Prophet Muhammad

“And We (God) have not sent you (Muhammad) except as a mercy for mankind.”

Qur'an 21:107

As well as calling people to pray, fast and give charity, the Prophet taught that one's faith in God should affect one's treatment of others.

“The best of you are they who have the best character.”

“Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should not hurt his neighbour, and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should serve his guest generously, and whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, should speak what is good or keep quiet.”

“He who does not show mercy to others, will not be shown mercy.”

In another narration, some people requested the Prophet (peace be upon him) to invoke God to punish the disbelievers, but he replied: “I have not been sent as one to curse but as a mercy.”

The Prophet was the most forgiving of all people and the kindest. If someone abused him, he would forgive him, and the harsher a person was, the more patient he would become. He was extremely lenient and forgiving, especially when he had the upper hand and the power to retaliate.

“Let them forgive and overlook: do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

Qur'an 24:22

“Keep to forgiveness (O Muhammad), and enjoin kindness, and turn away from the ignorant.”

Qur'an 7:199

“Indeed the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.”

Qur'an 49:13

“All humanity is from Adam and Adam is from clay. There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab, nor for a black over a white; except through piety.”

“God does not judge you according to your appearance and your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and looks into your deeds.”

When a companion called another companion in an offensive way, 'Son of a black woman!' the Prophet became angry and said: Do you condemn him because of the blackness of his mother? You still have within you traces of ignorance from the pre-Islamic period.

“Good deeds and evil deeds are not equal. Repel evil with what is best, then he with whom you had enmity shall become as a loyal friend.”

Qur'an 41:34

You should not do evil to those who do evil to you, but you should deal with them with forgiveness and kindness. This is how the final Messenger of God reacted to personal attacks and abuse.

“The strong is not the one who overcomes people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger.”

“Do not wish to meet the enemy, but when you meet (face) the enemy, be patient (i.e. stand firm when facing the enemy).”

Practising patience and tolerance does not mean being a passivist. Islam permits self-defence, but the Prophet taught restraint even when wronged.

“By the grace of Allah, you are gentle towards the people; if you had been harsh and hard-hearted, they would have dispersed from around you.”

Qur'an 3:159

A companion who served the Prophet for ten years said that he was always gentle in his dealings with him: When I did something, he never questioned my manner of doing it; and when I did not do something, he never questioned my failure to do it. He was the friendliest of all men.

“Be gentle and calm, O Aisha, as Allah likes gentleness in all affairs.”

“Show gentleness! For if gentleness is found in something, it beautifies it, and when it is taken out from anything, it makes it deficient.”

The Prophet used to prevent people from standing up for him out of respect. He used to sit wherever there was a place available in an assembly and never sought a prominent or elevated place. He never wore anything to distinguish himself from his companions or appear in higher rank than them. He used to mix with the poor and the needy, sit with the elderly and support the widows.

“And the servants of The Most Gracious (God) are those who walk on the earth in humbleness, and when the ignorant address them, they say: 'Peace.'”

Qur'an 25:63

“Allah has revealed to me, that you must be humble. No one should boast over one another, and no one should oppress another.”

“Do not exceed bounds in praising me as the Christians do in praising Jesus, Son of Mary. I am only the Lord's servant; then call me the Servant of Allah and His Messenger.”

The Prophet's beloved wife Aisha said of her noble husband: He used to repair his shoes, sew or mend his clothes and do what ordinary men did in their houses.

“And live with them (your spouses) in kindness.”

Qur'an 4:19

“The most perfect of the believers in faith are the best of them in morals. And the best among them are those who are best to their wives.”

“Indeed you (O Muhammad) are on an exalted standard of character.”

Qur'an 68:4

What has preceded is only a glimpse of how Muhammad (peace be upon him) lived his life. The examples of kindness and mercy mentioned may come as a surprise given the portrayal of Islam in the media. It is important when trying to understand Islam to go directly to its sources — the Qur'an and the authentic Sunnah — and not to judge Islam based on the errant actions of a few Muslims.

“It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle.”

Mahatma Gandhi

“The world is in dire need of a man with the mind of Muhammad; religious people in the Middle Ages, due to their ignorance and prejudice, had pictured him in a very dark way as they used to consider him the enemy of Christianity. But after looking into the story of this man I found it to be an amazing and a miraculous one, and I came to the conclusion that he was never an enemy of Christianity, and must be called instead the saviour of humanity. In my opinion, if he was to be given control over the world today, he would solve our problems and secure the peace and happiness which the world is longing for.”

George Bernard Shaw, British playwright