All praise is due to Allah, the Rubb of the worlds, and may Allah exalt the mention of His Prophet, and render him and his household safe and secure from all derogatory things.

When talking about Prophet Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention, one should keep in mind that he is talking about the greatest individual in history. This is not a baseless claim; for the one who reads his biography, and learns of his mannerisms and ethics, while keeping aside all preconceived notions would certainly reach this conclusion. Some fair and just non-Muslims have reached this conclusion as well.

Professor Hasan Ali, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his magazine 'Noor al-Islam' that a Brahmin colleague of his once told him: 'I recognize and believe that the Messenger of Islam is the greatest and most mature man in history.' Professor Hasan Ali, may Allah have mercy on him, asked him: 'Why do you consider him as the greatest and most mature man?' He answered: 'No man possessed the characteristics, mannerisms and ethics that he possessed at one time. He was a king under whom the entire peninsula was unified; yet he was humble. He believed that the dominion belonged to his God alone. Great riches would come to him, and yet he lived in a state of poverty; fire would not be lit in his house for many days and he would stay hungry. He was a great leader; he led small numbers into battle against thousands, and yet he would decisively defeat them. He loved peace agreements, and would agree to them with a firm heart; even though he had thousands of his brave and courageous Companions by his side. Each Companion was very brave and could confront a thousand enemies alone, while not feeling the least bit intimidated. Yet, the Prophet was kind-hearted, merciful, and did not want to shed a drop of blood. He was deeply concerned about the affairs of the Arabian Peninsula, yet he did not neglect the affairs of his family, household, or the poor and needy. He was keen to disseminate Islam amongst those who had gone astray. In general, he was a man concerned with the betterment and wellbeing of mankind, yet he did not indulge in amassing worldly fortune. He busied himself with the worship of Allah and loved doings deeds which pleased Allah. He never avenged himself on account of personal reasons. He even prayed for his enemies' wellbeing, and would warn them of the punishment of Allah.

He was an ascetic regarding worldly affairs and would worship Allah throughout the night. He was the brave and courageous soldier who fought with the sword - and the infallible Prophet - the conqueror who conquered nations and countries. He slept on a mat of hay, and a pillow filled with course fibers. People crowned him as the Sultan over Arabs, or King of the Arabian Peninsula, yet his family lived a simple life, even after they received great fortunes; the riches were piled in the Masjid. Fatima complained to him about the strenuous work she did, the grinding stone and water jug which she used to carry - how they had left marks on her body. The Messenger at that time was dividing the female and male slaves amongst the Muslims. He did not give her a portion of that wealth; instead, the Prophet taught her a few words and supplications. His Companion, Umar came to his house and looked in his room, and saw nothing but a hay mat which the Prophet was sitting on, which had left marks on his body. The only provisions in the house were half a Saa' (measure of weight) of barley in a container, and a water skin that hung on the wall - this is all the Messenger of Allah owned at a time half the Arabs were under his control. When Umar saw this, he could not control himself and wept. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention, said: 'Why are you weeping O Umar?' He replied: 'Why shouldn't I weep - Khosrau and Caesar enjoy themselves in this world and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention, only owns what I see!' He responded: 'O Umar, wouldn't it please you that this is the share of Khosrau and Caesar in this life, and in the Hereafter this pleasure would be for us alone?'

When the Prophet examined his troops prior to the occupation of Makkah, Abu Sufyan stood beside al-Ab'bas, the uncle of the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, and they looked at the banners of the Muslim army. Abu Sufyan at that time was not a Muslim. He was amazed by the vast number of Muslims; they advanced towards Makkah like a torrent of water. No one could stop them and nothing stood in their way. Abu Sufyan then said to al-Ab'bas: 'O Ab'bas, your nephew has become a grand King!' Ab'bas responded saying: 'This is not kingship, rather prophethood, and the Message of Islam.'

Ad'ee at-Ta'ee, the son of Ha'tim at-Ta'ee who is the paradigm of generosity, attended the assembly of the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, while he was still a Christian. When he saw how the Companions aggrandized and respected the Prophet, he was confused - was he a Prophet or a king? He asked himself, 'is this a king or a Messenger of the Messengers of Allah?' While he was pondering over this, a destitute woman came to the Prophet, and said: 'I wish to tell you a secret.' He said to her: 'which road in Madinah do you want me to meet you in?' The Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, left with the destitute maid, and took care of her needs. When Ad'ee saw the humbleness of the Prophet, he realized the truth and discarded the crosses that he was wearing and became a Muslim.'

We will mention some statements of the Orientalists concerning Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention. We as Muslims believe in the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, and his Message. We are mentioning these statements for the following two reasons:

a. To serve as a reminder and admonition for name-sake Muslims who abandoned their Prophet, so that they would heed and return to their Deen.

b. So that non-Muslims would know who the Prophet is from the statements of their own people, so that they would be guided to Islam.

I ask these people to not hold any preconceived notions when searching for the truth, when reading this or any other Islamic material. I ask Allah to open their hearts and chests to accept the truth, and to show them the right path and inspire them to follow it.

Who is the Messenger, Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention?

His Lineage:

He is Abul-Qasim (father of Al-Qasim) Muhammad, son of Abdullah, son of Abdul-Mutalib. His lineage traces back to the tribe of Adnan, son of Ismael [the Prophet of Allah, the son of Ibraheem, the one whom Allah chose for His love] may Allah exalt their mention. His mother is Aminah, daughter of Wahb.

The Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, said:

'Indeed Allah chose the tribe of Kinanah over other tribes from the children of Ismail; He chose the Quraish over other tribes of Kinanah; He chose Banu Hashim over the other families of the Quraish; and He chose me from Banu Hashim.'  (Muslim #2276)

Thus, the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, has the noblest lineage on earth. His enemies attested to this fact; Abu Sufyan, who was the arch enemy of Islam before he became Muslim, attested to this fact in front of Heraclius, the Ruler of Rome.

Abdullah b. Ab'bas, with whom Allah is pleased, reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention, wrote to Caesar and invited him to Islam and sent him a letter with Dihya Al-Kalbi, who handed it to the Governor of Busra who then forwarded it to Caesar.

Caesar as a sign of gratitude to Allah, had walked from Hims to Ilya (i.e. Jerusalem) when Allah had granted Him victory over the Persian forces. So, when the letter of the Messenger of Allah reached Caesar, he said after reading it, "Seek for me anyone of his people, (Arabs of Quraish tribe) if present here, in order to ask him about the Messenger of Allah!" At that time Abu Sufyan bin Harb was in Sham with some men from Quraish who had come (to Sham) as merchants during the truce that had been concluded between the Messenger of Allah; and the infidels of Quraish. Abu Sufyan said, ‘Caesar's messenger found us somewhere in Sham so he took me and my companions to Ilya and we were admitted into Caesar's presence to find him sitting in his royal court wearing a crown and surrounded by the senior Byzantine dignitaries. He said to his translator. "Ask them whom amongst them is a close relation to the man who claims to be a prophet."’

Abu Sufyan added, ’I replied: "I am the nearest relative to him." He asked, "What degree of relationship do you have with him?" I replied, "He is my cousin," and there was none of Bani Abd Manaf in the caravan except myself. Caesar said, "Let him come nearer." He then ordered that my companions stand behind me near my shoulder and said to his translator, "Tell his companions that I am going to ask this man about the man who claims to be a prophet. If he tells a lie, they should contradict him immediately."’

Abu Sufyan added, ’By Allah! Had it not been for shame that my companions brand me a liar, I would not have spoken the truth about him when he asked me. But I considered it shameful to be called a liar by my companions, so I told the truth.’

‘He then said to his translator, "Ask him what kind of family he belongs to." I replied, "He belongs to a noble family amongst us." He said, "Has anybody else amongst you ever claimed the same before him?" I replied, "No." He said, "Have you ever blamed him for telling lies before he claimed what he claimed?" I replied, "No." He said, "Was anybody amongst his ancestors a king?" I replied, "No." He said, "Do the noble or the poor follow him?" I replied, 'It is the poor who follow him." He said, "Are they increasing or decreasing (daily)?" I replied, "They are increasing." He said, "Does anybody amongst those who embrace his Deen become displeased and then discard his Deen?" I replied, "No." He said, 'Does he break his promises?" I replied, "No, but we are now at truce with him and we are afraid that he may betray us."

Abu Sufyan added, ’Other than the last sentence, I could not say anything against him.’

‘Caesar then asked, "Have you ever had a war with him?" I replied, "Yes." He said, "What was the outcome of your battles with him?" I replied, "Sometimes he was victorious and sometimes we." He said, "What does he order you to do?" I said, "He tells us to worship Allah alone, and not to worship others along with Him, and to leave all that our fore-fathers used to worship. He orders us to pray, give in charity, be chaste, keep promises and return what is entrusted to us. "'

