The Family Man

Love for Community

Dr Asma Afsaruddin

Dr. Asma Afsaruddin is a professor in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at Indiana University, in the United States, who specializes in Quran and hadith, Islamic intellectual history, and gender.

Among the most moving aspects of the life of Prophet Muhammadﷺ was his love and respect for the community, which he treated as one large family where every member was equally cherished and valued. In the context of seventh century Arabian society that had previously been steeped in disunity and inequality, and where expressing any kind of care or affection towards those beyond your immediate circle was looked down upon, the Prophet’sﷺ compassionate approach laid a new bedrock for community cohesion.

The Prophetﷺ among his people

Prophet Muhammadﷺ was a leader who redefined what it truly meant to be a great leader. While he had innumerable demands on him, the Prophetﷺ never let his responsibilities compromise his time with his people. In fact, he saw the duty to his followers as an integral part of his divine mission.

Prophet Muhammadﷺ was a leader who redefined what it truly meant to be a great leader.

Instead of living apart from his community, the Prophetﷺ lived among them, spending his days supporting them, teaching them, visiting them and listening to their concerns. His gracious manners began from the moment he greeted people, which he carried out with warmth and a cheerful smile. Always giving equal and full attention to everyone he met, the Prophetﷺ turned his whole face towards them when they spoke to him, and he wouldn’t remove his hand until they began to withdraw theirs. All of this laid a template for a new etiquette of behavior and interaction, particularly with those who were previously looked down on in society, whom the Prophetﷺ lifted, not only with rights and justice, but with honor and love.

In striving to promote harmony among his people, the Prophetﷺ encouraged compassion and care, stressing the need to visit one another, take care of the sick and the elderly and to support those who were in need. One of the Prophet’sﷺ Companions came to him and asked, “Which Islam is best?” The Prophetﷺ replied, “The best Islam is the feeding of the hungry among you. And to give greetings of peace to those you know and to those who do not know.” Through these motivational words, the Prophetﷺ inspired the Muslims to spread peace to strangers, strengthening and spreading the notion of community to nurture a greater sense of belonging and togetherness.

The Prophetﷺ treated the poor and humble mosque cleaner, Umm Mihjan, with honor and dignity even in death.

The mosque cleaner, Umm Mihjan

What set the Prophetﷺ apart as a leader of integrity with true greatness of character was the way in which he recognized the dignity of every human being, no matter what their status and background.

This was poignantly shown through his concern for a very humble woman by the name of Umm Mihjan (Umm Miḥjan), who used to clean the mosque in Medina (Madīnah), the new community base for the Muslims after they had been driven out of their homes in Mecca (Makkah) by the pagan ruling elite.

Umm Mihjan was an elderly, poor, black woman who would have been considered a person of very low status in pre-Islamic Arabia. But the Prophetﷺ showed her only the highest respect and acknowledged that she was carrying out an essential service to the community by keeping the communal place of worship clean.

As an elderly woman, Umm Mihjan would sometimes fall sick, and the Prophetﷺ would always take the time to visit her. He mentioned to her neighbors that if she were to pass away, they should inform him immediately. One night, she did pass away, but unfortunately his Companions did not want to disturb the Prophetﷺ from his night prayers. When he discovered that Umm Mihjan had died and that he missed her funeral, he was deeply upset. This noble leader went directly to the grave of the humble cleaner and raised his hands in prayer for her soul.

In showing the mosque cleaner such love and honor, the Prophetﷺ shared an important message: every individual, regardless of socioeconomic status, role, ethnicity, age or gender is worthy of attention and should be cherished as a beloved member of the community. As a cleaner, Umm Mihjan was the kind of person who might have been overlooked in other societies, but through the Prophet’sﷺ care and respect for this member of his flock, her significance was uplifted and her story endured.

The little boy and his pet bird

Even as a leader and statesman with multiple obligations, Prophet Muhammadﷺ found the time to offer comfort to a little boy.

The love and empathy that the Prophetﷺ had for his community extended to its youngest members. Just as he doted on his own grandchildren, the Prophetﷺ also treated all children with the tenderness of a father figure.

There was a young boy called Abu Umayr (Abū ’Umayr) whose family the Prophetﷺ would often visit as was his custom of care towards everyone. During his visits he got to know how Abu Umayr delighted in having a pet sparrow to which he was very much attached.

One day, he noticed that Abu Umayr was looking downcast and dejected. When he found out that his pet bird had died, the Prophetﷺ went out of his way to give words of comfort to the young boy. Even as a leader and statesman with multiple obligations, Prophet Muhammadﷺ found the time to offer comfort to a little boy. Instead of seeing the bird’s death as trivial, the Prophetﷺ took the boy’s grief very seriously, validating the child’s feelings and helping him through his first experience of loss.

With great sensitivity and concern, the Prophetﷺ was there to support every member of his community, even the youngest in his midst.

Serving the community, serving God

The Prophetﷺ shared an important moral lesson: that when we serve our fellow human beings, we are actually serving God.

Core to the message of Islam that Prophet Muhammadﷺ conveyed over fourteen centuries ago, was how the connection between people was a reflection of their connection to God (Allāh).

In a significant Islamic story in which the love and care for human beings is equated with the love and care of God, the Prophetﷺ describes a scene from the Day of Judgment, in which a man comes before God and God says to him, “O son of Adam, I was hungry and you did not feed me.” The man is taken aback and says, “How could I feed you? You are God, the Lord of the worlds!” The reply comes from God, “Did you not know that my servant felt hunger and you did not feed him. Alas, had you fed him you would have found that [reward] with Me.” The account continues with God saying, “O son of Adam, I became sick, and you did not visit Me.” Again the man replies: “How could I visit You? You are the Lord of the worlds!” God responds, “Did you not know that my servant became sick and you did not visit him. Alas, had you visited him, you would have found Me with him.”

The Prophetﷺ was sharing a important moral lesson: when we serve our fellow human beings, we are serving God. He was making people rethink the way in which we regard and treat others. By intrinsically linking community love with God’s love, the Prophetﷺ set a new precedent that would raise every interaction, no matter how small, to a divine level.

TextureTexture
TextureTexture
TextureTexture
Loading