Sacrifice

The most conspicuous quality of Muhammad was his unselfish struggle for the cause of Islam and sacrifice of his personal comforts for other people. He sacrificed all, even the love and comfort of his most dear ones, for Islam and for the convenience of other people. He loved his daughter, Fatima, so much that he used to stand up with an abundance of love for her and kissed her forehead whenever she came to see him. She lived in extreme poverty and herself worked on a wheel to grind flour and brought water from the well. The palms of her hands were worn out through the grinding of flour and her chest was beaten black and blue with the load of the water-bag. She came to her father and asked him for a maid-servant. Muhammad replied, "I have not been able to do anything for the As'hab Suffah; until this problem is resolved satisfactorily I cannot attend to other matters." He never cared for his own interests or the interests of his most dear ones, when he was considering the interest and welfare of the people. Once a woman offered him a sheet of cloth which he needed at that time and he took it from her. A man praised the beauty of the sheet of the cloth and asked the prophet to give it to him; the Prophet took it off and gave it to him. When he left the assembly, the people cursed the man saying, "You knew that God's Messenger needed this and also knew that he never turns down anyone's request." He agreed with them but said that he wanted the cloth as blessing and that it would be kept for his coffin.

 

Muhammad spent all his life in poverty but still never refused anyone's request. After the Muslim victories, many lands and orchards came into their possession but he distributed them all.. Muhammad himself set an example of self-sacrifice by his own deeds for others, and his companions followed in his footsteps:

 

"But those who, before them, had homes (in Medinah) and had adopted the faith, show their affection to such as came to them for refuge, and entertain no desire in their hearts for things given to the (latter), but give them preference over themselves, even though poverty was their (own lot). And those saved from the covetousness of their own soul, they are the ones who achieve prosperity."

 

[Qur'aan 59:9]
There are hundreds of such instances in the life of Muhammad which bear witness to his unselfishness and to his sacrifice for other people.