A COMPREHENSIVE AND graceful account of the noble qualities, merciful disposition and distinctive traits of the Prophet’s character has been left by Hind ibn Abī Hālah.[1] He says:
Being care-laden with the anxiety of after-life, the Prophet would remain engrossed in the thought of the Hereafter continually for long spells, and seemed to be endlessly perturbed by it. He would often remain silent and never spoke without need. When he spoke, he pronounced each syllable distinctly,[2] and thus he would also end his speech. Whatever he said, it was always explicit and in plain terms. His speech was neither long-winded nor unnecessarily concise. He was kind-hearted and soft-spoken, never harsh or cool in his behaviour. He neither humiliated anyone nor did he himself like to be treated with disrespect.[3] The Prophet set much by every provision; even if it was small in quantity he never deprecated it. As for the edibles he never disapproved nor praised; nor did he show anger about anything of the world or what it stands for. However, whenever one failed to meet one’s obligation to God, nothing could cool down his indignation until he had paid back in full measure. But, for the wrongs done to his own person, he would never become angry.
When he pointed something out, he did so with his whole hand; and when he was astonished he turned his hand over. In speaking with another man, he would strike the palm of the left on the thumb of his right hand. Angry, he would avert his face; joyful, he would look downwards. His laughter was but a smile, and when he laughed, his teeth used to appear white as hailstones.
Alī was one of those nearest to the Apostle, a member of his family who had the opportunity to know him intimately; and he was also a keen observer of the manner and morals of men. In addition,Alī also had the power of description, capturing the essence of a subject with vividness and intensity. He says about the holy Prophet:
He was predisposed to refrain from unseemly language, curses and vilification and shameful deeds. In no wise did he say or do anything improper. He never raised his voice in a market place, nor returned evil with evil. Rather, he was given to forgive and forget. Never in his life did he lay his hands on anyone, save in a fight for the sake of God, nor did he ever strike anybody with his hand, neither a servant nor a woman. I never saw him exacting retribution for any offence or excess excepting when the honour of God was concerned or the limit set by Him was transgressed, in which case the Prophet would be more enraged than anyone else. If he had the choice between two courses, he would choose the easier one. When he came to his house, he behaved like a common man, cleaned his garments, milked the sheep and performed the household chores.
The Messenger of God was not given to idle talk; he spoke only when he was concerned and comforted the people instead of frightening them through his speech. If a man of rank or nobility from another tribe called upon him, he showed him due honour and appointed him to some respectable post. He was always as cautious in his dealings with the people as he was prudent in forming an estimate of them, although he never denied anyone his courtesy and sweet temper. He kept his Companions appraised of the events and happenings and would ask them about their affairs.
He commended what was good and deprecated what was bad or vile; strengthened the one and weakened the other; was always moderate and steadfast without going back and forth; never allowed anything to escape his attention lest others should become negligent or be distracted; he took care to possess the means for meeting every contingency and was never found wanting in doing what was right and proper but in no wise did he ever exceed the limits. Those who kept his company were all virtuous and of the elect; those best in his estimation were the most benign and courteous to all; and those most esteemed in his eyes were those who excelled others in benevolence and kindliness and helpfulness to others. The Prophet would stand up with the name of God on his lips and when he sat down. Wherever he went, he sat down in the rear and instructed others to do the same. He paid such attention to everyone attending his meetings that each considered that none attracted his notice like himself. If anybody asked him to sit down or spoke of his affair, the Apostle listened to him patiently and gave heed to him until he had finished his talk and departed. If anybody asked for something or wanted his help, he never allowed him to leave without disposing of his business or at least comforting him with words kind and sweet. Such was his grace and kindness to one and all that everybody took him as his father. In regard to what was right and proper he regarded all on the same plane. His were the gatherings of knowledge and edification, of seemliness and modesty, of earnestness and probity. Neither did anybody talk in a loud voice, or censure others, or cast a reflection on anybody, or found fault with others; all were equal on even ground, and only those enjoyed a privilege who were more pious and God-fearing. In his meetings, the elders were held in reverence, the youth were treated kindly, those in need were given preference by all and the wayfarers and strangers were afforded protection and looked after.
Further he says:
Of a cheerful disposition, the Apostle of God was always bright and radiant; he was tenderhearted[4] and sweet tempered; not stern by nature, he never spoke harshly; nor was he accustomed to speaking loudly; nor to saying anything unseemly or lewd; nor yet did he find fault with others; he was not stingy or miserly; if he disliked the request made to him, he simply ignored it and instead of refusing it outright he gave no reply. From three things he always kept aloof; one was squabble, the other, arrogance, and the third, dabbling in a futile task. And the three things he spared others were that he never spoke ill of anyone, nor maligned anyone, nor pried into anyone’s failings; He gave tongue only to the things which were decent. When he spoke all those present listened to him attentively lowering their heads as if birds were perched on them.[5] Others spoke only when the Apostle had finished his talk, nobody joined issue with others in his presence and when anybody said something others kept quiet until he had finished his talk. The Prophet of God would smile at remarks which made others laugh and expressed surprise over things which astonished others. He always gave heed to the wayfarers and would put up patiently with the rudeness of strangers until his Companions diverted the attention of such persons. He used to say: Help those whom you find in need. He gave ear only to such tributes as were modestly worded and never interrupted nor cut in the talk of others. If anybody exceeded the limits, he either forbade him or got up to cut short such prattle.
He was the most generous, large-hearted, truthful, element, lenient and amiable. One who saw him for the first time was overawed, but when one kept his company and came to know him intimately, one became attached to him like an inseparable companion. Those who had seen him say that they never saw a man like him either before or after him-May God bestow peace and blessings on His Apostle.[6]
God had endowed His Prophet with an impressive personality. His features displayed a harmonious blending of lovely elegance and grace, sublime splendour and impressiveness. Says Hind ibn Abī Hālah, “He was self-respecting, graceful and pleasing to the eyes set on him. His face had the brilliance of a full moon.”[7]
Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib relates, “God’s Messenger was of medium height. I saw him once wearing a red robe and had never seen anyone more beautiful than him.”[8] Abū Hurayrah says: “The Prophet was of a moderate height, slightly taller than short, his complexion was very fair, his beard was black, the mouth was of moderate size and pretty, the eyelashes were long, the shoulders were broad-I have never seen a man like him, either before or after him.”[9] Anas reports, “I have not touched any brocade or silk softer than the palm of God’s Messenger nor smelt anything sweeter than the Prophet’s scent.”[10]
LOVE OF GOD
The holy Prophet was the Messenger of God, the chosen and the exalted, all of whose sins,[11] past and yet to come, had been forgiven by the Lord, yet he was the most painstaking, eager and earnest in paying homage to God.
Al-Mughīrah ibn Shu’bah reported that the Prophet once got up at night and stood praying for such a long time that his feet became swollen. When he was asked why he did this since all of his past and future sins had been forgiven, he replied, “Should I then not be a grateful servant (of God)?”[12]
‘Ā’ishah relates that the Apostle of God once stayed awake throughout the night and till morning reciting only one verse. Reporting on the same event Abū Dharr says that the Prophet kept praying throughout the night reciting one verse until the dawn appeared. The verse he recited was:
If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, You, only You are the Mighty, the Wise.[13]
‘Ā’ishah says, “The Apostle of God would fast to such an extent that we thought he would never give it up, and when he would go without fasting we thought that perhaps he would never fast again.”[14]
Anas reports that whoever wanted to see the Prophet praying at night could do so[15] and similarly one could see him sleeping.
‘Abdullāh ibn ash-Shikhkhīr says that once he went to see the Prophet. He was then offering prayers and sobbing-the sound emitting from his chest was like that of a boiling pot.[16]
The Apostle was never at ease except when he performed the prayers. It seemed that even after saying his prayers, he eagerly looked forward to the time when he would again be paying homage to God. The Apostle often remarked: “The comfort of my eyes lies in prayers.”[17]
The Companions of the Prophet relate that whenever he had any trouble he would prostrate in supplication to God.[18]
“Whenever the wind blew at night,” says Abū’d-Dardā’, “the Apostle of God took shelter in the mosque until it became calm. And whenever there was a solar or lunar eclipse, the Prophet got up in trepidation seeking refuge from God until it was over and the sky was clear.”[19] The Apostle always seemed solicitous to commune with God; uneasy and restless until he had again fallen prone before the Lord. Oftentimes he sent for Bilāl and said, “Bilāl, make arrangements for prayers and put me at ease.”[20]
INDIFFERENCE TO THE WORLD
Not the most apt words, arranged in the best order, in any language can adequately depict the way God’s Messenger looked at dirham and dīnār, wealth and property and the world and all that it stands for. Indeed, even the disciples who had served their time at the feet of the Apostle’s Companions or the disciples of such disciples regarded fortunes and treasure unfit even to fill a hole in the dust. Their pure and pious lives, their indifference to wealth and worldly possessions, the way they showered bounty on one and all and preferred others over their own selves, their contentedness with the barest minimum and their heroic selflessness and self-denial take one’s breath away.[21] One can only picture to oneself the nobleness of heart and open-handed generosity as well as self-abnegation and unearthly disposition of the great teacher who had enlarged the minds of all the later pious souls.
We shall, therefore, cite here only a few of those authentic reports which have been handed down by the most trustworthy narrators since the Prophet’s own words and actions can best illustrate his outlook and sentiments in this regard.
Two of the well known sayings of the Apostle of God which sum up his attitude towards worldly life are: “O God, truly life is the life of the hereafter,” and “What have I to do with the world! My only business with it is like that of a rider who finds shade under a tree, then goes off and leaves it.”[22]
Umar once saw the Apostle lying on a reed mat which had left its marks on his body.Umar gave way to tears at the frugal living and privation of his mentor. The Prophet asked, “What’s the matter, Umar?” He replied, “O Messenger of God, of all the creatures of God, you are the most venerated, but it is Caesar and Chosroes who are rolling in the lap of luxury.”Umar’s reply made the Apostle’s blood boil in anger and his face became red. He said, ‘Umar have you any doubt about it?” Then he added, “These are the men who have been given all the pleasures of life in advance here in this world.”[23]
God’s Messenger rejected the life of ease not only for his own self but also for his dependents. He was heard praying, “O God, make the provision of Muhammad’s family sufficient only to sustain life.”[24] Abū Hurayrah says, “By Him in whose hands, is Abū Hurayrah’s life, the Apostle of God and his family never had wheat bread continuously for three days until he departed from this world.”[25]
‘Ā’ishah relates “We, the members of the Prophet’s household caught sight of one moon and then the next, but no fire was lighted in our hearth. We had to live only on dates and water.”[26]
The Prophet’s coat of mail had been pawned with a Jew but he had not enough money to get it back from him. When the Messenger of God departed from the world the coat of mail was still with the Jew.
The Prophet proceeded to perform the Farewell Pilgrimage followed by a huge crowd which obscured the horizon at a time when the entire Arabian Peninsula had acknowledged his spiritual and temporal supremacy. Yet, the saddle of his dromedary was outworn covered by a sheet which was worth not more than four dirhams. The prayer he then sent up to God was, “O Allāh, make it a hajj devoid of all pretensions and show.”[27]
Abū Dharr reports the Apostle telling him on an occasion, “I would hate to possess as much gold as Mount Uḥud and then to allow three days to pass with a single dīnār remaining with me except that which I may hold back for the cause of religion. Rather, I would give it away to God’s servant this way and that, on my right and left and in the back.”[28]
Jābir ibn Abdullāh says that it never happened that God’s Messenger was asked to give anything and he said “No” in reply. IbnAbbās testifies that in generosity and munificence the Apostle of God was swifter than the wings of the wind.[29] Anas says that once when a man asked the Apostle to give him something, he gave him a flock of sheep enough to fill the space between two hillocks. The man returned to his people and said to them, “O people, embrace Islam. Muhammad gives so open-handedly as if he fears not poverty.” Another time, ninety thousand dirhams were presented to the Prophet. He asked to heap them up on a mat and then started giving it away. Nobody who asked for it was denied until the entire heap of money disappeared.
NATURAL DISPOSITION
The holy Prophet had an excessive zeal for devotions to God, his uninterrupted communion with the Lord took the shape of extensive orisons and vigils, supplications and lamentations; and his indifference to the world surpassed the abstinence of hermits and ascetics but he was never wanting in sympathy and compassion, courtesy and mannerly behaviour to one and all; nor was he ever lax in restoring justice to one whom it was denied or in bidding welcome to everyone according to his status and position. Once he said to Anas, “If you know what I know, you would laugh little and weep a great deal.”
The Apostle came of the noblest stock, yet he was very modest, exceedingly large-hearted and most sweet tempered; he never kept aloof from his Companions; cherished a kind and tender disposition towards children and often took them in his lap; accepted the invitation to eat with the slaves and maidservants, the poor and the indigent; visited the sick even if he had to go to the farthest corner of the city and always accepted excuses offered for misdeeds.[30] He was never seen stretching his legs whilst sitting with his Companions lest anyone of them should feel inconvenienced.
‘Abdullāh ibn al-Ḥārith reports that he had not seen anyone smiling so often and with a more cheerful disposition than the Apostle of God.[31] Jābir ibn Samurah says that he had joined the sittings of the Apostle and his Companions more than a hundred times. He saw the Companions listening and reciting poems, describing some incident of the pagan past while the Apostle of God either sat silently or smiled with them at some amusing remark. Sharīd states that the Prophet asked him to recite the verses of Umayyah ibn Abī ‘ṣ-Ṣalt and he recited them.[32]
The Apostle was extremely kindhearted and affectionate-the finest human sentiments and virtues were discernible in his character. Anas ibn Mālik heard God’s Apostle saying to Fāṭimah, “Bring my two sons.”[33] In a moment they came running and the Prophet kissed and embraced them.[34] Another time the Prophet summoned his grandson, Ḥasan ibn ‘Alī. He came running falling into the Prophet’s lap and passing his finger through his beard. The Prophet opened his mouth and put his mouth in his mouth.
Fāṭimah tells that when the Prophet’s freedman Zayd ibn Ḥārithah came to Madīnah, the Prophet was in his house. Zayd knocked at the door. The Prophet immediately got up to greet him although he was not properly dressed. His mantle hanging loosely on his shoulders, he went out to receive Zayd, shook hands with him and kissed him.[35]
Usāmah ibn Zayd reports that one of the Prophet’s daughters sent him a message telling him that a son of hers was at the ebb of life, asking him to come to her. The Prophet sent her greeting, saying at the same time, “What God has taken away belongs to Him and what He has given belongs to Him, and He has appointed a time for everyone; so let her be patient and seek her reward from God.” She then sent for him adjuring him to come to her, and he got up to go accompanied by us. The boy who was at the last gasp was brought to the Prophet who took him in his lap, his eyes overflowing with tears. Sa’d asked, “What is this, O Messenger of God?” He replied, “This is compassion which God deposits in the hearts of His servants of whom He will. Verily, God shows compassion to those who are compassionate.”[36]
When the prisoners taken in the battle of Badr including Abbās were tied, the Apostle could not sleep because of the groaning of Abbās. The Anṣār, on learning of the Prophet’s unease, untied him. The Prophet was pleased with the Anṣār but when it was suggested to him that Abbās should be set free on payment of an indemnity, he refused the request since he did not like to discriminate between Abbās and other prisoners.[37]
A Bedouin came to the Apostle and said, “You kiss your children but we do not.” The Apostle replied, “What can I do if God has withdrawn compassion from your hearts.”[38]
The Prophet was extremely kind to the children and was always considerate and benevolent to them. Anas says that God’s Messenger passed by some children who were playing. The Prophet greeted them.[39] He also reports that the Prophet used to mingle with us and ask my younger brother, “Abū ‘Umayr, what has happened to your bird?”[40]
He was very soft and merciful to Muslims, and was very tolerant, overlooking their occasional weariness and listlessness.
Abdullāh ibn Masūd says that the Prophet would intersperse his exhortations and counsels to the people lest they should get tired with them. Although prayer was most pleasing to him, he would always cut it short if the cry of any child reached his ears. He said once, “When I stand up for prayers I intend to make it long, but when I hear any child crying I shorten it for fear that his mother might be distressed.”[41]
Ibn Mas’ūd narrates that someone said to the Prophet, “O Messenger of God, I swear by Allāh that I keep away from the morning prayer on account of so and so who makes it too long.” Ibn Mas’ūd further says that he never saw the Apostle more angry than when he saw him while giving an exhortation after that incident. He said, “There are some among you who scare the people away; so whoever of you leads a prayer, let him be brief, for the weak and the aged and those who have a business to attend are present.”[42]
It is also related that Anjashah was a singer of camel-songs who had a beautiful voice and used to lead the dromedaries of women. Anjashah’s melodious singing made the camels go quickly which disturbed the women. Hence the Prophet said to him, “Gently Anjashah, do not break the glass vessels.”[43]
God had made the Apostle’s heart as clear as a crystal, bearing no ill will against anybody. Once he said to his Companions, “None of you should denounce another before me, for I like to come out to you without any ill-feeling.”[44]
God’s Messenger was benign and gracious to all the Muslims as if he were their father. He treated everyone of them like his family members, as if they were his own charge. Or, the affection he had for them was like that of a mother for her child, for he had never had an eye to their wealth and property or their prosperity but he always deemed it his duty to lighten their burdens and to clear their debts. He would say, “Whoever leaves some property as a legacy, it belongs to his heirs, but his unpaid debts are my responsibility.”[45]
There is yet another report citing the Apostle: “No Muslim has a patron closer unto him than I. Or, if you wish, recite the verse: ‘The Prophet is closer to the believer than their selves’[46]; for the property left by anyone goes to his nearest kin, whoever they may be. But if one dies leaving a debt, he (the creditor) should come to me since I am the patron of the deceased and responsible for discharging his debts.”[47]
MODERATION AND SEEMLINESS
The cardinal virtues of the Prophet, the geniality and seemliness of his character, which would remain a shining example of decorous behaviour for the coming generations, present as well as future, consisted in his innate moderation, refined taste and gracefulness, restraint and temperance and even-handedness which always kept him on the middle path. ‘Ā’ishah relates that the God’s Messenger was never given his choice between two things but that he would take the easier course provided it involved no sin-for if it did, no one kept farther away from it than him.[48]
The Prophet disliked pretension and airs no less than he detested asceticism, self-mortification and renouncement of what was the just claim of one’s body and soul.
Abū Hurayrah reported the Apostle as saying, “The religion is ease, if anyone overdoes it, it will wear him down. So take to moderation and steer an even course, approximate, and give good tidings, and get strength through prayer in the morning, the evening, and some part of the night.”
The Prophet also advised: “Exert only as much as you have strength, for, by God, Allāh will never tire until you grow weary.” Ibn ‘Abbās relates that the Apostle of God was asked about the religion most liked by God. He replied, “The religion of ease and sincerity.”[49]
Abdullāh ibn Masūd reported God’s Messenger as saying, “They are doomed who overdo or deal sternly or are given to hair-splitting.”[50]
The Companions sent by the Apostle for the education of or exhortation to any tribe were commanded by him: “Make it easy, not hard-gladden the hearts, don’t frighten them off.”
Abdullāh ibnAmr ibn al-‘Āṣ tells that the Prophet said: “God likes to see the marks of His bounty on His servant.”[51]
THE PROPHET IN HIS HOUSE
The Apostle of God kept busy at home like a common man. As ‘Ā’ishah relates, he would clean his clothes, milk the sheep and do odd jobs. She also says that he would mend his clothes, repair his shoes and carry out similar other works. When asked how the Prophet occupied himself at home, she replied, “He would keep himself busy with household chores and went out when the time for prayer came.”[52]
In another report related on her authority, she is reported to have said,
“The Prophet of God would repair his shoes, mend his clothes and occupied himself at home, just as any of you occupy yourself.”[53]
Ā’ishah relates, “God’s Messenger was very kindhearted, the kindliest of all, He laughed often and smiled much.”[54] Anas says that he had not seen a man more element to his household members than the Apostle of God. It is related on the authority ofĀ’ishah that the Prophet said, “The best of you is one who is kindest to his wife and children and I am the kindest among you.”[55]
Abū Hurayrah said that the Prophet never expressed disapproval of any food, if he desired he ate it, and if he disliked he left it alone.
SELFLESSNESS
It was a settled principle with the Prophet that he always kept to the fore his own kith and kin and those who were near to him in facing a risk or hazard but allotted them the last place in distributing favours and rewards and spoils of war. When the three well-known swordsmen of Quraysh, Utbah ibn Rabīah, Shaybah ibn Rabīah and Walīd ibnUtbah challenged the Muslims to single combat at Badr, the Prophet sent forward Ḥamzah, Alī andUbaydah although he knew about the valour of enemy combatants and also had a number of veterans among the Muhājirīn and the Anṣār who could have successfully fought with the Quraysh warriors. All three, Ḥamzah, Alī andUbaydah, belonged to the Prophet’s own clan, Banū Hāshim, and were his nearest relatives. The Apostle also held them dear and disliked to imperil others for the sake of keeping his kindred out of danger. God helped the three to emerge from the combat successful; Ḥamzah and Alī came back safe and triumphant whileUbaydah was brought back mortally wounded.
Again, when the Prophet disallowed usury and abolished the blood vengeance belonging to the pre-Islamic period on the occasion of the Farewell Pilgrimage he declared, “The usury of the pre-Islamic period is abolished, and the first of our usury I abolish is that of Abbās ibnAbd al-Muṭṭalib. Claims of blood vengeance belonging to the pagan past have been abolished and the first of those murdered among us whose blood vengeance I remit is that of the son of Rabī’ah ibn al-Ḥārith.”[56]
Unlike the kings, rulers and political leaders, the Prophet of God always kept his kith and kin in the background, giving preference to others when handing out gifts and rewards. Alī relates that Fāṭimah had to work hard in grinding corn. So when she got the news that some slave girls had been brought to the Prophet, she went to him and requested that one to be given to her. The Prophet, however, did not accede to her request. Fāṭimah then mentioned the matter toĀ’ishah, who talked to the Prophet about Fāṭimah’s trouble. Relating this incident ‘Alī says: “The Apostle of God visited us when we had gone to bed. We were about to get up but he told us to stay where we were. He then sat down near me and I felt the coldness of his feet on my chest. He then said, ‘Let me guide you to something better than what you have asked. When you go to bed, say Subḥān Allāh (Glory be to God) thirty-three times, Al-ḥamdu li-Llāh (Praise be to God) thirty-three times, and Allāhu akbar (God is most great) thirty-four times. This will be better for you than a servant.”[57]
In another report of the same incident handed down through another source, the Prophet is also reported to have said, “By God, I cannot give you anything at the time when the bellies of my Companions of Ṣuffah[58] have been hollowed by hunger. I have nothing to meet their expenses and I will sell these to provide for them.”[59]
INSTINCTIVE MAGNIFICENCE
Great was the responsibility lying on the Apostle; teaching of God’s truth in its purity, inviting the people to take the path of truth and virtue; guarding and guiding the nascent Islamic community; and the cares and anxieties for the suffering humanity were the charges heavier than flesh and blood can bear.
In between all these worries, stresses and strains we find the most sublime instincts of grace and goodness reflecting his worthiness and excellence of heart. In spite of his dauntless spirit of resolution and singleness of purpose which have always been the distinguishing features of the Prophet, the Apostle of God could never forget those faithful friends and Companions who had accepted his mission in its initial stages and made the supreme sacrifice of laying down their lives in the battle of Uḥud. He would talk about them often, invoking divine blessings upon them and would pay visits to them.
Such was this immortal love, with an element of the transcendent in it, that it had gone beyond the flesh and blood and penetrated the inanimate hills and stones and ravines where these brilliant spectacles of noble love and sacrifice had played out. His Companions relate that they heard him saying, “this is the hill that loves me and which I love.”[60] Anas ibn Mālik says that when the Messenger of God caught sight of Uḥud, he said, “This is the hill that loves me and which I love.” Abī Ḥumayd reports that he accompanied the Apostle while returning from Tabūk. When they came near Madīnah, the Prophet of God said, “This is Ṭābah,[61] and this is the hill which loves me and which I love.”[62]
Uqbah tells that God’s Messenger went to the Martyrs of Uḥud and prayed for their salvation.[63] Jābir ibnAbdullāh relates that when the martyrs of Uḥud were once mentioned to the Prophet he said, “I swear to God that I would have liked to be sleeping with these martyrs by the side of this hill.” The Apostle had borne with equanimity the shock of Ḥamzah’s death, who had been his loving uncle as well as foster brother and had parted with his life fighting valiantly for the cause of Islam. He had also remained calm and composed about what had been done to Ḥamzah’s dead body. But when he passed by the houses of Banū ‘Abd al-Ashhal while returning to Madīnah, he heard the lamentations over the dead. Overcome with the grief for the departed comrade, his eyes gave way to tears and he said, “But there are no women to mourn over Ḥamzah!”[64]
But however noble and sublime and overflowing with human kindness these instincts and emotions were, the Apostle of God never allowed them to trammel his mission or to disrupt the divine injunctions. Historians and biographers of the Prophet relate that when Sad ibn Muādh and Usayd ibn Ḥuḍayr came back to the settlement of Banū ‘Abd al-Ashhal, they ordered their women to gird themselves and go and weep for Ḥamzah. They did as they had been told and when the Apostle came he found them weeping at the door of his mosque. But, he told then, “May God have mercy on you, go back. Your presence has been enough for my consolation.” It has been narrated by another Companion that on seeing the women the Apostle asked “What is it?” When he was told that the Anṣār had sent their women to weep over Ḥamzah, he invoked God’s mercy for the Anṣār and paid compliments to them for their love to him but also added, “I did not mean that. I do not like lamentation over the dead.” Thereafter the Apostle forbade mourning for the dead.[65]
