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from the mountaintop to gather the spoils. The polytheists outweighed and defeated in this battle.


The Battle of the Trench


After the battle of Uhud, a group of Jews went to Makkah and instigated them to war against Muslims in Madinah, promising them victory and support, and so they responded to them. Thereafter, the Jews incited other tribes to war against the Muslims, and they responded to them. Thus, the polytheists began moving towards Madinah from all nooks and crannies until about ten-thousand fighters surrounded it.


The prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) learnt of the movements of the enemies. He consulted with his companions about the issue and Salman the Persian (May Allah be pleased with him) suggested to dig a trench around the city of Madinah on the side in which there were no mountains. Muslims partook in digging the trench until it was ready in good time. The polytheists remained camped outside of Madinah for about a month, incapable of storming the trench. Then Allah, the Most


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Glorified and Exalted, sent upon them a heavy wind that displaced their tents. They panicked and ran away quickly to their homelands. Allah alone defeated the allies and granted victory to the Muslims.


The Conquest of Makkah


In the eighth year after migration to Madinah, the Messenger of Allah resolved to invade and conquer Makkah. On the tenth of Ramadan, he went out with ten thousand fighters and entered Makkah without a fight, as Quraysh surrendered to him. Allah granted victory to the Muslims. The Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) moved to the Sacred Mosque, performed tawaaf around the Ka’bah, and then offered two rak'ahs inside it. Following that, he demolished all the idols that were inside and above the Ka’bah, and stood by its gate. The Quraysh below him were waiting to see what he would do to them. Thereupon, the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “O people of Quraysh! What do you think I would do to you?” They replied, “Good, a noble brother and son of a noble brother.” He said, “Go, for you are declared free.” The


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Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) set the greatest example of pardon for his enemies who had persecuted him and, prejudiced his companions and banished them from their homes.


After the conquest of Makkah, people entered Allah's religion of Islam in multitudes. In the tenth year after migration, the Messenger of Allah performed the pilgrimage, which was the only Hajj he performed. More than a hundred-thousand people performed the Hajj with him and thereafter, he returned to Madinah.


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Delegations and Invitations


Sent to Kings


The case of the Prophet became manifest and his message became widespread. Delegations began arriving to Madinah from all places to declare Islam.


The Prophet began communicating with the kings and governors and invited them to Islam. Some of them responded and believed. Some responded in a beautiful manner and sent gifts, though they did not embrace Islam. Some were exasperated and tore the letter of the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) into pieces, as was reported that Khosrau (Chosroes) the king of Persia did. The Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) invoked the wrath of Allah upon him saying, “O Allah! Tear his kingdom into pieces.” It was but a short time that his son revolted against him and took away the kingdom from him.


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As for Cyrus of Alexandria, the King of Egypt, he did not embrace Islam, but he honored the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and sent gifts to him. Heraclius, the Caesar of Rome, responded in a similar manner and honored the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and sent gifts to him.


When Al-Mundhir bin Sawi, the governor of Bahrain, got the letter of the Prophet, (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), he read it to the people of Bahrain and some of them embraced Islam, while others rejected it.


Death of the Prophet (PBUH)


About two and half months after returning from Hajj trip, the prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) felt sick. The sickness deteriorated day by day. When he could no longer lead the people in prayer, he sought Abu Bakr As-Siddiq to lead them in prayer.


On Monday, the 12th of Rabi’ul-Awwal, of the eleventh year of the Prophetic migration, the Messenger of Allah joined the highest


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companion having completed sixty-three years of age. When the news of his death got to the noble companions, they almost lost their senses. They could not believe that the news, until Abu Bakr As-Siddiq gave a sermon in which he placated them, and explained to them that the Prophet was no more than a human being, who dies as other humans die. The people became calm and the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was washed, shrouded and buried in the chamber of his wife, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her).


The Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) lived in Makkah for forty years before he was commissioned as a prophet, and thirteen years after Prophethood in Makkah, and ten years in Madinah.


After the death of the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), the Muslims unanimously conceded to choose Abu Bakr As-Siddiq as the Caliph of the Muslims, and thus he became the first Orthodox Caliph.


