Attitude & Conduct of
the Holy Prophet Mohammad (SAW)
In the name of Allah, Most
Gracious, Most Merciful.
"It was by the mercy of Allah that you
were gentle with them (O, Mohammad) for if you had been harsh and hard
of heart they would of dispersed from around you. So pardon them and
pray forgiveness for them and consult with them in the affair" (Quran
3:159).
This verse from the Holy Quran
indicates that Prophet Mohammad's (sas) attitude was a factor in
attracting people to Islam. Any leader who wants to summon people to God
should also be gentle and lenient in his personal attitude.
The importance of this verse is that
one should be lenient as an individual, but not in principles.
The Holy Prophet (sas) was very firm
when it came to principles and showed no flexibility or softness. If
some one insulted him, he would forgive them kindly, because that was
something related to himself. But if anyone violated Islamic laws and
rulings, the Holy Prophet would treat them with severity and justice.
Once someone stopped the Holy Prophet (sas)
and claimed that the prophet owed him some money and that he would not
let him go unless he received the amount immediately. The Holy Prophet
said: "I don't owe anything, but even if I do, let me go home to get you
your money". The man said that he would not let the Prophet take another
step. Ignoring how gently the Prophet (sas) had
behaved, the man acted fiercely and
rudely, to the point that he took the Holy Prophets gown off and wrapped
it around his neck and pulled it, until it became bruised.
The Holy Prophet (sas) had been on his
way to the Mosque and when people noticed that he was late, they went in
search of him and found a Jew obstructing in the way. At that point the
Muslims wanted to slap and punish this rude fellow, but the Holy Prophet
(sas) said: "No, you people don't interfere, I know what to do with my
friend". Observing this humble attitude and leniency, the Jew embraced
Islam right there and said: "You are so powerful yet you are so lenient,
and this is not possible for an ordinary man. I bear witness there is no
God except Allah and that you Mohammad are the messenger of Allah."
When the Holy Prophet (sas) entered
Mecca after the city had been conquered, a woman from amongst the
wealthy Quraish aristocrats had stolen something important and and
according to Islamic rules, her hand had to be cut off. The women was a
popular influential figure of Quraish, and her relatives tried to save
her by persuading the Prophet not to go ahead with the ruling because
the
women was the daughter of such a
wealthy and upperclass family and if her hand was to be cut off the
whole family would be disgraced.
The Prophet said: "Impossible, I cannot
suspend the ruling. If this women was not a member of the aristocracy
(rich & famous) you would all agree that she must be punished, but now
you say she should not be punished because she would be disgraced. How
can I forgive her? Never. The laws of Allah will never be suspended and
no excuses will be accepted".
From the two incidents we see that the
Holy Prophet (sas) never compromised in matters regarding principles,
but when his own interests were in question, he was extremely lenient
and generous. Some of the reasons behind the progress of Islam were
because of his excellent conduct, attitude and characteristics displayed
by the Prophet (sas) and the way he lived.
His great role as a Prophet, Messenger,
guide, leader and all the great characteristics of different
personalities combined into one man excelled him over all other men in
history, and also because of the Holy Quran, which was a miracle given
to the Holy Prophet (sas) from Allah. The unique beauty, depth, elegance
and attraction of the Holy Quran left a great impact in the spread of
Islam.
This is why Allah mentions in the Holy
Quran in regards to the greatness of the Holy Prophet.
(Quran 68:4) "And surely you are of
an exalted character".
Thus a man who talks or preaches from
his heart, will win the hearts of others, and whoever talks and preaches
from his mouth, his words will not penetrate hearts. In the messages
delivered by men of God, this point is clearly observed but not in the
messages of other leaders of the world.
The Holy Prophet Mohammad (sas)
transformed the world from it's ignorance and idol worship to that of
monotheism and salvation. He carried out the most remarkable tasks under
unbelievable hardships but always maintained his kindness, generosity
and forgiveness, which truly characterises the messenger of God. In him
the highest perfections were assembled. He was in reality that
perfect infallible man before whom the
angels were ordered to prostrate. That is why Allah and his angels
praise and bless him and those who are faithful are commanded to also
praise and bless him and are required to learn, follow and benefit from
the life and teachings of the Prophet Mohammad.
BY: Martyr Murtaza Mutahari
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