Dr. Huseyin BUYUKOZER
Tonight is the night of our Mawlid an-Nabi. I congratulate this night and pray that it will be a blessing for the entire Islamic Ummah.
Let us ask our Lord, for the sake of His countenance, to pardon us, and to make us a nation worthy of Him.
As clearly stated in the verses, “We have sent you ˹O Prophet˺ only as a mercy for the whole world.” (Surah Al-Anbya – 107) and “We have sent you ˹O Prophet˺ only as a deliverer of good news and a warner to all of humanity.” (Surah Saba – 28), the entire world awaited the prophet of mercy. Everyone longed for the arrival of our Prophet, described in the Torah sent to Moses (peace be upon him) as a bringer of good tidings, a warner, not a hard-hearted person, not a shouter in the streets, a kind person who met with evil done to him, and a forgiving person. As the Quran puts it, Jesus (peace be upon him) described his arrival as follows: “And ˹remember˺ when Jesus, son of Mary, said, “O children of Israel! I am truly Allah’s messenger to you, confirming the Torah which came before me, and giving good news of a messenger after me whose name will be Aḥmad.” ((Surah As-Saf – 6)
Allah Almighty took a covenant from all the prophets on behalf of their communities that they would confirm his prophethood and help him. Indeed, this is explained in the Quran as follows: “˹Remember˺ when Allah made a covenant with the prophets, ˹saying,˺ “Now that I have given you the Book and wisdom, if there comes to you a messenger1 confirming what you have, you must believe in him and support him.” He added, “Do you affirm this covenant and accept this commitment?” They said, “Yes, we do.” Allah said, “Then bear witness, and I too am a Witness.” (Surah Ali ‘Imran – 81).
All the holy books that preceded the Quran mentioned the Prophet’s future and his attributes. However, Christian and Jewish clerics concealed and distorted this truth. “Those We have given the Scripture recognize this ˹Prophet˺ as they recognize their own children. Yet a group of them hides the truth knowingly.” (Surah Al-Baqarah – 146) emphasizes this truth.
For years, Muslims have been celebrating the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the final messenger of mercy and guide sent by Allah to humanity, as well as his exemplary character, as Mawlid an-Nabi.
Look at this situation. At a time when we are celebrating the anniversary of the night of the birth of our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), a night longed for by the universe, and whom Allah (swt) has declared to have sent as a harbinger of good tidings and a warning to the worlds, there are those who dishonorably insult us. As the poet said, “The gutters are double. Noor(light) flows from one, dirt from the other.”
“How much we need that warm climate you have bestowed upon humanity today, O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).”
We pray to Almighty Allah that our Mawlid an-Nabi night brings blessings to the entire Islamic Ummah.
