All went to the idol-temples except Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who, without being taught by anybody, made his way to cave of Hira (Ghare Hira), in the al-Noor mountain near the city of Makkah, where he devotedly worshipped the Creator of the universe and praised His glory and power.

'And you did not recite before it any book, nor did you transcribe one with your right hand, for then could those who say untrue things have doubted.' (Noble Qur'an, 29:48)

Favoured by Almighty Allah (SWT), he distinguished his path from the very beginning, denounced the wrong manners of his people without any hesitation or fear, and proceeded against those wrong deeds and beliefs.

Not only was not one single moment of his blessed life spent in idolatry, but, as we have already mentioned, he hated to hear the names of idols.

His chasteness and purity were known to all. His extreme honesty led the people to give him the title of 'the Trustworthy', and this great virtue led Khadijah bint Khuwaylid to trust him with her commercial property.

The behaviour of Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) toward the people and his manners were so pleasant and excellent that they attracted all people. Thus the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) took a different direction than his people and was by no means infatuated with tribal customs and moods. In reality, under the control of the divine power, he (pbuh) advanced on his path of evolution and perfection.

For all these reasons, people had great respect for him and relied heavily on his views in solving their problems.

When Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was 35 years old and few years before Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) began his mission of preaching Islam there occurred an event of great concern in the lives of the Makkans.

It had rained heavily and continuously for a long period, and the water poured down towards the Kaaba. Kaaba was in the lower section of Makkah. This flood had shaken the foundations of the House of God, the Kaaba and cracked its walls. Besides, the Kaaba had no ceiling and the treasures it housed were exposed to robbery. The Makkans had seriously thought of rebuilding it; but a rebuilt Kaaba with doors and a ceiling, they imagined, would bring upon them a curse.

To each of the four clans of Makkah fell the task of demolishing and rebuilding one of the four walls of the Kaaba, but no one volunteered to begin the work of demolition for fear of punishment by its gods. At length Al-Walid after praying to the gods pulled down part of the Yamani wall assigned to his tribe, until the pillars that the Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) had laid down, appeared. With baited breath the rest waited to see what would befall him. When the morning came and nothing had happened to him they took courage and began to work.

Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), like the others, helped in the work till the Kaaba was levelled except for the green stones which were found below the walls. The Makkans could not shake them loose and thus decided to use them as foundations on which to build the new walls. From the neighbouring mountains the Makkans carried stones of blue granite to the site of the Kaaba and the walls rose from the ground quickly.

Each quarter of the Kaaba was being built by one leading family of Quraish - the big and prominent tribe of Makkah. The sacred Black Stone (Al-Hajar Al-Aswad) had to be placed in the East wall of the Kaaba. Dispute arose as to who would have the honour of placing the Sacred Black Stone. Little by little, the dispute turned into harsh enmity, and the various tribes got ready for a bloody war. The members of the clan of Abdul Dar filled a large jar with blood and put their hands into it, thereby giving each other a pledge of death at the battlefield.

This terrible discord went on for four or five days until Abu Umayyah, who was the oldest of the Quraish, used his influence and said to the Makkans, Let the first person to pass through the gate of the Haram (precincts of the Holy Kaaba) be our arbitrator and that all of us accept his view on the problem so it will be solved.

The Quraish accepted his proposal and waited to see who would pass through the gate first. Suddenly they heard footsteps heading towards them. It was Muhammad, the son of Abdullah. Everyone, of course, knew, loved, admired and respected Muhammad, the son of Abdullah. So with a loud voice, everyone said, "Here comes Al-Ameen (The Trustworthy)" and the joyous voice echoed through the place over and over again. We will accept his verdict! For indeed he was known to everyone as Al-Amin, the trustworthy!

Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was surprised to hear of that title with which they called him. Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not know about the matter. He was told about what the people of Quraish were fighting for. It was all silent for a while. Everyone thought his family was going to be favored. Their hearts were beating hard and they were getting anxious and impatient.

