As the Prophethood of Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, is universal and will last until the Last Day, no one has been, and ever will be, able to compete with him in eloquence and linguistic style. His words, together with the Qur’an, supersede all literary works. Their excellence is everlasting and will become increasingly vivid as their meanings are discovered in parallel to the passage of time. His words and the Qur’an are of such extraordinary nature and so full of meaning that millions of saints and gnostics have obtained perfect knowledge of Divine Essence, Attributes and Names through them. The hidden truths concerning the Unseen worlds – angels, jinn, the Hereafter, Paradise and Hell – have all been unveiled through them. Also, they have together been a pure, inexhaustible source for hundreds of thousands of jurists, interpreters of the Qur’an, traditionists, historians and scientists, as well as sociologists and psychologists. The Qur’an and the Sunna have brought light to the lives of billions and shown them how to pray, fast, give alms, how to make pilgrimage, and even how to eat and drink, and how to speak, in short, how to act at every moment of their lives.

Encouraging belief and submission and the truth of Destiny

Imam Tirmidhi relates from Ibn ‘Abbas, the Scholar of the Ummah, that God’s Messenger said to him:

This hadith encourages submission to God and belief in His Unity and the truth of Destiny. We should not misunderstand this hadith to exclude human free will. Rather, it stresses, on the part of man, action, prayer and the need to strive to obtain desired results. It balances this with a warning that since everything is ultimately in the hands of God, man should strive in accordance with His Commandments and seek the results only from Him.

Man is a traveler in this world

Again, Imam Tirmidhi relates from Ibn ‘Umar:

God’s Messenger said:

This succinct hadith is unequalled in encouraging us to lead an austere, disciplined life based on fear of God. It reminds us of our final destination. It stresses the transience of the world, and establishes the balance between the two lives, this one and the next.

Man is always a foreigner in this world. He is, in the words of Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi, a thirteenth-century Turkish sufi, like a flute made of a reed separated from its group. He continually groans with the pangs of separation from his real Owner and ‘native land’. Man is, therefore, a traveler in this world, setting out from the World of the Spirits and travelling through the stations of the mother's womb, childhood, youth, old age, the grave and the Resurrection, finally ending his journey either in Paradise or Hell. In order to have a pleasant journey and arrive safely in Paradise, he should be aware of the transience of the worldly life and prepare for the eternal life. Although he is allowed to taste the pleasures of life to a certain extent, provided they are not specifically forbidden, he should not overindulge or forget his true destination.

Encouraging truthfulness and warning against lying

Authentic books of Tradition such as Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih al-Muslim and Sunan Abu Dawud relate from ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud that God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, said:

Truthfulness is an indispensable attribute of Prophethood while lying is a loathsome sign of hypocrisy. Truthfulness opens the door of happiness in both worlds. No one has tasted true bliss while living in the darkness of lies and lying.

Lying is a pillar of unbelief and the most manifest sign of hypocrisy. It means ‘an assertion contrary to God’s knowledge’. How unfortunate it is that today lying is so widespread. It is destroying security and morality, and we witness it contaminating the whole community, especially the political circles, like a ‘contagious disease’. It should, however, be noted that any ‘structure’ based on lying cannot last long. It will perish by its very nature.

The hadith states that truthfulness leads to ‘absolute piety’, while lying leads to sinfulness. The Arabic word we have here translated as ‘piety’ is birr. It encompasses every kind of virtue, from sound thinking and telling the truth to purity of intention, honesty, decency and good conduct. The word, fujur — sinfulness — denotes every kind of deviation and evil, including debauchery, indecency and perversion.

Persistent lying causes one to be classed as a liar, while he who always tells the truth will be identified with truthfulness. Lying and truthfulness are roads leading to Hell and Paradise respectively. This means that, as emphasized by the hadith, a single act of lying may lead one who lies to perdition. It may be the first step to an unfortunate end.

A man is with him whom he loves

As reported by Bukhari and Muslim from Ibn Mas‘ud, God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, said:

A man is with him whom he loves.

This hadith would need volumes to explain fully. It is a source of hope and consolation for those who are unable to lead their life in a strict obedience to the Divine Commandments. One who has been endowed with love for Prophets and saints will be in their company in the Hereafter. Therefore, whoever desires their company in Paradise should love them sincerely and follow them as much as possible. Those who, on the other hand, love the enemies of God, will be with them in Hell in the Hereafter.

Nu‘ayman was one of the Companions of God's Messenger. He could not stop drinking alcohol, and was punished a few times. When once another Companion reproached him, God’s Messenger warned that Companion, saying: Do not help Satan against your brother! I swear by God that he loves God and His Messenger.

Since a believer who loves God and His Messenger sincerely will be in the company of God's Messenger in Paradise, he should not be reproached for an individual sin as long as he continues to perform his obligatory duties and tries to refrain from major sins. This is a prerequisite of his love of God and His Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings.

The principles of a happy life

As related by ibn Hanbal from Mu‘adh ibn Jabal, God’s Messenger said:

This hadith concisely establishes the principles of a happy life in the world and describes the way to eternal bliss. Fear of God is the basis of every virtue and good conduct, and leads to Paradise. A man can, through fear of God, erase his sins with his good deeds, and being well-mannered elevates one to the rank of perfection.

The basic principle of public and political administration

In another saying of his, God’s Messenger declares:

This hadith expresses a principle of public and political administration. The political structure of a country is shaped according to the tendencies of the people whether directly through democracy or indirectly through other ways.

Natural sciences like physics, chemistry, and biology have laws of their own, which we call ‘God’s creational and operational laws of the universe’, and so do the social sciences. If, according to these laws, a people do not refrain from sinful acts and live in the swamp of evils, they will inevitably be ruled by evil people. If, by contrast, they prefer a virtuous life, then the government formed by them will be a good one.

The hadith stresses that laws do not have sanction on their own. Their authority depends on the people who will apply them. Therefore, the character of the people who hold the reins of government is of vital importance. If the people are righteous, their rules will be the same; if they are not, they will have no right and justification to expect a righteous administration. The ruling elite are like the cream rising to the surface of a liquid: milk has cream of its kind as do lime and alum.

Hajjaj, a despotic commander during the time of ‘Abd al-Malik, when reminded of the justice of ‘Umar, answered: ‘If you were like the people of ‘Umar, I would be like ‘Umar’.

The hadith also warns us that everybody should develop the sense of self-control and discern his own faults. In a society where people tend to put the blame on others, it is impossible to create social harmony. As emphasized in the Qur’an, God will not change the condition of a people unless they change themselves (al-Ra‘d, 13.11). It is man himself who determines his fate and makes his history.

This brief hadith contains many principles relating to social sciences, but the scope of this book does not allow us to go into greater detail.

Actions are judged according to intentions

Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawud relate from the second Caliph, ‘Umar that God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, said:

This hadith concerns a Companion who emigrated to marry a woman called Umm Qays, and is a cornerstone of the Islamic law and the foremost standard in evaluation of a believer’s actions.

Intention is the spirit of a man’s actions, without which any action will not be rewarded. If a man performs the five daily prayers without intention, or fasts during Ramadan without intention of performing the prescribed fast, or if he gives all his money to the poor without intention of paying the prescribed alms, he will not be counted as having fulfilled the obligatory duties of prayer, fasting and alms-giving. If he does not do all such duties for the sake of God and to obtain His good pleasure, he will not receive any reward and they will not be acceptable in the sight of God.

Hijra, the sacred emigration in the way of God, is, in one respect, the twin brother of jihad, the holy struggle in the way of God. Although there is no Hijra from Makka to Madina after the conquest of Makka, it will elsewhere continue along with jihad until the Last Day. Believers may emigrate to another land to continue their mission of preaching Islam, as God’s Messenger and his Companions did in the early period of Islam. When it became impossible for them to do this in their native land, they emigrated to Madina. Such emigrations are accepted as hijra when they are purely for the sake of God.

Intention can sometimes be rewarded without action. For example, if a believer sincerely intends to do something good, but cannot do it due to some justifiable reasons, he will be rewarded for the action he has intended to do.

Intention multiplies the rewards of actions. It transforms every action of a believer into a kind of worship. It is impossible to rightfully earn eternal happiness in this short worldly life. But, by intending to worship God if he were to live until eternity, a believer deserves the eternal life of Paradise. Also, an obstinate unbeliever whose heart becomes absolutely closed to belief, deserves the eternal punishment of Hellfire for the same reason. Again, a believer who goes to bed after the night prayer with the intention of getting up before dawnbreak to perform the prayer of tahajjud, is counted to have worshipped God during the whole night. It is for the reasons mentioned that God’s Messenger declared: The intention of a believer is more rewarding than his action.

Who is a Muslim and who is an emigrant?

Bukhari records that God’s Messenger said:

This hadith, like others, is one that expresses many truths in a few words. First of all, it describes the ideal, or norm of a Muslim by beginning with the words ‘the Muslim’, not ‘a Muslim’. In this way, our Prophet draws attention to the qualities of perfect Muslims, not to those who are nominally Muslims but not really Muslims in their practices.

The Arabic word Muslim, derived from the infinitive silm, meaning security, peace and salvation, comes to mean one who desires and gives peace, security and salvation. So, when we identify a Muslim with the normative definite article or ‘the Muslim’, we mean a believer who has become the embodiment of peace, causing no sedition and anxiety, and one from whom everyone is in utmost security. He is the most reliable representative of peace and security in the world. He strives to bring peace, security and salvation to the world. He has dedicated himself to disseminating his inner peace and happiness to the outer world around him.

Secondly, our Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, mentions the tongue before the hand. As everybody knows, the ‘wounds’ caused by the tongue are deeper and more hurtful than those caused by the hand. Besides, one is often prepared to strike more readily, easily and more frequently with one’s tongue than with the hand. Slandering, backbiting, reproaching and other similar ways of hurting people are commoner and more difficult to avoid than hurt done by the hand. Further, if a person can refrain from hurting with the tongue, he can more easily refrain from the assaults by the hand. Again, defending oneself against physical assaults is, in most cases, easier than against verbal assaults of, in particular, backbiting and slandering. So, a true Muslim always restrains his tongue as well as his hand from hurting others.

In the same hadith, Emigration is conceived in a more general sense than the bodily emigration of leaving one’s family, house, possessions and native land for the sake of God. Indeed, to be capable of the latter, one must first be capable of emigrating from the material dimension of his being to the spiritual one, from worldly pleasures to an altruistic life and from selfish aims to living for a Divine cause. Therefore, refraining from Divine prohibitions is directly related to being a good Muslim and sacrificing one’s life in the service of people purely for the sake of God.

The sign of being a good Muslim

In another hadith, God’s Messenger says:

Being a good Muslim means to practise ihsan, which means worshipping God as if you were seeing Him, in full awareness that even if you cannot see God, He oversees you all the time. When one attains this rank, one can say: ‘I was searching for Him in the outer world, but now I have come to understand that He is the Soul within my soul’; or again he can say: ‘I was in expectation of some news from beyond the world. However, the veil has been removed from my soul and I have seen myself.’

In order to attain this degree of excellence, the worshipper should abandon everything that is vain and useless to him. He should know that he is being supervised by God, and also that God’s Messenger and discerning believers are aware of the real worth of his deeds. God says:

One cannot be a good Muslim unless one gives up heedlessness and indifference. Rather, a person should give proper care to his work and try his utmost to do his best at whatever he does. He should also be serious and reliable in all his dealings and transactions. Flippancy and frivolity both defame one’s reliability and reduce one’s dignity.

Reality of patience

As related by both Bukhari and Muslim, God’s Messenger said:

Patience is shown just at the moment of misfortune.

In the early days of his mission, God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, had forbidden people to visit graves as some un-Islamic practices had not yet been wiped out. When no traces of such practices remained, he not only allowed but also encouraged his Companions to visit graves, as he himself did, as visiting the dead encourages one to strive to improve one’s own moral conduct and work hard for the next life.

It was during one of his visits to the graveyard in Madina that God’s Messenger saw a woman weeping bitterly and complaining about Destiny. When he attempted to console her, the woman, who did not recognize God’s Messenger, said to him angrily: ‘Go away! You don’t know what misfortune has befallen me!’ When later told that the man to whom she had spoken reproachfully was God’s Messenger, the woman hurried after him and, finding him in his house, begged his pardon. God’s Messenger told her then: Patience is shown just at the moment of misfortune.

Patince is a key to success and triumph

Patience is a key to success and triumph. It means the ability to accept pain, trouble, misfortune or anything that causes annoyance, without complaining, losing one’s self-control or trust and belief in God and Destiny. It is necessary at the point when misfortune strikes. One can achieve this, sometimes, by a change of attitude, place or preoccupation, by changing the immediate conditions around one. To do wudu’ (ritual ablution) or stand in prayer may also help one overcome an assault of sorrow.

There are three or four kinds of patience. The first is being determined and steadfast in not committing sins, which elevates one to the rank of the God-fearing, whom God takes into His care. The second kind of patience is being persistent in worshipping God regularly, which causes one to acquire the rank of being a beloved of God. The third is accepting every misfortune without complaining, which causes one to be included among the people of patience and those who put their trust in God. There is another, fourth, kind of patience which is shown in the face of exasperation. That is, one should know how to observe the deliberation, decreed by God’s Wisdom, that is appropriate to obtain a particular result. In order to produce a loaf of bread, for example, one must cultivate the field, harvest the crop, take the grain to a mill and bake the loaf in an oven. If, due to impatience one does not act in compliance with this deliberation and neglects to follow all the steps in sequence, in the arrangement determined for all things, one will either overleap or omit some step, and so fail to achieve the desired result.

His life was so simple that once ‘Umar, on seeing him, said:

God’s Messenger answered him:

God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, lived for others. Indeed, he desired his nation to live a comfortable life without, however, being deluded by its luxuries, but he himself lived a very simple life.

God’s Messenger, like all the other Prophets, may God’s peace be upon them all, never thought of any wages in return for his mission. He suffered hunger, thirst and every other kind of hardship. He was forced to leave his native town, and was made the target of many assaults and traps. He bore all these simply for the good pleasure of God and the good of mankind. He never expected anything from people.

Abu Hurayra once saw him performing his prayer in a sitting position and asked him whether he was ill. The reply was of the kind that made Abu Hurayra weep:

Hunger was common to them. One night, God’s Messenger, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar met each other unexpectedly outside their homes. ‘What brought you to come out at this time of night?’, they asked one another. The reply of each was the same: ‘hunger’.

Even though most of his Companions became wealthier in later years, the Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, never changed his lifestyle, nor did his family. They continued to live a very simple life. His daughter, Fatima, for example, though his most beloved child and the only one surviving, did all of her housework by herself. When the prisoners captured in a battle were shared out in Madina, Fatima asked his father to assign her a maid, but God’s Messenger said in response:

One day, he saw Fatima wearing a bracelet (or a necklace, according to another version) and warned her, saying:

In addition to receiving no worldly benefit from his people, God’s Messenger also had to bear many tortures. He was covered in dust many times and no one except Fatima ran to his aid. Once he was beaten at the Ka’ba and Abu Bakr hastened to help him, shouting to those beating him:

Will you kill a man because he says, ‘My Lord is God?’

By examining his words and deeds, one can see that every one of them declares Muhammad is the Messenger of God, upon him be peace and blessings.