As we see in the twenty first verse of the sacred surah of Ahzab (The Allies), the Great Prophet(s) of Islam is a good sample for humanity upto the Doom's Day. Taking into account the contents of this Surah and many other verses in the Holy Quran, professor hossein Ansarian in his book “ the land of lovers” elaborates on this important issue.
لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا.
“Certainly you have in the Apostle of Allah an excellent exemplar for him who hopes in Allah and the latter day and remembers Allah much. 33:21”
The most generous Prophet of Islam used to say:
مَنْ أحْيى سُنَّتِي فَقَدْ أحْياني، وَمَن أحْياني كانَ مَعِي فِي الجنّةِ.
“One who enlivens my ways of life has kept me alive and one who keeps me alive will enter the paradise with me.”
Imam Sadiq(s) has said: I do not like to see a Moslem leave this world having not carried out the Prophet's ways of life at least once.
We see in a narration:
خَيْرُ السُّنَنِ سُنَّةُ مُحَمَّدٍ صلّى اللهُ عَلَيهِ وَآلِهِ.
The best ways of life are those adopted by God's Prophet(s).
Why? This is because the Great Prophet(s) was directly and indirectly raised up in God's ways. God let His own names and attributes manifest in Mohammad(s). This was so evident that he mirrored God's traits and characteristics. He has declared:
أدَّبَني رَبّي فَأحْسَنَ تَأدِيبي.
“God educated me and it was a good education.”
There are many references in the Holy Quran to the Prophet's behavior:
فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِنْ اللَّهِ لِنْتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنْتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لَانْفَضُّوا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ.
“Thus it is due to mercy from Allah that you deal with them gently, and had you been rough, hard-hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from around you. 3:159”
إنّكَ لَعَلى خُلُقٍ عَظِيم.
“And most surely you conform yourself to sublime morality. 68:4 »
قُلْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمْ اللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ.
“Say: if you love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your faults.3:31”
Sheikh Mofid reports from Imam Baqir(s) who has said that the Great Prophet(s), at the time of his demise, said:
لا نَبِيَّ بَعْدِي وَلا سُنَّةَ بَعْدَ سُنَّتي.
There will be no Prophet after me and there is no right ways of life after me, either.
The Prophet of God has said:
أكْرِمُوا أوْلادي وَحَسِّنُوا آدابي.
Respect my offsprings and carry out my ways of life well.
Imam Ali(s) has stated:
فَاقْتَدُوا بِهَدْي رَسُولِ الله4 فَإنَّهُ أفْضَلُ الهَدْي وَاسْتَنّوا بِسُنَّتِهِ فإنَّها أشْرَفُ السُّنَنِ.
Follow the ways and approaches of the Prophet in your life because they are the best ways of life. His methods in life are the most honorable ones.
Imam Ali(s) in his Nahjolbnalaqa has encouraged us to follow our honorable Prophet because he is a great man worthy of following those who follow him are lucky ones. The most beloved man for God is the one who closely follows his Prophet and imitates the ways which that great man has followed and has set for us to follow.
The Prophet(s) always begged God to lead him towards the righ mannerisms and to keep him away from the vices.
اللّهُمَّ حَسِّنْ خَلْقي وخُلْقي، اللّهُمَّ جَنِّبْني مُنْكَراتِ الأخْلاقِ.
And Allah accepted the Prophet's invocation and provided him with the sacred verses of the Holy Quran.
Saeed Ibn Hoshsham says: I asked the Prophet's wife about his behavior. She asked me: Don’t you recite the Holy Quran? I answered positively. She then added, “His manners are based on the Holy Quran.” The Prophet(s) carried out what the Holy Quran had taught him to do and he carried out the Quranic commands swifter, better and more sincerely than others.
خُذْ الْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنْ الْجَاهِلِينَ.
“Take to forgiveness and enjoin good and turn asid from the ignorant. 7:199”
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنْ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ.
“Surely Allah enjoins the doing of justice and the doing of good to others and the giving to the kindred, and He forbids indecency and evil and rebellion; He admonishes you that you may be mindful.16:90”
وَاصْبِرْ وَمَا صَبْرُكَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ.
“And be patient and your patience is not but by the assistance of Allah. 16:127”
وَاصْبِرْ عَلَى مَا أَصَابَكَ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ مِنْ عَزْمِ الْأُمُورِ.
“(O my son) and bear patiently that which befalls you; surely these acts require courage. 31:17”
مِنْهُمْ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاصْفَحْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ.
“So pardon them and turn away; surely Allah loves those who do good to others. 5:13”
ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ.
“Repel evil with what is best, when lo! He between whom and you was enmity would be as if he were a warm friend. 41:34”
It is upto the people to follow the great Prophet(s) closely and learn what the Holy Quran taught him. In this way people could arrive at the worldly prosperity and could benefit abundance in the Hereafter. In doing this, they could avoid going astray. God Has made our obligations clear. There is no excuse for anybody, however.
Concerning the Prophet's right mannerisms, generosity and pardoning, Imam Ali(s) has said:
Among the prisoners-of-war of the tribe called Tei who were brought into Medina there was a girl who told the Prophet(s): O Mohammad, what would happen if you made me free so that I could escape the reproaches of the Arab tribes. I say this because I am the tribal chief's daughter . My father used to protect and give shelter those who lacked it. He used to free the Prisoners-of-war. He used to supply the travelers with food; he would greet others and would never let any needy go without his need having been met. I am the daughter of Hatam Ta'ee.
The Great Prophet(s) replied: O girl, what you said are the characteristics of a true believer. If your father were a Moslem, I would ask God's blessings for him. Then the Prophet(s) added: let the girl be free because her father loved good mannerism and Allah loves good morals.
When the girl was being freed, Abu Bardat Ibn-e Dinar rose from his place and asked the Great Prophet(s). O, Messenger of God, Does God love good morals? The Great Prophet(s) replied: I swear to God, in Whose power lies my life, that only the possessors of good morals may enter the paradise.
Then the Prophet(s) added: Among the good morals that Islam recommends are the following: proper association with people, being generous towards them, being lenient to them, and treating them amicabley; spreading among people the right ways of living, and feeding them; being the first in greeting them; paying visits to the sick, whether the sick person is a well-wisher Moslem, or a sinner; taking part in the Moslem's funeral processions; treating the neighbors kindly, whether they are Moslems or not; paying respects to the senior citizens; accepting people's invitations and inviting them; pardoning people; reconciling two disagreeing persons, being honorable and magnanimous; making sacrifices; suppressing one's anger and rage and then pardoning the wrong-doer.
Islam has prohibited the following features and considers them among sins:
Performing useless actions; involving in music and songs of any sort; treason, hypocracy, and unfounded revenge; telling lies, back-biting, jealousy, greed, injustice, aggression, tricks, evesdropping, agitating people, lack of association with relatives, being bad-tempered, pride, selfishness, improper praise of others, cursing others, spite and animosity, theft and aggression.
Anas says: The Prophet(s) never refrained from giving us the right pieces of advice; he always recommended that we carry out the right things. A good sample of what the Prophet(s) believed in was the following sacred verse from the Holy Quran:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى وَيَنْهَى عَنْ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ.
“Surely Allah enjoins the doing of justice and the doing of good to others and the giving to the kindred, and He forbids indecency and evil and rebellion; He admonishes you that you may be mindful. 16:90”
We should, however, be aware of the fact that the Prophet(s) possessed all the high standards of morals prior to teaching them to others; in the same way, he did not have the pernicious features that he advised people to avoid.
Moaz says: The Prophet(s) told me: I recommend to you that you be pious in all worldly affairs; that you get involved in honesty and decency; that you keep your promises; that you do not take part in treason; that you respect your neighbors; that you treat the orphans generously; that you be amicable in speech; that you volunteer to be the first in greeting people; that you take part in good deeds; that you curtail your wishes; and that you be faithful. The Prophet(s) recommended the following, as well: the understanding of the Quran, the love for the Hereafter; the fear of the Resurrection Day; being humble; avoiding cures; to avoid refuting the teller of the truth and confirming the liar; not obeying the sinner; to avoid disobeying the just leader; and to avoid performing sins and corruption. The Prophet(s) recommended that I repent secretly for any sin I have performed secretly.
This is how the Prophet(s) invited people to the proper mannerisms, piety, and good deeds.
source : land of lovers