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Physical Attributes of the Prophet


The Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was of average height, not too tall and not too short. He was broad shouldered. His body was proportionately jointed and his chest was broad. He was the handsomest of all the people. He was white-skinned with a reddish tint. He had a round face, black eyes, a distinctive nose, and a handsome mouth. His beard was full and dense. He smelled good and had a soft touch. Anas bin Malik said about him, "I never smelled amber or musk as fragrant as the fragrance of the body of Allah's Messenger (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and I never touched anything as soft as the hand of Allah's Messenger (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)."


He had a cheerful face, with a perpetual smile, a nice voice, and he was taciturn (does not talk much).


Anas said about him, "He was the best among the people (both in form and character) and was the most generous of them, and was the bravest of them."


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Some of the Prophet's Morals


The Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was the bravest of people. ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "When the war would become severe and the people confronted one another, we would shield ourselves with the Messenger of Allah." He was the most generous of men. He never said “no” to anything he was asked for. He was the most tolerant of men. He never took revenge for himself nor grew annoyed for himself. Only if the sacred ordinances of Allah were desecrated would he avenge for the sake of Allah.


Moreover, he taught that the relative and the non-relative, the strong and the weak had equal rights. He emphasized that there is no superiority for anyone above another except by piety, that people are equal. He clarified that the reason for the decline and destruction of past nations was that when a noble person amongst them committed theft, they would leave him, but if a weak person amongst them committed theft, they would execute the legal punishment on him. In


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addition, he said, “By Allah, were Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad, to commit theft, I would cut her hand off!”


He never criticized any food (he was invited to). If he liked the food he would eat, and leave it if he disliked it. A month or two would pass without fire being lit under a cooking pot in the household of the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and they would only eat dates and drink water. He would wrap a stone or two on his stomach out of hunger. He used to mend his sandals, patch and sew his garments, and assist his family in doing household chores. He used to visit the sick and was the humblest of people. He would accept the invitation from anyone who would invite him, rich or poor, noble or not. He loved the needy people, and he would visit them when they were sick, and would attend their funeral prayers. He did not look down upon the poor because of their poverty, nor did he fear a king because of his kingdom. He used to ride horses, camels, donkeys and mules.


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He had the best smile, and he was the best of humans. He was always cheerful, despite the frequent sorrows and misfortunes that befell him. He loved good smells and hated bad smells. Allah granted him perfection in morals and good deeds combined. Allah the Most High gave him knowledge, which He did not give any of His creation, before him or after him. He was unlettered, and could not read or write. He had no human teacher. He brought this Qur’an from Allah, on whose account Allah the Most High said,


 قلْ لَْئِنِ اْجْتَمَعَتِاْلِنْ سوَْالجِنُّ عَْلََ أَْنْ يَْأْ توا بِْمِثْلِ هَْذَا اْل قرْآَنِْ


لََ يَْأْ تونَ بِْمِثْلِهِ وَْلَوْ كَْانَ بَْعْ ض همْ لِْبَعْ ضظَْهِيرًاْ  ]ْالإسراء: 88 ]


“Say: ‘If the whole of mankind and Jinn were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support.’” [Al-Isra’: 88]


His growth and development as an unlettered, is a deathblow to those who belie him and claim that he has written the Qur’an on his own or


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learnt or read it from the sources of the early generations.


Some of His Miracles


The greatest of his miracles (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is the noble Qur’an, the abiding miracle until the Last Hour; the Book that incapacitated the most eloquent people and astounded the rhetorical gurus. Allah challenged all and sundry to bring ten surahs, the like thereof, or even a single surah or verse like it. The polytheists attested to its miraculous nature and inimitability.


Part of his miracles manifests when the polytheists asked him to show them a sign and he showed them the splitting of the moon. The moon split into two parts. His miracles also include when the water flowed from among between his fingers. This occurred several times. Furthermore, some pebbles that he placed in his palm glorified Allah; and he placed them on Abu Bakr’s palm, then Umar’s palm, and then ‘Uthman’s palm; they continued to glorify Allah.


