Muhammad the Prophet of Mercy


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  • Muhammad the Prophet of Mercy



  • Bestowed
    Mercy

    It was with mercy and compassion that
    the Messenger of Allah r
    was sent, and it was with mercy and compassion that he r
    treated his opponents and companions alike.

    It was said to him, “O Messenger of Allah, supplicate
    against the Mushrikin
    1.”
    He r replied, “I am not
    sent as a curser. I am sent as a mercy
    .”2 He r
    used to call people, saying, “O people, truly, I am a bestowed mercy.”3

    Tufail bin ‘Amr Ad-Dawsi t and his companions came
    to the Prophet r
    and said, “O Messenger of Allah, the tribe of Daws has disobeyed and refused.
    Supplicate Allah against it
    .” This made people say, “Daws is ruined.”
    But he r
    said, “O Allah, guide the people of Daws and bring them (i.e. bring their
    hearts to Islam).
    4

    On the Day of Uhud when his people fought him and wounded his
    face, he r
    could still be heard saying while wiping blood off his face, “O Allah,
    forgive my people, for they know not
    .”5

    The Quraish continuously slandered the Prophet r,
    even distorting his name. Instead of calling him “Muhammad,” literally
    the praised one, they called him by its antithesis, “Mudhammam” – the
    dispraised. His sole reaction was to say to his Companions, “Do you not
    wonder at how Allah averts from me the abuse and cursing of Quraish? They abuse
    (someone called) Mudhammam and curse Mudhammam, while I am Muhammad
    .”6

    The Prophet r always met the harm and
    ignorance of his people with gracious patience. He r
    never repaid evil with evil; rather, he r used to pardon and
    forgive.

    Children Who Worship Allah Alone

    The Prophet r
    decided to walk with his Call out of Makkah to At-Ta’if, about sixty miles away
    from Makkah. He r
    traveled afoot, back and forth, hoping that the people of this town would be
    receptive to his Message, which had been rejected by most of the Makkans for
    more than a decade.

    Regretfully, the people of At-Ta’if proved just as cruel and
    intolerant as his own people. Not only did they scorn his Message of God’s
    Oneness and order him to leave their town, but also stirred up their knaves and
    slaves against him. They chased him while he was departing, cursing and yelling
    at him until all the people of At-Ta’if crowded about him in two rows, hurling
    stones and insults at him, pelting his heels so harshly that his shoes were
    dyed with blood.

    They kept chasing him until they drove him to an orchard, three
    miles away from At-Ta’if. Only when he r sought refuge in it did
    they turn away from him. There he r sat under the shade of
    a grapevine, leaning himself against a wall. When he r
    was calm, he r
    lifted his noble hands towards heaven and supplicated, but not against his
    people and their cruelty; rather, he r complained to Allah of
    his own weakness and helplessness, saying:

    O Allah, to You
    do I complain of my weakness, my helplessness, and disregard of people towards
    me. O Most Merciful of the merciful, You are the Lord of the oppressed, and You
    are my Lord. To whom do You entrust me? Is it to a stranger who would frown on
    me? Or is it to an enemy to whom You have given mastery over me?

    If You are not
    angry with me, then I do not care. But Your Protection is the more
    all-embracing for me.

    I seek refuge in
    the Light of Your Face whereby all darkness has shone and the affairs of
    worldly life and the hereafter have been set right, lest You should send down
    upon me Your Anger or Your Wrath should befall me. Yours Alone is the right to
    blame until You are Content, and there is neither power nor might except with
    You.
    7

    The Messenger of Allah r then came out of the orchard
    and set out on the way back to Makkah, sad and unconscious of anything around
    him. Suddenly he r
    realized that he r
    was in Qarn Ath-Tha‘alib.

    The Prophet r said, “There, I
    lifted my head and behold! A cloud was casting its shade on me. I looked and
    behold! In it was Jibril
    (Gabriel u8).
    He called me saying, ‘Allah has heard your people’s words to you and the answer
    they gave you. He has sent to you the Angel (in charge) of the Mountains so
    that you may order him whatever you wish with regard to them.’ The Angel of the
    Mountains called me, greeted me, and then said, ‘O Muhammad! That (i.e.
    referring to Jibril
    s statement). What
    you want. I will, if you want, cause Al-Akhshabain (two mountains in Makkah) to
    fall down on them
    .’”

    The
    Prophet of Mercy
    r said, “No. I hope that Allah brings
    forth from their loins those (children) who will worship Allah Alone and
    associate nothing with Him
    .”
    9


    1 Plural of Mushrik: One who associates others with Allah in His Divinity or worship.

    2 Narrated by Abu Hurairah: Sahih Muslim, Book of Al-Birr Waslah Waladab, Hadith no. 4704.

    3 Narrated by Dhakwan: Sunnan
    Ad-Darimy, Book of Al-Muqadimah (Beginning), Hadith no. 15.

    4 Narrated by
    Abu Hurairah: Sahih Al-Bukhary, Book of Al-Jihad wa As-Siyar (Striving
    and Marching Onwards), Hadith no. 2720; similar versions of the Hadith are also
    reported by Al-Bukhary (4041, 5918), Muslim (4586), and Ahmad (7014, 9408,
    10122).

    5 Narrated by
    ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ud: Sahih Al-Bukhary, Book of Ahadith Al-Anbiya’
    (Narratives of the Prophets), Hadith no. 3218; similar versions of the Hadith
    are also reported by Al-Bukhary (6417), Muslim (3347), Ibn Majah (4015), and
    Ahmad (3429, 3851, 3898, 3986, 4103, 4136).

    6 Narrated by Abu Hurairah: Sahih Al-Bukhary, Book of Al-Manaqib,
    Hadith no. 3269; similar versions of the Hadith are also reported by An-Nasa’y
    (3384) and Ahmad (7029, 8469).

    7 Details of the journey to
    At-Ta’if: Safi-ur-Rahman Mubarakpuri, Ar-Rahiq
    Al-Makhtum
    , Third Phase (Calling unto
    Islam outside Makkah): The
    Messenger
    r in At-Ta’if;
    Ibn Hisham, As-Sirah An-Nabawiyyah,
    The Prophet
    r Seeking the Support of Thakif – The Prophet r Pouring Forth His Complaint to His Lord, vol. 2.

    8 Peace be upon him.

    9 Narrated by Lady
    ‘Aishah: Sahih Al-Bukhary, Book of Bid’ Al-Khalq (Beginning of
    Creation), Hadith no. 2992; a similar version of the Hadith is also reported by
    Muslim (3352).

     

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