Prof. Dr. Mahmud Es'ad COSAN
AKRA FM Friday Discourse
June 16, 2000
LOVE FOR PROPHET MUHAMMAD
As-salaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh!
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am with you for another Friday Discourse. Despite the physical distance, our hearts are together spiritually. Since we have observed the birthday of Prophet Muhammad, I selected some ahadith about our beloved Prophet.
a. Reciting Salawat Often
The first hadith was reported by the Mother of Believers A'isha-i Siddîqa and recorded by Daylamî. It is about reciting salawat for the Prophet SAS. Many Muslims are aware of its message, yet I would like to remind you all to increase your zeal. The prophet SAS said:
RA 424/3 (Man sarrahû an yalqallàha 'azza wa jalla ghadan râdiyan, falyukthirus-salâta 'alayya)
The rewards for reciting salawat for our beloved Prophet many yet here we are going to see an interesting side and increase our recitation of the salawat:
"If a person desires to be before Allah on the Day of Resurrection as a servant with whom Allah is pleased, he should recite prayers (salawat) on me in plenty."
There are various wordings of the salawat. Here is a brief one:
(Allàhumma salli alâ sayyidinâ muhammad)
Here is another one even shorter:
(Alayhis-salâm) which means "Peace (salâm) be upon him!" [It is often abbreviated as AS or pbuh.] For example, Mûsâ AS, Isâ AS, Muhammad AS... At least this form should be recited.
A person who does not recite salawat when the name of the Prophet is mentioned is considered to be a "stingy" person. There is a hadith about it. That is why we must recite it. There are other forms of salawat which are lengthier and loaded with meanings. The salatan tunjîna or salât-i Munjiya is one of them. Be it long or brief, reciting salawat is an important duty ordered by Allah in the Qur'an:
(Innallàha wa malâikatahû yusallûna 'alan-nabiyy, yâ ayyuhalladhîna âmanû sallû alayhi wa sallimû taslîmâ.) [Allah and His angels recite prayers on the Prophet. O believers! You, too, recite prayers on him and greet him with a complete submission] (Ahzâb: 56). That is why we recommend our brothers and sisters to recite salawat at least 100 times every day. Our recommendation does not originate from ourselves but from the traditions of the Prophet SAS. I convey the hadith as is, without any addition or deletion. You keep reciting salawat 100 times per day except for Fridays. On Fridays, you increase the number to one thousand because the Prophet recommended reciting plenty of Salawat on Fridays. Our late master, our guide, Mehmed Zahid Kotku had instructed me like that, so this is a gift from me to you.
According to this hadith, if a person recites the salawat often, he will be before Allah on the Day of Resurrection as a servant with whom Allah is pleased. This is a great blessing from Allah.
I hope you remember this advice and we all recite salawat. I wish that we will be among the servants who had been rewarded on the Day of Resurrection as indicated in this hadith.
b. Love for Allah and His Prophet
The second hadith is, too, about the Prophet SAS. He said:
RA 424/1 (Man sarrahû an yuhibballàha wa rasûlahû, wa yuhibbuhullàhu wa rasûluhû, falyasduq fî hadîthihî idhâ haddath, walyuaddi amânatahû idha'tumin, walyuhsin jiwâra man jâwarahû.)
I might have read this hadith for other occasions. It is likely to be remembered. It will be beneficial for all to read this hadith once more. As the Prophet indicated in another hadith:
RA 270/13 (Jaddidû imânakum, aksirû min qawli lâ ilâha illallah.) "Renew your faith as you recite the words 'la ilaha il-lal-lah -- There is no deity but Allah.'" This means there is benefit in repeating certain things, so I will repeat:
(Man sarrahû an yuhibballàha wa rasûlahû, wa yuhibbuhullàhu wa rasûluhû) "If a person enjoys loving Allah and His Prophet and being loved by Allah and His Prophet, and wishes for this, he must do the following:
"1. (Falyasduq fî hadîthihî idhâ haddath) He must be truthful when he speaks." He should say the words straight forward without misleading people or lying. A Muslim has to speak the truth.
"2. (Walyuaddi amânatahû idha'tumin) When he is entrusted with something, he must keep the trust and return it when it is due." A Muslim has to observe the rules of the amanah. If a person denies what is entrusted with him, he would be worse than a thief. Returning what is entrusted is a sign of truthfulness and sincerity.
There are many kinds of amanah. For instance, Islam is an amanah from Allah, and so is the Qur'an. Amanah is not limited to the material objects. Our wives are amanah on us; they are entrusted with us. The father-in-laws and the mother-in-laws have entrusted their beloved daughters with us. Men have to protect them physically and spiritually. They have to try hard to prevent any harm on their belief and deeds. Men have to try their best to keep their life-time companions on the path of Allah.
Then, the children are amanah on us. They are given by Allah, so we must teach them Islam and have them practice.
The simplest form of amanah could be leaving some valuable property with a friend saying, "Keep this for a while. I will get it back later." The property must be returned as soon as it is asked back.
"3. (Walyuhsin jiwâra man jâwarahû) He must be a good neighbor and observe the rights of his neighbors." This could also mean well treatment for people with whom you spend some time together as in a journey, in the military service, or at work.
In summary, if we want to love Allah and his Prophet and if we want to be loved by Allah and His Prophet, we have to speak the truth, observe the rules of amanah and be a nice neighbor.
These advices seem to be so simple, yet they are not observed well. We see many neighbors who are in a constant quarrel. Sometimes neighbors are drawn into such quarrels despite the sincere desire to make peace and to maintain the peace. Then, Almighty Allah knows who is innocent and who is guilty.
c. To See the Prophet on the Day of Resurrection
Here is another hadith about the Prophet himself:
RE 423/12 (Man sarrahû an yanzura ilayya yawmal-qiyâmati ka-annahû ra'yu 'aynin falyaqra' idhash-shamsu kuwwirat, wa idhas-samâun fatarat, wa idhas-semâun shaqqat.)
This hadith was reported by Abdullah ibn-i Omar RA. It is recorded in the collections of Ahmad ibn-i Hanbal (the imam of the Hanbali school of thought), Imam Tirmidhî, Tabarânî, Hàkim and other sources. These are authentic sources of ahadith; the authors were great scholars --may Allah bless them all.
The prophet SAS said: "If you want to enjoy looking at me face to face on the Day of Resurrection, read the chapters of the Qur'an beginning with idhash-shamsu kuwwirat, wa idhas-samâun fatarat, and wa idhas-semâun shaqqat verses." These are the Takvir, Infitar and Inshiqaq surahs, i.e., the 81st, 82nd and 84th chapters of the Qur'an.
These surahs are in the last thirtieth part (juz') of the Qur'an. You should find these surahs and read them. The last one has a sajdah -- prostration-- verse; you must perform the sajdah as you read. Study the meaning of these surahs as well so that you can discover why the Prophet recommended these surahs.
These surahs describe the events leading to the Day of Resurrection, and the state of people on the Day of Judgement. Since the belief in the day of Resurrection and in the hereafter is an essential part of Muslim creed, we must study it well and prepare for the hereafter. We have to keep in mind the Resurrection and the Judgement and pay attention to our deeds.
Here is a new duty: those who do not know these surah by heart, should memorize them. Those who know them by heart should study their meaning from the tafseer books. Also, ponder about the meanings and reflect them on your own life.
d. Making a Muslim Happy
The last hadith is from Abdullah ibni Mas'ud RA, recorded in the books of Ibnun Najjar and Abul Huseyin. The Prophet SAS said:
RA 423/9 (Man sarra musliman ba'dî faqad sarranî fi qabrî, faman sarranî fî qabrî sarrahullàhu taàlâ yawmal-qiyâmah.)
Abdullah ibni Mas'ud was one of the great scholars of tafseer among the companions of the Prophet. He is one of the four great Abdullahs (Abâdila-i Arba'a)-- may Allah be pleased with them all. It is a pleasure for me to read a hadith narrated by him. Our beloved Prophet said:
(Man sarra musliman ba'dî) "Whoever makes a Muslim happy after me, (faqad sarranî fi qabrî) he would make me happy in my grave." Because the Prophet SAS is the guardian of all Muslims, any good treatment of a Muslim will make him happy. He was described as "(harîsun alaykum bil mu'minina raûfun rahîm) very merciful, protective, and mercy-giving towards the believers," that is why the Prophet becomes happy when a Muslim is treated well, comforted or made happy.
This hadith is almost like a will of the Prophet. The Prophet had instructed us what to do after he died. We should keep this in mind when we do something good to a Muslim. We should do it as sincere as we could when we would offer something to the Prophet.
The hadith continues, "(faman sarranî fî qabrî) Whoever makes me happy in my grave, (sarrahullàhu taàlâ yawmal-qiyâmah) Allah Almighty makes him happy on the Day of Resurrection."
So, any good done to Muslims will be counted as if it is done to the Prophet SAS. How nice it is! Then, on the Day of Resurrection, Allah will provide happiness to the person who did the good. Once Allah provides happiness to a person in the hereafter, He will not punish him. The person will be rewarded from the endless source of bliss.
Being aware of this hadith, we should try our best to make Muslims happy and provide comfort and ease for them. We should avoid hurting people's feelings; we must not inflict any physical, spiritual or financial injury on people.
Sometimes people cannot defend their rights; sometimes they choose not to defend their rights because they know that Allah is aware. They keep quiet and forward the issue to Allah. If a rightful person leaves the issue to Allah, Allah would ruin the life of the person who did injustice. We have to be very careful in our dealings and interactions with people, for Allah is Azîzun Zuntiqâm that is, He would take revenge for any injustice and He will punish the person who commits injustice.
Let us try not to break anyone's heart. Damaging someone's heart is worst than damaging Kabah. To earn someone's heart and to make someone happy is a reason for gaining major rewards in the hereafter.
Do not make Muslim brothers and sisters sad; instead, help them as much as you can. Protect their interests. Regardless of their nationality, think every Muslim as your brother or sister. Think about Muslims living in Africa, Central Asia, Chechnia, Bosnia and other parts of the world and provide assistance for them as much as you can.
I wish we had the means to go to African countries where water is scarce and dig water wells to provide abundance of clean fresh water there. I wish, we could send tons of food to those in need. I wish we can teach them how to cultivate the land so that they can become self-sufficient people just like here in Australia where the desert is turned into a fertile land.
There is a city called Mildura, famous for its fruits in the central part of Australia. A river called Mary river passes by the city. They take the water from this river to water the sandy dessert land. The irrigation turns the desert into a large fertile land. They produce a variety of grapes, almond, apple, pear, other fruits and olive. Such kind of work is very common in many other cities in Australia.
People of Australia has a nice character. They know the value of even a drop of water. They try to preserve the water as much as they can. There is not much rainfall in the central Australia; it is arid in many areas. That is why they make artificial lakes to collect and preserve the rain water in many places.
For example, we have an artificial lake in our land. It is about two meters in depth in the middle yet gets shallower towards the periphery. There are lilies in it, and flocks of wild ducks come and enjoy the water. Sheep, cattle and other animals come and drink from the water. The water is also used for irrigation.
This could be done in other parts of the world as well. We could make small lakes to places where there is little rain. When there is no rain, this reserved water can be used.
When it is watered, the soil is a very beneficial friend. It becomes very productive. Sometimes one would be surprised to see different types of vegetables and fruits in unexpected places. For instance, you might see a cherry tomato plant in the middle of the weeds. You know you did not plant it there, yet it is full of fruits. Perhaps, birds carried the seeds.
Sometimes volcano is erected in the middle of the ocean, and one would see an island in the middle of the ocean afterwards. There would be a lake in the crater of the volcano. On these kind of islands you would not expect to see any vegetable or fruits. But Allah sends the seeds via birds or wind. One could see a fish in an unexpected place. But Allah makes it somehow out of His grace. We should praise Allah for everything He gives for us knowing that no praise is sufficient for His favors.
To sum up today's discourse, my dear Brothers and Sister, let us win the hearth of Muslims; let us make them happy, let us help the weak and the poor. Let us try to get as much reward as possible. This would make our life in this world and in the hereafter blessed and happy.
As salaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!
June 16, 2000 -- AUSTRALIA