Sunday 1 January 2012

The Humanness of the Messenger of Allah

The life-pattern of the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) is a perfect example for every human being. When he was in private he would worship his Lord with such intense devotion, standing for long hours in salat, that his feet would become swollen; in matters pertaining to truth or justice he did not care about anyone's opinion, seeking only the pleasure of Allah. But in his living habits and dealings with people he was a human being, enjoying good things, participating in small talk, smiling and joking, yet never departing from the truth. The Prophet (peace be on him) liked happiness and disliked grief; he sought refuge with Allah from difficulties and troubles which result in sorrow, supplicating, "O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from distress and grief (Reported by Abu Daoud.) Concerning his sense of humor, it is reported that once an old woman came to him, saying, "O Messenger of Allah, pray to Allah that He admit me to the Garden." The Prophet (peace be on him) said, "O mother of such a person, no old woman will enter the Garden." The woman broke down and wept, supposing that she would not enter Paradise. The Prophet (peace be on him) then explained to her that no old woman would enter the Garden as an old woman, for Allah would restore her youth and admit her to the Garden as a young virgin. He then recited to her the verse, We created them as a (new) creation, and made them virgins, lovers, friends. (56: 35-37)(Reported by 'Abd bin Humaid and al-Tirmidhi.)

The Prophet (peace be on him) once wrestled with a man called Rukanah who was well known for his strength, throwing him down more than once. (Reported by Abu Daoud.) In another report of this incident, the Prophet (peace be on him) started wrestling with him. As the fight was hard, Rukanah said, "A sheep for a sheep." (This must have occurred before the prohibition of gambling, or perhaps the Prophet (peace be on him) did not accept the bet and hence did not enforce its terms.) The Prophet (peace be on him) then threw him. The man said, "The same again." The Prophet (peace be on him) threw him again, and the man said, "The same again." The Prophet (peace be on him) threw him a third time. The man then said, "What shall I tell my wife? One sheep was eaten by the wolf, one ran away, but what about the third" Then the Prophet(peace be on him) said,

"We are not going to defeat you and take something from you as well. Take your sheep!"

Taken from Shaykh yusuf al qaradawi 's Al-Halal wal-Haram fil Islam

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