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On Praising the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Allah (ta’ala) says in the Glorious Qur’an (Surah 33:56):
“Surely Allah and His angels bless the Prophet; O you who believe call for (Divine) blessings on him and salute him with a (becoming) salutation.”
The very name “Muhammad” means “the one who is praised, often praised” and the name of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is also known as “Ahmad” meaning “the one deserving of praise”.
Imam Jalaludin as-Suyuti mentions:
His name is Muhammad and Ahmad; his people are the people of praise (hamd)- and his prayer rite and the prayer rite of his people is opened with praise (hamd). In the Preserved Tablet in God’s abode it was written that his Caliphs and his Companions in writing the Sacred Volume, should open it with praise (Surah 1:1). And in his hand on the Resurrection Day will be the banner of praise. And when he then prostrates himself before God in intercession in our behalf and it is accepted he will praise the Lord with a new song that shall then be revealed to him, for his is the Heavenly Station of Praise (al-maqam al-mahmud, Surah 17:79)-and when he rises up in that Station all the assembly shall praise him, Muslims and misbelievers alike, the first and the last, and all meanings and modes of thankful praise shall be gathered up and offered to him. [quoted from And Muhammad is His Messenger by Annemarie Schimmel p. 107]
There are those naysayers that may object on the grounds that too much praising will lapse Muslims into the major sin of shirk, to this Imam al-Busiri in his amazing Qasidah al-Burdah says:
Leave what the Christians have said about their Prophet!
And then affirm what you will in praise, and do so with excellence.
It is clear that sending praise, blessings and salutations on the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is a general obligation on each and every Muslim as mentioned by Qadi Iyad in the Shifa, and if we keep Imam al-Busiri’s principle in mind then there is no danger of falling into the trap that the Christians have fallen into with Sayyidina Isa (AS).
Unfortunately, we live in an age where very few Muslims actually know their Prophet. He is the fountainhead of our guidance and the light by which we tread the straight path, and yet Muslims in general and Muslim children in particular, know more about their favourite pop star, footballer or film actor and our Prophet is as a stranger to them. How can this be? Why have we forgotten the one whom Allah has commanded us to send salutations and blessings upon? Again it comes down to the age in which we live; no more are there special chairs in our masajid where the Sirah or the Shifa’ of Qadi Iyad or the Shama’il of Tirmidhi are read in perpetuity to the faithful as was once the practice throughout the Muslim world. The Mawlid-celebrations of the birth and life of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace)-are frowned upon by certain sections of the community. Our mosques are ill equipped to teach our children anything besides the reading of the Holy Qur’an and the very basics of the faith, which, while important, are insufficient to the long term spiritual and religious development of our community and especially our children who are our future. We have to look at ways in which we can help to nurture the love and familiarity that are missing. From hadith literature we know how important it is to love the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace): Bukhari and Muslim report- “None of you believes until he loves me more than he loves his children, his parents, and all people.” In another hadith in Bukhari the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “None of you believes until he loves me more than he loves himself.”
© Mas’ud Ahmed Khan has contributed this beautiful article to the Light Reflections series on Healing Hearts. The article was originally published as a foreword to Inayat Petker’s “Salutions” Album by Meem Music back in 2004
On Love of the Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him
يا خير من دفنت في الترب أعظمه *** فطاب من طيبهن القاع والأكم
نفسي الفداء لقبر أنت ساكنه *** فيه العفاف وفيه الجود والكرم
أنت الحبيب الذي ترجى شفاعته *** عند الصراط إذا ما زلت القدم
لولاك ما خلقت شمس ولا قمر *** ولا سماء ولا لوح ولا قلم
صلى عليك إله العرش ما طلعت *** شمس وحن إليك الضال والسلم
O best of whose bones were buried in the earth
Giving from their blessings to landscapes and hills
I give my soul in sacrifice to the grave you occupy
Within it is chastity, generosity, and liberality
You’re the Beloved whose intercession is sought
On the narrow path towards heaven if my foot slips
Had it not been for you, nor the sun nor the moon would’ve been created
Nor the sky, Tablet or Pen
May the Lord of the Throne pray upon you as many times
As the sun rises and as those astray and whole yearn for you
These beautiful lines of poetry come from a poem that Imam Ibn Katheer narrates in his commentary on verse 64 from chapter 4 where Allah says:
ولو أنهم إذ ظلموا أنفسهم جاءوك فاستغفروا الله واستغفر لهم الرسول لوجدوا الله توابا رحيما
And had they when they were unjust to themselves, come to you and asked for forgiveness of Allah and the Messenger had also asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah Oft-returning (to mercy), Merciful
A bedouin came to the grave where the Prophet peace be upon him is buried and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I’ve committed a grave sin. But I’ve heard Allah say in the Quran (and he recited the above mentioned verse), and I’m here to ask Allah for forgiveness and ask you to ask Him as well for me to be forgiven”. He followed this by reciting the poem where the above lines of poetry come from, weeped, and walked away. Al Utbi was watching this happen and after the bedouin left he fell asleep and saw the Prophet peace be upon him in his dream and was told to go catch up with the bedouin and give him glad tidings that Allah has forgiven him.
