The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: “O people, indeed I am a gifted mercy.” This expression means that his essence, peace and blessings be upon him, is mercy; thus, he overflowed mercy in his legislation, morals, dealings, and all his conditions. Allah Almighty also informed of this in His saying: “And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds” (Quran 21:107). His essence was mercy, his message was mercy, his guidance was mercy, and his mercy was not limited to those who followed him but was mercy to all worlds. The term ‘worlds’ includes all realms, as indicated by the verse explained by the aforementioned hadith. Among his mercy, peace be upon him, is that Allah saved humanity from destruction and protected it from the general punishment that previous nations faced for disbelieving in their Lord and disobeying His messengers.

His mercy extended to the entire universe through the prohibitions in his law against corruption and unjust aggression on earth. If humanity had followed his law, people would have lived in peace and harmony, but people themselves wrong one another.

As Muslims, Allah has blessed us to be among his nation and followers of his law. We should rejoice in this great mercy that brought us out of the darkness of ignorance and idolatry into the light of Islam and worship of the Sovereign, the Requiter. We became the best nation brought forth for mankind, a moderate nation, witnesses over the nations, the least in deeds but the most rewarded, the majority of the people of Paradise, and the second to enter Paradise at the resurrection, among other virtues that we could only attain by the blessing of this chosen Prophet, peace be upon him, who is our share among the prophets and we are his share among the nations.

He is closer to us than ourselves, grieved by our suffering, more concerned for us than we are for ourselves, who did not burden us with asceticism in his legislation, and whose concern for us did not end in this world. In his Barzakh (intermediate state), our deeds are presented to him, and he rejoices in our good deeds and seeks forgiveness for our sins. On the Day of Resurrection, no one among God’s creation is more entitled to the greatest intercession for all creatures than him, peace be upon him. He does not stop there but intercedes for those among his nation who committed major sins so that Allah may save them from the fire by his intercession. He stands at his noble basin between Paradise and Hell to give his nation to drink.

All this and more makes the Islamic nation commemorate this mercy during the month of his birth by reviving their hearts with love for him, which is among the best of heart’s deeds to accompany him in Paradise.

Senior Mufti, Director of the Fatwa Department in Dubai