Friday, June 15, 2012

Who Are the Prophet’s Brothers?

Muslimsufi : Who Are the Prophet’s Brothers?



By Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
1 June 2012    Burton, Michigan
Jumu`ah Khutbah at As-Siddiq Mosque

Alhamdulillah that Allah (swt), with His Endless Mercy, honored us to be from Ummat an-Nabi (s) without us doing anything, and there will be no payment fir it except our worshipness. Allah (swt) did not ask from us anything except servanthood: to pray to Allah (swt) Whom created us and to thank Him by saying, “alhamdulillah, shukrulillah, subhaanAllah, and Allahu Akbar,” to keep repeating these four beautiful words that are part of Holy Qur'an. Any way you recite them is okay, thanking Allah (swt) that He made us reach this month, about which the Prophet (s) said:

رجب شهر الله، وشعبان شهري، ورمضان شهر أمتي

Rajabun shahrullah wa sha`baanu shahree wa ramadanu shahra ummattee.
Rajab is Allah's month, Sha`baan is my month and Ramadan is the month of the Ummah.
(Abul-Fath ibn Abi Fawaris in his `Amalee from al-Hasan, mursalan).

Ramadan is the month in which it is good to increase `ibaadah. It is related by Abi Sa`eed al-Khudri (r) that the Prophet (s) said:

من صام يوماً في سبيل الله باعد الله وجهه عن النار سبعين خريفا

Man saama yawman fee sabeeilillaah ba`id allaha wajhahu `ani ’n-naari saba`eena khareefa.
Not one servant fasts one day in the Way of Allah one day in all his life except that Allah (swt) will move him away from Hellfire the distance of 70 years (if he is among those who are going to be punished).

If any person fasts for the Sake of Allah (swt) one day other than in Ramadan, for sure that person will not see any punishment! That is why in Rajab and Sha`baan the Prophet (s) fasted a lot, and Sayyida `Ayesha (r) said:

قالت عائشة رضي الله تعالى عنها: لم يكن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم يصوم شهرا أكثر من شعبان فإنه كان يصوم شعبان كله

Qaalat `Aisha lam yakun an-nabiyy yasoomu shahran akthara min sha`bana fa-innahu kaana yasooma sha`baana kullahu.

The Prophet (s) neven fasted a month more than he fasted in Sha`ban for he would fast all of Sha`ban. [continuing to Ramadan.]

But if you break then you have to separate the months by not fasting some days in Sha`baan, but I know many people used to fast these three months without a break; my grandmother fasted and many people fast like that around the world. However, as the now the days are seventeen to eighteen hours long it is difficult, although in the Middle East the fast is twelve hours, still it is good to at least fast Mondays and Thursdays,or one day in every month, or the three days in the middle of the month, ayaam al-beed, “the White Days.”

Allah (swt) honored us to be from Ummat an-Nabi (s) and from the "Brothers of the Prophet," based on a hadith narrated in Bukhari and Muslim, that the Prophet (s) was sitting with his Companions (r) one day and said, ishtaqtu li ikhwaanee, “I miss my brothers.” They said, “Are we not your brothers?” and he (s) said, “No, you are my Companions. My brothers are people who come after me and they believe in me without seeing me. Those I am missing and I want them.” 

اشتقت لاحبابي . فقال اصحابه رضي الله عنهم : نحن يا رسول الله ؟ , قال لا انتم اصحابي أما احبابي فأناس من أُمتي يأتون في اخر الزمان يحبونني ولم يروني , اعوانكم على الخير كثير , وأعوانهم على الشر كثير

Ishtaqtu li-ikhwaanee. Faqaala Ashaabahu nahnu yaa rasoolullah? Qaala: laa antum ashaabee ammaa ahbaabee fa-unaasin min ummatee yaatoona fee aakhira’z-zamaan yuhiboonanee wa lam yarawnee, aa`waanakum `alaa al-khayri katheerin wa aa`waanahum `alaa ash-sharri katheer.

Anas bin Malik (r) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s) said, "I wish that I could meet my brothers." The Sahaabah (r) asked, "Aren't we your brothers?" He replied, "You are my Companions, but my brothers are those who will believe in me without having seen me." You have many supports for doing good and they have many supports for doing evil.
(Al-Albani graded it sahih in al-Silsilah al-Sahihah)

So we have to thank Allah (swt) that He made us believe in the Prophet (s) and thus we became brothers to him! Why are people fasting, praying, making dhikrullah, and sending salawaat on the Prophet (s)? The best you can do is what is written in Holy Qur'an and the Holy Hadith:

نَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا

Inna-Llaaha wa malaa'ikatahu yusalloona `alaa 'n-nabiyy, yaa ayyuha ’Lladheena aamanoo salloo `alayhi was sallimoo tasleema.

Verily, Allah and His angels send praise on the Prophet. O Believers! Pray upon him and greet him. (Surat al-Ahzaab, 33:56)

Inna Allah wa malaa'ikatahu yusalloona `alaa ’n-Nabi, confirms that Allah and His angels are praying on the Prophet (s), and not prayers of worship but prayers/praises that dress Sayyidina Muhammad (s) with Heavenly Lights, which is what the salawaat of Allah and the angels consists of. Yaa ayyuha ’Lladheena aamanoo salloo `alayhi was sallimoo tasleema, "So you mu’min, praise that one that We are praising by dressing with all kinds of Allah's Beautiful Names and Attributes.”

And Allah (swt) mentioned the number in Holy Qur'an, Allah's Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names and Attributes. And He mentioned two kinds of people: believers in the time of the Prophet (s) who saw him and became Muslim, and that is honor for them; and those who believe in the Prophet (s) without seeing him. Those people, like you and every Muslim, Allah (swt) loves them! 

وعن بن عباس أنه قال لجلسائه يوما :أي الناس أعجب إيمانا؟ قالوا : الملائكة. قال: وكيف لا تؤمن الملائكة والأمر فوقهم يرونه؟ قالوا :الأنبياء. قال: وكيف لا يؤمن الأنبياء والأمر ينزل عليهم غدوة وعشية؟ قالوا: فنحن .قال: وكيف لا تؤمنون وأنتم ترون من رسول الله ما ترون؟ ثم قال: قال رسول الله :" أعجب الناس إيمانا قوم يأتون من بعدي يؤمنون بي ولم يروني . أولئك إخواني حقا ".

The Prophet (s) was sitting with his Companions and said, “Who are the ones with the most imaan, that astonishes and stuns me?” He asked the Sahaabah (r), “Did you hear about them or can you figure out who these people are?” They looked at him and thought, “Who can be of the best imaan?” They said, “The angels, who are always under Allah's Order in everything; it must be the angels.” The Prophet (s) said, Wa kayfa la tumin al-malaaikata wal-amru fawqahum yarawnahu, “How can the angels not have strong imaan when they are in the Divine Presence and they see what they see? Of course they have the best imaan. No, they have imaan, but there are others with the best imaan.” The Sahaabah (r) thought some more and said, “If it is not the angels, then it must be the Prophets.” The Prophet (s) said, “How are the Prophets not going to have imaan when Allah (swt) reveals to them morning and evening and they hear Allah's revelation through Jibreel (a), who brings them the message, or Sayyidina Musa (a), who talks directly as Kaleemullah? How can they not believe when it is being revealed to them?” Then the Sahaabah (r) looked at each other and said, “If not the angels and not Prophets, then it is us. How is it not us and we are following you?” And the Prophet (s) said, “How do you dare to say ‘us,’ and how can you not have imaan when you are among the Prophet (s) and see what he is bringing to you? No, there are others who have the best imaan. The people with the most imaan are those coming after me, who believe in me although they did not see me, and that means coming after you, O Sahaabah! Those are in truth my brothers!”

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : « يأتي على الناس زمان القابض على دينه كالقابض على الجمررواه الترمذي.

Qaala rasoolullah yaatee `ala an-naasi zamaan al-qaabidu `ala deenihi ka’l-qaabidu `alaa al-jamr.
The one holding his religion firmly in his hand is like someone holding a burning coal.

Today there is no one who can say they don't commit sins in this time as we do so constantly; when we go to work we sin and when we come back we sin!

