SELAWAT

Sollahu alaa muhammad
sollahu alahi wassalam
sollahu alaa muhammad
sollahu alahi wassalam

It felt like old time. The selawat we recited in honour of our beloved Prophet Muhammad this morning during Maulidur Rasul celebration, reminded me of many years back when I had first spoken of my wish to revert to Islam.
Of course, at that time, I was still a non-Muslim. On my former headmaster's retirement day, we had sent him off with a selawat. It was the first time I had actually heard a selawat being recited aloud, but it had sounded beautiful, even then. I didn't care what others had thought of me, for I followed them, uttering the beautiful words aloud even when I didn't understand their meaning.
This morning, the same words rang like an old memory of yesteryears. I listened and was moved, just like last time. And this time around, I could recite the selawat myself, by reading it from a piece of paper they had distributed (alhamdulillah, thanks to Iqra lessons). And this time around, I had stood among the other Muslimin and Muslimat, and I was one of them reciting it. The words came naturally, like an old forgotten friend.And this time around, I managed to recite the whole selawat with the aid of the paper. And it was the first time I had recited this selawat in public since my reversion to Islam (am so used to other selawat popularised by nasyeed groups that I've almost forgotten this beautiful selawat with a lovely melody)
And how did I feel?
Blessed and loved.
Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah.