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I feel compelled to write this to honour Mawlana Muhammad bin Arshad, an individual who has given so much to the Edinburgh Muslim community over the last decade, firstly at Iqra Academy and latterly at Blackhall Mosque. Although he and others would probably say he was just doing his job as an imam, I would like to draw attention to some seemingly simple things which show that his work was anything but ordinary. 

Let’s start with Juma, the weekly ritual that we perform, often without thinking too much about it. We just do it. Many of us are not that interested in the content of the Juma, as long as we get it done. The people of Allah say that the greatest miracle is nothing more spectacular than consistently showing up and doing what needs to be done with sincerity. I’m in awe of someone who is there every Friday for a decade with hardly any break. Every week he was there and every week he would bring something new to discuss with passion for the subject and compassion for the audience. At the heart of everything he did was his concern for the Ummah as a whole and young people specifically. There was not a single issue confronting us that he did not address in his talks. He would spend long hours during the week researching a topic and reflecting on how best to approach it.

Despite the fact that he was not born here and came from a traditional scholarly background in Pakistan, he understood the issues that are confronting us more than we did, and he never shied away from speaking about them, difficult as they were. Just look at the titles of some of his talks: “Just because you’re Muslim doesn’t mean that your children will be”, “Why don’t I feel anything?” and “Everything enjoyable is haram in Islam!” We are fortunate that many of his talks can still be accessed on Iqra’s facebook page and Youtube channel and also on Blackhall’s Facebook page.

His approach was perfect for this time. He was always open-minded and never divisive. When it came to issues of ikhtilaf, or scholarly difference, most people show bias towards their school of thought and often make out as if there is only one opinion. Mawlana Muhammad, on the other hand, would present the evidence and the varying positions and leave it up to the listener to decide, in the knowledge that we will never agree on everything. What struck me was that he was always learning, delving into the tradition to enrich his knowledge but also listening to people to see what life was like from their perspective. Imams can often talk to people while inhabiting a world which is entirely different from the world of their audience. A true scholar is able to bridge those two worlds.

The icing on the cake was that as soon as he had finished leading Juma he would head straight for the door of the Mosque to greet everyone, regardless of who they were, giving each individual his time and attention. As our Prophet ﷺ taught us, Imam Muhammad would show mercy to the young and respect to the old. Your imam didn’t just speak at you from the minbar, he came down and actually spoke to you. You could really see his human side in his empathy and humility. He was steeped in knowledge but he would never make you feel that he was anything other than your equal, your brother. He had that prophetic quality of making you feel like the most important person to him even though he had so many other people he was helping. He was humorous and light-hearted and didn’t take himself too seriously while maintaining the dignity and earnestness that his work demanded.

Many of us will remember his pre-Tarawih talks in which he would explore a single word or a single verse in great depth, showing us how the Quran offers us solutions to every problem. We remember the Ramadan nights filled with his beautiful heartfelt recitation of the Book of Allah and capped with an epic night of khatam in packed halls in which he would pour his heart out in English, Arabic and Urdu.

Being a mosque imam is incredibly demanding of your time, but many people will attest to the work that he did outside the mosque, helping people with their various needs and going beyond the call of duty. He was tested in many ways during his decade of service but he remained focused and carried on giving, whereas others may not have persevered.

He will be sorely missed in this community, especially as it grows and the need for imams of his calibre increases. But we know he has so much to give and Edinburgh can only offer so much in terms of opportunities. Perhaps if we had appreciated him more, he would still be with us. Sometimes you only know the value of something once it has gone. Our loss is Michigan’s gain and we pray that his dedication is valued and his skill set and passion is put to good use in the service of Islam. May Allah make him a beacon of light wherever he goes and allow him to impact the lives of countless people.

These are just a few observations from the little I know of him. I’m sure this is just the tip of the iceberg other people saw and experienced far more. I hope that these words help us to appreciate Imam Muhammad and inspire those who wish to serve the community. If you want to know what an imam should be, look no further than Mawlana Muhammad bin Arshad.

Jarir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: “Ever since I became Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ never once turned me away and whenever he saw me, he smiled at me. I once complained to him that I was unable to remain firm when riding a horse. He struck me on the chest with his hand and said: “O Allah, make him firm and make him a guide who is rightly guided.”

(Sahih al-Bukhari No. 3035 and Sahih Muslim No. 2475)

Jarir bin Abdullah al-Bajali was one of the leaders of his tribe, Bajeelah. He was known for his nobility, poetry and physical appearance. Late in the Prophet’s life, he came to Madinah with a delegation from his tribe to accept Islam.

Here Jarir gives us an insight into how the holy Prophet ﷺ treated him. Although he was not one of the elite of the Companions and was a latecomer to Islam, the Prophet showed him the utmost honour and respect. He was never excluded from the Prophet’s private gatherings or denied entry to his apartments. The Prophet could see his noble qualities and his potential to serve the cause of Islam. For many of the Companions who were not living in Madinah with the Prophet, time was short and the opportunities for spending time with the Prophet ﷺ  were limited. The Prophet knew this and generously invested his precious time in people. As if this was not enough, whenever the Prophet met Jarir, he smiled at him. Let us consider for a moment what that smile meant from the Beloved and what it meant to Jarir. From the Beloved it was a smile of pleasure, a smile of love, a smile of genuine happiness that he and his people had been guided and a smile of encouragement for the work that he would go on to do. His smile was like rays of sunshine falling on a fresh shoot. We have to ask ourselves how much we smile at those who are new to Islam, how much we value them and how much love we show them.

Jarir felt comfortable with the Prophet ﷺ and felt that he could tell him anything. So he complained of his inability to remain firm when riding a horse. We are told that he was a very tall man and perhaps this was the reason. The Prophet responded by striking him on the chest with his hand, something he often did to his Companions. Imagine the feeling of the Prophet’s hand lightly striking you and imagine the sensations that followed. Then the Prophet prayed for him. He asked Allah to make him firm, not just on a horse but in the most complete sense. He did not just pray for that specific need but for something far greater. Then he gave him more. He was teaching us that when we ask Allah, we should ask Him for the most important things, and what is more important than guidance? The Prophet prayed that Jarir be someone who was always rightly guided and who is also a guide to others. No doubt Jarir would remember the prayers of the Prophet as he grew older, and how Allah had answered them. And I’m sure he would never forget the smile that he received from the Beloved every time he saw him. 

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

Anas narrates that there was a Bedouin man whose name was Zaahir. He would visit the Prophet ﷺ every so often and whenever he did, he would bring with him gifts from the lands in which he lived. Then whenever he was leaving Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ would give him whatever provisions he needed from the city. The Prophet loved him very much and would say: “Zaahir is our man in the desert and we are his people in the city.” Zaahir was an unattractive-looking man.

One day Zaahir was selling his produce in the marketplace. The Prophet ﷺ came up behind him and put his arms around him, holding him tightly. Not knowing who it was, Zaahir said: “Who is this? Let go of me!” Then he turned and saw who it was. He pushed his back against the Prophet’s chest, enjoying the moment.

“Who will buy this slave from me?” the Prophet called out.

“No one will buy me – I am worthless,” Zaahir said.

“But in Allah’s sight you are truly precious,” the Prophet replied.

(Narrated by Ahmad and al-Haythami with an authentic chain of transmission)

Anyone who reads about this encounter cannot help being struck by the beauty of the Prophet’s character. City dwellers would generally look down on the Bedouin for their coarseness and lack of manners. But the Prophet ﷺ honoured Zaahir by remembering his name (among the many names of his Companions) and calling him “our man in the desert.” Think how special Zaahir would feel being called “our man” by the Prophet ﷺ. Then there is an exchange. Zaahir would bring gifts for the Prophet from the arid lands of the Arabian Peninsula. We wonder what kind of things he would bring: perhaps some herbs or berries. Maybe some wild honey. Whatever it was, it probably wasn’t very impressive. But nonetheless, the Prophet graciously accepted and then reciprocated. That was his way: if someone gifted him something, he would always try to give something in return or at least pray for that person. This is despite the fact that for the Prophet even to meet Zaahir and accept his gift was enough of a gift in and of itself. On top of that, the supplies that the Prophet provided him with were no doubt greater in quantity and quality than the gifts that Zaahir brought.

