You have the Highest Character

You Have the Highest Character

Opening Praises and Greetings

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All Praise is to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. And peace and blessings be upon our Master Muhammad, the mercy of the worlds, and upon his family and companions. We praise Allah. We invoke Him to send His peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, upon his companions, his family, and those who follow him until the end of time.

Brothers and sisters, assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

The Challenge of Describing the Prophet's Character

I've been asked to talk about the character of Al-Habib. It's something very difficult. As one poet said:

As one poet, he said that, the greatness of the Prophet لَمْ يُحَدّ cannot be defined. The most eloquent of Arabs would not be able to express the true greatness of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with any of their prose or poetry. And I appreciate what Shaykh Imam Wissam Sharif, who said something really profound.

Just as a side note, they say that 1990 to 1994 was the golden age of hip-hop. Now, I think in our community, if you look at the profound quality of orators that we have from Shaykh Omar, to Shaykh Wissam, to Yasmin Mujahid, to Yasser Qadi, to all these great people, I think maybe we're witnessing a golden era of the great speakers in this Ummah in America. And I say that very sincerely.

I remember when I was young, you would just go to Siraj Wahaj or Shaykh Jamal Badawi, with all respect to everyone else. The parallel sessions were, you know, as empty as the jerseys being sold in Philly right now. And, sorry.

And now, when you're at a conference like this, you have a choice, right? Every speech is being, you know, it's kind of like the big three. Everywhere you go, there's a good player. There's a talented person.

And we should make dua that we are able to benefit from these people. And that what they say and what they teach us will not only motivate us, but transform our lives.

Every Good in the Ummah Comes from the Prophet

And the reason I say that is I start this talk about the Prophet, salallahu alayhi wa sallam, with the statement of Izz ad-Din Abdul Salam, rahimahullah, who said, if you want to know the greatness of the Prophet, peace be upon him, then know that every good thing you see in the ummah is merely a drop from the bahr of Muhammad, salallahu alayhi wa sallam, from the ocean of the Prophet.

So Shaykh Abdul Nasir, Shaykh Omar, brother Karim Wissam Sharif, all of the khair we see in the ummah, sisters coming back to Allah, youth repenting to Allah, people crying and coming back to Allah, raising our children when they read the Qur'an to us. All of this is simply a reflection of Al-Habib, salallahu alayhi wa sallam. And the best place to start is what Wissam, a Shaykh, he said this morning, is let's let the Qur'an talk about the Prophet.

Allah's Testament: The Highest Character

We will allow Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to quantify His greatness. And Allah begins by saying:

Now I talked about this earlier, and for some of you in Boston, some of this may be a rerun, but reruns come with responsibilities. And here Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, He uses the word عَلَى

عَلَى can only be used for something tangible. This is عَلَى this. But here Allah says عَلَى خُلُقٍ . And خُلُق is character and character is an intangible. And here it is used as Abu Sa'udi mentioned in his tafsir يُفِيدُ التَّمَكُّنَ. Because it shows absolute excellence and control. So that you describe the Prophet, salallahu alayhi wa sallam, in mastering an intangible, although it's a tangible. And that's why Allah says عَلَى خُلُقٍ . As though if خُلُق was a structure, on the top of that structure, the summit of good character would be Muhammad, salallahu alayhi wa sallam.

The Prophet's Honor in the Final Surahs

Now the last portions of the Qur'an, we find certain universals, which illustrate certain principles that we hold dear as Muslims. The uniqueness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and His oneness, tawheed of Allah. Drawing nearer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the soul and its states. Jihad, being on the front lines. Struggling in the cause of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. But something that we might miss, is that starting from Surah ad-Duha, all the way to the end of the Qur'an, we find praises and acknowledgement of the noble stature of our Prophet, salallahu alayhi wa sallam.

