Although the primary function of Muhammad ﷺ was to serve as a Messenger (Rasul) to deliver the message of Allah’s Final Revelation on Earth, he didn’t simply treat his role as a “postman” to deliver from point A to point B, and that’s it.
No, he had a much deeper level of ownership in his task than that: genuine compassion towards those he calls to, in order to save them. As a Prophet receiving revelation of the unseen, he has witnessed the horrors of the punishment of the grave, the day of judgment, of hellfire, and hence his ﷺ saying:
وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ مَا أَعْلَمُ لَبَكَيْتُمْ كَثِيرًا، وَلَضَحِكْتُمْ قَلِيلاً
"I Swear by Him in Whose Hand Muhammad's soul is, if you know that which I know, you would weep much and laugh little." (Al-Bukhari)
Bearing witness with his own eyes of the eventuality of those who die in a state of shirik and disbelief, his sense of empathy towards them makes him feel anxious to save them from these horrors, while they still have the chance in this life. And in this ayah #6 in surah Al-Kahf, Allah provides an insight into the emotions of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as he is continuously rejected by his people.
This feeling of anxiety is so great, to the point where he would die out of grief over them for turning away, until Allah Himself had to console his feelings of grief to remind him that his job is only to convey:
فَلَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَفْسَكَ عَلَىٰ آثَارِهِمْ إِنْ لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهَٰذَا الْحَدِيثِ أَسَفًا
“Perhaps you will destroy yourself out of grief following after them because they did not believe in this speech (i.e. this Qur’an)” (18:6)
As-Sa’di said commenting on this verse: “Since the Prophet ﷺ was keen that the creation be guided and expended his greatest efforts to achieve that, he would be very happy when people were guided and sad when the disbelievers were not, as an expression of his compassion, deep sympathy and pity for them. Thus, Allah advised him to not worry himself with grief and sadness for those who disbelieved in the Qur’aan.” (Taysir Al-Karim ar-Rahman)
Ibn Kathir explained that this verse meant: “Do not feel sorry for them, just convey the message from Allah to them. Whoever goes the right way benefits himself and whoever goes astray only harms himself. So do not destroy yourself in sorrow over them.” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)
What can we learn from this?
The paradigm and driving force behind calling others to the path of Allah should be built upon compassion, not simply convey to “tick the box” and get it over and done with. Not out of spite, a burdened feeling of obligation or personal gratification.
If we base our da’wah on compassion, then much like guiding our own children, we will keep trying to the extent of our abilities, and not easily give up. When others reject our call, those feelings of sadness is not because they reject us personally, but because they are rejecting their means of true success and happiness, and it saddens us to live with the thought that they may take choices that lead down a path of despair.
While at the same time, we recognize the bitter reality that we have no control over their hearts, and that even our Prophet ﷺ - the best of mankind, could not guide his own uncle Abu Talib who had raised him and protected him well into his old age.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said,
إِنَّمَا مَثَلِي وَمَثَلُ النَّاسِ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ اسْتَوْقَدَ نَارًا، فَلَمَّا أَضَاءَتْ مَا حَوْلَهُ جَعَلَ الْفَرَاشُ وَهَذِهِ الدَّوَابُّ الَّتِي تَقَعُ فِي النَّارِ يَقَعْنَ فِيهَا، فَجَعَلَ يَنْزِعُهُنَّ وَيَغْلِبْنَهُ فَيَقْتَحِمْنَ فِيهَا، فَأَنَا آخُذُ بِحُجَزِكُمْ عَنِ النَّارِ، وَأَنْتُمْ تَقْتَحِمُونَ فِيهَا
"The analogy of myself and the example of the people is that of a man who made a fire, and when it lit what was around it, Moths and other insects started falling into the fire.
The man tried (his best) to prevent them, (from falling in the fire) but they overpowered him and rushed into the fire.
Now, similarly, I take hold of the knots at your waist (belts) to prevent you from falling into the Fire, but you insist on falling into it." (Al-Bukhari)
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