Conclusion: Most of the hadiths that describe what befell the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) of hardship at some times indicate that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was in fact content with that and preferred that way of life. Moreover, in the same reports it speaks of what the noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) gave and spent in order to offer relief at those difficult times. This variation between hardship and ease in the life of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) is an indication of perfection and greatness; it is not indicative of any shortcoming whatsoever. If the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) himself chose this way of life, when his Lord gave him the choice (between being a Prophet-king or a Messenger-slave), and he was content with it, and he sought the help of his Lord and stood with his companions in perseverance and steadfastness, then why are you trying to discuss a matter of which you were never a part, and you cannot tell, if you were to be a part of it, what the Lord of the Worlds would have decreed concerning you?! Or are you trying to criticise the Muhaajireen and Ansaar whilst praising yourself? Or do you think that they missed out on some virtue and failed to show sincerity, but you have attained it?! So fear Allah with regard to yourself, your religious commitment and your heart. Fear Allah with regard to the high status of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon them), as they were the first to believe and are foremost among the believers in terms of their sacrifices. Jubayr ibn Nufayr (may Allah have mercy on him) said: We were sitting with al-Miqdaad ibn al-Aswad one day, when a man passed by him and said: Glad tidings to those two eyes which saw the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). By Allah, we wish that we had seen what you saw and witnessed what you witnessed. He got angry, and I found it strange, because the man had not said anything but good words. Then he turned to him and said: What would make a man wish to have been present in a gathering that Allah decreed he should be absent from, and he does not know, if he had been present, how he would have fared? By Allah, there were people who met the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) whom Allah will throw on their noses in hell, because they did not respond to his call and did not believe in him. Why don’t you praise Allah for having caused you to grow up not knowing anything but your Lord, and believing in what your Prophet brought, and you were sufficed against the trials and tribulations because others went through them? By Allah, Allah sent the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when things were the worst they could be, and no Prophet was ever sent in such terrible circumstances, for no Prophet had been sent for a long time, and it was a time when ignorance prevailed, and people could find no religion better than idol worship. Then he came with the criterion by means of which he made truth distinct from falsehood, and separated father and son, to the extent that a man would see his father or his son or his brother as a disbeliever, when Allah had opened his heart to faith, and he knew that if that relative of his died, he would enter hell, so he would not feel at ease, for he knew that his loved one might end up in hell. This is why Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, said (interpretation of the meaning): “And those who say: “Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes” [al-Furqaan 25:74]. Narrated by Ahmad in his Musnad (23810 – ar-Risaalah edition); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani. And Allah knows best.

There is no basis for the report that when Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)returned from his Mi`raj he found his bedsheet still warm, and he found a vessel that had been overturned before his Mi`raj still dripping water, and he found the chain of the door still swinging.