THE PROPHETHOOD OF MUHAMMAD ﷺ.
“Certainly you have in the Apostle of Kind an excellent exemplar”
(Quran 33;41)
I believe no one could deny that the spiritual advancement of
mankind or the perfection of the human soul has from time immemorial been
dependent on the instructions of Allah through His Prophets, who bring certain
qualities, each of the best and perfect in itself. Allah could have chosen to
send angels as instructors, but knowing that for human beings a human being is
the best guide and teacher:
“He raised human beings
at a different time to Prophet Hood, to preach His word to mankind”
(Quran 6:8,9)
Muslims believed that Muhammad is the last Prophet, that is to say, after whom another claimant to Prophethood cannot come. This belief is based not only upon the verses of the Quran but also upon actual facts to be met within the life of the Rasulullahﷺ.
Teaching and example are essential for a Rasulullahﷺ also two
further things were most necessary: first that what Rasulullahﷺ teaches should be
perfect and complete and sufficient for all time to come. Which also comes with a complete code of morals and teaching to preach to the world. Secondly, that Rasulullahﷺ himself by his practice
should set a perfect example for the guidance of mankind.
The Quran speaks in its earlier revelations of the perfect
morals of Rasulullahﷺ. For example, it says:
“ Most surely you conform
(yourself) to sublime morality”
(Quran: 68:4)
Allah also says;
“So he attained completion and he is in the highest part of the
horizon”
(Quran: 33:6-7)
The hadiths say: “ I was made Prophet to perfect the highest
morals”
Two things were needed to perfect the morals and the Quran says Rasulullahﷺ possessed them. The following will make the statement plainer. It is easy for a man to be lowly and humble when he is poor, but these qualities can only be said to manifest themselves in perfection when he continues humbly after he has become great and powerful.
Or let us take the case of charity. A person who is poor
can also be charitable after attaining wealth, by spending freely on charities.
This will mean that he has shown the quality of charitableness to perfection.
The same is true of forgiveness; when a man has not the power to punish one who
harms him, he is compelled of necessity to overlook the offense and forgive as
the safest course: but the completeness of the quality is seen in a person who
is powerful and well able to deal harshly with offenders, but forgives freely
those who have done their utmost to harm him.
There have been cases when a person has been perfect in one moral quality only to such an extent that other qualities have eclipsed thereby, for example, a man may become so charitable and forgiving as to lose the quality of being just. This height of perfection in the Holy Rasulullahﷺ is an accepted fact such as even an enemy cannot deny or refute. The presence of all the moral qualities postulates that a person to display them must have passed through every sort and condition of experience in the course of his life, and not even hardened critics can deny such was the case with Rasulullahﷺ . Rasulullahﷺ was the only Rasulullahﷺ who followed all the principles he preached to others...
Every
ordinance in the Quran he himself obeyed. Rasulullahﷺ is the one and true example of
this rule, that what a teaches to the world, he must practice himself. We
often have to listen to sermons and lectures by persons who do have not the
faintest intention of practicing what they preach. Mere lip-teaching does prove
that a person possesses moral virtues. He must first convert his words into
action as did the Islamic prophet who taught the world patience and forbearance because he himself faced
the hardest trial of life. A child was born after the death of his father. His mother died within the next few years. Rasulullahﷺ spends his childhood life of innocent and perfection.
At maturity, he held all desires of the flesh at bay. From his birth to his demise, he passed through many difficult ordeals. At every step, he was tried but was never found wanting. When he proclaimed his mission as a Prophet, it proved one of the hardest trials of all. The whole nation turned against him. Rasulullahﷺ was absolutely alone and helpless. The perfection of helplessness is seen in the event known as “Hijrah”, when alone, save for a single friend, he had to leave his native town of Makkah.
When he hid in the cave and escaped to Madinah, where his helper and
associate and the Jews entered into treaty relations. Then came the tortures
days of the war; on all sides, the Arabs gathered to kill him but in the end, Rasulullahﷺ prevailed over them and became their king.
In Madinah, he was King, Judge. Magistrate, general, peacemaker, and lawgiver, and in all these capacities he was perfect.
