5. Would you like to meet him outside the institution? (cont.)

Hence, the more one cares for others, the greater their love and respect will be for him. The best of the creation would consider these factors in people. He would make everyone feel that their problem was in fact his own problem, and that their worry was indeed his own. Once, when the Prophet stood on his pulpit to address the people, a man entered the mosque. He looked at the Messenger of Allah and said: "O Messenger of Allah!", and then began to ask him about his religion, for he knew little about it. The Prophet turned to him and noticed that he was a Bedouin who might not have been able to wait for the sermon to finish in order to obtain an answer. He feared that the man may have even left the mosque and never returned. The issue was of utmost importance to the man, to such an extent that he had interrupted the sermon in order to ask him about religious rulings! The Prophet was thinking from the perspective of others and not his own. Thus, he () descended from his noble pulpit and called for a chair to be brought. He () sat in front of the man and began teaching and explaining religious rulings to him until he understood. He then stood up and returned to his pulpit to finish his sermon. How great he was! How persevering he was! Since he also cultivated the Companions in his school, they would also show concern for others, be welcoming towards them, and share with them in their moments of happiness and grief. An example of this is how Talhah dealt with Ka'b – may Al24 Be concerned about others lah be pleased with them both. Ka'b bin Malik – may Allah be pleased with him – was an old man. Let us sit with him after he has grown old, his bones have weakened, and he has become blind, as he relates to us the memories of his youth, when he lagged behind in the expedition of Tabuk, the last expedition the Prophet participated in... The Prophet called the people to set off for Tabuk and prepare for an expedition. He collected people's contributions to prepare an army, until the number of combatants reached 30,000 - this was in a season when the shade was pleasant and the fruits had ripened, yet the desert heat was severe. The journey was long and the enemy was mighty and haughty. The Muslims were great in number but some of their names were not listed in the register. Ka'b said, "I was the wealthiest I had ever been at the time. I had managed to accumulate two rides, and I found myself the strongest that I had ever been. At that time, I inclined towards the shade and the sweetness of fruits, and remained so until the Messenger of Allah set off to leave. So I said to myself: 'I will go tomorrow to the marketplace, buy something in preparation for the expedition, and join them later.' I then went to the marketplace the next day, but some things came up and so I returned. Thus I said: 'I will return tomorrow – Allah willing, buy something and then join them', but then again, some thing delayed me. I then said: 'I will return again tomorrow – Allah willing'… This kept happening until days went by and I was left behind by the Messenger of Allah – may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him. I then began strolling the mar24 Be concerned about others ketplaces and walking around the city, only to find people who were either drowning in hypocrisy, or those whom Allah had excused from marching forth.' Yes, Ka'b was left behind in Madinah. As for the Messenger of Allah , he along with his 30,000 companions marched forth until they reached Tabuk; he looked at the faces of his Companions to find that he was missing a righteous person from amongst those who had witnessed the Pledge of 'Aqabah. He therefore asked, "What happened to Ka'b bin Malik?" A man replied: "O Allah's Messenger! He has been prevented by his two Burdas (cloaks) and his looking at his own flanks with pride." To this Mu'adh bin Jabal replied: "How evil is what you have said! By Allah, O Messenger of Allah! I have not known except good from him." The Messenger of Allah remained silent. Ka'b continued: "When the Prophet finished with the expedition of Tabuk and made his way back to Madinah, I began to think; 'How do I save myself from his displeasure?' I would seek advice from whoever had to offer me advice from my family, until the Prophet finally arrived in Madinah, and I realised that I would not be saved except by being honest." The Prophet then reached Madinah and directly entered the mosque, wherein he prayed two units of prayer, and then sat with the people.