Unity Week Special (1)

These days most Muslims all over the world are marking the Islamic Unity Week on the occasion of the blessed birth anniversary of the Messenger of Mercy, Prophet Mohammad (Blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

According to Sunni Muslims, on the basis of the narrations of the Sahaba, he was born on the 12^th of Rabi’ul Awwal, while Shi’a Muslims who regard the accounts of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt or Impeccable Household as more reliable, he was born on the 17^th of this month. Forty years ago, in order to bridge this 5-day gap and to bring the Islamic Ummah on the platform of solidarity, the Father of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini (RA) took the dynamic initiative of declaring the Prophet’s birthday as Islamic Unity Week.

We use this opportunity to study in brief some of the merits of Allah’s Best-Ever Creation.

Trustworthiness is one of the most prominent characteristics of divine messengers. But, this was very obvious in the Prophet of Islam so much so that years before he was ordered by God Almighty to formally announce his universal mission of Islam, he was known among the people of Mecca and beyond as Amin or Trustworthy, and Sadeq or Truthful. Trustworthiness is the first and foremost virtue for the divine messengers as they are duty-bound to discharge the commandments of God and communicate His words to the masses without any blemish or shortcoming. The trustworthiness and honesty of the Prophet of Islam was so outstanding that it attracted the people towards his mission, although the powerful and rich infidels of Mecca strongly opposed him for fear of losing their their position and wealth. God says in ayah 21 of chapter Ahzaab of the holy Qur’an, “Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah there is certainly for you an Excellent Exemplar, for those who look forward to Allah and the Last Day, and remember Allah greatly.”

The Prophet’s way of living was so perfect and comprehensive that he was regarded as the Most Excellent Exemplar in every aspect of human life.  

The Prophet would divide his time into three parts: The first part was dedicated to worship and prayer; the second part was dedicated to the family and fulfilling their material and other needs; and the third part was the special time for dealing with the problems of people and social engagements.

Family is based on love and kindness as God says in ayah 21 of surah Roum, “And of His signs is that He created for you mates from your own selves that you may take comfort in them, and He ordained affection and mercy between you. There are indeed signs in that for a people who reflect.”

Love and affection can compensate many defects in the marital life. The Prophet of Islam used to say: “The more a person’s faith increases, the more he expresses his love towards his spouse.”

This great personality used to recommend men to treat their wives kindly and affectionately. Once he said, “The man who has married a woman, should respect her. If he tells his wife, ‘I love you’, this will never leave the wife’s heart.”

As a matter of fact, the love of the Prophet for Lady Khadija (peace upon her), his first and only wife for 25 long years till her death, has been mentioned in the history of Islam. She was as a very virtuous and monotheist lady and he greatly respected her and even after her death used to glorify her. He would stress that no other woman could match Lady Khadija as she offered her entire wealth to the Prophet to use it in the way of God. The Prophet called a man’s work at home as charity and alms-giving. He told his cousin, son-in-law and divinely-designated Vicegerent, Imam Ali (AS), “O Ali! Serving the wife at home is the atonement of great sins and it cools down God’s wrath.”  

The Prophet used to sit with the family and would say that sitting with the family is better in the divine court than staying and worshipping at the mosque. He has said, “A man who spreads the table, calls his wife and children and starts eating the food in the name of God and ends it with thanking God, God will send His mercy and forgiveness to them as long as the table is there.”

When his Immaculate Daughter, Hazrat Fatema Zahra and her husband Imam Ali (peace upon them) sought his advice for division of their daily work, the Messenger of Mercy said, “The housework will be done by Fatema and the works outside home will be done by Ali.”

Dear listeners, this does not mean that a man should always expect his wife to do the housework no matter how tired she is. There are other statements narrated from the Prophet of Islam that helping one’s wife with the house chores is very valuable and will have great reward in the divine court.

As for the children, the Prophet of Islam would always try to make them happy. He stated, “Anyone who gladdens a girl it is as if he had freed one of the children of Prophet Ishmael; and he who gladdens a boy it is as if he had shed tears for the fear of God.”

The Messenger of Mercy, Prophet Mohammad (Blessings and greetings of God upon him and his progeny) emphasized that the duty of parents begins with the choice of spouse. In other words, to have good and decent children we should first take care of choosing a decent and chaste wife. The Prophet said, “If any of you is engaged in raising his child it is better than giving half of his wealth everyday as alms in the way of God. You should choose good names for your children and leave them the best legacy through correct training.”

In the view of the Qur’an, the highest stage of lifestyle is “Hayaat Tayyiba” (Virtuous Life). For sure it is the lifestyle that the divine Prophets and Friends of God maintained. This concept has been mentioned in ayah 97 of surah Nahl, “Whoever acts righteously, [whether] male or female, should he be faithful, —We shall revive him with a good life and pay them their reward by the best of what they used to do.”

While the west exerts its utmost to confine religion in the personal life, it is essential to introduce the comprehensive social programs of Islam. Islam has instructions for all minutiae of human life and the Prophet of Islam has shown the best example for humans. Islam guarantees the human happiness both in this world and the Hereafter.  

RM/AS/ME