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The Power of “As Salaamu `Alaykum”

2 September 2012 Nairobi, Kenya

Brief Suhbah at Private Wedding Reception

As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. Alhamdulillah Rabbi ‘l-`alameen was-salaatu was-salaamu `alaa ashraf al-mursaleen, Sayyidina wa Nabiyyina Muhammadin wa `alaa alihi wa saahbihi ajma`een.

I will speak in English, as I know most of you don’t know Arabic.

Alhamdulillah, in the time of Prophet (s), the Sahaabah (r) came around him every possible moment to give him salaam, because when you say, “As-salaamu `alaykum,” and Prophet (s) answers, “Wa `alaykum salaam,” his salaam is better than ours. So we must learn from the example of the Sahaabah (r) and say to each other, “As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.”

In authentic ahadith of Prophet (s), there are four elements that are very important and whoever fulfills them will save himself, not from Hellfire; Hellfire is not for believers, those who do good in dunya. Allah (swt) will judge them and send them to Paradise, and therefore, we can’t judge anyone (as we don’t know how Allah will judge them). We leave them to their own beliefs and say, “Allah is the best Judge and perhaps He will forgive them.” We don’t differentiate, claiming, “This one is a kafir, that one is a believer, a Muslim.” We leave it to Allah (swt).

Don’t tell people, “You are kafir; you commit the sins of bid`a and shirk!” Today, if you go forward, they say it is bid`a, if you go back, it is shirk, if you go right, it is haraam, and if you go left, it is kufr. We are stuck and cannot move anymore; we need a wheelchair so that they can push us in the direction that they like! So it is is better today to sit on a wheelchair and let them push us in any direction they want and we don’t say anything, as we surrender to Allah (swt)!

If someone wants to go to Paradise, he has to do the following as the Prophet (s) said, “Afshoo 's-salaam w 'ati`mu 't-ta`am,” which means, “Whenever you see someone, say, ‘As-salaamu `alaykum.’” If you don’t know how to give salaam, say, “Good morning,” “Good evening,” or whatever. And w 'ati`mu 't-ta`am, “and give food.”

There was a person in the time of Sayyidina `Ali (r) and Sayyidina Muawiya who used to sit on top of a mountain. At prayer time, he always prayed behind Sayyidina `Ali (r) and then returned up to the mountain. At mealtime, he sat with Muawiyya to eat the food he served.

People said, “What is this hypocrisy? Choose one!”

That man said, “I pray behind Sayyidina `Ali because his prayers go directly to Allah, and I eat with Muawiya because his food is tastier!”

Prophet (s) said, “Say salaam, give food, and wake up when people are sleeping to praise your Lord. From these three acts, you will enter Paradise easily with no account.”

I think Bilal (groom) was that type of person, whose food was tasty like Muawiya’s food. Three years ago when he was in Canada and Sana, then his fiance, was in England, in a phone call she said, “I was too busy studying and I didn’t eat all day!” So he ordered food for her and had it shipped to her in England. Imagine how much he paid for the phone calls and how many credit cards he used to order food from one country to another country! When it was delivered, she thought, “I didn’t order that food,” and she saw a note attached, “My beloved Sana, when you complete your medical studies we have to get married.”

Today they are married and may Allah bless them and may Allah give them a good life. Pray for them.

We hope that everyone who is not married finds someone to marry, inshaa-Allah. If a man is married, he must look at his wife as if she is the most beautiful one, Miss Universe! If a woman is married, she must look at her husband as if he is Mr. Universe, although I don’t know if there is such a thing. (laughter)

May Allah forgive us.

As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.

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