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THE
PROPHET’S TRUSTWORTHINESS IN HIS RELATIONS WITH
CREATURES
God’s Messenger, upon him
be peace and blessings, was trustworthy and encouraged
trustworthiness. Once, during the last ten days of the
month of Ramadan, his wife Safiyya visited him while he
confined himself in mosque for constant prayer. As he
escorted her home, two of his Companions happened to pass
by. The Messenger stopped them and, unveiling the face of
his wife Safiyya, said to them, Look, this is my wife,
Safiyya!
They said: ‘God forbid
any evil thought about you, O Messenger of God!’ The
Messenger had wanted to warn them against any evil
suspicion about him, which might cause them to lose their
faith and thereby condemn them to eternal Hellfire. He
gave them and us a lesson, saying, Satan continuously
circulates within man in his blood vessels.3
God’s Messenger was the
embodiment of trustworthiness. The Makkans called him
‘the Trustworthy One.’ Even after the declaration of
his Prophethood, they continued to entrust their precious
goods to him although they regarded him as an enemy.
He warned his people
against lying, breaking one’s word and breach of trust.
Like breaching a trust and breaking one’s word, lying
was also, in his words, ‘a sign of hypocrisy’.4 He was
so meticulous in this matter that once he saw a woman call
her child saying, ‘Come on, I’ll give you
something!’ He asked her whether she would really give
the child something. When the woman replied that she would
give him a date, God’s Messenger warned: If you were not
to give something, that would be a lie!
He was not only
against deceiving humans, but even warned people against
deceiving animals. Once, annoyed at seeing one of his
Companions call his horse using deception, he said:
You should give up
deceiving animals. You should be trustworthy even in your
treatment of them!5
Once, on the way home from
a military campaign, a few Companions took the chicks of a
bird from the nest to pet them. The mother-bird returned
after a short while and on finding the chicks gone, began
to fly around in distress. When God’s Messenger was
informed of this, he was so grieved that he ordered the
chicks to be returned immediately. By this he demonstrated
that it was not befitting for those who should be
representatives of trustworthiness to hurt any living
creatures.6
His Companions, those of
the generation of Islam who imbibed his Message, were each
an embodiment of trustworthiness. By virtue of this and
other laudable virtues, cities and states were submitted
to the Message they conveyed. During the caliphate of
‘Umar, the embodiment of justice, Abu ‘Ubayda was the
commander of the Muslim armies in Syria. When the emperor
of Byzantium set out to recapture Hims with a large army,
Abu ‘Ubayda decided to evacuate the city since there
were only a handful of soldiers in his company. He
gathered the people of Hims in the city quarter and
announced:
We collected the protection
tax from you because we had to defend you. Now we are too
weak to defend you against the assault of the emperor of
Byzantium. In this case, we return the tax we collected.7
All the taxes collected
were returned to the non-Muslim people of Hims. Pleased
with the Muslim administration, Christian priests and
Jewish rabbis flocked to the churches and synagogues and
prayed for God to grant the Muslims victory against the
armies of the Byzantine emperor.
Such was the attitude of
Muslim conquerors and administrators in the lands they
ruled. Muslims stayed in Spain for eight centuries. If
there were left in that land Christians in sufficient
numbers and with sufficient power to recapture it after
eight centuries, this was due to the religious tolerance
of the Muslim administration. Muslim rulers, whether in
Europe or Asia or Africa, did not interfere with the
religion, language or native culture of the conquered
peoples. If they had done so, there would have been no
Christians or Jews left to recapture Spain or the Balkan
countries or Palestine to carry out genocides therein, or
to destroy peoples, cultures and languages almost all over
the world.
