Imam Al Ghazali on the character of the prophet ﷺ He ﷺ would borrow to feed and clothe others. Bilal RA says "If a Muslim came to him and he saw him naked, he would order me to depart, borrow money, and purchase a cloak for him, then I would clothe him and feed” 1/17
[Abi Dawud 3500] If night fell and he ﷺ had anything remaining, and he was unable to find someone to give it, the Prophet ﷺ would not return home until he had given that surplus to someone in need. The Prophet ﷺ choose the simplest provisions, such as dates and barley. 2/17
Everything beyond this he gave in charity for the sake of Allah. Ibn Abbas RA says: “The Prophet (ﷺ) was the most generous of all the people, and he used to become more generous in Ramadan when Gabriel met him. Gabriel used to meet him every night during Ramadan, 3/17
To revise the Qur'an with him. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) then used to be more generous than the fast wind.” [Bukhari 3554] He ﷺ always distributed wealth, “Some goods came to Allah's Messenger ﷺ from Bahrain. The Prophet ﷺ ordered the people to spread them in the mosque, 4/17
It was the biggest amount of goods Allah's Messenger ﷺ had ever received. He left for prayer and did not even look at it. After finishing the prayer, he sat by those goods and gave from those to everybody he saw. He ﷺ did not get up till the last coin was distributed” 5/17
[Bukhari 421] The Prophet ﷺ would mend his sandals, sew his clothes, assist his family with household chores, and share meals with them. He was the shyest of men, avoiding staring directly into anyone’s face. He accepted invitations from both slaves and freemen alike. 6/17
The prophet ﷺ said, “I shall accept the invitation even if I were invited to a meal of a sheep's trotter, and I shall accept the gift even if it were an arm or a trotter of a sheep." [Bukhari 2568] The companions hated when only the rich were invited. 7/17
Abu Hurairah says: “The worst of food is food of a wedding feast to which the rich are invited and the poor are not. Whoever does not accept an invitation has disobeyed Allah and His Messenger.” [Ibn Majah 1913] He ﷺ graciously received gifts, no matter how modest, 8/17
He ﷺ was never too proud to honor the invitation of a slave woman or a pauper. The Prophet ﷺ became angry only for the sake of his Lord, never for his own personal matters. He upheld the truth unwaveringly, even when doing so brought harm to himself or his Companions. 9/17
the Prophet ﷺ would at times fasten a stone around his stomach (because of hunger). He would eat what was present and would never refuse food that was available. The reports on him being hungry are countless, never did he ﷺ complain of his situation. Ibn Abbas RA says: 10/17
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would spend several nights in a row with an empty stomach, and his family would not find anything for dinner.” [Tirmidhi 2360] He never compromised, even when he was in dire circumstances. He ﷺ walked alone amongst his enemies without guards. 11/17
The Prophet ﷺ was the humblest of people and the most reposed, and he was the most eloquent of them, but without long-windedness. He had the best countenance and nothing of the ephemeral world awed him. The Prophet ﷺ wore whatever was available, never desiring, 12/17
Expensive clothing. He rode whatever was at hand and would at times walk barefoot, without a cloak or a turban. The Prophet ﷺ would visit the sick, even those on the outskirts of the city. He would sit with the indigent and share meals with the poor. 13/17
He ﷺ honored people of virtue for their good character and won over people of nobility through acts of kindness. He treated his relatives well but never gave them preference over someone more virtuous than they. The Prophet ﷺ never acted harshly toward anyone. 14/17
He ﷺ accepted the excuses of those who sought his pardon. He would joke, but only spoke the truth. He laughed, but never boisterously. He observed permissible games without disapproval and even raced with his wives. Though voices were sometimes raised against him, 15/17
He ﷺ always remained patient. Allah instilled in him every noble quality of character and every praiseworthy way. He taught him the stories of the earlier and later nations, along with everything that leads to salvation and triumph in the Hereafter, and all that brings, 16/17
Blessing and deliverance in this world. Allah guided him to adhere to what is obligatory and to leave what is unnecessary. May Allah grant us the grace to follow the Prophet’s commands and emulate his actions. Amen, O Lord of the Worlds! - Ihya Ulum al-Din 16/16