Character and Personality of the Holy Prophet(sal lal la ho alai he wasalam)
The life of Holy Prophet(sal lal la ho alai he wasalam) is the best example and model for everyone to follow. He showed us by his example how we should live in this world. The Quran describes him as a blessing for the universe. His wife Hazrat Ayesha said that the character of the Prophet(sal lal la ho alai he wasalam) was the Holy Quran. This means that whatever the Quran likes, the Prophet(sal lal la ho alai he wasalam) liked and whatever it dislikes, the Prophet(sal lal la ho alai he wasalam) disliked too. The Holy Prophet(sal lal la ho alai he wasalam) lived a simple life. Helped the poor, the orphans and the widows. He was kind to the weak and hospitable to strangers, travellers and guests. He was loving towards his friends and merciful towards his enemies. He was sincere and honest.
Honesty and Fair Dealing
In his early life, he worked as a shepherd. When he grew up, he started to trade. He was very honest and fair in his dealings with people. It was due to his honesty and truthfulness that the people gave him the titles ofAl-Sadiq, the Truthful and Al-Amin, the Trustworthy. They would also leave their valuables with him for safe keeping.
Even after the declaration of Prophethood, they continued to leave their valuables with him. This was because they had faith in his honesty and trustworthiness. Hazrat Khadija was a rich businesswoman. When she heard of the honest nature of Prophet Muhammad(sal lal la ho alai he wasalam) she asked him to take her goods to Syria for trade. His trading resulted in large profits for Hazrat Khadija. She was so impressed by his honesty that she proposed marriage to him.
After the first revelation, Hazrat Khadija consoled him. She told him that Allah knew of his truthful nature and he would not let him come to any harm. When Allah asked him to preach Islam openly, he gathered the Quraish near the Mount of Safa and asked them: “0 Quraish, if I say that there is an army behind the mountain ready to attack you, would you believe me?” They all replied: “Yes, because we have never heard you tell a lie.” The Holy Prophet(sal lal la ho alai he wasalam) practiced honesty and truthfulness all his life and preached it to others. He lived his life in purity and virtue which was acknowledged by even his bitterest enemies.
Patience
When the Holy Prophet(sal lal la ho alai he wasalam) started to preach Islam, he had to suffer torture and persecution at the hands of the Quraish. They taunted and mocked at him, beat him and abused him. They even tried to kill him. Once, when he was praying in the Ka’abah, someone rolled his sheet around his neck and tried to strangle him.
Another time, when he was in prostration during prayers, someone placed filth on his back. The unbelievers called him a mad man, a poet and a magician. They also wrote poems to make fun of him. The Holy Prophet(sal lal la ho alai he wasalam) bore all this with patience and never asked Allah to punish them. When he went to Taif to preach Islam, the people not only abused and insulted him but threw stones at him. He was wounded so badly that his shoes were filled with blood. Even at that time, he was very patient. He did not curse them but prayed to Allah to show them the right path.