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I swear by Allah[1] that if all the good manners were embodied in one person, that person would definitely be the Prophet (SAWS[2]). That is why Allah (SWT) describes him by saying, what can be translated as, "And verily, you are on an exalted standard of character" (TMQ[3], 4:68).

Allah (SWT) did not simply reveal, “You are on a good standard of character.” Exaltedness, as the Ayah implies, is a higher degree, more transcendent and profound. We may have good manners, but no one but the Prophet (SAWS) could be of such an exalted character; no one but him can reach this extreme level of exaltedness. We are commanded to display good manners, but the Prophet (SAWS) was ‘something else’; he enjoyed peerless attributes of perfection.

There is no human being under the sun that practiced what they preached as well as the Prophet did. If you would like to know how someone really is, then ask his/her family. Façades can impress strangers, but they cut no ice with his parents or wife. Yet, look at what the Prophet's family (SAWS) said about him. In answer to a question addressed to Lady Aisha about the manners of the Prophet (SAWS), she said, "His character complied with the Qur'an."

No one is perfect. We can describe someone as being extremely honest, but it is impossible for one person to posses all the good qualities we know of. Yet, the only one whose qualities were all perfect was our Prophet (SAWS). We notice that when Allah (SWT) praises any of His Apostles, He praises each of them for a certain trait. For instance, Allah says, what can be translated as:

"And mention in the Qur'an Isma’il. Verily! He was true to what he promised, and he was a Messenger (and) a Prophet" (TMQ, 54:19).

"And mention in the Qur'an Musa. Verily! He was chosen and he was a Messenger (and) a Prophet" (TMQ, 51:19).

"And of Ibrahim who conveyed all what Allah ordered him to do or convey" (TMQ, 37:53).

The only individual to whom Allah (SWT) has ascribed perfection is our Prophet Muhammad (SAWS). Allah says what can be translated as "And verily, you are on an exalted standard of character" (TMQ, 4:68).

And "And verily, you (O Muhammad) are indeed guiding (mankind) to the Straight Path (i.e. Allah's religion of Islamic Monotheism) ". (TMQ, 52:42).

The following is an overview of each attribute in which the Prophet (SAWS) has exhibited perfection.

If we look at someone's face, is it possible for us, as human beings, to know whether that person is honest or not? Of course not! Yet, do you know that some people embraced Islam simply because they viewed the Prophet's face (SAWS)?

A man named Abdullah Ibn Salaam, who was a former Jew, said, "When I came to see him I kept gazing at his face and I just knew that this person could not be a liar; his face suggested honesty, which was why I believed in him".

Ali (RA), who was one of the most courageous of all men, said, "Allah's Apostle (SAWS) was the bravest of all. Once a fight grew fierce; we resorted to the Prophet (SAWS) for protection. The fiercest of us were the ones who fought close to the Prophet (SAWS).” Note that the Prophet (SAWS) was almost 60 years-old at the time, and Ali was only 20.

In the battle of Hunayn, when the Muslim army was defeated at the very beginning, the Prophet (SAWS) stood up and began to call to the Muslims at the top of his voice This action risked his life, for the infidels could have swarmed around him and killed him.

“I’m the prophet, I wouldn’t lie. I’m the son of Abdul-Muttalib!” he said.

Al-Abbas, the Prophet's uncle, said, "I saw Allah's Apostle riding his horse and head towards the infidels. I feared for him and grasped his horse's bridle." On that day, a sword broke in the Prophet's hand, which is an astonishing account, for Arabs’ swords are never broken, and are usually bequeathed for generations. The Prophet (SAWS) was 61 years old at the time.

They say, "The Prophet was always seen with a smile on his face, and was always cheerful."

Apart from the following situations, the Prophet was always smiling: whenever a revelation descended, whenever he preached to the people, and finally during his battles in Allah's cause.

The example I shall give of the Prophet's loyalty was his great love for his wife Khadijah. Do you know that the most famous love story in history is that which kindled between the Prophet (SAWS) and Lady Khadijah? It is an honour for us to know that such great stories of true love stemmed from Islam.

