Ismail ibn Musa Menk Day 1 (Life of Muhammad PBUH) - Ramadan 2012

Day 1: Life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) - Ramadan 2012

Opening and Introduction

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

"[All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds - The Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful - Sovereign of the Day of Recompense. It is You we worship and You we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path - The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are lost."

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Peace and blessings be upon the servant of Allah and His Messenger Muhammad, and upon his family and all his companions.

Ramadan: The Month of the Quran

We praise Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for giving us this beautiful month of Ramadan. As you know, the month of Ramadan is the month of the Quran. It is the month where we study the Quran, we listen to it, we try to understand it, we put it into practice and we convey it to others.

Every deed that we engage in this month is multiplied. You and I know that. A fard act, the reward of it is multiplied. A sunnah act, the reward of it gets right up to a fard and perhaps beyond, depending on your intention.

My beloved brothers and sisters, we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to make us from amongst those who take this month seriously. For it is a gift. It might be the last Ramadan we are going to see in our lives. We have seen Ramadans in the past. We are lucky to see tonight. If Allah wants, we may not see tomorrow night. And this is the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Previous Years and This Year's Focus

In the past, my beloved brothers and sisters, we have been through translation of various verses of the Quran. We have been through the reasons of revelations of the verses of the Quran in brief. We have been through stories of the prophets. We have been through subjects within the noble Quran over the years.

This year, as you would perhaps know, we have to complete the stories of the prophets by the story of the greatest of all prophets of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). So it was only befitting that we dedicated the entire month to the story of this messenger, peace be upon him.

The Greatest Messenger

Whereas when it came to the other messengers, a night or two or three was enough. When it comes to Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم), we being his ummah, it is only befitting that we take our time to go through the life of the most blessed of all creatures, the high and the loftiest in rank of all the creatures of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

We ask Allah to grant us the understanding of the gift that we have. The gift that we have of being mu'mineen, believing in Allah alone. The gift that we have of being the ummah of the highest of creation. These are two gifts of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He selects and chooses people to give them.

Our Chosen Status

So we have been carefully chosen by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to give us this gift of His. And wallahi, if we look at it, and if we understand it, we will be able to recognize the gift of Allah and become the beloved of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. May Allah make us those who love Him, and may He love us in return. Ameen.

The Importance of Studying the Prophet's Life

My beloved brothers and sisters, it is very important for us to go through an introduction. This introduction would start with the importance of learning the history of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). What does it do and what will it do to me if I study the life of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)?

Point Number One: Increased Love

The first point that I want to raise: It increases my love for him (صلى الله عليه وسلم). And at the same time, it increases my love for his maker who has made me as well, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

So by studying the seerah, by studying the life of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and his history, it will increase our love for Allah and His Rasul. We will understand how Allah has chosen Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). And how we were chosen to be from amongst His followers.

Allah's Favor Upon the Believers

So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has blessed us. As Allah says:

"Allah has favored the believers by sending to them a messenger from amongst themselves," reading and reciting His verses.

He came down, He did not bring anything from His pocket. Allah says:

"He did not utter anything from His desires or lusts or fancies. It is nothing but revelation that is revealed."

Everything he said was revealed and inspired by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Learning from Divine Admonition

Sometimes you will find Allah admonished Him. Not because He said something from His pocket, but because Allah inspired Him to say something for us to learn later on. That if you were to make an error, or if you were to say something that required admonition, how should you react to that admonition?

A lot of us feel bad when we are told. We will go through the life of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and see how he, the perfect, reacted when he was corrected, and when he was told, may Allah make us from those who follow.

Following the Messenger's Example

Remember one thing, we always harp on about how important it is to follow the messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم). How will we know it if we haven't gone through his life? Subhanallah. Can I know how important it is? Or can I know what to do in order to follow Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)'s message? If I don't even know how he reacted.

So this is the beauty of studying the seerah. It draws you closer to Allah. It makes you a proper Muslim. It makes you a person who is now able to surrender after he has read, after he has listened, after he or she has understood. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala open our doors.

Love for the Companions

Then we will follow his example. And at the same time, our love for him will increase. And at the same time, our love for his companions will increase because they were ready to give up their lives for the sake of Allah. In fact, many of them gave their lives up for the sake of Allah.

Allah says in Surah Al-Ahzab:

"From amongst the men, from amongst the believers, there are men who have fulfilled their promise to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. What they promised Allah, we'll give our lives. Some of them have already given their lives and the others are in waiting."

This verse was revealed at the time of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)

Our Current State of Prayer

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala help us to sacrifice at least a bit of our time in the month of Ramadan, and outside Ramadan as well, at least to fulfill our salah. A few days ago, someone was showing me how people have been dying in most blessed positions of salah.

One man in ruku, one man as he's starting salah, one man on the mimbar, just before he got on the musalla to be the leader of Salatul Jumu'ah, he passed away in this country. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant him Jannah.

But the question is, we listen about people who have passed away in positions of salah, do we even read our salah to start with? That's the question. Do we even read our salah? So what chances do we have to die in the position of sujood when we don't even make that sajdah?

Learning Success Through Following

By learning the seerah of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) we will become regular with our duties unto Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Because we will see how they achieved success through following the messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم).

This afternoon I spoke in Jumu'ah, and I mentioned something very important, Salatul Jumu'ah. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has blessed us in every single way. We have the seerah of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) we have the month of Ramadan. If we don't make use of this, wallahi it carries on. We are the ones who missed the train.

Knowing Our Heroes vs. Knowing the Companions

So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala also has made mention the various details of the life of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Every detail. The names, the places, his childhood, his adulthood, and so on.

Today we have superheroes. And to mention some of them, in fact this is the house of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. But we all know that the football stars, we know them. Our children know them. They know who are their girlfriends, astaghfirullah. They know the whole history of the golfer, that one of the top golfers in the world, what happened to him, what were the names of the women in his life, and what exactly he did and they did. They know everyone and they know so much of them.

They know their team, they wear the t-shirts of the team, even if it has a devil drawn on it, they don't mind. Am I right? These are Muslim children, because they are following. They will cut their hair like baboons in order to look like someone who is just able to kick a ball on the globe. Allahu akbar. For your information, the whole globe is like a ball. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala open our doors.

But when you ask them about the names of the companions of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) very rarely will they give them to you. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala use this month of Ramadan to motivate us and our children. Instead of them sitting and watching cartoons, may they be motivated to sit and to listen to the seerah of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)

The Perfect Example in All Aspects

Then it is important for us also in our lives to look at how we should be as a husband. Because Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)'s example was unique. Allah says:

There is another verse in Surah Al-Ahzab. Allah says, indeed, in the life of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is a perfect example for those who are looking forward to the meeting with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And those who are looking forward to the last day.

Clinging to This World

How many of us are looking forward to meeting with Allah? To meeting with Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and the others. A lot of us are clinging to earth. And we cling to earth in a way that we usurp the wealth of people. We hate people for no reason besides a few dollars and cents.

What happens? We stop talking to our own brothers and sisters because of some little monetary issue. Why should that be the case? If you want, here follow the example of Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم). As a husband, as a father, as a person who was a leader, as a man at times of war.

The Conquest of Makkah: An Example of Mercy

They say he was just at times of war. And he was very merciful even at the same time, the time of war. Look at what happened when he entered Makkah al-Mukarramah. He had a vast army. The people of Makkah were now shocked. They looked at the numbers.

And he says:

"O people of Quraysh." And they were at his disposal. He could have done anything. O you who killed a lot of my companions and relatives, what do you think I'm going to do to you today?

They were silent. Some of them answered, well, we hope goodness because you are a good man. A son of a good man. Suddenly you know people are good. Why? Because now we're at their mercy. People become good when you're at their mercy.

A Modern Parallel

You know, I remember a true story. When I was at school, there was a young boy. And he was so thin. Everyone used to bully him. So he one day decided in the school holidays to inject himself with all the proteins and to start pumping weights literally. He came back just about one and a half months later, huge.

He looked at the guys who were bullying him. They all started greeting him. They all became his friends. Why? Because he would probably lift them up with one finger. Allahu Akbar. But moments before that, what happened? They used to bully the same youngster.

Today he's a big man. Nobody dare take his name. Why? Because of size.

The Prophet's Merciful Response

So here Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)what happened? They persecuted them. Meaning they persecuted him and his companions. And the day when he came into Makkah al-Mukarramah, do you know what happened? He asked them the question, what do you think I'm going to do to you today?

Then he says:

"You guys can carry on. You people can carry on. You are free."

No retribution today. I will tell you what the Prophet Yusuf, Joseph may peace be upon him, told his brothers:

"I'm holding nothing against you today. No retribution, nothing. Carry on."

Learning Forgiveness

How many of us can do that to our own brothers and sisters and family members? I think we as Muslims find it difficult. So this is why when we study the seerah, it softens our hearts towards our own people. And it softens our heart in a way that we learn.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)he was a judge between people. How did he rule? He at the same time was a da'i. He called people to Islam. How did he call people to Islam? He called people to goodness. We will be going through that.

Teaching Methods and Love

So many of his companions memorized the Quran. How did he achieve that? Most of them were adults. Today our children are memorizing the Quran, mashallah. We got to beat the daylights out of them in order for them to know what is next and so on.

A lot of the times, this is what people think hifdh is all about. You find the sheikh sitting, the imam sitting with one big stick. Where was the stick of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)? And yet his students, most of them were adults.

The sahaba radiyallahu anhum, what was their age? They were adults. So adult literacy, although they were unlettered. Allahu akbar. Look at the love with which Nabi (صلى الله عليه وسلم) taught his own people.

Understanding the Quran Through Seerah

Then we have also through the seerah and through the life of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم),we come to learn the beauty of the Quran, the reasons of revelation. Because as you know, the Quran was revealed separately. It did not come down just in book form. 23 years over which the Quran was revealed. As the incidents occurred, verses came down.

As the incidents occurred, the verses came down. And this is why it's important to know these stories so you would know why the verse came down. When you know why the verse came down, as you are reciting it, you will actually smile because now you know names, and you know places, and you know why a verse is there.

You also know that this verse is a lesson for me, today in my life. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala open our doors. So we have so many things to learn from Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)

Dealing with Hypocrites

Then, very important matter, how was he with his enemies? He had from amongst his own people, who claimed to be his own people, those who were not Muslim, but they were just pretending. Pretending. A man like Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, he was known as raasul munafiqin, the head of the hypocrites.

Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) dealt with him in a very very professional way. He put him in one corner. The man couldn't move this way, he couldn't move that way. Allahu Akbar.

The Unlettered Prophet's Achievement

Look, even the politicians have a page to take from Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). How did he deal with his people? Imagine, a man unlettered in the middle of a desert, in the midst of people who could not read or write.

"It is Allah who sent amongst the unlettered a messenger from them." That means they were unlettered. And He sent a messenger, one of them. The bulk of them were unlettered. It was a big deal to be able to read and write at that time. And Allah says, He sent a messenger from amongst them to them.

The Global Impact

The point I'm raising is, imagine, desert, unlettered, no internet, no phone, no nothing, no means of communication, no fax, no telex, no internet, no television, no nothing. And yet, He changed the globe. In a few years, today, more than two billion people follow the message of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)

What powerful man. Imagine what rules and regulations he followed. They came from Allah.

Lessons from Hardship

And imagine he went to Ta'if, he was persecuted. That's another point we learn from the seerah of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Whenever we are in difficulty, pick up the pages of the seerah, the history of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)

Read what happened to him. You will find that he suffered much more than anyone of us could ever suffer. And this is why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us with the blessed lips of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) in a hadith, that those who will be tested the most are those who are loved more by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And the next narration says, the anbiya, the prophets of Allah are tested the most. And then those who are closest to them in example, and then those who are next. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us the understanding.

Finding Comfort in Seerah

So when you have problems in your life, the way to ease the difficulties, to read the seerah of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and I make a dua to Allah, I ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, ya Allah, the people who are suffering across the globe today, ya Allah. And all the sufferings we face as well, ya Allah. Ya Allah, grant us ease, ya Allah.

The seerah of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم), let it be a means of the comforting of our hearts and souls going through the pages. Let us learn lessons that soothe our souls, that extinguish the flame that may be burning within our systems. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us goodness.

The Prophet's Character and Worship

So this is the seerah. What a blessed seerah. And it's important for us to create a thirst in the hearts and minds of the people before we actually end up speaking of his blessed birth. (صلى الله عليه وسلم).

So Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) if we take a look, his character, his conduct, his belief, his acts of worship, so much so, we will come to learn that Aisha radiyallahu anha asked him a question, O messenger, peace be upon him, you stand in salah at night until your feet are swollen and yet you have no sin, you have been forgiven, you are going to be entering paradise, so can't you rest a little bit?

And he says, O Aisha, can I not be, should I not be a slave who is thankful to Allah? I know the rank, I know the status, I've already got jannah and so on, but I want to thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Our Lazy Prayers

Today let's be honest. Alhamdulillah, we do read our salah, but sometimes a bit lazily. Sometimes we feel lazy. In this cold city of Polokwane, ask me, how cold I feel? Subhanallah, coming from a much warmer place, north of the border.

Believe me, to make wudu with that cold water is a challenge. But look at Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)he was already told about his rank, he knew it, he was a messenger. Jibreel alayhi salam used to come to him, he used to stand in salah until his feet were swollen.

Our feet only swell when we take a long journey from here to Singapore by air. Then you find the feet swelling, and then we have to rest with our feet up for a while. Have our feet ever swollen that much through salah? Let's be honest, still we feel lazy.

People complain, five minutes too much, five minutes too little. That's the test of Allah. If your feet can swell once in your life, because of salah, wallahi you have followed the example, the greatest example in existence. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us good health, and may He make our feet bear the salah that we read, because our salah is no comparison to the salah of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم).

Selflessness of the Companions

So, those are the examples we follow. His love, His purity of the heart, His love for sacrifice. The sahaba radiyallahu anhum, if you take a look at those companions, 99 of them would give their lives in order to build the life of one of them.

I'm sure you know the story of the companions during one of the battles where there was water required, one needed it, and he saw his brother had a need, he passed it. And the other one saw his brother had a need, he passed it. And the other one saw his brother had a need, he passed it. Until they lost their lives in order to save the life of the next man.

Today, 99 of us would gather around one man in order to destroy him. That's the opposite. See, totally opposite. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless us. May He grant us that selflessness once again, where we can sacrifice.

The Ansar's Generosity

Allah praises the ansar. Allah says:

The companions of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) give preference over themselves, even if they are in dire need. Even if they are in dire need of that particular item, they would still give it away.

Today, our zakah, to calculate it, we become a little bit stingy. What about the sadaqat, the voluntary charities? You find small figures. Alhamdulillah, it's good. It's better than nothing. But, open your heart. Spend.

And this is why the best dirham, the best that is spent in the path of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, is that which you spend whilst you are fearing poverty. And you're still spending. That is now from the heart. Allahu akbar. When you're fearing, hey, I might need this, but no, this man needs it more. Let me take a little bit of it and give him.

We, sometimes, are not even ready to share with our own brothers and sisters. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us a deep understanding.

Lessons for Islamic Development

So now, if you look at Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)'s life, and you look at how the Islamic nation developed, you will be able to study it, and undoubtedly, everyone on the globe has a lesson. A lesson to learn from it, how Islam developed. What is it that will develop Islam? What is it that will develop the men? And what is it that will drop them?

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala not make us from amongst those who drop. But rather, may He make us from those who develop ourselves at all times. And this is why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, when He speaks about granting us power, authority on the earth, and making us able to fulfill our religion without any fear on the globe.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

"Follow Allah, follow His Messenger." Beautiful verses where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is saying that if they turn away, then you are responsible for fulfilling their duty. And if they are to follow subhanallah, Allah will grant them. They will be guided.

Remember, the Messenger's duty is only to deliver the message. Once he delivers the message, it's up to us to take heed. And this message is applicable not only today, but up to the end of time. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us from those who appreciate and understand before it is too late.

Allah's Promise to Believers

And this is why the very next verse, Allah says:

"Allah has promised those who believe and do good deeds from amongst you, that He will grant you authority on land like He did to those before you. You believe and you do good deeds."

Then Allah says, and He will make it easy for you to fulfill your duties unto Allah on the earth. No fear. Alhamdulillah. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to return those days to us.

The Prophet's Physical Beauty

Also what is of utmost importance. I would be failing if I did not utter this. The qualities of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم we've spoken about his character and conduct and how we will go through it, but what about his appearance. He was created in such a way that some of his companions described him.

Hassan ibn Thabit radiyallahu anhu, who was a poet. It is reported that from amongst his diwan, amongst the poems that he recited. One of them was connected to how he says, you are so beautiful that it is as though you were created according to how you wished to be created.

Imagine today if I'm sitting here and you know your nose and your eyes and you might sit in front of a mirror for a moment and say, oh this is bent and that's straight and this is like this and that's that. Allah keeps it that way. Everyone needs to thank Allah. You have your unique identity.

Sometimes you go and change things, you actually mess things up. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us goodness. It's your identity. Be happy. No one notices the small things. It's you who notices it more. You're looking too much in the mirror. Just remove the mirrors from your home, you'll be a happy man, a happy woman more like. Allahu Akbar.

It happens more to the females. So Allah subhanahu, well nowadays who knows it can happen to the males also, becoming too conscious. So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has created the best of creation in such a way that just by looking at him, you'd love him. Subhanallah.

Abdullah ibn Salam's Testimony

Abdullah ibn Salam radiyallahu anhu, he was a Jewish rabbi. When he saw Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم for the first time, he said, as soon as I saw this face, I knew this is not the face of a liar. This man

utters the truth. He is the nabi. And immediately that same majlis, the same sitting, he had accepted Islam because he heard the words of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and he said, those are the words of a messenger.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us truthful. And this is why I'd like to mention what Ibn Kathir radiyallahu anhu says in the tafsir of the verse:

"Their faces, on their foreheads. From the sign of sujood, you can see it from their faces that this man is pious."

Ibn Kathir radiyallahu anhu makes mention of one of the tafsirs. And he says, one of the mufassireen have said, it is connected to your salah:

"Whoever's prayer is beautiful by night, their face becomes beautiful during the day."

Allahu akbar. People look at you and they see, mashallah, the nur on your face. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us the nur. And may He make us from amongst those who do not mistake fair complexion for nur. Because it's a sign of our weakness where we think fair in complexion is nur. Nay, you can have a man as dark as charcoal who is full of nur. But it needs one to recognize one. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala guide us and make us from those who realize.

Poetry Describing the Prophet's Beauty

So that is the beauty of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم

"More beautiful than you my eyes have never seen. More beautiful than you the women have never given birth to. You were created free from all flaws, physical flaws. As though you have been created how you wanted to be created." صلى الله عليه وسلم.

The Physical Perfection of All Prophets

One of the points we learnt last year when we were going through the stories of the prophets of Allah, may peace be upon them all. Every one of them was good looking. Every one of them had good features. Every one of them was chosen whilst they had pure proper health.

If there was any little defect for example of Musa alayhi salatu wa salam's tongue, it was also part of the test of the people. Tongue meaning, you know Musa alayhi salatu wa salam hurt his tongue when he was young. So he had a little bit of a stutter. That too Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wanted to send his brother

with him. And this was the excuse that was used. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us a deep understanding.

One of the reasons is, imagine if the anbiya of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the messengers were such that nobody wanted to look at them. If that was the case, people would say, no that man, you know the way he is created by you O Allah, people didn't even want to look at him. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala not make us such that people don't want to look at us. With us, it's connected to our link with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The World Condition Before the Prophet's Birth

Then we look at very importantly, we move on to something. The condition of the world at the time of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم just before his birth. What was around?

The Roman Empire

You had the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire stretched Asia, Syria, what we know as Palestine today, Egypt, North Africa, and it had its headquarters in the East. What is known today as Istanbul, Turkey, and it was known at that time as Constantinia, Constantinople.

The Byzantine Empire was part of the Roman Empire. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala makes mention of this in Surah Ar-Rum. There is a whole surah in the Quran named after the Romans. They existed at the time, they were there.

The Persian Empire

And who else was there? You had the Persians, in what we know today as Iran. The Persians, the bulk of them were fire worshippers. They used to oppress their women in a very great way.

As for the Romans, what happened to them? May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us. If you take a look at the story of Jesus may peace be upon him, you will find how the Romans persecuted him. How they were tyrants. How even the wars that happened between them, they oppressed the working class to a great degree. There was a lot of strife.

They were dirty people who did not know how to clean themselves. Up to very recently, you find some of the kings of Europe even were proud that once a month, they used to have a bath in public. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala safeguard us. Once a month you have a bath. Allahu Akbar. We thank Allah for sending Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم

The Gift We Don't Recognize

It's important for us to make mention of this because you won't realize the gift that we have. Until you see the darkness that the globe was in. A lot of what we see today as civilization was brought by

Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. They don't know. Why? They hijacked it. They took it. Then they blamed us to be the hijackers. Allahu Akbar. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala open our doors.

Fire Worshippers and Idol Worshippers

So we have here the Persians. They used to worship the fire. They used to worship many other things. From amongst them also, we had some who worshipped idols. And some who worshipped people, hierarchy. And there were so many different types of confused people.

Corruption of Christianity

If you look at the Romans, after a while, when Christianity came down, you find every king that came, changed the Bible. And proudly they would say, King James version of the Bible. That means this is a version of the Bible which that king made. And he brought it forth. Then another version of the Bible. This man came, another man came, he changed it. That Pope came, he changed it.

This is why today we have more than 36 different versions of the Bible. The Christians themselves cannot unite upon one. And we say this with due respect. It's a fact. So, as things were changed in order to suit the kings of the time, there was chaos and confusion. People started adding and subtracting.

Until they raised Isa alayhi salatu wa salam or Jesus may peace be upon him, to the level of godhood and made him part of the trinity. For your information, the Romans also fought or the Christian denominations fought each other. They fought the Coptic Christians in Egypt as well. Why? Because of who was Jesus. Was he a part of a trinity? What happened to him?

So amongst the Christians they began to fight. Because that king added something, this Pope added something, this one added, and the others are saying, but we don't know what we would term today bid'ah. It's something new. It's innovated in the deen. It's come here. We need to take it out. And wars took place. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us from innovation.

Wars Between Empires

Then you have the wars that took place between the Romans and the Persians. And this is also mentioned in the Quran. These wars were from a long time. And for your information, the Persians were considered more powerful. But each one feared the other. And sometimes this one won, sometimes that one won. And it took place for a long, long time.

The Indian Subcontinent

Then you have the Indian subcontinent, where we have the Hindus and the Buddhists. Those who worship the Buddha. And the Hindus as you know, hierarchies. They worship people. You have the clergy,

the Brahman, right at the top. And then you have the others coming down. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala safeguard us from worshiping people.

"Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has sent Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم to remove people from worshipping other worshippers to worshipping the Rabb of the worshippers, the creator of everyone else."

So we are not supposed to be worshipping the created. We only worship the creator. When I put my head down on the ground, whom am I putting it down on the ground for? Only the one who made me. No one else. Whoever made me, I owe him my head on the ground. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept it from us.

Previous Civilizations in Arabia

Then we have some of the other civilizations around that are mentioned in the Quran. And some of the previous nations that were within the Arabian Peninsula, you have the people of Sabah in Yemen, and you have the people of Ad and Thamud who were also in the peninsula.

The people of Ad were in a place known as Ahqaf, slightly south of Mecca or south of that part of the Arabian Peninsula. And the people of Thamud were slightly north. And these were the people.

As you know, there was also at that particular time, the Jews, the Christians, the fire worshippers, as I mentioned, the Buddhists and so on.

The Arabs of Mecca and Surroundings

And then you have the people of Mecca and the Arabs of the surroundings. Who were they? Who were they? If we take a careful look, we will notice that from a religious perspective, they worshipped idols. They believed in superstition.

Today a lot of us are superstitious. Small things happen. We say, no, if the black cat passes, then this is happening. If the owl sits on your roof, that's happening. If a crow comes this way, that happens. We still have this jahiliyya in us. And Allah says, those were the pagan Arabs. They had a lot of superstition.

Superstitions and Ignorance

Small things happen. Oh, definitely this. You see the women comb their hair. When they comb their hair, they put it in a ball. Some of it falls out. When they put it in the ball, sometimes the wind blows it. It's very light to a corner. And after a while, when they find their own hair in the corner, see, someone's doing black magic here. Allahu Akbar.

Typical. But sister, it's your hair. The wind blew it on the side. What are you doing this for? Why do you want to blame people? It's the jahiliyya. May Allah protect us.

This is why even those who think that black magic has happened upon them, perhaps in the rare cases it may be. How to help yourself? We will come through that in the life of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Because it happened to him (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)

Fortune Telling and Future Predictions

So you have, they used to go to fortune tellers at the time. Anything small happens, go to a fortune teller. Anything little happens, they would quickly run here and there. People want to tell what's the future.

There was a man who told me that I was at one of the airports. And the man came to me and told me, I can tell you your future. So he's a Muslim. He says, I don't want to know. No, I can tell you. So this man walked with his wife. He took his wife and said, hey, leave this man alone.

The man persisted. And he insisted. And he said, I can tell you your future. And he sat down with them. And this man, Muslim, he says, look, please, get away. I don't want to hear anything. He says, no. I just charge very little. Don't worry. I'll give you a discount. I'll charge you five dollars. Whatever the figure was, I can't recall.

But the man started saying, oh, you'll live this long and this is what will happen and you'll have this child and that. And the man, these people were not even bothered. They weren't even really listening. When he finished, he looks at the man and says, right, pay me.

So this Muslim man told me. And I told him, I said, you know what? You claim to know the future. You know so much of the future, you should have known that I'm not paying you. Allahu Akbar. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala open our doors.

Our Modern Problems

Our difficulty, we still go to fortune tellers. We want to see what's going on. People go to witch doctors. And they don't realize how the witch doctor works. It's very logical, logical meaning. We would be able to explain to you how the jinn kind is used as spirit and called spirit mediums.

Where do they come from? How to talk to them? How to communicate them? How to use them? But all that in Islam is prohibited. We can explain it to you and we know how it works. But it is prohibited. And we need to know this. We need to know this. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala open our doors.

Looking Forward to Tomorrow

Wallahi, we have ahead of us 29 to 30 nights. And we have a seerah of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). I don't wish to take up too much of your time because you have to come back tomorrow to listen to what more we have.

We will continue tomorrow from where? In sha Allah, making mention of the people of Jahiliyyah within the Arabian Peninsula. What they were involved in in sha Allah. When Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala chose for them that this nabi will be raised from amongst them.

Recognizing Our Blessings

In sha Allah, I hope and I pray we can realize the gift we are in today. We are sitting so pure with our women elevated to the highest level. Neither are our women being conned by the liberation or the word freedom today. Nor are they being oppressed. But they are taught to fulfill their role as Muslim women. And that we will come to realize when we see both extremes.

Closing

Until we meet again tomorrow, if Allah gives us the life and the opportunity to be here again, in sha Allah we meet. We say: