Allah gifted His servant prophet and Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) with all sublime morals. In this context, Almighty Allah says: [And surely thou hast sublime morals] (Al-Qalam 68:4).
On his part, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “I was sent (by Allah) to perfect the sublime morals.”
`Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) described the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), saying, “His morals were the morals of Qur’an.”
He (peace and blessings be upon him) had the best morals among people. He used to say, “O Lord! As You have beautified my image, so beautify my morals.” Furthermore, he used to supplicate to Allah, saying, “O Lord! I seek refuge in You from miserliness, hypocrisy, and bad morals.” Almighty Allah protected him and guided him to whatever is good. Allah, Most Compassionate, says: [and (He) taught thee what thou knowest not (before) and great is the Grace of Allah unto thee] (An-Nisaa’ 4:133).
Following are some of his characteristics:
• Forbearing, forgiving, and patient
Almighty Allah guided the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to abide by these morals saying, [Hold to forgiveness; command what is right; but turn away from the ignorant] (Al-A`raf 7: 199) [And bear with patience constancy whatever betide thee; for this is firmness (of purpose) in (the conduct of) affairs] (Luqman 31:17).
Whenever he (peace and blessings be upon him) was given the opportunity to choose between two affairs, he always chose the easier as long as it was not sinful. He (peace and blessings be upon him) never avenged himself, but if Allah’s laws were violated he would retaliate. The people of Makkah tortured him but he said, “O Allah! Guide my people since they do not know!” It is well known that the more the ignorant people used to abuse the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the more the latter met their abasement with tolerance and pardon.
Once a man said to him, “Load my two she-camels with the property you have, for it is not yours nor your father’s, but it is Allah’s.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept silent, then said, “Surely, the property belongs to Allah and I am His servant.”
• Generous and liberal
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the most generous of people, particularly in Ramadan. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would never deny anything he was asked for. Furthermore, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “I do not like to possess (what equals the mount of) Uhud of gold and that three days expire while I still have (even) a dinar (without spending it in the cause of Allah) except something I save for my religion.”
• Courageous
It was related that Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with father and son) said, “I have never seen a more courageous, helpful, or generous man than the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).” Likewise, `Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “Whenever the fight grew fierce and the eyes of fighters went red, we used to resort to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for protection. He was always the closest to the enemy.”
• Modest
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was more modest than a virgin in her boudoir. When he hated a thing, it appeared on his face. He would never name a person about whom he had heard ill news and wanted to discipline. Instead, he would say, “Why did some people do such-and-such?” Almighty Allah says: [Such (behavior) annoys the Prophet: he is ashamed to dismiss you, but God is not ashamed (to tell you) the truth] (Al-Ahzab 33:53).
• Polite
He (peace and blessings be upon him) used to join his people and not cause dissension between them. He (peace and blessings be upon him) used to respect, visit, and pay attention to his Companions. He accepted any invitation and never refused presents. He used to play with his Companions’ children and nickname them. He was always the first to shake hands. He was generous to whoever came to him and he was always cheerful.
• Merciful
Allah the Almighty says: [We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures] (Al-Anbiyaa’ 21:107); [To the believers is he most kind and merciful] (At-Tawbah 9:128)
[It is part of the Mercy of God that thou dost deal gently with them; wert thou severe or harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about thee: so pass over (their faults), and ask for (God’s) forgiveness for them; and consult them in affairs (of moment)] (Aal `Imran 3:159).
It is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to admonish his Companions only from time to time so they wouldn’t get bored with his preaching. He, moreover, said, “Nobody of you should inform me anything (bad) about my Companions for I like to meet you with pure heart.” Also, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “There is reward for you in acts of compassion rendered to every creature with a throbbing heart (or liver).”
• Loyal and kind to relatives
Whenever he received a present, he used to give Khadijah’s friends some of it. He used to serve his guests himself. Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) consoled the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when Revelation came to him, saying, “By Allah, He will never disgrace you. You used to establish good and steady relationships with your relatives, give the poor, be generous with your guests, and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones.”
• Just
Some of his perfect qualities are justice, trustworthiness, and truthfulness. Before his mission, he was called “The Trustworthy.” When Usamah ibn Zayd interceded for Al-Makhzumayah in the prescribed penalty for theft, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Oh, Usamah! Do you intercede in one of Allah’s prescribed penalties? By Allah! If Fatimah bint Muhammad stole, I would cut her hand off.”
When a man said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), “Be just!” he said to him, “Woe to you! Who will be just if I am not?” About his justice between his wives, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “O Lord! This is my disposal in what I have control over, so grant me Your forgiveness in what I have no control over.”
• Humble
He commanded people not to stand up for each other as the non-Arabs used to do to glorify each other. Furthermore, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “I am a servant (of Allah); I eat as a servant eats and sit as a servant sits.” Also, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Do not excessively praise me as Christians excessively praised the son of Mary.”
Once a man entered on the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and stood in awe. Thereupon, the latter said, “Take it easy. I am not a king. I am a son of a woman from the Quraish …” He used to fodder his she-camel, serve himself, eat with his servant and with the sick, and clean his house.
• Grave
He (peace and blessings be upon him) used to keep silent most of the time and speak only when it was necessary. His laughing was like smiling. When he spoke, his addressees would listen attentively. `A’ishah said, “If a man intended to count the Prophet’s words during a speech, he could easily do so.”
• Ascetic
According to `Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) never ate his fill of bread for three consecutive days until he passed away. Rather, he (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say, “I do not long for this world, for I am living in it like a traveler who sat under the shade of a tree and then departed to complete his journey.”
• Allah-fearing
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “I ask Allah for forgiveness a hundred times a day.” Once he (peace and blessings be upon him) prolonged his period of worshiping, and `Aishah said to him, “Allah has forgiven your past and future faults.” He said, “Shouldn’t I be a grateful slave?”
By Sheikh. `Abdel Khaliq Hasan Ash-Shareef
