A Letter to a Dear One — Page 45
Muhammad Zafrulla Khan 45 model of pardon to his enemies. There is no model of one’s treatment with parents, wife and children and various relatives, or the treatment of a master with a servant, a ruler with his subjects and indeed the subjects with the ruler—the qualities of a soldier, or a general, and the principles of warfare. Or what the treatment of a victorious general with his defeated enemy should be. How to spend one’s life in hardship and in prosperity? What should be the principles of trade and what sort of a model should a tradesman present. In short Jesus’ (‘alaihissal ā m) life does not illustrate how should one lead an exemplary life in all these spheres of life. The Perfect Morals of the Holy Prophet Comparatively speaking, we see that Allah’s Will chose the Holy Prophet Muhammad ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) to be a perfect model. This is the reason why he had to experience all the stages, which are mentioned above, so that there could be a model of excellence for humanity in all spheres of life. Although the Holy Prophet’s ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) father had passed away before his birth and his mother died after only a few years, he was brought up by his grandfather Abdul-Muttalib and later by his uncle Abu T ā lib as their own. The Holy Prophet ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) respected them both like a son would respect his parents. In particular during his youth he presented an excellent and exemplary model of obedience and support towards his uncle, in spite of the fact that his uncle did not accept Islam till his death. When his uncle was old and feeble, the Holy Prophet ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) took charge of the upbringing of his son, © a ñ rat ‘Ali (ra ñ iyall ā hu ‘anhu). This was to relieve his uncle of the responsibility. Holy Prophet ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) brought up © a ñ rat ‘Ali (ra ñ iyall ā hu ‘anhu) with immense affection and later gave his daughter © a ñ rat F ā tima’s (ra ñ iyall ā hu ‘anh ā ) hand in marriage to him. Many years later when his aunt (Abu T ā lib’s wife) passed away, the Holy Prophet ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) himself cleared a grave for her and buried her himself. With tears in his eyes he said, ‘You were a very good and affectionate mother for me. ’ The Holy Prophet’s ( ” allall ā hu ‘alaihi wa sallam) assertion that ‘Paradise lies at the feet of a mother’ speaks volumes about the dignity he associated with the status of a mother. He repeatedly counseled obedience to one’s parents. He would relate an