“WE HAVE NOT SENT THEE EXCEPT AS A MERCY TO THE WORLDS.”
(Surah 21 Aayat 107)
The Beloved Prophet Muhammed (SAW) rose like the midday sun from the horizon of Arabia and dissipated the intense darkness around the globe. His personality embodied the boldness of Moosa (AS), the courteousness of Harûn (AS), the patience of Ayyub (AS), the grandeur of Suleiman (AS) and the humility of Isa (AS). His leadership stands unparalleled in the annals of history. He despised the pomp of royalty, dutifully carried out the menial tasks of the family; he kindled the fire, swept the floor, milked the cows and mended his own shoes and garments.
The Beautiful Features of The Prophet (SAW):
Rasulullah (SAW) was neither tall nor short but of medium stature. His hair had a slight wave in it (neither straight nor curly). His eye lashes were long and his eyes extremely black. He had a broad chest with a well developed body. His palms were soft and fleshy. He had a thick beard, with a line of hair running from the chest to the navel. His teeth were like a set of pearls, beaming white. He always had a smiling countenance. His perspiration emitted a fragrance sweeter than musk. Ayesha (RA) would frequently say “The women cut their hands off when they were enchanted and captivated by the beauty of Yusuf (AS), had they seen my beloved, they would have cut out their hearts”.
The Simplicity of The Prophet (SAW):
Ânas (RA) states that the Prophet (SAW) frequently visited the sick,
followed the janaza, responded to the invitation of (even) a slave
and rode on a mule… (Ibn Majah)
followed the janaza, responded to the invitation of (even) a slave
and rode on a mule… (Ibn Majah)
Hazrat Ayesha (RA) reported that the Prophet (SAW) used to mend his shoes, sew his cloth and work in the household just as any of you would do in your households. He was a man among men who patched his clothes, milked his goats and served himself.(Tirmizi)
His Concern and Sacrifices:
The Holy Qur’an states “You are very nearly going to kill yourself out of grief that they do not believe.” (Surah 26 âyat 3)
The Beloved Prophet (SAW) said “I have been subjected to harm (and suffering) in the cause of Allah, as no one else had been.” The brutal tortures and relentless persecutions reached such levels that the pathway of the Prophet (SAW) was secretly laden with thorns, refuse and the intestines of animals was flung at him. He and his group of devout companions were denied a home, denied food, water and medicine for three years. The cry of infants and children echoed through the valleys of Arabia.
The Mission of The Beloved Prophet (SAW):
The mission of the Prophet (SAW) is eloquently portrayed in a speech which Ja’far (RA) made to the ruler of Abyssinia in Africa. He said: “O king! We were a people of ignorance, worshipping idols, eating the flesh of dead animals, committing abominations, neglecting our relations, doing evil to our neighbors’ and the strong amongst us would oppress the weak. We were in this state when Allah sent to us a messenger from amongst us, whose descent and sincerity, trustworthiness and honesty were known to us. He summoned us to the worship of one true Allah and to divest ourselves of the stones and idols which we and our forefathers had been ascribing to Allah. He ordered us to be truthful in speech, to fulfill all that is entrusted to us, to care for our relatives, to be kind to our neighbors, to refrain from unlawful food and the consumption of blood. He forbade us from engaging in shameful acts and false speech…”
The Fundamental Principles Expounded by The Beloved Prophet (SAW) at the Farewell Pilgrimage:
1) Belief in one object of worship
2) Equality of men, irrespective of colour or nationality.
3) Superiority based solely on piety.
4) Sanctity of life, property and honour.
5) Abolition of interest and usury.
6) The rights and fair treatment of women.
7) The concept of accountability and personal responsibility.
8) Importance of the pillars of religion i.e. prayer, fasting, charity and pilgrimage.
9) The Qur’an and Sunnah as the only source of salvation.
10) The obligation of conveying the message.
Muhammed (SAW): The Greatest of Mankind:
“Never has a man set for himself, voluntarily or involuntarily, a more sublime aim, since this aim was superhuman: to subvert superstitions which had been interposed between man and his creator, to render God unto man and man unto God, to restore the rational and sacred idea of divinity amidst the chaos of the material and disfigured gods of idolatry, then existing.”