The Sahaabah (r) held fast to their religion but they never said, "no" to the Prophet (s). We ask Allah, laa tu-akhidkhnaa, “Don’t take us to task, yaa Allah!” Sometimes we say, "no” to good things and so they wondered, “Who are these people with the strongest faith?” The Prophet (s) said, “They who come after me in the Last Days; when fitna is everywhere they will come and believe in me. They are my brothers and you are my Sahaabah.” He compared that group, which is you, the Muslims living today, who are not killing or doing what Allah does not like. We are asking Allah's forgiveness and may Allah be easy on us! Today it is not easy to be Muslim, but the Prophet (s) gave us good tidings and we repay the Prophet (s) with shukr:

وَ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ

Wa la’in shakartum la-azeedanakum.
If you thank Me, I will give you more.   (Surah Ibrahim, 14:7)

Don’t miss showing thanks to Allah (swt)! Pray two raka`ats shukr and say, “Alhamdulillah, shukran lillah,” and make salawat on the Prophet (s) in any way you are inspired, but don't stop. Allah didn't say, “Do 200, 300, 1000,” but He kept it open, which means you can even do a million! He (swt) said, “Salloo `alayhi, pray on Prophet (s)” which means in any moment you are free, if you are not reading Holy Qur'an then pray on the Prophet (s).

Look how much we are getting and not thanking! In the narration of Imam Muslim (r), whoever makes salawat on the Prophet (s), Allah will make on that person ten salawat! Is our salawat like Allah's, which will open anything closed and clean us from every dirtiness? Allah (swt) will open what you need opened as you are from Ummat an-Nabi (s), from Prophet's spiritual blood, if we can say that. Allah (swt) honored each of us with the spiritual light of the Prophet (s) and he said, “For every good deed there are ten rewards,” which is candy for us! No one is able to understand what Allah (swt) will give and there are lot of opinions among scholars about it. The normal opinion that many Muslims believe is that for every good deed, Allah (swt) will reward you according to His Greatness.

We give according to our ego and desires but Allah (swt) gives according to His Greatness, which has no limits! For example, when I pray two raka`ats the hasanat is equal to twenty raka`ats, but Allah's reward of twenty raka`ats is according to His Greatness and it goes up to 700 times more (credit for up to 1400 raka`ats)!

Once Prophet (s) asked the Sahaabah (r), “Can any of you pray two raka`ats without any external thoughts of dunya entering your mind, only feeling Allah, His Prophet and Ka`aba in front of you? I will give my jubba to whoever does that.”

The Sahaabah (r) tried and said, "We didn't do it because we thought something."
Sayyidina `Ali (r) prayed two raka`ats without thinking of dunya, and afterwards he tought, “Which jubba will Prophet (s) give me, the red one, the green one or the black one?"

That is an example of the hadith of someone that keeps his religion is like the one holding a hot burning coal. Do we sin and make mistakes? Yes, but don’t forget Allah's maghfirah, forgiveness, and that He said, “I will reward up to 700 times (per good deed).” The exception is fasting in the Way of Allah (swt), Who said, “The fast is for Me and I will reward it directly.” That is one day extra in your life, in your year. Today people remember the day of their “birth,” when they became Muslim; fast that day.
Imam Muslim (r) narrated about the virtues of fasting on Mondays, as Prophet (s) said, “Monday is the day I was born.” Fast that day or any day. 

للصائم فرحتان : فرحة عند فطره ، وفرحة عند لقاء ربه

Li-as-saaim farhataan: farhatan `inda fitratihi wa farhatan `inda liqaa rabbih.

The one who puts aside his bad desires and his food for the sake of loving Me, I will grant him two happinesses: one when he breaks his fast, and one when he meets his Lord.  (Muslim)

The first happiness for the one who fasts is to know you were able to do it, as fasting 17-18 hours is not easy, so Allah (swt) gives him happiness when he breaks fast, and he will be happy on the Day of Judgment when he is facing and seeing His Lord.

O Muslims! Allah is giving us from His Endless Mercy that He didn't give to anyone else: 

كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ

Kuntum khayra ummatin ukhrajit li ’n-naas, taamuroona bi ’l-ma`roofa wa tanhawna `ani’l-munkari wa tuminoona billaah.

You are the best of nations sent forth to mankind, calling for good and forbidding evil and believing in Allah. (Aali `Imraan, 3:110)

Show your Lord that you are the best of ummahs (not showing people), which means to recite shukran lillah, thank Allah (swt), and don’t forget! We have to go to work, pray and fast, and that is obligatory, but there is also nafl, the voluntary acts of worship Prophet (s) used to do, fasting and making du`a and thanking Allah.

O Muslims! Thank Allah (swt) for what He has guided you to!

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JazakAllahu khayr.

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