his tongue all that is right, forbade all that is wrong, made lawful everything good, and prohibited everything foul.

Thus, it is reported that he—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: “I was sent only to perfect noble character.” In the hadith recorded by both al-Bukhārī and Muslim, he said: “My likeness and that of the prophets is that of a man who built a house, completing and perfecting it except for the space of a single brick. People would walk around it, marvel at its beauty, and say: