Portraits of The Prophet: Incidents of The Seerah Revisited
With Sheikh Ammar Alshukry
(1) Narrated Anas:
A young Jewish boy used to serve the Prophet (ﷺ) and he became sick. So the Prophet (ﷺ) went to visit him. He sat near his head and asked him to embrace Islam. The boy looked at his father, who was sitting there; the latter told him to obey Abul-Qasim and the boy embraced Islam. The Prophet (ﷺ) came out saying: "Praises be to Allah Who saved the boy from the Hell-fire." (Bukhari)
(2) Jabir bin `Abdullah said, "Mu`adh bin Jabal used to pray with the Prophet (ﷺ) and then go to lead his people in prayer Once he led the `Isha' prayer and recited Surat "Al-Baqara." Somebody left the prayer and Mu`adh criticized him. The news reached the Prophet (ﷺ) and he said to Mu`adh, 'You are putting the people to trial,' and repeated it thrice (or said something similar) and ordered him to recite two medium Suras of Mufassal." (`Amr said that he had forgotten the names of those Suras). (Bukhari)
(3) Mu'adh bin Jabal (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I was riding a pillion with the Prophet (ﷺ) on a donkey. He (ﷺ) said, "O Mu'adh, do you know what is the right of Allah upon His slaves, and what is the Right of His slaves upon Allah?" I said: "Allah and His Messenger know better". Upon this the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah's Right upon His slaves is that they should worship Him Alone and associate nothing with Him; and His slaves' right upon Him is that He should not punish who does not associate a thing with Him." He (Mu'adh) added: I said to the Messenger of Allah: "Shall I give the glad tidings to people?" He (ﷺ) said, "Do not tell them this good news for they will depend on it alone". (Bukhari and Muslim)
(4) Narrated Abu Huraira:
The Prophet (ﷺ) sent some cavalry towards Najd and they brought a man from the tribe of Banu Hanifa who was called Thumama bin Uthal. They fastened him to one of the pillars of the Mosque. The Prophet went to him and said, "What have you got, O Thumama?" He replied," I have got a good thought, O Muhammad! If you should kill me, you would kill a person who has already killed somebody, and if you should set me free, you would do a favor to one who is grateful, and if you want property, then ask me whatever wealth you want." He was left till the next day when the Prophet (ﷺ) said to him, "What have you got, Thumama? He said, "What I told you, i.e. if you set me free, you would do a favor to one who is grateful." The Prophet (ﷺ) left him till the day after, when he said, "What have you got, O Thumama?" He said, "I have got what I told you. "On that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Release Thumama." So he (i.e. Thumama) went to a garden of date-palm trees near to the Mosque, took a bath and then entered the Mosque and said, "I testify that None has the right to be worshipped except Allah, and also testify that Muhammad is His Apostle! By Allah, O Muhammad! There was no face on the surface of the earth most disliked by me than yours, but now your face has become the most beloved face to me. By Allah, there was no religion most disliked by me than yours, but now it is the most beloved religion to me. By Allah, there was no town most disliked by me than your town, but now it is the most beloved town to me. Your cavalry arrested me (at the time) when I was intending to perform the `Umra. And now what do you think?" The Prophet (ﷺ) gave him good tidings (congratulated him) and ordered him to perform the `Umra. So when he came to Mecca, someone said to him, "You have become a Sabian?" Thumama replied, "No! By Allah, I have embraced Islam with Muhammad, Apostle of Allah. No, by Allah! Not a single grain of wheat will come to you from Yamamah unless the Prophet gives his permission." (Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawood)
(5) Narrated Anas bin Malik:
Abu Talha said to Um Sulaim, "I have noticed feebleness in the voice of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) which I think, is caused by hunger. Have you got any food?" She said, "Yes." She brought out some loaves of barley and took out a veil belonging to her, and wrapped the bread in part of it and put it under my arm and wrapped part of the veil round me and sent me to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). I went carrying it and found Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in the Mosque sitting with some people. When I stood there, Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked, "Has Abu Talha sent you?" I said, "Yes". He asked, "With some food? I said, "Yes" Allah's Apostle then said to the men around him, "Get up!" He set out (accompanied by them) and I went ahead of them till I reached Abu Talha and told him (of the Prophet's visit). Abu Talha said, "O Um Sulaim! Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) is coming with the people and we have no food to feed them." She said, "Allah and His Apostle know better." So Abu Talha went out to receive Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). Allah's Apostle came along with Abu Talha. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "O Um Sulaim! Bring whatever you have." She brought the bread which Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ordered to be broken into pieces. Um Sulaim poured on them some butter from an oilskin. Then Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) recited what Allah wished him to recite, and then said, "Let ten persons come (to share the meal)." Ten persons were admitted, ate their fill and went out. Then he again said, "Let another ten do the same." They were admitted, ate their fill and went out. Then he again said, '"'Let another ten persons (do the same.)" They were admitted, ate their fill and went out. Then he said, "Let another ten persons come." In short, all of them ate their fill, and they were seventy or eighty men. (Bukhari)
(6) Sahl bin Sa'd (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said on the day of the Khaibar Battle, "I will give this banner to a person at whose hands Allah will grant victory; a man who loves Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ), and Allah and His Messenger love him also." The people spent the night thinking as to whom it would be given. When it was morning, the people hastened to Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Every one of them was hoping that the banner would be given to him. He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) asked, "Where is 'Ali bin Abu Talib?" They said: "O Messenger of Allah! His eyes are sore." He (ﷺ) then sent for him and when he came, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) applied his saliva to his eyes and supplicated. 'Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) recovered as if he had no ailment at all. He (ﷺ) conferred upon him the banner. 'Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) said: ''O Messenger of Allah, shall I fight against them until they are like us?" Thereupon he (the Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "Advance cautiously until you reach their open places; thereafter, invite them to Islam and inform them what is obligatory for them from the Rights of Allah, for, by Allah, if Allah guides even one person through you that is better for you than possessing a whole lot of red camels". [Al- Bukhari and Muslim].
(7) Abu Musa reported:
We were in Yemen when we heard of the migration of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ). We also set out as immigrants to him. And I was accompanied by two brothers of mine, I being the youngest of them; one of them was Abu Burda and the other one was Abu Ruhm, and there were some other persons with them. Some say they were fifty-three or fifty-two persons of my tribe. We embarked upon a boat, and the boat sailed away to the Negus of Abyssinia. There we met Ja'far b. Abu Talib and his companions. Ja'far said: Allall's Messenger (ﷺ) has sent us here and has commanded us to stay here and you should also stay with us. So we stayed with him and we came back (to Medina) and met Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) when Khaibar had been conquered. He (the Holy Prophet) allocated a share to us and in the ordinary course he did not allocate the share to one who had been absent on the occasion of the conquest of Khaibar but conferred (a share) upon him only who had been present there with him. He, however, made an exception for the people of the boat, viz. for Ja'far and his companions. He allocated a share to them, and some persons from amongst the people said to us, viz. the people of the boat: We have preceded you in migration. Asma' bint 'Umais who had migrated to Abyssinia and had come back along with them (along with immigrants) visited Hafsa, the wife of Allah's Apostle (ﷺ). (Accordingly), Umar had been sitting with her (Hafsa). As 'Umar saw Asma, he said: Who is she? She (Hafsa) said: She is Asma, daughter of 'Umais. He said: She is an Abyssinian and a sea-woman. Asma said: Yes, it is so. Thereupon 'Umar said: We preceded you in migration and so we have more right to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as compared with you. At this she felt annoyed and said: 'Umar, you are not stating the fact; by Allah, you had the privilege of being in the company of the Messenger (ﷺ) who fed the hungry among you and instructed the ignorant amongst you, whereas we had been far (from here) in the land of Abyssinia amongst the enemies and that was all for Allah and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and, by Allah, I would never take food nor take water unless I make a mention to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) of what you have said. We remained in that country in constant trouble and dread and I shall talk about it to Allah's Messenger (way peace be upon him) and ask him (about it). By Allah, I shall not tell a lie and deviate (from the truth) and add anything to that. So, when Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) came, she said: Allah's Apostle, 'Umar says so and so. Upon this Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: His right is not more than yours, for him and his companions there is one migration, but for you, i. e. for the people of the boat, there are two migrations. She said: I saw Abu Musa and the people of the boat coming to me in groups and asking me about this hadith, because there was nothing more pleasing and more significant for them than this. Abu Burda reported that Asma said: I saw Abu Musa, asking me to repeat this hadith to him again and again. (Bukhari and Muslim)
(8) It is narrated by Safwan b. Muhriz that Jundab b. 'Abdullah al-Bajali during the stormy days of Ibn Zubair sent a message to 'As'as b. Salama:
Gather some men of your family so that I should talk to them. He ('As'as) sent a messenger to them (to the members of his family). When they had assembled, Jundab came there with a yellow hooded cloak on him, He said: Talk what you were busy in talking. The talk went on by turns, till there came his (Jundab's) turn. He took off the hooded cloak from his head and said: I have come to you with no other intention but to narrate to you a hadith of your Apostle: Verily the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent a squad of the Muslims to a tribe of the polytheists. Both the armies confronted one another. There was a man among the army of polytheists who (was so dashing that), whenever he intended to kill a man from among the Muslims, he killed him. Amongst the Muslims too was a man looking forward to (an opportunity of) his (the polytheist's) unmindfulness. He (the narrator) said: We talked that he was Usama b, Zaid. When he raised his sword, he (the soldier of the polytheists) uttered:" There is no god but Allah," but he (Usama b. Zaid) killed him. When the messenger of the glad tidings came to the Apostle (ﷺ) he asked him (about the events of the battle) and he informed him about the man (Usama) and what he had done He (the Prophet of Allah) called for him and asked him why he had killed him. He (Usama) said: Messenger of Allah, he struck the Muslims and killed such and such of them. And he even named some of them. (He continued): I attacked him and when he saw the sword he said: There is no god but Allah. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Did you kill him? He (Usama) replied in the affirmative. He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: What would you do with:" There is no god but Allah," when he would come (before you) on the Day of Judgment? He (Usama) said: Messenger of Allah, beg pardon for me (from your Lord). He (the Holy Prophet) said: What would you do with:" There is no god but Allah" when he would come (before you) on the Day of Judgment? He (the Holy Prophet) added nothing to it but kept saying: What would you do with:" There is no god but Allah," when he would come (before you) on the Day of Judgment? (Muslim)
(9) Narrated `Umar bin Al-Khattab:
Some Sabi (i.e. war prisoners, children and woman only) were brought before the Prophet (ﷺ) and behold, a woman amongst them was milking her breasts to feed and whenever she found a child amongst the captives, she took it over her chest and nursed it (she had lost her child but later she found him) the Prophet said to us, "Do you think that this lady can throw her son in the fire?" We replied, "No, if she has the power not to throw it (in the fire)." The Prophet (ﷺ) then said, "Allah is more merciful to His slaves than this lady to her son." (Bukhari and Muslim)
(10) Narrated Um Khalid bint Khalid:
The Prophet (ﷺ) was given some clothes including a black Khamisa. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "To whom shall we give this to wear?" The people kept silent whereupon the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Fetch Um Khalid for me." I (Um Khalid) was brought carried (as I was small girl at that time). The Prophet (ﷺ) took the Khamisa in his hands and made me wear it and said, "May you live so long that your dress will wear out and you will mend it many times." On the Khamisa there were some green or pale designs (The Prophet (ﷺ) saw these designs) and said, "O Um Khalid! This is Sanah." (Sanah in a Ethiopian word meaning beautiful). (Bukhari, Abu Dawood)
(11) Narrated Aisha:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (p.b.u.h) came to my house while two girls were singing beside me the songs of Buath (a story about the war between the two tribes of the Ansar, the Khazraj and the Aus, before Islam). The Prophet (p.b.u.h) lay down and turned his face to the other side. Then Abu Bakr came and spoke to me harshly saying, "Musical instruments of Satan near the Prophet (p.b.u.h) ?" Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (p.b.u.h) turned his face towards him and said, "Leave them." When Abu Bakr became inattentive, I signaled to those girls to go out and they left. It was the day of `Id, and the Black people were playing with shields and spears; so either I requested the Prophet (p.b.u.h) or he asked me whether I would like to see the display. I replied in the affirmative. Then the Prophet (p.b.u.h) made me stand behind him and my cheek was touching his cheek and he was saying, "Carry on! O Bani Arfida," till I got tired. The Prophet (p.b.u.h) asked me, "Are you satisfied (Is that sufficient for you)?" I replied in the affirmative and he told me to leave. (Bukhari and Muslim)
(12) Narrated Abu Salama:
Abu Huraira said, "A man who drank wine was brought to the Prophet. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Beat him!" Abu Huraira added, "So some of us beat him with our hands, and some with their shoes, and some with their garments (by twisting it) like a lash, and then when we finished, someone said to him, 'May Allah disgrace you!' On that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'Do not say so, for you are helping Satan to overpower him.' " (Bukhari, Abu Dawood)
(13) Narrated Anas bin Malik:
While I was walking with the Prophet (ﷺ) who was wearing a Najrani outer garment with a thick hem, a bedouin came upon the Prophet (ﷺ) and pulled his garment so violently that I could recognize the impress of the hem of the garment on his shoulder, caused by the violence of his pull. Then the bedouin said, "Order for me something from Allah's Fortune which you have." The Prophet (ﷺ) turned to him and smiled, and ordered that a gift be given to him. (Bukhari, Muslim)
(14) Narrated Sahl bin Sa`d:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) went to Fatima's house but did not find `Ali there. So he asked, "Where is your cousin?" She replied, "There was something between us and he got angry with me and went out. He did not sleep (midday nap) in the house." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) asked a person to look for him. That person came and said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! He (Ali) is sleeping in the mosque." Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) went there and `Ali was lying. His upper body cover had fallen down to one side of his body and he was covered with dust. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) started cleaning the dust from him saying: "Get up! O Aba Turab. Get up! O Aba Turab (literally means: O father of dust). (Bukhari and Muslim)
(15) Narrated Abu Huraira:
I was with Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) in one of the Markets of Medina. He left (the market) and so did I. Then he asked thrice, "Where is the small (child)?" Then he said, "Call Al-Hasan bin `Ali." So Al-Hasan bin `Ali got up and started walking with a necklace (of beads) around his neck. The Prophet (ﷺ) stretched his hand out like this, and Al-Hasan did the same. The Prophet (ﷺ) embraced him and said, "0 Allah! l love him, so please love him and love those who love him." Since Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said that. nothing has been dearer to me than Al-Hasan. (Bukhari)
(16) Narrated Abu Qatada Al-Ansari:
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) was praying and he was carrying Umama the daughters of Zainab, the daughter of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and she was the daughter of 'As bin Rabi`a bin `Abd Shams. When he prostrated, he put her down and when he stood, he carried her (on his neck).
(17) Jabir b. Abdullah reported that Allah's Apostle (ﷺ) happened to walk through the bazar coming from the side of 'Aliya and the people were on both his sides. There he found a dead lamb with very short ears. He took hold of his ear and said:
Who amongst you would like to have this for a dirham? They said: We do not like to have it even for less than that as it is of no use to us. He said: Do you wish to have it (free of any cost)? They said: By Allah, even if it were alive (we would not have liked to possess that), for there is defect in it as its ear is very short; now it is dead also. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: By Allah, this world is more insignificant in the eye of Allah than it (this dead lamb) is in your eye. (Muslim, Abu Dawood)
(18) Narrated Anas bin Malik:
While we were sitting with the Prophet (ﷺ) in the mosque, a man came riding on a camel. He made his camel kneel down in the mosque, tied its foreleg and then said: "Who amongst you is Muhammad?" At that time the Prophet (ﷺ) was sitting amongst us (his companions) leaning on his arm. We replied, "This white man reclining on his arm." The man then addressed him, "O Son of `Abdul Muttalib." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I am here to answer your questions." The man said to the Prophet, "I want to ask you something and will be hard in questioning. So do not get angry." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Ask whatever you want." The man said, "I ask you by your Lord, and the Lord of those who were before you, has Allah sent you as an Apostle to all the mankind?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "By Allah, yes." The man further said, "I ask you by Allah. Has Allah ordered you to offer five prayers in a day and night (24 hours).? He replied, "By Allah, Yes." The man further said, "I ask you by Allah! Has Allah ordered you to observe fasts during this month of the year (i.e. Ramadan)?" He replied, "By Allah, Yes." The man further said, "I ask you by Allah. Has Allah ordered you to take Zakat (obligatory charity) from our rich people and distribute it amongst our poor people?" The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, "By Allah, yes." Thereupon that man said, "I have believed in all that with which you have been sent, and I have been sent by my people as a messenger, and I am Dimam bin Tha`laba from the brothers of Bani Sa`d bin Bakr." (Bukhari, Abu Dawood, Ibn Majah, Al-Nisa’i)
(19) Narrated `Abdullah bin `Abbas:
That he stayed overnight in the house of Maimuna the wife of the Prophet, his aunt. He added : I lay on the bed (cushion transversally) while Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and his wife lay in the lengthwise direction of the cushion. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) slept till the middle of the night, either a bit before or a bit after it and then woke up, rubbing the traces of sleep off his face with his hands. He then, recited the last ten verses of Sura Al-`Imran, got up and went to a hanging water-skin. He then Performed the ablution from it and it was a perfect ablution, and then stood up to offer the prayer. I, too, got up and did as the Prophet had done. Then I went and stood by his side. He placed his right hand on my head and caught my right ear and twisted it. He prayed two rak`at then two rak`at and two rak`at and then two rak`at and then two rak`at and then two rak`at (separately six times), and finally one rak`a (the witr). Then he lay down again in the bed till the Mu'adh-dhin came to him where upon the Prophet (ﷺ) got up, offered a two light rak`at prayer and went out and led the Fajr prayer. (Bukhari and Muslim)
(20) Narrated Al-Ma'rur bin Suwaid:
I saw Abu Dhar Al-Ghifari wearing a cloak, and his slave, too, was wearing a cloak. We asked him about that (i.e. how both were wearing similar cloaks). He replied, "Once I abused a man and he complained of me to the Prophet (ﷺ) . The Prophet (ﷺ) asked me, 'Did you abuse him by slighting his mother?' He added, 'Your slaves are your brethren upon whom Allah has given you authority. So, if one has one's brethren under one's control, one should feed them with the like of what one eats and clothe them with the like of what one wears. You should not overburden them with what they cannot bear, and if you do so, help them (in their hard job). (Bukhari)