Muhammad The Great Exemplar — Page 13
13 Holy Prophet sa exhorted his companions to love them and reach God through this love. Just as God decreed that heaven rests beneath the feet of a mother, He made the prayers of a wife a means to attaining His nearness. Thus to bring happiness to one’s wife is to earn the pleasure of God. The Holy Prophet sa would always take into regard the feelings of his wives and treated them accordingly. He would help them in their domestic chores; show them love; look for different ways to express his affection; when one of them would drink water from a cup, he would drink from the same side; one of his wives of Jewish origin was once belittled by another who referred to her as a ‘Jewess’. The Prophet sa comforted her and said: ‘Why do you not say that you are not a Jewess, but a descendent of the prophets of God Almighty. ’ When his wives became ill, he would take it as his own illness and feel their suffering even more acutely than they did; he would always show concern for their emotions and would never interfere in their relations with their close relatives. Instead, he would help strengthen those ties. On one occasion, he entered the room of his wife Umme Habiba ra and saw her in a tender embrace with her younger brother Muawiyah ra — who would later become a great Islamic ruler. Instead, of displeasure, the Prophet sa was moved by this display of sibling love. He