Address at 5th Annual Mawlid Festival 2016 | Singapore Expo Max Atria
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. Alhamdulillahi Rabbi 'l-`Alameen, wa ’s-salaatu wa ’s-salaamu `alaa ashrafi 'l-mursaleena Sayyidina wa Nabiyyina Muhammadin wa `alaa aalihi wa sahbihi ajma`een.
May Allah (swt) bless all of you with this love you are showing to Sayyidina Muhammad (s). I cannot compete with Shaykh Ahmad Tijani.
Someone who is in a desert is thirsty for water to quench his thirst. We need water; if there is no water, there is no life. We want water.
وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاء كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ
We made every living thing from water. (Surat al-Anbiyaa, 21:30)
The Sahaabah (r) had water, they had Prophet (s), who is the Ocean of everything, but we did not have that. We are coming, begging at the door of Prophet (s) to open for us.
Allah (swt) said in the Holy Qur’an:
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Say (O Muhammad), "If you (really) love Allah, then follow me! Allah will love you and forgive your sins, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surat Aali-'Imraan, 3:31)
If you really want to show love to Allah (swt), then He is saying, “If you really want to love Me, show it by following the footsteps of Prophet.” At that time, He will forgive us! We are asking, “Yaa Rabbee, yaa Allah, yaa Sayyidee, yaa Rasoolullah, yaa Shaf`ee al-Mudhnibeen, adriknaa! Reach us, we cannot reach you. You reached the whole universe! You reached Qaaba qawsayni aw adnaa, so reach us, help us, show us your miracles, show us your presence, your love, your beauty!"
The Sahaabah (r) did that in their lives, standing beside Prophet (s). When they sat informally with Prophet (s) they gave salaam to him and then turned around and said another time, “As-salaamu `alaykum,” and Prophet (s) answered, “Wa `alaykum as-salaam wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.” They showed loved to Prophet (s). Alhamdulillah, the Ummah is awakening now, showing love in many ways we did not see before.
This example shows us the reality of Prophet (s). On the Last Hajj, when Prophet (s) was with his Sahaabah (r) on the night before Arafah, there he asked Allah (swt) to forgive the Ummah. He didn't ask for Allah anything except to forgive the Ummah, because he didn't want anyone to be outside of his realm, he wanted all his Ummah to be together wherever they are. He asked, “Yaa Rabbee, I need my Ummah, forgive them.” [See entire Hadith at end.]
Allah answered him, "Yaa Muhammad, for you I forgive them except the zhaalim, that one who cheats, deceives and does unacceptable things. I am not forgiving him."
Prophet (s) was sad for the zhaalim, because he wanted the whole Ummah to be saved and Allah excluded oppressors. We have to make sure we are not oppressors! If we love Prophet (s) and want to follow his footsteps we must ask forgiveness for us and for everyone, and not keep enmity within our hearts toward our brothers and sisters in Islam. We have to give them a chance to return to reason. We must clarify and explain things to them. It’s a responsibility of every one of us, it is not the responsibility of scholars. It is the responsibility of every father and mother, and every child has responsibility, he will grow up.
So Prophet (s) became sad that many oppressors on Earth will go to Hellfire. He wants his Ummah, he cannot be without them, and was calling, “Ummatee, Ummatee, I want my Ummah.” Who does the Ummah follow? The child follows the father or the mother, the Ummah follows the Prophet (s). When Allah (swt) said in the Holy Qur’an, "If you really love Allah, then follow me! Allah will love you and forgive your sins, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (3:31), we were already following him! If we do this or that, already Prophet (s) is taking us with him, we are ascending with him, he won't leave behind any of the Ummah!
On the night of Arafah, Prophet (s) asked Allah (swt) to forgive everyone, and Allah said He will forgive everyone except the oppressors. The following day Prophet (s) was still sad, then the Sahaabah (r) saw him happy and laughing, and they asked, “Yaa Rasoolullah, what happened?”
He said, “I made another du`a, ‘Yaa Rabbee! Give maghfirah to the ones you don't want to punish, and give Your Treasures that never end to the oppressors, bring them back to us.’ Then Allah said, ‘I am forgiving the oppressors, also.’”
As Ibn Majah (r) reported, the whole Ummah is forgiven before they are born, because Prophet’s love to Allah (swt) is enough for all the Ummah to go to Paradise, not one will be left behind, as the verse says:
وْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ جَآؤُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ اللّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُواْ اللّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا
If they had only, when they were unjust (oppressor) to themselves, come to you and asked Allah's forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful. (Surat an-Nisaa, 4:64)
“When they are oppressors to themselves,” means they are far from Prophet's love, they became oppressors to Allah and His Prophet by following their desires, so they must return with love, not directly to Allah, but to Prophet (s). Then, jaa'ooka, “They come to you, O Muhammad.”
So do your job and ask Prophet (s) to ask for your forgiveness. What does Prophet (s) do? “Fa-staghfaroo ’Llah” means when we do something wrong, but as soon as we open our mouths to say istighfaar, Prophet (s) is there. There are no veils; whoever says there are veils, a question mark is raised. There are no veils! We cannot see, we are blind, we don’t have that power. But Allah (swt) said in the Holy Qur’an that when we say, "O Rasoolullah! We are coming to you to ask forgiveness," it means we are speaking directly to Prophet (s) in his Presence. If someone can have vision, they see. We cannot, we do not have visions; Sahaabah (r) had visions, Awliyaullah and some scholars can have visions, but we common people are asking, “Yaa Rabbee, we want to have visions!” Inshaa-Allah, Allah will give us visions. So when Allah (swt) says, "They come to you," it means Prophet (s) is present among the Sahaabah (r), and because the Qur’an is for all times, then he (s) is present at all times, which is why he (s) said:
تعرض علي أعمال لكم فإن وجدت خيراً حمدت الله وما وجدت غير ذلك استغفرت لكم.
My life is a great good for you: you relate from it and narrations are related to you. And my death contains good for you as well, for I observe the `amal of my Ummah. If I find good I thank Allah, and if I see other than that, bad, I ask forgiveness for you. (al-Bazzaar in his Musnad)
Therefore, as soon as we say ‘astaghfirullah,’ Prophet (s) is present there and responds to your istighfaar with istighfaar, then you will find Allah tawwaaban raheema, Oft-Returning, Most Merciful. If we stop reading this ayaah (4:64) in a different place, then it says, la-wajadoo ’Llaaha, "They would have found Allah,” which changes the whole meaning: you will find Allah’s Reality of the Divine Presence and you will feel something different in yourself.
Every letter of istighfaar is alive and reciting in itself by itself to Allah (swt)! Allah knows what that letter will recite on your behalf, He granted Prophet (s) endless mercy to bless the Ummah. For example, in India, Shah Jahan loved his wife so much that he built the Taj Mahal in tribute, and it is considered one of the eight wonders of this dunya. What do you think if you love Prophet (s), what Allah will give you? If you show love and respect like in qasaa'id, speeches, recitations, what will Allah (swt) give? One man gave something so precious in dunya that you cannot build anything like it today, and in Allah’s view dunya does not weigh the wing of a mosquito, so what blessings will Allah give when you love Prophet (s)?
O Muslims, let this Mawlid Festival be happy for us all. Be happy, because when you mention Prophet (s) he is with you! Whenever anyone makes salawaat on him, Allah sends his soul back to his body to answer.
ما من أحد يسلم علي إلا رد الله علي روحي حتى أرد عليه السلام
Nobody sends salaam to me except that Allah returns my soul so that I can return the salaam. (Ahmad)
من صلى علي مرة صلى الله عليه بها عشرا
Whoever sends blessings on me once, Allah will return it with ten blessings. (Muslim, Ahmad)
Allah (swt) answers our salawaat with ten hasanaat, and every hasanah is heavier than the Scale! Allah ordered the love of His Prophet (s) for the benefit of the Ummah:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
Verily, Allah and His angels send praise on the Prophet. O Believers! Pray upon him and greet him with a worthy salutation. (Surat al-'Ahzaab, 33:56)
Allah and His Angels are praising Prophet (s). Allah (swt) sends all this to Prophet (s) out of love. Allah loves His `Abd! He is The Creator, He can love anyone. That’s why He said:
وما يزال عبدي يتقرب إلي بالنوافل حتى أحبه فإذا أحببته كنت سمعه الذي يسمع به وبصره الذي يبصر به ويده التي يبطش بها ورجله التي يمشي بها وإن سألني لأعطينه ولئن استعاذني لأعيذنه وما ترددت عن شيء أنا فاعله ترددي عن نفس المؤمن يكره الموت وأنا أكره مساءته ولا يزال عبدي يتقرب إلي بالنوافل حتى أحبه، فإذا أحببته كنت سمعه الذي يسمع به وبصره الذي يبصر به، ويده التي يبطش بها ورجله التي يمشي بها،
My servant does not cease to approach Me through voluntary worship until I will love him. When I love him, I will become the ears with which he hears, the eyes with which he sees, the hand with which he acts, and the legs with which he walks (and other versions include, “and the tongue with which he speaks.”). (Hadith Qudsi, Bukhari)
Allah is saying, “I love you, but follow Muhammad; follow his way like the son follows the father.” So as long as you approach Allah (swt) through voluntary worship, He will love you. “I will be the ears he can hear with." What can you hear? You can hear something more. Are you hearing anything now, yes or no? You are not hearing anything except the speaker, the worthless one, the most crazy one; we are not hearing a sound, but there are lots of sounds, lots of videos, lots of movies coming through sound waves. If you put a TV or speakers you can hear. Why are we not hearing? This microphone is an invention of human beings. What about Allah's Creation? Yes we can hear: when we say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah,” that energy will never die, it will go until the end of time, it's a secret.
When you say “Allah,” the angels say it until the end of time and it is written for you out of love to Prophet (s). That’s why he (s) said, “Whoever makes one salawaat on me, Allah makes ten salawaat on him.” When we make salawaat, it is a soup mixed with interference from Shaytan, like during the prayer when all sorts of gossips come to our mind. First, "How much do I have in the bank?" You are living and dying and not taking anything with you, but do your best in life.
What is needed from us? We will be rewarded ten rewards. Do we know what one reward is equal to? No one knows, it is endless Rahmah and treasures, and Allah (swt) has all treasures, He is the Generous One.
وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَى
And indeed, your Sustainer will grant you [what your heart desires] and you will be satisfied.
(Surat ad-Duha, 93:5)
Do you think Prophet (s) will say he is satisfied? He will say, “Yaa Rabbee, give me more for my Ummah!” Prophet (s) will be called by himself on the Day of Judgement and will ask Jibreel (a),“Where is my Ummah, did Allah already judge them?” and Jibreel (a) will say, “No, Allah is waiting for you.”
Allah is waiting for Prophet (s). SubhaanAllah. Allah, The Creator, is waiting for the Prophet (s)! Then Prophet (s) will come in Allah's Holy Presence and make sajda, about which he said in Hadith that in that sajda, Allah opened on his heart du`as he never heard before, then he asked Allah to grant maghfirah for his Ummah, and Allah said, “Raise your head, I will give you what you want.” Prophet (s) said, “Yaa Rabbee, I want my Ummah.” Allah (swt) said, “Take one-third of them with no account.”
Is Prophet (s) satisfied? No, he asked another time. He said Allah can keep him in sajda as long as He wants. Allah said, “Raise your head, what do you want?” He (s) said, “I want the Ummah.” Allah said, “I will give you half of the remaining and the other half is for Me.” Then Prophet (s) made a third sajda and asked for forgiveness, and Allah said, “Take all of them, except one,” and Allah (swt) says to that one, “I am The Creator and he is My servant, My Prophet, My Beloved One! I gave him the whole Ummah and for his sake I forgive you.” [See entire Hadith at end.]
O Muslims! The love of Prophet (s) can open the way for you to see visions and hear through your heart. Sometimes you can get inspirations coming from Heavens, and you can reach`Ilm al-Yaqeen, Haqq al-Yaqeen,`Ayn al-Yaqeen[1]; then you can reach Hudoor Allah, Hudoor al-Habeeb, Hudoor al-Awliya[2]; then Mahabbat Allah, Mahabbat al-Habeeb, Mahabaat as-Saaliheen[3], and Fanaa’ fi ‘Llah, Fanaa’ fi ‘l-Habeeb, Fanaa’ fi ‘s-Saaliheen, Fanaa fi ‘l-Ummah.[4]
May Allah forgive us all, bless you all, especially in this month, Dhul Hijjah. The tenth of Dhul Hijjah is the sacrifice day. Next month the tenth of Muharram is the sacrifice of Imam Husayn (a). If you can fast, then Allah will forgive your sins of the previous year. May Allah forgive us and bless us, and forgive all the Muslims and guide us to unity, and to listen to our governments because we do not want headaches; let them do their job and we do our job. Our job is to give advice and nothing else. Their job is to keep us safe and may they be rewarded.
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.
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رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ دَعَا عَشِيَّةَ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ لأُمَّتِهِ بِالْمَغْفِرَةِ وَالرَّحْمَةِ ، فَأَكْثَرَ الدُّعَاءَ ، فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ : إِنِّي قَدْ فَعَلْتُ ، إِلا ظُلْمَ بَعْضِهِمْ لِبَعْضٍ ، وَأَمَّا ذُنُوبُهُمْ فِيمَا بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهُمْ فَقَدْ غَفَرْتُهَا ، فَقَالَ : يَا رَبِّ إِنَّكَ قَادِرٌ عَلَى أَنْ تُثِيبَ هَذَا الْمَظْلُومَ خَيْرًا مِنْ مَظْلَمَتِهِ ، وَتَغْفِرَ لِهَذَا الظَّالِمِ ، فَلَمْ يُجِبْهُ تِلْكَ الْعَشِيَّةَ فَلَمَّا كَانَ غَدَاةَ الْمُزْدَلِفَةِ أَعَادَ الدُّعَاءَ ، فَأَجَابَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى : إِنِّي قَدْ غَفَرْتُ لَهُمْ " ، قَالَ : فَتَبَسَّمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، فَقَالَ لَهُ بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِهِ : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ، تَبَسَّمْتَ فِي سَاعَةٍ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَتَبَسَّمُ فِيهَا ، قَالَ : " تَبَسَّمْتُ مِنْ عَدُوِّ اللَّهِ إِبْلِيسَ ، إِنَّهُ لَمَّا عَلِمَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى قَدِ اسْتَجَابَ لِي فِي أُمَّتِي أَهْوَى يَدْعُو بِالْوَيْلِ وَالثُّبُورِ ، وَيَحْثُو عَلَى رَأْسِهِ التُّرَابَ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ supplicated for forgiveness and mercy for his Ummah on the night before `Arafah. Then Allah ﷻ revealed to him, “I have forgiven them except their oppression of each other. As for their sins between Me and them, I have forgiven them.” He said, “O my Lord, truly You are able to reward the oppressed one more than what he suffered of oppression and to forgive the oppressor.” He ﷻ did not respond that night. The following day at Muzdalifa he repeated the supplication and Allah ﷻ responded to him, “I have forgiven them.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ laughed and some of his Companions asked him, “O Messenger of Allah, you are laughing at a time you did not used to laugh?” He said, “I am laughing at the enemy of Allah, Iblees. When he heard that Allah had answered me, he fell down wailing and started throwing dirt on his head.” (Ibn Majah, Ahmad, Bayhaqi)
In Imam Bukhari’s book Adab al-Mufrad, Sayyidina Anas (r) narrated that the Prophet (s) said:
The Prophet (s) will go into sajda on the Day of Judgment and Allah (swt) will open du`as to him that were never opened to him before. Allah (swt) will then tell him to raise his head and ask, and Prophet (s) will raise his head and hands and ask for his Ummah. Allah (swt) will say, “Go and take one-third of them.” The Prophet (s) will not be satisfied, he will go into sajda once more and make prayers that were never opened before. Then again Allah (swt) will say, “Ask and you will be given.” Prophet (s) will ask for his Ummah and Allah (swt) will give him another third of the Ummah. Then the Prophet (s) will go into sajda and new prayers will be opened to him that were never opened before. Allah (swt) will tell him to raise his head and ask. Prophet (s) will raise his head and hands and ask for his Ummah. Allah (swt) will then say, “Take all of them, except for that one!” That person will be the worst of the entire Ummah and everyone must think it may be them as we are all sinners from the Prophet’s (s) Nation. Then Allah will ask, “Who gave My Mercy to Muhammad (s)? I did, as I am Arhama ‘r-Rahimeen! I am The Best, Rahmah on Rahmah! Go with Prophet (s) to Paradise without hisaab, giving any account!”
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[1] The spiritual stations: Knowledge of Sincerity, Truth of Sincerity, Vision of Sincerity.
[2] The spiritual stations: Presence of Allah, Presence of Prophet, Presence of Saints.
[3] The spiritual stations: Love of Allah, Love of Prophet, Love of Pious Ones.
[4] The spiritual stations: Annihilation in Allah, annihilation in Prophet, annihilation in the Pious Ones, annihilation in the Ummah.