The month of Rabi' al-Awwal is that blessed month in which the birth of the Mercy of the Worlds, peace and blessings be upon him, took place, and in the same month, his blessed passing away also occurred. Undoubtedly, this month carries both joy and sorrow.
This month gives us the message that the arrival of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in this world is a great gift and boundless mercy from Allah Almighty for his Ummah. He, peace and blessings be upon him, bestowed countless favors upon his Ummah, the rights of which cannot be fulfilled, nor can they be counted. Still, I am trying to write something with my imperfect pen. May Allah Almighty help. Amen.
Allah Almighty says in the Holy Quran:
مَن يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ الله (النساء: 80)
"Whoever obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah."
It is as if Allah Almighty sent Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, to give guidance to this Ummah and to call towards the path of truth. His purpose, peace and blessings be upon him, was to bring people out of the path of error and set them on the straight path.
The last prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who gave this message to his followers: "O my followers! I am the last prophet, no prophet will come after me," it is sad to say that great tribulations arose in the subcontinent. Someone claims to be a prophet and someone claims to be the Imam Mahdi.
In the last hundred years, many great tribulations have arisen, and before that also such tribulations arose, but their voices remained limited to limited circles. But today the situation is that thousands of people are found who believe in such false claims and it is spreading further. Many innocent people have been caught in their deceit and trickery.
Whether those tribulations are of Shakeel bin Hanif or of Qadianiyat, today thousands of people are drowned in these tribulations. Even if we show them the path of truth and present the hadiths of the last prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, they are not ready to accept it. The reason is clear that the minds of these innocent people are first taken into their possession through formation and destruction, and then it becomes very difficult for them to get out of this grip. May Allah protect us from such tribulations. Amen.
In this holy month, I humbly request all my friends to please protect your faith, protect the faith of your children and future generations. There is a constant danger of losing faith, and sometimes a person does not even know that faith has slipped out of his hands.
Therefore, it is necessary that we keep ourselves connected to religious schools, Khanqahs and religious gatherings, and always maintain a relationship with our scholars. Remember! Distance from scholars is actually distance from religion. These scholars have come as heirs of the prophets among you, so that they can convey the religion of Allah and His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, to you.
May Allah keep us all in His protection, Amen, O Lord.
قُلْ إِنَّنِي هَدَانِي رَبِّي إِلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ دِينًا قِيَمًا مِّلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا ۚ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ (161)
قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِي وَنُسُكِي وَمَحْيَايَ وَمَمَاتِي لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (162)
لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ ۖ وَبِذَٰلِكَ أُمِرْتُ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
الأنعَام (163)
✍🏻 From: Muhammad Rehan Zia-ul-Haq Afi Anhu
Servant of teaching, Madrasa Riyaz-ul-Jannah, Dhulia (Maharashtra)
And Khadim-ul-Quran, Majma Abdullah bin Masood Radi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu, for the circles of the Holy Quran remotely, in Madinah Al-Munawwarah.