The Personality of the Prophet of Islam

God himself was the patron of the Prophet of Islam. One piece of guidance He gave to him on different occasions was the cultivation of positive thinking. In this world everyone is faced with unpleasant incidents. And the Prophet of Islam had his share of unpleasantness. On all such occasions God showed him how there may be a favourable aspect to seemingly unfavourable happenings.

In ancient Makkah when the Prophet of Islam began to spread the call of monotheism, he was faced with severe difficulties. At that time, he was advised in the Quran not to become upset in the face of adversity, for, in this world, every hardship was accompanied by ease. For example, his opponents started issuing false propaganda on a large scale regarding his activities and made all kinds of allegations against him. At that time God advised him that through this propaganda his message was being conveyed to broad sections of society. Therefore, the Prophet should not take it as damaging to his efforts but should regard it rather as a means of introducing his mission to the public.

Despite the propagation of his message for about twenty years, the Prophet and his companions still remained in a minority in Arabia, the idolaters being in the majority. At that time the Prophet and his companions were reminded by God of how many times, by His grace, it had happened that a small group had prevailed over a larger group (The Quran, 2:249).

Then in 3 A.H., the Battle of Uhud took place, in which the Muslims were defeated by the idolaters— an apparently discouraging event. But even on that occasion God again pointed out only the bright and positive aspect of the matter:

If you have suffered a wound, they too have suffered a similar wound. We bring these days to men by turns. (The Quran, 3:140)

On a parallel with this was the signing of the Hudaybiyya peace treaty, which took place in 6 A.H., between the Prophet of Islam and the idolaters. This peace treaty ostensibly signalled the political defeat of the Muslims. But when this event was commented upon in the Quran, God said, on the contrary, that He had given them a ‘clear victory’ over their adversaries (The Quran, 48:1).

This meant that despite their apparent political defeat, the Muslims had achieved a moral victory, which would in the end result in total victory, etc.

This divine training made the Prophet of Islam into an individual who was free from all negative thoughts. He may without doubt be called the greatest positive thinker of the world.

Trust in God

During the journey of emigration when the Prophet of Islam left Makkah for Madinah, he was accompanied only by Abu Bakr Siddiq. This was a journey full of risks. The Makkans, thirsting for his blood, would certainly pursue him; therefore, the Prophet took every possible precaution. Although he had to go to Makkah, he went in the opposite direction, and reached the cave of Thaur, where he stayed with Abu Bakr for a few days.

When the news of his emigration reached the Makkan leaders, they sent their people out in all directions in order to catch and kill him before his arrival at Madinah. When the Prophet and Abu Bakr Siddiq were hiding in the cave, a search party came so close that they were clearly visible from inside. Abu Bakr Siddiq, watching them standing at the entrance of the cave with their drawn swords, said to the Prophet that if anyone of them looked at his feet, he would find them. The Prophet replied with total confidence:

O Abu Bakr, what do you think of those two who have God as the third companion? (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2381)

These words uttered by the Prophet of Islam were of such towering significance that they have perhaps no precedent in the entire history of the human species. Even at that moment in time, when he was undoubtedly in the most perilous situation, his trust in God was so great that even the mightiest tempest could not have shaken it. At that juncture it was this limitless confidence that inspired the utterance of such bold words.

The Prophet’s State of Mind During Worship

The Prophet of Islam worshipped God daily, during the day as well as at night. There is a tradition, which tells us the state of his heart at the time of worship. Ali narrates that when the Prophet said his prayers, these were the words of invocation that often came to his lips at the time of bowing down:

O God, I bow before You, I believe in You and I have surrendered myself to You. My ears, my eyes, my brain, my bones, my nerves have all submitted to You.

Ali has further recorded that when the Prophet of Islam used to place his forehead on the ground at the time of prostration, these words would come to his lips:

God, I have prostrated myself before You, I have believed in You, I have surrendered myself to You. My face has bowed to the one who has created it, gave it shape, made ears and eyes. God is most Blessed, the best Creator. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 771)

These traditions tell us of the feelings of the Prophet when he was engaged in worship. He used to be totally immersed in God’s glory and majesty. The sense of God’s greatness and his own humility in comparison were so overwhelming that they created a tempest within his heart. His worship was akin to a tangible presence before God the Almighty. His worship had a highly intense, living quality to it, and was not just a set of rituals.

