The Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), was the most ascetic person on earth. ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allah be pleased with him, once entered into his presence while he was lying on a straw mat, which had left marks on his side. When he woke up, ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, rubbed his side, and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Why do you not get yourself something more comfortable than this?” The Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), said:“What do I have to do with this world? My relationship with this world is like that of a traveler on a hot summer’s day who seeks shade under a tree for an hour, then moves on.” [At-Tirmithi and others]
The Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), also said: “If I had gold equal to the mountain of Uhud, I would not like to have anything of it after three days except for an amount that I would keep for the repayment of my debts.”[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
In a Hadeeth on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said, “The family of Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) did not eat their fill for three successive days until he died.” [Al-Bukhari] This means that they did not eat their fill for three consecutive days because either they did not have enough to eat, or because would prefer giving others what they had. This is why ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, “The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) left this world without ever satisfying his hunger, even with barley bread.” [Al-Bukhari]
Also, ‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, “The family of Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) never ate two meals on the same day except that one of the two had to be of dates.” [Al-Bukhari]
‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, also said, “We would view three crescents in two months, and no fire would be made in the houses of the Messenger of Allah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) [i.e., nothing would have been cooked there].”Thus, ‘Urwah may Allaah have mercy upon him asked, “What sustained you?”She, may Allah be pleased with her, said, “The two black things [i.e. dates and water].”[Al-Bukhari]
‘Aa’ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, also said, “The mattress of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) was made of a leather case stuffed with palm fibers.” [Al-Bukhari] Despite this, the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), would supplicate to Allah The Almighty saying: “O Allah, provide the family of Muhammad with only what would sustain them.” [Al-Bukhari]
This form of sustenance is indispensable to man and is beyond the harms of wealth and poverty.
The Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), was the most pious of people. This is emphasized by the following Hadeeths:
· “If I return to my family and find a date fallen on my bed or in my house, I would pick it up to eat it, but I would then fear that it was from charity, so I would get rid of it.” [Muslim]
· “Al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, once took a date from the charity foodstuff and put it in his mouth. The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) therefore said:“Spit it out! Spit it out! Do you not know that we do not eat anything of charity?”” [Muslim]
Despite all these great and blessed deeds, the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), would say: “Observe the deeds which you can manage easily, as Allah will not become weary [of giving you rewards] until you get bored and tired [of performing acts of obedience]. The deeds that Allah The Almighty loves most are those that are done regularly, even if they are little.”
Whenever the family of the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), did an act of worship once, they would thereafter offer it regularly. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] If it happened that the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), performed a voluntary prayer, he would do it regularly afterwards. [Al-Bukhari]
A number of his Companions considered their acts of worship as insufficient, and therefore said, “Where are we compared to the Prophet, whom Allah has forgiven his past and future sins?” One of them then said, “I will pray all night for the rest of my life.” Another one said, “I will fast throughout the year and will never break my fast.” The third said, “I will avoid women and will never marry.” (The narration of this incident in Muslim states that one of them mentioned that he would never eat meat).When the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), was informed of this, he came to them and said: “Are you those who are saying these things? By Allah, I am more submissive to Allah and more afraid of Him than you, yet I fast and break my fast, I pray and do not pray, I sleep, and I also marry women. Thus, anyone who does not follow my Sunnah is not from me [i.e., not one of my followers].”[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
The “Sunnah” here refers to the general methodology of the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), not to the non-obligatory acts of worship that he assigned as recommended.
Despite such great deeds, the Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), would say:
· “Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and receive good news as one's good deeds will not admit him into Paradise.”He was asked,“Even you, Messenger of Allah?”He said:“Even me, unless Allah bestows His pardon and mercy upon me.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
· “Do good deeds properly, sincerely and moderately, and worship Allah in the forenoon, in the afternoon and during a part of the night, and always adopt a middle, moderate, regular course whereby you will reach your target [Paradise].” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
He was also reported to have said, when supplicating to his Lord:
· “O You who move the hearts, keep my heart firmly committed to Your religion.”
· “O You who manages the hearts, guide our hearts to worship You.” [Muslim]
Summary: There are many lessons and benefits to be learned from this article, some of which are:
1- The Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), was and is a role model for every Muslim who is truthful with Allah The Almighty in all his affairs, as Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.} [Quran 33:21]
2- The Prophet, sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ), was the finest ever human being, in terms of physical and moral characteristics
