Do you love the Prophet (s) more than yourself

Do You Love the Prophet (pbuh) More Than Yourself?

By Sheikh Abdul Bary Yahya

Opening Greetings and Introduction

Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. As-salatu wa as-salamu ala Rasulillah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam.

Jazakum Allah khair everyone once again for another exciting family Friday night inshaAllah. Today as brother Adam mentioned to you all, we are blessed to have our guest speaker, Shaykh Abdul Bary Yahya. He came all the way down south to sunny SoCal from rainy Seattle.

He was telling me that earlier in Seattle, it's actually flooding. That's how much rain there is and then he came down here, he's wearing this thick shirt and it's 80 degrees outside. So I was like, Shaykh, this is cool.

Anyways, inshaAllah, Shaykh Alhamdulillah, as you guys may have known, Shaykh Abdul Bary Yahya, originally from Vietnam. Originally from Vietnam, Alhamdulillah, grew up in Seattle. The Shaykh was blessed to graduate from the University of Medina, earned his degree in Shari'ah, inshaAllah. And Alhamdulillah, he's been very active in Dawah in North America, teaches full time in Seattle, has been all over the country. I'm sure he's been to Canada, he's been to many other countries, inshaAllah.

And he's also an instructor with Al-Maghrib Institute. And Alhamdulillah, this weekend is actually the second weekend of the Al-Maghrib Institute and that's why we took advantage of his presence here and we couldn't miss this opportunity, Alhamdulillah. So he will be talking to us about the true love of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمthat we put his love before the love of ourselves, inshaAllah.

I'd like to ask everyone to please respectfully give Shaykh Abdul-Bary your full undivided attention. And inshaAllah, there will be some time in the end for any questions you guys might have for the Shaykh, inshaAllah. And without further ado, Shaykh Abdul-Bary.

Khutbah Opening

JazakAllah khair. Inna alhamdulillah, nahmaduhu wa nastaeenuhu wa nastaghfiruhu. Wa na'udhu billahi min shururi anfusina wa sayyi'ati a'malina. May Yahdihi Allahu fala mudhilla lah. Waman yudhlil fala hadiya lah. Ash'hadu an la ilaha illa Allah wahdahu la sharika lah. Wa ash'hadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh.

Ya ayyuhal lazeena aamanu ittaqullaha haqqa tuqatih. Wala tamutunna illa wa antum muslimun.

Ya ayyuhal naasu ittaqu rabbakumu allathee khalaqakum min nafsi wahida. Wa khalaqa minha zawjaha wabatha minhuma rijalan kathira wa nisa'a. Wa ittaqullaha allathee tasa'aluna bihi wal arhaam. Inna allaha kana alaykum raqiba.

Ya ayyuhal lazeena aamanu ittaqullaha wa quluu qawthan sadeeda. Yuslih lakum a'malakum. Wa yaghfir lakum dhunubakum. Waman yuta'illaha wa rasuluhu faqad faasa fawzan azeema. Amma ba'd.

The Story of the Crying Tree Trunk

When the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم decided on a place to build the masjid, they built it in a lot that had a lot of trees. So the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم ordered the trees to be cut. And in front of the masjid, the tree that was cut, it wasn't cut all the way.

They left the tree that was towards the front where the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم prayed, or towards the direction of the Qibla, they left the stump standing. So the tree stump that was in the front of the masjid was left standing. It was used by the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم for his khutbahs.

And he also sometimes would stand on the tree trunk in order to pray so that the others could see. Because if he was in a higher area, then they would be able to see how the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم prayed. Because he had said:

(Sahih Bukhari 631)

Pray as you see me pray.

So it would be easier for them to see how the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم prayed where he put his hands, how he made ruku and so forth. And when he would make sujood, he would just go down, step down from the tree trunk, and he would make the regular sujood that we know. And so this tree trunk was used, as I mentioned, as the mimbar.

There was no mimbar at the time of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. There's no pulpit where he stood to give the khutbahs. He stood on this tree trunk. Finally, a companion had noticed an Ansari. He had noticed that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم was standing on a tree trunk, and this was a carpenter. And so his wife, actually she was the one that noticed it. And she gave advice to her husband.

And she said, why don't we build for the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم a pulpit, a mimbar, where he can stand up on, instead of standing on this tree trunk. And so the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم was asked about it, and he agreed to have it built for him. And when it came out, when the sahabi, the Ansari was finished building the mimbar, he brought the mimbar out.

Immediately upon bringing the mimbar to the masjid, the tree trunk started to cry. This tree trunk started to cry, and cry, and cry. And because he wanted the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to make the khutbah on him, he wanted the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم to stand on him. He wanted to be used for this great purpose of educating the Muslims.

And so this tree trunk made different noises. According to some companions, they said it was like as if it was a pregnant camel that was about to deliver. Some of them said it was like a baby, or a moaning sound. But either case, this hadith has come to us by way of tawatur.

Understanding Tawatur

What does tawatur mean? Tawatur means it has been reported to us through so many means, through so many chains and ways that it is impossible that this is a lie. It is logically impossible for it to be a lie. It's like me telling you right now, you guys have been lied through all these times, there was nobody by the name of Imam Shafi'i. And Imam Shafi'i, even if there was, he wasn't pious.

Or Imam Abu Hanifa, and so forth. What would you say to me immediately? You'd say, no way. There is no way that that can be false whatsoever. Because it has come to us through so many means. Muslims in Asia. Any Muslim who prays five times a day on the face of this earth knows them.

And it has gone through so many chains that so many people have written about them, their books and so forth. That logically, it's impossible for it to be a lie. It's like me also telling you that there's no such thing as a war in Iraq right now. There's no such thing as soldiers over there. There's nothing there. You've been lied through by the media.

The media lies a lot, but you know. Well, we've gone, we've witnessed it. So, this is called tawatur. Information that has come to us through so many means, by so many ways, through so many people that are from different parts and areas of the world and different types of people, that it is impossible that it could ever be a lie. That it's logically impossible. It's impossible to even deny it.

It's just like the Quran itself has come to us by way of tawatur. By way of tawatur, meaning it has come to us through millions and millions of people. Everybody in Asia, they're reciting the same thing. Everyone in Africa. Everyone in America and Europe and so forth. It's this Quran that we're reading. And all of it's the same. And so, this is what tawatur is.

The Tree Trunk's Consolation

So, this information, the crying of the, the moaning or crying of this tree trunk came to us by way of tawatur. And so, this tree trunk started to cry and the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم wanted to console it. And so, he went down to the tree trunk and he hugged the tree trunk and he whispered something to the tree trunk that the companions could hear the whispering but they didn't know what he was actually saying.

And then afterwards the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, immediately upon whispering, after he whispered to the tree trunk, the tree trunk stopped crying. It stopped crying, it was silent. And so, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم was asked about what he said to the tree trunk that made him stop crying.

And so, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said, The reason why he stopped crying was because I asked him, I said, would you like to be a tree trunk in Jannah with me? Would you like to be in Jannah with me? And the tree trunk stopped crying. He said, if I didn't console it, he would have cried until the Day of Judgment.

A tree trunk, inanimate object, cries because he wants to be with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. How about us, human, with blood and heart, we have our bodies, we're alive in terms of, you know, you can see we move around. Isn't it more appropriate that we yearn to be with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم more than these tree trunks and these inanimate objects? This is an inanimate object.

And that's why al-Hasan al-Basri, when he mentioned this hadith, he said:

O Muslims, a piece of wood yearns to be with the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم. It's more appropriate, more right that you should yearn and want to be with the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم

The Obligation of Loving the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم

And so the tree trunk loved the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم And the rocks, they used to give salams to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . The stone in Mecca, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, there used to be a rock that I know to this day I know which rock. This rock used to give salams to me every time I would pass by.

And so loving the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم is something that's obligatory. It's mandatory upon every Muslim. And if you ask any Muslim, everybody claims that they love the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم

But what does loving the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم entail? What does it entail? What should we be doing if we know that loving the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is obligatory?

Most people think that to love the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is obligatory and we know that's a part of Iman. But you know, many people don't realize that you have to love the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم more than even yourself. More than yourself.

And that's why the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم he said in a hadith which is authentic in all the sahih collections:

(Sahih Bukhari 15, Sahih Muslim 44)

None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father and his sons and his children and all of the people.

The Story of Umar ibn Al-Khattab

And so the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم when he said this to Umar. He said, Ya Rasulullah. He said:

He said, O Messenger of Allah, You are more beloved to me than everyone except for myself. He said, except for myself.

:said صلى الله عليه وسلم And so the Prophet

He said, No Umar, even yourself.

And so Umar ibn Khattab رضي الله عنه He said:

He said, Now You are more beloved to me than even myself.

And then the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

Now, O Umar.

Most people when they read this hadith they might think, Umar ibn Khattab رضي الله عنه . He should love the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم more than anybody else, right? And why is he like Why did he mention that he loved the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم Why did he mention that he loved himself more than the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم at the beginning? This is Umar ibn Khattab رضي الله عنه

In fact, he did love the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم even more than himself. He did. But it was the culture that this is not the norm. You don't say this. It's like you don't say this. But in his heart, in his actions he did love the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم even more than himself. It's just that it sounded strange.

Because you know like in America there are certain things that sound strange to them because of the culture. If you say, For example I remember speaking to a Christian when I was on the plane and I was telling this lady about Islam and I told her, I said, She's a Christian and she's very, She's a practicing Christian also.

She was actually I was so tired I wanted to sleep. But she was making dawah to me. I guess on that day she probably chose the wrong person to make dawah to. But I was really sleepy. But immediately I said MashaAllah

you know I was fully awake. I said Wow this is an opportunity right here. Let her talk and then I will talk. And so I hardly got any sleep the night before. And I was actually intending to sleep.

But you know I thought to myself If this person who is in falsehood is so zealous in bringing trying to make dawah, What am I doing? I'm thinking about sleeping. I shouldn't be thinking about sleeping at all right now. Look at her. And so we started speaking. And one of the things I mentioned I said, I said Islam is more important to me than anything. Even my family. Even my family. And so Even myself. Like I love the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). And Muslims should all love.

And he said She said Well really? He said No no no. You can't do that. Family comes first before everything else. Family comes first. And I mentioned this Family. My children. My You know He always mentions My children. My husband. My parents and so forth. Hey they come first.

So in this culture Right. Normally you're instilled You know Family comes first. Of course family comes first. In religion of course. Maybe after that. Later on. You know After your friends. Families and friends. And then you take care. You go to church. Whatever it is. You know. Take care of that Later.

But family and friends Are always first. Or your family is always first. So the culture During that time You know. It's like If you told somebody Outside in the streets right now That You know The religion should be The most important thing. They would think No no no. It shouldn't ever be Your family should always be first. And yourself Should take care of yourself first. Right. Most people Maybe. Then There might be exceptions here and there. But most people will agree to that.

So In that culture Umar ibn Khattab (رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ - radi Allahu anhu). It was Because You know They were just used to Thinking of course Their self before everyone else. That's always the case. That's always been the case. But so Umar ibn Khattab (رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ - radi Allahu anhu). He actually did love The Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). In his actions. And in his heart. More than the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). But it just felt strange.

So he Went with the culture. And this is what he said. This is what's mentioned By some of the scholars Concerning this issue. And so Umar ibn Khattab (رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ - radi Allahu anhu) Did love the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) More than anyone else. But From this hadith We also learned something. In that You know We love We should love the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) More than even ourselves. We put The Messenger of Allah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) Above and beyond even ourselves.

The Quranic Command

And Of course Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Has clearly mentioned This Clearly In surah At-Tawbah. In the Quran itself Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

Say, If your parents, If your fathers And your children, Your sons And your brothers And your spouses And your family And your tribe And so forth, And the wealth The wealth That you have acquired, In your business That you are afraid Of failing In it Or you're afraid Of loss in your business, And your houses That you live in That you're pleased with, If these things Are more beloved to you Than Allah And His Messenger And jihad for His sake, The struggle for His sake, Jihad Fee sabili Allah, Fatarabbasu Then wait. This is a warning. Then wait. Hatta ya'ti Allah bi amri. Until Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Sends forth His affair And the affair of Allah Comes forward. Wallahu la yahdi Alqawmu alfasiqun. Indeed Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Does not love the transgressors.

What does that mean? That means People who Those who love Any of these things Their parents Their children And so forth More than Allah And His Messenger Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Will not Listen La yahdi Allah will not guide that person And what kind of people are they? La yahdi alqawmu alfasiqunFasiqun Fusaq Transgressors Putting things in the wrong They're not just When you say something Somebody's a fasiqunFisq Means somebody Who transgresses bounds Like When you You know mice They call them fawaysiqa Because they're little creatures But they do a lot of A lot of what? A lot of damage Like how can a little You know A little Animal just like that Cause so much mischief You know it goes into your clothes And it just bites a little piece of it Messes it up already Then it doesn't bite just one If it only messed up one It'd be okay It might go through your whole wardrobe Or maybe three Half of your wardrobe And it's just a little thing But it does so It transgresses even the limits For that size It does too much mischief for that size Too much problems Carries diseases And all kinds of things Right And so the word fisq Means transgression Through all Transgressing The bounds And all bounds All boundaries And so Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says If a person loves these things More than they love Allah And His Messenger Then Allah will not guide these people And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala calls them Fasiqeen.

Signs of True Love

So because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says Allah will not guide those who are Fasiqeen So Everyone claims that they love the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) And if you love the Messenger of Allah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) If you love anybody You want to be with them You want to be with them And If you love somebody You want to know anything You want to know everything about them You want to know everything Every little thing About them If you love that person.

And this is true When it comes to the non-Muslims When you see sometimes the non-Muslims They want to know everything about people They want to know everything About Their movie stars They want to know everything about their sports stars They want to know everything about their Actors And actresses And singers and so forth They even call them idols Right American idols These singers and so forth People idolize them Make them idols They love them.

And that's why The big companies and corporations They pay them millions and millions of dollars To Sponsor To advertise For them Or You know They sometimes pay them even more than The player Gets from Their

particular Sport he's playing Itself If he's really good He will get more From endorsements Than he actually gets from playing Why do they pay them so much money?

The reason is because they know that Everyone Wants to be Like those whom they love And whom they adore And they want to be like them They want to do the same things that they do So if you see If they see like a movie star Or people that they love Wearing a certain type of shoe Certain brand of shoe Shoes and certain brand of Jackets or clothing or whatever it is Then they will Immediately Try to buy that type also Because they want to be like them.

The Example of Michael Jordan

One great example Is Michael Jordan Everybody knows who Michael Jordan is, right? If we were to ask anyone here Some of you Ask what kind of cereal does Michael Jordan Eat? What would you say? Anybody know what cereal he eats? Wheaties, right? He eats Wheaties You even know Especially if you ask the kids Because they are more geared to the kids If you ask the kids Ask them What kind of cereal does Michael Jordan eat? They will say Wheaties.

If you ask them If you were to ask them You know What kind of underwear Michael Jordan wears? They will tell you Anybody know what kind of underwear he wears? Hanes See? Hanes, right? You are in trouble If you know what kind of underwear Somebody wears And that's not your spouse But that's a different matter Why did these people You know, you see Why did we say For example What kind of underwear Does Michael Jordan wear? Oh, Hanes Because they paid him Millions of dollars To advertise And endorse this product Because they know That people want to be like Mike They want to be like them.

And when they want to be like them They want to imitate And do everything Even the way they walk You will see like little kids On the playground Playing basketball They will risk Biting their teeth Or their tongue off By sticking their tongue out When they put their ball in the hoop Right? They will go like this And just like Michael Jordan does Because they stick their tongue out Because they want to copy him They want to be like Mike.

Even the little things The way that a person walks You will see that When they walk Even the way they celebrate When something happens They are looking at these people And they want to imitate them And that's why they pay them so much.

The Magazine Culture

You know when you are at a supermarket You are in a supermarket And you are walking To the check stand And you are about to Bring all the grocery Put it on the conveyor belt That leads to the machine That takes care of the money You look right in front of you What do you see? You see magazines Magazines About what? About these stars These actors and actresses All over Every single one of them And you know these stories? They are like There is no benefit in them whatsoever.

For example They might speak about Oh you know this person This person here Has just gotten married And two weeks later They got divorced That's usually the case Or this person Uses this type of toilet Or this person does this and that Just the little minor details That Who cares? Like you know I wouldn't even want to know Those things about my husband Like you know And why would you want to know About them?

You know some of them Some of these little details Even where they go Where they shop Where they vacation What kind of things that they do How many times they have been In rehab and out of rehab All kinds This is their life So you That's all they are talking about But you know what? These magazines Are being bought All the time Because they want to know Everything about them.

Now why would somebody write About something That people wouldn't want to know about? Why are they writing about these things? Why are they following them? You see the paparazzi You guys live in Hollywood Right here right? This is Southern California This is your life You see them going around Like even the restaurants They want to take pictures of them What kind of shoes are they wearing? You know? What kind of clothing are they wearing? And what time did they go out? At night time Which clubs did they just go to? Everything about them.

I mean why don't they You know there are millions of people Why them? Who cares about them? Why are they following them? Why do they have people Like following them all these days? Because they might get one picture That might be worth a million dollars And they might get a story here and there That they can sell there Then because they know People will be interested in People want to know about these things Why do they want to know about these things? Because they love them.

Our Relationship with the Seerah

But we claim to love the messenger of Allah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). When was the last time we opened a seerah book? Because we want to know About the messenger of Allah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). When was the last time That we picked up The books of hadith Yearning to hear What the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) Had said But you know what?

Everything Barack Obama says We heard it Everything John McCain said Especially Sarah Palin Right? Very interesting, right? Follow every single word All the time, every single day, right? What about what the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did? What did he say? Volumes are available When did we open?

But you know what? We have to hear Oh, did you hear what happened? You know, after the elections, before the elections During the elections and so forth Did you hear the story How this person was so smart, so dumb They said this and said that We're very interested We turn on the TV We make sure when we come back home We see what's going on But when's the last time You wanted to know about The Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) so much That you wanted to hurry home So you can pick up those hadith books Or listen to the lecture About the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) When was the last time That you hurried home for that.

So if we did love the message of Allah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) We would want to know More about the message of Allah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) And the more you know about the message of Allah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) The more you love The message of Allah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) Because the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is loved by all.

(صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) Universal Praise for the Prophet

What I mean he's loved by all He's loved by all Muslims and non-Muslims are like You might say Well, yeah, I understand him being loved by Muslims. He's praised by all. Muslims and non-Muslims are like. You might say well I understand that Muslims praise the Messenger of Allah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and they love the Messenger of Allah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) but how can you say this about the non-Muslims? They actually love the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and they also praise him.

Even if they don't mention it, they don't mean it. Even if they don't say it but in their actions and in the things that they do, they praise the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). How do they praise him? They praise him because they praise all the characteristics that the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had the good qualities. Those qualities are qualities that they cherish also.

Truthfulness, trustworthiness, kindness, generosity. Tell me a person that says these are bad traits. Tell me. They indirectly praise the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) because they praise these characteristics and this was in the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Even if they refuse to say it with their mouths, they've already praised the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) in praising these characteristics that are in the Messenger of Allah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)

Following the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is a Sign of Love

So this is the final Prophet, final Messenger and Prophet. This is the Messenger of Allah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and that's why when we love the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)you have to follow the Messenger of Allah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). This is a sign of love and that's why Allah (جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ - Jalla Jalaluhu) says in Surah Ali Imran:

Say, O Muhammad, If indeed you love Allah, then follow me. Then Allah will love you and He will forgive you your sins. Indeed Allah (جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ - Jalla Jalaluhu) is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

So if we indeed love Allah, then Allah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says then follow the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and Allah will love you back and then He will forgive you your sins also. And then as for those who don't love the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) they're non-Muslims. They're not even Muslims. Anyone who doesn't love the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is a kafir, is a non-Muslim. Anyone who doesn't love the Messenger of Allah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is a non- Muslim.

Not a Muslim and mu'min type thing, is a non-Muslim. Because Allah (جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ - Jalla Jalaluhu) says:

Say, Obey Allah and the Messenger. But if you turn your back, If you don't love and you don't follow the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمFor indeed Allah does not love the deniers of faith, the kuffar, the kafireen. Allah does not love them.

So loving the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم isn't something that's sunnah. It's obligatory upon every Muslim. So when we love the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم we have to learn about the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم. We have to say salawat upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. We say:

And every time we say it, we get a reward for it. And that's why the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

(Sahih Muslim 408)

Whoever says salawat upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم one time, Allah جل جلاله will give him, turn ten times upon him. The person who says it will return to him. Will give him back in return.

The Day the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم Passed Away

So the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم is somebody whom we all love. If we truly love him, then we would know more about him. If we knew about him, then we would love him more.

And that's why the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم when he, the day that he passed, the day that he passed away, was the darkest day in the lives of the companions. It was the darkest days in the lives of the companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم And this was the day in which Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه he said, when the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم entered Medina, when the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم entered Medina, it was the brightest day in our lives. There was no day like it in Medina.

And on the day that he died, everything was dark. And we couldn't even get ourselves to believe. We couldn't even believe that we were putting dirt, we were burying the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with our hands already. They couldn't even believe it. It was such a shock to them. Because they loved the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم so much.

And when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم passed away, Umar ibn Khattab رضي الله عنه, he couldn't believe it. In fact, he said, he stood up in the masjid, he took out his sword, he said, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم is not dead. Whoever says that he's dead, he said, first of all, he said, he's only, he's gone. Just like Musa عليه السلام went for 40 days. And he will come back. He hasn't died.

Umar ibn Khattab رضي الله عنهhe couldn't believe it. And then he said, may Allah, and I hope, he said, and I hope that when the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم comes back, that he cuts the hands and tongues of all those who said that he died. May Allah cut the hands and tongues of those who said that he died.

You might look at Umar ibn Khattab رضي الله عنه and you might say, Umar, where's your patience? Right? He said, where's the patience? But you know, because he loved the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم so much. And it was until Abu Bakr رضي الله عنهhe got up. And he said, whoever, he recited, he said, whoever worshiped Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم is dead. And whosoever worships Allah, then indeed Allah is Hayyun. He's alive and he never dies. And then he read the ayat:

He said, Muhammad is none but a Messenger. Just like the Messengers who has passed away before. If he dies or is killed, would you then turn back on your heels?

And then when Umar heard this, it was the first time that he heard it. And he realized it was true that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم had indeed passed away. You know what happened? His limbs, Umar, the strong one, his limbs, his legs became wobbly and he could no longer hold his weight. And he stooped to the ground and he fell on the ground.

Upon hearing that, upon realizing that indeed it is true that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم had indeed passed away. So as Muslims, when we hear about the day that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم passed away, this was the greatest calamity. This is the darkest day that we've heard of. Because every Muslim should love the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم more than anybody else.

And you know when you hear about, when you speak about the day that your grandfather died, or your grandmother died, or your father died, or your mother died, or somebody whom you love. Think of somebody whom you love very much and you think about the day that they die. The day on their deathbed. What happens to your eyes? Your eyes start tearing up. Why? Because you love that person and you miss them and you want to be with them.

Practical Ways to Show Love

And so all of us, as I mentioned, we all should love the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم. And we also, we all should try to learn as much as we can about the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم. But you know love, how do you measure love? How do we know we love the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم? And how can we show or increase our love for the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم? And how can we be with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم

People always tell you, love the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Because the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

(Sahih Bukhari 6168)

The person will be raised up with those whom he loves.

But give me something practical. What can I do? To be with the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم. Give me something solid that I can do practically. Go home right now and do this and it will increase my chance to be

with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and it will show my love for the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم. Like physically show my love for the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. What should I do? What are the things I should do?

Well you know a companion, he was helping, he helped the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم. And he was helping him with the wudu. And so the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said to him, ask. He said, ask and then you will get. In other words, ask, what is it that you want? And I'll make dua for you. In other words, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said ask.

What would you ask? You have a free path. You have a free path. Like ask anything and the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم will make dua for you. It's like, wish and you'll get. Because the dua of the Prophet صلى الله علیه وسلم is accepted. What would one of us, if we had that in our hands, we had this ticket in our hand, what would you want to do? What would you ask for?

He said, he said:

(Sahih Muslim 489)

I would like to be with you in paradise, ya Rasulullah.

Then he said, او غير ذلك. He said, anything else? I mean that's all? I mean you know because most of us were asked that, what would we say? Well you know, if I had three million, it would be nice. I can come to the masjid all the time and promise to be really good. I'll be generous. Or you know, a lot of money, I could really be really good. Or you think about something in this life.

But what did he want? The only thing he wanted was, ya Rasulullah, I want to be with you in paradise, in jannah. Because he loved the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم more than anybody else. And so, the Messenger of Allah :said صلى الله عليه وسلم

(Sahih Muslim 489)

Then help me in achieving this goal of yours by increasing your sujud.

By increasing your sujud. So if you want to be with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمsomething practical you can do now, is increase your sunnah. Stand up at night time to pray. Don't leave the sunnahs that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم always prayed. Pray the sunnahs, increase the sunnah whenever you have time. When you make wudu, pray as much as you're able to.

And inshallah, you'll be with the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم in paradise. If you increase your prayer in this way, because the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is giving us something practical. Now he didn't say, oh love me more than anybody else. But what, you know, yes, you know, how do we do that? Well, increase your sujud.

The Prophet's Concern for the Companions

During the lifetime of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم would always turn

around and ask the companions if he saw any dream or anything like that. But he would always look towards the companions. During maghrib, isha, and fajr prayer. He would turn and look at the faces of the companions. During dhuhr and asr, he would turn to the right side.

And that's why you have some scholars who say, you should turn to the right after prayer. Or there are some narrations that said the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم would turn towards the people. It was, at times, the prayers that were dark, he would turn straight, directly at the companions. Why? Because there were women in the back. And when it's light outside, dhuhr and asr, you can see all the way in the back because it's bright.

During the time of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمthe masjid was not lit like the masajids that we have now. And so he would turn, especially during fajr, he would ask the companions. And he would see who's there and who's not there. You know, he would ask about people, why they weren't there.

And so a companion, he was not there one day. And so the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم inquired about him. And they found out that he was sick. And so the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم went to visit him. And so they said, he would go to visit him. He inquired about him.

He said, Ya Rasulullah. He was telling him about the reason for his fever. Because sometimes you get so stressed out and you're worried so much, you become sick. If you get stressed out, your immune system becomes weak and so forth. And you're more, if you're too stressed out, you're more susceptible to infections and things like that and all sorts of little things.

And so he was worried so much that he got a fever because of it. Became sick. So why was he worried about that? He was thinking about the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم. And he was thinking that, he said, Ya Rasulullah, I was thinking, you know, the deeds that you do in comparison to what I do, I have nothing. And I was thinking, even if I did achieve Paradise, I wouldn't be in the same level as you, O Messenger of Allah.

And so the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, a person will be with whom they love. And so at that moment, Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه he said upon hearing this hadith, these words from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, everybody was happy. It was like Eid day in Medina. It was like Eid because everyone was so happy. Why were they happy? Because they had the same concerns.

And then when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said a person will be with those whom he loves, because they themselves knew deep down in their hearts that they loved the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم more than anybody else, even themselves. And that's why they're so happy.

Why Aren't We Happy?

But when we hear this hadith, a person will be with those whom he loves, who do we think? We think of, Ya Allah, you know, inshaAllah, hopefully I'll be with my grandfather, my grandmother, my wife, my husband, inshaAllah you'll be with all of them. But the first person you should think about is the Messenger of Allah صلی الله عليه وسلم

And that's the reason when we hear this hadith, a person will be with those whom he loves. Why aren't we happy? Remember, what I'm telling you right now the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said a person will be with those whom he loves. Why aren't we like smiling with joy, jumping up and down? Why isn't it Eid for us?

Do you know why? Because we don't really love the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم more than ourselves. That's why. That's why we're not happy. Because this is not something we're concerned about or we're yearning for. Because if we were, we would be crying to be with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم A piece of wood cries to be with the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم. And we're human, blood, flesh, breathing, humans. We don't yearn to be صلى الله عليه وسلم with the Prophet

A person will be with those whom he loves. Should be Eid for us also. But it's not because we know we don't love the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم more than ourselves. So if that's the case, then let's do something about it. Let's start studying about the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . Learning about his character. Let's increase our sujood and follow the way that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم talked, walked. How he dealt with his wives and how they dealt with his spouse. How the companions dealt with their, you know, the sahabiyat.

And if we love Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه, if we love Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه, we should follow in their examples. These are examples for us. If we truly and did love them, then indeed we would be like them. And we would imitate them. We would try our very best to be like them.

Poetry on True Love

You disobey Allah. You disobey your God. And you claim that you love him.

He said, this logic, indeed, this is a line of poetry. This logic is indeed strange. This is not logical. That you say that you love somebody, but then you disobey them.

If your love was indeed true, you would have obeyed him.

Indeed the person, towards those, a person who loves, towards the one he loves is obedient.

So we need to love Allah and His Messenger. Then we should follow the ways of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and His Messenger. And inshallah I'll end it with one final story of a companion.

The Story of Khubaib رضي الله عنه

His name was Khubaib. Khubaib was a companion, one of the early companions who accepted Islam. He was captured and he was sold to the Meccans. He was captured in an ambush and he was sold to the Meccans. And so the Meccans were trying to avenge some of their deaths in the battles before. And so they wanted to kill Khubaib.

But they were, they also knew the sanctity of Mecca. So they brought Khubaib outside of Mecca so that he wouldn't be killed in the haram, the sacred area, the holy place. And so when they brought him out, he wanted to pray before they killed him because they brought all the children, they announced like, you know, they were going to kill Khubaib.

Anybody who wanted to come to witness it, they are free to do so. And so there are hundreds and hundreds of those, the Meccans, they came to witness this. They witnessed this killing of Khubaib. They wanted to kill Khubaib. And so the non-Muslims, when they were about to, they wanted to kill him, he said, Can you give me just two rakahs? Time for two rakahs. So I can just pray two rakahs.

And he prayed two rakahs. He prayed very two light rakahs. He said, you know, I really wanted to pray more but I didn't want to make you think that I was afraid of what's going to happen to me. No, he's not afraid. Why isn't he afraid? And then they tried to make fun of him. You know, because they're trying to make fun of him. This is what you get for following صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam

They're trying to say to him, this is what you get for following مُحَمَّدٌ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - Muhammad sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam. And so they said to him, would you rather have Muhammad now or would you rather have Muhammad in your place right now? Would you rather have Muhammad in your place right now, oh Khubaib? Like this is what you get for following him. Now, now what do you think? Are you going to be killed because of this?

And so he said, I wouldn't even want a thorn to prick him in place of this. Like if a thorn were to prick him, just to prick him a little bit and he would take it out, I would be free. I wouldn't even want that. Just kill me but don't have a thorn prick the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam,I'm honest though. I'm honest here. Take my life. I wouldn't even want a thorn to harm, a little harm like that to the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam. What are you talking about the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam being in my place?

And so he made dua to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala against those people and then he said, oh Allah, oh Allah. There were no Muslims there. Oh Allah send my salams to the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam. And then in Maghrib time the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam said, and upon Khubaib, he returned the salams to Khubaib and the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam mentioned what had just happened to him, the incident of Khubaib.

And so Khubaib, this is how much he loved the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam And this is how much the companions loved the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam. They wouldn't even want one little thing to happen to the Prophet

صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam even their life, even if they were to save their life. This is what we mean by loving the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam even more than yourself. Loving the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam more than yourself.

Conclusion and Action Steps

And so inshaAllah when we go back to our houses right now, there are a couple of things we can do as I mentioned. Learn more about the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam because your love increases with recognition and knowledge of who, of these qualities. You know some of the non-Muslims, the non-Muslims who wrote about the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam or read about him.

Even Gandhi, you know what Gandhi said? You know what he said when he read about the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam He had read the seerah of the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam in two volumes. He said, when I finished the second volume, I was yearning to know more about this man. This wonderful man, his character, his nobleness, his humbleness. I was yearning to know more about him.

He only had two volumes at that time. He didn't have the internet, go Google and search more. That's all he had about the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam. He said, I was yearning to read the next volume. But he only had those two volumes to read. And that was Gandhi brothers. How about us Muslims?

When we read about the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam and you know what? You might say, well the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam passed away. But you know anyone who has Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim or any of the books of hadith in their house as Imam At-Tirmidhi said, whoever has this book of mine, Al-Jami' Sahih, Al-Jami' At- Tirmidhi, Al-Jami' his book, Sunan At-Tirmidhi. It's like he has the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallamhe has a talking Prophet in his house.

It's as if you have the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam talking. These are his words, these exact words. Read them. And then sit down when you're reading. Imagine yourself as if you are in the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam's masjid. And he's saying these words to you. Put yourself in that state. And then when you close it, tears will come down from your eyes. Because you want more.

But you have to go to work tomorrow. And so you have to sleep. But then if you did love the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam you would wake up early in the morning. So you can increase your sujood and be with him in Jannatul Firdaus.

Closing Du'a

So may Allah جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ - jalla jalaluhu accept our deeds during the month of Ramadan and accept our deeds and make it sincere. And may Allah جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ - jalla jalaluhujust as he has gathered us here, also gather us again in Paradise with the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam,and messengers, and the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam and all his companions, and the righteous saliheen, those who are pious, and the martyrs, and the righteous people, and the Siddiqeen, the truthful people.

May Allah جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ - jalla jalaluhu gather us all with them in Al-Firdausul A'la. Ya Rabb al-'Alamin, Ya Arham al-Raheemin, wa sallallahu ala nabiyyina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam, tasliman kathiran.

Question and Answer Session

Question: My comment, I have a comment, inshaAllah Allah جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ - jalla jalaluhu would honor us for us to be beside our Rasul صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam in Jannatul Firdaus. InshaAllah, we would be so honored. What I find in the society today, amongst Muslim, what you gave was good and Alhamdulillah that needs to be presented.