The more I reflect on this story the more overwhelming I find it. It’s all about love and connection with the Beloved peace be upon him. The lines of poetry can only come out of love for the Prophet peace be upon him. The concern our Prophet peace be upon him has for us can only be from his love and mercy. The love of Allah for His Messenger peace be upon him that He guarantees forgiveness and mercy for those whom His Messenger peace be upon him is interceding for.
One of the things I really yearn for is to have love for our Messenger peace be upon him as the love his companions may Allah be pleased with them had for him. There is a narration by Anas Ibn Malik may Allah be pleased with him in Sahih Al Bukhari where he says that the Messenger of Allah peace and blessings be upon him said:
By the One who my soul is in His hand, none of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his self, his wealth, his children, and all people. Umar Ibn Al Khattab may Allah be pleased with him replied to this by saying:
“O Messenger of Allah! By Allah you are more beloved to me than everything else, except my own self.”
To this the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him said:
“No O Umar. Not until I’m more beloved to you than your own self”
So Umar may Allah be pleased with him quickly recanted his initial response by saying:
“O Messenger of Allah! By Allah you are more beloved to me than everything else, even my own self”
The Messenger of Allah peace be upon replied:
“Umar, now you have it!”
To have that kind of love is truly magnificent. This type of love that brought people to sacrifice their own lives quite literally in defence of the Messenger peace be upon him during battle. It’s the type of love that brought a companion to pray to become blind after the passing of the Beloved peace be upon him from this world so that the last thing his eyes saw would’ve been the Prophet peace be upon him’s face. It’s a love that brought the toughest of the companions to their knees weeping after the news of his passing peace be upon him from this world.
I want you to picture this scene with me for a few minutes. Close your eyes and take a trip to Medina and watch Umar Ibn Al Khattab may Allah be pleased with him at first getting furious and waving his sword threatening to kill anyone who says “Muhammad is dead”. Then Abu Bakr As’Sideeq may Allah be pleased with him getting up and declaring the passing of the Prophet peace be upon him and reciting the verses from the Qur’an that relate to his human nature peace be upon him. This is when Umar, a man whose size from a far gives the illusion as if he’s riding a horse when in fact he would be walking, collapses on the ground and weeps intensely.
Bilal Ibn Rabah may Allah be pleased with him, the muezzin of the Prophet peace be upon him, left Medina to Syria because he could not stay in a city where everything reminds him of something about his most Beloved. After a couple of years of not visiting, the Prophet peace be upon him appears to Bilal in a dream and says:
ما هذا الجفاء يا بلال؟ أما آن لك أن تزورنا؟
What’s this coldness towards us O Bilal? Isn’t it time for you to visit us?
