Al-Mawlid and the Messages of Glad Tidings and Victory

The anniversary of the birth of the Master of Creation, peace be upon him, shines upon us, laden with messages of glad tidings and victory. These messages fill the believer's heart with certainty, trust, good hope in Allah that victory is near, that ease will follow hardship, and that the generous Giver, the Almighty, is near to the doers of good.

What is the connection between the birth of our Prophet, peace be upon him, in the Year of the Elephant, and the message of glad tidings? What is the relation of that historical event to hope? What is the significance of that date as we witness the aggression of the aggressor, the occupation of the occupier against our people in Gaza, Jerusalem, and the West Bank, and as we see their attempts to Judaize the Al-Aqsa Mosque? What is the significance of the promising Mawlid amidst these events?

How does the day of the Mawlid carry that meaning that every believer experiences when reciting Allah's Words (What means): "Verily, with hardship comes ease. Verily, with hardship comes ease." [Ash-Sharh, 5/6]? How do we live with the birth of our Prophet, illuminated by Allah's Words (What means): "And remind them of the days of Allah" [Ibrahim/5] - the days of His victory for His friends, the days of His defeat of His enemies, the days of relief for the patient, the days of reward for those who persevere in this religion?

The Prophet, peace be upon him, was born on the twelfth of Rabi' Al-Awwal in the Year of the Elephant - the year of the attack on the Kaaba, the year of oppression, the year of tyranny, the year of aggression. Yet, it turned into the year of birth, the shining of light, and the beginning of glad tidings that would be followed by victory and reward.

It all began in the Year of the Elephant, the year when Abraha moved with his massive armies and their unprecedented weapons, aiming for the Holy Kaaba, the last symbol that reminded the Arabs, from generation to generation, of the rituals they had received from the Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him. This was the final landmark reminding them of monotheism and its rituals. Abraha wanted to defile, erase, and destroy it, so that people would gather around him and under his banner, and so that their attachment to the Kaaba and the remaining vestiges of the religion of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, would be severed.

Thus, the beginnings were designed to determine the endings, to make that year the year of the destruction of the Kaaba, the erasure of landmarks, and the destruction of the last reminder of monotheism. Let us now draw a comparison to see the situation of the occupying aggressor today, who uses his weapons and tyranny to kill and destroy, believing that he will expel the people from their land, deprive them of their rights, erase their identity, Judaize their holy sites, and triumph over their beliefs. This is a comparison between the two armies, between the two beginnings, and between the two delusions.

Abraha thought he could conquer the Holy Kaaba, that he could end the last symbol of monotheism. Abraha had a massive army and unprecedented weapons, and the occupier today has deadly weapons with which he attacks our people, believing that through his aggression he can deprive them of their rights, erase their identity, and remove their belief from their hearts. This comparison, this similarity in beginnings, will have the same endings and conclusions, by the permission of Allah The Exalted, Who Said (What mean): "And indeed, Our word had already gone forth to Our messengers: Indeed, they will be supported. And indeed, Our soldiers - it is They who will overcome." [As-Saffat, 171-173].

Let us return to Abraha to see the glad tidings, the results, and the outcome. Historical sources tell us about the attempts of some Arab tribes to confront Abraha, and the same sources tell us that some Arabs guided Abraha to the best way to reach the Holy Kaaba, out of treachery to gain some favor from Abraha, like Abu Rgghal who became a byword for treachery!

As for the Quraysh tribe, they decided to defend the House in the way they could, through what is known today as "guerrilla warfare." They would go to the mountains, attack Abraha's army, and then return to the mountains. The leader of Mecca, Abd Al-Muttalib, the grandfather of the Prophet, peace be upon him, stood in front of Abraha, warning and reminding him, saying: "The House has a Lord who protects it." Then he turned to Allah and said: "O Lord, the servant protects his camel, so protect Your camel."

Then came the divine aid that is deeply rooted in our hearts: that Allah is The Protector of His religion and the Perfecter of His Light. So Allah Sent the birds of the abyss: "Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant? Did He not make their plot go astray? And He sent against them birds in flocks, which pelted them with stones of Sijjil, and made them like straw eaten up." [Al-Fil, 1-5].   

 

Abraha was defeated and the divine aid did not stop there; rather, the command was given to send the Master of Creation, peace be upon him, into the world - the raiser of the banner of monotheism, the continuation of the mission of Ibrahim, who would fill the earth with justice and light. In the same year - the Year of the Elephant - which was planned to be the year of the destruction of the Kaaba, it became the year of preserving the Kaaba and the birth of our Prophet, peace be upon him!

This teaches us that Allah's way in the universe is that dawn comes after the darkest night, and that no matter how long the oppression lasts, the light of truth will shine, He Says (What means): "Verily, with hardship comes ease. Verily, with hardship comes ease." It also teaches us that the victory and relief of Allah for our people in Palestine is inevitable.

The armies that came with their massive and fortified weapons, symbolizing their victory, turned out to be a symbol of their defeat! They became like the remains of eaten straw, with no weight or value.

This verse, this message, and this meaning, we remember on the birth of our Prophet, peace be upon him, because the day of the Mawlid carries glad tidings for the group who has been given the glad tidings, just as our Prophet was born in the year when Abraha thought he could conquer the House of Allah! So Abraha was defeated, and the Master of Creation was born, peace be upon him!

Thus, the Mawlid gives us the glad tidings that victory is near. It gives glad tidings to our people in Palestine, the people who have been promised by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, whereas, he said: "There will always be a group from my nation who will be openly on the truth, victorious over their enemies." We have seen them openly on the truth, and we will see them victorious over their enemies, and we will see them praying in liberation in Al-Aqsa, by Allah's permission.

This is the anniversary of the Mawlid, and this is one of its messages. This is a renewal of the covenant on the day of the birth of our Prophet, peace be upon him.