(^192) I" IIH 1~lIftps oj fix Propbrt
him I'vt'~' d:ly and spent hours by his side. \'V'hcn the c hild evcnrually
breathed his last, me Prophet took him in his arms and held him against
his breast, tcars streaming down his face, so deep was his sorrow. Abel ar-
Rahman ibn Awf, his faithful Companion, was surprised by those sobs,
because he thought that the Prophet had previously forbidden such
expressions o f grief At first, Muhammad could not speak; then h e
cxplamed to him that he had forbidden excessive manifestations of dis-
tress, through wailing or hysterical b~havior, but not the natural expres-
sion of sorrow and su ffering. Then he gave verbal expression to his grief
that, 10 effect, became a spiritual teaching, as he declared that his tears
were "signs of tenderness and mercy." I-Ie added a comment springing
from his own experience, but which was also true in every t-,'Iuslim's daily
life: " He who is not merciful will nOt be shown mercy." 26 In the difficult
moments o f life, kin dness, clemency, m ercy, and the expressions of
empathy that human beings offer one anoth er bring them closer to the
One, ar-Rohman (the 1Iost Gracious, the Most Merciful). Thro ugh them,
God reaches closer to the believer's heart, offering the believer what the
believer him-or herself has o ffered to a b rother or sister in humanity.
T he Prophet was imimatdy affected, and he did not hesitate to s:-aow
and express his g rief. He added: "The eye sheds tears, 0 Ibrahim, the
heart is infinitely sad, and one must only uner what satisfies God.'>27 God
had once more tested him through his human ity and his miss ion. He had
lost so many loved ones-Companions, his wife Khadijah, three of his
daughtets, and his three sons.^28 I-lis life had been crossed with tears, but
he renained both gentle with his hean and firm in his mission. It was this
chemistry of gen cleness and firmness that satisfied the Most Near. At the
time when, in this tenth year of hi/rah, me world seemed to o pen up to th e
Prophet's mission, ~luhammad's human fate seemed reduced to that Uny
grave where Ibrahim's body was laid, and over which he then led thc
funeral prayer. The Prophct was one of the eject; the Prophet remained a
human being.
A few hours after his return from :h e graveyard, an eclipse o f the sun
occurred. T he Muslims were quick to associate the eclipse with the death
o f the P rophet's child and see it as a miracle, a kind of message from God
to I-lis Prophet. But Muhamm:ld put an end to all such interprctncions,
saying forcefully: "The su n and the moon are tWO of God's signs. Their
light does not darken for anrone's death." 29 Muhammad was thus remind-
martin jones
(Martin Jones)
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