A Reflection of Greatness
By Omar Suleiman | 2026-01-06T21:20:06.943798+00:00 | Topic: Iman
A Reflection of Greatness
Shaykh Omar Suleiman | AlMaghrib Institute | IlmFest
Opening
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِيْنَ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلٰى رَسُوْلِ اللّٰهِ وَعَلٰى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِيْنَ
The Uniqueness of the Prophet's Greatness
You know, often when we talk about greatness and we talk about great figures, we talk about one thing that was great about a personality. In fact, if you start to think of the great people that passed in the last 100 years, people that were pioneers in civil rights, people that were pioneers in different sciences, people that were army generals, every time you talk about someone who was great, a courageous leader, a revolutionary, every time you talk about that person, you will find that they had skeletons. When you actually start to dig into their bio, you'll find that there might have been an affair, there might have been a scandal, you would find that that person might not have been so great with their families, you would find that that person might have been corrupt with money, but you know what? Even if he robbed his people blind, he gave a really good speech one time.
Even if he was a terrible husband, he was a good president. Even if he was a terrible human being, he was a good army general. And history tends to be extremely forgiving towards great people who are great in one aspect.
But when you look at Rasulullah (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) one of the greatest things about him, if not the greatest, is that the further you dig in the seerah of the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) the more you realize that there are no skeletons, that the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had no demons, that the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) will actually make you love him more when you study his life more. When you read his seerah, you come close to him, you don't get more uncomfortable with him. You love him more, you admire him.
When you see him as a husband, when you see him as a father, when you see him as a companion, when you see him as a military general, when you see him as a head of state, when you see him as a minister of finance, whatever the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did he did it with excellence. And whatever the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did, he did it with greatness. And no human being studies his seerah except that he loves him more (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). And I want you to think about how amazing that is.
Non-Muslims' Testimony About the Prophet
And when you see people, and I'm not talking about Muslims, I'm talking about people like Gandhi, people like Thomas Carlyle, people like Sir George Bernard Shaw, people like Orwell. When they praised the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) they praised the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) in his character, they praised his law (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) they praised his justice. In fact, Orwell said that if one man was to assume the dictatorship of the entire world and solve all of its problems, it would be Muhammad (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Gandhi said, when I finished reading his seerah, I couldn't get enough of it, I wanted to pick it up and read it again.
Everyone who reads about him (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) loves him. And many times we fail to appreciate that. But you know what that is? That's scary for us.
The Danger of Tying Truth to Personalities
As human beings, we naturally like to embark on witch hunts, right? As long as you're not the witch, it's fun to go on a witch hunt. It's fun to scrutinize a public figure. It's fun to scrutinize the sheikh. It's fun to scrutinize the person that's supposed to be religious. It's fun to scrutinize the politician. It's very easy to find flaws. It's very easy to cut and paste and take things out of context from what they say. And in fact, many times what happens, because of the culture that we live in, that is obsessed with celebrity status and personalities, which is why in our deen:
Don't ever tie the truth to a human being. Because a lot of times we put our faith into a sheikh, we put our faith into an imam, and I think this guy is it. This person is the deen. And then when you start to see that that person is a human being, and when you start to see that that person has flaws, you think that the deen is flawed too. And that's why Allah did not place a human being for whom the deen should revolve around except Rasulullah (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) because we'll be disappointed.
I guarantee you that if you decided to follow me all the time, I guarantee you'd be disappointed. And you would find, you know what, he's not what he seems on stage, because we're human beings. Even the Sahaba had that fear.
The Sahaba's Experience with Consistency
حُذَيْفَة رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ When he says, I'm a hypocrite, I'm a hypocrite. And he goes to Abu Bakr رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ and says, Right? And Abu Bakr رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ you saying that? He says, because when we're with the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), you know, we're in a certain zone. You naturally love the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Imagine when you have him around you (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and you all should be saying (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) every time I say (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Don't be bakheer, don't be cheap with your salawat.
When we're with him (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) we feel different. Then we go back to our families, and you know what, we get caught up with the natural stuff that a human being loves. You know, these Sahaba were not cheating on their wives, they weren't corrupt human beings.
But as natural human beings, it's hard to maintain greatness in every environment. It's hard to maintain the same level. And that's why Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Aas رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ said:
A good deed that I can manage to do today, after the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has passed away is twice as beloved to me as when the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was alive.
