Humility
Respect means something more
than the making of gestures
Anas ibn Malik says: “No one was dearer to us than the Prophet Muhammad. But when he came into our presence, we never used to stand up, for we knew that he did not like us to do so.”
(MUSLIM, SAHIH)
Refraining from acquiring
unnecessary tastes
Having heard this story from his grandfather, Abdullah ibn Shurayk tells of what happened when some faluda was brought before Ali ibn Abi Talib. “It certainly smells good, looks good and tastes good,” remarked Ali. “But I prefer not to acquire new habits by indulging in things to which I am not accustomed.”
(HILYAT AL-AULIYA)
Conceit takes one far from God
Aishah tells of how one day she put on a new garment and, as she looked at it in delight, her father Abu Bakr said, “What are you looking at? God is not looking at you.” At this reminder, Aishah asked her father why he rebuked her. “Why, don’t you know that when one of God’s servants becomes conceited over some worldly adornment, he brings down upon himself the displeasure of the Lord; he has then to cast off that adornment if he is to regain the Lord’s good pleasure.” explained Abu Bakr. Aishah says that she took off the garment and gave it away to charity. “Perchance this charity will count as your penance,” said Abu Bakr.
(HILYAT AL-AULIYA)
The bravest is the most
in control of himself
Abdullah ibn Masud records the Prophet as asking his companions: “Whom do you consider brave?” “One who triumphs in a wrestling match,” suggested some of the companions. “Not so,” the Prophet corrected them. “It is rather one who controls himself when he is angry.”
Giving one’s best,
but without conceit
Struck down by the dagger of Abu Lulu, a Magian slave of Mughirah ibn Abi Shuaba, Umar ibn Khattab, the second Caliph lay mortally wounded. So quickly was he losing blood that when he drank some milk, its whiteness flowed from his wounds. It was then that these words came to his lips: “Lord, did I but have a world full of gold, I would use it to escape the Lord’s punishment before it descended upon me.” Abdullah ibn Abbas then spoke up, reminding Umar of the time in Makkah, when “the Prophet prayed to the lord that he might strengthen Islam through you. The Muslims at the time were in an abject state. Then you became a Muslim and a source of strength for Islam. Through you, Islam achieved great glory. You emigrated with the Prophet and were by his side in every battle. When the Prophet died, he was well pleased with you. And so was Abu Bakr, the first Caliph of Islam whom you served so faithfully as assistant and advisor. Then, after him, you became Commander of the Faithful. It was through you that God brought great cities within the Islamic Empire, and with them came great wealth. The enemies of Islam were put to flight at your hand, and you were destined to die a martyr. Blessed are you.” “You lead one astray with your misleading talk,” said Umar, then added, “But Abdullah! Will you testify on my behalf on the Day of Resurrection?” Abdullah ibn Abbas said that he would. At this point Umar’s head lay in the lap of his son, who was also called Abdullah. Umar said he would like his head to be on the ground. Abdullah ibn Umar raised his father’s head from where it rested and laid it on his ankle. “Let my cheek touch the ground,” insisted Umar. Abdullah did as his father told him. Then Umar said to himself, “Woe betide you, and woe betide your mother, if God does not forgive you.” Whereupon he breathed his last.
(AL-TABARANI)
Never considering oneself
above serving God
Abdullah ibn Masud relates that in the Battle of Badr there was one camel to every three Muslims, and that they used to take it in turn to ride. The Prophet of God fared no better than the rest. He too had to share a camel with Abu Lubabah and Ali ibn Abu Talib. Both of them had asked the Prophet to ride on the camel while they walked alongside, but the Prophet had replied, “Neither of you is stronger than I am, and I am no less in need of God’s reward than you.”
(AHMAD, MUSNAD)
Having regard for necessities
rather than formalities
When the Prophet Muhammad first emigrated from Makkah to Madinah, he stayed in the house of Abu Ayyub Ansari, occupying the ground floor, while Abu Ayyub and his family moved upstairs to a room at the top of the house. Abu Ayyub felt uneasy about being on top while the Prophet remained below him, so he requested the Prophet to take the upper portion while he and his family would move downstairs. The Prophet told him that he need not worry about that. “It is better for me to stay downstairs. It makes things easier for visitors.
(IBN KATHIR, TAFSIR)
Kindness to animals
Abdullah ibn Masud related how once, when he accompanied the Prophet on a journey, they set up camp in a place where there was a bird with two nestlings. “We seized the nestlings,” recounts Ibn Masud, “and the mother bird started crying and fluttering her wings.” When the Prophet heard about this, he asked who had troubled the mother in this way and said that the nestlings should be returned. The Prophet also noticed that an ant’s nest had been burnt. He asked who had burnt it, and when we told him that we had done so, he said: “Only the Lord of Fire is entitled to punish by fire.”
(MUSLIM, SAHIH)
Accepting all food without demur
According to Ayman, when Jabir had some guests one day, he gave them bread and vinegar to eat, telling them of how he had heard the Prophet say what a good condiment vinegar was. The Prophet also said: “Woe betide those who pour scorn on a dish that has been brought before them.”
