On the 12^th of Rabiul Awal of the Islamic calendar 1450 years ago, Muhammad SAW, the Prophet chosen to lead mankind to the straight path, was born.  

The Prophet’s birthday is celebrated every year by Muslims all over the world including Malaysia as a way of acknowledging his contributions and sacrifices.

Besides being held to recognize his contributions, the celebration of the Prophet’s birthday, or Maulid Nabi in Arabic, should serve as a platform for taking a few lessons from his long fight to spread Islam across the globe.

This is in conformity with Allah SWT’s statement in the Quran, which says that Prophet Muhammad was sent to fulfill no other purposes than spreading blessing to every corner of the Earth (al-Quran, 21: 107).

In Malaysia, Maulid Nabi is usually celebrated in a joyful manner every year, with various activities planned and organized by the government, private sector, and other agencies.  

However, unlike the previous years, the celebration this year was different, as the country is currently plagued with all sorts of issues.

We celebrated the Prophet’s birthday this year while the country is confronted with the Covid-19 pandemic.

The current pandemic is testing us to the limit, pushing our backs against the wall, making lives hard when the economy and the people’s income are affected.

Many have lost their jobs, and are contemplating the future with heightened anxiety, especially when thinking about how to feed the children at home.

On top of issues on public health and economy, we celebrated Maulidur Rasul this year during the time when national unity is in a discouraging state.  

National unity is important as it forms the foundation of a nation. If the people remain disunited, a nation will not go far.

Over and above celebrating the Prophet’s birthday each year, it is equally important that we take a few lessons from his leadership to help us overcome the great issues the country is facing now.

These issues include managing the pandemic, handling the economic crisis, and solving national disunity.

Flattening the Covid-19 Infection Curve

As the effort to flatten the curve of the ever-increasing Covid-19 infections is underway, guides from the Prophet need to be given serious attention.  

More than 1400 years ago, the Prophet already taught us the best Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for preventing infectious diseases similar to the present-day Covid-19.

The Prophet reminded us to practice physical distancing, as mentioned in a Hadith that says those disease-stricken should never be in the company of those healthy (Bukhari and Muslim).

The Prophet was once visited by a group of people from Bani Thaqif, whereby one of the members was suffering from an infectious disease.  

The Prophet refrained from making any physical contacts (handshakes) with the group; instead, he only remarked that he had accepted their oaths and thus they could return (Bukhari and Muslim).

The Prophet also reminded us to prevent the spreading of infectious diseases by not entering or exiting the infected areas.

The Prophet stated that if there is an epidemic at a place, we must never visit it, and if there is an epidemic in our locality, we must not leave it (Bukhari and Muslim)

The celebration of Maulid this time around should motivate us to fully comply with the government SOP. They are in full conformity with the teachings of the Prophet.

Whether the physical distancing order, wearing face mask order, quarantine order, or movement control order, each is in line with the advice from the beloved Prophet.

If we really love the Prophet, then assist the government in flattening the infection curve by complying with government SOP.

Such compliance does not only indicate our observance of government directives, but it indicates something bigger—our profound love towards the Prophet.

Helping One Another in Times of Hardship

When pandemic strikes, affected most are the people at large. Many are out of jobs, lose their income, as well as face a bleak future.

Small business operators begin to face cash flow problem and find it extremely difficult to stay in business.

Those working in the transport, tourism, construction, and similar sectors begin to find less money in their pockets as a source of income is lost.

These are the groups of people the crisis affects the most. Even more disheartening is to see their children at home, too young to understand the plight, waiting to be fed as usual.   

As we go through this stressful and challenging phase, it is important for us to care for one another within our community, so that we can face the situation collectively—we take care of each other.

Individuals less affected, such as those working in the government and some sectors, should visit their neighbors, relatives, and friends.  

If any of them is being hit hard by the pandemic, help as much as possible, so that there is at least food on their table and the children can eat.

The “We Take Care of Each Other” concept was already taught by the Prophet long ago. The Prophet loved to give food to those in need.

It was narrated in a Hadith that when a close companion of the Prophet asked him about the best deed in Islam, the Prophet said giving food to people and greeting them (Bukhari and Muslim).

This was also mentioned in Hadiths narrated by Ibnu Saad, al-Hakim, at-Thabrani, at-Tirmidzi, Ibnu Majah and others.

The concept of giving food to people and greeting them, as taught by the Prophet, represents the highest manifestation of showing care for others, and this concept can be practiced to instill a caring value within the society, especially towards those people in need.  

In the spirit of Maulid celebration this year, everyone from every level of the society should learn some lessons from the Prophet and increase their level of caringness and help one another, especially during these tough and trying times.

If we really love the Prophet, as we repeatedly utter during each Maulid celebration, then it is only fair to assume there are no hungry neighbors, no children going to school without money in their pockets, no friends crying in the middle of the nights overwhelmed by the never-ending anxiety.

Time to Unite

On top of the disease and economic problems, Malaysia is also faced with the issue of fragile national unity, and like a time bomb it is just waiting to explode.

Disunity among the people has worsened since the 2018 General Election. The cause of this discord is linked to the political differences existing in various social segments.

To fight the Covid-19 pandemic, there is no other choice, but the people must unite unconditionally, as only through unity will we be strong and triumphant.

All parties must heed the order given by His Majesty The King several days ago to unite and focus on fighting the Covid-19 and handling the economic crisis.

In this times of hardships, all parties need to put aside personal and group interests and put the interests of the people and the nation as the highest priority.

It was the unity established by the Prophet that served as the key to the success of Madinah, to the point of becoming well-recognized all over the world.

Madinah, originally known as Yathrib, could not be developed earlier because the people were divided, with the Aus and Khazraj tribes treating each other as nemesis.   

Upon his arrival in Madinah, the Prophet first established a brotherhood between the two tribes.

The Prophet, being Allah’s messenger, understood that as long as the people were divided, Madinah could not be developed successfully.

In addition to uniting the two tribes, the Prophet continued his effort in creating unity by establishing a brotherhood between the people of Muhajirin and Ansar.

When the unity initiated by the Prophet was firmly in place, Madinah finally prospered and became a social and trade centre most renowned in the world.

If Malaysia wishes to go further and achieve the status of a developed nation in its own mould, it has no choice but to ask its people to unite.

Differences must be handled maturely and peacefully. Unity can still be achieved among varieties. In fact, the varieties become the trademark by which Malaysia is known to the world.  

The celebration of Maulid this year should serve as an impetus for us to strengthen our unity as advised by the Prophet, so that together we can face the Covid-19 pandemic and the stagnant economy.

Translated by:
Corporate Communication Centre
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu

Original version in Malay by:
Assoc. Prof. Dr Mohd Yusri Ibrahim
Centre for Fundamental and Continuation Education
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.
Tel: 019-9313062