Great Concern over Giving Guidance

The Prophet was thus addressed in the Quran:

These are the verses of the Book that makes things clear. It may be that you will destroy yourself with grief because they will not believe. But if We had so willed, We could have sent down to them a sign from the heavens so that their heads would be bowed down before it in utter humility. (The Quran, 26:2-4)

This and other such pieces of evidence tell us how eager the Prophet was to give guidance to his people. The expression, ‘You will perhaps fret yourself to death,’ shows the degree of well-wishing which the Prophet had for his madu. The dawah act in the true sense is an outcome of the pure feeling of benevolence towards others. The Prophet of Islam communicated the call of truth to his people with this absolute feeling of magnanimity. He struggled to the utmost to keep to this path. Despite this, the majority refused to accept his message. And the Prophet began to worry so deeply about their guidance that he would spend days and nights in a state of extreme restlessness.

Here, in this verse, the statement, “Perhaps you will fret yourself to death” does not mean that he should stop communicating the message. Rather, these words testify to the fact that the Prophet had discharged his responsibilities as a Prophet to the greatest possible degree. His concern for others’ guidance causing him such great distress is the most important attribute of his personality. Without doubt he had reached the ultimate in this matter, i.e. in the communication of God’s message.

According to a tradition, the Prophet of Islam once observed: “My Lord offered to turn the valley of Makkah into one of gold. I said, ‘No, my Lord. Instead I want that one day I should have my fill and the next day go hungry. And when I am hungry, I should beseech You and remember You, and when I have my fill, praise You and thank You.’”

Muhammad was the Prophet of Islam but, according to the Quran, he was also a human being. Therefore, he took care to experience all such circumstances as would produce divine or spiritual feelings, for feelings are very much conditioned by one’s circumstances in life. For this reason, he did not opt to remain forever in a state of comfort and happiness. On the contrary, he made it a point to face difficult situations as well, in order that feelings of helplessness might be produced within him. Similarly, he also desired good situations for himself, so that these might produce feelings of thanksgiving and a desire to praise God.

Courage and Fearlessness

The battle of Hunain at which the Prophet of Islam was present, took place in 8 A.H. His engagement in the battle was, as it happened, quite fortuitous. It seems, that when the Prophet was travelling with his companions, all of a sudden, the tribe of Hawazin, without provocation, rained down arrows on the Muslims. The Muslims could not stand up to this unexpected attack. Most of them began running off. But the Prophet and some of his companions stood their ground firmly and fearlessly. With arrows raining down on them from all sides, the Prophet, remained, sitting on his donkey, and recited this couplet: I am a Prophet and I do not lie. I am the son of Abdul Muttalib. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 2864)

This incident shows that the Prophet of Islam possessed the highest degree of courage. His heart was completely free from all fear. Not even the hail of arrows could make his steps falter. The conviction of his being in possession of the truth, and that he was on the right path, had made him totally invincible. He once observed: “I see what you do not see. I hear what you do not hear. The sky is crackling, and it is liable to do so. By God, there is no space, not even an inch where an angel has not bowed his head in submission to God. By God, if you knew what I know, you would cry more and laugh less. Women would cease to give you any pleasure. Calling God, you would have left for the woods and the jungles.” The narrator of this tradition, Abu Dhar Ghafari says (so that he should be spared facing the Day of Judgement): “I wish I were a tree cut off by its roots.” (Sunan al-Kubra by Al-Baihaqi, Hadith No. 13337)

Although these observations have been addressed to others, they, in fact, describe the psychological condition of the Prophet of Islam himself. This shows how his days and nights were spent, what his feelings were, what his thinking was and what the greatest news was that he had to communicate to others with the greatest urgency.

We find from the Quran that God had entrusted the Prophet of Islam with the mission to tell human beings of the reality of life and warn them of the horrors of Doomsday. The world could not be a place of happiness and comfort for one upon whom such a responsibility had devolved. One so placed could not enjoy the things that made the ignorant happy. Such traditions have therefore been recorded in the books of Hadith to the effect that the Prophet used to remain in perpetual anguish.

At the age of 25, the Prophet of Islam married a virtuous Arab lady called Khadijah. He had a happy married life with her until he received the prophethood at the age of 40. When he came home after the first revelation, his wife spread his bed for him and asked him to take some rest. The Prophet replied: ‘O, Khadijah, Where is comfort?’ (The days of comfort are gone.)

Sense of Equality

Abdullah ibn Masood, a companion of the Prophet, narrates that on the occasion of the battle of Badr, when they set forth, they did not have enough mounts. There was one camel for three of them, so they mounted by turns. Ali ibn Abi Talib, Abu Lubaba and the Prophet shared one camel. When the two companions had to take their turns, they would both ask the Prophet to mount instead of them, saying that they would continue on foot. The Prophet would reply, “You are not stronger than me in walking, and I am not less in need of God’s reward than you.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 3901)

This incident reveals the kind of feelings, which dominated the Prophet when he was amongst his people. In spite of being a prophet, he regarded himself as a human being like any other. He felt that he needed the divine reward like the rest of humanity and had to earn it just as others did. He was free of all feelings of pride and had no superiority complex whatsoever. Everything he felt for others came from the depths of his heart.

One who has achieved the realization of God in the true sense of the word becomes somewhat similar in his mental state. Man is totally cut to size after this experience. The certainty of the unfathomable grandeur of the Almighty divests one of all feelings of one’s own greatness. The feeling of smallness as compared to the greatness of God so dominated the Prophet that, despite being a great man, he was unable to think of himself as being in any way extraordinary.

The deep realization of God the Almighty rids one of all feelings of personal grandeur. One regards oneself only as His servant, and nothing more.

The Prophet’s sentiments were marked by absolute perfection. No less perfect was his willingness to serve his Creator.

Concern about the Hereafter

We learn from a tradition that once when the Prophet of Islam was at home with his wife Umm Salmah, he sent her maidservant on an errand of some urgency. She took some time to come back. So Umm Salmah went to the window and saw that the maid was watching some children playing a game in the street. When she eventually came back, signs of anger appeared on the Prophet’s face. At that time the Prophet had a miswak (a small twig used as a toothbrush) in his hand.

“If it wasn’t for the fear of retribution on the Day of Judgement, I would have hit you with this miswak,” said the Prophet to the maid. (Al-Adab al-Mufrad, Hadith No. 184)

The Prophet of Islam warned the people of the chastisement of Doomsday. This incident shows that this warning was not just meant for others. He too always went in fear of it. He wanted people to live in this world in such a way that the fear of God’s chastisement should be embedded in their hearts. The same applied to the Prophet himself. The impending Doomsday was a matter of grave concern to everyone including himself. His prophethood did not in any sense exempt him from accountability in the life Hereafter. (That is, he did not feel that he was above accountability.)

Respect for Human Beings

In ancient Madinah some Jewish tribes were settled alongside the Muslims. One day the Prophet of Islam was visiting a part of Madinah, where there was a funeral procession passing by. The Prophet was seated at that time, but on seeing the funeral procession, he stood up in deference to the deceased. Some companions who were with the Prophet at the time, said: “O Prophet, it was the funeral of a Jew.” On hearing this, the Prophet replied: “Was he not a human being?” (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 1312)

We may judge from the Prophet’s behaviour on this occasion what kind of feelings he had in his heart for other human beings. He considered everyone as a human being. Everyone appeared to him worthy of respect, to whatever nation or community he might belong. Everyone was equally a creature of God. Everyone served to remind him of God as a perfect Creator. That is why his heart was filled with feelings of love and respect for all human beings. Hatred was totally against his nature.

Humanitarian Feeling

It has been recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, how once, when the Prophet had borrowed some money from a merchant in Madinah, the latter came to him to demand the repayment of his debt. He was rude and bitter in his manner. He even went to the extent of saying that all those belonging to the family of Abdul Muttalib (the Prophet’s grandfather) kept deferring payment of their debts.

The Companions became angry on hearing such harsh, uncalled for words from him, and wanted to beat him. But the Prophet stopped them from doing so. He said: “Leave him alone. For a creditor has a right to demand payment, even though he may be harsh in doing so.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 2306)

This incident tells us of the feelings of the Prophet in controversial matters: he did not think only in terms of his own self but was ever willing to make full concessions to the other party. No doubt, the merchant’s manner of speaking was contrary to all the norms of decent behaviour. He attacked the Prophet’s honour and prestige, saying things, which were sure to provoke his people. But the Prophet, owing to his high sense of justice, ignored all the unpleasantness. Instead of giving in to his own feelings, he made concessions to the feelings of the other party. Overlooking all the insulting aspects of the matter, he thought only of the right of the creditor to demand repayment of his debt.

Trust in Realities

In 6 A.H., after lengthy negotiations, a treaty was arrived at between the Prophet of Islam and the idolators. When the articles of the treaty were finalized, the Prophet started dictating them. Ali ibn Abi Talib began committing them to paper, but when the Prophet dictated these words: “The following is the text of a pact reached by Muhammad, the Prophet of God and Suhayl ibn Amr,” Suhayl, the non-Muslim delegate of the Quraysh, took offence at this. He said: “The source of contention or the cause of hostility between us is due to the very fact that we do not believe that you are a prophet of God. If we accepted you as a prophet, then all opposition would cease on its own.” He then asked the Prophet to dictate instead: “This is a pact reached by Muhammad ibn Abdullah.”

Ali said that he could not erase the words “Muhammad the Prophet of God.” So, the Prophet himself deleted those words arid then asked Ali to write instead “Muhammad, son of Abdullah.”

