ICSFP
Our Duty Towards Allah’s Messenger
Dr. al-Sharîf Hâtim b. `Ârif al-`Awnî, Professor, Umm al-Qurâ University, Mecca
Praise be to Allah who says: "Now a Messenger has come to you from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that affliction should be fall you. Ardently anxious is he over you. To the believers is he most kind and merciful." [Sûrah al-Tawbah: 128]
May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon the Prophet who said: "None of you truly believes until I become more beloved to him than his parents, his children, and all of humanity."
There can be no doubt about the rights over both humanity and the Jinn enjoyed by the most honored of Adams descendants, the final Prophet and Messenger, the bearer of the standard of praise, and the possessor of the greatest intercession on the Day of Judgment. How can it be otherwise when Allah raised him to such a lofty status and every virtue that we are blessed with in this world and the next is to his credit after the grace and providence of Allah? Did not the religion of Islam come to bring us success in both worlds? And is the Prophet (peace be upon him) not the one who conveyed this religion to us in its entirety and in the best possible way?
One of the most emphatic rights that he has upon us - to whom he brought the blessing of Islam and the hope of Paradise that comes with it - is for us to defend his honor and respond forcefully to those who aggress against him with their words and insinuations. This is his right that can never be revoked. No one has the right to even think of revoking it.
This is from the fundamentals of our faith about which no two Muslims differ, irrespective of nationality, skin color, or ideology. All agree on the principle that they must expend every effort and spare no expense to defend Allahs Messenger (peace be upon him). The enemies of Allah can find no better way to unite the Muslims (whom they have been trying so hard to divide) than by slandering the Prophet (peace be upon him) of belittling his Sunnah, even in the subtlest terms.
I take this occasion to address those wrongdoers directly and say: Which of us here is more deserving of the label "extremist"? And who here is more deserving of being credited with moderation and tolerance? Those who slander and malign the Final Prophet (peace be upon him) though he is alluded to in your own scriptures? Or those who believe in Jesus (peace be upon him) and revere him as well as Moses, Abraham, and all of the Prophets and Messengers of Allah (peace be upon them)?
Certainly, we as Muslims are witnesses over humanity. Allah says: "Thus We have appointed you a moderate nation, that ye may be witnesses over humanity, and that the Messenger may be a witness over you." [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 143]
Praise be to Allah first and always. And may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the best of His Creation, his family, his Companions, and all those who follow their way.
The True Meaning of Love
Dr. Falih b. Muhammad b. Falih al-Sughayyir
Professor of the Prophetic Sunnah, Imam Muhammad b. Sa’ud University, Riyadh, KSA
Praise be to Allah. And may His Peace and Blessings be upon the Messenger, his family, his Companions, and all those who follow him.
In the heart of anyone possessing the least shred of faith, the status of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is greater than that of anyone else in the Creation. Those who possess religious knowledge and work for the cause of Islam have even stronger feelings. The sense of love and honor that they harbor in their hearts for the Prophet (peace be upon him) cannot be imagined. This is because he is the Messenger of the Lord of All the Worlds and he is the most honored of all the Prophets and Messengers. He is the final Prophet who Allah chose for His Message. He is the Seal of the Prophets and Allah blessed the Muslims by having sent him to them. “Allah did confer a great favor on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger from among themselves, rehearsing unto them the Signs of Allah, purifying them, and teaching them the Scripture and Wisdom, while, before that, they had been in manifest error.” [Surah Al-‘Imran: 164]
Our Most Important Obligations Today:
One of the most important obligations today is to present the authentic Sunnah and the biography of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to the public in the best possible manner and in every language, utilizing all appropriate means at our disposal. We must concentrate specifically upon the languages that are most widespread and influential. We can achieve this in part by doing the following :
We must take the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as our example. Allah says, what closely means, “You indeed have in Allah’s Messenger an excellent example of conduct for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day.” [Surah Al-Ahzab: 21] cont. page 3
The love of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that Allah has made obligatory on the believers is of two levels, as explained by Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali:
The first of these levels is obligatory. It is the love that necessitates accepting everything that the Prophet (peace be upon him) brought from Allah completely and with contentment. It also necessitates not seeking guidance from any way other than his. Thereafter comes following him correctly in everything that he conveyed from his Lord. We must believe everything he has told us. We must obey all of his commands (peace be upon him). We must abstain from everything that he prohibited. We must, to the extent of our abilities, defend his faith and fight against those who go against him. This degree of love is indispensable. A person’s faith cannot be complete without it.
The second level is one of distinction for those who attain it. It is the love that inspires a person to follow the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Sunnah in every aspect of his personality and his conduct. Such a person will voluntarily perform extra acts of worship and follow the noble and pure conduct of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the way that he eats, drinks, dresses, deals with his family, and conducts himself in all other activities. He will concern himself with knowing the events of the Prophet’s life. The believer’s heart will always be inspired to love the Prophet (peace be upon him), honor him, and hear his teachings. He will prefer the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to the words of all other created beings. One of the greatest manifestations of this level of love is to follow the example of the the Prophet (peace be upon him) in abstaining from the world, being content with very little, and longing for the Hereafter.
We must make our love for the Prophet (peace be upon him) open and manifest. It is not only our duty to love him in our hearts; moreover, it is our duty to show that love to others and take pride in doing so. In this way, the esteem in which the Muslims hold him (peace be upon him) will be known and appreciated.
‘Umar made the love he felt for the Prophet (peace be upon him) known to all, and Anas (may Allah be pleased with all of the Companions) relates the following to us: “A man asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) when the Final Hour would be. The Prophet (peace be upon him) replied with a question: ‘And what have you prepared for it?’
He said, ‘Nothing, save that I love Allah and His Messenger.’
To this the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘You will be with those whom you love.’
We were never happier with anything the Prophet (peace be upon him) said than we were with his saying, ‘You will be with those whom you love.’ For truly I love the Prophet (peace be upon him), Abu Bakr, and ‘Umar, and I hope to be with them on account of my love for them, even if I did not do as much as they did.” [Sahih Al-Bukhari]
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An excerpt from “How Islamic Workers Can Support & Defend the Prophet (peace be upon him),” a lecture presented at a recent ICSFP conference. The second part of this three part series will appear in our next issue, Insha’ Allah.)
Advice from the Prophet (peace be upon him)
The messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) gave us a sermon by which our hearts were filled with fear and tears came to our eyes. We said, Oh Messenger of Allah it is as though this were a farewell sermon, so counsel us. He said: I counsel you to fear Allah and give absolute obedience even if a slave becomes your leader. Verily he among you who lives long will see great controversy, so you must keep with my sunnah and to the sunnah of the right guided caliphate, and cling to them fiercely, Beware of newly invented matters, for every invented matter is an innovation and every innovation will lead astry.
Related by Abu Dawud & Al_Tirmidhi who stated it as hasan and saheeh
In Support of the Prophet
Sheikh Nâsir Al-`Umar’s Address to the Conference of the International Committee for the Support of the Final Prophet
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of All the Worlds. And may peace and blessings be upon the Prophet of Mercy and Guidance, the Prophet who was sent to all humanity.
Muslims in the East and West have been deeply disturbed by the fierce campaign being launched against our Prophet (peace be upon him) by a number of prominent American religious leaders. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is Allah’s Messenger to the whole of humanity since he is the last of the Prophets and Messengers whom our Lord sent as a mercy to the world.
Slandering Muhammad (peace be upon him) is an act of disbelief. It is also a blatant denial of Allah who sent him and called him, “a Messenger from the Lord of the Worlds.” [Sûrah Al-A`râf: 61] It is slander against - as well as a denial of - all the other Prophets and Messengers, for whoever rejects one Prophet by implication rejects them all. Allah says what means, “Indeed this religion is one religion and I am Your Lord, so worship Me.” [Sûrah Al-Anbiyâ: 92]
“The Messenger believes in what was revealed to him from his Lord and so do the believers. All of them believe in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers [saying], we make no distinction between any of His messengers and they say, we hear and we obey. We seek your forgiveness, our Lord, and to you is the final destination.” [Sûrah Al-Baqarah: 285]
A Legacy Passed Down
The enemies of the Prophets have always endeavored, when foiled by the clear arguments of Islam, to change the subject of discussion from the religion itself, to one in which people of dignity do not engage. They malign, slander and calumniate the one who brings them the truth from Allah in the manner of those whose argument is feeble. By this they hope to avert people from guidance and truth.see this behavior when we read the story of Moses (peace be upon him) whom Allah sent to Pharaoh. What did Pharaoh do when he saw the clear signs? He resorted to calumnies and slanders. Although the Jews were deeply affected by Pharaoh’s slander of Moses when Pharoah called him “a sorcerer and a liar,” they did not learn a lesson from it. Rather, when Jesus was sent to them, they in turn called him “a sorcerer and a liar.”
Ibn Jarîr al-Tabarî, in his commentary of the Qurân, comments on Allah’s statement “This is Jesus, the son of Mary, the statement of truth about which they are in dispute” [Sûrah Maryam: 34] saying, “The Jews and the Christians argued about Jesus. As for the Jews, they claimed he was a sorcerer, while the Christians claimed he was the son of God, one in a trinity, and God. But they both told lies. He was in truth a servant and Messenger of Allah, His word, and a spirit from Him.”
Allah tells us: “The Jews say, the Christians have nothing true to stand on, and the Christians say, the Jews have nothing true to stand on, though they both recite the scripture. Those who have no knowledge speak the same.” [Sûrah Al-Baqarah: 113]
Allah tells us the following as well, “And to ‘Ad We sent their brother Hûd. He said: O my people! Worship Allah. You have no God besides Him. Will you not then fear Him?” [Sûrah Al-A`râf: 65]
But what was their response? “The leaders of the Unbelievers among Hûd’s people said: Ah! We see you are a fool and we think you are a liar!” [Sûrah Al-A`râf: 66]
“Similarly, no Messenger came to the peoples before them, but they likewise called him a sorcerer or a madman. Is this the legacy they have passed down, one to another? Nay, they are themselves a people transgressing beyond bounds!” [Sûrah Al-Dhâriyât: 52-53] Al-Tabarî, in his commentary of this verse, says, “Allah, the Almighty, shows that in the same way that Quraysh denied their Prophet (peace be upon him) and labeled him a poet or a sorcerer or a lunatic, the disbelieving nations of before denied their Messengers. Allah inflicted his wrath and punishment on such nations as the people of Noah, ‘Ad, Thamûd,
and Pharaoh. Likewise, Quraysh said the same thing about Muhammad (peace be upon him).”
Al-Qurtubî, in his commentary, writes, “Allah’s words: ‘Is this the legacy they have passed down, one to another?’ apparently ask whether the earlier people enjoined the rejection of the Prophets upon the later. The question, however, is rhetorical and conveys a tone of astonishment and ridicule. It basically means that they did not tell each other to do this, but all of them are the same in their wrongdoing and transgression.”
Let us consider some passages from the Talmud that talk about Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) so we can see how its authors are following in the footsteps of their predecessors:
The Talmud states that “Christ was a sorcerer and a pagan.”
It says that “Jesus the Nazarene is simmering in the bottom of Hades (or Hell) in the midst of pitch and tar.”
The Talmud also says, “Jesus misled, corrupted and subverted Israel.”
The Most Inviolable of People
It is quite amazing that the most tested and abused of all people are the most sacrosanct. They are the Prophets. This fact has been conveyed to us in a number of authentic hadîth. If slandering righteous believers is an abomination, then how much worse must it be to slander the Messengers? The Prophet (peace be upon him) relates to us from Allah, “Whoever stands in enmity against one of my friends, I will declare war on him.” [Sahîh Al-Bukhârî (5/2384)]
Slandering people of knowledge and those who call others to Allah is more monstrous than slandering other righteous believers. Ibn `Asâkir said, “The flesh of scholars is poisoned, and it is Allah’s custom to disgrace those who partake of it. Whoever lets loose his tongue against the scholars, Allah will make his heart dead before his body dies.”
Allah says, “Then let those beware who withstand the Messenger’s order, lest some trial befall them, or a grievous penalty be inflicted on them.” [Sûrah Al-Nûr: 63]
We are told that Balaam, the son of Boer, was an Israelite who supposedly knew Allah’s greatest name. However, he devoted his knowledge to attacking Moses (peace be upon him) and cursing him. So Allah told us his similitude in the Qurân, “And recite to them the news of him to whom We gave knowledge of Our signs, but he detached himself from them; so Satan pursued him and he became of the deviant. And if We had willed, We could have elevated him thereby, but he adhered to the Earth and followed his own desire. So his example is like that of the dog: if you chase him he pants, or if you leave him, he [still] pants. That is the example of the people who have denied our signs. So relate the stories, perchance, they will give thought. How evil an example is that of the people who denied our signs and used to wrong themselves.” [Sûrah Al-Arâf: 175-177]
The Islamic Legal Ruling on One Who Slanders the Prophet (peace be upon him)
Due to the seriousness of the crime of insulting the prophets, scholars concur with the verdict given by Ibn Hazm in his Muhallâ:
“It is therefore proven that whoever insults the Prophet (peace be upon him) is an unbeliever and an enemy of Allah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is not an enemy of a Muslim. Allah says, ‘The Believers, men and women, are protectors one of another.’ [Sûrah Al-Tawbah: 71] Therefore it is proven that anyone who blasphemes against Allah, insults an angel, calumniates a prophet or mocks him, or makes fun of the verses of the scripture or the divine legislation is an apostate. It is as stated in the Qurân: ‘And if you ask them, they will surely say we were only conversing and playing. Say, Is it Allah and His verses and His messengers that you were mocking? Make no excuse; you have disbelieved…’ ” [Sûrah Al-Tawbah: 65-66]
Muhammad b. Nasr, in his work entitled Ta`zîm Qadr al-Salâh, conveys to us that Ishâq said, “Among the matters in which the scholars are unanimously agreed is that a person who believed in Allah and his revelation and then killed a prophet or was an accomplice in such a killing becomes an unbeliever, even if he believed that killing the prophets was prohibited. The same ruling applies to one who insults a prophet or rejects his message without being coerced to do so.”
A Comparative Study
Today’s Christian crusaders have not brought anything new. In fact, they are treading the path of their forefathers. Jerry Falwell says, “I believe that Muhammad was a terrorist. I have read enough about him by Muslims as well as non-Muslims who say that he was a man of violence and of war.”
But we do not know what he read by Muslims. Did he read, by any chance “We sent you only as a mercy to all the worlds” [Sûrah Al-Anbiyâ: 107]?
The statement of this unbeliever is essentially no different than that of his predecessors, like the enemy of Moses (peace be upon him) who said: “O Moses, do you intend to kill me as you killed someone yesterday? You only want to be a tyrant in the land and do not want to be of those who do right.” [Sûrah Al-Qasas: 19] It also echoes the statement of Pharaoh who said, “I fear that he should change your religion or spread chaos and corruption in the land” [Sûrah Ghâfir: 26] and that of Pharaoh’s chiefs who said, “Will you leave Moses and his people to spread mischief in the land, and to abandon you and your gods?” [Sûrah Al-A`râf: 127]
It is also akin to the following statement about Jesus (peace be upon him) in the Talmud: “Jesus misled, corrupted and subverted Israel.”
Another example is Pat Robertson’s statement about the Prophet (peace be upon him) in which he said: “He urged his people to kill the polytheists…He was extremely fanatic. He was a thief and a bandit…he called to deception and trickery…80% of the Quran is taken from the Christians and the Jews…and yet he turned against the Jews slaughtering them….” While reading Robertson’s accusations, I recalled what the Jews had said in the Talmud: “The Nazarene (i.e. the Christian) is he who follows false teachings which are invented by a man who called people to worship on the day after Saturday.” So I thought to myself, Allah has spoken the truth when He said what means, “Their hearts are similar.” [Sûrah Al-Baqarah: 118]
Such accusations have been leveled at the Prophets by the Unbelievers over and over again. Allah refutes these accusations in the Qurân, “And you (O Muhammad) were not able to recite a Book before this Book came, nor are you able to transcribe it with thy right hand. In that case, indeed, would the talkers of vanities have doubted.” [Sûrâh Al-`Ankabût: 48]
“We know indeed that they say, ‘It is a man that teaches him.’ The tongue of him they wickedly point to is notably foreign, while this is Arabic, pure and clear.” [Sûrah al-Nahl: 103]
I ask Allah to make this conference successful and fruitful, and to guide your steps on the path of truth, and I also ask Him to make us of those for whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) intercedes on the Day of Judgment.
And may the Peace, Mercy, and Blessings of Allah be upon you.
Your brother,
Nâsir b. Sulaymân Al-`Umar
Guess the Prophet?
He was sent to the children of Israel.His mother was Maryam.
He is mentioned many times in the Quran and one of the shorter surahs is named after him.He lived the longest of any prophet, 950 years.
His story is told in a surah named after him.His father was prophet Yaqub.to his father’s love for him, his brothers were jealous.plotted to get rid of him.
The Prophetic Character to Follow
The last Prophet of God, peace and blessings be upon him, and the dawn of his Prophet hood was the genesis of a new world which was destined to last till the end of time when all shall return to their Lord and Master.
His influence is visible in every aspect of life available in this world---- the beliefs and patterns of thought, culture and civilization, morality and mode of living, knowledge and learning. In short, it encompasses all spheres of human endeavor.
It is ironic, however, that a vast majority of people today acquire little knowledge, if not are ignorant of the last prophet of God----of his life, mission and historical impact in the world that we live in. It was for this reason that an idea was raised to compile some personal and historical accounts indicating major highlights of his Biography for the benefit of the general public.
The authentic biography of the noble prophet is distinctly clear, realistic and complete, in fact, fundamentally transparent. It is so explicitly chronicled that every minute detail of his life is commented upon to such an extent that after reading it, one seems to entertain the thought that he had personally met and lived with the prophet himself. Likewise, it is so thoroughly dynamic that almost every aspect of human life possible had been covered. Most of all, it is so veritably recounted that every human being from all walks of life can easily relate and identify with it.
Endless are the words which have been spoken to describe his noble life and personality, but this presentation is aimed at keeping the story as authentic and genuine as possible. Moreover, this is intended as an introduction of sort for those who are perhaps approaching the subject for the first time.
We believe no one is immune from being moved or inspired by the magnificence of his radiant character. Such is a reality that even his greatest enemies and worst critics have to admit, apart from being compelled to acknowledge further that no fault whatsoever, could be found in either of his behavior or integrity.
The Days of Shawwal
It is reported by Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari that the Prophet peace be upon him said: “ Whoever fasts during the month of Ramadan and then follows it with six days of Shawwals will be rewarded as if he had fasted the entire year” Related by the broup except for Bukhari and Nasa’I
According to the Bible, God said to Moses, on whom be peace
"I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. (The Holy Bible, New Testament Version, Deutronomy chapter 18, verse 18)
The prophet described in the above verse must have the following three characteristics:
1. He will be like Moses.
2. He will come from the brothers of Israelites, i.e. Ishmaelites.
3. God will put His words in the mouth of the prophet and he will declare what God commanded him.
Let us see which prophet, God was speaking of.
1. The prophet like Moses
Some people feel that this prophecy refers to the prophet Jesus, on whom be peace. But, although Jesus * was truly a prophet of God, he is not the prophet spoken of here. He was born miraculously, and finally, God raised him up miraculously. On the other hand, Muhammad * is more like Moses *; both were born in a natural way and both died natural deaths.
2. From among the Ishmaelites Abraham * had two sons, Ishmael * and Isaac * (Genesis chapter 21). Ishmael * became the grandfather of the Arab nation, and Isaac became the grandfather of the Jewish nation. The prophet spoken of was to come not the among the Jews themselves, but from among their brothers, the Ishmaelites. Muhammad, * a descendant of Ishmael, is indeed that prophet.
3. God put His words in his mouth Neither the content of the revelation, nor its form, were of Mohammed’s devising. Both were given by the angel, and Mohammed’s task was only to repeat what he heard.” (World religion from Ancient History to the Present, by Geoffrey Parrindor. Page 472)
God sent the angel Gabriel * to teach Muhammad * the exact words that he should repeat to the people. The words are therefore not his own; they did not come from his own thoughts, but were put into his mouth by the angel. These are written down in the Quran, word for word exactly as they came from God.
Now that we know that prophet, we must listen to him for, according to the Bible, God says “ I will punish anyone who refuses to obey him.” (Good News Bible, Deut. 18:19)
* Peace be upon all of God’s prophets & messengers.
Visitor’s Pen: Make the most of the ‘Eid
As-Salaamu ‘Aleykum
During this wonderful time of year, I think about holidays and what they mean to us all. Celebrating them or not celebrating them has a psychological effect on each one of us, whether adult or child. It is up to us to make sure that this effect is a positive one.
As a Muslim, I am responsible for taking care of the body and mind that Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala -Glorified and Exalted is He) has graciously given me. Muslim parents are also responsible for the physical, mental, and emotional well being of their children.
The materialism surrounding the Christmas holiday is overwhelming, and it can have a negative impact on both adults and children. In my opinion, we should combat this by enthusiastically greeting and celebrating our supreme Muslim holidays: the ‘Eid al-Fitr (the ‘Eid of breaking the fast) and the ‘Eid al-Adha (the ‘Eid of the sacrifice). Many people struggle to keep away from the holidays of the non-Muslims. We must give ourselves a better alternative to keep us psychologically healthy.
The following are, Insha’ Allah (God willing) some suggestions for creating a halal (permissible), festive atmosphere and long-lasting memories for all:
Keep children home from school on the ‘Eids.
Attend ‘Eid prayers as a family.
Go on outings together.
Play games with children.
Buy children gifts.
Visit relatives and friends
Give charity and do good deeds, and encourage your children to participate in doing so.
Eat special foods.
Engage in sports and singing.
Your sister in Islam,
Um ‘Aisha
Editor’s Pen
Taqabal Allah minna wa minkum!
(May Allah accept our fasting and prayers. Ameen.)
As we say goodbye to the Blessed month of Ramadhan, let us strive to carry on with the same spirit of obedience throughout the year.
I am thankful to Allah for having been able to take part in the production of this first issue of Brilliance, the ICSFP’s Newsletter. Nothing is possible without the help of Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
We would like to take this opportunity to invite you, the reader, to participate in upcoming issues as your comments, suggestions, and submissions are vital to the success of this publication.
Editor
Umm Miaad
