Lessons of the Prophet’s Life

misinterpretation. They will look at the matter objectively, and God’s grace will enable them to arrive at the heart of the matter. They will see that the secret lies in realizing one thing: that minor losses must be endured for the sake of significant gain. The consideration that should be uppermost in a believer’s mind is what serves the interests of Islam, not their interests. Their preoccupation must be with preaching the message of Islam. If there is a clash between personal and preaching interests, preaching of the faith must come first. In the interest of his preaching mission, the Prophet advised patience in the situations mentioned above. The Prophet endured all kinds of personal, financial and domestic losses to ensure the continuation of his efforts to spread the faith. He knew that the Muslims’ success in this life and the next lay in their pressing on with missionary work. When one has a purpose in life, that purpose assumes overriding importance. One will bear losses in life to achieve it. In the absence of such a purpose, one becomes preoccupied with every trivial matter. To avoid small losses, one must put up with even greater ones. The preachers of God’s word are the most purposeful people in the world: they endure small losses in pursuit of their greater aim. They avoid clashing with others on any issue which would harm their missionary work. They only act in self-defence when forced to do so, for this does not interfere with their greater goal.