Fifteen years after the death of Lady Khadijah (RA), Hala Bint Khuwailid, who was Lady Khadijah’s sister, came to visit the Prophet. Throughout that time, the Prophet (SAWS) had not seen Lady Hala. They had been separated by time and the Prophet's immigration to Medinah, and he did not know she was coming. The Prophet (SAWS) was at home and heard the sound of Lady Hala asking for permission to enter. The sound of Lady Khadijah’s voice was still ringing in his ears and when he heard her voice, he rushed to the door and said, "O Allah, that sounds like Khadijah."

Lady Aisha (RA) said, "I once asked him: 'O Messenger of Allah, which day was the hardest upon you? Was it the day of Uhud?'

We know the story of Ta’if; we have recounted it before. The Prophet (SAWS) headed to Ta’if to invite its people to Islam. The whole town stood in two lines and began to pelt him with stones, sand, and bricks. The Prophet (SAWS) passed through them, amidst all this pain and insult. The face of Zaid Bin Haritha, who was with trying to prevent the stones from reaching the Prophet (SAWS), was drenched with blood, and the Prophet's feet were bleeding.

"By Allah, I did not recover until I reached Qarn al-Tha'alib.” He was very tired and hurt, and yet continued walking until he reached a remote place called Qarn al-Tha'alib.

"The angel in charge of the mountains said, ‘O Muhammad, Allah has sent me to you so that you may order me to do what you wish. If you wish that I should bring together the two mountains that stand opposite to each other outside of Ta’if to crush them in between, I would do that".

Had any other person been in his place, given the fact that his feet were bleeding and he had been called names, hurt, insulted and spat at, what would he do? Note how tolerant and patient the Prophet (SAWS) was. His answer to the angel in charge of the mountains was, "No, I rather hope that Allah will produce from their descendants, people who will worship Allah."

"So truthful is The One Who has named you the compassionate and merciful," the angel in charge of the mountains replied in astonishment. He marveled at the tolerance and patience of the Prophet (SAWS). Can anyone believe this! The angels themselves found his tolerance and patience astounding!

Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as "Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves (i.e. whom you know well). It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He (Muhammad) is anxious over you (to be rightly guided, to repent to Allah, and beg Him to pardon and forgive your sins, in order that you may enter Paradise and be saved from the punishment of the Hell-fire), for the believers (he is) full of pity, kind, and merciful" (TMQ, 128:9).

The Ka'ba was rebuilt before the revelation descended on the Prophet (SAWS); he was thirty years of age then. Quraysh was responsible for rebuilding the Ka'ba, but when it was time to put the Stone back in its place, all the other tribes sought that privilege. At first, there was a great dispute, but it was eventually resolved that the first person to enter the sanctum would be their arbitrator. Allah (SWT) preordained that the first to enter was none other than the Prophet (SAWS). This was before the revelation.

All the tribes said in one voice, "The trustworthy (Al-Amīn), we do want him to be our arbitrator." It was also preordained by Allah (SWT) that on this very occasion, the Prophet (SAWS) was the one to lay the Stone in place. Each tribe was asked to grasp one side of the cloak on which the Stone was placed so that they would share in this great honor, but it was the Prophet who, with his noble hands, put it back in its place.

The day of the Conquest of Makkah proved how forgiving the Prophet (SAWS) was. He was the victor and the leader of all the masses of people behind him, in addition to those who would embrace Islam that day. For twenty years, the people of Makkah did him a great deal of harm and refused to listen to him, and yet, when he traveled back, he told them "you are free to go." Though the Prophet (SAWS) had showed a great deal of forgiveness, some were still bearing hostility against him. One of those was Fudhala. The Prophet (SAWS) was circumambulating around the Ka'ba. With a dagger hidden under his clothes and intent on murder, Fudhala approached the Prophet (SAWS). Once he reached him, the Prophet (SAWS) knew his purpose. Turning towards him, the Prophet spoke with a smile on his face, "What are you up to, Fudhala?"

The Prophet (SAWS) raised his hand, laid it on Fudhala's chest, and continuously rubbed his heart before saying, "Seek forgiveness from Allah, Fudhala."

Fudhala said, "Before the Prophet put his hand on my chest, he was the most loathsome person on earth to me, but once he took his hand back, he became the most beloved person on earth to my heart.”

These were the manners of the Prophet. Remember that in the last episode, we introduced him, and discussed his lineage and family. Next, we shall talk about his struggle for Allah's cause. These constitute the basic information about the Prophet (SAWS), since we cannot discuss everything concerning the Prophet (SAWS) in just a few episodes. We shall do our best to discuss as much as possible about him so that we may at least have some basic and essential information about his life.

For twenty-three years running, the Prophet (SAWS) hardly slept. He was in an ongoing, day-in-day-out struggle. When Lady Khadijah found that he stayed up night and day without end, she asked him to sleep, but he told her, "Khadijah, the time for sleep has long gone."

The mission started. He was the only Muslim on the face of the earth. For three years, he secretly invited people to Islam, brought them closer, helped them, and educated them in the house of Al-Arqam Ibnul-Arqam (Dar Al-Arqam). Then, Allah (SWT) ordered him to proclaim the call for Islam. The Prophet ascended Mount Safa and started calling, "O Bani Fihr! O Bani 'Adi!” This illustrates his courage in the cause of truth and justice. All the tribes of Quraysh assembled to listen to what he had to say. Those who could not come sent representatives to see what was going to happen. Once they had all assembled, he said, "If I were to tell you that behind this mountain were some horsemen coming to attack you, would you believe me?" They said, "Yes, for we have never heard any lie from you before." He then said, "Then I am a warner to you before a severe punishment will happen."

From that moment onward, the elite of Quraysh began persecuting the Prophet (SAWS). To name but a few accounts, the Prophet was prostrating by the Ka'ba when suddenly, a man showed up with a pile of a dead camel's guts and threw it on the Prophet's back. The Prophet, however, bore this with patience. Others deliberately lay dirt and garbage in front of his house. Uqba Ibnumu'ait once saw the Prophet praying by the Ka'ba. He sneaked up and wrapped his cloak around the Prophet's neck and throttled him so violently that the Prophet, as he (SAWS) himself stated, "fainted".

They even began insulting with names. Instead of Muhammad, which can be translated as the ‘most praiseworthy’, they began to call him Mudhammam ‘the loathsome’. This name began to spread all over Makkah, whose people used it on purpose to create mockery of him. His companions were terribly hurt to see that he was being mocked at and called Mudhammam. The Prophet (SAWS) tried to ease their pain and told them, "They are only cursing Mudhammam. My name is Muhammad."

He was also accused of witchcraft, insanity and lying; more and more people began calling him ‘the liar’. He was forced to contend with a torrent backbiting and name-calling. His daughter, who was married to one of Abu-Lahab's sons, was divorced simply to seek revenge on him (SAWS). Finally, in the midst of all this, his uncle Abu-Taleb, who up until then supported him, said that he could no longer protect him.

In spite of all that he had been through, he spoke his famous words "O uncle, I swear to Allah, had they offered me the sun to be placed on my left, and the moon on my right in order to leave this religion, I would not until Allah makes it victorious or I die for it." Tears began running down his cheeks.

Notwithstanding all this, he continued teaching the few companions he had. The elite of Quraysh lavishly offered him money, power, authority, and everything a man could dream of, but he refused. They tried to bargain a contract with him, saying, "We’ll worship your God one day, you worship ours the next day," but again he refused. He (SAWS) wouldn’t compromise on Islam.

For three years, they boycotted him and his followers in Shi’b Abu Taleb, a barren waterless desert, in which they had nothing to eat but leaves. Yet, the Prophet (SAWS) and his companions were unwaveringly patient. Thirteen years of persecution in Makkah witnessed his honesty and prophethood. He was steadfast, and never asked for worldly pleasures, money, or power. Indeed, this proves his honesty.

His uncle and his wife Khadijah passed away at a time when he needed them most. The Prophet (SAWS) named that year "Year of Grief", for it witnessed the death of his uncle who used to defend him, and the love of his life and sanctuary, his wife Khadijah. Their death was for a purpose; Allah preordained their death so that the Prophet (SAWS) would learn that he had no other sanctuary and no other to lean on but Allah (SWT), and that no one was there to support him eternally, but Allah (SWT). This is a lesson for us, too. When burden and stress increasingly weigh us down, we have no other refuge but with Allah.

The Prophet (SAWS) then headed to Ta’if, where he was beaten mercilessly and hurt. When we see how much pain the Prophet went through for our sake, we can’t help but feel pity for those who have abandoned his Sunnah (way of life); they are those who do not really know much about our Prophet.

