Muhammad a Prophet For all Humanity
4. Sublime Character
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pinnacle of human ethics, never abandoning the
lofty standards that he preached. Expediency or
dispute could not make him resort to unethical
conduct. No evidence could be more substantial in
this regard than that of his closest companions.
Sa’id ibn Hisham belonged to the generation
immediately following that of the Prophet
Muhammad, on whom be peace. He once asked
‘A’ishah, the Prophet’s widow, about her late
husband’s character. “He was a personification of
the Qur’an’, ‘A’ishah replied. That is to say, the
Prophet moulded his own life in accordance with
the ideal pattern of life, which he presented to
others in the form of the Qur’an. Anas ibn Malik
served the Prophet for ten years. He says that the
Prophet never even rebuked him. “When I did
something, he never questioned my manner of
doing it; and when I did not do something, he never
questioned my failure to do it. He was the most
good-natured of all men.” According to ‘A’ishah,
the Prophet never beat a servant, a woman or
anyone else. To be sure, he fought for what was
righteous. Yet, when he had to choose between two
alternatives, he would take the easier course,
