Once, he was in debt to a Jewish man. The man came to retrieve what he was owed but the Apostle of God said to him: 'I have nothing to give to you.' The man said: 'Then I will not leave your side, O Muhammad, until you fulfil the debt. He said: 'Then I will sit with you.'
So he sat with him until he had prayed the noon and afternoon prayers, then the sunset and evening prayers and the dawn prayer. The companions of the Apostle of God were threatening and intimidating him and when the prophet saw this he said: 'What are you doing to him?' They said: 'O Apostle of God, do you let a Jew detain you?' He said: 'My Lord did not send me to wrong a covenanter or anyone else.'
When sun arose the Jewish man said: 'I testify that there is no god but God and that Muhammad is His servant and Apostle. Divide my wealth in the way of God. I swear that I have only done what I have done so that I may see the description of you in the Torah, for I have read it there. 'Muhammad son of Abdullah, whose birthplace is Mecca and who will emigrate to Tayyibah, (Medina) he is not uncouth or hard hearted nor stern, nor does he adorn himself with indecencies or obscene language.' I testify that there is no deity but God and that you are the Apostle of God. Here is my wealth, so do with it as God orders.' This man was a very rich man too.91
Once, Jurayr ibn Abdullah al-Bajali came to the Apostle of God's gathering but the place was full and he could not find a place. 'So he sat outside the house. When the Apostle of God saw him he took his robe and folded it up and threw it to him and said: 'Sit on this.' Jurayr took it and put it to his face and kissed it.'92
It is also related that he would accept the invitation to food of the freeman and the bondsman alike even if it were for trotter meals. He would always accept a gift even if it were a sip of milk. He would not stare in the face of anyone. He angered for the sake of his Lord and not for his own sake. He would attend funerals and visit the sick. He would sit with the poor people and eat with the paupers and give them food with his own hand. He would accept the apologies of anyone who apologised to him. He would not be superior to his servants in his food or clothing.93 It is related that Anas ibn Malik said: 'I served the Prophet for nine years and he never said to me 'you should have done this' and he never criticized me ever.'94
Anas relates: 'I was a companion of the Apostle of God for ten years. I have smelled all types of perfume, but nothing was finer than his perfume. If one of his companions met him he would stay with him until the other man was the one to leave. If one of his companions met him and they shook hands he would not withdraw his hand until the other person did so. He never exposed his knees in front of anyone who sat with him'95
It is related that Abu Said al-Khudari said: 'The Apostle of God was extremely modest and if ever he was asked for a thing he would give it.'96 125 Abu Said al-Khudari also said: 'The Apostle of God was more modest than a virgin girl in her chamber. If he disliked something we could tell by his face.'97
One of his characteristics was that he never frowned. If he heard someone saying something, which he disliked, he would not confront him about it but would say, “What is the matter with some people who do or say such things?” He would thus prohibit something without mentioning the name of the perpetrator.
It is related that Imam Sadiq said: 'The Apostle of God, may Allah bless him and his family, said: 'My Lord has ordered me to cultivate seven characteristics: to love the paupers and approach them, and to say often the words: 'there is no power or strength except through God', and to maintain the bonds of kinship even if they should cut their ties with me, and to look to those who are lower than me and not to look to those who are above me, and not to be affected in the way of God by the aspersions of the blamers, and to speak the truth however bitter it may be, and not to ask anything of anyone.'98
In conclusion, some western scholars have noted that among the reasons that the people gathered round the Apostle of God from the very first day until this day, are his three characteristics:
• His faithfulness, for his companions at the time of his death are those who were with him from the very first day of his mission in Mecca.
• His simple and abstinent way of life from his early days until death despite the fact that he became a great ruler with wealth coming to him in abundance.
• His down-to-earth manners to the utmost degree. He was like any one of the people and did not consider himself superior to them.
• 1. The White Path (al-mahajjah al-abayad); vol.4, p.120.
• 2. The Path of Eloquence; Sermon192, The Sermon of Disparagement.
• 3. Sunan al-Nabi; p. 14.
• 4. Makarim al-Akhlaq; p. 13.
• 5. Ibid.
• 6. A figure of speech, depicting their motionlessness and attentiveness.
• 7. Makarim al-Akhlaq; p 14.
• 8. Bihar al-Anwar; vol.16, p. 235.
• 9. Sunan al-Nabi; p. 60.
• 10. Makarim al-Akhlaq; p. 16.
• 11. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 16, p. 229, Hadith 35, chap. 9.
• 12. Sunan al-Nabi; p. 52.
• 13. Agnomens. Usually of the form Abu or Umm of so-and-so i.e. the father or mother of so-and-so. Translator.
• 14. Sunan al-Nabi; p. 52.
• 15. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 16, p. 228, Beirut edn.
• 16. Ibid. p, 227, chap. 9, Hadith 34.
• 17. Ibid; p. 240.
• 18. Makarim al-Akhlaq; p. 16, Beirut edn.
• 19. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 16, p. 220, chap. 9, hadith 11.
• 20. Ibid. vol. 16, p. 228.
• 21. Ibid. p. 437.
• 22. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 16, p. 229, chap. 9, hadith 35.
• 23. Makarim al-Akhlaq; p. 15.
• 24. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 20, p. 332, chap. 20.
• 25. Ibid. vol. 17, p. 32, chap. 14, hadith 14.
• 26. Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari was one of the devout and loyal companions of the Prophet Muhammad (s) who went on to live long enough to meet the Prophet's fifth appointed successor, Imam Baqir, as foretold by the Prophet - some seventy years after the Prophet's death. He was companion to Imam Ali as well in the times of the Messenger of God. Jabir paid homage of allegiance to every one of the Prophet's successors. Jabir is considered as one of the reliable narrators of the Prophetic hadith.
• 27. Bilal was a black African slave who was bought off from his Quraysh masters by the Prophet and set free, and he went on to become the Prophet's assistant.
• 28. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 17, p 33, chap. 14, hadith 14; Beirut edn.
• 29. Ibid. vol. 16, chap. 9.
• 30. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 16, p. 230, chap. 9, hadith 35.
• 31. The White Path (al-mahajjah al-abayad); vol. 4, p. 129. Second Edition.
• 32. Sunan al-Nabi; p.71.
• 33. Makarim al-Akhlaq; p. 15.
• 34. Ibn Athir; al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh; vol. 1, p. 587, Beirut edition.
• 35. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 18, p. 210.
• 36. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 19, p. 17, chap. 5, hadith 9.
• 37. Makarim al-Akhlaq; p. 35.
• 38. al-Wafa bi-Ahwal al-Mustafa vol. 2, p. 298.
• 39. The Holy Quran: ‘Taha’ is another name for the Prophet.
• 40. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 88, p. 41, chap. 2, hadith 2.
• 41. al-Wafa bi-ahwal al-mustafa vol. 2, p. 541.
• 42. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 7, chap. 11, p. 276.
• 43. Akhlaq al-Nabi wa Adabuh; p. 75.
• 44. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 61, chap. 8, p. 210, hadith 16.
• 45. Nahj al-balaghah; al-Salih, hadith 9, p. 520. 5th edition.
• 46. Makarim al-Akhlaq; p. 19.
• 47. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 20, chap. “The Ohud Campaign”, p. 102, hadith 2.
• 48. The Morals and Etiquettes of the Prophet (Akhlaq al-Nabi wa Adabuhu); p. 178.
• 49. Ibid; p. 178.
• 50. The Path of Eloquence, Sermon no. 199.
• 51. More properly 'muadhdhin' (Translator's note).
• 52. Traditions of the Prophet (Sunan al-Nabi); p. 268.
• 53. Tafsir al-Burhani of al-Bahrani; vol. 3, p. 29; Qum edition.
• 54. al-Wafa bi-Ahwal al-Mustafa vol. 2, p. 505.
• 55. Abu Dharr became one of the most devout sincere companions of the Prophet Muhammad, and the latter confirmed his sincerity and honesty when he said, “There is no one under the sky, and over the land, more truthful than Abu Dharr”, as quoted in Sunan al-Tarmadhi, Chapter al-Manaqib, hadith 3737; Musnad Ahmad, hadith 6232; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 22, p. 330.
• 56. Traditions of the Prophet (Sunan al-Nabi); p. 268.
• 57. Means of the Shia; vol. 4, chap. 1, p. 291, hadith 12; Beirut edition.
• 58. Ibid; p. 293, hadith 23.
• 59. Ibid; p.305, hadith 5.
• 60. al-Kafi vol. 4, p. 155, hadith 3.
• 61. Means of the Shia; vol. 4, chap. 1, p 309, hadith 17.
• 62. That is, he fasted on alternate days.
• 63. Means of the Shia; vol. 4, chap. 1, p. 321.
• 64. Means of the Shia; vol. 4, chap. 1, p. 292, hadith 15.
• 65. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 22, chap. 2, p. 507, hadith 9.
• 66. The White Path (al-Mahajjah al-Abayad); vol. 2, p. 315.
• 67. al-Kafi; vol. 2, Seeking Forgiveness, p. 504, hadith 4.
• 68. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 16, chap. 9, p. 258; Beirut edn.
• 69. Traditions of the Prophet (Sunan al-Nabi); p. 329.
• 70. Ibid; p. 328.
• 71. al-Kafi; vol. 2, p. 503, hadith 3.
• 72. The White Path (al-Mahajjah al-Abayad); vol. 2, p. 107.
• 73. Ibid; vol. 2, p. 108.
• 74. Means of the Shia (Wasail al-Shia) vol. 4, p. 273, Beirut edn.
• 75. Ibid. p. 263.
• 76. The Noble Morals (Makarim al-Akhlaq); p. 23.
• 77. Mustadrak Wasael al-Shia, vol. 7, p. 235.
• 78. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 16, p. 298, hadith 2, chap. 10.
• 79. al-Kafi; vol. 2, p. 663, hadith 1.
• 80. Manaqibu Ali Abi Talib; vol. 1, p. 101.
• 81. Ibid.
• 82. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 16, p. 190, chap. 8, hadith 27.
• 83. Ibid; vol. 10, chap. 1, p. 5, hadith 1.
• 84. Ibid; vol. 16, chap. 9, p. 236.
• 85. Makarim al-Akhlaq; p. 30.
• 86. al-Kafi; vol. 2, p. 671, hadith 1, chap. al-Nawadir.
• 87. Makarim al-Akhlaq; p. 21.
• 88. Ibid; p. 17.
• 89. Ibid; p. 19.
• 90. Manaqibu Ali Abi Talib; vol. 1, p. 146-147.
• 91. Bihar al-Anwar; vol. 16, p. 216, hadith 5.
• 92. Ibid p. 235.
• 93. Manaqibu Ali Abi Talib; vol. 1, p. 146.
• 94. Makarim al-Akhlaq; p. 16.
• 95. Ibid 117.
• 96. Ibid.
• 97. Ibid.
• 98. al-Khisal; vol. 2, chap. ‘The Seven Characteristics’, hadith 12.