In his character as the Messenger of God...

In his character as the Messenger of God, Muhammad had given them deliverance from the indignity of worshipping idols, and he had taught them to worship One God; and in his character as the Sovereign of Arabia, he had given them deliverance from political chaos and ruinous wars. He had given them law and order. He had also given them deliverance from their moral anarchy, economic poverty and cultural barrenness. He had made them rich and civilized, and he had made them an imperial nation.

In short, he was their greatest benefactor. The least they could do for him was to give him their loyalty and their love. Loyalty to and love for Muhammad was going to be the touchstone of the faith of the Muslims in his mission – in Islam! There were those Muslims, most of them from the rank-and-file, who gave Muhammad their love and no one would deny that their love was genuine.

When he died, they were stricken with grief; they were heart-broken, and to them the mosque, the city and the whole world looked desolate. But the reaction of the principal companions of Muhammad to his death, was different. When Muhammad died, his principal companions did not react to his death. If his death made them sad, they didn't show any sadness. One thing they didn't do, was to offer their condolences to the members of the bereaved family.

No one among them came and said to them: “O you members of the House of Muhammad, we share with you your sorrow at his death. His death is a loss not only to you but to all of us.” At a time when commiseration is expected even from strangers, in fact, even from enemies, it's incredible but true that the of Muhammad, the Messenger of God, withheld it from his own family. They left his family to mourn his death alone. Previous…