The Prophet of Excellence (SAW)

"And do good; indeed, Allah loves the doers of excellence." (Quran, 2:195)

From the origin to "do good" (أحسنوا), excellence is the highest level of Islam after faith, and it means doing beautiful things and perfecting them. This principle applies to all areas of life, not just religious rituals. It covers work, studies, professional tasks, and daily chores.

The only goal of this excellence is to please Allah (SWT) by following the rules of the religion, rather than to gain praise or approval from others. In the second part of the verse, Allah (SWT) says that He loves those who excel in their worship and dealings, perfect their work, and treat His creation with kindness.

"Those who listen to the Word (Quran) and follow the best (excellence) in it: those are the ones whom Allah has guided, and those are the ones endued with understanding." (Quran, 39:18)

Allah (SWT) is not only ordering us to perform our divine duties but to do it with excellence by following its best urging Allah's viceroys to act with complete honesty, consciousness, and respect because Allah (SWT) is ever watching. For example, in this verse, Allah (SWT) mentions that intelligent people are his viceroys who listen to various statements with awareness, distinguish between them, and follow the truest and best of them.

By doing so, they deserve Allah's guidance and success, and they are the people of sound minds and upright natures. To learn how to excel in our social and professional interactions with people, this chapter is dedicated to our Prophet ﷺ.

The Living Quran

Our Prophet ﷺ is indeed the Prophet of Excellence because he embodied excellence in its highest form in worship, conduct, and comprehensiveness. He taught us that "excellence is to worship Allah (SWT) as if you see Him, and He prescribed excellence in all aspects of life, even in slaughtering animals and treating them kindly" [Sahih Muslim].

Indeed, his life was filled with mercy, generosity, and noble character, making him the ultimate role model for good conduct towards all creatures. In summary, this Hadith motivates Allah's viceroys to strive for the highest quality in everything they do, making their daily duties a form of worship that earns the love of Allah (SWT).

"Verily, the character of the Prophet of Allah was the Quran." [Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 746]

His first mission in Medina was to build a mosque that served as the first community house for Muslims. It served as the command center of leadership and a social and educational center.

His next duty was to establish a bond of brotherhood and mutual aid between the believers by saying, "The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever." Therefore, to solve the economic problems of Medina, he proposed that the believers from Medina (Ansar) should share their trade and wealth with the believers (Muhajereen) who left their wealth in Mecca.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also established in Medina a strong state built on peace, solidarity, and harmony between Muslims, Jews, Christians, and other communities. He modeled the highest standards of leadership as a reformer who personified morality, honesty, truthfulness, and understanding of others.

For example, one of the famous companions, Bilal ibn Rabah, had a very beautiful voice, and the Prophet ﷺ, being aware of this gift, declared Bilal to be his official Mu'adhin (one who calls Muslims to prayer). On the other hand, he refused to offer another distinguished companion, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, an administrative responsibility because he lacked the required skills.

"Do all things gracefully, for Allah loves those who do all things with excellence" (Quran, 2:195)

Based on this verse, Mecca was not only the center of pilgrimage during the pre-Islamic and post-revelation era, but it was also known as the center of commerce and economic activities. There were many successful businessmen amongst the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, such as 'Uthman, Abdurrahman Ibn 'Awf, Zubayr Ibn Al-'Awwam, and others. The study of their approaches in businesses shall enlighten Allah's viceroys with the recipes of success in business development based on the two basic principles of Islam: Al-Adl (justice) and Al-Ihsan (excellence).

Indeed, the Holy Quran has also stressed the importance of fairness in business, as Allah (SWT) says, "O my people, give full measure and weight justly, and defraud not men of their things, and act not corruptly in the land, making mischief. What remains with Allah is better for you, if you are believers" (Quran, 11:85-86).