Transliteration:( Laqad kaana lakum fee Rasoolil laahi uswatun hasanatul liman kaana yarjul laaha wal yawmal Aakhira wa zakaral laaha kaseeraa )
"Certainly you have an excellent model in the following [51] of the Messenger of Allah, for him who hopes in Allah and the Last Day, and (who) remembers abundance [52] Allah in abundance."
The entire life of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is a comprehensive model for all creation, with no aspect left excluded. His life is a manifestation of Allah’s power and mercy, and following his example is the path to true success. Whether in living, dying, sleeping, or being awake, if one aligns their actions with the Prophet’s footsteps, all deeds become acts of worship.
The characteristics of a perfect model are:
Complete in every respect
Free from any imperfection or impurity
Openly shown to others
Praised by its creator
The creator is displeased if faults are found in it
All these qualities are embodied in the life and character of the Holy Prophet ﷺ.
Islamic scholars emphasize that any believer possessing these three qualities:
Obedience to the Holy Prophet ﷺ
Hope in Allah Almighty and the Last Day
Abundant remembrance of Allah Almighty
will find comfort both in this life and in the Hereafter. Such a person cultivates patience in adversity and gratitude in prosperity, thereby achieving spiritual peace and success.
21. Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much. 22. And when the believers saw the Confederates, they said: “This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us; and Allah and His Messenger had spoken the truth.” And it only added to their faith and to their submissiveness.
This Ayah is an important principle, to follow the Messenger of Allah in all his words, and deeds, etc. Hence Allah commanded the people to take the Prophet as an example on the day of Al-Ahzab, with regard to patience, guarding, striving and waiting for Allah to provide the way out; may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him forever, until the Day of Judgement. Allah says to those who were anxious and impatient and were shaken by feelings of panic on the day of Al-Ahzab:
(Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow) meaning, `why do you not take him as an example and follow his lead’ Allah says:
(for him who hopes in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much.)
Then Allah tells us about His believing servants who believed Allah’s promise to them and how He will make the consequences good for them in this world and in the Hereafter. He says:
(And when the believers saw the Confederates, they said: “This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us; and Allah and His Messenger had spoken the truth.”) Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and Qatadah said: “They mean what Allah said in Surat Al-Baqarah:
(Or think you that you will enter Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said,”When (will come) the help of Allah” Yes! Certainly, the help of Allah is near!)(2:214) meaning, `this is the trial and test that Allah and His Messenger promised us would be followed by the help and victory of Allah that is near.’ Allah says:
(and Allah and His Messenger had spoken the truth. )
(And it only added to their faith and to their submissiveness.) This indicates that faith can increase and strengthen in accordance with people’s circumstances, as the majority of scholars stated: faith can increase and decrease. We have stated this at the beginning of our commentary on Al-Bukhari, praise be to Allah.
(And it only added) means, at that time of stress and difficulty
(to their faith) in Allah,
(and to their submissiveness.) means their submission to His commands and their obedience to His Messenger .
(33:21) Surely there was a good example for you in the Messenger of Allah,[34] for all those who look forward to Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah much.[35]
34. In view of the context in which this verse occurs, the object of presenting the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) conduct and way of life as a model was to teach a lesson to the people, who had been motivated by considerations of selfish interests and personal safety on the occasion of the battle of the Trench. They are being addressed, as if to say: “You claimed to be the believers and Muslims and followers of the Messenger (peace be upon him). You should have seen how the Messenger (peace be upon him), whose followers you claimed to be, conducted himself on the occasion. If the leader of a group is himself a seeker of personal security, is lazy and indolent, gives preference to personal interests to everything else, and is ever ready to flee danger, it would be reasonable to expect manifestation of such weakness from his followers. But here the case was different. The Prophet (peace be upon him) endured along with others every toil and labor that he asked others to endure, and endured more than others; there was no trouble which others might have experienced and he himself did. not. He was among those who dug the trench, and endured hunger and other afflictions just as the common Muslims did. He did not leave the battlefront even for a moment during the siege nor retreated an inch. After the betrayal of the Bani Quraizah his own family had also been exposed to danger even as the families of the other Muslims were. He did not make any special arrangement for his own and his family’s protection, which did not exist for others. He was always in the forefront to offer maximum sacrifices for the great objectives for which he was constantly asking others to make sacrifices. Therefore, whoever made a claim of being his follower should have followed the practical example set by the leader.
This is the meaning of the verse in the context here. But its words are general and there is no reason why it should be confined to these meanings only. Allah does not say that only in this respect His Messenger’s (peace be upon him) life is a model for the Muslims to follow, but has regarded it as a model absolutely. Therefore, the verse demands that the Muslims should take the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) life as a model for themselves in every affair of life and should mold their character and personality according to it.
35. That is, the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) life is no model for the person who is forgetful of God, but it certainly is a model for him who remembers Allah much and consistently and not only occasionally just by chance. Likewise, this life is no model for him who has no hope from Allah and does not expect resurrection to take place, but it is most surely a model for the person who is hopeful of Allah’s grace and His favors, and who is also mindful that the Day of Judgment will come when his well-being will wholly depend on how closely his conduct resembled the conduct and character of the Messenger (peace be upon him) of Allah in this world.
[1192]- An example to be followed.
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