The Prophet in Makkah

news. “It must have been Gabriel who told you,” he said to the Prophet. But the same event has been related by Ibn Marduyah, and Ibn Sa’d. According to them, Suhayb told his own story in these words: I carried on until I reached Madinah. When the Prophet heard my handing over my property to the Quraysh, he said: “Suhayb has profited! Suhayb has profited!”89 The fact that the Prophet led such a simple life means that it is simple for others to follow his example. He was human like any other, but his life was a perfect pattern for others. According to al-Bukhari, he stumbled on the road like anyone else. Indeed, the reason his congregation refused to believe that he was the receiver of divine revelation was the very fact that, to all appearances, the Prophet appeared just like any normal human being: You make transactions in the town. You seek a livelihood just as we do.90 The truth is that the greatness of the Prophet’s life lies in its being a human event rather than a far-fetched tale of inimitable miraculous actions. The Prophet was God’s humble and very human servant, and, having been chosen by God to spread His message, he was helped by Him at every critical hour. In this sense, his success was miraculous, but the Prophet was not endowed with miraculous powers.