Loyalty means to not forget the favors received and to keep responding to them with favors either equal or better than it in return. Loyalty is the source of friendship, the first destination of love, and the most important basis of trust. It is the sign of complete and perfect faith and submission to Allah. Ingratitude is the opposite of loyalty and it means to not appreciate the favors and respond it with badness.<\/p>\n
Moral qualities such as sincerity, devotion, and modesty, exist in the foundation of loyalty. Loyalty is an endless sea and a rare covenant.<\/p>\n
The greatest loyalty for a servant is to know his Creator, fulfill his responsibilities of servitude, and appreciate the blessings given by his Creator; whereas, the greatest ingratitude of a servant is to deny his Lord and to not acknowledge His Exaltedness.<\/p>\n
The peak of loyalty was manifested in the life of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). Saying that, \u201cI am the supplication of my father Abraham, good news of my brother Jesus, and dream of my mother Aminah\u201d<\/i>[1]<\/sup><\/sup><\/a> (Hakim, II, 453) Allah\u2019s Messenger remembered Abraham, Jesus (peace and blessings be upon all of them), and his mother Aminah with gratitude. He also made the reciting of Abraham\u2019s supplication a custom for his followers till the Last Day. Remembering the family of Prophet Abraham after the family of Prophet Muhammad in the supplications of \u201cSalli and Barik\u201d<\/i>, which are recited in every prayer, is the result of this elegant sense of loyalty.<\/p>\n Another incident which shows the loyalty of the Prophet as a son occurred on his way to Mecca to perform the minor pilgrimage of Hudaybiyah. They passed by Abwa on their way. Allah\u2019s Messenger visited his mother\u2019s grave with the permission from Allah the Almighty. During his visit, he straightened his mother\u2019s grave with his hands and cried from his grief. Muslims, who saw him crying, began to cry, too. Then they asked the reason for his sadness and he (pbuh) replied: \u201cI cried, because I remembered my mother\u2019s kindness and compassion.\u201d<\/i> (Ibn Sa\u2019d, I, 116-17; see also Muslim, Janaiz, 105-108)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i>After the Prophet (pbuh) had lost his caring and loving mother at a very young age, first his grandfather and then his paternal uncle took him under their protection. His uncle\u2019s wife Fatima looked after him as well. She did not discriminate him from her own children and she even held him dearer. When this lady passed away after she migrated to Medina as a Muslim, Allah\u2019s Apostle (pbuh) said that, \u201cmy mother passed away.\u201d<\/i> He shrouded her with his own shirt and then lied down for a while in her grave to let her get used to the grave. When he was told that \u201cO Messenger of Allah! It looks like you have become really sad for Fatima\u2019s death,\u201d he said:<\/p>\n \u201cShe was my mother. She would feed me while her own children were waiting hungry; she would clean me up first while her own children were waiting in dirt and dust. She was my mother.\u201d<\/i> (Ya\u2019qubi, II, 14)<\/p>\n Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) really would have liked that his Uncle Abu Talib converted to Islam. He tried to convince his uncle for conversion several times. His efforts at the time of his uncle\u2019s death bed are very famous. It was very saddening for the Prophet (pbuh) to see someone who had done so many great services for Islam not to accept Islam. When Abu Talib passed away, Ali (r.a.) came to Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) and said: \u201cyour old uncle died as an unbeliever in a state of astray.\u201d The Prophet (pbuh) became so sad from hearing this news that he began to cry. And then he said: \u201cgo, wash, and bury him.\u201d<\/i> (Nasai, Janaiz, 84; Diyarbekri, I, 301) His grief was not emerging just from his efforts to convey the message of Islam but also from his feeling of indebtedness towards his uncle.<\/p>\n Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) never forgot those who had done favors for him and he showed his loyalty and gratitude towards them for his entire life. His loyalty especially to his first wife Khadijah reached a matchless dimension. His nanny Ummu Ayman, who also breastfed him for a week, his wet-nurse Halimah, Halimah\u2019s daughter (his sister from breastfeeding) Shayma were among the lucky people who witnessed his loyalty. The Prophet (pbuh) respected them highly and did everything he could to help fulfill their needs. (Ibn Sa\u2019d, I, 113-114)<\/p>\n As soon as Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) saw his sister Shayma among the prisoners of war in the Battle of Hawazin, he recognized her. He immediately gave them valuable presents and then sent her and her relatives back to their town. Our beloved Prophet (pbuh) even thought about giving back the war booty which was taken from them just because of the four years which he had spent with his wet-nursing aunts from the tribe of Hawazin. However, people from Hawazin were late to make their requests and because of the insistence of the bedouins in the Muslim army Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) had to distribute the war booty gathered in Jiranah. Later, upon the request from the tribe of Hawazin the Prophet (pbuh) freed the captives who fell into his and his family\u2019s share and companions did the same and they also did not request ransom money. (Ibn Hisham, IV, 135) Because of the Prophet\u2019s loyalty to his relatives, thousands of people attained their freedom and opened their hearts to the truth.<\/p>\n After the prophetic mission given to Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh), he endured all kinds of pain and affliction but continued to convey the message of Islam. On his way back from Taif his enemies wanted to prevent his entrance to Mecca. Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) asked for protection from many notables of Mecca, but every one of them refused. Only Mut\u2019im b. Adiyy accepted and helped Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) enter the city under the protection of his fully armed sons. Years passed after this incident. Mut\u2019im fought against Muslims in the Battle of Badr and got killed. Hasan b. Thabit, one of the poets of the Prophet, wrote an elegy for him which stated his protection of the Messenger of Allah, and kindly remembered him. Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) became very happy for the loyalty shown on his behalf. Then the Prophet (pbuh) talked about the war prisoners of Badr saying: \u201cHad Al-Mutim bin Adi been alive and interceded with me for these captives, I would have freed them for his sake without even asking ransom from them.\u201d <\/i>(Bukhari, Humus, 16; Ibn Hisham, I, 404-406)<\/p>\n During the season of pilgrimage Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) used to try to convey the message of Islam in fairs and face all kinds of difficulties, hardships, and tortures. Just like many other tribes he invited the tribe of the sons of Amir b. Sa\u2019saa to accept Islam. When he mounted on his camel, one of them named Bayharah poked a stick at the Prophet\u2019s camel. The animal jumped with pain and the Prophet (pbuh) fell down. Seeing the insult done to the Messenger of Allah a Muslim lady named Dubaa bint Amir said that: \u201cO Amir family! Isn\u2019t there anybody amongst you, who can help the Messenger of Allah for my sake after seeing what happened to him?\u201d Three of her uncle\u2019s sons immediately stood up and walked towards Bayhara. From then on Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) prayed for those people saying:<\/p>\n \u201cO Allah! Please bestow your blessings upon them.\u201d<\/i> As a result of these prayers Allah the Almighty honored them with faith and then with the rank of martyrdom. (Ibn hajar, al-Isabah<\/i>, IV, 353)<\/p>\n The Prophet\u2019s devotion and loyalty comprised everybody. However, he would show special countenance and love to those who were serving the mission of Islam. A black person who used to clean the Mosque had died. The Prophet (pbuh) did not know about it. One day the Prophet remembered him and said, \u201cWhat happened to that person?\u201d The people replied, \u201cO Allah’s Apostle! He died.\u201d He said, \u201cWhy did you not inform me?\u201d They said, \u201cHis story was so and so (i.e. regarded him as insignificant).\u201d He said, \u201cShow me his grave.\u201d He then went to his grave and offered the funeral prayer. (Bukhari, Janaiz, 67)<\/p>\n Similarly, Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) would never forget those who died as martyrs on the path of Allah. He would personally pay special attention to education and bringing up their children and do everything he could to help their wives. He would encourage his companions to do the same. Two of the countless examples in this regard are as follows:<\/p>\n When the Prophet (pbuh) was turning back from the minor pilgrimage of Hudaybiyah, Umamah, Hamza\u2019s (r.a.) little daughter, who was among the martyrs of Uhud, told him: \u201cO Uncle! Where are you going and leaving me here?\u201d Upon this the Prophet (pbuh) took her with him to Medina. When he asked his companions who would foster her, three of them volunteered. The first one was Zayd b. Haritha (r.a.), whom the Prophet (pbuh) declared to be the brother of Hamzah (r.a.) after migrating to Medina. The second one was Ali (r.a.) who could be considered as Umamah\u2019s uncle. And the third one was Ja\u2019far b. Abu Talib (r.a.) who was a close relative of Umamah just like Ali (r.a.). The only difference was that his wife was Umamah\u2019s aunt. Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) was deeply moved by this close attention to the daughter of a martyr. He complimented all three of them:<\/p>\n \u201cO Zayd! You are a friend of Allah and His Messenger. O Ali! You are my brother and friend. O Ja\u2019far! You are the closest one to me in character and morality.\u201d<\/i> Then he entrusted Umamah to Ja\u2019far because of his marriage with Umamah\u2019s aunt. Later, Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) cared for Umamah in every stage of her life and married her with Ummu Salamah\u2019s son Salah at its appropriate time. (Bukhari, Maghazi, 43; Ibn Sa\u2019d, VIII, 159)<\/p>\n In the Battle of Mu\u2019tah three commanders, Zayd b. Haritha, Ja\u2019far b. Abu Talib, and Abdullah b. Rawaha, died consecutively as martyrs. After the war when the Muslim army came back to Medina, Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) and Medinans cried after their martyrs. Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) prohibited believers from lamenting excessively and bawling. He ordered instead to take food to the martyrs\u2019 houses. He especially enjoined their orphans to be taken care of. In this matter, he manifested the best examples to his followers. He went to Ja\u2019far\u2019s family to express his condolences and sent food to their house for three days. He also took their children under his protection from that day on. (Ibn Hisham, III, 436)<\/p>\n Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) was appreciative not only to those who had done a favor for him but also to those who one way or another assisted Islam or his companions. He showed his gratefulness towards such people as occasion served.<\/p>\n Years had passed after the migration to Abyssinia. Delegates of the ruler of Abyssinia came to the Prophet (pbuh). Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) paid close attention to them; he even served them personally. When companions told him that they could do the service, he gave them the following meaningful answer: \u201cThese are the ones who gave my companions who migrated to Abyssinia a place to stay and offered them food and drink. Now in return I would like to serve them.\u201d <\/i>(Bayhaki, Shuab al-Iman<\/i>, VI, 518; VII, 436)<\/p>\n The Prophet\u2019s gratitude towards Abyssinia continued later in his life. Even though there was a sea between the two countries and travel by land took several days, Allah\u2019s Messenger informed his companions about the Abyssinian ruler Najashi\u2019s death on the same day and said:<\/p>\n \u201cPerform the funeral prayer of your brother who passed away in a faraway land<\/i>. When the companions asked: \u201cO Messenger of Allah! Who is that man?\u201d He replied:<\/p>\n \u201cHe is Najashi Ashama! There died today the pious servant of Allah, Ashama. Ask forgiveness from Allah for your brother.\u201d<\/i> Then he stood up and led us in (funeral prayer) for him. (Muslim, Janaiz, 62-68; Ibn Hanbal, IV, 7)<\/p>\n When his sickness got worse and he was on his deathbed, Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) came to the mosque to see his companions. The mosque was swarming with believers. Allah\u2019s beloved Messenger (pbuh) had done his mission and showed many of them the right path. Seeing such a big crowd in the mosque, which was the result of his efforts, made him really happy. He could leave this world satisfied with the results of his work; however, there were those companions who had become martyrs on the path of conveying the message of Islam who had not been able to join the crowd. Allah\u2019s Apostle (pbuh) never forgot them. From time to time he would go to the cemeteries and pray for them. He did the same in his final speech. The companion narrating this incident stated that:<\/p>\n \u201cAfter the Prophet (pbuh) pronounced the declaration of faith (kalima al-shahadah<\/i>), he said:<\/p>\n \u201cO people! For His blessings, I thank Allah that there is no god but Him.\u201d <\/i>And then he asked forgiveness for the martyrs of Uhud as he always did. (Ibn Sa\u2019d, II, 228, 251)<\/p>\n Allah\u2019s Messenger (pbuh) then said showing his loyalty to the Medinan Muslims (Ansar<\/i>):<\/p>\n \u201cO people! The people will go on increasing, but the Ansar will go on decreasing till they become just like salt in a meal. So whoever amongst you will be the ruler and have the power to harm or benefit others, should accept the good of the good-doers amongst them and excuse the wrong-doers amongst them.\u201d<\/i> (Bukhari, Manqib al-Ansar, 11)<\/p>\n \u201cI request you to take care of the Ansar as they are my near companions to whom I confided my private secrets. They have fulfilled their obligations and rights which were enjoined on them but there remains what is for them. So, accept the good of the good-doers amongst them and excuse the wrongdoers amongst them.\u201d<\/i> (Bukhari, Manaqib al-Ansar, 10)<\/p>\n After this speech, the Prophet (pbuh) did not go up the pulpit again. He left this world with his mind at ease for fulfilling his job and entrusting his friends from Ansar to his ummah.<\/p>\n Examples showing the Prophet\u2019s loyalty towards those heroic people are countless. When Mecca was conquered, the Ansar became very sad because they thought that the Prophet (pbuh) might leave them and stay in Mecca; but Allah\u2019s Messenger chose them and came back to Medina.<\/p>\n Our Prophet (pbuh) did not forget the sacrifices of the Meccan believers (Muhajirs<\/i>), either. Especially, Abu Bakr (r.a.) who had a special place for him.<\/p>\n Abu Bakr announced, \u201cWhoever was promised by the Prophet should come to us.\u201d (Ibn Sa\u2019d, II, 318; Bukhari, Kafala, 3)<\/p>\n Allah the Almighty places tranquility into the hearts of loyal servants and purifies their essence. He renews His Blessings to such servants whenever His blessings are exhausted. Rumi (q.s.) says in this respect:<\/p>\n \u201cThe people who have been loyal to others are given superiority over all (other) sorts (of men). Seas and mountains are made subject to them; the four elements[2]<\/sup><\/b><\/sup><\/a> also are the slaves of that class.\u201d<\/i> (Mathnawi<\/i>, V, verses: 1192-1193)<\/p>\n
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