PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PBUH): AS ROLE MODEL FOR INDIVIDUALS INDIVIDUALS 1 Introduction The Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was born on Rabiul Awwal 12 of the Hirah !alendar" His birth# on a Monday# !ame $%& years after that of the Prophet 'esus (pea!e be upon him)" The Prophet was born in the !ity of Maah to Abdullah# the son of Abdul Muttalib# the enerable sheih of the *uraish# the rulin+ !lan of Maah" The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)# !alled Al,Ameen (The Trustworthy) een by his enemies# was the last of the prophets sent by Allah" There is no other prophet on whose life so mu!h li+ht has been shed" Born after the a+e of myth# liin+ in the full +lare of history# his sayin+s and a!tions were do!umented as no other prophets were" Re!orded in minute detail# their authenti!ity has been -uestioned by no fair s!holar" The Prophet.s life is a shinin+ e/ample for all to follow" He was the indest of persons 0 a sense of !ompassion that was dire!ted at Muslims and non,Muslims alie" His !are for those around him and een for those who !aused him harm proides shinin+ e/amples of true nobility" His loe for orphans was deep# and the indness that he e/hibited to the needy# the humble and the poor new no bounds" t is e/tremely diffi!ult for the Muslims of today to ima+ine and mu!h less to endure the hardships that the Prophet and his !ompanions underwent" n the ninth year of his mission# the Prophet 0 hain+ been perse!uted and terroried by his people in Maah 0 headed for Taif# home to the Banu Tha-if tribe" There he went to prea!h his messa+e but was treated rudely by the tribal elders# who told him to !lear off and een sent street ur!hins after him to beat him and pelt him with stones" He bled profusely !ausin+ his entire body to be !oered with blood and his sandals to be!ome !lo++ed to his feet" He headed away from the town and too respite near a ro! and made a heart,rendin+ ino!ation to Allah Almi+hty besee!hin+ mer!y for the people who had perse!uted him a few moments earlier" t is said that the heaens were moed by the Prophet.s prayer and the Ar!han+el 3abriel !ame and said that Allah Almi+hty is aware of what has passed and that he has deputed an an+el in !har+e of the mountains" The an+el in !har+e of the mountains then !ame forward and offered to brin+ the mountains oerlooin+ Taif to !ollide with ea!h other to destroy the inhabitants" Howeer# bein+ a mountain of mer!y himself and the mer!y of the worlds# the Prophet refused" 4ote the !ondu!t of our noble Prophet" rritated by a little trouble or abuse from someone# we spend years s!hemin+ and deisin+ ways to tae reen+e" How far remoed are the Muslims of today from the Prophet who they !onsider their e/emplar" n spite of sufferin+ so mu!h at the hands of the Taif mob# the Prophet did not !urse or see reen+e# een when the opportunity arose" nstead# he pleaded for mer!y" 5hen there was a stop in a Maan woman who would repeatedly throw +arba+e on him as he waled in the streets# the Prophet 0 bein+ an i!on of !ompassion 0 ased people about her and een humbly isited her after hearin+ she had fallen ill" 6er 17 !enturies hae +one by sin!e he# the 8ast of the Messen+ers# left us# but his messa+e 0 one that was earmared by mer!y for the entire !reation 0 lies on" His e/amples lie on to lead us from darness to li+ht" His life was one of mer!y# !ompassion# !are# !onsideration# indness and toleran!e for all" His sayin+s# nown as Hadiths# bear testimony to this" 6ne parti!ular theme found in his sayin+s relate to the ri+hts of women" t is without a doubt that slam afforded women an honorable and respe!ted position" Howeer# it is sad to see people# many Muslims in!luded# i+norant of this" 6n one o!!asion# he said# 9:ear Allah in respe!t of women"; He also said# 9The best of you are they who behae best to their wies"; n another he said# 9A Muslim must not hate his wife# and if he be displeased with one bad -uality in her# let him be pleased with one that is +ood"; n one more Hadith# he said# 9The more !iil and ind a Muslim is to his wife# the more perfe!t in faith he is";
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as Role Model for Individuals 9 t is no wonder then that the Prophet Muhammad.s (PBUH) employer was none other than a woman#
hristian herita+e" n an attitude that was reolutionary at that time# the Prophet tau+ht his !ompanions to remain in their mothers. seri!e# sayin+ that Paradise lies beneath their feet" Today# as we stumble throu+h a !onfused and turbulent world# as we +rope in darness and as we suffer from un!ertainty and depression# we must loo for 0 and +rasp at 0 the tea!hin+s of the Holy Prophet so that they will a!t as a !ure for many of the so!ial ills that hae befallen our world" The world fa!es a host of seemin+ly insoluble problems" n the 5est# people spea of depression and de!ay in so!iety" n the ?ast# industrial and te!hnolo+i!al pro+ress has !reated a a!uum in so!iety" Many people are flounderin+ in darness" They !lin+ to alues that hae nothin+ to do with life" They oin !ults" :or role models they loo to unworthy indiiduals who are moral a!uums" :or us the perfe!t role model is the 8ast Messen+er of Allah" His life# his dealin+s with youn+ and old and both friend and foe are an inspiration to all of us" 8et us tea!h ourseles and our !hildren about the life of the Holy Prophet and use it in our daily lies so that we may improe our !ondu!t and be!ome better human bein+s" 8et us be more tolerant# more for+iin+ and show !ompassion to all our brothers and sisters in humanity# irrespe!tie of their ra!e or reli+ion"