When they explained their problem to him, he said, 'Bring me a piece of cloth'. Although the Quraish did not know what he meant by that order, they brought the cloth immediately. Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) spread the cloth, put the sacred Black Stone in the middle of it, and said, 'Each tribe should take hold of one side of the cloth so all can share in the honour'. The Quraish did as he had told them and lifted the sacred Black Stone to the point where it was to be installed. Then Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), who observed that if he let any of them install it, conflict and disputes would arise, himself lifted the sacred Black Stone and installed it in its place. Through this excellent device, he put an end to the terrible enmity and conflicts.

To reconcile a fiery people in those turbulent times required great wisdom and tact which was so well displayed by Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in this incident in his life. This also clearly demonstrates the supreme character of Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his excellent thought and intelligence, which ended a serious dispute without any bloodshed. It is also clear that he (pbuh) enjoyed a reputation for honesty among his people, who, as you have just read, so willingly subjected their claims to his sense of Judgement. We should take a cue from such instances of Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) life which is full of acts of great moral courage.

This is how Muhammad (pbuh), the son of Abdullah, the Prophet of Islam succeeded in uniting the ever-fighting and ignorant Arabs with his honesty, justice and noble character.

Indeed the Noble Qur'an says: "Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exemplar for him who hopes in Allah and the latter day and remembers Allah much." (Noble Qur'an, 33:21)

A simple unlettered man from the desert once arrived in Medina and came to Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). He asked Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to give him a word of advice, which he said he would follow. Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "Control your anger." And then Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) remained silent.

When he returned to the interior of the desert where he lived, he found that the situation has become quite tense. Some audacious young man from his tribe had raided another tribe in the vicinity and stolen their wealth. In retaliation, the other tribe had also carried out some raids. Now they were at war. Immediately he prepared himself to defend his tribe and was angered by the outrageous conduct of the adversaries.

Just as he stood in line to fight, he suddenly recalled what Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had told him. "Control your anger". He was soon engrossed in deep thought. Admonishing himself, he said: "The anger has taken better of my reason. I have set out to fight without trying for an amicable settlement. What a shame!"

He came forward and addressed the leaders of the opposite side: "Brothers, what is this war for? If my people have raided your side and stolen your property, we could sit together and agree upon compensation. I am prepared to recompense form my personal wealth."

The leaders from the opposite side felt totally disarmed by this new approach. They soon realized that bloodshed was not at all worth anything. So with all the magnanimity, their chief said: "Well, you have agreed to recompense. But we are in no way inferior. We have agreed to forego our demand!"

And both parties peacefully retreated to their places.

Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, "A strong person is not the person who throws his adversaries to the ground. A strong person is the person who contains himself when he is angry."

Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) also said, "When one of you becomes angry while standing he should sit down. If the anger leaves him, well and good; otherwise he should lie down."

Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and a few other individuals were having their meal when a person, suffering from smallpox, came to the gathering. His disease was so acute that the boils had become septic. Every person, near whom this diseased person tried to sit, would show his revulsion and loathing by rising up and moving away from him. (Noticing this) Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) made the person sit beside himself and exhibited great kindness towards him.

On another occasion, Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), together with a few of his companions, was busy having his food when a leper arrived in the gathering. The people present expressed their abhorrence and detestation over his arrival but Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) asked him to sit next to himself and invited him to eat the food.

Note: A person from the Quraish, who had displayed his aversion, was afflicted with the same disease before meeting his death!

Whenever they reaped their first harvest, they brought early, fresh fruits to Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Then he would distribute them among his companions (Sahabah), those who sat around him. This morning, a poor man brought one fruit from his small farm and gave it to Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) accepted the gift, tasted it and then went on eating it alone while the companions watched. One of those present meekly said: O Messenger of Allah (SWT), you have over looked the right of those who watch while you eat?

Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) smiled and waited till the poor man who had brought the fruit had gone. Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "I tasted the fruit and it was not yet ripe. Had I allowed you to have some of it, someone would have definitely shown his distaste, thus disappointing the poor man who had brought the gift. Rather than make him feel better, my palate accepted the bitterness." Such were the conducts and manners of this most noble Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).