The Prophet’s Humane Behavior

1. Towards people in general:
The Prophet was very humane in his treatment of others. He said: “O Allah Muhammad is only a human being; he becomes angry as others become angry. So any believer I have hurt, or spoken harshly towards or have punished, make that for him a source of forgiveness and a means of becoming closer to You O Allah on the Day of Resurrection.” (Muslim #2601)
2. In judicial rulings:
The Prophet was humane when he issued judicial rulings. He said: “I am only a human being, when you come to me to determine who is right or wrong, one of you may be more able in presenting his side and I would be convinced by it. I will judge by what I hear, so whoever I judge in their favor and give them what does not belong to them, let them not take it, for indeed he is being dealt a portion of the Fire.” (Bukhari #7169)
3. In his social life:
The Prophet was humane in his social life. He got married and encouraged others to get married and have offspring. Allah, the Exalted, says: “And We have already sent messengers before you and assigned to them wives and descendants. And it was not for a messenger to come with a sign except by permission of Allah. For every term is a decree.” (13:38)
4. The Prophet’s humane behavior towards his family:
The Messenger of Allah would show concern over the wellbeing of his family. He safeguarded them from anything that would harm their honor or affect their reputation. The Prophet’s concern in relation to this was very moderate, he didn’t exceed the bounds. The Prophet said: “Indeed showing concern or displaying a sense of honor is of two types: the first which is beloved to Allah, and the second which is despised by Allah. As for the portion beloved to Allah, it is when concern that is shown in a situation where one’s reputation may be harmed. As for the portion despised by Allah it is when concern is shown when there is no reason to be concerned.” (Nas’aee #2557)
5. The Messenger’s forgiving nature:
The Messenger of Allah overlooked the jealousy of his wives and dealt with it in the best manner. His attitude was so beautiful that it immediately diffused any tension. Anas bin Malik said: “While the Messenger of Allah was at the home of one of his wives another one of his wives had sent a plate of food to him; that wife struck the hand of the servant so that the plate fell on the ground and the dish broke.” The Prophet simply said: “Your mother has become jealous” and he kept the broken dish in the home where he was and sent a replacement back to the other wife. (Bukhari #5225)
6. The Prophet’s loyalty to his family:
Loyalty, fidelity, reciprocating beautiful gestures all indicate the beauty of one’s character. Whenever Khadijah was mentioned in the presence of the Prophet he would speak highly of her and praise her greatly. A’ishah said: “I felt jealous so one day I said to the Prophet “Hasn’t Allah given you better than her?” He said: No, by Allah, Allah has not given me a better one in her place. She believed me when people belied me. She consoled me with her money when people deprived me, and from her alone I had children.” (Bukhari #1575)
7. The Prophet’s beautiful manner in dealing with his family:
During the Prophet’s entire life and before the advent of the message of Islam, it was never recorded that he ever struck a woman! Every home has its problems and the Prophet’s homes were no exception. A’ishah said: “The Messenger of Allah never hit any woman, nor did he use vulgar language” When the people of Quraish struck the Prophet during the Battle of Uhud and his tooth was broken and he was bleeding from a wound, and it was said to him: “O Messenger of Allah, supplicate to Allah against them!” The Messenger replied: “Allah did not send me to curse or mock others; rather, he sent me as a guide and a source of mercy” He then said: “O Allah guide my people for they know not!” (Baihaqi #2/622)
8. The compassion of the Prophet towards his family:
The Messenger of Allah married nine wives; each marriage had its specific reasons. The reason the Prophet married his wife Sodah bint Zam’ah was solely to show her love and compassion. When the Prophet married her she was fifty-five years old, five years older than the Prophet. This marriage union shocked the people of Makkah for Sodah was not beautiful neither did she possess anything that any man would desire. The Prophet only married her to show her compassion, for she had arrived in Madinah from Abyssinia as a widow. After a period of time, the Prophet contemplated divorcing her, so that she would not be burdened with the duties of a wife towards a husband, but instead, she insisted: “O Messenger of Allah, do not divorce me, keep me as your wife and I will give my day to A’ishah.” Allah revealed the following verse on account of this: “There is no sin upon them if they make terms of settlement between them - and settlement is best” for she wanted to be the wife of the Messenger in the Afterlife. (Tirmidthi #3040)
9. Mercy towards his family:
The Messenger of Allah entered the Masjid and saw ropes tied between two pillars and he asked: “What is this for?” He was told, “It is for your wife Zainab when the recitation of prayer is too long she holds it.” The Prophet said: “Remove it! Let one of you pray as much as they can; once they feel tired sit down.” (Nasa’ee #1642) The Prophet did not want his family to be overcome by difficulty, so he mentioned the importance of praying as much as one could.
10. The Messenger’s Forbearing Nature:
The Messenger of Allah was the most forbearing individual. He would at times hear his family’s words that may have hurt his feelings, but he would not react in a state of emotion. Instead, he would forgive and easily overlook these matters. He usually would respond simply by smiling and by showing his wives a great amount of love. One day A’ishah raised her voice over the Prophet’s voice and Abu Bakr heard this and he became so angry that he came to hit his daughter. The Prophet prevented Abu Bakr from doing anything. When he left, the Prophet told A’ishah: “What do you say about what I just did? I saved you from that man!” Abu Bakr visited them after a few days and found that the Prophet and A’ishah were laughing together, and he said: “Allow me to partake in your happiness!” They said to him, “Yes indeed, yes indeed!” (Abu Dawood #4999)
11. Ease in relationships:
The Prophet said: “You have been sent to make things easy and not make them difficult.” This is the basis upon which the Prophet dealt with people and it was the basis of his conduct in general.
A’ishah said: “A gift of some food was given to Hafsa and I, and we both broke our fast, when the Messenger of Allah saw us we told him: “O Messenger of Allah, this food was given to us as a gift, so we felt like eating it and we ate.” The Prophet said: “Do not worry, fast a day in place of this one that you have broken.”
12. Generosity towards one’s wife:
The best morsel of food and sip of water is that which you give to your family. The Prophet said: “You will not put anything in the path of Allah except that you will be rewarded for it, even a morsel of food you put in the mouth of your wife.” (Bukhari #4409)
13. He never was bored with his family:
The Messenger of Allah was very sensitive towards his wives feelings, and he wouldn’t become upset on account of what they did. A’ishah said: “I was with the Prophet on a trip and a necklace of mine was broken (and lost). The Messenger of Allah stayed there to search for it, and so did the people along with him. There was no water at that place, so the people went to Abu Bakr and said: “Don’t you see what A’ishah has done? She has made the Messenger of Allah and the people stay where there is no water and they have no water with them!” A’ishah said my father came to me while the Messenger of Allah was sleeping with his head on my thigh and he said to me: “You have detained the Messenger of Allah and the people where there is no water and they have no water with them!” So he admonished me and said what Allah wished him to say and hit me on my shoulder with his hand. Nothing prevented me from moving (because of pain) other than the fact that the Prophet was on my thigh. The Messenger of Allah got up when dawn broke and there was no water. So Allah revealed the verses of Tayammum (dry ablution), so they all performed Tayammum.” A’ishah said: “When the camel on which I was riding moved from its place, the necklace was found beneath it.” (Bukhari #330)
14. Giving thoughtful gifts:
When husband and wife exchange roses this would indicate the love that is present between them. The Prophet said: “Whoever is offered a basil flower let him not reject it; it is easy to carry and has a good smell.” (Muslim #2253)
15. Good attire and appearance:
Having a good appearance and a good scent is something that would cause others to feel comfortable with you. A’ishah said: “I could see the glimmer of perfume on the Prophet’s head while he was in the state of Ihram.” (Nasa’iee #2692)

