Prophet’s (peace be upon him) domestic life

The life of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) outside the home, which consisted of 100 percent efforts for the sake of the Word of Allah, the hard work of the religion on his own (i.e. those who accepted Islam) and others (i.e. non-Muslims), the arrangement of the establishment of the Islamic Caliphate system,

 the concern for the spread and dominance of Islam inside and outside Arabia, the concern for the solution of the social, community and economic problems of the Muslims, and then as a result of all this (23 years), the establishment of such an environment and atmosphere in which everyone who came was painted in the same color, that is: he became someone who created within himself the passion to sacrifice body, mind and wealth for the sake of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the religion.http://want to know https://baitularqam.com/how-to-perform-hajj/

  And then this hard work of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was not just verbal accumulation and expenditure; rather, he presented his practical role in front of the Ummah in such a comprehensive and complete way that even his own and his non-Muslims could not get a chance to raise a finger on it.

 That character was so complete and fruitful that Allah, the Exalted, has made his blessed life a model in the Holy Quran and made it a law to model one’s life according to it. ﴿Indeed, there has been for you in the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) a very good model﴾.(Al-Ahzab:21) Translation: In fact, for you in the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) is a very good model (life).

In other words, the responsibilities of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in his external life were so diverse and extensive that finding time for his family and relatives and respecting their rights was a very difficult thing to do in today’s times; but a study of the blessed biography of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) clearly reveals that whether it was his wives or children, servants or relatives, relatives or friends, he (PBUH) respected the rights of everyone so much and gave them so much love and importance that they thought that perhaps he (PBUH) loved them the most, and he did not seem to be oblivious to them at any point in his life.

 He was always concerned about their rights, as a result of which he emerged as a very loving husband towards his wives, a kind and compassionate father towards his children, a generous and tolerant master towards his servants, and a very devoted and selfless companion towards his friends and loved ones.

   In his life outside the home, he was seen leading the prayers in the mosque, sometimes he was seen as the best leader and advisor to those seeking guidance, he was a very brave and wise commander on the battlefield, he was also a very brave and courageous Mujahid who fought in the forefront of the battle, he was also a just ruler and a visionary teacher engaged in the training of the Ummah.

  In order for the entire Ummah to be saved from Hell and become one who goes to Paradise, wherever he worked for the Ummah, he would be seen humbly and humbly praying to Allah Almighty in their grief at every opportunity. In this life, his attributes include “constant in thought” and “continuous in sorrow”.

General picture of life inside the home

But in his life inside the home, he did not appear as a harsh and quarrelsome husband, father, or brother; rather, he was very cheerful with his wives, he entertained them, he lived among them, he helped them in household chores, he shared their sorrows and pains and lived with laughter, love and affection and he was fair and equal in all his marriages. He was a child with his children, he did not just feed them; but he played with them himself.

  He treated his family with great kindness, entertained them and treated all his family members equally. His home life; like his life outside the home, was full of all the qualities and was full of attraction.  He (PBUH) slept and woke, ate and was hungry, so all aspects of life were present in his domestic life. There was no immoderation in his domestic life; rather, everything was organized under a system.

 His house was devoid of all kinds of troubles and worldly pomp and show, and was devoid of any outwardly luxurious things; but it presented a beautiful scene of simplicity, cleanliness and tranquility.

Distribution of the Prophet’s (PBUH) Time at Home

Describing the routines of the Prophet’s (PBUH) home life, the Caliph Majaz Arif Billah of the Hakim-ul-Ummah Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (RA), Hazrat Dr. Abdul Hayi (RA), writes in his book “Aswah-e-Rasool-e-Akram (RA)” with reference to Shamail Tirmidhi that

   Hazrat Hasan (RA) narrates from his father Majid Hazrat Ali (RA) that it is obvious that he would go to his home for his personal needs (food and sleep) and he was permitted and permitted by Allah for this. So, when he would go to his home, he would divide his time at home into three parts

   (1)         One part for worshipping Allah Almighty

   (2)        One part for fulfilling the social rights of his family (which included laughing and talking to them)

    (3)       And one part for the comfort of his soul.

   Then he would divide his share between himself and the people (i.e., he would spend a lot of his time in the work of the Ummah and use this part of his time in the work of the common people through his special friends, i.e., the common people could not come during this part of the time; but the special friends would attend and listen to the religious matters and convey them to the common people, thus the common people would also share in those benefits). (Al-Mu’jam al-Kabeer by al-Tabarani, number: 414).

The nature of the Prophet’s prayer at home

He (ﷺ) used to offer voluntary prayers at home, he used to offer Tahajjud prayers at night, he used to offer Witr prayers at home during Tahajjud, he used to offer Fajr Sunnah prayers at home and then go to the mosque. (Sahih Bukhari, No. 626)

 It was narrated from Ibn Abbas that he said: “I spent the night at the house of my aunt (Umm al-Mu’minin) Maimuna, when there was a little bit of night left, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) got up at night and performed a short ablution with a hanging waterskin. He (ﷺ) stood up and started praying, so I also performed ablution in the same way as he (ﷺ) did. Then I came and stood on his left, and he (ﷺ) turned me to his right. He (ﷺ) prayed as much as was pleasing to Allah.  Then he lay down and slept.

He even started snoring. Then the muezzin came to him and informed him of the prayer. He (ﷺ) went with him to pray. Then he prayed and did not perform ablution. (Because in the light of the hadiths, the eyes of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would sleep, but his heart would not sleep.) (Sahih Al-Bukhari, No. 138).

The nature of reciting the Holy Quran at home

 At night, he would recite the Holy Quran both inside and outside the prayer, (Sahih Muslim, No. 770) sometimes loudly and sometimes softly. Hazrat Azeef bin Harith  says that I asked Hazrat Aisha : Did the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) recite the Quran loudly or softly?  He replied, “Sometimes he would recite aloud and sometimes in a low voice. I said, ‘Allahu Akbar, Alhamdulillah,’ and Allah has made this work abundant.” (Sunan Ibn Majah, no. 1354)

He (ﷺ) would sometimes recite the Quran while leaning on it. It was narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would place his head on the lap of one of us (the wives of the Prophet) and recite the Quran while she was menstruating. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, no. 297).

Praying to Allah at home

He would often pray for a long time at night in the Tahajjud prayer, both for himself and for the Ummah. During the recitation of the verses of mercy, he would pray for mercy and during the verses of punishment, he would pray for refuge from punishment. He would cry so much in his prayers that his blessed beard would become wet with tears. (Sahih Muslim, No. 772).

The Prophetic Way of Entering the House

The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) would never enter the house suddenly to disturb the family, but would enter in such a way that the family would know about his arrival in advance.  (Sahih Al-Bukhari, No. 1501)

  It was narrated from Jabir bin Abdullah that: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade a man to visit his family at night to betray them or to find out their faults.” Translation: “The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade a man to visit his family at night and to accuse them of betrayal (as their husband has said) and to find out their weaknesses.” (Sahih Muslim, No. 4969)

  Because one of these is a bad suspicion which is forbidden in the Sharia. The other is that it causes the woman to be heartbroken and there are hundreds of abominations in it.

   Especially when a person returns from a journey, it is more important that he does not come to his house suddenly, but rather informs them. It is narrated from Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah that we were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) in a jihad. When we returned to Medina from that jihad, we started to go to our homes. So the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Rest until we enter at night, that is, in the evening, so that the people may gather and the absentee may gather.”  (Sahih Muslim, No. 4964) Translation: “Wait, we will go at night so that the woman whose hair is unkempt can comb it and the one whose husband is absent can clean it.”

After entering the house, he would greet. (Sunan Abu Dawud, No. 596) When he entered, he would inquire about something. Sometimes he would ask, “Is there anything to eat?” (Sunan Tirmidhi, No. 2470) And sometimes he would remain silent until what was brought was served. It is also narrated that when he entered the house, he would recite this supplication: “Al-hamdu lillahi al-dhi kaf’ani wa awani wa al-hamdu lillahi al-dhi at’amani wa saqaani wa al-hamdu  Translation: “All praise is for Allah, Who has provided for me and given me shelter, and all praise is for Allah, Who has fed me and given me to drink, and all praise is for Allah, Who has been gracious to me. (O Allah!) I ask You to save me from the (punishment of) the Fire.”.

The Prophet’s (ﷺ) Work at Home

Hazrat Aswad  narrated that I asked Hazrat Aisha  what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to do when he came to his family. She said that he used to serve his family, that is, participate in their domestic life. (He did not live as a servant or a nobleman, but he would also do household work, for example: milking a goat. Wearing his blessed sandals) and when the time for prayer came, he would go to the mosque.

(Sunan Tirmidhi, No. 2489).

Behavior with wife and children at home

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to behave very well with his family and servants and never reprimanded or treated anyone harshly.  (Muslim: 2309) The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would take great care of his family members so that no one would be neglected in any matter. (Muslim: 2055)

 When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was with his wives, he would be very gentle, considerate and would speak very well, laughing. (Sunan Tirmidhi, No. 1162)

Concern about the worship of wives and children

  In many hadiths, this aspect of the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is also present that he would include the members of his family in worship with him, and from time to time he would also draw them towards the worship of Allah.

The amount of sleep he would get

He (peace be upon him) would sleep at the beginning of the night (Sahih Al-Bukhari, No. 586) and wake up at the beginning of the middle of the night, get up, brush his teeth, perform ablution and pray as much as Allah Almighty had ordained, as if all the organs and all the powers of the body got a share of sleep and rest.  (Al-Mu’jam al-Kabir by al-Tabarani, 13598)

 He (ﷺ) did not sleep more than necessary and did not wake up more than necessary, so when the need arose, he would rest on his right side, remembering Allah, until sleep overcame his eyes (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 247). At that time, he would not be full. He would not lie down on the ground, nor would his bed be too high from the ground, but his bed was made of leather. Inside it was filled with date bark. He would lean on a pillow and sometimes put his hand under his cheek, and the best sleep was on the right side.

The sleep of the Prophet (ﷺ) was moderate. He did not sleep more than necessary and did not prevent himself from sleeping more than necessary. That is, the Prophet (ﷺ) would both dream and stand up, as was his noble habit in voluntary prayers and worship. Sometimes he would sleep at night, then get up and pray, then sleep again.  In this way, they would sleep and wake up a few times. In this case, it is true that whoever wanted to see while asleep would see, and whoever wanted to see while awake would also see.

The Bed of the Prophet ﷺ

Hazrat Imam Baqir says that someone asked Hazrat Aisha what the bed of the Prophet ﷺ was like in your house? She said that it was made of leather filled with the bark of a palm tree. Someone asked Hazrat Hafsa what the bed of the Prophet ﷺ was like in your house? She said that it was a sack which we used to lay under the Prophet ﷺ in two folds.

 One day I thought that if I lay it square, it would be softer. I laid it like that. The Prophet ﷺ asked in the morning what I had laid under me at night? I said that it was my daily bed, I had laid it square at night so that it would be softer. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Leave it as it is, its softness prevented me from praying Tahajjud at night.” (Al-Shamail al-Muhammadiyah by Tirmidhi, number: 330).

 Narrated by Hazrat Aisha: Once an Ansari woman saw the Prophet’s bed covered with a blanket. She prepared a blanket filled with wool and sent it to me. When the Prophet (ﷺ) came and saw it, he asked, “What is this?” I said, “So-and-so Ansari woman prepared it for the Prophet (ﷺ).” The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Return it.” She said, “By Allah, if I wish, Allah will send mountains of gold and silver with me.” (Shu’b al-Iman by Bayhaqi, number: 1468) .

 Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ud says, “Once I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and he was resting on a sack, the traces of which were visible on the body of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). I started crying when I saw this. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “What is the matter, why are you crying?” I said, “O Messenger of Allah!”  These Caesar and Chosroes slept on mattresses of silk and velvet, and you, peace be upon you, on this sackcloth. The Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, said: There is no need to weep, for them is this world and for us is the Hereafter. My example is like that of a traveler who, while walking, sits under the shade of a tree to take a little rest, and then sits for a while and then moves on (Al-Mu’jam al-Kabir by al-Tabarani, number: 10327).

 It was narrated from Hazrat Maimuna bint Harith that the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, used to pray on a mat (Sahih al-Bukhari, number: 379).

The Prophet’s (peace be upon him) style of rest

 Hazrat Bara’says that whenever the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) would rest, he would place his right hand under his cheek and recite this supplication: “Rabbi qini adhaabaka yawm taba’ath ‘ibadaka.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, no. 5045) Translation: “O Lord! Save me from Your punishment on the day You raise Your servants.”

Hazrat Hudhayfah says that when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would go to bed, he would recite this supplication: “Allahumma bismikka amut wa ahyaa.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 6325) Translation: “O Allah! In Your name I die and live.”

 And when he woke up, he would say this supplication: “Alhamdulillah, who has revived us after He has caused us to die, and to Him is the return.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 6325) Translation: “All praise is due to Allah, who has given us life after killing us, and to Him is the return.”

 Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says that every night when the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) lay down in bed, he would join his hands together as if making supplication, recite Surah Ikhlas and Surah Mu’awwidhatayn with the Name of Allah, and blow on them. Then he would run his hands over his entire body from head to toe, wherever his hand could reach. He would do this three times, starting with the head, then the face, the front of the body, and then the back of the body.  (Sahih Al-Bukhari, No. 5718)

It is also proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that he recited various supplications and various Surahs of the Word of Allah at bedtime, for example: the last two verses of Surah Al-Baqarah, Surah Al-Malik, Surah Al-Mal-Sajdah, Surah Al-Kafirun, etc. (Sahih Al-Bukhari, No. 4008)

 It is narrated that whoever recites Ayat Al-Kursi at bedtime, Allah appoints a guardian angel for him who will protect him until he wakes up (Sahih Al-Bukhari, No. 2311).

 Hazrat Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that when the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) went to bed, he would recite this supplication: “All praise is due to Allah, Who has fed us, provided us with drink, sufficed us, and provided us with shelter. How many are those for whom there is no one to provide for us and no one to shelter them?” (Sahih Muslim, No. 6894) Translation: “All praise is due to Allah, Who has fed us, provided us with drink, sufficed us, and provided us with shelter; how many are those for whom there is no one to provide for us and no one to shelter them.”

The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to forbid sleeping on his back (Sunan Tirmidhi, No. 2768).