The noble qualities of character of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as a leader

We know very well about what the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did.
We will therefore focus on examining how he did it and what it was that allowed him to achieve so much and cause such a historic impact in a relatively short time.
The key to this lies in what he said about himself when he said, “I have only been sent to perfect noble qualities of character.”
And he accomplished this task by embodying the qualities to which he refers, and many of these qualities are important because of the way in which he fulfilled his role as leader of the first Muslim community and the great success he had in doing so.
First of all there is his constant awareness and dependence on Allah, his Lord.
This was reflected in the consistency of their worship, in the frequency of their supplication, and in the constant remembrance of their Lord in every situation.
This means that in every action his first aim was always to please Allah and all his actions are free from selfishness or personal interests.
He was totally free from all kinds of personal ambition and any thoughts of personal gain. Alongside these character qualities, there are also others that he embodied perfectly and that are especially pertinent in his role as a ruler.
Among them are his integrity, his courage, his generosity, his patience, his resolve and his humility.
As for his integrity, even before Islam he was known throughout Mecca as Al-Amin, ‘the Trustworthy One’.
People confided things to him with the certainty that they would be safe with him, and this was amply demonstrated when he was forced to flee, under mortal danger, from his hometown, and yet left clear instructions to return all that he still had in his care.
He never told a lie to anyone, even his enemies knew that they could trust with absolute certainty what he said.
He was famous for the fact that his feelings could be measured in the expression on his face.
With him you could be sure that there was no hidden face.
This meant that people knew they could trust him and that he wasn’t going to say one thing in front of you and then do the opposite behind your back, an important and immensely reassuring quality in any leader.
His undoubted courage allowed him to always lead from the front, both literally and metaphorically.
An oft-cited example is what happened at the Battle of Hunayn: when the Muslim army was suddenly ambushed, Muslim fighters began to retreat, and the retreat soon turned into a rout.
The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), almost alone, stood firm.
Facing the enemy, on his white mule, surrounded by some faithful Companions, he called to the fleeing soldiers, “Men, where are you going? Come to me! I am the Messenger of Allah, I am the son of Abdal Mutalib.”
Gradually, men came to it, and gradually order was restored and the day was won.
This is one example, among many others, of this inspiring aspect of his character.
Shaykh Al-Alawi Al-Maliki says about the courage of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in his book Muhammad Al-Insan Al-Kamil: “It was for this reason that he participated in all the many battles he attended in his military life; and it is not known that he retreated from his position even a single step, or the thickness of a single finger. This made him a leader for his Companions who inspired the most absolute trust and obedience, so that both young and old were ready to listen to his signs – not only because he was the Messenger of Allah, but because of the courage they witnessed, may Allah bless him and grant him peace…”
His generosity, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was fabulous and another factor that inspired others to follow him.
No one is known to have gone to ask for something and returned empty-handed, even going so far as to borrow from others when he himself did not have one.
There are too many examples of this aspect and we cannot do justice to its category, but there is one that is relevant and that we will mention.
Muslim narrates that Anas, radi al-‘laahu anhu, said: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was never asked for anything that he did not give. To a man who came he gave the sheep between two mountains. The man returned to his people and said to them: ‘My people, embrace Islam, for Muhammad gives like one who is not afraid of poverty.'”
Another of the qualities that had an enormous influence on his caliber as a leader was his inexhaustible patience.
Again, the numerous examples are so many that we can’t mention them all, but we will cite a couple of examples that illustrate the importance of your patience and self-control in your leadership role.
On one occasion, a Jewish rabbi, wishing to prove the Prophet’s claim to the prophethood, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, rudely and rudely demanded the delivery of a batch of dates before the agreed time.
Umar ibn al-Khattab, who was present, called him an enemy of Allah and threatened to kill him.
The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), rebuked Umar saying: “He and I need something else from you, Umar: to me, to encourage me to honour my commitments correctly; and, towards him, to ask in a more polite way”.
The Prophet asked Umar to give the man his due and to add something else, extra, because he had frightened him.
After witnessing this example of patience and self-control on the part of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, the rabbi and his entire family, except for one person, converted to Islam.
In a hadith
narrated by Bukhari and Muslim, Anas said: “He was with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and he wore a thick cloak. A Bedouin tugged at his cloak in such a violet way that it left a red mark on his neck. Then he said: ‘Muhammad! Let me load my camels with the property of Allah that you have in your possession, for you would not let me load your property or your father’s property.’ The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), was silent for a moment and then said: ‘All property belongs to Allah and I am His slave.’ And then he continued, ‘Should I retaliate against you for what you’ve done to me?’ And the man answered: ‘No.’ The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) asked: ‘Why not?’ And the Bedouin said: ‘Because you do not return one bad deed with another like it.’ The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) laughed and ordered that one camel be loaded with barley and another with dates.” The importance of this quality of character in the task of the Prophet is made clear in the Qur’an:

“By the mercy of Allah, you were gentle with them; if you had been rough, hard-hearted, they would have turned away from you” (Surah of the Family of Imran, 159).

