The Messenger of Allah ﷺ: The Man, The Message, The Mission

WHEN WE TRULY know him ﷺ, we cannot help but love him ﷺ. And when we love him ﷺ, the desire to be like himﷺ fills our hearts.

لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ
“Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example—for whoever hopes in Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah often.” (Al-Ahzab 21)

But what exactly is that example, and what does it mean to emulate him ﷺ?

The Man ﷺ

Volumes have been written about the man Muhammad ﷺ; his radiant smile, the gentleness in his voice, the way he walked, the way he dressed, the way he led. No other figure in human history has had his life recorded in such intimate, loving detail—by companions who were deeply moved by every moment they spent with him.

Naturally, love for him ﷺ draws us to imitate him: in the way we speak, in how we interact, in the way we carry ourselves. And this is beautiful—it is love manifest.

But if we stop there, if we only emulate his outward manners and forget what drove every breath he took, then we have missed something profound.

The Message

He ﷺ came not merely to be admired—but to deliver a message. That message is of one singular truth, laa ilaha illa Allah, there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah.

That singular truth is the source of all our beliefs. Who am I? Where did I come from? What is the purpose of this life? What happens after death?

That singular truth is also the source of our way of thinking and how we view right and wrong and judge events around us. It is also the basis of our way of life, a shariah that establishes justice between people.

It is a message that liberates. It calls humanity away from the slavery of desires and subjugation to other men, and towards the light of worshipping the One who created all.

From the very beginning, this message has stood in opposition to falsehood. Every Prophet brought it, and every Prophet was resisted because of it. Muhammad ﷺ was no different except that the message given to him was the final and completed message.

Today, this divine message is under relentless attack—masked in the language of science, progress, and freedom. We’re told Allah ﷻ is a myth because He can’t be measured. That humans are the product of randomness. That Islamic belief is primitive and outdated. That Islamic civilisation belongs to history books, not the modern world. That the message of Muhammad ﷺ must be revised, reformed, or forgotten.

As those who love him ﷺ, it is upon us to respond—not emotionally, but intelligently and sincerely. And that begins by understanding the message with clarity, and connecting it to our realities today.

But even this, knowing the man and understanding the message, is still not enough.

The Mission

For Muhammad ﷺ was not just a messenger—he was a man on a mission. His goal was not only to convey the message to individuals, but to establish it in society—so that Allah’s guidance could shine for all of humanity, not as a theory, but as a living reality.

He didn’t leave Makkah just to be safe. He left to seek authority to build a state where the message of Islam could be implemented and shared. That truth and justice could be manifest in reality and not just in thought.

وَقُل رَّبِّ أَدْخِلْنِى مُدْخَلَ صِدْقٍ وَأَخْرِجْنِى مُخْرَجَ صِدْقٍ وَٱجْعَل لِّى مِن لَّدُنكَ سُلْطَـٰنًا نَّصِيرًا
Say: My Lord, cause me to enter a sound entrance and to exit a sound exit, and grant me from Yourself a supporting authority. (Al-Isra 80)

That authority came in Madinah, and it allowed him ﷺ to fulfil the command of Allah:

هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُۥ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ ٱلْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلدِّينِ كُلِّهِۦ
It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to make it prevail over all other ways of life… (At-Tawbah 33)

The Sahabah understood this mission. They didn’t just memorise verses—they built a civilisation upon them. They carried the message to the ends of the earth, establishing truth and justice, calling to Islam, and living lives of sacrifice for something greater than themselves.

It is because of them that many of us are Muslim today.

And What of Us?

What will we leave behind?

Yes, we must love the man ﷺ. But not just his smile or his dress. We must stand for his message and carry forward his mission.

The Quraysh did not oppose him ﷺ because of his kindness. They admired that. He was al-Amin even to his enemies. What they feared and fought was his message and his mission.

And today, those same forces of opposition remain. His message is under attack. His mission is forgotten or dismissed.

If we are to be true in our love for him ﷺ, it must be in all three: The man. The message. The mission.