TUESDAY, JANUARY 21st, 2014
One third of the month of Rabīʿ al-Awwal has passed. Do you remember in the beginning of the month?
The excitement of greeting his month may have waned in the past few weeks of cold days and sleepy nights, but it is not over!
Our Prophet ﷺ was a unique individual. His poverty made him sensitive to the needs of others, his orphan state made him creative in problem solving, his heritage gave him every thread of beauty and strength as well as the love and honor of his people, and Allah (swt) sent him people to fill in the gaps of a missing father, mother, and grandfather. Through all of this he earned the names, the trustworthy, the honest, the dependable. This was before he received the revelation.
In order to carry this message Allah prepared him and protected him, and he manifested this in his very being, and in his life and deeds.
In order for us to carry on the responsibility of this message, to inherit the work of the Prophet ﷺ, we must be prepared and protected. We must manifest our preparedness in our very being and in our lives and deeds.
In the last ten days of Rabīʿ al-Awwal, let us celebrate his birth in our very being.
1. Let us send 1000 ṣalawāt each day.
{Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O you that believe! Send your blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.} (Sūrat al-Aḥzāb:56)
2. Let us connect the ties of kin and call family members we haven’t talked to for a while.
Abu Ayyūb al-Anṣārī tells us that a bedouin came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, while he was travelling. He asked, “Tell me what will bring me near to the Garden and keep me far from the Fire.” He replied, “Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, perform the prayer, pay zakāh, and maintain ties of kinship.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī)
3. Let us wake up at night and pray tahajjud.
{And rise from sleep during the night – it is an additional prayer for you. Perhaps your Lord will raise you to an honored position.} (Sūrat al-Isrāʾ: 79)
4. Let us memorize three new hadith: Our Prophet ﷺ encouraged us to memorize his words when he said, “O people, I am leaving behind among you the Holy Book (Quran) and the Sunna (way of the Prophet ﷺ); if you follow these in letter and spirit you will never go astray.”
5. Let us smile at and compliment the people we live with every single day until the end of the month.
In this way we may begin to emulate this unique man, our Prophet ﷺ, our beloved and His beloved.
