The Prophet’s character, his wives and his descendants

Last time

Before we start: last time, in Birth, family and the first revelation, you learned these points. Here they are again on one card. Keep them in mind, because today builds on them.

The man and his household

Muslims know the Prophet, peace be upon him, through his words and also through his example. Examiners ask for events that show a quality, such as generosity or forgiveness. And they ask for the lives of the people closest to him: Khadija, Aisha, Fatima and her sons. These answers all follow the same pattern: a few precise facts, and then what we can learn.

Generosity

Generosity is giving freely, without expecting anything in return. The Prophet would never refuse a beggar, and would feed the poor and the hungry, while going hungry himself. When a man asked for the clothes he was wearing, he took off his garment and handed it over. Once 70 000 dirhams were brought to him, and he laid them down and gave them out until they were all gone. He was most generous in Ramadan. When he returned a debt, he gave more than he owed. He was generous with his prayers too, praying for those who hurt him, as at Ta'if and Uhud.

Forgiveness, kindness and trust

Forgiveness: when Jibril brought permission to crush the people of Ta'if, the Prophet refused, and preferred that someone from their community would believe in and worship one God. Kindness: an old woman threw rubbish on him every day. When she did not appear, he asked after her, found she was ill, and visited her to look after her needs, not to take revenge. Trustworthiness: the Makkans called him al-Amin, the trustworthy, and even after prophethood they kept leaving their belongings with him.