The Message of Islam — Page 45
Conclusion 45 In obedience to this Divine command, all through the centuries, Muslims have constantly prayed for, and invoked Allah’s bless- ings upon, the Prophet saw. There are, today, more than 800 mil- lion Muslims in different parts of the world, and the number is daily increasing. An average Muslim invokes God’s blessings on the Prophet saw at least forty times during the course of each day, and many of them do it much oftener. Every time the Prophet saw is referred to in conversation by name or by his Prophetic office, Allah’s blessings are invoked upon him and Allah’s peace is called down upon him. Thus every moment of the night and day, mil- lions of hearts supplicate the Almighty for His blessings on His Prophet saw. One who devoted his life so utterly to the service of God and His creatures, as did the Prophet saw, is deserving of the deepest gratitude on the part of the whole of mankind. By constantly invoking the blessings of God upon him, those who do so seek to repay a fraction of the great debt that humanity owes him. His greatest follower and most devoted servant in modern times, the Promised Messiah, has summed up the proof of the truth of the Holy Prophet saw, and the perfection of the faith that he taught in two Persian verses which may be rendered as follows: Unlettered, yet matchless in respect of his inner learning and wis- dom. What brighter proof can there be of his truth? My eye has roamed far afield and has not observed any spring purer than the faith that he inculcated. Our last word is: ُدْمَحْلَا ِهّٰلِل ِّبَر َنْيِمَلٰعْلا All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds.