What was the conduct of the Seal of the Prophets Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, with his relatives and those he met? It is such a vast subject, given how much he was in contact with a great many people in his marital, social, and political life, that a single article could not encompass in the slightest detail the magnificent character he possessed. These are the traits of a conduct that Allah Himself described as “tremendous” in the verse of the surah. From the noble aspects of his unique conduct, we will list acts he loved and habits that may seem like generalities to some people but that will forever remain life goals to attain for an entire community.
Let each of you read these few lines, asking yourselves a few questions. May those that come up most among your queries be, for example:
- Do I do the same out of love for him?
- Do I try to resemble him?
- Is there anything I can change in myself to reach this high level of conduct?
We agree, the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was the Seal of the Prophets, of a perfect constitution as he was cleansed of all human flaws. That is a fact, but does not his love for us, even though he has not yet seen us, make it worth trying to resemble him?
Indeed, according to Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
« I would have loved to meet my brothers! »
The companions asked him: « Are we not your brothers? » And he, peace and blessings be upon him, replied: « You are my Companions, and my brothers are those who will believe in me without ever having seen me ». Reported by Ahmad
Here is the list of traits to inspire us from him, peace and blessings be upon him.
65 general character traits of the Prophet Muhammad
- He was the best person to have walked the Earth and the easiest to live with.
- He never frowned and never showed signs of annoyance
- His laughter was more of a smile than a laugh
- He never had himself served
- He never ate anything without sharing it with someone
- He never belittled or hurt anyone
- He was at the service of others
- He always volunteered to carry out the tasks that everyone else refused
- He never reproached anyone (why did you or did you not…?)
- He never refused what was asked of him as long as it did not transgress the Laws of Allah). A little girl would pull him by the hand without telling him where she wanted to lead him, and he would follow her until she was satisfied and retrace his steps when she had finished. A woman would pull him by the hem of his garment to ask him a question aside? (for he never touched the women who were forbidden to him) he would let himself be pulled, answer, and return. Peace and blessings be upon him!
- He was the most generous of all, especially during the month of Ramadan
- If a poor person asked him for something he would give it to him, and if he had nothing to give, he would ask him to wait and come back with something
- He was gentle and tolerant with children
- He turned a blind eye to faults and to whatever displeased or annoyed him
- He only got angry for the rights of Allah and never for his own
- He was the most humble in his way of speaking, walking, and sitting
- His gaze was always turned more toward the ground than the sky
- He was modest
- When he turned, he did so with his whole body and not only with his face, for that is a sign of arrogance and pride
- He was always thoughtful, and reflected a great deal
- He kept silent for long moments
- He only spoke to say useful or meritorious things or to improve the state of a person or thing. Only words that can bring a reward from Allah, as his Hadith (prophetic tradition) reminds us: “Speak good or keep silent.”
- He was the first to greet when he met someone
- He would not let go of someone’s hand before they let go of his after a greeting
- He never mocked anyone
- He did not slump when sitting but kept his dignity
- The dhikr, the remembrance of Allah, never left his mouth; getting up or sitting down he would mention Allah
- He spoke concisely and precisely, always with a specific purpose
- Nothing of the Dunya (worldly life) angered him or was unbearable to him, as it was worth nothing in his eyes
- He showed himself extremely grateful even for the tiniest kindness, or a minuscule favor
- He never spoke abruptly or nervously
- He praised no one, was never vulgar, and never spoke ill of anyone whomever
- He made His Companions feel that they were the dearest to him
- The greater a wrong was, the greater still was the good he returned
- He acted as if he did not see the faults of others
36. He put others’ needs before his own even when his own were more urgent
37. He honored and cared for orphans
38. He gave of what he loved most
39. He honored the friends of his late wife and sent them gifts
40. He honored his neighbors
41. He spread happiness and smiles around him
42. He prayed for good for his enemies in the hope that their descendants would become Muslim
43. He was always optimistic and never made anyone despair
44. He kept away from three things: controversies, excess or overindulgence in anything, and what did not concern him
45. He never sought to know people’s private lives
46. He was amazed when his companions were amazed
47. He laughed when his companions laughed
48. When a stranger was among them, he made him feel like one of them
49. He never interrupted someone who was speaking, no matter how long they spoke
50. He did not accept praise
51. He did nothing without mentioning Allah
52. He never reserved a specific place for himself and sat wherever there was a free spot
53. He mingled with people and blended in among them, even to teach something, to such an extent that if someone arrived from afar they had to ask which of them was Muhammad
54. In his company, everyone thought they were his favorite, so much did he take care of each one
55. He greeted his companions with the Muslim greeting “as-Salam ‘alaykum” even if they met again after having been separated by a tree
56. He reserved his index finger only for the Tashahhud of the prayer and thus pointed at no one. He preferred instead to indicate anything with his full right hand
57. When he was amazed he turned both his palms toward the sky
58. He never said “Ugh” and never sighed with annoyance
59. He never sat down to rest or enjoy free time, for he was either at the service of his family, or active in the service of his community, or in worship
60. He answered “labbayk” when a member of his family or one of his companions called him. And that was a sign of humility
61. When he saw someone upset he would ask “why is his brow furrowed?”
62. He gave gentle and kind advice, adapting to each person who was before him
63. He let his family or his companions know that he loved them
64. He was very attentive to the little details in the emotions of those close to him
65. As soon as an event troubled him he would hasten to prayer
The noblest of Allah’s prophets, may the peace and blessings of the All-Merciful be upon him, left us a code of conduct to guide us throughout our entire life, if only we granted him more time. To love him is one thing; to invoke blessings upon him with the formulas of salutation that the Lord asked us to use and that he himself taught us to say is a great blessing, but what about our will to surpass ourselves in order to draw closer to what he taught us?
These reminders about the conduct of our noble Prophet Muhammad, salla Allah ‘alayhi wa salam, must serve as our guiding thread throughout our life in the hope of being among the people he will be proud of on the Day of Resurrection. May Allah grant us to be among them, Amin.
Did you like this reminder? Share it around so that the love of the Prophet, salla-Llah ‘alayhi wa salam, may spread!
Source:
Taken from collections of hadiths
And Omar Abd Al Kafi