Rabi al-awwal: the birth of our Prophet and its celebration

Many Muslims, all around the world, are today remembering the birth of the greatest of Allah’s Messengers; the Prophet Mohammad. I wish to dedicate these few lines to register my humble homage to the message and mission of our Prophet and to highlight some of my concerns about the way his birth (mawlid) is celebrated. In many cases the celebrations have become superficial and ritualistic and no longer address the meaning attached to the teachings and purpose of his prophetic mission.

As Muslims, we, of course, attach the greatest importance to following our Prophet, as a Messenger of Allah, as well as being the model for what we should strive towards in our own lives. He was the last of all the prophets and messengers that Allah sent down, for the guidance of human beings, in order for them to live blissfully in this world and so that they may enter Paradise, through the mercy of Allah, in the Hereafter.

The Prophet Mohammad’s legacy of Islamic teachings must be seen as the one of the most important guidance manuals ever designed to improve the lives of all peoples. The guidance that is held in it is safeguarded and reinforced through the revelation of the Quran, hadith and His Sirah ( biography) that records it in the minutest detail.

Much of our Prophet’s importance lies in the fact that he was the last of Allah’s messengers; to whom the Quran was revealed for the guidance of humanity for ever.  However, we should never forget that to deserve this high rank he was made the perfect model of human character and he exemplified, through his dealings and teachings, all that is necessary to become best of people in this world.

The Quran mentions his character in the surah al-Qalam (Nun, one of the earliest surah in the Quran to be revealed), in order to grant him, and others, assurances that the revelation that has come to him is from God. It says: “Nun, by the pen and what the scribes write. By your Lord’s Grace, you are not afflicted with madness. And surely yours will be a never-ending reward. And you are certainly of the most exalted standard of moral excellence”.

These early Quranic verses were meant to reassure people about the mission of the Prophet Mohammad and that he was indeed possessed of a sublime character. The verses also assured him that the revelation of the Quran was a real event, taking place with the permission of Allah and that it was not an affliction or madness, nor was it the result of it.

The completion of the revelation of the Quran and the establishing of Islam through the Prophet Mohammad was a hugely important achievement, never before witnessed in the history of mankind. It was the accomplishment of divine will for the guidance of humanity.

Such an achievement was, and always will be, worthy of celebration every time a person takes the right path and protects himself from the ways of error and temptation and guides himself towards his Creator.

However, celebrations now tend to focus mainly on the birth of the Prophet, an event which, in some quarters, is now regarded as bigger than his mission.  Indeed, it is now regarded by some as another ‘eid’, thereby equating it with the celebration of the two annual eid events.

Many diverse activities now take place on this day: events are organised in mosques, Islamic Centres, public processions take place, new clothes are worn, many dishes of sweets are proffered, public holidays are declared and much more.

 So, why do we now celebrate only his birth? Why is this ‘mawlid’ event taking place?  It was never celebrated in the time of the Prophet, nor in the times of the companions after him, or indeed for many centuries after that. If any scholarly objections to it are made now, even with the best of intentions, hostilities are quickly aroused, and the scholars may themselves be accused of being Wahhabi or being someone who has no love for the Prophet. The whole celebration has become part of 'popular' Islam and greetings that include it, are now exchanged with each other.

But surely, real love for the Prophet would be better demonstrated by following the examples set by him, by trying to emulate him, by obeying his teachings and by continuing to convey his message to humanity. Any such love for the Prophet must surely also include an understanding of his teachings and by us acting according to them in our own lives.

Allah (SWT) says in the Quran: “Surely, there was a beautiful example for you in the Messenger of Allah, for all those who look forward to Allah and the Last Day and remember Allah much”.

If every Muslim followed the beautiful examples demonstrated in the character and manners of the Prophet then many of the present problems experienced by the Muslim community could be solved.

When, Ayesha, the dear wife of our Prophet Mohammad, Peace and Mercy of Allah be upon him, was asked about the ‘akhlaaq’ or the moral character of the Prophet, she replied saying: “His character was the Quran”.

The best and a continuous celebration of his life and the ‘purpose of his birth’ would be to follow in his footsteps and strive to fill the world with peace and mercy.

If necessary, events such as these should regarded as only milestones in our determination to understand the Quran and in realising the pivotal role the Book plays in changing our lives and in our acquiring the blessings of Allah. A good understanding of its message will engender a  better understanding of Islam and, in this world which, at present, is unfortunately filled with bad practice, religious innovation, violent acts including killing and murder and a politicised Islam, we need to go back to the original teachings of Islam that the Prophet Mohammad preached and spread in his time. We don’t need rituals of celebration but we do need events of learning that could undoubtedly change our lives for the better.

This celebration in the month of Rabi al-Awwal has no authenticity and serves no purpose. But if it is necessary, let it become an event in which we remember and learn about the mission of our Prophet and how it could be preserved for the coming generations of Islam and how it could benefit the rest of humanity.    

A lesson from history – it all began with Adam

Islamic teachings can be seen as the map by which we can plot the correct course for the manner in which we live our lives. They show us that true blessings lay only in the path of obedience to the Creator, as only He knows what lays ahead and has knowledge of all future events. Indeed, Allah says in the Quran: “And no one would inform you like the one who is All-Aware”.