When A’ishah was asked: “What would the Prophet do when he entered your home?” She said: “When he entered he would start with Siwak.” (i.e. he would clean his teeth) (Ibn Majah #238)

The Prophet would always stay in a state of purity and cleanliness.
Anas bin Malik said: “I never smelt any scent more pleasant than the scent of the Prophet himself.” (Muslim #2330)
16. Informing others that he loved his wives:
The Prophet openly announced his love for his family to train his Companions to be passionate towards their families. Amr b. Al-Aas asked him: “Who is the most beloved of all people to you?” He said: “A’ishah!” He then responded, “I meant from among the men.” He said: “Then her father.” He asked: “Then who?” he said: “Then Umar”. (Bukhari #4358)
17. Fearing for the safety of his family:
Fear is a natural emotion, which the Prophet experienced. He didn’t want them to be harmed by anything. Anas and Abu Talhah saw the Prophet riding with Safiyah and while on the road the camel tripped and the Prophet and his wife Safiyah fell off. When the Companions saw this, they rushed towards him and he said: “I am ok!” and he showed great concern over Safiyah. (Bukhari #6185)
18. Wellbeing of the family in the Afterlife:
The Prophet loved goodness for his family and was very keen that they be in a state of good affairs, especially when it came to achieving the pleasure of Allah. Allah, the Exalted, says: “Every soul will taste death, and you will only be given your [full] compensation on the Day of Resurrection. So he who is drawn away from the Fire and admitted to Paradise has attained [his desire]. And what is the life of this world except the enjoyment of delusion.” (3:185)

The Messenger of Allah would take care of his family and guide them to the rewarding deeds. Umm Salamah said: “The Messenger of Allah got up startled and said: ‘Subhanallah (far removed is God from every imperfection) what great reward has Allah revealed today and what great Fitnah has been sent down. Who will wake up the ones sleeping in these rooms (i.e. his wives) to pray at night, for indeed a person may be clothed in this life but in the Afterlife would be naked.” (Bukhari #7069)
19. Prohibition of spying on the family and trusting them:
The Prophet disapproved of one’s overprotective behavior towards their family. The Prophet advised his companions not to distrust their wives. This advice is embodied in the action of the Prophet; whenever he returned home from a trip, his family would be informed that he was in town, so that they could prepare to meet him. In this manner his family would appear in the best way for him. (Abu Dawood #2778)
20. The generosity of the Prophet:
The Prophet was had a keen sense of generosity. He said: “If Allah has blessed one of you with goodness, let them share that goodness with their family.” (Sahih al-Jami #358)

The Prophet always applied what he preached. Anas said that Umm Sulaim sent a gift of fresh dates to the Messenger from which he took a few for himself and sent the rest to his wives. (Sahih al-Mawarid #2145)
21. Humble nature of the Prophet:
Whoever humbles himself, Allah will elevate their status. The Prophet never thought less of anyone around him, he never put them down. This is how he was in terms of his ethical behavior. Anas said: “The Prophet went down on one knee so that Safiyah could step on it to mount her camel.” (Bukhari #4211)
22. Knowing the Emotional Side of his Wives:
The Prophet would invest the time required to find out how his wives felt. He told A’ishah: “Indeed I know when you are happy with me and when you are upset with me!” She asked: “how is that?” He said: “When you are happy with me, you say: ‘By the Lord of Prophet Muhammad’ and when you are upset with me, you say: ‘By the Lord of Prophet Ibrahim.’” (Bukhari #5228)

Importance of Recreational Activities

Islam instructs a Muslim to live a balanced life; therefore, it is important that one adopt a form of lawful recreation so that they do not become bored or lazy in their religious zeal. The Prophet said: “Let it be an hour and an hour.”