Again, let us emphasize that the great thing to remember is that all moral qualities are of the highest degree of perfection. Rasulullahﷺ knew
not what is it to be avaricious; even his enemies admit that all his life
though he had no desire for wealth. It
had no value for him. Once the Quraish offered him all the wealth in the land,
but he refuses even to consider the offer. Even after Rasulullahﷺ becomes the leader of
an Islamic state and a rightful owner of a government, he cares nothing for
it and continues to live the same life of poverty in solitude.
The holy Rasulullahﷺ expressed this quality in still
greater perfection by living a life of poverty in solitude.
The Quality of forgiveness is expressed in perfection making
no distinction between friend and enemy. When it came to forgiving he forgave
all. In the battle of Uhud, certain Muslims failed to obey his instruction, with
disastrous results, but the holy Rasulullahﷺ did not do court-martial or even
reprimanded them. Rasulullahﷺ simply forgave them. His example of forgiving enemies takes
his sublimes form on the occasion of the conquest of Makkah. The Makkans had
been bitterest enemies since the day he was raised to Prophet Hood.
They did all in their power to crush Islam. Many times
attempted to kill Rasulullahﷺ. However, when Rasulullahﷺ entered Makkah as a conqueror,
forgave the chiefs when presented as captives a general amnesty. Arabia lay at
his feet and Makkah was at his mercy. Rasulullahﷺ could have beheaded everyone had he
wished to and he would have been justified in doing so. Though they have been
his greatest enemies and most cruel of tormenters. But, unlike many Hebrew
Prophets, who severely punished their enemies for lesser offenses. The Holy Rasulullahﷺ freely forgave them. When they were all standing humble before him,
awaiting punishments he said to them:
“There shall be no reproach against you, you are free”
The Arab chief; Utbah had been one of the greatest of the offenders and the chief instigator of cruel persecution to which Rasulullahﷺ and his companions had been subjected, for many years. Utbah’s daughter, Hindun, was a great enemy of Rasulullahﷺ as her father. Once in hatred, she chews the liver of Saiyidina Hamzah ibn Abd Muttalib, Rasulullahﷺ’s uncle, when he was slain in battle; later, when she was obliged to come before Rasulullahﷺ she covered her face with a veil so that Holy Rasulullahﷺ might not recognize her.
Surprisingly the holy Rasulullahﷺ single her
out at once and forgave her. Abu Sufyan was another who had done his best to
harm the Holy Rasulullahﷺ was so afraid that would send others to intercede for
him, but the dear Rasulullahﷺ bade him have no fear and not only forgave him but
declared that anyone who took refuge in his house would be safe.
At the of Makkah another enemy of holy Rasulullahﷺ, Habbar Ibnu
‘l-Aswad, who was responsible for the death of the daughter of Rasulullahﷺ, was about to escape from Makkah to Persia.
However, knowing the compassionate nature of the enemy he decided to throw
himself on his mercy. Approaching Rasulullahﷺ he confessed his wrongs and
prayed for mercy. Rasulullahﷺ freely forgave him. These instances stated above
and many others, prove that Rasulullahﷺ expressed the quality of forgiveness
to perfection.
In Rasulullahﷺ are found the perfection of all qualities and
morals. With lowliness and humility he was brave, so brave that with his
companions lying dead around Rasulullahﷺ, he prayed to Allah SWT to guide the
enemy to the right path. His example of justice set by him is equally high.
Once there was a dispute between a Jew and a Muslim, and on hearing the case he
gave the just judgment, which is in favor of the Jew.
Rasulullahﷺ reliance on Allah SWT was such that he never concerned himself about personal
safety, but at the same time, his caution never relaxed, and on the slightest
news of trouble, he would always send men at once to deal with it. So intense
was the love of Allah SWT that he would spend whole nights standing in Prayer
before Allah SWT. Rasulullahﷺ had the well-being of others so much at his heart that
often he used to do the marketing for the old and feeble.
The study of his life reveals that all these qualities and morals
were combined in him to the highest degree of perfection. Thus, Rasulullahﷺ becomes the sole exemplar for all generations to come.
