Understanding the Prophet (Peace be upon him)

The imam began the reminder this week with the 164th ayat of Sura Al-Imran which is translated to say:

Certainly did Allah confer favor upon the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from themselves, reciting to them His verses and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error.

Dear brothers and sisters, Muslims and non-Muslims alike have remarked on our teacher and the best of creation. Despite the negative portrayal in the media, those who have studied our beloved Prophet SAWS have commented on how much of a positive impact he had on humanity.

In fact, the famous book and Time Magazine article by Professor Michael Hart has him as the most influential human being that ever lived, such is the reverence given by the non-muslims on our beloved Prophet SAWS.

Our beloved Prophet SAWS is the is the biggest favour that Allah SWT has given us. The favour of what we have been taught by our prophet, how we have been guided and from ignorance to knowledge and wisdom.

He is the practical example of mercy as his life and his prayers were for his people.

Allah SWT speaks of this in the 128th ayat of Sura Tauba in which it says:

There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful.

As well as Sura Al-Anbiya, ayat 107 which says:

And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.

It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went out to the graveyard and said: “Peace be upon you, abode of believing people. If Allah wills, we shall join you soon. Would that I had seen our brothers.” They said: “O Messenger of Allah, are we not your brothers?”  He said: “Rather, you are my Companions. My brothers are those who have not come yet. And I will reach the Hawd (the “drinking lake”) before them.”

Dear brothers and sisters, let this be a reminder of the love our Prophet SAWS had for us. We were not merely his Ummah just, but we were referred in such a loving way.

Remember this, our Prophet SAWS prayed for us without ever having met us. He prayed for us more than we pray for ourselves. This is the amount of love the Prophet SAWS had for each and every one of us.

And so, we ought to reciprocate that love back in honouring the rights of our beloved teacher and the best of all creation.

The reminder concludes with practical steps in which we can do this:

  1. To love him, glorify him, respect him and support him. We must realize that our love for the Prophet SAWS comes only second to our love for Allah SWT. It must overtake the love we have for anything or anyone in this life of ours. This is the role of his Ummah and a responsibility on each and every one of us.
  • To follow his lead in words and action. We must remember that the Quran is the word of Allah SWT but the practical application of the Quran is through the life of the Prophet SAWS. And so it becomes a necessity to study his life, his mannerisms and his actions so that we can follow in his footsteps. Only by doing this will we truly do justice to the love that he had for each of us.
  • To remember him. We must be mindful at all times as to the true intention of our short life before death. It is to worship Allah SWT, to remember Allah SWT and to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet SAWS. We can only do this last part if the Prophet SAWS is kept in our thoughts. We can practically do this through reminders of the life of our beloved Prophet or through consistent sending of Salaam upon him. Place a daily alarm if you need to get the habit formed, do what it takes to bring yourself closer to the remembrance of him.

Dear brothers and sisters, it is a condition for our actions and good deeds to count that we have love for the Prophet SAWS. However, we shouldn’t think of the reward as a reason for remembering him. By simply studying his life, his mission and recognizing the immense love and mercy he had for us all will automatically make you want to return that love in the way described in today’s reminder.

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Supplications (Duaas) of the Prophet (Peace be upon him)

Dear brothers and sisters, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had a gift of words which had immense meanings that go beyond the simple understanding of the words. By this we mean that he would say few words but would have depth of meaning that would last for all time.

And this was the same when He was doing Dua’s, peace and blessings be upon him, and we were encouraged to repeat these duas, that have depth of meaning in few words.

You see, we all have our own duas but the specific wording of the duas of the Prophet SAWS are rich in both their articulation and their precise meaning. Even the translation of these would not do justice to the dua in Arabic and hence we are all encouraged to learn them as they were relayed by the Prophet SAWS.

The imam mentioned one of these in the hadith of the Prophet SAWS. The dua is translated as part of the hadith and it states that:

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to say in his prayer: O Allah, I ask You for steadfastness in all my affairs and determination in following the right path, I ask You to make me thankful for Your blessings and to make me worship You properly. I ask You for a sound heart and a truthful tongue. I ask You for the best of what You know and I seek refuge in You from the worst of what You know and I seek Your forgiveness for what You know.”

And this one in which the supplication says:

O Allah! I beg You for that which incites Your Mercy and the means of Your forgiveness, safety from every sin, the benefit from every good deed, success in attaining Jannah and deliverance from Fire

And as mentioned earlier, these duas are best recited in their original form. The imam alluded to this advice by referencing the 32nd ayat of Sura Al-Imran which is translated to say:

Say, “Obey Allah and the Messenger.” But if they turn away – then indeed, Allah does not like the disbelievers.

Another hadith in relation to this is one that is relayed in this reminder in both Arabic and English as it is both an easy one to follow and one that we all can take advantage of in this busy lifestyle we live in.

It is translated to say:

Fatima complained about the blisters on her hand because of using a mill-stone. She went to ask the Prophet for servant, but she did not find him (at home) and had to inform `Aisha of her need. When he came, `Aisha informed him about it. `Ali added: The Prophet (ﷺ) came to us when we had gone to our beds. When I was going to get up, he said, “‘Stay in your places,” and sat between us, till I felt the coolness of the feet on my chest. The Prophet (ﷺ) then said, “Shall I not tell you of a thing which is better for you than a servant? When you (both) go to your beds, say ‘Allahu Akbar’ thirty-four times, and ‘Subhan Allah’ thirty-three times, ‘Al hamdu ‘illah’ thirty-three times, for that is better for you than a servant.” Ibn Seereen said, “Subhan Allah’ (is to be said for) thirty-four times.”

It is documented that after this dua was relayed to Fatima and Ali, may Allah be pleased with them both, Ali stuck to using this dua for the rest of his life.

Dear brothers and sisters, we ought to remember that the best dua is that which is followed in it’s exact form as delivered by the Prophet SAWS. The imam mentioned ayat 7 of Sura Al-Hujarat in relation to this which says:

And know that among you is the Messenger of Allah . If he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would be in difficulty, but Allah has endeared to you the faith and has made it pleasing in your hearts and has made hateful to you disbelief, defiance and disobedience. Those are the [rightly] guided.

Dear brothers and sisters, this reminder is not meant to belittle those of us who are unable to recite properly, or those who are unable to memorize these duas. Allah SWT listens to our pleas, our conversations and our requests in whatever language we speak to Him in. We should take comfort in the fact that regardless of language, all our communication with Allah SWT is heard and our duas are accepted either in this life as they are, in a form that is better for us or in the next life.

However, we should still make the effort to learn the duas of our Prophet SAWS in their original form and so the reminder ends with 3 tips to help achieve this.

  1. Sincerity – Aim to memorize and be sincere with yourself and ask Allah SWT to make it easy for you.
  2. Consistency- Make a time of the day dedicated to memorization. Whether that is the daily commute or after a prayer, consistency, even in a small form, is most liked by Allah SWT
  3. Application – Use the dua, or even part of it, in the supplications you make at the end of the prayer. This will help both memorization and the reward and acceptance of the dua you are saying.

Dear brothers and sisters, our interaction with Allah SWT ought to be consistent in our lives. We are not born to have Allah SWT as a concept or a distant reality but in fact a part of our everyday lives. By supplicating to Him in the duas revealed by the Prophet SAWS, we are both achieving the reward of following the sunnah as well as maintaining a consistent, unbreakable connection with our Lord.

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Practical Examples of the Respect shown to the Prophet (peace be upon him)

Dear brothers and sisters, we talked about the rights of the Prophet SAWS on us in the previous week’s reminder, this week is then a follow up of that reminder with examples so that we realise how he was in the hearts of the believers, and how they sacrificed themselves and family for the Prophet SAWS.

In Sura Al-Tauba, ayat 128, Allah SWT says:

There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful.

Dear brothers and sisters, if we analyse, we can see feel the love that he SAWS had for us all.

As a result, certain actions he would refrain from or not do in front of his companions so that they did not copy him and therefore make it difficult for his ummah. An example of this is the Prophet SAWS performing one hajj so that we all don’t feel the pressure to do more than once.

There is a reminder in a documented account of Umar (RA) in which he said:

Thereafter, no one was dearer to me than Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and none was more respectable than him in my eyes. So bright was his splendour that I could not gather enough courage to look at his face for any length of time. If I were asked to describe his feature, I would not be able to do so because I have never caught a full glimpse of his face. Had I died in that state I could have hoped to be one of the dwellers of Jannah

Dear brothers and sisters, as a result we need to be mindful of the level of respect and reverence we show our beloved Prophet and Messenger SAWS. We conclude with 3 short tips to help us in this.

  1. Any mention of the Prophet SAWS, either in name, first, second or third form should be followed by SAWS or Peace be upon Him. This is the level we, as Muslims, must aim to reach in our respect for Him SAWS.
  2. When speaking of any Hadith, we must do so with respect. First of all, none of us are in a position to debate Hadith and so that’s the minimum. But on top of that we ought to remind it with the correct manners. For example with focus, concentration and seriousness that it merits.
  3. And finally, we ought to try and say the Prophet and not the Messenger where possible SAWS, as the former is a greater mark of respect.

Dear brothers and sisters, our Prophet SAWS is more than a teacher, more than the most beloved to us all. He is a living, practical example of the direct connection with Allah SWT and so if we are to be true servants of Allah SWT, there is no limit to the reverence and respect we should show his final messenger, Prophet Muhammed, SAWS.

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The rights of the messsenger (Peace and Blessings upon Him) over us

Dear brothers and sisters, the choice of Allah SWT for His Messenger is a mercy and a blessing on us all.

The Imam reminded us of the 75th verse of Sura Hajj in which it is translated to say:

Allah chooses from the angels’ messengers and from the people. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Seeing.

Dear brothers and sisters, if we analyse this ayat we can see that Allah chooses from angels a messenger, and from the people messengers, and they are the best of their kind.

Our messenger SAWS is the best example of this definition. The imam reminded us of a hadith in which the Prophet SAWS said:

“Indeed, Allah chose Kinanah from the children of Isma’il, and He chose Quraish from Kinanah, and He chose Hashim from Quraish, and He chose me from Banu Hashim.”

The Prophet SAWS was subjected to taunts questioning why he was chosen to fulfil the role that Allah SWT bestowed upon him.

Allah SWT speaks of this in Sura al-Zukhruf, ayat 31 and 32 which is translated to say:

And they said: “Why is not this Qur’an sent down to some great man [in terms of dignity and wealth] of the two towns (Mecca and Ta’if)?”

Is it they who would portion out the Mercy of your Lord [regarding the Divine appointment of Muhammad to prophethood]? It is We Who portion out [between them] their livelihood in this world [let alone the exalted rank of prophethood] and We raised some of them above others in ranks so that some may employ others in their work. But the Mercy of your Lord is better than what they amass.

Dear brothers and sisters, there is so much to take from this passage but for the purposes of the time and place, we will summarize one of the lessons and that is that Allah SWT is exposing their short-sightedness in that they are ranking in terms of wordly standards such as possessions, rank and reputation.

In actual fact, such ignorant people imagined that their wrong doing tribal chiefs and men of substance were the closest people to God and were surprised to learn that Prophethood and the Divine great Favor had not been given to such people but had been bestowed upon the poor orphan, Muhammad SAWS.

As a result of this, we as Muslims must adhere to certain manners and etiquettes in relation to our beloved Prophet SAWS.

The remainder of this reminder outlines 4 of these points that we can apply practically from today.

  1. To love the Prophet SAWS more than everyone else including family. Dear brothers and sisters, this is often a hard message to convey to someone but it isn’t difficult if you study the Prophet SAWS and all that he did for us and that he will do for us.

We live in a time and place where our senses are overloaded with information on the now. We have our senses overloaded with images, sounds and videos and often these take precedence over books and mediums that require some thought.

However, if we study the Prophet SAWS, his life and his mission, we will truly understand how much of a blessing he was to you and I. How much he is applicable to us today and in our lives and in our next life. Only through this dedicated approach will we begin to fully appreciate the magnitude of our teacher and reciprocate with the love he clearly had for each and every one of us.

  1. To follow his orders and commandments and avoid disobeying the Prophet. The imam reminded us of a hadith in relation to this point and it is translated to say:

 

Whoever obeys me, obeys Allah SWT and whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah SWT

 

This ought to remind us that the Prophet SAWS and his commandments are the practical application of the book of Allah SWT and that we ought to give it the importance that it deserves.

 

  1. To pray for the Prophet SAWS. Practically, we ought to be sending salam upon the Prophet SAWS and remembering him often. This is especially the case today as we have reminded ourselves previously of the etiquettes of Friday and how it ought to include sending Salaam upon the Prophet SAWS.

 

However, alongside this, we ought to use the opportunity all week long to send salaam upon the Prophet SAWS. Whether it is one the commute to work or study or whether it is during the trip to the shops or school runs, we all have a minute here and there to perform this noble act.

The Imam reminded us of the following hadith in which the Prophet SAWS said:

“The person closest to me on the Day of Judgement is the one who sent the most Salat upon me.”

Dear brothers and sisters, we are the most blessed of people because we belong to the Ummah of the most beloved of all creation SAWS. Let us not lose sight of the fact that with this great blessing comes a responsibility too.

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Status of the Prophet (SAWS)

 

The life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is full of countless examples that show his status as a role model for Muslim societies and individuals.

His life is one that was dominated by a superior morality, good habits, noble and gentle feelings and superior skills, all of which are characteristics that help prevent people from getting entangled in a web of sin.

The rich and the prosperous, the poor and the needy, the ruler and the ruled, the weak and the lonely, the teacher and the student, the merchant and the craftsman, the employer and the employee – in other words, every sort of person can find truths in Prophet Muhammad’s life that constitute an example for them to follow.

Allah SWT mentions our Prophe SAWS in Sura Al-ahzab, ayat 21:

“Verily in the messenger of Allah you have a good example for him who looks unto Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much.”

A person who follows another person’s lead imitates that person; they follow their attitude and style. That is to say, they identify themselves with that person. In terms of Islamic faith, uswa, that is to say being an example or a role model, is an attribute that is found in those who possess goodness, beauty and righteousness.

The sunnah, are all the words, actions, teachings, characteristics, examples of the morality and personality of Prophet Muhammad SAWS.

This verse shows the importance of Prophet Muhammad’s sunnah in the lives of Muslims. As a matter of fact, the Quran clearly states that Prophet Muhammad SAWS has a superior character and demonstrates an exemplary life style.

When explaining the Islam to the disbelievers, often it has been said that the Quran is the theory and his Sunnah was the practical example of our faith. This further cements his status for each and every one of us.

In essence, his actions and his words, forms the face of Islam and gives it the characteristic features that we see all around the Islamic world.

Such is the status of our Prophet Muhammed SAWS that he is someone by whom Allah SWT Himself swears an oath:

By your life, they wandered blindly in their drunkenness.

Dear brothers and sisters, we previously did a khutba on oaths and the importance that Allah SWT placed in his Slaves not swearing an Oath on anything other than Allah SWT.

But through this verse of the Quran, Allah SWT is demonstrating to us the status that He places on Prophet Muhammed SAWS because he uses our messenger SAWSas the basis of the oath.

So what does this mean for us today? First of all, to know the status of our Leader and the best of all Mankind SAWS, is to justify the hurt we feel when his name, his memory is tarnished in the West.

In the current climate, it is not an easy topic to discuss with the non-believers, but if we begin to understand his status then we can begin to explain the worth he has in our hearts.

Secondly his status is something that should compel us to be more proactive in our lives as Muslims. If the Quran is the theory and the Prophet SAWS is the practice, then are we attempting to live by that template and those standards?

What effort have we made to imitate our Prophet SAWS teachings, sayings and actions?

The truth of the matter is that in this world, there are plenty of Role Models shown on the media, but only one matters.

We ought to be taking steps to follow our Prophet SAWS as a role model not just for ourselves but also for our youth to see and for our neighbours and co-workers to witness as a refutation to the image of Islam that is portrayed in the West.

And what are those steps? The khutba concludes with 3 steps we can all take to make this a practical part of our self-development:

  1. Learn about the life aka Seerah of the Prophet SAWS. There are some great writings on this crucial topic and we should all aim to read a book on it at some point.
  2. Download an app on Sunnah or Hadiths. There are dozens of these apps now on the Smart phone. Download one that has a daily reminder and you can benefit from increasing your knowledge through modern technology.
  3. Encourage one another to send salutations on the Prophet SAWS often. Remember that in our previous hadiths we have mentioned that our beloved Prophet SAWS, despite his status, has reserved his supplication to Allah SWT until the Day of Judgement upon which day he will request that his ummah, which includes us all today, are forgiven for all their sins.

Dear brothers and sisters, we are blessed to be a part of the best of creation’s community SAWS. Let’s not waste such a blessing and instead use it to propel ourselves to being of those who are referred to as his Ummah on the Day of Judgement.

May Allah SWT allow us to appreciate the status of Prophet Muhammed SAWS. May Allah SWT give us the drive to emulate him and may Allah SWT reward us for our efforts in doing this.

Ameen Walhamdullilahi Rabilalameen.

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Jesus (Peace be upon him)

Muslims respect and revere Jesus (peace be upon him) and as part of our faith and beliefs, regard him as one of the greatest of Allah SWT’s messengers to mankind.

The topic of Jesus in Islam is discussed often amongst our friends and companions as we live in a Christian society. What is often surprising is that most people are unaware as to the importance that we place on Jesus, may peace be upon him.

Like Christians, we also believe in the virgin birth of Jesus. This has been confirmed to us in the Quran. We also believe that he performed many miracles in his lifetime, again similar thinking to that of the Christians.

However, we also differ in fundamental areas regarding Jesus. Unlike modern Christians, we do not believe him to be God in human form, nor the son of God. Our belief is confirmed by what Allah SWT tells us in the Glorious Quran and that he was a messenger of God.

Another difference between us and the Christians is the event of the crucifixion. This is an important one to remember as when asked this question, we need to be clear in our minds as part of our educating to others, as to what Islam tells us about this event.

For this, we go back to Sura Nisaa in the Quran and specifically ayat 157 and 158 which are translated as saying:

They said: “We killed the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of God.” They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but the likeness of him was put on another man (and they killed that man)

Rather Allah raised him to Himself.

Dear brothers and sisters, what Allah SWT tells us in this ayat is that the onlookers were fooled into thinking that they have crucified Jesus as Allah SWT made another man resemble the looks of Jesus. It was this other man that the enemies of the messenger crucified.

You see, this subject is topical amongst the youth because both Christians and Muslims believe in the return of Jesus in the end times. In fact the Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, will play a central role in the events leading up to the Last Day.

For those interested in this branch of faith, it is called eschatology and students of this branch study Quran and Hadith to get a better understanding of the end times.

One such mention in the Quran is made in Sura Az-Zukhruf, ayat 61 in which Allah SWT says:

And indeed, Jesus will be a sign for knowledge of the Hour, so be not in doubt of it, and follow Me. This is a straight path.

Dear brothers and sisters, this ayah confirms the second coming of Jesus, peace be upon him, and in that we are united in belief with the Christians.

However, we are divided in our belief as to what he is going to do upon his arrival. For further insight into this, we look towards the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and it is translated to have said:

By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, surely Jesus the Son of Mary will soon descend amongst you and will judge mankind justly as a Just Ruler. He will break the cross and kill the pigs and there will be no Jizya (i.e. taxation taken from non-Muslims).

Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it, and a single prostration to Allah SWT in prayer will be better than the whole world and whatever is in it.

Dear brothers and sisters, all three major faiths of Islam, Christianity and Judaism recognize the coming of the Messiah. Christianity and Islam believe this to be Jesus whereas Judaism believes it to be someone else.

All three faiths are also agreed in the coming of the world leader who will oppose God and His rule. We call him the Dajjal. Christians refer to him as the Anti-christ. Jews called him Armilius.

And lastly, in all three faiths the Messiah defeats this end-times world leader who opposes God’s law. In our case that law of God being the Final Testament of God aka Al-Quran.

As Muslims, we need to integrate with the society in which we live. Therefore having an understanding of what we think alike is important in order to establish a rapport and communication.

But more importantly, we need to understand where we differ as it is our responsibility to inform them of the truth and eliminate any misinformation on Jesus, his life and his role to come.

May Allah SWT guide us in our understanding of the Prophets, peace be upon them all, may Allah SWT grant us knowledge of all messengers of Islam, may peace be upon them all and may Allah SWT reward us for our efforts in seeking knowledge on all messengers of Islam, may peace and blessings of Allah SWT be upon them all.

Ameen wal hamdullilahi rabilalameen.

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Our Beloved Prophet Muhammed – the best example.

The greatest man ever to walk on the face of the earth, who gave respect and rights to all. A beautiful personality, who raised high the status and rights of women, children and even animals.

A man who showed mercy to all, such mercy which knew no bounds. A most humble man who forgave those who wronged him, who taught others how to live a life of simplicity and love. A man who Allah SWT called a ‘mercy upon creation’.

He took people out of ignorance and showed them the beauty of the light He bought with him. Gentle in composure, merciful in character, beautiful in manners, elegant in speech, and most compassionate and forgiving.

He was affectionate towards children and the weak, tolerant to those who oppressed him, generous to the poor and needy.

Dear brothers, this is the introduction to our Beloved Prophet Muhammed SAWS. Allah SWT mentions him in the Glorious Quran and in this khutba, reference is made to Sura An-Najm:

Your companion has not strayed nor has he erred.

Nor does he speak from his own inclination.

It is not but a revelation revealed.

Dear brothers, if we ponder over the translation of these ayats, we can see that the Prophet SAWS was sent by Allah SWT for us all. And knowing this, if we then study the life of the best of creation, we can see what a mercy he was for us all.

And to put this in perspective, we can think of it in such a way:

Around 1400 years ago he loved us. We weren’t even born yet but still he cried for us, asking Allah SWT for our forgiveness. He wanted nothing less than Jannah for each and every one of us. Despite having never met us. He had wives, children, friends and family who adored him, but it was his repetition of ‘Ya ummati, ya ummati’ in his duas that is the definition of true love. This was his dua to Allah SWT. This was the love he had for us all.

Dear brothers, we are living in a life where role models are being made of the worst of people. Pop singers, atheletes and film stars have followers in the millions. But as muslims, we don’t need to look to these people.

As Muslims, our role model is Muhammed SAWS and we need to strive to discover what that means.

Yes, it is true that the effort required in knowing him, his life and his ways is not as easy as watching the current-day role models on TV or on the internet.

However, this is where our test lies in the current age. We need to make that effort to find out who he was and why he commands our love with the manners, words and actions he displayed in his life.

In the current age, where the image of Islam is one of intolerance, we need to educate ourselves and others around us that the message of Islam and the one portrayed by our Prophet SAWS is one of tolerance and forgiveness.

This is mentioned in Sura Al-Imran and is befitting this topic. It is translated as:

So by mercy of Allah, O Muhammed you we lenient with them. And if you had been rude in speech and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you.

So pardon them and ask for forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then reply upon Allah. Indeed, Allah loves those who rely upon Him.

