The Comprehensiveness of
Seerah of the Prophet
Muhammad ()ﷺ
Department of Islamic Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences and
Humanities, Riphah International University Islamabad,
Pakistan
Email : [Link]@[Link] Contact # +92,320,7863888
Topics of Lecture
The Comprehensiveness of Seerah of the Prophet
Muhammad ()ﷺ
* Prophets – The Role Model for Humanity
* The Prophet Muhammad ( – )ﷺThe Perfect, Ideal
and Exemplary Role Model for the Entire Humanity
* The Practicality of Seerah for Life
Lecture Outcomes
* Students will learn how the Prophets are Role Model for
Humanity
* They will learn how the Prophet Muhammad ( )ﷺis the
Perfect, Ideal and Exemplary Role Model for the Entire
Humanity
* They will be able to understand the Practicality of
Seerah for Life
Prophets – The Role Model for Humanity
The Prophets purify and brighten the souls of people with great effort:
• the keen preaching of Prophet Nooh,
• the unshakable principle of Allah’s oneness upheld by Prophet Ibrahim,
• the self-sacrifice of Prophet Ismail,
• the untiring efforts of Prophet Musa,
• the faithfulness of Prophet Haroon,
• the expression of grief yet trust in Allah by Prophet Yaqoob,
• the wisdom and kingship of Prophet Sulaiman,
• the invocations of Prophet Zakariah,
• the piety & humbleness of Prophet Isa,
• the repentance of Prophet Yunus,
• the persistent exertion of Prophet Loot
• the endurance of Prophet Ayyub
The Prophet Muhammad ( – )ﷺThe Perfect, Ideal and Exemplary Role
Model for the Entire Humanity
* All Prophets had, in their own eras, presented a winsome exam through their sublime
conduct and moral behavior.
ْ ُى بَ ْينَ ُهم بِ ْٱل ِق ْس ِط َو ُه ْم َﻻ ي
(47: ظلَ ُمونَ )يونس ِ ُسولُ ُه ْم ق
َ ض ُ َو ِل ُك ِّل أ ُ ﱠم ۢ ٍة ﱠر
ُ سو ۭ ٌل ۖ فَإِذَا َجا ٓ َء َر
“And for every nation (is) a Messenger. So when comes their Messenger, it
will be judged between them in justice, and they (will) not be wronged.”
(Qur’an 10:47, Shaikh & Khatri , 2007)
* Mankind needed a perfect and universal exemplar who could place in his hands a guide-
book of practical life, so that every person may reach his destination safely and this
exemplar came to the world as the last of the prophets, Muhammad peace be upon him.
ُ َولَ ٰـ ِكن ﱠر
(40: سو َل ٱ ﱠ ِ َوخَاتَ َم ٱلنﱠ ِب ِيّ ۧـنَ )اﻷحزاب
“…but he is the messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets…”
(Qur’an 33:40, Pickthall, 2009)
(Sayyid Suliman Nadwi, Muhammad the Ideal Prophet, p. 05-19, 105-133
[Link]
The Prophet Muhammad ( – )ﷺThe Perfect, Ideal and Exemplary Role
Model for the Entire Humanity
* He was sent to the world as the last Prophet, the final one, after whom no other messenger
was to be sent again by Allah. This is the reason why he was granted Shari’ah that was perfect
and final law requiring no amendment/renewal in the days to come.
ِ ْٱليَ ْو َم أ َ ْك َم ْلتُ لَ ُك ْم دِينَ ُك ْم َوأَتْ َم ْمتُ َعلَ ْي ُك ْم ِن ْع َم ِتى َو َر
ِ ْ ضيتُ لَ ُك ُم
(3: ٱﻹ ْسلَ َم دِي ۭنًا )ٱلمائدة
“This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you,
and have chosen for you Islam as your Deen.” (Qur’an 5:3, Yusuf, 1985)
* Quran says about the Prophet Muhammad’s soft and kind nature.
۟ ض
(159: وا ِم ْن َح ْو ِل َك )آل عمران ِ ظ ْٱلقَ ْل
ب َنفَ ﱡ َ غ ِلي َ فَبِ َما َر ْح َم ۢ ٍة ِ ّمنَ ٱ ﱠ ِ ِل
َ نت لَ ُه ْم ۖ َولَ ْو ُك
َ نت فَظا
“It is out of Allah’s mercy that you ˹O Prophet˺ have been lenient with them. Had
you been cruel or hard-hearted, they would have certainly abandoned you.”
(Qur’an 3:159, Khattab, 2016)
(Sayyid Suliman Nadwi, Muhammad the Ideal Prophet, p. 05-19, 105-133:\
[Link]
The Prophet Muhammad ( – )ﷺThe Perfect, Ideal and Exemplary Role
Model for the Entire Humanity
* Qur'an also speaks of the concern of Prophet Muhammad for the welfare of entire humanity
in the following words
ٌ ۭ يص َعلَ ْي ُكم ِب ْٱل ُمؤْ ِمنِينَ َر ُء
(128: وف ﱠر ِحي ۭ ٌم )التوبة ٌ علَ ْي ِه َما َعنِت ﱡ ْم َح ِر َ سو ۭ ٌل ِ ّم ْن أَنفُ ِس ُك ْم
ٌ ع ِز
َ يز ُ لَقَ ْد َجا ٓ َء ُك ْم َر
“Certainly, (has) come to you a Messenger from yourselves. Grievous to him (is)
what you suffer, (he is) concerned over you, to the believers (he is) kind (and)
merciful.” (Qur’an 9:128, Shaikh & Khatri , 2007)
* The merciful nature of the Prophet and his passion to save mankind from the Hell-fire leads
him to call the people to the path of righteousness. The revelation testifies to the kindness of
Muhammad for the whole mankind, in general, and to the Muslims, in particular.
* Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was the closer relative to Prophet (peace be
upon him), he bears witness that "the Prophet was of cheerful disposition, kindhearted and had
a clear conscience”.
(Sayyid Suliman Nadwi, Muhammad the Ideal Prophet, p. 05-19, 105-133
[Link]
The Practicality of Seerah for Life
* The practical examples set by Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah are
so suggestive that they alone would be sufficient to demonstrate his
finality of prophet hood and leadership out of all the prophets sent by
Allah for the guidance of human race.
(Sayyid Suliman Nadwi, Muhammad the Ideal Prophet, p. 05-19, 105-133
[Link]
َ سو ِل ﱠ ِ أ ُ ْس َوة ٌ َح
(21: سنَةٌ“ )اﻷحزاب ُ لَقَ ْد َكانَ لَ ُك ْم فِي َر.”
“Indeed in the Messenger of Allah [Muhammad ( ])ﷺyou have an
excellent example to follow”
(Qur’an 33: 21, Khattab, 2016)
The Practicality of Seerah for Life
* Morality is the practical system of human behavior making a
distinction between the right and the wrong. Still, no religious scripture
has claimed, like the Qur'an, that the promulgator of its faith was the
best in conduct amongst his followers.
(Sayyid Suliman Nadwi, Muhammad the Ideal Prophet, p. 05-19, 105-133
[Link]
ٍ َُو ِإنﱠ َك لَعَلَ ٰى ُخل
(4: ق َع ِظ ٍۢيم )القلم
“And indeed, you surely (are) (of) a moral character
great.”
(Qur’an 68:4, Shaikh & Khatri , 2007)
The Practicality of Seerah for Life
* There was not an injunction revealed to him that he did not
demonstrate by his own example. He talked about faith, Unity of
Allah, prayer, fasting, pilgrimage, charity, fighting in the way of
Allah, self-sacrifice, determination and other ethical values then he
demonstrated everyone of these by setting a practical example. It is
no exaggeration to claim that his life was an illustration of what one
finds written in the Qur'an.
(Sayyid Suliman Nadwi, Muhammad the Ideal Prophet, p. 05-19, 105-133
[Link]
The Practicality of Seerah for Life
تَ ت أَلَ ْس
ْ َسلﱠ َم قَال
َ صلﱠى ﱠ ُ َعلَ ْي ِه َو
َ ِ سو ِل ﱠ
ُ ق َرِ ُعن قتادة قُ ْلتُ لعائشة يَا أ ُ ﱠم ْال ُمؤْ ِمنِينَ أَ ْن ِبئِينِي َع ْن ُخل
َسلﱠ َم َكانَ ْالقُ ْرآن َ علَ ْي ِه َو َ ُ صلﱠى ﱠَ ِ يِ ﱠ ّ ت فَإِ ﱠن ُخلُقَ نَ ِب ْ َت َ ْق َرأ ُ ْالقُ ْرآنَ قُ ْلتُ َبلَى قَال
Hazrat Qatadah reported: I said to Aisha, “O mother of the believers,
tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings
be upon him.” Aisha said, “Have you not read the Quran?” I said, “O
course.” Aisha said, “Verily, the character of the Prophet of Allah was the
Quran.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Hadith 746)
The Practicality of Seerah for Life
* If we read the biography of the Messenger of Allah, we will come to
know that when the whole world fell asleep, he used to bow down in
worship, his tongue praised Allah, his feet used to swell during Qiyam, his
hands raised in prayers and his eyes used to shed tears for his Ummah.
* The Prophet always suggested his Sahabah to treat this world like a
traveller and not to consider it an eternal abode, be ready to deal with the
trials of this life and work hard to get a share in Jannah.
(Sayyid Suliman Nadwi, Muhammad the Ideal Prophet, p. 05-19, 105-133
[Link]
References:
1. Sahih Bukhari, [Link]
2. Sahih Muslim, [Link]
3. Sunan Tirmidhi, [Link]
4. Sunan Abi Dawud, [Link]
5. Sunan an-Nasa’i, [Link]
6. Sunan Ibn e Majah, [Link]
7. Riyad as-Salihin, [Link]
8. Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, [Link]
9. Arba’in an-Nawawi, [Link]
10. Sayyid Suliman Nadwi, Muhammad the Ideal Prophet, p. 05-19, 105-133
[Link]
11. Prophet Job (Ayyub) (Blessings And Peace Be Upon Him), Islamic Knowledge, (2013).
[Link]