As soon as Bilal may Allah be pleased with him sees the city of the Prophet peace be upon him, he starts to weep before he enters. He continues to cry until he reaches the mosque of the Prophet peace be upon him and collapses in tears by his grave. The Prophet peace upon him’s grandsons Al-Hasan and Al-Husayin may Allah shower them with peace and mercy came to Bilal may Allah be pleased with him and they all hugged for a long time. They asked him to get up and call the Athan, which he hasn’t called ever since the passing of the Prophet peace upon him. He initially refused the same request from Abu Bakr and Umar may Allah be pleased with them because it was too difficult for him and he couldn’t bring himself to do it. But he couldn’t refuse the request from the grandchildren of the Prophet peace be upon him and finally agrees.
Bilal may Allah be pleased with him makes it to the roof of the mosque and starts calling: Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!
At an instant everyone in Medina, young and old, men and women, all begin to cry. It’s been a few years since they heard the same voice call for the prayer that the Prophet peace be upon him would lead. Everyone’s minds are now flooded with all kinds of memories of the times when the Prophet peace be upon him was among them. They even thought that he peace be upon him was brought back to life. As for Bilal may Allah be pleased with him… well, he got to the part where he bare witnessed that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and choked up at the name; he couldn’t finish calling the Athan.
I’ve been reflecting lately on something that I’ve come to realize. Most of us when we raise our hands in prayer, we usually ask for Allah’s blessings, help in our needs, facilitate our affairs, make our difficult circumstances easy, etc. But it seems that very few of us ask Allah to throw love of our Messenger peace be upon him similar to his companions’ love in our hearts. I’ve asked a few people if they’ve ever prayed to Allah to grant them the vision of the Prophet peace be upon him in their sleep. Sadly, the majority said they never even thought of it.
In the collection of Imam Ahmed is a narration by Anas Ibn Malik may Allah be pleased with him where he relates that the Prophet peace be upon him said to Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him:
O Abu Bakr, I wish I could meet my brothers. I wish I could meet my brothers, for I love them!
Abu Bakr may Allah be pleased with him said:
O Messenger of Allah! We’re your brothers!
He peace be upon him said:
You’re my companions. My brothers are a people that haven’t seen me, believed in me, and loved me so much so that I’m more beloved to them than their parents and their children.
It’s all about love. So close your eyes for a minute. Imagine that you’ve been granted a chance to meet the most Beloved who called you his brother or sister and said he wished he could meet you. You’re so important to him that he was concerned about you even though he came over 1420 years ago. The most caring, loving, merciful gift from the Most Merciful is giving you his undivided attention for as long as you’d like. What you say to him?
May Allah throw love of the Him and His Messenger peace be upon him into our hearts, and may He grant us seeing him peace be upon him in our dreams and having his company in the highest heavens in the Next World.
With love
© Mohamed Ghilan, Rabi’ al-Awwal 1433/February 2012
My Beloved
I read and hear much about you
Yet I feel I lack knowledge of you.
To know you is to love you.
I look for your approval in everything I do
always asking myself what would my
beloved Muhammad do?
None can ever amount to you
the walking Quran
Joy it is emulating you
for fear of not seeing you
What a blessing it is to be from your ummah
though most of us are headless of your Sunnah
so consumed in this Dunya but
I don’t want to trade it for Akhiirah
I stop and ponder for a moment
words so miraculous that move the soul
I realize my goals – limited to materialism
empty life, lived and lost, but from now
I make my goal to be with you in the next life
I love thee
Oh I love thee
but I question my sincerity in this claim
Some choose to speak ill of you
create displeasing images of you
they don’t know how much we love you
their efforts are meaningless
your image remains changeless
My heart pains infinitely
to have been able to protect you we aspire
to have been in your company we crave and
to be with you in the hereafter we live for.
Visiting you was when my life turned a corner.
the feeling of unworthiness being in your house.
how can a slave full of sins be giving salaams to the sincerest?
Your example leaves me breathless
how you would get up and kiss Fatima
your love for Hassan and Hussein
indeed you are the best of creation oh beloved
And while I write this, my prayers continue in my quest to be with you,
I am just a sinful servant who thinks much of you
© Lover of the Prophet, Rabi’ al-Awwal 1433/February 2012
Full moon
By Farhat Khan
I was asked by my friend and blogger Sidra Mushtaq to write a few lines about Prophet Muhammad sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam that I find inspiring. It has been really difficult and challenging to narrow it down to a few lines as I think that all phases of his life are inspirational in their own ways and we can learn from his life no matter which situation we are in our lives. His relations as husband, father, neighbor, friend, guide, leader and employee among many are all guidelines for us in our different roles in life no matter which culture we belong to.
