Humility

The Prophet actively served himself and his household. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was asked what the Prophet used to do at home. She replied: "He used to be at the service of his family, and when the time for prayer came, he would go out to pray." He would mend his own sandals, sew his own clothes, and carry out household chores just as any ordinary person would. He never considered any task beneath him. A man once came to meet the Prophet and began trembling with awe. The Prophet calmed him and said: "Be at ease. I am not a king. I am only the son of a woman who used to eat dried meat in Makkah." With these simple words, he put the man at ease and showed that despite his station, he saw himself as a humble human being. He forbade his Companions from standing for him as the Persians stood for their kings, and he said: "Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians exaggerated in praising the son of Maryam. I am only a servant, so say: the servant of Allah and His Messenger." He sat with the poor and the destitute, ate with them, and honoured them. When a stranger arrived at a gathering, he could not distinguish the Prophet from his Companions, and would have to ask: "Which of you is Muhammad?" This was because he did not sit in a place of prominence or dress differently from those around him. He chose to be a servant-prophet rather than a king-prophet when given the choice by Allah. He would respond to the invitation of a slave just as he would to that of a free person. He accepted gifts even if they were small, and he would visit the sick, attend funerals, and walk in the marketplaces. Anas ibn Malik, who served him for ten years, reported: "Any slave-girl from the people of Madinah could take the hand of the Messenger of Allah and lead him wherever she wished," meaning he was accessible to the humblest people and would attend to their needs without hesitation. He rode a donkey, wore simple garments, and sat on the ground to eat. When he was once seen sitting and eating, a Bedouin expressed surprise at such simplicity. The Prophet replied: "What kind of servant would I be if I did not sit as a servant sits and eat as a servant eats?" His humility was not affected or deliberate — it was the natural expression of his servitude to Allah.