Rabiul Awwal

The month of Rabi'-Ul-Awwal is considered to be amongst the most
special and significant months, because mankind was blessed with the
birth of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw). Regarding this special
event Allah (swt) has stated in the Holy Quran "We have sent him
(Muhammad saw) as a source of mercy for the A'alimeen (humans, jinns
and all else that exists)," (Surah 21.Al- Anbiya: Verse 107).
Muhammad (saw), the master of the prophets was born in the holy city
of Mecca on Monday morning, the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th of
Rabi'-Ul-Awwal. Ibn Sa'd reports that Muhammad's(saw) mother, Aamina,
stated regarding the birth of her son "When He (saw) was born, there
was a light that issued out of my pudendum andlit the palaces of
Syria." (Mukhtasar Seerat-ul-Rasool)
As is mentioned above Allah (swt) has stated in the Glorious Qur'an:
"We have sent him (Muhammad saw) as a source of mercy for the
A'alimeen." Not only was Rasulullah (saw) a source of numerous
blessings after receiving the task of prophethood, but from his birth
up to his death and until the day of judgment billions of people have
and will continue to benefit from his blessings. A clear example of
this is when Halimah, the daughter of Abu Dhu'ayb who was accompanied
by her husband Harith and a new born son of their own, decided to
undertake a journey from a small village situated south east of Mecca
to the actual city of Meccah Mukarramah. This was in order to acquire
a nursling. She narrates: "It was a year ofdrought, and we had nothing
left. I set forth on a gray she camel of mine, and we had an old she
camel with us which could not even yield one drop of milk. We were
kept awake all night by our son who was crying due to hunger, for I
didn't have enough in mybreast to feed him; and that she camel of mine
was so weak and emaciated I often keep the others (Tribe of Bani Sa'd
Ibn Bakr) waiting."
Once everyone began looking for nurslings, Rasulullah's (saw)
motherAamina offered her son first to one and then to another until
finally she had tried them all and they had all refused. "That" said
Halimah, "wasbecause we hoped for some compensation fromthe child's
father." "An orphan" we said, "what will his mother and grandfather be
able to do for us?" Not that they would have wanted direct payment for
their service, since it was considered dishonorable for a woman to
take a fee for suckling a child. The recompense they hoped for, though
less direct was of a far wider scope. For example, creation
connections andlinks with people from the city.
On the other side, thoughthe foster-parents were not expected to be
rich, they must not be too poverty-stricken, and it was evident that
Halimahand her husband were poorer then any other of their companions.
Whenever the choice lay between her and another, the other was
preferred and chosen; and it was not long before everyone of the Bani
Sa'd women except Halimah had been entrusted with a baby. Only the
poorest nurse was without a nursling; and only the poorest nursling
was without a nurse.
"When we decided to leave Mecca," said Halimah, "I told my husband: 'I
hate to returnin the company of my friends without having taken a baby
to suckle. I shall go to that orphan and take him.' 'As you wish' he
said. 'it may be, that God will bless us through him.' So I went back
and took him, for no reason except that I could find no baby but him.
I carried him back towhere our mounts were stationed, and no sooner
did I put him in my bosom, my breasts overflowed with milk. He drank
his fill, and with him his foster-brother drank likewise, his fill.
Then they both slept; andmy husband went to that old she camel of
ours, and amazingly her udders were full. He milked her and drank of
her milk and I drank withhim until we could drink no more and our
hunger was satisfied.
We spent the best of nights, and in the morning my husband said to me:
'by God, Halimah, it is a blessed creature that you have taken.' 'That
is indeed myhope,' I said. Then we set out, and I rode my camel and
carried him with me on her back. She outraced the whole troop, nor
could any of their camels keep pace with her. 'Wow!' They said to me,
'Wait for us! Isn't that the same camel you came on?' 'Yes by God,' I
said, 'She is the very same.' 'Some amazing thing has happened to
her,' they said.
We reached our tents in the Bani Sa'd, and I knowof no place on God's
Earth more barren than that. But after we brought him to live with us,
my flock would come home to me and would be full of milk. We
milkedthem and drank and when others had no milk;our neighbors would
say to their shepherds. 'Go graze your flocks where he has grazed
his', meaning my shepherd. But still their flocks came home hungry,
yielding no milk, while mine camewell fed, with plenty of milk; and we
ceased not to enjoy this increase andthis bounty from God until the
baby's two yearspassed."
During the pre-Islamic days of Arabia, everyone including the Romans
and Persians were in the midst of ignorance and darkness. They were
amongst the most uncivilized people the world had seen. Not only were
they indulged in evils and vices such as adultery, fornication,
incest, rape, stealing and murder they went to the extent of burying
their baby daughters alive! Allah (swt) has stated in the Holy Quran
"And when the news of the birth of a female child is brought to any of
them, his face becomes dark, and he is filled with inward grief! He
hides himself from the people because of the evil of that whereof he
has been informed. Shall he keep her with dishonor or bury her in the
Earth? Certainly their decisions are evil." (Surah 16. An-Nahl: verse
58-59)
Nevertheless the Holy Prophet (saw) was sent to this world with the
light of monotheism, eradicating all ignorant and uncivilized customs,
rituals, practices and beliefs. Allah (swt) has stated in the glorious
Quran "Indeed Allah conferred a great favor on the believers when
hesent among them a Messenger (Muhammad saw) from among themselves,
reciting unto them His verses, (The Quran) and purifying them, (from
sins by their following him) and instructing them (in) the Book
(Quran) and Al-Hikmah, (the wisdom and the Sunnah of the Prophet saw)
before that they had been in manifest error," (Surah 3.Al-Imran: Verse
164).

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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