The Blessed Birth

Last Updated on Saturday, 07 March 2009 10:18 by Fethullah Gülen Saturday, 07 March 2009 03:00

The birth of Prophet Muhammad, the Pride of Humanity, peace and blessings be upon him, can be seen in the light of being the re-birth of all humanity. Until the day the Prophet honored this world, it was not possible to discern good from evil, day from night, or the rose from the thorn. It was as if the world was the abode of universal mourning, and the cosmos was lost in chaos. Thanks to the light he cast upon existence, darkness parted from light, night suffused into day, and the universe was transformed into a book that was now legible, word by word, phrase by phrase, section by section… the entire cosmos had in a sense undergone a revival and had nearly attained its true value.

His honoring the world is a universal phenomenon and the greatest event for both the Earth and the Heavens, just as it is a revival of humanity. Until the day he re-established a heavenly order, interpreted the meaning beyond the veil of existence, and put forward new commentaries on the cosmos, existence in its entirety made no sense, it was devoid of soul, fragmented, with every part being alien to one another. The inanimate things were nothing but lifeless figures in a nonsensical parade, whereas the animate were being crushed under the cogwheel of "natural selection," being caught every day in a different web of death. Trapped in dark solitude, every individual was an orphan and a victim impoverished by lamenting over a series of desertions. The spell of darkness was immediately broken by the light that emanated from him; the devils were defeated, and depravities drowned. The nature of creation returned to its original state; devastation was transformed to restoration, and slumber was shaken off in order to drill for repair. Our brief calls at and departures from this world have become parades; every birth has become a wedding and every death a first night.

Since the day his glow started to caress us, the pressure of "eternal extinction" has been lifted; glad tidings of reunion have come from amiable lands to the hearts that beat with the grief of separation. Thanks to the life he breathed into our souls we have attained a consciousness about our reality and are now in touch with nature. We have made use of the ore hidden in our essence and have felt the dimension of infinity embedded within. Without him, we would not be able to discover our inner profundity nor perceive so joyously the road and destination passing through the grave to infinity as we do now. He is the one who pours love and enthusiasm into our hearts, giving brightness to our eyes, and prepares us for this journey to the land of eternity.

Before we take off for this mysterious journey, he is our captain and cicerone on this shore where we wait, a guide and interceder for the destination at which we will arrive. We have responsibilities to him and we cannot stay indifferent in this regard; however, for centuries not only have we stayed indifferent, but we have exceeded the limits of respect toward him and the message that he brought.

As a matter of fact, we have tried to put our connection with him on stage with mawlid ceremonies; candies and rosewater are offered to the guests, and sometimes we commemorate him with songs and hymns. Nevertheless, these celebrations have never been in due proportion to his grandiosity; they do not approach even that of his servants. Can we not observe the Blessed Birth in broader dimensions, more sincerely and more somberly, for the sake of his luminous message?

Alternative ways of celebrations to commemorate his birth are not listed in any way among prescribed duties of believers, nor can anyone argue otherwise. Nobody desires to self-indulgently celebrate or transform holy Islam into a joyous carnival, nor does anyone have the power to do so. Yet, why should not the Islamic world commemorate his birthday, which is also their birthday and the salvation of humanity­?

Modern civilization would not exist without Islamic civilization, and Islamic civilization would not have come into being if it was not for the Prophet and his message.

If it was not for Islam, which appeared with its soft, tolerant, warm colors, open to learning and rewarding thought, if Muslim scholars had not transferred the Greco-Latin culture to Europe, then the western world could have remained in the Middle Ages. There is no question that mathematics, physics, chemistry, astronomy, geometry, and medicine all have their foundations in the east and have a nature compounded of the alloy of Islam. Western civilization had to wait six centuries after Jesus to become what it is today . . . they waited and encountered Islam, by which they have been greatly influenced and the West has designed its future under this light. Although the West did not accept the essentials of Islamic thought, these essentials have had a great impact on the construction of the modern western mind and thought.

Whatever the world owns is a gift from him,
All people and every individual are indebted to him
All humanity is indebted to that innocent;
O Lord, resurrect us with this confession!
Mehmet Akif

For centuries, we have not venerated the Prophet in due fashion and could not celebrate a proper birthday, a week or a month dedicated solely to his blessed birth. It would still not be enough if we observed years over years, nevertheless, "a king does what he is expected, and a servant observes his servanthood." Therefore, we should put in action whatever we can in this regard, whatever is within our capacity saying, "better than nothing."