Visage of Prophet Mohammad [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

The Visage
of Prophet Mohammad

By: Dr.
Ali Shariati

PART ONE

Some of the Salient Characteristics
of the Prophet's Personality

Truly, even thinking about
the Prophet (S) is extremely difficult and awe inspiring. A great personage
like Ali (A) said: "Whenever we found the situation to be grave, we used
to take refuge in the Prophet of God and sought the shelter of his presence
in order to feel safe and protected in his loving company". How sublime
and lofty was the personality of this great man. It is quite natural that
our limited and little minds are unable to realize this greatness. The
tools and criteria that we have to evaluate and measure men by, fail to
assess and understand such a great being. Hence, we are compelled to understand
him within the limits imposed on our intellects.

Strength and Popularity
at their Peak:

One of his characteristics'
(with which I myself came across while lecturing on the life and personality
of the Prophet (S)) indicates that no personage has existed in the annals
of history in whose being both strength of character and popularity, at
such a high level, were combined together in this way. In a personage of
such greatness, which inspires awe, fear, and another quality; which fills
the heart with a special kind of friendly love for him, has never been
integrated with each other. The lovableness of the Prophet (S) is separate
from his prophethood; for instance Moses, Abraham and Jesus were also prophets
and all of them were loved and respected by their people as prophets and
apostles of God. But our Prophet (S) possessed an additional quality, and
that was the compassion of all who came in contact with him. (We who know
and love the Prophet (S) through his words alone can naturally imagine
to what extent those who dealt with him personally, could love him.) This
dimension of his personality was, in itself such a great force that many
of his Companions were greatly affected by his words in such a way that
they feared that the Quranic verses reflecting the Prophet's utterances
filled their hearts so full that even the words of the Quran might not
fit. They were anxious to remember whatever he said, because they loved
him so much they memorized his words by heart. Even today, after the passage
of fourteen hundred years, his words are so familiar to the masses of Makkah
and Madinah, who now have no culture whatsoever and have fallen to the
lowest intellectual level, it is as if the Prophet (S) is still alive and
speaking to them. His words, his reminiscences, his relics, his memoirs
and all that belong to him are ever recounted by the people, as if he still
resides in Madinah. Even the drivers, grocers and vendors- those who are
not acquainted with history, who have never read about his life and character
and are illiterate still feel his presence among them. As if he was still
alive, and in contact with them.

In the course of these
fourteen hundred years, no incident, no rift or gap has been able to create
a gulf or distance between them and the Prophet (S) (this is something
very unusual). This lovableness is wonderful and extraordinary, to the
extent that when one reads his biography, after some time one begins to
love him. All this greatness within all this simplicity seems to be impossible
is a miracle in itself. Philosophically, it is to contain the whole world
in an eggshell, but this actually became reality.

While sitting in the corner
of the Prophet's Mosque, one can imagine the magnificence of the Prophet
(S). What kind of a man was this person who razed all the great empires
of the world to the ground? Who was he? What was the extent of his might
and strength? Those of you who have fortunately visited this mosque can
envision it in your mind. The additions that have been made to the Prophet's
Mosque, are fully distinguishable. If you envision that portion of the
Prophet's Mosque which is between the columns coloured in yellow ochre,
it was the entire area of the Prophet's Mosque, both the covered and uncovered
area measured 2,100 sq cubits. The area covered by the yellow ochle columns
with a golden margin, indicates the exact place where the columns were
erected during the Prophet's time. In place of the present columns date
trees were placed (exactly in the same place where the present columns
stand). It perfectly reveals the nature and extent of the government which
brought down and destroyed the majestic edifice of the Roman Empire and
leveled to the ground the lofty mansions of the Mada'in rulers within the
short period of less than a quarter of a century. A few houses made of
mud in one corner of the courtyard of the mosque, a pulpit in another corner.
a nitche at the distance of two three meters; there a small house, here
the site of the mosque and the place where he prayed, and in that corner
he used to converse with the people. This was the centre of his power*
the entire domain of his strength, which served as the base of Islam throughout
the entire world. This was actually the whole administration he controlled
until the time of his death.

