When Muhammad reached the age of forty, the angel Gabriel came to him bringing revelation. At first, Muhammad was instructed to invite only his immediate family, including his wife Khadijah, to Islam;
revealed to him that he should deliver Allah’s message to all humankind. For the rest of his life, he communicated this message to others, set an excellent example, and was a perfect role model for humanity.
In the year 632, Prophet Muhammad departed this world at the age of sixty-three.
Prophet Muhammad (may God’s blessings and peace be upon him) is called “the Seal of the Prophets.” As the final prophet, he was sent to confirm all the truth that had been revealed before him, including the original Gospel of Jesus (which is different from today’s Gospels).
The Glorious Qur’an testifies that
{Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and last of the prophets.}
(33:40)
Confirming the link between Jesus and him, Prophet Muhammad promised, “If a man believes in Jesus and then believes in me, he will get a double reward.” He also stated, “I am the nearest of all the people to Jesus, the son of Mary, for there was no prophet between him and me.”
These Prophetic sayings show us how Muhammad honoured Jesus (may God’s blessings and peace be upon them both). Later, I will discuss a prophecy that Jesus made in the Bible about the coming of Muhammad.
Prophet Muhammad’s Distinguished Personality
Muhammad ̶ from the time of his childhood and youth, through the years of his prophethood, and up until his death ̶ has been recognized by fair-minded people throughout history as a special and noble personality with a unique character and morals. He was merciful, honest, sincere, kind, and humble. Every detail of not only his public utterances but also his private life has been authentically documented and faithfully preserved up to the present day.
He was a prophet, a messenger, a religious teacher, a social reformer, a moral guide, a leader, a statesman, a faithful friend, a wonderful companion, a devoted husband, and a loving father.
In his booklet Muhammad: The Prophet of Islam, Professor Ramakrishna Rao calls him the "perfect model for human life," observing:
The personality of Muhammad, it is most difficult to get into the whole truth of it. Only a glimpse of it I can catch. What a dramatic succession of picturesque scenes! There is Muhammad, the Prophet.
Dr. Naji Ibrahim
Their names begin with the same letter; they are alike in their normal births, marriages, missions, and normal deaths; both were prophets, rulers, leaders, and statesmen; and both brought a “fiery law.” On the other hand, Jesus is unlike Moses in his birth, mission, and end; Jesus did not get married, nor did he rule his people or fight wars as Moses did.
It is worth mentioning that “a prophet from among their brethren” means a prophet from the brothers of the Israelites (namely the Ishmaelites, who were the Arabs), not from the Israelites themselves.
In the existing version of the New Testament, Jesus prophesies the coming of another Comforter, declaring,
“and he shall give you another Comforter”
(John 14:16)
Jesus is also quoted as saying:
Concerning the freedom and protection of faith, the Glorious Qur’an states:
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment… I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me...”
(John 16:7-14)
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In his book The Genuine Islam, Sir George Bernard Shaw wrote:
I believe that if a man like him were to assume the leadership of the modern world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring to this world much needed peace and happiness.
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Shaw added:
He was by far the most remarkable man that ever set foot on this earth. He preached a religion, founded a state, built a nation, laid down a moral code, initiated numerous social and political reforms, established a powerful and dynamic society to practice and represent his teachings and completely revolutionized the worlds of human thought and behavior for all times to come.
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Mahatma Gandhi pointed out:
I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. (Young India Newspaper)
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Wolfgang Goethe (the famous European poet) believed that:
He is a prophet and not a poet and therefore his Koran is to be seen as a divine law and not as a book of a human being, made for education or entertainment.
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The Encyclopaedia Britannica (Vol. 12) cited:
A mass of detail in the early sources show that he was an honest and upright man who had gained the respect and loyalty of others who were like-wise honest and upright men… Mohammad is the most successful of all Prophets and religious personalities.
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Thomas Carlyle stated in Heroes and Hero Worship:
How one man single-handedly could weld warring tribes and wandering Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation in less than two decades.…The lies (Western slander) which well-meaning zeal has heaped round this man (Muhammad) are disgraceful to ourselves only.
