Born in the month of Rabi'ulawal in the year 570 (some said on the 12th, some said on the 17th) in Makkah, our beloved Prophet, Prophet Muhammad (saw), the last Prophet that brought the religion of ALLAH S.W.T., he is the mercy to all mankind, everyone, every creature on the Earth knew about this truth. There are a lot of signs described by scholars announcing the birth of the last Prophet (saw). (see http://anwary-islam.com/prophet-life/holly-p-1.htm).
He was officially being 'appointed' as Rasulullah (saw) in the blessing month of Ramadhan in the year 610 with the first revelation of - Iqra' - in the cave of Mount Hira'. For 23 years, the Prophet (saw) never gave up in spreading the religion of ALLAH, the truth to all mankind. Prophet Muhammad (saw) lived a most simple, austere and modest life. He (saw) and his family (ra) used to go without cooked meal several days at a time, relying only on dates, dried bread and water. During the day he (saw) was the busiest man, as he (saw) performed his duties in many roles all at once as head of state, chief justice, commander-in-chief, arbitrator, instructor and family man. He was the most devoted man at night. He (saw) used to spend one- to two-thirds of every night in prayer and meditation. He (saw) always pray for his Ummah, which is all his followers until the End of the Day. I don't think I need to mention here how great and noble our Prophet (saw) was as there are plenty of description about how he (saw) lived his life that we can find as examples for us. Try this link:
An abstract of the link, written by Imam Al-Ghazali and translated by Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad or Timothy Winter:
‘The Messenger of God (s) was the mildest of men, but also the bravest and most just of men. He was the most restrained of people; never touching the hand of a woman over whom he did not have rights, or who was not his mahram. He was the most generous of men, so that never did a gold or silver coin spend the night in his house. If something remained at the end of the day, because he had not found someone to give it to, and night descended, he would go out, and not return home until he had given it to someone in need. From what Allah gave him [...] he would take only the simplest and easiest foods: dates and barley, giving anything else away in the path of Allah. Never did he refuse a gift for which he was asked. He used to mend his own sandals, and patch his own clothes, and serve his family, and help them to cut meat. He was the shyest of men, so that his gaze would never remain long in the face of anyone else. He would accept the invitation of a freeman or a slave, and accept a gift, even if it were no more than a gulp of milk, or the thigh of a rabbit, and offer something in return. He never consumed anything given in sadaqa. He was not too proud to reply to a slave-girl, or a pauper in rags. He would become angered for his Lord, never for himself; he would cause truth and justice to prevail even if this led to discomfort to himself or to his companions.
‘He used to bind a stone around his waist out of hunger. He would eat what was brought, and would not refuse any permissible food. If there was dates without bread, he would eat, if there was roast meat, he would eat; if there was rough barley bread, he would eat it; if there was honey or something sweet, he would eat it; if there was only yogurt without even bread, he would be quite satisfied with that.
‘He was not sated, even with barley-bread, for three consecutive days, until the day he met his Lord, not because of poverty, or avarice, but because he always preferred others over himself.
‘He would attend weddings, and visit the sick, and attend funerals, and would often walk among his enemies without a guard. He was the most humble of men, and the most serene, without arrogance. He was the most eloquent of men, without ever speaking for too long. He was the most cheerful of men. He was afraid of nothing in the dunya. He would wear a rough Yemeni cloak, or a woolen tunic; whatever was lawful and was to hand, that he would wear. He would ride whatever was to hand: sometimes a horse, sometimes a camel, sometimes a mule, sometimes a donkey. And at times he would walk barefoot, without an upper garment or a turban or a cap. He would visit the sick even if they were in the furthest part of Madina. He loved perfumes, and disliked foul smells.
‘He maintained affectionate and loyal ties with his relatives, but without preferring them to anyone who was superior to them. He never snubbed anyone. He accepted the excuse of anyone who made an excuse. He would joke, but would never say anything that was not true. He would laugh, but not uproarously. He would watch permissible games and sports, and would not criticise them. He ran races with his wives. Voices would be raised around him, and he would be patient. He kept a sheep, from which he would draw milk for his family. He would walk among the fields of his companions. He never despised any pauper for his poverty or illness; neither did he hold any king in awe simply because he was a king. He would call rich and poor to Allah, without distinction.
‘In him, Allah combined all noble traits of character; although he neither read nor wrote, having grown up in a land of ignorance and deserts in poverty, as a shepherd, and as an orphan with neither father nor mother. But Allah Himself taught him all the excellent qualities of character, and praiseworthy ways, and the stories of the early and the later prophets, and the way to salvation and triumph in the Akhira, and to joy and detachment in the dunya, and how to hold fast to duty, and to avoid the unnecessary. May Allah give us success in obeying him, and in following his sunna. Amin ya rabb al-alamin.‘
The Prophet (saw) performed his first and last Hajj in the year 632 and two month after that Prophet Muhammad (saw) fell ill. He (saw) continued to lead the congregation prayers. After one of these prayers he (saw invoked special blessings on the martyrs of Uhud, and then addressed his last sermon. After the last khutbah, the Prophet (saw) looked deep into the faces of all his Companions, for the last time. Soon after that, the Prophet (saw) became so weak that he (saw) could not move. He (saw) then appointed Abu Bakr (ra) to lead the prayers. The Prophet (saw) spent the rest of his illness in the apartment of his beloved wife Aishah (ra). On the early morning of 12th Rabi’ulawal 632, the prophet’s fever abated and he (saw) went to the mosque, assisted by Fadl and Thawban, when Abu Bakr was already leading the prayer. Realizing that the prophet (saw) was approaching, Abu Bakr stepped back without turning his head, but the prophet (saw) pressed his hand on his shoulder to let him know to continue. The Prophet (saw) sat on the right of Abu Bakr and completed the prayer while seated. The apparent recovery of the Prophet (saw) overjoyed the Muslims. Anas (ra) is reported to have said that I never saw the Prophet’s face more beautiful than it was at that hour.
Within hours, the Prophet (saw) lost his consciousness. He (saw) opened his eyes again an hour later saying to Aishah (ra): “No Prophet is taken by death until he has been shown his place in Paradise and then offered the choice to live or to die.” Before he (saw) passed away, he (saw) prayed for his Ummah to be placed in the Paradise with him. Feeling the pain of the death as the Death Angle was taking out his soul from his body, the Prophet (saw) cried in pain but he (saw) still prayed that ALLAH S.W.T. will lighten the pain of death and cause all the pain of his Ummah's death only on him. Last words from our beloved is:"Ummati, ummati, ummati..." His love to his Ummah, his followers is more than his love to his Companions as he (saw) once said that his Companions would only be his Companions but those who follow him yet has never seen him before would be his Brothers.
The Prophet's (saw) possession consisted of mats, blankets, jugs and other simple things even when he (saw) was the virtual ruler of Arabia. He (saw) left nothing to be inherited except a white mule (a gift from Muqawqis - the ruler of Egypt), few ammunition and a piece of land that he (saw) had made a gift during his life time. (http://www.cyberistan.org/islamic/muhammad.html)
We are now in the month of Rabi'ulawal, the month when the Prophet (saw) was born and passed away. Though it is not for this very month that we celebrate the birth of the Prophet (saw), we should take this opportunity to strengthen the remembrance of our beloved Prophet (saw) and try our best to follow his sunnah everyday. Ultimately, we should celebrate the Prophet (saw) every year, every month and every week, and every hour and every moment. (see this link for the explanation of the celebration of the mawlid:http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=7&ID=1776&CATE=108)
As much as his worried on us, his Ummah, we should in turn do as much as he (saw) would like us to do.
Surah Ali Imran, verse 31:
Proclaim: "If you love ALLAH, you should follow me (the Prophet)." ALLAH will then love you, and forgive your sins. ALLAH is Forgiver, Most Merciful.
Allahumma solli 'ala Muhammad, wa 'ala aali Muhammad, wa sohbihi wa salam.
ALLAHU'alam.
Wassalam.
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