Most Read in the Category of Exemplary Ethics of the Prophet

As a Husband

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) set an example for his wives with his behavior and actions.Therefore, the head of the family should behave in the manner he expects his spouse to behave. One is reciprocated in the same manner as he acts.

We see in the way the Prophet conversed with his wives that he cared about even their relatively small problems. He pleased the family members with his words and actions which expressed his care and the value he attached to them. He also considered it important to please them spiritually. Among his many actions and behaviors which are aimed at pleasing his wives, the following can be mentioned: he told his wives their virtues, told them that he loved them, took them on his mount, bathed together with the same vessel’s water, helped his wife get on the animal by stepping on his knee, accepted dinner invitations with the condition “If my wife comes”, consoled his wife who cried being troubled by a distress and dried her tears with his hands.

In conclusion, people take Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as an example and a leader also in family relations and thus attain happiness. This is because Allah says in the Qur’an:

            “Assuredly you have in Allah’s Messenger an excellent example to follow for whoever looks forward to Allah and the Last Day, and remembers and mentions Allah much.” The Qur’an, Al-Ahzab, 33:21

THIS WAS NOT WHAT WE INTENDED

A small dispute takes place between him and Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). Eventually, they decide to refer the matter to an arbitrator. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) recommends Abu Bakr, the father of Aisha, as the arbitrator. Aisha consents. When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) starts to explain the issue to Abu Bakr, his wife Aisha intervenes and warns him:

            “Be just in your explanation.”

Seeing this warning as a grave disrespect towards the Prophet, Abu Bakr cannot contain himself and slaps his daughter. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) frowns and while cleaning the blood flowing from Aisha’s nose, he says with a harsh voice to Abu Bakr:

            “O Abu Bakr! This was not what we intended when we appointed you an arbitrator.” [1]

OH GOD! MY WIFE

 During a travel, the camel carrying Aisha runs off all of a sudden. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) sees what is happening and cries out:

            “Oh God! My wife…”

He does not calm down until his friends have caught the camel and the danger has passed. [2]

YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO MARRY OFF YOUR DAUGHTER TO SOMEONE BY FORCE

One of his friends is about to give his daughter in marriage to someone she does not want to by force. The unwilling bride seeks help from Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):

            “O Allah’s Messenger! My father is marrying me off to my cousin by force although I do not want to.”

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) calls for the father:

“You do not have the right to marry off your daughter to someone while she does not want to.” [3]

MY FATHER IS PROPHET AARON (PBUH)

Some people despise and annoy his wife Safiyya (may Allah be pleased with her) saying that she is “the daughter of a Jew”. She goes to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and shares her distress with him. Allah’s Messenger says:

            “Look! If they say the same things, respond to them this way: ‘My husband is Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), my father is Prophet Aaron (PBUH), and my uncle is Prophet Moses (PBUH). In this case I am superior to all of you!’” [4]

NOW WE ARE EVEN

Aisha and he are newly married. They race together. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) wins. A couple of years pass. Aisha has gained weight and got a little plump. They race again. This time Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) wins. Smiling, he says:

            “Now we are even.” [5]

CAN MY WIFE ALSO COME?

One of his neighbors in Medina, a Persian, invites Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to share with him a special soup he has prepared for dinner. Implying Aisha, he says:

“Can my wife also come?” The Persian does not want her to come. And Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) does not go to the meal. After a while, the Persian comes and repeats his invitation. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) asks again:

“Together with my wife?” The Persian frowns again. A while later, the Persian repeats his invitation for the third time. However, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) does not change his attitude. He says: “My wife, too…” ThePersian has to consent this time. They drink the soup together with Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). [6]

CONSOLING SAFIYYA

One of the Jewish captives of Khaybar, Safiyya, marries Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Her father and previous husband were killed by Muslims during the war. While retelling their first night, Safiyya (may Allah be pleased with her) says:

            “Allah’s Messenger spent the time trying to please my heart until morning. He said: ‘What could I do, your father did not leave me in peace at all. He tried to bring all Arabs together against us’ and although he was right he still apologized to me many times.” [7]

YOU ARE ALSO HER SLAVE

Ali and Fatima (may Allah be pleased with them both) are about to get married. He addresses them both advising:

“O Ali, I am giving my daughter to you as a slave, but do not forget that you are also her slave.” [8]

ARE YOU NOT SATISFIED?

 Somewhere close to the mosque, black Ethiopian Muslims are playing a local game. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) remembers his wife Aisha, (may Allah be pleased with her). He goes home and says:

“Aisha, come and watch.”

Aisha tells the event:

“I put my cheek on Allah’s Messenger’s shoulder and started to watch.”

The game lasts long. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) asks now and then:

“Are you not satisfied?”

Aisha, in her own words, “in order to test his love of me”, says:

“No!”

Although Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is tired, he keeps quiet. He keeps standing, changing his posture. [9]

FROM THE PART HER MOUTH HAS TOUCHED

He pays more attention especially when eating with Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). He drinks water from the part of the glass where Aisha drinks from. If they are eating meat, he takes the meat Aisha has bitten and bites it from the part her mouth has touched. He feeds Aisha with his own hands. [10]

I LOVE AISHA MOST

He is in a large group of people. One of his friends asks a question he has been curious about for a long time:

“O Allah’s Messenger! Who do you love most?”

There is no hint of shyness or complex in the answer:

“Aisha”

The same question is asked by Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) at the beginning of their marriage:

 “How do you love me?”

“Like a tangled knot.”

Aisha is so pleased with the answer she got that she often repeats her question during the following years.

“O Allah’s Messenger! How about the tangled knot?”

“Like the first day!” [11]

[1]Ataullah b.Fadlullah, Ravdat’ul-Ahbab, p.360.
[2]Afzalur Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi, II/l26.
[3]S. Nur, I/392.
[4]Ed: Prof. Dr. İ. Lütfi Çakan, Hz. Peygamber ve Aile Hayatı, p.210.
[5]Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Algül, Alemlere Rahmet Hazreti Muhammed, p.89.
[6]Ed: Prof. Dr. İ. Lütfi Çakan, ibid., p.259.
[7]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi,Hayat’us-Sahaba, III/123,302.
[8]Onk. Dr. Haluk Nurbaki. Fahr-i Kainat Efendimiz, p.l02.
[9]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, ibid., III/325.
[10]Ed: Prof. Dr. İ. Lütfi Çakan, ibid., p.74; Bekir Sağlam, ibid., p.84.
[11]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, ibid., III/l00; Ataullah b.Fadlullah. ibid.

RIGHTS OF THE MOTHER

One of his friends complained the Prophet about his mother. He said,

"She had a bad temper and bad manners."The Prophet answered,

"She was not bad when she carried you inside her for nine months."His friend was not satisfied. He said,

"O Messenger of Allah! She really has bad habits."

"She did not have bad habits when she suckled you for two years." The man insisted again but the Prophet (pbuh) said,

"She did not have bad habits when she was unable to sleep because of you."His friend could not bear it any longer and said,

"I remunerated for them." The Prophet asked,

“What did you do?” He said,

“I made her perform hajj by carrying her on my back.”Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) smiled ironically and said,

“You did not even remunerate for one of the labor pains.”[1]

ABU BAKR CONFIRMED ME

Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar had an argument. When the Messenger of Allah saw that Hazrat Abu Bakr was sad, he intervened. He addressed his friends,

“Allah sent me to you as a Prophet. You said I was a liar but Abu Bakr confirmed me. You treated me as an enemy but he protected me with his body and property. Do not touch my friend for the sake of those days.”

After that day, everybody tried not to break the heart of Hazrat Abu Bakr.[2]

FIRST GIVE THE HERD TO ITS OWNER

There was a battle against Jews in Khaybar. A black person who was working as a shepherd there decided to become a Muslim. He went over to Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) and told him about it. However, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) did not accept his wish first; he said to the shepherd,

"First, you need to give the herd to its owner. The fact that you want to be a Muslim and join the battle with us will not eliminate the responsibility of the things entrusted to you."

The shepherd did as he was told. He returned the herd to its owner and then acted in accordance with the obligations of his new religion.[3]

KHADIJA’S FRIEND

Hazrat Khadija was his first wife, who lived together with him for twenty-five years of his thirty-eight year marriage life and who was the mother of his six children out of seven children.

He mentioned his love for Hazrat Khadija from the time she died until the time he died using every means.

It was when he was married to Hazrat Aisha. An old woman visited their house. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) recognized her. However, he asked her name. The woman said,

“Jassama (Ugly thing)”. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) corrected her,

“No! You are not Jassama; you are Hassana (Beautiful thing).”He also said other nice things to the old woman; it attracted Hazrat Aisha’s attention. After the old woman left, Hazrat Aisha could not help asking,

“O Messenger of Allah! You complimented that woman a lot!”

Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) answered with tears in his eyes,

“She was a friend of Khadija's. She often visited us when I was married to her.”[4]

 HE SENT THE PRESENT TO KHADIJA’S FRIEND

Hazrat Khadija had died many years ago. She had been buried in Makkah.  Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) had migrated to Madinah. A friend of Khadija’s was among the ones that migrated to Madinah. According to what Anas bin Malik, his servant, narrates, when something was given him as a present, he usually sent the present to that woman. He said,    

"She was Khadija's friend. She loved Khadija a lot."

Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) never forgot Hazrat  Khadija, his first wife.[5]

KHADIJA’S SISTER

The voice of Hala, Hazrat Khadija’s sister, resembled Khadija’s voice a lot. One day, a woman’s voice asked for permission to enter his presence. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), who heard the voice, was astonished and prayed silently,

“O Allah! I hope this woman, who has asked for permission, is Hala!”

Indeed, she was Hala, a reminiscence of Khadija.[6]

KHADIJA’S NECKLACE

One of the captives captured during the Battle of Badr was Abu’l As, that is, the son-in-law of the Prophet (pbuh), his daughter Zaynab’s husband. Hazrat Zeynep sent Hazrat Khadija’s necklace, which she had given her when she got married, as a ransom for her husband.

When Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) saw the necklace of Khadija, who had died years ago, among the ransoms sent from Makkah, he started to cry and said to his friends,

"If you agree I want to return this necklace to Zaynab and release Abu’l As."His friends became aware of the sensitivity of the situation and said,

"Yes, of course, O Messenger of Allah! As you wish.”   

Thus, the necklace of Khadija remained with Zaynab.[7]

BETTER THAN KHADIJA

Since Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) always mentioned Khadija, once Hazrat Aisha could not help saying, 

“O Messenger of Allah! Did Allah not give you someone younger, better and more beautiful than Khadija?”

Whom she meant was herself. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) answered her at the risk of offending his wife of that time due to his loyalty to his first wife as follows:

“No! I swear by Allah that He did not give me one better than her. She confirmed my prophethood when everybody denied it. She confirmed me when everybody called me a liar. She gave me all of her possessions when nobody gave me anything. She gave birth to six children.”

Hazrat Aisha regretted what she said and kept silent.[8]

SIXTY YEARS LATER

More than sixty years had passed. He found out that among the captives of the Hunayn Battle were his foster sister and her relatives. He summoned them, asked about their health, gave them presents and released them. When his friends found out about it, they felt disturbed to keep the relatives of Allah’s Messenger’s foster sister as captives. They freed all captives without receiving any ransom. [9]

TO MY FRIENDS

A delegate of Ethiopians came to Madinah.  Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) served them and met their needs himself. His friends became disturbed about it. They said,  

"O Messenger of Allah! Let us serve them."However, he did not accept their offer. He pointed to the Ethiopians and reminded them of an event that had taken place years ago saying,

“They helped my friends who migrated to Ethiopia. Now I want to pay off my debt and I take pleasure serving them.”[10]

YOUR BLOOD IS MY BLOOD

When Makkans did not listen to him without any prejudice, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) started to convey the message of Islam to the tribes around Makkah. He tried to call them for years. Almost none of them gave him a positive answer. Then, he met people from Madinah. They promised each other in a place near Makkah called Aqaba. About seventy Muslims from Madinah promised him to protect him just as they protected their wives and children even if the whole world were against them. However, one of them asked the Prophet (pbuh),

“O Messenger of Allah! Will you not return to your relatives and your hometown if you become successful in the future?”

He answered confidently,

“Your blood is my blood; your cemetery is my cemetery; I am from you and you are from me.”

And it happened as he said. One day, the whole Arabian Peninsula along with Makkah accepted his sovereignty. However, he returned to Madinah after each expedition as he had promised. Madinah became his house and hometown until he died. He died in Madinah and was buried there. He is still in Madinah.[11]

LOYALTY TO THE AGREEMENT

The Treaty of Hudaybiya had just been signed. Abu Jandal, who had become a Muslim secretly, knew that the Muslims were around Makkah and ran away. He took refuge in Muslims. However, one of the articles of the agreement made it necessary to return the Makkans who took refuge in Muslims. Makkan delegates wanted that article to be applied. The Muslims were very sorry but they had promised. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) addressed Abu Jandal,

"O Abu Jandal! Be patient. We cannot break our promise. Allah will soon show you a way."

They returned Abu Jandal to Makkah.[12]

KEEPING THE PROMISE

Two Muslims who wanted to migrate to Madinah to Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) secretly were captured by Makkans. Then, they were persuaded to swear that they would not use arms against Makkans and they were released. They completed their migration after that. They reached Madinah and joined the Muslims just before the Battle of Badr. The enemy army had three times more soldiers than the Islamic army and there was a need for warriors. Nevertheless, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) did not allow them to break their promise. He showed those two people who were on the expedition the direction of Madinah, which they had left behind and said,  

“Return to Madinah; we will let you keep your promise in any case. We need the help of Allah only.”[13]

TWOFOLD REWARDS

Asma b. Umays, who had migrated to Ethiopia and then to Madinah, argued with another Muslim who had migrated to Madinah only. Both of them claimed to be superior in terms of the reward of migration. In the end, they asked the Prophet. He said,

"Those who migrated to Ethopia migrated twice. Those who migrated to Madinah only migrated once."[14]

LOYALTY EVEN TO THE ENEMY

Abu Rafi, who was sent as an envoy from Makkah to the Prophet, became a Muslim in a few days because he was influenced by what he had seen. He wanted to abandon being the envoy of Makkans and wanted to live in Madinah. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) did not accept it saying,  

“I will not violate the agreement. I will not retain the envoy, either. If you still have the same idea when you return to Makkah, you can come back and we will regard you as one of our brothers.”

Abu Rafi returned to Makkah. Then, he migrated to Madinah and settled there as a Muslim.[15]

TO THE SAME GRAVE

He was burying seventy-two of his friends, who had been martyred in Uhud. He stood near the dead bodies of Amr b. Jamuh and Abdullah b. Amr. He was lost in thought and said,

“Put them in the same grave because they loved each other very much in the world.”[16]

LOYALTY TO THE PEOPLE OF MADINAH

It was a few days before his death... He was ill... He went up to the pulpit in the mosque with great difficulty. He addressed the people who migrated to Madinah and whose population exceeded the native people of Madinah as follows: 

“Treat the natives of Madinah well because other people are increasing in number but they are not. They were my shelter. Return their favors by favors; forgive them when they do bad deeds.”[17]

THE MAID OF THE MOSQUE

There was an old black woman who cleaned the mosque in Madinah. She was a quiet, poor Muslim. When Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) could not see her for a few days, she asked, "Where is she?" His friends told him that she had died and that they had buried her quietly. He got offended and said,

"Why did you not inform me?"

He went to her grave and led her janazah prayer again.[18]

SHE WAS MY MOTHER AFTER MY OWN MOTHER

When his grandfather died when he was eight, his care was undertaken by his uncle Abu Talib.  His wife Asad and his daughter Fatima did their best so as not to make Muhammad feel that he was an orphan. After his prophethood, his uncle and then his aunt died. He became very sad when he heard that her aunt had died. He said,  

"Today, my beloved mother died."

He gave his shirt to be used as a shroud for her. He led her janazah prayer by uttering seventy takbirs. He lay in the grave for a while before her. When his friends asked him the reason why he was so interested in her funeral, he said,

"She was my mother after my own mother."[19]

IF I WERE CALLED, I WOULD GO

He was young then. The oppression and unfair treatment in Arabia along with Makkah made some conscientious people to take action. A group of people who had humane sensitivity gathered in a house together with Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). They signed a treaty called “Hilf al-Fudul”. They decided not to allow any person whether a Makkan or a guest to be treated unfairly just because they were weak or alone.  

About forty years passed. He was a head of state and a prophet. One day, he remembered the treaty he signed when he was young and said,

"I took part in the signing of such a treaty in the house of Abdullah b. Judan that I would not change it for the most valuable goods of Arabs. If I were called due to the articles of that treaty today, I would go.”[20]

HE BECAME A MARTYR ON HIS LAP

Sa’d b. Muadh was one of the first Muslims of Madinah; he was together with the Prophet in his hard times. He received a deadly wound in a battle against Jews. After being in the death agony for days, he was about to die. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) was at his bedside. The wound of Sa’d cut open and blood started to spout. They moved to hug each other. The blood that spouted made the Prophet’s face, beard and clothes red. While his friends tried to separate them so that the Prophet would not be covered in blood, they clamped together. Both of them started to cry. Sa'd died in the lap of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh).[21]

 ZAYD IS MY ADOPTED CHILD

It was before the prophethood. Zayd b. Haritha, his slave, was found by his father and uncles, who had been looking for him for years. They came to Makkah and asked Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) to sell him to them. He answered by smiling,

"Ask him. If he wants to go, he will be free; I will not charge any money."

However, Zayd b. Haritha chose to stay with Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh).

Everybody, including his relatives, was astonished. Upon this gesture, Hazrat Muhammad held him by his hand and took him to the Kaaba, the center of Makkah; he made an announcement there:

"This is Zayd b. Haritha, my slave. From now on, he is free and is my adopted child!"

From then on, he was called Zayd b. Muhammad.[22]

____________________________________________

[1]İbrahim Refik, Güllerin Efendisi, p.32.
[2]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayatu's-Sahaba, I/6l.
[3]Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Algül, Alemlere Rahmet Hazrat Muhammad, p.l33.
[4]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, ibid, III/336.
[5]Qadi Iyad, Shifa ash-Sharif, p.126.
[6]Ed: Prof. Dr. i. Lütfi Çakan, Hazreti Peygamber ve Aile Hayatı, p.77.
[7]Afzalur Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi, II/225.
[8]Ed: Prof. Dr. İ. Lütfi Çakan, ibid, p.76.
[9]Abdurrahman Azzam, Peygamberimizin Örnek Ahlakı, p.37.
[10]Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Algül, ibid, p. 139; Qadi Iyad, ibid, p.127.
[11]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, ibid, I/112,303.
[12]Afzalur Rahman, ibid, I/76.
[13]Afzalur Rahman, ibid, I/76.
[14]Afzalur Rahman, ibid, I/46.
[15]Afzalur Rahman, ibid, I/76.
[16]Abdurrahman Azzam, ibid, p.39.
[17]Abdurrahman Azzam, ibid, p.39.
[18]İbrahim Refik, ibid. p.65.
[19]İbrahim Refik, ibid, p.47.
[20]İbrahim Refik, ibid, p.47.
[21]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, ibid, III/8.
[22]Afzalur Rahman, ibid, I/45

The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was the most generous and kindest of humanity. He used to give all he had during the Ramadan while He was with the Gabriel (AS). In every Ramadan night, Gabriel (AS) came to Him and taught Him the Qur’an. Gabriel (AS) said:

“The apostle of Allah was more generous than the winds that bring abundance.”(Muslim, Fadail, 12, 2308)

A person who has no property should not be greedy but have content. A person who has property should not be stingy but have  generosity.

GETTING RID OF TWO GOLD COINS

Bilal al-Habashi narrates:

I used to follow the accounts of the Apostle of Allah. When a poor person asked help from Him, He used to command me and if we had no money in hand, we used to borrow from someone and meet the demand of that poor person. One day, a rich pagan who was aware of this and assumed to have sympathy for the Prophet Muhammad said to me:

“-If you need a loan of money, do not go anywhere, let me lend you all the money you need." Therefore, we trusted his promise and good will and did so. Our debt increased considerably. And the rich pagan showed his real intention. When he came by in the market, he shouted at me:

"O nigger!"

I said, -"What happened".

He asked -"Do you know how many days have left for the beginning of the new month?"

I answered -"I know, little time left".

He said: -"When the new month comes, you will see. That day I will take you hostage for my receivables and make you a slave again.”

I was hurt too much by this threat. I went to the Apostle of Allah immediately and told him about the situation. He also became upset. However, he relied on Allah and started to search for a solution soon.

I left out and went home but that night, it was not possible for me to sleep due to my grief. At the time of the morning prayer, I was told that the Apostle of Allah was calling me. I immediately went there. His face was smiling. He said by pointing out to the four camels standing at the door, which were full of goods:

-“Good news o Bilal!..  These have recently come from the prince of Fadak as a gift.” Let us sell them and pay our debts.”

I immediately performed His command. After paying all our debts especially the debt to that pagan, I informed him about the situation. He asked me:

-"Is there anything remained?"

I said–“Yes, O apostle of Allah! Two gold coins remained!"

He said: -"Get rid of those two gold coins, too. I will not go home unless you give them to the poor."

At that moment, he was sitting in the mosque. Although I searched for all Medina, till the evening of the next day, I could not find the real poor people that I could give those two gold coins to. Finally, I spent them by shopping for the two poor passengers who had just come to Medina. And by going to the mosque, I informed the apostle of Allah about the situation. Then, he praised Allah; finally he went to home after two days of waiting. (1)

WHAT A NICE SWEATER

One day a Muslim woman gave him a sweater that she had knitted herself as a gift. The apostle of Allah was sitting with his new sweater on him among his friends in the mosque. One of His friends liked that sweater so much and by taking courage from the well-known generosity of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and asked;

“O apostle of Allah! What a nice sweater it is! Will you please give it to me as a gift?”The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) took off his sweater and gave it to him without saying anything and showing any disaffection. (2)

THE WEDDING DINNER

One of his friends was getting married. However, there was nothing to offer in the wedding dinner, which was a custom. The prophet Muhammad, (PBUH) who was informed about the situation, gave all the flour in his house to him as a gift. Nothing remained in his house for eating. (3) 

ALL THE MILK BELONGS TO THE GUEST

A guest from afar was spending the night in the house of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). There was only some goat milk for the dinner. The guest drank all of it. The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his family spent the night hungry since there remained nothing for them. They did not complain. (4)

I HAVE BEEN COMMANDED TO DO

One day a poor immigrant Arab came to Him. He asked Him to give something to him. However, that day, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had no goods or money.

