In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad

48

became irritated by the insistence: of this old man, who \vas preventing him

from presenting his case to Wahd, The chief, full of contempt, e\'Cnruall)'

refused even to hear the mauer. A 5umh \\'as to be revealed as a result of

this incident, requiring rv'uslims to d raw a lesson from It for eternity:

In the name of God, J\IoSI Grnclous, Most h·terciful. He [the P rophet]

frowned and rurned awa}', because the blind man came to him. But what

could rou tell but that perhaps he might grow In p unty? Or th:u he might

receive admonition, and the reminder might profit him? As to one who

regards hImself 25 sdf-sufficiem, you 2ttcnd to hun, though It IS no blmlc

to you if he does not grow in purity. But as to he who came (0 you Sin\,-

mg earnestly, and with fear rrn hIS hean], o f fum you v.'erc unmindful. By

no means [should it be so]! For it is ind eed a message of remembrance.

Therefore let who will, keep II In rcmcmbrancel^26

The Prophet, moved by his desire [0 p ro tec t his community, is here
reproached by his Educator, who teaches him never to turn away &om a
human being, regardless of whatever difficult circumstances the Prophet
might be facing, even though the person might be poor, o ld, and blind.
Seeking the protection of a person of distinction, socially and politically
useful, J\'luhammad had neglected a poor man, apparently of no signifi-
cance to his cause, who was asking fo r spiritual solace; this mistake, this
moral slip, is recorded in the Quran, which th rough this story teaches
i\'luslims never to neglect a human being, never to turn away from the
poor and needy, but rather to serve and love them. T he Prophet was nevcr
to forgct this teaching, and he repeatedly im'oked God, saying: "0 God,
we implo re You to g rant us piety, clignity, [spiritual} wealth, and lo\'e o f
the poor.tt27
Thus the Prophet is a model for Muslims not only thro ugh th e excel-
lence of his behavior but also through the weaknesses of his humanity,
revealed and mentioned by th e Quran so that Muslim consciences may
never forget this message through the ages. No one must ever let power
or social, economic, or political interests rurn hjm o r her away fro m mher
human beings, from the aneooon they deserve and the respect they are
entitled to. Nothing mUSt ever l ead a person to compromise this principle
of faith in fa-or of a poliocal strategy aimed at saving or protecting a
community from so me peril. The freely offered, sincere hean of a poor,