Muhammad a Prophet For all Humanity
4. Sublime Character
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voice, people realized that, by releasing Thamamah,
the Prophet had in effect taken him captive for all
time. Thamamah then went on a pilgrimage to
Makkah. When the people of Makkah heard of his
conversion, they told him that he had lost his faith.
“I have not lost my faith,” Thamamah answered.
“Rather I have adopted the faith of God and His
Prophet.” Thamamah, moreover, became a source
of strength to Islam. Yamamah was one of the main
places from which the people of Makkah used to
collect grain. Thamamah told them that without the
permission of the Prophet Muhammad, he would
not provide them with a single grain. The case of
Thamamah shows that noble conduct—though it
may appear to have no practical value—is
something which can win the world.
Adopting a high code of ethics means practising
what one preaches; treating the weak with the same
courtesy and deference as one shows to the strong;
setting the same standards for oneself as one sets
for others; never budging from one’s principles;
maintaining a high moral bearing even when others
stoop to the depths of degradation. From this point
of view, the prophet of Islam stood at the highest