Then we have this amazing event that takes place in the marketplace as Zaahir is standing selling his wares. We see the Prophet’s playfulness and humour as he comes up behind Zaahir and wraps his arms around him, taking him completely by surprise. Zaahir’s shock quickly turns into pleasure, however, when he realises who this person is. Let us imagine the Prophet’s embrace and the beauty of his scent. It was a rare opportunity for Zaahir to feel the Prophet’s body against his and he relished it, pushing his back against the blessed chest of the one he loved so much.

Then the Prophet ﷺ calls out: “Who will buy this slave from me?” There may have been a moment of surprise until everyone realised that the Prophet was joking. We can imagine the smile on the Prophet’s face as he said this. He was teaching us that we need to have moments of lightheartedness. Life is not all deadly serious. We can laugh and joke in moderation without being untruthful and insulting and belittling others. The Prophet calling Zaahir his “slave” can also be understood as a term of endearment. He loved him so much that he almost treated him as his property. Zaahir played along with the game but he could not resist expressing feelings of his own worthlessness. He thought of his physical appearance, his humble origins, his Bedouin status. He looked at outward factors, whereas the Prophet looked at inward factors: his faith, his generosity, his humility and his love for Allah and His Messenger. This led him to reveal Zaahir’s true status, not the status accorded him by society: “But in Allah’s sight you are truly precious.” This was not merely a throw-away statement in order to make him feel better, this was God’s Messenger speaking with knowledge given to him by God. This is a reminder to many of us who are quick to judge others based on superficial criteria when we have no idea of their true state. In fact, the scholars mention that Zaahir was one of the elite Companions who were present at the Battle of Badr, which is sufficient proof of his status.

This episode also reminds us of the Prophet Yusuf (peace be upon him) who was sold as a slave in the market for a paltry sum, when in fact he was a prophet of Allah whose amazing qualities would only later become known to all. The reality is that every believer and in fact every human is valuable to Allah, if only they knew it. Perhaps we should follow the Prophet’s example and remind people of that fact. And perhaps we could even have a laugh and a joke in the process..

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Utbah bin Mas’ud narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “It is amazing how anxious and impatient a believer becomes when he is sick. If he knew what he would receive from that illness he would wish to be sick all the time.”

Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ raised his head to the sky and smiled.

When asked why he had done this, he said: “I was amazed to see two angels searching for a man in the place where he normally prayed. When they did not find him, they returned and said: “O Lord, we used to record the actions of Your servant so and so every day and night but we found that You had held him back and restrained him.”

Allah Almighty and Exalted said: “Record for My servant the same reward for the actions that he would perform every day and night and do not detract from that in any way. I will give him a reward for preventing him and he will be rewarded for what he used to do.”

(Narrated by al-Tabarani in al-Mu’jam al-Awsat)

Utbah bin Mas’ud, the brother of the great Abdullah bin Mas’ud, narrates this incredible event. We can assume that the Prophet ﷺ had just visited a man who was suffering from some kind of illness and was struggling to cope. None of us enjoy being ill. None of us would choose pain over comfort. But the Prophet is informing us that so much good can come out of being ill that if we were to be aware of it, we would wish to be ill all the time. Scholars such as Said Nursi have actually listed the benefits of illness, which include the idea that things are known by their opposites and thus we only appreciate the sweetness of good health after experiencing the bitterness of sickness.

We are told that another great Companion, Imran bin Husayn, had a long term illness. Due to his complete patience and contentment in the face of adversity, angels would regularly visit him and give greetings of salam to him. Here we have another insight into the workings of God’s angels. Our beloved Prophet ﷺ looks upwards and smiles. Although he was on the earth and with the people around him, at any given moment he could also be witnessing and interacting with creatures from other realms. We know that he was regularly receiving revelation from the Angel Jibril, but on many occasions he spoke to or saw other angels. Here he sees two angels whose job it was to record the sick man’s actions, presumably the man the Prophet had just visited. It seems that it was their habit to come to the place where he would normally pray in order to record and witness his prayer. That place could have been a place in his house or perhaps beside his house or even a place in a local mosque where he would always pray. Not finding him, they report back to their Lord, in order to ascertain what they should record in their scrolls. The verdict comes from the All Generous that the sick man should continue to receive the full reward for everything that he normally did when he was in good health. On top of that he would have a special reward from Allah for patiently bearing whatever he was going through. This teaches us the importance of consistent good actions, sometimes called “sacred monotony” – the idea that we will keep on “plugging away” with our prayers, fasts and acts of charity until we are no longer physically able to do so. Our intentions are better than our actions, as the Prophet taught us: ‘I intend to carry on travelling the path even if I was to live a thousand years.’ And Allah out of His generosity will record that for us. Perhaps the actions that we are rewarded for without actually performing are better than the ones that we did perform, tainted as they may be our lack of focus, sincerity and presence.