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They used to hear the food glorifying Allah while it was being eaten in his place. The trees and stones would greet him. The arm of the poisoned goat, gifted to him by the Jewish woman who wanted to kill him by poison, spoke. A Bedouin Arab demanded from him to show him some signs. So he ordered a tree, and it came to him. He commanded it again and it went back to its place. He rubbed hands on the udder of a sheep having no milk, and he milked it, drank, and fed Abu Bakr from the milk. He spat on Ali bin Abi Talib’s eyes, while he was sore-eyed, and he was healed immediately. One of his noble Companions was wounded in his leg. He rubbed his hands on the wound, and it healed instantaneously. When he invoked Allah for Anas bin Malik to be granted long life, abundant wealth and offspring, and that Allah bless them for him, he was granted one hundred and twenty children, his palm tree was producing fruits twice a year, contrary to what is known about palm trees that only produce fruits once in a year. Moreover, Anas lived one hundred and twenty years. One of the noble Companions complained to him of drought while the Prophet was on the pulpit. He raised his hands and invoked Allah,


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the Most Exalted and Glorified. There were no clouds in the sky, and after his supplication, the clouds gathered as large as mountains. There was heavy downpour until the next Friday. Someone came to him and complained that the rain was getting too much. He again supplicated to Allah, the Most Exalted and Glorified, to stop the rain and the people went out in the sun.


He fed the people of the ditch who were a thousand, from one saa' (3 liters approximately) of barley, and one sheep. All of them ate until they were satisfied. They left the food, and it did not diminish whatsoever. Likewise, he fed all the people of the trench from little dates that were the daughter of Bashir bin Sa'd had brought for her father and maternal uncle. He fed the army from Abu Hurairah’s bag of provision, until they reached their fill. He passed by a hundred men from the Quraish who were waiting to kill him, casted sand on their faces, and they could not see him. Suraqah bin Malik went after him to slay him. When he came closer to him, he invoked Allah against him, and the feet of his horse sank into the ground.


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Attitudes and Lessons


Derived from his Biography


His Humor


The Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to crack jokes with his Companions, but he did not speak but the truth. He used to court and pet his family, give attention to the young ones, give them part of his time, and treat them in the manner they understood and tolerated. He would joke with his servant Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) and sometimes addressed him as: “O you with the two ears”.


A man came to him and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Give me a mount.” The Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) replied to him in a joking manner, “We shall give you a she-camel's child to ride on.” He said: “What shall I do with a she-camel's child?” The Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) replied: “Does anything other than she-camels give birth to camels?!” He was cheerful, and always had a smile for his


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Companions. They never heard from him but good speech. It was narrated that Jarir (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "The Messenger of Allah never refused to see me from the time I became Muslim. Whenever he saw me he would smile at me. I complained to him that I could not sit firmly on a horse, so he struck me on the chest with his hand and said, 'O Allah, make him firm, and cause him to guide others and be rightly-guided'. So I never fell off a horse after that.”


He used to crack jokes with his relatives. He once came to the house of his daughter Fatimah, but did not find her husband Ali in the house. So he asked, "Where is he?" She replied, "There was something (a quarrel) between me and him, whereupon he got angry with me and went out.” Allah's Messenger (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) went to the masjid and found him lying on the floor. His upper garment had fallen off to one side of his body, and so he was covered with dust. Allah’s Messenger (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) started cleaning the dust from him, saying, "Get


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up, O Abu Turaab (father of dust)! Get up, Abu Turaab!”


His Manner with Kids


The kids enjoyed an abundant proportion of his great character. He used to compete with his wife Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and encouraged her to play with her friends. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "I used to play with dolls in the presence of the Prophet, (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and my friends would play with me. When the Messenger of Allah, (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), entered, they would hide from him, and he would call them to join me, and they would play with me."


In addition, he cared for the kids, joked with them, and was kind to them. It was narrated on the authority of ‘Abdullah bin Shaddad, that his father said, "The Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came out to us for one of the night prayers, and he was carrying Hasan or Husain. The Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came forward and put him down. Then, he said the takbeer and started to pray. He


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prostrated during his prayer, and made the prostration lengthy." My father said, "I raised my head and saw the child on the back of the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) while he was prostrating. So I went back to my prostration. When the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) finished praying, the people said: "O Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), you prostrated during the prayer for so long that we thought that something had happened, or that you were receiving revelation.' He said, “No such thing happened. But my son was riding on my back, and I did not like to disturb him until he had enough."


Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated


that, “The Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was the best of all people in character. He used to say to a little brother of mine, ‘O Abu `Umair! What did An-Nughair (nightingale) do?’ It was a bird the child owned and played with. This act indicates how he would give comfort to children and show them kindness.


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His Treatment to His Family


Regarding his treatment to his family, it indeed involved all the noble manners. He (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was very humble, and was always at the disposal of the needs of his family. He valued the status of a woman as a human being, a mother, a wife, and a daughter. Once a man asked him and said, "O Allah's Messenger! Who is more entitled to be treated with the best companionship by me?" The Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Your mother, then your mother, then your mother, and then your father.” He further said, “He who sees either of his parents or both of them, but does not show kindness to them, and dies, he will enter the Hellfire, and may Allah expel him from His Mercy.”


The Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would take the vessel that his wife drank from and put his mouth in the place where she put her mouth and drink therefrom. He used to say, “The best of you is the one who is best to his wife, and I am the best of you to my wives.”


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His Mercy


Regarding the attribute of mercy, he (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) indeed said, “The merciful ones are shown mercy by Ar-Rahman (the Most Merciful). Be merciful to those on earth, and you will be shown mercy from the One Who is above the heavens.”


Our noble Prophet had the largest share of this great character. This is evidently shown in his attitude to all: young, old, relative and non-relative. Of the manifestations of his mercy and compassion is that he used to shorten the prayer and would not lengthen it when he heard the cry of a child. Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Sometime I stand up to lead the prayer with the intention of prolonging it. Then I hear the crying of an infant, so I shorten the prayer from fear that I would make it burdensome for his mother.”


An example of his compassion for his Ummah and his eagerness for them to embrace the religion of Allah is when a young Jewish boy who was in the service of the Prophet (May the


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blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) fell ill, the Prophet (praise and peace be upon him) went to visit him. He sat down by his head and said to him, "Embrace Islam." The little boy looked at his father who was sitting beside him. He said: "Obey Abul-Qasim (i.e., the Messenger of Allah), May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him”. So, he embraced Islam and shortly after, he passed away. Thereupon, the Prophet


(May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stepped out saying, “All praise is due and belongs to Allah Who has saved him from Hell-fire.”


His Patience


His life (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), was all patience, striving in the cause of Allah, and surrendering to Him. The Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had always been patient, persevering, and in perpetual work from the beginning of revelation until the last moment of his life. He knew the nature of what he would encounter on this path, right from the first moments of his commission as a prophet, and after the earliest meeting with the angel, when Khadijah (may


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Allah be pleased with her) accompanied him to Waraqah bin Nawfal who said to him: "I wish I were young and could live to the time when your people will drive you out." Allah’s Messenger (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) asked, "Will they drive me out?" Waraqah replied in the affirmative and said, "No man has come with something similar to what you have brought except he was treated with hostility".


Therefore, he prepared himself mentally, right from the onset, to bear upon this path hardships, harm, conspiracy, and animosity.


An example of his patience (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) manifesting evidently, is the physical harm he suffered from his folk, family and clan while in Makkah preaching the message of his Lord. This includes what Al-Bukhari transmitted, that Urwah bin Az-Zubair asked Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al-As, "Tell me of the worst thing which the pagans did to the Prophet." He said, "While the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was praying in the ‘hijr of the Ka’bah; ‘Uqba bin Abi Mu’ait came and put his garment around the


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Prophet's neck and throttled him violently. Abu Bakr came and caught him by his shoulder and pushed him away from the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and said, "Do you want to kill a man just because he says; 'My Lord is Allah?’".