When we were with the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), we didn't care about the dunya. We had Rasulullah (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). All we cared about was the hereafter. And now the dunya has flooded us, the dunya has surrounded us, it's bombarded us.
So it's really hard to maintain that consistency. But you want to know what's amazing about Rasulullah (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)? The sahaba come to Aisha رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهَا you really want to know what's going on, you go to the wife. You know many people can achieve greatness, or you go to the husband, or you go to mom, or you go to dad, or you go to the kids.
The Test of Private Character
Many people can convince other people that they're great. I can stand up here and I can give you a good speech and you say, mashallah, he must be great. And you guys see each other in islamic gatherings, you probably think to each other, mashallah, that's a good person, I always see him at the masjid.
But if you can achieve greatness on the outside, that's not impressive. Because on the outside you have the liberty of putting on a face. It's part time, you're not gonna see these people all the time. They're not going to really see you in your times of distress, and when you're really tested. It's easy to convince people that, mashallah, you're a nice, good practicing muslim. But you know what's really impressive? When your spouses, when your parents, when your children, have nothing but glowing things to say about you.
A lot of times we see celebrities and politicians as they're receiving awards, and subhanallah, I used to always notice this, right? And they show the family sitting at the table, and you can just see this look in their eyes, like, he doesn't deserve that. You know, he's just fooling you all. And you know that there's a saying, and I grew up hearing it, that the worst kids are pastor's kids.
They used to call them church angels and street devils. And a lot of times, imam's kids. And it's not always their fault, no doubt about it. Not always their fault. But people that are active in the muslim community,
and their kids don't want anything to do with Islam. And a lot of times, you know why? Because they see you on the outside and people saying, mashallah, mashallah, shaykh, shaykh, mashallah, shaykh, mashallah, you're so religious, you're so practicing.
And then on the inside, you're an oppressor. You treat that child's mother like garbage, right? You treat your own parents like garbage. You don't do justice between them. That's not greatness. But you know Rasulullah (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was different. And not many leaders can claim that.
Go ahead, name them. Napoleon, Martin Luther King, great leaders. I would vote for Bill Clinton to be president again, right? But he's a zani, he was an adulterer. But people are forgiving towards great people because they're great in the things that matter to us, right?
Aisha's Testimony: "His Character Was the Quran"
Rasulullah (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is different. They go to Aisha radhiyallahu ta'ala anha, after the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) dies. And they ask Aisha radhiyallahu ta'ala anha, how was the khuluq of the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)? How was the character of the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)? Didn't they used to see him all the time (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)? They were always around him (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). He was always with his sahaba. They knew his character, but they're asking her, what was he like behind closed doors as a husband? Was he like us? Did he have these problems where he (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) appeared this way but on the inside, maybe he had a fight one time, maybe one time he threw something at you, what was he like on the inside?
And Aisha radhiyallahu ta'ala anha, she answers with one sentence. And man, how I wish that my wife could say the same thing about me. I ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to forgive me for my shortcomings, and all of us. She says, as if she's saying, don't waste your time, you're not gonna get anywhere:
(Muslim hadith 746)
His character was the Qur'an. Everything that he preached, he practiced. Everything that he said, he did. Everything that he told you to do, he did himself. And in fact, he did it even better than you could have imagined. And that's why when the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) stands up, and says:
(Tirmidhi hadith 3895)
The best amongst you are those who are best to their wives. The wives of the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) say, and you are the best amongst them.
They can't touch you. Aisha radhiyallahu anha one time is telling the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) about all the women sitting around and talking about their husbands. Now mashaAllah, our sisters don't talk about us, you know, they don't talk about their husbands anymore.
Right sisters? Alhamdulillah. Women are sitting around talking about their husbands. One woman is saying that my husband is cheap. Sisters don't say that now because they're all pleased with us. MashaAllah, we all buy our wives very nice things. One woman is saying my husband is rough, he's stern.
And Aisha radhiyallahu anha is telling the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) about all of this. And then Rasulullah (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) asks her what she said. How do you feel? Right? And subhanAllah, she felt like a million bucks. She felt great. That's how Rasulullah (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) made her feel.
Stories from Their Private Life
And you know what's interesting? Because many times we study the hadith and we don't focus on who the rawi is, who the narrator is, and that gives us a lot of context. You know the ahadith that people who attack Aisha radhiyallahu anha try to use against her are actually the ones she narrated about herself. The hadith where when Aisha radhiyallahu anha says that I was talking to Rasulullah (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and I gestured about Safiya radhiyallahu anha like this. She was short.
And the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said to her:
(Abu Dawud hadith 4875)
You have said a word that if you spit it into the waters, into the seas, it would have polluted those seas. She narrates that about herself. The arguments that she had with the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). She narrates them to show you how amazing the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was. That's greatness. That's a transparent house.
You can fool everybody out here but you can't fool your spouse. You can't fool your parents. You can't fool your children. That's greatness. You know she talks about him in this glowing way. She tells the story about one time when the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was out late at night. And she got jealous. She wondered what was going on. So she went and she followed the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) out.
And she found him where? In the graveyard, in the baqi' remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And then Rasulullah (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) knew that Aisha radiallahu anha was there. So what did the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) do? He turned around and started walking home. So what did Aisha radiallahu anha do? She started running home. She's narrating this about herself. And the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) didn't say anything.
She's trying to get back and act like she was in bed. You know, like nothing happened. So the Prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is walking home and he's speeding up. He's walking really really really fast. And Rasulullah (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) walks into the house and Aisha radiallahu anha is under the cover. And the cover is going... Rasulullah (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) gets him into the bed.
And he says, Did your shaitan come to you? What are you doing? You know, what is this oh Aisha? That's a great human being. To the point that she knew. And look, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had a pretty stressful job, you know. He had to save the world. And he still had to go home and be that incredible husband. And Aisha radiallahu anha, when the accusation was made against her, you know how she knew that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was mad at her? Because the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) only said assalamu alaykum and just asked her how she was doing. But he didn't have an extended conversation with her. That's what we do when we're happy. That's what we do on a good day, right? Just walk in and get on the couch and turn on the TV.
There's no salam, there's none of that. She knew that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was upset because that's all that he did. She narrates when Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said to her, smiled at her and said, you know, I can tell when you're mad at me. She said, how do you know? Because Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
(Bukhari hadith 5228)
When you're mad at me, you swear by the Rabb of Ibrahim alayhi wa sallam. You say, bi-rabbi Ibrahim. And when you're happy with me, you swear by the Lord of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
The Story of the Arbitrator
She narrates the story. Where one time she had an argument with the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Yes, they were human beings, they used to argue. They had an argument. And Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) suggested, he said, you know, how about we bring an arbitrator? You want someone to come and judge between us? He wasn't worried about his image on the outside. Oh no, you know, what will people think if I brought an arbitrator? No.
He says, you want me to bring an arbitrator? She says, yes. So, who are we gonna bring? He said, well, how about Abu Ubaidah al-Jarrah radiallahu anhu? He said, no, he likes you too much. They're all Sahaba, right? No, he's not gonna be fair. How about your dad? How about Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu? So, they bring Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu. Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu sits, and Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), out of his goodness, and Aisha radiallahu anhu is the one narrating the story. You've gotta keep this in mind.
That's incredible. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says, would you like to start? And she says, no, no, you start so that I can confirm what you're saying. And what does Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu do? He jumps on Aisha radiallahu anhu. And Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has to guard Aisha from her dad. Says, this isn't why we brought you here. And has to throw Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu out the house.
And says to Aisha, he diffuses the situation (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), and says, see, you know, I saved you. But you know what, dear brothers and sisters, all jokes aside. I wanna mention something that I find
very significant.
The Hadith of Umar ibn al-Khattab
You guys are gonna be shocked. Some of you will be shocked by what I'm about to say. This is an authentic narration in Abu Dawood. Narrated by Umar ibn al-Khattab radiallahu anhu. To show you even when the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) faced his most difficult moments. What was his character like? What was he like behind closed doors? Umar ibn al-Khattab radiallahu anhu said, one time I was having an argument with my wife.
And listen to what Umar radiallahu anhu says:
She hurt my feelings. Umar radiallahu anhu saying, she hurt my feelings. She said something that hurt me. And Umar radiallahu anhu, by the way, it was pretty huge, and he probably could have flung her just by doing this. Umar radiallahu anhu didn't hit her. He didn't yell back at her. Umar radiallahu anhu said, I'm going to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)'s house. I'm gonna just go, I'm gonna leave the situation. I'm gonna go see the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Maybe he can offer me some words of comfort. And Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was staying with Hafsa radiallahu ta'ala anha, his daughter that night.
And Umar radiallahu anhu walks to the door, and he hears Hafsa raising her voice at the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). And you know what? Umar radiallahu anhu was worried. He comes to Hafsa radiallahu ta'ala anha. He's upset with her. How dare you? Why are you raising your voice at the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)? He said, yeah, we do that. You know, we argue. We're human beings. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is a human being. And Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) had taken, you know, he separated himself from the situation.
He didn't hit her. He didn't yell at her. (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), he separated. He wanted to be alone, to contemplate, to be in isolation. He secluded himself. And the only person that was with him was Bilal radiallahu ta'ala anhu.
And Umar bin al-Khattab radiallahu ta'ala anhu comes to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). And he's scared. And he says to Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), you know, the women in Mecca didn't used to be like this. It's when they started mixing with the Ansari women. Those women are aggressive. They started getting them aggressive. That's when we started having this problem. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is quiet. And the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) smiles.
He gives Umar radiallahu ta'ala anhu an indication that it's okay, don't worry. But you want to know something? This is authentic in Abu Dawood. Hadith Hasan. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) divorced Hafsa radiallahu anhu. There is a difference of opinion, but the hadith is authentic. He gave her...
Umar radiallahu anhu is the narrator. This isn't fabricated. Umar radiallahu ta'ala anhu narrates that he gave her one talaq. And of course went back to her.
But you know what's so significant? Even in that moment, this is the point. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was living the ayah of the Quran:
Don't forget what was between you. Don't forget the goodness that was between you. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was living it. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). Quran, walking on the face of the earth, he lived that message. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) did not act in any foul way.
The Testimony of His Wives and Children
That's amazing. The women that saw the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) all the time, whenever he was behind closed doors, and they had nothing but beautiful things to say about him. And you know the greatest refutation to the claim that Aisha radiallahu ta'ala anhu, in my opinion the greatest refutation to the claim that she was taken as this young girl, victimized and so on and so forth, is that she loved the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
She was jealous of him (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). In fact more than anyone else. And she was a woman of confidence. A woman with high self-esteem. A courageous woman. Those are not the characteristics of a woman that's been victimized at a young age. She bragged about how the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) died in her lap, chewing on her siwak. She was proud of that. That's not a woman who was victimized.
That's a woman that was surrounded by greatness. And she gave us access to the life of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). And I challenge you all, in 1600 hadith that were given to us through Aisha radiallahu ta'ala anhu, by the way of Urwah, and Abdullah ibn Abbas radiallahu anhuma, find me a single hadith that demonstrates something of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) that makes you go, that makes me uncomfortable. That makes you want to ignore that page. You won't find one. So he was great with his wives.
Umm Salimah radiallahu anhu, when she used to hear the hadith of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam):
She used to say:
You have told the truth, O Messenger of Allah. This is after he died, (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). They could have came out with the secrets then, right? He wasn't who you thought he was. They could have come out with that stuff then. Not one single word, except that it was praise. Except that you know what? Everything that you used to see outside, he was even greater on the inside. He was even a better husband, (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
His Relationship with Anas
What about his kids? You know, he must have been neglectful, right? You know, all the time he's saving the ummah. A lot of times we try to save the world and we forget our own kids. What about his kids? Anas, (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), was given to the Prophet, (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), to be a servant.
Serve him, right? His mother, Umm Sulaym radiyaAllahu anha said, this is my gift to you. I can't be around you and serve you all the time. Here is my son, take him. Tell him whatever you want. Make him do whatever you want. And Anas, (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), you know what his testimony is:
(Muslim hadith 2309)
He had the best character. And Anas, (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), had a very special trait, by the way. He lived very long, radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu. And in fact, many people became tabi'een because of Anas, (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), because of his long life that Allah blessed him with. And you know what he said in his old age? He said, not a single day goes by except that I see the Prophet, (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), in my dream. Wow! How many of us would want that just two seconds? Just to see his face, (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam).
Every single night. That's love. That's a man who treated him well. That's a man who was admired. That's a man who was great, not outside, inside. That's a man who was a great father. That's a man who was a great husband. He says:
(Bukhari hadith 6038)
Wallahi, he never once told me, why didn't you do that? He never once laid a finger on me. He said, in fact, one time, Rasulullah told me to run an errand, and on the way I got distracted. I started playing with the kids and Rasulullah just walked up and he just stood there and he just smiled. And he watched me. Rasulullah said, do you forget something? SubhanAllah.
His Relationship with Fatima
What about Fatima radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu? The Arabs used to bury their daughters alive. He must have been bad to his daughter. No. He says, I used to walk into the room, and the Prophet, no matter who was there, he would get up and he would tell me to sit in his spot. And whenever he was dying, (صلى الله عليه وسلم - salallahu alayhi wa sallam), he calls Fatima radiyaAllahu anhu, and he sees her crying. And even in the intense pain,
and the Prophet had, all of the pain of the prophets that they suffered, was combined in his pain, (صلى الله عليه وسلم - salallahu alayhi wa sallam).
But he cares about his daughter. He sees his daughter crying. And he doesn't want to see her cry. So he tells Fatima, come here, I want to tell you something. And he whispers in her ear and she starts crying even harder. Rasulullah says, come back. I've got something else to tell you. She starts laughing hysterically. And Aisha radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu says, what was that all about? What did he tell you, (صلى الله عليه وسلم - salallahu alayhi wa sallam)? She says, you know, this is a secret between me and my father.
And Aisha radiyaAllahu anhu says, by virtue of my right over you, please tell me, what did he tell you, (صلى الله عليه وسلم - salallahu alayhi wa sallam)? And she said, the first time Rasulullah told me that I'm not going to survive this disease. I'm going to die. So I cried. The second time Rasulullah told me, you're going to be the first one to join me. She was happy about that. A woman with little kids. A woman with a loving husband and Ali radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu. She was happy. I want to be with my dad, (صلى الله عليه وسلم - salallahu alayhi wa sallam).
I want my father. I want to be with him in Jannah. And she died 6 months later radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu. Pleased that she would be with the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - salallahu alayhi wa sallam). The prophecy came true. That's something. Daughter wants to be like dad. Wants to be with dad. Even though, by the way, it's not that he spoiled her and bought her everything when she was young.
No. He won her over with true greatness (صلى الله عليه وسلم - salallahu alayhi wa sallam). I remember once, wallahi. I remember once, a father and a daughter sitting in front of me. And the father is complaining about the daughter and saying, my daughter doesn't appreciate anything. I bought her a car. I gave her everything. I gave her a credit card. I never told her no.
She said, dad, I didn't want any of that. I just wanted a dad. And I think back to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - salallahu alayhi wa sallam). You know what Fatima radiyaAllahu anhu's upbringing was like? She had to go to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - salallahu alayhi wa sallam) when he was in front of the Ka'bah and camel guts were placed on his back (صلى الله عليه وسلم - salallahu alayhi wa sallam) by Uqba bin Amin Mu'id. And she had to go there and scrape the guts off of his back (صلى الله عليه وسلم - salallahu alayhi wa sallam). That's not a fun upbringing. That's not a spoiled daughter. That's humiliation. She had to live through the boycott that her mother died through. And she had to be the mother of her father as they used to call her. But she wanted him (صلى الله عليه وسلم - salallahu alayhi wa sallam). She loved him.
Nothing but praise. I want to be with my dad (صلى الله عليه وسلم - salallahu alayhi wa sallam).
His Relationship with Bilal
What about Bilal radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu who used to be with the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - salallahu alayhi wa sallam) even in those moments when he didn't want to be with his family, when he wanted to be isolated. Bilal radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu. When Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - salallahu alayhi wa sallam) passes away, this person that was an
oppressed slave, low class in society, but Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa sallam treated him in such a way that when Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa sallam passed away and he stood up to do the adhan:
... أشهد أن
He couldn't say it. He couldn't even say his name salallahu alayhi wa sallam. He couldn't even bear to be in the same city as him salallahu alayhi wa sallam because he said, everywhere I look I remember him. I remember him sitting with me. I remember him saying these words. I remember his smile salallahu alayhi wa sallam. Everywhere I look he's there. Everywhere I look I have a sweet memory.
When did you find the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam throwing a derogatory remark towards Bilal?
When did you find the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam degrading anyone of his companions? When did you find any companion coming forward after the death of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam and great men are exposed at the time of death? Great men are usually exposed at the time of death.
