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What Happens Every Time You Praise Prophet (s)

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

10 March 2014 Ilford, England

Ilford Islamic Center

Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem. 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. Amma b`ad fa nahmaduhu ta`ala `ala ni`amihi zhaahiran wa baatinan. Wa nashkuruhu shukran jazeelan `ala annahu khalaqanaa wa ja`alanaa min ummati habeebihi ‘l-mustafa `alayhi afdala ’s-salaat wa ‘s-salaam. Fa yaa ahbaaba rasoolillahi sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam. Antum ahbaab an-Nabi sallalahu `alayhi wa sallam. Wa ’n-Nabi habeebullah wa’Llahu habeebi Muhammad sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam.

Bushraa lanaa ma`shara ‘l-islaami inna lanaa, mina ’l-inayaati ruknan ghayra munhadimi.

Happy news for us, O People of Islam! We have a strong and unyielding support from the Divine favor. (Shaykh Muhammad al-Busayri, Burdat ash-Shareef)

O brothers and sisters, thank you very much, and the organizers, thank you very much for this event that is bringing happiness to the hearts. To see young men, young people, mashaa-Allah, coming and attending an event on the love of Prophet (s). For me I have to say to myself that, “I don’t deserve to sit here, I deserve to be by the door, by the shoes, not more than that,” because Allah said in Holy Qur’an:

فَلَا تُزَكُّوا أَنفُسَكُمْ

Fa laa tuzakoo anfusakum.

Don’t praise yourself. (Surat an-Najm, 53:32)

“Don’t praise yourself,” don’t give a chance to your ego, Allah is saying, to your self, to raise its head. If we let a chance for our selves to raise our head, Shaytan attacks immediately, so we always have to lower our heads. Allah said in Holy Qur’an to Prophet (s):

قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ

Qul innamaa anaa basharun mithlukum.

Say,“I am but a man like yourselves.” (Surat al-Kahf, 18:110)

Allah (swt) is saying to Prophet (s) to say to us about himself, “Qul innama ana basharun min mithlakum, I am a human being like you.” Allah (swt) said, “Yaa Rasoolullah say to them, qul innamaa anaa basharun mithlukum, say, ‘I am like you, a human being.’” Allah (swt) wants us to understand that if Prophet (s) is saying this, what should we say about ourselves? Prophet (s) is saying this to teach us how to be humble, not to be proud or arrogant. To be arrogant is from Shaytan; pride is from Shaytan, humility is from Prophet (s). When Allah ordered Iblees to make sajdah to Adam (a) he refused because he was arrogant, he praised himself, “You created him from mud, clay, you created me from fire, I am better than him!” Khalaqtanee min naar wa khalqtahu min teen, “You created me from fire, You created the human being from mud,” but he forgot that Allah said in the Holy Qur’an:

وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاء كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ

Wa ja`alnaa min al-maa'i kulla shay’in hayyin.

We made every living thing from water. (Surat al-Anbiya, 21:30)

What does that mean? “We have created everything from water to be alive.” Who is stronger? Fire or water? We are from water and we are stronger than fire, we can put fire down; fire cannot put us down as we are (from) water, the Water from Paradise. Wa ja`alana mina al maa`an kulli shayyin hayyin, “We have made from water everything alive;” everything living on Earth, its substance, most of it is from water. The scientists say that the human being is 90% water; 10% is the body and the rest is water. Allah said, wa ja`alana mina al maa`an kulli shayyin hayyin. So hayyin in dunya and Akhirah, or only in dunya? Which is more important, to be alive in Akhirah or in dunya? It is Akhirah, so it means, “We have made Paradise for you, a Paradise from water,” and water means knowledge. We say, “`Alim, bahr min al-`Ilm, an Ocean of Knowledge,” or bahrun min al-`uloom, like someone who is a mufti or a big shaykh and we say, “He is bahr, he is an ocean.”

Islam is an Ocean; you cannot reach its depths, and you cannot contain the water. The ocean can contain the whole Earth, but the Earth cannot contain the water. With a little earthquake what happens? Do you know how? Everything shakes. Who shakes it? If you take a cord, [Mawlana shakes mic cable,] and move it a little bit, the whole cord moves and so the beginning of an earthquake is from an angel that shakes the ‘rope’ of the Earth and the whole Earth shakes. It depends on how much power he gives to that cord, to that rope if we can say that, and so the Earth shakes and the tsunami comes:

إِذَا زُلْزِلَتِ الْأَرْضُ زِلْزَالَهَا

Idhaa zulzila tu ‘l-ardhu zilzaalaha.

When the Earth is shaken to her (utmost) convulsion. (Surat al-Zalzalah, 99:1)

Allahu Akbar! Idhaa zulzila tu ‘l-ardu zilzaalaha, “When the Earth is going to shake,” means everything is upside down; nothing will be standing at that time, nothing! Everything will be shattered into powder:

وَأَخْرَجَتِ الْأَرْضُ أَثْقَالَهَا

Wa akhrajati ‘l-ardu athqaalaha.

And the earth throws up her burdens (from within). (Surat al-Zalzalah, 99:1)

It means when it shakes, like the womb of the mother brings the child out, everything in the Earth is going to appear as if coming from the womb of a mother; everyone appears up. Idhaa zulzilatu ‘l-ardu zilzaalaha wa akhrajatu ‘l-ardu athqaalaha and “athqaalaha” means physically Bani Adam and their `amal, what they had done. Allahu Akbar, how much it is frightening. A little bit earthquake and everyone is frightened, what about on the Day of Judgment, before the Day of Judgment?

يَوْمَ تُبَدَّلُ الأَرْضُ غَيْرَ الأَرْضِ

Yawma tubaddal al-ardu ghayr al-ard.

One day the Earth will be changed to a different Earth. (Surah Ibrahim, 14:49)

“When the Earth changes to a different Earth,” a new Earth comes. Allah doesn’t come and judge people in a dirty place, it must be clean; the new Earth will be clean, this universe will be completely clean. Allah (swt) descends to judge human beings and what are we going to say? If Allah asks us, “What have you done for Me?” What are we going to say? Can anyone raise his head and answer? So all our heads are down; what to answer? Today if you go before a judge in a court you shake and you tremble, even if you are innocent and you didn’t do anything! Only if by mistake they send you a letter to come to the court, you shake, you start thinking there is a problem. What do you think when Allah calls us? There is nothing that can save us!

وَقَدِمْنَا إِلَى مَا عَمِلُوا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاء مَّنثُورًا

Wa qadimnaa ilaa maa `amiloo min `amalin fa-ja`alnaahu habaa’an manthoora.

And We shall turn to whatever deeds they did (in this life), and We shall make such deeds as scattered dust. (Surat al-Furqan, 25:23)

“We come to what they have done and We completely throw it in their faces!” There is nothing except shafa`at an-Nabi (s); nothing except Prophet (s) can save the ummah. And what saves the ummah is salawaat on Prophet (s), to show your love to him before death, that is what is going to benefit. Still it’s a benefit, but you stopped, you have to show love from now, especially young ones, show love to Sayyidina Muhammad (s).

إن أول الناس يقضى يوم القيامة عليه رجل اسُتشهد، فأتي به، فعرفه نعمته، فعرفها، قال‏:‏ فما عملت فيها‏؟‏ قال‏:‏ قاتلت فيك حتى اسُتشهدت، قال‏:‏ كذبت، ولكنك قاتلت لأن يقال‏:‏ جريء، فقد قيل، ثم أمر به، فسحب على وجهه حتى ألقي في النار‏.‏ ورجل تعلم العلم وعلمه، وقرأ القرآن، فأتي به، فعرفه نعمه فعرفها‏.‏ قال فما عملت فيها‏؟‏ قال تعلمت العلم وعلمته وقرأت فيك القرآن‏.‏ قال كذبت، ولكنك تعلمت ليقال‏:‏ عالم‏.‏ وقرأت القرآن ليقال‏:‏ هو قارئ، فقد قيل‏:‏ ثم أُمر به، فسُحب على وجهه حتى ألقي في النار، ورجل وسع الله عليه، وأعطاه من أصناف المال، فأتي به فعرفه نعمه، فعرفها‏.‏ قال‏:‏ فما عملت فيها ‏؟‏ قال‏:‏ ما تركت من سبيل تحب أن ينفق فيها إلا أنفقت فيها لك، قال‏:‏ كذبت، ولكنك فعلت ليقال‏:‏ جواد، فقد قيل، ثم أُمر به فسُحب على وجهه ثم ألقي في النار

The first to be judged on the Day of Resurrection will be a man who had died as a martyr. He will be brought forward. Allah will remind him of the favours He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. Then He will ask him: 'What did you do to express gratitude for it?' The man will reply: 'I fought for Your Cause till I was martyred.' Allah will say: 'You have lied. You fought so that people might call you courageous; and they have done so.' Command will then be issued about him and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell. Next a man who had acquired and imparted knowledge and read the Qur'an will be brought forward, Allah will remind him of the favours He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. Then He will ask him: 'What did you do to express gratitude for it?' The man will reply: 'I acquired knowledge and taught it, and read the Qur'an for Your sake.' Allah will say to him: 'You have lied. You acquired knowledge so that people might call you a learned (man), and you read the Qur'an so that they might call you a reciter, and they have done so.' Command will then be issued about him, and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell. Next a man whom Allah had made affluent and to whom Allah had given plenty of wealth, will be brought forward, Allah will remind him of the favours He had bestowed upon him and the man will acknowledge them. He will ask him: 'What did you do to express gratitude for it?' The man will reply: 'I did not neglect any of the ways You liked wealth to be spend liberally for Your sake'. Allah will say to him: 'You have lied. You did it so that people might call you generous, and they have done so.' Command will then be issued about him and he will be dragged on his face and thrown into Hell. (Narrated Abu Hurayrah, Muslim)

According to one of the strong hadiths, Allah (swt) will judge and the first to be judged are the shaheed, martyrs. Allah will judge him first, because we know any shaheed will go to Paradise, and if that shaheed didn’t go to Paradise then we know that there is a problem. And Allah will call that shaheed and say to him, “Yaa `abdee, what have you done for Me for what I am offering you? For all these favours I am offering, what have you done for Me to give these favors to you?

The shaheed will say, “I died for You. I killed myself for You.”

Allah will say: “You are lying, you did not kill yourself for Me, you killed yourself to show your arrogance and pride, to show people you are a martyr, in order for people to say that you became a martyr not because you love Me. You did it for fame.” Allahu Akbar. “O My Angels take him to Hellfire!” Allahu Akbar.

So if that is for a shaheed what is left for us? With what thing can we save ourselves? Because he made (himself) a shaheed, and nowadays they have a new system, they make a video to show, “We are shaheed!” in order to get fame for them and those around them. This is not my hadith, it is hadith of Prophet (s).

Then Allah will calls a rich man to judge him, “I have all this for you, what did you do for Me that you can deserve them, all these ni`am, favors?”

The rich one will say: “Yaa Rabbee, I did everything for you; I built a hospital, built schools, I built a masjid and I gave to poor people.”

Allah will say, “No, you didn’t do it for Me, you did that for yourself so that when people come and go they will say, ‘Oh! This is the biggest generous one,’ it was done for your own fame to make people bow to you, not to Me. O My Angels he is lying, take him to Hellfire.” Allahu Akbar.

When you build a masjid, hide your name. Don’t say, “I did this, I did that,” you didn’t do anything:

وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لِلَّهِ

The mosques are for Allah. (Surat al-Jinn, 72:18)

“Allah owns the masjid,” so Allah did it, not you. You are looking after it, may Allah give you happiness and take care of you and your children, and save you in dunya and Akhirah as you are doing good job. So Allah (swt) will say, “No, you didn’t do it for Me, you did it for yourself to be famous! O My Angels take him to Hellfire.”

Then He calls the `alim, who learned, and Allah will ask him, “What did you do for Me?”

He will say, “Yaa Rabbee, I learned, I studied so much in order to teach. I am teaching Qur’an, hadith, Fiqh. I became mufti, I became mawlana, I became sahib, I became this and that.”

Allah will say, “No you didn’t do that for me, you did it for people to say, ‘This is a big `alim,’ for your own fame. O My Angels take him to Hellfire.”

Allahu Akbar, another one to Hellfire. That was to an `alim and there are big `alim today and we don’t know where we are going to end. May Allah forgive us and bless us and save us from what is going to face us. Then He says, “O My Angels take him to Hellfire,” and angels take that `alim to Hellfire. Did you ever read that hadith, narrated by Muslim...Akhrajuhu, because today if you don’t say who narrated it or who said it, not here in this masjid, there are some people outside who are square-headed, everything for them is bid`a and they say, “Oh, who narrated? It must be Muslim or Bukhari or we don’t accept!” So this hadith is narrated by Muslim; they cannot say “no” and they cannot raise their head. So it means this whole issue is to say to your nafs, to your ego, and to step on it. If Prophet (s) says, “I am only a man like you,” it is to teach us adab with Allah (swt) where he (s) said, “I have been sent to complete good manners on everyone.”

انما بعثت لاتمم مكارم الاخلاق

Innamaa bu`ithtu li utammimu makaarim al-akhlaaq.

I have been sent to perfect the best of conduct (your behavior and character). (Bazzaar)

Innamaa bu`ithtu li utammimu makaarim al-akhlaaq, “I have been sent to complete.” You are from Ummat an-Nabi, I am from Ummat an-Nabi, and Prophet (s) is saying, “I have been sent to…” not to ‘perfect,’ that is the mistake. People say, “to perfect,” in the translation, but innamaa bu`ithtu li utammimu makaarim al-akhlaaq, “utammim” in Arabic is not “to perfect” but “to complete.” Tammama ma shayy, “I completed it,” not, “I let it perfect,” no, it is “to complete.” Allah doesn’t like for His Prophet (s) to perfect, Allah likes His Prophet to complete. When Prophet (s) said, “I have been sent by Allah (swt) to complete,” means he took a responsibility on himself in front of Allah that all his ummah will not leave dunya without being completed with good manners! [Naray takbeer.] It is not “perfect” which means you can be perfect, but you are not reaching the highest level.

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلى خُلُقٍ عَظِي

Wa innaka la-`alaa khuluqin `azheem.

You are of the most exalted character. (Surat al-Qalam, 68:4)

So who can reach that? We are not reaching that, but Allah is saying in hadith an-Nabi (s), innamaa bu`ithtu li utammimu makaarim al-akhlaaq, “I have been sent to complete all your good manners,” means the good manners are within us, planted within us, but we are not bringing it out, we are not able to; it is blocked by Shaytan on us. Who can take it out? No one can take it out except Prophet (s) because Allah gave him permission!

Muhammad basharun wa laysa ka ‘l-bashari bal huwa yaaqootatun wa naasu ka ‘l-hajari.

Muhammad is a man, but not like other men! He is a gem and human beings are stones.

(Shaykh Muhammad al-Busayri, Burdat ash-Shareefah)

“Muhammad (s) is a human being,” Imam Busayri (q) says Prophet (s) is a human being but not like--he didn’t say “us,” as it doesn’t give the greatness of the Prophet (s)--Muhammad basharun wa laysa ka ‘l-bashari, ‘Muhammad (s) is a human being, but he is not a human being!’” Wa laysa ka ‘l-bashari, if you say this is a couch, but it is not like this chair. “Muhammad basharun wa laysa ka ‘l-bashari,” is like bal huwa yaaqootatun wa naasu ka ‘l-hajari, “He is a jewel, and people are rocks.” Is a rock like a jewel? No, it is a different substance. That is why he said: Muhammad basharun wa laysa ka ‘l-bashari, “Don’t ever think he is a human being like you, and like someone else or like others!” If he was really “only a human being” and without being dressed with a Heavenly dress, how could he (s) move through this atmosphere to reach Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa? [SubhaanAllah.]

If you go a little higher than 40,000 feet a plane cannot take it; the maximum you can go by plane is ten kilometers, and if you go upto fifteen kilometers it becomes dangerous. And if you don’t go by plane, you will be burned. How Prophet (s) went? Not with a space shuttle, and he went beyond the universe. Is Allah (swt) in the universe or outside the universe? Can you say that Allah (swt) is contained in something He created, or, what He created is contained in Allah’s Qudrah? Allah (swt) nothing can contain Him; the `Arsh cannot contain Him. So Prophet (s) went where? You cannot say, “Allah has a direction,” you cannot say, “Allah has a time,” you cannot say, “Allah has a place,” so where did Prophet (s) go? Allahu Akbar! It means he went...we don’t know where, but beyond this universe, beyond Heavens even as Heavens cannot contain Allah (swt).

