“Indeed, you have in the Messenger of God an excellent example for those who hope in God and the Last Day and remember God much.” (Surah Al-Ahzab, verse 21)
Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) narrated from his brother that: I asked my father about the conduct of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) at home. He said:
“…When he would come home, he would divide his time into three parts: one for the worship of God, one for spending time with his family, and one for himself. Even in the part dedicated to himself, he did not completely cut off from others, but would spend part of that time through his special companions dealing with the public’s needs, and would not reserve anything from that time for personal matters.”
Then Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) said: I asked my noble father about the conduct of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) in gatherings. He replied:
“He never engaged in any sitting or gathering except by remembering God. He did not choose a special seat for himself, and he forbade others from sitting at the head of the gathering. In any gathering, he would sit wherever there was space, and he instructed his companions to do the same. In gatherings, he gave everyone their due, so no one felt more honored than the others in his presence.”
He also said: I asked how the Prophet behaved with his companions. He replied:
“He was always cheerful and gentle, never harsh, loud, insulting, or fault-finding, and he was not a flatterer. Whenever he disliked something, he did not show his displeasure on his face, and thus people were not discouraged from making suggestions. He did not disappoint those who had hopes. He refrained from three things:
- Disputing and arguing.
- Talking excessively.
- Speaking useless words.
He also refrained from three things when it came to people:
- He never criticized or reproached anyone.
- He never sought out people’s faults or flaws.
- He never spoke unless there was hope of reward in it.”
Furthermore, in the book Makarim al-Akhlaq, it is narrated from Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him) that: “He never sought revenge for any wrong done to him, unless it involved a violation of God’s sanctities. In such cases, he would become angry, and his anger was for the sake of God alone.”
(Adapted from Tafseer al-Mizan, under verses 116-120 of Surah Al-Ma’idah)