An Inspirational Life

Highlights and Lessons from the Life of the Prophet (peace be upon him)

Introduction

لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا

“There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.”

Before Prophethood

Even before the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was given his prophethood, he was known among his people as ‘Al‐Ameen’, the Trustworthy. People would entrust him above others with their valuables when they wanted to travel. He was also known as ‘As‐Saddiq’ – the Truthful, for he never told a lie. He was well mannered, well‐spoken, and loved to assist people in need. He was loved by children, women spoke of his modest personality, and he never cheated people or hurt the weak. His people therefore loved and revered him for his many beautiful traits and good manners and he commanded respect amongst all. In fact, people would come to him to resolve their disputes such as his well-known resolution for the tribal ownership over the Black Stone (Al-Hajar Al-Aswad); he advised all four Makkan tribes to place the stone on a piece of cloth, take a corner and carry it over to the rightful place at the Ka’bah. Peace was restored once again. Despite living in a society rich with idol worship where people associated partners with Allah , the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ never worshipped idols and kept his faith in one Illah (God) – in Allah – pure!

From the beginning of Prophethood (the first stage of Da’wah)

During the period of persecution, the Mushrikeen were upset because the Messenger (peace be upon him) cast aspersions upon their reasoning and criticized their gods, and brought them a new religion which called them to one God. During this period, the Messenger would meet with the believers in secret in the house of al-Arqam ibn Abi al-Arqam. Then the Messenger (peace be upon him) was commanded to warn his tribe and kinsmen, So he stood on As-Safa and called the clans of Quraysh one by one, and invited them to enter Islam, and give up idol worship; he told them of Paradise and warned them about Hell, Abu Lahab said to him “May you perish! Was it for this that you called us together?” then Quraysh wanted to harm him but he didn’t give up.

From the Migration to Abyssinia until the Migration to Madinah

During the second stage of the Da’wah in Makkah, Abu Talib, the paternal uncle of the prophet (peace be upon him), died in the 10th year of the prophet mission, During his life he was the strong defender of his nephew (peace be upon him), Khadeejah died in the same year, She had eased the worries of the prophet and the grief he felt at the persecution of Quraish, after the death of his uncle and his wife the prophet went to At-Ta’if, hoping that the tribe of Thaqeef would listen to him and support him but they rejected him in an unpleasant manner, The miracle of the Isra’ and Mi'raj (night journey and ascent into heaven) took place, The prophet was taken by night from al-Masjid al-Haram (in Makkah) to al-Masjid Al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem), Then he was taken up into the highest heavens, and came back to his house in Makkah on the same night, on that night the prayer was made obligatory, five prayers each day. The prophet (peace be upon him) was passing the tribes on the occasion of Hajj as was his custom every year to call them to Islam, he met group from al-Aws and al-Khazraj (Tribes from Madinah), He called them to Islam and they became Muslims.

From the Hijrah until the settlement in Madinah

Migration (Hijrah) to Madinah marked a turning point in Muhammad's (peace be upon him) mission. One of the first public acts as he took charge of the city of Madinah was to build a Masjid which is historically known as the Masjid an-Nabawi or the Prophet's Mosque. Next he set about getting all parties together to sign a covenant, arguably the first of its kind in history, which would set standards for tolerance and cooperation between various religious and ethnic communities. In a very short period after the Migration to Madinah, Muhammad (peace be upon him) had proven himself capable of uniting various factions and setting exemplary standards of cooperation between them. He made a seamless switch from being a person under constant persecution to a leader with a large administrative and judicial responsibility. However this phase provided only a short respite before the next period of his mission.

The Battles of the Prophet (peace be upon him)

The Prophet and his followers were faced with very aggressive proponents of disbelief. The Muslims with the Prophet never initiated or instigated any wars. Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Muslims engaged in these battles with great discipline, avoiding injury to the innocent and using only the minimum force needed. Striking a blow in anger, even in battle, was prohibited. Muhammad (peace be upon him) was physically present on the battlefield in all of these wars risking his life and limb. His presence at the battlefield was essential in keeping the morale of his people high. The near defeats at Uhud and Hunayn would have turned into complete disasters except for his presence. He inspired Muslims to remain steadfast and patient during that long siege of the battle of the Trench. He used innovative strategies in the battles, which included, as mentioned earlier, the use of the trench as a defense. During the digging of the trench he was an active participant. He consulted frequently (Shura) and listened to his followers, even when it sometimes went against his own judgment. In addition to setting new standards for the humane treatment of POWs, the Prophet also implemented Qur'anic rules for the conduct of war, minimizing collateral damage, including damage to trees! Women, children and non-combatants were not to be harmed. When the enemy stopped fighting, he was to be given immediate sanctuary.

From the Conquest of Makkah until the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him)

During the three short years following Hudaybiyah and preceding the conquest of Makkah, the number of Muslims grew enormously. Muhammad (peace be upon him) received deputations from the various tribes in and around Arabia and sent out emissaries to neighboring tribes and kingdoms inviting them to study and ponder over the message of Islam. Soon most of the tribes in Arabia had become allies of the Muslims and the Quraysh increasingly were an irrelevant force. After the nearly bloodless conquest of Makkah, Muhammad's (peace be upon him) first act upon entering the city was the announcement of a general amnesty. Next, Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his associates entered the Ka'bah and cleared out its many idols. As the idols toppled he kept repeating the verses: The truth has come and falsehood has passed away Verily, falsehood is sure to pass away. (Qur'an 17: 81). In the last year of his mission, the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) decided to go on the Hajj pilgrimage. When this news became known, such large numbers of people came along that it looked as though the entire Arab nation was accompanying him. It was a climactic, majestic moment in the Prophet's life. The success of the mission that once was in doubt had now been accomplished. As he spoke that day, sitting on his camel at the top of the hill in the plain of 'Arafat, he could see devout Muslims gathered around him all the way to the horizon. What once appeared impossible had come true in most spectacular fashion. The time of troubles was behind him.

Closure

لَقَدْ مَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِهِ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا مِن قَبْلُ لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ

“Certainly, did Allah confer [great] favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error.”