However, Allah created all men weak, vulnerable to Satan’s temptations and with a tendency to stray from God’s path. Many of us, unable to control our weakness, disobey God, develop negative qualities and false characters. In our God given freedom we continue to confuse wrong with what is right.  In addition, in our arrogance, some of us develop a sense of vengeance and the thought that power is a right and become willing to commit the most appalling acts in order to safeguard any such acquired power or authority.  But, worst of all, and even more dangerous, is that some of us come to think that ‘God is on our side’ and carry out the most heinous of crimes in His name.

This is a world of cause and effect and action and re-action. It is a world in which people must reap what they sow and inevitably face the consequences of all their actions; hence the well known saying  ‘those who live by the sword will die by the sword’. However, Islam directs us to correct the errors of our ways, to act only after reflection and the giving of considerable thought as to the consequences of our actions.

The Quran reminds us of the story of Adam and Eve and Satan (Iblis):

Following their creation, Adam and Eve dwelt in Paradise with the Mercy of Allah and were given the freedom to enjoy a blissful life there. However, they were given one small but important directive: not to approach a particular tree, as to do so would make them wrongdoers. They were further reminded that those who disobey God’s guidance become deprived of His mercy and blessings.

Iblis, in his arrogant belief that He was from better origins (stock) than Adam, refused to obey God's command that he together with all the Angels should bow down to Adam, became jealous of the honour that God had bestowed on him and sought a way to dishonour Adam in the Sight of God and bring him down. He plotted and planned to persuade Adam that it was not wrong to eat the fruit from that tree and said to him: “Adam! Shall I direct you to a tree of eternal life and abiding Kingdom”. S20 V120, Foolishly, Adam obeyed Satan, disobeyed God and went astray.

 Reflecting on this story, we can identify two different factors that played a role in causing Iblis and Adam to go astray and which resulted in both of them incurring the wrath of God.

In the case of Iblis, His sense of superiority over Adam was derived from their two different origins of life. Iblis was created out of fire, Adam out of earth and this was seen by Iblis as a humbler origin and a reason not to honour Adam.  For Iblis, this should not have become the cause of much attention from God in His command that all the angels bow down to Adam.

Iblis regarded his origin from fire as source of pride and argued against God’s wisdom. Hence such attitudes, that cause prejudice, suppression, injustice and wrongdoings, are forbidden in Islam, indeed, any racial consideration or discrimination, based on the colour and origins of men, are un-Islamic and ungodly.

The only measures by which people can rightfully gain high rank or can take pride in are those mentioned in this verse: ‘O people! We have created you all from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Verily the noblest of you in the Sight of Allah is the Most God-fearing of you. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware, S49 V13

However, God demanded obedience and not an argument from Iblis and knew of His plans.  Iblis, in His arrogance and now with a desire for revenge,  took on the task of misleading Adam and his offspring, and became blind to the path of wisdom and salvation. God gave freedom to both Adam and Iblis, with warnings as to the consequences of their actions, but they both misused the concept of freedom.

Adam ignored the warning that he had to obey the guidance of God, which demonstrated the difference between obedience and disobedience and between the blessings of God and His wrath, and not go near 'that tree'.

So what was it that made Adam disobey God? While the warnings from God for Adam were very clear, they were, subsequently, deliberately blurred by Iblis. Although he failed to pay enough attention to the consequence of his deed, very importantly, there was something else that made Adam fixate on approaching the ‘tree’. Take a closer look at the verse in which Iblis addresses Adam about the tree. He said: “Adam! Shall I direct you to a tree of eternal life and abiding Kingdom”. It is this temptation of an ‘eternal life’ and ‘abiding kingdom’ that was misrepresented by Iblis and perhaps that was the reason why God had forbidden him to approach that tree.

It was only the beginning of life for Adam and Eve and possibly the concept of death and the end of life was not yet firmly established in the mind of Adam but, even then, he felt  a compelling temptation to pay attention to it. The life after death comes only from obeying God’s commands and nothing else can prolong it or achieve an eternity of life. It is God’s world, His creation and what He commands will be.

As for the 'abiding kingdom'; who doesn’t want to own the world for ever, where he is a king? For Adam Paradise was at hand, and he was living in it and he was given a promise by the Lord: “Neither are you going to be hungry, nor naked, nor face thirst or scorching heat”.

He was given freedom by the Lord saying: “O Adam! Live in the Paradise, you and your wife and eat abundantly of whatever you wish”. However the temptation of an abiding kingdom is a much stronger concept than purely that of a heaven where he only had to live and enjoy.

These two temptations will forever live on in the children of Adam if they continue to retain the same dreams as their father. Satan (Iblis), in fulfilment of his promise, continues to lure mankind by these two dreams and in the process has been responsible for all the battles, wars, pillage, rape, murder and devastation on earth.  He has also created and encouraged every imaginable negative trait in the characters of human beings and brought them to the lowest of the low.

However, in accordance to the Quranic teachings, there is still one path by which men can regain paradise, their lost place - by returning to God and by showing complete obedience to Him:  “By the Fig and Olive, and by the mount Sanai. And by this city, a haven of peace. Surely We created men in the best mould; then We reverted him to the lowest of the low, except those who have faith and do righteous deeds. Theirs are never-ending rewards. Who, then, can give the lie to you, O prophet, about the rewards and the punishment? Is not Allah the greatest of all sovereigns”? Surah 95