Final Advice of the Holy Prophet (sa)

Hazrat Mu‘az (ra) relates, “When I placed my foot in the stirrup as I was about to depart to Yemen, the Holy Prophet (sa) gave me a final piece of advice, saying, ‘Meet people in a courteous manner, meet the people in a courteous manner.’”

(Ibn Sa‘d, al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Vol. 3, Mu‘az (ra) bin Jabal… [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 1990], 439)

However, look at the condition of the Muslims of today. Do they conduct themselves in this manner? And yet, they celebrate the milad-un-Nabi [birthday of the Holy Prophet (sa)]? The true essence of commemorating milad-un-Nabi is by following the example of the Holy Prophet(sa) and to act upon his teachings. When the Holy Prophet (sa) sent Hazrat Mu‘az (ra) as the governor of Yemen, he described his status in the following words:

اِنِّیْ بَعَثْتُ لَکُمْ خَیْرَ اَھْلِیْ

meaning, “Surely I send to you the best of my people.”

(Sheikh Shah Moinuddin Ahmad Nadvi, Siyar al-Sahabah, Vol. 3, Mu‘az (ra) bin Jabal [Karachi, Pakistan: Dar al-Isha‘ah, 2004], 502)