Muhammad a Prophet For all Humanity
3. Exemplary Conduct
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Even this mildest of punishments was to be
eschewed.
The men taken prisoner in the Battle of Badr were
the Prophet’s bitterest enemies, but still his
treatment of them was impeccable. One of these
prisoners was a man by the name of Suhayl ibn
‘Amr. A fiery speaker, he used to denounce the
Prophet virulently in public to incite people against
him and his mission. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab
suggested that two of his lower teeth be pulled out
to dampen his oratorical zeal. The Prophet was
shocked by ‘Umar’s suggestion. “God would
disfigure me for this on the Day of Judgement, even
though I am His messenger,” he said to ‘Umar.
This is what is meant by the world being a planting -
ground for the hereafter. One who realizes this fact
lives a life oriented towards the hereafter—a life in
which all efforts are aimed at achieving success in
the next, eternal world; a life in which real value is
attached—not to this ephemeral world—but to the
life beyond death. One becomes aware that this
world is not the final destination; it is only a road
towards the destination, a starting-point of
