Lecture given on the auspicious occasion of Meelad Un Nabi

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

Text of lecture given by Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed
at the Hermitage Masjid
on the auspicious occasion of Meelad Un Nabi (27.02.2011)

Why did Allah send Prophet Muhammad (saw)? Was it to receive the Holy Qur’an on behalf of mankind? If Allah wanted He could have revealed the Book to each one of His servants. Prophet Jesus (as) received a Book, Moses (as), Abraham (as) and so on. So being the recipient of the Glorious Qur’an was not the only purpose of Prophet (saw).

In order for us to understand Muhammad’s mission we must make reference the beautiful Qur’anic ayat;Light upon Light!

This ayat contains a very important message as it highlights the true function of Prophet (saw). Allah is Light (Nur) and He sent Prophet Muhammad (saw) in the dimension of space and time to reflect the Light of Allah to the entire universe. This is possibly why he is called 'Rahmatul Lil Alameen’ – a mercy to the worlds. He is the only creature capable of reflecting the Light of Allah . Allah confirms this in Surah Maidah;

there hath come to you from Allah a (new) light and a perspicuous Book (5:15)

The ‘Light and Book’ mentioned in the above ayat are two separate entities. The Book refers to the Holy Qur’an and the ‘Light’ mentioned refers to the personality of Prophet (saw).

He was able to reflect Allah’s Nur so perfect that his Companions noticed that his personality was bright and shinning. For example Hazrat Jabir (ra) is reported to have said ‘I saw him sitting in a full moon night, he had on a red gown and between the moon and him; his face was the most handsome’.

When is a full moon it’s brightest? When the night is at its darkest and there are little or no clouds present. So to our beloved Messenger was so clean and free from any and all barriers that there was nothing preventing him from reflecting Allah’s light. His personality is like the beautiful full moon, visible from far and wide.

Try your best to remove all the ‘clouds’ from your personality and you will be able to reflect something of the Light of Allah from the physical source that is the personality of Prophet (saw). If we follow him we are suppose to be like the full moon, lighting up the dark spots of the world.

Prophet (saw) is constantly being replenished with the Light of Allah as Allah says;

‘Allah and His angels send blessings on the prophet: O ye that believe! send ye blessings on him, and salute Him with all respect’.

Ask yourself this question; at what stage of the moon would you like to be; the new moon barely visible or the full moon, bright, shinning and admired by all. Build and strengthen your relationship with him to benefit from the blessings being constantly and continuously sent to him. He was able to reflect the Light of his Lord and as such he was able to get closer to Him. If you wish to get closer to Allah then follow His Habeeb (saw).

May Allah make it easy for us and take care of our affairs in both worlds and may He cause our relationship with Prophet Muhammad (saw) to grow and become stronger insha Allah.

The Light of Prophet (saw)

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

We have recently witnessed the 12th of Rabi ul Awwal, the blessed birth date of our beloved Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (saw). As such there is something very special that we must know. Allah says in His Glorious Words;

‘there hath come to you from Allah a (new) light and a perspicuous Book’. (5:15)

According to the scholars and Masheikhs the ‘light’ that is mentioned in the above ayat is a reference to Prophet (saw). So Allah sent Prophet (saw) along with the Qur’an to mankind.

All Spiritualists believes that Prophet (saw) is nur (light). We see in the Seerah, for example that when the Prophets father, Abdullah (ra)was going to the residence of Amina (ra)to get married Qutaylah, the sister of Waraqah, was standing at the entrance to her house and when she saw Abdullah approaching she noticed that he had a brightened countenance and recounted that it seemed to shine from beyond this world. After a few days had passed she saw Abdullah and remarked to him ‘the light hath left thee that was with thee yesterday’. Later it would be noted that Amina was conscious of a light within her, and one day it shone forth from her so intensely that she could see the castles of Bostra in Syria.

Prophet Muhammad(saw)was existing in the form of light long before Adam (as) was created. Whenever Hazrat Moses (as) conversed with Allah his face remained shinning for a few days. Not so with Prophet(saw). His personality was always bright and shining. Allah confirms this in the beautiful ayat in Surah Noor;

‘Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth. the parable of His light is as if there were a Niche and within it a Lamp: the Lamp enclosed In Glass: the glass as it were a brilliant star: Lit from a Blessed tree, an Olive, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though Fire scarce touched it: light upon Light! Allah doth guide whom He will to His Light: Allah doth set forth parables for men: and Allah doth know all things’. (24:35)

‘Nurun ala nur’ – light upon light. This is what makes our beloved leader different and special. Prophet(saw)is a real reflection of the Light of Allah.

If you can, insha Allah, connect to Prophet(saw)spirituality you will see him as the source of light. Your tiny spark of light that is embedded in your personality can connect to the light of Prophet(saw)and it can grow and permeate all the cells your body.

All the Spiritual Tariqas (orders) goes back to Prophet Muhammad(saw)through their silsila (golden chain). He is the source of light, the direct Light of Allah is reflected on him and he is spreading it to the world;

‘and as one who invites to Allah’s (grace) by His leave, and as a Lamp spreading light’. (33:46)

He is so different and special that no matter how you attach yourself to him you will be blessed with brightness. Connect to him and strengthen your relationship with him and you’ll have no problems because on the Day of Judgement he will look for you, you won’t have to find him.