When one views that history
was made in this small space of ten to twelve meters and all the ancient
magnificent powers were humbled to the ground, one has to believe that
it was in fact an extraordinary phenomenon. One can feel this miracle and
witness it with his own eyes.

The other specific quality
of the Prophet's personality is that in every place of the (Arabian) Peninsula,
which the Prophet (S) visited, man feels a sense of attachment to that
land and is attracted to its soil, its pebbles and the mountains thereof.
It attracts the heart like a magnet, as if one has entered a magnetic field.
At first I thought that maybe since I knew what had happened on the other
side of the mountain Abu Qubays, and what role it played in the Prophet's
life, and I knew about the gloomy years when the sequence of the revelations
was interrupted for years- those nights, when sometimes the Prophet (S)
even considered throwing himself down, made a great emotional impression
on me, for they had a specific attraction for me. Even though, when a group
of Germans and other youths came to visit this place, even before I told
them about where we were, (we were talking and as we passed through the
ravines of Bani 'Amir and Bani Hashim, and went up the summit of Abu Qubays),
when we reached the tops all of them had the same unconscious feeling,
even though they did not cherish any memory which could stir their feelings.

The Elevated Status of
The Prophet (S):

Today I shall describe
some very unique characteristics of the Prophet (S), since it is a day
especially connected with his person. On all other days we can talk about
his philosophy and ideology. Today is not the anniversary of the beginning
of his prophetic mission, it is his birthday. Due to this, it is not improper
if I choose to speak about him personally, the characteristics of this
great personage and his personality.

Whenever one reads the
account of his life, the places where he lived, one realizes the one of
the characteristics inherent to his nature was his choice of high and lofty
places like an eagle. Wherever he went and put up his tent, he chose the
highest point. For instance, during Haji he would go to 'Arafat. His spiritual
state was exactly like a bird that dwells in lofty heights. If you look
at Mina, the highest hilltop there is Khayf, where the mosque of Khayf
is situated- that is the place where the Prophet (S) preferred to stay.

Arafat is a desert and
a plateau. There is a hill in a corner. You know that at Arafat the Prophet
(S) went and stayed there.

Before he was appointed
to the prophethood, he chose the mount of Hira, which was the highest and
the most mysterious mountain among the mountains surrounding Makka, to
go into retreat and seclusion. Unlike the hermits and recluses who chose
basements and underground places, burrows, secluded spots and caves for
this purpose, even the place that he chose to go into seclusion was a mountain
top, a lofty peak and a summit. These are spiritual and psychological matters
but they are indications of his existential experience. Sometimes the individualistic
behaviour of a person reveals the greatness of his being and his innate
characteristics.

Destroying the Old Value
System and Creating a New One:

He was a man who wielded
so much power and might that even when his enemies wanted to abuse him,
they would say: "He is a Prophet equipped with arms and his religion is
the religion of the sword". For the world his image is projected as that
of a warrior. None of the Roman, Aramaic, Greek or Arian generals ever
fought as many battles as our Prophet (S). What is important is not the
extent of battles but the occupation in martial activities. The Prophet
(S) was engaged in battles for eight years. During this period of time
he fought 64 or 65 battles, which if averaged out, will show that he had
a military expedition every forty or fifty days. No single military man,
considering his military operations alone, has been able to engage himself
in as many battles, (64 or 65) during a ten year period of social and political
responsibilities.

Nevertheless, his Companions
never considered him to be a military man. People came to him with their
smallest problems. A woman opened her heart to him complaining that her
husband does not sleep with her. He was so accessable to the people that
she comes to the Prophet (S) without having the slightest idea of his superiority
. (To whom can you speak to in this manner? You dare not speak of; such
trifle matters to the clergy in your neighbourhood. ) This woman comes
and detains the Prophet (S) for an hour. She recounts to him the habits
of her husband; she tells him how he is when he comes home; how bad is
his mood; what she says, and how he answers; what he said the last night;
how many nights he has not slept with her; how he behaves with her; how
he supports her, does'nt support her... He sits patiently, and listens
to her in such a manner that she is encouraged to return the next day again.
Tomorrow her neighbours also come. The day after tomorrow all the other
women come to him. It is obvious that he does not behave in a way that
the very first day a person feels that he or she was mistaken, should not
have come to him. Till his death no one realized that he was mistaken to
behave with him in this manner. His firmness, grandeur, greatness and his
worldly prestige overwhelmed all those, irrespective of friend or foe who
did not see him. But those who saw him, they found in him an intimate,
lovable friendly person. Unlike the great worldly personages who appear
little and humble from a distance and dreadful and terrible from near.

