Seerah and History

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to spend consecutive nights with an empty stomach, and his household would find no supper, and their bread was mostly made of of barley.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: ''There were three (men) from the Children of Israel: a leper, a bald-headed, and a blind. Allah wanted to test them, so He sent to them an angel. The angel went to the leper and said: 'Which thing do you like most?' He said: 'A good color, fine skin, and to get rid of what makes me disgusting in the eyes of people.' He wiped over his body, so his illness went away and he was given a good color and fine skin. He (the angel) said: 'Which wealth do you like most?' He said: 'Camels, or cows (the sub-narrator Is'hāq was in doubt).' So he was given a she-camel in an advanced stage of pregnancy, and he (the angel) said: 'May Allah bless it for you.' Then he went to the bald-headed man and said: 'Which thing do you like most?' He said: 'Good hair, and to get rid of what makes me disgusting in the eyes of people.' He wiped over his head, so his condition went away and he was given good hair. Then the angel said: 'Which wealth do you like most?' He said: 'Cows or camels.' So, he was given a pregnant cow and the angel said: 'May Allah bless it for you.' Then he went to the blind man and said: 'Which thing do you like most?' He said: 'That Allah restores to me my eyesight so that I can see people.' He wiped over his eyes, so Allah restored to him his eyesight. Then the angel said: 'Which wealth do you like most?' He said: 'Sheep.' So he was given a pregnant ewe. The three then had offspring from the ones given to them: one had a valley of camels, the second a valley of cows, and the third a valley of sheep. Later, the angel went to the leper in his (past) appearance and said: 'I am a poor person, and I am running out of provision in my journey, so I cannot reach my destination except with the help of Allah and then your favor. I ask you by the One Who gave you good color, fine skin and wealth to give me one camel to carry me in my journey.' He said: 'I have many rights to fulfill.' Thereupon, he (the angel) said: 'It seems to me that I know you. Were you not a leper whom people found disgusting, and a poor man then Allah gave you wealth?' He said: 'I have inherited this wealth from my forefathers.' Thereupon, the angel said: 'If you are lying, may Allah change you to your past condition.' He then went in his (past) appearance to the bald-headed man and said to him the same as what he had said to the leper, and he replied to him in the same way the leper did. So, the angel said: 'If you are lying, may Allah change you to your past condition.' Then he went in his (past) appearance to the blind man and said: 'I am a poor man and a wayfarer. My provisions have run short in my journey, and today there is no way to reach my destination except with the help of Allah and then with your help. So, I ask you by the One Who restored to you your eyesight to give me one sheep by which I should be able to make provisions for the journey.' The man said: 'I was blind and Allah restored to me my eyesight. You may take whatever you like and leave whatever you like. By Allah, I shall not stand in your way today for what you take in the name of Allah.' Thereupon, the angel said: 'Keep your property. The fact is that the three of you were put to test. Now, Allah is pleased with you and is displeased with your two companions.'"

Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I visited the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) while he was in pain because of fever, so I touched him and said: "You are in great pain from raging fever." He said: "Indeed, the pain I feel from fever is like the pain that two men from among you might get."

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A group from among the Prophet's Companions asked the wives of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about his deeds in private. Some of them said: I will not marry women. Others said: I will not eat meat. Some others said: I will not sleep on a bed. So, he praised Allah and commended Him and said: "What is the matter with those people who said such-and-such? But indeed, I pray and sleep, I fast and break the fast, and I marry women. Whoever turns away from my Sunnah does not belong to me."

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was the best of people in terms of morals.

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A Jewish boy used to serve the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and he fell sick. So the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came to visit him. He sat by his head and said to him: "Embrace Islam." The boy looked at his father who was with him and who then said: "Obey Abu al-Qāsim." So, he embraced Islam. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came out saying: "All praise is due to Allah who saved him from the Fire."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If I am invited to a meal of a sheep's trotter or arm, I would accept the invitation, and if an arm or trotter were gifted to me, I would accept the gift."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah did not send a prophet except that he tended sheep." His Companions said: "And you?" He said: "Yes, I used to tend sheep for the people of Makkah in return for some Qirāts."

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I have never touched plain or woven silk softer than the palm of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) nor have I smelt a perfume more pleasant than the scent of the Messenger of Allah. Verily, I have served the Messenger of Allah for ten years, and not once did he say to me 'uff', nor did he say about something I had done, “why did you do it?”, nor about something I hadn’t done, “why didn’t you do it?”

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No one greets me except that Allah restores my soul to me so that I return his greeting."

‘Ā’ishah, Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was never given a choice between two things except that he would choose the easier of the two unless it were a sin. If it were a sin, he would be the farthest of people from it. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) never took revenge for himself, but when the prohibitions of Allah were violated, he would take revenge for the sake of Allah.

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) never struck anything with his hand, neither a woman nor a servant, except when he was fighting in the cause of Allah. He would never avenge himself concerning anything that was done to him except if the limits of Allah, the Almighty, were transgressed. Then (in that case) he would seek revenge for the sake of Allah, the Almighty.

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: I asked the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): "Have you ever experienced a day harder than the day of (the battle of) Uhud?" He replied: "Indeed, I have suffered a lot at the hands of your people (i.e., the disbelievers from of the Quraysh Tribe), the harshest of which was what they did to me on the Day of Al-‘Aqabah when I went to Ibn ‘Abd Yalīl ibn ‘Abd Kulāl with the purpose of inviting him to Islam, but he made no response (to my call). So I departed with deep distress (to the point that I did not know where I was going). I did not recover until I arrived at Qarn Ath-Tha‘ālib. There, I raised my head and saw a cloud shading me. I looked and, lo and behold, I saw in it Jibrīl (peace be upon him) who called me and said: Indeed, Allah, the Exalted, heard what your people said to you and the response they gave you. He has sent to you the angel in charge of mountains to order him to do whatever you wish concerning them. Then the angel of the mountains called me, greeted me and said: O Muhammad, Allah has listened to what your people had said to you. I am the angel of mountains, and my Lord has sent me to you so that you may give me your orders concerning them. If you wish I would bring together the Akhshabayn (two mountains that stand opposite to each other at the outskirts of Makkah) to crush them in between."

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) wrote to Khosrow, Caesar, the Negus, and every other tyrant, calling them to Allah Almighty. And this Negus was not the same one over whom the Prophet (ﷺ) performed the funeral prayer.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "O Allah, I am only human. Any Muslim man whom I insulted, cursed, or flogged, make it a means of purification and mercy for him."

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that Abu Talhah said to Umm Sulaym: "I felt some feebleness in the voice of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and perceived that it was due to hunger; so have you anything with you?" She replied in the affirmative, and brought out barley loaves, then took out a head-covering of hers, in a part of which she wrapped those loaves and then put them beneath my mantle and covered me with a part of it. She then sent me to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). I [Anas] set forth and found the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) sitting in the mosque and some companions were with him. I stood near them, whereupon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Has Abu Talhah sent you?" I replied in the affirmative, whereupon he said: "Is it for a feast?" I replied in the affirmative. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to those who were with him to get up. They set off and so I did before them, until I came to Abu Talhah and informed him. Abu Talhah said: "O Umm Sulaym, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) has arrived along with some people and we do not have enough to feed them?" She said: "Allah and His Messenger know best." Abu Talhah went out (to receive him) until he met the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) he proceeded along with him until they both entered. Then the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Umm Sulaym, bring forth that which you have with you," and she brought such bread. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) then commanded that the bread be broken into small pieces, and when Umm Sulaym had squeezed a container of fat on it as a dressing, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said whatever that Allah willed him to say over it. He then said: "Allow ten to enter." He permitted them, and they ate until they were satiated. They then went out. He again said: "Allow ten more," and he permitted them and they ate until all the people were satiated, and they were seventy or eighty men" [Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]. In another narration: "They continued to enter and exit, ten at a time, until no one remained who had not entered and eaten to his fill. He then collected the leftovers and it was the same quantity as what had been eaten." In another narration: "They ate ten at a time, until eighty people had eaten. Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and the hosts ate, and they left a surplus." In another narration: "There was enough leftover to feed their neighbors." In another narration reported by Anas who said: "One day I came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and found him sitting with his companions, and he had tied his belly with a bandage. I asked some of his companions why the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had bandaged his belly. They said that it was due to hunger. I then went to Abu Talhah, the husband of Umm Sulaym bint Milhān, and said to him: "Father, I saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) having bandaged his belly. I asked some of his companions the reason and they said that it was due to hunger." Abu Talhah came to my mother and said: "Is there anything?" She said: "Yes, I have some pieces of bread with me and some dates. If the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) comes to us alone we can feed him to his fill, but if someone comes along with him this would be insufficient for them." And he mentioned the rest of the Hadīth.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: It was said: O Messenger of Allah, supplicate against the polytheists. He said: "I have not been sent as an invoker of curses; rather, I have been sent as a mercy."