The real status of the Prophet of Islam was that he was the Prophet of God: his entire mission rested on this claim. Erasing the words ‘Messenger of God’ was like erasing one’s own actual identity, which was a very delicate matter. It amounted to giving the impression that he himself was in doubt of his own identity. That is why Umar Faruq, in a state of great agitation, came to Abu Bakr and said: “Is he not the Prophet of God?” (Seerah ibn Kathir, pp. 320-21)

Yet the Prophet of Islam did not attach importance to any of these things, the reason being that he had risen so high that he was able to penetrate the veils of appearances; he lived in the sphere of realities. And it was thanks to this psychology that he could feel that, irrespective of the words written on paper, what would ultimately prevail would be the Truth.

The Prophet’s unshakable conviction that he was God’s Prophet was enough for him not to attach importance to an error, which would surely be rectified by the sheer weight of realities. Defense and support of his position would eventually become immaterial.

An Uncompromising Attitude

As recorded in the traditions, some companions of the Prophet, on seeing signs of premature ageing in the Prophet, asked him: “O Prophet of God, what has aged you so soon?” The Prophet replied: “It is chapters (of the Quran) like Hud that have aged me.” (Musnad al-Bazzar, Hadith No. 92)

What is there in particular in the chapter Hud which had such an extraordinary effect on him that he began to look old? Verse 113 gives us some idea: It says, “Do not incline toward those who do wrong, lest the Fire touch you. For [then] you would have none to protect you from God, and you will not be helped.” (The Quran, 11:113)

This verse pertains to the time when the Prophet of Islam had communicated his message of dawah openly but had found the majority of the people unwilling to accept it. The chiefs and the leaders in particular were adamant in their denial of the message. At such a juncture the dayee feels that to bring the madu closer to accepting the message, some changes in the basic message of dawah might be made in order to make it acceptable. That is why the Prophet is adjured not to “incline towards those who do wrong,” i.e., the Prophet of Islam was strictly forbidden to show any kind of leniency towards the unbelievers, because what God desired more than anything else in the matter of dawah was the pure and simple proclamation of the truth. Now, this cannot be done where inclinations are yielded to or compromises are made. This is what made the Prophet of Islam old before his time. The truth is that in the present world the communication of the truth, based on compromises is the easiest, and ensures the popularity of the dayee, while the unadulterated communication of the truth is the most difficult task, making the preacher seem undesirable to others. If the former goes by smooth and even paths, the latter goes by stony paths strewn with thorns.

The Prophet knew that the proclamation of truth could only be that which is pure, without any human interpolation or addition. It was the seriousness of this matter that affected the Prophet so greatly and caused him to age prematurely.

Despite Victory

Makkah was the birthplace of the Prophet of Islam. Yet the Makkans compelled him to leave what was his own hometown. That was the beginning of a bitter 20-year phase of oppression and violence. However, circumstances ultimately changed for the better, and in 8 A.H. Makkah was conquered. He now returned victoriously to the very city which, as a victim of oppression, he had been compelled to leave.

But the state of his heart at that time was totally different from what we find in conquerors in general. Eyewitnesses relate that, at the time of his entry on camel back into Makkah, he was a complete picture of modesty. The extraordinary divine succour he had received made his head bow so low that his beard was touching the camel’s saddle. (Seerah ibn Hisham, Vol. 2, p. 405)

We learn from traditions that, after entering Makkah, he stood at the gate of the Kabah and said: “There is no god but the one God. He has no partner. He fulfilled His promise, helped His servant and defeated His opponents all alone.” (Seerah ibn Hisham, Vol. 2, p. 412)

Victory is an occasion for joyous celebration, for displaying pride, etc. But such activities are indulged in only by those whose eyes are on their own selves who regard victory as their own achievement. But the psychology of the Prophet of Islam was totally different. For him the victory was only apparently his own achievement. For him it was God alone who was the author of his success.

A Prayer

Many prayers of the Prophet of Islam, recorded in the books of Hadith, tell us of his inner personality. They tell us the kind of tumultuous feelings, which constantly convulsed his heart and mind, and what kinds of feelings and thoughts found a place in his inner self.

One of the prayers that often came to his lips was: My God, show me the truth in the form of the truth and grant that we may adhere to it, and O my God, show me falsehood in the form of falsehood and grant me protection from it, and O God, show us things as they are.

In the present world a veil of doubts is cast over realities. One who knows things only by their appearances can never understand their innate value. The Prophet was moved at this. He spontaneously called upon God to ask Him to grant him the blessing of being able to see the reality, so that he might understand things exactly as they were; so that he might form right opinions, which corresponded exactly with the true state of affairs. True realization is not possible without right thinking. Similarly, right actions cannot emanate from wrong thinking. It was feelings such as these which, because of their intensity, gave this prayer its unique form. This prayer is, in effect, a picture of the believing heart possessed in the most sublime form by the Prophet.