-"Now I have nothing to give to you. Go and buy what you need in the name of me. Then I will pay the debt."

The poor person got happy and left. However, the friends near him had been upset because he was compelling himself so much. One of them stood up:

-“O apostle of Allah! This person had come two or three times before; he asked something from you and you gave him. Now you have nothing to give. Allah does not lay a burden on you that you cannot cope with!”

He disliked what he had heard. Then, another friend stood up and talked:

-“O Apostle of Allah! Give as much as you wish! Do not fear that Allah, who is the owner of arsh (throne), will make you poor!”

A smile wreathed across His face. He let His words be heard by everybody:

-That is what I have been commanded to do. (5)

WE HAVE IT ALL

Hz. Aisha (RA) narrates: One day we slaughtered a sheep and distributed all of its meat except a single buttock. The apostle of Allah asked,

“What have you done with the sheep?” I said to Him that we have distributed all of it except a single buttock.

He said “O Aisha; it seems that we have it all except a buttock.” (6)

THE CAMEL FEAST

Nuayman the son of Amr, was one of the most joking friends of Him. However, his jokes were not liked by everybody. One day, he slaughtered the camel of an immigrant Arab who entered the mosque to perform prayers... The Arab started to cry and shout upon seeing his camel slaughtered on the ground. The people gathered around for the noise  and said to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):

-"O Apostle of Allah! The only person that can do this is Nuayman."Nuayman was found and confessed his guilt. When he was asked "why?", he turned to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and said with a shy smile:

 -"O apostle of Allah!" "I had thought that you would pay the price of the camel anyway and I wanted to have a feast all together." (7)

 PAID OFF THE DEBT TWICE

He had borrowed one hundred and twenty kilograms of grain from somebody. When the debtee needed money, he came and asked for the debt. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) gave the equivalent of his debt as one hundred and twenty kilograms. Then, he gave another one hundred and twenty kilograms as a gift because he had helped him when was in need. (8)

_______________________________________________

^[1]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayat-us Sahaba (ll), shf:333.
^[2]Imam Qastalani, Mawahib al-Laduniyya, p:348.
^[3]Fadl ar-Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi (l), p:60.
^[4] Fadl ar-Rahman, ibid (l). p:60.
^[5]Imam Tirmidhi, Shamail ash_Sharif, p:353.
^[6]Gerçeğe Doğru, (II). p:16-34.
^[7]Bekir Sağlam, Model İnsan, p:76.
^[8] Fadl ar-Rahman, ibid(l), p:4l

THE POOR THIEF

There was famine in Medina. A hungry Muslim entered a garden and picked dates from the trees and ate them. However, he was caught by the owner of the garden. He was beaten and his garments were impounded in return for the dates he ate. Later on, the poor thief came to the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) along with the owner of the garden, who beat him and took his garments. The poor thief complained to the Prophet about the owner of the garden because of his treatment. The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) listened to both of them and turned to the owner of the garden:

“He was ignorant; you should have taught him; he was hungry;, you should have fed him.”

The owner of the garden gave the garments back to the poor thief and in lieu of the beating, he gave to him a hundred and eighty kilograms of wheat. (1)

HELPING THE ENEMY

A tribe chief called Hamama, who was met all the needs of grain of Mecca became a Muslim. And he stopped selling grain to Meccans. The Meccan Pagans, who faced the danger of famine, got in contact with Hamama at first. However, the answer was negative. Upon this, as a last resort, they sent a delegate to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

They said, “If we cannot find a remedy from you, we will starve to death.”

He did not even think of the fact that Meccans had not given him and all Muslims a single grain of wheat for three years. He did not think of the fact that, along with His Muslim friends, they had been forced to migrate and had not been given the right of living in their native land just for saying, “Our Lord is Allah”. He did not even consider that there had been several attempts for killing him. He chose to forget that they had set up armies to march on Medina. He chose to forget what they did and commanded Hamama to sell them grain. After that, Mecca had its grain again. (2)

DO NOT LET HIM TORTURE HIMSELF

He saw an old man who was going on foot to the Kaaba between his two sons, who were riding camels. He asked the reason. He found out that his behavior was due to a vow he had taken. However, the old man was walking with difficulty. He sent him a message.

-Allah is not in need of this person’s torturing of himself. Tell him to mount on a camel. (3)

WHEN THE CITY OF TAIF WENT HUNGRY

He besieged the city of Taif after the conquest of Mecca. When the siege prolonged, people started to starve to death in Taif. He ended the siege, although the enemy was about to surrender. He was not in favor of capturing a city due to its people starving to death. That city of Taif, years ago, had stoned him and spat on him; they had made him live, with his own words, 'the most bitter day of his life'. (4)

ZAINAB'S MURDERER

Aswad, the son of Habir, was the murderer of his daughter Zainab (RA). While Zainab was emigrating from Mecca to Medina to join her father, she was surrounded by a group of Meccan idolaters, among whom Habir was present and caused Zainab (RA) to fall from her camel with his spear. Zainab, who was pregnant, had a miscarriage and after a while, died because of this. When Mecca was conquered, the apostle of Allah sent a message to Habir, who had hidden and prepared to flee to Iran fearing that her revenge would be taken. The Prophet granted him life safety. When Habir came to his presence, He accepted his loyalty oath and forgave him. (5)

UHUD, THE PEAK OF COMPASSION

Uhud was the second greatest test of Islam in the battlefield. Uhud, which resulted in a defeat in terms of tactics, is a place where Hazrat  Muhammad (pbuh) and all Muslims suffered a lot. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) suffered some great pains like the martyrdom of tens of his friends, the scattering of his army as well as some less severe pains like receiving seventy sword blows, breaking of one of his teeth, having a rip in his cheek and pieces of iron stuck into his gingiva.

During the hottest moments when all of those pains were experienced, he opened his hands toward the sky and prayed for the Makkan polytheists that caused all of those troubles:

“O Allah! Forgive my people because they cannot see the truth. If they saw it, they would not act like that.”

He was trying to wipe the blood that was coming down his cheek and his teeth with his hand, preventing them from falling to the ground. Some of his friends noticed it. Later, they asked,

“O Messenger of Allah! Why did you struggle so much in order to prevent your blood from falling to the ground?”

He answered, “It is the law of Allah. If a nation injures a prophet who is sent to them as a mercy of Allah so much as to shed his blood on the ground, Allah will not grant them a delay. He will eliminate all of them.” [6]

THE CHILD OF A MARTYR

The son of a martyred Muslim in Uhud, asked the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who was wounded and sorrowful, in the evening of the same day:

-“Where is my father?”

-“Your father has been martyred.”

The son of the martyr started to cry. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) caressed his head, took him into his lap and asked the child:

-“Would you like me to be your father and Aisha your mother.” (7)

HAVE YOU CALLED THEM TO ISLAM?

He saw the newly brought captives to Medina... And he asked His friends, who took them captive:

-“Have you called them to Islam?”

When he got the answer "No!", he also asked the captives in order to clarify the situation:

-Have you been called to the Islam?

When he got the answer "No!" from them, he gave an order and the captives were released; then, they returned to their countries. (8)

YOU CANNOT GIVE WHAT YOU DO NOT EAT TO THE POOR

One of his friends gave him a lizard (a creature living in the desert) to him as a gift to eat. However, He did not eat lizard since he was not accustomed to it. Hz. Aisha, who knew this, asked his permission to give the lizard to the poor person asking for something to eat at that moment. He did not permit:

“-You cannot give the poor what you do not eat.” (9)

DADDY, DADDY

Before Islam, killing daughters was a common custom among Arabs. It was one of the social customs that Islam severely prohibited at once. A friend of the Prophet narrated how he applied that custom in the presence of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) as follows:

“O Messenger of Allah! I buried my daughters with my own hands. Once, I took my daughter, who was about to be a young girl, by her hand. I walked as much as I could into the desert. We reached a dry well. I started to look into the well as if I was looking for something.”

At that moment, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) started to cry. The man went on narrating:

“Suddenly, I kicked her at the back. She started to roll down to the well headfirst, screaming, ‘Daddy, Daddy!’

Hz Muhammad was crying his eyes out. Thereupon, his friends had to intervene and silenced the man, taking him out of the mosque. [10]

SO THAT IT WILL NOT TO BE A FARD

Hz. Aisha (RA) narrates:

One night, the Apostle of Allah performed nafila (supererogatory) prayer in the mosque and a few people followed Him. The next night He performed again; this time the congregation increased in number. On the third night, the congregation which increased in number were waiting in the mosque again. However, the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did not come. The next night, he explained the reason of his absence:

“I saw that you had gathered. However, what prevented me from joining you was my fear that this worshipping would become fard for you” (11)

A SUCKLING BABY

His eighteen-month old son Abraham was agonizing in his lap. He was extremely sad. His tears were dropping on his son and he was kissing and smelling him for the last time.

“He was a suckling lamb and died while sucking. However, what can be done against Allah’s wish” (12)

POORER THAN ME

One of his friends committed a serious sin while he was fasting in the month of Ramadan. Then, he went to the presence of Hz Muhammad (pbuh) and asked him how he could be forgiven. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said,

“Can you free a slave?”

He said, “No. I have no money.”

Hz Muhammad (PBUH) asked, “Can you fast sixty days on end?”

He said, “O Messenger of Allah! It happened while I was fasting.”

The Prophet asked, “Can you feed sixty poor people?”

He said, “I cannot afford it.”

The Prophet said, “Then, stay with me and wait until Allah shows an easy way for you.”

His friend started to wait in the mosque. After a while, a person from Madinah brought a basket of dates as a present to the Prophet. Hz Muhammad gave the basket to his friend and said,

“Take this basket and distribute the dates to the poor so that it will be atonement for your sin.”

He said, “O Messenger of Allah! I do not know a family poorer than mine in Madinah.”

The Messenger of Allah started to smile and said,

Then, take it to your family and eat the dates together. [13]

TEN SILVER COINS

He had ten silver coins in his pocket. He bought a shirt for four coins in the market of Madinah. A poor man asked him to give him the shirt he had just bought. He gave the shirt to the poor man and bought another shirt for four coins. Now, he had two silver coins left. After a while, he saw a little girl crying on the way. He approached her and asked her why she was crying. She was a maid.

She said, “My master gave me two silver coins to buy flour but I lost them.”

He gave the two silver coins in his pocket to her.

He said, “Do not cry. You can buy flour with these coins.”

The maid was still restless. She said,

“I fear that they will beat me because I am late.”

Hz Muhammad (pbuh) took the little girl by the hand and bought flour first. Then, they went to the house where the little girl was a maid. The owners of the house were surprised by the guests that came to their house in the evening. The Prophet showed the little maid and said,

“She was afraid that she would be punished. Do not beat her.”

Her master, who was still shocked, said,

“O Messenger of Allah! Be a witness that I am freeing her because she caused you to honor my house; she is free from now on.” Thereupon, Hz Muhammad (pbuh) opened his hands and praised Allah by saying,

“O Allah! Those ten silver coins were so blessed. You made me and a poor person have a shirt with them. You also rejoiced a girl and gave her freedom with them. (14)

THE POWER OF ALLAH IS GREATER

Somebody was beating his slave with a whip. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) silently came close from behind and called the beating person:

“You should know that the power of Allah over you is greater than your power over this poor slave.”

The master who was filled up with fear from head to foot shook and the whip fell on the ground from his hand. He turned to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):

“O the Apostle of Allah! Be the witness; I am freeing this slave”.

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) called again:

“If you had not done so, you would have been roasted in Hell.” (15)

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SHEEP

Abu Zura who is one of his friends serving him during some of his trips, narrates:

“In a trip, he had made me got on his camel, too. Sometimes, the whip that he was using in order to move the camel was touching my leg and hurting me. A little while later, he became aware of the situation and asked:

O Abu Zura, is my whip also touching you? I embarrassedly answered:

“Yes, O the Apostle of Allah!”

He did not say anything. A while later, we arrived at a place where the booties of war belonged to him were available. He separated one hundred and twenty sheep from there and gave them to me as a gift and said:

“O Abu Zura, these sheep are in return for my hurting you without being aware of it on the way.” (16)

THE BELOVED OF THE LOVER

His adopted child Zayd was martyrized in the battle of Mute. On the day of the bad news arrived to Medina, the house of the martyr and his children were visited by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Along with the fresh sorrow of her father, the little daughter of Zayd embraced his garment and started to cry. The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was hugging little orphans while crying. A friend near him could not help asking.

“O the Apostle of Allah! What is this?”

“This is longing for the beloved one” (17)

THE CONQUEST OF MAKKAH

He was at the peak of the part of his struggle that was limited to his own life. Now Makkah, his hometown, where he had not been allowed to convey the message of his religion to people, was being conquered by an army consisting of fully armed ten thousand Muslim soldiers, which was a super army in terms of the conditions of Arabia at that time.

The army had surrounded Makkah. It was nighttime. Makkah mountains were glittering due to the camp fires. Every soldier was ordered to make a fire and Makkah, which was dark, was surrounded by lights at night. Abu Sufyan, who was the archenemy of the Prophet, left the city and went to the Prophet with his little son; he knew the weak point of his fellow citizen.

He said, “I swear by Allah that if you do not forgive me, I will kill this child and myself.”

Abu Sufyan, who had been his archenemy for years, wanted forgiveness by using his life and the life of his son. He was forgiven. 

The next day, the army started to move. Makkans were astonished and shocked by the view. Next to Hazrat Abbas, the uncle of Hazrat Muhammad, Abu Sufyan, who was the administrator of Makkah, was watching the Muslim army, which was entering Makkah. He asked Hazrat Abbas about each division and their tribe as they passed before them and he was astonished and fascinated by each answer that he received. After a while, he asked impatiently,

“Has Hazrat Muhammad not passed yet?” In the end, Hazrat Muhammad was seen on his camel, Quswa, in his armor. He bowed his head to show that one can enter a city that Allah declared to be sacred in modesty. He was in a position to praise Allah.

Meanwhile, Sa’d b. Ubada, one of the commanders of Madinah, turned to Abu Sufyan and shouted:

Today is the doomsday. Today is the day of revenge for Uhud. Today is the day of ridiculing the honor of the Quraysh tribe. Today is the day of destruction.”

Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) silenced Sa’d through a sign by his hand and said,

“Today is the day of mercy and compassion. Today is the day of elevating the honor of Quraysh. Today is the day when respect to the Kaaba and Makkah will be at its peak.”

Then the Prophet gave an order and expulsed Sa’d. He appointed his son as the new commander.

Very little blood was shed and Makkah surrendered. It was noon and very hot. His friends asked him,

“Where do you want to rest, O Messenger of Allah?”

A painful smile was seen on his face. He remembered his house. However, that house had been pulled down by Aqil, his cousin, in order to make him sad and depressed. He said,

“Did Aqil leave us any place to rest?”

However, nobody thought of even touching Aqil. Aqil was given a guarantee just like the other people of Makkah. He had immunity.

However, the people of Makkah still could not believe that all kinds of oppression, cruelty, torture and enmity that they inflicted upon Muslims for years would be unreturned. In order to make sure that they would not be touched and punished, they stood before Muhammad, who had just removed the idols in the Kaaba, in front of the door of the Kaaba. They were shy and timid. Hazrat Muhammad understood very well what they meant by bowing down and keeping silent.   

He said to them,

“Today, my situation is like the one between Hazrat Yusuf and his brothers. He had said to his brothers, ‘This day let no reproach be (cast) on you: Allah will forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.’ Today, I am saying the same thing to you. You are free.”

All Makkans became Muslims when it was the evening time. The next day, the military forces were withdrawn from the city because they were no longer needed in the city.

However, when it became clear that Makkah was going to be conquered, some people left the city and went away. They were “severe criminals”, who did not know Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) and who believed that no power of compassion and pardoning could forgive them.

One of them was Wahshi, the murderer of the uncle of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). He sent for Wahshi and asked him to become a Muslim. Whashi was timid. He wrote the following in his letter:

“O Muhammad! You said, ‘The torture of a person who kills somebody or attributes partners with Allah is increased on the Day of Judgment; he remains in torture in a despicable state.’ I did all of them. Can there still be a way of salvation for me?”

Upon this answer, the 71^st verse of the chapter of al-Furqan was sent. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) got the verse written and sent it to Wahshi.

“Unless he repents, believes, and works righteous deeds, for Allah will change the evil of such persons into good and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And whoever repents and does good has truly turned to Allah with an (acceptable) conversion.”

Wahshi did not regard it sufficient.

He said, “O Muhammad! Repentance, belief and righteous deeds are heavy conditions. I might not be able to do them.”

The 48^th verse of the chapter an-Nisa answered Wahshi:

 “Allah forgiveth not that partners should be set up with him; but He forgiveth anything, else to whom He pleaseth.”

Wahshi had not been convinced yet. He wrote another letter:

“O Muhammad! It means ‘Allah will do so if he wishes’. I do not know whether Allah will wish something like that for me.”

Thereupon, the 53^rd verse of the chapter az-Zumar was sent down:

Say: "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

Wahshi said,

“Now, it is all right.” Then, he went to Makkah and became a Muslim.

People asked,

“O Messenger of Allah! Are those glad tidings for Wahshi only or for all of us?”

He answered:

“For all of you!”

Safwan b. Umayya, who was one of the notables of Quraysh and who had sent assassins to Madinah to kill Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) in order to take revenge of his relatives killed in Badr, had also left Makkah. Wahb b. Umayr, whom he had sent as an assassin to Madinah was sent to Safwan. Wahb had the turban of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) as a proof of the promise of immunity. Safwan was convinced and returned to Makkah. However, he was not ready to become a Muslim. He stood in the presence of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) and said,

“Give me two months. I will think about whether to accept your religion or not.”

Hazrat  Muhammad (pbuh) answered,

“I will give you four months instead of two!”

Safwan became a Muslim on his own before four months passed.

The third one of those who had left Makkah was Ikrima, the son of Abu Jahl. Abu Jahl, who had been the archenemy of Islam and Hazrat Muhammad until he was killed in Badr, was described as “the Pharaoh of this ummah” by the Prophet. Ikrima did many things against Islam, too. Once, Hazrat Muhammad said about him, “I did not suffer from Abu Jahl as much as I suffered from his son.”

Ikrima’s wife undertook the task of bringing Ikrima back. She found him on the coast of Yemen aboard a ship to go to Africa. She took him back to Makkah. When Hazrat Muhammad was told that Ikrima was about to enter his presence, Hazrat Muhammad warned his friends near him.

“Do not offend him by speaking against his father.”

When Ikrima arrived, the Prophet welcomed him by hugging him and saying,

“O cavalier mujahid, welcome.” He let Ikrima sit beside him. Ikrima, who was shocked by what he saw, heard and experience, made a promise.

“O Messenger of Allah! Be a witness that I will spend at least twice as much effort and money to serve your religion as I spent to prevent it.”

Ikrima kept his promise. He was one of the three mujahids that were martyred during the Battle of Yarmuk, which caused the Middle East to embrace Islam, without being able to drink a drop of water. They counted seventy sword wounds in his body.(18)

[1]Fadl ar-Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi, I/44.
[2]Fadl ar-Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi, I/54.
[3]Fadl ar-Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi, III/210.
[4]Fadl ar-Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi, III/245.
[5]Fadl ar-Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi, I/53.
[6]Ataullah b.Fadlullah, Rawdatu'l-Ahbab, p.174; Onk. Dr. Haluk Nurbaki, Fahr-i Kainat Efendimiz, p.93.
[7]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayatu's-Sahaba, I/128.
[8]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayatu's-Sahaba, III/73.
[9]Ed: Prof. Dr. i. Lütfi Çakan, Hazreti Peygamber ve Aile Hayatı, p.82.
[10]S. Nur, I/39l.
[11]Abdurrahman Azzam, Peygamberimizin Örnek Ahlakı, p.69.
[12]Yüksel Çopur, Kainatın iftihar Tablosu. p.242; Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Algül, Alemlere Rahmet Hz. Muhammed, p.93.
[13]İbrahim Refik, Güllerin Efendisi, p.168.
[14]İbrahim Refik, Güllerin Efendisi, p.119.
[15]İbrahim Refik, Güllerin Efendisi, p.117.
[16]İbrahim Refik, Güllerin Efendisi, p: 208.
[17]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayatu's-Sahaba, III/195.
[18]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayatu's-Sahaba, I/55, 123, 192, 199, 205-209; (II/524; IV/27; İbrahim Refik, Güllerin Efendisi, p.172; Abdurrahman Azzam, Peygamberimizin Örnek Ahlakı, p.77, 83; Ataullah b.Fadlullah, Rawdatu'l-Ahbab, p.258

COURAGE AND HEROISM

Courage is defined as bravery to sacrifice one’s life in order to protect one’s religious and worldly rights

Heroism is defined as to act calmly and to keep one’s temper by showing patience and perseverance when facing a terrifying event and extraordinary situation.

Our Prophet (pbuh) had those two characteristics in the perfect sense.

He was the bravest, the most courageous and the most heroic person of all. Heroism in the sense of courage was obvious in the Prophet (pbuh) in all periods of his life beginning from his youth.

The Prophet showed so much steadfastness, perseverance and courage in conveying the message of Islam and calling people to the true religion that he never showed any hesitation, panic or cowardice although all of the big states, religions, his nation and tribe and even his own uncle treated him as an enemy; he challenged the world alone and continued to tell people about Islam. As a result of this perseverance and determination, he managed to make Islam dominant over the world.   

