The Bravery and Strength of the Prophet

the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was the bravest of people and had the most firm heart, and no other creature could matche him in his self-control and strength of heart and body.

he was uniquely brave and the traits of bravery and courage reached perfection in him.

he was not only the bravest on the battlefields and in fighting, but he possessed moral bravery as well which clearly appeared when he conversed with and addressed the prominent figures of his society at a very tender age before allaah the almighty honored him with receiving revelation.

his bravery was also practically manifested when he openly declared the truth and never feared the rebuke of anyone for the sake of allaah the almighty.

additionally, he would publicly declare his hatred of the false idols of his people, and belittle them without paying attention to their anger or denunciation. [abu nu‘aym in dalaa’il an- nubuwwah, ibn sa‘d in at-tabaqaat, ibn katheer in as-seerah an-nabawiyyah and al-albaani in saheeh sunan at-tirmithi]

when allaah the almighty honored him by receiving revelation, he declared the call of islam publicly with unique bravery despite people’s severe assaults, harm and threats.

just like his moral bravery, his bravery in fighting also appeared plainly at a tender age. he participated with his tribe in the war of al-fijaar, protecting them from the arrows of their enemies whenever they shot them.

after he received the revelation and allaah the almighty permitted him to fight in his cause, jihaad was ordained and he gave the best example in bravery on the battlefield. brave heroes would flee when they faced him in battle while he was as firm as the mountains, always advancing, never retreating or yeilding. he was the only brave man about whom no single incident of fleeing the battlefield or losing a duel was recorded. it was narrated that the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "by him in whose hands my life is, were it not for some men among the believers who dislike to be left behind me and for whom i cannot provide with means of conveyance, i would certainly never remain behind any sariyyah (army-unit) setting out in the cause of allaah. by him in whose hands my life is, i would love to be killed in the cause of allaah and then live and then be killed, and then live and then be killed and then live and then be killed.” [al-bukhaari and muslim]

in the battle of badr, he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, led the battle himself and experienced death with his honorable soul.

his face was wounded, his lower right incisor was broken, [al-bukhaari and muslim] and seventy of his companions were killed, yet he never weakened or faltered.

he never feared threats, tough situations, or crises. he put his full trust in his lord and depended on him. he accepted the decrees of his lord, was satisfied with his cupport and trusted in his promise. it was narrated that anas, may allaah be pleased with him, said, “the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was the best, the most generous and the bravest of people.” [al- bukhaari and muslim]

it was also narrated that ‘abdullaah ibn ‘umar, may allaah be pleased with him and his father, said, “i have never seen someone who is braver, more generous, more courageous, more radiant or more handsome than the messenger of allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.” [ad-daarimi]

the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, fearlessly engaged in fighting, exposing himself to great danger and offering himself to death. he never ran away from the battlefield and never took a single step backwards. when the fighting became heated, swords were brandished, spears were poised, heads were falling and the cup of death was going round, he, at these moments, would be the nearest to danger and his companions would shield themselves behind him.

he never paid heed to the number of his enemies no matter how numerous or powerful they were. rather, he would straighten the rows of the soldiers, encourage them, and be at the front of the battalions.

it was narrated that al-baraa’, may allaah be pleased with him, said describing the bravery of the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, “when the battle grew fierce, we, by allaah, would seek protection behind him, and the bravest among us was the one who would be next to him in battle.” [muslim]

moreover, the brave warrior and renowned hero, ‘ali ibn abi taalib, may allaah be pleased with him, said describing the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, “when the battle grew fierce between the two sides, we used to resort to the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, for succor. he was always the closest to the enemy.” [ahmad]

on the day of hunayn, the muslims retreated towards the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, while he was riding his white mule and his uncle al-‘abbaas was holding its reins, endeavoring to make it slow down. the enemy gathered around him, but he did not flee. rather,

he dismounted while saying loudly: “i am the prophet, and this is no lie; i am the son of ‘abdul muttalib.” [al-bukhaari and muslim] it is as if he was challenging them and telling them where he was.