Make full use of this life because this is the only time you have the opportunity to recite the Words of Allah , worship Him and praise Him. The next stages are where you will reap the rewards for the work done in this world. Don’t destroy the good that you’ve done by backbiting, slandering etc. Build and store enough good for a pleasant journey.

Sheikh Bahauddin Naqshband (ra) has said that if anyone sees Prophet Muhammad(saw), that person will never enter hell. The body has 5 spiritual points and when activated you will begin to see different lights at each point. Each light takes you to a different Messenger. If you concentrate on the 5th point, which is at the top your head, you will see a green light. If you can see the green light you can connect to Prophet(saw).

Pay no heed to those who wish to discourage you. Do it silently and insha Allah you will benefit greatly. Connect to his blessed light. It sounds simple but it takes a lot of time. Those who have done it have no regrets. It’s something that has to be experienced because reason and logic cannot explain it.

May Allah make it easy for us and take care of our affairs in both worlds and may He cause our relationship with Prophet Muhammad(saw)to grow and become stronger insha Allah.

Darood O Salaam

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّى عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ

O Allah, bless Muhammad (saw)

We are in the blessed month of Rabi ul Awwal, the month in which our beloved leader, Muhammad Mustapha (saw) was born. As such, as true believers we are happy when occasions such as the Eid Milad un Nabi approaches because it allows us to recall something of the beautiful personality of Prophet (saw).

Allah says in Surah Imran;

“Allah did confer a great favour on the believers when He sent among them an apostle from among themselves, rehearsing unto them the Signs of Allah, sanctifying them, and instructing them in Scripture and Wisdom, while, before that, they had been in manifest error.” (Chapter 3, verse 164)

We can see that this verse deals with some of the favours of the coming of Prophet (saw). Firstly, Prophet Muhammad (saw) came to tell the people about Allah. He also told the believers of the Greatness of Allah. He taught them how to purify themselves, outwardly and inwardly. Which other Messenger taught the people self purification? Some unbelievers began saying ‘what kind of Messenger is this, he is even teaching us how to use the toilet’. Prophet (saw) taught the believers how to read and understand the Book. Where in the Gospel can you find Jesus (as) receiving the message and teaching it to his followers? Which other Messenger took the time to teach their followers how to read, how to understand and how to derive benefit from the message? Prophet (saw) taught us how to utilize the message so that we can lead a successful life.

These are just some of the favours Allah mentions in the Qur’an concerning the coming of His Habib on earth. Prophet Muhammad (saw) is indeed a great blessing and favour for mankind.

Allah made Prophet Muhammad (saw) the recipient and the distributor of a very special blessing, which He has allocated for the believers. This unique blessing is that of the Darood. Which other Messenger was given a darood? Allah says in Surah Ahzab;

“Verily Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! send ye blessings on him, and salute Him with all respect.” (Chapter 33, verse 56)

‘Send blessings’ - is a verb in present / future tense. Therefore the blessings being sent are sent constantly and continuously.

Why is Allah doing this? Does Prophet (saw) need all these blessings? Also, according to the scholars because Allah commands the believers to send blessings on Prophet (saw), one must do it at least once in their lifetime in order to fulfil the command. This command given in the ayat above is different from that of salaat because salaat is associated with time.

Two things can be derived from the ayat mentioned above. Firstly, Allah and His Angels are sending blessings on Prophet Muhammad (saw). Secondly, Allah wants the believers to benefit from the blessings being sent and the way of doing so is to send salaat on Prophet (saw), and this is basically ‘Allahumma Sally Ala Muhammad’. ‘Salaat’ here does not imply worship. By sending salaat on him you are benefiting from the blessings coming from Allah .

Hazrat Anas (ra) narrates that Sayyiduna Rasoolullah said: ‘He who reads a single Durood upon me, Almighty Allah blesses him ten times, ten of his sins are forgiven, and he is increased ten times in stages’.

Why did Allah order to send darood and salaam on Prophet (saw)? Some may argue that he is not physically alive so what good can come from it. Abu Huraira (ra) narrates that Prophet said: ‘If anyone of you greets me, Allah returns my soul to body and I respond to the greeting’.

So if I should say ‘Ya Nabi salaam alaika’ through the Grace of Allah, Prophet’s (saw) soul is reunited with his body in order for him to reply ‘Wa Alaika’. And this happens all the time, whenever we send salaat and salaam on him. So if I should send salaam on him and he responds every single time, then am I not then building a connection and relationship with him.

Sending salaat and salaam on Prophet (saw) is amongst the Sunnah of Allah , because He and His angels are practicing it all the time. Sunnah is what you say, do and allow, so therefore salaat and salaam on Prophet is one of the Sunnah of Allah . Some say that Allah’s is the manifestation of His Divine Attributes, but if He is doing something constantly then it is part of His Sunnah. So if Allah is doing it and you follow Him you are then aligning yourself with your Lord in a special way.

Darood is indeed a great gift and favour from our Lord. Imagine that we are engaging in something that Allah is also doing at the same time. He has made His Habib the ‘distribution centre’ of this special blessing.

Ubai bin Ka’ab (ra) narrates; ‘I said, O Messenger of Allah, I supplicate often, so how much of my supplication should I devote to you? He replied, as you desire. I said, a quarter of it? He said as you desire, but if you were to increase upon this, it would be better for you. I said, half of it? He said, as you desire, but if you were to increase upon this, it would be better for you. I said, two-thirds of it? He said again, as you desire, but if you were to increase upon this, it would be better for you. Finally I said, and if I dedicate my supplication in its entirety to you? He said, then your needs will be satisfied, and your sins forgiven’.

We can see that one can benefit tremendously from sending salaat and salaam on our beloved leader. Not only in this world but also the next because on that Day instead of looking for help, the Messenger (saw) will be searching for you as he will be doing for all his followers. The matter is in your hands.

O Allah, convey blessings and peace always and forever
upon Your Beloved, the best out of all of Creation, Hazrat Muhammad Mustapha (saw)

Persevering with patience

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

As believers we must always bear in mind that, when dealing with others we must show some level of patience. When Allah gave the command to all present to prostrate before Hazrat Adam (as) Satan refused. At that moment Allah could have taken Satan to task for disobeying, however He gave him an opportunity to explain his defiant action.

When Allah made it known to Satan that he was wrong he made a dua to Allah and he was given respite. Look at the patience Allah showed to this rebellious creature. And He is The Lord and Master of every single thing.

Allah gave us many lessons in the Qur’an about the importance of demonstrating patience. One of the most popular and potent lesson is the life of Joseph (as). From the beginning, both Joseph (as) and Jacob (as) knew what the end could have possibly been and yet still they bore the trials with patience and submitted humbly to Allah .

When Jacob (as) learnt of the loss of his treasured son he said; “Sabrun Jameelun” – “(for me) patience is most fitting: it is Allah (alone) Whose help can be sought.”

It is difficult to restrain oneself at times because, sometimes emotion takes precedent over the action of the brain. There are certain cells located in the heart that are responsible for the emotional reaction humans demonstrate. So, sometimes before you think you may act instead. These actions originate from the heart.

Allah wants us to establish restraint in all situations. This can only be done if one has complete faith and trust in Him. If you know that Allah loves you, and whatever He allows to happen to you is because of a specific reason then you will understand that in the end He will never let you down. It is out of love that He is allowing certain things to happen. Always remember that Allah knows best and our knowledge is limited.

Demonstrating patience is easier said than done. For example if one looks at the life of Hazrat Umar (ra), you’ll see there were times where he reacted out of haste and after regretted it. Try to culture the emotive responses by refraining from acting in haste.

The brothers of Joseph (as) acted in haste; they didn’t show patience and they acted for themselves. They failed to remember that Allah is All Knowing and All Seeing; as He says in Surah Al An'am;

‘and with Him are the keys of the Ghaib (all that is hidden), none knows them but He and He knows whatever there is in (or on) the earth and in the sea; not a leaf falls, but He knows it. There is not a grain in the darkness of the earth nor anything fresh or dry, but is written in a clear Record’. (6:59)

If something is going to happen to you Allah knows about it and He sees how you are responding. So be careful when something causes you to become emotional. Stay silent because per chance you may act in haste and in a displeasing manner.

Prophet Muhammad (saw) is the best of all creation and look at the discipline and patience he demonstrated, to his family, Companions and non-Muslims. Take for the example the hadith narrated by Hadrat Abdullah bin Abil Hammad (ra). He narrated: “before his Prophet hood I bought something from the Holy Prophet (saw). As my money fell short I requested him to wait at the spot and promised to come back in a while. But the matter slipped out of my mind somehow and after three days when I returned to the spot I found the Holy Prophet still waiting there. He only said, “You put me to great trouble. I have been waiting for you here for three days”.

Look at the patience and calmness he demonstrated. This is our leader and exemplar. When you look at his life you can’t help but wonder how refined and perfect he cultured his personality. It’s difficult to fathom.

Patience is something that Allah recommends for us in Surah Luqman;

‘and bear with patient constancy whatever betide thee’. (31:17)

If we, as Muslims, demonstrate patience when dealing with others you will see a huge difference. We know we are the best of people but we have to show this to others, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. And look at what Allah says about those who preserve with patience;

“Surely the patiently enduring will be paid their wages in full without reckoning”. (39:10)

Sabrun Jameelun is easy to translate in English but difficult to infuse it into our actions. It’s something that will take time and effort.

One of the hallmarks of impatience is ignorance and Allah has told us how to deal with such people;

‘and the slaves of the Most Beneficent (Allah) are those who walk on the earth in humility and sedateness, and when the ignorant address them, they say 'Peace'. (25:63)

Put your faith and trust in your Loving, Merciful Lord; especially when the trials come your way. He allows everything to happen, the good and the perceived bad, and there’s reason and wisdom behind it. Make the effort and let Allah take care of the rest.