Part 8

'Aa'ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, said, "The family of Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, never ate to their fill the bread of barley for two successive days until he died." [Muslim] In another narration, she said, "Never did the family of Muhammad, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, eat to their fill of the bread of wheat for three successive nights since their arrival to Madeenah until his death." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

Sometimes, the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, did not find anything to eat and so he would go to bed hungry. Ibn Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, "The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and his family used to suffer hunger for several nights consecutively, and they could not find (food for their) supper, and their bread was mostly of barley." [At-Tirmithi] The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, did not live in such difficult circumstances out of scarcity and shortage since money overflowed between his hands and camels came to him loaded with provisions. The reason, however, was that Allaah The Almighty chose for His Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, the most perfect and upright state. 'Uqbah ibn Al-Haarith, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, "One day after the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, led us in 'Asr Prayer. He rushed into his house and soon returned. I or someone asked him about that, and he replied: 'I have left pieces of gold belonging to charity in my house, and I disliked keeping them [in my house] this night so I distributed them.'" [Al-Bukhaari]

Amazing and unmatched giving was the chief characteristic of the Prophet of this Ummah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. Anas, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, "Never was the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, asked anything for (embracing) Islam and he did not give it. A man came to the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and he gave the former a large herd of sheep that filled the area between two mountains. When the man

English.islamweb.net/emainpage Page 53 Muhammad gives away so much as if has no fear of poverty.'' [Muslim]

Despite his inimitable generosity, let us reflect on the conditions of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. Anas, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, "The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, neither ate at a table nor ate thin nicely baked bread throughout his life." [Al-Bukhaari]

'Aa'ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, mentioned that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, sometimes used to come to her and ask: "Do you have food?" When she had replied in the negative, he said: "(Then) I will fast." It was authentically narrated that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and his family used to live only on dates and water for one or two months. [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

Despite this scarcity and shortage of food, the noble conduct and Islamic character of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, obliged him to be grateful for the blessing of food that Allaah The Almighty gave him as well as thanking the person who prepared it and not to scold him if he made a mistake, believing that this person merely tried his best [in preparing the food] but did not succeed. Therefore, the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, never criticized food, or reproached a cook, or rejected the available food or requested something that was not available. Filling the stomach with particular types of food was never the concern of the Prophet of Islam, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, never criticized any food. If he desired it, he would eat it; and if he disliked it, he would leave it." [AlBukhaari and Muslim]

I invite the respected readers who are busy with different varieties of food and drink to listen to what Shaykh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have

English.islamweb.net/emainpage Page 54 As for food and clothes, the best guidance is the guidance of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam. His manner in eating was that he would eat the available food if he liked it. In addition to that, he did not reject the available food or endeavor to bring unavailable ones. In other words, when bread and meat, or fruit with bread and meat, or only dates or only bread were brought to him, he would eat. When two types of food were brought to him, he would not say that he did not eat two types of food at the same time. Also, he would not abstain from a particular kind of food due to its good taste or sweetness. The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said: "Surely, I observe fasting and break it; perform prayer and sleep at night; have wives and eat meat. So whoever turns away from my Ummah does not belong to me."

Allaah The Almighty ordered us to eat good lawful food and thank Him. Thus, whoever prohibits good lawful food is violating the limits of the Sharee'ah, and whoever does not thank Allaah The Almighty is neglecting His Rights. The methodology of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, is the best and most moderate way, and deviation from it takes two forms: • People spend extravagantly and eat whatever they desire along with neglecting the [Sharee'ah] obligations • People prohibit the good lawful food and innovate monasticism that Allaah The Almighty never ordained, even though there is no monasticism in Islam. He added: Every lawful food is good and good food is lawful because Allaah The Almighty made good food lawful for us and prohibited evil ones for us. So, the goodness of the food lies in the fact that the food is nutritious and delicious. Allaah The Almighty forbade everything that harms us and permitted everything that benefits us. He also added:

English.islamweb.net/emainpage Page 55 hunger and satisfaction, so does the state of the individual. Yet, the best deed is the one which is most obedient to Allaah The Almighty and the most useful to the one who does it.

Defending People's Honor Assemblies of knowledge and Thikr are the best assemblies, so what do you think of assemblies that are moderated by the teacher of mankind with his speeches, teachings and instructions? The purity of the assemblies of the Prophet sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam and his inner self helped him correct those who made mistakes, taught the ignorant, alerted the heedless and rejected everything except goodness. He attentively gave ear to the speaker; yet, he did not tolerate backbiting, tale-bearing or calumny. Thus, he defended others' honor in their absence.

It was narrated on the authority of 'Itbaan ibn Maalik, may Allaah be pleased with him, that when the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, stood up to perform prayer, he asked: "Where is Maalik ibn Ad-Dukhshum?" One of them replied, "He is a hypocrite and does not love Allaah and His Messenger." Hearing that, the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said: "Do not say so. Have you not seen that he said, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allaah' seeking therewith the pleasure of Allaah only?" Allaah has forbidden Hell for those who say, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allaah' seeking therewith the pleasure of Allaah only." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, warned against false testimonies and violating people's rights. It was narrated on the authority of Abu Bakr, may Allaah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said: "Shall I inform you of the gravest sins?" They said, "What are

English.islamweb.net/emainpage Page 56 with Allaah and undutifulness to one's parents." He sat up from his reclining position and added: "I warn you against making a false statement and giving a false testimony." The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, kept repeating it until we wished he would have been silent (out of sympathy for him). [AlBukhaari and Muslim]

Despite his great love for the Mother of the Believers 'Aa'ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, criticized her for backbiting and showed her how grave it was. 'Aa'ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, said to the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, "It is enough for you that Safiyyah has such-and-such fault." (some narrators said that she means Safiyyah, may Allaah be pleased with her, was short). Upon that, the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said: "You have said a [serious] word that if it is mixed with the water of a sea it would change its color." [Abu Daawood]

The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, gave glad tidings to the Muslim who defends the honor of his fellow Muslims in their absence. He said: "Whoever defends the honor of his brother in his absence, Allaah will surely save him from Hell." [Ahmad]

Frequent Remembrance of Allaah The Almighty The first educator, the Prophet of Islam, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, paid great attention to worship and the heart's connection with Allaah The Almighty. He would not waste a moment without remembering Allaah The Almighty, praising Him, thanking Him, asking His forgiveness and repenting to Him. Although Allaah The Almighty had forgiven him his past and future sins, he was a grateful slave of Allaah The Almighty and a thankful Prophet, who would constantly praise Allaah The Almighty. He gave his Lord His due estimation, so he praised, supplicated and turned to Him. He knew the value of

English.islamweb.net/emainpage Page 57 and obedience to Allaah The Almighty. Aa'ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, said, "The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, used to remember Allaah The Almighty in all his states." [Muslim]

Ibn Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, "We used to count for the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, his saying: 'O Allaah, forgive me and accept my repentance. Surely, You are Accepting of Repentance and The Merciful,' a hundred times in one session." [Abu Daawood]

It was narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, that he heard the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, say: "I ask Allaah for Forgiveness and repent to Him more than seventy times a day." [Al-Bukhaari]

Ibn 'Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, said, "We used to count for the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, his saying: 'O Allaah, Forgive me and Accept my repentance. Surely, You are The Accepting of Repentance and The Merciful,' a hundred times in one session." [At-Tirmithi]

Talking about the supplication that Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, would say very often in her house, Umm Salamah, may Allaah be pleased with her, said: "O Allaah! Controller of the hearts! Make my heart steadfast upon Your religion." [At-Tirmithi]

Neighbors How honorable the neighborhood of the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, was! A neighbor had a great status in the sight of the

English.islamweb.net/emainpage Page 58 sallam, said: "Jibreel (Gabriel, may Allaah exalt his mention) continued enjoining me to treat my neighbor kindly and politely so much that I thought he would order me to make them as my heirs." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, enjoined Abu Tharr, may Allaah be pleased with him, saying: "O Abu Tharr, when you prepare broth, add water to it and give of it (as a present) to your neighbors." [Muslim]

The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, warned against harming neighbors, saying: "He will not enter Paradise whose neighbor is not secure from his wrongful conduct and evildoing." [Muslim]

What a pleasant neighbor is the one of whom the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said: "Whoever truly believes in Allaah and the Last Day should treat his neighbors kindly." [Muslim]

Good Companionship 'Aa'ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, said, "When the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, came to know that someone had done something (wrong), he would not say: "Why does so and so say (such and such) (i.e. address him by his name and expose him before people)?"; Rather, he would say: 'Why do some people do so and so…'" [At-Tirmithi]