Practical Lessons from Seerah for Modern Age
By AbdulBary Yahya | 2026-01-15T11:19:53.32547+00:00 | Topic: Muslim Identity
Practical Lessons from Seerah for Modern Age
AbdulBary Yahya - Peace Conference 2009
Opening Statement
What is this jihad? Is this fighting? No! This ayah is in surah Furqan. Do you know where surah Furqan was revealed? It was revealed in Mecca, in which fighting was not permissible.
And so the jihad here (وَجَاهِدْهُم بِهِ جِهَادًا كَبِيرًا - wajahidhum bihi jihadan kabira) - "And strive against them with it (the Quran) a great striving" - with the Quran, with the proofs in the Quran. (Quran 25:52) And so these are just some of the lessons that we can extract and use for the modern age.
"And strive against them with it (the Quran) a great striving"
And this is the seerah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). This is a miracle in itself. (بِسْمِ اللَّهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلهِ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ)
In the name of Allah, praise be to Allah, and blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, and all his companions.
Introduction and Speaker's Background
The speaker of this session will be Brother Abdul Bari Yahya, addressing the topic of practical lessons from the seerah for the modern age.
A bit of a background about our Brother Abdul Bari Yahya. He was born in Vietnam during the Vietnam War and later immigrated to the USA with his family.
After completing his primary and secondary education there, he began his studies at the Islamic University of Medina in Saudi Arabia. Upon graduating from the Islamic University of Medina's College of Sharia, Abdul Bari Yahya returned to Vietnam and Cambodia and became a teacher and director of the Revival of Islamic Heritage Society in Cambodia and the Ummul Qura Charity Organization in Vietnam. He currently resides in Seattle, USA, along with his family and is an instructor with the Al-Maghrib Institute, an organization that provides trademark double weekend seminars, leading students towards a bachelor's degree in Islamic studies.
He is also currently the Imam of Masjid Jami' al-Muslimin in Seattle. So I would like to invite to the stage our beloved Brother Abdul Bari Yahya to address the topic of practical lessons from the seerah for the modern age.
Opening Khutbah
Praise be to Allah. We praise Him, we ask for His help and we ask for His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and the evil of our deeds.
Whom Allah guides, no one can misguide. And whom He misguides, no one is a guide for him. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, there is no partner for Him. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
"O you who have believed, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims."
"O you who have believed, fear your Lord, Who created you from one soul, and created from it its mate, and spread among them many men and women."
"O you who have believed, fear Allah and say the right words, that He may amend for you your deeds, and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, he has certainly attained a great triumph."
The Clear Victory - Treaty of Hudaybiyyah
What is next? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in surah al-Fath, the first ayah, the first verse (إِنَّا فَتَحْنَا لَكَ فَتْحًا مُّبِينًا) - "Indeed, We have given you the clear victory." (Quran 48:1)
"Indeed, We have given you the clear victory."
What victory was this, that happened during the time of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)? Did the companions defeat an army? How many soldiers did they capture? What country or what city did they conquer? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says this is a clear victory. What is this clear victory?
When we look at the asbab an-nuzul, the reasons for the revelation of this ayah, this victory is the victory of peace. This victory that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala calls (فَتْحًا مُّبِينًا) a clear victory - came after the treaty of al-Hudaybiyyah.
In the treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) agreed with the Meccans and Quraish to have an armistice. In other words, peace and no fighting.
They had been fighting before this in the battle of Badr, in the battle of Uhud, and also in the following battles that came, and then peace occurred. This peace was called (فَتْحًا مُّبِينًا). That's why in Islam, the true victory, the clear victory, is the victory of peace in which you avoid confrontation and avoid fight.
The Benefits of Peace for Muslims
And this was very beneficial for the Muslims. Because after this, after this agreement or this pact and treaty, there was peace in the Arabian Peninsula. Anyone who wanted to join the Muslims, they can ally themselves with the Muslims.
Anyone who did not want to join the Muslims, they could ally themselves with the Meccans. But anyone who allied with one or the other, they had to respect this peace treaty. And because of that, over 1400 people went to Mecca to perform Umrah.
And this was when the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah occurred, because they could not go into Mecca. The Meccans prevented them from going in, but they gave them provisions to go next year. But during that trip, there were 1400 people, Muslims, who joined the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم).
In less than two years later, the next trip that they went, after the Umrah of the following year, the next trip, the major trip that they went, they had over 10,000 Muslims who went back to Mecca just in less than two years.
Why? Because so many people accepted Islam. What does this show? This incident shows that Islam prospers in peace and not in war. Islam prospers in peace, why? Because more people accepted Islam during the few months after the treaty than over 19 years of da'wah in Mecca and Medina.
When there was peace, Islam spread. And this is just one of the lessons that we can take from the biography of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم).
Economic Impact of War and Peace
During this occasion also, during the time in which the treaty was being agreed upon, in the meeting with the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and Suhail ibn Amr representing the Quraish in Mecca. During this time, right before this, when the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was prevented from going to Mecca, and first of all, they were not supposed to prevent the Muslims.
This was an inalienable right of anyone who wanted to come into Mecca peacefully to make Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage. They were supposed to be allowed to go in freely. But the Meccans, they went against their own tradition and prevented the Muslims from going in.
So, during this time, one of the reasons why the Meccans wanted peace also, was because of war, their economy was in shambles. The trade routes from Mecca to Ash-Sham, they were being impeded because there was no peace. And that's why they also wanted peace.
And that's why the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) he said the Meccans, the Quraish in Mecca, if only they would have allowed me to freely call people to Islam, they would have stood to gain. They would have gained in position and everything else. But they tried to prevent the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) from doing so and they expelled the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم). And because of the war and so forth, their economy was in shambles.
Modern Parallels
It reminds us of the time that we are living in right now. In just the few years of the incident, of the attacks in Iraq and so forth, the United States of America, they have spent billions and billions of dollars into this war. Recently, I just... I read an article and they were calculating the amount of money and what you could have done with that money instead of making bombs and guns and taking care of the troops and so forth.
If they were to use that money to spread peace instead of war, you know what they could have done? You know what America could have done? America could have alleviated poverty from the face of this earth. Not a single poor person on the face of this earth. Instead of using it for war, if they used it for peace, imagine no poor person on the face of this earth and everybody has enough to eat.
They could have alleviated poverty from the face of this earth with that same amount of money. And that this is what also happened to the Quraysh because of the war. And so, in the seerah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) there are lessons.
The Eternal Relevance of Islamic Teachings
And Islam is the religion of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And it is the final religion revealed to mankind. There will not be another prophet who will be sent to us until the Day of Judgment with the exception of Prophet Isa (عليه السلام) who will come back and rule by the shariah of the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Except for Jesus, His return.
But the Qur'an and the sunnah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) the legislation will be used and it will be ongoing until the Day of Judgment. And so the lessons in the seerah and in the Qur'an are applicable even in our times. Now what are some of the other lessons that we can extract from the seerah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)?
The Beginning of Revelation
Let's start from the beginning of revelation. The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was in Mecca. In Mecca there was great oppression. The rich and wealthy, the aristocrats in Mecca, they took advantage of the poor.
There was widespread oppression. Widespread lewdness. So much so that they even used to make tawaf, circumambulate around the Ka'bah naked. Not a single clothing on them. Their morals were deteriorated.
And so, because of all the oppression, because of all the evils, especially the shirk, the worshipping of idols and so forth in Mecca, a person who is of the fitrah, in other words a person who is in his natural
state towards good, like the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was he saw people being oppressed.
He saw people being harmed. He saw the rich taking advantage of the poor. And he saw the way the society was.
When he was near or around the age of 40, 40 years of age, he started to seclude himself. Why? To reflect upon the society because he wanted to change and do something about it. Naturally, somebody who is of good heart, when they see evil, they naturally want to change.
But how? So when the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was at the age of 40, living in this society, Allah (جل جلاله) revealed to him the first verses of the first surah that was revealed.
The First Revelation - The Command to Read
I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. In - (أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّحِيمِ. بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ) the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful."
"Read in the name of your Lord who created."
These were the first verses revealed to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). The first word in the Qur'an that was revealed was (اقْرَأْ) - read, recite. (اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ) - "Read and recite in the name of your Lord who created."
This word caused a revolution in the Arabian Peninsula. The Bedouin Arabs who were looked down upon as second class people, they rose from the desert and they became the scholars of the world. Because of (اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ) Read and recite. Education is of utmost importance in Islam.
The Importance of Education
Read and write. And they were an illiterate nation. Education is so important to learn how to read and write that the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) when the Muslims captured 70 of the prisoners after the battle of Badr, when they captured 70 of the prisoners, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) allowed them to ransom themselves.
Their families could pay for it. But there were some people who could not afford to pay their ransom to be free after their capture. So, what happened? The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said if you teach 10 people from the children of Medina or from the Muslims, 10 to learn how to read and write proficiently, to learn how to read, then they would be free.
The people in Medina, they were farmers. Many of them did not know how to read. The Meccans, they were merchants and businessmen. So most of them knew how to read.
But after this, after this, because, you know, if you are captured, if you get to teach 10 people and they know how to read correctly, properly, you get free, you want them to learn as quickly as possible. You're going to be the best teacher you can be so that this guy will learn quickly.
You get 10 people and you get to go home. So, that shows also the importance of reading and writing and education. Especially at a time that we're living in when there's trials and tribulations, there are evils in the society, degradation of the society and so forth.
You see what happens? Education is very, very important. And that's why the first ayah that was revealed was (اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ - iqra' bismi rabbikalladhi khalaq)
The Command to Warn
And then, what is the next surah that was revealed after that? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, after you learn how to read, you write, you educate yourself. What do we do? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala revealed to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) in surah Al-Muddathir, the first few ayahs of that surah.
"O you who is covered up in your blanket, now the time to sleep is over, get up and warn. And magnify your Lord. And purify your garments. And abandon the idols. And do not give thinking to acquire more. And for your Lord, be patient."
