Lessons in faith, perseverance and sacrifice

This Week’s Winner

Roseniya G. Tamano, 23, started writing when she was in high school. “I used to write romantic stories inspired by the Japanese anime Samurai X. Reading Filipino novels was also one of the things that influenced me to write.” She has a degree in Secondary Education majoring in English from the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA.

Reading is a process in which readers construct meaning from text (Gunning, 2003). Given this definition of reading, the main purpose, therefore, of reading is comprehension and without it there is no reading.

People read for different reasons. As for me, I read to purchase more knowledge, to be entertained and to augment my English proficiency. As a reader, I’m very punctilious in choosing what book to read. I don’t read merely for the sake of reading alone, but it’s very important that I benefit from what I’m reading.

Hence, I dig books that tickle my mind, stir my interest and trigger my curiosity. I usually read Islamic books, which stems from my life as a Muslim woman. I want to be knowledgeable about the faith that I believe in, as what Prophet Muhammad said: “Search knowledge from cradle to grave.”

 One very special person in my life gave me this very exceptional book; in one way or another it is really not known among my Christian fellows. The book was authored by Safi-ur-Rahman, entitled The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet. The book was awarded first prize by The Muslim World League in a worldwide competition for the Biography of the Prophet Muhammad held at Makkah Al-Mukarramah in 1979. The book explores the life of the prophet from every angle and every aspect, from his birth to his death.

This book brought changes to my life. It touched my heart, mind and soul. It is the only book that I’ve shed tears while reading.

One of the six articles of faith in Islam is to believe in all the prophets, including Moses, David, Abraham, Joseph and Jesus son of Mary. Yes, Muslims believe in Jesus — not as a God but as one of the great prophets of God (Allah).

However, Islam elevated Prophet Muhammad as the greatest prophet ever sent to mankind because his teachings don’t conform only to a particular tribe or group of people. Rather, he was sent to all of humankind of all generations.

The book deals with the second phase of the prophet’s life: his life in Makkah, which describes the revelation of the holy Qur’an, his prophethood, Prophet Muhammad as a son, a husband and a father. In Madinah, it illustrates his admirable approach in dealing with war, clashes among tribes (he was able to bring peace among the quarrelling tribes), politics, and liberation of women, economy, poverty and spiritual meditation.

Orphan children are in no way different from the life of Prophet Muhammad. His father died before he was born and when he was six his mother died, too. His grandfather adopted him but when the prophet was 12 his grandfather passed away, too.

The charge of the boy was passed on to his uncle Abu Talib. Prophet Muhammad had six children with his first wife Khadijah; he had two sons who died when they were babies and four daughters who survived. His wife died in the first few years of his life as a prophet, and during those fruitful years he had with her, he never married any woman. This only shows that in Islam, having one wife is still much preferable. It was only after the death of Khadijah that the prophet married again and he did it not to satisfy his sexuality but out of charity for the widow women whose husbands died during the war.

Three portions of the book make me whimper. The first is when the unbelievers of Islam (they are the Quraish, the most powerful tribes in Arabia at the time, who follow superstitious practices of idolatry) threaten Abu Talib (the uncle of Prophet) that they will kill the prophet if he does not cease spreading the message of Islam because it goes against their beliefs. Abu Talib wants to protect his niece as best as he can, so he tries to persuade him to stop his activities.

I was astounded by the prophet’s response to his uncle. He said: “O my uncle! By Allah if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left on condition that I abandon this course, I would not abandon it until Allah has made me victorious or I perish therein.” I found myself weeping as if I could feel the burden of the prophet. He respected his uncle so much but stood firm for what he believed in. He was chosen as a prophet and he lived by it. He believed that victory would prevail in the end as Allah was with him.

The second part from the book is when one of the Muslim believers is sent before the Christian King of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) to tell him what Islam is all about and what the Muslims believe. The Muslim then recites one of the chapters in the Holy Qur’an, entitled “Maryam.” The chapter describes the life and the miraculous birth of Prophet Jesus, how Allah bestowed powers on him to cure the blind, give life to the dead and other miracles that Prophet Jesus has performed. He further elaborates that Christians and Muslims have the same teachings and beliefs. After the King hears the beautiful recital of the verse, which he has never heard before in his entire life, he cries. When Prophet Muhammad invites him to enter the fold of Islam, the king embraces Islam.

The last part that made me shed tears is the death of the prophet. In the midst of his illness the prophet has a conversation with his dear friend Abu Bakr. The prophet tells him that Allah has asked his servant to choose either to extend his life for more years in this world or to be with Him. The servant chooses the latter. Abu Bakr suddenly weeps for he knows very well that the prophet is referring to himself.

Prophet Muhammad died at the age of 63, when Islam had already spread all over Arabia, Egypt, Iraq and Iran. His death was marked with a year of lamentation in the whole Arabia and in the history of Islam. The man who made a difference to all the people of the desert. I found myself crying as if I were there — more than 1,400 years ago.

Prophet Muhammad’s astonishing character and approach in dealing with all the challenges have inspired and influenced me a lot. His attitude of being a silent person won the respect and trust of his people even before he became a prophet. He never spoke against other people, he didn’t hold grudges or seek revenge on anyone who made his life miserable. Instead he forgave them all.

Truly, Allah made him a perfect human being to set an example for the rest of mankind.

One of the lessons I learned in Islam is to be very thankful to Allah. In the book, Prophet Muhammad prays the whole day and night, kneeling, bowing and submitting himself before Allah. As for me, I thank him for all the blessings and problems that come into my life. I believe that God won’t give us tribulations in life for no reason or for no purpose. In my entire life I have never questioned Allah — not when I’m suffering, not when I’m happy.

The message of the book is to persevere and keep our faith and patience despite all the sufferings and burdens, for in the end, justice, victory and peace will triumph.

I would like to share this one Arabic word: “Sabr.” It is one of the best virtues in Islam. It’s about accepting the reality, immeasurable patience and endurance, embracing the pain and the suffering, vanishing the bitterness and hatred, forgiving and leaving the rest to Allah.