Before his mission as
a prophet, Muhammad
had no financial worries. As a successful and
reputed merchant, Muhammad
drew a satisfactory and comfortable income. After
his mission as a prophet and because of it, he
became worse off materially. To clarify this more,
let us browse the following sayings on his life:
n
Aa%u2019isha, Muhammad%u2019s
wife, said, %u201CO my nephew, we would sight three
new moons in two months without lighting a fire (to
cook a meal) in the Prophet%u2019s
houses.%u201D Her nephew asked, %u201CO Aunt, what
sustained you?%u201D She said, %u201CThe two black
things, dates and water, but the Prophet
had some Ansar neighbors who had milk-giving
she-camels and they used to send the Prophet
some of its milk.%u201D1
n
Sahl Ibn Sa%u2019ad, one of Muhammad%u2019s
companions, said, %u201CThe Prophet of God
did not see bread made from fine flour from the time
God sent him (as a prophet) until he died.%u201D2
n
Aa%u2019isha, Muhammad%u2019s
wife, said, %u201CThe mattress of the Prophet
,
on which he slept, was made of leather stuffed with
the fiber of the date-palm tree.%u201D3
n
Amr Ibn Al-Hareth, one of Muhammad%u2019s
companions, said that when the Prophet
died, he left neither money nor anything else except
his white riding mule, his arms, and a piece of land
which he left to charity.4
Muhammad
lived this hard life till he died although the
Muslim treasury was at his disposal, the greater
part of the Arabian Peninsula was Muslim before he
died, and the Muslims were victorious after eighteen
years of his mission.
Is it possible that
Muhammad
might have claimed prophethood in order to attain
status, greatness, and power? The desire to enjoy
status and power is usually associated with good
food, fancy clothing, monumental palaces, colorful
guards, and indisputable authority. Do any of these
indicators apply to Muhammad
?
A few glimpses of his life that may help answer this
question follow.
Despite his
responsibilities as a prophet, a teacher, a
statesman, and a judge, Muhammad
used to milk his goat,5
mend his clothes, repair his shoes,6
help with the household work,7
and visit poor people when they got sick.8
He also helped his companions in digging a trench by
moving sand with them.9
His life was an amazing model of simplicity and
humbleness.
Muhammad%u2019s
followers loved him, respected him, and trusted him
to an amazing extent. Yet he continued to emphasize
that deification should be directed to God and not
to him personally. Anas, one of Muhammad%u2019s
companions, said that there was no person whom they
loved more than the Prophet Muhammad
,
yet when he came to them, they did not stand up for
him because he hated their standing up for him,10
as other people do with their great people.
Long before there was
any prospect of success for Islam and at the outset
of a long and painful era of torture, suffering, and
persecution of Muhammad
and his followers, he received an interesting offer.
An envoy of the pagan leaders, Otba, came to him
saying, %u201C…If you want money, we will collect
enough money for you so that you will be the richest
one of us. If you want leadership, we will take you
as our leader and never decide on any matter without
your approval. If you want a kingdom, we will crown
you king over us…%u201D Only one concession was
required from Muhammad
in return for that, to give up calling people to
Islam and worshipping God alone without any partner.
Wouldn%u2019t this offer be tempting to one pursuing
worldly benefit? Was Muhammad
hesitant when the offer was made? Did he turn it
down as a bargaining strategy leaving the door open
for a better offer? The following was his answer: {In
the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most
Merciful} And he recited to Otba the verses of
the Quran 41:1-38.11
The Following are some of these verses:
A revelation from (God), the Most Gracious, the Most
Merciful; a Book whereof the verses are explained in
detail; a Quran in Arabic, for people who know,
giving good news and warning, yet most of them turn
away, so they do not listen.
(Quran, 41:2-4)
On another occasion
and in response to his uncle%u2019s plea to stop
calling people to Islam, Muhammad%u2019s
answer was as decisive and sincere: {I swear by
the name of God, O Uncle!, that if they place the
sun in my right-hand and the moon in my left-hand in
return for giving up this matter (calling people to
Islam), I will never desist until either God makes
it triumph or I perish defending it.}12
Muhammad
and his few followers did not only suffer from
persecution for thirteen years but the unbelievers
even tried to kill Muhammad
several times. On one occasion they attempted to
kill him by dropping a large boulder, which could
barely be lifted, on his head.13
Another time they tried to kill him by poisoning his
food.14
What could justify such a life of suffering and
sacrifice even after he was fully triumphant over
his adversaries? What could explain the humbleness
and nobility which he demonstrated in his most
glorious moments when he insisted that success is
due only to God%u2019s help and not to his own
genius? Are these the characteristics of a
power-hungry or a self-centered man?
|
Masha Allah …….this information has guided me so much I being a Muslim nauzobillah doubted but Subhan Allah ……I thank Allah to bring me by this information or else I would be misguided I pray to Allah to make us firm in our seen I thank the one who published it …..Alhumdullilah Islam is the truth we should be proud as Muslims and I pray that Allah forgive me for my past sins in sha Allah
Alhamdulillah!
Very Nice
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