WHEN our beloved Prophet was born 1,400 years ago, the Arabian peninsula was a scene of true barbarism and savagery. Complete lack of law and order, a crushing culture of constant fighting and blatant disregard for females dominated the land. However, years later, a bright civilisation was rising fast with great momentum, bringing along with it unparalleled peace, love, equality, women’s rights and order. This was all by the grace of God, and by means of His Messenger the Prophet Muhammad, the epitome of moral perfection. On this anniversary of his sacred birthday, let’s remember one more time the beauty and grace of his honourable character, and why he was and is a great example to the world.
EXCELLENCE OF CHARACTE
Having lost both his parents at a young age, our Prophet grew up to be an excellent young man, drawing particular attention to his reliability. As his reputation spread, the people of his community started to call him “Muhammad al-Amin” (the trustworthy). His perfection of character only got stronger as the years passed and in a land of practices such as burying of baby girls alive, he taught what love, compassion, forgiveness and respect really meant.
He was exceptionally brave and fearless as well, as he set out alone and challenged an entire and formidable system, whose leaders were infamous for their brutality. He invited people to God’s path with determination and in the end, God granted him astounding success, which made the Islamic civilisation rise as an unstoppable sun.
HIS COMPASSION AND LOVING NATURE WAS A MAGNETIC FORCE
When he stood up with the truths of faith in God to his people, pointing out their errors, the community around him responded with furious savagery. For around 20 years after God sent him as a prophet, he and his companions were relentlessly attacked, many of his companions — male and female — were tortured, some of them martyred.
At the same time, he had to deal with hypocrites and their sinister plots. He was always persevering with trust in God and surrendered to the perfection of the destiny. Our Prophet was exemplary in his patient, selfless, kind and generous conduct.
When he returned to Mecca — his hometown — years later as the Prophet and victorious leader of the Islamic community and army, he entered the city without a single confrontation, despite the fears in Mecca’s pagans of widespread vengeance as they once viciously attacked and martyred so many Muslims. However, Prophet Muhammad never sought revenge.
HANDSOME, DASHING AND IMMACULATELY CLEAN
Prophet Muhammad, despite the hardship of living in a desert, was at all times immaculately clean, well-groomed and handsome. He always smelled of roses, due to the rose perfume he was producing using the roses of his rose garden. He always wore the finest clothes made of highest quality material. There is no doubt that if he were alive today, he would have been the most high-class, glorious and handsome man on Earth.
WOMEN GETTING THE RESPECT THEY DESERVE
To him, women always came first and deserved utmost respect, love and regard. His appreciation and respect for them was so exceptional; whenever his daughter Fatima (sa) came, he would get up, kiss her forehead and invite her to sit next to him. He would compliment ladies who visited him, and he would sometimes take off his cloak and lay it on the floor so they could sit on it.
Once he said, pointing to the ladies and children, “God is my witness, you are the ones that I love the most”. He would always play and make jokes with a great sense of humour with his wives, like water splashing with his wife Aisha (ra), or racing. According to one companion, to help his wife Safiyya (ra) get on her camel, he made her step on his knee. He would always advise his companions to treat their wives — and all women among the believers — with kindness and respect.
BEING THE NICEST, KINDEST PERSON DESPITE ALL THE POWER AND MIGHT
Prophet Muhammad was such a kind person that he would always make sure that no one would feel even the slightest bit of discomfort around him. For instance, sometimes Muslims who visited him wouldn’t be very considerate and would be inclined to stay until late in his home after having supper. Because of his kind nature, the Prophet would be too embarrassed to say anything. Then our Lord revealed the following verse:
“You who believe! Do not go into the Prophet’s rooms except when you are invited to come and eat. Do not wait there while the food is being cooked. However, when you are called, go in, and when you have eaten, disperse, not remaining there to chat with one another. Doing that causes annoyance to the Prophet, though he is too reticent to tell you so. But God is not reticent with the truth...” (Quran 33:53)
This was the gentle and humble disposition of our beloved Prophet, which is even more valuable considering how much power God gave him.
THE PROPHET EMERGED UNSCATHED FROM AMIDST A GANG OF MURDEROUS ATTACKERS
As Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the hero of Turkish independence and the pious leader and founder of the Turkish Republic, stated, the fact that Prophet Muhammad was surrounded by enemies for 20 minutes and emerged unscathed is an amazing miracle. One has to bear in mind that all those attackers had swords, knives, arrows in their hands and none could harm him. This was surely the protection of God that shielded him and thus the bloody assaults against him were subjugated at all times.
THE PROTECTOR OF THE ‘PEOPLE OF THE BOOK’ (CHRISTIANS AND JEWS)
Prophet Muhammad, following the commandments of God, showed profound respect for the People of the Book. Today, we can see from his many letters how he set an amazing example of chivalry, friendship, respect and love.
To sum it up, Prophet Muhammad, by the grace of God, was a great personality, one of true love. He loved the entirety of God’s creation and felt deep affection for God’s manifestations. He showed to the whole world what true compassion, love, forgiveness, humility, selflessness and loyalty meant. Today, as our world greatly suffers from injustice, brutality and selfishness, there is no doubt we have lots to learn from our beloved Prophet.
Adnan Oktar's piece in New Straits Times:
http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/12/195898/embodiment-perfection
