The Muhammadan Reality

Your faith will not be complete until you love me more than your father, your children, and all mankind.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

Awakening consists of realigning one’s understanding of creation with Reality, which is achieved by utilising the spiritual practices assigned by Allah Almighty, His Prophet ﷺ, and the Saints. These practices are highly accessible vehicles that facilitate a gradual change of perception, until Truth is recognised as Truth. At the core of Islamic spirituality is a deeply reverential love for the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and one would be hard pressed to find an Orthodox Islamic spiritual order (tariqa) that does not consider devotion to the Prophet ﷺ to be one of its central tenets. The commemoration and celebration of the Holy Prophet’s ﷺ birth, daily litanies of prayers for the Holy Prophet ﷺ, and the recitation of devotional poetry are all common spiritual practices, not to mention attempts to emulate both the physical appearance and character traits of the Chosen One ﷺ. But what is the role of love for the Holy Prophet ﷺ on the spiritual path, and how does it contribute to the inner reconfiguration required for awakening?

Love operates at multiple levels. The Prophetic character was of such profound magnificence that, at an entirely rational level, comprehension of his apparent nature inevitably stimulates love. His evident tranquility, his respect for all forms of life and concern for the welfare of others, his compassionate yet authoritative style of leadership, his sincere service of his family untainted by ego, his endless gratitude to his Creator, and his strength in propagating the Truth means that the Prophetic example is the most radiant guide to human excellence. But the Holy Prophet ﷺ is far more than just a ‘good example’. He is the pinnacle of Creation, whose esoteric Reality can never be truly understood, although indicative waves can be interpreted by those whose hearts are opened. The Holy Prophet ﷺ stands firmly at the head of the hierarchy of existence, and represents the perfection of the human being, not just in its physical shape and mannerisms, but in its inner composition. The Holy Prophet’s ﷺ vision is clear, natural, and primordial. He entered into conversation with The One, not just on the Night of Ascension, but in every moment. His eyes were not oblivious to the physical, and he married, conducted business transactions, and went to war. But for him, the material world was merely an indicator of the Unseen, a facade much like a flimsy wooden movie set, behind which hides Eternity. He was witness to the perfection of the design that surrounded him, and lived in a universe in which every moment is a tailor-made interaction with the Divine Conductor, delivering exactly what is required. That universe is our universe. He never complained, as complaint is an act of rebellion against the All Knowing. He saw each moment as a profound blessing, and his existence was defined by unending gratitude.

In praising the Holy Prophet ﷺ, we celebrate his role in existence, as a drop of the sacred sent by the Divine to sanctify the entire profane realm. We are reminded of our human potential, and come face to face with the Muhammadan Light that dwells within each of us. Even to his enemies, the Holy Prophet ﷺ was known as Al Amin (the trustworthy one), due to his reputation for honesty and uprightness. However, the greatest trust that the Holy Prophet ﷺ upheld was the pre-eternal promise made by all of humanity, to bear witness to the Majesty of the Creator. While many have endeavoured to preserve that oath, and some have achieved their objective to an extraordinary extent, none have ratified their covenant with The One in totality, as the Blessed Messenger ﷺ did. Hence, we not only strive to look as he looked, but most importantly, we endeavour to see what he saw, and to interpret events and experiences in the manner that he did, through the prism of faith.

The spiritual wayfarer is fuelled by Divinely inspired endeavour (himmah), grace (barakah), and struggle against egoic impulses (mujahada). There can be no doubt that the mere mention of the Holy Prophet ﷺ is a magnet for grace, and the consequences in the Unseen Realm of praying for the Prophet ﷺ are of such profundity that they are beyond the comprehension of the average human. The experiences of our awakened forefathers are sufficient as proof of the efficacy of such prayers. However, we should understand our love of the Holy Prophet ﷺ as an attempt to see through his noble eyes, and as a reminder that our myopic, fabricated interpretation of our existence is both unhealthy and unRealistic. When praising the Holy Prophet ﷺ, we celebrate his achievement of witnessing existence in its truly Majestic technicolour, as no one before or after him could do. While singing his Blessed Name ﷺ, we must be reminded of what it means to be truly human, and recall the promise made to The Almighty in the primordial realm. The human exists to bear witness to the Majesty of creation, which negligibly reflects the Majesty of the Creator. The Holy Prophet ﷺ demonstrated how a human should understand existence, and our love for him is love for his perfected worldview. May we be granted a glimpse of that which he saw.