Allah the Almighty sent many prophets to organize people’s lives in this world and in the Hereafter. And the prophets (may peace and blessings be upon them) did everything to fulfill their mission. They faced many unbearable hardships and tortures on their way.
The last Prophet of Allah the Almighty also experienced many hardships because of his mission, but he never surrendered or tired. He conveyed the message of Allah the Almighty until the end of his life. His efforts are proverbial. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) aimed to convey his message to the whole of humanity and first began from his closest relatives. He warned his audience especially about the punishment waiting in the Hereafter and invited them to eternal salvation. Facilitating matters, not scaring his audience and breaking their hopes, teaching his message gradually, not tiring his audience, and seizing every opportunity were among the methods that he followed in fulfilling his mission.
The primary instrument of our Prophet (pbuh) in his mission was the miraculous Words of Allah i.e. The Holy Qur’an. Every prophet was sent with a miracle peculiar to himself. And the greatest miracle of our Prophet (pbuh) was the Word of Allah. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) invited people to follow the guidelines informed in this Holy Book and so save themselves from the darkness of disbelief and attain the enlightenment of faith. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) manifested some other miracles, too; however these miracles do not have the continuous characteristic of the Holy Qur’an.
Our Prophet’s letters to the neighboring countries, his Companions, and the foreign envoys are also among the instruments of his mission. Through these instruments he opened the wings of mercy and compassion to all humanity. Fighting was his last resort towards those who tried to stop him. Therefore, it is a great responsibility upon the preachers of Islam to follow these methods while conveying the message of Islam.
Islam wants to return people to their true consciousness by educating them with its principles. Human beings begin to be educated as soon as they come to this world and this process continues until the end of their lives. There is no end for spiritual improvement and ascendance. However, in order to achieve this spiritual ascendance one should keep learning and apply what he learns in his life. In fact those who raised and educated by the Prophet (pbuh) have become exemplary figures for the whole of humanity.
Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) did not arbitrarily educate the people around him but followed certain methods. For instance, he never hurt his Companions’ feelings, offended them. He always approached them with mercy and compassion and guided them to goodness. He corrected people’s mistakes by convincing them. Sometimes he forgave those who made a mistake knowingly or unintentionally. Sometimes he intervened immediately and corrected the mistake by showing alternatives. And he always prayed for the guidance of such people.
Family occupies a very significant place in human education. Most of people’s time passes within their families. Therefore, most of their behavior is manifested to their families. Because of this, actions and behavior of the elder members of a family have to be in unison with their words. This is very important for the training of the youngsters. In other words, one who tells his children to abstain from a certain evil should himself abstain from it first. Love, respect, sincerity, trust, honesty, and openness in a family form the basis of a strong education in the family. And of course, getting the most benefit from a family environment in a child’s education can be achieved by observing the Prophet’s family life. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) gave full authority to his wives, mothers of the believers, to transmit everything that they had learned in this respect.
When we examine the Prophet’s practices, we see that he loved and respected his wives very much. He also helped them in every aspect of life and he was never shy to help them. On the contrary, he considered it as an act of worship and stated that it was charity for a man to put a morsel in his wife’s mouth. Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) also showed the politeness of asking permission from his wives when he wanted to perform worship at night. As a father, he embraced his children and grandchildren with love and compassion. He gave the necessary education while entertaining them. Of course, he always did these in an effort to prepare them for the eternal life of the Hereafter.
Allah’s Apostle (pbuh) showed the best treatment towards his servants, relatives, neighbors, and guests. How nicely the following report shows this:
Ummu Salama (r. anha) told her slave Safina:
“I am emancipating you provided that you serve the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) for the rest of your life.” Then Salama gave the following meaningful answer:
“Even if you did not stipulate this condition, I would not leave the Prophet (pbuh) until the end of my life.” (Abu Dawud, Itq, 3/3932; Ibn Majah, Itq, 6; Hakim, II, 232/ 2849)
Even though the Prophet (pbuh) had many heavy responsibilities like being the head of the state and commander of the army, he never forgot the weak and unfortunate members of the society. He was always with the broken hearts and hearts filled with sorrow. He became a shelter and protector of children, the old, women, the poor, orphans, the families of the martyrs, the disabled, and even animals.
When the Holy Qur’an reminds us of goodness as a tangible behavior affecting personal and social life, it encourages us to help the weak groups in society as follows:
“It is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the Prophets; and gives his wealth, for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; and observes proper worship and pays the poor-due. And those who keep their treaty when they make one, and the patient in tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are they who are sincere. Such are the God-fearing.” (al-Baqara 2; 177)
We see the best interpretation of this verse, which summarizes principles of Islam, in the life of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). His twenty three-year-long life is the best commentary of the Qur’an. Without his example, it is impossible for us to understand the Holy Qur’an and live in accordance with the principles of Islam. This is why Allah the Almighty has presented His Friend as an Excellent Exemplar to all of humanity and considered obedience to His Messenger as obedience to Him.
O Allah! Bestow upon us the will and ability to learn about Your Messenger’s life in the best way and to take him as an example in our own lives. Bless this humble work by making it a small contribution to achieving this goal. Bless us by giving us many more opportunities to serve on the straight path of Your Messenger.
Amin!