THE Prophet (peace be upon him) did not ever offend others. He retaliated to an offense or an error by overlooking it and with forgiveness. He did not allow others to walk behind him. He did not deem himself superior to others, not even to his slaves as far as food or clothes were concerned. Whoever served him would be served by him too. ‘Ugh' – the sound of expressing disgust was never used by him toward any of his servants; nor did he ever reproach his servants for something or leaving something undone. Showing love and kindness to the poor and the needy and entertaining them or participating in their funerals were the acts the Prophet (peace be upon him) always observed. He never slighted a poor man for his poverty. Once he was travelling with his Companions and when it was time to have food prepared, he asked them to slaughter a sheep. A man said: “I will slaughter it,” another said: “I will skin it out,” a third one said: “I will cook it.” So, Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “I will collect firewood,” They said: “No, we will do that.” “I know that you can do it for me, but I hate to be privileged. Allah hates to see a servant of His considering himself to be privileged than others.” So, he went out and collected firewood. Hind Bint Abi Halah (may Allah be pleased with her) described him: “Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) was always contemplative, thinking. He took no rest (i.e., for long). He only spoke when it was necessary. He would remain silent for a long time and whenever he spoke, he would talk opening his full mouth and clear words, he never suppressed the words by speaking out of the corners of his mouth. His speech was comprehensive. He spoke inclusively and decisively. It was not excessive nor was it short of meaning. It was friendly. It was in no way insulting. He glorified the bounty of Allah: even if it were insignificant. If he had no liking for some food, he would neither praise nor criticize it. He was always in full control of his temper and never seemed angry unless the situation warranted. He never got angry for himself nor did he take revenge for himself. It was for the sanctity of Allah's laws and religion that he would be angry. Whenever he pointed at a thing, he would do so with his hand, and he would turn it round to show surprise. If he were angry he would turn both his body and face aside. When he was pleased, he would cast his gaze down. His laughter consisted mostly of smile. It was then that his teeth shone like hailstones. He never spoke unless it was something closely relevant to him. Those who were honorable among their people, were honored and respected by him and were assigned rulers over their own people. His cheerfulness was never averted from anyone's face; even from those whom he warned his people against or those to whom he himself was on guard. He visited friends and inquired about people's affairs. He confirmed what was right, and criticized the unpleasant, and tried to undo it. He observed moderation in all matters. He was equal to others and was not privileged. He would never act carelessly, lest others should feel neglected. Each situation was dealt with the attention it deserved. To observe righteousness was his objective; he was never short of it or indifferent to it. People who sat next to him were the best of their people and the best of them all were – for him – those who were most caring. Remembrance of Allah was important to him and did so whenever he sat down or stood up. No fixed place was reserved for him to sit. He would sit at the end of the group, next to the last person. He ordered people to do the same. He entertained people in social gatherings in the same manner so that the one addressed would think that there was no other person honored by the Prophet (peace be upon him) than himself. Whoever sat next to him or interrupted him in order to ask for his advice about an affair of his, would be the first to start the talk and the one to end it. The Prophet (peace be upon him) would listen to him patiently until he ended his speech. He never denied a request to anyone, if he was unable to comply, then a few gratifying words would work instead. His generosity of spirit, broad-mindedness, and tolerance could embrace all people and endeared him to be regarded as a father to them all. In administrating justice, all of them were almost equal. Nobody was better than another except on the basis of piety. A favored person, to him, was the one who feared Allah most. His assembly was a meeting of kindness, modesty, patience and honesty, voices were not raised there nor people heard cries and noises, things held inviolable were never considered to be violable there. Fearing Allah and unflinching obedience to Him were their means to win sympathy and compassion. They used to honor the old and show mercy to the young. Kharijah Bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) was the most honored among the people with whom he sat. His limbs could hardly be seen. He was often silent and rarely talked when speech was not a necessity. He turned away from those whose speech was rude or impolite. His laughter was no more than a smile. His speech, which was decisive, was neither excessive nor incomplete. Out of reverence and esteem and following the example of their Prophet (peace be upon him) the Companions' laughter in his presence would also be a smile as well.” On the whole the Prophet (peace be upon him) was gifted with peerless attributes of perfection. Indeed, he was brought up, educated and taught by Allah. He was even praised by Allah: “And verily, you (O Muhammad, peace be upon him) are on an exalted standard of character.” [68:4] Those were some of the attributes and qualities that the Prophet (peace be upon him) enjoyed which made the hearts and souls of the people close to him, draw near to him and love him. Those traits made him so popular that the aversion and enmity of his people abated and vanished altogether and they started to embrace Islam in large numbers. Concluded n Taken from the writer's The Sealed Nectar __
