|
MUHAMMAD’S
CHARACTER AND HIGH MORALITY
PROVE HIS PROPHETHOOD
Muhammad
was the humblest at the zenith of his achievements
If
a man’s world-admired accomplishments or the wealth and
fame he has gained do not change him, if he can remain as
humble as he was at the beginning of his career, this
shows that person’s strength of character, morality and
virtue. Despite his unparalleled achievements, which force
even his enemies to place him at the top of the greatest
men of human history, the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be
peace and blessings, was poorer and more humble when he
entered Makka victoriously than he was at the beginning of
his mission.
Those
who saw the Messenger would say: ‘One with such a face
cannot lie.’
One’s
face reveals one’s inner world and character. Those who
saw the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings,
could not help but admire his appearance and, if they were
unprejudiced, acknowledge his truthfulness. For example,
‘Adbullah ibn Salam, the most renowned Jewish scholar of
the time, believed in him at his first sight of him,
saying: ‘One with such a face cannot lie.’
If
a fire-fly claimed that it is the sun, its lie could last
only until the sun rises. Turkish people say that a
liar’s candle only burns till bedtime, meaning that a
lie has only a very short life. So, a deceitful one
pretending Prophethood will soon be discovered and no one
will accept him as a true Prophet.
Muhammad’s
utmost conviction of his cause, together with his
sincerity and solemnity prove his Prophethood
Even
an insignificant man of small standing, in a small group
in a disputed matter of little importance, cannot tell a
small but shameful lie openly and comfortably without
displaying such anxiety and uneasiness as will make his
enemies aware of his deception. Since the Prophet
Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, challenged
everybody to come until the Last Day and uttered many
important speeches in a large community concerning a great
cause, with great ease and freedom, without hesitation or
anxiety, with pure sincerity and great solemnity, and in
an intense and elevated manner that provoked his enemies,
it means that he was certainly a Prophet speaking whatever
God revealed to him.
Despite
being unlettered, the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace
and blessings, spoke on every issue and has not been
contradicted ever since.
It
is impossible for an unlettered one to speak on a matter
requiring expert knowledge, especially before those with
specialized knowledge of that matter. However, despite
being unlettered, the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace
and blessings, spoke on every issue from theology and
metaphysics to medicine, history, physics and biology and
has not been contradicted ever since. Besides, when he was
raised up as a Prophet, the arts of literature, eloquence
and oratory were at their peak and the Qur’an he
received from God challenged all of its opponents to bring
the like of a single chapter of its but no one has ever
been able to do that. This, again, clearly shows that
Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, is a Prophet of
God.
Muhammad
had to confront all kinds of hardships and persecutions
after Prophethood and spent for his cause whatever he had.
For
the sake of a deception no one risks his life, wealth and
reputation and bears great hardships and persecutions
unless he has great aspirations to more wealth and great
worldly positions. Before claiming Prophethood, the
Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, was
well off and had a respected place among his community.
However, he had to confront all kinds of hardships and
persecutions after Prophethood and spent for his cause
whatever he had. His enemies slandered him, mocked him,
beat him, expelled him from his homeland and waged war on
him. He bore all such cruel treatments and hostilities
without complaint and asked God Almighty for the
forgiveness of even his enemies. The only cause he pursued
was to see everybody believing in and worshipping the One
God exclusively and thereby prosperous in both worlds and
saved from the torments of Hell.
Prophet
Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, practiced with
utmost sincerity and honesty what he communicated to
others.
History
has witnessed many leading persons who, since they
themselves did not practice what they preached or
propagated, did not have a large devoted following. Their
ideas did not have an enduring effect on people and the
systems they established did not last long. However, the
Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings,
practiced with utmost sincerity and honesty what he
communicated to others and was always the first and
foremost in obedience to the religion he brought, in
worship to the Creator and in avoidance of the religious
prohibitions. This shows his full conviction of his cause
and that he is a Messenger of God, Who sent him to
humanity to guide them to the True Path.
For
what reason other than conveying God’s Message to people
must he have endured all kinds of hardships and
persecutions, such as sleeping on earth, suffering hunger
for several consecutive days, spending a considerable part
of his life on battlefields and military campaigns, being
expelled from his homeland, becoming subject to mockeries
and insults, etc?
Man
acquires an established character until he is thirty and
especially after thirty a man’s character does not
change. Particularly, it is very difficult for one to
change his temper and disposition after he is forty.
If-God forbid such a thought!- there had been any
imperfection and blemish in the character of Muhammad,
upon him be peace and blessings, it would certainly have
appeared before his Prophethood. Therefore, no one with a
bit of intelligence and fairness, unless he is prejudiced,
can accept that one who was never heard tell a lie and
witnessed deceive until one was forty, would appear as the
worst, meanest trickster of human history after forty.
A
lying, deceitful one cannot have a large, dedicated
following who are ready to sacrifice themselves for him.
Despite being among the five greatest Prophets, Moses and
Jesus did not have followers as devoted as Muhammad’s
Companions.
A
lying, deceitful one cannot have a large, dedicated
following who are ready to sacrifice themselves for him.
Despite being among the five greatest Prophets, Moses and
Jesus did not have followers as devoted as Muhammad’s
Companions. The followers of Moses, upon him be peace,
betrayed him when he left them for forty days to receive
the Torah on Mount Sinai, and began to worship a golden
calf which Samiri made for them. Even after so many years
of intellectual and spiritual training in the desert,
except for two God-fearing men, they did not obey his
order to fight against the Amalekites, the people of
Goliath. As for Jesus, upon him be peace, one of his most
devoted twelve followers betrayed him and attempted to
submit him to his enemies. But the followers of Muhammad,
upon him be peace and blessings, known as the Companions,
were so devoted to him that they sacrificed for him their
lives and properties and their families and tribes.
Although brought up among a primitive people and in a
climate of ignorance, devoid of any positive notions of
social life and administration, without a Scripture and
immersed in the darkness of the uncivilized era after the
Prophets, in a very short period, they became in the
footsteps of their exalted leader, the Prophet Muhammad,
the masters, guides and just rulers of the most civilized
and socially and politically advanced peoples and states,
and ruled the world from east to west in a world-admired
fashion.
Also,
innumerable exacting and profound scholars and
world-famous scientists and pure, spiritual masters were
brought up among the succeeding generations following the
Companions. The civilization they established was the most
magnificent one history has ever known. Is it conceivable,
then, that all those most shining stars of human history
followed a lying, deceitful one? God forbid such a
thought!
The
Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, was the
most famous of humanity for high moral conduct and virtue.
The
Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, was the
most famous of humanity for high moral conduct and virtue.
He appeared in the heart of a desert which was almost the
most uncivilized part of the then inhabited world and
where people were immersed in the worst kinds of
immorality. Then, who do you think brought him up as the
most virtuous one with the highest morality and best
conduct? He had lost his father while he was yet in the
womb of his mother. When his mother died, he was only six
years old. It was impossible for his grandfather and uncle
to bring him up as the most virtuous of all times, as they
themselves did not have all of the good moral qualities
Muhammad had and in the same degree as he had. His teacher
was God, as he himself said: My Lord educated me and
taught me good manners, and how well he educated me and
how beautifully He taught me good manners!
No
one in human history has ever been able to combine in
himself all of the virtues and good qualities as perfectly
as the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings.
Human
history has seen many virtuous persons. However, no one
has ever been able to combine in himself all of the
virtues and good qualities as perfectly as the Prophet
Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings. There have been
many generous people but they have not been able to show
enough courage when and where necessary. Likewise, there
have been many courageous people, who have not been able
to be lenient and generous at the same degree. But the
Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings,
combined in his person all the virtues and laudable
qualities at the highest level.
Virtue
and good morality also require balance. For example, if
generosity exceeds its limits, it changes into
extravagance. Similarly, if thrift cannot be kept within
moderate limits, it changes into miserliness. Courage is
usually confused with rashness and dialectics or demagogy
is sometimes taken for being intelligent. In addition,
virtue also requires knowing how to act in certain
conditions. For instance, the self-respect which a weak
man should wear before a powerful one becomes, if the
powerful one assumes it, self-conceit. The humility which
a powerful man should wear before a weak one becomes, if
assumed by a weak man, self-abasement. Forbearance and
sacrifice (of one’s rights) on one’s own account is
good and a virtue; but when done on behalf of others, it
is bad and a treason. An individual may bear patiently
with whatever is done to him personally; but it is
impermissible for him to, on behalf of the nation, bear
patiently what is being done to the nation. Whereas pride
and indignation on behalf of the nation are commendable,
on one’s own behalf they are not.
The
Prophet Muhammad was perfectly balanced in his virtues and
good moral qualities.
The
Prophet Muhammad was perfectly balanced in his virtues and
good moral qualities. He was perfectly courageous where to
show courage was necessary, while he was perfectly mild,
forgiving and humble among people. He was perfectly
dignified but also very gracious. There was no one more
generous than him but he was also thrifty and condemned
extravagance. In short, all virtues and good qualities
existed in him in a well-balanced combination.
Prophet
Muhammad had all of the essential attributes pertaining to
Prophets
According
to theologians, there are six essentials of Prophethood
common to all of the Prophets. They are truthfulness,
trustworthiness, communication of God’s commands,
intelligence, infallibility and being free from all kinds
of bodily and mental defects. History is a witness that
the Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, had
all of these six essential attributes in a most perfect
fashion.
Muhammad’s
achievements are unparalleled in history
A
man encounters in his life many situations where he must
make decisions with no delay and hesitation. Many
decisions made in such situations may cause him great
difficulties. The Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and
blessings, made so great achievements in so short a time
as 23 years that they are unparalleled in human history.
He never faltered and all of his decisions proved to be
true.
More
than that, whatever he did and whatever he said did not
concern only his own time but he addressed all times and
places and all peoples and levels throughout the world to
come until the Last Day. As none of his sayings have not
been contradicted so far, no one has ever been able to
criticize him for any of his actions, sayings and
decisions. Is it possible for one who is not a Prophet
taught by God, the All-Knowing, to have such intelligence,
foresight, sagacity, insight, sound reasoning and
prudence?
|
