Celebrating the Prophet’s Birthday

Let us be clear. No matter how much popular devotion we might see in districts like Cairo’s Hussein or Sayeda Zeinab for “Moulid al Nabi,” the Prophet’s Birthday (pbuh) is not a feast. There are only two feasts in Islam. One of these feasts comes at the end of Ramadan and the other comes after the Hajj, the once in a lifetime pilgrimage to Makkah enjoined on all Muslims who are able to perform it.

The Prophet’s birthday, then, is simply a time for thinking people to reflect on his life and the difference it has made to our world.

Untold numbers of books have been written about Mohammad’s life (pbuh). Born in relative obscurity, for Makkah was an important trading centre but it was hardly the centre of the world, Mohammad (pbuh) grew up after he was 6 years old with neither father nor mother. At first, he tended sheep and then took part in trading missions with his family members. He could neither read nor write.

As the world judges things, these were not the hallmarks of greatness and gave no hint that this man would be what Muslims believe to be the greatest man ever to have lived. God, though, judges differently than men. He knew that Mohammad (pbuh) was both honest and religious. Allah chooses whom He wills and Muslims believe that He chose Mohammad (pbuh) from all the men on earth to deliver His final message to mankind.

These many books of the Prophet’s life (pbuh) tell of his great achievements, how he was both a great statesman and a great leader, a great warrior and a great diplomat. He was wise and was looked up to because of his wisdom.

None of these things, though, are what make Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) the greatest of men, although each one of them would be sufficient for him to be considered so. The thing which Muslims believe singles him out from the rest of mankind was his total submission to God’s Will.

Islam means “submission” and it comes from an Arabic root word meaning both submission and peace. Muslims believe that In the person of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) we see someone who was able to submit totally to the will of Allah in all things and who achieved a peace in his life which was greater than anyone had known before.

The Companions who were at the Prophet’s side (pbuh) and who in their own right have become giants of Islam were not soft or weak men. They were strong and courageous, yet in the presence of Mohammad (pbuh) they were like little children. “Better than my father or my mother,” was how they used to address him, and they would have given their lives to keep him safe.

When visitors to Madinah used to arrive in search of the Prophet (pbuh), they would often be told that he could be found in the mosque. When they got inside the mosque they usually had to ask, “Which one is Mohammad?” since he sat in no special place or was not attended by servants or guards. They were astonished that the leader of the Muslim state could be so humble and so simple. Even when he died, the Prophet (pbuh) was not buried in some elaborate tomb, as leaders of other states are to this day, but he was simply buried in the earth beneath the place where he used to sleep.

So why then do Muslims believe that Mohammad’s life (pbuh) is important for us to imitate today? What is it that makes his life special? Why is the life of the Prophet (pbuh) the actual example for us to follow to lead a successful life as Muslims?

As with all things in Islam, the answer is very simple.

Men and women are not perfect. We want all the time to do as Allah commands, but we are very slow to put those commands into practice. We spend hours and hours watching the television or talking for hours on the telephone or chatting on the Internet, yet when it comes time to pray, we are busy. We hear the Call to Prayer in the morning, the most beautiful of all sounds, yet we turn over and go back to sleep. We know what is required of us as Muslims, yet we fail to do it. What poor examples of Muslims we are. No wonder the world has such a poor idea about Islam!

Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), however, is the example which makes us realize that it is possible to live this Islam. It is possible to live as a good Muslim in this world because Mohammad (pbuh) was able to do so and Mohammad (pbuh) was a man.

Muslims do not ascribe magical powers to their Prophet (pbuh). He was neither a saint nor a magician nor a god, but a man like we are, a man married with children. By responding so promptly to what Allah wanted of him, he became the intimate friend of Allah, loved by Him and chosen by Him to speak in His name. This is what is important about Mohammad’s life (pbuh). He lived as a Muslim.

When those horrible cartoons of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) appeared in Denmark some years ago or when that film was made recently vilifying Islam and its Prophet (pbuh), many Muslims took to the streets in protest. Here in Cairo many cars could be seen to bear the sticker, “I love Prophet Mohammad.” There were even car stickers saying “We will sacrifice ourselves for you, Prophet Mohammad.”

However, those same people continued to behave in the same lukewarm way towards their religion.

Surely in this we have the real message of thinking about the Prophet’s birthday (pbuh). Instead of offering to die for the Prophet (pbuh), is it not better to declare that we will live for him, by following his life and example?

How the world would sit up and listen if we could live as good Muslims! The life and example of the Prophet (pbuh), then, is the way for us to lead a successful life.

What is this success? It is living as Allah wants us to live, worshiping Him alone, being prompt to prayer and the payment of Zakat, fasting in Ramadan with all our heart and all our soul, and if Allah wills it to be so, going on pilgrimage to Makkah to perform the Hajj in obedience to His command.

Remembering Egypt’s Revolution this coming week we would do well to remember that a revolution means more than re-arranging the furniture and replacing one set of politicians with another set. The Prophet’s birthday (pbuh) marks a real revolution.

When our life is over, we will have been successful in this world if, in imitation of our beloved Prophet (pbuh), we are able to declare that there is no God but Allah and that Mohammad is His Messenger.