TODAY, Muslims all over the world are celebrating the birth anniversary of their beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) with full religious fervor.
While on this auspicious day, we tend to highlight the different aspects of the prophet’s personality —kindness, justice, empathy, and humility, and more — we don’t reflect much on the fact that we, as his followers, are duty-bound to act and behave like him.
Amid the din of celebration, we, intentionally or unintentionally, forget to do some soul-searching as to why the Muslims have lagged behind in terms of their overall character-building and their contribution to making this world a peaceful and livable place to live. Alas, instead of a sober reflection, and teaching people how to make the Holy Prophet come alive, people organize celebrations in the name of the birth of the Prophet to do other inconsequential things throughout the year.
The question all Muslims need to ask themselves is: are we actually reflecting on his examples, acting upon his teachings in letter and spirit? Are we following his legacies? And are we really inspired by what we have read about him or are we shaping our lives the way he lived his? Is he our true role model?
At a time of economic and emotional turmoil, a time when Muslims struggle to deal with pressures in and outside the home, when Islamic identity has become a rare phenomenon, we need look at the Prophet’s life and pick a few things to improve our lives and the hereafter. It is at this time that our Prophet (PBUH) becomes particularly relevant as a role model.
Some of the things we can draw from his life, and which are pertinent to the bitter realities we are currently going through, include love, kindness and compassion that he taught his people, and he himself proved to be an embodiment of all these attributes. The Holy Quran mentions his kind and gentle behavior in these words: “O Messenger of Allah! It is a great Mercy of God that you are gentle and kind towards them; for, had you been harsh and hard-hearted, they would all have broken away from you” (Q3:159).
As well as being the icon of kindness, generosity, and humility, the holy Prophet was also an extraordinary leader during the times of war and peace. He is considered as one of the greatest strategists and has impacted the lives of countless people the world over. French writer Alphonse de Lamartine lauded the Prophet in these remarkable words: “As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?”
But it is American writer Washington Irving who describes the Prophet no one has ever done so far: “He was sober and abstemious in his diet, and a rigorous observer of fasts. He treated friends and strangers, the rich and poor, the powerful and the weak, with equity, and was beloved by the common people for the affability with which he received them, and listened to their complaints … in the time of his greatest power he maintained the same simplicity of manners and appearance as in the days of his adversity. … he was displeased if, on entering a room, any unusual testimonial of respect were shown to him.”
Muslims across the globe love the Prophet and consider his sunnah as obligatory to them. They need to contemplate whether this longing to emulate him should be reflected in honesty, kind-heartedness and compassion, or in processions, bombastic speeches and slogans. Certainly, our Prophet would have been very unhappy to know that our politicians had decided to travel on state expense to Saudi Arabia for his birthday celebrations, and at the same time given themselves a substantial pay raise, while the poor and the marginalized toil for years to make ends meet.
Sadly, the personal legacy of the Prophet — altruïsm, simplicity, truthfulness, and compassion — has been eclipsed by pompous celebrations on the eve of his birthday anniversary, vacuous rhetoric, and excessive waste of money.
The post 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal: A Day to Reflect appeared first on Rava.
from Rava https://ift.tt/3oPckE0
0 comments:
Post a Comment