Sunnah of Service to Creation
Uswa Hasana – Perfect Example of Holy Prophet, Muhammad ﷺ
The Holy Quran
“You are the best people raised for the good of mankind; you enjoin what is good and forbid evil and believe in Allah.” (Ch. 3 V. 111)
Allah Tallah commands Muslims:
Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the best embodiment of these verses. This is why Allah Tallah gives him the title of “Mercy for all of Mankind”:�“And We have sent thee not but as a mercy for all peoples.” �(Ch. 21 V. 108)
Treatment of the Poor
While distributing money on one occasion, a coin fell from the blessed hands of Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Having finished with the distribution he went to the mosque and led the prayers. It was his practice to remain sitting for a short while after prayers, occupied in the remembrance of God. On this occasion, he got up immediately after and proceeded quickly to his house.
Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ began looking for the missing coin. Once he found the count, he bestowed it upon a needy person.
Afterwards the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ explained that the coin had fallen from his hands during the distribution of money and the matter had gone out of his mind, but he suddenly recollected it while-leading the prayers and he was made uneasy by the thought that if he were to die before he could recover the coin and give it away to some person in need, he would be held responsible for it before God; �(Bukhari, Kitabul Kusuf )
Treatment of Slaves
Holy Prophet ﷺ instructed: “A slave should be asked to perform only such tasks as he could easily accomplish and that when he was set to do a task, his master should help him in performing it so that the slave should experience no feeling of humiliation or degradation.” (Muslim)
Holy Prophet ﷺ said: “Those who own slaves should treat them kindly and well. If the owner of a slave beats his slave or abuses him, the only reparation that he could make was to set the slave free.” �(Muslim, Kitabul Iman)
Abu Hurairah (ra) once stated: “I call God to witness in Whose hands is my life that were it not for the opportunities that I get of joining in holy war and of performing the Pilgrimage and were it not that I have opportunities of serving my old mother, I would have desired to die a slave, for the Holy Prophet ﷺ constantly insisted upon slaves being well and kindly treated”�(Muslim)
Treatment of Women
During any of the journeys where women were also among the party, The Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ always gave directions that the caravan should move slowly. He said: "Take care of glass! Take care of glass!" Meaning that women were in the party and they would suffer from the joltings of the animals. (Bukhari, Kitabul Adab)
Mu‘awiya al-Qushairi (ra) relates: “I inquired of the Holy Prophet ﷺ what claim my wife had upon me” and he replied: “Feed her with that which God bestows upon you in the way of food, and clothe her with that which God bestows upon you in the way of clothes and do not chastise her nor abuse her nor put her out of your house.” (Bukhari)
Hadhrat Umar (ra) relates: "My wife occasionally sought to intervene in my affairs with her counsel and I would rebuke her, saying that the Arabs had never permitted their women to intervene in their affairs.” �She would retort: “That is all past. The Holy Prophet ﷺ lets his wives counsel him in his affairs and he does not stop them. Why don't you follow his example?”�(Bukhari)
Treatment of Neighbors
Abu Dharr (ra) relates that the Holy Prophet ﷺ said to him: “Abu Dharr, while broth is being cooked for your family, add a little more water to it so that your neighbor might also share in it.”
Abu Huraira (ra) relates on one occasion the Holy Prophet ﷺ exclaimed: “I call God to witness that he is not a believer! I call God to witness that he is not a believer! I call God to witness that he is not a believer!” �The Companions inquired: “Who is not a believer, O Messenger of Allah?” �Holy Prophet ﷺ replied: “He whose neighbor is not secure against injury and ill-treatment at his hands.”
Treatment of Relatives
Abu Huraira (ra) relates: "A man came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and asked to be told who was most deserving of kind treatment at his hands.” �The Prophet ﷺ replied: “Your mother” �The man asked: “And next to her?” �The Prophet ﷺ repeated: “Again thy mother” �This happened until the man asked a fourth time, then Holy Prophet ﷺ said: “After her thy father and after him thy nearest relatives and after them thy more remote relatives.”
After the surrender of Mecca when the Holy Prophet ﷺ entered the town as a victorious general, Hadhrat Abu Bakr (ra) brought his father to meet him. �The Holy Prophet ﷺ said to Abu Bakr (ra): "Why did you trouble your father to come to me? I would gladly have gone to him myself“�(Halbiyya, Vol. 3, p. 99)
Treatment of Animals
The Holy Prophet ﷺ would often remind his companions of the story of a woman helping a suffering dog. He said: “A prostitute was forgiven by Allah, because, passing by a panting dog near a well and seeing that the dog was about to die of thirst, she took off her shoe, and tying it with her head-cover she drew out some water for it. So, Allah forgave her because of that.” (Bukhari)
Abdullah bin Mas‘ud (ra) relates: "While we were in the course of a journey along with the Holy Prophet ﷺ we saw two young doves in a nest, and we caught them. They were still very small. When their mother returned to the nest, not finding her little ones in it, she began to fly wildly round and round.”�When the Holy Prophet ﷺ arrived at the spot he observed the dove and said: “If any one of you has caught its young ones, he must release them at once to comfort it”