A Glimpse into the Life of the Holy Prophet (sa) – The Holy Prophet’s (sa) Compassion for His Ummah (Nation)

The heart of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) brimmed with compassion for his ummah. Abbas bin Mirdas al-Salami (ra) relates that Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) prayed for the forgiveness for his ummah [community] in the evening of ‘Arafat during the last pilgrimage (Hajjat al-Wida’). He received the reply from God that members of his ummah would be forgiven except those who transgress. The transgressor would be liable for recompense. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) supplicated God to grant paradise as re-compensation to the one who had been wronged and forgive the oppressor. He did not receive any response from God that evening. Again, he prayed with this request in the morning at Muzdalifah. His prayer was accepted and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) smiled with happiness. Hazrat Umar (ra) enquired the reason for his smile and said, ‘Our parents be sacrificed to you, tell us the reason for your happiness. May God always keep you smiling.’ The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) replied, ‘When Allah’s enemy Iblis (Satan) came to know that God has accepted my prayer and has forgiven my ummah, he started to put dust on his head and pray for his own destruction. Seeing his (Iblis) panic, I could not resist laughing.’

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) was always cautious regarding putting his ummah to inconvenience even in trivial matters. Hazrat A’ishah (ra) relates that one day, when the Holy Prophet (sa) left her, he was in a good mood, but on his return he looked sad. I asked him, ‘O Messenger of Allah, when you left me, you were very happy and now you have returned in a sad mood.’ The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) replied, ‘I went inside the Ka‘bah and now I regret doing this, as I am afraid I might have put my ummah into hardship. When all the people of ummah would wish to enter the Ka‘bah, they would not be able to do this due to their large number.’

Likewise, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) once said that if he did not worry about putting his ummah into inconvenience, he would have advised them to offer the night prayer at a later time. At another occasion, he said that if he were not worried about putting his ummah into difficulty, he would have advised brushing of the teeth before every salat [the five obligatory daily prayers]. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) used to say that if he heard a child cry while he was leading the prayer, he would shorten the prayer lest the mother of the child became stressed. 

He was so compassionate towards the poor people of his ummah that on the day of Eid, he would buy two big healthy rams. He would slaughter one on behalf of all those who affirm the unity of God and his prophethood. The second ram he would sacrifice on behalf of his family. 

Muhammad (sa) – The Perfect Man (Qadian, India: Nazarat Isha’at, 2015), 258-259.