In his magazine “Noor Al-Islam”, the late Professor Hasan Ali said that a Brahmin (non-Muslim) colleague of his once told him: “I recognize and believe that the Messenger of Islam is the greatest man in history.”
Professor Hasan Ali asked him: “Why do you consider him as the greatest man?” He replied:
“No man possessed the excellent characteristics and ethics that he possessed all that he possessed all at one time. He was a king under whom the entire peninsula was united, yet he was humble and believed that all dominion belonged to God Alone.
Great riches would come to him and yet he lived in a state of poverty and asceticism; fire would not be lit in his house for many days and he would stay hungry. He was a great leader since he was able to lead only a few hundred into battle against thousands, and yet would decisively defeat them. He loved peace agreements and would agree to them with a firm heart, even though he had thousands of his brave and courageous Companions by his side, each one of whom by his conviction could confront a thousand enemies alone while not feeling the least bit intimidated.
Yet the Prophet was kind-hearted, merciful, and did not want to shed a drop of blood, and rather preferred peace. He was deeply concerned about the affairs of his family, household, or of the poor and needy. He was keen to disseminate Islam among all those who has gone astray, whether far or near.
In general, he was a man concerned with the betterment and well-being of mankind, yet he did not indulge in amassing worldly fortune as many leaders do. He busied himself with the worship of God and loved doing deeds which Pleased Him. He never avenged himself on account of personal reasons. He even prayed for his enemies’ well being and would warn them of the punishment of God.
He was an ascetic regarding worldly affairs and would worship God throughout the night. He was the brave and courageous soldier who himself fought with the sword and conquered nations for the sake of God. He slept on a mat of hay and a pillow filled with coarse fibers.
People crowned him as the Sultan of the Arabs and King of the Arabian Peninsula, yet his family lived a simple life, for even after they received great fortunes, the riches were piled in the Mosque for distribution. Once, his daughter Fatimah complained to him about how the strenuous work that she did at the grinding stone and by transporting the water vessels which had left marks on her body, yet he still did not grant her a portion of the gained wealth, but instead taught her a few words and supplications.
His companion Umar came to his house and looked in his room and saw nothing but a straw mat that the Prophet was sitting on, which had left imprints on his body (due to how coarse and uncomfortable it was). The only provisions in the house were a handful of barley and a water skin that hung on the wall – this is all the Messenger of God owned (personally), at a time when half the Arabs were under his control.
When Umar saw this, he could not control himself and cried. The Messenger of God ﷺ said, “Why are you weeping, O Umar?” He replied, “Why shouldn’t I weep, when Khosrau and Caesar enjoy themselves in this world, and yet the Messenger of God ﷺ only owns what I see!?”
He responded: “O Umar, wouldn’t it please you that this (worldly riches) are a share of Khosrau and Caesar in this life, and will be for us alone in the hereafter?”
When the Prophet examined his troops prior to the conquest of Makkah, Abu Sufyan, an enemy of Islam at the time, stood beside Al-Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet ﷺ, and they looked at the banners of the Muslim army. The vast number of Muslims amazed Abu Sufyan for they advanced towards Makkah like a torrent of water. No one could stop them, and nothing stood in their way! Abu Sufyan then said to Al-Abbas: “O Abbas, your nephew has become a great King!”
Al-Abbas responded by saying, “This is not kingship. Rather, this is prophethood, and the Messengership of Islam”.
A’dee at-Ta’ee, the son of Ha’tim at-Ta’ee, who was the paragon of generosity, was present in a gathering of the Prophet ﷺ whilst A’dee was still a Christian. When he saw how the Companions honored and respected the Prophet ﷺ, he was confused – was he a Prophet or a king? He asked himself, “Is he a king or a Messenger of the Messengers of God?”
While he waspondering over this, a poor destitute woman came to the Prophet ﷺ and said, “I wish to tell you a secret”. He said to her: “in which road in Madinah do you want me to meet you?”
The Prophet ﷺ left with the poor woman and assisted her to take care of her needs. When A’dee saw the humbleness of the Prophet ﷺ, he realized the truth and discarded the crosses that he was wearing, and became a Muslim”
(quoted from the book, "Muhammad: The Messenger of Allah" by Abdurrahman al-Sheha, See Muneer Sulaiman An-Nadawi, Ar-Risalah Al-Muhammadiyyah 114-115)
لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّـهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّـهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّـهَ كَثِيرًا
“Verily in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example to follow – for the one who hopes in Allah and the Last Day” (Surah Al-Ahzab 33:21)
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said,
لاَ يُؤْمِنُ أَحَدُكُمْ حَتَّى أَكُونَ أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ وَالِدِهِ وَوَلَدِهِ وَالنَّاسِ أَجْمَعِينَ
“None of you have (perfect) iman, until you love me more than your own father, your own children, and the whole of mankind” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari)
Anas bin Malik narrated: A man asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about the Hour (i.e. Day of Judgment) saying, "When will the Hour be?" The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "What have you prepared for it?" The man said, "Nothing, except that I love Allah and His Apostle."
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “" أَنْتَ مَعَ مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ”
"You will be with those whom you love."
Anas bin Malik said, “We had never been so glad as we were on hearing that saying of the Prophet (i.e., "You will be with those whom you love.")!
Therefore, I love the Prophet, Abu Bakr and `Umar, and I hope that I will be with them because of my love for them though my deeds are not similar to them” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari, Muslim)
#TheBarakahEffect
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