Get up and deliver the message. You have to get up and deliver the message. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said (بَلِّغُوا عَنِّي وَلَوْ آيَةً - ballighu anni walaw ayah) - "Convey what you have from me, even if it's one verse only." (Bukhari hadith 3461)
Living as Minorities in Non-Muslim Society
So the next step in a society, especially in a non-Muslim society, most people fail to understand. They don't realize that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) for the first 13 years of the dawah, the first 13 years after revelation, he was living in a non-Muslim society. He was living in a non-Muslim society.
So the lessons that you can extract from that period, they are invaluable, they are precious. This is something that we as Muslims, especially those living in India, in the West, in Europe, in Australia, anywhere else where you are a minority, extract the lessons from there. Because the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and the Muslims, they were living as minorities in a non-Muslim society.
So, we as Muslims, if we are living in such a society, we have to convey the message of Allah to others.
The Constant Bombardment of Messages
In America, in America, I don't know how it is, if it's similar, probably here. In America, the average American sees over 3,000 ads or adverts a day. Somebody trying to tell you that you need this and you need that.
You have to think this way and that way. So you end up buying things you do not need with money you don't have, just like the previous speaker spoke about, to impress people you don't even like. That's what they want you to do.
But you know, as Muslims, we don't go into debt. We don't borrow money unless it's an emergency, unless we really need it. We don't borrow to get things we don't even need to raise our lifestyle.
The Prohibition of Debt in Islam
No, you borrow when it's an emergency. Borrowing or being in debt is so shunned in Islam that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) before praying on anyone, praying for anyone after they have passed away, if you bring a janazah, somebody who has just passed away, and you put that in front of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) you know what he asked?
Does this person have a debt? Did he ask, or did this person used to drink alcohol? No. Did this person used to commit this sin and that sin? No.
What did he used to ask? Did this person have a debt? And you know what he would do if that person did have a debt? He would say, go ahead you guys, pray for him, I'm not going to do it. That's how serious it is.
And that's why we as Muslims, if you practice Islam correctly, you wouldn't be worrying about this economy and the economy would not be the way it is right now.
The Necessity of Da'wah
So, in the non-Muslim society, just like during the time of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) in the time in Mecca, during that time, where the majority were non-Muslims, and they were against the Muslims, they were actually torturing Muslims even, during those days, one of the most important thing that you do is make da'wah.
You have to convey the message that you have. If you do not convey what you have, you don't convey Islam to others, then they will change you. If you don't make da'wah, they'll make da'wah to you.
Because every single day, when you're driving out there, you see billboards after billboards after billboards. On the TV, even on people's shirts, they're trying to make you think the way that they want you to think.
Trying to change your ideas, trying to change your morals, on TV every single day. And other places also. And so, as Muslims, you have to (قُمْ فَأَنذِرْ - qum fa andhir) - stand up and warn.
The Command to Stand in Night Prayer
What's the next surah that was revealed? What's the next one? Because this will form the basis of how to survive in such a society. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala revealed after that:
"O you who is covered up in your blanket, stand up at night except for a few parts of it. Half of it or reduce from it a little. Or add to it, and recite the Quran with proper recitation and reflection. Indeed, We are going to reveal to you a heavy word."
Stand up at night except for a few parts of it. In other words, you should be standing up for most of the night. Standing up doing what? Subhanallah, the Qur'an has just been revealed.
The first few surahs, Allah is telling you to do what? Already? Stand up at night time to pray tahajjud? Already?
Why? Because you're going to need it. Educate yourself. (اقْرَأْ - iqra) - read. (قُمْ فَأَنذِرْ - qum fa andhir) - stand up and deliver the message.
And then when you've done all of that, at night time, when everybody is asleep, you come home and rest? You rest a little bit. Stand up again and strengthen your connection with Allah.
Because you're going to need it. In a society like this, you're going to need the strength in this connection with Allah.
This message is a serious message. Your life is at stake. This world and hereafter. It's a heavy message. It's not a joke. Go forward and deliver this message.
The Three Pillars for Survival
So remember this. (اقرأ - iqra) - recite, read. Education. And the most important type of education that you're going to need is you're going to need to educate yourself with what? With the Qur'an and the sunnah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)
And you need to deliver the message. If you don't take this responsibility you will see your iman coming down and down. And then strengthen your connection with Allah.
The Torture of Early Muslims
In this society also, during the time of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) the Muslims were being tortured greatly. Some of them, like Khabbab ibn al-Aratt, he said, when he was asked by Umar ibn Khattab, he said, O Khabbab, what was the worst that you faced in Mecca? Because he was one of the early Muslims.
And so he said, what's the worst that you faced in terms of torture from the Meccans when you were Muslim? He just said, just look at this, Ya Amirul Mu'mineen. He opened his back and he said, look at that.
Umar ibn Khattab, he looked at it and he said, what is this? I've never seen something like this before. I've never seen anything like this before.
What is this? He said, the Meccans, because he accepted Islam, because he said (لا إله إلا الله - la ilaha illallah) they used to put out their fires with his back, burning coal, putting his back on it.
You know, when you need to turn off the fire, what do you do? You go get water, right? So you can turn off the fire. You can put out the fire.
But you know what they used to do? They used to use his back to do that. Until he could hear the sizzling of the burning from that, from the coal. And this is what they face in Mecca.
Holding Fast to Islam
The Muslims, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) even said, "There will come a time when the person who holds on to Islam, to hold on will be like a person who holds on to burning coal."
Let me give you some burning coal and see how long you can hold on to it. But that's what the Muslims face during those days.
The Martyrdom of Yasir's Family
And the Muslims were being tortured in front of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). In front of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). They were being tortured.
Sumayya (رضي الله عنها) and Yasir and Ammar, mother, father, child, all three. Both of Ammar's parents, Sumayya and Yasir, they were both killed. Sumayya, she was killed by a spear that was put in her private part.
That's how they killed her. They killed Yasir. They ripped him apart.
While they were torturing, while they were torturing this family, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) walked by them. What do you think he did? He loved them very much. The Muslims were weak.
Do you think he went and he beat those people up? He didn't resort to violence. He said (صَبْرًا آل ياسر فَإِنَّ مَوْعِدَكُمُ الْجَنَّةُ - sabran ala yasir, fa'inna maw'idakumu al-jannah) - "Be patient, oh family of Yasir, because your position is in Paradise."
You have a place in Paradise. You have a promised place in Paradise. Be patient.
Wisdom in Times of Weakness
What do we learn from this? What we can extract from this is that sometimes as Muslims, especially in the times of weakness, especially when you're a minority, when you don't have the strength, you want to change things.
And you might see Muslims being tortured, but it's out of your hands. And you can't do anything about it. Muslims being tortured by the thousands in the Middle East every day.
We hear the news. We hear it so often. We have become desensitized. We don't even feel any sense of mercy, compassion towards them anymore. Because we hear it so much. That's what has happened.
So we hear this and we see things being done to the Muslims. What do we do? Sometimes if you can't help them, then help them with all that you can. But sometimes the only thing that you have is dua.
But what do we learn from here? We learn that when you see certain things happen, don't act with your emotions. Be wise. Don't let your emotions take over.
And then by you being violent and doing things that are irrational, you cause more problems for the Muslims. And the masjids will be closed. And the Islamic schools will be closed.
And conventions like this to remind us of Allah will not happen. Because of a few people who are not using their mind. They don't go back to the scholars. They're acting on emotions alone.
The Prophet did not... He loved this family. He loved them very much. And he had more compassion than anyone of us will ever have in our hearts for the Muslims. But he didn't make him act irrational.
And that's another lesson that we can learn in modern times from the seerah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)
Treatment of Prisoners in Islam
Another lesson that we learn. Also, I remember I spoke about the prisoners. I want you to compare the treatment of prisoners by Muslims. And then I want you to read and watch documentaries on Guantanamo Bay and on secret places that how the prisoners are being treated and so forth.
During the time of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) when people were captured, the prisoners were put in the masjid. And in fact, some of them became teachers, as I mentioned earlier, teaching the children.
These are prisoners. But you know what else they got? They got the best treatment. In fact, the people of Medina were encouraged to bring food from home to feed the prisoners.
And you know what? Hey, if you're going to bring food from home to feed the prisoners, what are you going to bring? Are you going to bring leftovers? For us, we might think, yeah, I'll just bring leftovers. Okay, but I have to... Let me give them something.
You know what they did? They gave them the best portions. If something was burnt, they would keep it at home. Let's eat this ourselves. Let's give the prisoners the good part.
That's how the Muslims were. And that's why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala revealed also concerning the treatment of prisoners. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:
"And they feed, they give food for the love of Allah alone, to the poor, the orphans, and the prisoners of war." (Quran 76:8)
Imagine, you know what the equivalent of? That's how the prisoners were treated during the time of the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ). And that's why the majority of them, they said (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ), because it affected them so much of the treatment of the Muslims towards them.
Because in Islam, we are ordered to be kind. And we are ordered to be good to the orphans and the needy. And we are also ordered to be kind and treat even the prisoners of war.
Who are these people? They just tried to kill you just few days ago. Now you're gonna give them the best food? That's how we have been taught by the Messenger of Allah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ)
Islam prospers in peace. Another lesson that we can take and learn from the time of the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) there are many many lessons that we can take and learn.
The Nakhla Expedition
But when it comes to da'wah and propagating this message of Islam to others, sometimes you find opposition. You find certain things happening. There are lessons on how to behave and so forth.
When some of these things happen. One such incident occurred in the month of Rajab, which was a holy month, a sacred month, in which fighting was forbidden. And the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) sent a group of Muslims on a very important expedition.
They were at war with the Quraysh. So he sent Abdullah ibn Jahsh in a group of eight men. This was so important and so secretive that the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) sealed up the instructions and the whereabouts they were to go.
And he said to Abdullah ibn Jahsh, he said, Take this with your men and travel for two days. Just travel for two days. After two days, open it up and you'll find instructions in there.
And somebody came and asked, asked Abdullah ibn Jahsh, Where are they going? They wouldn't even know themselves. We don't know where we're going. Well, where are you going? We don't
know.
They wouldn't know until two more days until they could open up the instructions. So they went for two days. When Abdullah ibn Jahsh opened up the instructions, he said, The Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) has told us to go to Nakhla, the backyard of Mecca, for information gathering.
He didn't tell them to fight. He didn't tell them to... He said, Just look and track the caravan routes. This is for information gathering only.
Go there with your men and keep an eye on the caravan routes, the Quraysh. And this was the end of the month of Rajab. And so, Abdullah ibn Jahsh, he arrived at Nakhla.
There, they found a caravan. The Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) had tried previously to impede the caravan routes. But he was not successful.
And so this time, Abdullah ibn Jahsh, when he saw the caravan, a Meccan caravan, that had a couple of people taking care of it, they started to look at each other and they said, You know what? This is a perfect opportunity. We can regain our wealth and so forth. Because the Meccans had taken a lot of wealth and the Muslims expelled them.
And so this is a perfect opportunity for us to go in and overtake this caravan. So, they decided to go. And this was the last day. The last day of Rajab. Which was a sacred month according to Arab tradition. There was no fighting in the month of Dhul Hijjah, Dhul Qa'dah, Muharram and Rajab.
These months you don't fight. These were the peaceful months. Traditionally you're not allowed to fight.
And so, they decided to do it anyway. Because it was the last day. They said, If we don't overtake the caravan today, they will go into Mecca tomorrow and we will not be able to.
So they decided to overtake the caravan. They captured two people amongst the people in the caravan. Al-Hakam ibn Kaysan. He was captured. Later on he accepted Islam.
And the other person that was captured was Uthman ibn Abdullah. And one of them, Naufal, he escaped. And there was one person who was struck by an arrow and he was killed amongst the people in the caravan.
His name was Amr al-Hadrami. Amr al-Hadrami was killed. So Naufal, he returned back to Mecca and he told them of what this expedition that these Muslims had just done.
The Prophet's Response to the Nakhla Incident
When Abdullah ibn Jahsh and his men returned to Medina, the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) when he heard about what they did, he was very angry. He was very angry at them because they were not
supposed to do that. And then at this moment, in Mecca, they were spreading propaganda.
The Muslims, they are blood-hungry, they don't respect our way of life. They don't respect our traditions because they have killed during the sacred months. They have no respect for our traditions.
They don't respect our way of life. And so, the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ), of course, was very angry. Pretty much they were calling these people, the Muslims, they're calling in modern terms, terrorists.
The Muslims are terrorists. And propaganda was going around in the Arabian Peninsula. Amr al- Hadrami, a Qurashi, was killed by the Muslims in the month of Rajab.
Sacred month. And you know sometimes, amongst Muslims, we have some Muslims who are ignorant or they do something that they're not supposed to do. And they are causing problems for us and now all the media is just picking it up.
And it's all over the news. What are Muslims supposed to do? What can we say? How do we respond?
The Divine Response - Looking at the Greater Picture
What do you think Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala revealed? How do we respond? Listen to what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says. The Messenger of Allah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) did not even take the prisoners.
He didn't take the booty or the spoil that came from the caravan, the goods. He didn't take it. He didn't order them to do that.
He didn't take it. He was very angry at them. This was a mistake that they made that they shouldn't have done.
But it was a mistake. But non-Muslims are making it, are blowing it bigger and magnifying it and spreading propaganda all over about that. So what did Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala reveal? In Surah Al- Baqarah.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala revealed an ayah. Surah Al-Baqarah.
"They ask you concerning the sacred months, the holy months, and fighting therein. Say: Indeed, fighting in it is a grave offense." (Quran 2:217)
This is a grave offense. This is wrong. A grave offense.
Remember the Meccans were trying to spread all this thing
"But preventing people from the way of Allah and disbelief in Him and preventing access to al-Masjid al-Haram and expelling its people from it are greater sins in the sight of Allah." (Quran 2:217)
Fighting in it is a grave offense. But kicking and expelling people from it and causing... trying to prevent people from the way of Allah is even greater. What does that mean? The Meccans, what they were doing before in torturing Muslims, that was against their principles already.
Also, what the Meccans were doing by preventing or kicking, expelling people from Mecca, the holy sacred site, its own people, that was worse. What they were doing was worse. It's worse.
And so, what's the lesson that we can take from here? There are some people, maybe you have some ignorant Muslims, they go out and they bomb this and do this and do that.
But does that give them permission to go and bomb and kill over a million people? Thousands and thousands of people? Children, men, women, innocent people? Look at the greater picture. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, look at the greater picture. Who's doing worse?
This was a mistake that was done. But it doesn't give you justification, justification to go around and killing innocent people.
The Media During the Prophet's Time
And so, why is this happening? Why is this happening? Because the Muslims don't have any control of the media. And the media is controlled by people who don't like Islam, who don't like the Muslims.
You know, during the time of the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ)what was the media? What was the media? The media during the time of the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) was poetry. Was poetry. Poetry was widespread in the Arabian Peninsula.
