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<strong>Life</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Muhammad</strong> sa 209<br />
He had perfect trust in God which no combination <strong>of</strong><br />
adverse circumstances could shake. On one occasion an<br />
enemy <strong>of</strong> his, finding him asleep and unguarded, stood<br />
over his head with drawn sword and threatened to<br />
despatch him at once. Before doing so he asked: "Who<br />
can rescue you from this predicament?" The Holy<br />
Prophet sa calmly replied: "Allah." He uttered this word<br />
with such perfect assurance that even the heart <strong>of</strong> his<br />
disbelieving enemy was forced to acknowledge the<br />
l<strong>of</strong>tiness <strong>of</strong> his faith and trust in God. The sword fell<br />
from his hand, and he, who a moment before was bent<br />
upon his destruction, stood before him like a convicted<br />
criminal awaiting sentence (Muslim, Kitabul Fada’il and<br />
Bukhari, Kitabul Jihad).<br />
At the other end <strong>of</strong> the scale was his sense <strong>of</strong> perfect<br />
humility vis-a-vis the Divine. Abu Huraira ra relates: "One<br />
day I heard the Holy Prophet sa say that no man would<br />
attain salvation through his own good deeds. Thereupon<br />
I said: ‘O Messenger <strong>of</strong> Allah sa ! 'Surely you will enter<br />
Paradise through your own good actions,' to which he<br />
replied: ‘No, I too cannot enter Paradise through my own<br />
actions save only that God's Grace and Mercy should<br />
envelop me' " (Bukhari, Kitabur Riqaq).<br />
He always exhorted people to choose and follow the<br />
right path and to be diligent in their search for means<br />
whereby they could attain nearness to God. He taught<br />
that no man should desire death for himself, for if he is<br />
good he will, by living longer, be able to achieve greater<br />
good; and if he is evil, he may, if given time, be able to<br />
repent <strong>of</strong> his evil ways and start on a good way. His love<br />
for, and devotion to, God found expression in many<br />
ways. For instance, whenever after a dry season the first<br />
rain-drops began to descend, he would put out his<br />
tongue to catch a rain-drop and would exclaim: "Here is<br />
the latest favour from my Lord." He was constantly<br />
occupied in praying for God's forgiveness and<br />
beneficence, more particularly when he was sitting<br />
among people so that those who were in his company or<br />
were connected with him and Muslims generally should
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