Purity of the Prophet

Were the Prophets not to be protected from pollution by sin and infection by moral disease? Were they not to gain immunity from all kinds of impurity?  The possibility would always exist that they would stumble when confronted with the deceptive allure of the material world and pursue personal goals such as wealth and power. This would be true even if they had lofty human attributes to a superior degree. It is obvious that the existence of such a possibility would cause their followers to hesitate before implementing the commands and pronouncements.

The one who claims prophet hood and the right to lead human beings, whom human beings must follow in order to attain the pinnacle of perfection in all aspects of their life—if such a one were to have the slightest record of deviance, dishonesty and inclination to sin, could it be totally excluded that he would never speak lie, betray or speak untruth? Could he be accepted as a model of virtue and purity? Obliviously not.

The commission of even a single sin by the prophets would render fruitless their attempts at nurturing human beings to attain perfection, which is the goal of their mission. How can one who is polluted with sins purify others of their sins? One who is not himself morally and spiritually perfect cannot possibly succeed in training human beings to perfection.

The firm and continuous link of the Prophets with the source of existence and the complete absence of pollution by sin throughout all of their lives constitute an absolute necessity. Divinely guided personalities have never have been polluted by sin. Any prior record of sin on their part will form a great obstacle in the path of their Heavenly mission which is to guide human beings to The Almighty Allaah and call them to purify and avoidance of all abomination. One who until yesterday stood 1st in ranks of the impure , those polluted by corruption, and who devoted a whole segment of his life to sin , will inevitably have his evil record remembered by others; it will be vividly present in their minds, and they cannot overlook it as they analyze and sit in judgments on his past life.  The beginning of a profound spiritual transformation cannot by itself wash away all previous corruption and remove it from the minds of human beings.

The character and personality of the Prophets were so well known and so brilliant to their contemporaries that such an idiotic accusation on the part of their enemies would have caused people to reject their other accusations as well and thus nullified all their long-standing efforts.

If the Prophets had been sullied by even as much as a single sin, this would have been used as an effective weapon to destroy their social standing and prestige. It is obvious that pointing out weaknesses in the past lives of the Prophets and recalling their previous errors and sins would have been a most effective weapon for destroying the repute of the Prophets and shaking people’s trust and belief in them.

It will be a disaster for humanity if the one who assumes a lofty position of spiritual guidance is himself immersed in a whirlpool of pollution and evil. If he lacks true awareness and piety, can he create an appropriate environment for the fostering of virtue, and can he bring about an inward transformation and revolution in the human being that will have a lasting effect? Will he have the capacity to train human beings and be their moral guide? Can he implant piety and virtue in their minds and their thoughts?               

“Follow the Prophet of pure disposition, Muhammad, (Peace be upon him) he was a perfect example of all human virtues. The Almighty Allaah loves those who in the conduct of their lives follow His Messenger, who plays their feet in his foot steps, and who follow him in their choice of a way of life. He took but a slight portion of the life of this world.
His nurture was dry bread and he never ate to satiation. They offered him the world, and he did not accept it. He disliked whatever The Almighty Allaah disliked and despised whatever The Almighty Allaah regarded as lowly.

“When he ate, he would sit on the ground he would sit and stand with the meekness of a slave. He would mend his own clothes and stitch his own shoes. A simple curtain covered the door to his dwelling and he would tell his wives to remove it, because it reminded him of the worldly life and its adornments.
Every possessor of intelligence must ask himself whether The Almighty Allaah was honoring the Prophet through this way of life or , on the contrary, humiliating and abasing him. If he says that The Almighty Allaah was abasing him, he has spoken in error and accused The Almighty Allaah of a monstrosity.
    
So follow the Prophet in the conduct of your lives, for it is he who holds the banner of resurrection and who provides the major by which all human deeds are to be measured.