Class 5 – Who is your Prophet
Class 5
‘Who is your Prophet?’
Part of the Kalimah that makes us Muslim, is “Muhammad-ur-Rasul-Allah” (The second confession of a Muslim, which means: Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah).
The belief that he is sent from Allah, so that we should believe him in what he has informed, and obey him in what he has ordered, and leave what he has forbade, and worship Allah as he has decreed. Moreover, we should believe that he is the last (end) of the Prophets and that his Messenger (Islam) is quite general for all mankind and jinn.
In fact, the veneration of the Prophet with his orders and prohibition and sticking to his rules are the true expression for the real meaning of his testimony (confession).
However, this is a mere submission to the orders of Allah, who sent him to all people as a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner, and as one who invites to Allah (Islamic Monotheism, i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone) by His Leave, and as a lamp spreading light (through his instructions from the Qur’an and the Sunnah- the Legal ways of the Prophet). And like there were conitions of La Ilaahi Ill Allah, there are rights of the Prophet ﷺ, it is not sufficient to just say the Kalimah and not fulfil our duties towards him. We need to learn and fulfil our duties towards the Prophet ﷺ to get to Jannah to have our stay in the graves easy and not a fire from the pits of Hell.
OUR DUTY TOWARDS THE PROPHET OF ALLAH ﷺ
1. Believing him.
The first of these duties is to believe in the Messenger of Allah ﷺ until we find the effect of that faith in our hearts such as loving, revering and glorifying him. Allah (may He be Exalted) says: “O you who believe [in Mûsâ and ‘Isâ]! Fear Allâh, and believe in His Messenger (Muhammad peace be upon him), He will give you a double portion of His Mercy, and He will give you a light by which you shall walk (straight). And He will forgive you. And Allâh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [Surat Al Hadid: 28].
Also Allah s.w.t said, وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ – meaning – {Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire}.
This faith must have an impact of love and glorification in the heart. The Shaykh of Islam, Ibn Taymiyah said: “If the origin of faith is to believe by heart, this belief must have an impact on the heart which is the glorification of the Prophet ﷺ, revering and loving him which is essential.
2. Patterning after him.
Obeying and following him, resorting to him in arbitration, and submission to his judgment with full contentment. Allah (may He be Exalted) says:
- “We sent no Messenger, but to be obeyed by Allâh’s Leave. If they (hypocrites), when they had been unjust to themselves, had come to you (Muhammad peace be upon him) and begged Allâh’s Forgiveness, and the Messenger (peace be upon him) had begged forgiveness for them: indeed, they would have found Allâh All-Forgiving (One Who forgives and accepts repentance), Most Merciful.” [Surat An-Nisa’: 64].
- “Say (O Muhammad ﷺ): “If you do love Allah, then follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins’” (Surah Imran : 31)
- “You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah ﷺ a beautiful pattern (of conduct)”,(Surah Ahzab:21)
- “Say (O Muhammad ﷺ): “O men! I am sent unto you all, as the Messenger of Allah, to whom the dominion of the heavens and the earth belongs: there is no worthy god to be worshipped but He: it is He who gives both life and death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, who believed in Allah and His words: follow him that (so) you may be guided”. (Surah Al Araf : 158)
- “He who obeys the Messenger (Muhammad peace be upon him), has indeed obeyed Allâh, but he who turns away, then we have not sent you (O Muhammad peace be upon him) as a watcher over them.” [Surat An-Nisa’: 80].
- “And let those who oppose the Messenger’s (Muhammad peace be upon him) commandment (i.e. his Sunnah – legal ways- orders, acts of worship, statements, etc.) (among the sects) beware, lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, earthquakes, killing, overpowered by a tyrant) should befall them or a painful torment be inflicted on them.” [Surat An-Nur: 63].
- “But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad peace be upon him) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission.” [Surat An-Nisa’: 65].
3. Loving Him.
To love the Messenger of Allah ﷺ more than oneself, children, and all creation as denoted by Allah’s Saying: “Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight … are dearer to you than Allâh and His Messenger (peace be upon him), and striving hard and fighting in His Cause, then wait until Allâh brings about His Decision (torment). And Allâh guides not the people who are Al-Fâsiqûn (the rebellious, disobedient to Allâh).” [Surat At-Tawbah: 24].
And authentic and famous Hadiths as was reported in books of authentic Hadiths where the Prophet ﷺ said, “None of you will have complete faith till he loves me more than his father, his children, and all the people.” (Bukhari)
To love is to follow him, not just proclaim the love, the one who loves the Prophet ﷺ follows him without adding or removing anything from what he has left us with.
4. Hold Firm to the Sunnah and be satisfied with it.
Allah s.w.t said, “You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah ﷺ a beautiful pattern (of conduct)”.(Surah Ahzab:21)
So we have the best pattern and conduct to follow there is no place to add or remove anything from it. And if anyone adds anything to this religion, it will be rejected.
As the Prophet ﷺ said, “He who innovates things in these affairs of ours, for which there is no valid (reason), his innovation are to be rejected.”
And Allah s.w.t said also:مَنْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ – meaning – {He who obeys the Messenger, has in fact obeyed Allah.}
Do not advance your mere opinion over the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Allah (Glory be to Him) says: “O you who believe! Make not (a decision) in advance before Allâh and His Messenger (peace be upon him), and fear Allâh. Verily, Allâh is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. * O you who believe! Raise not your voices above the voice of the Prophet (peace be upon him), nor speak aloud to him in talk as you speak aloud to one another, lest your deeds should be rendered fruitless while you perceive not.” [Surat Al Hujurat: 1-2].
And here we see people reject Sunnah because their small limited brains couldn’t comprehend the act. May Allah make us amongst those who listen and obey the command of the Prophet ﷺ.
All the rights of the Prophet ﷺ are related to inward actions. But the Outward way of fulfilling his right is by patterning his Sunnah and sticking to it. If one sees the number of proven Sunnan, one would never get time to think about Bidahs, SubhaanAllah there are so many Sunnahs a day.
Take this moment to download the free ebook “1000 Sunnahs in a Day & Night” and implement some sunnahs right away. Make a target to implement atleast a few sunnahs in your daily life.
5. Avoiding cause harm to him.
Allah (Gory be to Him) says
- “And it is not (right) for you that you should annoy Allâh’s Messenger (peace be upon him), nor that you should ever marry his wives after him (his death). Verily, with Allâh that shall be an enormity.” [Surat Al Ahzab: 53].
- “Among them are men who molest the Prophet and say. “He is (all) ear.” Say (O Muhammad ﷺ), “He listens to what is best for you: he believes in Allah, has faith in the Believers and is a Mercy to those of you who believe.” But those who molest the Prophet will have a grievance punishment.”[Suah Tawbah : 53]
In fact, the phrase ‘molest the Prophet’ here includes: his honorable body, what he has sent by from Allah, his Sunnah, his family, his wives – the mothers of believers – and his honorable companions.
6. Reciting prayer and peace upon him.
Allah s.w.t said, “إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ۚ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا – meaning – {Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet: O you that believe! Send you blessings on him, and salute him with all respect}, and narrated Abu Huraira that the Prophet ﷺ said “He who recites prayer and peace upon me once, Allah would bless him ten times.”
How to recite prayer on the Prophet:
Narrated kaab bin Ujrah, the Prophet ﷺ said, “Say:
ALLAHUMMA SALLI ALA MUHAMMADIW WA ALA AALI MUHAMMADIN KAMAA SALLAITA ALA IBRAHIMA WA ALA AALIIBRAHIMA INNAKA HAMIDUM MAJID. ALLAHUMMA BAARIK ALA MUHAMMADIW WA ALA AALI MUHAMMADIN KAMAABAARAKTA ALA IBRAHIMA WA ALA AALI IBRAHIMA INNAKA HAMIDUM MAJID., ‘
O Allah! Send Your Mercy on Muhammad ﷺ and on the family of Muhammad ﷺ as You sent Your Mercy in Ibrahim (Abraham) and on the family of Ibrahim (Abraham), for You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious.
O Allah! Send Your Blessings on Muhammad ﷺ and on the family of Muhammad ﷺ as You sent Your Blessings in Ibrahim (Abraham) and on the family of Ibrahim (Abraham), for You are the Most Praiseworthy, the Most Glorious’.”