The Prophet Muhammad As One Of The Most Remarkable Icons In Islam

The prophet Muhammad is one of the most remarkable icons in Islam and is predominately looked up to as what Muslims should aim to model towards to become good Muslims. Muhammad is a primary example of someone who submits themselves to Allah. Muhammad was the last prophet in Islam, there has been no one greater than Muhammad. Traditions such as the Hadith and the Sunna are used by Muslims to learn the way and wisdom of words and actions used by Muhammad.

Muhammad led a simple life, with only possessions of the essentials, he did not care for materialistic things even though he could have easily lived like a king. He urged Muslims to treat the poor with kindness and to help them with pecuniary gifts, charity and in any other option accessible to them. He found a correlation between faith and love for others. He believed in the encouraging of graciousness and overlooking flaws and faults of others, and even though Muhammad was a ‘virtual head’ of Arabia and Messenger of God, he never had a sense of superiority. He stopped individuals bowing down to him and refused guards for personal protection. He kept away from sitting in popular places during gatherings to avoid people noticing him and/or having to ask who he was. Instead sat with the humblest of person/s explaining that righteousness was the only standard to supremacy. He did things no person of any ‘power’ would think of doing such; as having his chief assistant in the mosque being a former black African slave. Muhammad invited commoners such as students, servants and the poorest believers to share humble meals. Muhammad also continuously preached his trust in God and considered it a personal obligation. During the time when Mecca had turned into materialistic world. Muhammad began long retreats to mountain cave outside town where he mediated, during this, Muhammad was visited by an overpowering presence and was instructed to recite words of such beauty and force that he and others gradually attributed to God. Even though Muhammad and his followers were ridiculed and persecuted for departing from traditional tribal ways Muhammad’s complete trust and faith in God became the most important aspects of his life. Muhammad beseeched individuals to just be kind. The prophet often had to deal with commonly conflicting and opposing groups when showing justice to one, conveyed the threat to antagonise the other. Despite the desire to be opportunistic, Muhammad never strayed from the plan of justice for all. The Jews of Medina became so impressed in Muhammad’s way of giving out justice that they brought to him their disagreements which he resolved according to Jewish law. Not only did Muhammad preached kindness to individuals but, to all living things. He prohibited the cutting of horse’s tails and manes and keeping them saddled all the time and the branding of animals in any soft spot. It is because of Muhammad’s philosophy in life and his constant trust and faith in God that he is perceived as model for what other Jewish people should achieve. This was decided when Muhammad visited the mountain cave outside and a presence spoke to him “There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah” (Quran 33:21). The quote explains that Muhammad’s life is no model for the individual who is forgetful of God, but unquestionably is a model for the individual who remembers Allah consistently and not just by coincidence. The quote also expresses that the prophet’s life is no model for an individual who has no hope or belief in Allah and does not expect the return of him occur, but however, is if the individual believes in the resurrection and is also aware that when their Day of Judgement will come, their wellbeing will overall depend on how closely their behavior resembles the behavior the character of Muhammad.