Poem: ‘The Light of Muhammad’

In the cultural memory of the Muslims, Rabi’ul Awwal 12 marks the birth anniversary of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa). As the messenger of God and embodiment of Qur’anic ethics, the Prophet of Islam spiritually-liberated humankind for all times from the clutches of devilish ideologies and pagan practices in the name of deities and divinity. His exemplary personal qualities of head and heart inspired generations of people to value faith above the world, and yet, earthly dominance did not elude them either. Despite a millennium of hostile propaganda by anti-Muslim elements, independent historians today openly admit and recognize that the Prophet of Islam stands tall amidst the rise and fall of nations in the shifting sands of time. If Hazrat Ibrahim (as) was once given a Divine-promise of an Ummah as numerous as the stars on the night-sky, at one level, its literal fulfilment is found in the dominance and global spread of Islam through the centuries. It is also instructive to note that by all accounts, Islam is the religion of the future as well. Indeed, the light of Muhammad continues to illumine the spiritual horizons of the world- with more and more people finding solace in the shade of the Prophetic Teachings, as time goes by.

Reproduced below is the translation of a Persian poem by the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (originally appeared in the Review of Religions of February 1991):

 

What a marvellous light

And radiance is to be found

In the life and person

Of Muhammad! Indeed this is a mine

Wonderfully rich in rubies

Of priceless worth.

 

Look wheresoever, I may,

In the two worlds

I can absolutely find no one

With the greatness and grandeur

Of this the greatest benefactor

Of the human race.

 

If you long to obtain

Deliverance from the lust

Of your mind, then come

To include yourself

Among his devotees.

 

And if at all you desire

That Allah should hold you

Worthy of praise,

From the bottom of your heart

Begin to sing his praises.

Of this if you long for proof,

Become you his admirer, and lover,

Then watch for the results,

For the life and person

Of Muhammad, in themselves,

Constitute conclusive and shining

Proof of His greatness.

Verily, my head and my life

I freely offer as a sacrifice

For the blessed dust

Underneath his feet;

And my devoted heart,

Every moment, is offering

Itself at the altar.

Indeed it is easy for me

To tear myself away

Completely from this world,

And all its attractions,

By losing myself in contemplation

Over the charm and excellence

Of the life and personality

Of Muhammad. In this blessed path,

Every particle of my being

I offer freely as a sacrifice,

For myself I have seen

The surpassing beauty

Lies hidden in Muhammad.

No other teacher

Do I recognise, for I

Have been disciplined,

And cultured, in the school

Of this greatest Teacher

For all times.

 

With any other sweetheart

I have no concern, since my heart

Has been completely won

By the beauty and dignity

Of the personality of Muhammad.

 

O you ignorant person,

Blinded by a feeling of enmity

Towards him, stumbling

And lost in the way – take care

How you conduct yourself

In the field of his hostility:

For indeed, you have the biting edge

Of the deep-cutting sword

Of Muhammad hanging

Over your head!

And O you who denies

The grandeur of Muhammad;

Who denies, too, the light

Manifest of the Faith

Of Muhammad – beware,

For even though

Miracles are not known

In this age, you may,

Indeed, witness them

At the hands of the servants

And slaves of Muhammad!