John Esposito (a university professor of religion and international affairs, Director of the Center for International Studies at the College of the Holy Cross, and Founding Director of PABT Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University, USA) pointed out in his book Islam: The Straight Path:
Muhammad was among those great religious figures, prophets and founders of religions, whose remarkable character and personality inspired uncommon confidence and commitment. His phenomenal success in attracting followers and creating a community-state that dominated Arabia could be attributed not only to the fact that he was a shrewd military strategist but also to the fact that he was an unusual man… Muhammad’s followers found him righteous, trustworthy, pious, honest and compassionate.
He clarified that “Muhammad was not the founder of Islam; he did not start a new religion.”
Professor Esposito stressed this fact:
Islam brought a reformation; it was the call once again to total submission (Islam) to Allah and the implementation of His will as revealed in its complete form one final time to Muhammad, the last, or ‘seal,’ of the prophets. Thus, for Muhammad, Islam was not a new faith but the restoration of the true faith...
Beautiful Prophetic Sayings
Below are some examples of the Prophet’s sayings, to give you a taste of their beauty and sweetness:
- “A good word is charity.”
- “A sincere smile is charity.”
- “The best of you are the best in character.”
- “Removing a harmful thing from the path (road) is charity.”
- “The best [aspect] of faith is patience and tolerance.”
- When asked which aspect of Islam was best, he replied, “Feed and greet both those you know and those you do not know.”
Moreover, the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) said:
- “The Compassionate One [God] has mercy on those who are merciful. If you show mercy to those who are on the earth, He Who is in Heaven will show mercy to you.”
- “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”
- “He who eats his fill while his neighbor goes to bed without food is not a believer.”
Dr. Naji Ibrahim
- “The powerful is not he who knocks the other down; indeed the powerful is he who controls himself in a fit of anger.”
- “God does not judge you according to your bodies and appearances, but he scans your hearts and looks into your deeds.”
- “The best of you is he who is best to his family, and I am the best among you to my family.”
- “The best of you are those who are best to their women.”
- “The best of Islam is to behave with gentleness and tolerance.”
- “The best people are those most beneficial to [other] people.”
These are just some examples of the Prophet’s wise, wonderful, and golden sayings.
Prophet Muhammad also practiced what he taught; his dealings and behaviour towards others reflected his special and unique personality in his morals, mercy, honesty, sincerity, kindness, truthfulness, humbleness, generosity, forgiveness, patience, tolerance, and many other virtues.
The stories and evidence of the Prophet’s magnificent personal attributes are too numerous to mention here, so let us take just one example. After his Makkan opponents rejected him and his message of Islam... After they persecuted and mistreated him, trying to kill him many times... After they tortured and killed many of his followers and loved ones... After they fought him and his companions, driving them out of their homes and seizing their properties and land…
How did Muhammad treat these enemies when he entered Makkah and liberated it from idolatry and paganism?
In the wake of this momentous victory for Muhammad and the Muslims, at the climax of their joy, rapture and happiness at coming back home to the sacred city of Makkah… Prophet Muhammad gathered together the Makkans, who were afraid that he would harm or even kill them in revenge for their past abuse and killing of Muslims.
Muhammad asked them, “What do you think I am going to do with you?” They answered, “You are a generous brother and the son of an honourable brother of ours.” Then the kind, tolerant, generous, and merciful Prophet forgave them. He announced, “No harm will come to you. You may go. You are free.” Have you ever seen such a scene? Have you ever heard such a story? Can you sense the Prophet's mercy?
Describing this unprecedented historic event, Professor John Esposito stated: Eschewing vengeance and the plunder of conquest, the Prophet instead accepted a settlement, granting amnesty rather than wielding the sword toward his former enemies. For their part, the Meccans converted to Islam, accepted Muhammad’s leadership, and were incorporated within the umma (Muslim community).
In contrast, are you aware of the atrocities committed by various ‘superpower’ nations throughout human history, when they unjustly attacked, invaded, and tortured others?
Remarkably, the more we discover about Muhammad’s life, the more we come to realize his excellent conduct and character, and that he was indeed
{sent as a mercy to the worlds.}
(Qur’an 21:107)
Prophet Muhammad said, “I have been sent to perfect the noble traits of character.”
Confirming this fact, Allah tells him in the Glorious Qur’an,{Indeed, you are of a great moral character.}
Beauty Of Islam