How Did the Prophet (PBUH) Make the Muhammadan Faith Enduring Through Honest Living?

The Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) honesty was not limited to the period before his prophethood and his reputation as 'Muhammad al-Amin'; even at the height of his power and popularity, he spoke the truth without reservation.

According to the Missionary Thought and Culture Base, the sincerity of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was not limited to the era before his mission and his fame was not limited to "Muhammad Amin"; Even at the height of his power and popularity, he did not shy away from telling the truth. Hojjat-ul-Islam Alireza Qabadi, a sociologist and religious expert, in his lecture entitled "Honest Life", referring to the story of the loss of the Prophet's camel in the Tabuk campaign, introduces honesty as one of the fundamental characteristics of the Prophet's life and one of the dynamic and enduring factors of the Muhammadan religion.

According to Iqna's narration, one of the prominent features of the Prophet's (PBUH) life was his continuous adherence to honesty in thought and behavior. This characteristic was present in all stages of the life of the Holy Prophet and he never left it. The reputation of the Prophet (PBUH) for truthfulness and trustworthiness, even before his mission, had caused people to know him with the nickname "Muhammad Amin".

However, the most important manifestation of the sincerity of the Prophet (PBUH) should be sought during the peak of his power, prestige and popularity; When many may ignore the truth or turn to expediency to maintain their position. While some people behave honestly as long as they do not have much power and influence, but when they reach higher positions, they distance themselves from this principle, the Prophet (PBUH) adhered to honesty in all stages of his life.

This feature, which is referred to as "honest life" in this speech, is rooted in the teachings of the Holy Quran. In the eighth verse of Surah Al-Ahzab, God asks the honest about their truthfulness; A verse that has been taken into account in explaining the place of honesty in the path of mission and responsibility.

To better understand the meaning of the honest life of the Prophet (PBUH), we can refer to a story from the period after the conquest of Mecca and during the Tabuk campaign. After the conquest of Makkah, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) had reached an unparalleled position of power and prestige. In the following, he moved to Tabuk to deal with the threat of the Roman army; A military trip that was considered one of the longest trips of His Holiness.

In one of the destinations of this journey, the camel of the Prophet (PBUH) was lost and the companions searched for it. At the same time, one of the hypocrites said sarcastically: Muhammad claims to be a prophet and knows about the news from heaven, but he does not know where his camel is!

This word reached the Prophet (PBUH). He replied: "I swear to God, I don't know anything except what God teaches me; "Now God has informed me about the location of Naqah." Then he identified the location of the camel and explained that its leash was stuck to a tree in one of the valleys. After the Prophet (PBUH) pointed out the gap between the two mountains, a group went there to find the camel and found the animal in the same condition as he had described.

The Prophet's (pbuh) emphasis that his knowledge is not beyond what God teaches was an example of honesty in expressing the truth; The honesty that did not change even in the face of the taunts of the opponents and the possible abuse of ill-wishers. In order to preserve his reputation, that Imam did not make any claims beyond what he was aware of and clearly stated the limits of his knowledge.

The importance of this behavior becomes more apparent when we compare it with the behavior of some people in power; People who sometimes hide the truth or turn to expediency far from honesty in order to maintain their position and influence. The Prophet (PBUH), on the other hand, spoke the truth as required by the service of God and the responsibility of the mission, and considered the knowledge of unseen matters to be dependent on divine teaching.

Based on this, the honest life of the Prophet (PBUH) was not just an individual moral characteristic, but was considered the fundamental principle in his way of life. The principle that continued in different conditions, from the era before the Prophet until the time of enjoying power and popularity. Perhaps one of the dynamic and lasting factors of the Muhammadan religion can be found in this honesty; The honesty that established a link between the words and actions of the Prophet (PBUH) and displayed a clear example of adherence to the truth.