The Prophet's Praiseworthiness and His Excellent Qualities

Allah says, "Indeed, there has come to you a Messenger from your own" [Surah At-Taubah, 9:128]

In this verse commentators draw our attention to the fact that the Messenger of Allah, praise and peace be upon him, was already known as being both truthful

and trustworthy. No one had any reason to suppose he would lie to them or not give them good counsel.

Each tribe of Arabia was linked to him either through kinship or ancestry and he was by far their most noble and excellent kinsman. Imam Ali, may Allah honor his face, explained that the phrase in the preceding verse 'from your own' refers to either lineage, relationship by marriage or descent and that from the time of Prophet Adam, peace be upon him, there was neither an adulterer nor fornicator in the lineage of the Prophet, all were officially married.

Such was importance of the transmission of lineage to the Arabs that al Kalbi's son was able to trace a line of no less than five hundred female ancestors of the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him. He too verified that none had fornicated nor yet were the evils rampant during the 'Age of Ignorance' found in any of them.

Al Hussain, son of al Fadl points out that Allah honored him with two of His own Names – Rauf, the Kind and Raheem, the Merciful.

Referring to the verse "Whosoever obeys the Messenger, indeed he has obeyed Allah." [Surah An-Nisa’, 4:80]. Jafar, the son of Muhammad As-Sadiq said, "Allah was aware that His creation would be incapable of pure obedience to Him so He informed us in this order – the Messenger, then Allah – so it would be realized one would never be able to  aspire to the achievement of pure obedience to Him. Therefore between Himself He placed a human, adorning him with His own attributes of the Kind and Merciful.

He made him a truthful ambassador for creation and decreed that when a person obeys him, they are in fact obeying Allah, and when someone complies with him, they are also complying with Allah.

Quoting the verse "and when you turn among those who prostrate themselves" [Surah Ash-Shu’ara, 26:219], Abbas' son explained that the meaning of this verse is that the seed of Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, was implanted in Prophet Adam and thereafter implanted in succession from one prophet to the next until Allah finally brought him as a Prophet.

Abu Bakr, Tahir's son, explained the verse "We have not sent you except as a mercy to all the worlds."[Surah Al-Anbiya’, 21:107] as meaning Allah endowed Prophet Muhammad, praise and peace be upon him, with mercy so that his very being was mercy and all his qualities and attributes were a mercy to all creation. When a person is touched by any portion of his mercy he is saved in both worlds from every hateful matter and reaches everything that is loved. He further explained that the Prophet's life and death were a mercy because the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, said, "When Allah decrees mercy for a nation He takes its Prophet to Him before them, and causes him to be the one to go ahead in order to prepare the way for them."

As-Samarkandi further elaborated "as a mercy to all the worlds" saying it refers to both mankind and jinn, and that it has also been explained as being for all of creation. For believers he is indeed a mercy as he is their guide. As for the hypocrites he was also a mercy to them because of his granting their security by not killing them rather a fine was imposed. When it comes to those who did not believe he was also merciful by deferring their punishment. Abbas' son commented, "He is a mercy to both believers and unbelievers. In the case of the unbeliever they are saved from the punishment that came upon other communities who belied their prophet."

One day the Prophet, praise and peace be upon him, asked the Archangel Gabriel, "Has any of this mercy touched you?" Gabriel replied, "Yes, I used to fear what would befall me, but I feel secure now because of the way Allah praised me when he said, "of power, given a rank by the Owner of the Throneobeyed, and honest." [Surah At-Takweer, 81:20-21