1500 Years of Mercy: Rabi al-Awwal Program

Fifteen hundred years ago, our Merciful Lord sent the final prophet and messenger ﷺ—in a long line of prophets and messengers—who brought divine guidance to lighten a dark world. The Prophet Muhammad’s lineage goes back to Abraham, peace and blessings be upon him, as his parents, Abdallah and Aminah, were direct descendants of Abraham’s first born, Ismael. In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, God promised Abraham, peace and blessings be upon him, that he would be the progenitor of a “Great Nation.” A nation could never be great with God if it were not godly. Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, identified the Prophet ﷺ as the Shiloh to whom the scepter—symbolizing authority—would be given after being taken from Bani Israel due to their disobedience and deviance. Revelation from the heavens to the earthly realm came through the Prophet ﷺ as the ultimate source of guidance for all of humanity. The Prophet’s miracle, the Qur’an, summarizes key aspects of the Torah of Moses, the Psalms of David, and Gospel of Jesus, peace and blessings be upon them.  

The Prophet’s character, his devotional practices, and his life, both private and public, exemplified the Qur’an as a lived experience aligned with the divine command. The Qur’an could never be truly understood without the Prophet’s teachings and his exemplary character. In studying the prophetic biography (sīrah), we understand the Merciful One, for only a Merciful Lord could bring forth a human embodiment of perfection in all forms, one to be loved with all of one’s heart and emulated in all of one’s actions. Loving him serves as an act of worship; following him means following divine command; and remembering him cures the ailing heart. The Prophet’s teachings transformed some of the harshest and most recalcitrant souls into impeccable scholars and leaders. His community flowered and flourished to become one of the most formidable civilizations in human history, and to this day we witness the miraculous extent of his influence and impact across the world.  

Every blessing finds in it a link to our Prophet ﷺ. However, the immense weight of this revelation warrants renewal and restoration due to the passage of time and the accretions of sinfulness and heedlessness that plague Muslim communities and their cultures. Without that renewal, without regularly returning to the Qur’an and the Sunnah, Muslims risk the wrath of our Lord. Just as the Children of Israel were given prophet after prophet, Muslims have been given rightly guided scholars, one after the other. The Prophet ﷺ warned, “You are the most similar nation to the Children of Israel and will follow them handspan by handspan.” The grave sin of Bani Israel was knowing the truth and not following it. As Muslims, we must be vigilant in our adherence to the Prophet’s guidance and always renew our repentance. This month of Rabi’ al-Awwal (“First Spring”), when we celebrate the Prophet’s birth, remains a recurring reminder for those of us who may have neglected the Prophet’s rights over us to obey him, to follow his guidance, to emulate his character, and to spread his teachings.