The Best of Examples - Shaykh Bilal Ismail

The Best of Examples

All praise is due to Allah, the Creator of the universe and all that is in it, the Unifier of all people, the Day in which there is no doubt. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the One and Only. He sanctified Himself from His own likeness and showed His existence through His verses and His creatures.

And I bear witness that our Master and our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is His servant and Messenger. The last of the Prophets in this world is a period, and the first of them and the highest of them on the Day of Resurrection is a matter and a reminder. Peace be upon him and his family and his companions and those who followed them with kindness until the Day of Recompense.

As for the brothers of faith, the brothers of Islam — life is full of ups and downs, successes and losses, trials and tribulations. And so as you sail from one to the next, if and when you feel like giving up, if and when you feel, why is this happening to me, if and when you feel this is too much to carry on, then remember your Nabi Muhammad ﷺ. Our Rasul ﷺ, for verily in him was an example, a blueprint for every person in every phase of their lives.

Allah states:

Verily in the Nabi Muhammad ﷺ was the best of examples.

If you are rich and wealthy, follow the footprints of Muhammad ﷺ as he travelled between Hijaz and Sham on business or when he received the treasures of Bahrain. If you are successful and victorious, take a share from the life of Muhammad ﷺ and his character during the victory at Badr or the conquest of Mecca.

If you are beaten or downtrodden, then look at the example of the Nabi Muhammad ﷺ with his companions, some killed and others wounded after the battle of Uhud. If you are a husband, then read the perfumed biography of Khadija رضي الله عنها and the Nabi Muhammad ﷺ. If you are a father, if you are a grandfather, then learn from the life of the father of Fatima رضي الله عنها, the grandfather of Hassan and Hussain. Whoever you are, whatever you are, for as long as you awake and for as long as you breathe, in the life of Muhammad ﷺ is an example, a precedent of guidance, a beacon of hope and a character worthy of mention.

His Early Life: From Orphan to Prophet

Ikhwatul Iman, the final prophet of Allah, the greatest of the anbiya, the beloved of Allah, he grew up and was nurtured in Mecca al-Mukarramah. No tender motherly care did he have, no guidance of a father. His father passed away before he was born and his mother passed away at the young tender age of six.

Allah states:

Did We not find you as an orphan and grant you refuge? From one hand he goes to another, to the grandfather Abdul Muttalib and then to his uncle Abu Talib. From hand to hand, guardian to guardian he went.

He visits the grave of his mother later on in his life, the grave of Amina, and he tears, and the sahaba around him are in tears. He said:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 11, Hadith 2130)

I sought Allah's permission to seek forgiveness for her but I was not allowed. And I sought Allah's permission to visit her grave and I was allowed this. He wept, and the sahaba around him they wept.

The Beginning of Revelation

At the age of 40, in the cave of Hira, he is confronted by the angel Jibreel and ordered to recite. He responds, "I do not know how to read, how to recite." He rushes to Khadija for support. "Cover me up, cover me up."

Eventually she says to him, "Allah will not forsake you, for verily you join the family ties. You stand up for the rights of those whose rights have been taken away. You are honourable to your guests and you help those who are downtrodden."

From the lips of Waraqah he is told, "I wish that I will be with you and support you when your people kick you out." "Will they kick me out?" he responds. And Waraqah says to him, "Nobody has come with whatever you have come with, except that they will suffer and they will go through trials and tribulations."

Ya Abdullah, ya Amatullah — he began the path to what? To لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ. Not to fame and wealth. To لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ. To responsibility, to being a Muslim.

Trials and Persecution in Mecca

He ascends the mountain of Safa. The people had gathered. He says to them, "If I said to you there was an army behind this mountain, would you believe me?" They reply, "We do not know you to be a liar."

He says to them, "Save yourselves from the fire. Save yourselves from the fire. Ya Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad, save yourself or verily I will not be able to avail you before Allah."

His uncle stands up and says, "Is this why you gathered us? May you be perished for the rest of the day." Allah responds — if this is your uncle, the father-in-law to two of your daughters, and he responds like this to you in public, then you know the path ahead is going to be very, very difficult.

