was patient with strangers if they spoke or acted harshly, to the extent that perhaps his Companions disliked such. However, they did not put themselves forward before him, nor did they transgress that which he had taught them from patience, mercy, and helping the needy with their request.

Similarly, from his manners was that he made dialogue a foundation of his. Any unbiased and impartial person can clearly see that his life was filled with excellent discussion at the highest level, and in the best of manners and ways.

There is no strangeness in this, as the Prophet –peace be upon him– is the best of mankind, and his biography is the most exemplary example of human life.

The various stages and many phases he passed by during his lifetime include peace, war, prosperity, and hardship. He was the chosen Messenger; the obeyed chief; the compassionate father; the loyal husband; the exemplary teacher; and the sincere friend.

He would deal with the young and the old; pious and impious; believers and unbelievers; combatants and non-combatants; men and women; relatives and strangers – and in all of these instances and dealings he would implement dialogue. This was not something he merely did under false pretences without it being heartfelt or having actual results.

He would call his Companions by their teknonyms, out of respect for them and as an attraction for their hearts. He would give teknonyms to those who did not have children, and the people would call them by such. He would also give teknonyms to both the women who had children and those who had not given birth alike. Even the children he would give teknonyms to, in order to soften their hearts.

He was the furthest of people from anger and the easiest of them to please. He was the best and gentlest of mankind in his treatment of people, and he would never call anyone by a name they disliked.

The forgoing is a summary of some of the manners and characteristics of the Prophet Muhammad –peace be upon him–. May Allah grant us adherence to his way and allow us to follow his example, and may He guide us by way of his guidance.[466]

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(465) See: ‘Zad al–Ma`ad’ of Ibn Al–Qayyim (1/37).

(466) For more detail regarding that which has been mentioned see: ‘ash–Shama•il al–Muhammadiyyah’ of at–Tirmidhi (pp. 186–280, 262–283) with the checking of Muhammad `Afif az–Zu`bi. Also see: ‘al–Anwar fi Shama•il an–Nabiyy al–Mukhtar’ of al–Baghawi, with the checking of Shaikh Ibrahim al–Ya`qubi (1/161–358); ‘Akhlaq an–Nabiyy ﷺ‬’ of Abu ash–Shaykh al–Asbahani, with the checking of `Isam ad–Din as–Sababitiyy (pp. 13–98); ‘Dala•il an–Nubuwwah’ of Abu Nu`aym (pp. 551–656); ‘Ihya• `Ulum ad–Din’ (2/357–387); ‘Shama•il ar–Rasul wa Dala•il Nubuwwatihi wa Fada•ilihi wa Khasa•isihi’ of Ibn Kathir (1/73–152); & ‘al–Hiwar fi as–Sirah an–Nabawiyyah’ (pp. 238–245).

Section Two: Mercy in the Life of the Prophet –peace be upon him–
Allah –the Almighty– says in description of His Prophet –peace be upon him– while informing of His grace upon mankind:
]فَبِمَا رَحۡمَةٖ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمۡۖ وَلَوۡ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ ٱلۡقَلۡبِ لَٱنفَضُّواْ مِنۡ حَوۡلِكَۖ فَٱعۡفُ عَنۡهُمۡ وَٱسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لَهُمۡ وَشَاوِرۡهُمۡ فِي ٱلۡأَمۡرِۖ فَإِذَا عَزَمۡتَ فَتَوَكَّلۡ عَلَى ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُتَوَكِّلِينَ]
Sura aali-`Imran; (3):159
]Meaning: By mercy from Allah you were gentle with them. And if you had been rude in speech and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. Pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who rely upon Him.]

Shaikh Muhammad at-Tahir bin `Aashur –may Allah have mercy upon him– says in explanation of this verse:
“Gentleness here is a metaphor indicative of his extensive good treatment of both the people whom his call reached as well as the Muslims. It also indicates that he would overlook the harshness of the polytheists and forgive people their faults.”[467]

He –may Allah have mercy upon him– also said:
“Muhammad –peace be upon him– was sent with a gentle temperament. His gentleness was a mercy from Allah upon this nation in implementing His legislation without being overly lenient, and with clemency and assistance in its attainment. For this reason, his gentleness was coupled with mercy from Allah that He placed within him; as he was sent to all of mankind, however Allah chose that his call should be to the Arabs firstly due to a wisdom which was: so that the Arabs could convey the Islamic legislation to the world.