‘Ā’ishah, Mother of the Believers, (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The first thing the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) started to experience from the revelation was the good vision in his sleep. He never saw a vision except that it came true like the break of dawn. Then seclusion was endeared to him, and he used to retreat to the Cave of Hirā’, where he would engage in Tahannuth-which is worship—for several nights before returning to his family and taking provisions for this. He would then go back to Khadījah to take provisions again for a similar number of nights until the truth came to him while he was in the Cave of Hirā’. The Angel came to him and said: Read! He said: "I do not know how to read." He said: "He took hold of me and pressed me forcefully until I could no longer bear it and then released me, saying: Read! I said: I do not know how to read. He took hold of me and pressed me forcefully for the second time until I could no longer bear it and then released me, saying: Read! I said: I do not know how to read. He took hold of me and pressed me forcefully for the third time and then released me, saying: {Read in the name of your Lord Who created, created man from a clinging clot. Read, and your Lord is the Most Generous.}" [Surat al-‘Alaq: 1-3] The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) returned with these while his heart was trembling. He entered upon Khadījah bint Khuwaylid (may Allah be pleased with her) and said: "Cover me! Cover me!" They covered him until the shock of fear was gone from him. Then he informed Khadījah of what had happened and said to her: "Indeed, I feared for myself." Khadījah said: No, by Allah, Allah will never fail you. Verily, you maintain kinship ties, help those in need, support the destitute, provide the guests with food and shelter, and assist those affected by calamities. Khadījah took him to her cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal ibn Asad ibn ‘Abdul-‘Uzza, who had embraced Christianity in the pre-Islamic period and used to write the Scripture in Hebrew. He would write from the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadījah said to him: O my cousin, listen to what your nephew has to say. Waraqah said to him: O my nephew, what have you seen? The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed him of what he had seen. Waraqah said to him: This is the same Nāmūs (i.e., the angel) whom Allah had sent to Moses. I wish I were young and could live until the time when your people would drive you out. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Would they drive me out?" Waraqah said: Yes. No one has ever come with something like what you have brought without being treated with hostility. If I should live until that day, I would support you strongly. Soon after, Waraqah passed away, and the revelation paused.

Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abdur-Rahmān reported that Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said: While narrating about the halt in revelation, he said in his Hadīth: "While I was walking, I heard a voice from the sky. I looked up, and there was the angel who had come to me at Hirā’, sitting on a chair between the heaven and the earth. I was terrified of him, so I returned and said: Cover me! Then Allah Almighty revealed: {O you covered [in your cloak], arise and warn} [Surat al-Muddaththir: 1-2] until His saying: {and shun idol worshiping.} [Surat al-Muddaththir: 5] After that, the revelation became intense and continuous."

Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he proceeded in the Prophet's company towards Najd to participate in a battle. When the Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) returned, he too returned with him. Midday came upon them while they were in a valley having many thorny trees. The Prophet and the people dismounted and dispersed to rest in the shade of the trees. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) rested under a tree and hung his sword on it. We all took a nap and suddenly we heard the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) calling us. (We woke up) to see a Bedouin with him. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "This Bedouin took out my sword while I was sleeping and when I woke up, I found the unsheathed sword in his hand and he challenged me saying: 'Who will save you from me?' I said thrice: 'Allah.'" The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) did not punish him but sat down. In another narration: The sword fell from the disbeliever's hand, whereupon the Prophet took it and said: "And who can protect you if I want to kill you?" The man replied: "Return evil with good." The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Would you bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I am the Messenger of Allah?" He replied in the negative, but pledged not to fight the Prophet again or join people who fight him. So, the Prophet released him, and he came back to his companions and said: "I have just been with the most excellent among people."