Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
The Perfect Model for Humanity
Mustafa Ahmad Al-Zarqa’
In the Name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Mercif
ul
Great and sublime achievements can he manifest in d
ifferent fields of human action, and so there are
great figures in science and philosophy, in public
service and generosity, in war, etc. But in whateve
r
field,  the  greatness  of  such  achievements  is  founde
d  upon  its  generating
raison  d’être
,  just  as  the
strength of the trunk of a tree is founded upon the
 strength of its roots. And, accordingly, the value
,
importance and enduring quality of this greatness l
ie in the potency of its grounds.
We  affirm  that  true  greatness  is  based  on  many  pill
ars  and  essentials,  of  which  the  most  important
are these four:
First, the psychological and moral qualities of the
 individual. Second, the nobility and worth of the
fundamental values initiated by the individual, and
 upon which the individual’s actions were based.
Third, the extent of the realization of these funda
mental values in actions by the individual. Fourth.
the extent of the individual’s success in forming a
 well-qualified leading generation to shoulder the
responsibility for maintaining those fundamentals a
nd continuing to put them into effect.
Certainly, greatness cannot be comprehensive nor fu
ll unless it contains all of these four elements. I
n
the  pages  that  follow,  we  shall  show  the  greatness
of  our  Prophet  Muhammad,  may  peace  and  the
blessings  of  Allah  be  upon  him,  in  the  light  of  the
se  essential  elements,  depending  for  our
demonstration on solid facts and historical evidenc
e.
The First Pillar
As  to  the  first  pillar,  psychological  and  personal
moral  qualities,  the  authentic  biographies  of  the
Prophet  teach  us  that  he  was  the  very  pattern  of  ex
cellence,  the  noblest  exemplar.  Before  he  was
called to prophethood, he was a peerless example of
 the good youth, of complete purity. The people
of  his  ow  ii  tribe  called  him  ‘the  Trustw  orthy  .  I
n  a
Jahili
  society,  he  did  not  drink  wine,  nor
worshipped idols, nor sought amusement in improper
ways, Not even those of his tribe who became
mortal  enemies  after  lie  was  called  to  prophethood.
  imputed  any  misconduct  to  him.  He  was
affectionate to the poor, tender— hearted to the we
ak, and a supporter of the oppressed. That is why
he  took  part  in  the
Fudel
  pact  in  which  some  good  people  bound  themselves  to
  help  the  weak  and
oppressed and to recover their rights against abuse
 by the tyranny of tribal chieftains.
After his prophethood, ‘A’isha, the Mother of the F
aithful, may Allah be pleased with her, described
him  in  this  way  in  a  sound
hadith:
'His  moral  was  the  Qur’an  itself’
,  meaning  that  the  moral
qualities  mentioned  in  the  Qur’in  and  the  injunctio
ns  revealed  by  divine  command,  were  all
hamionized in his person. ‘A’isha also said that
‘Allah’s Messenger, may peace and the blessings of
Allah  be  upon  him,  never  took  revenge  for  himself  u
nless  the  things  made  inviolate  by  Allah  were
violated; he then took revenge for Allah."
After the Angel Gabriel appeared to the Prophet at
the cave of Hira and he came home trembling to
tell his  wife Khadija  about what had  happened, she
said: ‘By Allah, Allah  will never disgrace  you.
You  keep  good  relations  with  your  kith  and  kin,  ser
ve  your  guests  generously  and  assist  the
deserving who have been affected by calamity.’
After  these  general  remarks  about  the  Prophet’s  per
sonal  qualities,  we  shall  now  refer  to  four
particular  virtues,  which  no  other  great  person  has
  exhibited  all  together,  especially  not  those  who
have enjoyed power.
A
-  
Our  Prophet,  may  peace  and  the  blessings  of  Alla
h  be  upon  him,  combined  in  a  single
personality  the  highest  degrees  of  spirituality  thr
ough  diligent  worship  of  Allah  with  the  highest
degree  of  industrious  struggle  and  constructive  eff
ort  for  the  service  of  mankind.  He  excelled  in
exerting himself to worship Allah and looking forwa
rd to the Day of judgement. He was sincere in
his desire and diligent to please Allah. He gave ch
arity in the cause of Allah without limit. Also he
would stand in night prayer until his feet became s
wollen, and would fast continually, spending the
nights and day s in hunger.
However,  he  dissuaded  his  Companions  from  uninterru
pted  fasting  in  this  way’,  lest  it  prove
unbearable to them; he said:
‘As for me I spend the night [in a state such] that
 my Lord feeds me and
provides  me  drink.'
  Once,  his  wife  ‘A’isha,  the  Mother  of  the  Faithful
,  may  Allah  be  pleased  with
her,  asked  him  about  his  exertion  in  worship  in  spi
te  of  the  fact  that  Allah  had  pardoned  him  for
everything he had sent ahead or left behind. He rep
lied:
"Should I not be a thankful servant"
? And in
a sound
hadith
, he says:
"If you knew what I know you would weep much and la
ugh little."
Such diligence in worship did not prevent the Proph
et, may peace and the blessings of Allah be upon
him, from initiating the right action at the proper
 moment in all manner of administrative, legislativ
e,
economic,  political  and  military  affairs.  The  Hijra
  marked  the  beginning  of  the  Islamic  era,  the
Muslims were beset with many problems, in addition
to their shortage of armed forces, as a result of
their forced migration. Nevertheless, the Prophet,
may peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him,
seized  the  opportunity  to  intercept  the  great  annua
l  trade  caravan  returning  from  Syria  under  the
leadership  of  Abu  Sufyan.  In  consequence,  the  Proph
et  entered  the  battle  of  Badr  in  which  he
humbled  the  umibelievers  of  the  Quray’sh  and  impres
sed  upon  the  enemies  of  the  Muslims  a  new
respect  and  admiration.  Later,  in  the  battle  of  Uhu
d,  victory  turned  into  defeat  when  a  group  of
archers  deserted  the  position  the  Prophet  had  assig
ned  to  them,  and  the  Muslims  had  to  return  to
Madina  greatly  weakened.  The  Prophet,  may  peace  and
  the  blessings  of  Allah  be  upon  him,
immediately prepared to enter upon a new battle, ac
companied by only those who were with him at
Uhud, to renew respect for the Muslims in the minds
 of the unbelievers. Their enemies were afraid
and marched off toward Makka. Thereupon, the Muslim
s went back, led by the Prophet, may peace
and the blessings of Allah be upon him, to Madina,
their morale which had been damaged by defeat
thus restored and having learnt an invaluable lesso
n for their future military affairs.
B
-  
Humility,  modesty  and  altruism  are  among  the  rar
est  of  personal  attributes  among  the  great
and  eminent  if  they  also  enjoy  supreme  authority.  T
he  Prophet,  despite  the  high  solemnity  of  his
state and the freely given reverence of his Compani
ons, shunned all torms of pomp and appearances
of pride such as, typically, characterize rulers, h
eads of state, and holders of high office.
The Prophet, may peace and the blessings of Allah b
e upon him, and his followers were the same in
outward  manner,  in  dress.  in  their  attitude  when  se
ated,  even  in  the  physical  work  they  undertook.
For example, in the battle of the Trench, they pers
onally took part in the digging and carrying. When
travelling, the Prophet used to gather firewood to
help his followers in preparing food, and he was so
like  any  one  of  them  that  newcomers  were  unable  to
distinguish  him  among  his  followers  in  the
mosque.  Thus,  it  was  normal  to  ask  the  question.  ‘W
hich  of  you  is  Muhammad’?’  whereupon  the
Companions would point to the Prophet.
Of  his  modesty,  a  sound
hadith
  reported  by  Abu  Sa’id  Al-Khudri,  may  Allah  be  plea
sed  with  him,
records:
"The  Messenger  of  Allah,  may  peace  and  the  blessing
s  of  Allah  be  upon  him,  was  more
modest than the virgin behind the curtain [or in th
e apartment]."
Out  of  selflessness  and  concern  for  others  the  Prop
het  spent  freely  from  his  income  from  moneys,
spoils of war, and gifts to himself, leaving litera
lly next to nothing for his family. It is recorded
that
whenever  he  was  given  a  vessel  of  milk  as  a  gift,  h
e  would  call  the  poorest  of  the  Muslims,  the
‘sitters on the bench’, to drink and he himself dra
nk the remainder after them.
It  as  related  from  ‘A’isha,  may  Allah  be  pleased  wi
th  her,  that  she  said:  "Never  did  the  family  of
Muhammad, upon him be peace, eat their full of Harl
ey-bread for three successive days.'
According  to  al-Bukhari  and  Muslim,  the  Prophet  die
d  in  such  a  condition  that  his  armour  was
pledged to a Jew.
The  moral  qualities  of  self-discipline  and  denial  f
or  others’  sake,  is  lacking  among  rulers  and
presidents who are accustomed — even in the so-call
ed democratic and socialist regimes of our age
—to  taking  exclusive  possession  of  houses  and  means
  of  transport  and  all  other  conveniences,  as
well as to piling up wealth by exploiting their pos
itions of authority.
C
-
The  Prophet’s  submission  to  right  is  the  third  of
  his  unique  traits.  Addressing  Umar  bin  al-
Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, who wanted
to deal forcefully with a Jew who had come to
the Prophet, may peace and the blessings of Allah b
e upon him, then in straitened circumstances, to
demand payment of a debt, and had done so  harshly,
the Prophet said:
'Let him be. for the creditor
has the right to speak harshly.'
The  Prophet’s  unequalled  forbearance,  a  quality  esp
ecially  rare  among  those  who  wield  power,
towards those who are uneducated and rude, is anoth
er demonstration of his submission to right. The
incident is well-known of a bedouin who came to the
 Prophet and asked him for a gift (of money),
and  pulled  at  the  Prophet’s  collar  until  it  chafed
his  neck.  The  Prophet  showed  extraordinary
forbearance in responding to the bedouin and gave h
im what he asked despite his ill-manners.
D
-  The  Prophet’s  ideal  life  was  characterized  by  ful
l  adherence  in  practice  to  the  high  moral
standards he taught. There were no gaps between his
 words and his deeds.
Thus,  he  did  not  break  an  agreement  with  any  of  his
  enemies  nor  acted  treacherously  even  if  he
feared treachery from them, nor did he engage in fa
lsehood to obtain a victory in any of his battles.
The sound hadith — ‘War is a stratagem’ does not by
 any means indicate an exception to this moral
standard  in  politics.  It  indicates  the  permission  i
n  the  actual  business  of  battle,  to  disguise  from  a
n
enemy  such  information  as  the  size  of  one's  force  o
r  their  deployment  -  for  example,  to  marshal
ranks for a battle in such a way as to show massive
 numbers or to make a din so that the enemy tears
the  imminent  arrival  of  large  reinforcements.  An  ac
tual  instance  of  this  noble  stratagem  is  how  the
Prophet,  may  peace  and  the  blessings  of  Allah  be  up
on  him,  would  lead  his  forces  in  a  direction
different from his intended destination, in order t
o conceal that information from the enemy

no  more  than  sound  practical  wisdom  and  security,  a
nd  not  a  violation  of  high  moral  standards  in
politics and tactics.
An admirable tradition narrates this incident from
the life of the Prophet. A polytheist, ‘Abdullah bi
n
Sa’d  bin  Abi  Sarh,  apostatized  after  embracing  Isla
m  and  defamed  the  Prophet,  may  peace  and  the
blessings of Allah be upon him. The Prophet ordered
 the Muslims, accordingly, after the conquest of
Makka, to execute him. But he, ‘Abdullah, took refu
ge with ‘Uthman bin ‘Affan, his foster brother,
may Allah be pleased with him, who took him to swea
r allegiance to the Prophet. The Prophet three
times  refused  this  allegiance,  but  then  accepted  it
.  After  ‘Abdullah  had  departed,  the  Prophet,  may
peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Was there not among you any man who rose to
kill him (i.e. ‘Abdullah) when I refused his allegi
ance?"
 They said: ‘Oh, Prophet of Allah! Why did
you not make a sign?’ The Prophet said:
"Prophets should not use tricks that deceive with t
he eyes."
The Second Pillar
In  connection  with  the  second  pillar,  namely,  the  n
obility  and  worth  of  the  fundamental  values
initiated  by  the  great  individual  and  upon  which  hi
s  actions  were  based,  the  achievements  of  the
Messenger  of  Allah.  may  peace  and  the  blessings  of
Allah  be  upon  him.  surpass  by  far  what  any
other  human  being  was  given  to  achieve.  He  establis
hed  enduring  values  in  personal,  social  and
political life, and founded these values in a noble
 and practicable system, which has secured success
in  all  areas  of  life  in  conformity  with  human  natur
e.  Moreover,  he  established  these  great  and
enduring reforms in a society empty of any understa
nding of the values he sought to realize, and he
succeeded against a background of fierce resistance
 and hostility.
We can express his achievement briefly by affirming
 that the Prophet, may peace and the blessings
of  Allah  be  upon  him,  introduced  a  system  that  not
only  combines  practice  with  ideals  but  also
adjusts  and  harmonizes  the  ideals  in  an  unprecedent
ed  way.  It  is  a  system  that  does  not  exclude  or
reject, but one that blends, contrasting elements o
f life. It does not reject any of the opposing side
s of
human nature because each of them is a beneficial f
orce if put in its right place.
Human  life,  especially  collective  or  social  life,  m
ade  up  of  good  and  bad,  of  well-doers  and  evil-
doers,  is  indeed  in  need  of  these  contrasting  eleme
nts.  Just  as  a  plant  needs  heat  and  cold,  dryness
and rain, so human life needs both mercy and rigour
. gentleness and hardness, letting go and holding
down,  relaxation  and  labour,  peace  and  war,  modesty
  and  pride,  giving  choice  and  imposing
constraint, soft-voiced exhortation and strong crit
icism, and so on.
True virtue — in the individual or society or in go
vernment rests on right use of all the contrasting
elements  of  human  nature  in  the  right  time  and  plac
e.  It  is  not  to  be  found  in  any  exclusive
preference  for  one  element  while  neglecting  the  oth
ers.  Indeed,  reliance  upon  any  one  of  these
contrasting  elements  leads  human  life  to  the  point
where  its  quality  begins  to  fall  off  unless  the
opposing element is also brought into use — continu
al indulgence spoils the appetite and the person,
continual  clemency  encourages  rebellion,  continuall
y  condoning  crime  urges  on  more  crime;
unlimited appeasement arouses the enemy to ever mor
e tyranny. and so on.
The Prophet, may peace and the blessings of Allah b
e upon him. was distinguished in human history
because, through his prophethood and his teaching,
expressed in the
Shari'a
, he combined the ideal
with the practical in an unprecedented way and did
so with wisdom, fitting each to the needs of life
so that moral ailment were cured and shortcomings c
orrected. We may illustrate this right harmony
and wise exploitation of the whole potential of hum
an beings through the following examples:
The  Prophet  instructed  us  to  be  merciful,  and  gener
alized  this  mercy  to  cover  also  all  sentient
creatures.  He  promised  a  great  reward  for  looking  a
fter  animals:  ‘
There  is  a  reward  for  service  to
every living animal.’
 He prohibited verbal or other abuse or tormenting
of a person under sentence of
death:  similarly,  he  prohibited  torturing  of  an  ani
mal  before  or  during  slaughter:
"if  you  execute,
execute well: and if you slaughter, slaughter well.
"
 Another
hadith
 records:
"A woman was punished
because she had kept a cat tied up until it died an
d as a punishment for this offence 1 she was throw
n  into  Hell.  She  had  not  provided  the  cat  with  food
  or  drink,  and  had  not  freed  the  cat  so  that  she
could  eat  the  insects  of  the  earth."
  The  Prophet’s  own  tenderness  and  care  is  illustrat
ed  in  the
observation that he used to incline the bowl to ena
ble the cat to drink more comfortably.
But in spite of this extreme gentleness, in the rig
ht place and  at the  right time, he stipulated sever
e
retribution for offenders and criminals.
The Prophet, may peace and the blessings of Allah b
e upon him, also prescribed peace and goodwill
between  nations  as  well  as  individuals,  encouraged
their  knowing  each  other  and  co-operating  in
noble objectives. Allah says in the Qur’an:  
‘‘O  Mankind!  We  created  you  from  a  single  [pair]  of
  a  male  and  a  female,  and  made  you  into
nations and tribes, that you may know one another.
Truly the most honoured of you in the sight of
Allah is the most righteous among you’’
 (49: 13)  
And Allah also says:  
‘‘But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou [
also] incline towards peace’’
 (8: 61)
As well as this exhortation to peacefulness, the
Shari’a
 urges  military  action against  those  who are
engaged in plots against Islam. The Qur’an orders t
he believers to spare no pains in the preparation
to resist such plotters:  
‘‘Against them make ready your strength to the utmo
st of your power. including steeds of war, to
strike terror into [the hearts of] the enemies of A
llah and your enemies’’
 (8: 60)
The Prophet,  may peace and the blessings of Allah b
e upon him, enjoined humility among Muslim
brothers,  saying:
‘‘He  who  behaves  humbly  and  modestly,  Allah  will  el
evate  him.’’
  On  the  other
hand, he practiced showing superiority before an en
emy in combat. The Qur’an confirms that:  
‘‘Soon  will  Allah  produce  a  people  whom  He  will  lov
e  as  the  will  love  Him  lowly  with  the
believers, mighty against the rejecters’’
 (5: 54)
And the Prophet, may peace and the blessings of All
ah be upon him, said:
‘He who shows servility
willingly not forced — is not of us.’
The Messenger, may peace and the blessings of Allah
 be upon him, recommended forgiving offences
related to individual, personal rights according to
 the words of the Qur’an:
‘‘But if a person forgives and makes reconciliation
, his reward is due from Allah.’’
 (42: 4

 This article describes and talks about the aspects of life of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him , and shows his great qualities and the attractive aspects of his true religion which has the right to be followed by all mankind.