The Prophet of Mercy
By Shaikh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat Hafizahullah
Teachings full of mercy
Throughout his life, the Prophet peace be upon him maintained his considerate conduct and emphasized repeatedly to the sahaba that they must not do anything that would cause distress to another. The Hadith a (complete and perfect) Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand people are safe can be regarded as an overarching rule. In addition there are countless sayings and reports of the Prophet teaching consideration and compassion towards others.
Miqdad Ibn Aswad relates how he and some companions were the guests of the Prophet and residing with him. Whenever the Prophet would arrive late at night and pass their resting place, he would greet them in such a tone that those who were asleep would not be awakened and those who were awake would not feel deprived of the Prophet's greetings.
It would have been easy for the Prophet to just by quietly out of consideration for those who were asleep, but his compassion and kindness were of such a sublime nature that he could not bear to hurt the feelings of those who were awake and eagerly anticipating his greeting. Returning home after a hard day, tired and weary, the Prophet would still treat people with consideration and compassion. It is worth contemplating this behavior of the Prophet and asking the question, ' If the Prophet took such pains to avoid causing a relatively minor inconvenience as this, what must his teachings be regarding avoiding more serious inconvenience and harm? '
Ayesha (r.a) describes how the Prophet would get up at night to perform Tahajjud prayers in such a way as not to disturb her sleep. He would put on his shoes, open and close the 'door' etc all with such consideration.
Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud reports that on the way to Badr, the Prophet shared his mount with Abu Lubabah (r.a) and Ali (r.a). Both companions fervently offered to give up their turns to ride in order to provide comfort to the Prophet peace be upon him. The tenderness and fellow-feeling of the Prophet shines out in his refusal. He said,
You are no stronger than me and nor am i any less in need of reward than you.
(Ahmad)
Once while traveling, the Prophet and his companions stopped to rest. Leaving the Prophet under the shade of an acacia tree, the sahabah dispersed to find places for themselves to rest. A polytheist, seeing the Prophet's sword hanging from the tree, took it and unsheathed it. The Prophet awoke and the man said to him,' Who will save you from me? '
The Prophet immediately replied, ' Allah. '
The polytheist dropped the sword, and picking it up, the Prophet said, ' Who will save you from me? '
The man asked for mercy. The Prophet asked him if he wished to accept Islam,but he refused, however, promising not to side with anyone to fight the Prophet of Allah.The Prophet peace be upon him then let him go. The man returned to his people and told them, ' I have come to you from the best of people. '
(Ahmad)
The man was astute and had accepted the truth of Islam when he witnessed the behavior of the Prophet, yet he did not say so when he was asked. He did not want to give people the excuse to say that he was forced to accept Islam at sword-point. He returned to his tribe and declared his Islam. The clemency and kindness of the Prophet impelled someone who was threatening to kill him a few moments previously, to declare to his people that he had just met the best person in the world.
The following statement of the Prophet highlights how Islam pays attention to the smallest details in ensuring that people are not inconvenienced and live in harmony together.
He who eats this plant, i.e garlic, should not come to the masajid.
(Bukhari)
In this hadith, the Prophet forbids people to come to salah after eating raw garlic because it is a cause of distress to others. It is obvious that if a person with an unpleasant odour stands in the rows of salah, others will feel distressed and, due to being in salah, will not be able to move away. Through such seemingly insignificant points, the Prophet educated the sahaba to show compassion at all times.
The Prophet once gave the example of a man who, through showing consideration for others, received the mercy of Allah. He said,
Whilst a man was walking along a path, he saw a branch hanging over the path. He moved it aside and Allah acknowledged his deed and forgave him.
(Bukhari)
By making up his mind to show compassion to his fellow road users, and removing a cause of inconvenience to them, the man in the hadith became a recipient of Allah's mercy. In another narration the Prophet says he saw the man strolling about in Jannah due to his good deed.
The importance of a loving and compassionate nature is stressed in the Hadith,
A believer is a treasure of love; there is no goodness in one who does not love and is not loved.
( Ahmad)
Similarly, the Prophet said,
Whoever is deprived of gentleness, is deprived of goodness.
