The Prophet in the Quran

The Personality of the Prophet of Islam God himself was the patron of the Prophet of Islam. One piece of guidance He gave to him on different occasions was the cultivation of positive thinking. In this world everyone is faced with unpleasant incidents. And the Prophet of Islam had his share of unpleasantness. On all such occasions God showed him how there may be a favourable aspect to seemingly unfavourable happenings. In ancient Makkah when the Prophet of Islam began to spread the call of monotheism, he was faced with severe difficulties. At that time, he was advised in the Quran not to become upset in the face of adversity, for, in this world, every hardship was accompanied by ease. For example, his opponents started issuing false propaganda on a large scale regarding his activities and made all kinds of allegations against him. At that time God advised him that through this propaganda his message was being conveyed to broad sections of society. Therefore, the Prophet should not take it as damaging to his efforts but should regard it rather as a means of introducing his mission to the public. Despite the propagation of his message for about twenty years, the Prophet and his companions still remained in a minority in Arabia, the idolaters being in the majority. At that time the Prophet and his companions were reminded by God of how many times, by His grace, it had happened that a small group had prevailed over a larger group (The Quran, 2:249). Then in 3 A.H., the Battle of Uhud took place, in which the Muslims were defeated by the idolaters­ – an apparently discouraging event. But even on that occasion God again pointed out only the bright and positive aspect of the matter: If you have suffered a wound, they too have suffered a similar wound. We bring these days to men by turns. (The Quran, 3:140) On a parallel with this was the signing of the Hudaybiyya peace treaty, which took place in 6 A.H., between the Prophet of Islam and the idolaters. This peace treaty ostensibly signalled the political defeat of the Muslims. But when this event was commented upon in the Quran, God said, on the contrary, that He had given them a ‘clear victory’ over their adversaries (The Quran, 48:1). This meant that despite their apparent political defeat, the Muslims had achieved a moral victory, which would in the end result in total victory, etc. This divine training made the Prophet of Islam into an individual who was free from all negative thoughts. He may without doubt be called the greatest positive thinker of the world. Trust in God During the journey of emigration when the Prophet of Islam left Makkah for Madinah, he was accompanied only by Abu Bakr Siddiq. This was a journey full of risks. The Makkans, thirsting for his blood, would certainly pursue him; therefore, the Prophet took every possible precaution.