I could go on for hours,
Even days,
But I still would have
Only run my fingertips
Through the surface
Of the life
Of our Beloved.
A man,
Of justice and humility,
Of compassion and integrity
Of courage and simplicity.
Every event in his life,
Every incident penned down,
Every narration on him,
Leaves you reeling
With its impact on you
As you ponder upon
The Greatest of humans.
A life of ups and downs,
Laughs and cries,
Highs and lows,
My emotions the same
As I connect to his life.
I chuckle
As I imagine
The Rasool racing his wife
Losing the first time;
Winning the second
A commander and a leader
Playing with his wife.
Did you hear that?
I grin
As I hear
The story of Nuayman and his prank
That made the Prophet laugh for a year!
Did you hear that?
I smile
As I think of the Imam
Who clearly prolonged
His sujood
So that his grandson
Could remain on his back.
Did you hear that?
I feel ashamed,
As I come across the time
He changed his mattress
As he found it too comfortable,
Which ended up in him missing a prayer.
Did you hear that?
And then I think of myself.
How many have I abandoned
And all the while I was awake?
I gasp
In awe of this man
As I think of the time
He forbade the angels
From crushing the town
Whose elders threw him out
And whose children made him bleed.
A Year of Sorrow,
It was indeed.
Did you hear that?
I swallow
The lump in my throat
As I try to wrap my head around
Every tremor of grief he felt
As he buried six of his kids
In his lifetime.
Ever heard of that?
If you’re a parent
You would know,
You wouldn’t wish that
Even on your worst enemy!
And then finally,
I cry,
I sob,
As I hold the last few pages
Of the seerah
In my hand.
The words blurred,
My cheeks wet
And the tears just don’t stop.
And why would they?
When my eyes can read clearly
How every moment of his last days
Were a struggle.
How every time he spoke
Barely able to breathe
Prayer was his first question.
How every time he regained consciousness
His only concern
Was his Ummah.
We were his concern!
And now,
Here we are.
Thinking of the Prophet
As someone who was strict and stern
Something we’ve associated with being “religious”
Thinking of him
As someone who had life easy
Because he was “The Messenger”
Wallahi,
His struggles knew no end.
Thinking of him
As someone to be ashamed of,
Someone backward.
We should be ashamed!
For Wallahi,
Nothing could be more true
Than the words
Of the famous poet,
“My eyes have never seen anyone more perfect than you,
No woman has given birth to anyone more handsome than you,
You have been created free from all defects,
As if you were created the way you wished.”
Muhammad,
The last messenger of Allah,
The greatest of all Prophets
May peace and blessings be upon you,
Allah’s beloved!
Written by: Noorain Assim
© The Islamic Reflections Blog
