Lightness of Being…

My gorgeous and sweetest cousin in the world, sent me a copy of “In the Footsteps of the Prophet” by Tariq Ramadan, which I enjoyed immensely. It was a very easy read and I like how Ramadan magnified some lessons from the life of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in a way that we can use today.

I love reading the biography of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him.) It helps me reconnect with his personality, the turbulent times he lived in, and to draw inspiration not only from his struggles but from the principled manner in which he approached the vicissitudes of life. It’s a mark of deep seated strength to be able to forgive your arch enemies and to treat the same people who mocked and condemned you with respect and generosity.

Whenever I read the biography of the Prophet (the Martin Lings copy is by far my favorite), I get so sad as I reach the closing chapter, reliving his death, and mourning all over again for the end of a whole era. When my mother went to visit Madina after Hajj, she called me to tell me she gave greetings to the Prophet (peace be upon him) on my behalf. I told her “Mama please tell him I miss him.” She laughed and thought I was crazy. But I do miss him. Whenever I reflect upon his personality, his sensitivity and regard for others, I feel in touch with an immensely sad and wise soul. This sadness is probably my own projection of how I feel about the madness we are living in, but nonetheless, I wonder too how devastated he would be were he to be granted a peek into the turmoil the Muslim world is plunged into right now.

In the book Ramadan brings up a couple of salient points that struck me for the light it cast upon his venerable persona. The first one was how the Prophet (peace be upon him) at various times trusted non Muslims (who were known for their trustworthiness) with his life even. When he made the Hijra, migrating to Yathrib (to become Madina) his guide was a Non Muslim Bedouin called Abdullah ibn Urayqat. The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not hesitate to enlist his help, due to his knowledge of the terrain and his willingness to help, despite Abdullah’s sharing of his enemies polytheistic beliefs. I thought how remarkable this is in rejecting the isolationist tendencies that believers might be inclined towards especially in dealing with so called “kuffar” (non believers.)

The other one was when they were building a trench around Madina in preparation for battle, the Prophet  who worked alongside his companions was said to have at times invoked God, at others sang, recited poetry and everyone else joined alongside. It’s such a small seemingly insignificant detail, but as if to deliberately break the mold of the ever so serious harsh personality (some believers may aspire to.) The actions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were measured to demonstrate a lesson, to encourage, and to nurture goodwill and fraternity among the community. “Through the invocations, poems, and songs, the Prophet enabled the women and men in his community- beyond their communion in faith and ritual prayer- to commune through the voicing of emotions and the musicality of hearts articulating their belonging to a common expression of the self, a collective imagination, and a culture.”

Another aspect Ramadan brought out is especially instructive in nurturing and raising children. He stated that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was protected from sinning and being involved in the hedonistic frivolity of his times even as a youth. In the Islamic worldview none of the Prophets (peace be upon them) sinned, they were all infallible. Each of them (including Prophet Muhammad) committed mistakes along the way, in their human failings, but were each quick to ask for forgiveness and were pardoned. For Prophet Muhammad the journey of his lapses is recorded in the Quran (like the instance when he forgot to say “God willing” and promised to deliver an answer to the challenge of his enemies the next day. The answer -in form of Revelation- did not come for several days and finally in the Chapter of the Cave (Surah Kahf) he was gently admonished to always say “God willing” or “Inshaallah” a phrase which has permeated all Muslim cultures and discourse ever since.)

Going back to the point of his infallibility, Ramadan brings out the point that growing up without the burden of guilt on his soul, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was able to teach and nurture his companions without resorting to using guilt as a tool. I remember growing up and listening in horror to the punishment awaiting us in Hell and its voracious consumption of the flesh; the teachers would always point out all our relatively innocent actions to be fodders for such punishment. “Hell fire especially reserved for the children who don’t take Madrassa seriously” and we look at each other guiltily knowing that the very next weekend we were slated to go on (yet another) holiday excursion (such a worldly reason too!) In raising my own young ones, I never want to use fear and guilt as a means for motivation to perform good deeds. It only results in inducing a psychotic fervor in approaching the Compassionate and Merciful that is unhealthy for our spiritual growth.

We have to focus on developing our children’s minds, nurturing them in a safe and trusting environment, and instructing them along the way in a manner that empowers and ennobles their growth, not diminish or make them second guess their intrinsic nature and worth. There is nothing in the Islamic worldview that encourages us to distrust our natures, we were created in perfect harmony with the tools and resources within and around us to develop our spirituality and impact the world in a positive way. Yet something has seeped into our culture that has made us stuck in the perpetual victim mentality, indulging in conspiracy theories and festering in a pool of helplessness and apathy invoking the “end of times” and the second coming to save us from our own selves. In paying attention to his words, the Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed us that even if the end of times is upon us and we were in the middle of planting a sapling, then we should just continue to do so. Meaning that the work for betterment (self and societal) should not stop as long as we still have that one breath of life within us to give.

The man who is still vilified by some circles to date, left eternal foot prints in the sands of time, to grant us a glimpse of what it means to be a true Vicegerent. Going back to study those prints, to reflect on the incredible suffering he experienced that was necessary to carve out a niche for God’s light to shine through, to touch that heart melting beauty and compassion illuminating his persona even when he had every reason to be bitter and vindictive; offers me the lenses through which my own life and struggles can be shaped in a meaningful way by Divine breath.

I pray we relearn to walk the path with wisdom, dignity, and beauty; I pray we rise up to the multitude of examples left behind for us to ponder; and that we internalize the true meaning of submission in the process (amin.)