Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik was ten years old when Allah’s Messenger ﷺ first came to Madinah. His mother, Umm Sulaym bint Milhan, wanted to gift something to the Prophet. All she had was her son, whose services she offered to the Prophet. The Prophet graciously accepted. This was the best thing that could have happened to Anas. He spent ten years in the service of the Prophet and was treated as a son and not as a servant. He closely observed the Prophet’s every action and spent the rest of his life teaching and conveying everything he had learnt. He observed many things, but perhaps the most telling are his accounts of how the Prophet treated him.
“I served the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for ten years, he said, “and he never once insulted me, struck me, scolded me, or frowned at me. He never once commanded me to do something and then rebuked me if I was slow to do it. If one of the members of his household rebuked me, he would say: “Leave him, for had something been decreed to happen, it would have happened.” The Prophet was extremely gentle with his young student. He was extremely patient with him, even when he did not do exactly as he was told.
Anas narrates that the Prophet ﷺ once wished to send him on an errand. Instead of complying, Anas swore by Allah that he would not go. Perhaps he was just being stubborn, trying to test the Prophet’s patience or pushing the boundaries as children often do. In his head, however, he intended to do what the Prophet had asked him to do. The Prophet did not react. He did not show any anger at the boy’s rudeness. He did not confront Anas, and Anas went on his way.
After a short walk, Anas came across some boys playing in the street. He knew that he had a job to do, but the game they were playing was more exciting. He stopped to watch the game and then thought about joining in. At that moment, he felt a hand on the back of his neck. In another narration, Anas himself said: “I never touched a piece of silk softer than the hand of the Messenger of Allah and I never smelt a scent sweeter than the (natural) scent of the Messenger of Allah.” Anas knew from the smoothness of the hand that was touching him and the sweetness of the scent that the Messenger of Allah was behind him. His heart sank as he remembered the job that he had been assigned.
He turned to look at the Prophet’s face and, to his surprise, the Prophet was smiling broadly. There was no hint of anger or displeasure on his blessed face. He did not frown or raise his voice with a rebuke. All he said, in a soft voice, was: “Unays,” which means ‘my little Anas.’ The fact that the Prophet addressed him by that name shows the extent of his compassion. “Did you go where I told you to go?” he asked. Of course, the Prophet knew that Anas had not gone, but this approach was far gentler than saying: “Why didn’t you go?” or “You didn’t go!” The Prophet did not make a scene and say: “Do you not know that I am the Messenger of Allah and I told you to do something and you didn’t do it?” There was no confrontation. The child was not humiliated or belittled. Instead, he was won over by the beauty of the Prophet’s approach.
“Yes, I am on my way now, O Messenger of Allah,” he said and left hurriedly.
There was no better witness to the beauty of the Prophet’s character than his young servant, Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him.
(There are numerous narrations in which Anas describes the Prophet’s treatment of him. This particular event can be found in Sahih Muslim, hadith 2310)