We have already noted that after he was attacked in Ta’if, the angel in charge of the mountains came to him, and the Prophet (SAWS), with his feet bleeding, invoked Allah, and recited the following supplication:

"O Allah, to You I complain of my weakness, impotence, and the contempt I received from others. You are the Most Merciful of those who show mercy; You are the Lord of the oppressed. And You are my Lord. Who are you leaving me to? To a stranger who will despise me? Or to an enemy whom You gave power over me? As long as You are satisfied with me, I do not mind being hurt. I seek refuge in the Light of Your Countenance, which has lightened all darkness, and upon which the prosperity of this world and the hereafter stands, from Your wrath befalling me, or Your displeasure afflicting me. To You I repent until You are satisfied. There is no power or strength but in Allah."

Allah rewarded the Prophet (SAWS) with Al-Israa and Al-Mi’raj, the night journey of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) from Makkah to Jerusalem and his ascension to the seventh Heaven, and told him, "O Muhammad, it is true people of the earth did you harm, but you are honored in Heaven. Ascend to Heaven and We shall show you generosity".

Afterwards, he left Makkah for Medinah, along with his companions. They left their property and children behind for the sake of Islam. On the outskirts of Makkah, as he was leaving, not knowing whether he would come back or not, the Prophet (SAWS) said with tears in his eyes "O Makkah, you are the most beloved spot to my heart. Had I not been exiled by your people, I would have never left you.”

He left for Medinah to start a new episode of struggle. He was 55 years of age when he fought in the Battle of Badr. In the Battle of Uhud he was 56, and in the Al-Khandaq, he was 58. It was a continuous series of struggles in Allah's cause. In the battle of Tabuk, he walked 1000 kilometers, and was 61 years old at the time. He also strenuously fought in Hunayn.

In the battle of Uhud, the Prophet (SAWS) fell on his face against a rock; his incisor fractured and his face became covered in blood. The disbeliever Abdullah Bin Qami'a struck him on his helmet with a sword. The helmet embedded into his face and became stuck in his cheek. Its metal tips penetrated the Prophet's cheekbones. His companions tried to pull it out, but to no avail. Abu Bakr said, "Let me pull it out off the Prophet's face".

"No Abu Bakr! No one should pull it out but me! Lay down, Apostle of Allah," said Abu-Ubaida Ibnul-Jarrah. With metal still clinging to his face, the Prophet (SAWS) laid down. Abu Ubaida held the Prophet's head and started to pull the metal rings out with his teeth until his teeth became broken – he lost his teeth for the sake of Allah. The pointy tips were out, and the Prophet's face was bleeding heavily. With blood covering his face, the Prophet (SAWS) said, "O Allah, grant my people guidance and forgive their ignorance."

Lady Fatima and Ali (RA) tried to stop the continuous bleeding with a rag soaked in water, but the bleeding did not stop. Their only option was to cauterize his face. They brought a rag, burned it, and stuck it on the wound, until the bleeding stopped. He then continued the battle; he was 56 years of age then.

Despite all these wars and fighting, he still had time to recite the Qur'an and offer the Qiyam (night prayer) until his feet became swollen and the people heard him weeping in a sound like that of a boiling kettle. He educated the entire nation, laid down rules, held trials to settle disputes amongst people, loved his companions, helped his wives and went out with them, and helped children. He did all that (SAWS).

Those of you who are keen on knowing more and more about him, should try to read Riyadhus-Saliheen and books about his biography as well.

[1] The word Allah is the Arabic term for God. Although the use of the word "Allah" is most often associated with Islam, it is not used exclusively by Muslims; Arab Christians and Arabic-speaking Jews also use it to refer to the One God. The Arabic word expresses the unique characteristics of the One God more precisely than the English term. Whereas the word "Allah" has no plural form in Arabic, the English form does, and the word 'Allah' in Arabic has no connotation of gender. Allah is the God worshipped by all Prophets, from Adam to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. (the translator).

[2] SAWS=Sala-llahu Alaihi Wa-Sallam = All Prayers and Peace of Allah be upon him.

[3] TMQ=Translation of the Meaning of the Qur'an. This translation is for the realized meaning, so far, of the stated (Surah:Ayah) of the Qur'an. Reading the translated meaning of the Qur'an can never replace reading it in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed.

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