Surah ad-Duha: Your Lord Has Not Forsaken You

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala swears by the dawn, the duha, and by the night when it settles. مَا وَدَّعَكَ – Your Lord has not left you. And here the كَافُ الْمُخَاطَب is mentioned. – You, Muhammad, salallahu alayhi wa sallam ما وَدَّعَكَ – Your Lord has not left you. وَمَا قَلَىٰ

Ibn Malik said: وَبَعْدَهُ الْفِعْلُ فَمَا يُحْكَمُ تَصَرُّفُهُ يُحَزْ مِنْ لُغَةِ الْأَبْوَابَ وَسُبُلًا. Don't worry about that, but members only.

But he says وَمَا قَلَىٰ. The word قَلَىٰ is a verb that demands an object. It's فِعْلٌ مُتَعَدٍّ . But you don't see an object. Because what does قَلَىٰ mean? قَلَىٰ means to what? To hate. And who's the subject of this verb? Is your Lord. And who would be the object of that verb if it was there? Who? The Prophet. But Allah will never say He hates the Prophet. And that's why it's not mentioned.

Surah ash-Sharh: The Expansion of the Chest

In the next chapter:

Did we not expand your chest for you? One of my teachers from Pakistan, he was from Lahore. Many many years ago, about 16 years ago, Hafiz Abdurrahman.

He told me, if you want to know the greatness of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم remember that Musa, he said:

My Lord, expand my chest for me. But with Muhammad عليه الصلاة والسلام, Allah said:

. صلى الله عليه وسلم Allah expanded his chest بِلا طلب

Surah at-Tin: The Eternal Shari'ah

The next chapter is what? سُورَةُ التِّين. And at the end we understand that his shari'a is خَالِدَة. His shari'a will last forever.

Surah al-'Alaq: Read in the Name of Your Lord

The next chapter:

Read in the name of your Lord. إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَيَطْغَىٰ أَن رَّآهُ اسْتَغْنَىٰ )Quran 6:6-7). And know that your enemies will not harm you. We see at least 5 or 6 virtues of the Prophet in this surah.

Surah al-Qadr: The Night of Honor

The next chapter:

Indeed we sent it on the night of Qadr.

And if we take the opinion that Qadr means honor, a sense of honor, and we couple it with the fact that if you think deeply as Allama Iqbal he said رَحِمَهُ الله if you wanna understand the Quran, understand it as you are a Sahabi, as though you've never heard it before. That is something fresh and new to you. So Allah didn't say إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَا قُرْآنًا . He said إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ. Indeed we sent it.

It's very rare in the Arabic language to start with a pronoun, it, or that thing. But it's done here, why? Because the Quran was so lofty in the hearts of the Sahaba. And they knew it so well that Allah didn't have to say, we sent the Quran.

And by default, if the book is honorable, then the one who received it is honorable صلى الله عليه وسلم

Surah al-Bayyinah: The Clear Proof

The next chapter:

And note why it has tanween put at the end of it. And what it's describing is not mentioned. And this is done in Arabic for two reasons. One is if something is so known, you don't need to mention the noun that the adjective describes. It's already known. Like I've said, the champs, I didn't know I'm talking about the Celtics. I hope they win, I'm gonna be in trouble.

Don't clap for the Celtics, man. Clap for the Prophet of Islam, not sports. You know, we're just having fun. Sports, no one should come, make dua for my team. Are you insane? Did you see what happened to people in Syria yesterday? We're making dua for sports?

So Allah said الْبَيِّنَة . As though the clear proof is so obvious it's so وَاضِحَة don't even have to mention who it's talking about. Because the only person who meets those qualifications is هَذَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم

And at the end of the chapter خَيْرُ الْبَرِيَّةِ )Quran 98:7) that the best human beings, and Allah is talking about أَتْبَاعُهُ صلى الله عليه وسلم the followers of the Prophet. So if the فَرْع is honored, then the أَصْل is honored also صلى الله عليه وسلم

Surah az-Zalzalah: Good Deeds Rewarded

The next chapter, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions:

Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it. And that's for the believer who believes in Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم

Surah al-'Adiyat: The Ummah as Steeds

سُورَةُ الْعَادِيَاتِ . Allah compares the ummah of the Prophet to steeds. And how they will charge for Allah subhanahu

wa ta'ala, not for materialism.

