The Prophet in the Quran

Although he had to go to Makkah, he went in the opposite direction, and reached the cave of Thaur, where he stayed with Abu Bakr for a few days. When the news of his emigration reached the Makkan leaders, they sent their people out in all directions in order to catch and kill him before his arrival at Madinah. When the Prophet and Abu Bakr Siddiq were hiding in the cave, a search party came so close that they were clearly visible from inside. Abu Bakr Siddiq, watching them standing at the entrance of the cave with their drawn swords, said to the Prophet that if anyone of them looked at his feet, he would find them. The Prophet replied with total confidence: O Abu Bakr, what do you think of those two who have God as the third companion? (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2381) These words uttered by the Prophet of Islam were of such towering significance that they have perhaps no precedent in the entire history of the human species. Even at that moment in time, when he was undoubtedly in the most perilous situation, his trust in God was so great that even the mightiest tempest could not have shaken it. At that juncture it was this limitless confidence that inspired the utterance of such bold words. The Prophet’s State of Mind During Worship The Prophet of Islam worshipped God daily, during the day as well as at night. There is a tradition, which tells us the state of his heart at the time of worship. Ali narrates that when the Prophet said his prayers, these were the words of invocation that often came to his lips at the time of bowing down: O God, I bow before You, I believe in You and I have surrendered myself to You. My ears, my eyes, my brain, my bones, my nerves have all submitted to You. Ali has further recorded that when the Prophet of Islam used to place his forehead on the ground at the time of prostration, these words would come to his lips: God, I have prostrated myself before You, I have believed in You, I have surrendered myself to You. My face has bowed to the one who has created it, gave it shape, made ears and eyes. God is most Blessed, the best Creator. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 771) These traditions tell us of the feelings of the Prophet when he was engaged in worship. He used to be totally immersed in God’s glory and majesty. The sense of God’s greatness and his own humility in comparison were so overwhelming that they created a tempest within his heart. His worship was akin to a tangible presence before God the Almighty. His worship had a highly intense, living quality to it, and was not just a set of rituals. Great Concern over Giving Guidance The Prophet was thus addressed in the Quran: These are the verses of the Book that makes things clear. It may be that you will destroy yourself with grief because they will not believe. But if We had so willed,