Over the past few years, I have come to get to meet and know several outstanding Muslims, a great majority of them were reverts from Islam. People like Brother Shah Kirit, Brother Nicholas Sylvester and Brother Kamaruddin Abdullah are such examples of towering Muslims who were former Hindus or Christians and have come to reject the worship of a half-naked man and recognise Islam as the Truth. Today they are not only zealous Muslims, but also well-known preachers of Islam and calling people to God’s Way. It puts many of these “born Muslims” (me included) to shame.

Lyrics to Mustaqim Sahir, This Is Islam. Listen to the song here.

Almost two weeks have passed in this new Hijrah year 1426. I’m sure that we have listened a lot about the Hijrah, the Migration. However, there is one misconception that may still prevail among some of us and our children. And that is the date of the Hijrah. The Hijrah, or the migration of Rasulullah salla allahu alayhi wassallam from Mecca to Medina, did not take place in the month of Muharram, as been widely misconceived. Instead, it took place in early Rabiul Awal. The Prophet salla allahu alayhi wassallam went out of Mecca towards the end of Safar, the second month of the Islamic calendar.

We have seen throughout history many examples of terrorists and terrorism, for instance, the Crusades, the Inquisition, the New England Witch Hunts, Lenin, Stalin, Pol Pot, Mussolini, Adolf Hitler, the IRA, the Ku Klux Klan, Timothy McVeigh, David Korresh and Slobodan Milosevic, just to name a few. The evil actions of those mentioned speak for themselves, with the crimes they perpetrated against humanity. Sadly, today, terrorism continues at a feverish pace, with no end in sight.

If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad?

Lyrics to Dawud Wharnsby, The Prophet’s Hands. Featuring Zain Bhika and Yusuf Islam. Listen to the song here.