Friday Nasiha

Living The Quran

Primary Guide
Fussilat (Clearly Expounded) - Chapter 41: Verse 39

"And among His Signs is this: you see the earth humble [because of drought]; but when We send down rain to it, it is stirred to life and yields increase. Truly, He who gives it life can surely give life to the dead, for He has power over all things."

In the first years of the Prophet's (peace be upon him) life he developed a specific relationship with nature that remained constant throughout his mission. The universe is pregnant with signs that recall the presence of the Creator, and the desert, more than anything else, opens the human mind to observation, meditation, and initiation into meaning. Thus, many verses of the Quran mention the book of creation and its teachings. The desert, apparently devoid of life, repeatedly shows and proves the watchful consciousness the reality of the miracle of the return to life.

This relationship with nature was so present in the Prophet's life from his earliest childhood that one can easily come to the conclusion that living close to nature, observing, understanding, and respecting it, is an imperative of deep faith.

Nature is the primary guide and the intimate companion of faith. Thus, God decided to expose His Prophet, from his earliest childhood, to the natural lessons of creation, conceived as a school where the mind gradually apprehends signs and meaning. Far removed from the formalism of soulless religious rituals, this sort of education, in and through its closeness to nature, fosters a relationship to the divine based on contemplation and depth that will later make it possible, in a second phase of spiritual education, to understand the meaning, form, and objectives of religious ritual.

Cut off from nature in our towns and cities, we nowadays seem to have forgotten the meaning of this message to such an extent that we dangerously invert the order of requirements and believe that learning about the techniques and forms of religion (prayers, pilgrimages, etc.) is sufficient to grasp and understand their meaning and objectives. This delusion has serious consequences since it leads to draining religious teaching of its spiritual substance, which actually ought to be its heart.

Compiled From:
"In The Footsteps of The Prophet" - Tariq Ramadan, pp. 12-14

Understanding The Prophet's Life

The Birth

Ibn Sad narrates that Aminah had a very easy pregnancy before giving birth to the future Prophet of Islam. She was reported to have said:

I did not feel that I was pregnant, nor did I find myself heavy because of it, as is customary for (pregnant) women to find themselves... But I saw a vision as I was between sleep and wakefulness. It said to me: 'Have you felt that you are pregnant?' and I replied that I did not know. But it continued: 'You are pregnant with (the future) chief and prophet of this nation'. Then it (the vision) left me until I was about to give birth. Then it returned (and commanded me to say): 'I put it (the child) under the protection and refuge of the One Who is eternally besought by all, from the evil and mischief of every envious person'. I used to say these words and respect them.

According to the majority of our sources, the Prophet, peace be upon him, was born on Monday, the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal, the year of the Elephant (571 C.E.) only fifty five days after the unsuccessful expedition of Abrahah against Makkah. Aminah describes this historic moment as follows:

When it (the baby) was separated from me, a flood of light radiated from him which illuminated the entire horizon from the east to the west. [Ibn Sad]

The Prophet himself was reported to have said:

Just as I was born, my mother saw a light radiating from me which illuminated the palaces of Busra (Syria). [Ibn Sad]

The new baby was conspicuously healthy, good-looking and well-built. Besides his mother, the second person who rejoiced most at his birth was the ageing patriarch, Abd al-Muttalib, foremost chief of Makkah and the undisputed leader of Banu Hashim. He was reportedly so pleased with the new baby that he carried him to the Kabah where he voiced, in a passionate manner, an elaborate invocation of thanks and gratitude. He declared that the infant was to be named Muhammad, a name not then common among the Arabs.

Compiled From:
"Makkan Crucible" - Zakaria Bashier, pp. 49, 501

Blindspot!

The Passing of a Prophet

Muhammad conducted one final pilgrimage to Mecca when he was nearing 63 years of age. he delivered a famous address, known as his Farewell Speech, and then retired to Medina where he tried to continue with his duties as best as he could. By this time, however, he was frail and weak, owing to age (and possibly also due to an unsuccessful poisoning attempt directed against him years before by a woman belonging to the Banu Nadir). He became progressively reflective and introspective in the eyes of those around him and made more frequent visits to the graveyard to commune with his thoughts. When he became too ill to lead the congregational prayers in the mosque, he chose Abu Bakr to stand for him. Finally, after suffering through several days of intense fever, Muhammad raised his eyes to Heaven and called out, "Better the next world on high." With his head resting in his beloved Aishah's lap Muhammad, peace be upon him, passed away. The date was Monday, the twelfth of Rabi Al-Awwal, in the eleventh year of Al-Hijrah (8th of June in the year 632 C.E.). He was buried in the place where he breathed his last. Today the famous green dome of the Prophet's Mosque in Medina marks the spot where his grave lies.

His life and mission touched upon the hearts of a people who were living in superstition and idolatry. The teachings he promoted uplifted the status of women, gave rights to the poor, regulated the moral and social life of his followers, and provided a path to salvation for millions. Michael Hart, in his book The One Hundred Most Influential People, ranked Muhammad as the most important person who ever affected our world because of his example, success, and enduring message. He was able to successfully fuse the tenets of religion and politics on a level no one has been able to do since. Writers from Washington Irving to Mahatma Gandhi have praised him for his sincerity and noble character. Such was Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah:

Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there a man greater than he? (Lamartine, Historie De La Turquie, Vol. II, pp. 276-277, 1854)

Compiled From:
"The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Islam, 2nd Edition" - Yahiya Emerick, pp. 311, 312