One day, while the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was praying near the Ka’bah, Abu Jahl and his Companions were sitting nearby. Abu Jahl said, referring to the she-camel that had been slaughtered the previous day: “Who will rise to fetch the fetus of the she-camel of so and so, and place it between the shoulders of Muhammad when he goes down in prostration (sujood)?” The one most accursed among the people got up, brought the fetus and, when the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) went down in prostration, he placed it between his shoulders. They laughed at him, and some of them leaned upon the others with laughter. The Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had bent down his head in prostration and did not raise it, until his


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daughter Fatima, came and removed (the filth) from his back.


More serious was the psychological harm he faced, represented in belying him and rejecting his Message, accusing him of being a soothsayer, poet, lunatic, and a magician. Moreover, the false claim that the signs, proofs, and Quranic verses he brought were mere legends of the men of the past. This includes what Abu Jahl said, "O Allah! If this (Qur'an) is indeed the truth from You, then rain down stones on us or bring upon us some painful punishment!” [Al-Anfal, ayah 32]


When he went out to preach to the people in their meeting and market places, his uncle, Abu Lahab, used to follow him, belie him, and prevent the people from accepting his message as the truth. On the other hand, his wife used to gather firewood and thorns and cast them on his pathway.


The mischief reached its peak when he was besieged along with his Companions for three years in the mountain pass of Abu Talib, where they ate the leaves of trees out of excruciating


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hunger. The sorrows increased when he lost his uncle who used to protect him, and his sorrows multiplied when his uncle died on disbelief. Then he was shocked by the death of his wife Khadijah, who used to console and assist him. Then he had to leave his hometown and migrate, after a series of attempts to murder him. In Madinah, he began a new epoch of patience and sacrifice, and a life that involved a lot of struggle and adversity, where he felt hungry and became poor, and would fasten stones to his stomach to quell the pangs of hunger. The Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Indeed I have been terrorized for the sake of Allah, such that no one has been terrorized, and I have been harmed for the sake of Allah, such that no one has been harmed. Thirty days and nights have passed over me, and there was no food with Bilal and I forced something with a liver to eat, except what Bilal could conceal under his armpit.”


Indeed, his honor was attacked. The hypocrites and ignorant Bedouin Arabs harmed him. Al-Bukhari transmitted on the authority of Abdullah bin Mas’ud: Once Allah’s Messenger (may the


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blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) divided and distributed (the war booty). A man from the Ansaar said, "By Allah! Muhammad, by this distribution, did not intend to please Allah." So I came to Allah’s Messenger (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and informed him about it, whereupon his face changed with anger and he said, “May Allah bestow His Mercy on Musa, for he was harmed with more than this, yet he remained patient.”


Some of the difficulties the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) endured are the deaths of his sons and daughters. He had seven children, and they all died one after the other except Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her). He quailed not, nor was he weakened. Rather he was graciously patient, to the extent that on the day his son Ibrahim passed away, he said, “Indeed, the eyes are shedding tears, and the heart is grieving, and we will not say except that which pleases our Lord. O Ibrahim! Indeed, we are grieved by your departure.”


The patience of the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was not


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confined to tolerating harm and afflictions, but it rather included patience in the obedience of Allah, the Most High and Glorified, whereby his Lord commanded him to do so. He used to struggle in worship and acts of obedience to the extent that his feet used to crack out of excessive standing at night. He frequently fasted, made dhikr, and did other acts of worship. When he was asked about that he would say, “Should I not be a grateful slave of Allah?”


His Asceticism


The attribute of asceticism cannot be truly attributed practically to someone unless he has the opportunity to get something, but turns away and leaves it as a way of abstinence. Our Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was the most ascetic person and the least interested in this world. He sufficed with his propagation, and was content with a life of hardship, despite the fact that the whole world was at his fingertips, in spite of the fact that he was the most noble of the creation in the sight of Allah. If he had wished, Allah would have given him whatever he liked of wealth and blessings.


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Imam Ibn Kathir stated in his book of tafseer (exegesis of the Noble Qur’an) on the authority of Khaithamah, that it was said to the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him):,“If you wish we can grant you of the treasures of the earth and their keys, that which We have never granted to any prophet before you, and will not grant to anyone after you, and this will not reduce from what you deserve in the sight of Allah”, he said, “Gather them for me in the hereafter.”


