The Prophet, , had various names, as indicated in the following Hadeeths:
· “I am Muhammad. I am Ahmad. I am Al-Maahi [the obliterator] with whom Allah obliterates disbelief. I am Al-Haashir [the gatherer] at whose feet [i.e. behind whom] people will be gathered [on the Day of Resurrection], and I am Al-‘Aaqib [i.e. the one who succeeds the other prophets in bringing about good], after whom there will come no prophet.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
· “I am Muhammad, Ahmad, Al-Muqaffi [the last in succession], Al-Haashir, the Prophet of repentance and the Prophet of mercy.” [Muslim and At-Tirmithi]
His nickname was Abu Al-Qaasim. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] Allah The Almighty sent him to perfect good morals. [Ahmad]
Allah The Almighty has mentioned his name several times in the Quran, such as in the following verses (which mean):
· {Muhammad is not but a messenger. [Other] messengers have passed on before him.} [Quran 3:144]
· {Muhammad is not the father of [any] one of your men, but [he is] the Messenger of Allah and last of the prophets.} [Quran 33:40]
· {And those who believe and do righteous deeds and believe in what has been sent down upon Muhammad - and it is the truth from their Lord - He will remove from them their misdeeds and amend their condition.} [Quran 47:2]
· {Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.} [Quran 48:29]
In the words of ‘Eesaa (Jesus), may Allah exalt his mention, Allah The Almighty Says (what means): {And bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad.} [Quran 61:6]
The Prophet, , would remember Allah The Almighty frequently, and would always be engrossed in thought and speak little. He would prolong his Friday prayer and shorten its sermon. He would love perfume and never rejected it if it was offered to him. He would dislike unpleasant smells. He was the most smiling of people and at times would do so until his molars appeared.
In a Hadeeth on the authority of Jareer, may Allah be pleased with him, who said, “The Prophet never screened himself from me [i.e., he never prevented me from visiting him] since I embraced Islam, and whenever he saw me, he would receive me with a smile. When I told him that I could not sit firmly on horses, he stroked my chest with his hand, and supplicated: ‘O Allah! Make him firm, and make him a guide and a rightly-guided man.’”[Al-Bukhari]
The Prophet, , would joke but would never say anything except the truth. He was never rude to anyone and would accept the excuses of everyone. He would eat with three fingers, and then lick them. He would breath thrice outside the vessel from which he was drinking. His words were concise and precise, and were so clear and decisive that people in his presence would memorize them. He would repeat a given word three times if the listeners could not understand it, and would not speak without need. Allah The Almighty endowed him with perfect morals and deeds. If he rebuked anyone, he would do so indirectly. He would order people to be lenient, forbid mindless violence, and urge people to adopt forgiveness, pardon, forbearance, deliberation, and fine and noble morals. He would like starting from the right side when purifying himself, wearing his shoes, combing his hair or doing anything similar.
He forbade combing the hair except one day after the other. He would use his left hand to clean himself after urinating, defecating and after other unfavorable bodily discharges. He would lie on his right side and put his right palm under his right cheek and recite the recommended bedtime supplications. When he lay down for rest just before dawn, he would stretch his forearm and place his head on his palm.
His sessions were ones of knowledge, forbearance, modesty, honesty, subtlety, patience and tranquility. In his presence, no one would raise his voice or violate the sacred ordinances of Allah The Almighty. His Companions would take precedence in his circles based on their piety. They were humble, respectful of the old and merciful to the young. They would prefer the needy over themselves, and set out for enjoining good. The Prophet, , would sit and eat on the ground and would help the widows, the poor and slaves to fulfill their needs.
He would greet boys that he passed by who were playing. He never shook hands with women other than his Mahrams (non-marriageable relatives). He would closely socialize with his Companions and ask after them. He would honor the noble people of any tribe and look at the person he would speak to, even if they were the most evil, in order to win their hearts. Anas ibn Maalik, may Allah be pleased with him, served him for ten years and said about this, “He never even said to me, ‘Uff’ [a very minor word of objection denoting annoyance] and never rebuked me by saying, ‘Why did you do such and such, or why did not you do so?’ He was the most perfect person in morals. I have never touched silk softer than the palm of the Prophet nor have I smelt musk or perfume sweeter than the sweat of the Prophet .” [Al-Bukhari, Muslim and At-Tirmithi]
The Prophet, , never used bad language nor raised his voice in argument. He never met evil with its like; rather, he would forgive and act deliberately. He never beat a servant, a woman or anything unless in Jihaad. He would choose the easier of two things unless this would involve a sin, in which case he would be the farthest from it.
Allah The Almighty endowed him with perfect morals and the finest attributes, knowledge, brilliance and everything that leads to salvation, success and happiness in both worlds, as well as many other things that He did not give anyone else. The Prophet, , was illiterate and could not read or write, and he had no human teacher. Allah The Almighty chose him from all the human generations, the first and last of them, to be a Prophet, and He ordained his religion to the Jinn and humans until the Day of Recompense.
May Allah exalt his mention eternally. His morals were an embodiment of the Quran. We, therefore, must imitate him and follow the example that he set by his deeds, sayings, diligence, Jihaad, asceticism, piety, truthfulness and sincerity, except in matters that were exclusive to him or things beyond our capacity. The Prophet, , said:
· “Do those deeds which you can do easily, as Allah will not get weary [of giving rewards] until you get bored and tired [of performing religious deeds].” [Al-Bukhari]
· “Abstain from everything that I have forbidden you from, and observe – within your capacity – everything I have ordered you to do.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]