Prophet's loyalty to Khadijah

One of the great traits of Islamic character that Islam teaches, which, like others, Prophet personified in full measure, is loyalty. Therefore, he cherished the fond memory of his first wife Khadijah, even years after her death. He would also go out of his way to meet, greet, and entertain her relatives and friends with great zeal. Aishah recalls: “Prophet never stopped from praising Khadijah and praying for her. Once, on hearing his words of praise for her, I angrily retorted: “But God has replaced the old woman for you with someone better!” My remarks made him so angry that his face became red…then I said, “O Allah, if only You were to allow his anger to cool down, I would never again say anything bad about her!” When his anger cooled down, he turned towards me, and said, “What did you say? By Allah, Khadijah believed me when people disbelieved; she sheltered me when others abandoned; and it was from her that Allah gifted me with children….” He continued to repeat these words to me for a month!

'I have an offer that none of you can beat'

Uthman b. Affan, the third Caliph (d.656), one of the pioneer Muslims, is one of the greatest philanthropists in the history of Islam. He never missed any opportunity to be charitable, during Prophet's time or after. He was chiefly responsible for financing the Prophet's campaign to Tabook. In the reign of Abu Bakr, a similar opportunity knocked: Madinah was experiencing one of the worst economic conditions, when a trading caravan of Uthman arrived with a hundred camels' load of goods. No sooner the news reached the merchants, eager to make rich profits, they rushed to his house offering to buy the goods to sell them at higher prices to consumers. They continued to outbid one another until Uthman told them, “I have an offer that none of you can beat!” Surprised, they asked, “We want to know the identity of the bidder!” He replied, “Allah promised me to multiply dividends ten times or more. Can you offer a better deal?” He continued, “Allah is my witness! I offer the entire merchandise in charity to the poor people of Madinah”.

Umar on the pursuit of knowledge

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Often a person ventures out to attend a knowledge session, while carrying a heavy load of sins on his shoulders. A piece of wisdom he hears pierces his heart; his heart melts, he repents and makes amends for his sins: He returns home without sins. Therefore, one must never shy way from knowledge-sessions.

Seek knowledge before aspiring for leadership. Once you become a leader you may be too proud to learn, and thus end-up being ignorant. If the knowledge does not benefit you, it won't hurt. So be a diligent seeker of knowledge and pick up serenity --the fruit of knowledge.

Ali, the fourth caliph (d.661), on striving for the hereafter

This world is leaving us by, and the next world is fast approaching. The race is now, and the price will be given tomorrow. We are in the days of striving, and the end is near. Whosoever is slack in efforts now will miss the chance to win. O servants of Allah, strive harder in times of hope even as you strive hard in times of fear. I haven't seen anything like paradise: Those who yearn for it are tardy. I haven’t seen anything like hell: Those who are eager to flee from it are fast asleep. One who does not benefit from the truth will surely be hurt by falsehood; one who does not remain steadfast on truth is bound to slip into deviation.

'A person rejoins his beloved in paradise'

Anas b. Malik, who accompanied the Prophet, peace be on him, for over ten years, had deepest emotional attachment with the Prophet even as everyone of his companions who associated with him. His face would brighten up if he ever mentioned Prophet's arrival in Madinah. He would sob while mentioning his death. He said, “When the Prophet arrived in Madinah, he brightened up the entire city. When he died, however, it is as if dark clouds moved over Madinah, and everyone became sullen.” Anas yearned for the day when he would rejoin his beloved. For like other Companions, he never rejoiced more than when the Prophet said, “After death, a person rejoins those he loves”. Anas added, “Since, undoubtedly, I love Abu Bakr, Umar, and the Messenger of Allah, I expect to join them in paradise”.

The Prophet's assembly

Suyfan b. Waki, a scholar of the pious generations, described the Prophet's assembly thus:

Prophet was smiling, kind, affable, and gentle with his companions; he didn't act rude, harsh, clamorous, or (fault) finding.

In regard to his own self, he ever stayed free of three (negative) habits: Show, wastefulness and frivolity. As for others, he spared them of three (negative) actions: He condemned no one, nor insulted them. If he spoke, his companions remained silent, paying rapt attention to his words as if birds were perching on their heads. When he remained silent, they spoke; they were never noisy in his presence. When anyone of them spoke, others remained quiet, and paid attention to him until he had finished. Prophet was tolerant of strangers and their crude expressions; and he always reminded his companions,' When someone approaches you with a need, help them' …. He never expected praise from anyone… nor did he interrupt anyone who spoke. '

Prophet’s Feast on the Day of His Victory (that is Fall of Makkah)

On the authority of Ibn Abbas: During the fall of Makkah, Prophet stayed as a guest of Umm Hani bint Abi Talib. In the morning, he asked her, “Do you have any food?” She said, “Nothing but a dry piece of bread, which I am too shy to offer to you!” He said, “Bring it.” So, when she offered it to him, he broke it into in to small bits with water, and then asked her, “Any condiment to go with it?” She said, “I have only some vinegar”; he said, “Let me have some”. He then ate the bread with salt and vinegar; and on finishing his meal, he thanked Allah, and said, “How excellent is vinegar as a condiment!” He turned to Umm Hani and said, “A house with vinegar can never be poor!” When some visitors, who had come to see him, addressed him, saying, “You are our Master”, he said, “Allah alone is our Master; say whatever you wish to say, but don’t let Devil lead you astray.”

'God have mercy on him who knows his true state'

Umar b. Abd al-Aziz, the righteous Umayyad Caliph (d. 720), heard that one of his sons had purchased a diamond ring for one thousand dirhams. So Umar wrote to him, "I have heard that you have purchased a ring for one thousand dirhams; so when my letter reaches you, sell the ring, and feed one thousand starving souls, and get a ring made of iron for two dirhams, with the inscription, "God have mercy on him who knows his true state."

‘I am afraid these pebbles would testify against me’

On the occasion of Fathh (the fall of) Makkah, the Prophet, peace be upon him, entered Makkah to find little to no resistance. His return is hallmarked to be one where no blood was shed. However, one of the deepest symbolic acts he performed upon his return was to ask Bilal, a former Abyssinian slave, to climb to the roof of the Kab'ah and deliver the call to prayer (adhaan). To the Quryash, this was like directing a dagger straight into their heart. They, who despised slaves, the destitute and weak, could only bring themselves to look upon such individuals with derision. Consequently, the mere sight of a black man standing on the roof of the Ka’bah (former home to their idolatry) and delivering the adhaan sent shock waves through Makkah.

Sitting nearby watching the scene unfold with horror were three chiefs of the Makkan oligarchy, namely: Abu Sufyan b. Umayyah, who was chief of the Quraysh (and the only one in the group that had recently embraced Islam), Attab b. Usayd, and Harith b. Hisham. Upon witnessing the historic event, Attab could not help but say, “[my recently deceased father] was honored by God as he is spared from hearing this!" Harith remarked, “By God, if I knew for sure that Muhammad was on the path of truth, I would not hesitate in following him [thereby implying that Muhammad (p.b.u.h) was not on the path of truth].” To this Abu Sufyan retoted, “I wouldn’t utter a word. For if I do, I am afraid these pebbles would testify against me!” A statement which reflected his new-found belief in the special relationship Muhammad (p.b.u.h) shared with the Creator of the world.

The Prophet (p.b.u.h), who was far away from the group at the time and could not possibly have overheard, soon came upon them and said, “I know of what was said." He then proceeded to relay what they had uttered amongst themselves. Shocked, both Harith and Attab shouted in one voice, “We bear witness that you are indeed God’s messenger, for no one else could have heard what we said!” Later that day, the Prophet (p.b.u.h) addressed them saying, “O Quraysh, through Islam God wants to erase from your hearts your false pride and boasting over ancestors. Know well that all of mankind have descended from Adam and Adam was created of earth.”

On worship without sound knowledge

Imam Hasan al-Basari (d. 720), the sage/scholar of Islam, said:

He who worships without sound knowledge is no different from a person travelling without a sense of direction; for he who acts without knowledge ends up doing more harm than good. So pursue knowledge without being remiss in worship; and engage in worship without being remiss in the pursuit of knowledge. There were those in the past who devoted themselves exclusively to worship and shunned knowledge; they ended up unleashing their swords on the Ummah of Muhammad, may Allah’s blessings and peace be on him. Had they been armed with sound knowledge they would have not been so misguided in their actions."

Wisdom from Luqman, the Wise

Luqman, the wise one, advised his won of the following six points he himself had learned:

Work for this world according to the extent of your stay in it.
Work for the next world according to the extent of your stay in it.
Work for God according to your own need for Him.
Work to accumulate sins according to your ability to endure punishments for them.
Do not beg favor of anyone except from He who needs nothing from anyone.
Should you choose to disobey God, do so where He cannot see you.

