PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S sa 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?
