Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) gave us a very stunning example of how to make use of time, given the fact that he had heavy burdens to fulfill, the greatest of which was spreading the Message of the Lord of all the worlds. Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to not only have personal responsibilities as a husband and father, but also the important task of spreading the Message and also other tasks of being a leader, teacher, legislator and reformer. Even though Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) had such responsibilities, he still cared about his Companions’ personal matters and was concerned about their state of affairs.
Prophet Muhammed’s daily program started in the last third of the night. The first thing Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to do when he woke-up--although only his eyes slept, not his heart--was to remember and praise Allah (Glorified is He), saying,
«Praise be to Allah who has preserved my body, made my soul return to me, and allowed me to remember Him»
[related by Ahmed].
Then Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) prepared himself to pray the supererogatory night prayer, standing in front of Allah (Glorified is He). Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) would perform ablution and brush his teeth with the toothstick, and then stand to pray the supererogatory night prayer, standing before Allah (Glorified is He) until his feet swell. Even some of his family felt sorry for him one day and so said, ‘Oh Messenger of Allah, has Allah not forgiven your past and future sins?’ Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) replied,
«Should I not be a thankful slave?!»
[related by Al-Bukhari].
Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) also said,
«My eyes sleep but by heart does not sleep»
[related by Al-Bukhari].
Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to stay standing before his Lord, remembering Him (Glorified is He), asking Him for forgiveness, calling Him, contemplating about the creation of the heavens and earth and remaining like this until just before the Fajr (dawn) prayer. Then Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) would return to his bed, and as soon as he heard Bilal’s voice proclaiming the call for Fajr prayer, he (peace be upon him) quickly raised from his bed and said,
«We have entered the morning and so has all of Allah’s dominion entered the morning»
[related by Muslim].
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated the following when she was asked about Prophet Muhammed’s supererogatory night prayer,
«He (Prophet Muhammed, peace be upon him) used to sleep at the beginning of the night and stand to pray at the end of the night (just before the dawn). He would pray and then return to his bed. When he heard the call to Fajr prayer, he would rise. If he (peace be upon him) needed a bath he would have a bath, otherwise he would perform ablution and then leave (to go to the mosque)»
[related by Al-Bukhari].
When Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) left his house, he would say,
«In the Name of Allah. I rely on Allah. There is no might or power but with Allah»
[related by Abu Dawood and At-Tirmidhi].
Um Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said that Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him), when he left his house, used to say,
«In the Name of Allah. I put my trust in Allah. Oh Allah, I seek Your protection from being done wrong to or from doing wrong to others, from being made to err or from causing another to err, from being abused or from abusing others, and from acting foolishly or others dealing with me in a foolish manner»
[related by Abu Dawood and At-Tirmidhi].
When Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) entered the mosque, he would order Bilal to announce that the prayer was just about to start. Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) would then make sure the rows of the people in the congregation were level and then start the Fajr prayer. After the prayer, Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to stay in the spot he had prayed, saying words of remembrance of Allah (Glorified is He), until the sun rose. His Companions used to sit with him and Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to talk to them about any problems they had and they used to talk together about religious and worldly matters; Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) would teach and advise them, and listen to their problems. They sometimes would laugh when they remembered some things that happened before Islam, and so Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) would smile.
Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) was in the habit of praying Duha (forenoon) prayer. Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) prayed it regularly. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) tells us,
«Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to pray Duha prayer as four rakats (units of prayer). He would sometimes pray more than four, as Allah ordained [for him]»
[related by Muslim].
After Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) returned from praying Duha, he would ask his wives if there was any food. If there was no food, he used to fast. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said,
«Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said to me one day, ‘Oh Aisha, do you have any food?’ And I replied, ‘Oh Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him), I have nothing!!’ Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) then said, ‘Therefore, I am fasting’»
[related by Muslim].
But if Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) was given food, he would eat. And, "Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) never talked badly about any food at all. If he wanted the food he would eat, if he (peace be upon him) did not want it he would just leave it"
[related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) did not used to eat bent over the food or reclining backwards. Ali ibn Al-Aqmar related that Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said,
«Do not eat reclining backwards»
[related by Al-Bukhari].
When Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) ate on the floor, he was in the habit of kneeling on his knees next to the food. Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said,
«I eat as any slave eats, and I sit as any slave sits»
[The collection of authentic hadiths compiled by Al-Albani].
Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) gave use a very good example of how to be humble. He used to serve his family as well as look after his own needs; he used to mend his shoes, sew his thobe and milk his goats. The hadith Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) related indicates this. She was asked about what Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to do in his house. She replied,
«Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to serve his family,
but as soon as the time of the prayer came, he would leave to pray»
[related by Al-Bukhari].
She also said,
«Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) was just like any other person; he used to clean his thobe,
milk his goats and tend to his personal needs»
[related by Ahmed].
If Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) wanted to gather the people together for any particular reason, he would order that they gather around him or he would call to them saying, <{There is] congregational prayer>. Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) would then tell them why he had gathered them. If Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) wanted to remind them of any important matter, he (peace be upon him) would mention it, and if Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) wanted to tell them any legal legislation, he would tell them.