Islam emphasizes
trustworthiness and security between people to the extent
of condemning and forbidding suspicion and backbiting. The
Qur’an declares:
O you who believe! Avoid
much of suspicion for suspicion in some cases is a grave
sin. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one
of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You
would abhor it. And fear God, verily God is the Acceptor
of repentance, the Most Merciful. (al-Hujurat, 49.12)
God’s Messenger, upon him
be peace and blessings, was so sensitive on this point
that when once ‘A’isha said of a woman, ‘How long
the neck of that woman is!’, he commented:
You have backbitten against
her and thereby eaten of her flesh!8
God’s Messenger,
upon him be peace and blessings, always prayed to God as
follows:
O God! I seek refuge in You
from hunger, for how bad a companion it is! I also seek
refuge in You from betrayal, for what an evil confidant it
is!9
The following is also one
of his severe admonitions against betrayal and disloyalty:
When God gathers together
on the Day of Judgement all the people preceding and to
come, a banner will be raised on behalf of every man of
disloyalty and it will be announced: This is because of
the disloyalty of so and so!10
The heart of God’s
Messenger was utterly closed to all kinds of evil, but
open to all sorts of good. He lived in a climate of
security, faithfulness and trustworthiness. He never
cheated, lied, betrayed, spoke behind anyone’s back or
slandered anyone. He never harboured evil suspicion of
anyone. In return, people relied on him, and confided in
him. His enemies spoke all kinds of slander against him
but no one ever accused him of lying and disloyalty. Those
who turned their backs on him were deceived and dragged
along into wrong ways.
Perfect reliance on
God
God’s Messenger, upon him
be peace and blessings, was totally reliable. His
trustworthiness had, in fact, two aspects: one in his
relationship with people, the other in his relationship
with God. While the former manifested itself as complete
reliability, the latter was exhibited as his perfect
reliance on God. When combined, these two aspects always
bring about a peaceful atmosphere of steadfastness and
security.
The Qur’an gives several
examples concerning the Prophets’ confidence in, and
perfect reliance on, God. To cite only a few of them:
And recite to them the news
of Noah, when he said to his people: ‘O my people! If my
stay (with you) and my reminding (you) of the signs of God
is unbearable to you, then I put my trust in God, so come
together with your partners and come to an agreement on
your plan! Then let not your affair be a worry to you,
pass your sentence on me, and give me no respite. (Yunus,
10.71)
(Abraham said to his
people:) “I call God to witness and bear you witness
that I am free from all that you ascribe as partners in
worship to God, beside Him. So, plot against me, all of
you, and give me no respite. I put my trust in God, my
Lord and your Lord. There’s not a moving creature but He
has grasp of its forelock. Verily my Lord is on a straight
path.” (11:54-6)
Indeed there has been an
excellent example for you in Abraham and those with him,
when they said to their people: ‘Verily we are free from
you and from whatever you worship besides God; we have
rejected you, and there has arisen between us and you
hostility and hatred for ever, until you believe in God
alone, - except Abraham’s saying to his father:
‘Verily I ask forgiveness (from God) for you, but I have
no power to do anything for you before God. Our Lord! In
you (alone) we put our trust, and to You (alone) we return
in repentance, and to You (alone) is our final return.’
(al-Mumtahana, 60.4)
The nature of unbelief
consists in deviation and opposition. An unbeliever sees
the world in darkness and feels himself alone in an alien
world. Whereas, for a believer, the whole universe is a
cradle of brotherhood. He feels himself connected to
everything around him. By its nature, unbelief cuts off
relations between things and, as a result, an unbeliever
feels enmity against everything, especially against
believers. He cannot bear their existence, so he tries his
hardest to eradicate belief from the surface of the earth.
That is why all the Prophets encountered severe opposition
and, together with their followers, suffered pitiless acts
of cruelty. But, it is due to their complete confidence in
and perfect reliance on God that they never lost heart
because of what befell them in God’s Way, nor did they
weaken (in will) nor were they brought low (Qur’an, Al
‘Imran, 3.146).
The Messenger’s reliance
on God made him fearless. He appeared in the heartland of
a large desert where one of the most uncivilized peoples
of the world lived, and, despite their harsh treatment -
to the extent that even his uncle was one of his most
bitter enemies - he challenged the whole world and,
through complete trust in God, carried his mission to
victory. He had only a handful of men and his victory came
in a very short period. This is an unparalleled
achievement in world history. We can understand his
fearless nature, which developed out of his absolute
confidence in God, through the following anecdotes.
As reported by his
biographers, the tribe of the Quraysh conspired to kill
him. They selected one man from each clan and, as a
result, around two hundred men, under the command of Abu
Jahl and Abu Lahab, besieged his house. God’s Messenger
told ‘Ali, his cousin, to spend the night in his bed
and, throwing some dust at those surrounding the house
while reciting the verse, We have put a barrier before
them, and a barrier behind them, so We have covered them
up, so that they cannot see (Ya Sin, 36.9), he departed
without being seen by anyone.11 He left Makka with his
closest friend, Abu Bakr, and reached the cave of Thawr,
which is at the top of a high, steep mountain. Meanwhile,
the chiefs of the Quraysh had dispatched search parties to
seize him. One of those search parties climbed the
mountain up to the cave. Abu Bakr became anxious, fearing
for the life of God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and
blessings, but the latter comforted him, saying, Do not be
anxious, for God is with us, (9:39), and added: What do
you think of the two men beside whom God is the third?12
In the the Battle of
Hunayn, the Muslim army was forced to retreat. All but a
few thought they were about to lose. God’s Messenger,
upon him be peace and blessings, spurred on his horse
forward and shouted:
I am a Prophet. This is not
a lie! I am the son of ‘Abd al-Muttalib!13
His courage and
steadfastness were enough for his Companions to collect
themselves and ultimately to gain the victory.
As related through various
channels, during the military campaign of Ghatfan and
Anmar, a courageous chieftain named Ghowras unexpectedly
appeared at the side of God’s Messenger, who was lying
under a tree. Ghowras unsheathed his sword and asked
God’s Messenger, ‘Who will save you from me now?’
God will, the Messenger
replied. He then prayed: O God, suffice me against him in
any way You will!
At that moment, Ghowras was
knocked down, and his sword slipped from his hand. God’s
Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, took the sword
and asked him: Now, who will save you from me?
Ghowras began to tremble
and entreated God’s Messenger to spare his life. ‘You
are a noble, forgiving man; only forgiveness is expected
of you,’ he pleaded. God’s Messenger forgave him, and
when Ghowras returned to his tribe, he said to them: ‘I
have just come from the best of mankind.’14
Trustworthiness is one of
the cornerstones of belief. The Qur’an says:
Verily, God commands you to
commit the trusts to (the charge of) those qualified for
them, and when you judge between men, to judge with
justice. Verily how excellent is the teaching which He
gives you! Truly God is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.
(al-Nisa’, 4.58)
Breach of trusts is,
according to God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and
blessings, a sign of the end of time. Once he said:
When the trust is breached,
expect the end of time. When his Companions asked how the
trust would be breached, he answered: If a job or post is
assigned to the one not qualified for it, then expect the
end of time.15
Assignment of a job or post
to the one qualified to do it is a social trust and has a
very significant role in public administration and social
order. The abuse of this principle causes disorder in
society. There should be order in all levels of society
with some taking responsibility for others. God’s
Messenger declared:
Each of you is a
‘shepherd’ [manager] and each of you is responsible
for his flock. The ruler is a ‘shepherd’ responsible
for his subjects. A husband is a ‘shepherd’
responsible for his family and a woman is a ‘shepherd’
and is responsible in the house of her husband. A servant
is a ‘shepherd’ and is responsible for managing the
duties or the property his master entrusted to him.16
If everyone in a society
from the doorman to the president is mindful about
fulfilling his responsibilities, we will be living in a
‘society of trustworthy ones’, for which humankind
express their longing in utopias.
