Occasions not to be wasted

No student of Hadith can fail to observe that the Prophet used a wide variety of ways in order to make his companions understand and fully appreciate the points and principles he was teaching. Let us imagine a schoolteacher who is dedicated to his task, realizing that he has something highly important to teach to his students. Let our imagination depict this teacher looking after a small group of students with whom he has established a relationship of mutual love and care. Now think of this teacher as having received from the relevant authorities a pledge that those of his students who achieve a particular grade shall have opportunities which are very rarely offered and which will make their success in life more than assured. It is only to be expected that he will double his dedication, working hard with his students to make sure that every one of them attains a perfect and complete understanding of every topic in which he will be examined. The teacher may resort to practical experiments, or he may adopt a continuous system of revision which is better than any that teachers normally adopt. He will try to sharpen his students’ interest in the subjects they are learning. When he has achieved this, his task is complete. He leaves them to prove themselves in the examination.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Some Muslim writers and speakers describe the Prophet at times as “The teacher of mankind.” It is an apt description, because the Prophet devoted all his time and effort to conveying God’s message and to showing his followers how to conduct their lives according to it. He established in Madinah an Islamic society which served as a model for future Islamic generations to copy or adapt. He was able to do so in a very short period of time because he took care of his companions in the same way as a dedicated teacher takes care of his best students. His companions came from a society which cared very little about ideals, moral values, discipline or other people’s rights. The relationship he established with them was one of compassionate care. To him, everyone of them was a valued member of the new Muslim community. As such, they deserved his full attention whenever they wanted something from him. It is authentically reported that “A young (or slave) girl could take the Prophet by the hand and he would go with her until he had given her the service she sought of him.” He realized that the role of the Muslim community was always a difficult one. Hence, he was keen to provide his community with the necessary equipment. Indeed, he taught his companions how to conduct themselves in every situation. One of his companions stated this fact acknowledging that they were indebted to Muhammad, God’s messenger (peace be upon him), for every virtue they had. It is not surprising, therefore, that we find the Prophet, at times, giving his companions direct advice. On other occasions, he makes use of something done by one of them in order to point out the right course in a similar situation. If any of his companions had done well, he would praise him. On the other hand, he pointed out the wrong approach in someone’s action, making sure that the person concerned was not subjected to any embarrassment. On some occasions, he would state his advice in an implicit or discreet manner. At others, he would point out the benefits of a particular approach or action. On some occasions, he may jolt his audience with a statement that was certain to cause surprise or amazement. On other occasions, he may leave something to remain highly ambiguous, so that his companions would rush to seek clarification. Thus, he was always certain of getting a good response from a highly alert audience. Let us consider one example. The Prophet had a small pulpit in the mosque where he stood whenever he wanted to address his companions. He went up three steps to reach the pulpit. In a Hadith reported by Jabir ibn Abdullah, we are told that the Prophet went up the pulpit on one occasion. When he was on the first step, he was heard saying: “Amen”. He repeated the same word as he ascended the two next steps. His companions said to him: Messenger of God, we heard you saying Amen three times. He explained: “When I went up the first step, Gabriel came to me and said: Miserable may a person be if he lives through the month of Ramadan and he is not forgiven his sins. I said: Amen. He then said: Miserable may a person be if his parents, or one of them, are alive and they do not get him into heaven. I said: Amen. He then said: Miserable may a person be if he does not pray God to grant you peace when you are mentioned to him. I said: Amen.” (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad)

The first thing to note is the way the attention of the Prophet’s companions was aroused as they heard him saying Amen three times without knowing to what statement or prayer he was making this response. None of them had said anything to invite such a response by the Prophet. Hence, they asked him what occasioned it.

The Prophet’s explanation highlights very important Islamic values and points out ways of achieving very high reward from God. As believers, his companions realized that the angel Gabriel could come to him at any moment to give him some revelations or to teach him something. Hence, when the Prophet told them that Gabriel was with him, they were further interested to hear what the archangel had to say. Whatever came next was certain to have the best response.

The way the Prophet, or Gabriel, phrased each of the three important teachings is also highly significant. Whether we take it as a statement of fact or as a prayer, its importance cannot be exaggerated. If it was a prayer by the angel, endorsed by Prophet Muhammad, it was certain to be answered by God and its import had the effect of an established fact. The first principle is the fact that Ramadan is an occasion to ensure forgiveness of one’s past sins. In Ramadan we fast, denying ourselves food and drink for long hours only to fulfill God’s order. We are further commanded to combine our fasting with being extra conscious of what we do or say to make sure that it conforms to Islamic values. Adding to that the fact that we are recommended by the Prophet to spend a part of the night, each night, in worship, Ramadan becomes a season of worship and obedience to God which is certain to earn anyone forgiveness of past sins, provided that one follows the Prophet’s instructions. If one allows this chance to pass without earning such forgiveness or working for it, then he is indeed miserable.

The other principle is that of dutifulness to parents. If one has either or both parents with him and they have attained old age, his dutifulness to them is bound to earn him God’s forgiveness. Every time he makes them pleased, God is pleased with him. When he does them an act of kindness, they pray for him. A parent’s prayer is always sincere. Hence, God answers it. On the other hand, old people may have demands which are, at times, irritating. If a son shows boredom with what his old parents ask of him, they are bound to be hurt and deeply disappointed. The Prophet wants to stress to us that we should do our utmost not to make our parents disappointed. He tells us that it is through their pleasure that we ensure our admission into heaven. Hence, a person who finds himself in this position and does not reach that grade is miserable indeed.

The third principle is the importance of praying God to grant peace to the Prophet after all he has done to convey to us God’s message intact, complete and clearly understood. Hence, every time he is mentioned we need to show our gratitude to him by saying May God bestow peace on him. A person who does not do this does not acknowledge the Prophet’s great service to humanity. Hence, he is indeed miserable.