On his day of birth, millions around the world celebrate the Prophet of Islam and his timeless message of truth and justice.

Widely recognized as the most merciful and kind-hearted of men to have ever lived, Islam’s final prophet left behind a legacy that continues to inspire intellectuals, international leaders, human rights activists, and people of all faiths and backgrounds. 

Centuries after his demise, he serves as an example of the best of moral characteristics. Alongside his immense strength and valor on the battlefield, he was the kindest and most humble with his family, children, orphans, and the poor. 

Despite facing overwhelming odds and a nation deeply plunged in ignorance and vice, he persisted in his mission to deliver the true message of God to humanity with patience and eloquence. 

He is Muhammad, revered by Muslims as the best of mankind and a timeless example for people of all faiths, nationalities, ages, and backgrounds. 

Today more than ever, the Prophet’s moral excellence, his unwavering support for the oppressed, and his sincere devotion to the least fortunate in society serve as an example of true leadership and timeless wisdom for global leaders and citizens of the world.

Truthfulness

Before Prophet Muhammad even declared his prophethood, he was well-known among people for being As-Sadiq and Al-Amin, the truthful and trustworthy one.

He was widely recognized for these qualities from a young age, to a point where even the pagan Arabs would put their complete trust in him as an impartial judge in their habitual disputes.

As a young man, Muhammad formed a group known as “Hilf al-Fudhul,” or the alliance of justice. The group was dedicated to defending the truth, and stopping aggressors from harming and oppressing others.

It also strove to protect the lives and rights of Muslim and non-Muslim traders at a time when Mecca was dominated by a tribal mentality.

Resilience

When Muhammad was declared a Prophet by God, he spread the message with extreme caution due to the ignorance that prevailed in the lands of Arabia.

From pre-Islamic traditions like burying baby girls alive to oppressing and torturing slaves, the idol-worshiping Arab pagans were perhaps the most ignorant and arrogant of people to have ever lived. 

In such a society, the holy Prophet was given the difficult task of delivering God’s message and reforming people’s sense of morality, starting with his family and slowly expanding to the greater society. 

While doing so, the Prophet faced a range of violent responses, from trash being thrown on his head to being publicly mocked in the streets. Despite the circumstances, he remained resilient in his dedication to the divine mission. 

Wars were waged against the Prophet as well, but his first response was never to pounce on enemies and annihilate them with the sword. Rather, he would advise against engaging in conflict and war.

If that did not work, he would order his companions to only attack in self-defense when they were attacked. 

Patience

During the early years of his Prophethood, Muhammad was struck with the grief of losing two of his young children, who were his only progeny at the time. The Arabs began calling him “Abtar,” a derogatory term for one who has no progeny to continue his name.

Years later, God blessed the Prophet with a daughter, Fatima, who became the mother of the his future progeny, and who shattered the stereotypes surrounding females in Arabia.

Despite his grief, the Prophet remained patient and resilient, working even harder to bring people toward Islam. He and his followers were exiled from Mecca with heavy sanctions against them, which led to widespread hunger amongst the Muslims. 

The pressures mounted on Prophet Muhammad, as his people were being persecuted, starved, and oppressed. Still, he remained patient and exercised selfless leadership, placing his people’s needs above his own.

After three years, the Prophet and his companions came back to Mecca after the sanctions were nullified. 

Empathy

In a land where slaves were treated worse than animals, Prophet Muhammad would sit with them, break bread with them, and treat them with utmost love and respect. This made him very disliked among the aristocrats of Mecca, who considered themselves to be of a superior class. 

After the Muslims had conquered Mecca, the Prophet made it a point to appoint Bilal ibn Rabah, a black slave, to recite the Islamic call to prayer on top of the Kaaba.

Bilal became one of the holy Prophet’s closest and most trusted companions, and a testament to his message that the true measure of a person’s value lies in their character and actions.

Prophet Muhammad expressed great empathy for the women of Arabia as well, leading a mass shift in how the world perceived the female.

One of the Prophet’s main missions was to show the pagans of Arabia, who humiliated women to a point of disgrace, that women were dignified and respected in the sight of God, and therefore in society. 

The Prophet put an end to the burying of baby girls, allowed women to inherit wealth, emphasized the value of motherhood, and showed through the example of his wife, Khadija, that women played a critical role in furthering Islam in society. 

Humility

Despite his lofty status, the holy Prophet was always the first to salute people. He would spread his cloak for visitors and never reserved himself a seat during gatherings. He fondly addressed his companions with their agnomen and with the best of names. 

The Prophet would frequently visit the sick — even the ones who humiliated him. One example was an elderly woman who would throw garbage on him as he walked on the street. Upon realizing she was absent due to sickness, the Prophet inquired about her whereabouts and paid her a visit. 

The Prophet was known to be kind and friendly to his wives and children, and was always in a cheerful mood. History narrates that he routinely assisted in household chores, milked the goats, mended his own shoes, kneaded the dough, purchased groceries, fed the animals, and ate with his servants. 

Later into his Prophethood, when the Prophet conquered Mecca, he presented an exemplary stature of power. The same leaders who once mistreated him and his companions were now at his mercy.

Despite his position, he forgave every one of them, including the killers of his uncle Hamza. Under his leadership, the guilty were spared, the tyrants were forgiven, and never once did the Prophet show animosity toward those who plotted to kill him several times.

Once a little orphan boy who lived as a commoner amidst haughty and ignorant Arabs, the Prophet of Islam removed an entire nation plunged deep into ignorance with his generosity, kindness, empathy, resilience, and profound faith in God, who chose him as the ultimate mercy to mankind.