The Blessed Birth
When the term was fulfilled and the moment of delivery approached, the holy house, the Kaba at Mecca all at once was seen to split in two. The Quraysh were appalled by this event, and everybody searched for an explanation. The Bani Hashim said, "This is on account of Abdullah, the son of Abdul-Muttalib's death that this has happened", while the Bani Zuhayr said, "This holy house has split asunder because the father of Amina, Wahb ibn Abdu Manaf has died, and he was one of the bravest men of Quraysh."
While they were thus engaged in finding explanations for this inexplicable happening, they heard a voice coming from inside the Kaba that said, "Oh men of Quraysh! This holy house has not come apart on account of the death of any, but rather because the time of birth has drawn nigh for the Light of this world, the Glory of the world to come, the shining Lamp of Paradise, Muhammad bin Abdullah to emerge from his mother's womb. He is to be a great prophet, he will cleanse this holy house of the abominations and idols that are polluting my precincts, and he will make me pure and pristine once more with the light of true faith; I will become the Qibla of his entire nation and the annual pilgrimage will be held on my grounds. Know that it is in honor of his long desired advent that this edifice has cracked and split."
The night that Muhammad {s} was born, Allah Almighty, Exalted be He, commanded the angels to open wide all the gates of Heaven and of Paradise; on that day the sun shone with more brilliance, and greater was its light than on other days, and the whole world was gladdened.
Abdullah bin Salam reports: On the night the Prophet {S} was born,
I was sitting together with a learned Jew. He raised his face to Heaven and spoke to me, "Ya Ibn Salam! This very night at Mecca the Arabian prophet, Muhammad ibn Abdullah r is to be born who will illuminate the world."
I said to him, "What do these words of yours mean, how do you know such a thing?" He answered me, :I have been watching the skies, and I see now such a light as has not been seen since the world began. That is how I come to know of this event."
I then entered a dark room, and I saw seventy candles burning in it so that it was brilliantly lit. I knew then that unusual things were happening. When I came to Mecca, I asked about that night, and I found that the Jewish scholar had told me the truth; it had indeed been the night in which the Prophet Muhammad {s} came into this world.
The Prophet's {s} blessed mother, Amina, relates: "At the time I was ready to give birth there was no one with me, neither man nor woman attended me (for everyone, including Abdul-Muttalib, had gone to make Tawaf of the Kaba.) I was all alone in the house. Suddenly there was a terrifying noise and I felt great fear. Then a white bird alighted upon my breast and my fear left me, I became calm and no trace of pain or anxiety remained. Next I was handed a cup of sweet white sherbet, and when I drank of it, my heart filled with peace and joy and light. After this, I beheld a number of tall women approaching me, tall and slender as cypress trees, and of astounding beauty. I took them to be the daughters of Abdu Manaf. They came and sat around me in a circle, and I was mostly surprised and wondered how they had come to know of my condition and who had informed them.
While I was yet pondering this question in my heart, one of the ladies spoke and said, 'I am Hawa, the wife of the Prophet Adam,' and another one of them said, 'I am Sarah, the wife of the Prophet Ibrahim.' Yet another said, 'I am Asiya, the wife of Fir'aun of Egypt'. And another said, 'I am Maryam, the daughter of 'Imran, the mother of 'Isa.' The others were introduced as the Huris of Paradise, all of whom had come to usher the Holy Prophet {S} into his earthly life and to welcome him with due veneration.
All the while the noises I had been hearing became stronger and louder and more fearful. Suddenly I perceived a white curtain being drawn from the skies down to the earth, so that I was veiled from the eyes of the Jinn. Then there was a flock of birds with beaks of green emerald and ruby red wings. These birds flew down and fluttered about me so closely that I could feel the beating of their wings upon my skin. They flew round and round me as if in Tawaf (circumambulation). The Lord Almighty then removed the veil from my eyes so that I beheld the whole world from east to west. Three flags I saw them bring down from Heaven: one they planted in the ground in the east, one in the west and one right atop the Kaba. In the heavens that were open to my eyes I beheld men bearing bejeweled vessels of gold, and they assisted at the birth of the blessed child, and I suffered neither pain nor trouble.
