AUGUST 22
Best Caller to God’s Way
About 1400 years ago the Prophet was forced by the Quraysh tribe to leave his native city of Makkah. He showed the utmost patience and restraint in the face of provocation by the Makkans but finally to avoid confrontation, left the city along with a handful of his followers. In Madinah the Prophet was welcomed by the Ansars, who treated the immigrants as their brothers and sisters, and even shared their possessions and properties with them.
In Madinah, the Prophet founded the mosque which is today known as the Mosque of the Prophet, himself taking part in its construction. It became the centre of his activities, from which he would preach the message of Islam, sitting for hours on end in order to have the revelations written down and memorised by his companions.
The Prophet laid great emphasis on character building, excellence in moral and social conduct, good family ties and the dignity of labour. Charity was one of the main features of the new society. The Prophet said, “Give alms from your right hand, but your left hand should not come to know of it.” But over and above giving alms and feeding the poor, the Prophet gave much wider meaning to the concept of charity, as he believed that every good act was a form of charity: smiling at a fellow human being; showing the road to a person who has lost his way; removing hindrances such as thorns and stones from the road; assisting the blind; helping a person to mount his beast; uttering pure, comforting words and replying to questions with mildness. All of these for the Prophet constituted charity.
The Prophet’s kindness and merciful nature was unparalleled. Often, when he passed by a group of children, he would say, “Children are flowers of God,” and pass his hand affectionately over their heads and sometimes even join in innocent games. He gave special honour and regard to parents: “Paradise lies at the feet of mothers” and “God’s pleasure is in the father’s pleasure; and God’s displeasure is in the father’s displeasure.” Those, he believed, who served their parents well, were deserving of Paradise. A man once asked the Prophet, “Who rightfully deserves the best treatment from me?” “Your mother,” said the Prophet. Then the man said, “Who comes next?” “Your mother,” said the Prophet. “Who is after that?” asked the man, “Your mother,” was the Prophet’s answer. “Who comes next?” insisted the man again. “Your father,” said the noble Prophet.
The Prophet gave great importance to family ties. He said, “The best man is he who is best to his wife.” Likewise, the best woman is the one “whose husband feels pleased to see her, who obeys when her husband commands and who does not take a stand about herself or her wealth which is displeasing to her husband.”
The Prophet always emphasised good relations with neighbours and visiting the sick. He said that on the Day of Resurrection, God would say, “O son of man! I was sick, and you did not visit Me.” The man would answer, “O my Lord! How could I visit You when You are the Lord of the world?” God would answer, “Did you not know that such and such of My servants was sick, and you did not visit him. Did you not know that if you had visited him, you would surely have found Me with him?”
In a society based on good moral values, evils such as gambling and drinking find no place. Thus the Prophet categorically prohibited gambling and the use of wine and would tell his followers that eating moderately is the best solution to avoid disease: “Do not kill your hearts with excess of eating and drinking.” He told them to divide the stomach into three parts: one third for food, one third for water and one third absolutely empty. The Prophet also felt very strongly about oral hygiene. He said if he had not feared putting his followers to trouble, he would have made it compulsory for them to clean their teeth five times daily at every prayer, and emphasised that “cleanliness is half of faith.”
Simple living and contentment were the key teachings in his life: “When you see a person,” advised the Prophet, “who has been given more money and beauty than you, look then to those who have been given less.” In so doing, we will thank God for His blessings, rather than feel deprived. The Prophet’s emphasis on moral values was so high that he advised his followers never to say that if people treat us well, we will treat them well, and if people treat us badly then we too will treat them badly. Even if people treated them badly, they had to be well mannered towards them. He also taught them that under no circumstances should they become angry. “The strong man is not one who throws people down, but one who withholds himself from anger.”
The Prophet encouraged his followers to earn their livelihood through trade and by their hands and to honour the dignity of labour. A famous saying of his goes: “Pay the labourer his wages even before his sweat dries up.” He also said that a trader must be very honest, while selling his goods, he must inform the buyer of any possible defects in the merchandise.
The Prophet’s life was marked by simple living and sublime character, prayer and devotion, compassion and humility. After his death, people used to ask the Prophet’s wife, Aishah, how he lived at home. “Like an ordinary man,” she would answer. “He would sweep the house, stitch his own clothes, mend his own sandals, water the camels, milk the goats, help the servants at their work, and eat his meal with them; and he would go to fetch what we needed from the market.”
