Since human life is woven of threads of joy and sorrow, the Prophet of Islam was also blessed with the experience of every form of joy possible to human beings starting of course with that highest joy and in fact ecstasy which is the knowledge and love of God, the supreme gift given to him as a special blessing from Heaven with a degree of exaltedness and intensity unimaginable to other human beings. But on the more ordinary level of human life, he was blessed with the joy of a very happy marriage to Khadijah, of having a daughter such as Fatimah who was like an angelic substance fallen upon the earth, of a cousin and son-in law like 'Ali, whose devotion to the Blessed Prophet and dedication to his call are extraordinary by whatever standards they are judged.
The Blessed Prophet also had dedicated friends and disciples like Abu Bakr and Salman and had tasted the full meaning of human as well as Divine friendship (being himself the Friend of God, ({Jabiballah). He had experienced aspects of human nature from the vantage point of a poor orphan, a successful merchant, the endangered leader of a semi-clandestine community and the triumphant leader of a new society which was soon to conquer much of the world. He had sold goods to small merchants as well as written letters to the mightiest emperors and rulers on earth inviting them to the cause of Islam. He had tasted defeat as well as victory and been even blessed with the possibility of experiencing the incomparable joy of forgiving his worst enemies at the moment of his conquest of Makkah.
Finally, he had tasted both failure and success. He had persevered over long years in hope and reliance upon God while being witness to bitter failures and was then destined to taste the sweetness of one success after another to the extent that he was able to realize, before his death, all that he had set out to achieve. There is surely little that a Muslim can experience and few situations he can face in human life without there being a precedent in the life of the Blessed Prophet which can always serve as model and source of inspiration and instruction for him.
As far as the basic functions in society are concerned, again the Blessed Prophet was destined by God to fill nearly all of them. He was a teacher, head of a household, merchant, statesman, political and social leader, military commander, judge and supreme ruler not to speak of his specifically prophetic functions such as bringing a Divine Law and the Word of God to mankind, instructing men in esoteric as well as exoteric knowledge, being gifted with complete insight into human nature and the psychology of human beings at different moments and on various occasions, etc.
In each of these functions he left behind a precious heritage which has become part and parcel of Islam and its culture. As a teacher the Blessed Prophet was eminently successful in imparting knowledge of various orders to very different types of people. He was in fact the supreme teacher. He was so successful in this task that today he still remains the most important and effective teacher for Muslims. His sayings and acts, his thoughts and deeds, continue to teach his community from day to night while the more intellectual and spiritual instructions imparted by him continue to form and mold the minds and souls of those members of the Islamic community who are in quest of spiritual perfection.
As the head of a household, the Blessed Prophet created a miniature society and in fact universe whose structure and internal relations are of keen interest to devout Muslims to this day. His manner of dealing with his wives, his children and the small grandchildren, that is, Hasan and I:Iusayn, his duties and functions within the house, his sense of responsibility towards the family, his inculcation of love and trust among members of the family and many other elements are parts of his Sunnah and elements of his character which make him an example to be emulated and followed not only as an individual but in the context of the human family.
Likewise, the manner in which he acted when a merchant, or when he was judging a case or acting as military leader in the field of battle or ruling over a human community or deciding on a problem of diplomacy all reveal aspects of a being who was chosen to fulfill all the possibilities inherent in the human state. It is a sobering thought to remember that the same person who led the Battle of Badr and who later ruled over a whole segment of the universe would bend down on the floor of his humble house so that his grandchildren could mount upon his back and ride around the room. Only a prophet can achieve this perfection of grandeur and humility, power and generosity, but the fact that he can achieve it reveals how great man could be if only he knew who he is.
Muhammad among the Prophets
