The Gentleness of Prophet Muhammad PBUH

Bismillah, praise to Allah SWT, Who sent the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to serve as a leader and guide to the human race.

We should be grateful for the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ arrival and his messages. His character traits and morals ought to serve as constant examples throughout our life. We should strive to emulate the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ character, as doing so will demonstrate our love for him.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is a kind, gentle, and compassionate person. He wasn’t a cruel or violent person. He was suppressed by the polytheists while in Mecca, but when he opened the city of Mecca in the event of fathu Makkah, the Prophet did not take vengeance on the evildoers – even though the Muslims were extremely powerful at that time.

A Bedouin Arab once arrived and pulled the cloth from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ shoulder while demanding to be given the treasure. The Prophet ﷺ then simply turned around and laughed before ordering his companion to give the man some property. The same is true in other situations. Allah noted his attitude as follows:

فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ لِنْتَ لَهُمْ ۚ وَلَوْ كُنْتَ فَظًّا غَلِيْظَ الْقَلْبِ لَانْفَضُّوْا مِنْ حَوْلِكَ ۖ فَاعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِى الْاَمْرِۚ فَاِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللّٰهِ ۗ اِنَّ اللّٰهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُتَوَكِّلِيْنَ ١٥٩

“It is out of Allah’s mercy that you ˹O Prophet˺ have been lenient with them. Had you been cruel or hard-hearted, they would have certainly abandoned you. So pardon them, ask Allah’s forgiveness for them, and consult with them in ˹conducting˺ matters. Once you make a decision, put your trust in Allah. Surely Allah loves those who trust in Him.”  [Ali Imran 3:159]

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is also a patient, understanding, and calm person when dealing with the emotions of a woman, his wife. Particularly when involved in polygamous relationships, women are notoriously envious. This frequently occurred when he was in his home and received food from one of his wives.

Due to jealousy, she struck the food carrier’s hand, causing the food to fall and the plate to break in two. When the plates and food fell to the ground, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ calmly picked them up and handed them back to the sender, saying, “Your mother (ummahatul mukminin) is jealous, you can eat this instead.”

Imagine how calmly he handled his wife’s emotions during that time and how he did not react emotionally. He never becomes enraged, much less raises his voice or strikes. He was composed and never act negatively or aggressively. Most often, when treated as such, other men will react emotionally.

The Prophet ﷺ also was gentle and sincere in his instruction for the companions to perform prayer properly. When a friend who had just converted to Islam was speaking during a prayer, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gently counselled him, “You cannot speak during prayer. It consists solely of reciting the Qur’an, the Takbir, and the tasbih.”

The Companion addressed: “By Allah, I have never encountered a teacher before or since who was more helpful than the prophet. He didn’t chastise or hit me.”

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gentleness can be seen in his interactions with children. Imagine being able to sit with children as an adult who is God’s messenger and the head of a nation. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ prayed, and afterwards the Prophet’s grandsons, al-Hasan and al-Husayn, played by climbing up behind him. The The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was not upset by this.

Similarly to this, when he was an Imam leading a prayer and he heard a young child crying, he hurried the prayer in order to spare the child’s mother’s peace. And he didn’t say, “Why even bother bringing the kid to the mosque? Just perform prayers at home if you are aware that some young children like to cry.” The Prophet ﷺ is far from such a character.

Even when seated with a friend, with the adult seated on the left and the children on the right. Even though they were seated next to an adult who was also one of his close friends, he offered drinks to the kids on the right first.

Another instance was when he kissed his grandson and a companion said, “I have ten children, and I have never kissed a single one of them.” “Whoever does not love will not be loved,” Prophet Muhammad ﷺ continued.

We can only partially capture the Prophet’s gentleness and caring nature in this piece of writing. There are numerous other instances and stories from Prophet Muhammad ﷺ that demonstrate the kind, compassionate, and understanding traits of his character that we ought to imitate. May we begin a new chapter to practice the prophet’s virtues and good character in order to follow in his footsteps.

Abdul Rahman Rahuni

Ustaz Abdul Rahman Rahuni. The author is a graduate of the Islamic University of Madinah studying in the field of Islamic Sharia. He is currently an instructor at Sekolah Menengah Ugama Islamiah, Tawau, Sabah.