He always had a steadfast and sound will. It was impossible to reverse this will because God Almighty had sharpened this will.

THOSE TWO PEOPLE

It was during the Migration, which is the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had sheltered in a small cave on the slope of a mountain near Makkah; about two hundred fully armed enemies were searching the slope of the mountain about one or one and a half meters away. What prevented them from seeing Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) and his friend was a spider web on the entrance of the cave and a pigeon nest. At those dangerous moments, when their lives were on a knife-edge, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) soothed his friend by saying,

“My brother! What do you think of the two people, who are accompanied by Allah?”[1]

NIGHT ATTACK IN MADINAH

One night, a great noise was heard in Madinah. People who took to the streets worriedly thought they were attacked by the enemy. They tried to take precautions and defend their town. Meanwhile, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) was seen on a saddleless horse with his sword. He was coming from outside the city. He said, “Do not worry; there is no danger. People felt relieved. It was understood later that the Prophet took his sword and got on the nearest horse without a saddle and harness, and checked all of the places around the city that could be dangerous. He did it on his own, without waiting for anybody to join him! [2]  

THERE IS NO LIE IN THIS

After the conquest of Mecca, in order to subdue the rebellious Hawazin, the army of Islam marched towards Hunayn. With the addition of two thousand soldiers from the conquered city of Mecca, who were freshly converted to Islam, the army reached the number of twelve thousand, which was an extraordinary size in conditions of the Arabian peninsula of that time.

And some new Muslims started to talk about the impossibility of defeating such an army by relying on this numerical majority. However, in the Hunayn valley, where they had just entered, a panic arose in the army as a result of a sudden attack by the enemy which was many times weaker than themselves. Everyone was retreating because of the mass psychology and the event was about to result with a defeat.

In those moments of tension, unlike the rest of the army, there was only one person who tried to attack to the enemy that was coming in waves; this person was the prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Although Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) represented the truth on earth, his army started to scatter; he was having one of the most furious moments in his life; He stood on his horse and shouted,

          “I am the Messenger of Allah; there is no lie in this. I am the son of Abdulmuttalib (who never escaped from the enemy); there is no lie in this.”

He tried to attack the tribes of Hawazin, who threw arrows continuously at Muslims. Meanwhile, two relatives of his held his horse with great difficulty.

The Islamic army won the battle. [3]

WHO WILL SAVE YOU FROM ME?

This is a famous event which has been conveyed to us from many authentic hadith resources. The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was having a rest away from His tribe during an expedition. A brave tribe chief who was called Ghawrath succeeded in approaching the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) without being seen. He shouted by holding up his sword over the prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

“Who will save you from me?” The prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who woke up from sleep, answered him without feeling any hesitation, worry and fear, “Allah”. And then he prayed as follows:

“O my Allah! Save me from him with a thing as you wish”At that moment, Ghawrath tumbled down to the ground with a sudden strike on his back which came from the nowhere. This time, the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) got the sword of Ghawrath, which he trusted too much. Now it was his turn; he asked:

“Now who will save you from me?”Ghawrath was regretful.

He answered, “There is no one to save me!.. He asked for forgiveness. The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) forgave the man who tried to kill him just a few minutes ago and let him go. (4)   

WE USED TO SHELTER BEHIND HIM

Hz. Ali, who was eminent for his bravery, narrates:

“When a war got hot, and the eyes were red of anger, we used to shelter behind Him.” (5)

____________________________________

[1]M.Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayatu's-Sahaba , (I), p:420
[2]Fadl ar-Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi (I), p:82; M.Yusuf Kandahlawi, ibid (III), p:227
[3]Imam Tirmidhi, Shamail ash-Sharif p:265; M.Yusuf Kandahlawi, ibid (III), shf:228
[4]Bukhari, Jihad 84; Maghazi 31; Muslim, Fadail 13; Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 3/29.
[5]Musnad, 1:86; Mustadrak, 2:143; Kanzu’l-Ummal, 12:347, 419.

VISIT TO ABRAHAM

His servant Hz. Anas talked about Him (PBUH) as follows: “I have never seen a human who is more compassionate towards His family than Him”

The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) frequently visited his son, Abraham, who had been born in the last years of his life at the house of his wet nurse… This place is at the outskirts of Medina and his wet nurse’s husband is a blacksmith. This house was always filled up with smoke that came from the blacksmith’s furnace. In every visit of him to this house, He clasped his son Abraham in his arms and kissed him by smelling him lengthily. During this time, he was a president of a government that dominated over the Arabian Peninsula. (1)

THE SOUND OF A CRYING A CHILD

He was leading the fajr prayer in the mosque. While the general practice he did was to lead a lengthy two rakat fard prayer which was suitable to the spirit of salah by reciting a hundred verses very slowly, in that morning, he completed the salah in a very short time and uttered the greeting. His friends asked:

-O Apostle of Allah! Why have you completed the salah fast?

- I heard the voice of a crying child. I was worried that his parents would be sad. (2)

I LOVE YOU TOO

The journey of Hegira which was made under rough conditions had been completed and now they were entering Medina… Muslim girls of Medina welcomed Him with the chant of “O the White Moon rose over us From the Valley of Wada”. As He was passing in front of them, Hz. Muhammad (PBUH) asked:

“Little girls, do you love me?”

Small girls answered by screaming “Yes”. Then He spoke with the smiling on his face:

“I love you too!.. (3)

SHE DESERVED PARADISE

A hungry mother with two daughters in her lap wanted from Hz. Aisha (RA) something to eat. There was nothing other than three dates in the house of Hz. Muhammad (PBUH), who was both a prophet and president. The mother who gave one date each to her daughters was about to eat the third date for herself; however, her hungry children wanted it, too. And the mother gave it to them. In the evening, Hz. Aisha (RA) was still under the influence of the event. When the apostle of Allah came home, she told him about this event, too. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) answered:

“That mother deserved Paradise with this deed.” (4)

WELCOME MY DAUGHTER

Hz. Fatima (RA), who was the only remaining daughter of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) among His seven children after His death and who would continue His generations till Doomsday, had a very special place in his heart. Whenever she came to him, he always welcomed her by standing up,

By kissing her, He used to say “Welcome my daughter!” and let her sit near him by grasping her hand. Fatima also behaved in the same manner to her father. Whenever he expressed his love towards her, he said:

“Fatima is my part, whoever disturbs her, disturbs me too”

A society that had killed their small infant daughters with their own hands until five to ten years before this was watching them. By understanding how valuable benefaction daughters are… (5)

WHEN MALE-FEMALE ARE SEGREGATED

His servant Anas narrates:

A man was sitting near Hz. Muhammad (PBUH). For a while, the man’s son came to him. The man took him and sat him down on his knee and started to kiss him by caring. After a while his daughter came. However, the man did not take her and sat her down on his knee and did not show any interest to her. The face expression of the apostle of Allah changed and asked with a serious voice tone,

‘Why did you not show interest equally?” (6)

RUN TOWARDS ME

He told the equally aged children of his cousin Jafar and his uncle Abbas by facing them:

“Run towards me. Whoever comes to me first, I will give this and that.”

They ran towards to Him (PBUH) and closed down on His bosom and back. The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) kissed them all by embracing … Many times in His life … (7)

YOU ARE MY MOTHER AND FATHER

His Iranian friend Salman narrates:

It was a time near midday. We were sitting at the mosque. The news arrived to us that Hz. Hassan (RA) and Hussein (RA) had been lost. We scattered and started to search the children in Medina and surroundings with all people there along with the prophet (PBUH). Finally, I found them at the skirts of a mountain. They had embraced each other in fear and were looking at a snake a little away from them. The snake directed its head towards them and put its tongue out, hissing… I called to the apostle of Allah, He came immediately. When he saw the scene, he walked towards the snake and the snake ran away. Then, he went to his grandchild. He tried to diminish their fear by touching them with his hands on their faces and at the same time He said:

“You are my mother and father, how valuable you are in the eye of Allah”.

When the fear of the children diminished, he took each grandchild on his shoulders and started to walk towards Mecca. (8)

IS THE SMALL MAN THERE?

One Day with his faithful friend Abu Hurairah, he went to the house of Hz. Fatima (RA). He wanted to see his grandchildren and show affection to them. As he entered the house, he searched Hz. Hassan (RA):

“Is the small man there?  “Is the small man there?

While hugging His grandchild, who came to him by running, he prayed at the same time

“O My Allah! I love him; I want You to love him and the ones who love him.” (9)                                  

I FEEL COMPASSION FOR THEM

He put his foster child Usama, the son of Zayd on one of his knees and Hassan (RA) on his other knee. He laid their heads one another and his own head to them and prayed to Allah:

“O my Allah! I want You to show compassion to them because I feel compassion for them.” (10)

MY FLOWERS

One night, a friend of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) visiting him could not help getting surprised. Inside the garment of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), there was something moving. When the garment was opened, the secret was revealed:

Hz. Hassan (RA) and Hussein (RA), whom he loves by calling them"My Flowers"… He took them into his lap and prayed:

 -"These are my sons, the sons of my daughter! O my Allah, I love them and I want You to love them and the ones who love them." (11)

NICE RIDERS

His daughter Fatima (RA) had given him two grandchildren. Hassan (RA) and Hussein (RA)... When the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who expressed his interest for his grandchildren comfortably in every environment, was asked to buy a camel for them, he became four-footed and said to them, since he had no money to fulfill their wish for that moment,

-"Come on, get on; is there any camel better than this?"

Another day, as they were playing "riding on horse" game with Hassan (RA) and Hussein (RA) on his back, they met Hz. Umar... The lover of the Prophet, Hz. Umar, said to the children:

- "You have such a nice horse". Prophet Muhammad answered:

-They are also nice riders." (12)

WALKING WITH DIFFICULTY

On the pulpit of the mosque, He was calling out to thousands of believers who were listening to Him with great attention. At the door, there were two babies in their red shirts trying to walk with difficulty. The heads were turned to that side. However, nobody dared to interrupt the speech of the Apostle of Allah and to take the children.

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) broke his speech, got down from the pulpit and held them. And he returned to the pulpit and continued to speak. Meanwhile, He did not neglect to apologize to the ones listening to Him.

“-I looked at these two children walking with difficulty and I could not help interrupting my speech and taking them upside.” (13)

ME YOUR FATHER AND AISHA YOUR MOTHER

On one morning of a religious festival, he was returning home from the mosque. In the street, he saw children playing in their festival clothes. However, one child attracted his attention. He was sitting aside with dirty and old clothes on him and watching the others. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) came close to him...

-"My son" He said: "why do you not join your friends?"

The child answered in sadness...

-"O Apostle of Allah! I am an orphan..."For the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), this was enough... He took the child by the hand, and brought him to His home. There, the orphan was washed; new clothes were dressed; he was fed and some money was put in his pocket; he was made happy... Then, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) took his face into His hands,

 -Would you like me to be your father, Aisha your mother and Hassan and Hussein your brothers?

- “Yes, O Apostle of Allah, yes”...

The happy child rushed and joined the others. Wondering this rapid change, his friends asked:

-What happened to you?

The orphan answered:

-The Apostle of Allah became my father and Aisha my mother and Hassan and Hussein my brothers... (14)

WHAT SHOULD ANAS DO?

Anas the son of Malik was a smart and mischievous child of Medina who performed the daily work of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and served him until His death, from ten to twenty...

This long period of ten years was full of mischief of Anas. By his own expression:

"The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used to send me to buy something from the market. When I saw the children playing in the street, I used to play with them and forgot what to buy. Then I used to come to him in silence. When he saw me shy and fearful, He used to say "What should Anas do; he has nothing in his hand; Allah makes him forget everything to do"and He used to console me.

On one of these days, the coefficient of mischief of Anas was quite high and said to himself for the duty he was sent "I swear by Allah that I will not go." Then he became regretful and set forth and when he met the children playing in the street, he forgot. He was captured by the game. A while later, a hand caught him by his neck…

When he got back, he saw the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) standing in front of him, smiling:

- "My dear Anas" He said "Have you gone to the place where I sent you?"

Anas said "Yes, O apostle of Allah." "I was just about to go there now..." The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) continued to smile without saying anything.

In his old age, when making an evaluation of the years with the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Anas, the son of Malik, would say:

-I joined Him in a young age and had been in His service for completely ten years. He never cursed me even once; He never hit me even once. He never got angry with me or blamed me for a mistake of mine or a duty that I neglected or did not perform by saying "why did you do this?" or "why did you not do this?"He never grimaced his face."(15)

CALL AN ADHAN HERE TOO

A child called Abu Mahzura was making fun with the muezzin (the Caller to Prayer) by imitating Him. The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) called him and said to him with a serious and soft manner as if he had not realized his mockery with the adhan:

“Let us hear you call an adhan here too.”

Abu Mahzura, who was embarrassed, called an adhan by using all of his skill.

The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) corrected the incomplete and mistaken parts of his adhan and put a few coins to his pocket and said to him by patting on his back:

“Let it be blessed…”

Abu Mahzura was still taken aback upon his compliment and remittance. He asked permission to be a muezzin in Mecca and got it. He was going to be the muezzin of Mecca for years. (16)

DO NOT DECEIVE THE CHILD

A mother was calling her child in order to bring him to the home; “Come and look what I will give you?” The prophet Muhammad, (PBUH) who saw this scene asked:

What will you give to the child?

He warned the mother who answered, “wanted to give dates”:

“Be careful! If he comes to you but you do not give anything to him, then, a sin of lying will be recorded for you.” (17)
______________________________________

[1]Fadl ar-Rahman,  Siret Ansiklopedisi, II/222 .
[2]Abu'sh-Sheikh al-Isbahani, Hazreti Muhammed’in Edeb ve Ahlakı, s.71.
[3]Afzolur Rahman, ibid, III/262
[4]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayat-üs Sahabe, III/45.
[5]Afzolur Rahman, ibid, II/222, 225; M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, ibid, III/67
[6]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, ibid, III/46
[7]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, ibid, III/339
[8]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi. ibid, III/34l
[9]Fadl ar-Rahman, ibid, II/222
[10]Fadl ar-Rahman, ibid, II/222
[11]Fadl ar-Rahman, ibid, II/222
[12]Bekir Sağlam, Model İnsan, p.50; S. Nur, I/363
[13]Fadl ar-Rahman, ibid, II/222
[14]Gerçeğe Doğru, V.I, VII/34
[15]Fadl ar-Rahman, ibid, I/40; Doç. Dr. Recep Kılıç, Hazreti Peygamberin Hayatından Davranış Modelleri, p.133; Abu'sh-Sheikh al-Isbahani, ibid. s.34
[16]İbrahim Refik, Güllerin Efendisi, p.40
[17]İbrahim Refik, ibid, p.43

WITH THE PEOPLE OF MADINAH IN HUNAYN

Incredible amounts of bounties were obtained as a result of the Hunayn victory.  Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) had most of the bounties distributed among the Makkan notables that had embraced Islam a short while ago and in whose hearts the religion had not settled firmly. It brought about the expected effect. Makkan notables said,   

"Muhammad is really a prophet; otherwise he would not be so generous."

However, this caused some misunderstanding among some youths of Madinah. A rumor started:

“The Messenger of Allah attained his tribe and relatives; he will probably stay with them from now on.”

When he heard the rumor, he did not want to lose any time. He ordered all of the people of Madinah to gather in a valley. He did not allow anybody who was not from Madinah to be there. Everybody was waiting curiously and nervously. He said,  

"O people of Madinah! I heard that some of you say ‘heattained his tribe and relatives; he will prefer them from now on’about me."

When the people of Madinah heard such a severe and ugly claim pronounced by him, they felt sorry and started to weep. They apologized. However, the Prophet continued to speak:

"Were you not a people that worshipped idols? Allah guided you to the right path through me."

“Yes, O Messenger of Allah! We are grateful to Allah and to you.”

“Were you not enemies that shed one another’s blood and that were scattered? Allah united you through me and strengthened you.”

The repentance and embarrassment increased among the crowd.

“Yes, O Messenger of Allah! We are grateful to Allah and to you.”

"Were you not poor and hungry? Allah made you rich and honorable through me."

“Yes, O Messenger of Allah!”

He paused for a moment. Then, he continued,

“However, you can also speak like this: ‘Your tribe and your relatives became your enemy; they did not allow you to live among them. We welcomed you and supported you and your religion.’”

When they heard those statements, many people of Madinah started to cry due to their embarrassment. They beg him to stop and forgive them. He continued,  

“Or, you can also speak like this: ‘When everybody denied you, we confirmed you. When everybody became your enemy and attacked you, we sacrificed our lives and property for you and protected you.’”

The people of Madinah could not bear what he said. When the people calmed down a bit, he started again,

“Why is it wrong to give more money than you to some newly converted Muslims? Would you not like to have the Messenger of Allah as your share while they return to their hometown with herds of sheep and camels? I swear by Allah that if Allah had not created me as a muhajir, I would have wanted to be created as a person of Madinah. I swear by Allah that if all people in the world went to a valley and the people of Madinah went to another valley, I would be together with the people of Madinah.”

In conclusion, a social problem that was could have become worse was cured radically before it got bigger.[1]

IF SHE WERE YOUR MOTHER,...

A young Muslim asked permission from him to commit fornication. He seemingly had a logical reason.

Thus, honorable women would be saved from his danger. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) asked him,

“Would you like other people to have sexual intercourse with your mother?”

“Definitely, not!”

“Other people would not like something like that for their mothers, either. Would you like the same thing for your daughter?”

“Definitely, not!”

“Other people would not like something like that for their daughters, either. Would you like the same thing for your sister?”

“Definitely, not!”

“Other people would not like something like that for their sisters, either.”

He showed how bad the deed that the young person wanted to commit was by addressing his common sense. He persuaded the young man and said, "Approach". He put his hand on the heart of that young person and prayed for him:

“O my Lord! Forgive his sins; purify his heart and protect him from sins.”

That young person led an exemplary life of honor after that. [2]

HOW MANY GODS DO YOU BELIEVE IN?

During the first and troublesome years in Makkah, only a handful of people had believed in him. One of those believers was Imran; his father Husayn, was regarded as one of the cleverest people and one of the best orators in Makkah. When he heard that his son had become a Muslim, he went to see and argue with the prophet in order to dissuade his son and to defeat Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) in the debate. Imran, who had prepared well, asked,

“What is that I have heard? You refuse our gods. However, your father, grandfather and ancestors believed in those gods like everybody else. They were clever and honorable men.” Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said,

"Now, let us leave aside your ancestors and my ancestors. How many gods do you believe in?”

“Eight.”

“How many of them are in the sky and how many on the earth?”

“Seven of them are on the earth and one of them is in the sky (Allah).”

“Whom do you pray when a misfortune hits you?”

“The one in the sky.”

“Whom do you pray if your property is destroyed?”

“The one in the sky.”

“From whom do you ask sustenance?”

“From the one in the sky.”

“From whom do you expect a cure when you are ill?”

“From the one in the sky.”

“Why do you associate partners with Him since only He accepts your prayers?”Husayn was astonished. He said,

"I have never talked to such a person before." Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said to him,

“O Husayn! Become a Muslim and attain salvation.”

“What will I say to my tribe and relatives, then? How can I meet them again?”

“Say, ’O Allah! Show me the straight path.’"

Husayn became a Muslim. His son, Imran, hugged his father joyfully. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) watched them by weeping for joy and praising Allah.[3]

IF YOU EAT IT, IT IS YOUR SUSTENANCE

One of the Jews of Madinah who had a piece of bread in his hand confronted the Prophet. Many Jews, Muslims, idolaters and munafiqs were around them. The Jew showed the bread to the Prophet and asked,   

“O Muhammad! Is this my sustenance?”

It was a trap. If Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said, "Yes", he would not eat the bread and throw it away. If he said, "No", he would eat it; thus, he would refute what the Prophet would say and try to humiliate him.

Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) answered him without thinking much,

“If you eat it, it will be your sustenance!”[4]

THE MASTER OF THE PEOPLE

He was together with his friends in the mosque. A messenger from a foreign country rushed in. He had a diplomatic letter in his hand. The messenger who was a stranger and who did not know Madinah and Muslims asked,

“Who is the master of this people?”

Meanwhile, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) was standing and serving something to eat to his friends. When he heard the question of the messenger, he answered without thinking,

“The master of a people is the one that serves them.”

With this extemporaneous answer, he answered the question of the messenger, taught his friends and Muslims a lesson of courtesy and imposed an important principle on political philosophy. He did them all with one sentence extemporaneously. [5]

DO RULE US

A delegate from Najran Christians visited him in Madinah. They repeated their claim that Jesus was Allah’s son and wanted Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) to approve it. He asked them to act reasonably and sensibly:

“Do you not know that Allah will not die and Jesus is bound to die?”

“Yes, we know it.”

“Do you not know that our Lord is the protector and sustainer of everything?”

“Yes, we do.”

 “Can Jesus do any of them?”

“No, he can’t.”

“Do you not know that nothing can be hidden from Allah on the earth and in the sky?”

“Yes, we do.”

“Can Jesus know them?”

“No, he can’t.”

“Do you not know that our Lord shaped Jesus as he wished in the womb of his mother and that he neither ate nor drink nor urinated there?”

“Yes, we do.”

“Do you not know that Jesus’ mother, like all mothers, was pregnant with him, that she gave birth to a child like all mothers, that she suckled him like all mothers and that he ate drank and urinated?”

- “Yes, we do.”

“Then, how can he be like you claim?”

Najran Christians were astonished. They did not become Muslims but said to him, “Come and rule us.” Thereupon, he appointed one of his friends as a governor to them.[6]

___________________________________________

[1]Afzalur Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi, III/118.
[2]Afzalur Rahman, ibid, III/118.
[3]Afzalur Rahman, ibid, III/119.
[4]Gerçeğe Doğru (I), p. V-34.
[5]Gerçeğe Doğru (II). p. II-23.
[6]Afzalur Rahman, ibid, I/118

THE YOUNG OF A FEMALE CAMEL

A friend of his wanted a camel to ride from him. He said;

"All right. I will make you ride a calf."His friend was puzzled and objected to it.

