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The Prophet’s humbleness

(Islamweb)

Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa

sallam, was a perfect model of modesty
and humbleness. He, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam, never spoke loudly or in an
unseemly manner. In the market, he
always passed by the people quietly with a
smile. Whenever he heard anything
undesirable in an assembly, he did not say
anything out of respect for the people, but
the color of his face showed his feelings
and the Companions became cautious.
`Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
said that she never saw Allah's Messenger, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, laughing so
that she could see his molar teeth, for he only used to smile.

`Abdullaah Ibn Maslamah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported Allah's
"Modesty is a part of the
Messenger, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, as saying:
teachings of the previous Prophets and anyone who lacks it is most likely
to do whatever he likes." Zayd, may Allah be pleased with him, reported Allah's
Messenger sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, as saying: "Every religion has a
character and the character of Islam is modesty."
The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, lived a simple and modest life,
both in Makkah as a trader before his Prophethood, and in Al-Madeenah as the Head
of the State after being commissioned as Allah’s Messenger. The change in his social
status from that of a trader in Makkah to the Head of the State in Al-Madeenah did
not bring any change in his modest living. `Umar, may Allah be pleased with him,
" Do not extol me as
reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said:
did the Christians extol ‘Eesa (Jesus), the son of Mary; I am only a slave, so
say ‘the Slave of Allah and His Messenger’.”
The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, did not behave towards others as if he was
better than they were, nor did he spurn manual work. `Abdullaah bin Abi `Awfa, may
Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam, never refrained from going with a slave or a widow to accomplish his or her
tasks. Others reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, used to tidy up
his house, tie the camels, feed the animals, take food with his servants, and help
them in kneading dough and bringing provisions from the market. Anas, may Allah be
pleased with him, reported that the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam,
used to visit the sick, attend funerals, ride a donkey and accept a slave's invitation for
a meal. Jaabir, may Allah be pleased with him, stated that the Prophet, sallallaahu
'alayhi wa sallam, used to slow down his pace for the sake of the weak and also
prayed for them.

When `Adiyy ibn Haatim, may Allah be pleased with him, came to see the Prophet,
sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, he called him inside his house. A maidservant brought a
cushion to rest on, but the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, placed it between
him and `Adiyy, may Allah be pleased with him, and sat down on the floor. `Adiyy
later said that he had then immediately realized that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi
wa sallam, was not a king. A similar incident was reported by `Abdullaah ibn `Amr
ibn Al-`Aas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: “Once when the Messenger of
Allah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, came to my house, I gave him a cushion filled
with bark, but he sat down on the floor placing the cushion between me and him.”

Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, was humble in all matters. Anas,
may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam,
would accept an invitation even if he was presented barley bread and soup whose
taste had changed. He also reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam,
said:"I am Allah's servant, I eat like a servant and sit like a servant.''
On one of his journeys, the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, asked his
companions to roast a goat. One said that he would slaughter the animal; another
said that he would skin it, while a third said that he would cook it. The Prophet,
sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, then said that he would collect wood for fuel. Their
response was: “O Messenger of Allah! We will do everything.” The Prophet,
“I have no doubt that you will. But I do
sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, then said:
not like distinctions to be made, nor does Allah like any one of His servants
to assert his superiority over his companions.”
His self-deprecation was such that he, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, once said: “By
Allah, I do not know, even although I am Allah’s messenger, what my fate
in the next world will be, nor do I know what yours will be.”
Abu Tharr Al-Ghifaari, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that one day he was
sitting with another companion of black complexion whom he addressed as: “O black
man.” When the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, heard of this, he was greatly
displeased and cautioned Abu Tharr never to make scornful remarks to anyone,
whoever he might be, and to accord equal treatment to all, adding: “No white man
has any superiority over a black man.”
The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, once saw a wealthy Muslim gathering up
his loose garments so that a certain distance would be kept between himself and a
poor Muslim sitting close by. He, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, remarked: “Do you
fear that his poverty will cling to you?”
The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, lived like any ordinary person, and did not
assume any superior rights. He once had to borrow some money from a Jew called
Zayd ibn Sana’a. The Jew came to demand the immediate return of the loan a few
days before the expiry of the stipulated period. Tugging at the mantle around the
Prophet’s shoulders, he jibed that the progeny of ‘Abd Al-Muttalib were always
defaulters.

`Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, not being able to tolerate this misbehavior on
the part of the Jew, started berating him, and was on the point of beating him when
“There are still
the Prophet , sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said to the Jew, smiling:
three days to go before the promise has to be fulfilled.” To ‘Umar, may
Allah be pleased with him, he, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said: “We
might have had better treatment from you. You could have advised me to
be more careful about the return of loans and you could have advised the
Jew to be more courteous in demanding repayment.” He, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam, then requested ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, to get some dates so
that the loan could be repaid, and to give the Jew an extra forty kilograms for the
rebuke he had been given.

We can say that humbleness is seen in every sphere of the Prophet’s life. His way of
talking, walking, sitting, eating and every aspect of his life reflected humbleness.

2016-09-11
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