Muhammad – A Human Being Before a Prophet

Apart from seeing Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the Messenger of God gifted with divine revelation, one can remarkably see him as an ideal example of a perfect human character.

Prophet Muhammad is a person who strove hard for the well-being of his community and of humanity at large.

His farsightedness and ability to correctly read events of his time and to anticipate results helped him, along with divine wisdom from God, to address people’s emotions and to win their hearts before their minds.

His human touch was inescapable, and his personal appeal and gentle approach won the hearts of enemies before those of friends.

In short, he always found his way to his target audience. His cousin and companion Ali is reported to have asserted this distinctive aspect of the Prophet’s character:

“The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to win the hearts of his companions with his kind approach. He was never harsh or hardhearted.

In his meetings, he used to treat all equally; listening to them all and giving all equal chance to participate in the ongoing discussions.

He was a very patient negotiator, and he never withdrew himself from the discussion unless the negotiators themselves leave first.

Whenever someone asked him for something, he would always strive to fulfill his wish. If not, then he would please his heart with kind words. Among people, he was known by good manners and to them all he was like an affectionate father.”

Missed by Friends When Absent

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was always a source of comfort to people around him, and his absence would always leave a void no one could fill, even for a short absence.

This is the feeling you might have when your soul mate is absent; you always wait in anticipation for him or her to come back. That was the case with the Companions and Prophet Muhammad.

Abu Muhammad Al-Hussein Al-Baghawi in his Ma’alim At-Tanzeel (Landmarks of Revelation) mentions that Thawban, one of the Companions who showed this real love, once came to the Prophet with sadness portrayed on his face.

Upon seeing him, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) inquired about this noticeable sadness and very pale face. This reflects how close the Prophet was to his friends and companions. He would even ask about these things that we may consider trivial or unnecessary. Thawban replied:

“O Messenger of God, I do not suffer from any disease. When our daily meetings come to an end, I miss you a lot until we meet the next day.

Now, I remember the Last Day where you will be granted a very special status along with the other prophets and messengers. If God destined me to enter Paradise, then we will not meet due to different degrees, as surely my degree in Paradise will be lower than yours. If God destined me to enter the Hellfire, then we will not meet.”

Hearing this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) remained silent for a while to receive the following revelation shortly afterwards: And whoever obeys God and the Messenger, these are with those upon whom God has bestowed favors from among the Prophets and the truthful and the martyrs and the good, and a goodly company they are. (4:69)

Situations like the above should not pass unnoticed. The human touch of the Prophet and the way he approached his Companions and people in general did wonders. It ended up with people declaring that Muhammad is dearer to them than their wives, sons, daughters, parents, and selves.

Once the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was with his companions. He then stretched his hand to Umar ibn Al-Khattab. To that kind act, Umar responded saying: “O Messenger of God, you are the most beloved to me after myself.”

The Prophet Muhammad replied: No, by Him in Whose Hand is my soul, you can’t be a real believer until you love me more than yourself.

To this, Umar replied:

“Now you are more beloved to me than myself.”

Then, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Now, Umar, your faith is complete. (Al-Bukhari)

These and many other countless events from the Prophet’s biography demonstrate that Muhammad was a highly respectable, reputable, beloved, and kind character.

Even before being divinely ordered by God to carry the divine message, he was called by his own tribesmen “As-Sadiq Al-Amin” (Arabic for “the truthful and the trustworthy”).

People of Other Faiths