‘When I had said that, Caesar said to his translator, "Say to him: I asked you about his lineage and your reply was that he belonged to a noble family. In fact, all the Messengers came from the noblest lineage of their nations. Then I questioned you whether anybody else amongst you had claimed such a thing, and your reply was in the negative. If the answer had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man was following a claim that had been said before him. When I asked you whether he was ever blamed for telling lies, your reply was in the negative, so I took it for granted that a person who did not tell a lie to people could never tell a lie about Allah. Then I asked you whether any of his ancestors was a king. Your reply was in the negative, and if it had been in the affirmative, I would have thought that this man wanted to take back his ancestral kingdom. When I asked you whether the rich or the poor people followed him, you replied that it was the poor who followed him. In fact, such are the followers of the Messengers. Then I asked you whether his followers were increasing or decreasing. You replied that they were increasing. In fact, this is the result of true faith till it is complete (in all respects). I asked you whether there was anybody who, after embracing his Deen, became displeased and discarded his Deen; your reply was in the negative. In fact, this is the sign of true faith, for when its pleasure enters and mixes in the hearts completely; nobody will be displeased with it. I asked you whether he had ever broken his promise. You replied in the negative. And such are the Messengers; they never break their promises. When I asked you whether you fought with him and he fought with you, you replied that he did and that sometimes he was victorious and sometimes you. Indeed, such are the Messengers; they are put to trials and the final victory is always theirs. Then I asked you what he ordered you. You replied that he ordered you to worship Allah alone and not to worship others along with Him, to leave all that your fore-fathers used to worship, to offer prayers, to speak the truth, to be chaste, to keep promises, and to return what is entrusted to you. These are really the qualities of a prophet who, I knew (from the previous Scriptures) would appear, but I did not know that he would be from amongst you. If what you say is true, he will very soon occupy the earth under my feet, and if I knew that I would reach him definitely, I would go immediately to meet him; and were I with him, then I would certainly wash his feet. "'

Abu Sufyan added, ’Caesar then asked for the letter of the Messenger of Allah and it was read. Its contents were:

"I begin with the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful (This letter is) from Muhammad, the slave of Allah, and His Messenger, to Heraclius, the Ruler of the Byzantine. Peace be upon the followers of guidance. I invite you to Islam (i.e. surrender to Allah). Accept Islam and you will be safe; accept Islam and Allah will bestow on you a double reward. But if you reject this invitation of Islam, you shall be responsible for misguiding the peasants (i.e. your nation). O people of the Scriptures! Come to a word common between you and us, that we worship Allah, and that we associate nothing in worship with Him; and that none of us shall take others as Gods besides Allah. Then if they turn away, say: Bear witness that we are they who have surrendered (unto Him)" [3.64]

Abu Sufyan added, ’When Heraclius had finished his speech, there was a great hue and cry caused by the Byzantine dignitaries surrounding him, and there was so much noise that I did not understand what they said. So, we were ordered out of the court.’

‘When I went out with my companions and we were alone, I said to them, ”Verily, Ibn Abi Kabsha's (i.e. the Prophet's) affair has gained power. This is the King of Bani Al-Asfar fearing him.”’

Abu Sufyan added: 'By Allah, I became surer and surer that his Deen would be victorious till I ended up accepting Islam.'  (Bukhari #2782)

 IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE MOST GRACIOUS AND THE MOST MERCIFUL

Prophet Muhammad's (Pbuh) Last Sermon

Delivered on 623 A.D at Arafat, Mecca

After praising, and thanking Allah (the One God)

He said:

"Oh People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether, after this year I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and

TAKE THESE WORDS TO THOSE WHO COULD NOT BE PRESENT HERE TODAY.

O People, just as you regard this month, this day as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Harm no one so that no one may harm you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds.

Allah has forbidden you to take usury (Interest); therefore all Interest obligations shall henceforth bewaived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer inequality. Allah has judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to Abbas ibn Abd'al Mutallib shall henceforth be waived.

Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.

O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regards to your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah's trust and with His permission.

Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.

O people listen to me in earnest, worship Allah, perform your five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give of your wealth the poor due (Zakat). Perform Hajj (pilgrimage) if you can afford to.

All mankind is from Adam, and an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor does a black have any superiority over a white, except by piety and good action.

Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.

Remember, one day you will appear before Allah and answer for your deeds. So beware, do not sway from the path of righteousness, after I am gone.

O People, no prophet or messenger will come after me, and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore,

O People, and understand the words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Quran and my example (the Sunnah) and if you follow these you will never go astray.

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. be my witness,

O Allah (the One God), that I have conveyed my message to your people."

Rights of the Prophet are the most important, after the rights of Allah. There is no human who has more rights than the Prophet. Allah said, what translated means:
"Verily, We have sent you (O Muhammad) as a witness, as a bearer of glad tidings, and as a warner. In order that you (O mankind) may believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you assist and honor him (Muhammad)" [48:8-9]

Therefore, love for the Prophet should be more than one's love for himself, his children, family and worldly possessions. The Prophet said, what translated means:

"None of you will reach belief till I become dearer to him than his children, parents and all humans." [Al- Bukhari & Muslim].

