ALMISKEENAH

 

 

O Majestic Moon.

O Majestic Moon, bursting with a glowing fullness, serenely sailing effortlessly above this City of Light.

Exalted is He who put constellations in the Heavens, a radiant light, and an illuminating moon. (25:61)

For how many eons have you glided over this sacred place. Knowing from the beginning of your creation, as written on the ‘Arshi Llahi, that Muhammad SallAllahu alaihi wasallam was destined to bless this landscape. How more luminous you must have become upon his arrival, submitting to the Will of your Creator to be split in two for the Best of Creation SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.

The hour drew nigh and the moon did rend asunder. (55:1)

O Obedient Moon, you heard Allah’s Apostle SallAllahu alaihi wasallam say, "Witness this miracle." And how his uncle Abu Talib tried to dissuade the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam so as to keep the peace between him and the idolaters. In words soft and gentle he begged the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam to abandon his affair. Dear Moon, you heard the reply "O my uncle, if they placed the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand to cause me to renounce my task, verily I would not desist there from until Allah made manifest His cause or I perished in the attempt." The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, overcome by the thought that his uncle and protector was willing to desert him, turned to depart. But Abu Talib called him loudly to come back, and he came. "Say whatever you please; for by the Lord I shall not desert you ever." All the while you patiently followed your course with the sun, as Commanded.

O Patient Moon, did you tremble when Ibrahim Alahis Salam thought you were his Rabb?

Euphoria fills the heart as you fill the Madinah sky with your beauty. How many cycles of your sublime waxing and waning witnessed our Beloved SallAllahu alaihi wasallam and his respected Companions RadhiAllahu anhum? Dedicating their lives for the propagation of this glorious Deen. And centuries later your enviable path takes you above his resting place. How you must swoon in ecstasy on gaining such proximity. What restraint you must succumb to maintaining your decreed journey and not following your passions by falling into the lap of the most Beloved of Allah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. SubhanAllah. What words of delight must be exchanged as you float by, so close, so often and for so long.

Am I truly looking at the same moon who brought joy and elation to our Noble Messenger SallAllahu alaihi wasallam and his Noble Companions RadhiAllahu anhum signaling the times for each new month to be born, heralding Ramadhan, Hajj and the two Eids.

 

O Shy Moon, how you must love people searching for you in the vast sky at each new birth. And what happiness you must feel peering through the open domes of Masjid Nabawi seeing the sufra spread surrounded by hundreds of worshippers eager for Allah Ta’ala’s favours as they break their fast for your three white days. You must be rapturous in seeing the Sunnah being upheld.

O Forever Wandering Moon, swelling and diminishing, my tears drop on the Mubarak dust of Madinah. Are they dropping on the same place you would have seen Sayyidatuna Fatimah RadhiAllahu anha with her blessed sons, Hasan and Hussain RadhiAllahu anhuma. Maybe they were playing, maybe Sayyidatuna Fatimah RadhiAllahu anha was carrying water or grinding flour. Or were you hiding your pleasure when Umar RadhiAllahu took advantage of your dark side, secretly roaming  the streets of Madinah distributing Sadaqah to the poor. Perhaps you were present when Ali RadhiAllahu anhu spared the life of his enemy due his own anger rather than killing him with the sincerity of intention that it was for Allah Ta’ala. O Benevolent Moon, maybe you witnessed the army of Angels fighting with the Muslims in the town bearing one of your names, Badr.

O Spectacular Moon, how mesmerized I become thinking that you are 400,000 kilometers away, but so powerful that you play tug with the oceans twice a day. SubhanAllah. Allahu Akbar. Glorified be Your Name, Lord of the Worlds! Glory be to Him Who chose for everything its proper place and the right measure, according to calculation unknown but to Him.

He makes the dawn break; He makes the night for rest; and He made the sun and the moon to a precise measure. That is the design of the Almighty, the All Knowing. (6:96)

O Elegant Moon, so blessed to have heard words falling from the laudable lips of our Blessed Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam every month as you renewed your appearance to him: "A new moon of good and right guidance; a new moon of good and right guidance; a new moon of good and right guidance. I believe in Him Who created you" three times. He would then say: "Praise be to Allah Who has made such and such a month to pass and has brought such and such a month."

O Cheerful Moon, how often your charm has been used for the best of descriptions in countless traditions and poetry extolling the virtues of our Majestic Messenger SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. "His face was glittering with happiness, for when ever Allah’s Apostle SallAllahu alaihi wasallam was happy, his face used to glitter, as if it was a piece of the full moon." "He is like a blooming flower in its freshness and the full moon in its spendour." "Mohammed is the exemplar to both worlds, the guide of the descendants of Adam. He is the sun of creation, the moon of the celestial spheres, the all-seeing eye." "You are like the full moon, nay you are brighter Your face is like fine water that drips, O Ornament of the World, O Aim of Hopes Who has ever perceived a face such as yours?" "He saw the Prophet, lovely as the moon, Whose face, Truth’s shadow, was the sun at noon, Whose hair in two black heavy braids was curled –Each hair, a hundred times, out priced the world."

O Enthralling Moon what delight it must have been to hear the welcoming singing of the people as Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam first entered Madinah. "Oh the white moon rose over us. From the valley of Wada. And we owe it to show gratefulness. Where the call is to Allah. Oh you who were raised among us. Coming with a word to be obeyed. You have brought to this city nobleness. Welcome best caller to God’s way. Welcome best caller to God’s way."

With such hope, O Endearing Moon, your image inspires us, the Ummah of Muhammad SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, to redeem ourselves, to repent, to obey, so that we may be among the elite in the Eyes of Allah Ta’ala, and be recognized for intercession by Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. The superiority of the learned man over the devout is like that of the full moon, over the rest of the stars. The first group of people who will enter Paradise will be shining like the full moon. And those unfortunate ones who need to spend time in Jahannam will by Divine decree, be rescued and liberated from the Fire by the venerable Muhammad SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Washed by the Water of Life at the Gate of Paradise and made perfectly clean again, they will have their youth restored. Their faces will be like the full moon. Only these words will be written on their foreheads: “These were the People of the Fire. Allah, the All-Merciful freed them from that fire.” With this writing on their foreheads they will enter Paradise. After a while they will plead with the Lord to have that writing removed from their brows, explaining that it leaves them in shame, in sorrow and in remorse. The All-Glorious One will accept their prayer, and will erase that writing from their brows. Having been rescued from torment because of their faith, and through the intercession of Muhammad SallAllahu alaihi wasallam, the disobedient members of his Ummah rejoice in divine favor. Allah, save us from the Fire, and admit us to Paradise with the righteous.

O  Amiable Moon, how you must smile at the story of Nasreddin Hoja! As he was returning home late and tired one night, he stopped at the village well to draw a drink for himself. He was horrified to see the full moon reflected in the dark water at the bottom of the well. "Good Lord, the moon’s fallen down the well!" he muttered to himself. "I’ve got to rescue it! What would we do without the beautiful moon?" He grabbed the bucket and rope that lay beside the well and tossed the bucket in. Then he maneuvered it with the rope until he saw the moon reflecting safely from the water in the bucket. Bending over the well, he tried to raise the bucket. But its lip was stuck on a stone, and the more Nasreddin Hoja pulled, the less successful he was at raising the bucket and rescuing the moon. Finally he braced his foot on the edge of the well and heaved. Suddenly the bucket broke loose and the Hoja tumbled onto his back beside the well. Above him, he saw the lovely full moon floating serenely in the sky. "Well, that’s a good job done," he said to himself as he got to his feet. "Praise God, the moon is back where it belongs!" And he went home to bed.

O Mellow Moon, may I learn obedience from you, how to stay on course, may a fraction of your secrets of Glorifying our Lord be revealed to me.

O Humble Moon, may I learn from your humility. If for one split second you wavered from the Laws of Allah Ta’ala the tide would be so strong that it could fragment mountains and dislodge continents from their place.

O Dulcet Moon, convey my salam on our Prince of Peace SallAllahu alaihi wasallam each and every time you glide over his green Abode of Peace.

 

 Crescent moon photo from this gallery

Other excellent moonsighting articles. 

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Ameen.