An old woman wanted to
speak with him. She saw the Prophet (S) emerging from his quarters and
came face to face with her. The Prophet (S) felt that she wanted to tell
him something. She stopped and waited, when he saw that she would not come
forward, he himself went to her. He noticed that she was trembling and
tongue-tied(she was over-awed by the Prophet's personality). He came and
held her by the shoulders like a child and said, "Mother whom are you afraid
of ? I am the son of that Qurayshi woman who used to milk sheep. Whom do
you fear?" This is the new value system which was created by him, as he
broke the old value system.

We have again returned
to those very aristocratic values. Even while speaking about our Prophet
(S), we judge him by criteria that is contrary to the mission of his prophethood.
Imam Sadiq (A) speaks about the Prophet thus:

"The Prophet (S) used
to sit as a servant siteth, used to take his meals as a servant eateth;
and indeed he regarded himself to be a servant".

(It was not a feigned
appearance, but in reality he considered himself to be a servant. What
a strange thing.)

Besides being a social
privilege, aristocracy has its own specific symbols. It has its own style
of dressing, its own specific decorations, its own means of transportation,
its own specific sources of livelihood, its own specific titles- all these
are the signs of aristocracy, whether it may be the clerical elite, for
if you look at the titles of this class, the whole writing space will be
filled or it may be the political or a privileged class elite. It makes
no difference as to which kind of aristocracy a person belongs. One of
the signs of aristocracy, for example, is having a long beard this was
prevalent in Russia several years ago. servant. But the latter is more
appropriate.

The members of senior
families used to grow very long beards.

Some other signs of aristocracy
include: long robes, long sleeves, titles and the possession of a horse.
Horseback riding formed one of the essential constituents of chivalry in
Europe, Iran and many other parts of the world. Nobles were called 'Chevalier'
in Europe (derived from cheval, which means horse). In Iran 'Aswaran' means
equestrian (the family of the nobles were called Aswaran). The kings' titles
were 'Goshtasb', 'Bayarasb', 'Lohrasb' etc. meaning* the possessor of ten
horses, a hundred horses, two hundred horses and so on, which was in itself
a symbol of aristocracy. Even in the aristocratic system of China, and
similarly of Europe the common people had no right to mount a horse. Not
for the reason that they did not have sufficient money, even if they had
money they were not allowed to have a horse- for the horse and sword were
specific privileges of nobles and their families. Nevertheless the Prophet
(S), even when he went to a battle, used to ride a camel, and during his
journeys used to ride a she-camel or a mule. Ali (A) said that the Prophet
(S) used to ride an ass. An ass was the most inferior and meanest of animals,
usually used by the humblest of the people. And it is even humbler not
to use a saddle. It is similar to riding a bicycle without a chain. This
is a sign indicating the lowest status of a man, or rather having no status
at all. It is a greater dishonour to share such a humble beast with somebody
else for a ride. The Prophet (S) often liked to travel about the city in
this manner.

He even caught his own
beard in his hands and repeatedly commanded (to follow his example), and
cursed the people (who grew long beards) saying: "Whatever (hair of the
beard) exeeds the measure of a fist will be burnt in the flames". With
great zeal he ordered all the long robes to be cut short and declared that
no Muslim had a right to wear a cloak below the knee. We see that in the
aristocratic system the higher the status of a person is, the longer the
length of the dress

For example in ancient
China the skirts of the gentry were tailored a few meters longer than their
height, and since it became difficult to move in such garments, they were
collected and put in a basket with four wheels which were carried by slaves.
This shows that the cutting short of the robes was basically a revolutionary,
categorical, profound and meaningful act. It was intended to break the
values of aristocracy.