But outside of this forum, what I hear in the khutbahs, in the masajid, in lectures, etc., I find, and after giving it a lot of thought, I find that the presentation of the sunnah is always leading towards the individualistic expression of our Rasul صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallamyou know the sunnah. Whereas we also know, reading the books of the seerah, Ibn Hisham, etc., that our Rasul صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam he was also the head of a movement going towards a specific direction.

And at Kalman, Madinah did not just pop up like toast. He worked for the first three years in Dar al-Arqam and he taught the core of the Sahaba, that Qutlah was there. And it continued all until the time he was in Mecca and then Madinah, we know, not to go into the details, that part of the sunnah is never discussed in how he was heading a movement in a practical way.

We hear about the glorious attributes of our Rasul صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam,his trustworthiness, etc., how he was truthful, how he was a good husband, etc., how he was good with the kids, the animals, etc. But when it comes to the head of a movement going in a specific direction, and I don't mean this sarcastically to any khatib, I mean it bottom-up, I'm trying to be sincere. Allah جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ - jalla jalaluhu is my witness.

I hear politically correct khutbahs, Friday after Friday. I never hear the expression, the collective, you know, he was the head of a movement with specific actions in a kufr society, going towards the establishment of an Islamic society. And I'll give you an example, and I have my opinion on voting, and this is not a discussion on voting whether it's halal or haram. I have my opinion and I'm not going to say what my opinion is because I don't want us to go in that direction.

But for example, in just interacting with XYZ Muslims, if I bring up the sunnah's relation to issues such as voting, and this is just an example of what I said, they say, Brother, what does that have to do with this? What does the sunnah have to do with this? SubhanAllah, the sunnah is complete, it's part of a complete system. So Islam does have something to say about that.

And I hear khutbahs, and I'll stop with this. I hear, for example, long khutbahs, 90% of the khutbah is about our Rasul صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallamand ayat from the Quran. The last 10%, and I'm not going to mention what subjects they are, the last 10% call the Muslims to a specific set of actions which have nothing to do with the first 90% of the khutbah.

How did you give me all of these beautiful details of the sunnah? And then in the last 10%, whoever, the khatib, the speaker, the MSA speaker, whatever, he'll give me prescriptions on actions that actually contradict the sunnah. So we're living in a very incoherent presentation of the sunnah, and it always leans towards the individualistic.

Answer by Sheikh Abdul Bary Yahya:

InshaAllah, I can make a few comments concerning that. Maybe mention what I think is maybe the reason for it. What might be the cause or why we ourselves, living in the West, have speakers who speak about certain topics only, and they think that's Islam, and they've leaved out certain sections.

Wallahu alam, as you know, the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam spent 13 years in Mecca. A lot of people don't realize. And for those, inshaAllah, who are taking the classes about the shepherd's path, the seerah, you will see that when you study about the seerah of the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallamthat all of this encompasses the seerah of the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam asof course, the head of the movement, and teaching the Muslims in all circumstances.

In fact, the first 13 years of the seerah dealt with Muslims dealing with non-Muslims. And many people fail to realize that the Muslims in Mecca were living in a non-Muslim country as a religious minority. So the majority of the da'wah life of the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam was him living with non-Muslims in a non-Muslim society, trying to convey this religion, and how did he organize the companions, and how did he teach the companions. These were all issues that the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam dealt with.

But when we read, when we hear about the khateebs, and the speakers, and so forth, speaking about this, and sometimes we read books, the aspect of fiqh, the legislation, fiqh of minorities, and how to deal with when you're living in non-Muslim countries, is not neglected, but it's not given its right. The need for it is much more than what is actually presented.

And so the reason for it is, wallahu alam, is that the majority of the scholars before, they didn't like to deal with hypothetical things. They didn't like to deal with hypothetical things. And they used to deal with things that were at hand. But it didn't mean that they didn't have any rulings, and so forth. But they were there, but not to the extent that we ourselves need in our time nowadays.

Because they were usually living in a Muslim society. And so if you're living in a Muslim society, especially when you have the khilafah established during their times, and so forth, they had leaders, and so forth. And of course there's always certain issues you can bring up relating to the khilafah, and so forth, during the times, especially later on, that the scholars faced.

But these were not the main things that actually the normal people, the general public, were in need of during those times. This is what they needed. And so that's why many of the books and so forth during those times dealt with the fiqh that they had to deal with. But they didn't deal so much with what we actually really, really

need right now, which is the fiqh of dealing with non-Muslims in a non-Muslim society. How do we get together, how do we join hands, and so forth.

And so wallaha, this is just a personal opinion concerning those issues. But I agree with the brother that during the time of the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam was in complete statesman. And he was a husband. And he was also a religious leader, political leader, and general, and all of these aspects, and all of these affairs.

The Danger of Taking Only Part of Islam

And this is what leads Muslims to go astray. The thing that leads Muslims, not these actions, sorry, but the thing is that Muslims, they take one part of Islam, and they make that the whole of Islam. For example, there are certain people who take, you know, da'wah, and da'wah is serious. And it's something that we all should, you know, we all should be involved in. But that's not all of Islam.

And some people, they take the, you know, the spiritual matters and spiritual, tazkiyatun nafs, meaning purifying the soul, and so forth. And they take that, and they make that the deen. And they leave knowledge. So they end up going astray because they focus on one, and making that the whole religion.

And some people, they focus on certain aspects, and they leave another. You'll see some people focusing, mashallah, on following the sunnah of the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam. And if you prayed certain ways, you know, if you wore certain clothing, they would immediately scold you. But then you'll see them, the way that they scold you, is not the sunnah. It's not the sunnah. The way that they talk to you.

Let me give you an example of a person, this is in the Prophet's masjid. I was praying in the Prophet's masjid while I was a student during that time. An old man prayed. He was starting to pray. He said, Allah, Allah, Allah. He has waswasa, right? And so the brother looked at him. He said, Subhanallah. Just say Allahu Akbar.

He went from behind him, and he held his hands, and he said that. He said, that's bid'ah. That's not the sunnah. So you know what the brother, the man said to him? He said, and the way you're talking to me, is that the sunnah? Do you understand? You focus on one thing, and you think that's your whole deen. But you don't take everything.

The Prophet's Complete Example

And when the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam, also another reason why, we have khateebs nowadays. You get up, they get up and speak. Give their advice. Go home to their families, close the door, and they sit. What did the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam do? When he gave the khutbahs, he came down, interacted with the Muslims. He ate with them. He travelled with them. He slept with them. He went on trips with them. They sat together. They went out, they did things with each other.

It was all, it was teaching, theoretical, and then practical. And showing them how to apply that immediately, practically. It's not just giving them this, and just going away, going to the side. He actually led by example. And that's what we're missing in our time right now. A lot of times, that's what we're missing. That we don't have this interaction with, you know, our Muslim leaders or the, you know this, you know, during the time of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمpeople felt comfortable with him.

They wanted to be with him. Because every time he spoke to somebody, there was a smile on his face. So much so that Amr ibn Al-Aas said, when he approached the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمhe said, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم every time he looked at me, he always would smile at me. To the point where that, to the point that, even when I was, to the point that, when I was, one day, I approached him, I said, Ya Rasulullah, is Abu Bakr better, or am I better than him?

And then the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم why? Because the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was treating him so kindly, and he's smiling at him all the time. He thought that he was his favorite. Right? All the time. And so he said, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said okay, you accept that Abu Bakr, right? We accept that Abu Bakr, you know, we know his status. So he said, well is, am I better or Umar better than me?

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, Umar is better than you. And then he said, and then I understood. And then I understood. To all the companions, when he spoke to them, everybody. Because he interacted, he didn't just sit on the khutbah minbar, oh Muslims, fear Allah, and then he went, they went home, closed the doors and that's it. No, he interacted with them.

And this is what we need, you know, the complete. Islam is complete, complete. You don't take just one section and the other section. And wallahu alam, I was just, also, you made a comment, I was just making a comment also. Jazakumullah khair for reminding us though. It's a very good point that you're making. I think it should be brought up to maybe some of the speakers also. As you know, everybody, this religion is based on advice, sincere advice. So you give your advice, inshallah, and to, no matter who that person is.

Practical Application Question

Question: So, to basically transform what he says into life, like we all can live, inshallah, a life that is, we'll try, we'll try our best to strive to live a life like the companions of the Prophet, alayhis salaam. Like, but the truth is, like, how do you like to move to the other point where like, how do you, like, how would all, we're all Muslims divided, even in, to a point that like politically, you know what I'm saying. So like, what is the first step? Okay, this is what we need to do as Muslims.

Answer: That's a very good question, good comment that you made. I mentioned that we need to move from theory now to practice. We hear a lot, that's theory, when the person speaks, now we have to put these things to practice and we also have to put everything in practice like completely, from all aspects of Islam. So what do we do?

What we need to do now is start thinking about how to put these things to practice. Let me give you an example and something that we can do also in practice so that we can get people more motivated to put the sunnah to practice in their personal life, also, also generally as a, as a community. Just one example and of course you can do many other, other, other examples.

Think of sunnah. Let me give you an example. Fasting Mondays and Thursdays. We know that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is fasting on Mondays and Thursdays. Okay. Instead of thinking to yourself, you know what, I should fast on Mondays and Thursdays. Think of yourself, how can I get other people to fast on Mondays and Thursdays? How can I get other people to be motivated also? What can we do?

What you can do is, for example, we can say every single day, you know, just start with a small group, all your friends, every Monday and Thursday, just tell them, you have like, a sofra or area where you break your fast together in the back of the masjid. And then to remind the brothers, say, brother, you know, tomorrow is Monday, would you like to fast with us? We're going to be breaking our fast in the masjid, together.

Then when people start seeing that, now Thursday, you're doing that, maybe the Imam will join in, maybe the Imam might not join in, and so forth. Try to get them, just remind them, we should do, we should do this, and then try to do it. Try to put that into practice. And then people will start seeing it in practice. They will go, oh, wow, you know, that's something that's really, really good.

During the time of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمthey didn't even have to do that. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم when it's time, when he was fasting, he would tell the companions, and then they would, they would break their fast whenever they had, whenever they were able to, they'd break it together. And this itself, this application, put into practice, and you have to start with a couple people, and then, you know, setting it up, making it possible, and maybe announcing to the people, tomorrow is Thursday, who would like to break your fast?

Brother, bring your, your dates, and we're going to break our fast together in the masjid. It's not Ramadan, it's outside Ramadan. But we're reviving that sunnah fast right now. And then, this is just one, you know, one thing. We can do other, some of the other things also. Just a little bit at a time, and this will help us work together also. Because when you fast together, you break your fast together, this builds bonds in the community, and strengthens.

This is one example, and you can do this with every one of the other ones. All the other ones. Just by reminding each other, and then, trying to get people to, to do it a little bit at a time, inshaAllah. Wallahu a'lamu al-azim.

Final Closing

Wa alhamdulillah. InshaAllah, if, I think, the brother put up five minutes a while ago. So, inshaAllah, if you, we would just like to, and may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept from us, and if I said anything that harmed anybody, or made anyone feel bad or offended anyone, please forgive me inshaAllah.

Subhanak Allahumma bihamdika ashhadu an la ilaha illa anta astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept these, and may Allah introduce us in Jannatul Firdaus inshaAllah. Ya Rahman Ya Raheem. Wa sallallahu ala nabiyyina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam.

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.