Happy Birthday, My Beloved

Most Honorable and Noble Emissary of God,

May the Lord's Peace, Mercy, and Blessings be upon you for all of eternity. Most Noble Messenger, yesterday we marked the anniversary of your birth. I do not remember learning about you commemorating the anniversary of your birth during your lifetime, but I can't help but stop and commemorate this day. This day was a most blessed day for me. It was on this day that the Lord God blessed the earth with your presence. If it were not for you, I would not have followed the Way of Abraham, your father, and I would have been lost forever. I am grateful to God for you, for through you I follow the path of your Holy Brothers who tread the earth before you.

Most Noble Messenger, I know that before you died, you were given a choice: to stay on earth with the Muslims and then on to Paradise, or to go to the highest levels of Paradise directly. You chose the latter, and I completely understand that decision. Yet how I wish you had chosen the former. Most Holy Prophet, we need you more than ever now. Our community is in disarray, in disrepair. The most beautiful message which you vouchsafed to us is constantly being threatened from without. The legacy of peace and justice which you left for us is liable to be lost forever.

So many of our brothers and sisters live under tyranny today. It is either the tyranny of foreign military occupation, or the tyranny of military dictatorship, or the tyranny of religious dictatorship which claims to follow in your holy footsteps. The majority of the refugees in our world today, Most Noble Emissary, declare the belief in the One God and follow you as the Messenger of God. Almost daily, Muslims are attacked and killed for no other reason except that they declare, "Our Lord is God." So many scheme and plot and plan against our faith and our people. Your words have come true to the letter: "There shall come a time when nations shall attack the Muslims as people eat at a plate of food." I believe that time is now, Holy Prophet, and it is very depressing indeed.

Yet, our problems do not lie solely from without. If anything, Noble Messenger, the threat to our Nation is more grave from within. Beloved Messenger, you taught us to always be upright, fair, and just. You taught us never to accept injustice, and to always be on the side of what is right. You showed us how this is done in the most excellent way possible, and your life story continues to inspire me each and every time I study it. Yet, so many of our people have forgotten your legacy of love and justice. Our nation, Holy Messenger, used to be a beacon of light for the world. Everyone around the world used to flock to our shores and be warmed by the soothing light of Islam. Those days, my Beloved, have withered away, and the light that used to be Islam is barely even a flicker today.

There are people among us, Messenger of God, who attack innocent human beings and claim to do so in your name. They maim and murder in the name of Islam. They twist the words of God, and the words you uttered, to show that what they do is justified by the faith you struggled so hard to convey. Many people around the world, rightfully horrified by the inhumane acts of brutality committed by these people, begin to see Islam as synonymous with terror and violence. They can't separate between the peaceful majority - who follow in your Holy Footsteps - and the tiny maniacal fringe who defile you and your faith with their brutality.

In addition, those who truly hate Islam for what it is seize upon this sad reality to show Islam in a horrible light. They never miss an opportunity to "prove" that Islam is a vicious and violent "warrior cult" and not the Way of Abraham. Some of them, Noble Messenger, even claim that you called us to worship the "moon god" Allah as the supreme idol. It's laughable, I know, but there are those who would believe this and consequently look upon all Muslims as wicked and evil.

Moreover, my Beloved Prophet, many in our nation have forgotten the spirit of tolerance and and forgiveness you created during your ministry. Time and again, the Companions (may God be pleased with them), had vehement disagreements with each other, yet they still maintained strong bonds of brotherhood. Even when your Companions fought each other in battle, Imam Ali (may God be pleased with him) still called those who took up arms against him "his brothers." This, I am afraid, has faded away among a great deal of us today.

If someone expresses a view contrary to the accepted norm, they are frequently subjected to character assassination. Sometimes, in fact, they are even labeled an "apostate," and attacked vehemently. More and more, unfortunately, it seems that Muslims cannot disagree without being disagreeable; sometimes they are violently disagreeable. I remember when you scolded Usama ibn Zayd for killing a pagan despite having said the shahadah. Even though this pagan, only seconds before, was attacking you and our faith, you still did not accept Usama's action, and you repeated, "Where will you go from 'la ilaha illa Allah' on the Day of Resurrection?" Sadly, many Muslims don't understand the significance of that incident, and they are quick to attack and malign anyone who does not share their version of the "true Islam."

Our nation, Beloved Messenger, is in such disrepair. It's hard even to talk to you about it. Yet, it is the reality, and one of the many things I learned from you is that Muslims have deal head on with reality, and they cannot waste their time obsessing about various "conspiracies" against the Ummah. I mean, when the Meccans were marching on Medina before the Battle of the Trench, you did not fixate on the conspiracy against the Muslims. No. You got up and built the trench around the city to defend her people, and when you did that, God secured your victory. We Muslims have to work and work hard to fix the problems that plague our community, and when we do that, God will come to our aid, insha'Allah. Your example taught us that, and we thank the Lord God immensely for that.

Most Honorable and Noble Messenger, thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you for all the insults you took, the blows you sustained, the injuries you suffered, the pain, fear, heartache, difficulties, and hardships you endured. And all for us. You endured all of that so that we can be Muslim. Thank you. Messenger of God, I love you so much. I miss you even more. I miss your gentle touch, your warm smile, your soothing presence, your beautiful face. Meeting you for the first time at your Mosque in Medina was a day that I will never forget, and I yearn to come back and see you again. Messenger of God, you are truly my beloved, and I pray that I am worthy of being called your follower. I pray that I get to drink out of your noble hands on the Day of Resurrection, and that I get to be with you in the Highest of Paradises. O Lord God, please answer me this prayer in Your Most Holy Name. Amen.

Hesham A. Hassaballa is a Pulmonary and Critical Care physician currently practicing in the greater Chicago area. He has written extensively on a freelance basis, and his commentaries have been published in BeliefNet, the Chicago Tribune as well as other media around the country and around the world. He is the co-author of the forthcoming book, The Beliefnet Guide to Islam, to be pubished by Doubleday. In addition to writing, Dr. Hassaballa helped found the Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and is co-chair of the Media Relations Committee of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago. Make sure to visit Hesham;s blog at hassaballa.org.