"O Messenger of Allah! What shall I do with a calf? It will be of no good to me."

He said,"Are all camels not calves of female camels?"[1]

YOU ARE PRICELESS

Zahir was a Muslim who lived in the desert. He brought the orders of the Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) from the desert and Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) helped him do shopping in the city. The Prophet said,

"Zahir is our desert; we are his city", attracting attention to the relation between them.

However, Zahir had a serious problem. Due to some physiognomic faults, he did not want to be among people; when he had to join people, he always thought, "Everybody is looking at me!" and was seriously affected by that complex. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) was aware of this problem of Zahir. One day, the Prophet found the opportunity to relieve him. 

Zahir was shopping in Madinah market at a very busy time. Meanwhile, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) approached him slowly and closed the eyes of Zahir with his hands, pulling Zahir’s body toward himself. Realizing that the person who was joking was Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) through his scent, Zahir became very happy and leaned against Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). The Muslims who knew that the Prophet never treated a person so intimately surrounded them with astonished looks. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said smilingly,

"I have a slave. I am selling him. Who wants to buy him?"

On the one hand, Zahir was shocked by the surprising compliment; on the other hand, he replied the joke of the Prophet a bit ironically due to the effect of the complex that had filled his consciousness,  

"O Messenger of Allah! I swear by Allah that you are trying to sell a worthless slave."

It was the opportunity that Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) was waiting. He was going to treat the person who had the complex "Everybody is looking at me" among everybody; Zahir was going to live confidently and without having any complex among people. It was just the opportunity he wanted. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) stopped joking at that time. He became very serious. He showed Zahir to the people around and said,

"No. I swear by Allah that you are priceless in the eye of Allah and His Messenger!"

That day was the happiest day of Zahir's life.[2]

I HAVE NO MONEY

One of his jokey friends frequently brought him presents. They were generally things like butter, honey, etc. Later, when the owner of the presents came and asked for the price of his goods, his poor, jokey friend said to Hazrat Muhammad:

"O Messenger of Allah! The owner of the butter and honey has come; he wants the money of the butter and honey."

Then, continuing the joke, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said to him seriously,

"Did you not bring them to us as presents?"His friend said,

"I have no money; how can I pay for it?"

Thereupon, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) paid the owner the price for his goods.[3]

THE ONE WITH THE WHITE IN HIS EYE

A female Muslim was telling him about one of her wishes. Meanwhile, Hazrat  Muhammad (pbuh) asked her:

"You are the wife of that person with the white in his eye, aren’t you?" The woman answered in astonishment,

"O Messenger of Allah! My husband has no white in his eye."The Prophet said,

"Everybody has a white in his eye."[4]

DO NOT LET CRYSTALS BE BROKEN

During a journey, a friend of his called Anjasha was singing in front of the camels and keeping time to make them walk faster. As the pace of the song increased, the speed of the camels increased, too. Being worried about the women on the camels, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) addressed Anjasha:

"Anjasha, be careful! Do not let crystals be broken!"[5]

OLIVE SEEDS

He was having breakfast with Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) was smiling. He put the seeds of the olives he ate in front of Hazrat Ali. Then, he showed Ali the seeds of the olives in front of him and said,

"O Ali! Did you eat so many olives?"

Hazrat Ali answered him seriously,

"Yes, O Messenger of Allah! However, you ate the olives together with their seeds. There are no seeds in front of you." [6]

ALL OF YOU         

The army was on the expedition of Tabuk. Awf  b. Malik, one of his oldest friends, went to the entrance of the small tent in which Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) was sitting and having a rest. He greeted the Prophet and asked for permission to enter. When he received the answer, “Come in!”, he asked,

"With all of my parts, o Messenger of Allah?" The Messenger of Allah answered,

"Yes, all of you!"[7]

YOUNG GIRL IN PARADISE

An old woman entered the mosque, went to Hazrat Muhammad and said,

"O, Messenger of Allah! Pray Allah for me so that He will put me into Paradise."

The Messenger of Allah said, "Old women cannot enter Paradise."

The woman got very sorry and started to cry. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) started to smile and said,

"Do not worry! You will enter Paradise as a young girl."[8]

________________________________________

[1]Abu'sh-Sheikh al-Isbahani, Hazreti Muhammad'in Edeb ve Ahlakı, p.84.
[2]Yrd. Doç. Dr. Abdullah Özbek, Bir Eğitimci Olarak Hazreti Muhammad, p.69; Imam Tirmidhi, Shamail ash-Sharif, p.257.
[3]Imam Qastalani, Mawahib al-Ladunniyya, p.334.
[4]Bekir Sağlam, Model İnsan, p.76.
[5]Afzalur Rahman. Siret Ansiklopedisi, I/46.
[6]Bekir Sağlam, Model İnsan, p.75 (152); Afzalur Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi, I/83.
[7]Afzalur Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi, I/83.
[8]Imam Tirmidhi, Shamail ash-Sharif, p.258.

WITH CLEAN TEETH

His head was on Hazrat Aisha’s lap and he was about to die. He was drawing his last breaths. One of the last things he wanted to do before dying was to clean his teeth with the help of Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). He wanted to go to the presence of his Lord with a proper and tidy appearance...[1]

LIKE THE DEVIL

One of his friends entered the mosque. His hair and beard were intermingled.  It became clear from the change of the facial expression of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) that he did not like his friend’s appearance. Getting the message, his friend went out, had a haircut, trimmed his beard, cleaned himself and returned. He sat in front of the Prophet (pbuh) with an embarrassed smile. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) started to smile, too. He said,

"Is it not better like this instead of having the hair and beard intermingled like the devil?" [2]

UNLESS SHE CLEANS HER HANDS

Makkah had been conquered. Those who could not become Muslims due to their obstinacy started to become Muslims and to swear allegiance to Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) one by one. One of them was Hind, the wife of Abu Sufyan, who was the administrator of Makkah, the murderer of his uncle. Just as Hind was going to declare that she was going to be a Muslim, Hind’s hands attracted the attention of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh); he interrupted and stopped the oath of allegiance by saying,

"I will not accept your allegiance unless you clean your hands and trim your nails."[3]

THREE TIMES YES

Somebody called, "O Messenger of Allah!" three times.

Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) turned to him each time and said,

"Yes!"[4]

DO NOT DO IT AGAIN

When he entered the mosque, he saw a newly converted Bedouin Muslim blow his nose and threw the napkin on the ground. He cleaned the ground with his hands and said to the man softly,

"Do not do it again."[5]

PRAYER IN THE HOUSE OF A BLIND MAN

One of his friends became almost blind. He started to find it difficult to go to the mosque. In order to perform the prayers in his house with a piece of mind, he asked the Prophet,

"O Messenger of Allah! Can you come to my house and perform a two-rak’ah prayer there?"

The next day, the Messenger of Allah prayed in the house of his blind friend together with Abu Bakr.[6]

IF YOU HAVE TO

When he sat down in the mosque toward the qiblah, he grimaced his face. There was some phlegm on the wall. It was clear that a newly converted Bedouin Muslim had done it.

He stood up quietly and cleaned the wall with his hands. Then, he turned to the congregation that was watching him in an astonished way and said,

"Do not spit against the qiblah. If you have to spit, spit on the ground under your left foot."[7]

HE BOUGHT IT FIRST

Jabir b. Abdullah, one of his poor friends, was newly married; he had financial difficulties. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) wanted to relieve him of his troubles but he did not want to offend him; he asked Jabir what he owned. He only had a weak camel. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) asked him to buy his camel. He paid for it when he returned to Madinah. After buying it, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) gave the camel to Jabir as a gift. A Jew who heard about it could not believe his ears and asked,

"Did he buy the came and then give it back as a present?”

Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) also prayed to Allah for Jabir for a long time that night to give him happiness in the world and the hereafter.[8]

[1]Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Algül, Alemlere Rahmet Hazreti Muhammad, p.163.
[2]Abdurrahman Azzam, Peygamberimizin Örnek Ahlakı, p.50.
[3]Abdurrahman Azzam, Peygamberimizin Örnek Ahlakı, p.50.
[4]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayatu's-Sahaba, III/l52.
[5]Afzalur Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi , III/192.
[6]Afzalur Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi, I/39.
[7]Afzalur Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi, III/210.
[8]İbrahim Refik, Güllerin Efendisi, p.48

THE OBLIGATORY MARCH

The army sets off against the tribe of Sons of Mustaliq. Victory is easily captured… However, something happens during the way back, which heralds a grave danger.

At a resting place, a dispute takes place out of a trivial cause between a Muslim from Medina and another who migrated from Mecca. Afterwards, the incident swells up fast and starts to turn into a clash between the Meccans and the Medinans. If no precaution is taken, solidarity and brotherhood among Muslims, which until then constituted the greatest pillars of their material power, is about to vanish.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) intervenes and gives commands; the army starts to march. In fact, these are the hottest hours of the day which are always spent resting. That day a rapid march is carried on up to the evening and during the night. The next day at about noon, the permission to rest is finally given, but nobody in the army, which has been marching for nearly twenty four hours, has the power to continue yesterday’s fight. The whole army falls asleep in a faint-like state. In the meantime, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has made initiatives to eliminate the emerging danger and the most dangerous hours for the fight to grow have passed. [1]

THE MAN WAS RIGHT

 He borrows a certain amount of dates from one of his friends. When the time to pay back comes, as he does not have the means to pay himself, he asks a Muslim from Medina to pay off his debt for him. However, the dates the Muslim from Medina gives are lower in quality. The creditor does not consent. The Muslim from Medina gets angry and says:

          “Do you turn down the dates that Allah’s Messenger gives?”

The creditor humbly asks:                                                                               

          “If even Allah’s Messenger does not behave justly, from whom shall we expect justice?”

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is not informed about this situation. When notified, he gets sad and, with tear-filled eyes, says:

          “The man is right!..”

With his command, the dates are changed. [2]

VENDETTA

While giving a sermon in the mosque, a recently converted Muslim who was seeking a vendetta stood up. He interrupted the speech of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH);

-“O apostle of Allah!” By pointing a group who was sitting in the mosque, he says, “Their ancestors killed a person from our family. Therefore, we demand killing someone from them in response” The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) answered calmly but in a decisive manner:

“Father’s revenge cannot be taken over the son” (3)

WHEN HE EXTENDS THE STICK

He is distributing the spoils of the war among his friends. He is pressured by the crowd. Someone leans on the Prophet with his weight. He wants to push away the man with the small stick in his hand and to ease the crowd around him. However, the stick accidentally scratches the side of the man’s mouth and it bleeds a little. When Prophet Muhammad sees this, he (PBUH) immediately stops distribution. He extends the stick to the man and asks him to do the same to him and to settle. He is serious. Everybody is in bewilderment. His friend hesitates a while but then pushes the stick away with his hand and says:

          “O Allah’s Messenger! I forgive you.” [4]

YOU HAVE NEVER TOLD A LIE

It was the first and most difficult years of his prophethood. Of the hundred doors he went in order to explain his religion, perhaps only one was opened. One day, he gathered his close relatives in the foot of a hill near Mecca. He was going to show his personality and previous life as a proof of the truthiness of His claim as a prophethood. He asked his relatives:

“If I say there is an army of enemy behind this hill and preparing for a raid, will you believe me without asking any proof?”

They said, “Yes” because up to now no one has witnessed any lie of you. We swear that you are “Al-Amin” (the Trustworthy)”.

During the rest of the conversation, perhaps the same people there refused his invitation to the Islam and his prophethood, but in fact they had approved him without being aware of it… (5)

THE SUN IN ONE OF MY HANDS, AND THE MOON IN THE OTHER…

The fear Quraysh’s notables have is growing more and more. In spite of all the precautions they have taken, the grouping around Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is ever widening. They gather and decide to “try it the sweeter way”. They choose a deputy whom they believe will be influential on him. The deputy starts speaking to the Prophet (PBUH):

“O Muhammad, you hurt our gods, sowed seeds of dispute and enmity among us, destroyed our solidarity and unity, brought us all sorrow and suffering. If you want wealth, let us make you the richest person of our land. If you want strength, power, and leadership, let us make you our leader. If you want a beautiful woman, tell us, she will be yours. If you are ill and this claim of prophethood stems from that, let us find the best doctors and get you treated.”

With the confidence that a human being cannot possibly resist such offers, the deputy finishes his speech and waits for his answer. Now Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has the word:

          “I do not want property. Neither do I have a wish for rulership. And I do not have any desire for anyone other than Khadijah (his wife). I am not ill. I am only a weak slave of Allah. It is He who sent me as a messenger to you. If you accept this, follow me. Otherwise, do not ever forget this: if you put the sun in one of my hands, and the moon in the other, I shall not turn back from this cause.” [6]

FIFTEEN DAYS LATER

One of his friends comes near him and begs. He is not pleased with that; he thinks that everyone should cater for themselves and not be a burden to others. Instead of giving something and sending him away, he asks:

          “Do you have something worth money in your house?”

“There is a sack I use as a sheet and bed and a cup I drink water from.”

“Go and bring them here.”

When the things are brought to the mosque, they are auctioned. They are sold for two silver coins. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) hands him the money and says: With one silver coin, buy food. And with the other, buy an axe and bring it to me.

His friend carries out what is said. When he comes with the axe, Prophet Muhammad is preparing a handle for the axe himself. He puts the axe on the handle and gives it to his friend. He says:

“Now go to the forest, cut wood and sell it. Let us meet fifteen days later.”

His friend comes back fifteen days later. He is beaming with happiness. He says:

          “O Allah’s Messenger! I saved up ten silver coins.”

And he shows the money. Now the Prophet is also smiling:

          “Buy some food and clothes with the money. Get what you need and do not forget that it is more honorable for someone to stand on his own feet than begging. Begging is only for the ill and the disabled.” [7]

WHEN YOU ARE LOST

 A nomad Arab comes with the intention of becoming a Muslim, but his decision is not certain yet. In order to make it clear, he asks Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):

          “What are you calling people to?

          “To worship only Allah. It is He whom you call in trouble; He saves you. It is He whom you call in drought; He makes the ground green. It is He whom you call when you are lost in a desert; He causes you to find your way.”

The man’s all questions are answered because Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) explained the religion he is calling into in a way that the man would understand. [8]

IT SOMETIMES HAPPENS

One of his friends shares a big distress, which he cannot mention to anybody, with Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):

          “O Allah’s Messenger! My wife gave birth to a child; its skin is dark. But I am white.”

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) understands the problem. Tactfully, he handles the matter in another way. He asks a question without waiting for him to finish:

“Do you have camels?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Then, what are their colors?”

“Generally red.”

“Are there grey ones, too?”

“Yes, sometimes.”

“Where does this grey color come from?”

“Probably, they take after one of their ancestors.”

 “The child your wife gave birth to maybe takes after one of its ancestors.”

His friend leaves with a satisfied conscience and a happy face. [9]

A SERVANT FOR FATIMA

His daughter, Fatima (May Allah be Pleased with er), is leading an extremely troubled marriage life. With the words of her husband, Ali (May Allah be Pleased with Him):

“We did not have a servant at home. Fatima carried out all the work herself. We were staying in a house consisting of only one room. In this room, Fatima would light the stove and try to cook. Many times, while blowing the fire, sparks would make holes in her clothes. Therefore, her clothes were full of holes. This was not the only thing she did. Among her chores were making bread, and carrying water needed in the house. Moreover, her hands were calloused because of turning the mill wheel and her back was calloused because of carrying water.”

Those days captives of war are brought to Medina. They are distributed among needy Muslims to help with the housework. Ali says to his wife:

          “Go and ask one for us from your father.”

Fatima does. However, her father’s, the Prophet’s, answer is negative:

          “My daughter, the needs of my poor friends who are sleeping in the mosque and are busy with learning come before yours. Sorry, but before providing for them, I cannot do anything for you.” [10]

EVEN IF SHE WERE MUHAMMAD'S DAUGHTER, FATIMA

Mecca had just been conquered. The daughter of the chief of the tribe Sons of Mahzum commits theft. The name of the thief is Fatima. She is brought to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to be punished. However, the political state of affairs of the time necessitates that the relations with the Sons of Mahzum should not be upset. Having evaluated the delicacy of the situation, some of his friends appoint someone as a mediator whom they think Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) cannot turn down. This is the son of the Prophet’s adopted child Zayd; namely, young Usama. In other words, his grandson in a way.

Usama says:

“O Allah’s Messenger! Will you forgave this woman for the sake of her father…”

          However, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) experiences one of the angriest moments of his life. His answer is stern:

“What you are asking now is the reason why other peoples before you were eradicated. Among them, too, when someone respected and powerful committed a crime, s/he was forgiven; but when someone from the public did, s/he was punished. By God I swear, if the one who committed this crime were not the daughter of the chief of the tribe Sons of Mahzum, rather if she were the daughter of Allah’s Messenger, Fatima, I would decree the same punishment.”

He gives the command and the thief’s punishment is carried out. [11]

WHOEVER DECEIVES US

He is inspecting the market. He plunges his hand into the wheat sack on the counter of one of the shops. The grains on the surface are large, shiny, and of high quality whereas from the inside he takes out wet and lower quality grains. Frowning, he asks the shopkeeper for the reason and the shopkeeper says:

          “I cannot sell otherwise…” upon which the Prophet says:

          “Whoever deceives us is not one of us.”

He gives the command and the wet grains are brought up to the surface and they are sold that way. [12]

MY OWN PRECAUTION

On the plains of Badr, the first serious and decisive war of Islam is about to start. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has stationed his small army in war po

sition and waits for the enemy to start, which is three times larger than his army. In the meantime, one of his friends, Hubab son of Mundhir, who is regarded as an expert in war positions, comes to him and asks:

“O Allah’s Messenger! Did Allah command you to position the army this way?”

          “No, it is my own precaution.”

          “Then, O Allah’s Messenger, the army is positioned in the wrong way.”

And he explains the correct way of positioning in accordance with the discipline of military. Without showing a hint of contradiction and caprice, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) follows his friend’s advice. The army’s position of war is changed. A couple of hours later Islam wins its first victory. [13]

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) would pay attention to competence and worthiness in appointing authorities to different ranks in administration and he would appoint the deserving people even if they were young or not from noble families. In the rightful matters, he would want obedience to himself and to his authorities, but would state that in the matters contrary to justice and truth, the community did not have the responsibility to obey. Thus, seeing it necessary to obey the ruler within the realm of justice, he would not see the public as compelled to serve himself and would not regard himself above them. On the contrary, he was one of them.

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[1]Diyanet Vakfı, Komisyon,  İslamda İnsan Modeli ve Hz. Peygamber Örneği, p.146.

[2]Afzolur Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi, III/190.

[3]Fadl ar- Rahman, ibid., I/74.

[4]Fadl ar- Rahman, ibid., I/75.

[5]Fadl ar- Rahman, ibid., I/70.

[6]Fadl ar- Rahman, ibid., I/67.

[7]Fadl ar- Rahman, ibid., III/212.

[8]M. Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayatu’s-Sahaba, I/73.

[9]Yrd. Doç. Dr. Abdullah Özbek, Bir Eğitimci Olarak Hz. Muhammed (s.a.v). p.100.

[10]S. Nur, I/368.

[11]Ed: Doç. Dr. Recep Kılıç, Hz. Peygamber'in Hayatından Davranış Modelleri, p.43.

[12]Ed: Doç. Dr. Recep Kılıç, ibid., p.37.

[13]Yrd. Doç. Dr. Abdullah Özbek, ibid., p.213.

He was kind even towards Animals

YOU WILL GUARD THEM

He was on his way to the biggest victory of his life that lasted sixty-three years. He was leading an army that had ten thousand soldiers and was about to enter Makkah which was both his home and native land.

While he was marching at the foremost of His army, He saw a female dog that had just given birth and her babies. He called His friend; Suraka the son of Juayl and ordered him:

"You will stand in front of the mum and her babies. Guard and protect them from being crushed until the whole army pass by."

The mother and her babies were not disturbed but the army of the conquest that had ten thousand soldiers had changed its direction. (1)

THE ANIMAL WHICH IS UNABLE TO SPEAK

One day while he was walking, he saw a lean camel whose belly had shrunk to its back. He became sad and turned to its owner:

“Fear Allah while tending this animal which is unable to speak!” (2)

 

IN FRONT OF ITS EYES

His cousin Abdullah, the son of Abbas narrated. One day, we were going somewhere with the Apostle of Allah (PBUH). Someone tied a sheep for slaughtering and was sharpening his knife in front of its eyes. Hz. Muhammad (PBUH) called that person:

“Have you intended to kill it again and again?” (3)

NO ONE CAN TOUCH YOU

He was sitting with his friends. A camel came to him by sprinting and stopped. It seemed as if she was searching for a shelter. After a short time, its owners, who pursued her, arrived.

They said “O Apostle of Allah! This camel belongs to us. We have been searching it for three days. After all, we have found it near you.”

The camel was standing at the back of the Prophet Muhammad. He spoke without releasing its bridle:

“But your camel has been complaining about you so much.”

Her amazed owners asked:

“O Apostle of Allah, What is she saying?”

“She has been raised by you; she has carried goods for years; she has given you many babies and then you have tried to slaughter her by aiming to eat her meat.”

“Yes, O Apostle of Allah, You have said exactly what happened.”

Thereupon, the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) bought the camel by paying a hundred silver coins and turned to the camel:

“O camel, go now. You are free for the sake of Allah and now no one can touch you.” (4)

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[1] Gerçeğe Doğru, (I), p. 10- 25.

[2] Fadl ar-Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi (l). p.47.

[3] S. Nur (l), p.312.

[4] İbrahim Refik, Güllerin Efendisi, p. 166.