Doing away with titles
of honour. The Prophet (S) was intent upon making revolutionary ammendments
in names as well. If someone was named Abu al-Aass, the Prophet (S) said!
'Nay, it should be Abu Muti' . Henceforth, he was called by the name Abu
Muti' alone.

Sometimes he himself conferred
titles on men. Even today we have a custom in our villages to call persons
by specific titles, but these titles have derisive, malicious, or aristocratic
and racial implications. But the titles bestowed by the Prophet (S), despite
revealing a sense of humour had a pleasant tint. (For instance) he saw
a person carrying a cat, he called him Abu Hurayrah, which became his name.
Once he entered the mosque. He saw Ali (A) sleeping on the ground and asked
him to wake up. When Ali (A) woke up they saw that his hair, his clothes
and his face were covered with dust. He said: "What happened? O Abu Turab"
(the father of dust). Henceforth Hadrat Amir (A) very much loved to be
called by this nickname alone. The values were completely transformed.
His values were absolutely contrary to the titles that the clerics, aristocrats
and the elite contrived for themselves.

The Prophet's Training:

One of the characteristics
of the Prophet (S) was that he was from among common men. (Though this
is a term improper a more suitable term does not exist.) He was absolutely
and purely illiterate. What is training or education? To train means to
mould and fashion a personality. What are the factors that are effective
in training a human being?

In my view there are five
factors that participate in the formation of an individual: First, it is
the mother who shapes the first dimensions of the personality of a child.
Second, the father. Third; ideology, educational institutions and culture.
Fourth: Civilization. Fifth: Essentially the spirit of the period in which
you live. Take yourself as an example. You were brought up by your mother.
The next training you received was from your father. The third kind of
training was educational- whatever you have studied. The fourth factor
of your training is that you are from Tehran. The fifth factor is that
you are living in the twentieth century. If you lived in Tehran at the
time of Nasiruddin Shah You would have shared four factors with the present
Tehrani, but your age would be different. These are the five factors.

The Prophet (S) of Islam
did not enjoy any of these five factors effective in moulding an individual's
personality. His father died before he was born. (This factor is absent.)
Secondly, immediately after his birth, he was separated from his mother
and taken to the desert to be nursed. He remained there for two years.
He should have been brought back to his mother after that period, but on
account of a plague, before his mother could embrace him he was again taken
back to the desert. The plague prevented him from being brought up by his
mother. Untill the age of five, he neither saw his father nor his mother.
At the age of five he was returned to his mother. The mother, who had lost
her husband-and he was her only child, for the first time took him under
her care and intended to take him to Madinah so that he could visit his
uncles, her father and her family. (The mother of the Prophet (S) belonged
to the tribe of Banu Najjar of Madinah) But his mother died on the way
to Madinah and the child, Muhammad, was left alone in the middle of the
desert.

The third factor is civilization,!'and
the Prophet (S) was born among the crudest of the nomadic people of the
age. The Arabian Peninsula was also a peninsula from the cultural as well
as the geographical points of view. Geographically it is a peninsula, a
piece of land surrounded by water on three sides, but paradoxically not
a single drop of water fell on this desert. A dry island. Culturally also
it is a peninsula. On the one side Greek civilization, Palestine on the
other; on this side Iran and Iraq, and India lies on that side- all these
civilizations surrounded it, but none of the signs of the surrounding cultures
ever penetrated it. Thus, the Prophet (S) grew up in a virgin desert land,
bereft of culture and civilization, and was brought up in a virtual cultural
vacuum.

The fifth factor time,
was under the domination of the Roman culture, Alexandrian culture and
Iranian culture. Time was controlled by these cultures. No age or time
existed during the seventh century A.D. in the Arabian Peninsula. It is
true that now we are living in the twentieth century, but actually we do
not live in the twentieth century. Even today there are Beduin tribes who
do not wear clothes. If you look at their calendar.you will believe that
they belong to the twentieth century, but the twentieth century does not
exist for them. They live in the twentieth century B.C.!

