This post is in conjunction with the ‘Introduce Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) Day’ which is a peaceful response to the ‘Draw Muhammad Day’ (20th May 2010) being advertised on Facebook since last month.
I recommend this book by Tariq Ramadan (In the Footsteps of the Prophet) to anyone wanting to read about his life and his character. It is written in simple language and quite eloquently.
Some excerpts:
Reforming Customs
A Persian neighbour once invited the Prophet, peace be upon him, to a meal. The Prophet answered: “What about her?” pointing to his wife Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her. The man replied negatively, implying that the invitation was meant for him alone. Muhammad then refused the offer. The neighbour invited him again some time later. The Prophet again asked: “What about her?” The Persian answered negatively, and Muhammad once more refused. The Persian invited him a third time, and when the Prophet asked, “What about her?” he answered in the affirmative. The Prophet accepted the invitation and went to the neighbour’s with Aishah. [Reported by Muslim]
Through steadfastly maintaining a position, the Prophet was reforming customs and practices among theArabs and Bedouins in the Peninsula without attacking their conventions. Aishah, as well as Khadijah before her, and indeed all of his wives and daughters, were present in his life, were active in public life, and never confused modesty with disappearing from the social, political, economic, or even military sphere.
Source:
“In The Footsteps of the Prophet” – Tariq Ramadan, p. 120
Revelation’s Key Message
Muhammad, peace be upon him, distinguished between situations and the people involved in them, and he showed the utmost respect toward individuals and their beliefs. For many years, a young Jew was his companion and followed him everywhere, for he loved the Prophet’s company. The Prophet never asked him to abandon his faith. Eventually the boy fell seriously ill, and on his deathbed he asked his father to allow him to embrace Islam, but during all his time by the Prophet’s side he had remained what he was and enjoyed theProphet’s love and regard.
Later on, as the Prophet was with a group of Muslims, a funeral procession passed by, and the Prophet stood up to show his respect for the deceased. Surprised, the Muslims informed him that this was a Jew’s funeral.The Prophet answered with clarity and dignity: “Was this not a human soul?” The teaching was to remain thesame in spite of difficulties, treason, and wars: no one was compelled to convert, differences were respected, and all were to be treated equally. This is Revelation’s key message and the heart of it’sProphet’s action; all the later verses of the Quran that refer to conflicts, killing, and fighting must be read inthe context of their Revelation (Muslims being in a situation of war and needing to defend themselves) and by no means alter the essential contents of the message as a whole.
Compiled From:
“In The Footsteps of The Prophet” – Tariq Ramadan, pp. 90, 91
Respecting Water
Creation is filled with signs that tell of the goodness and generosity of its Creator, and it is hence a sacred space: respecting it is akin to charity (sadaqah) or invocation. One day, as the Prophet, peace be upon him, passed Sad ibn Abi Waqqas, who was performing his ritual ablutions, the Prophet said to him: “Why such waste, O Sad?” “Is there waste even when performing ablutions?” Sad asked. And the Prophetanswered: “Yes, even when using the water of a running stream.” [Ahmad, Ibn Majah]
Water is essential element in all the teachings and ritual practices, for it represents the purification of body and heart, of physical outwardness as well as spiritual inwardness. But the Prophet taught Sad and his other Companions never to consider water, or any other element of nature, as a simple means towards their spiritual edification; on the contrary, respecting nature and using it moderately was already, in itself, a spiritual exercise and elevation, a goal in their quest for the Creator.
Compiled From:
“In The Footsteps of The Prophet” – Tariq Ramadan, p. 202
Signs of Tenderness and Mercy
During the tenth year of Hijrah, young Ibrahim, who was then about a year and a half old, fell seriously ill. Atthe very time when the religion of the One was being established all over the Peninsula, with adversity constantly diminishing and the number of conversions continuing to grow, the Prophet saw his only son about to leave life and to leave him. He visited him every day and spent hours by his side. When the child eventually breathed his last, the Prophet took him in his arms and held him against his breast, tears down his face, so deep was his sorrow. Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf, his faithful Companion, was surprised by those sobs, because he thought that the Prophet had previously forbidden such expressions of grief. At first, Muhammad could not speak; then he explained to him that he had forbidden excessive manifestations of distress, through wailing or hysterical behaviour, but not the natural expression of sorrow and suffering. Then he gave verbal expression to his grief that, in effect, became a spiritual teaching, as he declared that his tears were “signs of tenderness and mercy.” he added a comment springing from his own experience, but which was also true in every Muslim’s daily life: “He who is not merciful will not be shown mercy.“[Bukhari, Muslim]
In the difficult moments of life, kindness, clemency, mercy, and the expressions of empathy that human beings offer one another bring them closer to the One, ar-Rahman (the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful). Through them, God reaches closer to the believer’s heart, offering the believer what the believer him or herself has offered to a brother or sister in humanity.
Compiled From:
“In The Footsteps of the Prophet” – Tariq Ramadan, pp. 191, 192
