Note: The following is a transcript of a bayaan given by one of our authors when a group of misinformed people began to draw sketches of Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam on Facebook etc.In recent times, we have seen many people attempt to ridicule Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam in many ways. The recent attempts that we have seen in relation to Facebook is only another endeavour to tarnish the blessed name of Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa salam. A name which can never be tarnished for as long as the tongues of mankind continue to sound and the pens of mankind continue to etch his praise.
The reason that these efforts have been made is due to a lack of understanding with regards to whom Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam is. This ignorance is not just prominent within the non Muslims but it has seeped its way into the Muslims today. Many of our hearts today are still asleep in relation to the conduct and character of Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam. The reason that his love has not penetrated our hearts is due to our negligence in learning about him. The more we learn about Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam, the more our hearts will be filled with admiration, awe, love and affection for him. The abuse that has been targeted to him in recent times is not something new but rather this is something old and ancient. Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam was made to suffer abuse much worse than what we see today. The people of his time would label him as being insane and this was so disliked in the eyes of Allah Ta’ala that Allah Ta’ala made radd and refuted these people and their like till the day of Qiyamah, He says in the Qur’an
نٓۚ وَٱلۡقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسۡطُرُونَ مَآ أَنتَ بِنِعۡمَةِ رَبِّكَ بِمَجۡنُونٍ۬ وَإِنَّ لَكَ لَأَجۡرًا غَيۡرَ مَمۡنُونٍ۬ وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ۬
“Nūn. By the pen and what people note down. By the favours of your Lord, You are not a mad man or insane as (people claim). Surely you will get your reward that will never cease, (your rewards is endless which has no limits). Surely, you are of sublime character.”
People will come and they have been coming from the beginning of Rasulullah’s salallahu alayhi wa salam prophethood and these people will continue to come. They will slander and speak falsely about Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam but their words will be like the ashes in the wind. When the wind blows, there words too will be blown and nobody will remember what they had to say. But the Qur’an is the Book of Allah Ta’ala and this means that it is the Word of Allah Ta’ala. And this Word will remain and continue to exist right up to the final hour and until then the statement will remain for the entirety of mankind that
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ۬
Surely, you are of sublime character.
When it came towards caring and loving those people who were around him, then no person can match Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam with regards to the care and love he showed his ashaab radiallahu anhum. He once said in a hadith,
وأنا أمنة لأصحابى
I am a source of safety for my companions.
The attention and care he would show these blessed souls was unimaginable. He would give time and love to everybody and would not make anybody feel out of place. Hazrat Amr ibn al Aas radiallahu anhu narrates,
كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلّم يُقبِلُ بوجهِهِ و حديثهِ على اشرِّ القوم
Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasalam gave attention, spoke and showed love to the worst person of a nation. So that, the person may feel he is being given special attention.
The love he would give to people in general would be unimaginable. Today, we cannot even give time to our family members or to our spouses and Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam was such a man, that whomsoever would meet him would feel accepted straight away. Today, we only like to speak to those people whom we feel are on the same wavelength as us or on the same level of piety. This is incorrect, Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam was such that in the hadith it comes,
و يجيب دعوة مملوك
“He would accept the inivitation of a slave.”
A servant or slave would have only had a few pennies and so if he invited people for food, what would he cook? But Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam would not refuse, he would go and accept the invitation of a slave aswell and like his, he would care for everyone.
When it came to bringing an aura of happiness and cheerfulness to the people. He would always be smiling and would be cheerful. Abdullah ibn Haarith says,
ما رايت احدا اكثر تبسُّماً من رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلّم
“I did not see anyone smile more than Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam.”
Hazrat Aishah radiallahu anha says,
لم يكن رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلّم فاحشا و لا متفحّشا و لا صخّابا فى الاسواق و لا يجزى بالسيئة السيّئة و لكن يعفو و يصفح ،
“Rasulullah was not foul mouthed, nor would he pretend to be foul mouthed, nor would he shout loudly in the market, nor would he repay evil with evil, however, he would pardon and overlook”
Today, we are the opposite. Our tongues have become so foul that every sentence we utter contians swear words. We use our tongues to break of relations and be so rude to people who are not deserved of it. Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam would never shout loudly in the market. In those regards, he would never shout out and cause attention to come his way unecessarily. There are some people who have loud tendencies, whenever you see them they are shouting and hollering.
He would never shout loudly, nor would he rebuke people, he would never be rude or vulgar. He would always forgive people and would always overlook their mistakes. Today we catch people on their every fault and mistake. Sometimes we hold bitter rivalries with people because of the most silliest reasons. Over secrets which have been kept and over small things.
He always showed extreme modesty, he would never stretch his legs facing someone in a gathering. When he would arrive in a gathering, he would sit wherever there was an empty space. He would not look for the best spot nor would he make someone get up from their place in order to take theirs. Today we are the opposite, whenever we come into a gathering, we want to make sure people stand up for us and that they give us their seat!
He would look down most of the time and would never stare at the skies. He was cheerful, always smiling, even though he might be hiding many agonies. The muhaditheen mention that he would be in a constant state of worry out of fear of what will happen to his ummah in the akhirah but he would always put on a smile in order to bring comfort to the people around him. Sometimes people need to be optimistic and happy in order to keep the people around them in the same manner.
He had a beautiful fragrance that would emit naturally from his body. Sayyidina Abu Ya’laa radiyallahu anhu and others relate that in whichever alley Sayyidina Rasulullah sallallahu alaihe wasallam passed, others who passed later knew immediately that Sayyidina Rasulullah sallallahu alaihe wasallam had just passed there. Once Sayyidina Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasalam blew (made damm) on his palm and wiped it over the back and stomach of Sayyidina Uqbah radiyallahu anhu. It became so fragrant, and as he had four wives, every one of them put on so much itr, to equal that fragrance, but it could not overcome the fragrance Uqbah radiyallahu anhu had.
When it came to his humility, it is recognised that there is nobody more humble than he is. When he would walk, he would swiftly walk from one place to another. The sahabah radiallahu anhum relate how they sometimes would find it difficult to keep pace with him. He would be in once place at one time and then move very quickly. And during this walk, he would always maintain humility. He would never walk in a manner which showed boasting. Allah Ta’ala says in the Qur’an,
وَلَا تَمۡشِ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ مَرَحًاۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ كُلَّ مُخۡتَالٍ۬ فَخُورٍ
Do not walk on the earth with conceit, verily Allah does not love any self conceited boaster.
His humility was such that he would not be bothered with the material wealth of the world, he would be satisfied with what he had and would not try and force the issue of wealth. From amongst his dua’s would be,
اللهم قنعني بما رزقتني
O Allah, make me content on what you have provided for me.
His behaviour was such that once, Umar radiallahu anhu entered the house of Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam. And he saw that Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam was sleeping on the floor upon a mat made out of reed. Try it out some day, you will find a mat of this nature will scar your body and cause you pain... Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam is lying on this mat... Umar radiallahu anhu sees the state of Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam and
فبكى عمر
Umar began to cry
ما يبكيك يا عمر؟
What makes you cry O Umar?
والله! ما ابكى الاّ اكون اعلم أنّك أكرم على الله من كسرى و قيصر ، و هما يعيشان في الدنيا فيما يعشان فيه ، و انت يا رسول الله فى المكان الذي أرى!
I swear by Allah! I do not cry except that because I know that you are more exalted in the sight of Allah then the emperor of Persia and the Caesar of Rome. And they are both are at ease in the world and you, O Rasulullah are in this state that I am seeing you in.
What was the response of Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam?
ما لي و للدنيا؟
What is with me and the world?...
Today we find that people are running around after this world. I am not saying abandon it, that is incorrect. Take what you need and live but it is completely absurd that a person would want to spend £600 on a pair of jeans or £500 for his police man goggles. Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam was extremely simple in the manner he lived.
When it came to his relationship with Allah Ta’ala. His fear, reliance, trust in Allah Ta’ala was unparalleled. As for his fear of Allah Ta’ala, he would say “O Allah! Make Your love the most beloved of all things to me, and make Your fear and reverence the most fearful thing in my mind.” Sometimes during his night prayers, he would weep so bitterly that his chest would sound like a boiling kettle.
Today, we cannot even cry, our hearts have become so hard that we find it hard to cry.
As for his reliance, we recall the episode of Ta’if... The situation was such that he had been calling the people of Makkah to Islam but only some would listen. When it seemed that they would not listen anymore, Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam went to Ta’if where again he called people towards Islam.
For ten days he stayed there delivering his message to several people, one after another, but all to no purpose. The people of the Taif did not like this message, the people rushed him through the alley-ways, pelted him with stones and forced him to flee from the city pursued by a relentless mob all hurting him. Blood flowed down both his legs; his slippers were stuck to his Mubarak feet...such was the pain he had to suffer. The mob did not desist until they had chased him two or three miles across the sandy plains to the foot of the surrounding hills. There, wearied and exhausted, he took refuge in one of the numerous orchards, and rested against the wall of a vineyard.
At a time when the whole world seemed to have turned against him, Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa salam. He salallahu alayhi wa salam turned to his Lord and beseeched him. He is the messenger of Allah and he would have been justified if he had asked Allah Ta’ala to destroy these people yet look at the dua’a he prays...
“O Allah! To You do I relate the weakness of my strength, and lack of my planning and my low status in the eyes of people, O the Most Merciful from amongst those who are merciful! You are the Lord of those who are weakened, You are my Lord - to whom do You hand me over? To someone distant? One who will attack me? Or to some enemy in whose hands You have put my affairs? But if Your wrath does not fall on me, there is nothing for me to worry about., however, Your ‘aafiyat (security) is more encompassing for me. I seek refuge of the nur of Thy countenance with which all darkness lightens up, and upon which depends the matters of the world and the Hereafter. May it never be that I should incur Your wrath, or that You should be wrathful to me. It is Your right that forgiveness is sought from You until You are pleased. There is neither power to turn away from evil nor any strength to do good except with Your tawfiq.”
The effect of this powerful dua’a was such that Allah Ta’ala immediately sent an angel to the mountains which surrounded Taif. The angel asked Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam for permission to crush Taif between these two mountains but even then, Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam said,
بل ارجو أن يخرجَ من اصلابهم يعبدُاللهَ وحدَه لا يُشرِكُ به شئا
“No, rather I hope that such people will come from their offspring who worship Allah and do not associate partners to him.”
It is for this reason Allah Ta’ala has said in the Qur’an
لَّقَدۡ كَانَ لَكُمۡ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسۡوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ۬ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرۡجُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلۡيَوۡمَ ٱلۡأَخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرً۬ا
“There is indeed a good model for you in the Messenger of Allah - for the one who has hope in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah profusely.”
If we were to adapt to his lifestyle, and inculcate the same qualities within us, we would also become beloved to Allah . It is important for us to hold on to the outward and inward characteristics of Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam. If we do not follow his sunnah in following him and changing our appearance to look like him, who will?