Regarding his life and livelihood (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), it is very wonderful. Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I was walking with the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) on the stony ground in Madinah, one afternoon, when the Mountain of Uhud came into sight. The Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, ‘If I had as much gold as the weight of Uhud, it would not please me to have a single dinar from it with me after the passage of three days, except what I would hold back for the repayment of a debt. I would distribute it among


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the slaves of Allah like this, and like this, and like this.’ And he (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) pointed in front of him, and on his right side and on his left side."


Moreover, he used to say, “What have I to do with the world? I am like a rider who sat under a tree for its shade, then went away and left it.”


His Food and Clothing


As for food, he would go for a month, or two, or three, without a fire being lit in his house for cooking (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Their food at such times would be water and dates. At times, he would go a whole day suffering from excruciating hunger, and would not find anything to fill his stomach. Most of his bread was made of barley. It is not recorded that he ever ate sauced or milk-and-water bread. His servant, Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) stated that he never had lunch or dinner with bread and meat combined except when he had guests.


His situation regarding clothing is no less than what is previously stated. His Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) have testified


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regarding his asceticism and lack of affectation in dress, though he could have chosen the most expensive clothes. One of the noble Companions describes his clothing saying, "I came to discuss an affair with the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and I found him sitting, wearing a thick, cotton, lower wrap."


Abu Burdah (may Allah be pleased with him) entered upon Aisha, the Mother of the Believers. She brought out a coarse lower garment, and a patched garment. She said, "Allah's Messenger (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) died in these two garments.”


Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) also reported, "Once, I was walking with Allah's Messenger (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and over him was a Najrani upper wrap with a thick border.”


When he died, he (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not leave behind one dirham or dinar, nor a slave boy or a slave girl, nor anything, except for his white mule, his


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weapon, and a piece of land he left as charity. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that "When Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) died, there was nothing on my wooden tub which a living being could eat except for a handful of barley." He died (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) while his (iron) armor was mortgaged to a Jew for some barley.


His Justice and Equity


As for justice, he was just in dealing with his Lord the most Exalted and Glorified, just in handling himself, just in treating his wives, and just in dealing with others, whether they were close relatives or distant, companions, friends, and those in harmony with him, or those in disharmony with him even the vainglory enemy enjoyed a portion of his justice and equity (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). People would oppose him, and others would wrong him, but he would not walk out on justice. Justice was inseparable from him (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) as a resident and while on journey. He hated to be distinguished from his Companions. Rather, he


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loved justice and equality, and to bear the hardships and difficulties that they bore. Abdullah bin Mas’ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported, "On the day of the Battle of Badr three of us rode on a camel. So Abu Lubabah and Ali bin Abi Talib were the Companions of Allah's Messenger (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). When it was Allah's Messenger's turn, they said, ‘We will walk while you ride.’ Thereupon he said, “None of you is stronger than me, and I am not less in need of reward than either of you."


When Usaid bin Hudwair was cracking jokes with the people and causing them to laugh, the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) poked him under the ribs with a stick. Usaid said, “You have caused me pain, so allow me to take revenge.” He (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “Then take revenge.” Usaid said, “You are wearing a shirt and I am not putting on a shirt.” Then the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) lifted his shirt and Usaid embraced him and began kissing the area


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between the rib and the loin. He said, “I indeed intended this O Messenger of Allah.”


He (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) never allowed the quantified legal punishments of Allah, the Most Exalted and Glorified, to be put out of action in order to establish justice among the people; even if the culprit was one of his relatives or beloved ones. In the incidence of the Makhzumi woman that committed theft, he did not accept the intercession of Usamah and made his popular statement, “O Mankind, the people before you were ruined because when a noble person amongst them committed theft, they would leave him, but if a weak person amongst them committed theft, they would execute the legal punishment on him. By Allah, were Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad, to commit theft, I would cut off her hand off.”


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What They Say About Muhammad


Below are excerpts from the sayings of some Western philosophers and orientalists about Prophet Muhammad (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) elucidating their acknowledgement of the greatness of this Noble Prophet, his Prophethood, praiseworthy attributes, and the reality of his mission, far away from the fanaticism and falsehood promoted by some of the enemies of Islam1:


In his book "Muhammad", which was burnt to ashes by the British Authority, Bernard Shaw said in ‘The Genuine Islam’: “If any religion had the chance of ruling over England, nay Europe, within the next hundred years, it could be Islam.”


