On the birthday of the best husband in the world
He was the most ideal husband women ever desired. Handsome. Calm. Comforting. Suave. Athletic. Romantic. Protective. Not once did he leave his wives to face life’s challenges alone. Not for once did he lift his hand up to slap any of his wives. Not once did he utter imprecation, infelicities, and curses against any woman, […]
He was the most ideal husband women ever desired. Handsome. Calm. Comforting. Suave. Athletic. Romantic. Protective. Not once did he leave his wives to face life’s challenges alone. Not for once did he lift his hand up to slap any of his wives. Not once did he utter imprecation, infelicities, and curses against any woman, even when the temptation to do so was highest.
Not for once. Not for once did he abuse his in-laws for the infirmities of their daughters! Not once did he tell his wives that marital expenses would be shared between him and them in equal measures. Not for once did he abandon his bed for days and months as punishment for acts of misconduct on the part of his wives. Not for once did he excoriate and abuse any of his wives for preparing a meal that was lacking in taste or flavour.
Thus, when Michael Hart decided to do a ranking of the most successful men in history using a combination of secular and spiritual metrics as tools, his finding that Prophet Muhammad tops the list came as no surprise. Once again, his birthday is being marked globally today, being the 12th day of the month of Rabiu Al-Awwal, 1447. Here I refer to the last Prophet of the Almighty (s.a.w), the Prophet who brought the last testament, a book that has an ‘introduction’ but no conclusion. Yes. He is being memorialized globally once again for his patrimony and heritage; a patrimony of ascetism moderated by conscientious materialism and a heritage of unnegotiable abhorrence for ignorance that finds a counterfoil in incessant pursuit of knowledge and discernment.
Yes. The Prophet taught these to us after having been taught by the Quran, by the Almighty, that marriage is intended to be permanent, as indicated by its characterisation as a “firm bond” (Quran 4:21) and by the rules governing divorce (Quran 55, among others). The relationship between the spouses should ideally be based on love (Quran 30:21). Decisions that may potentially affect the union are expected to be taken in mutual consultation and consent by both spouses. The husband, being the head of the family, is under obligation to treat his wife kindly (Quran 4:19). Indeed, there are copious statements from the Prophet regarding this. These include: “Treat your women well and be kind to them, for they are your partners and committed helpers”; “The best earning a man can have is a remembering tongue (about Allah), a grateful heart and a believing wife who helps him in his faith”; “The world, the whole of it, is a commodity and the best of the commodities of the world is a virtuous wife.”
Brethren, one other profound tradition of the Prophet that always awakens my contemplation reads: “Fear Allah regarding women. Verily, you have married them with the trust of Allah, and made their bodies lawful with the word of Allah. You have got (rights) over them, and they have got (rights) over you in respect of their food and clothing according to your means.” The best way to celebrate his birthday is to ask yourself which of his words, sayings and deeds have you adopted as your credo in life? May the peace and benedictions of the Almighty be on souls in Madinah! Aamin.