The Brief Life of Prophet Muhammad

his companions, “Don’t you wonder how God has saved me from the abuses of the Quraysh? They abuse and condemn a person named Mudhammam, while I am Muhammad.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith no. 3533) We tend to become sensitive when our ego is hurt and respond with similar rebuttals. But what did the Prophet do? He managed the issue of being ridiculed with wisdom. Often, we make a certain issue an instance of our dignity being offended and thus respond with hypersensitivity. However, the Prophet taught us that there is also greater dignity in avoiding and dismissing such situations with ease. Cultivating the attitude exemplified by the Prophet can help us deal with such situations better. Positive Thinking: Ignore the Problem, Avail the Opportunity The Prophet would carry out his mission of spreading the message of monotheism in Makkah. The pattern that can be observed repeatedly from the method he followed was that he avoided people’s unpleasant behaviour and would steadfastly continue to work to disseminate the teachings of Islam. The Quran is filled with injunctions to the Prophet to avoid the opponents with enduring patience and focus on his duty. We can say that the Prophet followed the formula: ignore God has sent down to you the Book and Wisdom and has taught you what you did not know. God’s favour to you has been great indeed. The Quran, 4:113