7 REASONS WHY ANYONE SHOULD LEARN ABOUT THE LIFE OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH) — Islam On Life % %

1. To witness and benefit from the most miraculous life journey; from a shepherd to a prophet:

How come a person who spends his entire life in a desert, earning his living by being a shepherd, became the most effective person of the history of humankind? How come a person who cannot read nor write transformed a barbaric nation into the most strong and intellectual civilization of the entire world for more than a millennium? And, how come this person, after almost 1500 years later, can still affect billions of people to follow his faith to such a point, Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world today?

These are some big questions, and the pursuit of their answers is the reason why I came up with this blog. I will try to enlighten our minds about this charismatic person by giving examples from his life and on how we can implement them as guidelines to make our lives better. In order to understand the success of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), we have to dive into his character and get to know him for the person who influenced and still influences the masses.

2. To take lessons from his perfect manners and characteristics, so that we can implement them in our lives:

So, who was Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)? The best way to answer this question would be to hear from the very people he spent his entire life with; his companions…

When we take a look into the narrations from his companions, we can see he was a brave, generous, just, gentle, insightful, humorous, and a dynamic leader. For us to understand better, let us dive into some examples from his life:

On bravery: Anas Ibn Malik said, once while they were in Medina, they heard a strange voice out in the dark, and they came out to see what it was. Once they were out, they noticed the Prophet (PBUH) had already gone out to the direction of the sound by himself to check it out, and he was on his way back as he realized they were out to check the noise. He told the people; he examined the area and they have nothing fear.

On generosity: Once, the Prophet (PBUH) was wearing a garment that had holes in it. Because his companions saw it was not befitting for a prophet to wear such stuff, one of them gifted him with a very beautiful garment. He went back to his home, wore his new clothing, and came back. Then, one of the companions said, “O Messenger of Allah! Will you give this garment as a gift to me?” He said, “Yes,” and he went back home, wore the same old cloth he just took off a few minutes ago, and gave the new one to the companion who asked for it.

After witnessing this event, the other companions got angry with the very companion who asked for the garment and asked him; “You knew he would never turn down such a request, how could you have asked this of him?” His response was, “I know, but I didn’t ask it to use it a garment to wear outside. I asked it because I want to use it as a burial robe so that I’ll benefit the blessings of it when I die.”

On sense humor: Once an old lady asked the Prophet (PBUH) to pray for her so that she shall enter paradise. The Prophet (PBUH) replied, “Oh my aunt! Don’t you know old ladies cannot enter paradise?” Hearing this, she started wailing. Shortly after, the Prophet spoke again, “Oh auntie! Do not wail. Old ladies shall not enter paradise, for Allah will recreate them in the paradise as young fair maidens.”

On insight: Once a companion asked the Prophet (PBUH), “When shall the Day of Judgment be upon us?” Since this is a knowledge kept hidden from all humanity and of the Prophet himself as well, he insightfully diverted his question to a more vital fact, “What have you prepared for that day when it comes?”

3. To be able to answer the most profound philosophical question any human bears in mind: Why are we here?

That is the very question journeys back to the existence of humankind. Many smart people tried to answer it countless times during the ages. By studying the life of the Prophet (PBUH), one wonders: why would a shepherd who spent his life in the desert, who cannot write nor read, after becoming one of the strongest men of his era, won’t even care for a regular bed to sleep in at night?

What did motive him to pursue success in any area of his life and claim it, yet don’t really expect anything in return? The answer to all lies within his life journey. By comprehending it as a whole, one will find guidance, methodology, and motivation to pursue the right goals.

4. To fix the lost connection with the spirituality, and see beyond materialism:

Materialism is the plague of the 21st century. People praised by their appearance, wealth, and intelligence, of which none of them are gained as a product of endeavor by the very people who possess these blessings.

They were given to them free of charge, yet people praise those people who have them as if it was their success to have them in the first place! Alas, spirituality left aside! Even the argument if people bear a soul is not a concern for young minds anymore. Because they are “educated” by the system, which designed to make them operational enough to carry on the required services, yet, they lack the sense of questioning.

No one cares about what happens when we die. The whole capitalist and idealist system is designed to keep people away from asking such questions. What was the Prophet’s (PBUH) response to materialism?

