Turning to the Creator and not the creature

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

The pinnacle of belief is what Allah says about His Holy Prophet Muhammad (pboh); that is he never said anything out of his own desire.  Everything was on the basis of Divine revelations.  Because of this we can conclude that Prophet (pboh) had complete faith and trust in Allah.

In the Holy Qur’an, Allah categorizes man into three groups.  Those who believe in the Oneness of Allah, those who reject His Oneness and those who openly say they believe but in reality they don’t; i.e. the munafiq or hypocrites.

Amongst the first category, i.e. the believers, they are further categorized.  Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said “Imaan (faith) increases or decreases”.  Now we are going to look at a practical example of this hadith as it pertains to us.

Allah says in Surah Hajj;

There are among men some who serve Allah, as it were, on the verge: if good befalls them, they are, therewith, well content; but if a trial comes to them, they turn on their faces: they lose both this world and the Hereafter: that is loss for all to see!  They call on such deities, besides Allah, as can neither hurt nor profit them: that is straying far indeed (from the Way)!  (Perhaps) they call on one whose hurt is nearer than His profit: evil, indeed, is the patron, and evil the companion (or help)!  (22:11-13)

Some believers have faith in Allah but it fluctuates.  They are like sitting on a fence when it comes to belief in the greatness of Allah.  Allah is saying in the ayat above that if good comes to them they are most contented and happy.  But if a trial comes to them they become agitated, disappointed and nervous.  And out of this emotional unrest they become so desperate to alleviate the trial that they go to other sources for help instead of the Lord of the worlds.  Allah says about such that they are losers in both worlds.

Allah is The One who cures, helps and protect us.  We call on His Beautiful Names and Divine Attributes yet the last thing people do when they are undergoing some sort of difficulty is to turn to Him.  It demonstrates the level of faith they have.

For example whenever a person gets sick they would visit a doctor because he understands something of the working of the human body.  That is all well and good; but keep one thing clear, cure comes from Allah and not the doctor.  The same medicine that can cure you of some ailment may not work on another who shares the same ailment.  It is Allah Who allows and grants cure etc.

The sincere and true believers turn to Allah first and then seek some way of dealing with the stressful matter knowing full well that it is only Allah Who can grant a positive conclusion.  Those with little faith will run by all the creatures for help and not The Creator.  And sometimes after they’ve realised that all their efforts are proven futile then they will leave the matter to Allah.  This is not the way of expressing true faith in our Creator.  Turn to Him first and not last! 

This is also one reason why He sent His Beloved (pboh); to show how to have true faith in the Allah.  And his entire personality demonstrated this, from his childhood to adulthood.  For example Allah says;

Did He not find thee an orphan and give thee shelter (and care)?  And He found thee wandering, and He gave thee guidance.  And He found thee in need, and made thee independent.  (93:3-8)

The real advice and message I wish to put forth is to have true, unwavering faith in the Creator.  It is not easy especially when you are faced with trying moments.  Put your faith and trust in Him and after you can seek help from His creatures knowing full well that all help, cure etc. comes through Allah and He can choose to bestow His mercies through whatever medium He chooses.

Insha Allah, He will appoint a way for you to get pass the difficulty and tests.  He is so Great that He listens to all of His servants at one and the same time.  This is part of His Greatness.  He doesn’t put you on-hold when you supplicate to Him.

He says in His Holy Words; ‘Call on Me and I will respond’.  Talk to your Lord especially in the trying times.  A lot of people don’t know how to communicate with Allah.  Talk to Him and seek His Help and Guidance; and rest assured He listens to us all.  He is most Compassionate and He truly loves you.

This is part of the perfection of our faith, i.e. to have unwavering trust in our Merciful Lord.  Yes, He will test you and there will be times of difficulty and anxiety, but always remember that if you put your faith and trust in Him, He will never let you down.

May Allah enable us to be from amongst those who will have strong and steadfast faith, trust and reliance in Him, and may He take care of all our affairs in this world and the next.

Transcript of discourse delivered by

Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed

The video presentation of this discourse can be accessed at

http://www.youtube.com/markazalihsaan

The favour of Allah on the believers

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

Many times you hear me emphasise that we are specially blessed; and today I wish to highlight one ayat of the Holy Qur’an in which Allah alludes to this.  He says in Surah Imran;

 

Allah did confer a great favor 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)

 

In Surah Fatihah we ask Allah to join us with those on whom He has bestowed.  It contains the same root as the ayat quoted above.  Before expounding on the blessings and favours Allah has bestowed upon us through the personality of Prophet Muhammad (pboh), we need to understand the dua that Prophet Abraham (as) made to Allah after he and Ishmael (as) finished reconstructing the Kaba.  Abraham prayed;

 

"Our Lord!  Send amongst them a Messenger of their own, who shall rehearse Thy Signs to them and instruct them in Scripture and Wisdom, and sanctify them: for Thou art the Exalted In Might, the Wise.  (2:129)

 

In others places in the Qur’an Allah records where He answered Abraham’s prayer.  But specifically in Surah Imran Allah is telling us that He has been very favourable to the believers by sending the Messenger (pboh).

 

And exactly what was the mission of the Messenger?  Prophet Muhammad (pboh) had a specific function.  He was commanded to rehearse the Signs of the Lord, and teach the people everything about the working of the Allah; to sanctify them and to teach them the wisdom of the Book, etc.

 

A few of the favours that Allah has blessed us with, that wasn’t given to the previous nations, are;

1) He made the Kaba the Qibla.  He has unified the system of worshipping.  All believers are like one big family, with one common direction in worship.. 

 

2) He has made Makkah a sanctuary.  Unbelievers are not permitted to enter the sacred city.  Theologically specking if you are at the Kaba you are safe.  Safe from capture, safe from revenge etc.  There are a lot of etiquettes that pertain to the sanctity of Makkah.

 

3) The Messenger (pboh) came from amongst them.  Abraham left baby Ishmael at the Kaba when the land was barren.  And look at what grew out of that place.

 

4) The progeny of Abraham through Ishmael, learnt to appreciate the blessings and gift from Allah.  Unlike Israelites who instead of being thankful for the many favours from Allah, they showed discontent; and for example asked Moses (as) to pray to Allah for a change in the food they received.  In another occasion, when Allah parted the sea and saved them from Pharaoh; as soon as they were safe they requested Moses to make idols for them to worship.

 

This was not the case with the believers who were at all times appreciative for whatever blessings came from Allah.

 

5) The believers learnt to apply the law in their daily lives through the teachings and guidance of Prophet Muhammad (pboh). 

 

6) Through Prophet Muhammad (pboh) we learnt Tazkiyah nafs; purification of our nafs.  How to purify your personality and engage in zikr.  Which other faith has this.  Some of them meditate such as the charismatic movement and those who engage in yoga, but what do they do.  In reality they sacrifice part of their lives in order to achieve this.  Believers don’t do this.  We live and carry on as normal and at the same time engage in the purification of our nafs.

 

7) When Moses and Jesus wanted to communicate with Allah they had to climb a mountain.  Muslims don’t have this.  We have a blanket appointment to meet with, and communicate with our Lord through the institution of salaat.

These are just a few of the special favours that Allah has given to the believers.

 

Keep in mind that all of us have a special mission.  We connect Islamically from our ancestors and need to transmit the teaching to the next generation.

 

At the time of Prophet Muhammad (pboh) his detractors thought that his mission would grind to a halt because he didn’t have a male offspring.  Whether you have children or not you can still pass on the legacy.  Abraham and Zakariyah knew the importance of passing on the legacy that they specifically prayed to Allah for an offspring to continue transmitting the message.

 

Although the Prophet (pboh) did not have any male offspring, Allah gave him many spiritual children—all of us. He says that the Prophet is closer to the believers than themselves, and his wives are their mothers.

 

Allah has truly been merciful and favourable to the believers.  And our message is not adulterated.  The Hindu faith for example got inspiration though the Rishis who gave the pure message, but unfortunately it was not preserved.  Look at Allah’s favour to us.

 

We need to be conscious of all these blessings Allah has been so merciful to bestow on us.  He has sent a messenger to show us the way to develop our personality in the way required of the progeny of Adam; a way that will successfully take us back to our Lord.

 

May Allah continue to guide us and bless us and enable us to understand the numerous blessings He has showered upon us.  And may we always be thankful and be from amongst those who will successfully impart the true teachings to the next generation.

Transcript of discourse delivered by

Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed

The video presentation of this discourse can be accessed at

http://www.youtube.com/markazalihsaan

 

 

Universal Islamic Brotherhood

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

 

One of the reasons why Prophet Muhammad (pboh) was very successful was because he was able to instil in the minds of the people that they were all children of Adam; and as a result they were all part of the one big human family. This was confirmed by the Qur'anic verses in which Allah says:

Mankind was one single nation; (2:213)

 

Before the coming of Prophet Muhammad (pboh), the Children of Israel who had the responsibility of establishing Allah's religion on earth, were much disunited. They were in tribes, twelve in all; and they were all distinct and separate. One tribe never really interacted with the other; so much so, that when they wanted water, and Allah told Moses to strike the rock, twelve separate springs came out, one for each tribe.

 

Even in Arabia where the Prophet (pboh) was born, there were tribalism, and they used to fight one another regularly. There was no concept of one big happy human family.

 

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) demonstrated that all the people can live like one community, thereby avoiding bloodshed. He gave a practical example when the Black Stone had to be put in its place after the Kaba was renovated. He put the Stone on a sheet and let the tribal leaders hold on to the sheet and carried to the spot where it had to be placed and he took it and put it in; that action of his prevented quarrelling and anything that would have resulted from the open disagreement.

 

Islam wants that people live like one community, immaterial of their racial, religious or political affiliation. The only way for this to be a reality is if the hearts are filled with love for each other. Allah says:

 

You were enemies and He joined your hearts in love; and you were on the brink of the abyss of fire and He saved you from it. (3:103)

 

Unlike the previous Messengers the Holy Prophet (pboh) came to the whole of mankind. Allah tells us about this in the following verse:

 

Say; (O Muhammad), O mankind; verily, I am sent unto you all as a Messenger of Allah (7:158)

 

This call of his was so different from the call of the previous Messengers; for example; Jesus told the people: I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the House of Israel. (Mt.15:24).

 

Islam came to bind the whole of humanity into one community, i.e. all those who believe in Allah and the Last Day. Each believer is like a single strand in a rope. Joined together they make a strong rope. Allah says:

 

Hold fast all of you to the rope of Allah and be not disunited (or separate). (3:103)

 

In order to achieve this Allah gave them the guiding principle, called M'aruf permissible, and Munkar prohibited. All believers are guided by the Qur'anic guidance and the Traditions of the Prophet (pboh).

 

In order to be able to like brothers and sisters in the faith there are certain important principles that must be practiced by everyone. The first of these is to love for the sake of Allah.

 

A Muslim has to live a life of love. He has to love Allah more than any thing else in this world. Allah says:

 

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

 

The next important thing is to love the Prophet (pboh) more than any thing else in this world. Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said:

 

He is not a true believer who does not love me more than his parents, his children and mankind at large.

 

After loving Allah and His Rasul (pboh), the believer is supposed to love mankind sincerely for the sake of Allah. In this connection the Prophet (pboh) said to his companions:

 

You will not enter Paradise until you have faith; and you will not have faith until you love each other. Shall I direct you to something which if you fulfil you will love one another? Spread peace among yourselves. (Muslim)

 

The Prophet (pboh) used to demonstrate so much compassion for the people, especially when they went the wrong way that Allah had to console him in the following verse:

 

Perchance, you would only fret yourself to death, following after them in grief, if they do not believe in this Message. (18:6)

 

So the Prophet (pboh) demonstrated genuine, sincere love for the people; even his enemies - the wife of Abu Lahab - and as a result people were attracted to him.

 

One of the important ways of demonstrating true love for the Islamic Brotherhood, and as a matter of fact, for society at large, is to love for your brother what you would like for yourselves.

 

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said: Each of you cannot be a true believer until he loves for his brother what he would like for himself.

 

Muslims are very considerate to their believing brothers and sisters, and some of them even go out of their way to help those who might be in difficulties. About such people Allah says;

 

And they prefer their brothers over themselves, even if they are hungry. (59:9)

 

So Islam brought the principles of love and consideration for others; this has nothing to do with race, religion or nationality. And when there are differences and the believer becomes angered, he cannot hate the other person; as he is supposed to: Hate the evil but not the evil doer. The Messenger of Allah said: I'd like to meet my brother with a clean heart.

 

Muslim live by the principle of helping one another in times of difficulties; in this connection the Prophet (pboh) is reported to have said: Whoever relieves a brother from a distress; Allah will relieve him from a distress on the Day of Judgement; whoever brings ease to a believer who is in difficulty; Allah will bring ease to him in both this life and in the next; whoever conceals the short comings of a Muslim; Allah will conceal his short comings in this world and in the next. Allah will always help a servant as long as that servant helps his brother.

 

The Holy Qur'an establishes an important principle for strengthening the bond that keeps all the believers, the world over as one family; that principle is:

 

Help ye one another in good deeds and piety; and do not help one another in sin and rancour. (5:2)

 

So any where in the world the Muslims may find themselves in difficulties, the other Muslims brothers and sisters will be available to assist them. Allah says:

 

The Believers, men and women, are protectors one to another; they enjoin what is just; and forbid what is evil; they observe regular prayers; practice regular charity; and obey Allah and His Messenger. (9:71)

 

Because the believer is concerned about the welfare of his believing brother and sister, he will not try to hurt or harm any of them in any way at all. Allah says that they practice compassion among themselves. 

 

As an extension of their kindness and trust to each other, they try their best not degrade or to ill-speak one another. This is because they are guided by the Qur'anic injunctions in which Allah says:

 

O you who believe; do not put yourselves before Allah and His Messenger…This means that a person should not put self before Allah and His Messenger. The companions understood this very well.

 

O you who believe do not raise your voice above the voice of the Prophet…All Muslims must show respect to the Prophet (pboh);

 

O you who believe; if a wicked person should come to you with any news, ascertain the truth, lest you harm people unwittingly, and afterwards you become full of repentance for what you have done.  A Muslim has be aware that there can be hypocrites in the society bent on making mischief; so that when they should get any news they must firstly verify it before making comments about what they hear.

 

Allah has made the faith beautiful for you and fill your hearts will with love; and He has made hateful to you wickedness and rebellion…One is supposed to detest what is prohibited.

 

If two parties among the Believers fall into a quarrel; make peace between them…Do not promote disunity;

 

The Believers are but a single Brotherhood…Come together as friends

 

O you who believe, let not some men laugh at others…

 

Nor let the women laugh at others…Do not think yourself as superior to others

 

Nor defame, nor be sarcastic to each other, nor call each other by nicknames… Do not try to destroy others

 

O you who believe, avoid suspicion as much as possible Be sincere and truthful

 

And do not spy on one another; nor ill-speak your brother behind his back; would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Be careful of how you behave towards others in society

 

O mankind verily, We created you from a single pair and made you into nations and tribes.  (49:1-13) Understand that you are a part of the human family

 

The Islamic Institutions are designed to display complete equality and the feeling of brotherhood. There are no preferences among the people, the most honourable in the sight of Allah is the most righteous. Also in worship all the Muslims stand together, removing the barriers of caste and class thereby promoting the feeling of brotherhood amongst the believers.

 

Not only is that feeling confined to any particular locality, but during the Hajj Muslims meet with brothers and sisters from all over the world, and many of them return to their homes with fond memories of their fiends they made during the Hajj with brothers and sisters they met for the first time from distant lands.

 

The laws and principles are applicable to all and justice and equity are the hallmarks of this faith. In this way, Allah has given man the system whereby he can feel that he is an important unit in the larger brotherhood of man; if he should practice what Islam gave to us all.

 

Allah reminds us of this in the following verse:

 

And remember with gratitude Allah's favour on you; for you were enemies; and He joined your hearts in love; so that, by His Grace, you became brethren; and you were on the brink of the abyss of fire; and He saved you from it….Be not like those who are divided amongst themselves and fall into disputations after receiving clear signs. (3:103-5)

 

Islam is a beautiful way, and the Muslim brotherhood is one brotherhood, enjoining righteousness and staying away from prohibited things.

Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed

Celebrating the praises of Allah

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّ حِيْمِ

 
The merciful Lord tells us in His Holy words;

When comes the help of Allah, and victory, and Thou dost see the people enter Allah’s Religion in crowds, celebrate the praises of Thy Lord, and pray for His forgiveness: for He is Oft-Returning (in Grace and mercy).  (Chapter 110)

This chapter was revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pboh) when his mission was completed and it is amongst the last of the revelations sent to him.

This chapter holds a very important message for each and every one of us.  It was not only pertinent to the time of Prophet Muhammad (pboh), but it is a universal principal of life. 

An example of this is the story of Prophet Joseph (as).  When he reached the pinnacle of his accomplishments and achieved the mission that Allah sent him for, instead of displaying any sort of arrogance or pride (which a lot of people display when they have achieved something) he instead made a very beautiful dua;

My Lord! You have indeed bestowed on me of the sovereignty, and taught me the interpretation of dreams; the (only) Creator of the heavens and the earth! You are my Wali (Protector, Helper, Supporter, Guardian) in this world and in the Hereafter, cause me to die as a Muslim (the one submitting to Your Will), and join me with the righteous.  (12:101)

On the other hand, when Allah saved the children of Israel from the tyranny of Pharaoh by safely taking them across the sea; as soon as they were safe, they saw some people worshipping idols and they requested Prophet Moses (as) to make for them idols of their own to worship.

They immediately forgot about the One True God and His great mercies on them.

Allah does not want us to behave like the children of Israel, instead He gave us this principle that when we’ve achieved success in this life and would have achieved some of our goals materially and otherwise we should celebrate the praises of Thy Lord, and pray for His forgiveness. 

A lot of people work very hard to attain some sort of material success.  When they were working and striving they were nice and humble; but unfortunately later on, when they got some material gain, they started to abuse the blessing of Allah, and instead of doing good they got mixed up in haram. 

Allah demonstrated with the life of Prophet Muhammad (pboh), after the boycott and early hardships he was faced with, people started to accept Islam in great numbers and the beauty of Islam started flourishing; Allah revealed to him two things that he and his followers should do; glorify your Lord and make a lot of repentance.

And we too should engage in this as much as possible regardless of the stage of life we are in.  Because we do not know if in the process of trying to acquire we would have transgressed any of the laws of Allah.  It is a good way to make amends.  A lot of people when they retire they don’t know what to do with their time.  A nice way is to praise Allah, to recite His Holy Words and seek His forgiveness. 

We may not spend our desired time with our Lord because of our commitments to our work and family etc.  But when you’ve attained something of this world, spend a lot of time with Him; on one hand trying to get closer to Him and on the other hand trying to remove the obstacles, hurdles and weight that may be pulling you down from getting closer to Him.  Then you would have benefited from what He has provided for you.

Keep in mind that our focus and purpose should be that at every stage in life we should aim to increase the time spent with our Lord; and thank Him for His blessings and favours and seek His forgiveness.  Then you would have attained true success, both materially and spiritually.

May Allah bless us, forgive us and guide us all on the straight path insha Allah.


Transcript of discourse delivered by
Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed

The video presentation of this discourse can be accessed at
http://www.youtube.com/markazalihsaan