Helping Allah

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

There may be some of you who when hearing/reading our weekly zikir lessons will be learning many new things for the very first time. But take note that it can be verified because it is taken solely from the Qur’an. Anyone who doesn’t understand or doubts anything that is said in this weekly presentation can clarify it with Dr. Waffie via his email: mwl@tstt.net.tt


Today, insha Allah, we will be looking at ayat 7 of Surah Muhammad. As with all the other chapters of the Holy Qur’an, Surah Muhammad contains important messages for us and it is very direct and straight to the point. Allah says;

‘O ye who believe! If ye will aid (the cause of) Allah, He will aid you, and plant your feet firmly’.

Firstly we must understand that Allah does not need us. It is we who need Him. So what then does He mean when He says if ye will aid Allah?

In order to understand this let us reference the Israelites. As mentioned in the Qur’an the Israelites were given vast blessings. They didn’t have to do anything. And yet they did not help Allah. And sadly even today they are still fighting for material acquisitions. Allah did not set their feet firmly because they did not aid Him.

On the other hand Prophet Muhammad (pboh) grew up as an orphan. When he was a young man He had to take small jobs in order to take care of himself. One of the differences with him is that He helped Allah and Allah firmly planted his feet firmly and his mission started to grow and spread. Even today his mission is spreading all over the world. And his status, which is second to none, also grew astronomically.

The question is how can we help Allah? One means is by assisting in spreading His Word. Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said ‘The best amongst you are those who have learnt the Qur’an and teaches it to others.’ This is because you are helping to spread the Word of Allah. And if you help Allah He will never desert you. This is why dawah is so important and incumbent on all Muslims.

The second means of helping Allah is by spreading His Light. Moses (as) wanted to see Allah and was told that he couldn’t. Why, because Moses wanted to see Allah with his physical eyes. Can you look directly at the sun at midday? And that’s the sun what about the Light of Allah. How then can we spread His Light? By polishing and keeping your heart clean.

For example if I want to brighten a dark room with the sunlight all I need to do is to take a clean mirror and angle it to reflect the sunlight into the room. So too our hearts are like mirrors. If we can keep it clean and pure it can reflect the Light of Allah as He says in Surah Ma’ida ‘Light upon Light! Allah doth guide whom He will to His Light’.

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is the best example of this. His entire personality was like a mirror. Many Companions reported that there were times when they looked at him and he was much brighter that the full moon. If we keep our heart clean we can also reflect something of the Light of Allah.

The third means by which we can aid Allah is by

‘Enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong’. (3:104)

Allah loves purity and by engaging in the halal and abstaining from the haram you will be getting closer and closer to your Lord. This is evident on the night of the Mir’aj. Prophet Muhammad (pboh) aided Allah so much that He was physically returned to Allah in this world.

We thank Allah for blessing us with His pure and unadulterated Words. We are truly blessed because we alone have it. We must therefore get close to it and try to inculcate the three points mentioned above. By helping Allah you would have attained success in both worlds and insha Allah, Allah will take care of your affairs.

A few pointers about our Beloved Prophet (pboh)

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

Today we’ll look at a few points pertaining to the personality of Prophet Muhammad (pboh) that are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. These pointers allude to his uniqueness and greatness.

Firstly Allah says in Surah Israa';

Say (O Muhammad): “Glorified (and Exalted) be my Lord above all that evil they (polytheists) associate with him! Am I anything but a man, sent as a Messenger". (17:93)

The people during the time of Prophet Muhammad (pboh) were intrigued about the Prophet-hood of Muhammad (pboh). They were not expecting a Messenger to be so ‘ordinary’. They assumed that a Prophet would be ushered in some miraculous manner like Prophet Jesus (as). They were surprised to see Prophet Muhammad (pboh) functioning just like they would. Their concept was that someone who was different would be a Messenger of God.

Allah says in Surah Hashr;

“So take what the Messenger assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you. And fear Allah for Allah is strict in punishment”. (59:7)

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) never said anything out of his own desire. Everything thing was on the basis of Divine Guidance. Allah encourages us to listen and hold on to Prophet’s (pboh) teachings as he knows the way of successfully returning to Allah. He returned to Allah in his physical lifetime so he knows what he’s talking about and teaching us.

Allah says in Surah Saba';

“We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men.” (34:28)

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is the universal model for all times. Anyone who connects and holds on to him will be upon the path of Siraatal Mustaqem. And Prophet (pboh) does not discriminate. Allah demonstrated this with the encounter Prophet had with the blind man.