The Arabs are a nation known for their dignity, their intolerance to oppression, the soundness of their natural dispositions, and their intelligence.

They were the first ones to receive the religion and thus sternness and harshness did not befit them. Rather their wing needed lowering in order for the Islamic legislation to be conveyed to them, so that by way of that they could avoid obstinacy – which was the only barrier between them and compliance to the truth.

It has been reported that the forgiveness, pardoning, and mercy of the Prophet –peace be upon him– were reasons for many people embracing Islam. This is something that `Iyaadh mentioned in his book ‘ash-Shifa• (the Cure)’.[468]

Allah –the Exalted and Most High– said in clarification of the comprehensiveness of the mercy in the sending of the Messenger:
]وَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَٰكَ إِلَّا رَحۡمَةٗ لِّلۡعَٰلَمِينَ]
Sura al-Anbiyaa; (21):107
]Meaning: And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds.]

This verse affirms the attribute of mercy in one of the strongest possible ways, namely by way of restriction through the agents of negation and exclusion, thus signifying the generality of mercy.

Ibn Al-Qayyim –may Allah have mercy upon him– said:
“The most correct of the two sayings regarding the verse–:
]وَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَٰكَ إِلَّا رَحۡمَةٗ لِّلۡعَٰلَمِينَ]
Sura al-Anbiya•; (21):107
]Meaning: And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds.] – is that it is general.

Based on this premise, we understand two things:
Firstly:
The universality of the benefit of his Message. As for his followers, then they attained by way of it honour in this life and the next. Regarding his combatant enemies – those of them whose killing and death were hastened, then that was better for them than their remaining alive; as their remaining alive would have been a cause for the increase in the severity of their punishment in the Hereafter, in addition to the fact that they were already destined for misery. Thus, the hastening of their deaths was better for them than leading long lives upon disbelief.

The covenanters lived under his shade, his treaty, and his pact in the life of this world. Due to the covenant they had, their evil was less than that of those at war with him.

Concerning the hypocrites, their blood, their wealth, and their families were spared and honoured due to their outward display of faith. They were given the same rulings as the Muslims, such as inheritance laws and the like.

With regards to the remote peoples who were distant from him, then Allah the Exalted removed by way of His Message the comprehensive punishment of the entire inhabitants of the earth, and thus all of the worlds benefitted by way of His Message.

Secondly:
That he was a mercy to all of mankind. The believers accepted this mercy and thus it benefitted them in this world and the next, whereas the disbelievers refused it. This merely means that they did not accept it and does not necessitate that he was not a mercy to them. A similar example would be to say: ‘This medicine is a cure for such-and-such an illness’ – just because a person does not take it does not mean that it is not a cure for such an illness.”[469]

Shaikh Ibn `Aashur –may Allah be pleased with him– said in explanation of the foregoing verse:
“This verse contains a comprehensive description of the sending of Muhammad –peace be upon him–.

The distinguishing feature of this legislation amongst the other legislations is one that befits its universality and perpetuity, namely that it is a mercy to all of the worlds.”[470]

Until he –may Allah have mercy upon him– said:
“This is apparent from two angles: firstly: mercy was something he adorned his virtuous soul with; and secondly: mercy encompasses all aspects of his legislation.”[471]

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(467) ‘Tafsir at–Tahrir wat–Tanwir’ of the great scholar, Muhammad at–Tahir bin `Ashur (4/145).

(468) ‘Tafsir at–Tahrir wat–Tanwir’ (4/145).

(469)  ‘Jalaa• al–Afham fi Fadl as–Salah was–Salam `Alaa Khair al–Anam’ of Ibn Al–Qayyim (pp. 9).

(470) ‘Tafsir at–Tahrir wat–Tanwir’ (7/164–165).

(471) ‘Tafsir at–Tahrir wat–Tanwir’ (7/166–167); & see: ‘ar–Rahmah wal–`Athamah fi as–Sirah an–Nabawiyyah’ for more detail.

Section Three: Secrets of the Prophetic Biography
The Prophetic biography is full of lessons and of secrets, such as:
1. It is impossible to exhaust all discussion concerning the Prophetic biography regardless of how much is written regarding it. It has been said:
Concerning the biographies of the greats, then generally it is sufficient that they are written a single time, or a few times, after which there remains nothing more to mention. Any further discussion surrounding their lives becomes merely an unnecessary repetition regarding which sufficiency can be found in precedent works.

However, the biography of our Prophet Muhammad –peace be upon him– is something that historians and narrators have shown a concern for since the beginning of Islam and until today. They have written books in multiple languages upon the topic, and yet, have not exhausted discussion regarding it. On the contrary, the more that is written regarding the life of the Prophet –peace be upon him–, the more exquisite and engrossing it is.

For this reason, you will seldom find a topic pertaining to knowledge, or philosophy, or character, or manners, or morals, or ethics, or sociology, or politics, or eloquence, or language, or other than that – except that you shall find it mentioned superabundantly in the Prophetic biography, such that there remains surplus material for successive researchers.

Thus the Prophetic biography is an endless fount of goodness for all people; and although it does not rely on experiments, nor is it a theory susceptible to being proven or disproven by evidence – as is the case with scientific hypothesis that are subject to change over time – rather in origin it is based upon narrations and reports; however it is a domain with much scope for the deduction of rulings; regulations; principles related to various sciences; good manners; etiquette; and the like.[472]

2. Slander made against the Prophet –peace be upon him– is a reason for the revival of his virtues:
Many islamophobics have sought to defile the prophetic biography –either out of ignorance or obstinacy– but been unable to do so. However, in some cases this has had the opposite effect, piquing the interest of some unbiased researchers in search of the truth. Thus, they were either guided to goodness in its entirety, or at least to a portion of it.

3. Allah –the Mighty and Majestic– placed a natural interest within the people for the life of the Prophet:
Perhaps from the blessings of Allah upon His Prophet is that He caused the people –both the acceptors and deniers of his prophethood– to have an innate concern for the Prophetic biography. This is because he  is light. Therefore, whoever recognises this fact it is proof of his own cognizance, and whoever does not then it is proof of his own blindness. Regardless, light remains light.

4. Our concern for the life of the Prophet –peace be upon him– is not merely academic or theoretical;
rather the necessity of the believers for this spring of love and guidance is greater than the need of the scholars to research and study. Whoever has a trace of faith in their heart will find themselves drawn to Muhammad, desiring to strengthen their bond with him – regardless of however lax they are in religion.

Loving the Messenger of Allah is from loving Allah. Muhammad –peace be upon him– even with his lofty status, is not except a human messenger.[473]

5. The life of the Prophet –peace be upon him– has a profound effect in rectifying a person’s conduct, and in nurturing noble character as it is a reflection of the perfect example of human life in truth. By way of his sayings, his actions, and the rest of his practices, Prophet Muhammad –peace be upon him– represented the most exemplary role model which human efforts must emulate in their quest for perfection.[474]

6. All stages of the Prophetic biography are well-known, and all aspects of it are apparent.

There is no doubt that this is from the greatest secrets of its perpetuity and magnificence. It is only correct to take the biography of anyone as an example to be followed if their life was well-known and apparent; and free from faults and deficiencies.

It is clear that all stages of the life of the Messenger of Allah –peace be upon him– are apparent; from the marriage of his father, `Abdullah, to his mother, Amina, until his death.

We have much information regarding his birth; his childhood; his youth; his occupation before prophethood; and his journeys outside of Makkah before he was ennobled by Allah with prophethood.

Our knowledge regarding his circumstances post-prophethood is much clear, detailed, and thorough. This is something that made his biography as clear as the light of day, and led some Western critics to say about him: “Muhammad –peace be upon him– is the only person ever to be born whose life was like sunlight [i.e. as clear as day].”[475]

The scholars have precisely recorded his biography and have come across minute details likely to be overlooked by many.

If a reader were to open the index to one of the works on his life and his characteristics, he would see this plainly and clearly.[476]

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(472) See the introduction to: ‘Hada•iq al–Anwar wa Matali` al–Asrar’ (1/3).

(473) See the Mr. Muhammad Fathi `Abdul–Mun`im’s introduction to: ‘Muhammadun Rasulullah’ of Ahmad Taymur Basha (pp. 14–16).

(474) See the Dr. Muhammad Khalil Harras’ introduction to: ‘al–Khasa•is al–Kubra’ of as–Suyuti (1/3–4).

(475) See the introduction to: ‘Hada•iq al–Anwar wa Matali` al–Asrar’ (1/40–41).

(476) See: ‘ar–Risalah al–Muhammadiyyah’ of Sayyid Sulayman an–Nadawi (pp. 102–104).