Somebody was a good poet and he came up with some beautiful lines. It might not even be the truth, but it sounds good, you know. When it sounds good, people would say, it must be morally correct.
So, poetry was what changed people's ideas. And that was the media during the time of the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ). And you know the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ)like during our time, you have CNN, you have things like that, CBC, you have BBC, all of these networks and so forth. The Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) also had a CNN.
His name was Hassan, the poet of the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ). He would tell him
(Bukhari hadith 3213)
"Go and attack them with your poetry, and Jibreel is with you."
(روح القدس معك) - He is with you. That was the media of the time of the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ). So as Muslims, we have to take advantage and try to also be strong in the media and have our own influence.
This time, the jihad, also for us, is trying to spread this message and one of the best means and methods to do so is through the media.
Jihad Through the Quran
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala calls spreading this message, by spreading the word of Allah, calls this jihad. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:
"So do not obey the disbelievers and struggle against them with it (the Quran) a great jihad." (Quran 25:52)
What is this jihad? Is this fighting? No. This ayah is in surah Furqan. Do you know where surah Furqan was revealed? It was revealed in Mecca.
In which, the principle at that time was that
"Restrain your hands and establish salah" - fighting was not permissible. (Quran 4:77)
And so the jihad here (وَجَاهِدْهُم بِهِ) - with the Quran, with the proofs in the Quran, with Islam. (جِهَادًا كَبِيرًا) a great striving.
And so these are just some of the lessons that we can extract and use for the modern age. And this is, the seerah of the Prophet (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) is a miracle in itself.
The Eternal Applicability of Seerah
And we can take one after the other. And this can be a very long topic. But from the beginning of the seerah until the end, amongst the things that makes the seerah a miracle is that it is practical.
And there are so many lessons that we can use even in the internet age. The age of iPhones and WWWs and laptops can still be used.
And the lessons are eternal until the day of judgment. Until Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala inherits this earth and whatever is in it.
(جَزَاكَ اللَّهُ خَيْرًا) - May Allah reward you with good - for this beneficial talk (رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ) - may Allah be pleased with him - our brother Abdul Bari Yahya, who gave a talk that did justice to the topic and brought us many valuable lessons.
In sha Allah we will now have the question and answer session for 25 minutes. It will be the same format as before. So we'll start with the first question from the mic in front.
Q&A Session
Question 1: How to Smile in Times of Stress
It just felt like a mini version of Shepherd's . (بِسْمِ اللهِ الْحَمْدُ لِلهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ) Path. (جَزَاكَ اللهُ خَيْرًا شيخ عبد الباري يحيى) - May Allah reward Sheikh Abdul Bari Yahya.
Indeed one of the Sahaba said I have never seen anyone smile more than the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . My question is, in this time of stress and worry how would you suggest us Indians to follow the sunnah of the Prophet and smile?
You know, smiling of course this is one of the sunnah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم also he mentioned a lot of people they think that a person who is righteous and pious has to have this serious look. So walking in to the masjid, this is the uncle that's going to the masjid, he's pious, he's like this.
(Muslim hadith 2626)
But you know the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم he said "Do not belittle a good deed, even if you were to meet your brother with a cheerful face."
So the smile on your face, it teaches us mercy and compassion and that smile that a person has, that smile that you have on your face when you smile, this builds an automatic connection and bonds between Muslims. And as Muslims we are people who are loving people, people who have mercy.
And that's why the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم he used to even kiss the heads of orphans and the children and he used to play with them. In fact one day the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم was praying and he was making sujood, he was in prostration, and his grandsons they were climbing on his back while he was prostrating.
So they were kids, they were babies and kids, so they came and they started playing on his back. And you know when he finished prayer, you know what he said? He told the companions that he prolonged his sujood so that he wouldn't bother them in their play.
Subhanallah, look at the mercy of the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم towards the children and this is something that we also we have to have. And that's why the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
(Tirmidhi hadith 1924)
"Have mercy upon those on earth and the One who is in the heavens will have mercy upon you."
So this smile is a part of mercy, is a part of Islam. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sent the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم as a mercy to mankind. And we ourselves we have to learn if you don't smile a lot, learn how to smile and smile towards your brother because you are getting a good deed.
And so this is something that we must revive. (جَزَاكَ اللهُ خَيْرًا) for asking the question and reminding us of that.
Question 2: Breaking the Cycle of Poverty
Next question. Just before we do have the next question, just a reminder of the format of the question and answer session. Please keep what you do ask limited to a question as opposed to
comments and try to keep what you say very concise and short. So we'll have the next question from the rear mic.
Assalamu alaikum, my name is Muzammil Shaikh and I'm a management student. So my question is what lessons do we learn from the seerah to break the vicious circle of poverty in the business perspective?
When it comes to how do you break this vicious circle of poverty in Islam, of course we have what's called zakat. Zakat is the rich, if they have money, a threshold, a limit which is called a nisab, then they're obligated to give. And as Muslims we are always ordered to always give.
In fact one of the characteristics of the people of paradise is that they are not greedy and they are generous. So if you want to enter paradise, we take care of each other and we help each other. And by doing so, you do not just help a person because you know like they say if you just give the person the fish and so forth you're only going to feed them for one day. You need to teach that person to go fish himself so that he can make a living.
So in Islam during the time of the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, when the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم went from Mecca to Medina and the companions in Mecca left to Medina, most of them did not have anything with them. They left everything that they had in Mecca. So when they arrived in Medina they had nothing.
So what did the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم do? He institutionalized or he organized what was called a brotherhood where he paired the Muslims amongst each other. And you know the people of Medina they were very generous. You know what they said? They said okay we will take care of the people here, we will take care of the people who are coming from Mecca.
We will go to work at the beginning. They said we'll give them half, we'll give half of the land and then they work on the other half. They're very generous. And so the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said no don't do that because why? Because the people in Mecca they weren't farmers.
So if you give them a couple of acres of land, you know if you're used to living in Mumbai and somebody gives you some farm land, what do you do? You probably sell it right? You don't know how to take care of it. You don't know how to farm. You're a city guy.
So the people in Mecca they were like the urban people, they were the urbanites in those days. They didn't know how to farm. You give them half parcel of land, they can't do anything with it. Because of the generosity of the people of Medina they gave them half but the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said no don't do that.
He said you know what? He said instead you work on the land and you teach him and then when it comes to the harvest then you share. And many of the companions they did not take advantage of
this even. There are many incidents and cases and so forth.
And as Muslims we are not allowed to allow our neighbors to starve and we want for our neighbors and our brothers what we want for ourselves also. And so we're supposed to help each other but not only are we supposed to help each other also, we are supposed to help each other not just by giving only but by helping so that they can learn themselves and make a living for themselves also.
And this is where the barakah will come in. This is where the blessing will come in. There are so many things in Islam that's institutionalized but this is just one example of how Muslims are supposed to help each other when it comes to alleviating poverty.
And you know if everybody gives zakat properly, you wouldn't have a single poor Muslim in the world at all whatsoever. But it's just the people who are supposed to give zakat they are not giving. That's what I think.
Question 3: Books on Seerah
Next question. The next question from the sister. Assalamu alaikum brother sheikh, can you suggest some books on seerah of the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم?
There are a lot of books but at the same time when it comes to the seerah of the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم you have a lot of books in terms of English. One of the simple books doesn't go into a lot of detail but it's enough detail is the book called Sealed Nectar that's translated into English.
And also there's another one by Ahmed Marzouq I think that's the author, it's called the Biography of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم According to the Early Sources, the Analytical Sources. But they're both from Darussalam. I think you have books in English from Darussalam here also.
But generally these are some of the books that you can read along with others also. But these are the two in English that I know of. But at the same time some of the stories like if you have the classical sources like Ibn Hisham, Ibn Ishaq, you can also read through that.
But just like with many of the older books you have to verify maybe certain stories and ask. But some of the modern like the Sealed Nectar, this is one of the better books and most of the information there is sound and authentic inshallah.
(جَزَاكَ اللهُ خَيْرًا)
Question 4: Preaching vs Practicing Islam
So we'll have the next question from the next mic. Assalamu alaikum, (جَزَاكَ اللهُ خَيْرًا شُكْرًا) sheikh. I'm Dr. Siraj. You said in your speech that in the Meccan period of 13 years Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم did dawah only and dawah is the only mean of spreading Islam.
But in today's scenario we see that we have more than 1.2 billion Muslims in the world but they themselves, majority of them, themselves they are not practicing Islam. Like we have the five pillars of Islam and if you see the mosques only 5% people will be there offering salah. Similarly for the other pillars, Zakat and Hajj and Saum.
So when we are not practicing and only if we are preaching and more preaching and inviting others to the Islam and when majority of our people they are not practicing, so whether Islam is spread more by preaching or by practicing?
When we say preaching and teaching it encompasses reminding each other not only just preaching to non-Muslims only but also to Muslims. And you know if you look at the time of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the times that we are living right now you see there is one difference.
During the time of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم the messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم would get up and teach the people and he would be on the minbar and remind the people. But he didn't go after that. The leader, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم during that time, he joined the Muslims and he put it to practice and he was with them when they were eating and walking and drinking and traveling together.
And so it wasn't just the theoretical part but it was also theory into practice. So we as Muslims nowadays you have a lot of Imams and leaders and so forth, they preach but then after that there is no interaction and access and things like that they really put it into practice.
And as you mentioned that when we as Muslims we are very weak right now and one of the reasons is because we are not reminding ourselves also. We also have to remind ourselves. And that's why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala revealed in the surah:
"By the time, indeed all of mankind is in loss except for those who believe and they do righteous deeds and they also enjoin one another to truth and enjoin one another to patience."
Do righteous deeds and they also invite each other or they enjoin in that which is good, remind each other to do that which is good. So this is part of the da'wah for Muslims and non-Muslims and reminding each other.
So we have to do that and after that then you have to be patient also. After reminding each other the truth then you have to be patient because you are going to face opposition. And so as Muslims the da'wah is not just for non-Muslims, you have to also begin with the family.
So a lot of the time, most of the time, most of us we live in our times and we are always blaming this and that, but we have to start within ourselves also. And instead of just putting a theoretical aspect of Islam and spreading it we have to start acting upon it also.
And instead of blaming other people or blaming the times that we are living in we have to start changing from the inside out from each family, each individual. And that's why there's a poem that says:
"We always blame the times that we are living in but - (نَعِيبٌ زَمَانَنَا وَالْعَيْبُ فِينَا * وَلَيْسَ لِزَمَانِنَا عَيْبٌ سِوَانَا) there's nothing wrong with the times we are living in, the only thing that's wrong with the times we are living in is us."
That's the only thing wrong. Quit blaming other people in the time but you have to start blaming yourself. And if everybody starts to take that initiative in muhasabah or taking care of themselves inshallah we will start reminding each other from the inside individually every family and every community and so forth and we'll work up from there.
Question 5: Guidelines for Relationships with Non-Muslims
The next question from the sister. Assalamu alaikum, I'm a student and I'm majoring in English literature and psychology. My question is are there any guidelines in the seerah with regards to relationship with non-muslims around us?
Concerning the guidelines with non-muslims, not every non-muslim is the same. There are some people who are very harsh towards the muslims and there are some people who are very compassionate and also very good towards the muslims.
And we see in the seerah of the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم a couple of circumstances, a couple of incidents. One occurred during the time in which the muslims were being sanctioned against and this was 8th, 9th and 10th year of the revelation, after revelation.
During this time there were non-muslims who joined the muslims in what was known as Shi'b Abi Talib, this was a mountain pass that the muslims went to live in order to protect the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم at the order of Abu Talib who was a non-muslim. And the non-muslims amongst Banu Hashim they also lived with the muslims.
And during these times we see that they were helping each other. So as long as there are non-muslims who are helping or they're treating the muslims kindly from this incident then we also should treat them kindly.
And in fact when the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم returned from Ta'if, when he returned from Ta'if he could not enter Mecca, he was not allowed to enter Mecca unless he sought the protection. And you know who protected him, the person who protected him, who offered to protect the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to come to Mecca was a non-muslim, Al Mut'im ibn Adi.
Al Mut'im ibn Adi he sent his children to bring, in full armor, to bring the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم back to Mecca and he told him to make tawaf even with his children on each corner of the Kaaba protecting the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
And so there were some non-muslims who were very compassionate or they felt they were with the muslims in terms of helping the muslims and they were not, they didn't have this enmity like many of the others did.
So how did the prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم treat for example, Al Mut'im ibn Adi? He didn't treat them the same way as the other people. And that's why during the battle of Badr afterwards, you know what he said? When the prisoners were in front of him he said:
"If Al Mut'im ibn Adi was still alive and then he spoke to me concerning these prisoners, you know, these people I would have let them all free."
In other words, one word from Al Mut'im ibn Adi, he would have let all the prisoners go, all of them, all the Meccans would have gone free, but he had already passed away during that time.
So this shows that if they are kind to us, then we are kind to them and and so forth. And so we don't just you know, paint all non-Muslims with one brush. But at the same time, as Muslims, if somebody says (لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ - la ilaha illallah muhammadun rasulullah) that Muslim is a person who does not commit shirk, who worships Allah.
We should love that Muslim more than any other non-Muslims. The reason being, of course we dislike him for the sins and the acts that are bad acts but still he has not committed shirk which is worshipping others besides Allah or associating with Allah in worship anything. And so this is the greatest sin is worshipping others besides Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala when he has created us.
And that's why if a person does good you know, we treat them well, but at the same time we always should have this extra respect because the Muslim is beloved in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and he has not committed the major sin which is shirk.
Because if a person commits shirk, it's like this, if somebody commits shirk this is something that somebody has done, it is the most disliked. So whatever he does after that, that great sin of shirk outweighs, outweighs in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
It's like your mother, the mother has a child, the mother has a son or a daughter, this son or daughter maybe not very obedient right, not very obedient maybe a little bit, you know, this and that. But still, when he speaks to his mother, I mean, he's not, maybe not really good, he has some traits qualities, maybe he's, maybe mean to his friends, or he does this and that but when he speaks to his mother, he's very nice to his mother, he speaks to his mother he's very nice to his mother.
That man has another brother that brother is very kind, very nice to all his friends, all of his friends love him, but then when he comes home he screams and yells at his mother. He hits his mother sometimes even, he gets very angry.
Now, the trait that that person has, that he's very kind to all his other friends and so forth, is that praiseworthy? Which one is better, the one who even though he looks, he's good but when it comes to his mother, he's just yeah, he treats his mother like nothing, he puts her down, even though he's kind to his friend, is that praiseworthy? Is that praiseworthy?
You say which of the two sons is better. You say no way, this guy here, how can somebody in their right mind, treat their mother like that. I don't care how you treat your other friends but you do not treat your mother like this.
This other person might not have the same qualities with his friends, but with his mother he's really good. Who do you think which one is better? The one who treats his