Muhammad’s (pbuh) Simple Life Proves his Prophethood

27Apr07

If we compare the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) before and
after his mission as a Prophet, we will conclude that it is unreasonable to
think that Muhammad was a false prophet who claimed Prophethood to attain
material gains, greatness, glory, or power. Before his mission as a Prophet,
Muhammad (peace be upon him) had no financial worries.

As a successful and reputed merchant, he earned a satisfactory and
comfortable income. After his mission as a Prophet and because of it, he
became worse-off materially. To clarify this, let us look at the following
sayings on his life:

Muhammad’s wife `A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) once said to her
nephew, `Urwah ibn az-Zubayr, “O my nephew, we would sight three new moons
in two months without lighting a fire (to cook a meal) in the Prophet’s
houses.” Her nephew asked, “O aunt, what sustained you?” She said, “The two
black things, dates and water, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) had some
neighbours of the Ansar who had milch camels and they used to send the
Prophet some of the milk.” Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) , a
Companion of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), said, “The Prophet (peace
be upon him) did not eat at a table till he died, and he did not eat a thin
nicely baked wheat bread till he died.”

Prophet Muhammad’s wife `A’ishah said, “The Prophet’s (peace be upon him)
mattress on which he slept was made of leather stuffed with the fiber of the
date-palm tree.”

`Amr ibn Al-Harith (may Allah be pleased with him), one of Prophet’s
Companions, said that when the Prophet died, he left neither money nor
anything else except his white riding mule, his arms, and a piece of land
that he left to charity.

Prophet Muhammad lived this hard life till he died although the Muslim
treasury was at his disposal, the greater part of the Arabian Peninsula was
Muslim before he died, and the Muslims became victorious after 18 years of
his Mission. Is it possible that Muhammad might have claimed Prophet hood in
order to attain status, greatness, and power?

The desire to enjoy status and power is usually associated with good food,
fancy clothing, grand palaces, liveried guards, and indisputable authority.
Do any of these indicators apply to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)? A
few glimpses of his life that may help answer this question follow. Despite
his responsibilities as a Prophet, a teacher, a statesman, and a judge,
Muhammad used to milk his goat, mend his clothes, repair his shoes, help
with the household work, and visit poor people when they got sick. He also
helped his Companions to dig a defensive trench by lifting sand with them.
His life was an amazing model of simplicity and humbleness. Muhammad’s
followers loved him, respected him, and trusted him to an amazing degree.
Yet he continued to emphasize that he should not be deified; only Allah was
to be worshiped. His Companion Anas reported that there was no person whom
they loved more than the Prophet Muhammad, yet when he came to them, they
did not stand up for him because he hated their standing up for him as other
people do with their great people. Long before there was any prospect of
success for Islam and at the outset of a long and painful era of torture,
suffering, and persecution of Muhammad and his followers, he received an
interesting offer. An envoy of the pagan leaders, `Utbah, came to him
saying, “If you want money, we will collect enough money for you so that you
will be the richest one of us. If you want leadership, we will take you as
our leader and never decide on any matter without your approval. If you want
a kingdom, we will crown you king over us…” Only one concession was
required from Muhammad in return for that, to give up calling people to
Islam and worshiping Allah alone without any partner. Wouldn’t this offer be
tempting to one pursuing worldly benefit? Was Muhammad (peace be upon
him) hesitant when the offer was made? Did he turn it down as a bargaining
strategy leaving the door open for a better offer? He answered with some
verses of the Qur’an:

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Ha. Mim. A
revelation from (Allah), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. A Book
whereof the Verses are explained in detail – a Qur’an in Arabic for people
who know. Giving glad tidings [of paradise to the one who believes in the
Oneness of Allah (i.e. Islamic Monotheism) and fears Allah much (abstains
from all kinds of sins and evil deeds) and loves Allah much (performing all
kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)], and warning (of punishment in
the Hell-fire to the one who disbelieves in the Oneness of Allah), but most
of them turn away, so they hear not.” *(41: 1-4)* And he recited until *verse
38.*

On another occasion and in response to his uncle’s plea to stop calling
people to Islam, Muhammad’s answer was as decisive and sincere: “I swear by
the name of Allah, O Uncle, that if they place the sun in my right hand and
the moon in my left hand in return for giving up this matter (calling people
to Islam), I will never desist until either Allah makes it triumph or I
perish defending it.”

Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his few followers not only suffered from
persecution for 13 years, but the disbelievers even tried to kill Muhammad
several times. On one occasion they attempted to kill him by dropping a
large boulder on his head. Another time they poisoned his food. What could
justify such a life of suffering and sacrifice even after he was fully
triumphant over his adversaries? What could explain the humbleness and
nobility that he demonstrated? Were they not due only to Allah’s help and
not to his own genius? Are these the characteristics of a power-hungry or
self-centered man?

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