Ahmed, Abu al-Qasim, Abu al-Tayyib, Prophet of Repentance, Prophet of Mercy, Prophet of Clemency, Prophet of the Ultimate Battle, the Mercy Gifted, the Beloved of the Merciful, the Chosen One, the Selected, the Distinguished, the Truthful, the Verified, the Trustworthy, the Holder of the Praiseworthy Station, the One with the Means and High Rank, the Possessor of the Crown and Ascension, Leader of the Pious, Master of the Messengers, the Unlettered Prophet, the Messenger of Allah, the Seal of the Prophets, the Greatest Messenger, the Illuminating Lamp, the Kind and Merciful, the Firm Handle! May my parents be sacrificed for you! Even if I were to cleanse my tongue millions of times with musk and camphor, and if I were to use the pens made from all the trees in the forests on earth and the ink from all the oceans, it would still be impossible to write even a single praise of your noble deeds. Yet, this insignificant one dares to present this humble plea, this audacity, this attempt, this night-time sigh of my pen, this morning lament seeking to spread across the pages, to ask for the permission to stand in the presence of this unparalleled sanctuary. This boldness, this courage, this aspiration, this permission itself is a result of your benevolence and grace.
Even if there are hundreds of supplicants, I would still be recognized; if there are thousands, perhaps I would reach; if there are millions, perhaps my voice would be heard; if there are billions, perhaps I would find a corner in the caravan of love and devotion. But standing in front of your limitless, countless, immeasurable sanctuary, I too am a servant among the countless supplicants at your door. I am well aware of the status of my words, my style, my expression, yet I bring these few literary threads to your exalted court.
O Mercy to the Worlds! Such a grand court where seventy thousand angels are present from dawn till dusk, and another seventy thousand have the honor from dusk till dawn, and their turn doesn’t come till the Day of Judgment. How can this insignificant, impoverished, ignorant of the etiquette and art of eulogy become acquainted with such a grand court? I present myself because appearing in royal courts without an offering is considered disrespectful. Thus, this humble one seeks permission to present the pieces of my heart, adorned with the glaze of salutations, in the boat of devotion and love, at your exalted court.
O Chosen Prophet! I am a beggar, I do not even know how to ask, unaware of the proper manner of calling out. My cry, my few tears, which flow in the middle of the night, are awaiting acceptance in your court and are now anxious to take the form of words at the tip of my pen. If these tears have any meaning, then accept them. The pain hidden in these tears is not concealed from you, the anguish is not hidden from you, the tenderness is not hidden from you. Even if I want to turn all these into words and write them down in your service, it is not possible. These are merely the scars of your love, which can never fade, the wounds of your memories that cannot heal. These scars, these wounds are also a gift from your gracious gaze.
O Taha! I heard from the elders, read in the books that poets, praisers, lamenters, those who mention you, those who express your virtues and write about you, reach your court without any hindrance. I could not become a poet as I am not melodious, I could not become a speaker to ensure no deficiency in your praise, I could not become a praiser as I lack the poetic taste, I could not lament as I did not possess a burning chest, I could not reach with lamentation and fervor as I could not perform the recitations worthy of you. This is why my benevolent friends do not hesitate to accuse me of not making full efforts to find the proper way to express love. But you know, everything is clear to you that I consider it extremely disrespectful to reveal my heart’s condition to anyone other than my Kind Lord. Now you change the hearts of those who have such complaints against me and grant me such ability that I transform into the message you brought so that my entire being becomes a slave of humility and my every action carries your approval. On the Day of Judgment, may I be identified among your servants. It never even crossed my mind that this sinner would have the chance to be present in such a manner where even breathing loudly is impossible!
O Ya-Seen! The details of your pure life, the account of your blessed being, your stature, and your noble features, whose vision transformed an uncivilized region into the envy of the moon and stars in a short period, the teachings, and character that tore apart all dark curtains of ignorance and superstition, your life-giving message that revolutionized the world. Truly, the Lord endowed this perfect servant and pride of humanity with unmatched outward beauty before bestowing all the virtues of character, so much so that your beauty of appearance became a chapter of your beauty of character. The verbal depiction of your beauty has reached us through the companions and the revered successors, revealing that the Lord granted you such beauty and elegance that anyone seeing you for the first time from afar would be captivated, and seeing you up close would be enchanted. Without a doubt, my Lord molded you in such a form that even beauty was proud of you!