An occasion still more poignant was when Wahshī, the slayer of Ḥamzah, stood before the Apostle of God. The enemies of Islam deemed the Muslim conquest of Makkah as the darkest hour of their lives. A number of them had no hesitation deciding that it would now be well-nigh impossible for them to remain at Makkah. They decided to flee to Syria, Yemen, or some other place for fear of their lives. Their friends, however, told them: “Woe to you, Muhammad does not kill anyone who enters his religion.” Almost all these former enemies returned and embraced Islam. None of them had the least speck of fear in his heart on appearing before the Apostle after pledging allegiance to Islam, nor did the Apostle say a word to cast any doubt on their sincerity or to terrify them. And so it happened with Wahshī also. The Apostle of God learnt from Wahshī, after he had accepted Islam, how he had killed Ḥamzah. It was but natural that the Prophet was grieved and harrowed to know about Wahshī’s ghastly crime, but he did not allow his pain to get the better of his responsibility as the Apostle of God. He neither refused to admit Wahshī to the fold of Islam nor had him slain for his crime. All he said to Wahshī was, “O man, hide your face from me and never let me see you again.” Wahshī would avoid the Apostle of God so that he should not see him, until the time arrived for the Apostle’s departure.[66]
These nobler emotions or tender feelings reflecting the warm-heartedness of the Prophet were laid bare when he visited an old, dilapidated grave. Then, those with him found him in turmoil, and he said, “This is the grave of Āminah.” This was many years after the death of the Apostle’s mother.[67]
MILDNESS, COURTESY AND FORBEARANCE
In his good manners, gentleness cordiality, sympathy and forbearance the Messenger of God has left a perpetual and living example of noble behaviour for all mankind. Truly, he stood on such an exalted plane of graceful and courteous deportment that God extolled him in the Qur’ān:
And verily you are of a high and noble nature.[68]
The Apostle once told the Companions. “God Himself has disciplined me, a discipline in the best manner.”
Jābir reported the Apostle as saying: “God has raised me to perfect moral virtues and seemly behaviour.”[69]
When Ā’ishah was asked about the character of the Prophet, she replied, “His character was the Qur’ān.”[70]
Indeed, such was his tolerance and forbearance, sympathy, graciousness and magnanimity that even the painters of souls with the gift of speech would seldom find words adequate to catch his likeness. Had the accounts about him not been handed down with the greatest caution by the most trustworthy narrators, it would have been difficult for one to accept them. But all these accounts have been transmitted with the greatest care by many narrators, each testifying to the piety, veracity, acumen and intelligence of the other from whom he learnt of an event, and, then, the reports transmitted through different sources and channels so corroborate one another that in their genuineness and authenticity they form a class by themselves in the entire continuous and methodical records of public events. There is, thus, not the least doubt that every unbiased student of these records will come to the conclusion that never has there existed a historical document which was more firmly based on facts or better authenticated by external and internal evidence than the ḥadīth of the Prophet which represent the high point of the science of history.
A few incidents given here illustrate the Prophet’s tenderness and mercy towards the people. The clemency of the merciful Apostle of God made no distinction between a friend and a foe. Abdullāh ibn Ubayy was the leader of hypocrites whose revengeful attitude had always created difficulties for the Prophet. But when he died and had been placed in his grave, the Apostle of God arrived and asked him to be taken out. He then placed him on his knees, blew some of his saliva over him, and clothed him with his shirt.[71]
Anas reports: “Once when I was walking with the Prophet who was wearing a Najrānī cloak with a coarse fringe, a nomadic Arab met him and gave his cloak a violent tug. I saw that the man’s tug had left a mark on the neck of God’s Apostle. The nomad said, ‘Command that I be given some of God’s property that you have, Muhammad.’ The Apostle turned round to him and laughed, and then ordered that he should be given something.”[72]
Zayd ibn Sānah came to the Prophet and demanded payment of the money that the Prophet owed him. Then he violently pulled the Prophet’s cloak from his shoulder, caught hold of it and addressed him rudely, saying, “You son ofAbd al-Muṭṭalib are dilly-dallying.” Umar rebuked and reproached him but the Prophet kept smiling and said toUmar. “This man was entitled to better treatment from you. You ought to have advised me to repay the loan promptly and asked him to make his demand politely.” Then, turning to Zayd, the Prophet said, “There are still three days to go till the appointed time for repayment.” At the same time he asked Umar, to repay the loan and give Zayd twenty ṣā’s more so as to compensate him for his threatening attitude towards Zayd. The gracious and obliging behaviour of God’s Apostle caused Zayd to embrace Islam.[73]
Anas relates that once a band of eighty armed men of Makkah suddenly appeared at Wādī at-Tan’īm with the intention of making a sudden attack on the Apostle of God. They were all captured but the Apostle spared their lives.[74]
Relating an incident when Jābir went with the Apostle of God on an expedition, he says: “At midday the time for a siesta came during the journey. The valley was full of thorny bushes. The Apostle of God went to take rest under an acacia tree on which he hung his sword. We also dispersed to take a break under other trees. All of a sudden the Prophet called us and we saw that a nomadic Arab was sitting by his side. When we went to him he said, ‘I was sleeping when this man came and unsheathed my sword against me. When I awoke I saw him standing over my head with the drawn sword, and he was asking me: “Who can now protect you from me?” I replied, “Allāh”, and he sheathed the sword. Then he sat down and now he is before you.'” It is related that God’s Apostle did not exact any vengeance on the nomad.[75]
Every Companion of the Prophet was sufficiently forbearing to throw the most pious soul into shade but the long-suffering patience of God’s Messenger rose above the patience of all of them. He was their kindhearted teacher and mentor and guide from whom all drew inspiration. An incident related by Abū Hurayrah illustrates the breadth and greatness of the Apostle’s heart. Once, a Bedouin passed urine in the holy Mosque. The Companions jumped at him and grabbed him for the sacrilegious act, but the Apostle commanded, “Let him alone. Pour a bucket or two of water over what he has passed, for you have been sent to make things easy and not to make things difficult.”[76]
Another Companion, Mu’Āwiyah ibn al-Ḥakam reports, “I sneezed while praying along with the Apostle of God and said: ‘God have mercy on you!’ The people around stared down at me, so I said, ‘Woe is me! What do you mean by looking askance at me?’ They began to strike their bands on their thighs. Now I understood that they wanted me to be silent and I kept quiet. When the Apostle of God, for whom I would give my father and mother as ransom as I have seen no teacher better than him before or after, finished his prayer, by God, he neither rebuked, nor beat, nor reviled me. He simply said to me, “No talk is fitting during the prayer, for it consists only of the glorification of God, declaration of His greatness and recitation of the Qur’ān.”[77]
Anas has also related many an instance of the Prophet’s leniency, sympathy and noble mindedness. He says that God’s Apostle was very generous and kind. If anybody in need approached him for anything, he gave it to him or at least made a promise for the same. Once, when the Apostle had taken his place to lead the prayer, a desert Arab stepped forward and holding his cloak said, “I stand in need but I fear lest I should forget it.” The Prophet went with him and prayed after he had satisfied him.
Recounting the indulgent and long-suffering nature of the Apostle Anas has cited certain instances of the time when he was a young lad. He says, “I served the Prophet of God for ten years but he never blamed me for doing anything or leaving anything undone.”[78]
Suād ibnUmar called upon the Prophet when, as he says, her cloak bore some marks of a scent mixed with saffron. The Prophet exclaimed, “Saffron! Saffron! Lay off! Lay off! and hit me with a stick on my stomach which caused me a little pain. Su’Ād said, “O Apostle of God, now I have a right to make requital.” The Prophet bared his belly at once and said, “Have your revenge.”[79]
MODESTY
The Prophet was absolutely unassuming and modest. He hated to put on airs or to make himself conspicuous on any occasion. He did not even like the people to stand up to showing him respect nor did he allow anybody to extol him in the way the followers of other religions had praised their prophets. He was the Messenger and servant of God and he wanted himself to be known by others in a like manner, neither more, nor less. Anas said that no man was dearer to the Companions than God’s Messenger, but they never stood up on seeing him for they knew his dislike for that.[80]
Once the Prophet was addressed as “Best of creation.” He promptly replied, “That was the position that Ibrāhīm enjoyed.”[81]
‘Umar reported the Prophet saying. “Do not exalt me as the Christians have exalted Jesus, the son of Mary. I am but His servant, so call me God’s servant and Messenger.”[82]
‘Abdullāh ibn Abī Awfā’ reports: “The Apostle of God never disdained to accompany a slave or a widow to accomplish their tasks.”[83] Anas says that any slave-girl or maidservant of Madīnah could take the Prophet by his hand and say whatever she liked and take him wherever she liked.[84]
When Adī ibn Ḥātim came to see the Apostle, he called him inside his house. A maidservant brought a cushion to rest on but the Prophet placed it between him andAdī and sat down on the floor. ‘Adī later said that he realised immediately that the Prophet was not a king.[85]
Anas reported that the Apostle of God would visit the sick, attend funerals, ride on donkeys and accept the invitations of slaves to a meal.[86]
Jābir states that the Prophet would slow down his pace for the sake of the weak and also prayed for them.[87]
Anas said: The Prophet accepted an invitation even if he was presented barley bread and soup whose taste had changed.”[88] He also reports the Prophet as saying, “I am God’s servant. I eat like a servant and sit like a servant.”[89]
Abdullāh ibnAmr ibn al-‘Āṣ said: “Once when the Messenger of God came to my house, I gave him a cushion filled with bark, but he sat down on the floor placing the cushion between me and him.”[90]
The Apostle would tidy up his house, tether the camels, feed the animals, take food with his servants, and help them in kneading flour and bringing provisions from the market.[91]
COURAGE AND SHYNESS
Courage and shyness are often regarded as conflicting traits but the two were balanced the Prophet’s nature in like manner. Being extremely modest, he blushed like a maiden, as Abū Sā’id Khudrī described, if he came across anything shocking or outrageous. On such occasions his countenance would change showing his displeasure.[92] Such was his coyness that he was even diffident to express anything disagreeable to one’s face and usually asked somebody else to do the job for him. Anas reports that the clothes of a man present in one of his sittings were hued in a yellowish colour. Since the Prophet did not like to say anything displeasing to anyone, he said to others, when the man had got up to leave, “It would have been better if you had told him to give up using the colour yellow.”[93]
‘Ā’ishah relates that if the Prophet came to know of a misdeed that someone had committed, he would never asked why he had done it. What he would say on such occasions was, “What has happened to the people that say or do such a thing?” He deprecated the wrong but never named the wrongdoer.[94]
As for the dauntless courage and valour of the Prophet of God, the testimony of ‘Alī, the lion of God, suffices to illustrate the point. He says: “When the battle became fierce and the eyes seemed to be coming out of the sockets, we were wont to look for the Prophet in order to find a refuge behind him. Then, we found none closing upon the enemy as the Prophet. This was how it happened in Badr. We were taking shelter behind the Prophet who was then going at the enemy more closely than any one of us.”[95]
Anas said, “The Apostle of God was extremely handsome, most generous and the bravest of men. One night when the people in Madīnah were in a panic and some went in the direction of the sound they had heard, they were met by the Prophet who had gone in that direction ahead of them, and he was saying, ‘don’t fear, don’t fear.’ He was then on a bareback horse without a saddle belonging to Abū Ṭalḥah and had a sword slung on his neck. Praising the horse he said, ‘I found it swift and rushing ahead like an ocean.'”[96]
In the battles of Uḥud and Ḥunayn when the Muslims had fallen back and the bravest among them were unable to stand the charge of the enemy, the Apostle of God had stuck to his position, riding his mule, as if nothing had happened, and was calling out, “I am the Prophet without falsehood! I am the son of ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib!”
MERCY AND COMPASSION
God’s Messenger was the kindliest of men just as he excelled all others in courage and valour. Being extremely kindhearted, his eyes brimmed with tears at the slightest sign of inhumanity. Shaddād ibn Aws reports the Apostle as saying: “Indeed Allāh has prescribed excellence in all things. Thus, if you kill, kill well; and if you slaughter, slaughter well. Let each one of you sharpen his blade and let him spare suffering to the animal he slaughters.”[97]
Ibn ‘Abbās relates that a man threw a goat on its side and then started sharpening his knife. When the Prophet saw him he said, “Do you want to kill it twice? Why did you not sharpen the knife before throwing it on the ground?”
The Apostle forbade his Companions to keep animals hungry or thirsty, to disturb or to overburden them. He commended that kindliness and putting them at ease were meritorious acts tending to bring man nearer to God.
Abū Hurayrah reports the Prophet as saying: “A traveller who was thirsty saw a well on the way. He got inside the well and when he came out he saw a dog licking mud because of thirst. The man realised that the dog must be as thirsty as he was and so he got into the well again, filled his leather sack with water and carried it out holding it with his teeth. And thus he quenched the thirst of the dog. God was pleased with this act of kindness and pardoned his sins. The Companions asked, ‘O Messenger of God, is there recompense in the matter of beasts and wild animals also?’ The Prophet replied, ‘there is recompense in regard to every creature that has a living heart.'”[98]
Abdullāh ibn Umar told that the Prophet said, “A woman was cast away into the hell only because she had denied food and water to her cat and refused to set it free so that the cat might satisfy its hunger by taking worms and insects.”[99]
Suhayl ibn ar-RabīibnAmr states that the Apostle of God came across a camel so famished that its belly had shrunk to its back. He said, “Fear God in the matter of these creatures. If you ride them, ride when they are healthy and if you eat them, eat them when they are in a good condition.”[100]
Abdullāh ibn Jafar narrated the incident that once the Prophet entered the enclosure of one of the Anṣār where there was a camel which started groaning on seeing the Prophet, tears running down its eyes. The Prophet went near it, patted it on its hump and face which set it at ease. Then the Apostle asked who its owner was. The Anṣārī youth came and said: “O Messenger of God, it belongs to me.” The Prophet said to him, “Do you not fear God in the matter of this beast although He has made you its owner? It complained to me that you bore hard upon it and always kept it at work.”[101]
Abū Hurayrah quoted the Apostle as saying, “When you travel in a fertile country do not deny the camels their due from the ground, and when you travel in a land barren and dry, cover it with speed. When you encamp at night keep away from the roads, for they are where the beasts pass and are the resorts of the insects at night.”[102]
Ibn Mas’ūd reports, “While we were on a journey with God’s Messenger, he went a short distance from where we had encamped. There we saw a small bird with two of its young and caught them. The bird was fluttering when the Prophet came back and so he asked, ‘Who has distressed it by taking its chicks?’ Then he asked us to return the chicks. There we also saw an ant hill and burned it out. When the Prophet saw he asked, ‘Who has burnt it?’ When we informed him that we had done it, he said, ‘Only the Lord of fire has the right to punish with fire.'”[103]
The Prophet strongly enjoined the duty of kind and generous treatment of the slaves, servants and the labourers engaged for manual work. Jābir relates the Apostle of God as saying, “Feed them with the food which you eat, clothe them with such clothing as you wear and do not cause trouble to God’s creatures.”[104] The Apostle is further stated to have said, “Those whom God has made your dependents are your brothers, servants and helpmates. Anybody whose brother has been made subservient to him ought to feed him with the food he eats and clothe him with the clothes he wears, command him not to do that which he is unable to do and if it becomes necessary to do so then he should help him in doing the job.”[105]
Abdullāh ibnUmar says that once an Arab nomad came and asked the Prophet, “How many times should I pardon my servant in a day?” The Prophet replied, “Seventy times.”[106] He also quotes the Apostle as saying: “Pay the wages of a labourer before his sweat has dried.”[107]
A COMPREHENSIVE AND ETERNAL MODEL
The Messenger of God was the last and the greatest of all the prophets sent to provide guidance to all classes, ranks and grades in every age, time and clime. The comprehensiveness of the Prophet’s character summed up vividly by
Syed Sulaymān Nadwī in Muhammad The Ideal Prophet, would be a fitting epilogue to this section dealing with the character of the Prophet. Syed Sulaymān Nadwī writes:
A model that can serve for every class of the people acting under different circumstances and states of human emotions will be found in the life of Muhammad. If you are rich, there is the example of the tradesman of Makkah and the master of Bahrayn’s treasure; if you are poor, you can follow the internees of Shib Abī Ṭālib and the émigré of Madīnah. If you are a king, watch the actions of the Ruler of Arabia. If you are a vassal, take a look at the man enduring hardships imposed by the Quraysh of Makkah. If you are a conqueror, lay your eyes on the victor of Badr and Ḥunayn. If you have suffered a defeat, take a lesson from the one discomfited at Uḥud. If you are a teacher, learn from the holy mentor of the school of Ṣuffah. If you are a student, look at the learner who sat before Gabriel. If you are one who gives sermons direct your eyes to the speaker delivering lectures in the mosque of Madīnah. If you are charged to convey truth and mercy to your persecutors, observe the preacher explaining the message of God to the pagans of Makkah. If you have brought your enemy to his knees, look at the conqueror of Makkah. If you want to administer your lands and properties, discover how the lands and groves of Banū an-Naḍīr, Khaybar and Fadak were managed. If you are an orphan, do not forget the child of Āminah andAbdullāh left to the tender mercy of Ḥalīmah. If you are young, see the character of Makkah’s shepherd. If you have a travelling business, cast a glance at the leader of the caravan on the way to Buṣrā. If you are a judge or arbiter, look at the umpire entering the holy sanctuary before the peep of dawn and installing the Black Stone in the Kabah, or the justice of peace in whose eyes the poor and the rich were alike. If you are a husband, study the behaviour of the husband of Khadījah andĀ’ishah. If you are a father, go through the biography of Fāṭimah’s father and the grandfather of Ḥasan and Ḥusayn. In short, whoever and whatever you may be, you will find a shining example in the life of the Prophet to illuminate your behaviour. If you have the life of the Prophet before you, you can find the examples of all the prophets, Noah and Abraham, John and Jonah and Moses and Jesus. If the life and character of each prophet of God were deemed to be a shop selling the wares of one commodity, that of Muhammad would verily be a variety store where goods of every description can be had to suit the tastes and needs of all.”[108]
***
[1] The son of Khadījah by her former husband and the maternal uncle of Ḥasan.
[2] That is, neither rapidly nor running his words into one another as conceited and careless persons are wont to do.
[3] The Arabic word used in the tradition can be construed both for disrespectful treatment to him as well as giving offence to any one. In the former case, it would mean that the Apostle was neither harsh nor weak but had a self-respecting mien which cannot stand any indignity.
[4] It is related that the Apostle was bighearted, benign and accommodative, and forgave the faults of others. He never kicked up a row with anybody while others report that he was always calm and composed.
[5] The people listened with such rapt attention and without making a stir as if there were birds sitting on their heads that would fly away if they made any movement.
[6] Shamā’il al-Tirmidhī.
[7] Shamā’il al-Tirmidhī, on the authority of Hind ibn Abī Hālah.
[8] An accepted tradition of the Ṣiḥāḥ Sittah.
[9] Al-Adab al-mufrad il ‘l-Bukhārī.
[10] Bukhārī.
[11] The prophets of God are impeccable and protected even against committing minor mistakes.
[12] Bukhārī has mentioned this tradition in his commentary on Sūrah al-Fatḥ while Tirmidhī and Nasā’ī narrate it in connection with the nightly vigils of the Prophet.
[13] Tirmidhī.
[14] Nasā’ī and Ibn Mājah.
[15] Bukhārī: Kitāb at-tahajjud.
[16] Shamā’il at-Tirmidhī.
[17] Nasā’ī (Chapter on the Ten Women and Love of Women).
[18] Abū Dāwūd.
[19] Ṭabarānī, al-Kabīr.
[20] Abū Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Adab.
[21] For a detailed study of the lives of these souls moved by God see Al-Zuhd by Abdullāh ibn Mubārak:Ṣifat aṣ-Ṣafwah* by Ibn al-Jawzī and the Ḥilyat al-Awliyā’* by Abū Nuaym.
[22] Abū Dāwūd.
[23] See the two Ṣaḥīḥs for the full report.
[24] Bukhārī: Kitāb ar-Ruqaq; Muslim: Kitāb az-Zuhd
[25] Bukhārī and Muslim.
[26] Ibid.
[27] Tirmidhī.
[28] Bukhārī and Muslim. The version narrated in Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī reads, “I would disdain to possess as much gold as Uḥud. . . .”
[29] See the full version in the two Ṣaḥīḥs.
[30] Abū Nu’aym: Ḥilyat al-Awliyā’.
[31] Shamā’il al-Tirmidhī.
[32] Al-Adab al-Mufrad il ‘l-Bukhārī, p. 127. Umayyah ibn Abī ‘ṣ-Ṣalt was a pre-Islamic poet whose verses are chiefly on religious topics. He was a monotheist contemporary of the Prophet.
[33] al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn.
[34] Tirmidhī: Merits of al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn.
[35] Tirmidhī.
[36] Bukhārī.
[37] Fatḥ al-Bārī, vol. VIII, p. 324.
[38] Bukhārī, on the authority of ‘Ā’ishah
[39] Bukhārī.
[40] Al-Adab al-Mufrad, p. 40.
[41] Bukhārī: Kitāb aṣ-Ṣalāt.
[42] Ibid.
[43] Al-Adab al-Mufrad, p. 185, Bukhārī and Muslim. The Prophet indicated, figuratively, the weakness and delicacy of women who were troubled by the faster pace of the camels.
[44] Kitāb ash-Shifā’, p. 55.
[45] Bukhārī: Kitāb al-Istiqrāḍ.
[46] Qur’ān 33:6.
[47] Bukhārī
[48] Bukhārī: Kitāb al-Īmān.
[49] Al-Adab al-Mufrad, p. 181.
[50] Muslim.
[51] Tirmidhī: Abwāb al-Ādāb. The Prophet meant that if a man blessed with prosperity led a miserable and shabby existence like a beggar, he showed his ingratitude to God.
[52] Bukhārī.
[53] Muṣannaf by Abd ar-Razzāq. vol. XI, p. 260.
[54] IbnAsākir.
[55] Musnad Aḥmad and Muslim, on the authority of Anas.
[56] Muslim: Kitāb al-Ḥajj, on the authority of Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh.
[57] Bukhārī: Kitāb al-Jihād.
[58] A raised platform at the mosque in Madīnah where poor Companions lived, desirous of remaining in attendance to the Prophet.
[59] Fatḥ al-Bārī vol. VII, pp. 23-24 (on the authority of Aḥmad).
[60] Bukhārī: Kitāb al-Maghāzī
[61] Madīnah Ṭayyibah.
[62] Bukhārī: Kitāb al-Maghāzī.
[63] Ibid.
[64] Ibn Kathīr, vol. III. p. 95. Aḥmad has narrated this report on the authority of Ibn ‘Umar.
[65] Ibn Kathīr, vol. III. p. 96.
[66] Ibn Hishām, vol. II, p. 72, Bukhārī: Kitāb al-Maghāzī.
[67] Bayhaqī, on the authority of Sufyān Thawrī; Ibn Kathīr, vol. I. p. 236.
[68] Qur’ān 68:4.
[69] Sharḥ as-Sunnah and Mishkāt al-Maṣābīḥ p. 514.
[70] Muslim.
[71] Abdullāh ibn Ubayy died in 9 AH, after his return from Tabūk. Az-Zurqānī, vol. III, pp. 112-13; Bukhārī.
[72] Bukhārī: Kitāb al-Jihād, Musnad Aḥmad., vol. III, p. 153.
[73] Aḥmad, vol. III, p. 153.
[74] Muslim: Kitāb al-Jihād.
[75] Bukhārī: Kitāb al-Maghāzī.
[76] Bukhārī: Kitāb al-Wuḍū’.
[77] Muslim.
[78] Muslim: Kitāb al-Faḍā’il.
[79] Kitāb ash-Shifā’
[80] Tirmidhī; Musnad Aḥmad, vol. III, p. 132.
[81] Muslim: Kitāb al-Faḍā’il.
[82] Bukhārī: Kitāb al-Anbiyā.
[83] Bayhaqī.
[84] Musnad Aḥmad, vol. III, pp. 189-215, Jam’a al-Fawā’id: Kitāb al-Manāqib.
[85] Zād al-Ma’Ād vol. I, p. 43.
[86] Shamā’il at-Tirmidhī.
[87] Al-Targhīb wa’t-Tarhīb.
[88] Shamā’il at-Tirmidhī; Musnad Aḥmad, vol. III, pp. 211-289.
[89] Kitāb ash-Shifā’, p. 101.
[90] Al-Adab al-Mufrad, p. 172.
[91] Kitāb ash-Shifā’, p. 101.
[92] Bukhārī: Kitāb al-Manāqib.
[93] Shamā’il at-Ṭirmidhī: Khulq an-Nabī.
[94] Abū Dāwūd.
[95] Kitāb ash-Shifā’, p. 89.
[96] Bukhārī: Al-Adab al-Mufrad, p. 46.
[97] Muslim: Kitāb adh-Dhabḥ.
[98] Bukhārī and Muslim.
[99] Nawawī on the authority of Muslim.
[100] Abū Dāwūd.
[101] Abū Dāwūd.
[102] Muslim.
[103] Abū Dāwūd: Kitāb al-Jihād.
[104] Al-Adab al-Mufrad, p. 38.
[105] Bukhārī and Abū Dāwūd.
[106] Tirmidhī and Abū Dāwūd.
[107] Ibn Mājah.
[108] Muhammad, the Ideal Prophet, pp. 89-90.
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