(AL-BAIHAQI, AL-SUNAN AL-KUBRA)
God does not like pride in His servants
Aishah recounts how a poor woman who came to see her one day wanted to give her some gift, but how, out of pity for her circumstances, she preferred not to accept it. The Prophet later told Aishah that she should have accepted it, and then given her something in return. “I think you were looking down on her. Be humble, Aishah, for God likes those who are humble, and has the greatest aversion for those who are proud.”
(HILYAT AL-AULIYA)
Avoid functions whose sole
purpose is ostentation
Invited to a feast, Umar ibn Khattab and Uthman ibn Affan were on their way there, when Umar said to Uthman: “We have accepted this invitation, but I would prefer not to be going.” “Why is that?” asked Uthman. “I am afraid it is all just for show,” said Umar-meaning the invitation they had been given.
(AHMAD, MUSNAD)
To humble oneself is to raise oneself
Abu Hurayrah records the Prophet as saying: “No possession is too lowly to be given as charity; God gives greater honour to one who forgives, and He raises one who humbles himself.”
(MUSLIM, SAHIH)
The Prophet did not allow his
hand to be kissed
Abu Hurayrah tells of how, when the Prophet had bought some clothes from a shopkeeper, and was about to rise, the latter made to kiss his hand. The Prophet withdrew his hand, saying: “That is how the Persians behave towards their kings. I am not a king. I am just one of you.”
Heaping scorn on truth is
an act of pride
The subject of pride came up for discussion with the Prophet and he had some harsh words to say about it. He recited the verse of the Quran, which ends with the words: “God does not love arrogant and boastful men” (4:36). One of the companions told him of the pleasure he took in the whiteness of his newly washed clothes, the thonging of his sandals and the way his horsewhip hung by his side. “That is not pride,” said the Prophet. “Pride means having no regard for the truth and despising other people.”
(IBN KATHIR, TAFSIR)
Sitting among people with no
thought for position
Abdullah ibn Amr relates how, when the Prophet came to see him one day, he offered him a bark-filled leather cushion to sit upon. The Prophet, however, sat down on the ground, leaving the cushion lying between himself and his host.
(AL-ADAB AL-MUFRAD)
Having due regard for people
who are of no special importance
Abu Rifaah Tameem ibn Usayd made a journey from his own country to see the Prophet. When he arrived, the Prophet was delivering a sermon. “Prophet of God,” he said “I have come from afar to seek knowledge of religion, for I know nothing of its teachings.” The Prophet left off his sermon, approached Abu Rifaah and seating himself next to him, he began to tell him about what he had learnt from God. When the Prophet had finished talking to him, Abu Rifaah arose and went on his way. Only then did the Prophet continue his sermon.
The self-belittler is great in
the eyes of God
Tafsir ibn Kathir records the Prophet as saying: “Whosoever humbles himself before the Lord will be raised by Him on high: he may think little of himself, but he will be great in the eyes of men.
Simplicity of Dress
According to Waqdan, when Abdullah ibn Umar was asked what sort of clothes should be worn, he told the questioner to dress in such a manner as would be neither ridiculed by the ignorant nor frowned upon by the serious. When asked what sort of clothes those were, Ibn Umar replied: “Those costing between five and ten dirhams.”
Good manners at meal times
Amr ibn Abu Salamah says that one day, when he was eating with the Prophet, he kept taking meat from all sides of the dish. Noticing this, the Prophet said: “Eat from the side closest to you.
(KANZ AL-UMMAL)
What it pleased the Lord
to give to His Prophet
According to Ata Khurasani, the houses of the Prophet’s wives were built of the branches of date palms, with sacks made of black hair serving as doors. A time came when the governor of Madinah received an ordinance from the Caliph Walid ibn Abdul Malik to the effect that he was to rebuild the mosque of the Prophet. The area where these houses stood was included in the new plan, and that meant that they should have to be demolished. On hearing this order, the people of Madinah wept. “These dwellings should be left as they are,” said Abu Umamah. They would act as a deterrent when, people wanted to build themselves grand mansions, for then people would see what it had pleased the Lord to give to His Prophet; and he could have granted the Prophet all the wealth in the world.”
(IBN SA‘D, TABAQAT)
The secret of contentment is
being happy with what one has
Saad’s advice to his son was that if he desired wealth, he should remain content once he had acquired it, for without that feeling of contentment, no amount of wealth would ever be sufficient.
(KANZ AL-UMMAL)
The parting of the ways
Muslim ibn Bashir relates that when Abu Hurayrah was seen weeping during his final illness, and was asked the cause of his grief, he said: “It is not this world of yours for which I weep. Rather it is the length of the journey ahead of me, and the paucity of my provisions. I have come to the top of a hill. Ahead of me are two roads, which lead down: one to the Garden, the other to the Fire. I do not know where I shall be led.”
(IBN SA’D, TABAQAT)
The servants of God
must live in humility
Avaadh ibn Himar records the Prophet as saying: “God has revealed it unto me that one should be humble; one should refrain from oppressing others.”
(MUSLIM, SAHIH)
