The Prophet as a Man: Speaking of His Brothers
Adil Salahi, Arab News

Abu Hurayrah reports that the Prophet (peace be upon him) went one day to the graveyard. “As he arrived there, he said: ‘Peace be to you, in this dwelling place of believers. We will join you as God wills. I wish I could see my brothers.’ People who were with him said: ‘Messenger of God! Are we not your brothers?’

He said: ‘No, you are my companions. Our brothers are those who have not yet been born. I am to be ahead of them by the drinking place on the Day of Judgment.’ People asked him: ‘Messenger of God! How will you know those of your community in future generations?’ He answered: ‘If a person has some horses with white spots in their legs, and they get mixed with other horses which are all black without any spots or markings, would he not know his horses?’ They said: ‘He certainly would.’ The Prophet said: ‘Well, my followers will be marked on the Day of Judgment with whiteness in their faces because they perform ablution. I will be ahead of them by the drinking place. Some men will be turned away from my drinking place, just like a camel that gets lost. I will call them to come over to me, but I will be told that they altered and changed. I will say: away with them, then; away with them.’” (Related by Ahmad, Muslim and Al-Nassaie).
This Hadith defines the status of people committed to Islam in all generations after the Prophet, as compared with those in his own generation. As the Prophet visited the graveyard, he and those with him were keenly aware of death and what it meant. Hence the Prophet expresses the wish that he could see his brothers. This sounded strange to his companions who thought of themselves as his brothers. He assures them of their status as his companions, but he says that his brothers are those who follow him without seeing him, because he would have died before their time. He makes clear to his interlocutors that he will be waiting for them at the drinking place that will be assigned to him and his followers on the Day of Judgment.
The Prophet’s companions asked him an interesting question: how would he on that day know his followers whom he never met when all mankind and other creatures will be assembled. The answer is very interesting. They will have their marks well defined. They acquire these marks because of their regular ablution when they offer their prayers. The fact that they habitually performed ablution will leave whiteness that beams through their faces. This will identify them for the Prophet and he will then offer them drinks from his place.
At the same time he will see people who belong to his community, yet they are turned away. He will call on them to come over to him, but he will be told that they changed and altered some essential aspects of Islam. He will not want to see them then. This is right because no one has the authority to change anything in God’s message. How can anyone introduce such a change when the message is given by God? To change it requires an authority that is equal to that of God, the Originator of the message. No one has such an authority. Hence, such people are rejected and are made to line with the unbelievers.
The Prophet took care to assure those who would follow him in subsequent generations. Abu Hurayrah quotes him as saying: “Among those who love me most in my community are people who come after me. Any of them would have loved to see me, even though he would have to sacrifice his family and his wealth for that.” (Related by Muslim.)
Such people would have learned about the Prophet, his personality, qualities, efforts, actions and the care he took of his companions. They love him so dearly. Hence, they would have sacrificed anything to be in his company. People like that may be found in any generation and any Muslim community. Indeed, the more one learns about the Prophet, his character and behavior, the more one loves him. This is confirmed in another Hadith reported by Abu Hurayrah: “By Him who holds my soul in His hand, there will come a time when one of you will not see me. Yet to see me will be dearer to him than to be given the equals of his family and money in addition to those he has.” (Related by Muslim). In this second Hadith the Prophet is referring to his companions who had known him and been with him. When a day passes and they do not see the Prophet, they miss him so much that to see him again is valued as dearer than to have more children and to double one’s wealth. Thus the same feelings are experienced by those who get to know the Prophet, either through being with him or through learning about him. They consider seeing him as a great prize for which anything may readily be sacrificed. The chance for us to see the Prophet is that of being in heaven with him. To achieve that we need to follow his guidance and advocate his message. We need to make this absolutely true, by living up to what we claim. It is not sufficient to say that we love the Prophet or to sing his praises; true love is manifested through following his guidance.