Period 18 of 18
His Character and Daily Life
The Quran and the companions describe a man of great character, mercy, humility, courage and generosity.
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The best example
Allah says to him: “And indeed you are of a great moral character” (68:4), and tells the believers: “You have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example” (33:21). He was sent, in Allah's words, “only as a mercy to the worlds” (21:107). Abdullah ibn Amr رضي الله عنهما said that the Prophet ﷺ was never obscene in speech nor one to seek it out, and that he used to say: “The best of you are those with the best character.”
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Mercy and gentleness
Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه said: “I served the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for ten years, and by Allah he never said ‘uff’ to me, and never asked: Why did you do this? or: Why did you not do that?” Aisha رضي الله عنها said he never chose between two matters except that he took the easier, so long as it was not a sin, and that he never took revenge for himself. He kissed his grandson al-Hasan and said: “He who shows no mercy will be shown no mercy.” When his infant son Ibrahim died, he wept and said: “The eye sheds tears and the heart grieves, and we say only what pleases our Lord.”
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Humility and a simple life
Al-Aswad asked Aisha رضي الله عنها what the Prophet ﷺ used to do at home; she said he was occupied in the service of his family, and when the time of prayer came he went out to pray. Abu Sa'id رضي الله عنه said he was shyer than a virgin in her private room. Aisha رضي الله عنها also told her nephew Urwah that they would see three crescents in two months without a fire being lit in the Prophet's houses, and that they lived on the two black things, dates and water.
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Courage, generosity and a smile
Anas رضي الله عنه said that the Prophet ﷺ was the best of people and the bravest. One night the people of Madinah were frightened by a sound and set out toward it, and they met the Prophet ﷺ already returning, on a bare-backed horse of Abu Talhah with his sword on his neck, saying: “Do not be afraid.” Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما said he was the most generous of people, and most generous in Ramadan when Jibril met him. Jarir رضي الله عنه said that the Prophet ﷺ never refused to see him since he accepted Islam, and never looked at him without smiling.
How the sources are used
Sources are chosen in this order: the Quran first, then the hadith collections of al-Bukhari and Muslim, and then other collections such as al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah and Malik. The sirah books, mainly Ibn Ishaq as transmitted by Ibn Hisham, are used only for details not found in the hadith, and these are marked as “recorded in the sirah books.” Dates in the Christian era are approximate, and hadith numbers follow the hadith library of this website.
Hadith numbers follow the hadith library on this site, and each source opens its hadith there. Details that are not in the hadith collections are marked as coming from the sirah books.
General information for learning, not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.