(The Prophet) frowned and turned away, because there came to him the blind man (Abdullah bin Umm-Maktum, who came to the Prophet while he was preaching to one or some of the Quraish chiefs). But what could tell you that per chance he might become pure (from sins)? Or that he might receive admonition, and that the admonition might profit him? (80:1-4)

Allah wanted to demonstrate that Prophet Muhammad (pboh) was the Messenger for all, a Universal Messenger.

Prophet Muhammad possesses a different capacity from all the pervious Messengers. He has the capability of brightening your soul.

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

“There has come to you from Allah a light (Prophet Muhammad)”. (5:15)

This is where Spirituality comes in. Through our meditation we are connecting to Prophet’s (pboh) light via our Teachers and Masha-ikhs. Some people may argue that this was only valid when Prophet (pboh) was alive but the Qur’an is applicable for all times. Even those who were not present in his physical time can still establish a connection with him.

Prophet (pboh) was special and was given a special mission. We are happy that Allah has sent a Messenger who still maintains a connection to us. What we need to do is build a relationship with him and continue strengthening it. May Allah make it easy for us and take care of our affairs.

The manifestation of Kauthar

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

Allah gave Jesus (as) unusual blessings. For example Jesus (as) was able to bring back to life some birds by blowing on its remnants. He once cured someone who had leprosy. Allah gave Moses (as) some unusual blessings in that when he threw the staff it turned into a serpent and swallowed the ones produced by the magicians. Allah fed his followers for 40 years. Moses (as) was able to cross the Red Sea. Allah allowed Jonah (as) to live in the whale’s belly for 3 days and when he came out and he was able to function as usual. So Allah gave all His Messengers (pbot) unique blessings. What did He give Prophet Muhammad (pboh)?

The first thing that might come to mind is the Holy Qur’an. True the Qur’an is indeed a great blessing and miracle but what other blessing was he given. The answer is Kauthar. Kauthar is normally translated as a fountain in Paradise which the inhabitants of Paradise will be given to drink from. But will the believers only get this blessing in the hereafter? Kauthar is more than just a fountain.

Allah gave Prophet (pboh) Kauthar. This means that generosity constantly flows from his blessed personality. And Kauthar is not just reserved for the hereafter. This generosity started the day Prophet came on the earth. And Allah demonstrates this in his seerah.

His journey in this world began with an extremely the poor woman who was given charge to take care of him as an infant. And immediately blessings began flowing from his personality. On the journey back Halima was able to produce enough milk to suckle both her baby and Muhammad (pboh). Something that she was unable to do previously. Her lame camel also started producing milk. Back at her home her pastures were the most fertile. So immediately Kauthar began flowing from his personality to those who were connected to him.

Even today the generosity flows from his blessed personality continues. For example if you were to visit Madinah you would see the physical manifestation of his generosity. Every week accommodations are made for those who keep the optional fast to break their fast in Masjid Nabawi. Hundreds of thousands of believers benefit on a weekly basis.

And we who are thousands of miles away from his resting place can benefit from his generosity if we can connect to him. How can this be done? Through the institution of Darood. The popular Qaseeda har dard a ki dawaa hai emphasizes this point.

Har dard a ki dawaa hai sallay allaa Muhammad
Taweez a har balaa hai salay alla Mugammad

Darood is a positive cure for all aliments. Peace and blessings be on Muhammad

On what authority was this poet able to write that? We find the answer in the ahadith;

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’.

If you were to say ‘O Allah bless Muhammad ’ all your difficulties can become easy through the permission of Allah . This is what Kauthar is. By connecting to the personality of Prophet you are sharing in the generosity and blessings that Allah was given him.

Allah is constantly sending blessing to mankind though the personality of Prophet Muhammad (pboh). And if you avail yourself won’t you share in this blessing?

Some of you may be apprehensive and my advice to you is to simply try it. Allah will try you, that is guaranteed. But if you recite darood Allah will provide a way out of your hardships. Perhaps this is why Allah says;

‘Allah did confer a great favour on the believers when He sent among them an apostle from among themselves’. (3:164)

Which has more blessings; a fountain situated in Paradise or the personality of Prophet Muhammad (pboh). Strengthen your relationship with him and you will never regret it. Especially as we are in this blessed month of Rabi ul Awwal, where Allah manifested something of His Generosity by sending the greatest creature ever created with Kautar. The love that Allah has allocated for Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is unbelievable and if you connect to him you will also be able to share in the blessings that are being constantly sent upon him. Silently program yourself to engage in as much darood as possibly and put your faith and trust in Allah .

