Chapter 9 The creation of mankind was an act of unadulterated love, an expression of divine generosity that knows no bounds. Since Allah is absolutely independent (al-Ghanī), this act was free from any possibility of remuneration, a gift given purely out of His infinite mercy. He perfected the gift of existence with guidance (hidāya), making… Read More Sīrat al-Ḥabīb ﷺ: The Flame of the Anṣār
Chapter 8 Eleven years had now transpired since the moment when Sayyiduna Jibrīl presented himself to the Prophet ﷺ in the cave of Hirā’. The Muslims emerged from a debilitating boycott, and the Prophet ﷺ lost his two protectors, Abū Ṭālib and Khadījah (Allah be pleased with her). On top of that, he returned rejected… Read More Sīrat al-Ḥabīb ﷺ: The Journey to the Divine Presence
Chapter 7 Unlike the trials of the Muslims that Baraka (Allah be pleased with her) also endured, watching the heartbreak of the Prophet ﷺ when he lost both his beloved wife Khadījah (Allah be pleased with her) and Abū Ṭālib uniquely wrenched her soul. She saw in his eyes the same orphan who years ago… Read More Sīrat al-Ḥabīb ﷺ: From Lows to Highs
Chapter Six Baraka’s eyes smiled as if to exclaim, “I knew it!” Her foster son, whom she so adored, now a man of forty years, informed her that he was a Prophet of Allah. Of course, she accepted it immediately and wholeheartedly, for she had witnessed his perfect character and extraordinary events for years. She… Read More Sīrat al-Ḥabīb ﷺ: Darkness & Light
Chapter 5 A sound like a bell’s ringing reverberated through the heavens, shaking them to their core. The inhabitants therein recognized it as they fell unconscious. It—the sound of revelation—had finally arrived. They awoke to their hearts trembling, finding the Messenger among the angels, Sayyiduna Jibrīl, standing before them. They inquired, “What did our Lord… Read More Sīrat al-Ḥabīb ﷺ: Lighting the Chasm
Chapter 4 Written by Mateen A. Khan, NJ A version of this article was first published in Al-Madania Magazine. The trek from the cave of Ḥirā’ atop Mount al-Nūr snaked down the mountainside, through the valleys, and into Makkah. Our beloved Muhammad ﷺ began to frequent the cave and stay longer each time. There, he… Read More Sīrat al-Ḥabīb ﷺ: The Patience of al-Nūr
Chapter 3 Written by Mateen A. Khan, NJ A version of this article was first published in Al-Madania Magazine. A stoic structure, the Ka`bah has been a silent witness to many important events. For this, it has my envy. It has stood as the base of a pillar that stretches far into the heavens; a… Read More Sīrat al-Ḥabīb ﷺ: In the Shade of the Ka`bah
Chapter 2 written by Mateen A. Khan, Piscataway, NJ A version of this article was first published in Al-Madania Magazine. Barakah found herself dripping tears as she hovered over a hunched and broken child. The sky and the universe above it weighed down upon them, the world constrained and suffocating. The area in which she… Read More Sīrat al-Ḥabīb ﷺ: The Formative Years
Enter the Sunnah 