Prophet Muhammad’s Guards
It is natural that guarding the Right and the Righteous people is an obligatory duty in Islam and, one must not avoid such an important responsibility by confining one to mere saying, “God may bless and keep them safe.”
Guarding is so crucial that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “protecting a night for Allah’s sake is much better than praying for thousand nights and keeping fast for thousand days.” Accordingly, the holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had bodyguards in order to sustain his life.
For example, in the battle of Uhud, Muhammad bin Moslemah was the Prophet’s special guard; in the battle of Khandaq (Trench), Zobayr was his guard and in the battle of Khaybar, a man named Sa’d ibn Abi Vaqas and Abu Ayyub Ansari were his guards.
Thus, clearly the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) was careful about his safety and he had some bodyguards and consequently guarding is not a new subject in Islam.
Martyrdom in Imam Ali’s Perspective
In the battle of Uhud which was one of the great battles in the Prophet Muhammad’s time, some of the dearest Muslims like Hamza, the paternal uncle of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), were martyred. At the end of the battle, when Imam Ali (A.S), who had been terribly injured, saw that his friends and his dear uncle had been martyred, got upset why he had not been martyred like them. The holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said to Imam Ali (A.S): “let me know how you tolerate martyrdom?”
Imam Ali (A.S) replied: “such an issue is not a matter of tolerance rather it is a matter of happiness and gratitude. In other words, martyrdom is a blessing not a disaster, and when it occurs we must congratulate the martyr not offer our condolences.
Source: Muhammad Reza Tabatabi Nasab, the Holy Prophet Muhammad’s Behavioral Patterns.
Translated by: Sadroddin Musawi
Other links:
Some Advices Given to Abuzar by Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): Part 1
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Recommendations to Abuzar (Part 2)
