12 Rabiul-Awwal Festivities and Poverty in Pakistan
14 December 2016By Saeed Qureshi
This year too, the Muslims all over the world celebrated the 1447th birthday
of the prophet of Islam, Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa(SAW). It is interesting to
note that this year December 12 in Christian calendar and 12 Rabiul-Awwal in
Islamic calendar coincided with each other. On this auspicious occasion,
Pakistan, has been awash with fairy lights and a galore of festivities on the
birthday of the prophet of Islam which falls every year on the 12 of the third
month of the Islamic calendar.
However, the first paramount question that comes to mind of a less orthodox
Muslim or a secular or non-Muslim that how the birth day of the prophet was
figured out to be 12 Rabiul-Awwal. The tradition tells us that Hazrat Muhammad
(SAW) was born in a secluded place when his mother Amina Bibi was traveling.
How would a woman of those primitive times capture in his mind the day of the
birth of her child which even in the present time would not be possible to
remember for village females faced with the similar tough conditions.
Hazrat Muhammad was born two months after the death of his father Abdullah.
So, there can be no question for the father to keep in mind the date of the
birth of his son upon whom God almighty bestowed the prophethood at the ripe
age of 40 years. His mother Amina also died after sometime.
Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa at the age of 40 years received the first divine
revelation or message through arch angel Jibril in the ''Cave of Hira'',
situated in the hills near Mecca city. When his mother died, he was barely
three-year-old and may not have known about the circumstances of his birth.
According to the then prevailing customs Hazrat Abdul Muttalib the affluent
grandfather of Hazrat Muhammad sent him, for living and learning, to Bibi
Hajira a caretaker who lived in the desert.
During all these years from his birth and his stay for six years in desert how
someone would have remembered and written his correct birthday. He couldn't do
it by himself as he was an infant and remained unlettered throughout
thereafter. Under these circumstances one would imagine how the birthdate of
Hazrat Muhammad was determined as 12 Rabiul Awwal.
One would also be curious to know if there was a foolproof system of
remembering or writing the dates including the birthdays in those times. I
would be obliged if someone from among my readers throws light about the 12
Rabul Awwal as the correct date of birth of Hazrat Muhammad.
Chronologically till the age of 22 years, prophet Muhamad grazed the sheep of
his uncle Abu- Talib, the son of Abdul Muttalib. But the marvelous turning
stage came in his life when he managed the business of Hazrat Khadija one of
Mecca's wealthiest woman. Later he married her in 595 CE after the death of
her previous husband. They remained wedded from 595 CE to 619 CE. He inherited
the enormous wealth of Hazrat Khadija.
But his association with Khadija as his first wife was enormously instrumental
in propelling his divine message as prophet of God starting from his first
revelation in 610 CE. Both lived together as wife and husband for 24 years. In
622 CE, he migrated to Madina where he spent rest of his life in consolidating
Islam and shaping the State of Madina After 610 CE, all the phases and details
of his life are clearly chronicled.
Besides, this assertion or prologue, I want to discuss another subject that
the Muslims may like to ponder.
I wonder if prophet Muhammad were alive he would have approved the
ostentations, profusely colorful and expensive decorations and lighting of the
mosques, streets, houses, official buildings, processions. public and private
buildings, markets. All these manifestations are superficial and have nothing
to with living a life of piety and honesty and good character. Islam exhorts
simplicity and frugality. Islam goads fulfilling one's essential needs and
give away alms and a part of one's honest earnings to the poor and needy in
the society.
The prophet would have liked to see the Muslims building their character,
inculcating unity instead of delving in racial, sectarian and regional
discords. He would have preferred to see the Muslims, not to be divided in
various sects killing and opposing each other. He would have been delighted to
see the Muslims not suffering economically, socially and instead presenting
the best examples of the governance. He would be pleased to see the Muslims
excelling in the scientific and material fields. The Islamic societies are
most backward and despite having enormous resources are poor and ready to
become cronies of the strong nations from other religions.
Prophet Muhammad who spent his life in complete austerity and self-abnegation
would be displeased with the money and time spent on adorning the mosques with
expensive fairy lights and taking out large processions in every street,
bazars and lanes. There could have been a sober and modest way of celebrating
the birth of the prophet such as giving charity, feeding the poor, silently
praying and contemplating and seeking the blessings of God.
The amount of money collected in every village and city by the activists of
these processions and gatherings at the mosques could have been better
utilized on helping the teeming poor and countless needy people and families
in the society.
That would have been a truly Islamic and humanitarian way of remembering the
prophet who despite all the material resources at his disposal fasted most of
the time, ate what was needed to sustain the body.
We Muslim believe and excel in showoff and ostentations and shy away from
treading the path of the real Islam which offers the best model and pleads a
simple and modest life. The amount of money spent on decorating and adorning
the mosques, abodes of Sufis and Saints and graveyards with fairy lights,
buntings and banners should be in millions. With half of that money many
children could be educated and many poor and hungry people could be fed.
We have seen through television and social media the religious demagogues and
fiery orators spewing out eloquence and fuming verbosity about the life and
the sublime message of prophet Muhammad and profusely applauding his service
to the mankind by passing on the message of God almighty to the humanity of at
large. These religious orators excel in mobilizing the crowds with mesmerizing
deliveries and awesome sermons and that is all what we have seen in all the
mosques and religious sites.
Yet did anyone of these religious stalwarts thought for a moment that besides
collecting funds and donations for celebrating the Rabiul-Awwal, they should
also devote their time and talent of oration to weed out poverty, murders,
environmental degradation, adultery and adulteration, sectarian hatred, child
sex, abuse of women and a whole range of other crimes that bedevil Pakistan ad
rest of the Islamic world.
Instead they fan sectarian divisions from the pulpits and emphasize on mere
rituals such as cramming and reciting the Quran but not tailoring their lives
in accordance with its message and contents. They are hypocrites and the onus
of pitiable conditions prevailing in various Muslims societies devolves both
the corrupt leaders and hypocritical and vision-starved religious Imams and
demagogues.
They are the enemies of progress, enlightenment, egalitarianism and
fundamental rights to the people. They want the people to remain like frogs in
a well, just reciting and memorizing the Quran, learning and practicing
certain basic obligations and blocking the creation of a modern Islamic state
in Pakistan.
©
EsinIslam.Com
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