A Hadith that gives us an insight into the character of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is reported by Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Al-Aas, which says: “The Prophet is described in the Torah in the same terms as he is described in the Qur’an, ‘Prophet, We have sent you as a witness, giving glad tidings as well as warnings.’ You are also a means of protection for the unlettered community. You are My servant and messenger. I have called you Al-Mutawakkil who is neither harsh, nor hard-hearted, and who neither raises his voice in the market place, nor returns a bad turn with a similarly bad one; instead, he forbears and forgives. God will not cause him to die before he has purged all crookedness from people’s faith so as they would declare that ‘there is no deity other than God.’ Through him He will open eyes that have hitherto been blind, ears that have been deaf and hearts that have been sealed.” (Related by Al-Bukhari)
This Hadith is also reported by Abdullah ibn Sallam and Kaab Al-Ahbar, both of whom were Jewish rabbis who embraced Islam. Indeed Abdullah ibn Sallam was among the first people to embrace Islam after the Prophet’s arrival in Madinah. He only had to check whether the description included in the Torah of God’s last messenger applied to Muhammad. He soon found that out and declared himself a Muslim. Hence the reference in this Hadith to the Prophet’s description in the Torah, which occurs in the same terms as the Qur’anic description.
The Prophet is a witness against mankind that God has sent them a message of guidance which enables them to believe in God, if only they would examine it without prior prejudice. He certainly brings good news and gives warnings. The good news is that people will earn great reward from God if they believe in Him and worship Him alone, associating no partners with Him. He also warns those who turn their backs on God’s guidance that they expose themselves to God’s severe punishment. The other quality is that the Prophet is a means of protection for the unlettered community, which is a reference to the contemporary Arabs, the vast majority of whom did not read or write. He certainly saved them from punishment in the life to come, as they eventually believed in Islam.
The Hadith then quotes God’s own words as He defines Muhammad’s position as His servant whom He chose as His Messenger to deliver His final message to mankind. He gives him the title Al-Mutawakkil, which means “the one who relies on God putting all his trust in Him.” Anyone who studies Muhammad’s life, from the moment when he began to receive God’s message to the last day of his life, will realize that he never swerved in his reliance on God, placing all his trust in Him at all times and in all situations.
We then have a reiteration of qualities that we had looked at in other Hadiths: The Prophet has no hardness in his character. On the contrary, he is most lenient, compassionate and kind to all people. He does not raise his voice in the market place, where people often speak loudly in order to be heard above the background noise. But such an action is unbecoming of a person of good nature. Hence the Prophet does not speak loudly, even where others often resort to raising their voices.
Again his qualities of forbearance and forgiveness are stressed. He simply does not repay a bad turn with a similar one. His attitude is to win his opponents over to his faith by kindness and compassion.
But this Hadith adds something which was still to come. We now know that it happened exactly as described, but those who heard it the first time were being told of future events. Islam would triumph, and the false religion based on idolatry which prevailed in Arabia would collapse. Thus people would abandon their idols and declare their belief in God’s oneness. They would no longer ascribe divinity to anyone or anything else. When this happens blind eyes would have regained their sight, deaf ears would be clearly hearing, and sealed hearts would come alive.
This Hadith clearly sums up the Prophet’s character and his role. It is always interesting to try to visualize the Prophet’s personality. This can only be seen through his dealings with other people. We note, however, how those who were close to him always highlighted the fact that he always spoke decently, using no vulgar or obscene words. Anas ibn Malik reports: “God’s Messenger was neither abusive in his speech, nor given to cursing or to the use of obscenities. If he remonstrated with any of us, he would say: ‘What is wrong with this person, having dust on his forehead.’” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Ahmad)
Many people resort to swearing or use vulgar and obscene words when they speak. Some utter such vulgarities in every sentence, thinking that this reflects some strength in their character. But the Prophet gives a totally different picture. He was the one people loved most. Even his enemies respected him. When he married Umm Habeebah, Ramlah bint Abu Sufyan, whose father was the leader of the idolaters in more than one major battle against Islam, and people wondered how Abu Sufyan would take the fact that his daughter married his enemy, Abu Sufyan said: “Muhammad is an honorable man; none can say a word against him.”
Thus people may be opposed to his message, or may not believe that he is God’s Messenger, or may object to the faith he preached, but they could not say a word against him as a man of the highest moral caliber. Abu Sufyan was indeed proud that his daughter married the Prophet. No one could match him in honor, public respect or decency. While we cannot totally attribute this to a single quality of the Prophet, there is no doubt that his refrain from vulgar language and obscenity was a factor in earning him the respect of even those who were most hostile to his message.
Indeed the Prophet gave the best example in saying only what is decent and befits his role as the one who taught all goodness. Hence, his remonstration when he did not like something done by anyone was no more than wondering at his behavior. If he said anything more, he would say that he has dust on his forehead. Needless to say, that this happens to anyone of us when we are cleaning a long-neglected place, or when we have dry ablution, i.e. tayammum, for prayer. Besides, it is a word that offends no one, because it does not detract from anyone’s character. It rather speaks about something incidental.
It should be noted that the Prophet’s words may be rendered differently, looking at them as a prayer. Thus, he would be saying when remonstrating with someone: “What is wrong with him; may he have dust on his forehead.” Again this does not invoke any calamity on that person. It expresses a wish that he might have some slight difficulty.