“Never has a man undertaken a work so far beyond human power with so feeble means, for he (Muhammed (SAW) had in the conception as well as in the execution of such a great design no other instrument than himself, and no other aid, except a handful of men living in a corner of the desert. Finally, never has a man accomplished such a huge and lasting revolution in the world…”
“If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the true criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammed (SAW)? The most famous men created arms, laws, and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled away before their own eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one third of the inhabited world, and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs, and the souls. On the basis of a book, every letter of which has become law, he created a spiritual nationality which blended together peoples of every tongue and of every race. He has left us – as the indelible characteristic of this Muslim nationality – the hatred of false gods and the passion of the One and Immaterial god… The conquest of one third of the earth to his dogma was his miracle; rather it was not the miracle of a man but that of reason.”
“His life, his meditations, his heroic reviling against the superstitions of his country, and his boldness in defying the furies of idolatry, his firmness in enduring them for thirteen years at Makkah, his acceptance of the role of public scorn and almost of being a victim of his fellow countrymen: all these and finally his migration, his incessant preaching, his wars against odds, his faith in his success and his superhuman security in misfortune, his forbearance in victory, his ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire, his endless prayers, his mystic conversations with god, his death and his triumph after death – all these … (served) to affirm conviction which gave him the power to restore a creed .”
“Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire that is Muhammed (SAW). As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?” (Lamartine, Histoire de la turquire, Paris, 1854)
Conclusion:
The Prophet (SAW) said: “None of you has perfect faith until I am more beloved to him than his parents, his children and all the people”. Real love for him will induce us to follow him in all walks of life.
The Sunnah is the axle on which the Deen of Islâm rotates. A quality apple has the colour, taste and smell of an apple. If any one of these qualities is missing than the apple will be an imperfect one. Similarly we will only be real Muslims if we have the taste, colour and smell of the Sunnah of Rasulullah (SAW) in our way of walking, talking, eating, behaving, and our social, political and financial dealings. In short, every aspect of life should be moulded according to his lifestyle. We judge a fruit by looking at its exterior. Likewise the manner in which a person conducts his life is a true reflection of his god consciousness and his love for Rasulullah (SAW).
The Holy Prophet (SAW) was an embodiment of all noble qualities but there are three qualities which made the Prophet (SAW) most beloved to his followers and attracted them like a magnet:
1) Kamâl (perfection)
2) Jamal (beauty)
3) Nawâl (generosity)
Kamâl: Rasulullah (SAW) was the seal of prophets and the spiritual head of them all. Two thirds of the people will be of his Ummah on the day of Qiyamah. He was once seated in Makkah when a non-believer came and sat before him and looked at his face. He then said in amazement: “Stretch out your hand so that I may accept Islâm.” Thereafter the Quraish hurled abuses at him. The man replied: “That face can never speak a lie.” Ânas (RA) said that for ten years I was in the service of Rasulullah (SAW) but he never rebuked me and he did not use the word ‘no’. This was his perfection.
Jamal: Hazrat Ayesha (RA) said: “We have a sun and the people have a sun but our sun (the face of Rasulullah (SAW) never sets.” One Sahabi said “I looked at the full moon and compared it to the face of Rasulullah (SAW). I could not decide which one was more beautiful.”
Nawâl: He rarely refused anything. His poverty was a voluntary one. He once had some gold in his house and the thought of this deprived him of many hours of sleep.
These qualities created an instant affinity for him in others. Abdullah ibn Zaid ibn Abdi Rabbihi at the demise of Rasulullah (SAW) said: “I have no more need for my eyes.” Uwais Qarni when he heard Rasulullah (SAW) teeth were martyred in battle broke his own teeth in sorrow.
Abu-Bakr (RA) said: “There are three things I cherish most: a look at your face, to spend my wealth on you and that my daughter is thy wife.”
“May Allah grant every Muslim an opportunity of developing an intense love for Rasulullah (SAW) .Aameen.”
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Beloved
