Prophet Muhammad’s bravery
By now, the reader should know that all of the
Prophet’s noble characteristics were direct results of certain causes - such as
his strong Faith in Allah, his fear of Allah, and the complete trust he (s.a.w)
placed in Allah . In this regard, the characteristic of bravery is no
exception. The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) was a paragon of bravery because he
feared. no one save Allah, because he had Faith in Allah’s Promise to protect
him from his enemies, and because he placed his complete trust in Allah.
As such, he was like a great mountain, in that
he did not easily shake or tremble, but instead remained firm and steadfast through
the most harrowing of situations. His enemy’s threats did not perturb him;
life-threatening situations did not frighten him; and the threat of physical
harm or even of death did not faze him in the least.
He placed his complete trust in Allah, seeking
no one’s help save His help, being confident in His Promise, and being
satisfied and happy with His decree. With such wonderful qualities, it is not surprising
that he personally fought in battles, placing himself in harm’s way even when
few, if any, others were willing to do the same.
Never once did
the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) flee from a battle; never once
did he even retreat a single step when fighting intensified. In fact, when
heads were decapitated; when swords sliced through air, skin, flesh, and bones;
when many people met their deaths in a matter of minutes or seconds; when
swords clashed with shields, and when arrows penetrated armor - the Prophet
Muhammad was the closest member of his
army to the enemy. At times, Companions used the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) as a
shield, knowing that they would stand a better chance against their enemy if
they rallied around the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w).
For the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), it did not
matter how many enemy soldiers there were on a battlefield; it did not matter
how many weapons they had; these things did not matter because he believed with
certainty that, regardless of the strength of the enemy, Allah would help him
overcome them. On the Day of Hunayn, most Muslims fled from the battlefield
during the initial stages of the battle. The only Muslims who remained
steadfast on the battlefield were the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and six of his
Companions; and this verse was revealed to him:
(Then fight [O
Muhammad] in the Cause of Allah, you are not tasked [i.e., held responsible]
except for yourself, and incite the believers [to fight along with you]...)
(Qur’an 4: 84)
The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) was neither
nervous nor frightened during times of battle; instead, he was calm and at
peace, for he desired martyrdom at least as much as he desired victory.
As a result of the Prophet’s bravery, he
sometimes sustained injuries ~ for instance, during the Battle of Badr, he
fractured a bone in his face, and one of his front teeth broke. In a single
battle, he lost seventy of his Companions . And yet he never became weak,
cowardly, or fearful; instead, he ploughed forward on the battlefield as if he
wanted to die.
On the Day of Badr, he not only led his army,
but also took part in the fighting during the most intense and dangerous stages
of the battle. During the Battle of Khandaq, the Confederate armies were
apparently in complete control of the situation, confident that it was only a
matter of tirne before they broke the siege? and destroyed the Muslims of
Madeenah. As for Muslim soldiers, their hearts reached their throats, so afraid
were they; they were shaken and put to trial, with at least some of them being on
the verge of hopelessness; meanwhile, the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) remained
patient, steadfast, and confident of victory. But as confident as he was, he
did not forget to invoke Allah for help. He stood up, prayed, supplicated, and
invoked his Lord for help, until Allah answered his Prayers and caused his
enemies to be defeated, to suffer humiliation, and to retreat in disgrace even,
though they greatly outnumbered their Muslim counterparts. The violent wind that
Allah sent to the Confederate armies
instilled terror into the hearts of polytheist soldiers, and thus the siege
came to an end. And on the night of Badr, the Muslims fell asleep; as for the Prophet
Muhammad (s.a.w), he stood up, prayed, and invoked Allah for help.
No one was as brave as was the Prophet
Muhammad (s.a.w), who said: “By the One Who has my soul in His Hand, I would
love to be killed in the way of Allah, to then be resurrected, and to then be
killed (again)