This kindness of heart is essential for the character of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace; however, it should not be mistaken in any way as a weakness on their part.
When necessary he had a firmness and resolve that were absolutely relentless.
This was clearly demonstrated when during the early days of Islam, his uncle and guardian, Abu Talib, instigated by the nobles of Makkah, tried to persuade him to abandon his task of calling people to Islam.
His memorable reply to his uncle was: “By Allah, if you put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left on condition that I give up my task, before He makes it victorious or before I die trying, I would not give up.”
This unwavering determination marked his life, and he never wavered in his endeavor to see the Deen of Allah fully established, despite the atrocious persecution he suffered and the many obstacles that continually appeared in his path.
Once he had made a firm decision, he remained constant despite the difficulty of the consequences.
When Allah’s rights and the administration of justice were at stake, he never allowed himself to deviate from what he knew to be right.
There is a famous hadith collected by Bukhari and Muslim in which Aisha narrates that the Quraish were agitated because of a makhzumi woman who had committed a robbery.
He asked: “Who can intercede with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) for her?”
And they said: “No one would dare to do so except Usama, whom the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) loves so much.”
So Usama talked to him.
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah be upon him) said: “Do you intercede when there is a punishment prescribed by Allah?”
Then he stood up and said: “O my people, those who preceded you were destroyed because if anyone of high rank committed theft among them, he was forgiven, and if it was someone of low rank who committed theft, the corresponding penalty was inflicted. By Allah, if Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad, were to steal, he would have her hand cut off.”
He never got angry about anything personal or anything related to this world, but when he got angry for the sake of Allah nothing could stand in his way.
Finally, there is the question of his unprecedentedly amazing humility.
He arrived in Medina as its recognized ruler and at the time of his death was, for all intents and purposes, the absolute ruler of the entire Arabian Peninsula; And yet, his way of life never changed and he continued to live as simply as the humblest of those he ruled.
He swept his room, cleaned his shoes, mended his clothes, went to get water, milked the goats, ate with his servants, dressed them as he dressed himself, and carried what he bought in the market to his house.
He did not like to have a special place reserved for him in meetings and would sit wherever he found an empty space. He rode a donkey, visited the sick, took part in funerals, and responded to the invitation of anyone who invited him.
Anas relates that on one occasion a mentally ill woman came to the Prophet, may Allah bless her and grant her peace, and said: “I need you to help me.”
He replied, “Sit on any street in the city and I will stay with you until your needs are met.”
In other words, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, shared the lives of those with whom he lived, suffering the same hardships and starving when they were hungry.
It is not strange to understand why these people happily accepted his leadership.
And this brings us to the final point.
When all these qualities mentioned are brought together in one man, there is only one possible reaction.
The power of some rulers over their subjects is obtained through fear.
With others, it’s through respect.
In the case of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, it was sincere love.
He inspired tremendous love in all those who followed him, so that what united the Companions and the Prophet and made them obey and follow him was nothing but love.
When the Quraysh sent Urwa ibn Mas’ud Ath-Thaqafi as an emissary to the Muslims who were encamped in Hudaybiyyah, he came back saying: “I have seen Khosrau in his kingdom, Caesar in his empire and Negus in his kingdom, but I have never seen a people who love their leader so much that as the Muslims love Muhammad. There is no hair falling off their head that they do not appreciate. His people will never abandon him, so think about what you’re going to do.”
The First Community was built with this love, and this was what held them together.
And it was this very thing that made them an unstoppable force that spread across half of the known world in just one generation.
And it is this, together with all the achievements of which we have spoken, that makes the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) stand out as the greatest ruler and political leader the world has ever seen.

“Verily a Messenger has come unto you from yourselves; It is painful for him that you suffer any evil, he is bent on you and towards the believers he is kind and compassionate. But if they turn their backs on you, say: Allah is enough for me, there is no god but Him, to Him I entrust myself, and He is the Lord of the immense Throne.” (Surah al-Tawba, 128-129).