Written for the 2nd Annual ICNYU Grand Mawlid
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بسم الله الرحمان الرحيم
اللهم صل على محمد وآل محمد
السلام عليك يا رسول الله
my dear beloved Prophet
ّI was asked to write something for your birthday
how can a man like me speak about a man like you
the day you were born the heavens rejoiced
‘here is the greatest of creation
the culmination of all prophetic realities
after whom there will be no other’
whereas the day our mothers bore us
was just a day amidst other days
it is my honor to speak to you
to address you as our Prophet
may blessings and peace be upon you and your family
even though we have never seen you
for the last time we gathered here
one of your servants spoke of love
a love that comes spontaneously
because of the perfection of the beloved
and for a moment
he asked us to imagine that you walked into the room
my Lord!
all my life would not be equal
to the first moment my eyes were graced with beholding you
yā Rasūl Allāh
yā Ḥabīb Allāh
yā Muḥammad al-Muṣṭafā
I pray that blessings be showered upon you and your family
to the number of all things that Allah has created
from the first moment that time began throughout all contingent eternity
in every moment that you are denigrated by those who do not believe in you
and every moment you are disrespected by those who are not humble before you
and every moment you are forgotten by those who obey you
and in every moment of reverence filling the hearts of those who love you
our Prophet
pray for our forgiveness!
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ جَاءُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُوا اللَّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُوا اللَّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا
We did not send any apostle but to be obeyed by Allah’s leave. Had they, when they wronged themselves, come to you and pleaded to Allah for forgiveness, and the Apostle had pleaded for forgiveness for them, they would have surely found Allah all-clement, all-merciful.
we are all in need of forgiveness
every single one of us!
and sin is nothing other than falling short of your perfection
as a worshipper of God
and a servant to God’s creation
and so who better to lift us up towards a higher state
than you
from sin to obedience
from obedience to cautiousness
from cautiousness to detachment
from detachment to never forgetting our Lord
steps and stairs and stations
pathways of ascent
to drops from oceans
gathered in you
your perfection is not increased by our obedience
it was there before we were born
and will remain after we are buried in the ground
so come to us
in our graves
if the darkness of our hearts should make us fear there
then by the light of your presence give us hope
for every prayer we make in New York City
every fast we undertake during 2017
every American dollar we give as zakat, khums, and sadaqa
every turning away from something haram
every attempt to understand and act upon ethical ideals
every whispered prayer of longing hope to our Creator
is nothing but us collectively expressing
that we want to be like you
and so we gather to remember you
to talk to you
to speak about you
and to imagine what it would be like
if you walked in the door
and the tears began to pour
and our hearts burst inside our chests
as we became lost in a love
greater than what we feel for our parents
our spouses
our children
and even our own selves
اللهم صل على محمد وآل محمد
A Mercy Case 