The Prophet has many rights. Respect and appreciation for him should be practised in the best manner. Respecting the Prophet includes respect of and adherence to his Sunnah after his death. Due rights should be given to the Prophet without exaggeration. When one reads how the companions used to love and respect the Prophet, one knows the importance of this matter. When Quraish (the Prophet's tribe) sent Orwa Ibn Masud to negotiate with the Prophet in the Hudaibia area, he was greatly impressed by how the companions treated the Prophet. He said, "I have visited the kings of Persia, Rome and Abysinia, but I have not seen any leader more revered and respected by his people than Muhammad. If he ordered them to do anything, they do it without delay. If he performs Wudu` (washing up for prayer) they all seek the remainder of the water he used. They never look at him in the eye, out of respect." This is how the Prophet was treated by his companions. He was Allah's Messenger who possessed great qualities and the best of conduct ever.

The rights of the Prophet include believing him in matters of religion and the past, present and future happenings he told us about. Adherence and submission to his orders are some of his rights. When a Muslim believes in the Prophet and wants to follow his religion, he must do so believing that he Prophet's way is the best way. Believing in the Prophet includes the affirmation that his religion is the best religion. Allah said, what translated means: "But no, by your Lord, they can have no faith, until they make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission" [4:65], and, "Say (O Muhammad to mankind): If you love Allah then you follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [3:31]

To defend the religion of the Prophet is one of his rights upon believers. Defending the religion can be done by using arms, the tongue and writings. To ignore attacks on the Prophet or on his religion is impermissible to Muslims. Muslims must strive to reject, in the best manner, attacks on the Prophet's character or on any aspect of his religion, the best religion sent to mankind.

According to the Bible, God said to Moses, on whom be peace: I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. (The Holy Bible, New International Version, Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse 18). The prophet described in the above verse must have the following three characteristics: 1. He will be like Moses. 2. He will come from the brothers of the Israelites, i.e. the Ishmaelites. 3. God will put His words in the mouth of the prophet and he will declare what God commanded him. Let us see which prophet God was speaking of. 1. The prophet like Moses Some people feel that this prophecy refers to the prophet Jesus, on whom be peace. But, although Jesus (peace be upon him and all of God’s prophets and messengers) was truly a prophet of God, he is not the prophet spoken of here. He was born miraculously, and finally God raised him up miraculously. On the other hand, Muhammad is more like Moses; both were born in a natural way and both died natural deaths.

2. From among the Ishmaelites Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac (Genesis, chapter 21). Ishmael became the grandfather of the Arab nation. And Isaac became the grandfather of Jewish nation. The prophet spoken of was to come not from among the Jews themselves, but from among their brothers, the Ishmaelites. Muhammad a descendant of Ishmael, is indeed that prophet. 3. God will put his words in his mouth ‘Neither the content of the revelation, nor its form, were of Muhammad’s devising. Both were given by the angel, and Muhammad’s task was only to repeat what he heard.’ (Word Religions from Ancient history to the Present, by Geoffrey Parrinder, p. 472). God sent the angel Gabriel to teach Muhammad the exact words that he should repeat to the people. The words are therefore not his own; they did not come from his own thoughts, but were put into his mouth by the angel. These are written down in the Qur’an word for word, exactly as they came from God. Now that we know that prophet we must listen to him, for, according to the Bible, God says: ‘I will punish anyone who refuses to obey him’ (Good News Bible, Deut. 18:19). Jesus (on whom be peace) In the Glorious Qur'an The Qur’an tells us many wonderful things about Jesus. As a result, believers in the Qur’an love Jesus, honor him and believe in him. In fact, no Muslim can be a Muslim unless he or she believes in Jesus, on whom be peace. The Qur’an says that Jesus was born of a virgin, that he spoke while he was still only a baby, that he healed the blind and the leper by God's leave and that he raised the dead by God's leave. What then is the significance of these miracles? First, the virgin birth. God demonstrates His power to create in every way. God created everyone we know from a man and a woman. But how about Adam, on whom be peace? God created him from neither a man nor a woman. And Eve from only a man, without a woman. And finally, to complete the picture, God created Jesus from a woman, without a man. What about the other miracles? These were to show that Jesus was not acting on his own behalf, but that he was backed by God. The Qur’an specifies that these miracles were performed by God's leave. This may be compared to the Book of Acts in the Bible, chapter 2, verse 22, where it says that the miracles were done by God to show that he approved of Jesus. Also, note that Jesus himself is recorded in the Gospel of John to have said: ‘I can do nothing of my own authority' (5:30). The miracles, therefore, were done not by his own authority, but by God's authority. What did Jesus teach? The Qur'an tells us that Jesus came to teach the same basic message which was taught by previous prophets from God – that we must shun every false god and worship only the One True God. Jesus taught that he is the servant and messenger of the One True God, the God of Abraham. These Qur'anic teachings can be compared with the Bible (Mark 10:18; Matthew 26:39; John 14:28, 17:3, and 20:17) where Jesus teaches that the one he worshipped is the only true God. See also Matthew 12:18; Acts 3:13, and 4:27 where we find that his disciples knew him as ‘Servant of God’. The Qur’an tells us that some of the Israelites rejected Jesus, and conspired to kill him, but God rescued Jesus and raised him to Himself. God will cause Jesus to descend again, at which time Jesus will confirm his true teachings and everyone will believe in him as he is and as the Qur'an teaches about him. Jesus is the Messiah. He is a word from God, and a spirit from Him. He is honored in this world and in the hereafter, and he is one of those brought nearest to God. Jesus was a man who spoke the truth which he heard from God. This can be compared with the Gospel According John where Jesus says to the Israelites: ‘You are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God’ (John 8:40).

