By Siti Nuraisyah

For a long time, I struggled to see the value of the Prophet’s ﷺ sacrifices that I read about in his seerah, having taken it as just another history lesson.

I realise now that the religion that he bled for holds so much importance in my life. If our Prophet ﷺ hadn’t gone through the toils of spreading the word of Islam, Islam wouldn’t have reached me, miraculously, more than 1400 years after he lived. I wouldn’t have been Muslim or had the understanding to know my Creator, and to live my life with purpose. If the Prophetﷺ and his companions hadn’t fought at Badr, the first war in Islamic history, the light of Islam would have perished then.

As I passed through the sacred lands where his footsteps once tread, I witnessed his teachings manifest, particularly in the kindness and warmth of the people I encountered. From the shopkeepers, to the people hanging out in the courtyard of the mosque, I’m reminded of the noble and gentle character that they often describe of him, and of the inhabitants of the holy city that welcomed and embraced him. Many exchanges I met with came with a dua or “Alhamdulillah” or random little gifts, reminding me that everything is attributed to His glory.

When I visited his resting place and the sites where events and battles took place to protect the religion, my appreciation and love for him and the ones who follow his path deepened. Whilst they were always ready to sacrifice for the religion, I wonder if I was willing to do the same, to fight the laziness and heedlessness that sometimes weighs me down. Seeing the green dome, I’m reminded of how our Prophet ﷺ is very much alive and seeing us, his ummah, whom he cared for even though he hadn’t met us in the flesh. It fills me with great shame that I hadn’t properly known nor valued his existence and significance earlier. I pray that I may be granted the sincerity, strength and patience to cultivate and preserve his teachings, and to carry the religion forth, InshaAllah.

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