Hassan Basarally

1120020

SER202

Final Assignment Course Name: Seerah 2 Course Code: SER 202 Instructor: Shaykh Hacene Chebbani Student Details Name: Hassan Basarally Student ID: 1120020 Batch: 3 Semester: 4-Spring 2013 Assignment Question Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) said "And We haven't sent you , [O Muhammad} except as a Mercy to the Worlds" Based on your study of the biography of Allah's Messenger (salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam), summarize the different aspects of Mercy in his life in an essay of 1200 words. Please follow the rules of proper citation and referencing.

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Allah, , has described the Messenger, , as a mercy to the worlds in the verse:

And We have sent you not but as a mercy for the `Alamin. (Anbiya 21: 107) Mercy is gentleness, forgiveness and seeking goodness for others. It is directed to all, both to loved ones and the adversaries and it stems from a position of strength or authority. The Messenger, , is a mercy to all creatures. However to prove someone is truly merciful, it must be demonstrated in all aspects of life. By discussing the manner of the Prophet, , with his family, companions, the vulnerable and strangers and his enemies, it is clear that the description of the verse is befitting. The Messenger acted in the best manner with his wives, servants and children. He, , was the head of the household, leader of people and a Prophet of Allah, yet the duties as a husband and father were fulfilled. He, , always spent time with his children, assisted in the housework, educated the family despite the heavy burden of Prophethood. Many times He, , faced severe economic hardship and this did not result in the duties towards the family being neglected. In fact, Islam brought an emphasis on showing love towards children that was not present before, as seen in the Hadeeth:

. " "

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Narrated `Aisha: A Bedouin came to the Prophet ( )and said, "You (people) kiss the boys! We don't kiss them." The Prophet said, "I cannot put mercy in your heart after Allah has taken it away from it."1 An example of how concerned the Messenger, , was for the welfare of his wives is demonstrated in the incident of the slander against Aisha. In this incident, the reputation of the Prophet, , as a man, as a husband, as a leader and as a Prophet was under attack. Today, when such things happen, proven or not it results in argument, separation, divorce and even violence between spouses. This was not the response of the Messenger, , He allowed his wife to go to her family, waited patiently for the accusations to the proved or disproved and he did not abuse his wife in any way. This is seen in the following Hadeeth:

." . .
Narrated Aisha: Allah's Messenger ( )addressed the people, and after praising and glorifying Allah, he said, "What do you suggest me regarding those people who are abusing my wife? I have never known anything bad about her." The sub-narrator, `Urwa, said: When `Aisha was told of the slander, she said, "O Allah's Apostle! Will you allow me to go to my parents' home?" He
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Saheeh Bukharee, Vol. 8, Book 73, Hadith 27

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allowed her and sent a slave along with her. An Ansari man said, "Subhanaka! It is not right for us to speak about this. Subhanaka! This is a great lie!"2 Regarding his servant, the Messenger, , was kind, never abusive and treated him as a member of the family.

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Narrated Anas: I served the Prophet ( )for ten years, and he never said to me, "Uf" (a minor harsh word denoting impatience) and never blamed me by saying, "Why did you do so or why didn't you do so?"3 The Messenger of Allah, , trained his companions to assume leadership after he died. This was done by always consulting with them. Consultation was done is all affairs that affected the Muslim community. For example in the Hadeeth previously mentioned on the slander of Aisha, it is seen that the Messenger, , consulted with the Companions on how to deal with it. He, , was always willing to take advice from them, he did not simply give orders as a Prophet. This is seen when the heeded Salman al Farsis advice to dig a trench in Madinah at the Battle of Ahzab. The Messenger, , was also the first to take part in any difficult task that needed to be done and encouraged them in the task at hand. This is seen in the following Hadeeth:

2 3

Saheeh Bukharee, Vol. 9, Book 92, Hadith 463 Saheeh Bukharee, Vol. 8, Book 73, Hadith 64

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Narrated Al-Bara: When it was the day of Al-Ahzab (i.e. the clans) and Allah's Messenger ( )dug the trench, I saw him carrying earth out of the trench till dust made the skin of his `Abdomen out of my sight and he was a hairy man. I heard him reciting the poetic verses composed by Ibn Rawaha while he was carrying the earth, "O Allah! Without You we would not have been guided, nor would we have given in charity, nor would we have prayed. So, (O Allah), please send Sakina (i.e. calmness) upon us and make our feet firm if we meet the enemy, as they have rebelled against us. And if they intend affliction (i.e. want to frighten us, and fight against us) then we would not (flee but withstand them)." The Prophet ( )would then prolong his voice at the last words.4 In addition, the Prophet, , comforted the Companions in their time of need. These were people who suffered torture, exile, attack, death for Islam, the Messenger, ,was there for them at a personal level. For example when the leader

Saheeh Bukharee, Vol. 5, Book 59, Hadith 432

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of the hypocrites Ubay Ibn Salool died his son asked the Messenger, , for a shirt to shroud him and was given it. This brought comfort to the son who was mourning the loss of a father, he was not rebuked and the father was not vilified publicly. The Companions were the Prophet, , comrades in struggle; they shared mounts on journeys and battles, food, wealth and the hardships faced in establishing Islam. Allahs Messenger, , took great care in preserving the rights and treating fairly the vulnerable and weak in society. When the Muslim state was established in Madinah the Muslims came into contact with a minority Jewish population. The Messenger, , made treaties with them, allowing them to continue to live and prosper in peace. There was no institutionalised discrimination as is seen today with minorities in society. The Jews were treated fairly and their religious and commercial activities were unhindered. In addition there were some Companions who were not Arab, they were embraced as Muslims, the concept of tribe and nationality were replaced with an Islamic identity. He ensured that slaves, the lowest level of society, there were not treated as property but as individuals that had recourse in the Islamic state. He ensured their just treatment as well, as seen in the Hadeeth:

Narrated Abu Dharr: The Prophet ( )said: Feed those of your slaves who please you from what you eat and clothe them with what you clothe yourselves, but sell those who do not please

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you and do not punish Allah's creatures.5 Even people who were strangers were guaranteed protection from any disadvantage of being in a new society s seen in the Hadeeth:

. " . " . "

Jabir b. Abdullah reported that two young men, one from the Muhajirin (emigrants) and the other one from the Angr (helpers) fell into dispute and the Muhajir called his fellow Muhajirin, and the Ansari (the helper) called the Ansar (for help). In the meanwhile, Allah's Messenger ( )came there and said: What is this, the proclamation of the days of jahiliya (ignorance)? They said: Allah's Messenger, there is nothing serious. The two young men fell into dispute and the one struck at the back of the other. Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: Well, a person should help his brother whether he is an oppressor or an oppressed. If he is the oppressor he should prevent him from doing it, for that is his help; and if he is the oppressed he should be helped (against

Sunan Abi Dawud, Book 42, Hadith 5142

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oppression).6 From this we see that an individual is to be protected from any harm regardless of background and that tribal affiliations are no excuse to allow injustice to occur. Despite how much the enemies of Islam plotted and harmed the Muslims the Prophet, , was never willing to condemn them all. He always had hope that Allah would turn their hearts to Islam. The greatest example of this is seen in His behaviour towards the people of Taif where despite their attacks and rejection of Islam, he does not want them destroyed.

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6

Saheeh Muslim, Book 32, Hadith 6254

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Narrated `Aisha: That she asked the Prophet ( ), 'Have you encountered a day harder than the day of the battle) of Uhud?" The Prophet ( )replied, "Your tribes have troubled me a lot, and the worse trouble was the trouble on the day of 'Aqaba when I presented myself to Ibn `AbdYalail bin `Abd-Kulal and he did not respond to my demand. So I departed, overwhelmed with excessive sorrow, and proceeded on, and could not relax till I found myself at Qarnath-Tha-alib where I lifted my head towards the sky to see a cloud shading me unexpectedly. I looked up and saw Gabriel in it. He called me saying, 'Allah has heard your people's saying to you, and what they have replied back to you, Allah has sent the Angel of the Mountains to you so that you may order him to do whatever you wish to these people.' The Angel of the Mountains called and greeted me, and then said, "O Muhammad! Order what you wish. If you like, I will let Al-AkhShabain (i.e. two mountains) fall on them." The Prophet ( )said, "No but I hope that Allah will let them beget children who will worship Allah Alone, and will worship None besides Him."7 In addition to this, mercy is shown is dealing with those who fought against Islam. There was no mutilation of bodies, no summary executions, no torture or prisoners of war, no wholesale destruction of homes, crops, trees and livelihoods, and no concentration camps. These are the hallmarks of the modern Western civilisation. Instead the Prophet, , freed prisoners who taught Muslims to read after the Battle of Badr and allowed Jews to cultivate their fields in Madinah after defeating them.
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Saheeh Bukharee, Vol. 4, Book 54, Hadith 454

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By looking at the biography of Prophet Muhammad, , one can see that mercy was put into practice in every aspect of his life. He never neglected the emotional and physical need of his household, he always consulted his Companions and shared in their struggles. The Messenger, , ensured that everyone in society, regardless of status were treated with fairness. And those who fought against him were given a chance to reconcile on their own accord. This shows that the Messenger, , demonstrated mercy to all he came into contact, providing an example for the Muslims to follow, one of practice not just theory.

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