Much can be written about how he sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam conducted social justice and practiced human rights, taking care of different groups in the community including even the disabled and marginalised. He would take care that the needs of the poor, orphans and widows were fulfilled. With his sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam wisdom he sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam created a community centre in his mosque in Medina and established the fundaments of proper education, spiritual inspiration, healthcare, and charity and built the first Muslim community that proved to grow as one of the strongest communities. And most of all he sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam was a spiritual inspiration for those around him sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam continues to be so centuries after his sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam death.
Learning about the wise, just, kind and merciful prophet of Allah, the seerah and shamail both are full of insightful examples of how he sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam dealt with people around himsallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam no matter which religion they belonged to. When reading about such a personality one would wonder how it would be if you had met him sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam. I have always imagined that such a person would have a peaceful and calm radiance around him. And when reading about his sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam noble features in Shamail I came to know that his companions had described the beauty of prophet Muhammad sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam as the full moon. It is his inner beauty that attracted so many towards him sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam. And there is no doubt that this inner beauty was shown outwardly as well:
It is related from Jaabir (Radiallahu anhu) that he said: ” I once saw Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihe wasallam) on the night of a full moon. On that night he wore red clothing. At times I looked at the full moon and at times at Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihe wasallam) . Ultimately I came to the conclusion that Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihe wasallam) was more handsome, beautiful and more radiant than the full moon.”
I think about this hadith every time I see the full moon, especially the radiant full moon of Rabi ul Awal that that has a special shine and radiance over it. I imagine our beloved prophet sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam to be even more radiant and I think of the mercy he brought to mankind. His teachings are guidelines for every one of us in every aspect of life. This describes his wisdom and depth of teachings.
May we all have tawfiq to follow his steps and create strong and including communities for all wherever we are and may we live upon the values and principles he sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam brought to us from Allah so that inner beauty is created in our hearts, homes and communities and we become a radiant ummah that reflects our real values to our surroundings and shine like the full moon.
© Farhat Khan, Rabi’ al-Awwal 1433/February 2012
Intention when reciting Salawat
By Naadiyah Ali
Imam al-Haddad preferred to make the following intention when reciting salawat:
“Allahumma I intend by my invocation of salat and salam upon the Prophet to conform to Your Command, to comply with Your Book, and to follow the Sunnah of Your Prophet Muhammad salallahu alaihi wasallam out of love for him, longing for him, and in exaltation of what is due to him; to honour him because he is deserving of this; so accept this from me; by Your Favour and Kindness, and remove the veil of heedlessness from my heart and make me from amongst Your righteous servants.
Allahumma increase him in honour, in addition to the honour You have already conferred upon him, and increase him in glory, to supplement the glory You have given him. Elevate his rank from among the ranks of the Envoys, and his degree from among the degrees of the Prophets. I ask You for your Pleasure and for Paradise, O Lord of the Worlds, and for contentment in the religion, in this world and in the hereafter; and to die whilst living in accordance with the Book, the Sunna and the Jama’a, and by the testimony of faith, without changing or altering it. And forgive me, by Your Favour and Kindness towards me for what I have committed. Indeed, You are the Forgiver and the Merciful.
And bestow salat and salam upon our master Muhammad and his family and companions and give them peace”.
Ameen.
How is your love for me?
By Hatice Baltacı Çolakoğlu
“O Messenger of God, whom do you love most in the world?” He did not always give the same answer to this question for he felt great love for many for his daughters and their children, for Abu Bakr, for Ali, for Zayd and his son Usamah. But of his wives the only one he named in this connection was Aishah. She too loved him greatly in return and often would seek reassurance from him that he loved her.
Once she asked him: “How is your love for me?”. “Like the rope’s knot,” he replied meaning that it was strong and secure.
Every so often ‘Aisha would playfully ask, “How is the knot?”. The Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam would answer, “As strong as the first day (you asked).”
This is such an inspiring conversation. We know that the knot in a rope can be very strong so it is almost impossible to untie. Maybe this is what our Prophet sallaAllahu ‘alayhi wasalam wanted to show us when he answerd Sayyidah Aisha that his love for her was like a knot. Unfortunately, these days we are not that patient in our relationships and do not pay a lot of attention to it, which is maybe the reason for the unhappiness that we go through.
I hope and pray for a better time for the Ummah, where we are trying to reach the love and mercy of our Prophet sallaAllahu ‘alayhi waalam and his belowed wife Sayyidah Aisha.
© Hatice Baltacı Çolakoğlu, Rabi’ al-Awwal 1433/February 2012
By Asma Gill
Allahumma salli ‘ala Sayyidina wa Mawlana Muhammadin wa ‘ala alihi wa sahbihi wa barik wa sallim.
I wanted to share this poem that I feel inspires a love only a true ‘ashiq-e-Rasul can have:
Al-Qadi Yusuf An-Nabahani’s poem praising the Prophet salla-Llahu alaihi wa sallam
I am the slave of the Master of Prophets
And my fealty to him has no beginning.
I am slave to his slave, and to his slave’s slave,
And so forth endlessly,
For I do not cease to approach the door
Of his good pleasure among the novices.
I proclaim among people the teaching of his high attributes,
And sing his praises among the poets.
Perhaps he shall tell me: “You are a noted friend
Of mine, an excellent beautifier of my greatness.”
Yea, I would sacrifice my soul for the dust of his sanctuary.
His favor should be that he accept my sacrifice.
He has triumphed who ascribes himself to him
Not that he needs such following,
For he is not in need of creation at all,
While they all need him without exception.
He belongs to Allah alone, Whose purified servant he is,
As his attributes and names have made manifest;
And every single favor in creation comes from Allah
To him, and from him to everything else.
ALLAHUMMA BARIK ALA MUHAMMADIN WA ALA ALI MUHAMMADIN KAMA BARAKTA ALA IBRAHEEMA WA ALA ALI IBRAHEEMA INNAKA HAMEEDUM MAJEED
A du’a from the Dala’il al Khayrat: Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah. Peace be upon you, O beloved of Allah. Peace be upon you, O our master Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah. Peace be upon you and your pure, good family. Peace be upon you and your wives, the Mothers of the Believers. Peace be upon you and all your Companions. Peace be upon us and on the righteous slaves of Allah.
So, I ask Allah to make my love for His Beloved, a love that is a true love, a sincere love, an everlasting love, an uplifting love, a living love, a love beyond love. Amin!
© Asma Gill, Rabi’ al-Awwal 1433/February 2012
Loving the Beloved
By Tun Wildan
The Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, said that “None of you will believe until I am more beloved to him than his father, his children and all people.” We hear of this hadith repeatedly and strive to achieve this. This is especially pertinent in this month of the birth of our beloved Prophet. We learn from our teachers that this love needs to shine from within ourselves and spread to its surroundings. Ibn Ataillah Al-Askandari mentioned that the things which are embedded in the recesses of our heart, are manifested in the testimony of our limbs.
Appropriate to this month of the mawlid, I leave you with this beautiful qasida which are sung as a lamentation of the lovers of the beloved throughout the muslim lands – Talama ashku gharami.
For so long I complained my yearning of you, O light of existence,
And I keep calling O Tihami, source of excellent and sublimity.
My hope, my utmost goal is to see you,
As i see As-Salam gate, O He whose essence is purity.
O my brothers, I am a lover, I am infatuated,
Guilty of it, and the praise not-befitting.
O Israfil what a death, the love exhausted me,
I have a strong expectation of the promise, O the loyal of promises.
O light of the prophets, O summit of purity,
O leader of the people of taqwa, my heart is one with you.
Allah invoked peace upon you,
My Lord, Master of all majesty.
It’s enough for me O light of Allah, the separation is too long,
My master, all my life you are my beloved, hasten my meeting with you.
© Tun Wildan, Rabi’ al-Awwal 1433/February 2012
The Resplendent Birth
By Idris Kamal
In the Turkish tradition, the best-known early mevlût was written by the venerable Shaikh Süleyman Chelebi (may Allah sanctify his secret) of Bursa around 1400 CE. It is written in rhyming couplets, a literary form adopted from the Persian.
Its rhythm is simple; the meter is the same as that used primarily in Persian mystical and didactic epics such as Imam Faridu-d Din ‘Attar’s Mantiqu-t Tair and Mevlana Jalalu-d Din Rumi’s Mathnawi. The language is plain, almost childlike, and therefore the poem has not lost anything of its charm even today.
Shaikh Süleyman’s mevlût was often imitated, so that there are about a hundred different versions of mevlût poetry in Turkish; but no other Turkish religious poem can compete with it for the favour of all classes of society. Its first part tells the momentous story of the Prophet’s birth (Allah bless him and give him peace) as Lady Amina (may Allah be pleased with her) experienced it. Full of amazement, she recounts (using traditional imagery) what happened to her at the end of her pregnancy:
Amina Khatun, Muhammad’s mother dear:
From this oyster came that lustrous pearl.After she conceived from ‘Abdallah
Came the time of birth with days and weeks.As Muhammad’s birth was drawing near
Many signs appeared before he came!In the month of Rabi’ al-Awwal then
On the twelfth, the night of Monday, look,When the best of humankind was born-
O what marvels did his mother see!Spoke the mother of that friend: “I saw
A strange light; the sun was like its moth.Suddenly it flashed up from my house,
Filled the world with light up to the sky.Heavens opened, vanquished was the dark,
And I saw three angels with three flags.One was in the East, one in the West,
One stood upright on the Ka’ba’s roof.Rows of angels came from heaven, and
Circumambulated all my house;Came the houris group on group; the light
From their faces made my house so brightAnd a cover was spread in mid-air,
Called ‘brocade’ – an angel laid it out.When I saw clearly these events
I became bewildered and confused.Suddenly the walls were split apart
And three houris entered in my room.Some have said that of these charming three
One was Asiya of moonlike face,One was Lady Mary without doubt,
And the third a houri beautiful.Then these moonfaced three drew gently near
And they greeted me with kindness here;Then they sat around me, and they gave
The good tidings of Muhammad’s birth;Said to me: ‘A son like this your son
Has not come since God made this world,And the mighty one did never grant
Such a lovely son as will be yours.You have found great happiness, O dear,
For from you that virtuous one is born!He that comes is King of Knowledge high,
Is the mine of gnosis and tawhid [monotheism].For the love of him the sky revolves,
Men and djinn are longing for his face.This night is the night that he, so pure
Will suffuse the worlds with radiant light!This night, earth becomes a Paradise,
This night, God shows mercy to the world.This night, those with heart are filled with joy,
This night, gives the lovers a new life.Mercy for the worlds is Mustafa,
Sinner’s intercessor: Mustafa!’They described him in this style to me,
Stirred my longing for that blessed night.”Amina said: “When the time was ripe
That the best of mankind should appear,I became so thirsty from that heat
That they gave me a sherbet in a glass.Drinking it, I was immersed in light
And could not discern myself from light.Then a white swan came with soft great wings
And he touched my back with gentle strength.[As this verse is recited, every participant ever so gently touches his or her neighbour’s back.]
And the King of Faith was born that night:
Earth and heaven were submerged in light!”
Then begins the great Welcome, which all creation extended to the newborn Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), whose coming they had expected with such longing, a welcome to the Friend of God in whose intercession at Doomsday all can trust:
Welcome, O high prince, we welcome you!
Welcome, O mine of wisdom, we welcome you!
Welcome, O secret of the Book, we welcome you!
Welcome, O medicine for pain, we welcome you!
Welcome, O sunlight and moonlight of God, we welcome you!
Welcome, O you not separated from God!
Welcome, O nightingale of the Garden of Beauty!
Welcome, O friend of the Lord of Power!
Welcome, O refuge of your community!
Welcome, O helper of the poor and destitute!
Welcome, O eternal soul, we welcome you!