! T"# I$%ort&nc# o' Pro%"#t Mu"&$$&d (PBUH) &nd Hi St&tu & & Ro# Mod# Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had tau+ht humanity throu+h his e/emplary life that nobility of !hara!ter is an essential asset that eeryone must strie to a!-uire" The Prophet did not prea!h the words of Allah only by mouth# rather# he e/emplified and een epitomied the messa+es" People lie Ab@
i! T"# Ho* +ur&n &nd t"# Ro# Mod# St&tu o' Pro%"#t Mu"&$$&d (PBUH) n the Holy *uran the only erse that refers literally to the status of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a role model is as followsE “Verily in the messenger of Allah you have a good example for him who looks unto Allah and the Last Day and remem!ers Allah mu"h#$ “Verily in the messenger of Allah you have a good example for him who looks unto Allah and the Last Day and remem!ers Allah mu"h#$ The Arabi! word uswa (e/ample) in the ori+inal erse means e/ample or model that should be obeyed and followed" A person who follows another person.s lead imitates that personJ they follow their attitude and style" That is to say# they identify themseles with that person" n terms of slami! faith# usva# that is to say bein+ an e/ample or a role model# is an attribute that is found in those who possess +oodness# beauty and ri+hteousness" This erse shows the importan!e of Prophet Muhammad.s (PBUH) sunnah in the lies of Muslims" As a matter of fa!t# the *uran !learly states that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has a superior !hara!ter and demonstrates an e/emplary life style"
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as Role Model for Individuals 9, f one a!!epts that slam is the final and perfe!t reli+ion# then it would be in!onsistent to not !onsider the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as an e/ample for the Muslim !ommunity or to not a!!ept his life as somethin+ that shapes and +uides the daily lies of Muslims" :or that reason# the life style and personality of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)# demonstrated durin+ his prophethood of 2D years# in!ludes ery si+nifi!ant proisions and prin!iples for the reli+ious# politi!al# so!ial and moral life of Muslim !ommunities as a whole" The followin+ hadith summaries the statements found in the *uranE 9The best of spee!h is un-uestionably the spee!h of Allah" That is the Boo of Allah (the *uran)" The best of +uidan!e is the +uidan!e of Muhammad (PBUH)" 6f all matters# the most eil of thin+s are those whi!h are newly,inented (in reli+ion)# and eery innoation is a deiation# and eery deiation leads people to Hell;
i! T"# Sunn&" &nd Pro%"#t Mu"&$$&d- (PBUH) St&tu & Ro# Mod# slami! s!holars state that the terms sa!il (road)# sirat al-musta%im (strai+ht path) and uswa al-hasana (best of e/amples)# whi!h are mentioned in the Holy *uran# in the hadiths of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)# and in the words of his >ompanions# are words and terms that represent the !on!ept of the sunnah" All these terms indi!ate the path to be followed and the model to be taen as an e/ample" The name of this road is the sunnah# and it is !olle!tiely followed by the >ompanions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the belieers" 'ohann :K!# who mentions the +reat !ultural unity that was a!!omplished by slam# beliees that the reason for this is the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)# who seres as a role model ( al-uswatu’lhasana) for eery MuslimJ he !on!ludesE 9ompanions and followers of the Prophet indi!ates !olle!tie deeds and inoles eery part of life# su!h as faith# worship# morality and ethi!s" The fortifi!ation that was ne!essary to the slami! ideal was proided by the sunnah" 6n!e the iews were solidified and the ideals were a!hieed# the sunnah turned the theory into a reality" The alues of slam were formulated and perpetuated in this way" Prophet Muhammad.s (PBUH) pra!ti!es for worshippin+ Allah too on the form of the appli!ation of the sunnah" This form of worship# whi!h !ontinued durin+ the last twenty,two years of his life# +uided the belieers een after his death" >ontemplatin+ the sunnah of the Prophet and applyin+ it supports the !onne!tion between the Prophet.s ability to per!eie# his attitude# thou+ht# life and history" This is the reason why the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) hae be!ome an instru!tor for millions of people"
The prin!iples related to those pra!ti!es that des!ribe the Prophet as a worshipper of and belieer in Allah#
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The te/ts related to the missions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) whi!h mae !onta!t
9.
Advanced Handbook of Islamic Studies with and !all people to the new reality# yet mae it !lear that he is a human bein+ who only lies for his own mission# •
The prin!iples related to the aspe!ts of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a human# husband# father# relatie and friend"
•
The prin!iples !on!ernin+ Prophet Muhammad.s (PBUH) leadership within the state administration# at the battle,+round# at the maret pla!e# at s!hool or in the masid"
?a!h and eery one of these prin!iples is an indi!ation that refle!ts the !omprehensie e/tent of his e/emplary# role,model status and his ability to proide +uidan!e" The followin+ prin!iples mi+ht be mentioned when dis!ussin+ Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as an e/ample for adheren!e to the sunnahE •
The path to delieran!e from e/!ess and instability !an be a!hieed by followin+ the sunnah" The appli!ations stemmin+ from the differen!es in sunnah are not per!eied as areas of !onfli!t"
•
5e should ealuate the alidity and inalidity of our own opinions# thou+hts and pra!ti!es a!!ordin+ to the *uran and the
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The per!eption of some people of the sunnah !onsists only in the physi!al aspe!t" :or instan!e# su!h people thin that the most important thin+ is to trim the beard and mousta!he and the !leanliness of !lothes# et!"
•
5hile speain+ of !ertain issues# some of us !onsider randomly readin+ from the *uran and the hadith as a form of deotion to the *uran and sunnah" 5ithout understandin+ the si+nifi!an!e of the *uran and sunnah# without followin+ this path# without abidin+ by the !ontents of these two !ornerstones# without dire!tin+ our lies by the li+ht of these prin!iples# what does readin+ the *uran and hadith truly meanL 6beyin+ the sunnah with the !orre!t attitudes is more effe!tie and a!!urate in approa!hin+ true slam than merely utterin+ words"
ii! Mor&it* &nd t"# Pro%"#t- St&tu & & Ro# Mod# A person !annot be !onsidered to be a role model sent to +uide people and at the same time be a person who !ommits deeds that are a+ainst the will of Allah" :or this reason# all the prophets hae been +ranted with a parti!ular hi+h,moral -uality" They neer intentionally or deliberately a!ted a+ainst the !onsent of Allah" The mistaes that they made and the faults whi!h stemmed from for+etfulness !aused Allah to remind or warn them" These mistaes and faults are not refle!ted to the people as an aspe!t of their status as role model" Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) !ommitted no mistaes that would harm the !oneyan!e of the *uran and this is proen in the Holy *uran and is a+reed upon by Muslim !ommunity" Those who a!!ept that it was possible for Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to mae mistaes beliee that in su!h !ases he was immediately warned and !orre!ted by Allah" 4o Muslim doubts the fa!t that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was free from faults in the !oneyan!e of the
iii! T"# Pro%"#t- St&tu & & Ro# Mod# &nd t"# Pr&ctic# o' t"# /o$%&nion The erses in the *uran that !ommand belief in# obedien!e to# !onformity with and submission to the Holy Prophet are unambi+uously !lear" Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) inited the belieers to obey him# to deote themseles to the sunnah and to abstain from in!orre!t a!tions" n su!h !onditions# if we want to witness the pra!ti!es of the Prophet# we must loo at the lies of the >ompanions" There are many !lear a!!ounts that proide us with ade-uate materials on this issue" As the reelations related to faith# obedien!e and submission were imparted to the Prophet# the >ompanions did not !onsider performin+ any pra!ti!e without his permission or !onfirmation" At the same time# if the rulin+ of the Prophet was on somethin+ related to worldly issues# the >ompanions ased him how and why this wasJ when a rulin+ on reli+ious issues was re-uired# they would spea to him about the points reealed by the rulin+J when it was a rulin+ imparted to Muhammad (PBUH) by Allah# they would as him in order to understand its purpose and try to understand the truth" 4one of these -uestionin+s implies opposition to the ProphetJ on the !ontrary it is nown that the >ompanions adapted and implemented some of the attitudes of the Prophet
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as Role Model for Individuals 90 without asin+ or nowin+ the reasons" 5hat these a!tions do imply is that in slam to as -uestions and to understand the reason why somethin+ has been !ommanded is permitted# and een en!oura+ed" There were times when the >ompanions understood the rulin+s in the *uran and the sunnah in a way that was not intended and pra!ti!ed them in an in!orre!t mannerJ in su!h !ases they were !orre!ted by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)" ompanions performed a!tions at their own dis!retion whi!h were later ruled to be in!orre!t and subse-uently they were !orre!ted by the Prophet" All of these are e/amples of how stri!tly Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) trained his >ompanions# who were deemed as the 9e/emplary +eneration; Another important attitude of the >ompanions is the way in whi!h they dealt with problems when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was not aailable" They would see the solution to the problem firstly in the Holy *uran# se!ondly# if they !ould not find the solution there# they would turn to the sunnah# thirdly# if they found no answer there either# they would pra!ti!e what they thou+ht was the best a!tion" 5hen they on!e a+ain en!ountered the Prophet# they would state the matter and see his opinionJ they would !orre!t their faults if there were any" There is no instan!e that shows that the Prophet.s !ompanions displayed an attitude that was opposed to the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)" n !on!lusionE •