Trustworthiness is so
essential an aspect of belief that God’s Messenger once
declared:
The one who is not
trustworthy is not a believer.17
In another of his sayings,
he describes a believer as the one whom the people trust
concerning their blood and property.18
He also said:
Promise me the following
six things and I will promise you Paradise: When you
speak, speak the truth; when you give a promise, carry it
out; when something is entrusted to you, do not breach it;
always keep chaste without being involved in any illicit
intercourse; keep your eyes away from what is unlawful and
hold your hands back from the forbidden.19
To look lustfully at a
woman other than your wife is strictly forbidden by Islam.
Concerning this, God’s Messenger declares:
God says: ‘[Such] a
glance is like a poisonous arrow from the quiver of Satan.
Whoever refrains out of fear of Me, I inculcate belief so
firmly in his heart that he tastes it.’20
To live in absolute
security is only possible under the rule of trustworthy
people. If the Muslim world observes the Divine Trust and
becomes the representative of trustworthiness and security
in the world, a ‘new world order’ based on justice and
balance will be possible. Otherwise, mankind will continue
to chase after ‘mirages’ of justice, security and
happiness.
Through his truthfulness,
trustworthiness and all other laudable virtues, God’s
Messenger imprinted an indelible mark upon peoples of
every age. His every word and deed pronounced that
Muhammad is a Messenger of God, one who was sent to guide
people to truth, to bring them out of the darkness of
ignorance, savagery, slavery and immorality, into the
light of knowledge, high morality, love, compassion and
true freedom.
One of Avicenna’s
students said to him one day that if, with his
extraordinary understanding and intelligence, he were to
make a claim to Prophethood, people would gather around
him. Avicenna said nothing. Some time passed and they were
on a journey together in wintertime. Avicenna awoke from
his sleep one morning at dawn, wakened his student and,
telling him he was thirsty, asked him to fetch some water.
The student put him off and made excuses. However much
Avicenna persisted, the student was not prepared to leave
his warm bed in the cold winter. At that moment the cry of
the muezzin called out from the minaret: God is the
Greatest... I bear witness that there is no deity but God.
I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God...
Avicenna saw that this was a good opportunity to give the
answer to his student, so he said: ‘You, who averred
that if I made claim to be a Prophet, people would believe
in me. Look now and see how the request I just made of
you, who have been my student for years and have benefited
from my lessons, has not even had the effect of making you
leave your warm bed to fetch me some water. But this
muezzin strictly obeys the four-hundred-year (now
fourteen-hundred-year)-old command of the Prophet. He got
up from his warm bed, as he always does every morning
together with hundreds of thousands of others, climbed up
to that great height and bore witness to the Unity of God
and to the Messengership of Muhammad, upon him be peace
and blessings. Look, and think how great the difference
is!’
3. Bukhari, I’tiqaf, 8;
I. Ma’ja, Siyam, 65.
4. Abu Dawud, Adab, 80; I.
Hanbal, 3.447.
5. Bukhari, Iman, 24;
Muslim, Iman, 107.
6. Abu Davud, Jihad, 112,
Adab, 164; I. Hanbal, 1.404.
7. Abu Dawud, Adab, 164; I.
Hanbal, 1.404.
8. Ibn Kathir, Tafsir,
7.359; al-Targhib ve l-Tarhib, 4.285.
9. Abu Dawud, Witr, 32;
Nasa’i, Isti’adha, 19,20; Ibn Ma’ja, At’ima, 53.
10. Muslim, Jihad, 9.
11. Ibn Hisham, Sira, 2.27.
12. Bukhari, Tafsir, 9; Ibn
Hanbal, 1.4.
13. Bukhari, Jihad, 52;
Muslim, Jihad, 78.
14. Bukhari, Maghazi, 29,
Jihad, 83; Muslim, Fada’il, 13.
15. Bukhari, ‘Ilm, 2; I.
Hanbal, 3,361.
16. Bukhari, Jumu’a, 10;
Muslim, ‘Imara, 20; Abu Dawud, ‘Imara, 1.
17. I. Hanbal, 3.135.
18. Tirmidhi, Iman, 12; I.
Ma’ja, Fitan, 2.
19. I. Hanbal, 5.323.
20. Hindi, Kanz
al-’Ummal, 5.328.
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