Spirit of Islam, Nov 2015

The Prophet lived among others as an equal. No bitter criticism or provocation would make him lose his composure. PROPHET MUHAMMAD—PART II Humility and Forbearance T HE Prophet was a man like other men. Joyous things would please him while sad things would sadden him. Realisation of the fact that he was first and foremost God’s servant, however, prevented him from placing more importance on his own feelings than upon the will of God. Towards the end of the Prophet’s life Mariah Qibtiyah, his wife, bore him a beautiful and vivacious son. The Prophet named him Ibrahim, after his most illustrious ancestor. It was Abu Rafi who broke the good news to the Prophet. He was so overjoyed that he presented Abu Rafi with a gift. He used to take the child in his lap and play with him fondly. According to Arab custom, Ibrahim was given to a wet nurse, Umm Burdah bint al-Mundhir ibn Zayd Ansari. She was the wife of a blacksmith, and her small house was usually full of smoke. Still, the Prophet used to go to the blacksmith’s house to visit his son, putting up with the smoke that used to fill his eyes and nostrils. Ibrahim, was just one and half years old when, in the tenth year after the Hijrah (January 632 AD), he died. The Prophet wept on the death of his only son, as any father would; in this respect the Prophet appears like any other human being. His happiness and his grief were that of a normal father. But with all that, he fixed his heart firmly on the will of God. Even in his grief, these were the words he uttered: 'God knows, Ibrahim, how we sorrow at your parting. The eye weeps and the heart grieves, but we will say nothing that may displease the Lord.' It so happened that the death of Ibrahim coincided with a solar eclipse. From ancient times people had believed that solar and lunar eclipses were caused by the death of some important person. The people of Madinah began attributing the eclipse to the death of the Prophet’s son. This caused the Prophet immense displeasure, for it suggested this predictable astronomical event was caused out of respect for his infant son. He collected the people and addressed them as follows: