Happy Birthday Beloved Prophet Muhammad, May You Be Showered in the Most Beautiful Peace

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim

Muzaffer Effendi, may he be showered in the never-ending blessings of the greatest divine pleasure and love, came to the West wearing the glorious crown of La ilahe ilallah Muhammad Rasulallah

Bringing us the truth of the One Source, the One Essence of Being radiating through the infinite different prisms of the Most Beautiful Names, manifesting as infinite beautiful forms, radiating and filling and overwhelming all creation with boundless love

Revealing its own Heart as Muhammad, sallallahu aleyhi wa sellim teslima, Muhammad the first light, Muhammad divine compassion and love, Muhammad the complete humanity, perfect humanity, Muhammad the caretaker of the ocean of love, dweller in the bridal chamber of love, saki of the wine of love, leader of the caravan of lovers, refuge of the lovers, the one who serves every creature most attentively, Al Shafi, the greatest intercessor before the Sultan of all the worlds, Al Amin, the trustworthy, the most reliable guide on the path of return into the heart.

We approach the beloved of Allah on this his lunar birthday on earth with La ilahe ilallah Muhammad Rasulallah, with salawats of praise and prayer, with hearts refined, hearts humbled, hearts exalted, hearts turning around and around in the Hand of the All Merciful.

There is no approach into the inner mystery of love called Muhammad with arrogance or rationality. Arrogance, or feeling too stiff to prostrate our minds into this mystery, will make us like the fly in the puddle of piss evoked by Rumi, the fly which imagines it is a great captain on the ocean that reaches to the end of the universe. That is the rational mind when it imagines it can comprehend and define the Truth, the Mystery of Being – too obscured to see that it is thru the most intimate love that the One expresses Itself… and thru radical nearness in which the human reality merges into divine reality, the human form into the divine form. In this tradition we say that the soul of Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the clear mirror for this astonishing mystery to be revealed. By gazing into that mirror, by loving the messenger and beloved of Allah, by honoring his noble reality, we come to see that truth in ourselves. Muhammad, peace be upon him, is our way to the truth. That is why he is called by Shakyh Nur, may Allah immerse him in great mercy and gnostic ecstasy, the “Distributor of the light of prophecy into all hearts”, for through him we come to see and be the truth. On this path, until we love the Prophet more than ourselves and our dearest beloveds, we have not attained the fullest reality and the most radiant love. Shaykh Nur has beautifully explained this apparent paradox in the chapter called “Love for the Prophet of Allah” in the Atom of the Sun of Knowledge. “Love for the Messenger is the way to awaken to the crown of creation, to the true humanity within all persons. To love Muhammad intensely – even above the mystic shaykhs who inherit the spiritual wealth and beauty of the Prophet – lifts one into perfection.” All of the great Messengers, men and women, sent by Allah to guide the souls safely back into the Source, are these mirrors of perfect reality and perfect love. Each one has brought a path to truth and each is entrusted with the caretaking of the precious human heart. This is the Quranic message – “The faithful ones make no distinction among the Messengers of divine love.” And in other passages the Quran warns against separating the Messengers into sects. However, in this mystic tradition we say, following the teaching of the blessed Messenger himself, that the light of Muhammad, may divine Love flood his boundless heart in endless peace, is the light of all the Messengers. His light is the first to appear from Pure Essence of Being. His light cries out La ilahe ilallah prior to creation, prior to the Throne and the Footstool and the Seven Heavens, prior to all angelic beings, subtle beings, human beings and all 18,000 wondrous universes. From his light, the Nur Muhammad, everything is continuously created. He who never spoke an untruth called himself “the master of humanity and subtle beings on the Day of Awakening.” That is why we address him as “Sayyid al Mursalin”, “master of those sent to guide” and “Sayyid al awwalin wal ahirin”, “master of those who come first and those who come last”, meaning that everything in creation is taking guidance and intercession from him. He is the owner of the Makam al Mahmoud, the ‘praiseworthy station” and the ‘station of universal and perfect praise’. He is the complete manifestation of the teachings of all the Messengers. He is the living Quran. In his light is gathered all the words of creation, all revelations, all expressions, all wisdoms, because all arise from his light and return to wholeness in his light. The light of Muhammad, Nur Muhammad, is the revealer of every reality, the explanation of every affair, the happiness of every creature. His light reveals and fulfills the divine reality of every being. In his light nothing is extinguished, no soul of any messenger or prophet or saint is displaced or veiled, no human or subtle being is discarded, no creature is left out. In the Nur Muhammad all beings are revealed as divine truth, and each has its eternal reality and station, each is necessary and beloved. Everything subsists in perfection and love in the all-merciful gaze of Allah which is the Nur Muhammad, perfect subsistence in Allah’s love.

We can only approach this great mystery thru love. Hearts humbled, hearts exalted in love, bodies and bones melted, minds bewildered, intoning La ilahe ilallah Muhammad Rasulallah continuously….these are the lovers of Love who will attain the fullness of love and complete divine Pleasure.

We stand together with Pir Nureddin Jerrahi, Mevalana Jelaluddin Rumi and all the Pirs, may Allah sanctify their secrets, with Shaykh Muzaffer Ashki al Aziz, Shaykh Nur al Anwar al Malik and with all the noble shaykhs, may Allah immerse them in divine mercy, and we invoke sweet blessings upon the blessed one in the inspired words of Nur:

“To be drawn into the Light of Allah and not be blinded,
O brothers and sisters, repeat with longing and with love:

Heartfelt and profound greetings to your sublime soul,
O incomparable Prophet and uniquely beloved one of Allah.
As-salatu wa salamu alayka ya Rasulallah
As-salatu wa salamu alayka ya Habiballah”

May the fragrance of Muhammad become our very breath

On the day of the Prophet’s birth it is customary to read the Mevlud, the traditional account of the main aspects of his life, which Shaykh Nur has wonderfully translated in the Atom from the Sun of Knowledge. It is also healing to offer salawats to the Prophet’s soul. You may choose these from the little salawat book. Let us offer a bouquet of love from our community, with each of us reciting 100 salawats and 1000 La ilahe ilallah Muhammad Rasulallah. When reciting this number of salawats one can offer the short salawat sherif, O Allah please send your blessings upon our master Muhammad, the noble family of Muhammad and his blessed companions, and embrace them in peace. Allahume salli ala seyyidina Muhammad wa ala alihi Muhammad wa sahbihi wa sellim

The entire lunar month is pregnant with his birth. In many countries and communities where he is honored and loved there are celebrations for the full 28 days.

Fariha Fatima