Muhammad a Prophet For all Humanity
3. Exemplary Conduct
~ 47 ~
God knows, Ibrahim, how we sorrow at your
parting. The eye weeps and the heart grieves,
but we will say nothing that may displease
the Lord.
It so happened that the death of Ibrahim coincided
with a solar eclipse. From ancient times people had
believed that solar and lunar eclipses were caused
by the death of some important person. The people
of Madinah began attributing the eclipse to the
death of the Prophet’s son. This caused the Prophet
immense displeasure, for it suggested this
predictable astronomical event was caused out of
respect for his infant son. He collected the people
and addressed them as follows:
Eclipses of the sun and moon are not due to
the death of any human being; they are just
two of God’s signs. When you see an eclipse,
then you should pray to God.
On one of his journeys, the Prophet asked his
companions to roast a goat. One volunteered to
slaughter the animal, another to skin it, and another
to cook it. The Prophet said that he would collect
wood. “Messenger of God,” his companions
