Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) - Intellectual humility
We are taught to always seek and increase our knowledge, but we must always remember to be humble, and realise there is so much out there that we do not know about. Our beloved Prophet had demonstrated that while receiving guidance and revelation, yet he still maintained his humility. And this can be witnessed in some of his iconic life stories.
Before the military mission to protect the city of Medina from attack, the Prophet (pbuh) had gathered some views of his companions when deciding the best military strategy. Initially, he proposed to stay in the city and attack the enemies when they arrived in Medina. Nevertheless, the majority of the companions suggested a different strategy by going to the border instead. The Prophet decided to agree with the views of his companions, instead of his inclination. In another battle of Khandaq, the Prophet himself also had sought the suggestion of a war strategy adopted by Persians, from a Persian man who was formerly a slave.
The two of the many episodes show how Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) maintained his intellectual humility, and still listened to others to share their knowledge. The life stories of the prophets teach us that we should aspire to model an ummah that exhibit humility in all aspects of our lives, as can be seen in his mannerisms, and treatment towards other people.
Prophet Sulaiman (AS) - Trials of wealth and worldly success
Prophet Sulaiman was one of the prophets who was rich and granted a glorious kingdom to rule. He also had the ability to know the language of animals and during one time, there lived an ant. The ant had some of the best qualities such as helpfulness and was always putting the needs of her kingdom above her own.
At one time, Prophet Sulaiman had gathered his army of jinns, humans and birds and they were marching towards the direction of the ant nest. The ant then heard that the army was approaching, and knew that they were likely to crush all of them. Being ants, they are always overlooked and barely noticeable. She informed her community of the potential disaster so that all the ants can seek refuge in their homes.
With the help of Allah, the prophet then heard the tiny ant’s plea. Hearing the ants talk, the prophet thanked Allah for the many blessings bestowed upon him including his ability to understand animals, and immediately commanded his troop to change course, so as to avoid destroying over the homes of the ants - all because of the plea of one single ant.
Mercy and compassion towards other living beings, no matter their size and shape, is one of the foundations of our religion. Let’s rise up and prove that Allah SWT has indeed made mankind the best of creation - and we should be kinder and more compassionate, more than one ant has to her kingdom.
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