The Prophet is the best ideal to follow in your life…

He is the only personality in history to be followed in everything…

-If you are rich so follow the Prophet when he was a merchant traveling with his products between Hijaz and Ash-Sham and when he earned Bahrain's stores

-If you are poor so take him as an example when he was under blockade in the col (mountain pass) of Abu Taleb and when he emigrated to Madinah leaving his country without having anything…  

-If you are a king so follow him in his "Sunna" (All his doings and sayings) when he guided the Arabs and was obeyed by all, even great personalities.

-If you are a weak person so take the Prophet as an example when he was accused in Makkah within the atheist system.

-If you are a conqueror, you can share part of his life when he conquered his enemy in the Battle of Badr, Honayn and Makkah

-If you are defeated, take a moral lesson from the Battle of Uhod when he (PBUH)was among his dead and wounded friends…

-If you are a teacher take him an example when he taught his companions in the Masjed.

-If you are a student or seeking for more education, follow him (PBUH) when he was sitting between Gabriel's hands learning and understanding his Message…

-If you are an advisor, faithful consulter so listen to him when he advised the people in his Masjed of Madinah…

-If you are an Orphan, you have to know that the Muhammad's father died before his birth and his mother when he (PBUH) was still a child…

-And as for children he was that cute and polite child living his first years with  his child-minder Halima Assa'diyah …  

-If you are young so read the biography of the shepherd of Makkah…

-If you are a merchant traveling with some goods, so notice the behaviors of the caravan's leader who went to Busra…

-If you are a judge or evaluator, so look at the Prophet's judgment when he went to Ka'ba and saw the leaders of the tribes about to kill each other because they were struggling about who is the one to put the black stone in its place, and the Prophet –of course- resolved the problem. And also when he was in Madinah judging equally between people no matter if they are rich or poor…

-If you are a husband so read the Prophet's biography about the honest life of Khadijah's and Aisha's husband.

-And if you are a father, so learn how to treat your children as he (PBUH) did with his daughters and grandchildren…

No matter who you are … you have the Prophet's biography; your guide and candle lightning the darkness of your daily life helping you to go through it to gain the hereafter….

He is indeed the greatest personality all over the world.  

First: It is well known and recorded and none of it is obscure or hidden. Islamic scholars throughout history have written various books in each and every aspect of the prophet's biography separately including all its details to an extent that enabled every Muslim reading his biography (PBUH) to live it to the utmost as a result of its clarity & comprehensiveness.

 A detail of this will be mentioned later in the sources of the Prophet's (PBUH) biography. One has to know that the number of the prophet's biography books compiled in Urdu, which is considered a new language, is more than a thousand books. The number of books compiled during the same century, 13th, in European languages is above 1300 book.

Second: It is characterized by truthfulness & honesty in its reporting, for it had been subjected, similar to Hadith, to all kinds of thorough examination, inspection, comparison and verification of narrators and distinguishing the authentic and the weak of it. Hence, his biography (PBUH) is the most authentic biography reported to humanity.

Third: His eternal Call (PBUH) is for all creatures. His biography (PBUH) is a model for all humanity for it has equalized between the common and the nobles. It is a biography that all people can benefit from whether they are adults or children, for they are all equal in front of the Almighty Allah.

The Universality of the Call and its Pillar:

Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said "Prophets used to be sent to their people in particular and I was sent to all humanity".

-Humanity is always looking forward an ideal to follow and no biography, of a great man or prophet, is as famous and comprehensive as his biography (PBUH).

-Any religion that is not based on two main pillars, the rights of Allah and those of people, can not save humanity and lead it to righteousness, survival, happiness and perfection.  

Religions now are divided into two main categories: those which have no indication of the Almighty Allah at all like Buddhism and Chinese religions, and those which believe in the existence of Allah, but do not guide to the way that one can follow to know how to worship Allah or how to know and describe Him, and do not provide any means for the incarnation of such belief.

But concerning the rights of human beings, you wont find when  searching through all religions such detailed pictures of family life and social relations, or even political, international & economical aspects, as that provided by Islam & the biography of Allah's Messenger (PBUH).

The Prophet's Manners in his Biography:

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did not live his life among his companions and friends, on the contrary he lived most of it among his bitter enemies, the polytheists. In his last years even though he had Jewish hypocrite neighbors, they were unable to accuse him of any shortcoming in his behavior or honesty despite of their hard search for one. The people of Makkah used to give him bad titles, but they could never defame him or desecrate his honor despite of their spending their money and souls  in his adversity.  The Almighty Allah said: " We know indeed the grief which their words cause you it is not you that they deny, but it is the Verses (the Qur’ân) of Allâh that the Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers) deny". Al-Ana'am 33.

Narrated by Al-Bukhari, Ibn Abbas reported that Allah's Messenger (PBUH) went up Al-Safa hill to deliver his Call and said:"O people of Makkah; if I told you that there is an army in the valley that wants to attack you, would you believe me? They replied: of course we will, we have always known you to be truthful and honest".

Fifth: Its clarity and comprehensiveness of all life aspects:

Allah's Messenger (PBUH) had lived among his companions and married nine women and he ordered that his sayings and deeds must be reported to the whole world, he said "I ask Allah to make anyone who reports anything I say as it is, to make his face beautiful and shiny". He also said "Narrate from me, even if one verse". He never traveled alone and he never stayed away from people and he (PBUH) said "A narrator may be of more understanding than someone who hears directly". His companions worked together to narrate to us everything about him, some of them had devoted themselves for narration and following up: such as the people of Al-Soffa.

They have described how he stands up and sit down, how he sleeps, and how he laughs and smile, the right way in bathing and ablution, how he drinks and eats and what are his favorite food. They have described him as if you see him to the extent that they described the white hairs in his head and beard. One can find wonders of such comprehensiveness and deep details just by having a glimpse on any of his biography books (PBUH).

Sixth: In its essence and generality it didn't go beyond human ability, so it didn't rely on marvels, and its aspects didn’t depend on fabulous miracles, but it's easy to know and to be applied and followed because it is not ideal to be applied.

Muhammad (PBUH) the Man was great in everything……..great in all aspects and fields.

Great in his Manners:

"Allah's Messenger (PBUH) was never furious"

"Allah's Messenger (PBUH) never failed to keep his promises"

"Allah's Messenger (PBUH) never took revenge for himself"

"Allah's Messenger (PBUH) never hit a woman"

"Allah's Messenger (PBUH) never lied"

Before his mission he was described as the truthful & the faithful and after the prophecy, our mother Aisha says: "his manners were the Quran".

Great in his Political Vision:

"He said after Al-Ahzab conquest: as of today we will invade them, not they us."

Great in his Spirituality:

"He used to pray till his feet swell and says:" shouldn't I be a thankful slave to Allah".

Great in his Forgiveness of his Enemies:

"Go your way, for you are free men"

Great in Inspiring Hope in the Hearts of People:

"Such matter (Islam) will spread like the night and day, to the extent that a woman will go out from her home in Hira to Ka'ba fearing no one but Allah".

Great in his Courage:

"When he said on the day of the conquest of Honain: I am the Prophet no lying, I am the son of Abd Al-Muttaleb."

Great in his Ability of Gathering People around him:

He knew the capabilities of people and used to place everyone of them in the right place……

Great with the Youth:

He used to gather the youth and organize a competition for them in throwing arrows, saying: "Throw o grandsons of Ismael, for your grandfather was a thrower". He used to organize them in teams and include himself in one of those teams, so his team used to keep on throwing without the others doing the same. He then used to ask them why don't you throw? They replied:" how can we do so while you are one of the other team". He (PBUH) said:" throw and I am with you all."

Great in the Eyes of his Wife:

The testimony of Khdija :"O Allah will never let you down". Wives are the best judges of their husbands and the best knowing their faults.

The purpose of studying the jurisprudence biography of the Messenger (PBUH) is not just studying of the historical facts or telling funny and exciting stories or incidents. So we should not consider studying the jurisprudence biography of the Messenger (PBUH) a kind of historical study like other studies of the ancient eras or like the studies of the biographies of the caliphs, because the purpose of studying the jurisprudence biography of Muhammad (PBUH) is to enable Muslims understanding the reality of Islam throughout the life of the Prophet after understanding the principles and rules of Islam as an abstract model in his mind.

