Alhamdulillah, Allah ﷻ has blessed us to witness the 1500th month of Rabi-ul-Awwal, the sacred month in which the Leader of Creation, our Master Sayyiduna Muhammad ﷺ, entered this world as Rahmatul-lil-‘Alameen — a Mercy for all the worlds (Qur’an 21:107).
The Baraka
The Nalayn Shareef (blessed sandals of RasulAllah ﷺ) are a symbol of nearness and respect. The scholars and Awliya have recorded its blessings:
Imam al-Qastallani (author of Mawahib al-Ladunniyyah) writes that keeping the image of the Nalayn Shareef with reverence brings baraka and protection.
Imam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (Rahmatullahi ‘alayh) mentioned that the sandals of the Prophet ﷺ are a means of cure and blessings, and many Sufi masters carried drawings of them for tabarruk.
Imam al-Sakhawi narrates from his teachers that the Nalayn was kept as a sacred relic by many of the pious, and whoever looked upon it with love would be granted blessings.
Sayyiduna Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (RadiyAllahu ‘anhu) said:
“Looking at the Nalayn Shareef with love brings mercy and blessings into the heart.”
(Referenced in works of Na’layn literature by Ottoman and Indian scholars)
The Awliya kept it close as a reminder to walk in the footsteps of RasulAllah ﷺ with humility, love, and adab.
The Arrival of Mercy ﷺ
The Qur’an testifies:
“And We have not sent you, [O Beloved], except as a mercy to all the worlds.”
(Surah al-Anbiya, 21:107)
Imam Jalaluddin al-Suyuti (Rahmatullahi ‘alayh) wrote:
“Celebrating the Mawlid by gathering, reciting Qur’an, narrating the blessed birth, and providing food is from the good innovations that earn reward, because it contains honouring the rank of RasulAllah ﷺ and expressing happiness at his birth.”
(Al-Hawi lil-Fatawi, Vol. 1, p. 189)
The great Imam of Ahl-e-Sunnat, Ala Hazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (Rahmatullahi ‘alayh), explained that celebrating Mawlid with love is an expression of shukr (gratitude) for the greatest blessing — the coming of the Prophet ﷺ.
Renewal at 1500 Years
This milestone of 1500 years since the blessed Mawlid is a moment to renew our love:
Increase Salawat: RasulAllah ﷺ said,
“Whoever sends one blessing upon me, Allah sends ten blessings upon him.”
(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 408)Gather in Love: The Prophet ﷺ himself remembered his own birth with gratitude by fasting on Mondays (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1162). The Mawlid follows this Prophetic sunnah of gratitude.
Hold to the Nalayn: As Ala Hazrat wrote in his poetry:
"Zarā jharr kar terī paizāroñ kein,
Tāj sar bantay hain sayyāroñ ke."
Translation:
Just a shake from your blessed sandals ﷺ,
Becomes the crown upon the heads of the stars.
This is one of Ala Hazrat’s most famous couplets on the Na‘layn Shareef, showing how even the dust of the sandals of RasulAllah ﷺ is raised above the stars and galaxies.
Closing Reflection
This Rabi-ul-Awwal, let us:
Fill our homes with Salawat and Mawlid gatherings.
Keep the Nalayn Shareef close with reverence, seeking its baraka and secrets.
Walk with humility in the footsteps of the Mercy to all the worlds ﷺ.
May Allah grant us the honour of true love, adab, and following the Sunnah of His Beloved ﷺ. May the baraka of the Nalayn Shareef illuminate our hearts, protect our homes, and connect us to the ocean of Divine mercy.
