Birthday of the Seal of Messengers

Salaam everybody and heartiest congratulations to you all on a very auspicious day. For your information today is the day when the Almighty Creator decreed the birth of the Best of His creation in order to enlighten mankind with the universal message of monotheism, peace, healthy way of living, and submission to none but to Him; all of which in Arabic means “Islam”.

Here we present you an exclusive feature on the birthday of the Last and Greatest Messenger of God.

Today, the 17^th of Rabi al-Awwal is the grandest day in the history of mankind. It is the day the Almighty Creator of the universe decided to bring into the world His Last and Greatest Messenger – Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny): He says in ayah 107 of Surah Anbiya:

“We have not sent you but as a mercy unto the whole creation.”

No wonder, on the eve of Prophet’s birth in the then obscure town of Mecca, in Arabia, the idols that the infidel Arabs had placed in Prophet Abraham’s edifice of monotheism, the holy Ka’ba, fell headlong. The forces of Jahiliyyah, whether in the Arab Peninsula or elsewhere in the supposedly civilized world, witnessed events that heralded the end of the days of ignorance.

History bears witness that the sacred fire of the Zoroastrians that had been kept burning in the Persian Empire for over a thousand years, suddenly died down to the horror of the Mobads.

In Ctesiphon (Mada’en near Baghdad in Iraq), a crack suddenly appeared in the huge arch of the magnificent hall of audience of the Sassanid king of kings (Shahenshah). At the same time, 14 parapets came crashing down from atop Khosrow Anushirvan’s palace.

They were others portents in other parts of the world that are outside the scope of this radio programme, in which we intend to point out that none of the ancestors and ancestresses of the person sent by God as “Seal of Messengers”, were other than staunchly virtuous monotheists.

This is confirmed by all respected scholars of Islam, whether Sunni or Shi’a Muslims. Thus, it would be repetitive to say that he was born in the monotheistic Bani Hashem Clan that was descended from Prophet Ishmael, the firstborn of that great iconoclast, Prophet Abraham (AS).

A detailed account of the noble ancestors of the Seal of Messengers is outside the scope of this brief column. Here is a famous hadith, narrated by our Sunni brethren as well, which quotes the Prophet himself as saying:

“(The Archangel) Gabriel told me: I turned over the easts and the wests of the Earth but did not find anyone superior to Mohammad, then [again] I turned over the easts and the wests of the Earth but did not find any clan superior to the Bani Hashem).”

It is thus clear that the Messenger of Mercy was neither born among the polytheists of Arabia nor in any uncouth, ill-mannered, and unprincipled Arab household.

In other words, terrorism and violence were alien to the nature of the posthumous son of Abdullah; the orphan of the pious lady, Amena bint Wahb; the grandson of the Leader of the Quraish, Abdul-Muttaleb; and the nephew of Abu Taleb – the Shaikh al-Bat’ha or the Senior Citizen of Mecca.

The reason we cite these few names is to emphasize the pure and pristine nature of the Best of God’s creation, who himself has said: “I was always being transferred from the loins of the pure ones to the wombs of the pure ones.”

Now we understand the phrase in the Ziyarah or standard form of salutation to the Prophet of Islam that reads: “I bear witness that you were (descended) through pure loins and chaste wombs.”

Another point worth stressing is the fact that the person prophesied by such all-time greats as Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and others in different ages and various lands, was not just the greatest of them all, but was the offspring of a long line of “Awsiya” or Legatees, of Ishmael.

To be more precise, since Prophets are infallible and immune from sins and faults, so shall be their legatees – untainted by vices and idolatry. As the Prophet’s cousin, ward, son-in-law, and divinely-designated vicegerent, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), has said in this regard:

“By Allah, my father never worshipped idols, neither my grandfather Abdul-Muttalib, nor his father Hashem, or his father Abd Munaf. They prayed facing towards the Ka’ba and followed the religion of Abraham.”