The importan!e of the status of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a role model is defined in the Holy *uran and in the sunnahJ this !onstitutes one of the foremost pra!ti!es for Muslims"
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There is no disa+reement amon+ Muslims as to the fa!t that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) !onstitutes the best e/ample with his morality# a!tions# words and other features"
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t would not be !orre!t to demote the Prophet.s status as role model to a limited number of fields" This status is related to all fields of life"
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Prophet Muhammad.s (PBUH) status as role model is important not only from the perspe!tie of the indiidual# but also from the so!ial perspe!tie" ts bindin+ features and determination of methods must be !onsidered from these two perspe!ties"
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Prophet Muhammad.s (PBUH) status as role model and the alidity of the sunnah are not limited to his life or to a !ertain time period" The Holy *uran and the notions of the sunnah state this issue !learly# and the fa!t that Muslim !ommunity pra!ti!es his sunnah is proof of this issue"
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Prophet Muhammad.s (PBUH) status as role model and the !ontinuity of his sunnah are the most important !omponents that proide a unifyin+ for!e in the Muslim world"
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t is important to study the lies of the >ompanions in order to understand and !omprehend the status of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a role model"
i! Pro%"#t Mu"&$$&d (PBUH) in t"# E*# o' Non2Mui$ 3rit#r n a boo written by Mi!hael Hart# a >hristian# in whi!h he sele!ted one hundred people he !onsidered to be influential in the history of the world# Muhammad (PBUH) is rated by him as the most influential man that had eer lied" Part of the ar+ument adan!ed by Hart is that Muhammad (PBUH) was responsible for both the theolo+y of slam and its main ethi!al and moral prin!iples" And in addition# he played the ey role in proselytiin+ for the new faith# and in establishin+ the reli+ious pra!ti!es of slam" Also# 'ules Masserman# a United hi!a+o Uniersity# stated the -ualities that the +reatest leader of all times must possess whi!h a!!ordin+ to him are thatE i" ii" iii"
The leader must proide for the well,bein+ of the led" The leader or would be leader must proide a so!ial or+aniation in whi!h people feel relatiely se!ure" The leader must proide his people with one set of beliefs"
5ith these standards# Masserman !on!lude thusE 9Perhaps the +reatest leader of all times was Muhammad (PBUH)# who !ombined all three fun!tions """"; 3eor+e Benard hrist# he must be !alled the
,! So$# Outt&ndin4 +u&iti# o' t"# Ho* Pro%"#t Mu"&$$&d (PBUH) f the aboe are the submissions of non,Muslims on Muhammad (PBUH)# then# it is important that we
95 Advanced Handbook of Islamic Studies enumerate and dis!uss briefly some outstandin+ -ualities that earned him those remarable !omments" (i)
L#&d#r"i%: The leadership offered by the Prophet remains till today a model worthy of emulation" He led by e/ample and was always !ons!ious of the fa!t that leadership is a trust from Allah for whi!h one will be a!!ountable before Allah on the Cay of 'ud+ment" The Prophet e/hibited all the traits of a model leader not only in the sphere of reli+ion" Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was also a perfe!t politi!al and matrimonial leader" The prophet also handed down a prin!iple that a leader should see himself as a serant of the led" The impli!ation of this is that a leader should assume the position of leadership only to sere the people" He should not allow the position he o!!upies to +et into his head and as su!h feels that he is superior to his sube!ts" Rather# he should see himself as their serant and must be ready to sere them at all times"
(i)
Fir$n#: This is another -uality that the Prophet e/emplified" Nou will re!all that ri+ht from the time he started prea!hin+ in Me!!a till !lose to the time he died in Medina# the enemies of slam did not allow him breathin+ spa!e" Nou will remember the referen!e made in unit si/ about how the Me!!ans tried to bribe him with worldly thin+s so that he mi+ht abandon his mission" Rather than su!!umb to them# he r emained firm# resolute and fo!used" He neer looed ba!"
(ii)
Trut6ort"in#: Truthfulness# honesty and trustworthiness are other outstandin+ -ualities of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)" ?en as a !hild# he was truthful" And as a youth in the !ity of Me!!a# he was nown to be trustworthy as a result of whi!h the people always ept their aluables with him" Nou will re!all as mentioned in unit four that this attribute of trustworthiness was the !onsideration for his bein+ ni!named al -Amīn in the !ity of Me!!a" The Prophet neer betrayed the trust reposed in him" He neer broe any tru!e he entered into een with the unbelieers" Nou will also re!all how he and his followers ept reli+iously to the letters of the tru!e they si+ned with the Me!!ans at Hudaybiyyah whereas the Me!!ans# on the other hand# betrayed the treaty"
(iii)
7utic#: Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was a ust ruler and a ust leader" He forbade inusti!e and oppression" n his dealin+s with people# he neer denied any one of his ri+hts" He was always ust" n the eyes of the Prophet# the poor and the ri!h are e-ual" He would not allow the poerty of the poor to preent him from doin+ usti!e while he would also not allow the nobility of the noble to affe!t his ud+ment" To him# the stron+ and the wea are the same when it !omes to obtainin+ usti!e" 6n!e# a woman of repute from the tribe of Mah@m was arrai+ned before the Prophet for theft" The people there present re!o+niin+ her status tried to influen!e him so that she mi+ht be let off" The Prophet refused their plea and remaredE 9Had she been :timah# my dau+hter that stole# would hae !ertainly !ut off her hand;"
()
E8u&it*: The Prophet belieed stron+ly in e-uality of man" He on!e remared that men are e-ual and the same lie the teeth of a !omb" The Prophet e/emplified this in the way and manner he related with his followers amon+ whom were bla!s and slaes" He did not dis!riminate between the Arabs and the bla! or between the free, born and the slae" Nou should note that Bill# the Prophet.s &u’adhin F!aller to prayerG was a freed slae and a bla! man" 6n!e a !ompanion reminded Bill that he was a son of a bla! woman" 5hen the Prophet heard of it# he s!olded the !ompanion sayin+E 9Co you abuse him on the bla!ness of his mother"
(i)
S#'#n#: This is another outstandin+ -uality of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)" The prophet was humble and selfless" He was not self,assumin+" Thou+h he was the prophet and the leader# yet he ate and dined freely with his followers as if they were e-uals" The humility of the Prophet was su!h that those who did not now him before will find it diffi!ult to re!o+nie him when in the midst of his followers" His humility would not allow him to tae unilateral de!isions on matters of +eneral interest" He would always !onsult with his followers before tain+ su!h de!isions" Nou will re!all as mentioned in unit ten that the su++estion to di+ a dit!h round Medina was made by a Persian Muslim durin+ !onsultation and was upheld by the Prophet"
(ii)
To#r&nc#: Thou+h# some 6rientalists in their writin+ try to distort histori!al fa!ts by a!!usin+ the Prophet of reli+ious intoleran!e" The truth is that su!h writers themseles are the ones +uilty of the a!!usation" History bears witness to the hi+h leel of toleran!e demonstrated by the Prophet in his dealin+s with the dhimmī (i"e" non,Muslims under the prote!tion of slam)" He een issued a erdi!t in their respe!t thusE 95hoeer hurts a dhimmī shall be his !omplainant and for whosoeer am a !omplainant# shall as for his ri+ht on the Cay of ud+ment;"
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as Role Model for Individuals 9 The points to be noted here are that non,Muslims are allowed to lie in the slami! state and that they hae ri+hts whi!h must not be trampled upon" Nou will re!all the !lauses in the Medina !harter dis!ussed in unit ten in whi!h the ri+hts of the >hristians liin+ in Medina are stated and well +uaranteed" The aboe are few of the noble !hara!ters of the Prophet (PBUH) whi!h Muslim and non,Muslim leaders and the led are e/pe!ted to emulate" ∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗∗
