The Great Moralilty of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.A.)

A Permanent Cure
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) has said: A Bedouin woman was passing by the Holy Prophet who was eating while sitting on the earth. She said, “O Muhammad! I swear by Allah that you eat and sit on the earth like a servant of Allah.”The Holy Prophet said, “Woe to you! Who is more deserving than me to be a servant of Allah?” The woman said, “Give a morsel of your food to me!” The Holy Prophet gave her a morsel. The woman said, “No, give me the morsel from your mouth!” The Holy Prophet brought out the morsel from his mouth and gave it to her. The woman never experienced any pain in life until she died.10
Honoring a Nobleman
Hatam al-Ta’i was a noble, generous, and kind Arab. He would make food of a camel’s flesh every day to feed people. He was doing this whole-heartedly and with devotion. Nevertheless, he died before the advent of Islam. After Hatam, his son Adi succeeded him; he was as generous as his father. It is said that one day a man asked him for one hundred Dirhams. Adi said, “By Allah, this is nothing, ask for more!” When a poet eulogized him, Adi said, “Wait for me to give you a reward before you read the eulogy.”
In the 9th A.H., the Holy Prophet sent a group headed by Imam Ali to Ta’i tribe to invite them to Islam but they fought them and were defeated. Most of the Ta’i people were taken captives along with a considerable booty. Adi, a Christian by faith, escaped to Syria, leaving his sister Safanah among the captives. She stood up before the Holy Prophet and said, “O Allah’s Messenger! My father has passed away, my guardian who is my brother has escaped to Syria, so be gracious to me.” The Holy Prophet ordered to give here new clothes and send here respectfully to Syria.
Seeing this, Adi was surprised. When his sister told him about the Holy Prophet’s gracious behavior, Adi asked for an advisable act. The sister said, “You would better go to him, for it would be a source of pride for you to believe in him, should he be a prophet and it would be an honor for you should he be a king.” Adi moved quickly. He went to the mosque and introduced himself to the Holy Prophet who invited him to his house.
On the way home, an old woman came to the Holy Prophet and held him standing for a long time speaking of her needs. The Holy Prophet too was patiently listening to her! Adi said to himself, “This is not the attitude of the kings to speak with the needy in this manner.” When they reached home, the Holy Prophet made Adi sit on the mattress while he himself sat on the earth facing him. Adi said, “It is not good for me to sit on this mattress when you sit upon the ground.” The Holy Prophet said, “You are our guest!”
Then the Holy Prophet said, “Perhaps you look at the actual poverty and indigence of Muslims and our numerous enemies that you do not accept Islam. But this situation will not last long.” Hearing this, Adi willingly embraced Islam, defended Ahl al-Bayt after Allah’s Messenger and remained steadfast until the end of his life. He fought along with Imam Ali in the battles of Camel(Jamal), Siffin and Nahrawan for the sake of Allah. In the Battle of Jamal (Camel), he lost one eye and three of his sons were martyred in the front of justice against injustice.11
Great Forbearance
Anas ibn Malik says: A Bedouin came to the Holy Prophet, took his cloak by hand and drew it in a way that its edge left an abrasion on the Holy Prophet’s neck. Then he said, “Order to bestow on me of Allah’s property which is with you!” The Holy Prophet smiled and ordered to give to him what he needed.”12
Courtesy towards the community
Whenever the Holy Prophet noticed the absence of a brother-in-faith for three days, he would inquire about him. He would pray for his people if they were not near by and would rush to visit them if they were ill.13
Honoring a Guest
One day the Holy Prophet had a lot of guests at home. Jarir Ibn Abdullah entered the house but could not find a place to sit. So, he had to sit outside. Seeing this, the Holy Prophet spread his shirt for him to sit on. Jarir picked up the shirt, put it on his face and kissed it.
Salman says: I went to see the Holy Prophet who was leaning on a cushion. When he saw me, he offered his cushion to me saying: O Salman! Allah will have his mercy on a Muslim who offers a cushion for his brother-in-faith when he comes to visit him.14
Respect for Kindness
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) said: When a foster sister came to see the Holy Prophet, he spread his cloak for her to sit on. He also started to speak to her with a smile on his lips. When she left, her brother came to the Holy Prophet but his behavior was quite different. When asked why they were not treated equally, the Holy Prophet said: I respected the sister more because she was more kind to her parents.15
Forgiving the Enemies
When the Holy Prophet conquered Mecca with his strong army of twelve thousand soldiers, he treated people so kindly that they were all surprised. No one could believe that a victor could treat the defeated party in this way.
People of Mecca had gathered in the Sacred Mosque to see the leader of Muslims and Islam come out of Kabah and judge those who committed all kinds of persecution against him for thirteen years. However, after breaking the idols, the Holy Prophet came out of Kabah to address the people of Mecca as such, “O people! You were bad kinsmen and neighbors for me. You expelled me from my hometown and fought against me in an unmanly way. You did not spare any attempt to persecute my friends, my companions or me. You killed my uncle, Hamzah. You fought against Allah’s Messenger so I have the right to avenge myself on you. Based on this right, your men must be killed, your wives and children must be taken captive, your property must be seized by the conquerors, and your houses must be demolished. Yet I leave the judgment to you. What do you think?”
Suhayl ibn Amr, representing his people, said, “We speak good and think good. You are an honorable brother and an honorable nephew who has power over us.” These words impressed the tender-hearted Prophet in such a way that his eyes were filled with tears. People of Mecca started weeping. Then the Holy Prophet said, “I do the same thing as my brother Joseph did. There is no sin upon you today. May Allah forgive you; He is the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.”16
A Graceful Generosity
Sahl ibn Sa’d al-Saidi says: I made a cloak of black and white wool for the Holy Prophet and he liked it. While touching it, he asked, “What a good cloak this is!” A nomadic Arab who was present there said, “Give me this cloak!” The Holy Prophet immediately took it off and gave it to him.” 17
Helping a brother-in-faith
Abu-Sa’id Khargushi in his book, Sharaf al-Nabi writes: A needy companion of the Holy Prophet got married and asked him something. The Holy Prophet went to Aishah’s house saying, “Do we have anything to help this companion?” A’ishah said, “We have a bag with flour in it.” The Holy Prophet gave it to the companion while they had nothing for themselves.18