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had a small room in his masjid for him to rest from time to time. Even though his living quarters were just by the masjid, he tried to spend as much time as he can for being an example for the other Muslims. For answering their questions, solving their problems, and of course, for praying.

So, in this room of his, he only had a bed and a jag of water. His bed was made out of the leaves of the date palms. To be more precise, it was made from the benches of the date palms, some kind of fiber. Even though at that time and place, usually people used to put a mattress over their bed, he didn’t even bother to put any type of bedding as well.

When his famous companion Umar came to visit him and realized the date palms made some kind of a trace on his back, he was so affected, he started crying. Please bear in mind; this event was not taking place at the beginning of the prophethood when the Muslims were poor. Instead, it took place in the 7th year of the migration; at a time when the Prophet (PBUH) was the undisputed leader, and at a time when Muslims were almost in control of the whole Arabian Peninsula. So, wealth was not an issue.

From where we left off, Umar started to cry and compared the Prophet (PBUH) with the kings and rulers of other lands who sat on thrones and slept in fancy silk beds. And finally, he asked his permission to at least prepare a bed in which he could sleep in a relaxed state.

The Prophet’s (PBUH) response was challenging: “Are you not happy we have the afterlife, and they have this world?” This example is a true indication of a commitment to a cause. This example is a substantial manifestation of the destruction of materialism. This example is, without a doubt, a clear proof of choosing spirituality over physical materiality.

Don’t get me wrong. Islam is not in favor of communism; the Prophet (PBUH )was not a communist. There were times when he had fancy stuff. For example, when he was migrating from Mecca to Medina, he had one of the best breeds of camels of his time. The Prophet’s (PBUH) difference was, he never placed the material into his heart. The moment he saw someone in need, he gave whatever under his possession.

5. To understand how to address people’s hearts:

The Prophet (PBUH) had a servant called Anas Ibn Malik, whom he was placed in the service of the Prophet (PBUH) by Anas’s mother. This very Anas said, “I served and lived with him for ten years. Not once, he rebuked me or said something bad to me. And he never said to me why or why not you did or didn’t do this or that.”

Once when he was a young boy, the Prophet (PBUH) sent him to do a chore, while on his way, he saw other kids and he forgot about the errand and started to play with the kids. Later, when the Prophet (PBUH) run into him out in the street, he didn’t even pull a face to him, but he made a joke by grabbing him.

I ask you, dear internet friends; have ever heard any kind of behavior? How come a person stops himself or herself from even questioning a servant?

6. To learn about leadership down to its core: what makes a leader successful?

During the Battle of Badr, the Muslim army was approximately 315–320 people, and they had roughly 75 camels. So, it was one camel for three people. The Prophet (PBUH) assigned who will ride with whom. He appointed Ali and Abu Lubaba to accompany him.

Of course, Ali and Abu Lubaba didn’t want to take their turns and leave the Prophet (PBUH) in a walking state. In order not to make him walk, they made up an excuse; they said they are younger than the Prophet (PBUH), so they don’t need to ride the camel.

Yet, the Prophet (PBUH) with all of his genteelness, without offending them, said they need to take their turns and rest. Pause here for a moment and think; have you ever heard any type of leader sharing his ride with people in his army while going for a battle? You cannot see this scene even in movies!

7. To understand what Islam is about:

This is a concept I come across frequently. Without a doubt, my first advice to people who wonder is, just start reading the Quran. Read it from cover to cover. This is the best of miracles and you will have a good grasp of what Islam is about.

So, what this has to do with anything with regards to the life of the Prophet (PBUH). Well, even though you will get a good grasp of what Islam is about, you will also find the Quran to be a profound book. Some verses will sound complex, some of them you won’t even be able to make a connection, some of them will make you think there is a contraction, some will sound too simple.

Because the Quran is a book that has to be understood and studied as a whole, just reading it one time will raise some questions. Well, most of the time, you will find the answers within the implementations and commentaries of the Prophet (PBUH). And finally, when you combine the Quran with the life of the Prophet (PBUH), you will have very good, very solid of understanding what Islam is about.

Originally published at https://islamonlife.com on July 16, 2019.