his chest was exposed to swords and spears. heroes were falling and fighters were slain before his eyes, yet he remained steadfast and firm. such was the unparalleled and matchless bravery of the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. in fact, it was an ideal example of bravery for all people to learn.

the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was quick at facing danger. one night, the people of madeenah heard a strange noise which frightened them. some people set forth in the direction of the sound when they saw the messenger of allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, already on his way back after having investigated the source of the noise. he was riding an unsaddled horse belonging to abu talhah, may allaah be pleased with him, and a sword was hanging around his neck, and he was saying: "do not be afraid! do not be afraid!" [al-bukhaari and muslim]

what courage! the prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, went out alone to face potential danger before any one else moved, which is a difficult thing to do, even for the brave.

in the battle of al-khandaq (trench), the confederates gathered together from everywhere against the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

muslims were besieged and found themselves in a stressful predicament. the hearts reached the throats from intense fear and terror. the believers were shaken mightily.

the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, kept on praying and invoking his lord, seeking his help until allaah the almighty gave him victory by sending angels and an intensely cold wind against the confederates, and so they departed, humiliated and defeated.

as a matter of fact, all of the battles of the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, that were recorded in history and authentic narrations described his bravery and chivalry in fighting the disbelievers, polytheists and jews – of which we have only mentioned a few – and they act as clear-cut evidence of the courage and the bravery of the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, never feared the rebuke of anyone for the sake of allaah the almighty. he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, never feared anyone other than allaah the almighty. he sacrificed his soul and spent his wealth for the sake of raising high the word of allaah the almighty (to make people worship allaah the almighty alone) and to establish the truth and abolish falsehood.

thus, allaah the almighty made him realize what he aimed and strived for. he made him victorious, honored him and made his religion dominant over all other religions.

in fact, if bravery is ever mentioned, then mentioning the example of the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is a must. if courage and heroism are mentioned, then mentioning the example of the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is an obligation.

the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was also given great physical strength: his strength equaled that of thirty men.

it was narrated that the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would visit all his wives in a round during the day and night and they were eleven in number. anas, may allaah be pleased with him, was asked, "had the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, the strength for it?" he replied, "we would say that the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was given the strength of thirty (men)." [al-bukhaari and muslim]

rukaanah, may allaah be pleased with him, who was a skillful wrestler and was never defeated before he met the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said that once the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, met him in one of the mountain paths of makkah, whereupon he said to him:

"o rukaanah, will you not fear allaah and accept what i am calling you to?" rukaanah replied, "if you can prove that you are a true messenger, i will follow you." so the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "what would you say if i wrestle you down? will that make you believe that i am a true prophet?" the man replied, "yes." then the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “come on, i will wrestle you.” the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, wrestled him and defeated him.

rukaanah, may allaah be pleased with him, was astonished, and so he asked the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, for a rematch. so they had a rematch where the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, defeated him again. rukaanah was astonished and said, "o muhammad, by allaah, this is really amazing! did you really wrestle me to the ground?"4 the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, defeated him thrice and every time for a hundred sheep.

at the third time, rukaanah said, “no one has been able to wrestle me to the ground except you and you were the most hateful person to me. i bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except allaah and that you are his messenger. the messenger of allaah let go of him and gave him back his sheep.” [ibn katheer in as-seerah an-nabawiyyah]

the bravery and great power of the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was never the bravery of rashness nor the power of violence. rather, it was bravery controlled by reason and power combined with mercy. he never used them except in fighting in the cause of allaah the almighty.

the messenger of allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, never beat anyone with his hand, neither a woman nor a servant, unless in the case when he would be fighting in the cause of allaah the almighty.

it was narrated that ‘aa’ishah, may allaah be pleased with her, said, “he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, never took revenge for his own sake but (he did) only when the sanctities of allaah the almighty were violated in which case he would take revenge for the sake of allaah the almighty.” [al-bukhaari and muslim]

she, may allaah be pleased with her, also said, “the messenger of allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, never beat a servant or a woman, and he never beat anyone with his hand, except when he was fighting in the cause of allaah the almighty.” [al-bukhaari and muslim]

allaah the almighty, the most truthful says (what means) describing him: {and indeed, you are of a great moral character.} [quran 68:4]