At Hajj, he goes from tribe to tribe inviting them, "Say La ilaha illallah, you will be successful." Who is behind him? None other than his own uncle — belittling him and making a mockery of him. This was the order of the day. Mockery, slander, accusations. "Verily he is crazy, you are mad. Verily, this is a lying sorcerer," they said.

And when the Wahi stopped for a period of time, a woman comes to him and says that it seems that his shaitan has deserted him and left him. Allah responds:

Verily, Allah has not forsaken you and has not abandoned you.

When the world seemed against the Rasul ﷺ, when it seemed that everybody was against him, the trials and tribulations only increased. He performs salah in front of the Ka'bah. From behind they come and begin to strangle him. Nobody comes to his rescue except Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه, who cries out, "Do you want to kill a man just because he says that Allah is his Rabb?"

The boycott in Makkah al-Mukarramah — days would pass and there would be nothing to eat except leaves. The trials, the tribulations, the sacrifice. And his Rabb responds and orders him:

Be patient and be determined like those who came before you.

The Year of Sadness and the Journey to Ta'if

His pillars of support, Khadija رضي الله عنها and Abu Talib, pass away. The year of sadness. He goes to Ta'if. Maybe the tribal leaders and the people there will grant him support. The response he gets: "Did Allah not find anybody to do this job besides you?"

And as he and Zaid رضي الله عنه leave Ta'if, they are stoned, they are pelted, they are chased and they are rebuked. When it seemed that the entire world was against him, he lifts up his hands — bleeding — and he turns to Allah and he states:

"O Allah, to You alone I make my complaint of helplessness, my few resources and my insignificance before mankind. O Most Merciful of the merciful, You are the Lord of the weak and You are my Rabb. To whose hands should I turn? To somebody distant who does not want me? Or an enemy to control my affairs? But if You are not displeased with me then nothing else matters."

Jibreel descends with the option of perishing these people. But the Nabi of Mercy, the Nabi of Rahma responds: "Arju — I hope that maybe Allah will take out from their loins those progeny that will worship Allah alone."

Mercy and patience in the face of trials and tribulations.

Hijrah and the Trials of Madinah

Back in Makkah al-Mukarramah, the plots and plans against the Rasul ﷺ increase, and the order to migrate to Madinah al-Munawwarah is given.

Ya Abdullah, ya Amatullah — this was your Nabi, our Rasul ﷺ, in Makkah al-Mukarramah. This was the man that every single one of us will be asked about in our graves. Every single one of us will be looking for him on Yawm al-Qiyamah. So be a true follower and a worthy follower of Muhammad ibn Abdullah ﷺ.

Ya Nabi Muhammad ﷺ — in the darkness of the night, he begins his journey to Madinah al-Munawwarah. He turns around and looks at Makkah and says, "Verily you are the most beloved of places to Allah, and had they not kicked me out I would never have left."

In the cave — sadness and pain, fear and grief. When he says to his companion, "Do not be sad, do not grieve, verily Allah is with us."

At Badr, he stands the night in du'a when everybody else was asleep. At Uhud, his head bleeds, his tooth breaks, and 70 of his beloved companions are martyred. Hamza is martyred. Mus'ab is dead.

Even with all of this, when he eventually enters Makkah al-Mukarramah — his head lowered in full humility — he states, "There is no harm upon you people today. You are all free and you can go in safety and security."

Personal Loss and Unwavering Faith

He had six of his seven children pass away in his lifetime, one after the other, but the sorrow and the pain did not stop him from his mission of لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ.

He visits his little son Ibrahim, 16–17 months old, picks him up, hugs him, holds him close and kisses him. A few months later, little Ibrahim passes away. The Rasul ﷺ tears, saying:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1303)

"Verily the eye tears, the heart is saddened, but we only say what is pleasing to Allah, and by your departure, O Ibrahim, we are sad."

With every loss, they mocked him even further — "You are the one who is cut off." But rather, the legacy of Muhammad ﷺ continues.

His Simplicity and Gratitude

He leaves his home at a time when everybody was asleep due to burning hunger. He would tie a rock on his belly due to burning hunger. Months would pass over the house of Prophethood and there would not be a fire lit because there was nothing worthy of making.

A Bedouin comes to him and asks him for some food. He sends the man to one of the wives and she responds, "I do not have anything except water." He goes to the second wife, she responds, "I do not have anything except water." From one to another, the similar response.

He says to Aisha رضي الله عنها, "I suffered when nobody else was suffering, and I was afraid when nobody else was afraid."

His companions loved him and were ready to sacrifice their lives for him. If he spoke, they listened. If he ordered, they followed. Anas رضي الله عنه states, there was nobody more beloved to them than the Rasul ﷺ.

Umar enters into his room and looks around — there is nothing worthy of mention. "Ya Rasulullah, why do you not ask Allah to give as He has given to others — the Romans, the Persians?" He responds to Umar, "Are you not happy? For them is this dunya and for us is the Hereafter."

Bilal رضي الله عنه comes to him in the early morning time before Fajr. He finds the Rasul ﷺ standing in the night in prayer, his feet swollen. "Ya Rasulullah, why do you do this to yourself?" He responds, "Should I not be a thankful servant to Allah?"

For a month, the slander of adultery was cast upon his virgin wife Aisha رضي الله عنها. His honor, his family, his companions — nothing was spared. But still, full of humility and servitude, when they came to him and said, "You are the best of us and the son of the best of us. You are the leader of us and the son of our leader," he responds:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 12551)

"Oh you people, I am Muhammad, the slave of Allah, the messenger of Allah. Do not praise me and raise me over and above the position that Allah has given me."

Like waves, the hardships came to him one after the other. But he never weakened and he never gave in. Jabir رضي الله عنه states, the Prophet ﷺ never saw me except that he had a smile on his face. He was ready to help in the home and physically help the sahaba when they were building the masjid.

The Final Hajj and His Departure

He performs the final Hajj in his 60s with over 100,000 of the sahaba around him. The entire Arabian Peninsula under his control. He asks them whether he has fulfilled his mission and passed on the message, and they all respond, yes. He points up to the heavens and says, "O Allah, You be a witness."

A few weeks later, the messenger of Allah, the Habib of Allah, the final messenger to mankind, he lies on his deathbed and he says, "Verily, death has its pangs."

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4463)

"To the highest companion." And with that, he leaves this temporary existence. He leaves no palace behind, no gold, no slave, no silver. Rather, he leaves after spending a lifetime of sacrifice, trials and tribulations. He leaves after having fulfilled his duty and mission.

This was your Nabi. This was our Rasul ﷺ.

Our Responsibility to His Ummah

It would be unbecoming of you and negligent of you and unmindful of you to be ignorant of his life, of his manners, of his practice and of his mission. It would be unbecoming of you to give up and fall down in the face of trials and tribulations and difficulties. Rather be a Muslim. Be strong. Be firm. Be a Muslim.

Remember, on Yawm al-Qiyamah, on that day when people will be running helter-skelter, each one seeking salvation for themselves, running away from the father, the mother, the children, the companion, the spouse — the only one who will not be thus is our Nabi Muhammad ﷺ.

They will come to him after going to every one of the Anbiya. "Ya Rasulullah, intercede before Allah that this Qiyamah accountability — this hisab — begin." He will bow down to Allah, praising Him with a praise he never praised before that day. Until it would be said to him:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4712; Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 377)

"Lift up your head. Intercede and your intercession will be accepted. And ask and you will be given."

And how will he respond?

"O Allah, my ummah, my ummah."

Ya Abdullah, ya Amatullah — where are you with regards to the ummah of Muhammad ﷺ? We talk about in business having a side hustle. With regards to the ummah of the Prophet ﷺ, what is your side hustle? What is your side project? What is your side program that you are assisting, that you are giving some time to, some money, some effort in?

The reality is, as Umar رضي الله عنه stated, "I wish that this entire room was full of people like Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, Salim Mawla Abi Hudhaifa and Mu'adh ibn Jabal." Those who are in the front line are very, very few. And the supporters are even fewer.

Ya Abdullah, ya Amatullah — you will be questioned with regards to the ummah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Remember Allah the Great, the Majestic — He will remember you. And be grateful to Him for His blessings — He will increase you. And the remembrance of Allah is the greatest. And Allah knows what you do.