And when I looked again, I saw that the child was born circumcised, and that his umbilical cord was cut and he was wrapped in a piece of white silk. He touched the ground with his blessed head, lifted the forefinger of his right hand, and made humble supplication to Allah Almighty. I bent down to hear what he was saying, and these were the words I heard:
Ash-hadu an la ilaha ill'Allah wa inni Rasulullah; Allahu Akbar kabiran, wal-hamdu-lillahi kathiran, wa subhanallahi bukratan wa asilan. Allahumma, ummatiy, ummatiy..
There is a narration from Safiya, the daughter of Abdul-Muttalib:
"I was present the night the Prophet Muhammad {s} was born. At the very moment of birth I saw a great light appear. During the night, I beheld six signs. The first was that the instant the holy child was born. He bent down his head and performed a prostration. The second, that he lifted up his blessed head and spoke clearly and distinctly these words: La ilaha illAllah, inni Rasulullah. The third, that a great light was manifested. The fourth, that when I wished to wash the child, I heard a voice speaking to me that said: 'Oh Safiya, do not trouble yourself, we have already washed and cleansed him.' The fifth sign was that he was born already circumcised, and his umbilical cord was cut. The sixth sign was when I looked for something with which to swaddle the child, I noticed upon his back a certain mark. Looking at it closely, I was able to read the words: 'La ilaha illAllah, Muhammad {s}Rasulullah."
Safiya also said, "When he prostrated himself, he spoke some words in secret. I bent my ear to his blessed lips to hear what he was saying, and I heard him say: 'Ummatiy, ummatiy (my nation, my nation).'"
Now let us pause briefly to consider this point: this noble prophet of unequaled rank and highest station prayed to his Lord from the very moment he was born, entreating Him for our sake, for the sake of his nation, while we, who stand in dire need of his prayer and intercession in this world and the next are enveloped in heedlessness. We forsake the example of his radiant and honored Sunna (example) and are negligent in our observance of the Shari'a that we have the privilege of knowing. Day and night we are careless in the recital of Salawat (praises and prayers on the Holy Prophet {S}), being engulfed in our own sloth. How can we be worthy of such lofty intercession?
If we paused to consider this for a moment and reflected on the implications, we would realize that we are totally overcome by our heedlessness, whereas we should busy ourselves constantly with the application of the holy ways of the law, and try to make all our actions accord with the guidance it contains, and to tirelessly recite praises and prayers on the Holy Prophet . May Allah, Exalted be He, effect betterment for us all and improve our state, and grant us success and favor, for the sake of the prince among all the Divine Messengers. Amin.
To continue our narration: Amina the mother of the Holy Prophet {S} recounts: "I then beheld a white cloud in the sky moving towards me, and from it came as if the sounds of horses. This cloud descended and enveloped the little child Muhammad {s} and carried him away out of my sight. I heard a voice calling: 'We are taking Muhammad {s}, to show him the whole world. We shall encircle it and dive into the depths of the oceans, so that all that lives in and under the earth may know of the advent of this noble being and shall have seen his face and learned of his arrival. Hereafter the world shall be filled with the light of faith; of unbelief and rebellion against the Lord Almighty nothing will remain.' Thus I heard the voices speak to me."
"After only a brief moment, that cloud alighted anew, and I saw my son Muhammad {s} again, wrapped now in a piece of green silk, dripping with milk. His face was radiant as the moon on her fourteenth night, and he exuded a fragrance sweeter than that of yellow musk. I then beheld three persons standing aside; one of them held in his hand a jug of silver, another held a bowl of green emerald, and the third held a piece of folded white silk. The latter unfolded this bit of silk and took from its folds a ring so bright it dazzled the eyes of the beholder.
"The first took the baby Muhammad {s} and washed him seven times from the silver jug; then the next person took a ring from the folds of silken cloth and impressed its bezel in a place between the baby's shoulders. After that he wrapped it up again in the bit of silk. He then took the baby Muhammad {s} from me and held him under his wing for a whole hour,
all the while whispering many secrets into his ears. At last he kissed him upon both his eyes and said, 'Tuba laka, ya Muhammad {s}, blissful tidings to you, oh Muhammad {s}, in all Allah's creation, you are the most awesome and venerable of all that serve Him Almighty. Triumph and victory has been given to your companions and your nation. It is you who holds the keys to the castle of bliss.'"
It is related by Ibn Abbas: The night the Holy Prophet {S} was born, all the idols in the Kaba fell from their places and broke to pieces. At that time a voice was heard calling out from the unseen, and it said: "Woe and perdition on Quraysh, for the glorious and trusted Prophet {S} has come in truth, embellished with adornments from the loftiest gardens of Paradise. Lat and Uzza and all other idols are now finished and done for, Iblis himself is imprisoned."
The Kaba itself was inwardly hung with golden lamps from Paradise, and all creatures of the heavens and the earth, the youths and the maidens from Paradise, all created beings other than mankind rejoiced and gave each other the glad tidings. "Oh Muhammad," they wished, "may Allah make you happy and always pleased, for there is no creature born with greater honor than you, and none that is more excellent. Never have the angels celebrated the birth of any created being as they now celebrate your birth into this world!" Between Heaven and earth there were raised pillars of support, and all were made of precious stone, and not one of them was alike unto another.
It is reported by Ka'b-al-Akhbar: One of the miracles of that night was a fish that lived in the sea, and its name was Zalmusa. This fish had seventy heads and seventy tails, and a single scale on his back could have held seventy mountains and plains, the smallest of which would have been the size of Jabil Qubais (a hill in Mecca). Now you can picture the size of that tremendous fish! The night the Holy Prophet {S} was born, by the Will of Allah Almighty this fish was so convulsed with mighty emotion that he caused the seven seas to heave from enthusiasm, so that all the sea creatures were instantly informed of the arrival of the Holy Prophet {S} in the world of men.
The Holy Prophet's {s} illustrious grandfather was at the Kaba when Amina gave birth, and she sent him word of the glad event, inviting him to come and see her newborn son. Abdul-Muttalib relates: "I was at the time within the building of the Kaba. There I witnessed how the walls of the building themselves began to shake and tremble with joy, calling out to each other: 'The Lord Almighty has bestowed great honor on us that we might see the coming of the prophet who will cleanse us of the filth of these idols!' I was amazed at hearing this, and I understood then that you must have given birth, and that these words heralded the importance of the child you had born."
Amina reports: Later, when he looked upon my son Muhammad {s}, he said, "Praise be to the All-Powerful Lord that He has granted me such an auspicious grandchild!" and he praised him with a great many praises, while from the child's blessed body such a beautiful scent issued forth that it filled the whole town of Mecca as if with the fragrance of musk and amber.
Voices of praise and rejoicing were heard throughout the town, even to the house of Abu Lahab, the Prophet's {s} uncle. While he lay sleeping, voices from the unseen filled his room and the smell of musk and amber pervaded the air. From this he awoke, greatly perplexed. A slave girl, Thauba, was sleeping by his side. To her he turned to ask what she made of these strange sounds and voices. Thauba answered, "Good news and tidings of joy to you, oh Abu Lahab! Your brother Abdullah's wife Amina has born a son. Muhammad {s}. From his blessed body issues this perfumed cloud and this wonderful fragrance. The sounds you hear are the voices of those who inhabit the regions between Heaven and earth, heralding the birth of this miraculous child."
Abu Lahab was pleased at the good news she gave him and he said to her, "Ya Thauba, for that you have given me joyful tidings, I shall give you your freedom. Go to the house of the mother of Muhammad {s} and offer your services as a wet-nurse, for you too, are nursing a child, named Masruj." So Thauba went and became the wet-nurse for Muhammad {s}. For seven days his mother Amina gave him milk, after that Thauba came and nursed him until he was given to Halima as-Sa'adia.
It is related that some people saw Abu Lahab in their dreams after he had died. When they asked him how he fared in the afterlife he replied, "Woe is me! Was I not the uncle of a great and distinguished prophet? Would that I had believed in him and become one of the blissful dwellers of Paradise gardens! Ah, but I chose to be his greatest enemy, persisting in error and disbelief, so that I am one of the damned of Hell.
However, there are two grants of mercy that I receive over and above all the other inmates of the Fire: from the night linking Sunday to Monday up to the following night, my punishment is alleviated; and when I place my two fingers in my mouth on that day, a cool drink of water issues forth from between my index and middle fingers that soothes my torment."
That blessed night all idols in the entire world fell from their pedestals and shattered to bits, and Shaytan's throne was overturned so that it hung downwards and he fell off it. The angels then caught hold of him and imprisoned him for forty days in the forty seas. Finally, he contrived his escape, and he came up to the Mount Abu Qubais and let out a mighty scream. Hearing him yell, all the devils and Ifrit came flying and gathered round, asking him, "What is it with you that you scream so loud?" He answered them, "Such a terrible destroyer has been sent down upon you as you have never known or seen before. What is more, against this plague there is no remedy."
The devils were all shocked, and asked, "Who is it?" Shaytan replied, "It is the Prophet Muhammad {s}, mighty and glorious, the son of Abdullah, son of Abdul-Muttalib who is born in Mecca tonight. He has the power to demolish all idols and defeat all unbelief in the whole wide world. He will bring the Light of Islam and spread the faith from east to west; no place will remain on earth where the call of Unity has not been heard, and the unbelievers will be smitten and abased. No trick and no deception will prevail against his influence. The scripture he will bring will watch over his nation, and his religion and law will remain valid and in place until the Day of Judgment, his followers being assured of the Lord's forgiveness and grace." So he said and let out another terrible scream.
In that blessed night the fires of the fire worshippers that had been continuously burning for a thousand years went out, and not a trace remained of heat or fire-their hearths became cold as ice, colder than the fiercest winter's cold.
In the lands of Persia there flows a great stream, the Euphrates. In the region of Kasane there lies a place called Sawa by the banks of this great river, and formerly there lived in this town a large number of Christians and Jews. They had built their churches and monasteries there and were recognized and highly esteemed. Now the night the Holy Prophet {S} was born in Mecca, the whole river at Sawa suddenly ran dry, and the ground was cracked and arid when they awoke in the morning, as if there had never been a trace of water in this spot. Such a fierce heat arose in place of the water as if a fire had been burning there since uncounted days. Dust rose around the feet of the people as they walked about.
Now the king of the region was termed Khosroes, and the king in those days was Kaykubad Nushurevan. In that night, fourteen of his twenty-two palaces and domed mansions crumbled and fell, and there remained only eight standing. That night also his throne tumbled and fell, and the king himself had a terrifying dream. In the morning when he woke, he called for all his dream interpreters and diviners, and when they were assembled at his court, he asked them to tell him about the dream he had seen that night. He said to them, "I will not tell you what I dreamt, you will tell it to me. If you are not able to do this, what good is your interpretation to me? I will dismiss you all, if you fail me."
They answered, "Oh King, not one of us can know about your dream, but there lives a man called Satih, no one but he can inform you of it." This Satih lived in the land of Bahrain, and his name was really Rabi' bin Rabi'a. He was generally called Satih, which means 'plain, surface', because he could only lie flat on his back, unable to even sit up, for he had not a bone in his body, excepting his skull. The reason for this was that he was born of two women, and the bones of man are created from the seed of the male.
This Satih lived in Bahrain, and he had been in the world for a very long time already, some said for thirty generations, and one generation consists of thirty years. Thus Satih knew and had seen a great many things and was known to be a wise man and a seer. He had read all the heavenly revealed scriptures, and was well versed in the art of divination and fortune telling. Once a year he would be carried out in grand procession upon a golden tray, and all the learned would gather round him and listen to his predictions for the coming year. Of these they took note and recorded them with care.
Now, King Nushurevan was one of the very chosen servants, for he was the just king whom the Holy Prophet {S} referred to when he said, "I came to this world in the time of one very just king." Nushurevan decided to send an envoy to Bahrain to consult with this man Satih, and he chose as his messenger one Abdul-Massih. This man set out for Bahrain, and by the Almighty's providence he arrived just on the day that Satih was carried out on the golden tray to do his predictions. When he met with him, he told Satih about the events in his country: about the fires of the fire-worshippers being extinguished and the waters by Sawa drying up; about the toppling and the ruin of the king's palaces and domed mansions, and lastly about the dream the king had seen which he would tell to no one, but expected them to interpret for him.
To this Satih said, "The King Nushurevan has seen a frightful dream. In his dream he saw the approach of an army, riders of Arabian steeds and Hijin camels, filling the whole city of Mada'in. These riders then led all the camels they found out of the city."
"And this is the meaning of these signs: in the town of Mecca al-Mukarrama the unlettered Prophet Muhammad {s} is born. He is descended from the line of Ibrahim Khalilullah, and he is to become the Seal of Prophets. In him all the signs and portents mentioned in the previous holy books, the Torah, the Injil and the Zabur will become manifest and revealed. From this day on all divinations and predictions will become invalid and unreal, for from now on the Jinn and Ifrit are prevented from eavesdropping on the heavenly council as they have been doing so far, spying out the secrets of the future, and unveiling them partially to the soothsayers of mankind."
(Still, certain ones among them would yet attempt to fly up and steal some secret knowledge, but the angels will chase them away with heavenly missiles called 'shihab', which are shooting stars, as we see up to this very day.)
"So," Satih continued, "the Lord of Knowledge has been manifested, and the meaning of King Nushurevan's dream is this: the Arabian horses and Hijin camels signify his companions, the companions of the Prophet {S} whom the Almighty is about to send. The camels being led out of the city means that the companions of this Prophet {S} will come and take the city and expel them from within it."
Next Satih explained to him, "The meaning of the eight domed mansions that did not crumble, is this: King Nushurevan will be succeeded by eight kings, then his kingdom will be conquered by the armies of Islam. The dying down of the fires of the fire worshippers and the drying up of the waters around Sawa signifies that the light which is with unbelievers will be taken from them and their fount will run dry. The prophet who is to come will fill the whole world with his light and become a messenger to all peoples, and these dreams and happenings are signs of his advent."
When he had spoken these words, the seer Satih paused for a while and wept bitterly. He then said, "There remains only very little time for Satih to live, he will not live to see the coming of this light of a new age; so Satih weeps from longing, unfulfilled."
The king's emissary Abdul-Massih heard these words and took note of them; then he returned to his king, Nushurevan, and told him of what he had heard and seen.
There were a great many signs announcing the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad {s}. As the light of Muhammad {s} was passed from father to son from the time of Sayyiduna Adam (as), each time a woman conceived a prophet to be, this light would appear on her forehead and linger there until the child was born. So also the mother of the Prophet Muhammad {s} experienced many strange and wonderful things during her pregnancy. She received revelations of the divine and angelic messages that would fill many books, and yet only a fraction would have been told, for these wonders are limitless.
The night of the Prophet's {s} birth was such a great and holy night that for all those who were wakeful during that night it was as if they had been awake for the Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr).
Therefore it is recommended to make special celebrations and to light the lights on the minarets. All the lands of Islam are to rejoice and engage in festivities, for every Muslim should be glad to remember the birth of the Prince of Prophet's {s} with love and devotion. The blessed companions of the Prophet {S} made special celebrations and honors for the Prophet's {s} children. The learned scholars have thought it in order to make special arrangements for the descendants of the Prophet {S}, by holding banquets in their honor, for the benefit of the poor and indigent, for widows, orphans and students (which is commendable on any other day as well.) For instance, a banquet could be held, a sermon read, Quran recited, a Mawlid held and the assembly treated to sweets or sherbet. All this is considered very meritorious, and our Lord rewards all our good deeds.
(taken from Muhammad, Messenger of Allah by Hajjah Amina Adil)
