MawlidFest 2015 Dinner at Red Velvet Banquet Hall
Allahu Akbar, what Allah (swt) has provided Prophet (s) in the First Heaven! If a king comes to a country, what type of honor to they give him? Red carpets, gold everywhere to show him respect. What respect has Allah (swt) shown to Prophet (s) by inviting him to the First, Second, Third, Fourth, all the way to the Seventh Heaven? What kind of reception? Allah (swt) wants to be generous with His Prophet to show his honor to humanity. He invited him, He was able to bring him directly to Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa.
Look how much love is in the hearts of people. Islam is love. They say Islam is peace; we have memorized that, but in reality Islam is good manners, not only peace. The good manners are to love each other and when we love each other we have mercy to each other and when we love each other we also follow each other. That’s why love creates ittibaa`, obedience. Allah swt said in the Holy Quran:
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 love Allah, follow me and Allah will love you.” It means ittibaa` al-Nabi (s), to follow his footsteps. Where does it come from? It comes from the womb of love. That poor guy, a Bedouin who doesn’t understand anything, barefooted, might be half naked, nothing on him, came to Prophet (s) and stood by the door when Prophet (s) was giving the Jumu`ah sermon. He said, “When is the Day of Judgement?” Prophet (s) didn’t answer, but when he says word it is Revelation. Any letter, “Alif. Laam. Meem.” is a Revelation. I don’t like to go too far, maybe some people object, but everything from Allah swt to Prophet (s) is a Revelation:
وَالنَّجْمِ إِذَا هَوَىٰ مَا ضَلَّ صَاحِبُكُمْ وَمَا غَوَىٰ وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَىٰ
By the star when it descends, your companion [Muhammad] has not strayed, nor has he erred, nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a Revelation revealed. (Surat an-Najm, 53:1-4)
The nutq comes from the throat, so it means anything that comes from the Prophet’s throat is Revelation for the benefit of his Ummah! So that poor Bedouin coming and standing by the door, saying, “Yaa Muhammad” (not even “Yaa Rasoolullah”), “When is the Day of Judgement?”
We never ask ourselves when is the Day of Judgement. The Bedouin realized that emotion in his heart of love to Prophet (s) and said, “I want to know about the Day of Judgement, what will happen to me?” Prophet (s) didn’t answer because he was waiting for the Revelation to come, then Jibreel (a) came and said, “Yaa Rasoolullah! Allah sends salaams to you and says to answer him.” Then Prophet (s) answered the Bedouin, “It’s a long travel, what have you prepared for it? What are you coming with to answer that question about the Day that will terrify everyone around the world? You worked and did your best in dunya, but what have you prepared for Akhirah?” The Bedouin wondered what to answer, then he said, “Yaa Rasoolullah, I prepared something special, my love for you, yaa Muhammad! My ticket to Paradise is this love.” The Prophet (s) said:
يحشر المرء مع من أحب
Each person will be resurrected with the one he loves. (Tabarani)
He (s) is saying to the Bedouin, “If you love me, you will be with me in Akhirah.” Those groups making salawaat, showing love to Prophet (s) go to Paradise directly and the listeners will go to Paradise, angels will encompass them. If a group of people remember Allah (swt), make salawaat, and dhikr is also to make salawaat, Allah will reward anyone doing that. Anyone who hears salawaat on Prophet (s) and is happy with it, Allah will reward him.
Allah ordered the angels to make salawaat because He loves His Prophet (s)! So if we love Sayyidina Muhammad (s), we have a ticket to Paradise. Show your love! They asked him about fasting on Monday, he said, “Yes, fast Monday because it was the day I was born.” This Hadith is accepted in Sahih Muslim.
O Muslims! To love Prophet (s) is the seed for us to improve our manners. Look at our Prophet: he was always humble, always open-minded, always received his Sahabah, spoke with them both formally and informally. One time he was sitting informally with them, joking; don’t believe Prophet (s) doesn’t joke, he has a sense of humor and makes everyone happy with him. So one time, Prophet (s) was eating grapes one-after-one from the bottom of the bunch because it is the most delicious part, and non-Muslims were entering and as soon as they entered Prophet (s) started eating from the top of the bunch of grapes.
They asked, “Yaa Muhammad, we are seeing something we didn't see before, you are eating from the top where it is sour.”
He (s) said, “Yes, I am keeping the sweet grapes at the bottom for you.”
Look at our Prophet's character, the reality and deep essence of love he showed for his Lord, not loving only by words but by action! On the Day of Judgement, Allah (swt) will call and Prophet (s) will look around for his Ummah, asking, “Did You judge them yet?”
Allah will say, “No, they are still not called."
Then Prophet (s) will say, “I will make a sajda (for them).”
At that moment, be happy you are in Akhirah as Allah (swt) is going to forgive us! Do your prayers and obligations, don't be angry as no there is nothing in dunya for that. In Akhirah, Prophet (s) makes a sajda to save the Ummah and says, “Yaa Rabbee, open for me!” and says in a Hadith, “At that time, Allah (swt) opens for me du`as,” that he never imagined possible. You are his Ummah, he (s) will reward you!
Allah gave him shafa`ah and said,[1] “Raise your head and take one-third of your Ummah with no account!” Prophet (s) is happy, but asks, “What about the rest of the Ummah?” He made another sajda and Allah opened more du`as. What kind of du`as did Allah give him that He did not open such in dunya? What kind of Revelation will he (s) receive that means all his du`as will be accepted? We don't know and even Prophet (s) doesn't know, only on Judgement Day he will know.
What kind of language? It will be the Arabic language, words put together. Even if you know the Arabic language, but it is something special that has never been opened before, like the muqata`at, we don't understand it. He makes another du`a, Allah (swt) says, “Raise your head, I will give,” and Prophet (s) said, “Yaa Rabbee! I want my Ummah, and Allah (swt) says, “Take the rest,” which is one-third. Then Prophet (s) says, “Yaa Rabbee, I want the rest.” Then he makes another sajda; Allah loves sajda, the one who makes sajda continuously, that is the `abdullah. Then Prophet (s) makes du`a that was never made before, he makes du`a and the rest are forgiven, except one. Allah looks at that one and says, “My mercy is over the Prophet’s shafa`ah, I forgive you!” and that one goes to Paradise. “I am the one that gives rahmah, and I am giving you rahmah, so go to Paradise!” and the whole Ummah will be saved.
O Muslims, we are so blessed! Prophet (s) ate from the sour grapes at the top and the guests accepted and said Shahaadah from his love. Such a man that gave his life to humanity, such a blessed prophet, the Perfect Man, we have to follow in his footsteps. That’s why 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 love Allah, love Muhammad (s).”
What you can understand of Alif. Laam. Meem., the beginning of Surat al-Baqara? Alif stands for what? Alif is for Allah, Laam is for Jibreel (a) and Meem is for Muhammad (s). Laam is the middle letter of Jibreel and Muhammad is the Meem. There are two Meems, one with the Divine Presence and one with people in dunya. The one in the Divine Presence is always his (s) presence in Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa, as scholars have explained. The Meem facing Allah (swt) is always in submission, the one facing dunya is always in submission but with shoora, consultation with people.
O Muslims! What Allah gave to Muhammad (s) He didn't give anyone else! Prophet (s) asked the Bedouin, “What have you prepared?”
He said, “I want to know what I have to prepare in dunya. I love you!”
Prophet (s) answered, “Don't worry, you will be with me in Akhirah!”
يحشر المرء مع من أحب
Each person will be resurrected with the one he loves. (Tabarani)
So do you want to be with Prophet? Love Sayyidina Muhammad (s)! I am asking, how much do you love your children? If they are sick you are running all the day and night with love to your children, at least we should have love like that for Sayyidina Muhammad (s), then you will see your life change!
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ
(O Muhammad!) We have sent you not except as a Mercy for all the Worlds. (Surat al-Anbiyaa, 21:107)
Prophet (s) said:
انما بعثت لاتمم مكارم الاخلاق
I have been sent to perfect the best of conduct (your behavior and character). (Bazzaar)
I will say something in Arabic: he (s) said, innamaa, “Verily, it is a condition: I have been sent to perfect your character,” which means he took responsibility to perfect the Ummah, so he is liable in front of Allah and he has to give his Ummah back clean and pure! That is why there is salawaat. It is an order for what? To save you from punishment! May Allah save us all from punishment, as Prophet (s) said:
من حوسب عذب
(Yaa `Ayesha!) Who will be judged will be punished for sure. (Bukhari)
Ask Allah not to judge you because there are things in your life you have done that are hidden from you, a lot [of sins] we forgot about, but Allah knows them, so ask Allah not to judge that.
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh. Enjoy the dinner.
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[1] In a long hadith related by al-Bukhari, Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah.