In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate --

Salaam everybody, and heartiest congratulations to you all on a very auspicious occasion. Today is the blessed 17th of the month of Rabi al-Awwal, the day Planet Earth was graced by the birth of the best of all creation. He is none other than the Almighty's Last and Greatest Messenger to mankind, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), whose universal mission, Islam, was predicted by all prophets around the world. He was indeed sent as Mercy to the entire creation, as God says in ayah 107 of Surah Anbiya. He is, as our Creator informs us in ayah 21 of surah Ahzab: "Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah, an Excellent Exemplar…"

These Divine Words are indeed food for thought for us, especially when this year the blessed birth anniversary of the Seal of Prophets has coincided with the eve of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, 33 years ago – movement which led by the dedicated servant of the Prophet and the Ahl al-Bayt, Imam Khomeini, highlighted to the contemporary world the pure and pristine message of Mohammadan Islam. Please stay with us for a special feature on Milad an-Nabi, which also happens to be the birth anniversary over a century and 36 years later of the Prophet's 6th Infallible Successor, and the Reviver of his Sunnah and Seerah, Imam Ja'far as-Sadeq (AS)

Through his flawless behaviour and characteristics, Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) set practical precedents during the 63 years he strode majestically on Planet Earth on which he first set foot this day, exactly a millennium, four centuries and 86 lunar years ago, in the then obscure Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula. It was no ordinary birth, since he was not an ordinary person. Born in the Bani Hashem Clan of the Quraysh Tribe that was directly descended from Prophet Abraham's firstborn son, Prophet Ishmael, his birth was accompanied by certain portents through which the Almighty intended to show the greatness and grandeur of the baby coming into the world as an orphan – as the father Abdullah had died a couple of months ago. The infinite wisdom of God is certainly beyond the comprehension of mortals. The Source of all creation had ensured the birth of Abraham and his growing-up in secrecy – without his parents – in a cave outside the city to avoid the murderous designs of the tyrant Nimrod. He had decreed the bringing up of the next great prophet, Moses, in the palace of the Pharaoh himself, who fearful of the birth of this very child, had slaughtered all males born that year to the Israelites. He had brought Jesus miraculously into this world through the Virgin Mary, without the association of a male. And now, the Last and Greatest of all Prophets, who was born an orphan on the paternal side, was not destined to have his mother's love for long as well, for Amena bint Wahb passed away when he was hardly six years. His orphaned status became more acute when his loving paternal grandfather, Abdul-Mutalleb, who had taken him under his personal, care, left the mortal world two years later when the boy was only 8 years old.

Orphans, especially the materially deprived ones, in view of the sufferings they go through that leave permanent scars on their minds, are generally not known to grow up into normal, stable persons, let alone being exemplars of society. Yet the cases of the Chosen Ones of God show a remarkably perfect divine system. Here the baby Prophet, whether or not he has been ordered to formally announce his mission (as Jesus did it in the cradle), is groomed right from birth – or even before. No wonder Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) had said: "The first ever thing created by God was my light."

He had also said: "I was a Prophet when Adam was between (in the state of) water and clay."

These are indeed thought-provoking words from the person, whom God says in the opening ayahs of Surah Najm that he neither errs nor speaks by himself, and whatever he says is divinely inspired. This is all part of the Almighty's Grace to present to His creatures, such a spotlessly pure personality that not only won the admiration of the then still unguided pagan Arab society as Amin or Trustworthy and Sadeq or Truthful, but also stands supremely unsullied to this day for all time. This means that although the Prophet formally announced his mission at the age of 40 years, he was already the Chosen One of God, not just at his birth, but eons ago before the creation of anything. This was the reason that his birth was accompanied by certain signs and portends.