Welcome, O cupbearer of the lovers, we welcome you!
Welcome, O darling of the Beloved!
Welcome, O much beloved of the Lord!
Welcome, O mercy for the worlds!
Welcome, O intercessor for the sinner!
Only for you were Time and Space created…
Adapted from: Schimmel, A. And Muhammad is His Messenger. Kuala Lumpur: Islamic Book Trust, 2008.
© Idris Kamal, Rabi’ al-Awwal 1433/February 2012
Muhammad the Beloved
By Mazen Attasi
Ummati, ummati. My nation, my nation. This will be the response of that great lofty being, of whose light consists of the initial essence of all creation, on that most-certain Day. He will step in and intercede for his brothers and sisters in a time where there is naught time, nor anyone to turn to; he is the one that will supplicate in a way that no other being has ever supplicated before. He will on that Day pray for you and your salvation. He will implore your pardon and your acceptance into the Garden. He will petition for his brothers out of the mercy and compassion that permeates the very principle of his soul. This man is Muhammad and he is a man most unlike other men. Salla Allahu alayhi wassalam.
The creation sighed a sigh of anxious relief at the hearing of his coming. Mountains trembled, clouds gathered, the trees swayed in their yearning. Beasts roared and birds soared, their shrills exponentially magnifying as the praises catalyzed more praise throughout the realms. The sun set and the moon rose in honor of Ahmad, the pure of the Adamic race. He was always a sight to see and a delight to hear, but it was the unfelt and unspoken truths one felt in his presence that drew near so many of his family, friend and foes’ hearts. All was captivated by his disposition. Medium build, wide shouldered, brawny. Not too tall nor too short. Wide hands and firm feet, a mouth full of pearls- physically and vocally. His speech perfected in humble strength, sweet and succinct. And his fragrance… oh his fragrance like that of the Garden. Always clean and always scented, as if freshly bathed in the finest musk. Always anointed in the best of oils and to feel him walk by was to whiff the scent of heavenly ambrosia.
Yet even in his beauty, lay an indescribable presence of majesty. Living the life of a warrior, his quarters reflected that reality of his message. The truth must be spread, the mission must be accomplished; thus his humble home decorated with the finest shields, swords, bows and arrows. Coming out of his house dressed for battle, he had the conviction of an emboldened falcon cruising comfortably, coolly and patiently planning for divine Providence to lead him and his saints across the threshold into the testing ground of hearts. Warrior monks was what he produced, manifesting alongside him ranks and ranks of men who would train by day and pray by night, head humbled low in the remembrance of the Most High.
There was a perfected balance about him and everyone who saw the Praised One could not help but join the melodious ode of the creation to him. ‘Ahhmmaaad’ was what the angels sang and the resonance of their tune engulfed the entire world, anyone joining the song during his blessed 63 years on Earth instantly transformed and illumined. This was the Ahmadi affect. This was the Muhammadan light. The frequency of love, reaching into the hardest and darkest crevices of souls and reorienting the mirrors therein so light became refracted in it ever so wholly; this was only a touch and a caring that one appointed by God as the ‘Mercy of the Worlds’ could muster. He would move killers, highway robbers and drunken fornicators to become worldly ascetics and otherworldly gnostics; transform baby-murderers to romantic desert wanderers, intoxicated in the knowledge of the Truth-this was what our Master did.
This is the Muhammadan reality. The light created before all lights; the very quintessential manifestation of the Names of the One, tying together all the highest attributes of the Almighty into a package that merged the very heavens and earth into his purified soul. Commander of the stars, patron of the hearts. Willing leader of the faithful. Salla Allahu alayhi wassalam.
This is our glory. This is the reality that is Ahmad which all souls call for and all lights derive from. Remember him now in all that he is, so that on that day when you journey through the firmament onto the platform of the Scale, you will know your intercessor. And he will know you. And you will love your intercessor. And he will love you. And God loves the love and so through him, He will accept you.
Love him as he deserves to be loved, surely the Loving loves the Beloved.
© Mazen Attasi, Rabi’ al-Awwal 1433/February 2012
Healing Hearts 
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