Hawzah News Agency- On the occasion of the 28th of Safar, the anniversary of the heart-wrenching passing of the Noble Prophet of Islam, Muhammad Mustafa (peace be upon him and his family), we reflect on excerpts from the words of Grand Ayatollah Javadi Amoli regarding the greatness of the Prophet’s status as depicted in the Quran.
The Senior Shia scholar Grand Ayatollah Javadi Amoli mentioned that the noble existence of the Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH) is a manifestation of God's mercy and compassion and when the Most Holy Essence of God introduces the noble existence of the Holy Prophet in the Quran, He regards him as a divinely taught student who guides the entire world with his book and when speaking of His prophet, the Most Holy Essence of God introduces him as a mercy to the worlds, a mercy to all creation.
Referring to the Quran’s depiction of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), Grand Ayatollah Javadi Amoli stated, "The Quran introduces the Prophet from beginning to end, and it tells us that we are only acquainted with the lower level of the Prophet's mission; the higher aspects of his mission are beyond our reach. When it is said that the Prophet's character is the Quran, it means that the Quran is his identity. If the noble presence of the Prophet were to be expressed in the form of a book, it would be the Quran, and if the Quran were to be manifested as a human being, it would be the Holy Prophet (PBUH)."
His Excellency further noted, "The history of the life of the Prophet of God should be explained by the Most Holy Essence of God, and indeed it has been! The historical book of the Prophet is the Holy Quran, as it should be! The Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT), who are the true interpreters and those firmly grounded in knowledge, must explain the mission of the Holy Prophet, and they have done so! Our duty is twofold: first, to understand circumstances of revelation and Prophet’s plans, and second, to align our actions with his practices and traditions."
Referring to verses from Surah Al-Ahzab, Grand Ayatollah Javadi Amoli continued: "God Almighty bestowed upon the Islamic community and the believers a lower degree of the same honor He granted to the Prophet. In the blessed Surah Al-Ahzab, we are taught this principle of respect and reverence toward the Prophet, where God says: 'Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace' (33:56). This unparalleled honor and veneration were shown by God toward His Prophet, as He says that He and all the angels who accompany His mercy send blessings upon him, and we are instructed to follow this divine tradition.
“In the same Surah, a similar regard is shown toward the believers in the Prophet, as God says: 'It is He who confers blessing upon you, and His angels [ask Him to do so] that He may bring you out from darknesses into the light' (33:43). God sends blessings upon the believers, and the angels do as well, to illuminate them. Although there is a profound difference between these two forms of blessing, and we do not possess the same status for God to bless us with the same grandeur as He does the Prophet, it nonetheless shows that there is a potential for individuals and society to become enlightened by following the path of the Prophet!” Ayatollah Javadi Amoli explained.
The Shia source of emulation clarified, "God has outlined some of the Prophet’s missions at the end of Surah Al-A’raf, stating that the Prophet has come to liberate you. He has come to remove the shackles and chains you have bound yourselves with—some of which you have placed on yourselves, while others have been imposed on you by others. These unnecessary formalities, excessive desires, pride, and selfishness are all chains that people have bound themselves with. And the Prophet relieves them of their burdens and the shackles that were upon them (7:157).”
His Excellency pointed to a narration from Imam Ali (PBUH) regarding the Prophet’s demise, saying "After the Prophet's demise, when someone asked Imam Ali (PBUH) why he didn’t dye his beard with henna, he replied, 'We are a people in mourning.' In Nahj al-Balagha, Imam Ali (PBUH) states, 'With your passing, something has been severed that was not severed with the passing of anyone else.' It is true that the passing of any scholar, leader, or prophet is a heavy loss, but there is no event comparable to the passing of the Holy Prophet. With your passing, something irreplaceable has been lost—the divine revelation that came to us has ceased. That is why we are a people in mourning."