| Answer: In the
towering personality of the Prophet (sws), human attributes reached their
pinnacle. For more than six decades, he graced this world, and throughout this
period his character remained immaculate. The following words of the Qur’ān bear
ample testimony to the lofty stature of his personality:
And you are
at an exalted standard of character. (68:4)
The Prophet (sws),
in his life adopted the principle in which good deeds are done towards fellow
human beings irrespective of the attitude they adopt in return. It was this high
moral character which, in the words of the Qur’ān, became an example for the
Muslims:
You have
indeed in the Prophet of Allah an exemplary character. (33:21)
It is said that
‘No man is a hero to his valet’; yet the personality of the Prophet (sws) was a
glaring exception to this principle. The closer a person came to his person, the
greater was his testimony regarding his nobility. In the short space of an
answer, it is very difficult to encompass all the facets of his personality. I
will confine myself to citing the views of three people of his own times:
Khadījah, his first wife. Anas (rta), his personal attendant and Abū Sufyān when
he was a great enemy of Islam
After he
received his first revelation at the age of forty, he first of all made it known
to Khadījah. Her remarks at his apprehensions were: ‘No it will not be so I
swear by God; He will never make you sad for you are kind to your relatives, you
speak the truth, you are faithful in trust, you bear the affliction of the
people, you spend in good works what you gain in trade; you are hospitable and
you assist your fellow men.
Anas (rta),
says that never once in ten years of his service did the Prophet (sws) ever
scold him on some error by saying: ‘Why have you done this?’ or reprimanded him
on forgetting to do something by saying: ‘Why have you not done this?’
When Abū Sufyān
was called to the presence of the great Roman emperor Heraclius, he was minutely
questioned by the monarch about the Prophet (sws). In spite, of being one of the
greatest enemies of Islam at that time, he could not point a finger to the
Prophet’s integrity. Here is an account of the conversation between him and
Heraclius which shines with the brightness of the midday sun among the
testimonies of a foe of Islam:
Narrated
‘Abdullāh bin ‘Abbās (rta); Abū Sufyān Ibn Harb informed me that Heraclius had
sent a messenger to him while he had been accompanying a caravan from Quraysh.
They were merchants doing business in Syria at the time when Allah’s Prophet had
truce with Abū Sufyān and the Quraysh. So Abū Sufyān and his Companions went to
Heraclius at I^lyā (Jerusalem). Heraclius called them in the court and he had
all the senior Roman dignitaries around him. He called for his translator who,
translating Heraclius’s question said to them: ‘Who amongst you is closely
related to that man who claims to be a Prophet?’ Abū Sufyān replied: ‘I am the
nearest relative to him [amongst the group]’.
Heraclius said:
‘Bring him [Abū Sufyān] close to me and make his companions stand behind him.’
Abū Sufyān added: ‘Heraclius told his translator to tell my companions that he
wanted to put some questions to me regarding that man [the Prophet] and that if
I told a lie they [my companions] should contradict me.’ Abū Sufyān added: ‘By
Allah! Had I not been afraid of my companions labelling me a lair, I would not
have spoken the truth about the Prophet (sws). The first question he asked me
about him was:
‘What is his
family status amongst you?’
I replied:
‘He belongs to a good (noble) family amongst us.’
Heraclius
further asked: ‘Has anybody else amongst you ever claimed the same (ie to be a
Prophet) before him?’
I replied:
‘No’.
He said:
‘Was anybody amongst his ancestors a king?’
I replied:
‘No’.
Heraclius
asked: ‘Do the nobles or the poor follow him?’
I replied:
‘It is the poor who follow him.’
He said:
‘Are his followers increasing or decreasing [day by day]?’
I replied:
‘They are increasing’.
He then
asked: ‘Does anybody amongst those who embrace his religion become displeased
and renounce the religion afterwards?’
I replied:
‘No.’
Heraclius
said: ‘Have you ever accused him of telling lies before his claim [to be a
Prophet]?’
I replied:
‘No.’
Heraclius
said: ‘Does he break his promises?’
I replied:
‘No. we are at truce with him but we do not know what he will do in it.’ I could
not find opportunity to say anything against him except that.
Heraclius
asked: ‘Have you ever had a war with him?’
I replied:
‘Yes’.
Then he
said: ‘What was the outcome of the battles?’
I replied:
‘Sometimes he was victorious and sometimes we.’
Heraclius
said: ‘What does he order you to do?’
I said: ‘He
tells us to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship anything along with
Him, and to renounce all that our ancestors had said. He orders us to pray, to
speak the truth, to be chaste and to keep good relations with our kith and kin’.
Heraclius asked
the translator to convey to me the following:
‘I asked you
about his family and your reply was that he belonged to a very noble family. In
fact all Prophets come from noble families amongst their respective peoples. I
questioned you whether anybody else amongst you claimed such a thing, your reply
was in the negative. If the answer had been in the affirmative, I would have
thought that this man was following the previous man’s claim. Then I asked you
whether anyone of his ancestors was a king. Your reply was in the negative, and
if it had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man wanted to
take back his ancestral kingdom. I further asked whether he was ever accused of
telling lies before he said what he said, and your reply was in the negative. So
I wondered how a person who does not tell a lie about others could ever tell a
lie about Allah. I then asked you whether the rich people followed him or the
poor. You replied that it was the poor who followed him. And in fact all the
Prophets have been followed by this very class of people. Then I asked you
whether his followers were increasing or decreasing. You replied that they were
increasing, and in fact this is the way of true faith till it is complete in all
respects. I further asked you whether there was anybody, who, after embracing
his religion, became displeased and discarded his religion. Your reply was in
the negative, and indeed this is [the sign of] true faith, when its delight
enters the hearts and mixes with them completely. I asked you whether he had
ever betrayed. You replied in the negative and likewise the Prophets never
betray. Then I asked you what he ordered you to do. You replied that he ordered
you to worship Allah and Allah alone and not to worship any thing along with Him
and forbade you to worship idols and ordered you to pray, to speak the truth and
to be chaste. If what you have said is true, he will very soon occupy this place
underneath my feet and I knew it [from the scriptures] that he was going to
appear but I did not know that he would be from you, and if I could reach him
definitely, I would go immediately to meet him and if I were with him, I would
certainly wash his feet.’ (Bukhārī: No. 7) |