When we look at the way the Prophet (peace be upon him) dealt with anyone we cannot fail to note that care characterized all his dealings with all people. He loved people and always tried his best to help in every way he could. This was true of him before he started to receive his divine message, but it became even more pronounced after God chose him to be His last messenger to mankind. His care was expressed in a variety of ways, but today we will discuss one aspect of it, which is loyalty.
The Prophet was loyal to everyone who had a role in his life. His loyalty could be coupled with gratitude if a person had done him a favor. On the other hand, it was simply an expression of what he felt. As we know, the Prophet lost both his parents as well as his grandfather when he was still a young child. It was his uncle, Abu Talib, who looked after him from the time when he was only eight years old. Abu Talib was a man of limited means but had a large family. When Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a married man, before prophethood, the people of Makkah went through hard times when provisions were scarce. Needless to say, Abu Talib’s family suffered badly. Muhammad (peace be upon him) wanted to help his uncle, but he thought that he should secure for him more than what he himself could afford. Therefore, he went to another uncle of his, Al-Abbas, and said to him: “Your brother is going through much difficulty considering the hardship we all feel. I suggest that we can relieve some of the pressure on him if you and I take one each of his children to look after.” This was agreed by Al-Abbas. The Prophet took Ali to look after and Al-Abbas took Jaafar. Both were to become among the early Muslims. They played great roles in the propagation of the Islamic message.
Jaafar was one of the Prophet’s companions who immigrated to Abyssinia in the early years of the Islamic message. He stayed there for nearly 15 years advocating Islam. The Prophet continued to monitor the situation these companions of his were in through regular correspondence with Negus, the Abyssinian ruler. When Jaafar and the last batch of his fellow immigrants completed their mission and rejoined the Prophet, he had just scored a great victory against the enemies of Islam at Khaybar. He said: “I am not sure which gives me greater pleasure: the return of Jaafar, or the victory at Khaybar.”
His loyalty to his companions was never in doubt. When Jaafar ibn Abu Talib was killed in the Battle of Mu’tah, he took care of his young family, ensuring that they had all that they needed. Abu Bakr was his closest and most reliable friend. The Prophet acknowledged that, saying: “No one has done me greater favors than Abu Bakr, whether financially or in general companionship.” Yet the Prophet never despised a favor done him by anyone. If one of his companions died, he would inquire after his family and make sure that they were properly looked after.
