Anecdotes from the Life of the Holy Prophet of Islam(S.A.W.)
Nasiba The Hero of Uhud Battle
The deep scar on the shoulder of Nasiba, daughter of Kaab, spoke of a major wound in the past. Whenever the women, especially of the younger generation who had not seen the time of the Prophet or were too small at that time, noticed the cavity in her shoulder, they enquired with extreme curiosity about the frightening incident, which had resulted in the injury to her shoulder.
They loved to hear her adventures in the battle of Uhud from her own mouth. She had never imagined that she would fight shoulder to shoulder with her husband and two sons defending the Prophet in the battle of Uhud. She had only taken the water-skin on her back so that she could provide water to the injured and also had taken some home-made bandages to dress their wounds. She had not thought of herself as worthy of any other work on that day.
Although the Muslims were small in number and had only a limited supply of equipment's, they gave a grand defeat to the enemy who took to their heels vacating the battlefield. But soon after, due to the negligence of some men guarding the "Ainain Hills", the enemy made a surprise attack from the rear, turning the victory of the Muslims into defeat. The Muslims surrounding the Prophet fled away, leaving him almost alone in the battlefield.
When Nasiba saw this precarious situation, she put the water-skin on the ground, and took a sword in her hand. She fought with the sword and also made good use of bows and arrows; and took a shield left over by a fleeing soldier. Once she noticed a man shouting: "Where is Mohammed himself?" She approached him immediately and inflicted a few blows on him; but he was double-armored and her attacks had not much effect on him. He then inflicted such a heavy blow on the shoulder of the armor less woman that it required treatment for one year.
Noticing a stream of blood gushing from her shoulder, the Prophet called to one of her sons to immediately dress her wound. He put a bandage over her shoulder and she again got busy in the battle. Meanwhile one of her sons got injured. She took out a bandage and dressed his wound.
The Prophet watching the scene smiled at the heroism of this woman. After dressing her son's wound she instructed him to get going for the battle. These words were still in her mouth when the Prophet pointed out a man to her and told her that he was the same man who had injured your son. She attacked the man like a lioness and inflicted her sword on his leg. He fell on the ground.
The Prophet said, "Well, thou hast taken thy revenge. Thanks for God who gave the victory on him and made thy eyes cool." Many Muslims were martyred and wounded. She herself was severely wounded and there was no hope of her life. After the battle of Uhud, the Prophet ordered the wounded Muslims to pursue the enemy unto Hamra-ul-Asad, to be sure of their intention and condition. Nasiba also wanted to accompany them but the deep injuries did not allow her to do so.
On returning from Hamra-ul-Asad, the Prophet before reaching his house sent someone to enquire about her health and was pleased to learn that she was alive.
The Virtues of the Family of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.)
The family members of the Prophet were the true friends and well wishers of the people who felt strong grief when they saw people in any kind of distress or suffering. They worked hard to restore the rights of the deprived and gave all their belongings to the needy. They were always ready to face hardships in order to save others.
Sometimes, they would even give to the needy the food or clothing which they themselves urgently needed. There are many of such happenings that took place in the life of our religious leaders. For instance, once Imam Ali's (A.S.) children were sick. Their mother, daughter of the Prophet, vowed to fast three days on the recovery of her children, in thanksgiving to Allah. Imam Ali (A.S.) and the children all joined Lady Fatima (S.A.) in thanksgiving. All of them fasted. It was sunset and they had only a few barley loaves of bread for their breakfast.
As they were about to eat their food, someone knocked at their door, saying I am a poor man. Please give me some food. The food, which the whole family had, was very little. They gave it all to the poor man. Again on next day, when the family wanted to break their fast an orphan began knocking at the door asking for food. The same thing happened on the third day also with a stranger. Each time they gave their food to the needy and they, themselves, remained hungry continuing their fast. Muslim commentators say,
The next day, the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) came to the family with these verses of the Holy Qur'an: "Surely the righteous shall drink of a cup the admixture of which is camphor, a fountain from which the servants of Allah shall drink; they make it to flow a (goodly) flowing forth. They fulfill vows and fear a day the evil of which shall be spreading far and wide. And they give food out of love for Allah to the poor and the orphan and the Active: We only feed you for Allah's sake. We desire from you neither reward nor thanks: Surely we fear from our Allah a stern, distressful day. Therefore, Allah will guard them from the evil of that day and cause them to meet with ease and happiness; And reward them because they were patient, with garden and silk." (Holy Qur'an, 76:5-12)
The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) and Education
The mosque of Madinah was not only a place of worship. The believers assembled here to learn. When the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) was present they heard his words of wisdom, his elucidation on the verses of the Holy Qur'an and benefited from his counsel. And when he (S.A.W.) was not present, other faithful companions taught what they had heard from the Prophet of Allah.
