Father, husband, friend

Dr. Craig Considine is a professor at Rice University in the United States and specialises in interfaith dialogue. He is the author of ‘The Humanity of Muhammad - A Christian View’.
The wide breadth of roles that Prophet Muhammadﷺ held in his life encompassed those as a shepherd, statesman, diplomat and pioneering leader, yet while he upheld the highest integrity in the public sphere, he showed even further integrity in the home and in his everyday relationships.
Khadija, the Prophet’sﷺ wife
Muhammadﷺ showed that he was not only a prophet of the mind, but even more significantly, a prophet of the heart.
What made the Prophetﷺ such an enduring and timeless personality was the sheer beauty of his humanity. He was known to be the most sincere, trustworthy, compassionate, perceptive and loving individual. He held deep affection and loyalty for those around him, and this was no better captured than in his marriage with Khadija (Khadījah).
Muhammadﷺ showed that he was not only a prophet of the mind, but even more significantly, a prophet of the heart.
Years before he became a prophet, Muhammadﷺ was employed in the service of Khadija, an intelligent and wealthy businesswoman – a rarity in pagan Arab society. She was also a woman of high character and beauty, and many suitors sought her hand in marriage. She was some fifteen years older than Muhammadﷺ and impressed by his honest dealings and virtuous nature. She offered him a proposal of marriage.
Khadija would be the love of Muhammad’sﷺ life and his first supporter when he became a prophet. Khadija remained his closest confidante and greatest source of support throughout his mission. When she passed away, the Prophetﷺ was grief-stricken. Yet he showed his undying love for her by keeping ties with her relatives and friends, sending them food and visiting them often. When he was once asked why he did these things after her death, he replied, “I love all those people who loved Khadija.”
Later, when the Prophetﷺ married again, his wife, Aisha (ʿĀʾishah) became jealous even of the memory of Khadija. Yet the Prophetﷺ pointed out how vital she had been to him during the most difficult times of life, “Never did God [Allāh] give me a better wife than Khadija. She supported my mission at a time when everybody was against it. She lent me the support of her conviction when there was none to believe me. She enlivened my heart when I felt lonely and deserted. Khadija’s love was given to me by God. How could I forget her?”
Through his profound feelings and sense of devotion, Muhammadﷺ showed that he was not only a prophet of the mind, but even more significantly, a prophet of the heart.
Fatima, the Prophet’sﷺ daughter
Whenever Fatima walked into the room, the Prophetﷺ would stand to greet her, honoring her presence and showing her affection by kissing her between the eyes.
As a true family man, the Prophetﷺ was an affectionate and loving father who was as devoted to his children as he was to his mission, indeed the two roles were intrinsically linked within the message he conveyed of monotheism and the compassionate duty to humanity.
Khadija and Prophet Muhammadﷺ had four daughters whom he cherished deeply. The youngest in particular, Fatima (Fāṭimah), had a special place in his heart. At a time when daughters were valued so little that the pagan Arabs would grieve over having a daughter and some would even bury their infant girls alive, the special bond that the Prophetﷺ had with Fatima held even more significance.
Whenever Fatima walked into the room, the Prophetﷺ would stand to greet her, honoring her presence and showing her affection by kissing her between the eyes. Fatima, in turn, showed her beloved father loyalty and love. Even as a little girl, she fiercely defended him. One time, the Prophetﷺ was praying by the Kaaba (Kaʿbah), the first house built to worship one God, when he was harassed by his enemies who threw animal entrails over him as he bowed in prayer. Fatima rushed to remove the entrails and challenged the men who were abusing her father, standing up for him as he stood up for her.
Their close bond lasted until the Prophet’sﷺ last breath and even beyond for soon after the Prophetﷺ died, Fatima joined him, dying young at the grief of separation. Their relationship had always been one of mutual love, honor and respect - the epitome of a beautiful father-daughter relationship.
When his little grandchildren stumbled during a sermon in the mosque, the Prophetﷺ descended the minbar and took them lovingly in his arms.
The Prophet’sﷺ grandsons
The Prophetﷺ set a new standard of love - that care for children should not only be confined to the home, but that it should emanate through society.
The love that the Prophetﷺ had for his daughter extended even further to her own two little sons, his grandsons, Hasan (Ḥasan) and Husayn (Ḥusayn).
A heartwarming example of his affection played out in the scene at the mosque, when the two infants were stumbling around while the Prophetﷺ was giving his sermon to his congregation. The Prophetﷺ stopped in the middle of his speech and went to scoop up Hasan and Husayn and continued to address his people.
As well as showing affection, the incident also carried a lesson: that children are part of the community and should be loved and protected always, even when performing one’s public duties. The Prophetﷺ set a new standard of love: that care for children should not only be confined to the home, but that it should emanate through society and in turn build a stronger and wider family unit.
Abu Bakr, the loyal friend
These two friends had met every challenge in life side by side, building their bond of brotherhood at every step.
As well as the love that the Prophetﷺ held for his family members, he was also profoundly loyal and loving to his friends.
His most trusted friend was Abu Bakr (Abū Bakr), who was one of the first to join Prophet Muhammad’sﷺ movement. Abu Bakr and the Prophetﷺ were as close as brothers. When the persecution of the Muslim community in Mecca (Makkah) became so strong that Muhammad’sﷺ life was in danger and he had to flee, he was joined by one person – Abu Bakr. Together, they fled to the outskirts of Mecca and hid in a cave.
Their enemies were on the trail and Abu Bakr, hearing them approach, was afraid that they were about to be captured. He turned to the Prophetﷺ fearing that their enemies would overpower them, as there were just the two of them. But Prophet Muhammadﷺ told him, “Abu Bakr, what do you think of two with whom God is the third?”
The Prophetﷺ reassured his friend, who had risked his own life to be with him, that they were protected by a higher power beyond themselves. After strengthening his friend with confidence and trust in their Creator, they eventually escaped and moved to safety.
These two friends met every challenge in life side by side, building their bond of brotherhood at every step. The Prophetﷺ held Abu Bakr in such high esteem that when asked who he loved most among his Companions, he answered, Abu Bakr, demonstrating how much value he attached to his loyal friends who supported him in his mission. For the Prophetﷺ, the bonds between people were to be cherished and guarded as an act of faith.
Through Islam and the Prophet’sﷺ encouragement, Bilal, a former slave, rose to become Islam’s first muezzin, a caller to the daily prayer.
Bilal, the first muezzin
Through Islam and the Prophet’sﷺ encouragement, Bilal, a former slave, became one of the most prestigious members of the early Muslim community.
A compelling example of the Prophet’sﷺ friendship and support is revealed in the story of Bilal (Bilāl), an Abyssinian slave who was one of the first to embrace Islam.
Bilal was a pious man, eager to embrace the monotheism of Islam and its message of compassion, justice and equality. Yet Bilal was tortured by his master, who tried to force him to give up his faith, but Bilal refused to be shaken.
While he himself was ridiculed and abused by the pagan Meccans who wanted to stamp out the message of Islam, Prophet Muhammadﷺ was deeply grieved to see Bilal’s ordeal, as well as being full of admiration for his firm belief. The Prophetﷺ who had no means of his own, arranged with his wealthy friend, Abu Bakr, to purchase Bilal’s freedom.
As well as establishing his new free status after a lifetime of servitude, the Prophetﷺ also enabled Bilal to realize his full potential. Bilal rose to become Islam’s first muezzin, a caller to the daily prayer. Through Islam and the Prophet’sﷺ encouragement, Bilal, a former slave, became one of the most prestigious members of the early Muslim community.
Translating his love and respect for everyone around him, the Prophetﷺ lifted people up to new heights and left an enduring archetype of how to be a true father, husband and friend.