Celebrating the Greatest Man
Wao! His day has come again. It’s indeed hard to believe that it’s been one year already. Yes, that’s how it should be. We have never forgotten to celebrate him and his lofty personality everyday till now, but now, on his birthday, we reminisce on how well we have tried to emulate him- Sollalahu alayhi wa sallam.
Hmm! May Allah’s peace abide with him: With his perfection, he attained the empyrean heights of Divine guidance…With his beauty, he expelled the darkness of ignorance and misguidance…All lofty attributes found perfection in him- Invoke, therefore, Allah’s salutation and blessings on him…Sollallaahu alayhi wa sallam.”
Let’s celebrate the Cosmic Bridge of Benevolence… the Noblest Soul that ever stepped into this plane of existence…the Supreme Alphabet of Divine Realities…and the last Legislator from Allah. The one who conquered the beast in men and bequeathed a legacy of purity, piety, and prosperity.
His Creator Himself praised him; the Divine Assembly honoured him; why not join me in sending millions of salawaat to him?
He was the greatest example of all virtues; the perfect symbol of love and mercy and the sole inheritor of Allah’s Transcendental Benevolence. His kindness was unrivalled and his patience was legendary. Sollallaahu alayhi wa sallam.
An example of his patience is his encounter with the Jewish Rabbi, Zaid bin Sa’nah. Zaid had given something as a loan to the Prophet(saw). He himself narrated the incident;
“I gave a loan to the Prophet (saw), and we agreed on when to pay back. But two or three days to the time we agreed upon for the pay back, the Prophet attended the funeral of a man from the Ansar. Abu Bakr and Umar and some other Companions were with him. After the Janazah, he sat down by a wall, and I came to him, grabbed his cloak, and looked at him in a harsh way, and said: ‘O Muhammad! Will you not pay me back my loan?
I have never known the family of Abdul Muttalib to delay repaying debts!’ Umar ibn Al-Khattab became furious!
He looked at me and said: ‘O Enemy of Allah, do you behave towards him in this manner?!
By the Allah Who sent him with the truth, had it not been for the fear of not entering Paradise, I would have beheaded you with my sword!’
The Prophet looked at Umar calmly and said: ‘O Umar, you should have given us sincere counseling, rather than reacting in this manner-you should have advised me to be more forthright in repaying loans, and him in being polite.
O Umar, go and repay him his loan, and give him extra measure because you have scared him!’”
Zaid said: “Umar went with me, paid me the debt, and gave me twenty measures of dates in addition. I asked him: ‘What is this?’ He said: ‘The Prophet ordered me to give it, because I frightened you.’
Zaid then asked Umar: “O Umar, do you know who I am?” Umar said: “No, I don’t – who are you?” Zaid said: “I am Zaid ibn Sa’nah.” Umar inquired: “The Rabbi?” Zaid answered: “Yes, the Rabbi.” Umar then asked him: “What made you say what you said to the Prophet and do what you did to him?” Zaid answered: “O Umar, I have seen all the signs of prophethood in the face of the Muhammad except two – (the first) his patience and perseverance should supercede his anger and personal ego; the second, the harsher you are towards him, the kinder and more patient he becomes. This is the mark of Prophets of God and I am now satisfied.
O Umar, I hold you as a witness that I testify and I am satisfied that there is no true God worthy of being worshipped except Allah alone, and my religion is Islam and Muhammad is my Prophet. I also hold you as a witness that half of my wealth – and I am among the wealthiest people in Madina – I give for the sake of Allah to the Muslims.”
Both Zaid and Umar returned to the Messenger of Allah. Zaid said to him: “I bear witness that there is no true deity worthy of being worshipped except Allah alone, and that Muhammad is the servant of Allah and His Messenger.” He believed in him, and witnessed many battles and then died in the Battle of Tabuk while he was encountering the enemy – may Allah have mercy on him.
The Prophet was the perfect exemplar for mankind. In all areas of human endeavour, he left a legacy. He was the orphan who gave succour to widows and orphans; the youth who coordinated fellow youths for social welfare; the trader who set new paradigms of sincerity; the bachelor whose purity was legendary; the quintessential husband, the peerless father and the heroic leader.
Let’s continue to celebrate him for whom Angels supplicate; let’s celebrate him for whose sake the Cosmos was created; let’s celebrate him whose glory is affirmed in the heavens; let’s celebrate the best child that was ever born. Sollallaahu alayhi wa sallam
Let’s celebrate him by following his sunnah; by proclaiming his message; by making him our mirror; by loving him above all men, preferring him above all else and making him our model in all situations.
Invoke Allah’s salutations and blessings on him, and its multiple of ten shall be yours. May the light of his love shine on your heart. May His sunnah punctuate your actions, and may his noble position in Allah’s Glorious Assembly be an intercession for you and yours in the Divine Presence.
This the day of his birth and the month of his birth. The month that brought endless tranquility into this world; the month out whose womb Eternal Light was born; the month that introduced Ahmad and Muhammad into this plane of existence. One man with dual manifestations- he was Ahmad, the Supreme Praiser of his Creator, and Muhammad, the Most Praiseworthy among men; the seed of virtue planted by the Divine Hand which blossomed into a Universal Tree of heavenly blessings. The one whose life and circumstances mirror the life of all human beings. As man’s day is divided into two, pleasant and unpleasant; so was his life filled with two realities-sweet and bitter; and just as his experiences were divided into two episodes-Makkan and Madinan.
His blessed life captures the essence of human life. His stay in Makkah was characterised by rejection, persecution, and hardship. Despite these, he continued to praise Allah, his Lord. In pain and suffering, he never stopped praising and worshipping Him. He lost loved ones, faced socioeconomic boycott, and experienced the pains of separation and hunger, but he was resolute. All these because the Ahmad essence in him was activated and the attributes of Ahmad {The Supreme Praiser} radiated through him. Later, his resilience paid off. He entered the transitional phase- the spiritual bridge of transition from a state to another state: the state of Hijrah.
Crossing the existential bridge, the Muhammadan essence was activated in him, and he became the Praiseworthy. He, who was rejected in Makkah, became the most praised in Madinah. Wherever he turned, his praise was sung. His Lord paid him back with multiple praises. Since then, he became the proverbial symbol of glorious life. In order to become worthy of praise on earth, you must pass through the gruesome drilling of being an Ahmad (a Supreme Praiser) despite your challenges and problems before you can become a Muhammad (the Praiseworthy) among men. Therefore, however great your challenges are, be an Ahmad, and soon, your Lord will reward you with being a Muhammad. This is the true Al-Haqiqat-ul-Muhammadiyyah (The Muhammadan Essence).
The Prophet (saw) was the universal man. He represented the best humanity could ever be. He was the loftiest vision brought into being by the Divine. His guidance covers all; his teachings embrace all, and his inspirational tenets dominate all. His successful career as a political leader, aside his primary role as a spiritual guide, is unmatched.
Pundits of politics are confounded by his administrative ingenuity; statesmen of great nations have been stunned by his unequalled egalitarianism; and world leaders have affirmed his unrivalled acumen as a manager of men. To him, politics was not just a matter of ruling people but also a vital tool for education, spiritual awareness, human understanding, and the dissemination of values and principles. He taught humanity to achieve this through various peaceful means, such as sincere counselling, role modelling, rational persuasion, exemplary conduct, and inspirational admonitions.
His politics was aimed at guiding people towards good and dissuading them from evil. Integrity, honesty, trust, and Shurah (mutual consultation) were his watchwords and God-consciousness was his key driving value.
All these values were underpinned by the firm conviction that all human actions, political or otherwise, have a trans-earthly reference-the ultimate reward lies in the hereafter. ,Our obsession in Nigeria about good governance will surely be transformed into reality if we follow this divinely inspired model-Solla llaahu alayhi wa sallam.
He was Allah’s infallible representative. All noble traits are celebrated through him- submission to Allah, generosity, kindness, forbearance, courage, bravery, foresightedness, wisdom, knowledge, patience, forgiveness, gentleness, eloquence, determination, humility, trustworthiness, honesty, empathy, plus social and emotional intelligence.
There are thousands of ways to celebrate his day. Let’s revive his efforts and spread his message. Buy a book on his biography and ways today; listen to an audio series on his illustrious life; set a daily target of invoking salutations (salawaat) on him; you can conduct daily study-circle with your family and friends on his sayings and teachings; set family target to read from books on his Sunnah; give gift of a book on his noble life to at least one Muslim and one non-Muslim friend, neighbour, or colleague; radiate his lofty model through your personal conduct; and motivate the next generation by hosting competitions on writing stories, plays, or poetry about his moral qualities, life and message.
May Allah make the light of Muhammad the lamp post on your path. May his Sunnah be the guide of your steps. May his love be the adornment of your life. May his noble traits be the garment of your deeds, and may his lie-giving supplications be accepted in your life and in the lives of every member of your family.
Blessed Maulid Celebrations
Timehin Saheed Olurotimi