No wonder, it is highly recommended to visit the shrine of Imam Ali (AS) in Najaf or to salute him from afar, on the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

In Sermon 158 of the Book “Nahj al-Balagha”, Imam Ali (AS) says: "You should follow your Prophet, the pure, the chaste. In him is the example for the follower, and the consolation for the seeker of consolation. The most beloved person before Allah is he who follows His Prophet and who treads in his footsteps. He took the least (share) from this world and did not take a full glance at it. Of all the people of the world he was the least satiated and the most empty of stomach. The world was offered to him but he refused to accept it.”

In the Words of God Almighty in holy Qur’an, as is evident by ayah 21 of Surah al-Ahzaab:

“In the Prophet of Allah, certainly there is for you a good exemplar, for those who look forward to Allah and the Last Day, and remember Allah greatly.” 

Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny) was thus, and still remains, the finest example of a perfect man in every sense of the term. He was a paragon of virtue and the most Excellent Exemplar for the human race. The Almighty distinguished him from others by instilling in his sublime personality such fine qualities as modesty, truthfulness, kindness, patience, loyalty, honesty, courage, bravery, generosity, magnanimity, wisdom and the like. By studying his lofty characteristics and the amazingly simple life that he led with his household, companions, wives and others, we are able to learn valuable lessons from his conduct.

It should, however, be borne in mind that the Prophet in the prime of manhood, from the age of 25 to a little over 50, was monogamous in the strict sense of the word, leading a blissful life with his one and only spouse Hazrat Khadija (peace upon her), the mother of his only surviving child, the Immaculate Daughter Hazrat Fatema Zahra (peace upon her).

It was only in the last ten years of his life that the middle-aged Prophet took several wives out of social necessity in order to break the customs of the days of ignorance regarding widows, women devoid of good looks, and overage ladies. Still he cherished the memory of his beloved wife Khadija (peace upon her) and remembered her always till his last days.

Our society could never be an Islamic one unless we sincerely tread the footsteps of Allah's final Messenger to mankind, heed his sayings, and emulate his practice and behaviour (Sunnah & Seerah), without indulging in innovations that the political rulers who followed him started in pursuit of their own vested interests and in violation of his teachings.

This means to desist from whatever the Prophet has forbidden, and obey whatever he has bequeathed to us, especially his last and final public proclamation on God’s express commandment at the memorable gathering of Ghadeer-Khom, of the prime position after him amongst the Muslims, of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS).

Entrusted by God with the universal message of Islam, the Prophet of Islam’s mission was to bring hearts closers by removing differences and doubts, and to help build the morally sound and peaceful society, where everybody including those that were not yet Muslim and still adhered to what they believed as the ways of the other prophets, should live in peaceful co-existence.

His invitation to the People of the Book, and his debates and accords, for instance, with the Christians of Najran, indicate this. His advent was foretold in the Evangel, the Torah, and other previously revealed heavenly scriptures, as well as in the religious texts of the Zoroastrians, the Hindus, and others – parts of this prophecy are still preserved in spite of the tampering by interlopers that these books have gone through.

For instance, in the Book of Deuteronomy of the Old Testament (chapter 18, verse 15) we read the prophecy to Moses: “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren (Ishmaelite Arabs), like unto thee, and will put My Words into his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My Words which he shall speak in My Name.”

In the Gospel of St. John of the New Testament (chapter 18, verses 7 to14) we find the following prophecy of Jesus:

“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. How be it when he, the Spirit of truth (the Comforter), is come, he will guide into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine and shall shew it unto you.”
This means, the Divine Promise of Islam’s peaceful prevailing over all creeds will only be fulfilled through the universal message of Islam, through the Prophet of Islam, and through his immortal legacy of Twelve Infallible Successors, of whom the last is Imam Mahdi (AS), who will reappear in the end times to rid the Planet of all vestiges of oppression and corruption by establishing the global government of peace, prosperity and justice, with Prophet Jesus who will also reappear to serve as his lieutenant.

AS/SS