How the Muhammad (ﷺ) Treat Non-Muslims18

How the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ Treated Non-Muslims

Sheikh Abu Usamah At-Thahabi

Opening

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him and ask His help and ask His forgiveness.

We seek refuge in Allah from the evils of our souls and from the misdeeds of our deeds.

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger. Peace and blessings be upon him.

Introduction: The Middle Path

There are extremes in this issue with the Muslims as there are extremes in everything. There are those people who go overboard in the way that they love, people go overboard in the way that they hate. They love people too much and they compromise the rules and regulations of Islam.

Some people hate people so much that they can't acknowledge and accept the truth from them. Extremes.

So being a group of people, Allah from His hikmah legislated that we read Surah Al-Fatiha in every prayer. Janazah, Eid, Jummah, Sunnah, Fard, every prayer. We read Surah Al-Fatiha, the greatest surah of the Quran.

And it is the statement:

"Guide us to the straight path."

Quran 1:6 (Surah Al-Fatihah)

The Surah Al-Fatiha is the middle way, it's the balance. Don't love anyone too much and don't hate anyone too much. You have to be balanced.

So when it comes to how the Nabi dealt with non-Muslims, peace and blessings be upon him, there are two extremes:

1. There are those people who look at non-Muslims and they don't recognize and they don't acknowledge that those are human beings, they have a right, they have the haqq of hearing the dawah, and they have a certain way that the Nabi used to deal with them

2. And then the other extreme is the one who raises the non-Muslim above the plateau that Al-Islam has put him at. He makes shirk with Allah

So you find some Muslims, they're very critical of the Muslims. And when it comes to non-Muslims, they raise non-Muslims up. Especially, and I have to say this, especially people who have inferiority complexes. They look at European Muslims or European people, white people, and they see them as being better than them.

We have to be balanced. The Nabi dealt with the non-Muslims in a just way.

Focusing on Enemies, Not Just Regular Non-Muslims

So I'm not going to come here and just give you some examples about how he dealt with non-Muslims. I'm going to do something, inshallah, that is a little bit more informative than that.

We're going to talk about how the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, dealt with the non-Muslims who were his enemies. Not just the regular non-Muslim. A non-Muslim who was not against him, like his uncle, his grandfather. His uncle Abu Talib was not against him. And he dealt with them in a certain way. We're not going to talk about that.

We want to talk about how the Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him, dealt with people who were his enemies. People who wanted not only to see harm done to him, they wanted to see his ultimate demise.

So if you can see how he dealt with them, then clearly the way that he dealt with regular non-Muslims who were not hostile to him, clearly it was even in a better way.

The Prophet's Noble Character in the Quran

There are a number of ayat that Allah described the Nabi's character. Many, like the one we mentioned from Surah An-Najm:

"You're on a high level, exalted level of character."

Quran 68:4 (Surah Al-Qalam)

Allah commanded the Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him:

"Take it easy and pardon and forgive them. People who do wrong to you, ya Muhammad, make it afw, pardon them, let them go. And command and instruct the people to do those things that are universally acceptable. And turn away from the ignorant ones."

Quran 7:199 (Surah Al-A'raf)

Those people who are the jahileen, turn away from them. Don't repay ignorance with ignorance.

Allah told the Nabi:

"It's a rahmah from Allah on you, ya Muhammad, that you were easy and gentle with these people. If you were rough and tough with them, they will run away from you."

Quran 3:159 (Surah Aal-e-Imran)

The father, if you're rough and tough with your children, your daughter the way she's growing, your son the way that they're growing, they're dealing with a lot of challenges. If you're rough and tough with them, and you're not trying to understand their mentality and deal with them, they're gonna run away from you and you're gonna break it.

Allah told the Nabi that: it's a rahmah from Allah that you were easy with these people. If you were rough and tough with them, they would have run away and disperse from you because it's natural. So he was gentle with the people.

