Rahmatul-lil-‘Alamin

Rahmatul-lil-‘Alamin

Mustafa F Ansari

Allah (swt) created the glorious personality of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) as a mercy for all, thus establishing his universal prophethood. The Holy Qur'an states that: “And We have not sent you except as a Mercy to all the worlds.” (21:107). The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) said that ‘Allah did not send me to reproach (and curse) people but as a mercy to them and as one calling them to the truth.’ (Muslim).

Allah (swt) unveiled his design and revealed the code of life for the entire humanity to follow, through His Beloved Messenger and Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) to enable his followers to be eligible for Allah's blessings and thus His mercy. The Holy Prophet (ﷺ) set the pattern and demonstrated the practicability of living a life in consonance with the Qur'anic injunctions. The Qur'an states that: “Verily, in the Messenger of God, you have an excellent model” (33:21). He is the medium of all the blessings of Allah (swt) for the entire humanity. The humanity became aware of Islam through him and thus he is the basic personality in Islam and Iman. The best pattern of human behaviour is contained in the life of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). Finding the pleasure of Allah (swt), therefore requires one to follow, with intense love, the path charted by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) who came as the last and final Messenger and Prophet of Allah (swt) and provided guidance complete in all respects in the form of Deen-e-Islam.

The pursuit of one’s destiny demands a clear conceptual understanding of Allah's ordained mission to be accomplished by the human beings designated by Allah as His vicegerent (2:30). Deeper understanding of the modalities and its intricacies would ensure better accomplishment. The divine requirement as contained in the revealed word is to follow the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). The modality is apparently clear but the intricacies need deeper thought which is the command of the Almighty (افلا یتدبرون - do you not think).

The Holy Prophet (ﷺ), who came, as a mercy to the entire mankind, was endowed with penultimate qualities to serve as a model of the most perfect being and thus an object of emulation for the entire humanity. And again it is stated in the Qur'an that: “Verity you are the standard par excellence” (68:4)

History bears testimony to the fact that the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) came at a time when almost the entire world had forsaken the path of piety, righteousness, truth and the gloom of ignorance had completely overshadowed all moral values. The advent of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) came at a time when the degradation of all ethical and moral values had touched the lowest ebb in the desert heartland of Arabia. The charisma and love of his holy personality so impacted these native, ignorant, ruthless, heartless pagans that they turned into civilized, caring and decent individuals of model ethical discipline. It was the impact of his forceful, lovable personality that within a century of emergence of Islam, the Muslim empire stretched from the Atlantic Ocean in the West to central Asia in the East.

Allah (swt) categorically states in the Holy Qur'an: lf one wants Allah to love him, one should follow and obey the Holy Prophet and one would then be blessed with the love of Allah (3:31).

The human beings are not robotic animations but with complex intellect and free will. Their intellectual capacity is imbued with deep seated emotions which quality them to develop affinities, establish relationships and accept certain parameters for acting in a certain way in their worldly life. Love implies obedience and submission. Obedience of command of a benefactor – the Rahmatul-lil-‘Alamin or those following in his footsteps without any feeling for the person being followed would only be an empty jargon. Love is the force which motivates us and compels us to action. Devotee’s devotion to the compliance of a command in letter and spirit requires establishment of a deep seated association which culminated into love and affection for the personality of the role model (ﷺ). It is the consequence of human intellect's comprehension and appreciation of Allah's (swt) mercy and blessing in the shape and form of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) on the humanity at large.

It is this deep seated love in the hearts of M’umineen for the refulgent personality of the Rahmatul-lil-'AIamin (ﷺ) which moves them to ecstasy and drives them to tears laden with wondrous thoughts and sentiments for the beloved Prophet of Allah - the Merciful. Holy Prophet (ﷺ) is reported to have said that: “None of you can have faith unless l become dearer to him than his father and his son and all mankind” (Bukhari). Allah (swt).Says in the Qur'an that: “The Prophet is closer to the Believers than their own souls.” (33:6)

Love is the predominant manifestation of true faith - the Iman. On another occasion, the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) is quoted as saying: ‘He who has no love has no faith, he who has no love has no faith, and he who has no love has no faith‘.

In surah Taubah, it is stated that: ‘Say, if it be that your father, your sons, your brothers, your mates or your kindred; the wealth you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline; or the dwellings in which you delight - are dearer to you than Allah or His Apostle or the striving in His cause, than wait until Allah brings about his Decision and Allah guides not the rebellious.”

(9:24)

The above verse clearly illustrates that absolutely nothing can take precedence over a M'umins' love for Allah (swt) and the Holy Prophet (ﷺ). The Companions of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) in their salutations addressed him (ﷺ) with expressions conveying the highest degree of reverence, love and devotion. The fondness and love with which the true believer follows in the footsteps of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) establishes the extent of his allegiance to Islam and acquisition of Allah's favour. One finds it as a binding principle in Salat when one greets the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) in Attahiyyat by saluting him (ﷺ) and reaffirming a dynamic, vibrant relationship with the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) when one recites ‘Assalamu Alaika A'iyuhan Nabiu...' and thereafter the Durood-e-lbrahimi.

To emulate the Holy Prophet (ﷺ), one cannot afford to miss any moment of one's life without the fond memory of his (ﷺ) deeds - the Sunnah – which represents his (ﷺ) active worldly life. It thus follows that a Muslim's life has to be necessarily entrenched in the love and thoughts of the life of the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) at all times without which a Muslims‘ Iman or faith does not attain completion and thus the ultimate objective of achieving moral and spiritual benefits would remain obscure. Since his worldly life is the perfect example for humanity, the transformation or molding of individual personality towards perfection follows as a consequence of one's whole hearted adoption of the practical modalities in this worldly sphere of activity concurrently with intellectual, emotional and spiritual commitment.

 

Abdullah lbn ‘Amr (R.D.A) reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: “None amongst you is a true believer unless his desires become subservient to what I have brought.” (Mishkat)