The Prophet's humbleness
We are Muslims, and we are extremely proud of it.
Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam was a perfect model of
modesty and humbleness. He, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, never spoke
loudly or in an unseemly manner. In the market, he always passed by the
people quietly with a smile. Whenever he heard anything undesirable in an
assembly, he did not say anything out of respect for the people, but the
color of his face showed his feelings and the Companions became cautious.
`Aa'ishah said that she never saw Allaah's Messenger, sallallaahu 'alayhi
wa sallam, laughing so that she could see his molar teeth, for he only used
to smile.
`Abdullaah Ibn Maslamah reported Allaah's Messenger, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam, as saying: "Modesty is a part of the teachings of the previous
prophets and anyone who lacks it is most likely to do whatever he likes."
Zayd reported Allaah's Messenger, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, as saying:
"Every religion has a character and the character of Islam is modesty."
The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, lived a simple and
modest life, both in Makkah as a trader before his prophethood, and in
Al-Madeenah as the head of the State after being appointed Allaah's
Messenger. The change in his social status from that of a trader in Makkah
to the head of the State in Al-Madeenah did not bring any change in his
modest living. `Umar reported the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam,
as saying: "Do not exalt me as the Christians have exalted Jesus, son of
Mary. I am just His servant, so call me Allaah's Servant and Messenger."
The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, did not behave towards others as
if he was better than they were, nor did he spurn manual work. `Abdullaah
bin Abi `Awfa reported that the Prophet of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam, never disdained to go with a slave or a widow to accomplish his or
her tasks. Others reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam,
used to tidy up his house, tie the camels, feed the animals, take food with
his servants, and help them in kneading dough and bringing provisions from
the market. Anas reported that the Prophet of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi
wa sallam, used to visit the sick, attend funerals, ride on a donkey and
accept a slave's invitation for a meal. Jaabir stated that the Prophet,
sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, used to slow down his pace for the sake of
the weak and also prayed for them.
When `Adiyy bin Haatim came to see the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa
sallam, he called him inside his house. A maidservant brought a cushion to
rest on, but the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, placed it between
him and `Adiyy and sat down on the floor. `Adiyy later said that he had
then immediately realized that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam,
was not a king. A similar incident was reported by `Abdullaah bin `Amr bin
Al-`Aas who said: "Once when the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi
wa sallam, came to my house, I gave him a cushion filled with bark, but he
sat down on the floor placing the cushion between me and him."
Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, was humble in all things.
Anas said that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, would accept an
invitation even if he was presented barley bread and soup whose taste had
changed. He also reported the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, as
saying: "I am Allaah's servant, I eat like a servant and sit like a
servant.''
On one of his journeys, the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, asked
his companions to roast a goat. One said that he would slaughter the animal;
another said that he would skin it, while a third said that he would cook
it. The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, then said that he would
collect wood for fuel. Their response was: "O Messenger of Allaah! We will
do everything." The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, then said: "I
have no doubt that you will. But I do not like distinctions to be made, nor
does Allaah like any one of His servants to assert his superiority over his
companions."
His self-deprecation was such that he, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, once
said: "By Allaah, I do not know, even although I am Allaah's messenger, what
my fate in the next world will be, nor do I know what yours will be."
Abu Tharr Al-Ghifaari narrates that one day he was sitting with another
companion of black complexion whom he addressed as: "O black man." When the
Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, heard of this, he was greatly
displeased and cautioned Abu Tharr never to make scornful remarks to anyone,
whoever he might be, and to accord equal treatment to all, adding: "No white
man has any superiority over a black man."
The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, once saw a wealthy Muslim
gathering up his loose garments so that a certain distance would be kept
between himself and a poor Muslim sitting close by. He sallallaahu 'alayhi
wa sallam remarked: "Do you fear that his poverty will cling to you?"
The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, lived like any ordinary person,
and did not assume any superior rights. He once had to borrow some money
from a Jew called Zayd bin Sana'a. The Jew came to demand the immediate
return of the loan a few days before the expiry of the stipulated period.
Tugging at the mantle around the Prophet's shoulders, he jibed that the
progeny of 'Abd Al-Muttalib were always defaulters.
`Umar not being able to tolerate this misbehavior on the part of the Jew,
started berating him, and was on the point of beating him when the Prophet,
sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said to the Jew, smiling: "There are still
three days to go before the promise has to be fulfilled." To 'Umar he
sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam said: "We might have had better treatment from
you. You could have advised me to be more careful about the return of loans
and you could have advised the Jew to be more courteous in demanding
repayment." He, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, then requested 'Umar to get
some dates so that the loan could be repaid, and to give the Jew an extra
forty kilograms for the rebuke he had been given.
We can say that humbleness is seen in every sphere of the Prophet's life.
His way of talking, walking, sitting, eating and every aspect of his life
reflected humbleness.
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