By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz

“And say: Truth has come and falsehood has vanished; indeed falsehood is bound to vanish.” (Holy Qur’an 17:81)
We are on eve of the grand anniversary of Rabi al-Awwal 17, the blessed day in the history of mankind, when the Almighty Creator of the universe decided to bring into the world the Best of all creation – His Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (SAWA).
Born into the monotheist Hashemite clan of the Quraysh in the lineage of Prophet Ishmael (AS), the firstborn son of Prophet Abraham (AS), he needs no introduction.
His coming was foretold in all previously revealed heavenly scriptures, and the tidings given by the Prophets of the past in every age and geographical regions.
As for the exact date of his birthday, reason says, we should refer to family accounts, since narrations from those who had witnessed the events when he was born and passed them down from father-to-son, are more reliable than the hearsay of companions he acquired at the age of 40 and after, or the wives he had to marry out of social necessity as a 53-year old widower in the last ten years of his life.
Thus, according to Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), his dearest cousin, ward, son-in-law, and Divinely-designated Vicegerent, who was personally groomed by the Prophet almost a decade before proclamation of the universal mission of Islam, the Ayah mentioned at the beginning of this column was clearly heard from a voice emanating from the sky at sunset, while at the Holy Ka’ba, the idols installed by the Arabs in and around the supreme edifice of monotheism built by Prophet Abraham in antiquity, fell headlong on the ground.
This was among the signs of the end of Jahiliyyah or the Age of Ignorance, whether in the Arabian Peninsula or elsewhere in the supposedly civilized world.
History also bears witness that the sacred fire of the Zoroastrians that had been kept burning in Persia proper for over a thousand years, suddenly died down to the horror of the Mobads, while in Ctesiphon (Mada’en near Baghdad in Iraq), a crack suddenly appeared in the huge arch of the magnificent hall of audience of the Sassanid king of kings (Shahenshah). At the same time, 14 parapets came crashing down from atop Khosrow’s palace
Household accounts further quote the Prophet’s virtuous mother, Amena bint Wahb (SA), who had seen strange signs during pregnancy, that when he was born an invisible voice echoed in the house, saying: “The best of creation is born. Name him Muhammad (SAWA).”
His Ahl al-Bayt, whom God has made immune from any blemish and uncleanness (Holy Qur’an 33:33), say:
“When the newborn was brought to Abdul Muttalib (AS) he took him in his arms and said: “I praise and thank Allah Who blessed me with such a handsome (grand)son who surpasses all children.”
The Prophet’s 6th Infallible Heir, Imam Ja’far as-Sadeq (AS) – incidentally born in this same date (Rabi al-Awwal 17) 136 years later – has said that on the day the Prophet was born, Fatema bint Asad (SA), the mother of Imam Ali (AS), rushed to her husband Abu Taleb (AS) and gave the good news of the birth of a radiant nephew to him. She also described strange things about the wonderful birth. Abu Taleb said: “After thirty years a son (Imam Ali – AS) will be born to you too who will be like this newborn in every aspect, except prophethood.”
Amena, widowed a couple of months earlier, was joyous at the birth of the son of Abdullah, and related that she saw: “The radiance which is rising and spreading everywhere from the east to the west.”
Abu Taleb (AS) performed the “aqiqah” or hair-removing ceremony of his nephew on the seventh day of birth and invited the entire Hashemite clan. On being asked the reason, he said: It is the feast of aqiqah of Ahmad. The gathering said: Why do you call him Ahmad? He replied: Those in the heaven praise him as such.
Those pseudo Muslims wrongly accusing the Prophet’s Guardian and Uncle who till the last years of his life fiercely protected his nephew from the plots of the pagan Arabs, of lacking faith in Islam, should read the Holy Qur’an, where in Ayah 6 of Surah Saff, the Almighty Allah has quoted the tidings of Prophet Jesus (AS) to his followers, some six centuries before the birth of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA):
“O Children of Israel! Indeed I am the Prophet of Allah to you, to confirm what is before me of the Torah, and to give the tidings of the Prophet to come after me, whose name is Ahmad.”
It is also interesting to note that the Gospel of St John, despite the tampering it has gone through during the past two millennia, still preserves Jesus’ words of the coming of the Last and Greatest Prophet – using the word “Comforter” in the English translation, and the world “Paraclete” in the Greek translation, which in turn is the translation of the original Hebrew/Aramaic word “Hmda” or the Praiseworthy, and which in Arabic means “Ahmad”.
This is further proof of the universal mission of the Prophet of Islam to all mankind, and the reliability of the narrations of his monotheist household, as is confirmed by Ayah 157 of Surah A’raaf of the Holy Qur’an:
“Those who follow the Prophet, the unschooled Messenger, whose mention they find written with them in the Torah and the Evangel, who bids them to do what is right and forbids them from what is wrong, makes lawful to them all the good things and forbids them from all vicious things, and relieves them of their burdens and the shackles that were upon them —those who believe in him, honour him, and help him and follow the light that has been sent down with him, they are the felicitous.’” 
It is outside the scope of this brief column to mention the prayers of Prophet Abraham (AS) for Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), or the prophecy of Prophet Moses and Prophet Isaiah about the Last Prophet, and the predictions in the sacred texts of the Zoroastrians and Hindus about the prevailing over all the world of the universal creed of Islam.
In short, since we are celebrating the birth of the Best of creation, we should scientifically probe the exemplary life of the Best of Creation; the legacy he left, for whom, and did those who claimed to be the political representative of the Prophet of peace, follow his advice and formula for unity, especially the following hadith:
“I am leaving behind among the you the Thaqalayn (Two Weighty Things); the Book of God (Qur’an) and my progeny the Ahl al-Bayt; hold fast to them and you will not go astray, for the two never separate with each other even when they return to me at the Fountain (of Kowthar on Resurrection Day).”