A Caliph's First Address to His People

When Abu Bakr as-Siddeeque (d.634), may Allah be pleased with him, succeeded the Prophet (peace be upon him) as a ruler (khalifah), he addressed the people saying:
“I have been given the authority over you, although I am not the best of you. If I do well, assist me; if I do wrong, correct me. Steadfast adherence to truth (on the part of the ruler/leader) is a trust (placed on him), while falsehood is treason. The weak among you shall remain strong with me until I have secured his rights for him; and the strong shall remain weak with me until I have wrested from him the rights due to others--God willing. Obey me as long as I obey Allah and His Messenger. But if I disobey Allah and His Messenger, then you owe me no obedience. Arise for your prayer; may Allah have mercy on you.”

'Who should I call to settle this matter?'

Aishah, the mother of the faithful, related the following:
 
Once in an effort to settle an argument between the Prophet (p.b.u.h) and I, the Prophet (p.b.u.h) asked, “Who should I call to settle this matter? Would you like Abu Ubaydah?”.  To this I replied, “No, he is soft and lenient and would judge in your favor.” "What about Umar b. al-Khattab?" inquired the Prophet (p.b.u.h). To this I replied, “I fear Umar.” Finally, he asked, “Would you like Abu Bakr [my father]?” I instantly agreed.
 
Accordingly, he sent someone to call my father and when he came, the Prophet (p.b.u.h) told him, “I want you to arbitrate this matter between Aishah and me.” Surprised, my father exclaimed, “I, O Messenger of Allah?” “Yes, you” the Prophet (p.b.u.h) replied. 
 
With that out of the way, the Messenger of Allah began to speak, I interrupted saying: “Be fair when you talk, O Messenger of Allah!” As soon as I said the words, my father stretched out his hand and slapped me saying, “Woe to you! Who would be fair, if not the Messenger of Allah?"
 
The Prophet (p.b.u.h) immediately came to my defence saying, “We didn’t come to you to settle the matter in this way! We will settle our dispute ourselves!”

'We are well content with the Messenger of Allah as our share and lot!'

In the aftermath of the Battle of Hunayn, when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) distributed the spoils of war exclusively among those members of Quraysh and other Arab tribes who were new to Islam (and therefore needed to be reconciled to it), and he allocated none of the shares to any of the Ansaar (Helpers), feelings rose high among them. One of them expressed his feelings thus, “The Messenger of Allah has been reunited with his people!” Then Sa’ad b. Ubadah went to the Prophet and conveyed their feelings to him; whence Prophet asked him, “Where do you stand in this?” He said, “I am one of my people.” Then Prophet ordered him to gather them all in the enclosure he pointed to; and to let him know when they have done so. Accordingly, Sa’ad announced the news to them; when they all came together, he informed the Prophet. When Prophet came, he first praised and glorified Allah, and addressed them saying: “O People of Ansaar! Didn’t I find you astray, and Allah guided you, poor and Allah enriched you, and enemies and Allah reconciled your hearts!” They answered, “Certainly, O Messenger of Allah!.” He asked, “Won’t you answer me?” Perplexed, they, asked, “With what we would answer you? Allah and His Messenger are the most bountiful and most gracious.” He said, “If you wanted you could have said, and you would have been confirmed in it, ‘you came to us an outcast and we sheltered you, poor and we generously welcomed you, in fear and we made you feel secure, and forlorn and we helped you’…” They said, “Allah and His Messenger are the most bountiful and most gracious”. He continued, “O People of Ansaar! Are you upset that I used the trifle things of this world to reconcile the hearts of those who have been recently converted to Islam, and I entrusted you to your share of Islam that Allah has gifted you with! Aren’t you pleased, O Ansaar, that when the people take with them their sheep and their camels, and that you take with you the Messenger of Allah to your homes? By Allah, who has my soul in His hands, if all people but the Ansaar went one way and the Ansaar another, I would go the way of Ansaar. If not for (the factor of) hijrah, I would have reckoned myself as one of the Ansaar. O Allah! Have mercy on Ansaar, and the offspring of Ansaar, and the offspring of the offspring of Ansaar.” Upon hearing his words, they wept until their beards were wet, and with one voice, they said, “We are well content with Allah as our Lord, and the His Messenger as our lot and share!” Then he left, and they also left.”

'I don't hate the man; I only hate his action'

Abu al-Darda came upon a throng of people, cursing and whipping a man. Surprised, he asked, "What are you doing?" They replied, "He has committed an enormity." He asked, "What if you had found him in a well drowning; won't you try to pull him out?" They said, "Of course!" He said, "Likewise, don't curse him or beat him; rather admonish him and make him aware of the dire consequences of his action. Furthermore, thank God for His mercy in saving you from such sins." "Don't you hate him? " they asked. He replied, "I don't hate him; I hate only his action; if he abandons this vice, he is my brother." On hearing this, the man sobbed and repented of his actions.

'You rule with justice, so you feel secure'

The great King Caesar sent an ambassador to Caliph Umar b. al-Khattab with the task of observing and reporting what he saw.

When the ambassador arrived in Madinah he asked the people, "Where is your king?” To which they replied, “What king? We don’t have one. We only have a leader who has gone to the suburbs.” The man went out to look for Umar in the direction they had pointed him in.

To his surprise, he saw Umar sleeping under the hot sun on a bed of sand. Lying like this, with his head resting on his whip which served as his pillow, he was perspiring profusely. The sight before him softened the observer's heart and brought tears to his eyes. To himself he could not but remark:

Here is a man who causes much fear and agitation in the minds of kings and yet can be found in a state such as this!” O Umar! The truth, as I now see it, is that you rule with justice, so it is no wonder you feel secure and are able to sleep so soundly. Our king is unjust and is consequently deprived of sleep and lives in constant fear.

I bear witness that yours is the religion of truth. And if not for the fact that I am an emissary, I would accept Islam right now. But as I am entrusted with a mission, I must go back and return to become a Muslim!

'Rain came down pouring for six days'

Anas b. Malik, the companion of the Prophet, peace be on him, reported that the Prophet (p.b.u.h) was delivering the sermon on Friday when a man entered the mosque through the door facing the pulpit. He addressed the Prophet (p.b.u.h) saying, "O Messenger of Allah, the cattle are dying and the water-beds have dried up, so pray to Allah to send down rain." Upon hearing this, the Prophet (p.b.u.h) raised both hands and supplicated, “O Allah, send down rain for us. O Allah, send down rain for us. O Allah, send down rain for us!”

Anas related that there wasn't a single bit of cloud in the skies above or any where in the remote distance as far as could be seen, when suddenly a cloud appeared on the horizon like a disk. It approached the middle of the sky, scattered and rain came pouring down.

Following this, for the next six days we saw no sun and the rain continued unabated. On the following Friday, the same man entered the mosque through the same door while the Prophet (p.b.u.h) was delivering his sermon and said, “O Messenger of Allah, the cattle are about to die and the pathways are clogged up (with water), so pray to Allah for the rain to cease." Again, the Propeht (p.b.u.h) raised both hands and supplicated, “O Allah, let the rain fall around us (not on us): on the hills, mountains, distant valleys and trees." The rain then ceased, and on our way back from Jumu’ah, we walked in the sun!

"I wish I had been in that hole in his place!"

Abd Allah b. Mas'ud was one of the pioneer Muslims, and a close associate of the Prophet, peace be on him. He said, "I accompanied the Prophet in his Tabuk expedition. One night, while the army had encamped in a place, i stood up praying; suddenly a dim lamp shining far away caught my attention. After finishing Prayer, i went out to look for it. As I drew near, i saw the Prophet, Abu Bakr and Umar gathered to bury Abd Allah Dhul Bijadayn (one of the companions who had passed away). They had prepared the grave, and i saw the Prophet standing inside, telling Abu Bakr and Umar, "Hand over your brother to me"; accordingly, they handed him over to him, whence he positioned him in the grave, and he supplicated thus, "O Allah, I had been well pleased with him, and so You too be well pleased with him!.....upon hearing his words, I wished i were in that hole in his place!"

From the Wisdom of Abu al-Darda

Abu al-Darda, the eminent companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him, was known for his legendary compassion; he would cry if he were to see God's punishment falling even on the worst of disbelievers; his only wish was if only everyone were guided to the truth.

When Cyprus was conquered by Muslims, he sobbed bitterly; when asked, 'why cry rather than rejoice on this great occasion of Muslim victory?", he replied, "These were people, once powerful and dominant, but because of their disobedience of God, they met this horrible fate! How easy it is then for God to turn the tide on His servants when they disobey Him!!"

From the Wisdom of Salman al-Farisi

Three things make me laugh, and three things make me cry.
It makes me laugh to see: Those who are obsessed with the transient world, while death is chasing them; those who are heedless, and yet they are being watched; those who laugh heartily, and yet they are not sure whether the Lord of the worlds is pleased with them or not.

It makes me cry when i think of 3 things: Departure of Muhammad and his party; horrors of the Day of Resurrection; standing for reckoning before the Lord of the worlds, while i am not sure whether i will he led to heaven or hell.