A Mercy to All the Worlds

Ayat, many ayat. Allah told the Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him and his family:

"We have not sent you except as a rahmah to all of the alamin."

Quran 21:107 (Surah Al-Anbiya)

I told you people what hikmah means in this religion. It's wisdom. But it means putting things in the proper place. Knowing what to say, when to say and how to say it. Sometimes hikmah means being quiet. Sometimes it means being tough. Sometimes it means being soft.

Allah is al-hakim. Allah said about the Nabi: We sent you as a rahmah to the alamin.

Understanding "Al-Alamin"

Pay attention. I want you to leave understanding this new concept in your religion. We say (ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ - alhamdulillah rabbil alamin). What does that mean? The lord of all the worlds, al-alamin.

There is Allah over his throne. Allah, everything else in creation is al-alamin. Whatever you can think of. The jinn, the angels, the ocean, the heavens, Bani Adam, the animals. Everything you can think of. Allah and everything other than Allah is al-alamin. The rabbul alamin.

Allah told the Nabi: We sent you as a rahmah to the alamin.

• He's a rahmah to the insects, to the animals

• He's a rahmah to the fish

• He's a rahmah to the elderly

• He's a rahmah to the youngsters

• He's a rahmah to the woman

• He's a rahmah to the one who is ignorant

• He's a rahmah to the youth

Rahmah to the alamin. Allah said in this ayah. Even objects that are not even created with a soul.

Example 1: The Crying Mimbar (Pulpit)

One of the companions came, he said, "Ya Rasulullah, I want to make a mimbar for you." This companion, he was a najjar, a carpenter. He wanted to offer his skills for the masjid, for Islam.

He said, "I want to make a mimbar for you. Because this mimbar that you have is old, it's not good." The Nabi said, "Okay."

The man made the mimbar. So they put the new mimbar in front of the masjid where it belongs. And the old mimbar, they put it over there in the corner.

When the Jummah khutbah came, the Nabi started talking to the people, peace and blessings be upon him. And lo and behold, the people started hearing a voice going... The Nabi looked, the people looked. He walked over to that old piece of wood, and he started rubbing it.

And he said to the people: "The mimbar is missing me." And it calmed down.

Now this hadith shows the Muslim has to defend the Nabi. The Muslim who has a soul has to love the Nabi. But it goes to show, he's a rahma even to the piece of wood that has no ruh.

Example 2: The Complaining Camel

He was with his companion, peace and blessings be upon him:

The camel came, put his mouth by the Nabi and started talking. The Nabi said, "Whose camel is this?" The man said, "It's my camel, Ya Rasulullah."

The Nabi said: "This camel is complaining to me that you overburden it, you beat it, and you don't feed it enough. Fear Allah."

The man let the camel go. He's a rahma to the animals.

Example 3: The Prostitute and the Dog

Now the point here is, if the Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him, had rahma on a piece of wood, he had rahma on a camel, he had rahma in telling us about the lady who was a prostitute أكرمكم الله and she gave the water to the dog and she went to the Jannah.

That's telling the people even a dog has rights. If he's a rahma to all of these issues, what about Bani Adam?

When Allah said in the Quran:

"We have honored Bani Adam."

Quran 17:70 (Surah Al-Isra)

Even those kuffar.

Honoring the Human Face

The man is standing up with his head to the sky. One companion had a fight with another companion. He punched him in his face. When the Nabi heard about it, he said:

"When you get into those skirmishes, don't hit people in the face. Because Allah created Adam in His image.

Created him in the image of Adam."

Sahih Al-Bukhari 6227, Sahih Muslim 2612

So out of respect for Adam, you shouldn't punch people in the face. He honored Bani Adam. Whether they're Muslims or non-Muslims.

My Message on Terrorism

So today's talk: how did the Nabi deal with his enemies? Not the non-Muslim, his enemies who wanted to kill him, peace and blessings be upon him.

Before I give you these examples, Ikhwani, let me tell you: If a person once in his life, just one time in the duration of his life, his enemy does something to him, and he has the ability to exact revenge against his enemy. But he says, "You can go free." If he does that one time, every culture, every society is going to say: that is a noble person who did that.

He's noble. It didn't happen once with the Nabi. It happened a lot. To the point where we can actually say: it's his sunnah to let people go. To overlook the mistakes of people. To be easy with them.

I don't know and I don't understand this mentality of these Muslims who want to blow up planes with innocent people. Blow up the underground. Blow up the tube. Blow up and kill innocent people.

My mother, Miss Mimi, my mother, my wife comes to my house in America. My mother is not going to open that door until she tells my wife, "Hey, some people are coming," she's going to tell the kuffar, the people, the visitors, "Stay right there."

Don't come and tell me Palestine, Al-Iraq. My mother doesn't have anything to do with that. She's on the bus and you killed my mother. I don't understand that mentality of those people.

Shabab, another than that. I don't understand. Al-Qaeda, another than that. I'll say it.

Any young Muslim, if you're around people talking that nonsense to you, then you need to run away from that person the way you run away from a hungry lion if he came into this room.

Refuting False Claims About Islam

How was the nabi with his enemies? Let us look. I mentioned this ayat that Allah sent the nabi as a rahma to the world. 169 times the word rahma has been used in the Quran in one shape, form or fashion. There's only one ayat of the Quran, only one, talking about cutting off the hand. Only one.

The people want to say that Muslims are barbaric. The religion of Muhammad is barbaric. He loves to shed blood. These people are victims of their own ignorance.

People believe that the nabi, peace and blessings be upon him, was a warmonger, that the nabi, peace and blessings be upon him, was some crazy madman. They are the victims of their own ignorance, victims of the media.

Anyone with sincerity, non-Muslim here today, with sincerity, he came and he read the story of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Even if he didn't embrace Islam, he will have no choice except to say: this man was noble, this man was a noble man.

Quranic Verses Showing the Prophet's Concern

So let us look at this issue. One of the ways we see how the nabi dealt with the non-Muslims, peace and blessings be upon him, during his time, and there are many examples, are the many verses of the Quran that describe to us his condition when looking at them. Many ayat.

Allah mentioned in the Quran:

"Ya Muhammad, don't become overwhelmed with grief because of these people. They're not believers. Don't allow yourself to become overwhelmed with hasarat. Verily Allah is knowledgeable about what they're doing."

Quran 35:8 (Surah Fatir)

That goes to show that my mother who's a non-Muslim, your mother who's a non-Muslim, your relatives, people you work with, non-Muslims, you should have some feeling of sadness and sorrow for their condition.

Allah told the nabi: don't allow yourself to become overwhelmed with grief, which shows he had a disposition. He wasn't happy for the condition of his people.

Allah mentioned in the Quran:

"It may be, Ya Muhammad, that you will worry yourself to death that they don't believe in this message. Not just worry, it may be that you may worry yourself until you die that they don't believe in this message."

Quran 18:6 (Surah Al-Kahf)

When he was giving dawah to his people, he just said to them:

"Just say, La ilaha illa Allah, you're gonna be okay."

And when they rejected that, he wasn't happy.

More Quranic Evidence

"Don't become sad as a result of those people who are quick and they're going into disbelief. Don't be sad."

Quran 3:176 (Surah Aal-e-Imran)

So if you want to know the condition of the Nabi and how he dealt with non-Muslims, first point: he used to be physically, mentally anguished at their condition. He wasn't happy at their condition, with their condition. He wanted Islam for everybody, especially his people. But for everybody, because he's the Nabi for all people.

Making Dawah and Making Dua for Them

Another example: how did the Nabi deal with the non-Muslims, the enemies that he had? He was in a hostile environment. How did he deal with them?

He used to make dawah to them and he spared no efforts to go to them to give them dawah.

You're in the university, give some Islamic literature out, give some Islamic education to the university, the Muslim community here. What are the people doing to expose Islam to the greater community? And why do we always have to be on the back foot, apologizing? Every time something happens, 9-11, whatever, that's the only time we come out and we come out apologizing.

The Nabi had mercy on them in that: he used to make himself available, he used to give them dawah, and he used to make dua, for people who wanted his demise.

Hadith: "I Was Not Sent to Curse"

Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, in what was collected by the Imam Muslim, he said that some people came, and they said, "Ya Rasulullah, Ya Rasulullah, the mushrikeen are doing this and doing that, doing this."

So the people sat up, the Muslims getting ready for the Nabi to make dua. The man said, "Make dua against them, make dua. Your dua is mustajab, Allah will answer your dua."

The Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him, told that man and the rest of the community, then and now, he said, peace and blessings be upon him:

(Sahih Muslim 2599)

"I have not been sent to curse people. Allah curse you, curse you. I've been sent as a rahmah."

Example: The Tribes of Daws and Thaqeef

There was a tribe during that time, the companion of Tufail ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with him. He said that his people were around a tribe called Ad-Daws.

Ad-Daws used to catch you, and they will burn you alive. They will catch you, and they will chop you to pieces. He came and he made it. He was saying: "Ya Rasulullah, you're not gonna believe what Daws did. They did this, they did that, they did that. Make dua against the Daws."

The Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him, raised his hand and he said:

"O Allah, guide the tribe of Daws and bring them to me."

Sahih Al-Bukhari 2937, Sahih Muslim 2524

Allah answered his dua.

The same thing happened with another tribe, Thaqeef. Thaqeef. They were doing all kinds of atrocities and committing all kinds of crimes against their people, where they live. Same thing, someone from their tribe came: "Ya Rasulullah, Thaqeef. They went beyond all bounds and what's acceptable, even in the history of the Arabs. We never saw anyone doing like this to their enemy and to their adversary. Make dua against those people of Thaqeef."

The Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him, raised his hand. He said:

"Guide those people of Thaqeef and bring them to me."

They became Muslims.

Example: Abu Huraira's Mother

Too many examples, Ikhwani. Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him. Tomorrow we're going to do, I think today, a panel discussion about defending the Nabi.

Abu Huraira, his mother used to curse the Nabi. Used to say terrible things about the Nabi. Atrocious things, the mother. Abu Huraira one time after hearing it, he got sick and tired of it.

He went to the Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him, told the Prophet what happened. The Prophet saw him, he was crying. He said, "What's the matter Abu Huraira?" He said, "My mother keeps talking about you and I can't take it anymore."

The Nabi said, "Don't worry, go back to your mother."

Abu Huraira went back to his mother. When he was about to enter the house, his mother said, "Abu Huraira stay at the door. Don't come in." He heard the water. The water stopped. She came out and she took the shahadah:

Question here now is: Abu Huraira's mother is talking bad about the Nabi. It affected him. He cried about that. The Muslim can't be indifferent if they draw pictures about the Nabi that are disrespectful. The Muslim can't say, "That's not my problem."

You have to feel some way about that or something's wrong with you. But now the question and the challenge is: what do you do?

Did Abu Huraira punch his mother in the face? Did Abu Huraira poke his mother in the eyes? Took his mother and do a wrestling move and hit her head on the ground? He cried, went to the Nabi. And this is the point.

The Nabi made dua for her. He could have said, "Oh Allah, punish her, the way you punished Abu Lahab's wife":

"And his wife - the carrier of firewood."

Quran 111:4-5 (Surah Al-Masad)

Because of how she went beyond the boundaries of what was acceptable.

There are ample examples of how the Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him, made dua with and for those non-Muslims who were his adversaries. What do you think is the case with a person who's respectful?

Example: The Little Jewish Boy

The little Jewish boy. The little Jewish boy who used to take care of him. The Jewish boy was his khadim.

"Don't curse my companions. Don't curse any of them. I swear by the one who my soul is in his hands. If one of you were to spend the likes of Mount Uhud in gold, any of you were to spend the like of Mount Uhud in gold, you would never be able to reach a mud of what they spent, or half of a mud."

Sahih Al-Bukhari 3673, Sahih Muslim 2541

A mud is when Abu Bakr came, he took two handful of rice, two handful of dates, two handful of raisins, salt, and he gave it to Sabilillah. If you spend all of Uhud, it wouldn't equal those two handful. The Mahdi comes later. He wasn't a companion.

Anyway, Hamza, may Allah be pleased with him, his liver wasn't devoured by that lady. My wife, she's on a lesser level of iman and taqwa and knowledge than that lady, Hind bintu Uqba. My wife would never go to someone who's dead, someone who was killed, and then eat his liver. Because she's more civilized than that. She doesn't hate anyone to that degree. So how do you think a lady who became a companion is like that?

The Day of the Conquest of Mecca

In the day of Uhud, 70 of them were killed. Some time went by, and then the issue came, the conquest of Mecca. When the Muslims were riding, when they were riding to Mecca, one of the Muslim men, when the ayat of the Quran was revealed:

"If you have been oppressed, you Muslims, if you people were fought against, and you were harmed, and you were hurt, then hurt them back similar to what they did to you."

Quran 16:126 (Surah An-Nahl)

Meaning: if they fought you in the sacred precincts of Mecca, fight them back. If they fought you in the sacred months, fight them back. It doesn't mean if they kill your innocence, you go and kill the innocent. People use this ayat: "If you have been harmed, then harm them back similar to what they harmed you."

Muslims use that ayat to say: they killed our innocence, which they do. They killed Muslims in Iraq. They're killing Muslims all over the world. But this ayat doesn't mean if they kill your innocence, you can go and kill the innocent.

How can you understand that? The Nabi came after sending Khalid ibn Walid. He went ahead. When Khalid arrived to the place, he just started killing everyone. He killed women, children, old people. When the Nabi finally came, he saw those people strewn about dead. He put his hands up like this and he said:

"O Allah, I'm free from what Khalid did here today."

Sahih Al-Bukhari 4339

He freed himself from the action of his brother. He didn't free himself and say his brother was a kafir. He didn't totally free himself from the Muslim. But from that action, the imam has to come forward and say: I'm free of that. The religion is free. We can't accommodate that or justify that nonsense.

The meaning of the ayat: if they harm you, harm them back with what they harmed you with. It means if they fight you in Mecca, fight them back. If they fight you in the sacred month, fight them back.

Hypothetically speaking, someone non-Muslim, he raped a Muslim girl. That girl is the daughter of someone. So the man takes that ayat: if you've been harmed, then harm them back similar to what they harmed you. Is anyone in his right mind going to believe, I can go and rape his daughter? No, it doesn't mean that.

Again, it means if they fight you in the sacred month and so forth and so on.

Anyway, when this ayat was revealed, one of the companions when he heard that, he said:

لَا وَاللَّهِ لَا قُرَيْشَ بَعْدَ الْيَوْمِ

"I swear by Allah, we're going to deal with Quraysh today for what they did to Hamza."

And then he started saying to the Muslims: "Hamza, Hamza." And the Muslims started getting agitated. And they were like, "We're going to get these Quraysh people."

The Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

كُفُّوا، إِنَّا الْقَوْمُ إِلَّا أَرْبَعَةً نَصْبِرُ وَلَا نُعَاقِبُ

"Hey, hey, leave these people alone. These people of Mecca, leave them. Leave these people alone. Only deal with four people from the king. If you find four, deal with them. We're going to be patient and we're not going to get retribution. We're not going to fight them back. We're not going to do what they did to us. We're not going to fight them in Месса."

He cooled everybody out. But he said: "If you find these four, then deal with them."

Now I want you people to pay attention to this, you brothers, married brothers, you young brothers who have sisters and stuff like that. Stop fighting your sister. Stop fighting your sister. Sister has to stop disrespecting her older brother.

The Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Stop, don't do anything except four people. If you find one of them holding on to the curtain of the Kaaba, then get him."

Those four people, they were poets from the time of Al-Jahiliyyah. They used to make poetry about the mahasen of the wives of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. They used to describe their mahasen. They didn't know anything about the wives of the Prophet.

Because his women were totally covered up in jilbab and niqab. They didn't go with their faces open. And when they used to travel, they used to be in a hawdij. Hawdij is what they used to carry. The canopy, she would be inside there. And if you or any companion wanted to ask a question, they were from behind the hijab.

So when those four poets started putting poetry out amongst the Arabs, "Muhammad's wife is this and that and that." The Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Everybody in Mecca is free. These people did this, they persecuted me, they killed some of my companions, they did that. Everyone can go. But these four people, if you caught one of them hanging on to the curtain of the Kaaba, kill him."

Which goes to show the Nabi had izzah, he had ghairah, he was jealous for his women. He didn't allow his wife to go to the local supermarket and her hair is all over the place. Anybody can see what she looks like. He didn't play that stuff.

He told the people, Ikhwani:

"The dayyuth will not enter into the jannah."

Musnad Ahmad 8867

Who's the dayyuth? He's the man. Who? His wife, his daughter. Women who he is responsible for, they come and they go how they want. They dress how they want. She has a boyfriend. He doesn't say anything. That's a dayyuth. The Nabi wasn't like that.

Some companion came to the Prophet's house. He knocked on the door, knocked on the door, and no one came. The man looked inside of the keyhole and the Prophet saw him looking in the keyhole. The Prophet picked up some iron thing and he started running to the door. The man saw the Nabi is coming and he doesn't look like he's playing. The man backed up.

The Prophet opened the door. He said: "If you would have kept your eye there, I would have poked your eye out, looking at my women. What's inside this house is haram for you."

So the point, Ikhwani, about the people of Uhud. They said, "We're gonna pay these people back for what they did to Hamza." The Nabi said: "No. Leave these people alone, except four people. They went beyond the limit."

Defending the Prophet's Wives

Part of defending the Nabi, peace and blessings be upon him, guys, is defending his wives.

There are a group of people call themselves Muslims, who say that Aisha was a zania. People of Iraq and Iran. No way in the world, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. No way in the world can I accept that guy as someone who is a Muslim.

If he said that about my mother, who is my biological mother, "My mother is a zania" - I'm gonna deal with anybody who says that. And my mother is not even a Muslim yet? May Allah guide Miss Mimi. Come on guys. May Allah guide Miss Mimi. Oh Allah guide Miss Mimi. That's my mother's a kafir.

What do you think is the case with the Nabi's wives?

"The Nabi is closer to the believers than their own selves. And his wives are their mothers."

Quran 33:6 (Surah Al-Ahzab)

The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves. The Prophet loves your son more than you. The Prophet loves your wife more than you. The Prophet loves your daughter more than you. He is closer to the believers than their own selves. And his wives are their mothers.

Are you serious? What's the shahad? When the Nabi didn't excuse those four people, it goes to show, ikhwani, part of defending him, our Nabi, is that you have to have honor for your mother.

Some people may be sitting out there and say, "That guy, why is he saying Iran, Iraq?" I don't care what you think. Did you hear what I said? Let me say this so I don't bite my tongue for anyone.

Any human being who said that Aisha was a zaniyah - you're an enemy of Allah. You're an enemy of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. And you as a Muslim, on the sunnah, you can't acquiesce concerning that.

You, you! Someone said that about your real mother. You're gonna tolerate that?

They said that Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, the Nabi will go out for jihad. Out of the front door, he will go for jihad. And Aisha will go and open up the back door. And there was a line of Yahood. One would come and make zina, and she wouldn't make ghusl. Then the second, then the third, then the fourth. That's what these people believe.

No, the Nabi says, peace and blessings be upon him: "Get these four if you find them."

Example: Thumamah ibn Uthal

Lastly, ikhwani, and there are a lot of examples. Lastly, how did the Nabi, with abundant salutations upon him, how did he deal with non-Muslims? How did he deal with them? Those people who are against him, like that man Thumamah ibn Uthal.

Thumamah ibn Uthal, he was the chief of a tribe called Bani Hanif. The Nabi sent some of his companions out of Medina to do a reconnaissance, to make sure that there was no imminent threat towards Medina. He was tying his camel, being responsible.

So those men when they went out there, they found this man Thumamah. Thumamah used to kill the Muslims from his tribe who became Muslims. He used to threaten his community. He was a powerful man. He was in

charge of Bani Hanif.

When the companions caught him, they brought him to the masjid. They tied him up to the pillar inside the masjid. They went and said, "Ya Rasulullah, we found Thumamah. Thumamah killed a lot of people."

The Nabi came, he's tied up in the masjid. The Nabi said:

"Ya Thumamah, what's your situation Thumamah?"

Thumamah said:

"Ya Muhammad, if you kill me, you'll kill someone who's very important. If you let me go, I'll be happy. If you want ransom, I'll give you all the money, just ask what you want."

The Nabi let him go. He just said:

"Thumamah" and he left.

Thumamah was in the masjid for a whole day. The Muslims were bringing him food. They brought him some milk. He drank the milk and he went like... They brought him a second one, he drank it. Third, four, five, six, seven.

The next day, the Nabi came. Same question: "Ya Thumamah, what's your situation?"

Thumamah said: "Ya Muhammad, like I told you yesterday, you kill me, you kill someone important. If you let me go, I'll be happy. If you want ransom, ask for what you want."

"Thumamah."

They gave him seven bowls of milk again.

The third day: "Ya Thumamah, what's your situation?"

"Ya Muhammad, like I told you, the last two days, you kill me, you kill someone important. You let me go, I'll be happy. You want money? Give whatever you want."

The Nabi said: "Let Thumamah go."

They untied him. Thumamah left. The Nabi was sitting with the people. Lo and behold, Thumamah came back through the door, dripping with water. His clothes were wet because he made ghusl.

He came in walking. He said:

And then he said: "Pay attention. Ya Rasulullah. Right to that he was saying, Ya Muhammad, Ya Muhammad. He said, Ya Rasulullah, there was never a face that I hated more than your face. And now, your face is the most beloved face to me. Ya Rasulullah, there was never a city that I hated more than this city. Now, your city is the most beloved city to me. Ya Rasulullah, there was never a religion that I hated more than your religion. Now, your religion is the most beloved religion to me."

He said: "Sit down Thumamah. Bring Thumamah some food."

They brought him a bowl of milk. They gave him the milk. He drank it. They gave him another bowl. He said: "I'm full."

The nabi started smiling. They said: "Why are you smiling, Ya Rasulullah?"

He said: "Verily the believer eats for one intestine and the kafir and the munafiq eats for seven."

(Sahih Al-Bukhari 5393, Sahih Muslim 2061)

When Thumamah was a non-Muslim, he ate seven. Just thought about me myself and I. But once he accepts Islam he knows: there's in the message poor people. It's not just me myself and I only only warrior boy.

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What Affected Thumamah? The Role of the Masjid

But what was the issue that affected Thumamah brothers? It was the role of the message. When Thumamah was in that message, he saw the Muslims coming to Salat five times a day. Salat al-fajr, Zohar, Asr, Maghrib, Isha. And he's looking.

The nabi is Hakeem - he put things in the right place. Thumamah is intelligent. Thumamah is a leader. He's not a copycat. He's not a follower. He's a leader.

Bilal - before the Nabi would pray he would send Bilal down that row. And he was sitting there. Down that row Bilal will start grabbing some of the premier Arabs of jahiliyya that Thumamah knew. Bilal will hit them in the chest: move back, move up, put him in a line. Because the Nabi just didn't make Salah.

Umar goes down that way, Bilal goes down that way and Bilal will hit the Arabs: move back, come up.

Thumamah is looking at that and said: "Man, if that black guy was up where I came from and he touched one of us, we would deal with him. But look at these people being patient now. Muhammad brought a religion of universality. Muhammad brought a religion of brotherhood and look at how they respect him. They don't call him Muhammad. They call him: Yeah, Rasul Allah. Yeah, Nabi Allah. Yeah, Khalil Allah."

So it was easy for Thumamah to get in line and to be affected by the Dawa of the Muslims. Not only the Nabi but his people.

Final Message: The Prophet Was the Quran

So the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, Ikhwani. He was an individual who was the Quran as we mentioned earlier. And he, peace and blessings be upon him, his Dawa was a Dawa of Hikmah.

If you blow people up and you kill people, if you're not truthful, if you're going against this religion, then the non-muslims are going to say rightly: "So if Muhammad was such a good man, then why are they like that? Why is their country torn to pieces? Why are they going through all of this?"

One sister she wears proper hijab, the other sister doesn't wear proper hijab, the other one doesn't wear hijab at all. So the guy who's a non-muslim, he says the lady: "Now I must say which one of these is correct."

I go the other brother, go the other brother go, and we go to meet people that we work with. The lady comes to shake hands. I grab a hand and I shake it robustly. The other brother, he's religious, he puts his thing like that and he shakes like this. And the third one he gives up the elbow and he shakes like that.

The girl says: "Which one is Islam?"

And then the fourth one comes and says: "With all due respect, I don't shake hands because I don't touch women or not."

She says: "Mutashaddid Wahhabi terrorist Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabab!"

Where does that come from? Part of it comes from us with giving mixed messages.

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Importance of the Quran

When he comes, I just want to tell you people something from the bottom of my heart, the depths in it, the inner in the recesses of my heart. And I she you know, and I she and I she Islamic rap, all of these things that is appealing to our youngsters. They want something different from this hip-hop culture and these nasty words. So there are some brothers who are popular. Their skills in the art of poetry and all of that. I totally support that but I want you guys to always remember:

The nabi every Friday, he used to do the khutbah. But every time he wanted to address the people, part of what he would say was:

"The best speech is the speech of Allah."

You guys, all of us, we have to return back to the Quran. You have to learn how to read the Quran. You have to try to memorize the Quran. You new Muslim revert, it's your job to learn how to read the Quran and don't learn from transliteration.

"Alhamdulillah" written in English - alhamdulillah - you have to find someone in this city. Arab, someone who memorized and they knew and they know Tajweed of the Quran. The Arab who has a PhD in Arabic language - Arab PhD in the language - he is not going to pick up the Quran and read it correctly. He's not, if he didn't have a mu'allim to teach him.

The nabi:

"He was taught by one who was powerful, mighty."

(Quran 53:5 (Surah An-Najm))

Meaning Jibril. Jibril taught the Nabi. Jibril came and said "Read." He said "I can't read." "What am I gonna read?" "Read." "I can't read, what I'm gonna read?" "Read."

Jibril told him:

"Read in the name of your Lord who created."

(Quran 96:1 (Surah Al-Alaq))

He taught him what to read and how to read. And when he used to come to teach the Nabi the Quran, the Prophet wanted to memorize so he used to move his lips real fast trying to memorize. Allah revealed to him:

"Don't do that. Ya Muhammad, don't read real quick trying to do this."

(Quran 75:16 (Surah Al-Qiyamah))

You have to learn how to read the Quran by somebody who knows what he's doing.

As for the energy and this rap and this stuff, it's okay as long as the brothers stay in the boundaries. And my man Muslim Belal, it's from those brothers who in that boundary. My man Boonaa Muhammad is from those people who are within those boundaries, but because he comes from UK I'm more on his side and I'm feeling him more than Boonaa because he's from the UK.

Closing

So without any further ado, gonna bring up my man 50 grand Muslim be loud somebody...