It is often mentioned that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was very kind to his people. Indeed, he was kind even to non-Muslims, treating them with respect and showing them sympathy. He was never unkind, even though he dealt seriously with some of the very hardened opponents who never wavered in their hostility to Islam. He was never angry over a personal issue, but if an express divine order was violated, he could be very angry. His kindness always took a practical direction, dealing with every situation in a way that ensured the best results.
We may all find ourselves in situations that require a very quick response, particularly when something that we value or cherish is violated. This could cause anger or a flight of temper. But the Prophet always handled such situations with exemplary ease, ensuring that his approach benefited all people present, and all Muslims. He did not abandon his gentle approach, even in the most infuriating of situations. Today, we cannot imagine that anyone would deliberately urinate inside a mosque. If we were to face such a situation, what would our immediate reaction be? Perhaps we will be more angry than the Prophet’s companions were when a Bedouin did that in front of them. But what was the Prophet’s reaction?
Anas ibn Malik reports: “God’s messenger was sitting in the mosque with some of his companions when a Bedouin urinated inside the mosque. The Prophet’s companions said: ‘What is going on?’ ‘What are you doing?’ The Prophet said to them: ‘Do not interrupt him.’ He subsequently called the man and said to him: ‘These mosques are not the place where one can throw any dirt, urine or stools. They are meant for reciting the Qur’an, glorifying God and prayer.’ He then called for a bucket of water and he poured it over the urine.” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Al-Nassaie, Malik and Ahmad).
This is a situation which is certain to infuriate any onlooker. It certainly made the Prophet’s companions angry and we can imagine that some of them were about to rush to the man to stop him. If several of them did that, the Bedouin would have been scared. He could not have understood the reason for their anger, because he was uncouth and could not see why he could not urinate there. The mosque was a large place, and he was urinating in a corner, some distance from the people. Being used to desert places, he might have felt that both smell and wetness would be cleared by the sun or by rain. So, there was no problem with what he was doing. Should he have been scared by the people rushing to stop him, he might have suffered a reaction, or the urine might have fallen over a larger area. It might have also fallen over his clothes. Hence, the Prophet was quick to tell his companions not to scare the man, but to leave him until he had finished. Needless to say, the Prophet did not like what the man did, but he did not wish the situation to get worse. When things cooled a bit, the Prophet explained to the man what he did wrong and told him what the mosques are for. He also showed the Muslims how to remove the impurity that resulted from the man’s urination. Thus we learn that pouring a bucket of water over the place where someone has urinated is sufficient to remove that impurity.
A similarly embarrassing situation happened to another companion of the Prophet in his early days of Islam. Mu’awiyah ibn Al-Hakam Al-Sulami reports: “I joined a congregational prayer led by the Prophet when a man sneezed. I said to him: ‘May God have mercy on you.’ People looked askance at me. I said to them: ‘I am undone! Why are you looking at me like that?’ They began to hit their own thighs. I realized that they wanted me to stop talking. When God’s messenger finished his prayer, he neither punished, rebuked nor expressed displeasure with me. He just said to me: ‘It is not permissible to say any ordinary talk during prayer; it consists of God’s praise and glorification and reciting the Qur’an.’”(Related by Muslim, Ahmad, Al-Nassaie and Abu Dawood).
It is clear that the man at the center of this Hadith was a newcomer to Islam. Otherwise, he would have known that it is not permissible to talk during prayer. What he said first was merely to bless the person who sneezed, which is a form of supplication. But even then, this was a response to something that happened at the moment. It is not permissible to pay attention to it. Instead, one must concentrate on the prayer itself. Hence, the other worshippers looked uncomfortable when they heard the reporter of this Hadith blessing the one who sneezed. But he was irritated when he saw that they looked askance at him. He asked them what was the matter. Clearly they could not answer him, but wanted him to stop talking, and they gave him a clear signal which he understood.
However, we note how the Prophet dealt with the matter, calling the man to him and explaining that talking is not permissible during prayer. He defines Islamic prayer as consisting of nothing other than praising God, glorifying Him and reading parts of His book, the Qur’an. Thus the Prophet taught the man something very important in a very gentle manner. The man was so affected that when he reported the case, he was full of praise of the Prophet. Needless to say that he was embarrassed as he was the only one in the congregation who did not know that it was not lawful to talk during prayer. But his embarrassment disappeared when the Prophet explained the situation to him.
We may add here that in the version reported by Abu Dawood, the Hadith has a long addition which is useful to quote. Mu’awiyah ibn Al-Hakam continues: “I said: ‘Messenger of God! Our people have only recently abandoned their ignorant ways and embraced Islam. Some of us visit fortunetellers.’ He said: ‘Do not go to them.’ I said: ‘Some of us speak about bad omen.’ He said: ‘This is something they might feel in their hearts, but has no effect.’ I said: ‘And some of us write.’ He answered: ‘One of the prophets of the past used to write. Whoever writes in a similar way does something acceptable.’ I then said: ‘I have a maid who used to tend some sheep for me as they grazed near Uhud and Al-Juwaniyah. I once looked to find out what she was doing, and I saw a wolf having taken a sheep. I am only human sharing people’s feelings. I gave her a beating.’ The Prophet was seriously disturbed by that. Therefore, I said: ‘Should I set her free?’ He said: ‘Bring her to me.’ When she came, he said to her: ‘Where is God?’ She said: ‘In heaven.’ He asked her: ‘Who am I?’ She said: ‘You are God’s messenger.’ The Prophet said: ‘Set her free, as she is a believer.’”
We should explain that the reporter asked the Prophet about three methods by which people try to predict the future: Visiting fortunetellers, omen and writing in some way. The Prophet made clear that it is forbidden to go to fortunetellers, regardless of what they may say. Omen is totally discounted as it has no effect. And what people write about the future can only be right if it relies on true knowledge, such as the earlier prophet mentioned in the Hadith. That prophet had knowledge given to him by God and he wrote it down. So if a person relies on such knowledge, he may write what he knows. Otherwise, any claim to knowledge of future events is to be disregarded.
