Feb 26, 2010, 12.00am IST
SADIA DEHLVI.
The birth of a prophet signifies the rebirth of humanity. Prophets lead the way to God and help us discern good from evil. The twelfth of Rabiulawwal, the third month of the Islamic calendar, falls the mawlid, the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad whom Allah created as rahmat ul alameen, mercy for all realms and worlds.
Let’s revisit and reflect on Muhammad’s mission of bringing Islam, that is, peace to the world.
The messages revealed to Muhammad over a span of 23 years constitute the Holy Quran. It addresses nations, communities, families, individuals and humanity as a whole, teaching the path to inner and outer perfection. The Prophet said: “I have come to perfect character” and the Quran praises his conduct. Muhammad breathes life into our souls, pours love into our hearts and guides us to unravel divine mysteries. He taught us to love the One God and emphasised that the path leading to Him consists of kindness, compassion and moderation.
The spirit of Islam is entering into a state of humility before the Lord. Despite all the glories bestowed on him as Habiballah, Beloved of Allah, Muhammad remained in prostration before Him, referring to himself as the slave of Allah.
A state of submission includes recognising those who know and seeking knowledge from them. Prophet Muhammad did not desire the Message, but was chosen for the revelations, which began at the cave of Hira while he was meditating during the month of Ramzan. The first word revealed was the command ‘ Iqra’ – read! “Read in the name of thy Lord and cherisher, who created man, out of a clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And thy Lord is most bountiful, He who taught the use of the pen; taught man that which he knew not.” Iqra is the basis of human knowledge. In Islamic tradition, man’s primary duty lies in nurturing the intellect to seek the Creator.
Allah has honoured the pen, He swears by it in the Quran, which means ‘The Recital’. It is the last link in a chain of revelations going back to the very origin of man. The Quran declares Prophet Muhammad the Khatam al Ambiya, Seal of Prophecy, and confirms that of all prophets, from Adam to Abraham including Moses and Jesus. Muslim faith is incomplete without believing in the 124,000 Ambiya, prophets who have been sent to earth. The Quran informs that there has never been a time when God did not send Messengers who did not speak the language of the people. If followers of Judaism, Christianity and Islam are at odds, it is not because of the teachings of their founders, but despite these teachings.
The Miraj, Ascension of the Prophet to the Heavens, is a tale of love where God is the lover and the Prophet, the beloved. The lovers of Muhammad believe this union to be the greatest in all of heaven and earth for it carries clues on heavenly secrets. It tells us that the source of creation is pure light, love and goodness. It gives the joyful news that the gulf between the finite and infinite can be bridged. Muhammad returns not with wealth, but light. He returns to the world, but does not seek it and declares: “Poverty is my pride.”
This nocturnal journey forms the foundation for Muslim spiritualists seeking to make this Ascension by annihilating the ego, the i, for in the presence of God, there is no room for more than one ‘I’, that is the ‘I’ of Divinity.
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