Proofs for the Prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ (PDF)

Proofs for the Prophethood of M U H A MM AD Mohammad Elshinawy The Final Prophet Proofs for the Prophethood of Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ Mohammad Elshinawy Published by Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research 7750 N. MacArthur Blvd Suite 120237, Irving, TX 75063 E-mail: [email protected] Website: https://yaqeeninstitute.org/ Copyright © Yaqeen Institute 2022/1443 h. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be re- produced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Written by Mohammad Elshinawy Creative direction by Nida Khan Cover design by Rola El Ayoubi Illustrations by Rola El Ayoubi & Hafiizh Hamid Edited by Justin Parrott Reviewed by Sh. Ismail Kamdar, et al. Contents Foreword.................................................... 1 Preface...................................................... 3 Quenching a Parched World.................................. 3 The Proof Within Us......................................... 5 The Multitude of Proofs...................................... 8 Chapter 1: Humanity’s Need for Prophethood..................... 11 1. The Spiritual Necessity of Prophethood...................... 11 2. The Moral Necessity of Prophethood........................ 14 3. The Historical Necessity of Prophethood..................... 17 4. The Biblical Necessity of Prophethood....................... 19 i. A Gentile Prophet Like Moses............................... 20 ii. John the Baptist and the Awaited Prophet..................... 21 iii. God’s Servant Where Kedar Lives........................... 22 iv. Jesus and the Comforter.................................. 23 v. Zamzam and the Flourishing City........................... 25 Chapter 2: The Prophet’s Character............................. 28 1. His Honesty and Integrity................................. 30 2. His Simplicity and Humility................................ 34 3. His Mercy and Compassion................................ 39 4. His Clemency and Forgiveness............................. 42 5. His Bravery and Valor..................................... 47 6. His Generosity........................................... 48 7. His Perseverance and Trust in God.......................... 50 Chapter 3: The Prophet’s Accomplishments...................... 58 1. A Love Larger than Life................................... 62 2. History’s Greatest Success Story............................ 67 3. Restoring the Unity of God................................. 71 4. Revolutionizing Human Rights............................. 73 5. Molding a Model Generation............................... 77 Chapter 4: The Prophet’s Message............................... 85 1. Pure Monotheism........................................ 87 2. Faith in Destiny.......................................... 90 3. The Ṣalāh (Ritual Prayer).................................. 94 4. Ṣiyām (Devotional Fasting)................................. 98 5. Prohibiting Extramarital Relations......................... 100 6. Prohibiting Interest-Based Lending........................ 102 7. Prohibiting Alcohol Consumption.......................... 104 8. Healthy Eating and Personal Hygiene....................... 108 9. Science and Medicine.................................... 113 Chapter 5: The Prophet’s Prophecies........................... 118 1. The Byzantines will Rebound.............................. 119 2. The Abode of Abū Lahab................................. 120 3. The Globalization of Islam................................ 121 4. Undeterred by Time or Distance........................... 122 5. Six in Sequence......................................... 124 6. Counting the Conquests.................................. 125 7. Security will Prevail..................................... 127 8. The Last Emperors...................................... 128 9. A Whisper in His Daughter’s Ear........................... 128 10. The Longest Arm....................................... 129 11. The Martyrdom of ‘Umar and ‘Uthmān..................... 130 12. Inevitable Infighting.................................... 131 13. Tensions Among the Prophet’s Household.................. 132 14. The Fate of ‘Ammār..................................... 133 15. ‘Alī Suppressing the Khārijites............................ 134 16. Repairing the Rift...................................... 135 17. Cycling Back to Virtue is Promised........................ 136 18. Asmā’ Sends A Tyrant Home............................. 136 19. Umm Ḥarām’s Date with Destiny.......................... 137 20. Preempting the Questioner.............................. 138 21. An Unforgettable Sermon................................ 139 22. The Emergence of Selective Textualism.................... 139 23. A Horrific Wildfire..................................... 140 24. Prosperity and Hedonism Before the End Times............. 140 25. Competing in Materialism............................... 141 26. The Unavoidability of Ribā (Interest)....................... 142 27. An Increase in Brutality and Killing....................... 143 28. The Plunge into Immorality.............................. 145 29. Muslims Becoming Easy Prey............................ 147 30. The Immortality of His Nation............................ 148 31. Never Thought You Would Speak.......................... 150 Chapter 6: The Prophet’s Physical Miracles...................... 152 1. The Possibility of Miracles................................ 155 2. The Demonstrability of Miracles........................... 159 3. Specific Miracles of the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬........................... 162 i. The Moon Splitting...................................... 163 ii. The Night Journey...................................... 166 iii. The Tree Weeping...................................... 169 iv. The Stones Speaking.................................... 170 v. Increasing the Water Supply............................... 172 vi. Increasing the Food Supply............................... 173 vii. Answered Prayers..................................... 176 Chapter 7: The Inimitable Qur’an.............................. 182 1. A Literary Masterpiece................................... 183 i. Muhammad or Shakespeare?.............................. 186 2. Knowledge of the Inaccessible Past......................... 191 i. Pharaoh’s Body Will Survive............................... 191 ii. The Heavens Did Not Grieve for Pharaoh..................... 193 iii. Joseph’s King Wasn’t a Pharaoh........................... 193 iv. Was Muhammad Spoon-Fed Biblical History?................ 195 3. Preserved as Promised................................... 197 4. An Extraordinary Potency................................ 200 5. Echoes of a Prophet ‫ﷺ‬...................................... 206 A Parting Word on the Journey of Faith......................... 211 Bibliography............................................... 215 English Sources........................................... 215 Arabic Sources........................................... 223 About the Author............................................ 229 About Yaqeen Institute....................................... 230 Foreword All praise be to Allah. Noticing firsthand the passion Shaykh Mohammad Elshinawy had for the subject of this book, I knew its intellectual vigor would be mixed with the author’s passion to produce a masterpiece. There is no subject I can think of that needs our attention and dedication more than the proofs of prophethood. In an age of uncertainty, skepticism, and cynicism, there is nothing more important than helping people build certainty in a most salient truth: the prophethood of Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon him). It is that certainty that will open wide for them the gates to inner peace and happiness in this life and the one to come. The book covers a wide array of proofs from the historical necessity of the Prophet’s dispatchment to the greatest of his miracles—the inimitable Qur’an—without neglecting his char- acter, accomplishments, message, prophecies, and physical miracles. It has the necessary academic integrity without its emotional austerity. It is detailed, yet not superfluous. Whether you place more importance on the evidentialist or naturalist approach to faith in God, the proofs of prophethood should be an integral part of faith in Islam. A probabilistic approach using inductive reasoning does not preclude the at- 1 The Final Prophet tainment of certainty through it. If the arguments are strong and plentiful, then certainty can still be achieved. It can then be further grounded by spiritual experience and enlightenment. In addition to the importance of the subject, I also find great pleasure in writing a foreword for this book because of its author of whom I have great expectations, and I hope that Allah will use him in serving the cause of Islam in this land and around the globe. May God’s blessings and peace be on the one He sent as a mercy for all creatures, the seal of prophets and greatest of messengers, Muhammad. Hatem al-Haj1, MD, PhD Dean of Mishkah University Resident Fatwa Committee, AMJA 1 It was originally a presentation delivered by Dr. Hatem al-Haj in Edison, New Jersey (USA), that inspired this book. Four years of gathering and writing later, this journey culminated with the meticulous, perfectionist critique of a world class historiographer who insisted upon anonymity and improved it beyond measure. My debt to these two scholars can never be repaid, while also acknowledging the gracious contributions of my other colleagues from Yaqeen Institute and elsewhere. 2 Preface Quenching a Parched World It was too beautiful a day to go inside our building just yet, so my mother and I sat together on the brick ledge surrounding our neighbor’s blooming garden. We lived in Borough Park, Brooklyn (New York City), where over 90% of the neighborhood is comprised of Hasidic Jews, who seemed as committed to their Judaism as we were to our Islam. That must have con- tributed to the concerns that crowded my thoughts back then, along with the popular sentiment I encountered everywhere that offered another take on religion: that it is irrelevant. It has been over twenty years since that moment, but I have yet to forget my sense of anxiousness as I sat there, gathering the courage to confront my mother with the audacious question. But my thirst for an answer, and my confidence in the ocean of affection that sat beside me, catapulted the words from my mouth: “Mama, how do we know Islam is right?” She smiled and locked eyes with me. I proceeded to say, “Think about it. Every parent tells their child, ‘This is the true religion,’ so what makes us so sure that we are the ones who are actually right?” What she said next was something along the lines of “just have faith.” It was the very thing I was afraid to hear, especially as an inquisitive thirteen-year-old in the 3 The Final Prophet postmodern world, let alone a Muslim in New York City who would soon experience Islamophobic sentiments being ramped up by the 9/11 attacks that would occur a few short miles away. But in hindsight, it was exactly what I needed to embark on my own faith journey and endure that coming wave of animosity toward Islam and Muslims. Ultimately, it generated this very book you hold, a resource I wish was available when I first explored the world’s major religions, assuming they were all without exception taken on blind faith, irreconcilable with a critically thinking mind, and subsequently unworthy of being held onto when socially inconvenient. I pray this addition to the English library can mitigate the wildfires that are ablaze in many of our hearts and homes today. May it heal some of modernity’s wounds with the coolness of conviction, and quench some of the uncertainty that leaves our lives parched for security, fulfillment, and balanced direction. God knows that for a myriad of reasons, authorship is uncom- fortable territory for me, but how can a person sit idle when the virtuous hallmarks of humanity are increasingly trampled beneath the feet of nonreligion, and when the cravings of our caged spirits continue to scorch us at every turn? I pray this book offers some assistance to those who struggle with their own faith or that of their loved ones, those of whom I meet almost daily in my community work or online, and the many more I hear about and cannot reach individually. It is in this vein that I felt called to brave the unfamiliar seas of authorship, and I ask Allah to forgive where I may have erred en route. This book seeks to highlight humanity’s undying need for prophethood, and the many compelling justifications for the 4 Preface prophethood of Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬2 in particular. By doing so, it subsequently aims to offer a coherent proposition on the true purpose of life that leads to an impregnable inner peace which is only possible through beholding the sunrise of certitude firsthand. Independent works written on the topic of dalā’il al-nubu- wwah (the proofs of prophethood) have always been part of the Muslim intellectual tradition, from as early as the eighth or ninth century. That this literature has been a mainstay of Islamic scholarship is a powerful testament to its commitment to rigorously establishing the bases of its truth claims. Abū Manṣūr al-Baghdādī (d. 1037) reports that Imam al-Shāfi‘ī (d. 820) was the first to compile a book on the proofs establishing the prophethood of Muhammad, as the Brahmins had rejected the possibility of prophecy or divine revelation.3 There are over ninety works from this canon whose titles are known until today, the most famous of them being Dalā’il al-Nubuwwah by Imam al-Bayhaqī (d. 1066). The aim of these authors was to increase the believers in their conviction, dispel doubts re- garding Muhammad’s ‫ ﷺ‬authenticity, and consolidate these evidences in a readily accessible location for anyone inquiring about the truth of his prophethood. The Proof Within Us The primary proof of prophethood is God Himself, for it is He who guides us to intuitively seek Him out, and subsequently 2 A customary honorific which says ṣallAllāhu ‘alayi wa sallam in Arabic calligra- phy, which translates as: may God further honor him and grant him peace. 3 Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī, Manāqib al-Imām al-Shāfiʻī, al-Kitāb al-Musammá Irshād al-Ṭālibīn ilá al-Manhaj al-Qawīm (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʻIlmīyah, 2015), 85. 5 The Final Prophet investigate the claimants to prophethood for an opportunity to better connect with Him. All people are instinctually driven to believe in the existence of God and have an innate impulse to discover this higher power which they sense so strongly. While not every human civilization was driven to develop craftsman- ship or formal education, each one committed itself to some form of religious practice. People have done this throughout recorded history, and thus anthropologists have yet to find an indigenous society of atheists, and some scientists today ar- gue that belief in God or a higher power is hardwired into our genes.4 Even communists who disavowed religion still deified Lenin by putting his statue everywhere and reciting his works as if they were scripture. Similarly, modern atheists exhibit a consistent pattern of quasi-religious behavior and are often found seeking alternate forms of spirituality. For instance, only about one million US adults identify as pagan or Wiccan, yet a staggering 60% of Americans ascribe to at least one “New Age” belief such as belief in astrology and/or psychics, or the belief that objects like crystals contain spiritual energy.5 Ultimately, this metaphysical yearning we all experience is a powerful, universal force, created within us by God, that drives us to seek out the prophets He elected to guide us to Him. Their message regarding God, His greatness, His guidance, and the reality of this life and the next resonates so deeply within us that we find ourselves compelled to faith. We are not just “driven to God” by an inner surety about Him and the impetus to connect with Him, but also by a fascinating 4 Dean H. Hamer, The God Gene: How Faith Is Hardwired into Our Genes. (New York: Doubleday, 2004), 6. 5 Claire Gecewicz, “‘New Age’ Beliefs Common Among Both Religious and Non- religious Americans,” Pew Research Center, October 1st, 2018. 6 Preface “trust” in our ability to find Him. People may not appreciate that while reason may argue for God existing, being wise, and being purposeful, it cannot explain why our minds are reliable instruments of reason in the first place. When the rationalist René Descartes embarked on his intellectual journey, he real- ized that unbridled skepticism would drown him in uncertainty. Descartes then sought a safeguard that would ensure that our existence is real, as are our senses that perceive, as are our minds that process. How can we dismiss the possibility that we are merely a figment of an extraterrestrial creature’s imag- ination, and what guarantee is there that our thinking is not manipulated by evil demons? Descartes was forced to conclude that “trust” was a fundamental necessity here, without which every mode of thought, investigation, and analysis would be pointless. His “I think therefore I am” proposition was adrift without this anchor, and nothing qualified to ground it but God Himself. In Descartes’ framing, we must accept that God cannot be a deceiver because deception is an imperfection, and since He has equipped us with the faculties to arrive at certain truths, then we should pursue truth. He writes,...that the sun is of such and such a figure, etc., or which are less clearly and distinctly conceived, such as light, sound, pain and the like, it is certain that although they are very dubious and uncertain, yet on the sole ground that God is not a deceiver, and that consequently, He has not permitted any falsity to exist in my opinion which He has not likewise given me the faculty of correcting, I may assuredly hope to conclude that I have within me the means of arriving at the truth even here.6 While being given the ability to correct “any falsity” is an overestimation of the human intellect, Descartes was correct 6 René Descartes, Elizabeth S. Haldane, and G R. T. Ross. Philosophical Works: Rendered into English (Cambridge: University Press, 1911), 191-192. 7 The Final Prophet in realizing that without first conceding that God is responsi- ble for our capacity to think straight, no rational arguments can follow. When skeptics seek an explanation for God, when God is the explanation for us, circular reasoning becomes inescapable. This is why one of God’s divine names in the Qur’an is al-Ḥaqq: the Ultimate Reality, the One without whom no truth or reality is possible.7 Critical thinkers will recognize this as their indispensable philosophical stronghold, a refuge against dogmatism, and the bedrock upon which all empirical and rational proofs must stand. It is their only guarantee that polemical acrobatics and fancy language will never become a Trojan horse that breaches their defenses, corrupts their worldview, and renders them powerless prey before the fangs of radical skepticism.8 Hence, it is ultimately God who created within us knowledge of Him, an insatiable appetite to connect with Him, and a confidence in our ability to investigate the proofs offered by anyone who claims to speak in His name. The Multitude of Proofs It is from God’s mercy that He sent with each prophet and messenger signs that were relevant to his context, and He sur- rounded Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬with a multitude of proofs, for he was God’s “mercy to the worlds,”9 and hence had to be relevant not only to all at his time but also for all time to come. The variety of proofs are what make them relatable to every era, culture, 7 The Qur’an 24:25. 8 See: Nazir Khan, “Atheism and Radical Skepticism: Ibn Taymiyyah’s Epistemic Critique,” Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research, July 7th, 2020. 9 The Qur’an 21:107, Saheeh International Translation. 8 Preface and mindset. During the Prophet Muhammad’s ‫ ﷺ‬lifetime, some accepted his ministry after one glance at his face. ‘Ab- dullāh ibn Salām 10 said, “I immediately knew that this was not the face of a liar.”11 Another was brought to firm conviction after hearing a few short statements espousing the values of Islam. Ṭufayl ibn ‘Amr  said, “I have never heard anything superior or more balanced than this.”12 Others confirmed his prophethood based on his reputation for being truthful. The leadership of Quraysh said after living forty years with him, “We have experienced nothing but honesty from you.”13 Others believed after witnessing miracles, understanding that nothing ordinary could have explained these astonishing occurrences. By this variety, a nomadic shepherd in the Himalayas can follow any number of pathways to certainty, as can the ivory tower philosopher, as can the buzzing hordes under the skyscrapers of New York City, as can the banana workers in Ecuador. God also made the proofs verifying the prophethood of Mu- hammad ‫ ﷺ‬crystal clear, so that any honest seeker can recog- nize them. As for those who obsess over the material world, or those who give precedence to their social relationships over their supreme Creator, or those whose self-conceit has blinded them to the flaws of their arguments, they will only find clouded judgment. In many of these cases, their flawed justifications may go unnoticed even by themselves, for people have always been able to lock themselves in echo chambers, surrender to 10 An honorific symbol for raḍiyAllāhu ‘anhu, which translates as: may God be pleased with him – usually used for the Prophet’s ‫ ﷺ‬Companions. 11 Muhammad ibn ʻĪsá al-Tirmidhī, Sunan al-Tirmidhī (Beirut: Dār al-Gharb al-Islāmī, 1998), 4:233 #2485; authenticated by al-Tirmidhī in the comments. 12 ‘Abdul-Malik ibn Hishām, Al-Sīrah al-Nabawīyah (Cairo: Maktabat wa Maṭbaʻat Muṣṭafá al-Bābī al-Ḥalabī, 1955), 1:323. 13 Muḥammad ibn Ismāʻīl al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (Beirut: Dār Ṭawq al-Na- jāh, 2002), 6:111 #4770. 9 The Final Prophet groupthink, and effectively silence their consciences and the guilt of denying the undeniable. As Allah says, “And [even] if We opened to them a gate from the heaven and they continued therein to ascend, they would say, ‘Our eyes have only been dazzled. Rather, we are a people affected by magic.’”14 In Islam, believing in all the prophets and messengers of God is a fundamental requirement of valid faith, and Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ is certainly no exception to that rule. Allah says, “Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and the last of the prophets. And ever is Allah, of all things, Knowing.”15 Given this verse, whoever believes in Allah’s words must accept that Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬was His final prophet and messenger, and conversely, whoever rejects Muhammad has disbelieved in the One who sent him. But in case a person is still investigating the Qur’an, we will first begin with why prophethood in general is necessary, why Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬in particular was most certainly a prophet of God, and then conclude by establishing the divine origins of the Qur’an. 14 The Qur’an 15:14-15, Saheeh International Translation. 15 The Qur’an 33:40, Saheeh International Translation. 10 Chapter 1: Humanity’s Need for Prophethood 1. The Spiritual Necessity of Prophethood Within us all is a restless craving for spiritual fulfillment. When ignored, the spirit experiences intense thirsts which send it chasing one mirage after another, each offering it momentary hope of an oasis before yet another letdown. This is the tragedy of the human condition whenever it seeks inner peace from the outer world, or seeks to self-actualize through carnal pursuits, when it was created to transcend all that for a higher purpose: sincere devotion to God. Allah says in the Qur’an, “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”16 Servitude to God, not just the inborn recognition of His ex- istence, is therefore not only a duty but also a fundamental human need. It is necessary to nourish our spirit just as food and oxygen are necessary to nourish our body. It attunes us to our reality as spiritual beings in physical bodies, not physical beings that happen to enjoy a spiritual dimension. Of course, none of that is possible without the Creator communicating 16 The Qur’an 51:56, Saheeh International Translation. 11 The Final Prophet to us through prophets how to have a meaningful relationship with Him. Without this communication, we would be unable to know and love Him on deeper levels, and it is only through living for Him that we experience what it truly means to be alive. As the Prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬once said, “The similitude of someone who is mindful of Allah and someone not mindful of Allah is that of the living and the dead.”17 When Abraham Maslow amended his famous hierarchy of needs, he set the desire for self-transcendence as the greatest motivator of them all, above self-actualization.18 However, without the prophets and divine revelation, even that insight remains somewhat uninstructive. It allows for notions such as monism (being one with the universe) or al- truism (being selfless) to be misperceived as equally fulfilling as devotion to God. Altruistic people often report higher life satisfaction, and that is expected since being selfless is, by defi- nition, a more transcendent purpose than being self-centered. But the essential need to self-transcend will never be fully satisfied by just any involvement in ends greater than oneself (such as serving the human collective). There is a unique tran- quillity that hinges squarely on one’s devotion to the absolute greatest: the Almighty. Serving others can be part of that, but can never replace it, as Allah says, “Unquestionably, it is only by the remembrance of Allah that hearts are assured.”19 Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 1350), a renowned Muslim theologian, writes, In the heart, there exists an anxiousness that nothing can calm but drawing nearer to God. And a loneliness overcasts it that nothing can remove but enjoying His 17 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 8:86 #6407; Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj al-Qushayrī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʼ al-Kutub al-ʻArabīyah, 1955), 1:539 #779. 18 Lloyd Greene and George Burke, “Beyond Self-Actualization,” Journal of Health and Human Services Administration (2007): 116-128. 19 The Qur’an 13:28, Saheeh International Translation. 12 Chapter 1: Humanity’s Need for Prophethood 13 The Final Prophet company in private. And a sadness dwells within it that nothing can alleviate but the joy of knowing Him and genuinely devoting oneself to Him. And a worry unset- tles it that nothing can reassure but focusing on Him and fleeing from Him to Him. And the flames of regret continue to flare inside it, and nothing can extinguish them but becoming content with His commands, prohi- bitions, and destiny, and patiently holding onto all that until the time one meets Him. And in it exists a press- ing demand; it will not stop until He alone becomes its pursuit. And in it is a dire need; nothing will satisfy it except loving Him, constantly remembering Him, and being sincerely devout to Him. And if a person were given this entire world and all it contains, it would never fulfill that need.20 Hence, to avert this psychospiritual tragedy, and to live for Almighty God, prophethood is an existential necessity. The same most compassionate God who afforded us all we need on this planet for life and what sustains it, has ensured for us through prophethood what we need most: guidance to Him and His pleasure in this life and the next. 2. The Moral Necessity of Prophethood With the notion of moral autonomy being widespread in our era, people often demand a rational explanation for why some- one cannot “just be a good person” without faith and scriptural morality. Certainly, humanistic virtues such as compassion and justice are independently praiseworthy, partially inborn, and can invite God’s blessings in this life. However, in the grander scheme of salvific eligibility in the hereafter, accepting God’s message—upon discovering it—is necessary for validating one’s 20 Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzīyah, Madārij al-Sālikīn Bayna Manāzil Īyāka Na’budu wa Īyāka Nasta’īn (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʻArabī, 1996), 3:156. 14 Chapter 1: Humanity’s Need for Prophethood goodness before God. Being good is contingent upon one’s exis- tence, good intentions, and the various faculties and resources (strength, wealth, etc.) by which a person enacts these inten- tions. Since all these qualities and characteristics are endowed by God, rejecting God would render this good unrewardable in the afterlife, for it would then be—in essence—a plagiarized goodness. We as people rightfully view the most impressive research with awe and admiration, but that sentiment quickly transforms into disgust upon realizing it was actually the work of another whose contribution this fraudulent person deliber- ately hid. People do not just see plagiarism as disgraceful, but rather as condemnable. Another reason why believing in the messengers is insepara- ble from being a good person is that only the messengers can thoroughly define good, through the inspiration they receive from God. Moral philosophers, for instance, have never been able to agree on how to apply the widely accepted principle of “do no harm” because of the complexity of varying contexts. Even with the “golden rule” of treating others as you would like to be treated, though it is accepted by nearly everyone in theory, striking the perfect balance between competing virtues is not always easy in practice. Aristotle famously discussed this challenging need to find the “golden mean” between two poles of excess in moral behavior. History also attests that people— even with good intentions and advanced education—often live their lives with principles that are destructive and, like cancer, the damage caused can sometimes remain hidden until it is irreparable. Such people may have genuinely sought “being good,” and “not hurting anyone,” while oblivious to the evil and hardship their ideas inflicted against themselves and society. 15 The Final Prophet In a word, the “do no harm” rule always risks being sacrificed at the altar of subjective morality. For this reason, God sent His final messenger ‫ ﷺ‬to fully define goodness, protecting humanity against shortsightedness, the desensitization we all experience from social conditioning, and the perversions of our perceptions that often follow. Allah says, And know that among you is the Messenger of Allah. If he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would be in difficulty, but Allah has endeared to you the faith and has made it pleasing in your hearts and has made hateful to you disbelief, defiance, and disobedience. Those are the [rightly] guided.21 Tawḥīd (pure monotheism), which is to single God out in ev- erything unique to Him, is the ultimate supreme good, and this would also be impossible without the messengers. Humanity cannot know God, nor know His beauty and grandeur, nor know the path to His pleasure, nor know His promises and threats, nor embody His prescriptive will which He lovingly ordained for the betterment of His creation, without the prophets and messengers. Consider the dismal state of the world before God sent Noah ,22 or the darkness that smothered humanity after Jesus Christ  and shortly before the advent of Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬, to understand humanity’s moral need for prophethood at every junction of human history. 3. The Historical Necessity of Prophethood The Prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬once said, 21 The Qur’an 49:7, Saheeh International Translation. 22 An acronym for ‘alayhi al-salām, which translates as: peace be upon him – usually used with the prophets and messengers of God. 16 Chapter 1: Humanity’s Need for Prophethood Indeed, Allah looked towards the people of the world and resented the Arabs and non-Arabs alike, except for some remnants from the People of the Book. And He said, ‘I have sent you [O Muhammad] to test you and test [others] through you. And I sent down to you a Book that cannot be washed away with water…23 Many experts believe that the sixth century was the worst in which to live. It was not 1346-1353, when the Black Death killed half of Europe, nor 1520, when smallpox killed 60-90% of the indigenous people of the Americas, nor 1918, when the Spanish Flu led to the deaths of over 50 million people. As Harvard University’s Michael McCormick24 posits, it was actually the year 536 and the misery it spawned which could be the worst period of all known human history.25 While his books and research focus on ecology, the moral regression of the world followed in parallel. Wherever a person turned, darkness prevailed. In Roman coliseums, crowds would cheer a lion as it mauled a screaming prisoner. In Persia, even the imperial family practiced incest, as by the late Sasanian period, next-of-kin marriages had become normative in Zoroastrian law.26 Uniformity of worship was only achieved by the Sasani- ans through violent persecution of unorthodox practices, even against co-religionists within a common Zoroastrian frame- work.27 In India, those at the bottom of the caste system were equivalent, if not inferior to, rodents and vermin—since such 23 Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 4:2197 #2865. 24 Michael McCormick is the Francis Goelet Professor of Medieval History, and chair of the Initiative for the Science of the Human Past at Harvard University. He is an award-winning author, and a pioneer in bridging the worlds of archeology and climate science. 25 Ann Gibbons, “Why 536 was ‘The Worst Year to be Alive’,” Science Journal, November 15th, 2018. 26 Michael Stausberg and Yuhan S.-D. Vevaina, The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism (Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley, 2015), 292. 27 Robert C. Solomon and Kathleen M. Higgins, From Africa to Zen: An Invitation to World Philosophy (Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishing, 2003), 175. 17 The Final Prophet animals were sometimes considered holy temple-dwellers. In Arabia, finding a stony heart that could stomach burying his infant daughter alive was no challenge. In Christianity, mystery triumphed regarding the identity of Jesus Christ , many claiming he was God incarnate, while other faith groups alleged he was an imposter preacher born out of wedlock. Further East, people worshipped fire, water, weapons, and genitalia instead of the Creator. In many societies, a woman was seen as having no soul, or as having been created only to serve man, and at times that could even mean pawning her over a recreational gamble with his friends or being burned alive at his funeral. Many infants did not survive birth, and even fewer reached adulthood. Those born into slavery were generally unable to change their status, and in some major civilizations of that historical period, this sector of society exceeded 75% of the population.28 With this being the condition of the world, how could God not offer a glimpse of hope for the people of this planet? It is unfathomable that a supremely compassionate, all-capable God would not intervene. Indeed, the Most Merciful did not abandon His creation, but reached out to them yet again, “... so that those who perished [through disbelief] would perish upon evidence and those who lived [in faith] would live upon evidence.”29 By sending the final prophet, Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬, God did not fail them, even if some choose thereafter to fail themselves by deciding after the clarification to decline his message. 28 Niall McKeown, The Invention of Ancient Slavery? (London: Bristol Classical Press, 2011), 115. 29 The Qur’an 8:42, Saheeh International Translation. 18 Chapter 1: Humanity’s Need for Prophethood 4. The Biblical Necessity of Prophethood In this grim sixth century, it was not only the condition of the world and its atrocities that necessitated relief from a most compassionate God. Alongside this, many of those versed in biblical scripture were awaiting a final prophesied messenger, of whom there was a crystal-clear description in their litera- ture. Hence, Allah says about the Qur’an and subsequently its bearer, “And has it not been a sign to them that it is recognized by the scholars of the Children of Israel?”30 Though some contemporaries of the Final Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬re- jected him out of animosity and prejudice, and others simply had not yet been guided, some of the biblically versed—like ‘Abdullāh ibn Salām —quickly accepted Islam, and that was one of the proofs Allah cited against the idolators of Arabia, since most Arabs were illiterate, did not ascribe to any scrip- ture, and held that the Jews were superior to them for being People of the Book. Despite adulteration, strong indicators of the prophethood of Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬remain even today in the Judeo-Christian texts, of which we will showcase the following: i. A Gentile Prophet Like Moses I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.31 In this passage, God reveals to Moses that He will send another prophet to the Israelites, and that he will emerge from among their brethren. The New International Version of the Bible 30 The Qur’an 26:197, Saheeh International Translation. 31 Deuteronomy 18:18, New King James Version. 19 The Final Prophet chose an exclusivist translation of this, qualifying it as “from among their fellow Israelites,” but the Bible itself also refers to non-Israelites as their brothers. For instance, in Deuteronomy 2:4, God says that “you are about to pass through the territory of your brethren,” referring to the lands of the Edomites. This led some biblical exegetes to suggest that a Gentile (non-Israelite) prophet could in fact be intended here;32 a prophet hailing from some “brethren” of the Israelites such as the Ishmaelites or Edomites (Arabs or Nabateans). Also, restricting this prophecy to the Israelites would mean it has never been fulfilled, since according to Deuteronomy 34:10, “But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses…” Deuteronomy 18:18 also establishes that the awaited prophet would have a striking resemblance to Moses. Both Moses and Muhammad (peace be upon them) were prophets born of two parents, both married and had children, both came with a new comprehensive code of law, both faced persecution causing them to leave their homelands, both returned to defeat their oppressors, and both experienced natural death and burial. No other two prophets, especially in the Abrahamic tradition, come close to this degree of similarity. Deuteronomy 18:18 also describes this awaited prophet as someone who will serve as a faithful mouthpiece for God, only conveying from Him that which He commands. The Prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬was tireless in teaching his followers this very fact: that not a single word of the Qur’an should be credited to him: “By the star when it descends, your companion (Muhammad) 32 Marc B. Shapiro, The Limits of Orthodox Theology: Maimonides’ Thirteen Principles Reappraised (Oxford: Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2004), 89. 20 Chapter 1: Humanity’s Need for Prophethood has not strayed, nor has he erred, nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is but a revelation revealed.”33 ii. John the Baptist and the Awaited Prophet Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”34 Here, we find John the Baptist  being questioned about the nature of his ministry and whether he was claiming to be “the prophet.” This proves that some Jews were still awaiting the fulfillment of this divine promise in Deuteronomy 18:18, that of the Mosaic antitype, up until the time of Jesus Christ  and even thereafter.35 It also begs the question: who is this lu- minary who is neither Christ nor Elijah? Who is being referred to here as “the prophet” and not just “a prophet,” as if his name does not even require stating, and his coming was eagerly anticipated? Indeed, they were awaiting the greatest prophet of all, the Final Prophet who would illuminate for humanity the path to God one last time, and whose identity could not be mistaken. It is for this reason that Allah said, “Those to whom We gave the Scripture know him as they know their own sons. But indeed, a party of them conceal the truth while they know [it].”36 33 The Qur’an 53:1-4, Saheeh International Translation. 34 John 1:19-21, New King James Version. 35 See: David K. Rensberger and Harold W. Attridge, “The Gospel According to John,” in The HarperCollins Study Bible: Fully Revised & Updated (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2006). 36 The Qur’an 2:146, Saheeh International Translation. 21 The Final Prophet iii. God’s Servant Where Kedar Lives Behold! My Servant whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out nor raise his voice, nor make his voice heard in the street. A bent reed he will not break off and a dimly burning wick he will not extinguish; he will faithful- ly bring forth justice. He will not be disheartened or crushed until he has established justice on the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for his law.37 … Sing to the LORD a new song, Sing His praise from the ends of the earth! You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it; You islands, and those who live on them. Let the wilderness and its cities raise their voices, The settlements which Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing aloud, let them shout for joy from the tops of the mountains.38 This description of the “servant” in Isaiah 42 seems to po- sition the Prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬as its worthiest candidate. His primary title throughout the Qur’an is “Our servant.”39 His homeland being Arabia matches that of the Kedarites; the Bible identifies Kedar as the direct son of Ishmael .40 It was under 37 Isaiah 42:1-4, New American Standard Bible. ‘Amr ibn al-‘Āṣ—a Companion of the Prophet Muhammad ‫—ﷺ‬said that among what was foretold in the Torah about the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬was, “You are My slave and My messenger; your name is al-Mutawakkil (the Reliant upon God). He is neither harsh nor aggressive, and he does not yell in the marketplace. He does not repay evil with evil, but rather overlooks and forgives. Allah will not take him (in death) until He has straightened a crooked nation through him, having them say there is no god but Allah, and [not before] he has opened hard hearts, deaf ears, and blind eyes.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhāri, 3:66, #2125) 38 Isaiah 42:10-11, New American Standard Bible. 39 “[All] praise is [due] to Allah, who has sent down upon His Servant [Muḥam- mad ‫ ]ﷺ‬the Book and has not made therein any deviance.” The Qur’an 18:1, Saheeh International Translation; “Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion upon His Servant that he may be to the worlds a warner.” The Qur’an 25:1, Saheeh Interna- tional Translation. 40 “And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam.” Genesis: 25:13, King James Version. See also: 1 Chronicles 1:29. The rabbis understood Kedar to be a reference to the Arabs, would refer to all Ara- bians as Kedarites, and to Arabic as layshon Kaydar, meaning the tongue (lisān in Arabic) of Kedar. See: Wilhelm Gesenius, “Qêdār,” in Gesenius’ Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures, translated by Samuel Prideaux Tregelles (Piscataway: Gorgias Press), 2019. 22 Chapter 1: Humanity’s Need for Prophethood the leadership of Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬that the Ishmaelites (Arabs) finally became a “nation” as God had promised Abraham they would,41 after being scattered feudal tribes for around two millennia. And only after being unified did they amass enough power to successfully establish “God’s justice” in the region as Isaiah 42:4 foretells. It is problematic to assume the servant in Isaiah was Jesus Christ  because Christianity and Islam agree that he rose without bringing justice to the nations; his handful of disciples did not possess the political strength to enforce God’s law in their society. This servant also cannot be Moses  for the same reason; after forty years of wandering the desert, he died outside the Promised Land on Mount Nebo according to the Bible, without having “established justice in the earth.” He also never abolished idolatry among the Kedarites, as Isaiah 42:17 explicitly says “the prophet” would, while the Prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬most definitely did. iv. Jesus and the Comforter Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send him to you…42 I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak; and he will tell you things to come.43 Jesus  could not be implying the Holy Spirit here, call- ing him the Comforter that cannot arrive until Jesus departs, since the Holy Spirit was always with Jesus. Jesus could not 41 “And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.” Genesis 21:13, King James Version. 42 John 16:7, New King James Version. 43 Ibid., 16:12-13. 23 The Final Prophet be implying Paul or the papacy, since they did away with laws instead of perfecting them, and did not present proof that they communicated with the heavens. It was only the Prophet Mu- hammad ‫ ﷺ‬who revived the honor of Jesus without burying his legacy of worshipping the Creator alone. In this respect, the Prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬said, “I enjoy the closest proximity to Jesus, the Son of Mary, in this life and the hereafter.” His Companions asked, “How is that, O Messenger of God?” He said, “The prophets are all paternal brothers, with different mothers, but they have one religion. Also, there was no other prophet between us (myself and Jesus Christ).”44 Furthermore, he ‫ ﷺ‬would accurately foretell future events (see Chapter 5), and brought definitive guidance on all truths, perfecting the divine code of law for humanity until the end times (see Chapter 4). In conjunction with this, Jesus Christ  also supplied the famous Vineyard Parable in Mark 12 amidst his final sermon, wherein he prophesied that the allegorical “vineyard” would be pulled from the corrupt murderous tenants “and given to others.” Ultimately, the Jews were enraged upon realizing that this parable was about them, their hostilities towards God’s prophets, and God’s covenant and prophecy leaving them as a result. This further elucidates that the awaited Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, must be a non-Israelite prophet who also came from the Abrahamic line. v. Zamzam and the Flourishing City Then God opened her [Hagar’s] eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink. So God was with the lad; and 44 Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 4:1837 #2365. 