The best example we have is the relationship that the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had with His Maker. In fact every aspect of the Holy Prophet’s life appears to have been governed and coloured by his love for and devotion to God. In spite of the very heavy responsibilities that had been laid upon his shoulders the greater portion of his time during the day as well as during the night was spent in the worship and praise of God. He would leave his bed at midnight and devote himself to the worship of God till it was time to go to the mosque for the morning prayers. He sometimes stood so long in prayer during the latter part of the night that his feet would get swollen, and those who saw him in that condition were always much affected. On one occasion his wife ‘A’isha said to him:
“God has honoured you with His love and nearness. Why then do you subject yourself to so much discomfort and inconvenience?”
He replied:
“If God has by His Grace and Mercy conferred His love and nearness upon me, is it not my duty in return to be always rendering thanks to Him? Gratitude should increase in proportion to the favours received” (Bukhari).
He never entered upon any undertaking without divine command or permission. In spite of the very severe persecution to which he was subjected by the people of Mecca, he did not leave the town till he received the divine command to do so. When persecution became very severe and he gave permission to his Companions to migrate to Abyssinia, some of them expressed a desire that he should accompany them. He declined to do so on the ground that he had not received divine permission to that effect. Thus, during a period of hardships and persecution when people usually like to keep their friends and relations close to themselves, he directed his Companions to seek refuge in Abyssinia and himself stayed behind in Mecca, for God had not yet directed him to leave it.
Whenever he heard the word of God being recited, he was overcome by emotion and tears would start from his eyes, especially if he was listening to verses which emphasized his own responsibilities. ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ud relates that he was on one occasion asked by the Holy Prophet to recite some verses of the Qur’an to him. He said:
“O Messenger of Allah! The Qur’an has been revealed to you (i.e., you know it best of all). How then shall I recite it to you?”
But the Holy Prophet said: “I love to hear it recited by other people also.” Thereupon ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ud began to recite from Surah Al-Nisa’. When he recited the verse:
“And how will it fare with them when We shall bring a witness from every people, and shall bring thee as a witness against them” (4: 42), the Holy Prophet exclaimed: ‘Enough! Enough!” ‘Abdullah bin Mas‘ud looked up and saw that tears were streaming from the Holy Prophet’s eyes (Bukhari).
He was so particular about joining the congregational prayers that, even during severe illness when it is permissible not only to say one’s prayers in one’s room but even to say them lying in bed, he would go to the mosque to lead the prayers himself. On one occasion when he was unable to proceed to the mosque he directed that Abu Bakr should lead the prayers. Presently however, he felt some improvement in his condition and asked to be supported into the mosque. He rested his weight on the shoulders of two men but was in so feeble a condition that, according to ‘A’isha, his feet trailed along the ground (Bukhari).
The people of Mecca sought to place all sorts of temptations in his way to persuade him to give up his opposition to idol-worship (Tabari). His uncle Abu Talib also tried to dissuade him and expressed his fear that if he persisted in his denunciation of idol-worship, Abu Talib would have to choose between ceasing to give him his protection and the bitter opposition of his people. The only reply that the Holy Prophet made to his uncle on that occasion was:
“If these people were to place the sun on my right hand and the moon on my left, I would not desist from proclaiming and preaching the Unity of God” (Zurqani).
Again, during the Battle of Uhud when a remnant of wounded Muslims were grouped round him at the foot of a hill and their enemies were giving vent to their feeling of jubilation at having broken the Muslim ranks in shouts of victory and their leader Abu Sufyan called out:
“May Hubal (one of the idols worshipped by the Meccans) be exalted! May Hubal be exalted!” the Holy Prophet, in spite of realizing that his own safety and that of the small band of Muslims who were gathered round him lay in keeping silent could restrain himself no longer and directed his Companions to shout in reply, “To Allah alone belongs victory and glory! To Allah alone belongs victory and glory!” (Bukhari).
The Holy Prophet had perfect trust in God which no combination of adverse circumstances could shake. On one occasion an enemy of his, finding him asleep and unguarded, stood over his head with drawn sword and threatened to despatch him at once. Before doing so he asked:
“Who can rescue you from this predicament?” The Holy Prophet calmly replied: “Allah.” He uttered this word with such perfect assurance that even the heart of his disbelieving enemy was forced to acknowledge the loftiness of his faith and trust in God. The sword fell from his hand, and he, who a moment before was bent upon his destruction, stood before him like a convicted criminal awaiting sentence (Muslim).
At the other end of the scale was his sense of perfect humility vis-a-vis the Divine. Abu Huraira relates:
“One day I heard the Holy Prophet say that no man would attain salvation through his own good deeds. Thereupon I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! ‘Surely you will enter Paradise through your own good actions,’ to which he replied: ‘No, I too cannot enter Paradise through my own actions save only that God’s Grace and Mercy should envelop me’ “ (Bukhari).
He always exhorted people to choose and follow the right path and to be diligent in their search for means whereby they could attain nearness to God. He taught that no man should desire death for himself, for if he is good he will, by living longer, be able to achieve greater good; and if he is evil, he may, if given time, be able to repent of his evil ways and start on a good way. His love for, and devotion to, God found expression in many ways. For instance, whenever after a dry season the first rain-drops began to descend, he would put out his tongue to catch a rain-drop and would exclaim: “Here is the latest favour from my Lord.”
The Holy Prophet was constantly occupied in praying for God’s forgiveness and beneficence, more particularly when he was sitting among people so that those who were in his company or were connected with him and Muslims generally should save themselves from divine wrath and should become deserving of divine forgiveness. The consciousness that he was always in the presence of God never deserted him. When he used to lie down to sleep, he would say:
“O Allah! let me die (go to sleep) with Thy name on my lips and with Thy name on my lips let me rise.”
When he woke up, he would say:
“All praise is due to God who has brought me to life after death (sleep) and one day we shall all be gathered unto Him” (Bukhari).
The Holy Prophet constantly yearned for nearness to God and one of his oft-repeated prayers was
“O Allah! Do Thou fill my heart with Thy light and fill my eyes with Thy light and fill my ears with Thy light and put Thy light on my right and put Thy light on my left and put Thy light above me and put Thy light below me and put Thy light in front of me and put Thy light behind me and do Thou, O Allah, convert the whole of me into light” (Bukhari).
Whenever the Holy Prophet referred to or discoursed about God, it appeared to onlookers as if his whole being was in the grip of a passion of love for and devotion to God. He always insisted upon simplicity in divine worship. The mosque, that he built in Medina and in which he always led prayers, had only a mud floor which was innocent of all covering or matting and the roof, which was made of dried palm branches and leaves, leaked whenever it rained. On such occasions the Holy Prophet and members of the congregation would be drenched with rain and mud but he would continue with the prayers till the end and on no occasion did he give any indication that he would postpone the service or remove to more weather-tight shelter (Bukhari).
The Holy Prophet was also watchful regarding his Companions. ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar was a man of extreme piety and purity of life. Concerning him the Holy Prophet once said: ” ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umarra would be an even better man if he were to be more regular with regard to his Tahajjud prayers.”
When this was communicated to ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar he never thereafter missed these prayers. It is recorded that the Holy Prophet, happening to be in the house of his daughter Fatima, inquired of her and his son-in-law, ‘Ali, whether they were regular with regard to their Tahajjud prayers. ‘Ali replied:
“O Messenger of Allah! We try to get up for Tahajjud prayers but on occasion when God so wills that we are unable to wake up in time we miss them.”
He went back and, on the way, repeated several times a verse of the Qur’an which means that a man is often reluctant to admit his fault and tries to cover it up with excuses (Bukhari). The Prophet meant that ‘Ali should not have attributed his default to God by saying that when God willed that they should not wake up they were unable to wake up in time, but should have admitted his own weakness in the matter.
These incidences have been taken from the book ‘Life of Muhammad’ by Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad. If anyone would like a link to read this book, please ask and I will gladly send it to you.