You can see that the Prophet
(S) was an individual who was not influenced in the slightest manner by
any one of the five factors that play an active role in the training and
raising of an individual. He grew up as a completely free being, independent
of any influences. It is on account of this that he had an immense capacity
to understand, and accept new concepts, meanings and values that humanity
could not have comprehended. It is for this very reason that he was able
to defeat and demolish all the old values and cultures, all the systems
of education and training, all the beliefs, and all that was sacred to
them. Had he had an opportunity of being trained under any system, he would
have been influenced by the existing values of the time.

According to these facts,
the Prophet's being illiterate is an indication of the pureness of his
being. Age, family, history, culture and moral moulding, none of these
had the slightest role in his development. For this reason, he could easily
comprehend the concepts that were completely unprecedented and revolutionary.
A philosopher who studies philosophy in Alexandria, Athens or Hamadan could
never have such an im.mense capability.

Power in Weakness:

There are really many
peculiarities in the Prophet's life. In the seventh year of his migration
he went to Makkah and declared: "We wish to circumambulate around the Ka'bah
as other Arabs do. We also wish to perform the ritual." They did not allow
him to enter Makkah and bluntly said: "Go away, we shall not let you to
do it". He returned frustrated and disappointed. How can a person who cannot
exercise a right which is granted to an Arab Beduin, and is so weak in
his own country, come back and write to the superpowers of that age; the
Iranian and Roman emperors? He wrote to them: "In the name of Allah. Surrender
to me, otherwise, what will come to you will be of your own doing." What
a tone and a manner! What a great bully! Well, Brother! With what strength?
Just now you were turned back by Abu Sufyan and were forced to stop at
the gate of Makkah, and you were so helpless that you had to comply and
turn back, as you had no other choice. And now that you have been turned
back, on what authority do you write a letter? And in such a manner! It
seems that he possesses the strength of a mountain. Otherwise, how could
it be possible? He is not deranged. He is a sensible, reasonable man. He
has calculated all the pros anel cons and he knows very well that the emperor
Khusrow abd Parviz does not need to send a company of soldiers to arrest
him. He could have easily asked one of his slaves in Yemen to go and arrest
that Arab! And that's what Khusrow did. He did not even send some of his
soldiers to Madinah in order to bring him.He asks Bazan his protege in
Yemen "Go and see what type of a dreamer is he who behaves so nonsensically.
And wrote a letter to me asking me to surrender to him." He could have
sent four persons to arrest him, and that would have been enough!

In spite of the existence
of such a great power in the world and realizing his own weakness, he issues
warnings to all the great powers on earth. In the seventh year of the Hijrah
he wrote and despatched these letters. (It is significant that he wrote
these letters in the seventh year of the Hijrah.)

The Prophets Domestic
Life:

With all this greatness,
while he enters his house, his wives see in his countenance an ordinary
good husband alone. What kind of a person he is that outside his home,
emperors are afraid of him, he is tough and wields so much power and has
such a great spirit. But, as he enters his house, his wives, the same women
who used to fear their husbands and fathers used to seize him by the collar,
call him names, and tease him. They reproach him tauntingly by saying:
"What kind of life is this that you are leading? Look how other people
live, what kind of house they have, how their daughters live, how their
wives live ! Is this the house that you have built for us'?" According
to the narrations of Abu Hurayrah, month after month passes and no smoke
rises out of his kitchen. When they wished to be indulged in luxury, they
used to take seeds of the dates and knead them with dates (even then no
cooking!) till they were softened. He too liked them very much, and whenever
he wanted to fill his stomach lavishly, he ate them. This was the kind
of life, house, and furniture he had.

In Europe a person delivered
a speech on the topic "The Prophet, his loves and wives". I also delivered
a speech as a rejoinder to what he had uttered on this topic. I said: What
kind of a home did the Prophet (S) have? It was a room made of mud, which
he built himself. Half of the room was covered by a mat and the remaining
by sand. The sand was brought from the desert and changed every few days,
so that it would not become dirty. The house made of mud walls belonging
to his favourite wife Ayesha, is also furnished in the similar manner.
This all the furniture that a great emperor possesses. And how did he behave
with those wives? In relation to his wife and family he is no longer a
Prophet of God. Once Umar' objected: "How you spoil them!" Hafsah' was
afraid of 'Umar, but the Prophet (S) had made her cheeky 'Umar used to
ask his daughter: "What is the matter? Why are you so proud?" Hafsah, a
widow, was ill-tempered and ugly. No one would marry her. 'Umar made every
effort to find a husband for her, but he was unsuccessful. In order to
unburden him of his responsibility, the Prophet (S) sought her hand in
marriage. This ugly, ill- tempered widow always created a sorry fight for
the Prophet (S) and always embarrassed the Prophet (S) by her shouting.
The Prophet (S) adjusted to her and their whole life, they lived together
compatibly. It is after all an amazingly rare quality to show such great
patience, courtesy and humility towards others.