24 Chapter 1: Humanity’s Need for Prophethood he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.45 Within Arabia’s city of Mecca, the historical epicenter of Islam and birthplace of Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬, there exists the well of Zamzam—what may be the oldest active spring of water the world has ever known. Put the two millennia before the Prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬aside, and merely consider the mil- lions of pilgrims visiting for Hajj and ‘umrah over the past 1,500 years, who each return home with gallons of Zamzam water. In addition, a round-the-clock supply of this water is transported to Qubā’ and the Prophetic Mosque in Madinah, while residents of Mecca have tanks installed in their homes for regular Zamzam delivery. This was clearly a blessed well which Hagar and Ishmael received, and the first brick set by God for this sacred city to flourish. In addition to Zamzam, consider the construction of the Ka‘bah. Even the idolatrous Arabs recognized Abraham as the ultimate patriarch, and due to their esteem for him, all paid homage to him by visiting the House he built for God’s worship in Mecca (the Ka‘bah). Even though they were idolaters, these polytheists affirmed that Mecca was a special sanctuary vener- ated by God. They saw themselves as the heirs of that heritage, and thus they felt compelled to honor this Ka‘bah that Abra- ham had erected. Why else would God command Abraham to just leave Hagar and his firstborn infant in a particular place, and a barren wilderness at that? It is difficult to conceive that Allah sent Abraham to construct the Ka‘bah, established the blessed well of Zamzam beneath it, gave rise to a great nation 45 Genesis 21:19-21, New King James Version. 25 The Final Prophet because of it, and protected it from invasions—just so it would be surrounded by idols and become a venue for depravity. It is no surprise, then, why many people at that time believed that something was about to happen, something momentous that would change the entire scene in that part of the world and far beyond it. Some may wonder how this writer can invoke the Bible as evidence for the prophethood of Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬, when the Qur’an asserts that parts of the previously revealed texts have been distorted. As quoted earlier, the Qur’an also calls our attention to biblical experts affirming these descriptions in their scriptures. To reconcile, we recognize that the original message of Jesus Christ  has been at least partially lost, as is exemplified—for instance—in the non-traceability of the Bible’s revisions and source manuscripts. However, this does not prevent us from being critical readers of history who in- fer from an inductive scan of these texts a preponderance of evidence in favor of the prophethood of Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬. Put simply, while no single passage in the Bible today squarely says “Muhammad,” they collectively point to him more than anyone else. In defining those who will win God’s grace and salvation, Allah said, Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written [i.e., described] in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoins upon them what is right and prohibits them from what is wrong, and makes lawful for them what is good and forbids them from what is evil, and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them. So they who have believed in him, honored him, supported him, and followed the light which was sent down with him—it is those who will be the successful. Say, [O Muhammad], “O mankind, indeed I am the Messenger of Allah to you all, [from Him] to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. There is no deity except Him; 26 Chapter 1: Humanity’s Need for Prophethood He gives life and causes death.” So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered prophet, who believes in Allah and His words, and follow him that you may be guided.46 46 The Qur’an 7:157, Saheeh International Translation. 27 Chapter 2: The Prophet’s Character The Bible reports that Jesus Christ  offered the following logical criteria for distinguishing true prophets from false ones: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore, by their fruits you will know them.47 The Prophet Jesus  may have intended by these “fruits” that actions speak louder than words about a person’s character, and therefore the personal conduct of a true prophet must be good. He may have also intended that the positive impact of his teachings on others will be good, or that the message itself must be a clear call to purity and goodness. The beauty of analyzing the ministry of Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬is that all three interpretations would stand true for him. The following three chapters will illustrate how his character, his accomplishments, and his message all make a powerful case for his propheth- ood—beginning with his character in this chapter. God combined in Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬the most illustrious qualities, as evidence that he was in fact authorized by the Divine. His 47 Matthew 7:15-20, New King James Version. 28 Chapter 2: The Prophet’s Character character sparkled from every angle, and this was noticed both by those who experienced him firsthand and those who later read his biography. They all found in Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬a lifestyle of extraordinary sincerity, conviction, and virtue that posed a formidable challenge to any doubter in his prophethood. As Ibn Taymīyah (d. 1328), an eminent Muslim theologian, said, It is known that someone who claims to be a prophet is either one of the best and noblest of the creation, or the worst and most wicked of them … so how could there ever be any confusion between the best and noblest and between the worst and most wicked? … There has never been any liar who claimed prophethood except that his ignorance, dishonesty, wickedness, and devilish ways became clear to anyone who possessed the smallest degree of discernment.48 A person may wonder about the historical reliability of the reports in the following pages, and why trust that these are anything more than pious exaggerations by Muhammad’s ‫ﷺ‬ admirers on the greatness of his character. This concern will be revisited in greater detail amidst the discussion on mir- acles, but let us cite here the testimony of two non-Muslim historiographers who specialized in the traceability of Islam’s prophetic traditions. David S. Margoliouth (d. 1940), the famous English Orientalist, said regarding the isnād system in Islamic scholarship, which requires that reports only be transmitted through a rigorously scrutinized chain of narrators, …its value in making for accuracy cannot be questioned, and the Muslims are justified in taking pride in their science of tradition. In other ancient records, we have to take what is told on the author’s assertion: it is rare that a Greek or Roman historian tell us the source of his information…49 48 Taqī al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn Taymīyah, Sharḥ al-‘Aqīdah al-Aṣfahānīyah (Riyadh: Maktabat al-Rushd, 2001), 156-157. 49 David S. Margoliouth, Lectures on Arabic Historians: Delivered before the University of Calcutta 1929 (Kolkata, India: University of Calcutta, 1930), 20. 29 The Final Prophet Even a staunch Orientalist like Bernard Lewis (d. 2018), who was a sharp critic of Islam and Muslims in modern times, acknowledged the strength of the Hadith tradition. The Brit- ish-American historiographer wrote, But their careful scrutiny of the chains of transmission and their meticulous collection and preservation of variants in the transmitted narratives give to medieval Arabic historiography a professionalism and sophistica- tion without precedent in antiquity and without parallel in the contemporary medieval West. By comparison, the historiography of Latin Christendom seems poor and meagre, and even the more advanced and complex historiography of Greek Christendom still falls short of the historical literature of Islam in volume, variety and analytical depth.50 The following pages will demonstrate how even a brief over- view of Muhammad’s ‫ ﷺ‬character not only refutes the oft-recy- cled charges leveled against him—being an imposter prophet or a ruthless warlord—but also establishes the truth of his claim that he was God’s final prophet to the world. 1. His Honesty and Integrity The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬was a person whose honesty was common knowledge to those around him. In fact, his clansmen had officially titled him al-Amīn (the Trustworthy).51 Even when they persecuted him and rejected his message, they still trust- ed him with their most precious possessions. ‘Āishah  said, “He ‫ ﷺ‬instructed ‘Alī  to stay behind in Mecca, to return all the property the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬had held in trust for people. There was nobody in Mecca (even his enemies) who had 50 Bernard Lewis, Islam in History: Ideas, People, and Events in the Middle East (Illinois: Open Court Publishing, 2001), 105. 51 Ibn Hishām, Al-Sīrah al-Nabawīyah, 1:183, 197. 30 Chapter 2: The Prophet’s Character valuables that he feared for except that he kept them with the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬, due to the honesty and trustworthiness that was known [to all] about him. ‘Alī  stayed back for three days and three nights to deliver everything entrusted by the people to the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬, and then caught up with him ‫ ﷺ‬after completing that task.”52 His honesty was so evident that even people from different eras, backgrounds, and religions recognize it. It is indeed dif- ficult to imagine a fair person reading his life and arriving at a different conclusion. Although the Scottish philosopher and historian Thomas Carlyle (d. 1881) had his reservations about Islam, his fascination with the Final Prophet’s ‫ ﷺ‬sincerity at times seemed to veer between skepticism and apparent con- viction. For instance, It goes greatly against the impostor-theory, the fact that he lived in this entirely unexceptionable, entirely quiet and commonplace way, till the heat of his years was done. He was forty before he talked of any mission from Heaven. All his irregularities, real and supposed, date from after his fiftieth year, when the good Kadijah died. All his ‘ambition,’ seemingly, had been, hitherto, to live an honest life; his ‘fame,’ the mere good-opin- ion of neighbours that knew him, had been sufficient hitherto. Not till he was already getting old… and peace growing to be the chief thing this world could give him, did he start on the ‘career of ambition;’ and, belying all his past character and existence, set up [by others] as a wretched empty charlatan to acquire what he could now no longer enjoy! For my share, I have no faith whatever in that [impostor-theory].53 52 Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Bayhaqī, Al-Sunan al-Kubrá (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al- ʻIlmīyah, 2003), 6:472 #12696; See also: Ismā‘īl ibn Kathīr, Al-Bidāyah wal-Nihāyah (Cairo: Dār Hajar, 1997), 4:445. 53 Thomas Carlyle, David R. Sorensen (ed.), and Brent E. Kinser (ed.), On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013), 59. 