We thank Allah immensely that we are in the companionship of Prophet Muhammad (pboh) and we beg Him to grant us the ability and desire to send abundant salutations on His Beloved .

Text of lecture given by Dr. Waffie at the Penal Rock Road Masjid On the auspicious occasion of Meelad Un Nabi (04.02.2012)

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

با سمه يا الله
اللهم صل علي محمد النبي الامي

My dear brothers and sisters; congratulation on you all for recognizing the greatness of Prophet Muhammad (pboh) by your assembling here tonight. I pray that Allah blesses us all immensely for associating ourselves with the personality of Prophet Muhammad (pboh) and may He cause us all to rise with the righteous on the Day of Accountability.

Brothers and sisters Allah surprised the angels when He informed them that He made man His representative on earth. Why, because this representative was a small piece of clay. The Greatness of Allah is not known to anyone. He is so Great and Mighty. His Capacity is limitless so how can a tiny piece of clay represent Him? Allah then gave the angels a little consolation by permitting Adam to demonstrate things that they couldn’t do.

We are all gathered here to celebrate the coming of Prophet Muhammad (pboh). In so many qaseedas the poets write so many beautiful things concerning him. Before we proceed I want to advise you not to get involved with those who constantly argue ‘haram, bi’dah, shirk’. Allah knows your intention. We worship Allah and also aim to get close to Prophet (pboh) and if you keep this in mind don’t worry about what the detractors say, because it is only Allah who can judge your intention.

With the coming of Prophet Muhammad (pboh) the term ‘Sunnah’ became popularized. What is the Sunnah of Prophet (pboh)? It encompasses his sayings, his actions and those things he gave consent to. The term Sunnah was not coined by him though, but by Allah. The Sunnah of Allah is those things that He engages in such as rewarding the His obedient servants. And Allah will never change his Sunnah.

Allah sent 124,000 Messengers on earth. So many generation of mankind came and went. But none of them had the capacity to manifest the Sunnah of Allah except Prophet Muhammad (pboh). Allah gave him unimaginable capabilities.

One of Allah’s Sunnah which we uphold is to send salaam on Prophet Muhammad (pboh). Allah says
“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.” (33:56)

By sending salaam you are connecting yourself to the special blessing that Allah is sending upon Prophet Muhammad (pboh). And Allah out of His love for us allows us to benefit from the blessing being sent to Prophet (pboh) through the institution of Darood.

There is no doubt that Allah loves each and every one of you. Prophet Muhammad (pboh) once saw a mother being most loving to her baby. Upon seeing this Prophet Muhammad (pboh) told his companions “Allah loves his servants more than this mother loves her baby.”

Today unfortunately Satan is using the institution of sending salaams on Prophet Muhammad (pboh) to cause division amongst the Muslims. There are those who argue against respectively standing to honour Prophet (pboh). Let me ask you all a question; when Allah says that He and His angels are sending salutations upon Muhammad (pboh) are they standing or sitting?

We don’t know so please don’t make this an issue. If you want to stand and sing the praises of Prophet (pboh) do so and pay no heed to those who argue about it. Send as much salutations upon your beloved Messenger (pboh). That will serve you better in the long run rather than arguing.

The other Sunnah of Allah that we are fortunate to engage in is the recitation of His Glorious Words. Hazrat Imam Ghazali (ra) wrote;
‘Fifty thousand years before creation, Allah use to recite Surah Thaahaa and Surah Yaasiin’.

If Allah recited parts of the Qur’an then and we recite it are we not following the Sunnah of Allah? He has blessed us with this great blessing; something which no other creature possesses. This piece of clay has the capacity to recite Allah’s Words. The same Words that if it was to be revealed upon a mountain will cause it to crumble to dust.

As Allah says if He wants anything to be done, regardless of the magnitude, all He has to say is Qun - Be. The sheer power of Qun and it is mentioned so many times in the Qur’an. And the heart of Prophet Muhammad (pboh) was able to able to receive this great Book. When the Qur’an was taken out of Lawh Mahfuth it was impressed in the heart of Prophet (pboh). There was no interference or tampering with it. You may ask if the Qur’an was in Prophet’s (pboh) heart why didn’t he tell the people. Why did he have to wait on angel Gabriel? The reason of this was that Prophet (pboh) never said anything out of his own desire. Everything he said was on the basis of Divine ordination. So dedicated and submissive he was. Can you imagine his personality? This is why Allah says

“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” (3:164)

My brothers and sisters when you leave this world as a believer you will go to Paradise insha Allah and leave all your troubles and difficulties behind. So believers shouldn’t be downhearted about death. To me however I’ve come to realized that when I die I wouldn’t have the opportunity to recite the Worlds of Allah in total mind, body and soul. I only possess the capability of reciting the Holy Qur’an in total personality in this world.

We are here for a special purpose; to thank our Lord for sending this great Messenger (pboh). If we can get close to him the better it would be for us. And the only way we can get close to him is by loving him. And in connection to this he says

He is not a true believer until he loves me more than his father, his children and mankind at large.

On this auspicious occasion of Meelad Un Nabi ask yourself how much of the Sunnah of Allah am I upholding and how close am I to Prophet Muhammad (pboh). Just now you will die and one of the questions you will be asked in the grave is “Who is that man”? Ask yourself now how will I be able to recognize the Messenger of Allah (pboh) if I’m not close to him.

Try your best in this world to see him. He is reported to have said ‘whosoever sees me in a dream has really seen me as Satan cannot copy my form’. And there is another narration from the Masheikhs that whoever sees Muhammad (saw) will not go to hell.

Thank Allah for this opportunity to assemble and honour the Beloved of Allah (pboh). But remember one day we will leave this world and our bodies will become food for worms. Make amends now and strengthen your relationship with Allah and His Messenger (pboh).


O Allah, convey blessings and peace always and forever
upon Your Beloved (pboh), the best out of all of Creation.

Loving that which Allah Loves

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

Allah says in His Holy Words;

‘Those of faith are overflowing in their love for Allah’. (2:165)

Who could be more of a true believer than Prophet Muhammad (pboh)? He is that one who ascended above all creation and was alone with his Lord.

Allah is Al Ghani- The Most Generous. He is reported to have said in a Hadith Qudsi,

“And if he draws near to Me an arm's length, I draw near to him a fathom's length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed”.

Allah out of His Love can bestow on anyone more than that person can possibly imagine. And if Allah says that those who posses’ true faith are overflowing in their love for Him you can imagine the relationship that He has with and Prophet .

The Words of Allah was preserved in Lawh Mahfuth. Thereafter it was taken out and was impressed in the heart of Prophet (pboh). There was no interference or tampering with it. Some people argue that if the Qur’an was in Prophet’s (pboh) heart why didn’t he tell the people? Why did he have to wait on angel Gabriel? The reason of this was that Prophet (pboh) never said anything out of his own desire. Even when he knew what was being revealed.

So dedicated and submissive he was that he is referred to as the slave of Allah . A slave is someone who doesn’t have the authority to say ‘I’. He doesn’t own his personality. Look at the status he has achieved because of the overflowing love he has for Allah . And this is what we need to develop; how to love Allah and how to dedicate ourselves to Him. And the only way to truly learn this is to get close to Prophet’s (pboh) personality. The closer you get the more chance you have to elevate yourself to your Lord.

In fact Prophet Muhammad is Sirat al Mustaqim. He is that one who can take you to Allah . He is the embodiment of physical love and if we should follow him, insha Allah, we will get closer to Allah . As Allah says in His Holy Words;

Say O Muhammad: “If ye do love Allah, follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful”. (3:31)

Unfortunately there are some who discourage others of getting close to Prophet (pboh). Don’t pay any heed to them, as arguments surrounding the personality of Prophet Muhammad (pboh) have been around for centuries and your input won’t lead to anything productive. Ignore them and silently carry on.

Demonstrate love for Allah by loving that which Allah loves. And there is no doubt that Allah loves His Messenger (pboh). And if Allah loves him so much what about us?

Keep in mind that our mission is to love Prophet Muhammad (pboh) and if we love him and follow him we would be on the right part. Make this resolution in this blessed month of Rabi ul Awwal and you won’t be left unrewarded. Anything you do for Prophet Muhammad (pboh) will bring always being reward.

May Allah enable us to recognize the greatness of Prophet (pboh) and allow us to get as close to him as humanly possible.

Honouring Prophet Muhammad

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

We are in the blessed month of Rabi-ul-Awwal and we pray that Allah’s blessings be upon all the believers and upon those who are aspiring to get close to Prophet Muhammad (pboh).

We are required as Muslims to honour and praise Prophet (pboh). Some people say we should only praise Allah. However whenever we praise Prophet Muhammad (pboh)we don’t do it in the same manner that we praise Allah . We praise Prophet (pboh) for the good that he has done and for the status that Allah has given him.

We have to show the greatest amount of love and respect for Prophet (pboh). The only being that we are to love and respect more is Allah, but Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is that material personality that we are to love. Love him, honour him and try to attach yourself to him. The closer you get to him the better it will be for you.

We can express love through our words, deeds and our attitude (i.e. following his Sunnah). A lot of people emphasise on the latter. But honouring him is more than just following his Sunnah. Even Allah expresses fondness of Prophet Muhammad (pboh) by calling him beautiful names in the Qur’an. For example a lot of scholars and even in some English translations of the Qur’an you will see that the words Ya-seen and Ta-Ha are pet names that Allah uses to address Prophet Muhammad (pboh).

Allah also warns us about our attitude towards His Habeed .

‘O ye who believe! raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak aloud to him in talk, as ye may speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds become vain and ye perceive not’. (49:2)

One little form of disrespect towards him can cause all your deeds to become null and void. So our attitude towards him is unique.

We even remember him in our salaat. Whenever we are worshipping Allah we do not ‘sidestep’ Prophet Muhammad (pboh). For example in salaat after we praise and glorify Allah we send salutations upon Prophet (pboh). Why do we do this? We are keeping in mind that if it wasn’t for him we would not be in this honourable position.

Nowadays we hear a lot talk of ‘haram, bid’ah, shirk’; criticizing and condemning those who chose to honour Prophet by holding gatherings and singing his praises. Firstly, those who hold gatherings misrepresent it by calling it Prophet’s (pboh) birthday celebrations. We remember and honour him throughout the year and not specifically in Rabi-ul-Awwal, so calling it his birthday celebration may not be a true representation.

Some people ‘celebrate’ his birthday ritually. This is wrong as their intention may not be to learn about him and get closer to him; but rather, to show others who hold a different theological view that ‘this is what we were taught and are accustomed to doing’.

Singing poems or qaseedas, as it is known in these parts, is something that is also condemned. This isn’t wrong as we see from his Seerah there were Companions who composed beautiful poems about him. From the very beginning of his mission in Madinah, the young girls of the Ansars stood up and sang for him. Kab recited a beautiful poem when he accepted Islam. No one objected, and there are numerous other examples too lengthy to mention here.

The principle of reciting poems isn’t a bid’ah. But to gather only for events like these and no other time is what those who disagree with it have some reservations.

Tazeem is another controversial issue. Those against it argue that standing and praising the Prophet (pboh) is equivalent to worshipping him. When Allah says that He and His angels are sending salaams on Prophet(pboh) are they standing or sitting? No one knows, so why make it an issue and divide the Muslim community. Tazeem is a form of darood and Hazrat Umar (ra) narrated ‘Verily, the Dua remains suspended between the skies and the earth, and does not help in any way until Darood is sent to the Prophet (pboh). (Tirmizi)

The reason for mentioning and clarifying all these age old issues is that in this particular month you will find a lot of Masjids holding their Melad un Nabi functions. If you choose to attend there is no problem because you will in no way bring any sin on yourselves. And you will be hearing sermons expounding on the greatness of Prophet Muhammad (pboh). These functions are means by which you can attain closeness to Prophet and also interact with your fellow Muslims.

It is indeed unfortunate that those who criticize and condemn our functions has never come up with an alternative. So where do they expect Muslims, especially the youths, to interact in a halal environment? This is why we see unfortunately, so many youths getting mixed up in un-Islamic environments.

Develop love for Prophet (pboh) and show your love for him by following his teachings. Do not get involve in of the arguments that are out there. These arguments have been going on for decades and sadly it appears that it would continue.

The past scholars demonstrated great love and admiration for Prophet (pboh). And they were scholars of the highest order. Do you think that they would have misled the people of their time?

If you want to attain success in this world and the next, cultivate love for Prophet Muhammad (pboh). Learn to love him and insha Allah you will better off.

Hablullah: Issue #8

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

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