(Muslim)
Animal Rights
The Prophet, as mercy for the worlds, was a mercy for the animal kingdom too. Abdullah Ibn Ja'far (r.a) relates an incident that highlights this fact;
...The Prophet entered a garden belonging to an Ansari man and came across a camel. When it saw the Prophet, it made a pitiful sound and shed tears. The Prophet approached it and stroked its neck, at which it fell silent. The Prophet said, ' Who is the owner of this camel? Whose camel is this? '
A young man from the Ansar came forward and said, ' It is mine O Prophet of Allah. '
The Prophet said, ' Do you not fear Allah with regards to this animal that Allah has placed in your ownership? It complained to me that you starve it and tire it out. '
The Prophet declared;
Fear Allah regarding these mute animals; mount them when they are fit (i.e thay have fully rested) and dismount from them when they are still fit (i.e before tiring them out).
(Mishkaat)
In this Hadith the Prophet warned people to only ride an animal that is rested and healthy and furthermore instructed that they should stop riding whilst the animal is still fit, not carry on until it is worn out.
On another occasion, the Prophet said;
When you slaughter (an animal) be good in slaughtering it; you should sharpen your knife so as to cause as little pain as possible.
(Muslim)
The following incident also demonstrates how much sympathy and concern the Prophet had for animals;
The Prophet passed by a man who was sharpening his knife whilst his animal was staring at him. The Prophet said; ' Why did you not do that before? Do you intend to make it d ie twice?'
(Tabarani)
Allah has given animals the sense to realise when they are in danger. Sharpening the knife in front of an animal or letting it see another being slaughtered is to inflict it with unnecessary distress.
The Prophet of Islam warned mankind against mistreating animals. It was the Prophet of Islam who, over fourteen hundred years ago, campaigned on behalf of those members of Allah's creation who are unable to speak or assert their rights, and he established compassion and justice for them on this planet. Where else in the annals of history can we find such a voice of compassion and mercy?
This is a lesson we all need to learn. We need to adopt compassion and become useful members of society, helping our fellow human beings; the disadvantaged,the elderly and the poor. If we abandon our selfishness for concern for others,Allah's help will be with us and all the might of media propaganda will fail to slur the image of the beautiful religion of Islam. Mere words and propaganda are impotent in the face of deeds and actions. Actions speak louder than words.
By Shaikh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat Hafizahullah
Teachings full of mercy
Throughout his life, the Prophet peace be upon him maintained his considerate conduct and emphasized repeatedly to the sahaba that they must not do anything that would cause distress to another. The Hadith a (complete and perfect) Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand people are safe can be regarded as an overarching rule. In addition there are countless sayings and reports of the Prophet teaching consideration and compassion towards others.
Miqdad Ibn Aswad relates how he and some companions were the guests of the Prophet and residing with him. Whenever the Prophet would arrive late at night and pass their resting place, he would greet them in such a tone that those who were asleep would not be awakened and those who were awake would not feel deprived of the Prophet's greetings.
It would have been easy for the Prophet to just by quietly out of consideration for those who were asleep, but his compassion and kindness were of such a sublime nature that he could not bear to hurt the feelings of those who were awake and eagerly anticipating his greeting. Returning home after a hard day, tired and weary, the Prophet would still treat people with consideration and compassion. It is worth contemplating this behavior of the Prophet and asking the question, ' If the Prophet took such pains to avoid causing a relatively minor inconvenience as this, what must his teachings be regarding avoiding more serious inconvenience and harm? '
Ayesha (r.a) describes how the Prophet would get up at night to perform Tahajjud prayers in such a way as not to disturb her sleep. He would put on his shoes, open and close the 'door' etc all with such consideration.
Abdullah Ibn Mas'ud reports that on the way to Badr, the Prophet shared his mount with Abu Lubabah (r.a) and Ali (r.a). Both companions fervently offered to give up their turns to ride in order to provide comfort to the Prophet peace be upon him. The tenderness and fellow-feeling of the Prophet shines out in his refusal. He said,
You are no stronger than me and nor am i any less in need of reward than you.
(Ahmad)
Once while traveling, the Prophet and his companions stopped to rest. Leaving the Prophet under the shade of an acacia tree, the sahabah dispersed to find places for themselves to rest. A polytheist, seeing the Prophet's sword hanging from the tree, took it and unsheathed it. The Prophet awoke and the man said to him,' Who will save you from me? '
The Prophet immediately replied, ' Allah. '
The polytheist dropped the sword, and picking it up, the Prophet said, ' Who will save you from me? '
The man asked for mercy. The Prophet asked him if he wished to accept Islam,but he refused, however, promising not to side with anyone to fight the Prophet of Allah.The Prophet peace be upon him then let him go. The man returned to his people and told them, ' I have come to you from the best of people. '
(Ahmad)
The man was astute and had accepted the truth of Islam when he witnessed the behavior of the Prophet, yet he did not say so when he was asked. He did not want to give people the excuse to say that he was forced to accept Islam at sword-point. He returned to his tribe and declared his Islam. The clemency and kindness of the Prophet impelled someone who was threatening to kill him a few moments previously, to declare to his people that he had just met the best person in the world.
The following statement of the Prophet highlights how Islam pays attention to the smallest details in ensuring that people are not inconvenienced and live in harmony together.
He who eats this plant, i.e garlic, should not come to the masajid.
(Bukhari)
In this hadith, the Prophet forbids people to come to salah after eating raw garlic because it is a cause of distress to others. It is obvious that if a person with an unpleasant odour stands in the rows of salah, others will feel distressed and, due to being in salah, will not be able to move away. Through such seemingly insignificant points, the Prophet educated the sahaba to show compassion at all times.
The Prophet once gave the example of a man who, through showing consideration for others, received the mercy of Allah. He said,
Whilst a man was walking along a path, he saw a branch hanging over the path. He moved it aside and Allah acknowledged his deed and forgave him.
(Bukhari)
By making up his mind to show compassion to his fellow road users, and removing a cause of inconvenience to them, the man in the hadith became a recipient of Allah's mercy. In another narration the Prophet says he saw the man strolling about in Jannah due to his good deed.
The importance of a loving and compassionate nature is stressed in the Hadith,
A believer is a treasure of love; there is no goodness in one who does not love and is not loved.
( Ahmad)
Similarly, the Prophet said,
Whoever is deprived of gentleness, is deprived of goodness.
(Muslim)
Animal Rights
The Prophet, as mercy for the worlds, was a mercy for the animal kingdom too. Abdullah Ibn Ja'far (r.a) relates an incident that highlights this fact;
...The Prophet entered a garden belonging to an Ansari man and came across a camel. When it saw the Prophet, it made a pitiful sound and shed tears. The Prophet approached it and stroked its neck, at which it fell silent. The Prophet said, ' Who is the owner of this camel? Whose camel is this? '
A young man from the Ansar came forward and said, ' It is mine O Prophet of Allah. '
The Prophet said, ' Do you not fear Allah with regards to this animal that Allah has placed in your ownership? It complained to me that you starve it and tire it out. '
The Prophet declared;
Fear Allah regarding these mute animals; mount them when they are fit (i.e thay have fully rested) and dismount from them when they are still fit (i.e before tiring them out).
(Mishkaat)
In this Hadith the Prophet warned people to only ride an animal that is rested and healthy and furthermore instructed that they should stop riding whilst the animal is still fit, not carry on until it is worn out.
On another occasion, the Prophet said;
When you slaughter (an animal) be good in slaughtering it; you should sharpen your knife so as to cause as little pain as possible.
(Muslim)
The following incident also demonstrates how much sympathy and concern the Prophet had for animals;
The Prophet passed by a man who was sharpening his knife whilst his animal was staring at him. The Prophet said; ' Why did you not do that before? Do you intend to make it d ie twice?'
(Tabarani)
Allah has given animals the sense to realise when they are in danger. Sharpening the knife in front of an animal or letting it see another being slaughtered is to inflict it with unnecessary distress.
The Prophet of Islam warned mankind against mistreating animals. It was the Prophet of Islam who, over fourteen hundred years ago, campaigned on behalf of those members of Allah's creation who are unable to speak or assert their rights, and he established compassion and justice for them on this planet. Where else in the annals of history can we find such a voice of compassion and mercy?
This is a lesson we all need to learn. We need to adopt compassion and become useful members of society, helping our fellow human beings; the disadvantaged,the elderly and the poor. If we abandon our selfishness for concern for others,Allah's help will be with us and all the might of media propaganda will fail to slur the image of the beautiful religion of Islam. Mere words and propaganda are impotent in the face of deeds and actions. Actions speak louder than words.
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