Muhammad: The Friend of
the Oppressed:

He is the only friend
of the widows, the homeless and the strangers whom he saw in the streets
of the city-the persons whom nobody greets with a salam, and nobody bothers
to return greetings. Sometimes, when passing he sees that these strangers,
shepherds and paupers who are seated on the ground have spread a cloth
laying their humble meal upon it, consisting of bread suitable for a camel
only, they invite him to join them, and he eagerly sits down and shares
their food. He is not posing for photographers to click their cameras.
No, not at all. He sits and chats with them amicably and makes friends
with them. He invites them to honour him by coming to his home for supper
that evening.

He comes lower and lower,
as if there is no one humbler in Madinah. Returning from (the battle of)
Banu Mustalaq. (This is really terrific at such a time when the values
prevalent were all aristocratic ones.) Among the inhabitants of Madinah
nobody was left except old women, the crippled and children, for all the
warriors had gone to the battlefront, and now the army was returning home
They all went to receive the triumphant soldiers, under the command of
the Prophet (S). All the women, children, families, old and elderly persons
and respectable citizens of Madinah and those who stayed behind had formed
rows. An obscure labourer, who had been shoveling when he saw the Prophet
(S) and the holy fighters advancing, hid himself behind the crowd, humbly
watching from a corner. He did not consider himself to be worthy enough
to come forward to offer his greetings. (He thought of himself as a non-entity,
not a personage to come forward and salute the warriors; no, he felt he
should watch from a distance only). When the Prophet (S) saw that the people
have come to greet him and formed rows, he unmounted his horse and passed
through the rows of the people, shaking hands with everyone.

He happened to see the
labourer at the farthest end behind all the people. Breaking through the
line he advances towards him. This person became nervous, (What? Is it
possible'?) he had not prepared himself for such a thing. He threw aside
his shovel and offered his hand. The Prophet (S) was shocked to feel something
rough like a stone in his hand. Wondering he asks, "What has happened to
your hand?" The labourer says: "Nothing! I work with a shovel. I am a worker,
a labourer, my hands have become calloused, mud-covered and dried." The
Prophet (S) was visibly moved, as to why he did not realize the cause of
the hardness of this hand from the beginning. He feels compelled to compensate
for his omission. He expresses this feeling by holding the worker's hand,
kissing it and raising it high in front of his army, declaring: "This is
the hand that will not be touched by the fire." What an extraordinary person!
A strange phenomenon!

Now look, they want to
analyze the revelation in terms of physics, and discover what colour it
is. It is actually something else and has come from another place! When
and from what time? From which period, and what conditions? The great French
Revolution is not known to him, and he has not read Victor Hugo, etc....
civilization flourishes in Iran and Rome. They enjoyed the fruits of education
and culture, but you know what kind of values they had. In India, which
had a great culture three thousand years prior to this event, even today,
in the twentieth century, while the workers, after completing their day's
work want to take wages from the employers in the evening, they carry a
bowl with them, so that the employer may drop coins in it and his hand
may not touch the untouchables' hands. This is an idea newly introduced
in the modern world that the aristocratic values should be discarded. But
was not conceived in the tribal and traditional agricultural society. Then
try to understand what has happened. Here is a gentleman well- versed in
English, is modern, knows Europe and the world, but still lacks such values.
The world is governed by such a value system.

Here is the Prophet, who
considered the kissing of the hands a sign of infidelity, yet kissed the
hands of only two persons: The hand of a lady-Fatimah (A ) andthe hand
of a labourer.

The Prophet's Discipline:

It is really difficult
for me to speak about the Prophet (S). I chose to speak about his personal
and private life, so that I may do some justice to the topic. Despite saying
that he was a simple person, there are still other such qualities that
are specific to his and his personality alone. One of these qualities is
his discipline. He is just like the Secretary- General of the United Nations!
Three rooms made of mud and thatched with the leaves of the date palm (this
is what his entire organization consisted of) are organized and coordinated
in such a way-the same administration, the same life- that the greatest
of all beaurocracies of the world cannot be compared to. He is like a phenomenon-
a natural phenomenon- like a small fragment of the world. Muhammad (S),
is a microcosm- in the form of a human being. He functions as a computer,
as a mathematical device. Have a look at his mosque. (I am not in a position
to elaborate this point any further.)

His life was very simple
and at the same time very regular and exact. He had several wives, but
he goes to Umm al- Masakin,' who is ten to twelve years his senior(her
son, who was of the Prophet's age, had come to ask for his hand in marriage
to his mother) in the same manner as he goes to 'Ayeshah. Throughout his
whole lifetime he did not commit a single act of discrimination. Except
when he fell ill and it became essential for him to remain in one place,
he sought permission from his wives, which they ought to have granted him,
so that he could stay in one house. How could the same person, move about
in the streets on all fours, so that the children could climb up upon his
back and enjoy a ride, maintain such a discipline in his affairs?

There are three columns,
the columns on which the roof of his rooms rests, three trunks of the date
tree. It is written on one of them Ustuwanat al-Halaq- the column of rings,on
the other, Ustuwanat al-haras- the column of guards and Utuwanat al-tahajjd-
the column of the Meditation or the sleeping column on the third column.
What does all this mean?

Whenever the Prophet (S)
closed his prayers he used to stand beside the pulpit, so that anybody
who wished to discuss their problems could come forward. A person cheated
in a certain deal, would come and give an account of his difficulties.
A woman unhappy about her husband, would come and discuss her problems.
Two people who have quarrelled, come and explain their dispute. Someone
has used abusive language to someone in Madinah, the aggrieved party comes
to him. Whoever wants to come, comes and says whatever he or she wants
to say. But sometimes he needs to hold a commission meeting. The chiefs
of the tribes have come to discuss with him something that is related to
the destiny of Islam. He ought to take an account of the matter. But still
he does not go behind closed doors; he sits beside a pillar. While he is
seated beside a particular pillar, all the Muslims who enter the mosque
understand that the Prophet (S) is holding a commission meeting, and that
it is not the time for them to sit beside him. It is obvious that he has
foreign visitors. That he is busy in important political talks, and therefore
it is not a proper time to interrupt him (they can do so later on). They
leave the place, for when the Prophet is busy with important discussions,
order should be maintained. But his simplicity is still evident. No line
is drawn and no walls are raised, but discipline is observed and everybody
knows the nature of this business.

When the person, who is
in politics, who fights battles, who is involved in conflicts, who listens
to the problems of every so and so, and has attained such lofty heights
of spiritual glory that the inhabitants of the heavenly spheres gaze at
him with awe, needs silence and seclusion for contemplation and meditation.
Whenever he wishes to be alone to with draw to himself, drown himself in
thought, he goes to the pillar named 'Ustawanat al-tahajjud (the column
of Meditation). When he is there, no one goes to him. His family should
not try to have any contact with him, his wife should not speak to him,
nor the Companions nearest to him should approach him. The people have
no business to disturb him either. He remains aloof and alone there. If
delegations arrive, they have to wait for him. As long as he is seated
near the 'Ustawanat al-tahajjud, everyone understands that he wishes to
meditate in seclusion and is saying his prayers. When he says liturgical
prayers, he does it with the people. But when he offers midnight prayers,
he is in a special spiritual state. On such occasions, when he wishes to
say prayer all alone, no one is supposed to say prayers with him or disturb
him. He goes around the three houses one by one, and stands for prayer
at the backside of the house of Fatimah (A). (There was no place specified
for this purpose, but always the backside of Fatima's house.) When he goes
there, it is implied that he would say prayer alone and that no one should
be around.

This order and discipline
reached such proportions that the household goods acquired specific names,
whose list is given in the Biography (Sirah) of the Prophet (S) written
by Ibn Hisham. He had several donkeys and mules, each of whom was given
a name. (He did not say; "bring the black- tailed mule", it had a name.)
He had several caps; there were four quadrangular caps that he used to
wear during battle. He had two or three turbans which he used to wear on
Fridays, and on the occasion of peace talks and other important social
ceremonies. Each of these turbans had a certain name. This naming of the
caps is indicative of his keenness to have order in every rnatter. His
bodily functions were exactly like nature. It was not something cultivated
and acquired, as in the case of the behaviour of other human beings.

Mr.Bazargan, (May God
reward him amply for his service) has performed a mathematical study of
the Quranic verses regarding their order and their length, and arranged
them according to their length. We know that the verses revealed in Mecca
are shorter and those revealed in Madinah are longer. He classified all
the verses revealed during the span of twenty- three years the duration
in which the Quran was revealed-into twenty- three grades, and has put
them together according to their length in their respective grades. Incidentally,
the verses placed in a particular grade belong to the same year. We can
know and count the number of words contained in the verses of each year.
What is the result of this? We have the following chart:

In the first year, 2500
words were revealed to the Prophet (S). In the second year, 3000 words
were revealed. In the third year, 3500 words were revealed. In the fourth
year, 4000 words were revealed. In the fifth year, 4500 words were revealed.
In the sixth year, 5000 words were revealed. In the seventh year, 5500
words were revealed. In the eighth year, 6000 words were revealed. In the
ninth year, 6500 words were revealed, and so on.

What are we dealing with
here? Here we see a systematic order which is found in physics and mathematics,
and not concerned with the man who uttered these words. It is just like
a graph or curve indicating the temperature and rainfall during different
months of year. A man who discourses for a period of twenty-three years,
under so many strains, victories, happiness, hardships, political matters,
philosophical matters and religious matters cannot have control over the
number of words in a way that exactly 500 words are added every year to
the words uttered by him in the previous year. It is really impossible
to discipline oneself in this way. Unconsciously all the verses uttered
by the Prophet (S) have an exact increase every year.

Here we are face to face
with a scientific order and discipline, not with a normal human personality.
The Prophet (S) is indeed a clear sign (ayah) similar to the day and night,
the sea, sun and stars. He is a cross- section of the cosmos, or rather
a cosmos in itself.

One of the characteristics
of the Prophet (S) is described by Ali (A), who has minutely portrayed
him and has given such exact physiognomical details about him that one
can paint a portrait of the Prophet (S) according to them (he has portrayed
his inner reflection and characteristics with words). How modern it is!
What a psychological insight! What a vivid portrait! He says: "He was neither
so tall that he could be regarded tall, nor so short that he could appear
slight and puny. He was square-shouldered and of sturdy build. His eyes
were sharp and he had a bass voice. He walked with a fast pace, a bit inclined
forward (he did not have an awkward wide-legged slow gait, like the man
who has been always beaten and making a retreat he strode forward like
the one sailing before the wind). He was prominently visible from a long
distance and caught the eyes like a roaring stream gushing onwards or like
a rock rolling down the mountain (as if he was striding over a steep slope).
From one shoulder to the other his chest was covered with thick growth
of hair. a line of which reached his navel. He was so particular about
cleanliness that he never used the same towel twice in his life. Today
a revolutionary is supposed to be a dirty person. In fact these are the
values cherished by a revolutionary today. If anyone keeps himself neat
and clean, it is said that he has adopted the bourgeoisie way of life.
But this fellow, who was a revolutionary to the core of his being, whose
entire paraphernalia consisted of four mats, ate date flour and date stone,
transformed the whole world, and despite growing up as a shepherd in the
desert, where water was scarce and hygenic conditions bad, had such a high
sense of hygeine and cleanliness that he did not use a towel twice during
his entire lifetime'.It is written in al-Kamisi that he had no riches,
but one third of all he possessed he spent on the articles of toilet and
cosmetics (one third of all his expenditure was for articles of dressing
up, toilet and perfumes, what can I say, it seems to be unbelievable!).

Similar was the case with
his swords. Each one of his swords bore a specific name.