There are many incidents and lessons in the biography of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ which is an educational school from which Muslims inspire in every time and place the rulings and guidelines which suit them. I wish there had been an objective study to the biography of the Prophet [I mean dividing the Prophet’s biography into topics] as (the topics of Tafsir) in which incidents and events are arranged according to their topics not according to time such as the topic of Jihad, Salah, manners, creeds, transactions, and other issues, then commenting and benefitting from them such as Fiqh-us-Sirah [understanding the Prophet’s biography].
This important suggestion came casually on the topic which I am discussing. I noticed some situations in the Sirah in which the frankness of the Prophet ﷺ was good for the community of Makkah and Medina. Moreover, his explanation to sensitive matters was a good treatment for removing harms from chests and if he had not treated them in that way and that frankness, it would have led to cracking and undesirable behaviour inside the Muslim community. Many callers to Allah, leaders, and people in charge overlook these incidents or they treat them in a way other than openness, maybe to protect the Muslim society or because of the sensitivity of some categories of the society from them. However, explaining and treating them wisely and with that Prophetic way helped to empty the accumulated charges in oneself and removed false looks and cramps, so explaining them was better.
His openness with the Ansar
When the Ansar found something in themselves after the opening of Hunayn to Islam and after the Prophet ﷺ had distributed the spoils of war to Quraysh and the Arab tribes without allocating something of them to the Supporters, he was so frank. Sa`d ibn `Ubadah (may Allah be pleased with him) came to him and mentioned the talks of the Ansar to one another, and Sa`d himself had something in his heart when he said: I am only one person from my people.
The Prophet ﷺ commanded him to assemble the Ansar and addressed them saying: “O kinfolk of the Ansar, have not I come to you while you were straying then Allah guided you at my hand? Have not I come to you while you were scattered then Allah made you united at my hand? Have not I come to you while you were enemies then Allah harmonized your hearts at my hand? They said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah.
He said: Why do not you say: You came to us afraid and we provided you security, runaway and we provided you shelter, and defeated and we provided you with victory? They said: Indeed, glory be to Allah for the favors which He bestowed upon us and upon His Messenger. The Hadith came in different narrations, some are short and some are lengthy, and its origin is reported in Sahih Al Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, and its wordings are reported according the wordings of Imam Ahmad in his Musnad (12040), and Sheikh Shu`ayb graded it as authentic according to the conditions of Imam Muslim.
The important point is that he did not only mention his favor upon them but also mentioned their favor upon him. All these abated their anger until their souls became pure of any anger. Then they replied in shyness: Glory be to Allah for the favors which He bestowed upon us and upon His Prophet ﷺ.
Thus, leaders, the people in authority, and callers to Allah should follow the same example in mentioning the truth whether that truth is with them or against themselves?
Protecting the limits of Allah
All his situations in which he protected the religion contained openness. Our mother `A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) described him saying: I have never seen the Prophet ﷺ taking revenge from those who oppress him except when the limits of Allah are violated, but when the limits of Allah are violated, he would become the harshest. [Reported by Abu Ya`la in his Musnad with an authentic chain of transmission as the verifiers said (4452)].
Likewise, the Makhzumi woman who stole something and her people knew that her hands shall be cut off. They hurried to Usamah ibn Zayd to intercede for her before the Prophet ﷺ. When he went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the Prophet’s face turned into red and said to him: Do you intercede to cancel one of Allah’s Prescribed Punishments? Then Usamah knew that he had made a mistake, so he said: O Messenger of Allah, seek forgiveness for me.
When it was the time of afternoon, the Prophet ﷺ stood to address the people and praised Allah with the best praise then said: The nations prior to you were destroyed because if a noble amongst them stole, they used to excuse him, and if a poor person amongst them stole, they would apply (Allah’s) Legal Punishment to him. By Him in Whose Hand Muhammad’s soul is, if Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad stole, I would cut her hand.” Then Allah’s Messenger ﷺ gave his order in the case of that woman and her hand was cut off. Afterwards, her repentance proved sincere and she got married. `A’ishah said: “That lady used to visit me and I used to convey her demands to Allah’s Messenger ﷺ. [Reported by Sahih Al Bukhari 4053 and others].
Loyalty to his Companions
Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was the greatest Companion ever and the most beloved to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Prophet used to declare that to the public as he declared his love to his daughter `A’ishah. `Amr ibn Al `As once came to him and asked him about the most beloved person to his heart perhaps he would be the one, but the Prophet ﷺ said: `A’ishah. `Amr asked: Who among men? He said: Her father. [Reported by Al Bukhari: 4100].
He was so loyal to him to the extent that he disapproved any speech against him. A dispute erupted between Abu Bakr and `Umar then Abu Bakr asked `Umar to forgive him but he refused. Then he came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to tell him what happened. “The signs of displeasure appeared on the face of the Prophet (peace be upon him) till Abu Bakr pitied (`Umar), so he knelt and said twice: “O Allah’s Messenger! By Allah! I was more unjust to him (than he to me).” The Prophet ﷺ said: “Allah sent me (as a Prophet) to you (people) but you said (to me), ‘You are telling a lie,’ while Abu Bakr said: ‘He has said the truth,’ and consoled me with himself and his money.” He then said twice: “Won’t you then give up harming my Companion?” Thereafter, nobody harmed Abu Bakr.” [Sahih Al Bukhari 3461].