When it was time to pray Dhuhr (noon) prayer, Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to stand up to pray. Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to make the first rakat of prayer longer than the other rakats in order for the Muslims to catch the beginning of the prayer. It has been reported that,
«Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to make the first rakat of Duhr prayer long, and make the second rakat short»
[related by Al-Bukhari].
Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to then sleep
during the middle of the day in order to be able to pray the supererogatory night prayer. Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said,
«Take a short sleep in the middle of the day, as Satan does not sleep in the middle of the day»
[related by At-Tabarani].
Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to be concerned about the people, their lives, their dealings with others and their trade. It has been reported that,
«Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) passed by a heap of food.
Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) put his hand into the food and felt that it was damp. Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said, addressing the owner of the food, ‘What is this?’ The seller said, ‘Rain fell on it, Oh Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him).’ Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said, ‘Why did you not put it [the part that was wet] on the top of the food for the people to see it? Whoever cheats does not belong to me»
[related by Muslim].
Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said,
«Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to stay at Abu Bakr’s home at night to discuss a matter pertinent to the Muslims, and I would stay with them»
[related by At-Tirmidhi].
Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to sit with the people in their gatherings, visit their sick, answer any of their invitations, and help the weak and needy fulfill their needs. It has been reported that,
«He did not disdain to walk with any widow or needy person to help them fulfill their needs»
[related by An-Nisa’i].
Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to be concerned about his Companions and visit the sick. Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said,
«Come with us to Al-Baseer who is staying in Bani Waqif to visit him; he is blind»
[The collection of authentic hadiths compiled by Al-Albani].
This was the way of Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him). He used to spend most of his time with his people, calling them to Islam, reminding them of Allah (Glorified is He), ordering them to be good and prohibiting them from doing bad. Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to visit the sick and help those in need…that is, Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) was busy and preoccupied with calling others to Islam and improving the state of the nation.
When night came and after he had led the Muslims in the Isha (night) prayer, if there was any matter which Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) was concerned about, he would discuss it with his close Companions who had entered Islam early in the call. But if there were no such concerns, Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) would stay awhile with his family.
When Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) wanted to go to bed, he would perform ablution before sleeping, brush out his bed, and remember and supplicate Allah (Glorified is He). Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) would then sleep on his right side. Al-Biraa ibn Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said,
«If you go to your bed, perform the same ablution as the ablution for prayer, lie on your right side and say, ‘Oh Allah, I submit my face to You, entrust my affairs to You, and lay myself down in dependence upon You, hoping and also dreading You (and Your recompense). There is no refuge and no escape except through You. Oh Allah, I believe in Your book which You revealed and in Your Prophet which You sent.’ If you die that night, you will be on the innate belief of Islam and will have made these you last words you will have spoken»
[related by Muslim].
Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said,
«If any of you go to bed, he should brush out his bed with the edge of his clothes
as the person does not know what might have fallen on the bed [after he had left it]. Then he should say, ‘By Your Name, my Lord, I lay myself down, and by Your Name I rise. If You take my soul, have mercy on it. And if You send it back, protect it as You protect Your righteous slaves’»
[related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
This is a day in the life of Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him); Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) started it by remembering Allah (Glorified is He), prayer and supplications, and he (peace be upon him) used to spend most of his day calling others to Allah (Glorified is He), advising and guiding others, telling them about the Islamic legislation, mixing with his nation, carefully studying their problems and helping them to fulfill their needs.
Prophet Muhammed’s (peace be upon him) life was all for Allah (Glorified is He), fulfilling Allah’s order,
{Say, ‘Truly, my prayer and my sacrifices, my life and my death are [all] for Allah, the Cherisher of [all] the worlds}
[Surah Al-Anam: 162].
This was a general description of a day in the life of Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him). Below is a detailed description of his life with others around him: as a husband, father, neighbour and friend. Details will be given about each one of them.
Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to take care of himself and his household. What is the evidence that supports this fact? What do we learn from this?
1. Be particular to start and end your day by remembering Allah (Glorified is He), and say many words of remembrance of Allah throughout the day, as Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to do.
2. Pray the supererogatory night prayer regularly, and know that
[related by Al-Hakim].
and say the morning and evening supplications regularly as well as other forms of supplications and words of praise. Moreover, pray the Duha (forenoon) prayer regularly as well as other supererogatory prayers the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to perform.
1.Be keen to pray the congregational prayer in the mosque, especially the Fajr (dawn) prayer due to the good received by doing this and the great reward involved.
2.Spend your day doing things that will benefit you and your family. Serve your household and also look after your needs, as Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) used to do.
3.Mix with the people and help those of them who are in need, visit the sick, attend the people’s wedding parties and other gatherings, help them and call them to Allah (Glorified is He), teaching them to take Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) as an example to follow.
4.Live for your Islamic nation, working to clarify and spread your religion, calling others to Allah (Glorified is He), teaching and learning the religion, helping the people, alleviating them from ignorance, illnesses and poverty, thereby following Prophet Muhammed’s example.
5.Regulate your sleep, what time you sleep, how long you sleep, and the etiquettes you follow when sleeping. In fact, regulate all your life, and do not forget to learn the sunnah (ways) of Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) concerning all these matters.
Prophet Muhammad as...