The Holy Prophet’s smile was one of wonder: wonder at these two angels and their world and wonder at Allah’s generosity. Anything that was good news for God’s servants made him happy: “in the bounty and mercy of Allah, let them rejoice..” (10:58) We pray that we are able to bear with patience and contentment whatever difficulties come our way and that the rewards we receive make our Beloved happy.  

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Umm Khalid was a little girl who lived in Madinah. Her real name was Amah but she was known by everyone as Umm Khalid, which means “the mother of Khalid” even though she was not yet a mother and didn’t have a son called Khalid. Her parents, Khalid bin Sa’id and Umayma bint Khalaf, were among those who accepted Islam in the early days in Mecca. Things had got so difficult for them that they had migrated to Abyssinia. In Abyssinia they could practise their religion in safety under the just rule of the noble Najashi. It was there that Umm Khalid was born. When she was still small, the time came when they could all go to Madinah and join the Prophet ﷺ and his blessed community. What a joyful reunion it was, after so many years of being apart. Before they left, the Najashi gathered the Muslims together and requested that they pass on his greetings of salam to the Messenger of Allah, which Umm Khalid later did.

Today Umm Khalid was very excited. She was going to meet the Prophet of God! Her mother and father were always talking about him and saying what a wonderful person he was. She had heard many amazing things about him. He was the one that the great angel Jibril came to with verses of the Quran. He was the one who travelled by night to Masjid al-Aqsa and returned in the same night! He was the one who cared for orphans and widows. He was God’s chosen one, al Mustafa, the final prophet. He had a mark on his back called the Seal of Prophethood, which showed he was a prophet. Umm Khalid really wanted to see the Seal of Prophethood. Today Umm Khalid was going to visit the Prophet. Today was going to be a very special day!

Her mother gave her a wonderful yellow dress to wear. She wanted to look her best for the Messenger of God. Then she went with her father to the Prophet’s house. The Prophet stood up to meet her father and they embraced. Then the Prophet turned to Umm Khalid. He noticed her yellow dress. “Sanah, sanah!” he said smiling. “Sanah” was a word she would hear in Abyssinia and it meant “beautiful.” She didn’t think the Prophet knew how to speak Abyssinian. She was happy that the Prophet liked her dress.

The two men sat down and began to talk. Umm Khalid couldn’t take her eyes off the Prophet. He had so much light on his face and the way he spoke was so charming! Then she remembered the Seal of Prophethood. She really wanted to see it. She got up and walked behind the Prophet. The two men were still in conversation. She looked at the Prophet’s back. He was wearing a loose shirt without a collar and she could see a raised piece of flesh on his back between his shoulder blades. She couldn’t resist touching it. It was soft and smooth and smelt fragrant. She was rubbing it with her fingers when her father noticed what she was doing.

“Stop that at once, Umm Khalid,” he said.

The Prophet had felt her fingers on his back and hadn’t done anything to stop her. “Leave her,” he said to Khalid. The Prophet allowed her to satisfy her curiosity.

Then he prayed for her that she would wear the dress until it was worn out and that she keep on wearing dresses until they were worn out. This might sound like a strange prayer to make, but it was really a prayer that she live a long happy life.

Some time later the Prophet was gifted a variety of different garments. One of them was a fine black cloak with lovely green patterns on it. It was just the right size for a small girl. He held it up and asked the people present who they thought he should give it to. No one answered.

“Bring me Umm Khalid,” he said.

When she had come, he put the cloak on her shoulders with his own blessed hands. It fitted perfectly. Umm Khalid wasn’t sure what made her happier – the new cloak itself or the fact that it was a gift from Allah’s Messenger and he was putting it on her himself. She was so happy. The Prophet smiled and said again: “Sanah, sanah!” 

Then he prayed once again that she wear the cloak until it was worn out and then she keep on wearing fine clothes until they were worn out.

