Muhammad preached to the people to trust in Allah. His whole life was a sublime example of the precept. In the loneliness of Makkah, in the midst of persecution and danger, in adversity and tribulations, and in the thick of enemies in the battles of Uhud and Hunayn, complete faith and trust in Allah appears as the dominant feature in his life. However great the danger that confronted him, he never lost hope and never allowed himself to be unduly agitated. Abu Talib knew the feelings of the Quraysh when the Prophet started his mission. He also knew the lengths to which the Quraysh could go, and requested the Prophet to abandon his mission, but the latter calmly replied: "Dear uncle, do not go by my loneliness. Truth will not go unsupported for long. The whole of Arabia and beyond will one day espouse its cause." [Ibn Hisham]
When the attitude of the Quraysh became more threatening, Abu Talib again begged his nephew to renounce his mission but the Prophet's reply was: "O my uncle, if they placed the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, to force me to renounce my work, verily I would not desist thereform until Allah made manifest His cause, or I perished in the attempt." (Ibid)
To another well-wisher, he said: "Allah will not leave me forlorn."
A dejected and oppressed companion was comforted with the words:
"By Allah, the day is near when this faith will reach its pinnacle and none will have to fear anyone except Allah." [Al-Bukhari]
It was the same trust in Allah which emboldened the prophet to say his prayers openly in the Haram (sacred Mosque of Makkah) in the teeth of opposition. The Quraysh were once collected there and were conspiring to put an end to his life when he next entered the Haram. His young daughter Fatimah who happened to overhear their talk rushed weeping to her father and told him of the designs of the Quraysh. He consoled her, did his ablutions and went to the Ka'bah to say prayers. There was only consternation among the Quraysh when they saw him [Ahmad].
Then leaving his house for Madeenah he asked Ali to sleep on his bed and told him: "Do not worry, no one will be able to do you any harm" [At-Tabari, Ibn Hisham]
Even though the enemies had surrounded the house, he left the house reciting the Quranic verse (which means): "We have set a barricade before them and a barricade behind them and (thus) have covered them so that they see not" [Quran, 36: 9]
Abu Bakr was frightened when pursuers came close to the cavern in which he and Prophet Muhammad hiding during their flight, but the Prophet heartened him: "Grieve not. Allah is with us."
A guard was kept at the Prophet's house in Madeenah because of the danger that surrounded him but he had it withdrawn when the Quranic verse was revealed (which means): "Allah will protect you from the people". [Quran, 5: 67]
A man was caught waiting in ambush to assault the Prophet but he was directed to be released with the words: "Even if this man wanted to kill me, he could not." [Ahmad]
A Jewish woman from Khaybar had put poison in the Prophet's food. He spat it out after taking a morsel but a companion who had his fill died the next day. The Jewess was brought before the prophet who questioned her: "Why did you do this?" "To kill you," was her defiant reply. She was told, "Allah would not have allowed you to do it." [Muslim]
In the battle of Uhud when the rear guard action of the Makkan army had disorganized the Muslim army and had turned the tables, the Prophet stood as firm as a rock even though he had suffered personal injuries. When Abu Sufiyan taunted the Muslims and shouted "Victory to Hubal!" (Hubal was one of their idols), the Prophet asked Umar to shout back: "Allah is our protector and friend. You have no protector and friend. Allah is Great, Magnificent." [Ibn Hisham]
Again in the battle of Hunayn, when the unexpected assault of the army had swept the Muslim force off its feet and a defeat seemed imminent, the Prophet did not yield ground. With trust in Allah he showed such courage that the Muslim army rallied behind him to win a signal victory.
Allah's Messenger was the kindest of men in the same way as he excelled all others in courage and valor. Being extremely kind-hearted, his eyes brimmed with tears at the slightest sign of inhumanity. A Companion, Shaddaad bin 'Aws, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet said:
"Verily, Allah has prescribed Al-Ihsaan (i.e. performing an action in a perfect and kind manner) towards everything. Thus, if you kill (anyone for some justified reason), kill (him/her) humanely; and when you slaughter (an animal), slaughter (it) in a good way. So, each one of you should sharpen his blade and let the slaughtered animal die comfortably." [Muslim]
Ibn 'Abas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that a man threw a goat on its side and then started sharpening his knife. When the Prophet saw him he said: “Do you want to kill it twice? Why did you not sharpen the knife before throwing it on the ground?”
A Mercy for the Believers
The Messenger’s compassion towards the believers was of the utmost degree. The Quran describes his compassion in the following verse, which means: “There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you [i.e. your guidance] and to the believers is kind and merciful.” [Quran: 9:128]
Sa‘d ibn ‘Ubaadah, may Allah be pleased with him, once became ill, so Prophet visited him in his house. On seeing his faithful Companion in a pitiful state, he was moved to tears. Then, he said: “Allah does not punish because of tears, nor because of grief, but he punishes because of this." -, and he pointed to his tongue. [Al-Bukhari]
A Mercy towards his Enemies
The prisoners of war taken captive at the battle of Badr were amongst his bitterest enemies. Nevertheless, he made sure that they were given the best of treatment. Among them was Suhayl ibn ‘Amr who was a fiery speaker and was denouncing the Prophet . 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, one of the Prophet’s closest companions, suggested that two of his lower teeth be pulled out so that he might not be so vile in his speeches. The Prophet replied: “Were I to do this, Allah would disfigure me on the Day of Judgement, despite the fact that I am His messenger.”
In Makkah, his people inflicted him with every kind of suffering, eventually forcing him to migrate to Madeenah, and then waged war on him for five years. However, when he conquered Makkah without bloodshed in the twenty-first year of his Prophethood, he asked the Makkan unbelievers who were awaiting his decision about them: “How do you expect me to treat you?” They responded unanimously: “You are a noble one, the son of a noble one.” He announced to them his decision:
“You may go free! No reproach this day shall be on you; may Allah forgive you.”
A Mercy for Women
Prophet Muhammad was also very kind and affectionate towards women. Women were very badly treated in those times. The Noble Prophet gave them honor and dignity at par with men in the community. 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: “We did not have much regard for women while we were in Makkah, but they were better treated in Madeenah. Allah's Messenger established women's rights through his sayings and commandments, which improved their position and status.”
A Mercy for Children
Allah’s Messenger was particularly compassionate towards children. When he saw a child crying, he sat beside him or her and shared his or her feelings. He felt the pain of a mother for her child more than the mother herself. Once he said: “I stand in prayer and wish to prolong it. However, I hear the cry of a child and cut the prayer short for the anxiety which the mother is feeling.” [Al-Bukhari]
He would take children in his arms and embrace them. He was once hugging his beloved grandsons, Hasan and Husayn, when Aqrah ibn Haabis told him, ‘I have got ten children. So far, I have not kissed any one of them.’ Allah’s Messenger responded: “The one who does not teat others with mercy will not be treated mercifully.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
According to another version, he said: “What can I do for you if Allah has removed from you the feeling of compassion?” [At-Tirmithi]
A Mercy for Slaves
The Prophet strongly enjoined the duty of kind and generous treatment upon slaves, servants and laborers engaged in manual work. Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, related that the Prophet said: “Feed them with the food which you eat, clothe them with such clothing as you wear, and do not cause trouble to Allah's creatures.” The Apostle also said: “Those whom Allah has made your dependents are your brothers, servants and helpmates. Anybody whose brother has been made subservient to him ought to feed him with the food he eats and clothe him with the clothes he wears; he should not command him to do that which he is unable to do, and if it becomes necessary to do so, then he should help him in doing the job.”
A Mercy for Animals
His compassion encompassed not only human beings, but also animals.
The Prophet forbade his companions to keep the unintelligent creatures hungry or thirsty, to disturb or to overburden them. He commended that kindness and putting them at ease were meritorious acts tending to bring man closer to Allah. Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet said: "A traveler who was thirsty saw a well on his way. He got inside the well and when he came out he saw a dog licking mud due to thirst. The man realized that the dog was as thirsty as him, so he got into the well again, filled his leather sock with water and carried it out holding it with his teeth. Thus, he quenched the thirst of the dog. Allah was pleased with this act of kindness and pardoned his sins." The Companions asked: “O Messenger of Allah, is there recompense in the matter of beasts and wild animals also?” The Prophet replied: “There is recompense in regard to every creature that has a living heart.”
'Abdullah ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, related that the Prophet said: “A woman was punished and entered Hellfire because she kept a cat in captivity until it died, she neither fed it nor gave it water to drink; nor did she set it free so that it could eat from the vermin of the earth.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Once on return from a military campaign, few Companions took away the chicks of a bird from their nest to stroke them. The mother bird came back and when it could not find its chicks in the nest, it began to fly around screeching. When informed of the matter, Allah’s Messenger became angry and ordered the chicks to be put back in the nest. [Abu Daawood]
Conclusion
The love and compassion of Allah’s Messenger for all kinds of creatures was not of the kind claimed by today’s ‘humanists’. He was sincere and balanced in his love and compassion. He was more compassionate than any other person. He was a Prophet raised by Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of all beings, for the guidance and happiness of conscious beings - mankind and jinn - and the harmony of existence. Therefore, he lived not for himself but for others; he is a mercy for all the worlds.
“Indeed, in this [Quran] is notification for a worshipping people. And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.” [Quran: 21:106-107]
