Prophet Muhammad preached for twenty-three years and consequently the writings in the Qur’an and the Hadith contain thousands of accounts of his interactions and public communication. His public communication contained many references to values necessary to follow completely Allah’s will. In his book, Muhammad in the Qur’an, Raza (1982) traced the verses in the Qur’an that described Prophet Muhammad’s character values: “And verily, you (O Muhammad) are on an exalted standard of character” (Qur’an 68:4). This was not only a claim, but Prophet Muhammad had already won from his fellow-citizens of Mecca the recognition of his magnificent morality inasmuch as he had won the title of Al-Amin, a title rarely conceded to anybody in the pre Islamic days (Khan, 1998).
Carlyle described Prophet Muhammad’s fidelity in the following situation with his wife Ayesha thus:
It is a boundless favour. He never forgot this good kadijah. Long afterwards, Ayesha his young favourite wife, a woman who indeed distinguished herself among the moslems, by all manner of qualities, through her whole long life; this young brilliant Ayesha was, one day, questioning him. “Now am not I better than kadijah? She was a widow; old, and had lost her looks: you love me better than you did her?” “No, by Allah!” answered Mahomet: “no, by Allah! She believed in me when none else would believe. In the whole world I had but one friend, and she was that!... (1840, p.76)
According to Sharma (1935), "Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never forgotten by those around him" (p. 12).Mahatma Gandhi, well-known for his compassionate character to all people, described the character of Muhammad similarly to how others describe him:
I wanted to know the best of one who holds today's undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of humankind....I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. (Young India, nd)
I wanted to know the best of one who holds today's undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of humankind....I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. (Young India, nd)
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