The Prophet’s prayers were answered and Umm Khalid lived a long fruitful life. She ended up marrying Zubayr bin al-Awwam, one of the great Companions of the Prophet and one of the ten promised Paradise. Umm Khalid never forgot these two special meetings she had with the Best of Creation. Even in her old age, she would never tire of telling people about them. Tears would fill her eyes when she thought of the Prophet of God smiling at the little girl in the yellow dress.

References: Sahih Bukhari (hadith nos 3071, 3874, 5823, 5845, 5993) and Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d

Abu Hurayrah narrates that while he was sitting with a group of Companions in the company of the Noble Prophet ﷺ a man came up and exclaimed: “O Messenger of Allah, I’m done for!”

“Why is that?” asked the Prophet.

“I had sexual relations with my wife while I was fasting,” the man said.

“Do you have a slave you could free?” the Prophet asked.

“No.”

“Are you able to fast two months consecutively?”

“No.”

“Are you able to feed sixty needy people?”

“No.”

The Prophet ﷺ was quiet for some time. Then someone brought him a basket full of dates.

The Prophet told the man: “Take this and give it away in charity.”

“Should I give it to people who are poorer than me, O Messenger of Allah? I swear by Allah, there is no household from one side of the city to the other poorer than my household!”

The Prophet broke into a smile so wide that his teeth could be seen.

“Feed your family with it,” he said.

(Sahih al-Bukhari no. 1936)

This hadith begins by describing a man in distress who believed he was ruined. His desires had got the better of him and He had transgressed, ruining his fast on one of the days of Ramadan. He could have kept this secret, but he realised the gravity of what he had done and his faith drove him to try to rectify the situation. We may sometimes think we have done something so terrible that we cannot be forgiven. This may drive us to despair and give up. Luckily, in his distress, this man made the best decision, which was to go to the Prophet ﷺ. This is what the Companions did when problems confronted them and we should also take our problems to him as we will find solutions to them in his teachings and his perfect example. Narrations such as this show us that the Companions weren’t perfect: they had desires like us and made mistakes like us. Had they all been absolutely faultless, there are many valuable lessons that we would not be able to learn.

The Prophet ﷺ did not become angry at this man’s transgression. He did not rebuke him or shout at him. Instead, he immediately addressed the legal consequences of the action. This was a serious misdemeanour and the penalty was severe. The man was asked if he was able to free a slave, a large financial sacrifice, but he was unable to do so. Scholars mention that a person in such a situation has potentially destroyed himself spiritually so the freeing of a slave acts as a ransom and a means of saving one’s soul. Secondly, the man was asked if he was able to fast two months consecutively. In one narration of the hadith, the man replied that if he had the self-control that fasting requires, he would not have done what he had done. In other words, if I can’t even do this fast, how can I fast for two whole months? Thirdly, he was asked if he could feed sixty needy people to make up for the sixty days he was unable to fast. He of course lacked the means to do this.

After waiting for some time, a donation arrived in the form of a basket of dates. The Prophet ﷺ told the man to give it away in charity. At this point, the man spoke up, saying that there was no one poorer than him and his family in Madinah and therefore there was no one more deserving of this charity than him. Only a few moments ago, this man had come in a state of great distress and now he was hoping to come away with something for his family. This was when the Prophet smiled, a beautiful broad smile which showed his brilliant white teeth.

The scholars mention that it remained the man’s responsibility to feed sixty people whenever he was financially able to do so. He also needed to seek Allah’s forgiveness and make up that day’s fasting. In any case, he came to the Prophet ﷺ in a state of fear and a state of need, and he returned in a far better state with food for his family and a smile our beloved Prophet.  

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A Bedouin man once entered the Prophet’s Mosque. Feeling the need to answer the call of nature, and not appreciating the place he was in, he went off to the side of the Mosque and began to urinate. The Prophet’s Companions were naturally outraged. They began to rebuke him and some stood up ready to physically prevent him from what he was doing. But the Prophet ﷺ , who had been observing everything, forbade them from doing anything. Instead, he told them to let the man finish and then wash away the urine with a bucket of water. He reminded them that their role was to make things easy and not difficult.