Surah al-Qari'ah: Bliss Through the Prophet

And the next chapter, الْقَارِعَة Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said:

That that person hereafter will be in a state of bliss only with the Prophet. As one person said : فَأَنْتَ بَابُ اللهِ . You are the door to Allah. And no one can enter to Allah except through their Iman and you صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Surah al-'Asr: The Time of the Prophet

سُورَةُ الْعَصْرِ . Imam al-Razi said, عَصْرِ is the time period of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم

And Ibn al-Qayyim said, when Allah swears by something, it's to illustrate its profound importance. But al-Razi asked something which is absolutely remarkable and reflects his genius. He said, if you think about it, in the Quran, Allah swore by the face of the Prophet, He swore by the heart of the Prophet, He swore by the asr of the Prophet, and in fact He said, لَعَمْرُكَ )Quran (1572) And لَعَمْرُكَ means by you, and we're gonna talk about why He didn't say بِنَبِيِّي or بِرَسُولِي. By my Prophet or my Messenger.

He said. By you صلى الله عليه وسلم. And he said this is the only human being that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala قَسَمَ بِهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم. And he said, this illustrates his incredible importance and status.

You guys awake? It's important. We're talking about our Prophet. I know it's been a long day.

Surah al-Humazah Through Surah al-Lahab: Protection and Significance

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala continues. He mentions that those humaza, lumaza to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم will be put in the hellfire. His enemies.

Surah al-Fil illustrates the great advent of the Prophet because this happened shortly before his birth صلى الله عليه وسلم. And his birth is so important that Anas ibn Malik said that the aqiqah for the Prophet was performed twice. As related by Imam Bayhaqi بِسَنَدٍ صَحِيحٍ وَأَرْوِيهِ عَنْ شَيْحٍ عَنْ شَيْخٍ عَنْ شَيْخٍ حَتَّى رَسُولِ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم. He performed aqiqah again for himself صلى الله عليه وسلمto show the greatness and value of that year that he was born صلى الله عليه وسلم . As Allah says: وَذَكِّرْهُم بِأَيَّامِ اللهِ )Quran 14:5). Let's leave away the controversy you're thinking. Let's not think that way. Let's just chill.

لِلإِيلَافِ قُرَيْشٍ )Quran 106:1). Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions the greatness of the house that the Prophet will restore. The Ka'bah.

Surah al-Ma'un and al-Kawthar: Generosity and Prayer

In the next chapter, أَرَأَيْتَ الَّذِي يُكَذِّبُ بِالدِّينِ )Quran (1071) Allah chastises those who act differently than the character of the Prophet and that's why it's just opposed to the surah that comes after it. In سُورَةُ الْمَاعُونِ we see

people who are bukhala, people who do not pray properly, people who have riya and people who don't give zakah. But in the next chapter, (إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ - Quran 108:1). Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions that we gave you kawthar, fa'ala from kathir or kathra which means the opposite of bakhil. So it's the opposite of being a miser that's found in the chapter before it.

Secondly, (فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ - Quran 108:2) Pray. And that's the opposite of (الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ - Quran 17:5) لِرَبِّكَ is the opposite of riya. وَانْحَرْ )Quran (1082) is zakah, is the opposite of (وَيَمْنَعُونَ الْمَاعُونَ - Quran 107:7).

So here you see the greatness of the Prophet. And here's something I want you to understand. When Allah says أَعْطَيْنَاكَ. أَعْطَيْتُهُ is different than أَتَيْتُهُ بِكَذَا شَيْءٍ. أُتِيَ means I brought something because maybe I was forced to. Or maybe I liked it. But أَعْطَيْتُ means I gave it to him only because of كَرَمٍ مِنِّي وَتَفَضْلًا أَعْطَاهُ can only happen in the face of an illah. Which means it can only happen in the face of a cause.

So أَعْطَيْتُهُ دِرْهَمًا لِأَنَّهُ فَقِيرٌ . I gave him a dirham because he's poor. أَعْطَيْتُهُ تِشِيرْتَ لِأَنَّهُ مِنْ فِيلَادِلْفِيَا . I gave him a kleenex because he's from Philly. It's constantly... I'm gonna give you all a break. I actually love Doug Collins. It's constantly related to a quality, a sifah. So if that أَعْطَاهُ as Imam Ibn Manzur he mentions, is always related to the recipient having certain qualities.

So the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and this is gonna blow your mind. Metaphorically of course. And that is when trying to summarize the fadl of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) because Allah is above all causes of course, but what brought about Allah's benevolence to him (صلى الله عليه وسلم), there was not just one quality that demanded this reality.

So Allah didn't say إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَا نَبِيَّنَا أَوْ رَسُولَنَا because these are certain attributes of the Prophet. As Imam Al-Qarafi mentioned 12 different realities that the Prophet played as a Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). But Allah (تَفَضَّلَ عَزِيزُهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى). He said what has brought about this benevolence is not the fact that you're a Prophet, not the fact that you're a messenger, not the fact that you're a great husband, not the fact that you're a general, not the fact that you're a da'i, but the fact that you are Muhammad, and that's why it's گاف because the damir mukhatab means that when you say you, that implies, as in Arabic now, every essence of you has brought about this i'ta from Allah to you (صلى الله عليه وسلم). And that's why now you can understand Razi's incredible statement about. I swear by your entirety. Isn't this incredible, our Prophet? (سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ)

Surah al-Kafirun: Courage in Da'wah

And the next chapter, Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) says:

If you want to know the greatness of the Prophet, how we should feel proud to be in da'wah. One time, traveling with a teacher, we were invited to a conference which is not like this, this is really incredible, it was very difficult. They didn't pick us up from the airport, they had like Twinkies and old Capri Sun in the fridge and stuff, it was gangster man. And I was still young and hot-blooded, you know, I didn't need Red Bull then, Red

Bull needed me. And I said to the Sheikh, I said Sheikh man this sucks man, parents forgive me. And he was like what did you just say? I said it's nefarious. And he said you are on (خُطُوَاتِ حَبِيبِ اللهِ) You are on the footsteps of the Prophet in da'wah. How could anyone complain about that? How could anyone complain to be in da'wah? He said (بِئْسَ مَا قُلْتَ). It's the worst thing you ever said. And he said you're like those who they sold their deen for (ثَمَنِ بَخْسٍ - Quran 12:20). I said it's true, wallahi, may Allah forgive me. He said may Allah forgive you, you should never complain if you're in a position of da'wah. Because when you're in a position of da'wah, Allah has put you in the place of the Anbiya. And the Prophet said (أَنتُمْ شُهَدَاءُ اللَّهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ) (Sahih Muslim). The Prophet said to his Ummah, you are the witnesses to Allah on this earth. And the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) left this legacy to you. (بَلِّغُوا عَنِّي وَلَوْ آيَةً) (Sahih Bukhari).

But if you want to know the greatness of the Prophet, you feel scared when you're on the train because you got hijab and someone's looking at you. Oh God, you know, maybe I can show a ponytail or something, you know, like you think I'm normal, you know. Your name is Muhammad and you erase it for the three stooges. Mo, yeah, my name is Mo, right? Mo, you really talk like that? Yeah, wallahi, yeah, I do, right? You get nervous, people come and ask us sometimes about the deen, maybe in college, in the class we get nervous, on campus we're asked to go sit at a booth for young Muslims, we get nervous. If you want to know the greatness of the Prophet, think about the story of Fir'aun when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala asked Musa to go to Fir'aun. He said, give me my brother. Then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said:

Both of you go to Fir'aun.

Oh our Lord we fear he will harm us or transgress our rights.

Allah says, don't be scared, I'm with you, I hear and I see.

The ulama said if you want to know the greatness of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) imagine the fear of Fir'aun of Moses and Harun, imagine the fear that they had when they were sent to one person who disbelieved and asked to speak to him. Like us, sometimes we're asked to speak to someone or someone even ask us about Islam, our throats get dry, our pulse rises up, we get scared. Imagine that there was a moment in the Prophet's life where he was the only believer. He was the only believer and he understood at that moment in time that his job was not only to one person but as Allah says:

From Khalid bin Walid to Malcolm X, from Suhaib ar-Rumi to Suhaib Webb, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وآله وصحبه وسلم) was commissioned by his Lord to stand up in front of a world of Kufr and declare لا إلهَ إِلَّا الله And that's the

secret behind the statement in the beginning of the chapter:

If you look at the Qur'an you will notice something absolutely incredible that there is a pattern that when Allah tells the Prophet قُلْ speak, one of two things is happening. One is to teach people:

Or secondly that the Prophet is pushed to do something that would be, it's a little bit hard man.

In Surah al-Ahzab, Allah says to the Prophet, say to your wives if you want from the goodness of this dunya, the beauty of this dunya, the beauty of this life, it's hard to say that to your wife, just ask us, it's not easy. So Allah says قُلْ as though, you know, it's not coming from the Prophet.

And in Surah al-Kafirun, the nature of the Prophetal-Amin (صلى الله عليه وسلم)if you want to know his greatness as I close, is that the fitrah of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)the nature of the Prophet is not to speak to people that way. The nature of the Prophet is to speak well, to speak softly, to speak firmly, to speak in a way:

That reaches the people's hearts. This Prophet who said (مَن كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيَقُلْ خَيْرًا أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ) (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim) (صلى الله عليه وسلم). This Prophet who received the words of Allah:

That good words are like a solid beautiful tree (صلى الله عليه وسلم). It's not his nature to come to someone and be hard like that. What's up man? So when Allah says (قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ) the ulama of tafsir said we understand from this that when the Quraysh heard that قُلْ, they knew that the Prophet was مَأْمُورٌ بِشَيْءٍ that the Prophet was ordered with something because his character and his nature was not to go hard on people. And also مَا أَنَا عَابِدٌ )Quran 109:3-4) shows that the Prophet never committed shirk (صلى الله عليه وسلم)

Final Surahs: Victory and Trials

And the next chapter mentions (يَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللهِ أَفْوَاجًا - Quran 110:2), entering into Islam because of him (صلى الله عليه وسلم)

And the next chapter is تَبَّتْ that of all of the kuffar who can hurt you, the most, the biggest trial will come from family:

Our Responsibility to the Prophet

Now we just touched the surface but what I will leave you with is something very simple. After hearing what Allah has said about our blessed Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم), who so many generations have come to Islam. I am Muslim because of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم). That Allah sent him (عليه الصلاة والسلام) and the greatness that we have achieved after our Lord (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) in any sphere of our life as Muslims is due to the teachings of the (صلى الله عليه وسلم) Prophet

Whoever guides to something good, whoever follows them, they share in that reward. So Izz ad-Din Abdus Salam said every ummati of Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) who does good, the ajr will go back to Sayyidina Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم). And that's why the Prophet said half of paradise will be from my followers. Half of those people will be explicit or implicit beneficiaries of the teachings of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). That is your Prophet.

Rise to the Challenge

And as I close I will say this that our responsibility in light of that is a great responsibility. They say that in basketball, I used to play ball, and Siraj Wahaj will soon learn I might not actually be here for that, might skip town. But I remember when we would be down and one of our players would step it up and lead by example, it would cause everyone else on the team to be better. We have some cool word for that in educational psychology which I forgot along with Erickson and Piaget. But what does it say about our team now who our captain is, Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)who never lets us down, who constantly performed at the best level? Shouldn't that also cause us to rise up and perform more responsibly?

The Prophet's Concern for His Ummah

And as I close I'll mention a few things. Number one, that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was concerned for us. And all of those incredible qualities he had, he was coupling that with humility. They say talent is beautiful but talent with humility is a treasure. That when the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) read he said, when he read:

As related in the hadith of Anas ibn Malik from Sahih Bukhari, Abu Dawood and Imam Ahmad بِسَنَدٍ صَحِيحٍ that the Prophet رَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ he said:

اللَّهُمَّ أُمَّتِي أُمَّتِي

And the word اللَّهُمَّ Imam Ibn al-Qayyim he mentioned, means that you are invoking Allah by every single name and attribute of His that you know and you don't know. So the Prophet invoked Allah by all of these names and attributes and the first thing that came out of his lips was يَا أُمَّتِي my nation to the point that the hadith continues that Jibreel came to the Prophet and said to him, what's wrong? And then he said that Allah has commissioned me to relate to you:

سَنُرْضِيكَ فِي أُمَّتِكَ وَلَا نَسُوءُكَ

We will please you with your Ummah and you will never be sad regarding them.

The Prophet Remembered Us in His Highest Moments

The Prophet, on the night of Isra and Mi'raj, as the Samarqandi mentions in Tanbihul Muqtaneen, when he reached that high state above Sidratul Muntaha and he spoke to his Lord:

التَّحِيَّاتُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَوَاتُ وَالطَّيِّبَاتُ

Allah said to him:

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

My Shaykh told me, at that moment the conversation was over with. But at that moment the Prophet remembered someone else. So he added here, Subhanallah, and I hope you take a Bayyinah course because they'll break this down for you, he added to it without using وَاوَ الْعَطْفِ. He didn't say وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا . At that moment of success, at that moment of accomplishment, he remembered you.

If the Prophet could remember you in the good times, why can we not remember him in the bad times? If the Prophet could remember us with Allah, why can't we remember the Prophet when we're with Shaytan? And that's an important lesson. That at the end of the day, don't be a crybaby. Oh I'm not good, oh you know my mama burned the samosas when I was little, oh this oh that. Stop crying, your Prophet is Muhammad.

Akhi, I don't know, I might take it off because I'm never going to get married, I'm so old, I'm 23. Sister, your Prophet is Muhammad. Your shelf life is not dictated by human beings because you live for something higher than this dunya in the first place. I don't need the claps, no problem, just say Alhamdulillah. هَذَا أَفْضَلُ الشَّيْءِ that works as well. Hallelujah, it's good. But in hard times, in difficult times, if the Prophet remembered us in good times we should remember him in bad times and remember that that's your captain, that's who's running the triangle on Shaytan.

The Commitment to Ethics and Good Character

The second, as I finish, is that we have a responsibility to be ethical people because our Prophet was a Prophet of ethics. All of the knowledge in the world, all of the thobes and beards in the world, and the thobe came from Persia anyways, the Prophet didn't wear that long thobe, he wore a shawarma. The thobe came from Persia 300 years later but it still looks fresh, I wear it too. But the Prophet said:

إِنَّمَا بُعِثْتُ لِأُتَمِّمَ مَكَارِمَ الْأَخْلَاقِ )Musnad Ahmad and Muwatta Malik(

I was sent only to complete morality, noble morality. So all the beards and the thobes and the tasbih and the Sufi cloak and all that, that's all fashion, that's all fashion. Niqab, hijab, it's important, these are fara'id, but if they're not coupled with ethics it could be showing off, it could be for something else. So the second point I'll make as I close is that we have to be committed to ethics.

And the best book I have seen that will help in that is Riyadh as-Salihin. Everyone here today, before you go home, if you have it at home, you should start a halaqa in your house with your kids, with your wife, with your husband, with your roommates, with your friends, with your walls, because the angels will be with you if you're alone. Ibn Taymiyya said I'm never alone because the angels are with me.

Final Words: The Greatest Ever

Start a halaqa with that small book. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless us to be like Muhammad salallahu alayhi wa sallam. The greatest ever. He said which means I'm the greatest of those who came before me and I'm the greatest of those who came after me. And he said I didn't say that to brag, salallahu alayhi wa sallam.

Wasalamu alaykum.