Dear brothers, this ayat is one of many that demonstrates how we need to behave in the society that we now find ourselves in. Allah SWT illustrates the compassion and the mercy of our role model SAWS in the ayat. The following Bukhari hadith also illustrates his love and compassion. He said:

When I enter the prayer I intend to prolong it. Then I hear the crying of a child, so I shorten it knowing the difficulty his mother will have with him crying.

Dear brothers, we are obliged to invite others to the correct path. So in today’s day and age, how does one achieve this? The answer to this is simple but the effort is life-long. It is simply to follow in the path of our beloved Prophet SAWS. To emulate his behaviour, his manners and his way of dealing with worldly matters is the best Dawah that we can do in this day and age.

And by following his path, we can become a beacon to the truth for those who are lost around us. We can perform Dawah without ever having to stand up and do a speech on our faith. And alongside that achievement, we will have achieved the best we can In this life and that is to emulate our beloved Prophet Muhammed SAWS.

May Allah SWT give us the will to study the life of our beloved Prophet SAWS. May Allah SWT enable us to follow in the path of our beloved Prophet SAWS. And may Allah SWT reward us for our efforts to emulate the Prophet SAWS.

 

Ameen wal hamdullilahi rabilalameen.

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Behaviour of our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him)

Dear brothers, in our current climate, we are faced with the constant barrage of negative news relating to Islam.

In fact, as muslims living in this time and place, we are obliged to keep on our toes with current affairs and educate those who approach us with the misconceptions they see in the media.

As a muslim, in this day and age, how does one reply to a non-muslim asking about the behaviour of muslims that are portrayed by the media? Whether it is in our workplace, our local community or our place of education, we need to be prepared for this question.

Dear brothers, the answer lies in the best of creation. SAWS. When asked about the news on the television, as muslims, we simply respond with the following:

If you want to know about how a muslim should be then study the life of our Prophet Muhammed, peace be upon him.

So, who is our beloved Prophet SAWS?

In answer to the question that will be asked of us. He was born in the year 570. Since his father died before his birth and his mother died shortly thereafter, he was raised by his grandfather and uncle.

As he grew up, he became known to be truthful, honest, trustworthy, generous and sincere. In fact he was so trustworthy that he was referred to as the Trustworthy. SAWS.

Our beloved prophet SAWS was very religious from an early age detested the decadence and idolatry of his society.

After the Quran began to be revealed to the Prophet SAWS, the following ayat from Sura Ibrahim and the ayat from Sura Al Maida are ones that the hadith of the Prophet SAWS is reported to have said frequently:

My Lord, indeed they have led astray many among the people. So whoever follows me – then he is of me; and whoever disobeys me – indeed You are Forgiving and Merciful.

If you should punish them – indeed they are your servants; but if you forgive them –– indeed it is You who is the Exalted in might, The Wise.

Dear brothers, the Prophet Muhammed SAWS is our role model, our teacher, our guide and a mercy upon us all.

So what does it mean to emulate in the footsteps of the greatest of all creation? We all know that to follow in his footsteps is to be in accordance with the Sunnah.

However, with so many examples offered, is there a definitive list of behavioural traits that we can all try to adhere to?

Allah SWT has already blessed us with some of these traits and reference to this is given in Sura Al-Tharyiat:

And on the Earth are signs for the certain in faith, and in yourselves. Then will you not see?

Dear brothers, our aim in life is to emulate the Prophet SAWS in every way possible for our own sakes and for the sakes of those around us. This is because by adopting the habits of our beloved Prophet SAWS, we can become the true signs for those around us that are being bombarded with an misconception of Islam and Muslims.

This khutba concludes then with a list of character traits of the Prophet SAWS which we should all try to emulate. It is titled the Prophet’s lifestyle for those wishing to reference it online at a point in the future. It is to:

Talk softly. To Walk Humbly. To eat sensibly. To breathe deeply. To sleep sufficiently. To dress properly. To interact politely. To act fearlessly. To work patiently. To think truthfully. To behave decently. To believe correctly. To learn practically. To plan orderly. To earn honestly. To spend intelligently. To sacrifice regularly. To serve parents happily. To respect neighbours appropriately. To never hate one another. To never be jealous of one another. To never think ill of one another. To always remain brothers unto each other. And To worship dedicatedly.

Dear brothers, we will be asked how we propagated Islam on the Day of Judgement. Let our behaviour and habits answer that for us. This can only be the case when our habits and our behaviour emulates the Prophet’s SAWS behaviour.

May Allah SWT enable us to understand the importance of good behaviour. May Allah SWT enable us to emulate the behaviour of the Prophet SAWS. And may Allah SWT reward us for emulating the behaviour of the Prophet SAWS.

 

Ameen wal hamdullilahi rabilalameen.

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Love of our Prophet (Peace be upon him)

It’s hard, living away from a man we love so much. It’s hard, not being able to see his blessed face ourselves, or smell the sweet smell that he was famous for emitting.

It is hard not having witnessed the epitome of human mercy. It is hard not being able to hear his blessed voice reciting the Quran. But most of all, it is hard not knowing – would he love me if he knew me? My brothers, take comfort in the fact that he loved you more than you can even imagine.

We know that the relationship between the messenger (peace be upon him) and the companions was a very unique relationship. They loved him greatly and it was easy to see that he loved them as well.

There are plentiful examples of the mercy he showed upon the people in his time. One of the examples is at Eid-ul-Adha, he would sacrifice on his behalf and upon the behalf of people who could not afford to sacrifice.

Also when he ascended to the heavens, he took the opportunity in his meeting with Allah SWT to reduce the burden of prayers from 50 daily to 5 daily all the while keeping the reward for us of the original 50 prayers.

Further examples of his mercy towards his people was when the suffering of the muslims was too much to bear in Mecca, the prophet, peace be upon him, instructed his companions to go to Abysinnia to escape the suffering.

The companions believed in the message that he brought from Allah SWT whilst many of his tribe mocked and ridiculed him. They were by his side in the tough times, willing to sacrifice their very own lives for him. One can often wish and crave that we were in their shoes, loving the prophet (peace be upon him) wholeheartedly and being loved by him.

Our Prophet (peace be upon him) love for his people is described by Allah SWT in Sura Toba, ayat 128:

Verily, there has come unto you a messenger from amongst yourselves. It grieves him when you suffer; he is concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful.

Our beloved messenger, peace be upon him, a few days before the greatest calamity, his own death, was walking by his companions and spoke the following words which fill any Muslim’s heart with joy and comfort. He said to his companions:

I wish that I could meet my brothers

Upon first hearing this statement, it can be easy to assume that the beloved Prophet, peace be upon him, is talking about the previous prophets or messengers from the past. The companions with him were also confused and so they asked him:

Are we not your brothers?

To which our beloved Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, replied:

You are my companions, my brothers are those who will believe in me, without having seen me.

 

My brothers, think about the above for a moment. He yearned to meet each and every one of us. His heart was filled with true love for us; the ones who believe in him yet have not seen him, and if there is one thing we know about the love of the Prophet, peace be upon him, it is that it was not superficial love.

There is no greater feeling in this world than to love and be loved back. Now imagine loving the best of all creation and knowing for a fact that he loved you right back.

One final example of this demonstration of love and probably the most valuable for you and I is a Sahih Bukhari hadith in which Abu Hurairah narrated:

The beloved messenger stated “Each and every messenger had one duaa or supplication accepted and I am saving mine for the Day of Judgement to use to help my people”

 

May Allah SWT generate that undiminishing love for our beloved Prophet, peace be upon him, in our hearts. May we be included in those whom he speaks about when he says ‘my brothers are those who will believe in me, without having seen me’. And may we be blessed with his blessed companionship in Jannah and never again have to be separated from our beloved sal Allahu alayhi wa salam.

 

Ameen wal hamdullilahi rabilalameen

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