Once the Prophet (S.A.W.) entered the Mosque before the prayer time. He found two groups in the Mosque. One group was busy with its own act of worship, some were reading the Qur'an while the others were supplicating. The other group was in a corner busy learning. They learnt how to read and write and discussed the teachings of Islam and their application to their daily lives. Looking at both, the Prophet (S.A.W.) said: "They are both engaged in useful pursuits. But I am a teacher. I shall join the group assembled to learn." And so he (S.A.W.) sat with the group of students.
Telling The Truth
Telling the truth is a very good habit. If you always speak the truth, you can save yourself from a lot of trouble! Here is a story of a man who did a lot of bad things, but his promise to tell the truth saved him. Once a man came to the prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) and said, "Oh prophet of Allah, I have many bad habits. Which one of them should I give up first?"
The prophet said, "Give up telling lies first and always speak the truth." The man promised to do so and went home. At night the man was about to go out to steal. Before setting out, he thought for a moment about the promise he made with the prophet. "If tomorrow the prophet asks me where have I been, what shall I say?
Shall I say that I went out stealing? No, I cannot say that. But nor can I lie. If I tell the truth, everyone will start hating me and call me a thief. I would be punished for stealing." So the man decided not to steal that night, and gave up this bad habit.
Next day, he felt like drinking wine, when he was about to do so, he said to himself, "What shall I say to the prophet if he asks me what did I do during the day? I cannot tell a lie, and if I speak the truth people will hate me, because a Muslim is not allowed to drink wine." And so he gave up the idea of drinking wine.
In this way, whenever the man thought of doing something bad, he remembered his promise to tell the truth at all times. One by one, he gave up all his bad habits and became a good Muslim and a very good person. If you always speak the truth, you can be a good person, a good Muslim whom Allah likes and favors. If Allah - our Creator - is pleased with us, He will reward us with HEAVEN, which is a place of happiness and joy.
The Last of the Prophets
Our Prophet. the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.). is the last of Allah's Prophets. He was born in the city of Makkah in Arabia. He lived amongst the people there for forty years. and when he was forty years old, Allah chose him to be His Prophet. Allah showed him the road of true happiness in life and commanded him to be the people guide. For three years he called the people to Islam in secret. After those three years. Allah told him to manifest his mission.
The Holy Prophet stood on a large boulder. He called the people. The people recognized him. They ran and gathered around him. He wanted to speak to the people and give them the good tidings. "O People." he cried. "I am Allah's Prophet. I am your guide. I am the guide of the lost. I have brought the most wonderful presents for you. I have brought a message for you from Allah: believe in the One God and find real and lasting happiness.
Say: 'La ilaha illallah.' Say: `There is no god but Allah' and save yourselves from a baseness and delusion." *The Holy Prophet brought us the most wonderful presents.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) in his Youth
The Holy Prophet Muhammad, (S.A.W.) was born to one of the families of Makkah. His father was `Abdullab and his mother was Aminah. Muhammad's father died before he was born. After he was born his mother entrusted him to a wet-nurse. The name of Muhammad's wet-nurse was Halimah.
Halimah took Muhammad to the hilly country for him to be brought up in the clean air. When Muhammad was four, he wanted to go out one pasture their shepherds to the hill sides, where they used to pasture their flocks. Halima combed his hair, dressed him in new clothes, and then put a necklace of green beads around his neck.
"What's this necklace for?" enquired Muhammad. It's to save you from danger on the mountainside," said Halimah. Muhammad took it off his neck and gave it back to her, and said: "There is Someone Who saves me from all kinds of danger, while these green beads can't do anything."
"Who is that?" asked Halimah. "Who saves you from all kinds of danger?" "Allah," said Muhammad, "our Creator."
Being Kind to Children
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.)was very kind to children and loved them very much. One day, he placed his two grandchildren, Hasan and Husayn, on his lap and began kissing and cuddling them. A man who was passing by saw what the Prophet (S.A.W.) was doing, and became very surprised. "I have ten children," he said. "And I have not kissed even one of them."
The Prophet heard what this hard-hearted man said and became very annoyed. "I do not think this man will attain paradise," he said. Our Holy Prophet loved children. He used to carry them on his shoulders. The children would become very happy and laugh.
The Prophet, too, would become happy at the pure happiness and laughter of the children and a smile would appear on his face.
Our Holy Prophet used to give his salam to children and would tell his companions: "I give my salam to children and respect them, and Muslims should follow my behavior and always be warm and loving with children."
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.) used to speak about children - boys and girls - and Say: "0 Muslims, 0 fathers and mothers, 0 my followers, be kind and compassionate towards children, for someone who is not kind to children has no place amongst the Muslims." Our Holy Prophet was kind to children and became happy at their pure and innocent laughter.
Muhammad al-Amin" (Muhammad the Trustworthy)
One year, the people of Makkah were rebuilding the holy Kabah. The holy Kabah is the first house of worship ever built on earth. and it was the Holy Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail (a.s.) who built it. Now all the people of Makkah were working together to rebuild it.
The wall of the Kabah reached the special place where the black stone called! al-Hajar al-Aswad' had to be placed. Al-Hajar al-'Aswad is a very respected part of the Kabah. Each of the nobles of Makkah wanted to gain prestige and honor for himself and his tribe by placing the black stone in its special position.
Gradually a huge quarrel broke out and work came to a halt. All the nobles were saying, !No, I must be the one to place Al-Hajar al-'Aswad in position." The conflict became very severe, and the situation became dangerous. Makkah was on the verge of civil war and the nobles began giving instructions to their tribes and clans to make ready for battle.
It was then that a wise man spoke up. "Oh people. he said, "Do not make war upon each other. War leads to the destruction of houses and cities and causes misery and hardship amongst the people. Do not follow the ways of ignorance.' find the solution to your problem." "What shall we do'?" asked the Makkan nobles. "What is the solution to our problem?"
"You must select an arbitrator, said the wise man. "to arbitrate between you and put an end to your conflict." "We accept the nobles said in unison. "This is a good suggestion but who is to arbitrate All the nobles wanted the arbitrator to be from their own tribe, so that he would rule in their favor. Again the project led to a dispute. That same wise man then made another suggestion.
"Since you are unable to agree in choosing an arbitrator," he said, `appoint the first person who enters al-Masjid al-Haram to arbitrate among you.
"The first person to enter from this door." he added, pointing to one of the Sacred Mosque's doors." "We agree." they all said. Their eyes were staring at the door. They were all anxious and their thoughts were centered on who was going to enter the door and arbitrate between them and in favor of which tribe. A young man entered. and everyone was relieved.
It's Muhammad." they started saying. "Muhammad al `Amin. Muhammad the Trustworthy. who could be better'? We accept his arbitration."
As Muhammad entered the Sacred Mosque. all the people crowded around him and told him all about this conflict. Thinking for a moment. Muhammad then told them:
"All the leading men of Makkah must share in this important work." The people were surprised. "How is it possible?" they asked themselves. Muhammad gave instructions for the head of each tribe to be present. When they were all present Muhammad (s.a.w.) took his cloak. spread it on the ground and placed al-Hajar al-'Aswad upon it.
Then he told all the chiefs to pick up the cloak together and bring it to the side of the Kabah. Then, when they had done so, Muhammad gently nudged al-Hajar al-`Aswad into its special position. All the people of Makkah were satisfied and pleased and congratulated Muhammad on his expertise.
At that time, Muhammad was still young and had not yet been given his prophetic mission. However he was so honest and truthful that he was known as Muhammad al-Amin meaning "Muhammad the Trustworthy".
The people had complete confidence in him and entrusted to him their valuables. He took great care to look after these trusts and to return them safely to their owners whenever they wanted them.
The people used to turn to him to settle their differences and disputes, and everyone used to accept his arbitration. *Peace and blessings upon our honest and trustworthy Prophet.*
The Kind and Compassionate Prophet
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) was always kind and compassionate towards the weak, the old and the young. He even used to refrain from prolonging the bowing and prostration in congregational prayers so as not to cause difficulty for the aged or ill.