So studying the jurisprudence biography of the Messenger (PBUH) is nothing but a practical action that purposes to embody the perfect reality of Islam in its highest model “Muhammad” (PBUH).

If we want to divide and classify this purpose, we can point it in these following specific targets.

1- Understanding the personality of Muhammad the Messenger throughout his life and conditions he lived in to make sure that Muhammad (PBUH) was not enabled from taking the lead of his people by his own genius, but he was the Messenger who was supported by the inspiration and care given by the Almighty Allah.

2- To make everyone able to find his highest model in all life details to regulate his life, and there wont be anyone higher as a model than the Muhammad (PBUH) as Allah made of him the role model for all human beings:” Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.".)Al Ahzab:21)

3-Studying the Prophet’s Biography helps people to understand the Quran as there are many verses interpreted by reading the conditions around the Messenger and his reactions in return.

4- Reading and studying the biography of Muhammad (PBUH) helps Muslims to gain a large amount of   knowledge and Islamic information whether this information is about religion, rules of Islam or manners. This (Biography) is the best symbol of the principles and rules of Islam.

5-We can elicit all the five targets from the Prophet’s life and biography because during his life he passed through all the human and social experiences which we can find in any independent person or any active member in society. His life (PBUH) sets the perfect role model for the straight young man in his honest manners with his people and friends, and sets also the wonderful role model for the person who calls for Allah gently and wisely and does his best just for fulfilling his message, and sets an example of the genius leader who deals with conditions intelligently and wisely. He also sets the highest role model for the ideal husband and kind father in his gentle manners. He sets also the role model for the genius commander, honest wise politician and the Muslim who combines accurately between the duties of his worship and his gentle funny dealings with his family and friends.

Writing the Prophet’s biography is called in general “history”; it supports recording the past events which happened serially. This serial order was the scientific base depended in writing and recording biography.

So the writers and scholars of the Prophet's biography were recording the correct biography depending on an accurate scientific base; following the right source and the well known narrator in telling the hadith (the Prophet’s speech) exactly as it was told by the Prophet (PBUH).

Faithfully they write these events without involving their thoughts or psychological impressions or even do any modifications.

They saw that the historical event being known from very accurate scientific bases must be a very clear, holy reality. They also saw that it is an unforgivable dishonesty when an empowered governor might remove any event from this biography according to his own believes. But the biography of the Prophet (PBUH) is protected according to the bases and fundamentals of the scientific studies. The biography saved the whole story of the Prophet since his birth passing by his childhood which shows the superb miracles, also the inspiration phenomena and it also it shows that his ethics and honesty let him obey Allah in peace and in wars, and the Quran and Sunna (the Prophet’s speeches) witness that.

So history really saved his biography from any irregularity.

Contriving the results, verdicts and principles from this biography does not relate to the recording of the history any more. It is considered a scientific job and depends on a separate system which is a distinguished scientific independent work.

Many rules and verdicts can be contrived according to these scientific bases concerning the belief and certitude and some others concerning legislation and the conduction.

The most important thing here is to assure again that this contrivance was completely independent from recording history, it was based on the scientific base resulted from a scientific suffer and effort as history recording that was based on these scientific rules.

He was the diligent jurist and the companion of the prophet (s.a.a.w). His name is Abu Hurayrah Al-Dawsi Al-Yamani, the master of authentic memorizers. The scholars differed concerning his name and his father's name. The most correct opinion was the opinion upon which the scholars agree that his name is Abdual – Rahman ibn Sakhr. The prophet (saaw) named him Abduallah and nicknamed him Abu Hurayrah and he continued to be known as Abu Hurayrah, his mother was Maymouna Bint Subaih.[1]

Abu Hurayrah became a Muslim at the hands of at-Tufayl ibn Amr, the chieftain of the Dows tribe to which he belonged. When at-Tufayl returned to his village after meeting the prophet and becoming a Muslim in the early years of his mission, Abu Hurayrah was one of the first to respond to his call. When at-Tufayl visited Makkah again, Abu Hurayrah accompanied him. There, he had the honor of meeting the noble prophet.

Abu Hurayrah stayed in Tihamah for several years and it was only at the beginning of the seventh year of the Hijrah that he arrived in Madinah with others of his tribe. The prophet had gone on a campaign to Khaybar.

Abu Hurayrah stayed in the masjid with others of the Ahl as-suffah. He was single, without wife or child. With him was his mother, who was still a mushrik. He prayed for her to become a Muslim but she adamantly refused. One day, he invited her to have Faith in God alone and follow his prophet but she uttered some words concerning the prophet which saddened him greatly. With tears in his eyes, he went to the prophet who said to him: "what makes you cry, O Abu Hurayrah?" He said: "Today, I invited my mother to Islam and I heard words from her which I don’t like. Do make supplication to God Almighty to make the heart of Abu Hurayrah's mother incline to Islam."

The prophet prayed for her. Abu Hurayrah said: "I went home and found the door closed. I heard water splashing and when I tried to enter, my mother said: "stay where you are, O Abu Hurayrah. "And after putting on her clothes, she said, "Enter!" I entered and she said: "I testify that there is no God but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is his servant and his messenger." He returned to the prophet (saaw) weeping with joy, just as an hour before he had gone weeping from sadness and said: "O messenger of Allah, I have good news. God has responded to your prayer and guided the mother of Abu Hurayrah to Islam".[2]

He accompanied the prophet (saaw) for nearly four years. He loved the prophet a great deal and found favor with him. He was never tired of looking at the prophet whose face appeared to him as having all the radiance of the sun and he was never tired of listening to him. Often he would praise God for his good fortune and say: " Praise be to God who has guided Abu Hurayrah to Islam." "Praise be to Allah who taught Abu Hurayrah the Quran." "Praise be to God who has best- owed on Abu Hurayrah the companionship of Muhammad (saaw)." On reaching Madinah, Abu Hurayrah set his heart on attaining knowledge. Zayed Ibn Thabit, the notable companion of the prophet, reported: "While Abu Hurayrah and I and another friend of mine were in the masjid praying to God the Almighty, The messenger of God appeared. He came towards us and sat among us. We become silent and he said:" Carry on with what you were doing." So, my friend and I made a supplication to God before Abu Hurayrah did and the prophet began to say Ameen to our Dua. Then, Abu Hurayrah made a supplication saying: "O lord, I ask you for what my two companions have asked and I ask you for knowledge which will not be forgotten."

The prophet (saaw) said: "Ameen." We then said: "We ask Allah for knowledge which will not be forgotten, and the prophet replied". The Dawsi youth has asked for this before you."[3]

In his search for knowledge, Abu Hurayrah suffered much hardships and difficulties. He was often hungry and destitute. He said about himself: "When I was afflicted with sever hunger, I would go to a companion of the prophet and ask him about an ayah of the Quran and stayed with him learning it so that he would take me with him to his house and give food.[4]

With his intelligent memory, Abu Hurayrah set out to memorize in the four years that he spent with the prophet, the gems of wisdom that emanated from his lips. He realized that he had a great gift and he set about to use it to the full in the service of Islam. He had free time at his disposal. Unlike many of the muhajirin, he did not busy himself in the market-places, with buying and selling. Unlike many of the Ansar, he had no land to cultivate. He stayed with the prophet in Madinah and went with him on journeys and expeditions.[5]

Many companions get amazed at the number of hadiths he had memorized and often questioned him on when he had heard a certain hadith and under what circumstances. Talha ibn ubaid Allah said: "I don’t doubt that Abu Hurayrah heard form the prophet what we did not hear." He was one of the interpreters of among the companions.Abu Hurayrah said:"I memorized at the hands of the prophet two traditions. I released one of them and concealed the other. If I released it, my throat might be cut off." Once Marwan ibn Al-Hakam wanted to test his power of memory. He sat with him in one room and behind a curtain he placed ascribe, unknown to Abu Hurayrah, and ordered him to write down whatever Abu Hurayrah said. A year later, Marwan called Abu Hurayrah again and asked him to recall the same ahadith which the scribe had recorded. It was found that he had forgotten not a single word. Abi said Al-Khudari reported that the prophet (saaw) said :"Abu Huraynah is avessal of knowledge." Al Amash also narrated that Abi Salih said:"Abu Huragrah was the best memorizar among the companions." Moreover Abu Hurayrah said about himself:"I don’t know any one among the companions who is best in memorizing the hedeaths of the prophet other than me".[6]

Through his incomparable efforts, many of the prophet's hadiths were transmitted to later generations. He is the first name in the roll of hadeeth transmitters who tranmitted, according to Baqi b. Makhalad, 5374 hadith. The most recent research shows that the number of ahadith transmitted by him is 1236 only. He is reported to have had books of hadith in his possessions. At least nine of Abu Hurayrah's students wrote ahadith from him. According to Ibn al-Gauzi, there are 5374 ahadith transmitted by him in musnad Baqi and 3848 ahadith in the musnad of Ibn Hanbal. According to Ahmed shakir, after substracting repeated ahadith, there remain 1579 ahadith transmitted by Abu Hurairah. He observed and learnt some 15oo traditions within the period that he spent with the prophet which are amixture of verbal and practical sunnah. Hasan b. Amr al.Damari saw many books of ahadith in Abu Hurairah, Possessions. Abdeal-Aziz b.Marwan had almost all the ahadith of Abu Hurayrah in written from.