His Noble Character

A mercy to all the worlds, gentle with the weak, the young and even his enemies.

• When a bedouin urinated in the mosque and the companions rushed at him, the Prophet ﷺ stopped them, let him finish, then had a bucket of water poured over the spot, saying they were sent to make things easy, not to drive people away.Bukhārī & Muslim
• He would shorten his prayer when he heard a child crying, out of mercy for the distress of its mother.Bukhārī & Muslim
• He kissed his grandson al-Ḥasan; a man said he had ten children and never kissed one, and the Prophet ﷺ replied, 'Whoever shows no mercy will not be shown mercy.'Bukhārī & Muslim

Known as al-Amīn, the trustworthy, even by those who fought him.

• Long before prophethood his people named him al-Amīn (the trustworthy) and entrusted him with their valuables for safekeeping.The Seerah (Ibn Hishām)
• As he left Makkah on the Hijrah, he kept ʿAlī (ra) behind to return the deposits that the very people persecuting him had left in his trust.The Seerah
• Calling Quraysh to Mount Ṣafā, he asked whether they would believe him if he said an army lay behind the hill; they said yes, for they had never known him to lie.Bukhārī & Muslim

He lived simply, served his household, and refused to be exalted above people.

• ʿĀʾishah (ra) was asked what he did at home, and said he was in the service of his family, mending his clothes and sandals and helping with the work of the house.Bukhārī
• He said, 'Do not over-praise me as the Christians over-praised the son of Maryam. I am only His servant, so say: the servant of Allah and His Messenger.'Bukhārī
• He sat among his companions so unassumingly that a stranger entering would ask, 'Which of you is Muhammad?', unable to tell him apart.Bukhārī

He bore injury and loss with grace, answering harshness with restraint.

• Rejected and stoned at Ṭāʾif until his feet bled, he was offered the destruction of the town by the angel of the mountains; instead he prayed that Allah might bring from their descendants those who would worship Him alone.Bukhārī & Muslim
• A bedouin yanked his cloak so hard it left a mark on his neck, demanding from the wealth of Allah; the Prophet ﷺ turned to him, laughed, and ordered that he be given.Bukhārī & Muslim
• As his infant son Ibrāhīm died in his arms, his eyes overflowed, and he said, 'The eye sheds tears and the heart grieves, but we say only what pleases our Lord.'Bukhārī & Muslim

At the height of power he forgave those who had hounded and harmed him.

• On the day Makkah was conquered, with his former persecutors at his mercy, he asked what they expected of him, then declared: 'Go, for you are free.'The Seerah (al-Bayhaqī)
• Wounded and bleeding at Uḥud, he raised his hands not to curse but to pray, 'O Allah, forgive my people, for they do not know.'Muslim
• He pardoned Hind, who had mutilated his beloved uncle Ḥamzah (ra), and Waḥshī who killed him, when they came accepting Islam.The Seerah

He gave like one who had no fear of poverty, never refusing a request.

• He was the most generous of people, and most generous of all in Ramadan, when Jibrīl would review the Qur'an with him; then he was swifter in giving than a sent wind.Bukhārī & Muslim
• A man asked him for a whole valley of sheep, and he gave it; the man returned to his people saying, 'Accept Islam, for Muhammad gives like one who has no fear of want.'Muslim
• He was never asked for anything to which he said no.Bukhārī & Muslim

He held the powerful and the weak to one standard, sparing no one for rank.

• When intercession was sought to spare a noblewoman who had stolen, he was angered and said nations before were destroyed for punishing the weak and sparing the powerful, adding that even if his own daughter Fāṭimah stole, he would carry out the law.Bukhārī & Muslim
• In his farewell sermon he proclaimed: 'O people, your Lord is One and your father is one; no Arab has superiority over a non-Arab, nor white over black, except by piety.'Musnad Aḥmad
• He forbade treachery, the killing of women, children and the elderly, and the mutilation of the dead, even in war.Muslim

Soft in speech and manner, he drew hearts through gentleness.

• He said, 'Allah is gentle and loves gentleness, and gives for gentleness what He does not give for harshness.'Muslim
• ʿĀʾishah (ra) said he never struck a servant or a woman, nor ever took revenge for himself, choosing always the easier of two paths so long as it was no sin.Muslim
• He spoke of a woman forgiven for giving water to a thirsty dog, and another punished for confining a cat; and he forbade branding or striking animals on the face.Bukhārī & Muslim

More modest than a maiden, he taught that modesty is part of faith.

• He was more modest than a virgin in her private chamber, and when he disliked something it could be read in his face.Bukhārī & Muslim
• He said, 'Modesty brings nothing but good,' and that modesty is a branch of faith.Bukhārī & Muslim
• He never shamed anyone to their face; when correcting a fault he would say, 'What is the matter with people who do such-and-such,' sparing the person.Bukhārī

He gave each person his full attention, smiled often, and made everyone feel valued.

• ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Ḥārith said, 'I never saw anyone who smiled more than the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.'Tirmidhī
• He would turn his whole body to face whoever spoke with him, giving each person such attention that each believed himself the most honoured in his sight.Tirmidhī (Shamāʾil)
• He joked but spoke only truth, played with children, and would ask a small boy gently, 'O Abū ʿUmayr, what happened to the little bird?'Bukhārī & Abū Dāwūd

The bravest of people, steadfast when others faltered.

• Anas (ra) said he was the best, most generous and bravest of people; one frightful night the people found him already returning from the sound, having gone ahead alone to investigate.Bukhārī & Muslim
• ʿAlī (ra) said that when battle grew fierce they would shelter behind the Prophet ﷺ, for he was the nearest of them to the enemy.Musnad Aḥmad
• At Ḥunayn, when many scattered, he stood firm on his mule declaring, 'I am the Prophet, this is no lie; I am the son of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib,' and rallied the believers.Bukhārī & Muslim

Gentle and affectionate at home, he taught that the best of men are best to their families.

• He said, 'The best of you is the best to his family, and I am the best of you to my family.'Tirmidhī
• He would drink from the very spot of the cup where ʿĀʾishah (ra) had drunk, and raced with her on a journey, letting the moment be playful and tender.Muslim & Abū Dāwūd
• When his daughter Fāṭimah (ra) entered, he would stand for her, take her by the hand, kiss her, and seat her in his place.Abū Dāwūd & Tirmidhī

He lifted the forgotten: orphans, the poor, the enslaved, and the stranger.

• He said, 'I and the one who cares for an orphan will be in Paradise like this,' holding his two fingers together.Bukhārī
• He taught that the enslaved are your brothers whom Allah placed under your hand: feed them from what you eat, clothe them from what you wear, and do not burden them beyond their strength.Bukhārī & Muslim
• A woman who used to clean the mosque passed away; missing her, he asked after her, went to her grave, and prayed over it.Bukhārī & Muslim

He worshipped out of love and thankfulness, not from need, his nights full of prayer.

• He would stand in prayer at night until his feet became swollen; asked why, when Allah had forgiven him, he answered, 'Should I not be a grateful servant?'Bukhārī & Muslim
• ʿĀʾishah (ra) said the deeds most beloved to him were those done consistently, even if small.Bukhārī & Muslim
• When he prayed, a sound like a boiling pot could be heard from his chest, from weeping before his Lord.Abū Dāwūd & Nasāʾī

His deepest concern was for his people; he wept for them and saved his greatest prayer for them.

• Reciting the words of Ibrāhīm and ʿĪsā about their people, he raised his hands and wept, 'O Allah, my ummah, my ummah,' and Allah sent Jibrīl to tell him He would please him concerning his ummah and not grieve him.Muslim
• Every prophet was given a supplication that is answered; he kept his hidden as intercession for his ummah on the Day of Resurrection.Bukhārī & Muslim
• He longed to meet those who would believe in him without seeing him, calling them his brothers whom he loved.Muslim