Important Messages on the Mawlid*

 

 

Important Messages on the Occasion of the Mawlid of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him)

 

 

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

 

The glad tidings spread across the universe filling our hearts each year with the commemoration of the birth of Mohammad, peace be upon him. He is the guiding prophet, the bringer of glad tidings, the warning beacon, and the illuminating lamp whom Allah sent as: 'A witness, a bringer of good tidings, a warner, one who invites to Allah by His permission, and an illuminating lamp.' [Al-Ahzab: 45-46]. He was sent as 'a mercy to the worlds' [ Al-Anbiya: 107], and his lights, peace be upon him, overflowed upon us. Therefore, on this fragrant occasion, I have messages directed to all my Muslim brothers:

 

The First Message: In Reverence for the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.

 

It is incumbent upon all Muslims to hold the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in reverence, for Allah exalted him, elevated his status, and honored him, peace be upon him. Among the manifestations of Allah's reverence for His Messenger, peace be upon him:

 

1- Allah mandated belief in him and obedience to him for all Muslims and made obedience to him a part of obedience to Allah, exalted be He: 'He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah' [An-Nisa: 80]. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: 'Whoever obeys me has obeyed Allah, and whoever disobeys me has disobeyed Allah.'[1]

 

2- Allah commanded the Muslims to observe proper etiquette with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, when sitting with him or addressing him. It was forbidden for them to precede him in speech or action without his permission, or to raise their voices above his in his presence out of respect for him: 'O you who have believed, do not put yourselves before Allah and His Messenger but fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing. O you who have believed, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk, as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds become worthless while you perceive not. Indeed, those who lower their voices before the Messenger of Allah - they are the ones whose hearts Allah has tested for righteousness. For them is forgiveness and great reward. Indeed, those who call you, [O Mohammad], from behind the chambers - most of them do not use reason' [Al-Hujurat: 1-4]. They would call him by his name with harshness and rudeness, which does not befit his reverence, peace be upon him. 'Thus, Allah mandated his chastisement and veneration... and obligated honoring and revering him.'"[2]

 

3- Allah, exalted be He, made the Prophet`s  wives the mothers of the believers, such that it is not permissible for anyone after him to marry one of them, out of reverence for his status, peace be upon him. Allah says[what means]: 'The Prophet is more worthy of the believers than themselves, and his wives are [in the position of] their mothers' [Al-Ahzab: 6], along with His saying, exalted be He: 'Nor [is it befitting] for you to harm the Messenger of Allah or to marry his wives after him, ever. Indeed, that would be in the sight of Allah an enormity' [Al-Ahzab: 53].

 

Therefore, the companions revered the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and among the manifestations of their reverence for him:

 

1- It is reported from 'Amr ibn al-'As who said: 'No one was more beloved to me than the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and nothing was more honorable in my eyes than him... I could not bear to fill my eyes with enough of him out of reverence for him... If I were asked to describe him, I would not be able to do so, for I could not fill my eyes enough of him.' [3].And it is narrated from Anas, may Allah be pleased with him: 'He would come out to his companions from among the Muhajirun and the Ansar, with Abu Bakr and Umar among them, and none of them would raise his gaze to him except Abu Bakr and Umar, for they used to look at him, and he would look at them, and they would smile at him, and he would smile at them.'[4]

 

2- 'Urwa ibn Mas'ud narrates to us how the companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, revered him - when Quraysh sent him to negotiate with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, during the year of Hudaybiyyah - and as he was staring at the companions of the Prophet, may Allah be pleased with them, he said: 'By Allah, not a piece of spittle would fall from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, except that it would land in the hand of one of them, who would then rub it on his face and skin. And when he commanded them, they would hasten to fulfill his command. And when he performed ablution, they would almost fight over the water used for his ablution. And when he spoke, they would lower their voices in his presence, and they would not look directly at him out of reverence for him. So 'Urwa returned to his people and said: 'O people, by Allah, I have visited kings, and I have visited Caesar, and Khosrau, and the Negus, but by Allah, I have never seen any people who revere their king as the companions of Mohammad, peace be upon him, revere Mohammad. By Allah, not a piece of spittle would fall from him except that it would land in the hand of one of them, who would then rub it on his face and skin. And when he commanded them, they would hasten to fulfill his command. And when he performed ablution, they would almost fight over the water used for his ablution. And when he spoke, they would lower their voices in his presence, and they would not look directly at him out of reverence for him.'

3- Thus, it is incumbent upon every Muslim to hold the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in reverence, as our righteous predecessors from the companions, may Allah be pleased with them, revered him. Our reverence for him should be manifested by honoring his commands and preserving his Sunnah, peace be upon him.

 

The Second Message: In the Love of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.

 

Among the obligations of believing in the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and the consequences of revering him is that we love him with a love that surpasses our love for anything else, even ourselves. Therefore, it is incumbent upon every Muslim to love the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, more than themselves, their fathers, spouses, children, wealth, and everything in this world. This is what his companions did, and we emulate them, and among the evidences for this:

 

1- Bukhari narrated from Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, that he was with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. Umar said to him: 'O Messenger of Allah, you are more beloved to me than everything except myself.' The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: '(No), by Him in Whose hand is my soul, until I become more beloved to you than yourself.' Umar said to him: 'Now, by Allah, you are more beloved to me than myself.' The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: '(Now) O Umar.'"[6]

 

2- The polytheists captured Zaid ibn al-Dathinah while he was on a secret mission and took him out of the sanctuary to kill him. Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, among them, asked him when he came to kill him: 'I adjure you by Allah, O Zaid, would you love for Mohammad to be here in your place so that his neck would be struck and you would be with your family?' Zaid replied: 'By Allah, I would not love for Mohammad to be in his place now, even if it means being pricked by a thorn that hurts him while I sit with my family!' Abu Sufyan said: 'I have never seen anyone loving someone as the companions of Mohammad love Muhammad!'"[7]

 

3- Ibn Hisham narrated in his biography that Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas said: 'The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, passed by a woman from the Bani Dinar whose husband, brother, and father were all martyred with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, at the Battle of Uhud. When they were eulogizing them for her, she asked: 'What did the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, do?' They replied: 'He did well, O mother of so-and-so. He is by the grace of Allah as you would like.' She said: 'Show him to me so that I may see him.' They gestured to him until she saw him, and she said: 'Every calamity after you is insignificant!' Ibn Hisham said: 'The word 'jalal' means it can be from little or much, and here it means little.'[8] This demonstrates that the love for the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, was not limited to men but was equally present among both men and women. Men were not more devoted to the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, than women, as evident in many incidents showcasing the love for the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, among women."

 

4- Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated: A man came to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, what do you say about a man who loves a people but has not been able to join them?' The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: 'A person will be with those whom he loves.'[9]Thus, the lover is a companion of his beloved, peace be upon him.

 

On the other hand, Allah, exalted be He, warns with the severest warning against those whose hearts are attached to anything in this world more than to Allah and His Messenger. Allah, exalted be He, says: 'Say, [O Mohammad], 'If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people' [At-Tawbah: 24]."

 

The Third Message: In Following His Sunnah, peace be upon him.

 

Undoubtedly, one of the essential implications of loving Allah Almighty and sincerely loving the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is for a Muslim to adhere to the Sunnah of the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, to make it his method and path to follow. Allah Almighty says: 'Say, [O Mohammad], 'If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful' [Al Imran: 31]. This is because true guidance lies in following him and walking on his path, peace be upon him. Allah Almighty also says: 'Say, 'Obey Allah and obey the Messenger; but if you turn away - then upon him is only [the responsibility for] the clear notification' [An-Nur: 54]. Thus, obeying him, peace be upon him, is obedience to Allah the Almighty.

 

Adherence is achieved by acting upon the authentic narrations from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, wherein the rulings of our religion are elucidated. Whatever has been authentically reported from him is incumbent upon us to adhere to, as Allah the Almighty says: 'And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty' [Al-Hashr: 7]. The fruit of this adherence is the pleasure and love of Allah the Almighty, and being companions with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in paradise, as Allah the Almighty says: 'And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger - those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions*. This is a grace from Allah, and sufficient is Allah as Knower' [An-Nisa: 69-70].The Prophet, peace be upon him, also said: 'If I command you with something, then do as much of it as you can, and if I forbid you from something, then refrain from it'."[10]

 

Based on this, it is imperative for Muslims not to listen to those whose hearts and insights have been blinded by the enemies of the Ummah, those who maliciously attack the Sunnah of the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, and seek to undermine it with various ugly excuses. It is regrettable to find some among the followers of the nation of Mohammad, peace be upon him, adopting this approach. They are nothing but transgressors who echo words they do not understand or knowingly seek worldly gains through them. Woe to them from Allah the Almighty if they do not repent. They are not our role models; rather, our role models are the companions who were the most avid followers of the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him. Abdullah ibn Umar narrated that he used to follow the footsteps of the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, to the extent that he would go to the places where the Prophet had prayed and even moisten the spots where he had sat, fearing they might dry up [Sahih Muslim][11]. Similarly, the scholars of the Ummah, such as Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him, exemplified this adherence. When people came to him, a maid would come out to them and ask, 'Do you want the sheikh to discuss legal issues or narrate Hadith?' If they said, 'legal issues,' he would come out immediately and address them, but if they said, 'narrate Hadith,' he would enter his chamber, perform ablution, apply perfume, don new clothes, and come out to a platform, where he would sit with humility, surrounded by the fragrance of incense, until he finished narrating the Hadith of the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him. He would only sit on that platform when narrating Hadith. When asked about this, he said, 'I prefer to honor the Hadith of the Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him, and I never narrate it except in a state of ritual purity"[12]

 

In conclusion, my Muslim brother, if you seek the pleasure and love of Allah the Almighty and His paradise, then you must honor and love the Beloved Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him). Demonstrate this sincerity by following his Sunnah, adhering to his path, and increasing your prayers upon him, especially on Friday. It is reported in the hadith: "Increase your prayers upon me on Friday and the night preceding Friday, for whoever prays upon me once, Allah will pray upon him ten times."[13] By doing so, you will be counted among his righteous followers.

 

The night of the Mawlid, which brought joy to the hearts and abundance of blessings to the religion, heralded the arrival of the blessed birth of the Prophet, peace be upon him. The heavens were adorned with his light, and the earth was filled with joy and splendor.

 

 

[1] Al-Bukhari: Sahih al-Bukhari, No./ 7137.

[2] Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyya: Al-Shifa, Vol. 2, p. 79.

[3] Muslim: Sahih Muslim, No./ 192.

[4] Al-Tirmidhi: Sunan al-Tirmidhi, No./ 3668.

[5] Al-Bukhari: Sahih al-Bukhari, No./ 2731.

[6] Al-Bukhari: Sahih al-Bukhari, No./ 6632.

[7] Ibn Kathir: Al-Sirah Al-Nabawiyyah, Vol. 3, p. 128.

[8] Ibn Hisham: Sirat Ibn Hisham, Vol. 2, p. 99.

[9] Al-Bukhari: Sahih al-Bukhari, No./ 6169. Muslim: Sahih Muslim, No./ 2640.

[10] Al-Bukhari: Sahih al-Bukhari, No./ 7288. Muslim: Sahih Muslim, No./ 1337.

[11] Ibn Al-Athir: Asad Al-Ghabah, Vol. 3, p. 336.

[12] Al-Sakhawi: Fath Al-Mughith, Vol. 3, p. 221.

[13] Al-Bayhaqi: Al-Sunan Al-Kubra, No./ 5994.

[14] Note: According to the Shafi'i and Maliki schools of thought, the night of the Prophet's birth (Mawlid) is considered the best of all nights in this world. It is mentioned in the commentary by Al-Shirwani: "The best days according to us are the Day of Arafah, then Friday, then the Day of Eid al-Adha, then the Day of Eid al-Fitr, and the best nights are the night of the Mawlid, then the Night of Qadr, then Friday night, then the Night of Isra and Mi'raj. This is according to our perspective. As for the perspective of the Prophet, peace be upon him, the night of Isra and Mi'raj is the best of nights, because he saw his Lord with his own eyes, according to the correct opinion. And the night is better than the day." Al-Haytami: Tohfat al-Mohtaj fi Sharh al-Minhaj and the Commentaries of Al-Sharwani and Al-Abadi, Vol. 2, p. 405. This is in addition to Al-Wansharisi Al-Maliki: Al-Mu'yar al-Mu'arab, Vol. 1, p. 339.

[15] Al-Busiri: Diwan Al-Busiri, p. 49.

 

 

 

*The Mawlid is the celebration of the birth of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him).