Reflecting on the life of Prophet Muhammad this month, we asked AboutIslam readers for their favourite stories of him.
We chose three of your (and our) favourite stories about the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Enjoy them!
1 – An Example of His Immense Patience with Antagonists
The story of the Prophet’s experience in Taif from our reader, Saghir.
The story of the town of Taif is really a devastating one. Prophet Muhammad went to Taif, inviting the people, through the leaders, to Islam. They told all the vagabonds and all the bad people in the community to attack Prophet Muhammad.
The people mocked him, actually throwing stones at him. He was hit in the face and covered from head to toe in blood.
Actually, an amazing thing happened after this. He was looked after by a man from the edge of the city, and during this time or just after that time, Allah sent an angel to Prophet Muhammad.
The angel Jibreel was sent to him. He said to him, I have the angels of the mountains with me. He could say one word, and the angels of the mountains would bring down the mountains on Taif.
Prophet Muhammad must have been hurt. His honour had been hurt. He had been physically hurt by these people. But he didn’t say yes to taking revenge on them. Even though it was his right to do this, his choice was positive.
He said no. He said maybe their offspring will become Muslims. Maybe they will be believers. He tried to see the good in everything. This, my brothers and sisters, is the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad.
Read more here: “How Prophet Muhammad responded to the tribulations of Taif.“
2 – A Simple, Yet Life-Saving Miracle
The story of the Cave, suggested by AboutIslam reader Sefiek.
Quraysh expected the Prophet (peace be upon him) would head to Madinah, but he (PBUH) and Abu Bakr headed off in the opposite direction at first to mislead their enemies. They camped out in a cave for some time, and during this time, a great lesson along with an ayat of the Qur’an was revealed.
When first entering the cave, Abu Bakr was so concerned about the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) safety and wellbeing that he insisted on entering first to rid it of any dangerous creatures, like scorpions. When he was satisfied that it was safe, he and the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered it and stayed quietly there.
Asma, a daughter of Abu Bakr, used to bring them food and news from Makkah. She showed great courage, hiding the food in her clothing and creeping out of the city, going into the desert.
At one time, one of the disbelievers thought she knew where the Prophet (pbuh) was. He struck her harshly, trying to get her to talk, but she said nothing!
Getting close
At one point, when the Prophet (PBUH) and Abu Bakr were in the cave, a group of men, eager to get the reward money, stepped very close to the entrance of the cave.
Abu Bakr could see their feet and was very afraid the Prophet (PBUH) would be found. He did not care for his own safety. His thoughts and concern were with the Prophet (PBUH). It was a great responsibility he felt to accompany Muhammad on this very important journey.
Abu Bakr whispered his fears to the Prophet (PBUH) who comforted him, saying, “What do you think of two, whose third is Allah?” The Prophet (peace be upon him) was telling his great friend Abu Bakr that they should not fear, as Allah was with them.
And indeed, Allah Almighty protected them because He caused a bird to build a nest and lay eggs at the entrance of the cave and a spider to spin its web across the cave entrance. In this way, the enemies of the Prophet (PBUH) were convinced that he could not possibly be in the cave.
When the time was right, the Prophet (PBUH) and Abu Bakr left the cave, continuing on their journey to Madinah.” Read the rest of “Do You Really Know the Story of Hijrah?”
3 – Another Small Miracle Within a Greater Story
The Battle of the Trench, an anonymous reader’s favourite story.
It is confirmed that An-Nasaa’i and others (Allah be pleased with them) reported that when the Companions were digging Al-Khandaq (i.e., the trench), they found a rock that was too immense for their spades to break up. So they sought the help of the Prophet (pbuh).
He struck the rock three times, and each time he would strike it, a bright light would spark—and in another narration, it was like a light in the middle of a dark night. This is evidence that the three sparks came up with each strike.
He took the spade and struck the rock, uttering, “Allahu Akbar (i.e., Allah is The Greatest)! The keys of ancient Syria are granted to me; I swear by Allah, I can see its palaces at the moment.”
On the second strike he said,
“Allahu Akbar (i.e., Allah is The Greatest), Persia is granted to me; I swear by Allah, I can now see the white palace of Madain” on the third strike he said: “Allahu Akbar (i.e., Allaah is The Greatest), I have been given the keys of Yemen; I swear by Allah, I can see the gates of Sana’ while I am in my place.” [Ahmad]
The stone broke, allowing the trench to be continued, but more importantly, revealing the greater rewards awaiting the Sahaba. These illuminations of upcoming victories over Persia, Yemen, and Syria encouraged the Sahaba to continue their struggles.
Honourable mention
The relationship of the Prophet with all forms of life is a reminder of the interconnectedness of humans and nature.
One bittersweet miracle was a tree that cried when its view of Muhammad was blocked by a new pulpit. The tree cried until Muhammad rested his hand on the tree.
From the archives.