☕ Following the Prophet 🌙

Assalamu Alaikum

What Would the Prophet ﷺ Do?

Muslims know that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is our example, but it's easy to reduce “following the Sunnah” to a handful of visible practices. The Sunnah is much bigger than that. It's how he worshipped Allah, treated his family, conducted business, responded to insults, showed mercy, handled anger, ate, gave, forgave and interacted with people who had less power than him. Following the Prophet ﷺ means gradually asking a simple question in everyday life: How can I handle this in a way that resembles the character and teachings of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?

Allah says:

Allah didn't send us only a book of instructions. He also gave us a human example of what living those instructions looks like.

The Prophet ﷺ showed us Islam in practice: how to pray when tired, remain patient when insulted, show mercy when powerful, deal honestly when money is involved, and worship Allah while still being a husband, father, friend and leader.

The Sunnah turns principles into a way of life.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

It's easy to appear patient, generous and pleasant around people we see occasionally. Family sees the version of us that comes home tired, frustrated or stressed.

That's why following the Prophet ﷺ isn't only about what happens at the masjid. The Sunnah should be visible at home too.

When people hear “Sunnah,” certain practices may immediately come to mind: clothing, grooming, eating, sleeping or other outward habits. These practices can certainly be part of following the Prophet ﷺ.

But so are honesty, patience, humility, mercy, generosity, forgiveness and good character.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

Following his ﷺ example should influence both how we look and how we behave.

This can be a surprisingly useful question in ordinary situations.

You're angry with your relative. How did the Prophet ﷺ treat his family?

Someone insults you. How did he respond to people who mistreated him?

You're conducting business. How seriously did he take honesty?

Someone weaker than you needs help. How did he treat the poor and vulnerable?

You make a mistake. How quickly do you return to Allah?

We won't find an identical historical example for every modern situation, but the principles of his Sunnah give us a framework for navigating them.

It's difficult to follow the Prophet ﷺ if we barely know his life.

Many Muslims know individual hadith but have never seriously studied the Seerah—his life from beginning to end.

Learning the Seerah changes that. You begin understanding what he endured in Makkah, how he treated his Companions, how he handled victory and defeat, how he led Madinah, how he behaved at home, and how deeply he cared about his Ummah.

The more you know him ﷺ, the more meaningful following him becomes.

Try something simple this week.

Choose one Sunnah to consciously bring into your life.

It might be improving how you speak to your family, giving salam more often, controlling your anger, smiling at people, eating with greater mindfulness, making a neglected dua, forgiving someone, or adding a Sunnah prayer.

Don't try to transform everything overnight.

Learn one thing about how the Prophet ﷺ lived—and practice it.

Then learn another.

Allah teaches us:

Rabbana amanna bima anzalta wattaba'nar-rasula faktubna ma'ash-shahidin.

رَبَّنَا آمَنَّا بِمَا أَنزَلْتَ وَاتَّبَعْنَا الرَّسُولَ فَاكْتُبْنَا مَعَ الشَّاهِدِينَ

“Our Lord! We believe in Your revelations and follow the messenger, so count us among those who bear witness.”

— Qur'an 3:53

Following the Messenger ﷺ isn't simply admiration.

It's part of how we live our faith.

More than 1,400 years separate us from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, yet Muslims around the world still pray as he taught, repeat his duas, study his words and try to imitate his character.

We never met him.

But we have his example.

So when you're unsure how to respond to something this week, ask yourself:

What does the example of the Prophet ﷺ teach me about how to handle this?

Then try to live a little more like the man Allah chose to show us what Islam looks like.

Until tomorrow,
Stay steadfast on the Straight Path.

— Islam Brew 🌙

Share Islam Brew

Support Halal Businesses