The Excellent Example

Assalaamu Alaikum!

How have you been?

I realize that its been quite a while since I last wrote to you (more than 4 months), and I am grateful that you haven’t given up on me and unsubscribed. The pause in writing and sending the newsletter was unplanned, but it gave me an opportunity to revisit my intentions and figure out how to go forward with my writing journey. Although I started sending this newsletter bi-weekly, you will now receive my emails with the new crescent of every Hijri month Insha Allah.

We are at the beginning of Rabi al Awwal, which starts six months countdown to the blessed month of Ramadan, may Allah allow us to witness the month in good health. This is a beautiful opportunity for us to reflect on the Prophet’s ﷺ example and prepare our hearts and actions for Ramadan.

Who has influenced you?

We live in an era of influencers. There are people who are trying to change our thoughts, influence our decisions and our way of life. While being surrounded with all these people, lets not forget that Allah SWT has already given us an infallible role model to follow. All the influencers of social media could never compete with the kind of impact he has had and continues to have in the world.

“Indeed, in the messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for whoever has hope in Allah and the Last Day, and remember Allah often,” (33:21).

The question is not whether we know that he is the perfect example to follow, its whether we really believe it in our heart. How much do we know about him and his life? How much time and effort have we invested in learning about his life? When we are facing a problem, is Seerah something that we think of as a means of guiding us?

Who is the biggest influence in your life?

Why seerah matters

Seerah was something that I heard on the radio once a year during Ramadan. I grew up not connecting his story with the life I was living. I didn’t realise that knowing and reflecting on his story would illuminate my path and help me overcome the challenges I would face in my life.

Studying seerah is like diving into an ocean full of treasures. If we were to look for a story of resilience, is there a better one than the life of Prophet ﷺ? From childhood to the end of his life, his life is filled with incidents which show his resilience and steadfastness, even when everything seemed to be against him. With everything that has been going on in our Ummah, we are in urgent need of the wisdom, guidance and hope seerah has to offer.

He was sent as a mercy to the worlds and his life was full of stories that show his kindness and gentleness. Whether it is being merciful towards the people who threw stones at him until his feet bled, or empathizing with a child who has lost his pet bird. Studying his life would change you in ways that you never imagine. Seerah is not just history, its a reminder of a life lived with mercy, patience and immense love for his Ummah. It is also a timeless guidance to living a successful life.

He stood in prayer and cried for his beloved Ummah, what do we have to show for our love?

Start with salawat

A sign of truly loving someone is that we mention them often, we may physically be in a different place, but they are always in our hearts and thoughts.

We all claim to love him, but how often do we remember him and send salawat on the Prophet ﷺ on our busy days?

Allah Himself sends blessings on the Prophet ﷺ and commands us to do the same.

“Indeed, Allah showers His blessings upon the Prophet, and His angels pray for him. O believers! Invoke Allah’s blessings upon him, and salute him with worthy greetings of peace.” (33:56)

Salawat is a gift, every time we send peace to him, it returns to us with mercy and light.

Abū Ṭalḥah al-Anṣārī (raḍiy Allāhu ʿanhu) narrates, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ awoke one morning in high spirits with happiness gleaming from his face. (The Companions) asked, “O Messenger of Allah, you have awoken today in high spirits with happiness gleaming from your face. He ﷺ replied, “Yes! A messenger came from my Lord and said, ‘Whoever from your Ummah sends ṣalāh upon you once, Allah will record ten good deeds for him, erase ten sins from him, raise him ten degrees in status, and respond to him likewise (i.e. send ṣalāh upon him)’” (Aḥmad).

Salawat is not just words — its a way to keep love for the Prophet ﷺ alive in our hearts in our daily lives. It is to remember that no matter how the world may change, his life remains a guiding light for us, showing us the way forward even in the darkest times.

This month, lets

• attempt to learn more about the life of our beloved

• make it a habit to send salawat daily

• reflect deeply on one story of the Prophet

May we be of those who never stop learning from the Seerah.

If you liked what you received with this newsletter, please share it with someone so they can benefit as well.

Until the next crescent, keep me in your duas 🌙.

Samar