“I have always held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion, which appears to


1 Editor's note: The quotes of the following people we were able to verify from their original sources: Bernard Shaw, Thomas Carlyle, Gandhi, and Ramakrishna Rao.


The quotes of the following people we were unable to verify from their original sources: The Canadian Zwemer, Sir William Muir, Leo Tolstoy, and Schabrak.


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me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence, which can make itself appeal to every age. I have studied him – the wonderful man and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the Savior of Humanity.”


“I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness: I have prophesied about the faith of Muhammad that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe of today.”


He also said, "The medieval ecclesiastics, either through ignorance or bigotry, painted Mohammedanism in the darkest colors. To them Muhammad was Anti-Christ. I have studied him - the wonderful man and in my opinion, far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the Savior of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world he would succeed in solving its problems


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in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness".


The English Philosopher and Nobel Laureate, Thomas Carlyle in 'Heroes and Hero Worship and the Heroic in History, says, "The lies (Western slander) which well-meaning zeal has heaped round this man (Muhammad) are disgraceful to ourselves only".


“It is a great shame for anyone to listen to the accusation that Islam is a lie and that Muhammad was a fabricator and a deceiver. We saw that he remained steadfast upon his principles, with firm determination; kind and generous, compassionate, pious, virtuous, with real manhood, hardworking and sincere. Besides all these qualities, he was lenient with others, tolerant, kind, cheerful and praiseworthy and perhaps he would joke and tease his Companions. He was just, truthful, smart, pure, magnanimous and present-minded; his face was radiant as if he had lights within him to illuminate the darkest of nights; he was a great man by nature who was not educated in a school nor nurtured by a teacher as he was not in need of any of this.”


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The Hindu Philosopher, Ramakrishna Rao, says in his book “Muhammad, Prophet of Islam”: “When he appeared Arabia was a desert – a nothing. Out of nothing a new world was fashioned by the mighty spirit of Mohammad – a new life, a new culture, a new civilization, a new kingdom which extended from Morocco to Indies and influenced the thought and life of three continents – Asia, Africa and Europe.”


The Canadian Orientalist, Zwemer says, "Indeed, Muhammad was no doubt one of the greatest religious leaders. He deserves the word that he was an able reformer, eloquent and well spoken, courageous and daring, a great thinker. We may not attribute to him anything that contradicts these qualities, and this is the Qur’an that he brought and his life history, all bear witness to the validity of this claim".


Sir William Muir says, "Indeed, Muhammad the Prophet of Muslims was titled "The Honest One" since childhood, unanimously by the people of his country, due to his noble morals and sound conduct. Whatever the case may be,


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Muhammad is higher than what a describer may describe. He that does not know of him would not know him. An expert of him is he that had a careful consideration of his glorious history, a history that left Muhammad in the forefront of messengers and the thinkers of the world.”


He further says, "Muhammad excelled by his clear speech and stress-free religion. He has accomplished works that astound the minds. History does not know of any reformer that awakened souls, revived morality and promoted virtue in a short time, as did Muhammad the Prophet of Islam."


The Famous Russian Novelist and Philosopher Leo Tolstoy says, "It suffices him (Prophet Muhammad) that he led a whole nation to the enlightenment of truth, and made it more inclined towards tranquility and peace, preferred modesty, and prevented it from shedding blood, and widely opened to it the gate to development and civilization. The legislation of Muhammad would lead the world as it agrees with reason and wisdom".


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Mahatma Gandhi, speaking on the character of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, says in 'Young India':


"I wanted to know the best of one who holds today undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind... I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the 2nd volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of the great life."


The Austrian Cheberk says, "Mankind should be proud of having a man like Muhammad among them, for despite being illiterate he was able, more than ten centuries ago, to introduce legislation that we Europeans would be the


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happiest ever if we could produce something of equally high quality."


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