31 The Final Prophet In the same book, Carlyle says, “The lies (Western slander) which well-meaning zeal has heaped round this man (Muham- mad) are disgraceful to ourselves only.”54 Historical figures who dismissed the imposter theory as preposterous slander existed well before Carlyle. When Prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬first corresponded with Heraclius (d. 641), the Byzantine emperor, calling him to embrace Islam, Heraclius immediately dispatched a brigade to find anyone who could verify this man’s claims to prophethood. The leading adversary of Muhammad at that time, Abū Sufyān ibn Ḥarb, was among those apprehended and interrogated in the presence of the Byzantine dignitaries. Heraclius—a military commander versed in Judeo-Christian scriptures—asked Abū Sufyān a series of key questions, and then cross-checked his answers with his fellow clansmen. Upon completing his investigation, the following is some of what Heraclius said to Abū Sufyān, I asked you whether you ever accused him of lying be- fore he stated what he stated [about prophethood]. You replied in the negative, and I know that he would not refrain from lying about others and then lie about God… And I asked you whether he ever betrayed [anyone]. You replied in the negative, and likewise the messengers never betray… If what you are saying is true, he will conquer the place of these two feet of mine. And I knew [from scripture] that he would soon emerge, but I never assumed that he would be from among you. And if I knew that I could reach him [safely], I would have been bent on meeting him. And if I were in his presence, I would personally wash his feet.55 In the history of humanity, many imposters have claimed prophethood, but it was always a matter of time before they were discovered to either be psychologically disturbed individ- 54 Ibid., 52. 55 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 1:8 #7. 32 Chapter 2: The Prophet’s Character uals or unethical opportunists. The first category has never had any influence on the world stage, let alone produced a complete system of beliefs and laws that would earn the respect of thou- sands of sages, historians, philosophers, and other men and women of wisdom. The second category is eventually exposed with the passage of time as sinister and manipulative, with the notorious Joseph Smith (d. 1844) being an iconic example of this in recent history. These are endemic qualities that permeate this second category, and should be expected to, because just as lying about your friends is worse than lying about a random person, and just as lying about your parents is worse than lying about your friends, there is nothing uglier than a person lying about God. So, when a man who had the unique impact on the world that Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬did (see Chapter 3) was also known for his impeccable honesty, despite his public and private life being documented with granular detail, then his claim of being God’s prophet should not be disregarded. Another powerful testament to his integrity was his adamant refusal to allow anyone to aggrandize him. Jābir ibn ‘Abdillāh  narrates that there was a solar eclipse on the day that Ibrāhīm, the son of Allah’s Messenger ‫ﷺ‬, had died. When the people began to say that the eclipse was due to the death of this young child, Allah’s Messenger ‫ ﷺ‬rose at once and said, “The sun and the moon are not eclipsed because of the death or birth of anyone. Rather, they are two of God’s signs, by which He instills fear in His slaves. When you see an eclipse, pray and invoke God.”56 Had the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬been a narcissistic imposter, this would have been the perfect opportunity to capitalize on such a convenient credibility booster. These coinciding events 56 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 2:39 #1060; Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 2:630 #915. 33 The Final Prophet represented an immense opportunity for any personal agenda, and yet the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬would not allow others to interpret this as the skies being saddened for Ibrāhīm. Though hurting from the tragic loss, he ‫ ﷺ‬still ascended the pulpit, dismissed the false interpretation, and established that eclipses follow noth- ing but the cosmic order set by God in the created universe. On another occasion, Ḥudhayfah b. al-Yamān  came to the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬prior to the Battle of Badr with an ethical dilemma. The pagans of Quraysh had just released Ḥudhayfah and his father on the condition that he would not join Muhammad’s ranks and fight Quraysh alongside him. Despite the Muslim army being disadvantaged and about to face a military force three times its size, the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬still said, “Then proceed on [to Madinah]. We will keep our promise to them, and we will seek aid from Allah against them.”57 His prophetic morals did not allow him ‫ﷺ‬, even in an extremely vulnerable position, to compromise the principles of honesty and uprightness. 2. His Simplicity and Humility The simple, austere lifestyle of the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬is a major indica- tion that his mission could not have been self-serving, especially when contrasted with the decadent, extravagant lifestyles of so many false prophets in world history. After all, this was a man who controlled all of Arabia by the end of his life. Even before that, he had thousands of followers in Madinah, followers who obsessed over him and would have done anything in the world for him. Yet, we see no signs of luxury in any sphere of his life. 57 Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 3:1414 #1787. 34 Chapter 2: The Prophet’s Character 3D Rendering by Yaqeen Institute. Inspired by Amany Saqqāf, 2009, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Exhibition. His living quarters were so tight that when he ‫ ﷺ‬wished to pray, he would tap ‘Āishah  to bend her legs to make room for him to prostrate. To drink or bathe, he would reach for the small leather water skin that hung in his room. For months on end, no fire would be kindled for cooking in his home, and his family was content with dates and water unless someone gifted them some milk.58 ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb  reports that he once entered the room of the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬to find him lying down and noticed that the coarseness of the straw mat under him had left marks on his side. Upon noticing that, and the meager rations of barley and leaves, and the leather bag hanging in the corner, his eyes welled with tears. The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said, “What makes you weep, O son of al-Khaṭṭāb?” 58 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 8:97 #6459. 35 The Final Prophet He said, “O Prophet of Allah, how can I not cry after seeing how the mat has left these marks on your side, and how little you have in your food cupboard? Caesar and Chosroes live surrounded by fruits and springs of water, while you are the Messenger of God and His chosen one, and yet this is your condition.” The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said, “O son of al-Khaṭṭāb, does it not please you that these [luxuries] are for us in the Hereafter and for them in this world?” I said, “Of course.”59 In another narration, he began his response with, “Are you in doubt, O son of al-Khaṭṭāb? These are a people whose pleasures have been expedited in the life of this world.”60 Edward Gibbon (d. 1794), a historian and member of England’s Parliament, wrote, The good sense of Muhammad despised the pomp of royalty. The Apostle of God submitted to the menial of- fices of the family; he kindled the fire; swept the floor; milked the ewes; and mended with his own hands his shoes and garments. Disdaining the penance and merit of a hermit, he observed without effort or vanity the abstemious diet of an Arab.61 In other words, he ‫ ﷺ‬not only endured the coarseness of an austere life, but it came naturally to him. He was not trying to encourage monkship or stoicism, nor was he faking this minimalism to earn praise. Gibbon continues, On solemn occasions, he feasted his companions with rustic and hospitable plenty. But, in his domestic life, many weeks would pass without a fire being kindled on the hearth of the Prophet.62 59 Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 2:1105 #1479. 60 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 3:133 #2468. 61 Edward Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire: Volume the Fifth (London: Electric Book Co, 2001), chapter L, 252. 62 Ibid., 251-252. 36 Chapter 2: The Prophet’s Character According to Washington Irving (d. 1859), an American bi- ographer and diplomat, He was sober and abstemious in his diet and a rigorous observer of fasts. He indulged in no magnificence of apparel, the ostentation of a petty mind; neither was his simplicity in dress affected but a result of real disregard for distinction from so trivial a source…63 And, His military triumphs awakened no pride nor vainglo- ry, as they would have done had they been effected for selfish purposes. In the time of his greatest power, he maintained the same simplicity of manners and appear- ance as in the days of his adversity. So far from affecting a regal state, he was displeased if, on entering a room, any unusual testimonials of respect were shown to him.64 Regarding these “unusual testimonials of respect,” Anas ibn Mālik  said, “Nobody was more beloved to them (the Com- panions) than the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬. Despite that, when they would see him, they would not stand for him, knowing how much he disliked that.”65 Bosworth Smith (d. 1908), a rev- erend and author, writes, Head of the State as well as the Church; he was Caesar and Pope in one; but he was Pope without the Pope’s pretensions, and Caesar without the legions of Caesar, without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a police force, without a fixed revenue. If ever a man ruled by a right divine, it was Muhammad, for he had all the powers without their supports. He cared not for the dressings of power. The simplicity of his private life was in keeping with his public life.66 63 Washington Irving and Bertram R. Davis, The Life of Mahomet (London: G. Routledge & Co, 1850), 186-187. 64 Ibid., 203. 65 al-Tirmidhī, Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 5:90 #2754; authenticated by al-Tirmidhī in the comments. 66 Bosworth Smith, Mohammed and Mohammedanism (London: Smith, Elder, and Co., 1874), 235. 37 The Final Prophet Until this very day, the canons of literature on Islamic ethics, and the weekly sermons of Muslim preachers, are replete with examples of the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬as the paragon of humility. He was the educator who was never ashamed to say “I don’t know,” 67 the general who would allow others to share his riding animal,68 the busiest statesman who would allow the weakest members of society to take him by the hand for their needs,69 the elder who would compete with the youth to carry the bricks of the first mosque,70 and the considerate husband who noticed subtle signs of his wife being upset with him.71 Finally, he ‫ ﷺ‬was the greatest messenger of God who would reiterate throughout his life, “My similitude compared to the prophets before me is that of a person who built a beautiful, brilliant structure—complet- ing its construction save for a single brick in one of its corners. People began to walk around it, admiring its construction, but saying, ‘If only that final brick were set in place, it would have been perfect.’ I am that brick, and I am the seal of the prophets.”72 In another hadith, he humbly cautioned, “Do not aggrandize me as the Christians exaggerated in praising the son of Mary. I am but a slave, so call me the slave of God and His messenger.”73 67 Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 1:1 #8. 68 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 8:74 #6228. 69 Abū Dāwūd, Sunan Abī Dāwūd (Sidon: al-Maktabah al-‘Aṣrīyah, 1980), 43:46 #4818. 70 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 5:58 #3906. 71 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 7:62 #5228. 72 Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 43:22 #2286. 73 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 4:55 #3445. 38 Chapter 2: The Prophet’s Character 3. His Mercy and Compassion The Prophet’s ‫“ ﷺ‬character was the Qur’an,”74 as described by his wife, ‘Āishah . He ‫ ﷺ‬practiced everything that he preached, and since the Qur’anic message preached mercy above all, this quality was more pronounced in his practice than anything else. The Prophet’s ‫ ﷺ‬call to mercy was therefore not mere words, but rather teachings that he held to be sacred and felt he must embody better than any other adherent of Islam. In the clearest terms and on various occasions, he would an- nounce to the people, “The merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be merciful to those on the earth, and the One on the heavens will have mercy upon you.”75 Even while observing the ritual prayer, a pillar of Islam and its most important physical act, the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬remained cog- nizant of people’s suffering. Abū Qatādah  narrates that the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬once said, “I sometimes stand in prayer then hear a child crying, so I make my prayer brief due to not wanting to cause hardship for his mother.”76 In another hadith, he cau- tioned, “When one of you leads the people in prayer, he should be light, for among them are the weak, and the ill, and the elderly. And when one of you is praying alone, then let him elongate it as he pleases.”77 The authentic narrations on the Prophet’s ‫ ﷺ‬exemplary mer- cy with children, and his counseling of mercy towards them, would fill dozens of pages. In one telling exchange, al-Aqra‘ ibn Ḥābis  became perplexed at Muhammad’s ‫ ﷺ‬elaborate display of affection, upon seeing the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬kiss his grandchild. 74 Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 1:512 #746. 75 al-Tirmidhī, Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 3:388 #1924. 76 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 1:143 #710. 77 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 1:142 #702; Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 1:340 #466. 39 The Final Prophet This Companion’s rugged Bedouin upbringing made him feel that this was contrary to masculinity, and so he said in pride, “You kiss your boys? I have ten sons and have never kissed any one of them.” The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬responded, “And what do I possess [to help you] if Allah has plucked mercy from your heart?”78 While parents naturally love their children, many overlook the child’s emotional need for expressions of that love, but the Prophet of Mercy ‫ ﷺ‬never did. In fact, it was not just his own children that he treated this way. Anas ibn Mālik  narrates that the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬once entered to find a son of Abū Ṭalḥah  in a sad state, and quickly noticed that his pet nughayr (sparrow) was no longer around, so he lightheartedly said to him in consolation, “O Abū ‘Umayr, what happened to the nughayr?”79 He inquired about the creature because it meant so much to the young child, and called him the father of ‘Umayr despite him not yet being a parent, to rhyme with the word nughayr and playfully uplift his spirits with the thoughts of his future manhood. The Prophet Muhammad’s ‫ ﷺ‬heart even empathized with the pain of animals. He ‫ ﷺ‬would tell his followers about sin- ners of the past who were forgiven by God for climbing down into a well to retrieve water for a parched dog,80 and stated on another occasion, “In every living creature is an opportunity for charity.”81 He ‫ ﷺ‬taught that sharpening one’s blade is a necessary part of the kindness due to a sacrificial animal,82 and forbade that a harmless animal be killed for sport or for other than consumption. He ‫ ﷺ‬would reprimand his followers for 78 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 8:7 #5998. 79 Abū Dāwūd, Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 4:293 #4969. 80 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 4:130 #3321. 81 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 8:9 #6009. 82 Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 3:1548 #1955. 40 Chapter 2: The Prophet’s Character overworking their camels in the fields, and for not relieving their riding mounts of the loads they carried promptly after reaching their destination, and once warned them of a woman who was bound for the Hellfire due to trapping a cat without food.83 In one beautiful hadith, ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd  narrates that as they once traveled on a journey with the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬, he stepped away to relieve himself. The Companions then saw a nest of young birds and captured them. The mother then came, frantically flapping its wings in panic. When the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬saw this, he said, “Who caused this bird to grieve over its young chicks? Return its young ones to it!”84 Such a kindhearted disposition even towards animals is not unexpected, especially when Allah (the Most High) affirmed in the Qur’an, “And We have not sent you [O Muhammad] except as a mercy to all the worlds.”85 Finally, his profound and universal mercy was above all reflected in his concern for people’s salvation. The Qur’an would often address his deep grief over people’s resistance to guidance, in verses such as, “Then perhaps you would kill yourself through grief over them, [O Muhammad], if they do not believe in this message, [and] out of sorrow.”86 The Prophet ‫ﷺ‬ would weep passionately during his night prayers, pleading to God to spare his nation of the torment that many former nations had faced, until Allah ultimately instructed the arch- angel, “O Gabriel, go to Muhammad and tell him that We will please him regarding his nation, and We will not disappoint him.”87 In another hadith, ‘Āishah  reports that upon seeing 83 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 4:176 #3482. 84 Abū Dāwūd, Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 4:367 #5268. 85 The Qur’an, 21:107, Saheeh International Translation. 86 The Qur’an 18:6, Saheeh International Translation. 87 Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 1:191 #202. 41 The Final Prophet the Prophet’s ‫ ﷺ‬facing beaming cheerfully one day, she said, “O Messenger of Allah, supplicate to Allah for me.” He said, “O Allah, forgive ‘Āishah for her past and future sins, those in secret and those in public.” Ecstatic at the fortune she just secured, ‘Āishah laughed so hard that her head fell from his lap. The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬then added, “Did my supplication make you happy?” She said, “How could your supplication not make me happy?” He said, “By Allah, this is my supplication for my nation in every single prayer.”88 4. His Clemency and Forgiveness When the Prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬began to call to Islam openly, his initial followers discovered that merely professing faith meant facing ruthless torture and even execution. Some were beaten to near death in the streets, and others were dragged out to the desert to scream for hours under the inferno of its midday sun. Hefty, sizzling hot stones were situated atop their chests to crush them, scorching suits of chainmail armor were fastened to roast their bodies, and some like Khabbāb ibn al- Aratt  were hurled directly upon ignited coals which caused them to smell their own flesh cooking.89 Many of these atroc- ities only escalated as this tragic decade progressed, and the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬himself suffered brutal abuse from the idolaters of Quraysh. They spared no opportunity to demonize him, they divorced his daughters, and they starved his entire clan for three years which led to the death of his wife and his most 88 Muḥammad ibn Ḥibbān, Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān (Beirut: Mu’assasat al-Risālah, 1993), 16:47 #7111. 89 Abū Nu‘aym, Ḥilyat al-Awliyā’ wa Ṭabaqāt al-Aṣfiyā’ (Egypt: Maṭba‘at al-Sa‘ādah, 1974), 1:143. 42 Chapter 2: The Prophet’s Character supportive uncle. In terms of physical assault, ‘Uqbah ibn Abī Mu‘ayṭ would strangle him from behind when he prayed in public, Abū Jahl had bloody camel intestines dumped over him while he prostrated, ‘Utaybah ibn Abī Lahab spat at him, and others beat him unconscious. These examples are a drop from the ocean of cruelty and persecution faced by the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬ and the earliest Muslims. And yet, this ocean was never able to drown the mercy, goodwill, and protective concern the Proph- et’s ‫ ﷺ‬heart had for friends and foes alike. The following are a few brief depictions of his magnanimous character, even at the height of his power, in the face of enmity and insult. Abū Jahl was one of his earliest and staunchest adversaries; the pharaoh of his nation. Despite all the physical and emotional wounds he inflicted on the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬, and despite breaking his Companions’ bones and later leading the first army against them, the guidance and salvation of Abū Jahl was still on the Prophet’s mind. He ‫ ﷺ‬used to say while still in Mecca, “O Al- lah, strengthen Islam with Abū Jahl ibn Hishām or ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb.” A short time thereafter, ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb  embraced Islam.90 Abū Jahl being a heartless murderer did not prevent the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬from praying for him, nor from appreciating his promising leadership qualities that could potentially be used for good. Upon wielding the power of a statesman, the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬nev- er enacted a policy of vengeance or intolerance. Instead, he implemented a system of mercy that was in direct opposition to the cruelty he and his followers had been subjected to in Mecca. On one occasion, a group of Jews from Madinah entered upon the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬and mockingly said, “Al-sāmu ‘alaykum 90 al-Tirmidhī, Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 6:58 #3681. 43 The Final Prophet (death be upon you),” in place of the customary Islamic greeting of “Al-salāmu ‘alaykum (peace be upon you).” His wife ‘Āishah , appalled by their brazen disrespect, repeated the curse back to them, but the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said, “O ‘Āishah, be gentle! Allah is Gentle and loves gentleness in all matters, so beware of harshness and vulgarity.”91 His authority in that phase still did not tempt him to retaliate, or respond in kind, or to even let his wife respond harshly to those who had insulted him ‫ﷺ‬. During the Battle of Uḥud, Quraysh’s army—3,000 strong against the Muslims’ 700—managed to ambush the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬. His front tooth was broken, his body was battered, and blood flowed from where his helmet had pierced his face. Somehow, after bleeding at their hands yet again, the Messenger of Al- lah ‫ ﷺ‬still had the resilience of character to say as he wiped the blood from his face, “O Allah, forgive my people, for they do not know.”92 In other narrations, he first said, “How can a people succeed after they have wounded their Prophet and caused him to bleed as he calls them to Allah?” Then, he ‫ ﷺ‬fell silent for a moment, before appealing to Allah with the prayer for forgiveness. His Companions came to him ‫ ﷺ‬and said as the dust cleared, “Invoke a curse against the polytheists.” He ‫ﷺ‬ said, “I have not been sent as a curser. Rather, I was sent as a mercy.”93 Though the Qur’an mentions that the wicked among the Israelites were cursed on the tongue of their prophets,94 and though the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬cursed certain practices like usury, and initially asked Allah to curse the leading persecutors, his 91 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 8:85 #6401 and 9:16 #6927. 92 Ibn Ḥibbān, Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān, 3:254 #973. 93 Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 3:1417 #1791. 94 See: The Qur’an 5:78. 44 Chapter 2: The Prophet’s Character normative demeanor was to seek forgiveness for those who wronged him and his followers. Years later, as the Muslims traveled home from Dhāt al-Riqā‘, the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬and his Companions dismounted and sought shade from the midday sun. He ‫ ﷺ‬rested under a leafy tree and hung his sword on it. The army slept for a while, but then heard the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬calling for them. Jābir ibn ‘Abdillāh  reports that upon their arrival, they found sitting with him a Bedouin man named al-Ghawrath ibn al-Ḥārith. The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬said, “This person drew my sword as I slept, and I awoke to find an unsheathed blade in his hand.” He said to me, ‘Are you afraid of me?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Who will protect you from me?’ I said, ‘Allah,’ thrice, and so he returned the sword to its scabbard. And thus, here he is, sitting.”95 Jābir  added, “And the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬did not punish him thereafter.”96 In another narration, the sword fell from his hand, so the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬took it and said, “Who will protect you?” He said, “Be the better victor.” He said, “Will you still not testify that none is worthy of worship except Al- lah?” He said, “I will promise to never fight you, nor be with a people that fight you.” The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬let him go, and so the man returned to his tribe and said, “I have come to you from the best of people.”97 Just like that, the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬forgave him unconditionally and released him despite the man’s refusal to convert to Islam. Hind bint ‘Utbah  was the wife of Abū Sufyān and the daughter of ‘Utbah ibn Rabī‘ah, two nobles from Quraysh who 95 Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 4:2006 #2599. 96 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 4:39 #2910. 97 Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal, Musnad al-Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal (Beirut: Mu’assasat al-Risālah, 2001), 23:369 #15190. 45 The Final Prophet were both belligerent enemies of the Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬. Hind was a woman who boiled with venomous hate against Muhammad, and personally campaigned against Islam and the Muslims. She was among those who recruited Waḥshī to kill Ḥamzah ibn ‘Abdul-Muṭṭalib , the paternal uncle of the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬, promising him great rewards for avenging her father who was slain at Badr. Early chroniclers report that she had Ḥamzah’s ears and nose cut off and used for a necklace, and some report that she gouged out his liver and attempted to eat it. When the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬located his uncle’s mutilated body after Uḥud, he was devastated as he bade farewell to his beloved uncle, saying, “May Allah have mercy on you, my uncle. Indeed, you used to maintain the ties of kinship, and always rushed to do good.” ‘Abdullāh ibn Mas‘ūd  says, “Never did we see the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬weep as intensely as he wept for Ḥamzah.”98 Five years later, Hind stood at the Conquest of Mecca, chastising Quraysh for surrendering to the Muslims. But she soon realized that resisting was futile, and that the heavens really did seem to support Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬, and so she went to him among a group of women and gave her pledge of allegiance as a Muslim. Upon learning who she was, the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬kindly replied, “Welcome, O Hind.” Touched by the unexpected magnanimity of the Messenger ‫ﷺ‬, she proclaimed, “By Allah, there was no household that I wished to destroy more than yours, but now there is no household that I wish to honor more than yours.”99 As for Waḥshī, the Ethiopian slave-assassin who earned his freedom by killing Ḥamzah, he fled the city at the conquest of Mecca, certain that killing a ruler’s family 98 Ṣafī al-Raḥmān al-Mubārakfūrī, Al-Raḥīq al-Makhtūm (Cairo: Dār al-Wafāʼ, 1987), 1:255. 99 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 9:66 #7161. 46 Chapter 2: The Prophet’s Character member warranted his death. However, the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬was unlike any ruler. Waḥshī later said, “I heard that no matter how grave a person’s crime against him, the Prophet Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬ always chose forgiveness.” This encouraged him to eventually return to Mecca, embrace Islam, and experience firsthand the forgiveness of the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬.100 Waḥshī  could hardly believe he lived long enough to redeem himself. He would often recall it and say, “Allah honored Ḥamzah ibn ‘Abdil-Muṭṭalib and al-Ṭufayl ibn al-Nu‘mān [with martyrdom] at my hands, and did not humiliate me [by being slain while a disbeliever] at their hands.”101 5. His Bravery and Valor The consistent and matchless bravery of Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬indicat- ed that he was not only truthful, but certain of his truthfulness, which serves as yet another endorsement of his prophethood. The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬never fled in battle. Rather, he at times fought fearlessly on the front lines. It would have been perfectly under- standable for the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬to shield himself behind the army, for his early death would have meant the end of the message. Yet, ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib , the celebrated warrior, would say, “I myself witnessed on the Day of Badr how we used to stay close to the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬for cover, and he was the closest of us to the enemy, and he was the fiercest warrior on that day.”102 A man once said to al-Barā’ ibn ‘Āzib , “Did you flee on the Day of Ḥunayn, O Abū ‘Umārah?” He replied, “I can testify that 100 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 5:100 #4072. 101 Muḥammad ibn Saʻd, Al-Ṭabaqāt al-Kubrá (Beirut: Dār Ṣādir, 1968), 3:573. 102 Ibn Ḥanbal, Musnad Aḥmad, 2:81 #653; authenticated by al-Arnā’ūṭ in the comments. 47 The Final Prophet the Prophet of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬did not retreat. There were some hasty young men who met—without adequate arms—a group from Hawāzin and Banū al-Naḍīr. They happened to be excellent archers, and they shot at them a volley of arrows that exposed their ranks. The people turned [for help] to the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬, whose mule was being led by Abū Sufyān ibn al-Ḥārith. He ‫ ﷺ‬dismounted, prayed, and invoked God’s help. What he said was, “I am the Prophet; this is no untruth! I am the son of ‘Abdul-Muṭṭalib! O Allah, send Your help!” By Allah, when the battle grew fierce, we would seek protection behind him, and only the bravest among us could stand by his side in battle.”103 When Allah revealed, “O Messenger, convey that which has been revealed to you… and Allah will protect you from the people,”104 the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬forbade his Companions from continuing to stand guard at night by his door.105 One night, the Muslims—who remained anxious that the Romans would attack Madinah at any time—awoke startled by a loud crash. Rushing to the scene, they found the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬already returning bareback on a horse belonging to Abū Ṭalḥah , his sword hanging around his neck, reassuring them that it was a false alarm.106 It takes exemplary courage, racing out alone to face potential danger like that, courage that even the bravest souls would admire. 6. His Generosity Everyone who interacted with Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬recognized him as the most generous of people, and it was well known that he 103 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 4:30 #2864; Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 3:1401 #1776b. 104 The Qur’an 5:67, Saheeh International Translation. 105 al-Tirmidhī, Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 5:101 #3046. 106 al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 4:66 #3040. 48 Chapter 2: The Prophet’s Character never consumed any of the charity he collected. He ‫ ﷺ‬would even share the wealth he acquired with his enemies to help them overcome their prejudices. Zayd b. Su‘nah  was one of the leading rabbis of Madi- nah. Shortly before deciding to become Muslim, Zayd thought of testing the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬by lending him eighty mithqāl (350 grams of gold) for a fixed period. A few days before repayment was due, Zayd grabbed the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬angrily by his cloak, in front of all the senior Companions, and said, “O Muhammad, why are you not paying what is due? By Allah, I know your family well! You are all known for deferring your debts!” The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said to the infuriated ‘Umar  who threatened to kill Zayd for his insolence, “O ‘Umar, we do not need this… Go with him, pay off his loan, and give him twenty additional ṣā‘ (32 kilograms) of dates because you frightened him.” It was that response that convinced Zayd b. Su‘nah to embrace Islam. He explained to ‘Umar, “There was not a single sign of prophethood except that I recognized it upon looking at Muhammad’s face—except for two that I had not yet seen from him: that his tolerance overcomes his anger, and that intense abuse only increases him in forbearance. I have now verified these, so know, O ‘Umar, that I accept Allah as my Lord, Islam as my religion, Muhammad as my Prophet, and that half my wealth—for I have much wealth—is a donation for the nation of Muhammad ‫ﷺ‬.”107 On another occasion, Anas  reports, “I was walking with the Messenger of Allah ‫ﷺ‬, and he was wearing a Najrāni cloak with a rough collar. A Bedouin man caught up with him, then violently pulled him by his cloak, causing the cloak to tear, and 107 Ibn Ḥibbān, Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān, 1:521 #288. 49 The Final Prophet leaving its collar hanging on the neck of Allah’s Messenger ‫ﷺ‬. I looked at the Messenger of Allah’s ‫ ﷺ‬neck, and the cloak’s collar had left marks from how roughly he had snatched it. Then, he said, ‘O Muhammad, instruct them to give me from Allah’s wealth that you hold!’ The Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬turned to him, smiled, and then ordered that he be given something.”108 ‘Uqbah ibn al-Ḥārith  reports that he once offered the af- ternoon prayer with the Prophet ‫ﷺ‬, after which he ‫ ﷺ‬quickly stood and entered his apartment. Then, he reemerged and noticed some wonderment on people’s faces due to his haste. To clarify, he ‫ ﷺ‬said, “I remembered while I was praying that we had some gold remaining, and I disliked that our evening pass while we still have it, so I instructed that it be distributed.”109 In a similar incident, ‘Āishah  narrates that the Messenger of Allah ‫ ﷺ‬had entrusted her with seven or nine gold coins around the time of his final illness. She says that despite the severe agony he was experiencing, he kept asking her to con- firm that it had been given away in charity, and each time she would explain that she could not due to being preoccupied with caring for him. Finally, he insisted, “Give it to me,” and upon receiving the gold in his hands, he ‫ ﷺ‬said, “What should Muhammad expect if he were to dare meet Allah while still holding onto these?”110 7. His Perseverance and Trust in God The Prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬showed exemplary endurance and consistency throughout his life.

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