O Witnessed Prophet! You are the most beloved and esteemed Prophet of Allah. Therefore, the Almighty has combined the virtues, attributes, and merits of the previous prophets in your noble personality in such a way that you have become the ultimate standard of excellence and perfection. In this respect, you are also the ultimate standard of beauty and grace. About your comprehensive and perfect stature, Allah Almighty says:
أُولَـٰئِكَ الَّذِينَ هَدَى اللَّهُ فَبِهُدَاهُمُ اقْتَدِهْ قُل لَّا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا ذِكْرَىٰ لِلْعَالَمِينَ
Those are the ones whom Allah has guided, so from their guidance take an example. Say, “I ask of you for this message no payment. It is not but a reminder for the worlds.” (Al-An’am, 6:90).
This verse implies that Allah has instructed you, O Prophet of the Last Age, to emulate the virtuous ways of those prophets so that the collective virtues and perfections of all the prophets and messengers may be embodied in your being.
O Eager for You! Hazrat Hassan bin Thabit, whom you would lovingly command to recite poetry, beautifully describes your perfect beauty as follows:
وَأَحسَنُ مِنكَ لَم تَرَ قَطُّ عَيني
وَأَجمَلُ مِنكَ لَم تَلِدِ النِساءُ
خُلِقتَ مُبَرَّءً مِن كُلِّ عَيبٍ
كَأَنَّكَ قَد خُلِقتَ كَما تَشاءُ
(You are more beautiful than anyone my eyes have ever seen, and no woman has ever given birth to anyone more beautiful than you. You were created free from every flaw, as if you were created according to your wishes.) – Hassan bin Thabit, Diwan: 21
Mulla Ali Qari, in another place in the commentary of Qasida Burda Sharif, writes: “If the true blessings of the name of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) were to be manifested even today, by its blessing the dead would come to life, the darkness of disbelief would be removed from the disbelievers, and the heedless hearts would be engaged in the remembrance of Allah. But Allah Almighty has, in His perfect wisdom, veiled the beauty of this hidden pearl and the perfection of this preserved gem. Perhaps the wisdom of the Lord of the worlds is that, unlike other matters, faith in the unseen is possible only through veiling, and witnessing the truth is contrary to it. The complete manifestation of the Holy Prophet’s beauty and grace has also not been made, lest the ignorant fall into exaggeration and thus become heedless of the knowledge of Allah.”
O Seal of the Prophets! I too have found an excuse, a pretext, to present myself in your noble presence today through my writing. You are aware of my circumstances that today, relying on prayers day and night to be present at your door, I am expressing my humility and helplessness with the hope that the cries from my restless heart now seek permission for such a revolution where the reflection of your blessed life is evident in every aspect of life. Sometimes it feels as if these days and nights of separation might take my life, breathing becomes difficult, and the heartbeat becomes irregular. I never thought I would dare to present my written requests in your noble presence. But when a daughter of your family, who has changed the direction of my life, ordered me, I, trembling, bowed my head, considering it a presence in the court. I also believe that incomplete and broken words cannot encompass my heartfelt cries, but you are such a master that stones find tongues in your blessed hands, not just animals and birds, trees, but the entire creation of the heavens and the earth proudly claims affiliation with you. So my pen also seeks permission to be quenched with a drop from the ocean of your attributes. Allah has adorned you with the attribute of being a distributor, and for me, the greatest reward of my life is that the Merciful Lord has made me your follower.
O Wrapped One! The Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Lord of the highest realms, has made you the Messenger of the universe, the pride of existence, and a perfect example and role model for humanity. Your way of life has been declared the natural way. Your daily life routines have been set as a standard and criterion until the Day of Judgment. This is why every aspect of your life is radiant and every facet is bright. From the day of your birth to the day of your passing, every moment has been preserved by the Almighty, and your devotees have meticulously recorded every action of yours and passed it down to us with authentic references. Therefore, the comprehensiveness and perfection of your blessed life are safeguarded from any doubt or suspicion. No other great personality’s life, routines, manners, temperament, movements, seating, and habits have been recorded as comprehensively and accurately as each detail of your life, down to the specifics of items related to every moment of your life, is available to everyone in the Seerah and history with references.
O Reliable and Verified One! Because, in this mortal world, to live a desirable and perfect life, Allah the Almighty has made Islam the system of life and you the model of life. The Islamic way will be the one that is verbally and practically transmitted from you. Your way is called the Sunnah, and you have said, “Whoever turns away from my way is not of me.”
O Benefactor of Humanity! The writings and narrations about your noble life and esteemed habits concerning worship and obedience continue to this day. Your mention continues somewhere every moment and every second. Your life will continue to be narrated and described, yet your topic will never become old. This is the miracle of your blessed life, and this is the explanation of “And We have raised your mention.”
The success and honour of the companions of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them all) in both this world and the Hereafter stem from their adherence to the Sunnah. This adherence remains the key to elevation and good fortune in every era and every age. For those who did not witness the Prophetic era, the era of the companions serves as the exemplary model of conduct, as they were the practical embodiment of the Prophet’s training. Consequently, after thorough examination, they were deemed the standard of faith and action for all of humanity because the Prophet himself trained them. Allah, the Lord of all worlds, repeatedly tested their actions, character, faith, Islam, and monotheism, and then graced them with His approval and pleasure. In various places, Allah mentions, “They are the ones whose hearts Allah has tested for piety,” and “Believe as the people have believed,” referring to the companions of Muhammad, and “They are the rightly guided.” This is because they were nurtured by the Prophet and reflected his beautiful character. Not only in their worship but also in their demeanor, the light of the Prophet’s character shone through, which is why the Prophet said, “My companions are like the stars; whichever of them you follow, you will be guided” (Tirmidhi). Since stars are used for navigation in the desert or wilderness, the Prophet likened his companions to stars, as they were the beacons of faith in the desert of polytheism and disbelief.
In several authentic books, certain aspects of the Prophet’s life have been highlighted as narrated by his trained companions. Here, I attempt to briefly mention each of these aspects.
According to some narrations, the Prophet was born on the 12th of Rabi’ al-Awwal in the Year of the Elephant. The Shamail al-Tirmidhi is the most authentic and comprehensive source describing the physical attributes of the Prophet, as mentioned by Imam Tirmidhi. The Prophet had a medium stature, a fair complexion with a hint of redness, and black, slightly curly, soft hair that sometimes reached his shoulders, sometimes his neck, and sometimes the lobes of his ears. His radiant face shone like a full moon, his chest was broad and full, his body was neither too thin nor too fat but perfectly proportioned, with no blemishes. Between his shoulders was the seal of prophethood, a reddish protuberance the size of a pigeon’s egg, which looked extremely pleasing. His forehead was broad, his eyebrows were arched but not joined, his mouth was wide, his lips were ruby-like, and when he smiled, his teeth gleamed like pearls with slight spaces between them. His chest had a thin line of hair running down to his navel, and the rest of his body was free of hair. The companions unanimously agreed that they had never seen anyone as beautiful as him. The Prophet himself gave the title of “Poet of the Prophet” to Hassan ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him), who in his praise-filled poems depicted the Prophet’s beauty:
وحسن منک لم ترقط عینی وجمل منک لم تلد النسا
خلقت مبر من کل عیب کنک قد خلقت کما تشا
My eyes have never seen a man more beautiful than you, and no woman has ever seen a man more beautiful than you.
He used not to laugh, nor to make noise, nor to shout, he spoke every word clearly, and when he addressed the crowd, he repeated the sentence three times clearly. The style of speech is dignified, the sweetness in the words makes the heart long to listen, a slight smile on the lips that increases the beauty of Anwar’s lips and face, while walking, the speed was as if descending from a high place. They did not look left or right, nor did they walk with their necks raised towards the sky. His hands and feet were as soft as silk, he never got angry in personal matters, he did not bother to do his own work, and if someone shook hands with him, he would not let go of his hand until he shook his hand. When talking to him, he would turn his attention to him, and when someone spoke to him, he would listen with full attention, yet there was such fear that the companions did not have the courage to talk. Everyone thought that they wanted me the most.
The Beginning of Da’wah and Tabligh: After being crowned with the Crown of Prophethood and the Khilaat of Prophethood, he invited a society to faith and monotheism which was mired in polytheism and disbelief. It was missing, brutality and animality reigned, every powerful pharaoh was made. The epidemic of murder and murder was common, neither honor was protected, nor innocence was protected, nor was there any place for women, nor was there any refuge for the poor. Wine was poured out like water. Indecency was at its peak; unity was right on the face of the earth. There was no concept of self-interest, selfishness was far away, theft, corruption was at its peak and injustice was at its peak. The toxic atmosphere had alienated man from man, humanity was taking its last breath, the stench of polytheism was rising from the society. The hearts were fouled by the impurity of disbelief. According to the Holy Qur’an, the human being of that era was standing on the edge of hell, close to death, and mercy came to the truth and the survival of humanity was announced from Mount Safa after centuries saying,
یٰٓــاَیـُّھَا النَّاسُ قُوْلُوْا لَا الٰــہَ اِلاَّ اللهُ تُفْلِحُوْا
O people! There is no god but Allah. Believe in Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, and you will be well. It was not a sound, but a crackle of electricity in the hall of void.
وہ بجلی کڑکا تھا یا صوتِ ہادیَ
عرب کی زمیں جس نے ساری ہلادی
It was lightning or sound
The land of Arabia that shook the whole
This voice of truth of yours was the beginning of a great revolution which changed the history of the world of humanity. This declaration was the message of reviving monotheism, which breathed a new spirit of life into the dead hearts of the Arabs, and then the world saw a scene that was unimaginable: killers became righteous, idolaters became idolaters, cruel and angry. Those who bowed down before hundreds of false gods became tunnels before the One God, the merciless who considered women worse than animals and the protectors of women who oppressed the weak, the guardians of mercy and the weak. They became a support, the volcano of hatred and hatred became cold, the spring harvest of love and brotherhood came, the wayfarers became the leaders, and the tyrants became the messengers of justice and fairness.
Those who were not themselves became the guides of others on the path
What was the look that turned men into messiahs?
This voice of truth of yours was the beginning of a great revolution which changed the history of the world of humanity. This declaration was the message of the revival of monotheism, which breathed a new spirit of life into the dead hearts of the Arabs, and then the world saw a scene that was unimaginable: murderers became righteous, idolaters became idolaters, cruel and angry. Those who bowed down before hundreds of false gods became tunnels before the One God, the merciless who considered women worse than animals and the protectors of women who oppressed the weak, the guardians of mercy and the weak. They became a support, the volcano of hatred and enmity cooled down, the spring harvest of love and brotherhood came, the wayfarers became the leaders, and the tyrants became the messengers of justice and fairness.
جو نہ تھے خود راہ پر اوروں کے ہادی بن گئے
کیا نظر تھی جس نے مردوں کو مسیحا کردیا
Those who were not themselves became the guides of others on the path
What was the look that turned men into messiahs?
O Amar-Musbah! Then the world saw that the devotees of the noble family of the Messenger
of Allah compiled the history of faith and monotheism. He set the ideal rules of life, left a record of chastity and chastity, wrote indelible impressions of loyalty and sacrifice, reached the heights of greatness and nobility from which only prophets and messengers can be blessed. When has the world seen such a revolution? And where did you hear it?
Patience and steadfastness: You saw such sufferings and pains of your own people in the way of calling to the truth and declaring Tawheed that if it were anyone else, you would have lost courage, but you were the mountain of patience and steadfastness. The enemies of Islam persecuted, denied, slandered you step by step. They used it, called Majnoon and Madiwana, gave the title of Sahiro Kahan, placed thorns in the paths, put filth on the pure body, lured, threatened, economic blockade and social boycott, persecuted and oppressed your followers and broke mountains of tyranny. , opened the hell of horrible punishment of the new world so that somehow the caravan of truth would stop, the voice of truth would be silenced, but the era of revolution had started, the slogan of monotheism had been raised, it had to prevail.
یُرِیْدُوْنَ لِیُطْفِــٴُـوْا نُوْرَ اللّٰهِ بِاَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَ اللّٰهُ مُتِمُّ نُوْرِهٖ وَ لَوْ كَرِهَ الْكٰفِرُوْنَ (الصف:8)
They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it.The disbelievers want to extinguish the light of Allah (faith and Islam) with their breaths and Allah is the One who fulfills His light even if the disbelievers dislike it. His Holiness has said: No one else has been put through trials as much as I have been put through them. In the same way, the atrocities that were inflicted on your companions have not been inflicted on any other nation.
Blessed Migration: When the land of Makkah was completely narrowed down on you and your Companions, then by the order of God, you migrated to Madinah and the Companions left their homes, families, children, land and property for the sake of Allah. He turned to Abyssinia and Madinah. The first migration was done by a group of companions towards Abyssinia on the order of the Holy Prophet, then when he visited Medina, Madinah became the center of Islam. This comprehensive quote of Nadwi has a lot of meaning that what is the name of Hijra, what great sacrifice was made by the Companions.
“The first thing that is proved by this migration of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) is that for the sake of Da’wah and Aqeedah, every dear and familiar and desirable thing and everything that is loved, preferred and attached to in any way Passion is part of human nature, it can be sacrificed without hesitation, but these two first-mentioned things (Da’wah and Aqeedah) cannot be abandoned for any of them (Nabi Rahmat) and this is the message of Hijrat Rasulullah (SAW). Even today, it is in front of the Muslims that they should never give up their faith, da’wah and preaching under any circumstances.