When the man had finished, the Prophet himself approached him. The Prophet did not rebuke him and did not insult him. He very simply told him that the Mosque is a place of prayer and not a place to urinate. He was so impacted by the kindness of the Prophet that he prayed: “O Allah, show mercy to me and Muhammad and no one else!”

The Prophet smiled and said: “You have restricted something which is vast.”

(narrated by Bukhari, Ibn Hibban and others)

Every event in the life of our Prophet and the people around him was an opportunity to learn. The people present at the time of this event learnt something and we continue to learn many centuries later. There will always be people who do not know the correct behaviour or etiquette that a particular place or situation demands. If we know the correct etiquette and wish to teach it to someone else, how do we go about doing so? Sometimes our attempts to give advice or correct someone may do more harm than good. Sometimes we are too harsh and lack wisdom when we do this. But not the Messenger. He immediately read the situation. This man was most likely entering the Mosque for the first time. It may have been his first experience of Islam and how it is practised. At the very least, he did not know what the right thing to do was. The Prophet took all this into account. It was not that he didn’t care about the sanctity of the Mosque, but he was teaching us that people are more important than buildings. The Prophet was concerned for this man’s wellbeing – his physical, psychological and spiritual wellbeing. Forcing him to stop urinating may have caused him physical harm. Publicly humiliating him may have caused him psychological harm. Driving him away may have distanced him from Islam, causing him spiritual harm. The Prophet cared about every individual. No one was too insignificant to receive his full attention. He did not instruct someone else to teach the Bedouin, but he himself spoke to him. He did not give him a lengthy lecture about the sanctity of the Mosque and the rules of ritual purity. Instead he very gently and simply said what the Mosque was and what it was not.

The beauty of the Prophet’s approach won over the Bedouin, whose response was to pray to God. Having been on the receiving end of the rebukes of the Companions, he excluded them from his prayer. As a general principle, it is good to make dua for individuals and mention them by name, but we should also include everyone in our prayers. The Prophet smiled when he heard the Bedouin praying only for himself and the Prophet. He smiled in a way a father might smile at his son when he can ask for anything from Allah and all he asks for is something small. Of course, Allah’s forgiveness is not something small, but His love, mercy and compassion are so vast and all-encompassing that she would never restrict them to certain individuals based on our limited understanding.

Anas narrates that a Bedouin man came to the Prophet ﷺ while he was delivering the Friday sermon in Madinah and complained to him that there was a drought: their livestock were dying and their women and children were hungry. He then beseeched the Prophet to ask for rain. The Prophet raised his hands in supplication. At that point, there was not a cloud in the sky, but as soon as he began to supplicate, clouds began to form and pile up like mountains. Then it began to rain. Even before he had stepped down from the pulpit, the Prophet’s beard was dripping with rainwater. It continued to rain that day and the following day and the rain continued until the following Friday.

On that day, the Prophet was once again delivering his sermon on the pulpit when the same man returned (or another man – Anas could not be sure). “O Messenger of Allah,” he said, “our homes are falling apart and our livestock are drowning, so ask your Lord to make it stop!”

The Prophet smiled and raised his hands in supplication saying: “O Allah, around us and not on top of us, around us and not on top of us!” He pointed to the sky and signalled for the clouds to move and they began to clear until there was a circle of clear sky around Madinah, while rain continued to fall upon the areas around the city for another month. (Narrated by Bukhari and Muslim)

Life was not easy for the early community in Madinah which mostly relied on agriculture and livestock for its sustenance. Drought was a very serious threat to the survival of the people of the city. This Bedouin man came in a state of desperation. He was obviously feeling the effects of the drought hard as he tried to graze his animals in the area around Madinah. He was so desperate that he did not even wait for the Prophet to finish speaking, but interrupted his sermon and complained about the severity of the situation. The Prophet could have told him to sit down and wait but he responded immediately, knowing that the man was speaking not just for himself but for the whole community. Allah says of the Prophet: Your suffering distresses him: he is deeply concerned for you (9:128).

The Prophet is Allah’s Beloved and when the Beloved asks, the One who loves him so much instantly responds. Within seconds rain started pouring down. Rain is symbolic of Allah’s mercy and when the one who was sent as a mercy to everything asks the All-Merciful for mercy, it duly pours down. In fact, it comes in such abundance day after day that people cannot handle it. And this was perhaps what brought a smile to the Prophet’s lips when the request came to stop the rain. It tells us something about human nature – as Allah says: man was created hasty (21:37). We want something very badly and then we get it, we realise we want something else. Blessings can quickly turn into trials. The Prophet’s smile may also have been an expression of his wonder at his Lord’s bounty and generosity.

Here we witness not just one but two miracles, two acts of divine mercy – the immediate sending down of rain and then the immediate removal of that rain. It is noticeable that the Prophet did not ask for the rain to stop completely, but instead he asked for it to be removed from the city of Madinah itself where the damage was being felt. He asked for the harm to be removed but the benefit to continue and this is what happened: the valleys around Madinah continued to receive plentiful rainfall for a month. There is a lesson in this that if we receive a blessing but it then becomes difficult, we should not ask for it to stop coming but we should ask for whatever detracts from that blessing to be removed. Scholars also teach us when we ask for something, to ask for it accompanied with gentleness and wellbeing (lutf and afiyah).

We see time and time again that when the Companions were in difficulty or had needs great or small they would go to the Messenger. The Bedouin man could have asked Allah directly for rain but he knew that the Prophet was infinitely closer to Allah and his prayers would be answered. They understood the concept of an intermediary. They knew the status of the Prophet in Allah’s sight and they knew the Prophet was happy to play the role of an intermediary. And he did so with a smile.

May Allah give our beloved Prophet ﷺ the greatest of rewards on our behalf.

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ once described the last person to leave the Fire and enter Paradise. This man moves away from the Fire, at times staggering, at times walking, at times crawling, with the Fire still burning his face. When he reaches safety, he breathes a sigh of relief, looks back at it and praises Allah for saving him from it, which he sees as the greatest blessing imaginable. Then he catches sight of a tree next to a pool of water and asks Allah to be brought to it in order to rest in its shade and to drink from the water.

Allah says to him: “Perhaps if I answer your request, you will ask for something else.”

The man promises not to ask for anything else, but once he has drunk the water and sat in the shade, he catches sight of another tree that is more beautiful than the tree which he is under. So he asks to be able to go to it. Allah reminds him of his promise not to ask for anything else and says that if He answers the man’s request, perhaps he will ask for something else. The man promises once again not to ask for anything else and his request is granted. But then he catches sight of a third tree at the gates of Paradise which is more splendid than the first two. Once again, he promises this will be the last thing he asks for. Allah grants his request, knowing that it will not be the last.

When he is in the shade of the third tree, he begins to hear the voices of people enjoying the pleasures of Paradise and cannot resist asking permission to enter.

Allah asks him: “What will stop you from asking Me repeatedly? Would you be content if I gave you everything the world contains twice over?”

The man says, somewhere between incredulity and intense joy: “Are you making fun of me, and You are the Lord of All Creation?”

At this point, the Prophet laughed in amusement at the man’s statement. Ibn Mas’ud would also laugh when he narrated the hadith.

Allah replies: “I am not making fun of you. I have the power to do whatever I wish.”

In another narration of the hadith, Allah allows the man to keep asking and asking until He gives him everything the world contains ten times over. (Narrated by Muslim)

An element of the Messenger of Allah’s prophecy was his being shown specific events that will unfold in the next life. He describes these events as though he is watching them unfold in front of him.

We believe that anyone who has even an atom’s weight of faith will enter Paradise. Unfortunately some believers who have committed grave acts of disobedience will experience punishment in Hell before entering Paradise. This person will be the last believer to leave the Fire. He must have committed some pretty terrible crimes to warrant such a lengthy punishment and to be the lowest in rank of all the believers. But he “does his time” and eventually comes out and experiences the unimaginable relief of salvation.

He is happy just to be safe from the Fire, but when he sees the beauty of Allah’s gifts in the form of a tree and a pool of water, he cannot help himself asking. Don’t forget that he has spent a long time seeing nothing but fire and brimstone. The more he sees, the more he asks for, until he finally enters Paradise. There is a lesson in this that as believers we would set our sights high and ask for the greatest of things, not because we deserve them, but because our Lord’s generosity knows no bounds. Allah is as we perceive him to be and if we have high hopes in Him, He will not dash those hopes. If this is what is awaiting the person who has the lowest rank of all the believers, what will those who lived a life of obedience receive? What will those who attained higher stations be given? We cannot begin to imagine: no soul knows what joy is kept hidden in store for them as a reward for what they have done (32:17).

