Sublime Character

56 came forward, the Prophet handed the keys over to him. ‘Uthman,’ he said, “here are your keys. This is a day of righteousness and fulfilment of promises. They will remain in your family from generation to generation. It is only a wrongdoer who will take them away from you.” This action of the Prophet illustrates that Muslims should be meticulous in fulfilling obligations and returning trust. Even if they have been treated acrimoniously by those with whom they are dealing, they should still pay them their full due. However much it may hurt them, they should never deny people their rights. When worldly people gain power, the first thing they do is punish their opponents, removing them from their posts and installing their supporters instead. All people who come to power think in terms of supporters or opponents. Promoting supporters and demoting opponents is an essential part of their policy. But when the Prophet of Islam gained control in Arabia, he did quite the opposite. He did not look at matters in terms of supporters and opponents; he considered only what was right and fair. He buried all grudges and dealt with everyone as justice and compassion would demand.