The Seal of Prophets - His Personality and Character — Page 22
22 The Seal of Prophets always remained just and humane. Once when he was sitting with his companions, a funeral procession passed nearby and he stood up in respect. Someone pointed out that the corpse belonged to a Jew. He replied: “Was this person not given life by God? Was he not a creation of God? Remember, in things which are common to man, we must show respect, irrespective of one’s religion, race or creed”. This is the essence of Islam, it was not only taught by word of mouth but was also practised in every detail. He was a man of love, a love of beauty mingled with humility. He loved children, even respected them. After the demise of the Holy Prophet sa , one of his companions passed through a group of children and said Assalam-o-Alaikum (peace be on you). They were young and were surprised that a highly respected elderly person, a companion of the Holy Founder sa was greeting them by saying: “Peace be on you. ” When he found the children so surprised, he told them: “I always observed the Holy Founder sa doing this. It was his habit to take the lead in saying Assalam-o-Alaikum even to children”. Osamah bin Zaid ra narrates that while he was a child he was picked up by the Holy Prophet sa and put on one of his knees, then the Holy Prophet sa put his grandson Hasan ra on his other knee, and embracing them both prayed to God: “Oh my Lord, show mercy to them as I am showing mercy to them”. This incident left an indelible mark on Osamah bin Zaid ra , who reported it with tears in his eyes. The Holy Founder sa of Islam had a very pleasant sense of