Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: A Model of Pastoral/Spiritual Care
A 1315 illustration from the Jami al-Tawarikh, inspired by the story of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the Meccan clan elders lifting the Black Stone into its place in the Kaaba.
Oftentimes when we see or hear the terms “spiritual care” or “pastoral care,” our minds may already start to form associations with Christianity, including Christian institutions, churches, clergy, etc. Additionally, this may be the prevalent thinking and predominant understanding in institutions and classrooms across in our society. As a Muslim Chaplain, however, I can say wholeheartedly that when one examines the Islamic tradition, especially the life and example of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the intrinsic connection to what we may deem Christian in pastoral and spiritual care ends up being a foundational part and parcel of a rich portion of Islam.
Before jumping into the crux of our discussion today, perhaps it is worthwhile to provide some basic definitions of the terms with which we draw connection and comparison to within the Prophetic model. Due to an increasingly secularizing society, and as a result, institutions, pastoral care is no longer exclusively associated with specific religious traditions and communities, and often in secular contexts, the term “pastoral care” is often interchanged with the more inclusive term of “spiritual care.”
Pastoral / Spiritual Care Defined
Pastoral / Spiritual Care involves helping and caring to others within an institution or wider community setting, covering many functions relating to spiritual health, counseling, education, and overall wellbeing of individual and community. This care concerns individuals, groups, and communities holistically, and recognizes the interdependence and connectedness of mind, body, and spirit in our being and actions. Lastly, pastoral / spiritual care provides a dynamic resource for healing and wholeness by paying attention and responding to the unique needs, goals, and resources of each care recipient.
A pastoral / spiritual caregiver therefore is somebody who focuses on providing spiritual support services like counseling, visitations to hospitals or prisons, palliative and bereavement care, prayer sessions and memorial services. As mentioned, often this term is used in a Christian context as one of the major functions of a pastoral ministry, though not exclusive to the Islamic tradition, in which an individual (i.e. Imam, Chaplain, Community Leader, etc.) helps their community develop a deeper connection to the faith, as well as their mosque or place of worship, through ritual practices, educational talks, community events, or individual/group spiritual counseling.
In general, many pastoral / spiritual caregivers are employed by religious institutions, as part of the ministry, though others may work for institutions like hospitals, schools, prisons, military/veteran's facilities or nursing homes. Because these institutions can be religiously and culturally diverse, a pastoral caregiver must be able to handle different spiritual needs of each patient with respect and understanding. Their duties also include maintaining a network of institutional and community contacts, organizations and volunteers to ensure that each patient has access to appropriate, helpful resources.
Images & Pastoral Care
In the oft-quoted adage, “a picture (or an image) is worth a thousand words,” we recognize that pictures, images, metaphorical representations can convey something to us in the way a single word or statement cannot. In one particular place or space images are able to convey so much more to an individual by way of limitless interpretation, ranging from the elements of the image itself, the components which comprise the image or went into creating it, the person or persons who created the image and what their thought process and reasoning was, and so on. Just like a rich image, pastoral care, and by extension spiritual care, are also rich, kaleidoscopic works of art with regards to not just their function, but to everything that goes into them holistically, and in order to best understand this rich field, the use of metaphors and images can do so much more justice than a simple definition or description ever could.
In his landmark Images of Pastoral Care, Robert C. Dykstra presents an eclectic tapestry showing just how rich the vocation of pastoral / spiritual care is, especially with regards to the role of the pastoral caregiver. This collection of essays from the past several decades lifts up nearly 20 different images/metaphors of pastoral care, most of which are written from the perspective of Christian writers, theologians, and pastoral caregivers. However, the substance of their images and their meaning and connection to tradition are universal, and more than appropriate in finding connection to the Islamic tradition, in particular the example of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Though the book provides a rich insight into each of these images, for the purposes of our discussion today, and the subsequent deep-dives in the weeks to follow, we will lift up 4 of these images/metaphors, briefly describing their relation and connection to the example of the Prophet ﷺ: the Courageous Shepherd, the Wounded Healer, the Agent of Hope, and the Gardener. In the end, we hope that this discussion will only foster a greater appreciation for who the Prophet ﷺ was, along with the way he carried himself both individually and communally, in conveying his message, and as a result, allow for us to see the importance and growing need of pastoral care within our Muslim communities today.
The Courageous Shepherd
Say (O Prophet): “If you really love Allah, then follow me, and Allah shall love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful.”
Qur’an 3:31
One of the immediate associations one makes with the term or concept of pastoral care is shepherding. This is not at all surprising, as the root of the word “pastor” itself derives from the Latin noun ‘pastor’ which means "shepherd,” and further deriving its meaning from the verb “to feed, maintain, pasture, graze.” When one thinks of shepherd, therefore, oftentimes the image of a flock of sheep being watched over and guided and supported, comes to mind. Though this image no doubt is one of the more popularized version of shepherding, rich in meaning and depiction, in reality as romanticized as shepherding may be, it is by no means a job / vocation free of any difficulty or stress. Rather, the role of a shepherd is one which, especially in the the Biblical and Pre-Islamic context (and even in modern times) was very difficult, with little compensation, and of utmost frustration. Apart from having to watch over the shepherded as they graze, the shepherd also has to be ready in the event any of the flock is attacked, particularly by a predator or wolf, and often times has to struggle with the sheep to follow their instructions or to go to their destination, among others. It is in this backdrop, and with so much more context, in which Alastair Campbell writes of “The Courageous Shepherd.” The Courageous Shepherd is one who is not only charged with taking care of a flock, but willing to risk one's own life for the safety of that flock. This caring is one that is not so romanticized, but costly, unsettling, and even distasteful at times. Alongside courage, the shepherd must have characteristics of tenderness, skill in leadership, concern, and awareness of the needs of their flock.
As the Courageous Shepherd of his community the Prophet ﷺ not only watched over all who joined the fold of Islam, but did so in a way that would risk his own life and wellbeing. This was oftentimes seen as the Prophet ﷺ going alongside his community in all trials and tribulations, whether in migration, battle, community building, hunger and poverty, and spiritual connection, among others. The Prophet ﷺ, though always ahead of them, would never be the least of them in sacrificing his own wellbeing and self just as his fellow community members would. He was there with them shoulder to shoulder in prayer, when building a mosque, when in battle, when sharing meals, and when in celebration, among others. Additionally, whether in Medina or in Mecca, the Prophet ﷺ dealt with his community with the utmost restraint, gentleness, and tenderness, as well as with concern for not just the Muslims, but all other persons and things that were under the care of the community. This included persons who were not Muslim whose rights were infringed or dealt wrongfully by Muslims, as well as non-human creation, such as animals which had also been wronged by Muslim community members. Thus, the Prophet ﷺ served as a shepherd for his community, not only standing by and watching from a distance, but being with the flock, tending to each member of the flock with care, giving special attention to the least of the flock, and even more so watching over those of the flock who were deemed as “black sheep” for simple differences. Being someone who would be as intimately involved with his community as he was, the Prophet ﷺ was bound to also face as well as endure the trials, tribulations, and wounds that members of his community would face, yet even in these setbacks and wounds, the Prophet ﷺ would find a way to show his community how to heal: spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
The Wounded Healer
Verily in the Messenger of Allah you have a beautiful pattern/example (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah.
Qur’an 33:21
Henri Nouwen vividly describes our next image, the Wounded Healer, as “sitting among the poor, binding their wounds one at a time, waiting for the moment when they will be needed...the Wounded Healer must bind their own wounds carefully in anticipation of the moment when they will be needed. They are called to be the Wounded Healer, the one who must look after their own wounds but at the same time be prepared to heal the wounds of others.”
It is no secret that during his life (both before and after prophethood), the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ faced a significant amount of wounds - physically, emotionally/mentally, and spiritually. Though a prophet of God, his life was marked by a number of difficulties which were not just ignored or swept under the rug as he grew older and was appointed a prophet, but rather utilized in ways that would help him connect with his community and vice-versa. The difficulties, the wounds the Prophet Prophet ﷺ endured were to become sources of healing for him and his community.
Though we shall examine this in greater detail in the coming weeks, it goes without saying that despite being who the Prophet ﷺ was, he was no stranger to being wounded or burdened by difficulties which normally would be too much for any one person. Before he reached the age of 10, the Prophet ﷺ had already experienced orphanhood three times over: first with the passing of his father before his birth; then the passing of his mother when he was 6; followed by the passing of his grandfather when he was 9. Even before becoming a prophet, he continued to experience this emotional woundedness, dealing with the death of his son, and felt the pain of having to bury his own child. Ironically, after being appointed as God’s prophet and chosen one, his wounds only increased. He experienced what it was like to be a widower, losing his wife of 25 years, as well as each of his children (with the exception of one) in his own lifetime. He experienced physical woundedness when he was assaulted and abused by his tribespeople for preaching the message of Islam. He experienced spiritual woundedness at times when he felt abandoned or when no revelation or respite would come to him in times of trial.
Yet, his wounds did not send him further into retreat from the world around him or even his community, nor did they lead him to run away or isolate himself. They allowed for him to better understand and subsequently heal his community as they to experienced these trials, not because the Prophet ﷺ was some miracle healer who could never experience pain or affliction, rather because he was someone who not only could but did feel and experience these, and was still healing these as he led his community.
The Agent of Hope
Indeed, We have sent you, (O Prophet), with the truth as a bringer of good tidings and a warner....
Qur’an 2:119
Donald Capps explores the concept of pastoral caregivers as Agents of Hope, lifting up the idea that what makes the pastor (in our case pastoral caregivers) unique among professionals is that they are fundamentally agents or bearers of hope. As he puts it, other professionals offer and support hope, but they do this as a part or aspect of other things they do. Pastoral caregivers, on the other hand, are agents of hope by definition (or calling), and often this is all that they are, according to Capps. This image, when expanded to the Islamic tradition, specifically the Prophetic example, is one that is not hard to find. As stated in the verse above, the Qur’an explicitly calls the Prophet ﷺ a basheer or bringer of glad tidings and good news, and we see this reflected not only in his conveying of the message of the Qur’an to a people who where coming from a different theological context and understanding, but also in his conveying to people who had little to hope for from the status quo: slaves, orphans, women, the poor and needy, the foreigners, and so many others.
The message of Islam, and by association, the Prophet ﷺ himself were a source of hope for these groups of people as well as all who were on the margins. The Prophet ﷺ preached of an egalitarian message, in which all individuals regardless of lineage, race, wealth, gender, or any other difference, were all equal in the sight of God, differing only in their piety. This clearly was very appealing in a society as stratified and rooted in social and economic inequality as 7th century Arabia, and directly challenged the miserable status quo for so many. This role of a bearer of glad tidings or an agent of hope was not just something that was relegated to one part of the Prophet’s ﷺ life or period of prophethood, rather it was something which was consistent across his entire life up until his passing (and arguably, even after). In Mecca, the Prophet ﷺ was an agent of hope for a people who were marginalized from a variety of fronts - religiously, politically, economically, and socially - and he and his message were ones which not only gave hope in the worldly sense, but more so in the life after death, in the hereafter, where none would be dealt with unjustly, and all who believed, regardless of their status, could expect to find comfort, peace, and ease in the life to come. In Medina, the Prophet ﷺ continued to serve in this capacity, this time more so with regards to the identity formation of a community and nation, as the Muslims finally had a place of their own. In the midst of invasion, war, and internal strife, the Prophet ﷺ gave reason to hope in the unity of the community, and in its foundation of God’s message and the Prophet’s ﷺ own example. Hope was never something that the Prophet ﷺ lost during his prophethood, despite the difficulties endured individually and collectively, and it was the metaphorical water with which he gardened his community.
The Gardener
And have you seen that (seed) which you sow? Is it you who makes it grow, or are We the grower?
Qur'an 56:63
Our last image of pastoral care for this discussion and for this series is Margaret Zipse Kornfeld’s The Gardener. Kornfeld writes beautifully that “a gardener, like a community’s counselor and caregiver, has a twofold task. A gardener must tend to the ground as well as cultivate the plants growing in the ground. The gardener does not make the plants grow, God does. The gardener attends to their growth as the plants become what they are meant to be….Gardeners know that before they plant, they must consider the composition, condition, and needs of the soil. After understanding the nature of the soil, they will need to know which plants thrive in it. They will know what nutrients will be needed to supplement the soil and will understand how the ground holds water. After knowing the soil, they proceed.”
As the verse of the Qur’an above states, as well as many others like it, that the Prophet ﷺ was not to be held accountable for whether individuals accepted or rejected the call to Islam, or in the language of our image here, that the seeds which were given water did not sprout. The Prophet’s ﷺ task was simply to water the garden, and the growth was determined by God. In this rich metaphor, we see exactly this in the example of the Prophet ﷺ, as in his prophethood he would commonly iterate the message and call to Islam, prefacing that he was but a conveyer of the message. Yet, like a gardener, the Prophet ﷺ paid close and careful attention to all who were in this “spiritual garden,” whether they accepted the message or not, and made sure that water was provided to each seed, with the additional care to pay attention to the uniqueness of each seed/sapling. The Prophet ﷺ was very aware and present to the needs and condition of his people, especially those who began to blossom after receiving the message, as well as those who never sprouted. He never gave up on those who would show no signs of growth, even after years, and still made an effort to tend to them. Even beyond the needs of the individual seeds and saplings, the Prophet ﷺ recognized the needs of the garden as a whole, and what composition its soil needed to be and its environment needed to be in order for his garden to thrive, and this can be seen in changing the landscape of the garden from Mecca, when it became uninhabitable due to persecution, to Medina, where it was literally and metaphorically more fertile and conducive to collective growth. The Prophet ﷺ began and ended his mission as a gardener, and never did the responsibility of a seed growing or not growing fall upon him after he gave it its due. Yet, in his example and his model, he demonstrated to his community how to best take care of one another, as well as the garden, or community, as a whole, after his passing. The garden which the Prophet ﷺ planted, cultivated, and tended to in his prophethood is one in which all of us still grow in today, and his example is one that has shown us how to best follow in his footsteps to not just care for ourselves, but for one another and our community and as a whole.
Mecca, as reimagined during the time of the Prophet ﷺ.
Conclusion & Going Forward
As you can see, each image representation of pastoral care, especially as it relates to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is rich beyond mere definition. The images allow us to not only see the Prophet ﷺ as so much more than God’s elect, but as a very rich and holistic person from whom we can continue to derive lessons and teachings, and someone who in his life and model provides an example for all of us, Muslim and non-Muslim, regardless of our differences, in how to best tend to and serve ourselves, our fellow creation, and the world as a whole, all in conjunction with our relationship to the Divine. Ultimately, in seeing and understanding the breadth of the prophetic model, we too can see how it can have a holistic pastoral impact on us, and in the spheres of life which we may be pastoring.
In the following weeks we’ll be doing deep-dives on each of these images (and possibly others), and exploring the life and example of the Prophet ﷺ with respect to each image/metaphor of pastoral care, and the continuing lessons and benefits we can derive from it. We hope that you find this series to be of benefit, and encourage you to follow along on Instagram as we share parts of this series as well on Sundays, as part of #SpiritualCareSundays.
Next Post: The Prophet ﷺ: The Courageous Shepherd.
Sources
Images of Pastoral Care by Robert C. Dykstra
Spiritual Care: What it Means, Why it Matters in Health Care - HealthCare Chaplaincy Network
Pastoral Care Ministry - Study.com
Representing the Good: Pastoral Care in a Secular Age by Carmen Schuhmann & Annelieke Damen
