The Abandonment of the Present Life and Its Attractions
We return once again to ask: if Muhammad (sws) was not a messenger sent by Allah, the Glorious and Exalted, then what did he hope to gain from this claim which brought him all kinds of torture and oppression, from vicious verbal abuse to intense physical suffering?
As attested to by his opponents, he was sensible, judicious and wise. So, what was his aim?
What did he hope to gain? Was it power or money? Both were offered to him, first by his Lord, and then, by the unbelievers of Quraish, yet he preferred to remain virtuous, scrupulous, self- denying and content. The unbelievers tried to bargain with the Prophet (sws), by showering him anything he could desire to stop him from continuing his call. But those poor people couldn't realize that everything the sun shone on was not worth the wing of a mosquito to him compared to his mission, so they failed in their mission.
Abu al-Walid, who was one of the chiefs of the unbelievers of Quraish, went to the Messenger of Allah (sws) while he was sitting alone in the mosque. Abu al-Walid wanted to speak to the Prophet (sws) about certain matters and make him an offer, hoping that he would accept some of his conditions and give up his message. He came with the consent of Quraish who agreed because they had seen Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib, the Prophet's (sws) uncle, become a Muslim and the number of people joining the Prophet (sws) was increasing.
Abu al-Walid said, "Oh son of my brother, if what you are seeking with this matter (meaning Islam and the invitation thereto) is money, we will gather our money and give it to you until you become the richest of us; if you are seeking honor and prestige, we will make you our leader until we make no decisions without your leave; and if you want power, we will make your our king.
" The Prophet (sws) refused all of this for the sake of his message. He was offered money, prestige, power and marriage to the noblest of their daughters, yet he chose modesty, asceticism, integrity and minimalism.
All of this clears the Prophet (sws) of the accusation that he was seeking benefit in the present life in all its aspects. This was not just idle talk; it was just as much a cold, hard fact at the beginning of his call as it was at the end of his mission. Even when his enemies and opponents finally surrendered to him, and he had amassed great wealth from the spoils of war, he spent it all on the poor, orphans and the needy, while he himself slept on a straw mat that left marks on his body. He spent all the money on others while he lived in self-denial and simplicity.
Aisha said,
"The Prophet's (sws) family did not eat their fill of barley bread two days in a row until the Messenger of Allah (sws) died."
[Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim]
On the authority of Ibn Masoud,
"One day I came to the Prophet (sws) when he was in a room as small as a chicken coop. He was lying on a straw mat that had left marks on his side, and upon seeing that, Ibn Masoud wept. The Prophet (sws) asked, 'What makes you weep, Abdullah?' Ibn Masoud replied, 'Oh Messenger of Allah! The Emperor of Byzantium and the King of Persia walk on all types of silk while you lie on a mat of straw which leaves marks in your side!' The Prophet (sws) said, 'Do not weep, Abdullah, for they have this world and we have the Next, and this world and I and the similitude of this world and I are merely like a traveler stopping beneath a tree, only to move on and leave it.'"
[Related by al-Tabarani]
The hadiths that prove the simplicity and minimalism of his (sws) lifestyle, in terms of food, dress and housing are plentiful.
The Prophet (sws) renounced worldly pleasures and taught his women to do so as well. He declined to give his daughter, Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her)—the daughter of his first wife, Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her), who spent her money in the service of him and his call—money from the wealth Allah had bestowed upon him to satisfied her need and ensure that she live a comfortable life. Even the money he would leave behind after his death was to be considered charity and could not be left to family members. Because of his extreme interest in the poor and care for the weak, he sidelined himself and his own family. He did not prefer them over anything in his life. He did not save anything for them after his death. He placed them all in the trust of Allah's Generosity, for He is the Lord of Tremendous Bounty.
Muhammad (sws) was a prophet who came to raise his followers from being slaves of this world and of money to being slaves of Allah alone, to be satisfied in their present life with little, and to find it sufficient to prepare provisions for the Hereafter. The Messenger of Allah (sws) was not after power, money or fame.
The hadiths related about him bear witness to his abstention from the world and his humility throughout his life, may the blessing and peace of Allah be upon him. So, what did he want? What goal did he hope to achieve, since everyone around him bore witness to his wisdom and good judgment? He did not have any intention but to satisfy God. He wanted nothing but to gain His love and enjoy His closeness. Does not all of this prove that he was sincere in his mission and that he was, as they say, a prophet sent by Allah?