A further thing we notice is that Allah does not abandon anyone who does not abandon Him. However bad this person was, he still had some faith and Allah recognises that and does not deny him his eventual reward. Furthermore, He tells this man’s story to the Prophet ﷺ who then tells it to his nation so that we can learn about how Allah treats His servants.

The Prophet ﷺ does not forget a single member of his Ummah, regardless of how far they stray from the path. On the Day of Judgement, he does not rest until he has interceded for as many people as he is able. He is a gift of mercy to all creation but he has a special concern for those who believe in him and he is aware of their plight. There is always room for one more person at the Prophet’s banquet, regardless of how late they arrive.

Finally, we see how the Prophet ﷺ laughed at the ridiculousness of the man’s statement. He found humour in the exchange between Allah and His servant. Allah’s generosity and bounty defies belief. 

Anas narrates that he was once walking with Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) who was wearing a Najrani shawl with a rough edge. All of a sudden, a Bedouin came up behind him, took hold of the shawl, and pulled it with great force. The Prophet turned to face the man and Anas noticed that the force of the pull had left a mark on the Prophet’s neck.

“Muhammad,” he said, “Give me some of Allah’s money which is in your possession!”

The Prophet looked at him, smiled and instructed that he be given something. (Narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim)

This short incident brings to the fore a number of the Prophet’s astounding character traits.

The fact that he was walking with his servant, Sayyiduna Anas, who was a child at the time, shows his humility. Although he was the greatest human ever to walk the earth, he was happy to walk with anyone regardless of their age, gender, race and social standing. His choice of clothing is further evidence of his humility and lack of concern for worldly things. He could have worn the finest and smoothest of fabrics but he was happy with a shawl made in the Najran region of Yemen with an edge so rough as to be uncomfortable.

Then we witness the immensity of the Prophet’s forbearance, a beautiful quality known in Arabic as hilm. We are told that the description of the Prophet in the Torah is that the more rudely he is treated, the more he increases in forbearance. The Bedouin came from behind and, without any warning, grabbed the Prophet’s shawl, pulling it so hard that it physically hurt him. Then to add insult to injury, he addressed him in the most rude and blunt fashion. We are told in the Quran not to address the Prophet by his first name, as we might address our peers and equals, but this man was obviously ignorant of this. With no regard for common courtesy and without explaining his situation, he demanded that he be given some charity or zakat.

We have to ask ourselves: how would we react in a similar situation? Our surprise and shock at being accosted from behind would quickly turn to anger and indignation. Then perhaps some pride and arrogance would creep in: how dare this person treat me like this! Who does he think he is? Does he really think he’ll be given anything after this?

This might well be our reaction. But it was not the reaction of Allah’s Beloved (Allah bless him and give him peace). He had every justification for becoming angry, but he did not. He could have turned away and ignored the man, and this would have taken great self-control, but rather he turned towards him. Instead of turning away from him, he turned towards him. The Companions tell us that whenever someone called the Prophet from behind, he would turn his whole body to face them, give them his full attention, and respond.

The Prophet’s response to the rudeness of the man’s demand was a smile or even a chuckle, depending on how the hadith is translated. Ugliness was met with beauty. He then instructed that the man be given something.

The Prophet recognised the truth of the Bedouin’s statement – that indeed it was not his money, but rather Allah was the true giver and he was merely distributing what Allah had given. This is true humility – to accept words of truth from whoever utters them, even if they come in such a blunt form.

The Bedouin had most likely recently embraced Islam and the Prophet knew that he had to be treated with special care. In this there is a lesson for us in how we should treat those who are new to the faith or born into the faith but new to practising it. They may not be familiar with some of the manners and etiquettes that we have learnt over time. They may have grown up and lived in difficult environments.

This was perhaps the only time that the Prophet and the Bedouin were to meet and had the Prophet rebuked him, it could have shaken the man’s faith.

Instead his faith would have been made firm by the Prophet’s beautiful character and the receipt of financial support. This would have been his abiding memory of the Prophet. This is what he would have told his family, his children and his tribe about. The Prophet’s smile would have lived with him for the rest of his days.