The Newborn Whose Prostration Will Open the Gates of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection

God Almighty graciously bestowed upon humanity His loftiest and most sacred creature: the one distinguished among all created beings, superior to all prophets, and, in a word, the noblest of the noble prophets. Undoubtedly, the Prophet’s existence in this earthly realm is the divine mercy of the Truth, exalted is He, within this lower world.

Undoubtedly, had Muhammad al-Mustafa, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, not been, no human being could have found an interpretation of “al-Rahman” and “al-Rahim.” Indeed, he is the creational exegesis of “My mercy encompasses all things” ("رحمته وسعت فی کل شیء"); for he is the manifestation of divine mercy and the teacher of humanity’s monotheism.

The Prophet is the one from whom the prophets learned monotheism in the realm of spirits; the chosen ones learned monotheism from his legatee; and the angels, through the instruction of the Light, opened their lips in proclamation of God’s oneness and greatness. Yet, despite all his grandeur, majesty, and exalted station, he was “eager.” He was eager for the guidance of the misguided, eager to aid the helpless and the poor, and eager to illuminate the darkness of this lower world with divine light; for his Creator is the Light of the heavens and the earth, and his pure and infallible Household are like the divine light.

Yes, the misguidance, deviation, and darkness of created beings weighed heavily upon him. This is why he became “concerned for you” ("حریص علیکم") and “toward the believers, kind and merciful” ("بالمومنین رئوف رحیم"). What can be said in praise of one whom God has extolled in His Book of guidance and whose name He has raised high: “And We raised for you your renown” ("و رفعنا لک ذکرک").

He whose creation was from the light of God’s majesty, and whose luminous existence entered the realm of being through the speech of God Almighty. His light was transmitted, from the loins of Adam, generation after generation among the monotheists and the friends of God; and now, in his human form, he was about to enter the realm of existence. Such a figure—the teacher of monotheism for all people—entered the world with particular ceremonies.

At dawn on the seventeenth of Rabiʿ al-Awwal, the prayer hall of Aminah’s house shone with a remarkable radiance, blessed by the presence of the Perfect Human. The birth of the Noble Prophet (PBUH) coincided with the occurrence of momentous events, so that the silent world of humanity and heedless consciences might awaken to the significance of such an event. On that star-filled night, fourteen battlements of Anushirvan’s palace collapsed, the thousand-year-old fire temple of Persia fell silent, and, in its aftermath, Lake Saveh began to dry up.

Indeed, with the advent of the Prophet, the arches of arrogance and pride must disappear, and all must bow in humble prostration before God Most High. The fires of superstition-worship and pre-Islamic antiquarianism must be extinguished, for a light has come from the Lord; before light, fire has no standing. The foul lakes of jahili thought must dry up, and in their place the noble virtues must take root in human hearts—an affair that will be realized through the uprising of the last remaining member of his pure progeny, the Mahdi, peace be upon him.

Yes, he entered this world, not in a luminous mode of creation but in human garb; yet he came free from human forgetfulness. He entered this world in the outward form of a human being, yet purified from sins. When you look at him, you see nothing in his appearance but humanity, for he too «یمشی فی الاسواق»; yet God willed that he, his daughter, his son-in-law, and his two grandsons be pure and cleansed of every stain, impurity, and defilement of this world, for «انما یرید الله لیذهب عنکم الرجس اهل البیت و یطهرکم تطهیرا».

The loftiness of his rank and the exaltedness of his station must not create the illusion that he is «رب». Rather, speaking through the words of his Lord, he says to those who seek guidance: «قل انما انا بشر مثلکم ...»; say: “Indeed, I am only a human being like you.” But is the Prophet truly a human being like “us”—“us” who are afflicted by egocentrism? How can a person be an excellent exemplar—«فی رسول الله اسوه حسنه»—and be afflicted by self-centeredness? Is he too subject to his carnal desires? Can someone be a model while resembling those who for years humbled themselves and showed reverence before idols?

Indeed, neither reason accepts this nor conscience admits it; nor does God accept it. Rather, He says: «انما انا بشر مثلکم یوحی الی ...». I am a human being like you, but there is one difference: «یوحی الی»; revelation comes to me.

Thus, the noble verse answers all such questions: he is not like you in all things. He is a prophet who stands at a lofty station of knowledge and mystical awareness of God Most High, a prophet whom his Lord has made the bearer of revelation. May the pens be broken that, through an incomplete reading of the Qur’anic verses, portray the Prophet as a man captive to sin and passions.

God Most High has offered the highest praise of His Prophet and addresses His beloved, saying: «و ما ودعک ربک و ما قلی»; “Your Lord has never forsaken you, nor has He ever been angered with you.” Therefore, God emphasizes that all the Prophet’s words and deeds are pure truth and do not arise from anger or mere human impulse.

Indeed, the Prophet is the very person for whose prostration the gates of Paradise will be opened on the Day of Resurrection; his designated successor will divide Paradise and Hell; and Fatimah, his daughter, will intercede to lead her father’s Shi‘a and the lovers of his successor toward Paradise.