Before He Was Raised Poem by Mohammad Younus

Before He was raised
To the rank of final prophet,
Before revelation tore through Him
In the cave of Hira,
His people called Him
The most trustworthy, the most truthful.
The first command He heard through Gabriel was:

'Read in the name of your Sustainer,
Who created man from a germ-cell!
Read—for your Sustainer is the Most Bountiful,
Who taught the use of the pen,
Taught man what he did not know! '

Thus, God taught Him to read,
When the jingling of divine bells filled the air.
With humble reverence,
The servant of God first said:
'I cannot.'

At intervals,
He climbed alone to a mountain—
To contemplate in the quiet cave of Hira.
No one told Him to go; no guide showed the way,
But something deeper moved His heart.
It was God who whispered where to go.

There was no water for ritual ablution,
And no formal prayers had yet been taught.
How to stand, to bow,
Or to prostrate before One God
Had not yet been revealed.
Yet, in pre-eternity,
A special heart was formed within Him—
A heart made to pray,
To know the Eternal, the Sustainer of all.

His heart, with unwavering certainty,
Sensed the One who had always been.
But His ascent to the rank of final prophet
Was no easy path, no accidental gift.
From the youngest age, He sought the Truth,
Immersed in divine absorption—
Day in and day out.

His Lord, the Most Merciful,
Shielded Him from idle thoughts,
Guiding Him instead to the Real, the Absolute.
Only God Himself taught Him
How to comprehend His Oneness—
How to kneel with submissive courage,
And to carry out His divine mission.

In the end, He was successful,
As He declared in His final sermon:
'O Allah, be my witness,
That I have conveyed
Your message to Your people.'

O People! God has sent to you
A messenger from among you—
A witness, a bringer of glad tidings, a warner,
A caller to Allah by His permission,
A radiant light to illuminate you.
So follow His illuminated footsteps,
And walk the path He set before you.

MyKoul