Peace, one and all…

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According to most Sunni scholars, the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad al-Mustafa alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam, was born on 12th Rabi al-Awwal.  According to most Shi`a scholars, he alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam was born on 17th Rabi al-Awwal.  At any rate, according to the Sunni reckoning, 12th Rabi al-Awwal this year falls on March 20th (today, in other words).

So, in honour of Muhammad al-Mustafa alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam, here are a collection of posts from around the net marking the occasions, as well as a poem I recently wrote.

Allahumma salli ala Sayyidina Muhammad wa alihi

What Can I Say?

What can I say of Muhammad?
He is my caring friend,
when the troubles of the world
weigh heavily upon my shoulders.

He is my patient counsellor
when the path before me
becomes uncertain
and all seems veiled in fog.

His name is my joyful sigh of gratitude
when I see sunlight sparkling
upon a swiftly flowing river
or caressing the old hands of trees.

His words are my refuge,
my unbreakable shelter,
when I would run in fear
from this narrow self of me.

He is my prophet,
the bearer of heaven’s message of love,
whose blessed remembrance
is as a rosegarden of wonder.

But most of all,
he is my beloved,
who calls out to me from the place of love
that he and I might one day meet in joy.

(Abdur Rahman, 19th March 2008)

Related posts: Muhammad’s Bright Rose; On Account of the Weak Among You

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman