Class 4

SINCERITY TOWARDS THE PROPHET ﷺ

It means to fulfill the rights he ﷺ has on us. This right is the greatest right of any of the creation. None of the creation have a right greater than the rights of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ. Allah – the Most High – said:

Allah says,

  •  “Believe in Allah and His Messenger and the light which He sent down.” [Al-Qur’an 64:8]

  • “We sent you as a witness and a bringer of good news and a warner so that they might believe in Allah and His Messenger.” [Al-Qur’an 48 : 8-9]

  • “Indeed We have sent you as a witness rind a bringer of good-tidings and a warner, in order that mankind may believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you may assist and honour the Messenger.” [Al-Qur’an 48:89]

Belief in the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ being the messenger of Allah is therefore a necessary obligation for every individual. Belief is not complete without it and Islam is only valid with it. Once we believe in him ﷺ, we need to fulfill the rights he ﷺ has on us.

 

Rights of the Prophet ﷺ

1.To believe in his sayings & that they are the best of guidance

The first of the rights that are due to the Prophet ﷺ is to believe in all that he informed as of with regards to the accounts of previous people and nations, to do that which he has commanded and leave that which he has prohibited, and to have ‘iman (faith) that his guidance and example is the best and most perfect guidance and example, and that the Shari’ah (Prescribed Laws) that he was sent with is perfect and complete – no human laws nor systems are to be given precedence or priority over his Shari’ah. Allah – the Most High – said:

  • “But no by your Lord! They will not truly be Believers, until they make the Prophet a judge in all their disputes, and then find in their souls no resistance against his decision, but rather accept it with the utmost submission.” [Al-Qur’an 4:65]

  • “Say: If you do love Allah then follow the Prophet. Allah will then love you and forgive you your sins. Indeed Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most-Merciful.” [Al-Qur’an 3:31]

 

2. Love the Prophet ﷺ

The noble Messenger Muhammad ﷺ was the most merciful and kindest of people, who loved good for the Ummah and was keen for them to be happy and prosper. We will never find anything more true than the words of Allaah which speak of that (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger (Muhammad ﷺ) from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He (Muhammad ﷺ) is anxious over you; for the believers (he ﷺ is) full of pity, kind, and merciful” [9:128]

He loved his ummah a great deal, and was very concerned about their salvation on the Day of Resurrection, hoping that Allaah would honour them with His Paradise. He would weep because of the depth of his fear for them and his compassion towards them.

Obligation of Loving the Prophet ﷺ

Allaah says that which translates as: “Say [O Muhammad], if your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allaah and His Messenger and i.e., fighting in His cause, then wait until Allaah executes His command. And Allaah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people.” (At-Tawbah: 24).

Shaykh Al-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: “Loving Allaah and His Messenger is the greatest action that faith obligates, it is the greatest tenet of faith itself and the most glorified fundamental of it. Indeed loving Allaah and his Messenger is the foundation for all deeds”.

The strength of love for the Messenger ﷺ is connected to the Muslim’s faith. When his faith increases, his love for the Prophet ﷺ increases. Loving the Prophet ﷺ is an act of obedience to Allaah and a means of drawing closer to Him. Loving the Prophet ﷺ is one of the obligatory duties in Islam.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his father, his child and all the people.” (Bukhaari & Muslim)

It was narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Hishaam said: We were with the Prophet ﷺ when he was holding the hand of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab. ‘Umar said to him: “O Messenger of Allaah, you are dearer to me than everything except my own self.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “No, by the One in Whose hand is my soul, not until I am dearer to you than your own self.” ‘Umar said to him: “Now, by Allaah, you are dearer to me than my own self.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “Now (you are a true believer), O ‘Umar.” (Bukhaari).

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The reason why it is obligatory to love the Prophet ﷺ and venerate him more than any other person is that we cannot attain the greatest good in this world or in the Hereafter except at the hands of the Prophet ﷺ, by believing in him and following him. That is because no one can be saved from the punishment of Allaah, and the mercy of Allaah cannot reach him except by means of the Prophet, by believing in him, loving him, being loyal to him and following him. This is the means by which Allaah will save him from punishment in this world and in the Hereafter. This is the means by which he will attain what is good in this world and in the Hereafter. The greatest blessing is the blessing of faith, which can only be attained through him, and which is more beneficial than his own self and his wealth. He is the one by means of whom Allaah brings people forth from darkness into light, and there is no other way to Allaah. As for a person’s self and family, they will not avail him anything before Allaah… Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 27/246.

Do not Exaggerate

Loving the Prophet ﷺ and mentioning his good attributes, both in his physical appearance and in his character, is part of faith. But people start going overboard citing their Love as the reason for it. Exaggerating in praising him is something that he ﷺ forbade. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Do not exaggerate in praising me as the Christians exaggerated in praising the son of Maryam, for I am but a slave, so say: the slave of Allah and His Messenger.” (Bukhari)

What is meant by exaggeration is going to extremes in praising and overstepping the mark.

Imam Ahmad (12551) narrated from Anas ibn Maalik that a man said: O Muhammad, O our master (sayyid) and the son of our master, the best of us and the son of the best of us. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “O people, you should fear Allah and do not let the Shaytaan make you get carried away. I am Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah, the slave of Allah and His Messenger. By Allah, I do not like for you to raise me above my station to which Allah appointed me.” (Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in as-Saheehah).

 

3. Patterning after him.

Allah s.w.t said, – meaning –

  • “{Say (O Muhammad s.a.w): “If you do love Allah, then follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins’},

  • {You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah s.w.t a beautiful pattern (of conduct)},

  • {Say (O Muhammad s.a.w): “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}.

When we love someone we try to imitate the person, and so the best way to show our love towards the Prophet ﷺ is to follow his sunnah. We would be greatly rewarded and also be amongst the best of people in terms of etiquette and manners, as He ﷺ is the best of role models to follow. Allah said,

  • “Truly, you are of tremendous character.” (Qur’an, 68.4)

  • “Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.” (33:21)

And the Prophet ﷺ said, “The only reason I have been sent is to perfect good manners.” (Bukhaari & Ahmad)

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4. To believe that he has conveyed all that is good

The Prophet ﷺ was compassionate towards his ummah and cared deeply for them, he did not leave anything good without explaining it to them. Whoever wants to attain the pleasure of Allaah, he has to adhere to the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). All paths to Allaah are blocked, except this path, the path of His Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

So whoever today invents an act of worship, dhikr or wird and claims that it is good, is accusing the Prophet ﷺ – whether he realizes it or not – of not conveying the religion as Allaah commanded him to do. Hence Imam Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Whoever introduces any innovation into Islam claiming that it is good is implying that Muhammad ﷺ betrayed the message entrusted to him, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion” [al-Maa’idah 5:3].

The Prophet ﷺ did not die until he had conveyed the message from his Lord in full. He did not leave anything good but he enjoined it upon us, and he did not leave anything bad but he forbade it to us and warned us against it. May the blessings and peace of my Lord be upon him. 

 

5. Defend Him and His Shariah

From the rights of the Prophet ﷺ is to defend his Shari’ah and his guidance. If the enemies are attacking it with false proofs and doubts, then his guidance and Shari’ah should be defended with sound knowledge which refutes such false arguments and clarifies the doubts. It is not possible for any Believer to hear of some attack upon the Prophet’s Shari’ah or his noble personality, and then to keep silent about it – especially when one has the power to counter such on attack.

6. Say Salam whenever you hear the name

It is prescribed for the Muslim when hearing the name of the Prophet ﷺ is to venerate him and show respect by sending blessings and salaams upon him. This can be done by saying, “Sall Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (may Allah send blessings and peace upon him)” when we hear the name of the Prophet ﷺ.

The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said:

  • “May his nose be rubbed in the dust, a man in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send blessings upon me.” (al-Tirmidhi, 3545; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani).

  • “The miser is the one in whose presence I am mentioned and he does not send blessings upon me.” (al-Tirmidhi, 3546; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani).

Note: Kissing the thumb and rubbing the eyes is something that was never said by the Prophet ﷺ nor was done by any of his companions or the ones who followed them in the first three generations.

As mentioned above one of the rights of the Prophet ﷺ is to know and believe that what he ﷺ left us with, is complete and perfect and hence a what Muslim should do is to avoid innovations and beware of them; he should strive to follow the Qur’aan and Sunnah, without adding anything or taking anything away.

Durood

Sending blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ is one of the greatest acts of worship encouraged in Islam, and it is one of the most beneficial supplications for a person in this world and the hereafter, and it is one of the requirements of loving, venerating and respecting the Prophet ﷺ and giving him his rights. Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Allah sends His Salât (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the Prophet and also His angels (ask Allah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salât on (ask Allah to bless him), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As¬Salâmu 'Alaikum)” [al-Ahzaab 33:56].

The Prophet ﷺ also urged us to do that and explained that it brings a multiple reward and that it is a means of attaining forgiveness of sins and having one’s needs met. He ﷺ said: “Whoever sends blessings upon me once, Allah will send blessings upon him tenfold and will erase from him ten misdeeds and raise him ten degrees in status.” Narrated by an-Nasaa’i (1297); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan an-Nasaa’i.

The virtue of sending blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ does not benefit the Prophet ﷺ only; rather it also benefits the one who sends blessings on him. The virtue mentioned in the hadiths quoted above and in other hadiths benefits the one who sends blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ.

With regard to the ideal way of sending blessings upon the master of mankind ﷺ, there are a number of ways of doing that. Among the soundest and most well-known of these ways are the two ways to be recited during prayer.

~1~ 

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ،

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ، وَعَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ

“Allaahumma salli ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali Muhammad kama salayta ‘ala Ibraaheem wa ‘ala aali Ibraaheem, innaka hameedun majeed. Allaahumma baarik ‘ala Muhammad wa ‘ala aali Muhammad kama baarakta ‘ala Ibraaheem wa ‘ala aali Ibraaheem, innaka hameedun majeed 

(O Allaah, send prayers upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad, as You sent prayers upon Ibraaheem and upon the family of Ibraaheem; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory. O Allaah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon the family of Muhammad as You sent blessings upon Ibraaheem and upon the family of Ibraaheem; You are indeed Worthy of Praise, Full of Glory).”

(Bukhaari and Muslim).

~2~ 

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى أَزْوَاجِهِ وَذُرِّيَّتِهِ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَبَارِكْ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى أَزْوَاجِهِ وَذُرِّيَّتِهِ كَمَا بَارَكْتَ عَلَى آلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ

“Allaahumma salli ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala azwaajihi wa dhurriyyatihi kama salayta ‘ala Ibraaheem, wa baarik ‘ala Muhammadin wa ‘ala azwaajihi wa dhurriyyatihi kama baarakta ‘ala aali Ibraaheem, innaka hameedun majeed 

(O Allaah, send Your salaah (grace, honour and mercy) upon Muhammad and upon his wives and offspring, as You sent Your salaah upon Ibraaheem, and send Your blessings upon Muhammad and upon his wives and offspring, as You sent Your blessings upon the family of Ibraaheem. You are indeed Praiseworthy, Most Glorious).”

(Bukhaari & Muslim).

It is better to vary the phrases used, switching between the versions that have been narrated, sometimes reciting one and sometimes reciting another, so as to follow the Sunnah and sharee‘ah and it helps keep your heart alive in prayer.

But we should point out that it is not prescribed to combine and mix these phrases so as to produce a combination of all of them in one; rather that is contrary to the Sunnah, as was stated by a number of scholars.

Shortening Durood

Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar stated in Fath al-Baari (11/166) that the majority of scholars think that any wording that fulfills the purpose of sending blessings upon him is acceptable, but in the prayer one should keep to the wording that has been narrated and not omit any part of it, so as to be sure of following the Sunnah and what is narrated from the Prophet ﷺ. 

So for example as part of the Morning & Evening we read a smaller version:-

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّمْ عَلَى نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ

Allaahumma salli wa sallim 'alaa Nabiyyinaa Muhammadin.

O Allah, we ask for your peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad.

Innovations in Salaams that are prohibited

These days people have gone over board and came up with various types of Salams which has all sorts of prohibited phrases some even leading towards Shirk because it is seeking the help of the Messenger ﷺ and complaining about one’s situation to him. They contain phrases which go against Islam, it attributes to him actions which cannot be attributed to anyone other than Allaah, such as meeting people’s needs, relieving distress, fulfilling their desires and granting a good end. Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings): “Say (O Muhammad): “I possess no power over benefit or hurt to myself except as Allaah wills. If I had the knowledge of the Ghayb (Unseen), I should have secured for myself an abundance of wealth” (al-A’raaf 7:188)

 

BaarakAllaahu Feekum, We ask Allaah to grant us success to worship Him, and obey Him as He deserves – we ask Him to forgive us and show us His mercy and give us the Hidayah to follow the Prophet in the best way possible. And all praise is due to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds.

 

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TIPS FOR THE TEST

  • Do not have to memorise the ayahs or hadeeths word for word and their references, but remember their meanings and the msg being given.

  • Remember the rights

  • Memorise the Durood

ASSIGNMENT

There will be an Assignment Question asked in the Test. Marks will be given based on the following: -

I. Invite atleast 10 people to the course (can invite via WhatsApp, Facebook, Email, telegram or word of mouth) 4 Marks. (check the note below for exceptions)

Note:

  • Those who have already invited whether on Whatsapp, Email or FB, do not need to invite again.

  • It does not matter, whether people join or not, our job is to invite.

II. Talk to 5 people (friends or family) about any three topics from the course - (5 Marks)

 

III. Pray for the Ummah, pray for the ease of all the poor & oppressed Muslims and Maghfirah of the Muslims who passed away. Pray that Allah make us all strong in imaan and give us the hidayah to work for the aakhirah and to help each other. - 1 Mark

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