THE PROPHET IS OCCUPIED WITH HOUSEWORK

After the death of the prophet (PBUH), His wife and the mother of all believers, Hz. Aisha was asked the following question:

“How was the Apostle of Allah (SWT) at home?”

Hz. Aisha (RA) answered:

“He was happy to do his work himself. Though his friends were ready to do his works, he did not want them to do them. While at home, he mended his clothes, swept the house, milked the goats, tethered the camels and fed them. Moreover, He mended his shoes and leaking waterskins, helped the servants and kneaded dough with them. He carried the food from the market himself, and when someone said, “O, Apostle of Allah! Let me carry them.”

He replied; “Every believer should carry his own load himself if he can.” (1)

Don't you not want, O Umar?

Hz. Umar (R.A) once entered the room where the Blessed Prophet was resting. He glanced over the room for a while. On one side of his room, there was an animal skin, on the other side, there was a small pouch that contained barley. Here, that was all in the room of Allah’s apostle. Upon seeing this scene, Umar started to cry and his weeping awakened the Prophet (PBUH). Hz Umar, who had seen the marks of the mat and the blood blister on the prophet’s body, now started to cry by trembling. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) asked amazedly:

“O, Ibn al-Khattab! Why are you crying?”

“O, Apostle of Allah! While Persians let their kings live in palaces and Byzantines give their Emperors a luxury and glorious life, you are the apostle of Allah… give permission to us, then we will…”

What he meant had been understood. The apostle of Allah (PBUH) interrupted the sentence of his future caliph with a sad simile and nice hand signal and recited the following verse:

“What is the life of this world but amusement and play? But verily the Home in the Hereafter that is life indeed if they but knew.” (al-Ankaboot, 29/64)

And He added:

“Do you not want O Umar  this world to belong to them and the Hereafter to us?" (2)

OPENS HIS BOSOM

It was hours before the battle of Badr… The apostle of Allah (PBUH) was controlling the lines for the last time and arraying His soldiers. He softly pressed the bosom of Usayd the son of Khudayr, who was a bit in front, and wanted him to form the line. Upon this, Usayd who was a joker said:

“O Apostle of Allah” (PBUH) “You have hurt me; let me do the same.” Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) immediately stood in front of Him:

And said; “I am here; get your right”. Usayd said with a serious manner:

“But, O Apostle of Allah, My bosom was naked, you are clothed” Hz. Muhammad (PBUH) untied His shirt and said:

“Get your right now.”

Usayd the son of Khudayr, who started to kiss by hugging His prophet, said:

“O, Apostle of Allah,” “Let my mother and father be sacrificed for you, I only wish that my life would end by kissing you.” (3)

I DO NOT LIKE HAVING A SERVICE DONE FOR ME

The Prophet was going to the mosque with one of his friends, Amir, the son of Rabia. His shoe was untied. Amir wanted to tie it immediately. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) prevented him and tied himself. While tying it, He addressed Amir:

“This is having a service done by others. I do not like having a service done for me by anyone.” (4)

YOU ARE NOT STRONGER THAN ME

There was a move forward to the first important test, the battle of Badr. There were few camels, only one camel for three people and it was ridden by turns. The friends of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who shared the same camel, voluntarily gave up their turns. They wanted the Prophet  (PUBH) to ride continually. He did not accept it:

“He said, “You are not stronger than me. Moreover I need to get thawab (reward) as much as you need.” (5)

I CRY WHEN I EAT TO SATIATION

It was the years after the death of Hz. Muhammad (PBUH). A relative of Hz. Aisha (RA) visited her. Hz. Aisha had had a table set up for her relative. Then, she could not stand and started to cry. Her relative asked the reason. Hz. Aisha (RA) answered:

“Whenever I eat to satiation, I cry,” Her relative got more curious and asked again:

“Why?”

“Because, the Apostle of Allah had never eaten to satiation through his life. He was in financial difficulties. He did not have two meals in a day. When he ate bread, he did not eat dates, and when he ate dates, he did not eat bread. As He always thought of and preferred others instead of himself, he lived in such a way. However, now people use medicine to digest what they have eaten. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had never seen a roasted lamb through His life.” (6)

EVERYONE TIED ONE BUT HE TIED TWO

The Meccan enemies along with desert clans had set up an army of ten thousand soldiers and advanced towards Medina. The number of Muslim warriors was hardly three thousand. They decided to stay in the city and preferred a defensive war. A huge trench started to be dug around the city. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was working in the job of carrying the excavated soil to the outside of trenches. According to the narration of an eyewitness friend of Him, dust covered the skin of His bosom and stomach.

The most difficult part of trench digging that lasted for three days was the strong famine and drought. His friends tied stones on their stomachs in order not to faint because of hunger while working. At one moment, they stood in front of the apostle of Allah and demanded from him to witness their self-sacrifice… and they pulled their garments up and showed the stones. He only smiled. Then he pulled up his garment… Two stones were tied together on the stomach of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). (7)

LET ME CARRY WOOD

They were on a journey… They took a break for eating. All of his friends took on a task. The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:

“Let me carry wood for fire.” His friends wanted to prevent him from doing so:

“O Apostle of Allah! Have a rest; we will do that work, too.” The prophet Muhammad answered solemnly:

“I know that you would perform it willingly. However, I am not happy to be in a privileged position in a community. This is not liked by Allah, either.” And He continued to pick up woods. (8)

HE GOES TO BED QUIETLY

It was the first days after the Migration. Muslims of Madinah shared everything with their Makkan brothers, who left all of their material possessions in Makkah. There were ten guests for each house. Hazrat Muhammad shared one of those houses with his mujahid friends. Miqdad bin Aswad, one of them, narrates:

"There were a few goats in the house; they earned their livings with their milk. When the goats were milked, everybody drank their share… The share of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) was left in the container. One night, Hazrat Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) came home late. Everybody had drunk their share and gone to bed. The container was empty but he did not say anything. He only prayed as follows:”

"O Allah, who has fed me today! Feed them, too!"

Then, Miqdad woke up and wanted to slaughter one of the goats to appease the Prophet but Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) did not let him. Instead, he milked the goat again and drank the few drops that came out of the goat and went to bed quietly. (9)

I AM NOT A KING

The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) went on shopping with Abu Hurairah. After trading, the Prophet  gave silver pieces to the seller which was used instead of money to weigh and said:

“Be careful, and weigh heavily.” The amazed seller said that he had never heard such an offering from his customers before. Upon this, Abu Hurairah informed him that he was the prophet…Then the seller immediately wanted to kiss Prophet Muhammad’s hands (PBUH)… However, he did not allow him to do so.

“This is practiced by Persians for their kings. I’m not a king, but a person like you…”

On the way of returning home, Abu Hurairah wanted to help him by carrying his load. He did not allow him to do this, either.

“A person should carry his load only himself if possible.” (10)

ONLY FOR ALLAH

Whenever the Prophet went near his friends, they always stood up at once. One day, he could not put up with it anymore and said,

"Do not stand up as Iranians do by looking up to one another; do not stand up when I come in because I am a person who eats like a slave and who sits like a slave."

In a similar incidence, he added the following:

"Do not stand up for anybody. Only Allah deserves to be stood up for."

Afterwards, when he entered a place, his friends refrained from standing up and went on sitting. (11)

I HAVE BEEN HUNGRY FOR THREE DAYS

The Apostle of Allah had not eaten anything for three days… He went to the house of his daughter, Hz Fatima, to ask if there was something to eat:

“O, My daughter! Have you not got anything to eat? I’m very hungry.”

Fatima (R.A) answered:

“My father, may my soul be your sacrifice for you! I swear that I have nothing to give you for eating.”

During this time, he was the president of a country besides being a Prophet… Another day, Hz. Fatima (R.A) took the barley bread which she had just cooked to her prophet father. Hz. Muhammad (PBUH) said to her daughter:

“My daughter, I swear that your father has not eaten anything for three days.” During this time, he was head of the state, too. (12)

NO SHOW OFF

The Prophet was performing hajj (pilgrimage). A hundred thousand Muslims were around him; his sovereignty had been accepted by the whole Arabian Peninsula. He made one hundred camels slaughtered from his share that was obtained during the wars during hajj and distributed the meat to the poor. During this hajj, when he reached the climax of his life, victory and prophethood, he could have made it a victorious final but he sat on a mattress that was worth only four silver coins on his camel. At the end of the Farewell Hajj, he opened his hands and prayed as follows:

"O Allah! Accept this hajj as one that includes no show off or conceit." (13)

CAN THERE BE A SLAVE BETTER THAN ME?

Makkah had been conquered. It was a day when the political and military struggle yielded victory. The Prophet was having lunch with his friends sitting on the ground outside. A woman found it very strange and said,

“Look at him! He is sitting on the ground and eating like a slave.” Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) smiled and answered:

“Can there be a better slave than me? I am a slave of Allah.”

Once, his wife Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) asked her,

“Please stop sitting cross-legged while eating and sit comfortably.” Thereupon, the Prophet bowed down so much that his forehead nearly touched the ground and said,

“I eat like a slave eats and I sit like a slave sits because I am nothing but a slave.” (14)

ONCE AGAIN

The Apostle of Allah was travelling on a donkey without a saddle. He came across with his friend; Abu Hurairah and asked:

“Do you want to mount on the donkey?”

When he answered; “Yes, O

Apostle of Allah”:

He said, “Mount on.”

Abu Hurairah jumped; however, when he did not succeed in mounting on, he wanted to hang on to the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) but they both tumbled down. The prophet Muhammad, (PBUH) who mounted on the donkey again, asked Abu Hurairah:

“Try again.”

However, Abu Hurairah failed to mount for the second time and they both tumbled down onto the soil. Hz Muhammad (PBUH) mounted on the donkey again without any sign of resentment, He asked Abu Hurairah:

“Let us, try once again.” (15)

UNTIL HABBAB RETURNS

Habbab bin Arat was a freed slave that migrated from Makkah; he was one of the first Muslims. That is, he was one of the people that were regarded to be in the lowest level of the community. He was sent on a long mission by the Prophet in Madinah. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) himself did the chores in the house of Habbab bin Arat every day until he returned. Hazrat Muhammad milked the cows and the goats since the women in the house did not know how to milk. He did not let the family be affected by the absence of the man of the house. (16)

I WILL BE AMONG THEM

The apostle of Allah was being disturbed by newly converted migrant Arabs who were not aware of good manners and kindness and this was a serious subject of discomfort for his uncle, Hz. Abbas. One day, His uncle saw his nephew as he was surrounded by such a group again on a dusty place and under the scorching sun. Upon seeing him, he could not put up with it and said:

“O Apostle of Allah! Let us build a bower for you so that you will be protected at least from the sun! You will listen to the problems of Muslims there.”

He answered:

“No. I will be among them until Allah takes me to His side. I will not say anything when they step onto my heel and pull my garment.” (17)

NO! I AM HUNGRY!

Abu Hurairah saw the prophet (PBUH) praying by sitting and asked:

“O Apostle of Allah! Are you ill? He answered:

“No, I am Hungry!” (18)

ON THE WAY OF ALLAH

The Prophet  appointed Muadh the son of Jabal as the governor of Yemen and was bidding him farewell. Muadh, who was on horseback, felt embarrassed since the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was on foot and said:

“O Apostle of Allah! Let me get down and walk along with you.”

The proposal was rejected.

“O Muadh! I wish my steps

to be taken on the way of Allah.” (19)

WHENEVER WE TALK ABOUT WORLDLY MATTERS

One of the leading scribes of revelation, Zaid the son of Thabit narrates:

“I was a neighbor of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). When a revelation came to Him, he used to send a message to me. I used to go and write down the revelation. Whenever we talked about worldly matters near him, He used to talk about worldly matters too, whenever we talked about the hereafter, He used to talk about the hereafter too and whenever we talked about the food, He used to talk about the food too. I mean He was in conformity with us and He used to descend to our level. (20)

ALLAH IS THE GREATEST

A foreign delegate came to visit him. They wanted to start talking by paying a compliment and said,

“You are the greatest person.” The Prophet answered,

“Allah is the greatest.” Thereupon, they said,

“Then, you are the most superior and the strongest among us.” He did not like that sentence, either. He said,

“Do not go too far. Do not let Satan make you go astray by making you say the things that you do not believe.” (21)

LET US BE EVEN NOW

Hz Muhammad (pbuh) was having a bath. One of his friends held a curtain before him so that other people will not see him. When Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) finished the bath, he said to his friend,

“Let us be even now.” Despite his friend’s opposition, the Prophet held the curtain for his friend. When his friend said,

“O Messenger of Allah! Why do you take the trouble?”

He said, “No trouble at all.” (22)

WHICHEVER WAY YOU WANT

A mentally retarded woman entered the mosque and said:

“O Muhammad (PUBH) come and do my housework.” The prophet Muhammad (PUBH) smiled but answered with a serious voice tone:

“Let’ us go from whichever way you want.” and He tagged along after her, they went on… and His friends followed them with amazement and admiration. (23)

RELAX MAN; TAKE IT EASY

A newly convert Muslim, Arab migrant who saw the apostle of Allah for the first time was trembling because of excitement. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH):

“Relax man; take it easy. I am no king but the son of a Quraishite woman who used to eat dried meat.” (24)

WHEN THE EARTH BECOMES FULL

The Prophet showed someone passing by to his friend and asked him,

“What do you say about that person?”

His friend said,

“He is one of the notables of the community. They will marry him off to any girl he wants. Everybody will help him if he asks for help.”

Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) kept silent. After a while, he asked the same question by showing him another person. His friend said,

“He is very poor. Nobody will give their daughter to her; nobody will help him.”

This time, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) did not keep silent. He said,

“When the earth becomes full, this poor man is better than the other one.” (25)

HE RETRIEVES THE WELL

Sahr asked the Prophet to give him a well that was captured during a battle as his share of the bounty; the Prophet gave it to him. However, the tribe that was the owner of the well adopted Islam later. They retrieved their goods. Hazrat Muhammad went to Sahr in an apologetic manner, bent his head and asked him to return the well. Sahr did not oppose. He said,

“All right, O Messenger of Allah!

Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) blushed because he had to ask someone to return something that he had given to him. (26)

DO NOT FORGET ME IN YOUR PRAYER!

Hz. Umar (RA) wanted permission from the Prophet to go to Mecca to perform Umrah. He gave permission happily and said:

“My friend! Do not forget me in your prayer.”

According to Hz. Umar (RA), that was the happiest day in his life. (27)

THE DOWRY OF HAZRAT FATIMA

When the Prophet married off his daughter, Fatima, who was his only child that lived until his death and who looked like him a lot, he gave her the following as dowry: a velvet covering used instead of a quilt, a ground cloth, a sieve, a towel, a glass, a hand mill, a skin bag, two pitchers, a leather matress full of date fibers, a leather container and a waterskin. The velvet covering that was used as a quilt was not long enough to cover both the head and the feet at the same time. (28)

WE WOULD HAVE EATEN IT WITH BREAD

It was years after the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Hz. Aisha (RA) was narrating to those who were around her how she had crumbled a lamb trotter which had been sent by Hz. Abu Bakr (RA) with the apostle of Allah in an evening. Someone asked with amazement:

“Had you done this in the dark?”

Hz. Aisha (RA) answered with a bitter smile:

“If we had had oil to put in a lamp, we would have eaten it with bread.” (29)

WHEN I WAS A SHEPHERD

A few friends of the Prophet went to Him with thorny fruits that belonged to a tree called arak. Unripe fruits attracted the attention of the Apostle of Allah and He commented on in with a very natural way:

“Pick up the fruits of this tree after they get dark and ripen completely. When I was a shepherd, I used to pick them up and eat.”

During this time, he was a prevalent prophet in the Arabian Peninsula and had a dominant place in the hearts of thousands of believers. (30)

TELL THE TRUTH

Some Muslim girls were singing a chant that had the following lines: “We have such a prophet that He knows what will happen tomorrow”. The Prophet Muhammad, who heard it, warned these girls:

“If it is necessary to say something, tell the truth.” (31)

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[1] Qadi Iyad, ash-Shifa, p.132.
[2] M.Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayatu's Sahaba, II/412.
[3] M.Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayatu’s Sahaba, II/492.
[4] M.Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayatu’s Sahaba, III/154.
[5]M.Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayatu’s Sahaba, III/219.
[6]M.Yusuf Kandahlawi, Hayatu’s Sahaba, I/381.
[7]Abu’sh-Sheikh al Isbahani, Hz. Muhammed (asv) ’in Edeb ve Ahlakı, p.58/236.
[8] Fadlur-Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi, I/63.
[9]Fadlur- Rahman, Siret Ansiklopedisi, III/188.
[10]M. YusufKandahlawi, ibid, III/156, 157; Qadi Iyad, ibid p.132.
[11]M. YusufKandahlawi. ibid, III/68; Qadi Iyad. ibid, p.129.
[12]M. YusufKandahlawi, ibid, I/383 and IV/482.
[13]M. YusufKandahlawi, ibid, III/15; Qadi Iyad. ibid, p.130.
[14] Abu’sh-Sheikh al Isbahani, ibid p.64; Ed: Prof. Dr. İ. Lütfi Çakan, Hz. Peygamber ve Aile Hayatı, p.275; M. YusufKandahlawi. ibid, III/153; M.Fethullah Gülen. Sonsuz Nur, II/122.
[15]Imam Qastalani.Mawahib al-Ladunniyya, p.331.
[16] Fadlur-Rahman, ibid, I/66.
[17]İbrahim Refik, ibid, p.109.
[18]M.Fethullah Gülen, ibid, II/234.
[19]İbrahim Refik, Güllerin Efendisi p.160.
[20]M. YusufKandahlawi. ibid, III/123.
[21]M. YusufKandahlawi. ibid, III/109.
[22]M. YusufKandahlawi. ibid, III/339.
[23] Abu’sh-Sheikh al Isbahani, ibid, p.58; M.Fethullah Gülen, ibid, I/339.
[24]M. YusufKandahlawi, ibid, III/153.
[25]Abdurrahman Azzam, Peygamberimizin Örnek Ahlâkı, p.86.
[26]M. YusufKandahlawi, ibid, II/575.
[27]M. YusufKandahlawi. ibid, IV/93.
[28]Ibn Sa'd, at-Tabaqat al-Kubra, VIII/23.
[29]Abu Abdullah Muhammad (pbuh)  bin Ismail Bukhari. Sahih.Nafaqat. p.7.
[30]Ibn Sad. ibid, I/107.
[31]M.Fethullah Gülen, ibid, II/123.