One day he prolonged one of the prostration longer than usual. One of the Prophet's Companions who was performing his prayer in that congregation, tells us: "I raised my head from prostration as normal, but then I realized that the Holy Prophet was still in prostration. I returned to prostration and this time, I waited for the Holy Prophet to come out of prostration and say Allahu Akbar'.
After a long time I heard him say `Allahu akbar' and I raised my head from the prostration. No one knew why he had prolonged the prostration for such a long and unusual period."
When the prayer was over, one of the Companions approached the Prophet, saying, "O Prophet of Allah you always perform the prostration in congregational prayer very briefly. What happened that made you prolong the prostration today?"
"The Holy Prophet told him, `When I was in the state of prostration. I was just about to raise my head, when my little grandson Husayn came and sat on my back. He wanted to sit there for a moment and I didn't want to disappoint him, so I prolonged the prostration until he himself chose to get off."
Our Holy Prophet loved children so much that he was even sympathetic towards them in prayer. The Holy Prophet used to tell his Companions: "Kindness and affection toward! children are part of the behavior of prophets. "Whoever does not respect elders or shows no kindness and compassion towards children is not a Muslim."
The Call to Faith and Freedom
A cry was raised. A man was standing by the hill and calling to the people: "Come, O people, come, I have brought a message for you." The people ran towards him, children too, and gathered around him. In order for his voice to reach the people more clearly and so that they could all see him, the man climbed upon a large boulder and stood there. Then he looked at the people and said:
"O people! O fellow townsmen! O my kith and kin! You all know me well and trust me. Is it not so?" The affirmation of the listeners was loud and unanimous.
The man continued: "O people! I have been, sent by God the One and Unique with a message for you." "What is that message, O Muhammad the Trustworthy?" said one of the listeners.
"Say, `there is no God but Allah, you will prosper replied the prophet. "Don't worship idols anymore. Don't maintain partners with God. Don't obey the tyrants. Don't be unjust to others, and be an enemy to injustice and oppressors.
"Say, `there is no God but Allah', and accept the leadership of mankind and save them from the disgrace of oppression. "Say, 'there is no God but Allah', and be dignified and free in the world and live in Paradise in the Hereafter.
"This is the message I have brought to you from God, there is no God except Allah."'- There was an uproar. They wouldn't allow Muhammad (S.A.) the Trust worthy to continue his speech. Some were sunk in thought while some, who were the nobles and tyrants of Makkah, were angry and were making fun of the prophet.
One day a group of the nobles of Makkah went to the house of Abu Talib, the Prophet's uncle. Abu Talib was the head of his tribe and a leader of the city. He was an old man worship the idols arid to believe in One God.
What crazy words he is uttering!" "O Abu Talib", they continued, "You have to stop him from saying such things. Otherwise, it is possible that he will be killed.'
One of them then put his mouth close to Abu Talib's ear and quietly said, "What is it Muhammad wants? Does he want a wife, house and a fine life? Whatever he wants we will give him, provided he stops saying these things and stops A calling himself the Messenger of God." They told Abu Talib to speak to Muhammad (S.A.) and then they left.
Abu Talib invited his nephew, the Holy Prophet "Do you know what the leaders of the city came to see Muhammad (S.A.), to his house. me about yesterday?" he asked him.
"What have you been "My dear uncle", said Muhammad (S.A.) who loved his uncle very much. "God has selected me to be His Prophet. He has given me a message so as to lift the people from degradation. He has given me a message for me to call the people to worship of the One God. God has ordered me to prevent the people from idol-worship and oppression."
Abu Talib had been listening to Muhammad (S.A.) well and, at heart, he believed in him. Quietly he said to his nephew, "Do you know what they wanted from me? They wanted me to stop you from speaking like this!" "Never will I disobey God's command", Muhammad (S.A.) told him without hesitation. "I am going to carry it out and will continue to call the people to devotion to the One True God and to Tawhid (monotheism).
"My dear uncle", he continued, "I swear by God that if they were to offer me the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, together with all the wealth and beauty in the world, still I would not turn back from the mission which God has entrusted me!" Abu Talib thought for a moment. "In whatever way God has commanded you", he finally said, "obey Him. I will always support you."
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