And Imam Ibn Qutaybahrahimahullah, he said, there used to be an imam. He used to make us cry. He used to have a masjid that was full. But when he died, his wife was calling out, O Allah, take my revenge upon him. O Allah, don't forgive him. O Allah, he never gave me my rights. Great men are usually exposed when they die. The demons come out.
The biography, someone that was close to them. This is what you didn't know. What person came after the death of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam and shared with us one single hadith, one single incident in the seerah that makes you as an American Muslim 1400 years later go, With all the cultural differences, with everything that makes you go, I'm not comfortable with that. That's not moral.
The Real Concern: Our Own Ignorance
You know what dear brothers and sisters, and I want to end with this. I'm not worried about people on the outside slandering the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. I'm really not. I'm not worried about the people on the outside thinking what they think about the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam and making amateur films about the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam and cartoons. I'm not worried about that.
You know what I'm worried about? When we Muslims sitting here start to think because of our ignorance, because of our lack of understanding of the seerah, because of not taking a few moments to listen to the seerah, because of not reading the seerah, because of not attending seerah classes. I'm worried about us, our youth, hearing a narration, an erroneous narration that was narrated by a tabari that some Islamophobes threw up there without context and going, that's weird. I'm not comfortable with that.
Because of your ignorance. You have to learn about the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. Learn about his smile. Learn about his shama'il. Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Aas sallallahu alayhi wa sallam who says:
We used to teach the maghazi, the seerah of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam, the way we taught Qur'an to our kids. Why? Because you acquire that love of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam by learning about him, by knowing him salallahu alayhi wa sallam.
Then when you hear some fool on the outside, say that, your Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam was a pedophile, wal iyadu billah. That's what they say. You'll know that that person is an idiot.
But you know what, I'm not interested in hearing what you have to say, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, who not a single one of them has a college degree. I want to know why Sir George Bernard Shaw and Orwell and great thinkers and historians and philosophers like Carlisle thought that this man was the greatest man that ever walked the face of the earth salallahu alayhi wa sallam. Why do they believe that? Because they know about him.
Because if you study him, you love him. And dear brothers and sisters, the love and admiration of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam does not come naturally. It's not hub fitri. It's not a natural love. It's an acquired love. Read, study.
How many of you can claim that you love the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam just as much before this conference started, before this talk started. Don't you love the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam more right now than you did seven hours ago? Yes or no? Yes. Why? Because he's that awesome. He's that magnificent. There isn't a single black spot. I dare you to bring me one.
The Generation He Produced
And you know what, that's something that the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam not only did he do on his own, but he produced an entire generation like that. You know when Abu Bakr as-SiddiqradiAllahu ta'ala anhu was consulting the Sahaba about who the next Khalifa should be and he was asking the Sahaba about Umar. And he asked UthmanradiAllahu ta'ala anhu, who by the way had a legitimate shot, don't you think? Married two daughters of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam.
He's Uthman ibn AffanradiAllahu ta'ala anhu. He consults him. He says, what do you think about Umar radiAllahu anhu? Nothing but praise to say about him. And he says to Abu Bakr, and you know what?
What people don't know about him is even greater than what they do know about him. Man, how I wish people could say that about me. I wish my parents could say that about me. I wish my spouse would say that about me. I wish that my children, bi-idhnillahi ta'ala, would say that about me. I wish that we could have that same honor, that what you don't know is even greater than what you do know.
Not only is it not a facade, not only is he not just a mashaAllah brother or sister, that person, you don't know. You don't know what they're like at home. You don't know what that person is like as a husband. You don't know what that person is like as a wife. You don't know what that person is like as a mother. You don't know what that person is like as a father. You don't know what that person is like as a child.
Because if you can impress the entire world, but you are a zalim, a transgressor towards your parents, then the middle gate of Jannah is shut for you. You're not fooling Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala.
Conclusion: Different Type of Greatness
We are a different type of ummah, and our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم taught us about a different type of greatness. We manufacture greatness on the inside of the home. And then that greatness reflects on the outside of the home. And the people love Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم through seeing his effect on the people. And that's what makes the sahaba, the greatest generation. And that's what makes the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمby any standard, the greatest human being to ever walk the face of the صلى الله عليه وسلم earth
Closing Duas
اللهم آمين
والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
الفاتحة