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Honouring the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) In the name of Allah, the most merciful, the most benevolent By Arfan Shah (Sheikhy Notes) Allah has given us all and everything, he possess what we think we own, whether it be physical or mental. Allah (the Exalted) has guided us and some of us have turned our backs upon him. Allah (the Exalted) has helped us when we do not help ourselves. Allah (the Exalted) gives us things that we do not show gratitude over. Allah (the Exalted) remembers us even though we have forgotten him. Allah (the Exalted) loves us even though we have no shown no loyalty to him. Allah (the Exalted) has shown us the path, yet we continue to think we know better. Allah (the Exalted) has saved us when we do not deserve to be saved. Allah (the Exalted) whose praise is due from all creation. It is only Allah (the Exalted) can grant us forgiveness when we withhold it from others. Allah (the Exalted) is he who people deny, yet his work is everywhere, in everything. Allah (the Exalted) is worthy of all praise, the king of kings and the most merciful of those who show mercy. How much has he honoured us by making us Muslims and gave us the most wonderful gift of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him). Yet we need to remind ourselves of the testification of Islam, ‘There is no deity except Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger.’ Current generations understand the hadith that everyone is born on fitra/natural disposition. A set of scholars say that this is natural disposition is Islam. The natural disposition is to believe in one God and the addition that makes someone a Muslim is added when we learn the testification. The Islamic teachings are given to the child and then the child understands in this world. When a child enters the world he learns about Prophethood.

Honouring the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him)

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Page 1: Honouring the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him)

Honouring the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him)

In the name of Allah, the most merciful, the most benevolent

By Arfan Shah (Sheikhy Notes)

Allah has given us all and everything, he possess what we think we own, whether it be physical or mental. Allah (the Exalted) has guided us and some of us have turned our backs upon him. Allah (the Exalted) has helped us when we do not help ourselves. Allah (the Exalted) gives us things that we do not show gratitude over. Allah (the Exalted) remembers us even though we have forgotten him. Allah (the Exalted) loves us even though we have no shown no loyalty to him. Allah (the Exalted) has shown us the path, yet we continue to think we know better. Allah (the Exalted) has saved us when we do not deserve to be saved. Allah (the Exalted) whose praise is due from all creation. It is only Allah (the Exalted) can grant us forgiveness when we withhold it from others. Allah (the Exalted) is he who people deny, yet his work is everywhere, in everything.

Allah (the Exalted) is worthy of all praise, the king of kings and the most merciful of those who show mercy. How much has he honoured us by making us Muslims and gave us the most wonderful gift of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him).

Yet we need to remind ourselves of the testification of Islam, ‘There is no deity except Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger.’ Current generations understand the hadith that everyone is born on fitra/natural disposition. A set of scholars say that this is natural disposition is Islam. The natural disposition is to believe in one God and the addition that makes someone a Muslim is added when we learn the testification. The Islamic teachings are given to the child and then the child understands in this world. When a child enters the world he learns about Prophethood.

Chapter oneFitra

Just as every Prophet (upon them peace) has come and gone from this world; their job was to uncover the fitra of the people which is, ‘There is no deity except Allah.’ And then their name was added to the testification. Why? If you did not accept the first part then you will not accept the second. And if you accept the first part you must accept the second because who else gave you this information. So if you reject the Messenger how can you except Allah (the Exalted) because you have rejected the Messenger!

Arrogance must be left behind if people are to respect the Prophet of their time. I would like to reiterate this arrogance must be left in order to accept the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him).

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Abu Lahab, the uncle of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings be upon him) rejected him. Therefore he not only rejected the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings be upon him) he also rejected Allah (the Exalted). The definition of disbelief is to reject what the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings be upon him) came with, in addition to the condition that it should deciecely proven.

This is why the testification is so important because when you accept the Allah (the Exalted) as your creator then must accept who the creator has sent to warn you.

To be a Muslim one must humble themselves before Allah (the Exalted) and to the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings be upon him).Why? Simple, your belief is not complete without both parts of this equation. The combination of monotheism and Prophethood.

How many a nation has rejected their prophets? They came to them not desiring worldly recompense rather they sought to deliver the message to their people and save them from everlasting torment. Like the people of ‘Ad, Thamud, etc.

Whether you know it or not you have a lot of work to do.

Chapter twoDefame

People who defame the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings be upon him) do so without reason or right. How can you even think of critiquing him? He’s a prophet and he is not like us, Muslims do not defame their prophets like other religions do. Nor do we go to the other extremes of claims the Christians with their prophet. Nor do we believe that prophets could commit sins in the manner the bible describes some prophets.

The Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings be upon him) has an elevated status and a holy place in our hearts. He was the full moon in the darkness of the night of disbelief that lead humanity to the light when it was once in darkness.

Our Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings be upon him) is pure and was the purest being to ever walk the face of this earth and likewise are all the prophets.

When we think of any Muslim we should always have a good opinion of them. So what about the Prophets (upon them peace) we should only consider the authentic reports and avoid those mentioned outside Islamic sources. As we are unable to verify their reports.

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Chapter threePerfection

There is no being on the earth who came after him whose whole existence was devoted to Allah (the Exalted) like him. He is the ultimate example of human perfection on the face of the earth. How can I say that? Look at his life and then look to the lives of those famous people and you’ll realise that the comparison is baseless. Then you’ll realise that a mere moment of his life is better than their entire existence. He (may Allah bestow peace and blessings be upon him) is the only being we can truly follow in every action which can be copied or mimicked.

Purely because of the information that is available to us. Look at those recorded information, just to read it all would take a lifetime. And this also points to logical fact that all this material cannot be forged how could it? When we are speaking about the most truthful person. Due to the amount of material it would be impossible to forge it all. Look at the various collections of hadith of Bukhari that runs into nine volumes, Imam Muslim’s collection runs into four volumes and so forth. So that thirteen books of hadith but what about the remainder? What about the other collections? Imam Malik, Imam Ahmed, At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, Ibn Majah, An-Nisa’i, Ibn Hibban, Al-Taylasi, Ibn Abu Shaybah, Ibn Abi Dunyah, At-Tabarani, Al-Tabari, Abu Na’yim, Al-Hakim and so on (may Allah show them all mercy). Bukhari is not the only the hadith collection and even the list here is not definitive.

There is no being on this planet that has had so much written about him. From small details to legal rulings to sincere advise and admonishment. During his actions need to done with understanding and not just by reading words.

Though we do not go to either extreme when we talk about the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) which is something some groups are famous for. Just narrating what is there is sufficient.

Chapter fourSpeech

The way the lover speaks about the love it is by the means of sweet words and sometimes when they talk to each other no else can comprehend the understanding they have. Majnun used to kiss the walls and the paws of a dog that travelled the streets in which Laila lived. This love is uncontrolled and passionate. It is intensive and pure. Of course your love for Allah comes before anything else and then your love of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) should be next. Your faith will not be complete until you have realised this.

When we talk about the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) you talk as if you are in love and you are in love. You should not say he is dead instead you’ll say he passed away, using the etiquette. You will choose your words carefully. The manner in which you speak about him says a lot and it is extremely important. So choose your words carefully and make your manner soft and do not fall into the trap of Satan by defaming the prophet. This can cause someone to fall into disbelief.

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We should realise that the blessing of the Prophet is from Allah. Why do some stick to barbaric ways of trying to defame him in some way?

The wisdom that the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) used was so subtle and rippled across the world. It is if we are all in a lake and he dipped his finger into it and we all saw it effects. Then slowly this effect resonated around the world and still resonates to our day.

Use a sweet tongue following with words of love and do not be scared to express your love. Love can make people perform great acts of devotion like nursing a sick person; however this love will draw you closer to Allah and your desired destination. Hate on the other hand can take you all the way to hell so keep yourself in check.

You may see someone in love in films, they walk as if they are on their tip toes they have forgotten what people think of them, and they have forgotten all their worries. Let your love for Allah and his Messenger (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) take you to heaven.