The first and foremost event that happened before his birth was the miraculous destruction of the mighty elephant-led army of the Abyssinian governor of Yemen, Abraha, who had invaded Mecca in a bid to destroy the monotheistic edifice of Abraham, the holy Ka'ba. A flock of small birds with pebbles in their beaks and claws rained divine wrath on the powerful hordes, thereby delivering an all-time warning to all Godless powers, like the US of our own times, that in spite of their seemingly invincible strength, they are nothing when God decides to annihilate them for their crimes against humanity. The day of the Prophet's birth was accompanied by several other signs, such as the sudden falling down of the idols that the pagan Arabs had placed in the Ka'ba to desecrate it. Even the mighty superpowers of those days, the Roman and Persian Empires felt tremblers at the birth of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). From Cteisphon in Iraq near present day Baghdad, came the news of a huge crack that suddenly appeared on the main arch of the palace of the Sassanid king of kings, Anoushirvan, while 14 parapets crashed down from atop the royal residence. And then to increase the confusion of the king and his soothsayers, the sacred fire of the Zoroastrians in the temple of Pars that had been kept continuously burning for several centuries, suddenly extinguished. There were several other divine portents in various parts of the world on this day, which are beyond the scope of a brief radio programme.

There is nothing to be surprised about at these miraculous events, since it was the desire of God to convey the message to all humanity that the purely monotheistic mission of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) would one day prevail all over the world – as foretold by all previous prophets, such as Jesus, Moses, Abraham, and several others around the face of the earth. The scriptures of various religions including those of the Zoroastrians, the Hindus, the Buddhists, etc, despite being tampered with, still contain references to the coming of the universal religion of Islam (or peace and healthy way of life), and the immaculately peerless Prophet, named Mohammad, which means the Most Praiseworthy. The fact is that, unlike any other prophet, the name of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) is continuously recited in the daily 5-times ritual prayer every single second all over the globe, without a moment of lapse, as the Planet Earth revolves on its orbit around the sun, turning minutes into hours and determining day and night for the lands in sequence of rotation. This is ample proof of the greatness God has granted the Most Excellent Person He has created. Today there might be many devils in human form, who may not like his name, and who indulge in blasphemous mockery through caricatures and novels, on the pretext of freedom of expression, but it is nothing they can do to check the spread of Islam or the growing love of Prophet Mohammad in more and more human hearts.

Even in the Prophet's lifetime the Arab infidels had spared no effort to try to extinguish his light, but they couldn't. The ever-rebellious Israelites also left no stone unturned to try to eliminate his universal teachings, Islam, but miserably failed. Not even the hypocrites amongst the Muslims could succeed in their nefarious plans despite the intense hatred in their hearts for Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). For instance, Mua'wiyah ibn Abu Sufyan, who had usurped the rule of the Islamic realm, used to bitterly resent the muezzin's call to prayer because of the mention of the Prophet's name in the azaan. However, he was helpless to erase it because of fear of exposure of his heathen roots. His equally Godless son, Yazid, brutally massacred the Prophet's grandson, Imam Husain (AS) and 18 members of the Bani Hashem Clan including the 6-month infant, Ali Asghar, on the assumption that Islam would be wiped out, but he also miserably failed, thanks to the Prophet's luminous progeny, the Ahl al-Bayt, who kept alive their ancestor's name, even as captives in the court of this despicable tyrant himself. These are all undeniable proofs of the versatility and universality of Islam, which will eventually enlighten people all over the world, whether or not the satanic elements who burn copies of the holy Qur'an, feel averse.

It was thus Divine Providence which determined that the noblest person of all times, whose universally applicable shari'a remains the most dynamic ever code of laws for humanity, should be brought up by a primordial monotheist, his paternal uncle, Abu Taleb. The nephew always felt grateful to his beloved uncle and guardian, and as expression of gratitude took his young cousin, Imam Ali (AS), the son of Abi Taleb, under his personal care in order to bequeath to him, on God's command, the bezels of divine wisdom. Consequently, the Prophet married his beloved daughter, the noblest lady of all time, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (peace upon her) to his cousin. The offspring of these two impeccable personalities are the Infallible Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt, who as the Prophet's progeny, have safeguarded the pure and pristine message of Islam with their lifeblood, and the last of whom will rise as Qa'em al-Mahdi in the end times to establish the global government of peace and justice by cleansing the Planet of all traces of corruption and oppression.