(6) The Simple Life of Muhammad

(6) The Simple Life of Muhammad If we compare the life of Muhammad before his mission as
prophet and his life after he began his mission as a prophet, we
ll conclude that it is beyond reason to think that Muhammad as a false prophet, who claimed prophethood to attain material
ins, greatness, glory, or power.
Before his mission as a prophet, Muhammad had no finan
al worries. As a successful and reputed merchant, Muhammad ew a satisfactory and comfortable income. After his mission as
prophet and because of it, he became worse off materially. To
arify this more, let us browse the following sayings on his life: Aa’isha, Muhammad’s wife, said: “O my nephew, we
would sight three new moons in two months without lighting
a fire (to cook a meal) in the Prophet’s houses.” Her
nephew asked: “O Aunt, what sustained you?” She said: “The
two black things, dates and water, but the Prophet had some
Ansar neighbors who had milk-giving she-camels and they
used to send the Prophet some of its milk.”1 Sahl Ibn Sa’ad, one of Muhammad’s companions, said:
“The Prophet of God did not see bread made from fine flour
from the time God sent him (as a prophet) until he died.”2 Aa’isha, Muhammad’s wife, said: “The mattress of the
Prophet , on which he slept, wasmade of leather stuffed with
the fiber of the date-palm tree.”3 Amr Ibn Al-Hareth, one of Muhammad’s companions, said
that when the Prophet died, he left neither money nor
anything else except his white riding mule, his arms, and a
piece of land which he left to charity.4Muhammad lived this hard life till he died although the
uslim treasury was at his disposal, the greater part of the Arabian) Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2972, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #2567.
) Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #5413, and Al-Tirmizi, #2364.
) Narrated in Saheeh Muslim, #2082, and Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #6456.
) Narrated in Saheeh Al-Bukhari, #2739, and Mosnad Ahmad, #17990.