Captioning provided by MUHSEN (www.muhsen.org)
- Has anyone in human history
ever been as deeply loved as Muhammad?
SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam
Many people may underestimate
or perhaps are unfamiliar with the magnitude of the esteem,
the magnitude of the affection,
the magnitude of the emulation,
garnered by this man,
peace and blessings be upon him,
for a second millennium now.
During the lifetime of the prophet Muhammad,
peace and blessings be upon him,
his companions would stand by his side
and would long to risk life and limb in order to defend him.
Were we to just zoom in on a single day in his life,
the day of the battle of Uhud that happened three years
after his migration to Medina, we would be blown away.
Abu Dujana, may Allah be pleased with him,
welcomed a volley of arrows showering down into his back
as he hovered over the prophet Muhammad,
peace and blessings be upon him, to protect him.
Abu Talha, may Allah be pleased with him,
shielded the prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam
With his chest.
And he told him, "Don't look, oh messenger of Allah.
Don't raise your head.
Don't scout to see what's going on.
My neck better than yours."
Meaning to be struck with an arrow.
Talha ibn Ubayd Allah, may Allah be pleased with him,
was carrying the prophet Muhammad when he fell unconscious,
SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam
and would set him on a boulder
and then fight off the attackers,
and then reach over to him and shift him
a few feet closer to safety, and then move back
to confront the assailants once more.
Nusayba bint Ka'ab dashed at men
that outsized her with her sword
when the prophet Muhammad fell into that ambush,
peace and blessings be upon him.
And she suffered on that day a gash on her collar bone
that would later hemorrhage to grant her martyrdom.
And at the end of that day
as they were heading home injured and bloodied
a woman was told that all her male relatives,
her husband, and father, and son, and brother,
all of them had been martyred in the battle of Uhud.
She said, "But where is the messenger of Allah?"
They told her, "He is fine."
She said, "I must see him."
And only after she laid her eyes on his blessed body,
peace and blessings be upon him,
did she say, "Every tragedy is bearable
after I'm sure that you are all right, O messenger of God."
And this was all in a single day.
Amr ibn al-As, may Allah be pleased with him,
after spending a lifetime, if you will,
with the prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam
He said on his deathbed that, "Today were you to ask me
to describe him to you, I would not be able to.
Because I loved him so much and I revered him so much,
I could not even get an eyeful of him."
I could not stare at him for prolonged periods of time.
And Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him,
who used to call to prayer during the lifetime
and prophethood of Muhammad,
peace and blessings be upon him,
was no longer able to muster the adhan, the call to prayer,
once the prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam had died.
And dozens upon dozens upon dozens of countless millions
across generations have since inherited that love.
Some of the most pious sages in world history,
some of the greatest geniuses and intellectuals,
some of the most selfless altruists,
some of the greatest philanthropists,
some of the most honorable statesmen and leaders
all saw Muhammad as the paragon of virtue,
and the only way to pursue human excellence
was in the shadow of his example.
And until today, Muslims continue to love and honor
Muhammad in such a special way,
peace and blessings be upon him,
that even in a place like London in the year 2019,
where the Muslims only account for a small minority
of the population, the most popular baby name
used in London is now Muhammad.
And at every given moment around the globe
there is a person calling the adhan,
making the Muslim call to prayer,
and pairing between their testimony that none
is worthy of worship but Allah with their testimony
that Muhammad is in truth the messenger of Allah.
SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam
And even beyond honoring his name around the clock,
generation after generation you find his devout followers
exploring his words, studying his lifestyle,
mimicking him down to how he would move his fingers
in the daily ritual Muslim prayer.
How many other figures
in human history have enjoyed such adoration?
An adoration that translated into actions
for 15 centuries now and counting.
The answer of every fair informed reader of history
is none but one, only Muhammad.
SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam
Captioning provided by MUHSEN (www.muhsen.org)