There was a man who asked the Prophet, “When is the hour?”

“What have you prepared for it?”

“Nothing except that I love Allah and his Messenger.”

“You will be with those that you love.”

Don’t you want to be with those you love?

Quran: 3:31

“Say (Muhammad) if you love Allah then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins.”

Chapter fiveDiseases

One of the diseases of the last few years is that people say they can follow the Quran and they do not need anything else. This is not the true understanding of Islam. It is true that the Quran is a guide and a mercy but you can only fully realise the Quran through hadith.

You can read and instruction manual but actually operating a machine is a completely different matter. You must understand that the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) was sent with a book. It wasn’t just a messenger or just a book. We were sent both. We got a manual and someone to show us how to put it into practice.

When Aisha was asked what the character of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) was like she said, “His character was the Quran.” So to truly understand the Quran and all its surrounding events in the life of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him). In

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great detail and they can come to a conclusion. You cannot just take the Quran and apply it without seeing how he applied and how it is understood under the wing of Islamic scholarship. If you do not do this then you risk misunderstanding the book you are trying to represent. When you see how a machine is operated by an expert it changes your understanding and this can only be done if you witness the way of the scholars. This gives a greater understanding and then this can be taught to others. This is what truly benefits one and other people.

In this shadow of a modern age this love for the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) is sadly vacant even from those who follow it are sometimes in a worse state. Some people do not talk about him (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) in a respectful manner. If you love someone you honour them with your words. Has love for the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) become irrational therefore we have become irrational or it just because the irrational claim to love him in an irrational manner.

This disaster of leaving the character of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) has made us do one thing. We forgot to show the best example to the rest of humanity to their detriment. People have reacted to this by being inhumane.

Islam is a religion that shows humanity how to reach its potential by following the best of humanity.

Chapter sixRevenge

The Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) never took revenge for the injustice he received. Every right that was taken from him but he did not even complain about it. Near the end of his (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) worldly time he ascended the minbar and declared openly if he had been unjust to anyone then now was their chance to seek recompense.

He (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) never made mistakes but his character was such he was concerned to meet Allah with as much actions as possible. Yet he was given the highest of station that we cannot conceive nor truly understand. He had no pride which has been the downfall of so many leaders.

To say Islam is just monotheism is incorrect because that is the only part of Islam one must accept Prophethood. To illustrate this point further if I say a car is an engine that is not correct. Although the engine is major part of it, if fact if this did not work none of it would! A car has a metal frame, windows, doors, wheels, seats etc. All of these things add to the beauty of the car. Yet without the engine everything else is for naught and show. Prophethood is all the other parts of the car and for it to be acceptable it must have all these things if it does not then it cannot be driven.

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Islam at its crux is the rejection of other deities except Allah coupled with the Prophethood of Muhammad (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him). You do not get the full story without the Messenger (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him).

Chapter sevenQuran

I wish to challenge the reader to read the Quran and make reference to all the ayahs that mention Muhammad (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) either specifically or implicitly. He could be mentioned by his name, the prophet or the messenger or even instructed to do something directly.

You’ll begin to understand the amazing station that Allah (the Exalted) gave the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him). When you have completed the list read them back and ponder.

Following his (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) path means that we are part of his nation, he (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) is our prophet. We should thank Allah (the Exalted) with every fibre of our being for this blessing of being followers of the last Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him). Open your eyes and see the reality of this because you will feel so much better. This love should open your eyes and fill your eyes, your heart then you’ll progress further in this religion.

If you chose to ignore this then you have missed out on a great deal of good. Take the Quran and read it from cover to cover. Then you’ll begin to understand what Allah has done for us. Nothing we can ever do in our lives deserves this blessing.

“We have not sent you except as a mercy to the universe.”

Prophets 21:107.

Allah (the Exalted) says this about his Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) and we must realise that he is sent mercy through his Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him). In another hadith it states that Allah (the Exalted) has 99 parts of mercy and one is given to the universe. The Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) is part of that mercy whether you understand it or not.

After he received revelation he had an unveiling in which he could understand trees, plants, rocks which all greeting him, they affirmed him. If these are inanimate objects what about human beings. We have brains, intellects and minds cannot we form an opinion that are based on the facts of this wonderful man.

Every now and then I wish I could have lived in his time just so I could see him (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him), to talk to him about his day, to watch him on his way, to memorise the words he spoke and to see his companions (may Allah be pleased with them). How Allah (the Exalted) blessed them to live in his time but they were the best. From the ones who died as martyrs

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to the ones who accepted Islam; from the ones who accepted Islam after him. How Allah (the Exalted) has blessed the Muslims as it spreads to the four corners of the world.

“The best nation for people.” 3:110.

It did not come without a price some paid for the religion with their lives. I think we should ponder this and realise how much the companions sacrificed, how much the scholars and the people put on the line so we could benefit from this religion that we take for granted.

The Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) went through so much he did not just give his teachings he showed us how to practice. He applied things which learned how to practice and then built upon these sciences by founding knowledge. Following his way opens dead hearts to accept his message. If the heart is closed them nothing is allowed in as evil has saturated it. When the heart is open it allows goodness into it and then it becomes more precious than gold.

The effort of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) was something that was beyond belief he wanted people to accept Islam and become Muslims. He was so anxious for us followers he made supplications for his nation.

Every day I think about events in the life of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) and think about his sacrifices then realise the little, if anything, we have scarified.

To look at the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) is a delight to the senses, his words, his face, reflecting forms of beauty that a pen cannot write and how we long to see him. Abu l’Abbas Al-Mursi (may Allah show him mercy) said if the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) was absent from him for a moment he would not consider himself a Muslim. This could mean that all his actions were in accordance to the Sunnah or that he was physically witnessing the prophet with his own eyes.

How much of an unpayable debt we are in because we are born Muslims. If we could have looked and seen all the divinely inspired religions. Then examined the blessings of each nations then we would’ve chose to be Muslims. Yet this was chosen for us and this is something that we take for granted day in day out. We are Muslims without any struggle. Allah (the Exalted) in his infinite mercy chose us to be part of this nation. His magnificent mercy gave us such a mighty blessings that we cannot fathom the true extent of it. As the blessing that this nation is receiving and shall receive shall eclipse the blessings of all the other nations.

This is not work of our own doing so why are some of us proud? You have no reason to boast in any shape or form. If I give you some food that you have not asked for would you boast? No, but you should be grateful for receiving the blessing of this food. Most of the time we do not deserve what we receive because the blessings are so overwhelming. It is the choice of Allah (the Exalted) of where you are born on this earth, where you have grown up, who your parents are, your economic situation are all a blessing in disguise, no matter how hard they are. They saying this culture, it’s a blessing in disguise. Even though we know the blessings yet we are unaware of it at times. This blessing is not a disguise we can see it as it is manifest. There are large brush strokes and small ones but together they form a picture so recognise it. As this religion is a manifest blessing like the sun at noon. We can all feel it, some of us are sure of it and others are unsure. Be grateful to Allah (the

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Exalted) that he did not make you a disbeliever or someone who cannot listen or someone with eyes but cannot see, with hearts which beat but are dead.

We should make others see this blessing by inviting them to it.

Chapter eightTraditions

In our disinterest to anything traditional, in these modern times, we want to make it all from scratch but this takes us further away from people. Not all traditions are bad, have bad aspects but not all of it is bad. For instance favouring male members of the family which can lead to all kinds of problems with other siblings, accusations of the favourite. Is a common phrase that is heard?

All the companions used to think that they were the favourite of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) whenever he spoke to them. This is how he made everyone feel special and he would scold parents for showing favouritism to one member of the family over the others. He would also scold people who would not kiss their children. This was due to his mercy for children and this is something lost in our homes. Mercy needs to be manifest as well as patience.

Traditions are ways that we can distinguish ourselves from each other but we should not separate each other from one another. We can also find lots of common factors between other races and we should not detest each other. We should let each other live and be whoever we are, within the bounds of the law.

Chapter nineAction

We should be aware of following up knowledge with action. Why? You know better now. How much better is that action when it is linked to the Sunna of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him). The Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) bequeathed knowledge to us in terms of the practice, the manners and his morals are prefect, in fact they were unsurpassable. No other being that has walked this earth like he did with the exception of the prophets and messengers.

He (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) acted upon knowledge so we could realise the difference between right and wrong. To follow his (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) Sunna is to follow the best practice because doing otherwise will mean repeated failure. Yet the more we attempt to follow the more we are rewarded. He (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) never swore at anyone in his life, think about this carefully. He (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) was control of all his emotions and he never once lashed out for the evil that was metered out to him. He (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) would always forgive and overlook people’s faults. Know when you sear the angel on your left shoulder has to

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record it. What are you making an angel do? You’re making an angel record the swear word you just used.

His (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) character did not change when he was at home or when he was outside. He (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) was the same person outside and in the house; there is much wisdom in this. You can be seen to be as a good person outside the house that is easy but can you replicate this behaviour inside the house. If you cannot then what does this say about you? If you do then is realisation of the fear of Allah (the Exalted) that wherever you are you are aware that you are being watched. So you must be aware that honest is not for show. You can show how honest you are or how generous you are but at home this is all lost and you turn into stone. Honesty is something that you are all the time and not when it suits your interest and especially when it is in your interest. We see people dressed like Muslims, walking around and being proud it is as if they have reached some status in society. Higher than that of other people, heads raised high so they can look down at you. Was this part of the Sunna? That’s because it never was part of his blessed way. The Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) was the most humble of people and he would walk with his gaze lowered. Not like the people who love to walk in pride at what they have perceived to have achieved and the fact that a Muslim prays.

Allah (the Exalted) deserves all the praise that your body can muster. Your head should be looking down except when you have to cross the road and when you need to look forward.

Whenever you are you have to be good and observe good manners of the people of the area you are in. If they wait in a queue then you do the same and remember to say please and thank you at the right times. It’s shocking to see non Muslims with better manners than some Muslims. Who are they following? Most of them have left whatever religion they had yet they make their children grow up with good manners. We just do not teach our children the basics that they need to interact with this world. Is leaving your children before the television part of good parenting? No, it is a clear sign of neglect. The non Muslims are following the manners written in their books that they were influenced by works by Muslims. We have forgotten our history and bumbling through history trying to justify our misleading cultural fallacies.

The character of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) is not something that we agree with in the Masjids and when our shoes are on we have already forgotten what was said. What kind of madness is this? We agree strongly in the Masjids whilst we are listening to speakers but as soon as the speech finishes we go back the darkness of our cultures. The words have disappeared as they mean nothing to us, so is that how we value the Sunnah? You say you want to be like them but you do not do what they did. You do not want to sacrifice your nafs, your wealth, and your time like they did. Then your love does not mean anything. You look at anyone other than you in a less than yourself some even look at others like a piece of dirt. I wonder if there is a goldfish like that we posses, three second later, we have forgotten what we said. This is the religious goldfish syndrome.

We return to being honest and not cheating people, not taking advantage of the weak and abandoning the rights we owe by paying that Zakah money that we hold tightly. Fighting our fellow Muslims we have are blissfully unaware of the rights we owe. We give non Muslims the worst possible image of Islam through our behaviour. Do we really care because we are too busy anyway?

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Caught up with things that do not matter. What we are doing is losing the blessings that we could have in our lives. By following our passions in actions that destructive and incongruous with corpus of rulings of the teaching that the prophet has left us. We should be in tears because our lack of fellowship as we follow our own way and do what the hadith says not what our feelings go with. There is a reason why our leaders are placed above you. The prophet never used to interrupt a person when they spoke, he would let them finish. Then you should do it too without thinking about it and if you do this then you should fight with yourself until it becomes your character. This is the key right here. We should never think that being religious is prayer five times a day and that’s it. You have to work hard on yourself and remove bad characteristics. Constantly observe yourself and look at his character and remove what he does not have then adorned yourself with what he has. When you do this then you will be doing it forever but try your best and you’ll out do your peers trying to get close to him.

Chapter tenThe exemplar

The example of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) is immense and it cannot be defined or fixed to a particular method. Even as far as prayer is concerned. People argue with each other over which of the four imams are the best but in reality all the schools are valid. One should try their best to follow them according his ability as this enables the person to approach a sound method of the Sunnah. Yet people should not fight opposing schools as this is very childish in this time.

This wasn’t the way of the people who came before us and this is not the way of the Sunnah, to be constantly arguing. Knowledge should be sought and it behoves practice not to be mere information. The difference that can be seen in students of knowledge over other students is their degree of practice. Knowledge without practice is like a thirst man who holes in his neck. Whenever he drinks he feels the taste of the knowledge but the water comes out of his neck. Taste the knowledge of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) and let it quench your thirst by practicing.

Chapter elevenReflections

I want to share a personal story about Mawlid. How can anyone not be happy at the birth of Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him)? Someone who is not pleased about this event must question themselves as it can be proven from the sacred law, so where do you stand?

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“Say (O Muhammad): O mankind! Lo! I am the messenger of Allah to you all.”

Araf 7:158

Some people see that others are exaggerating the rank of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings be upon him) so they try to disprove their points so they attack his character. This causes disrespect so avoid this as it could prove to be a pitfall that someone may become trapped in. This can be done intentionally or unintentionally as we have said before nobody can praise the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) like Allah (the Exalted) who said,

“Read: And thy Lord is the Most Bounteous.”

96:3.

People who live in communities where the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) is elevated understand its significance. Others who misunderstand this significance are unable to understand something that others have no issue with. A person in this predicament must connect to Allah and read the life story of the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him). He/she will slowly understand his veneration so this shall become a light for them.

When we listen to the Friday khutba lectures and talks about one subject but we need to open and research what we don’t understand or even better find a trustworthy person and ask. Trying to denigrate or lessen the respect for his should not be an avenue that they shall purse. We should recognise that people need advice and sometimes they ask because they do not understand. Know that failure to appreciate this have lost goodness.

Those people who go to extreme respect are those who delve into evidences without realising the reason of their existence. They miss the point and spend their time cursing rival group this is also a veil for many people who are unable to see what they are doing.

We must follow him in every in every matter as much we are able. Repeat the salutations and Arabic or English but Arabic is better. There are many books that one can use so use these tools. Just ponder for a moment the love that those who wrote those books of prayer felt.

Chapter twelveSeal

The Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) is described by Allah (the Exalted) as the final prophet and this means that he has sealed and this rank is finished. To indicate that a letter has been sent from one set of people to another and that the message is authentic a seal is used which the other party realises that this message is authentic and is unhampered. The Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) brought a ring and used it seal the reminders that he sent to leaders to remind them of what they knew; they had to accept his message.

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The seal completes the letter, the letter of Prophethood and the letter must now be delivers to mankind so we realise who were are and where we are going. Up to that point Prophethood was incomplete and now it is complete. So now this complete is up to us to deliver this message to those who are in dire need of it.

We hope that people realise that respecting the Prophet (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) is not mere words it is much more than that and there are deeper meanings to this. We must realise that when the day of judgement comes we look for the one who was given a rank that no other prophet was given. The rank of intercessor and if we hope for that intercession then we follow him here to gain that intercession there. When will you realise this and how much time do we have to waste fighting?

Imam Haddad said in the book of assistance (p.124)

“Know that the love of the Messenger of God and all of God’s prophets, angels and virtuous servants and all who assist in his obedience, is part of one’s love for him.”

Love for Allah (the Exalted) is incomplete without love for his messenger and like your testification is not compete without the affirmation of the Messenger (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him). Ponder over these words and you’ll realise what you have been missing.