Heavens is makhlooq (created), so where did Prophet (s) go? Imagine, O Muslims, those who have doubts about Prophet (s) in their hearts, where did Prophet (s) go? Use your mind if you don’t want to use your heart. People are ajiz, “helpless” to understand, scholars are helpless to understand. That is why awliyaullah can praise, and praise, and praise Prophet (s)! And in their praising as much as they go high, some people might say, “O they are making shirk,” but awliya understand there is no limit for the Greatness of Prophet (s)!

So we don’t know. And Imam Busayri (q) said, “Muhammadun basharun wa laysa ka ‘l-bashari,” means he is different, he is subtle, like an angel and with no shadow. Someone brought for me a Holy Hair of Prophet (s) and I put a flashlight, and it had no shadow, and when I put the flashlight on the stone in the powder that the Hair was placed in, there was a shadow from the stone. But if you put the light on the Holy Hair of Prophet (s), no shadow! And two years ago I asked that person, “Please can I have half of it?” He said, “Yes, take it.” Yesterday we made ziyara and now it is double of what he gave; it has grown back! You saw it, how big is it now? [Double.] I cut half of it and it is double now. That is why Prophet (s) said, Anaa hayyun tariyyun fee qabree, “I am fresh, soft, alive in my grave.”

ما من أحد يسلم علي إلا رد الله علي روحي حتى أرد عليه

Whoever gives me salaam one time, Allah will send my soul back to my body to enable me to return their salaams and salawaat. (Abu Dawud)

“Who makes salawaat on me Allah sends my soul back to make salawaat on that person.” I mentioned this many times and I like to mention the same thing because every time you mention a different manifestation comes from Prophet (s) on us, because we are praising him. So what did Imam Suyuti (q) say? “Prophet (s) is always alive in his grave,” because his grave is Paradise, first of all, and second, do you think Prophet (s) is sitting inside a cube, or a small ditch? Haashaa, astaghfirullah `azheem. When Prophet (s), and whoever wants to complain or don’t complain, I don’t care, when Allah (swt) ordered Sayyidina Jibreel (a) to ask Prophet (s), “Do you want to come to Allah?” Khayarahu, the English word for it is “asked.” So Sayyidina Jibreel asked, “Do you want to stay? Allah will give you more life, or you want to go?” The Prophet (s) said, “No I want to go to ar-Rafeeq al-`Alaa, (al-iltifaat bi ’l-malai ’l-`Alaa. I like to join with the heavenly life, the highest, ar-Rafeeq al-`Alaa.) He said, “I am going to go to where? ar-Rafeeq al-`Alaa is in the grave? It is not in the grave! Ar-Rafeeq al-`Alaa means the highest, means there is no higher, it is impossible, it is the Absolute Highest! So when he (s) says, ar-Rafeeq al-`Alaa means “Allah (swt).” After death, and we are not saying like the Christians do, it means after death Allah (swt) opened for his grave to be a Paradise. So it is not a ditch but a Paradise!

That is the smallest to be done for Prophet (s) who reached Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa. Do you think he is not still in Ascension? He is still in Ascension! It never stops; when Allah gives He gives! He doesn’t give and then stop. Allah (swt) gave Prophet (s) to reach Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa, He didn’t close it, not just one time (Ascension) and that’s it, no. When Allah dressed him, He keeps dressing, it is His Generosity, karamu ‘l-ilaahi mutakaamil, laa yaqif, laa yanqati`. So, Prophet (s) is alive. Imam Suyuti (q) said, “He is alive because every moment in this world people are making salawaat on Prophet (s); you cannot find a place empty from someone making salawaat on Prophet (s) twenty-four hours around the world.” So does it mean that Allah sends Prophet’s (s) soul in him, and He has to take it back, and then bring again and take it back, and bring it in and take it back and bring it in again? Because there are people who are always making salawaat. So Prophet (s) is hayyun tariyyun fee qabrihi ’sh-shareef. And from there, he (s) said, “I observe the `amal of my ummah.”

حياتي خير لكم تحدثون ويحدث لكم ، فإذا أنا مت كانت وفاتي خيرا لكم ، تعرض علي أعمالكم فان رأيت خيرا حمدت الله تعالى وإن رأيت شرا استغفرت لكم

I observe the `amal of your deeds. If I find good I thank Allah, and if I see other than that, bad, I ask forgiveness for them. (al-Bazzaar in his Musnad)

“I observe them, I see them, I am with them, and I am with you!” Allah said that Prophet (s) is in you, within you.

وإعلموا أن فيكم رسول الله

W`alamoo anna feekum rasoolullaah.

And know Allah's Messenger is in you. (Surat al-Hujuraat, 49:7)

W`alamoo anna feekum, not “baynakum,” but “anaa feekum.” So why they didn’t say “baynakum” if they want to translate it as “among you”? No, Allah said, anna feekum, “in you,” means his Noor, Noor an-Nabi (s) is in us!

Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem, aawwalan wa akhira. Noor an-Nabi (s) is in us. Allah created human beings from three lights, that’s why He honored them by saying:

وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ

Wa laqad karamnaa Bani Adam.

We have honored the Children of Adam. (Surat al-'Israa, 17:70)

“We have honored human beings,” honored them with what? Honored them by creating them as `abd, `ibaadullah, “Servants for Him.” Prophet (s) said, “The best time I like is when Allah calls me `Abdullah.” So Allah created human beings, as it is mentioned in many ahadith, from Bahr al-Qudrah. And in Bahr al-Qudrah what Allah created first was the Light of Prophet (s). He put that Light in Bahr al-Qudrah and it was turning, and turning, and as it was turning Creations were coming from Bahr al-Qudrah. That means it was mixed with the Light of Prophet (s). That Light that was in Bahr al-Qudrah, Allah put it in the forehead of Sayyidina Adam (a) and asked angels to make sajdah. Why Allah ordered them to make sajdah? We know and all `ulama know as they speak about it, that it was sajda al-ihtiram wa laysa sajda al-`ibaadah, “That it was sajdah of respect not a sajdah of worshipness,” because sajdah of worshipness is only for Allah. Okay, but if Allah wants something, mughaa`irah, it is unacceptable for anyone to say, “What is that?” No (objection.) If Allah (swt)...angels came and complained when Allah said:

إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً

Verily, I am making a deputy on Earth. (Surat al-Baqarah, 2:30)

Allah (swt) said to the angels, “I am going to create a Khalifa on Earth.” Innee ja`ilum fi ‘l-ardi khalifah, ard, Earth is not this planet, but the whole universe. This whole universe is 6,000 galaxies and every galaxy has at least 80 billion stars. Scientists found that our galaxy is 80 billion stars, not 80 million, and they found 6,000 galaxies like this galaxy, that is ard! Prophet (s) passed all that! And when he was passing he knew what he was seeing, not passing blind, hasha. He was passing by Allah’s Order to reach Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa and he was seeing everything and understanding everything. Look, if I look at these calligraphy verses there with a quick speed, I might not be able to read them, is it not? What is written there is Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem, from here I can see, Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem. Allahu laa ilaaha ilaa Huwa’l-Hayyu ’l-Qayyum... but if we go at a speed, running and looking, we cannot read it. Prophet (s) was able to see everything as he was moving outside this universe. `Uloom al-Awwaleen wa ’l-Akhireen, what does that mean? He knew the Knowledge of Before, and Knowledge of After. Knowledge of Before is what? That was before human beings were created, all that knowledge was known to him, Allah gave to him. Imagine, how great! We cannot, it is impossible, the mind cannot contain it. When we say that Prophet (s) knows everything before the creation of human beings, that is huge; it is too much for our mind to understand, but this is reality. Allah doesn’t care whether you like it or don’t like it, Allah is the Creator, Kun! fayakoon, He gave, He gave.

People say that Allah “chose” Sayyidina Muhammad (s), what’s chose? Is this a lottery to choose something? Is that a lottery to choose or to pick between prophets one prophet, a good one? Haashaa! Prophet (s), if not for him there would be no Creation; because of him Allah created Creation to know the greatness that Allah gave Sayyidina Muhammad (s)! For that (reason,) to know the greatness of Sayyidina Muhammad (s), Allah created Creation, and not for scientists to know (explore) a little bit about this universe. Prophet (s) already knew about it as what Allah created first was the Light of Sayyidina Muhammad (s)! Everything before Creation, Allah gave that Knowledge to Prophet (s) before the Creation of human beings. That is `Uloom al-Awwaleen, and `Uloom al-Akhireen, all the way to Judgement Day and to Paradise. So Paradise never ends and that is why Prophet’s (s) Knowledge never ends; always a new Knowledge opens, a new Ocean opens, new things open for him that no one can understand except him. You think that Allah gave him and stopped? Allah (swt) keeps giving: `Uloom al-Akhireen, it keeps going, it never ends, like you reach the horizon...I am taking a boat and will get to the horizon and stop there. But, you reach and it changes, there is another horizon, then another horizon, then another horizon. Also, `Uloom al-Awwaleen wa ’l-Akhireen are different horizons, continuing and continuing, it never ends. `Azhamtu ’n-Nabi (s), (Greatness of Prophet [s]) Imam Busayri (q) said it in one verse in two ways:

Muhammad basharun wa laysa ka ‘l-bashari,

Muhammad is a man, but not like other men! (Shaykh Muhammad al-Busayri, Burdat ash-Shareef)

Muhammad al-Busayri (q) knew as he reached that. He had a stroke when he wrote that Qaseedah al-Burdah, and after completion of Burdah he wrote another qaseedah. They say that Burdah is the best qaseedah written after Sayyidina Hasan bin Thabit (r), and Sayyidina Imam `Ali (r), in Islamic history. He was writing another qaseedah and he had a stroke, and in that time if you had a stroke, you were finished. Not like today, Allah opened more knowledge for people to do things that might clear you from that stroke.

So he began to write that qaseedah: Muhammad basharun wa laysa ka ‘l-bashari, and he had the stroke during the day, and at night he slept and saw Prophet (s) in the dream putting his hand over his stroke. This is mentioned about Muhammad al-Busayri (q), and when he woke up at Fajr time, he found there was no more stroke, it was completely gone! and he continued the qaseedah. So he said:

Huwa yaaqootatun wa naasu ka ‘l-hajari.

He is a gem and human beings are stones. (Shaykh Muhammad al-Busayri, Burdat ash-Shareef)

Muhammad basharun wa laysa ka ‘l-bashari. Huwa yaaqootatun wa naasu ka ‘l-hajari. “Huwa yaaqootatun, he is a jewel,” because the best, the most expensive today is a diamond, and at that time yaaqoot had a special characteristic. Prophet (s) used to wear a reddish color ring, `aqeeq (Carnelian, Agate), or fayrooz (Turquoise) stone. The stone of the ring has to touch the skin because there is energy coming from the stone. SubhaanAllah, there are some rays carrying energy, a magnetic field, coming on the skin and moving through the whole body to balance the body back to normal. That is why Prophet (s) mentioned that sunnah to wear a ring, and now `ulama know why, because these stones send magnetic waves from the light with different colors (in jewels/stones) to balance back the system. That is why jewelers today have a machine, if they want to check a stone, they know from the different kind of wavelengths that the machine gives if it is a ruby, or an emerald, or a diamond, the same machine shows.

Muhammad ul-Busayri (q) knew that miracle and that is why he said, “Prophet (s) is jewel,” a jewel with many colors, a rainbow of colors! Do you know rainbows? How many colors? Seven. Is it really only seven? How many colors? There are infinite numbers because any of these seven colors, if you magnify them, it gives more and more like a universe. May Allah (swt) give us the barakah from Prophet (s), the happiness; to be happy in dunya and Akhirah. What you need to do is to make salawaat on Prophet (s):

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ جَآؤُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ اللّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُواْ اللّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا

If they had only, when they were unjust 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-Nisa, 4:64)

“When they are oppressors to themselves and they come to you Muhammad by istighfaar, they do istighfaar in your presence,” is this not the ayah? Am I wrong? Wa law annahum idh zhalamoo anfusahum ja’ooka f ’astaghfaroollaaha. If I am not wrong in the ayah, I said it correctly? [Yes.] “When they are oppressor to themselves they come to you yaa Muhammad and they make istighfaar.” Okay now we want to make istighfaar, we need Prophet (s). Is it not that the ayah says like that? “They come to Muhammad (s).” Yaa Sayyidee yaa Rasoolullah, we are asking, we are calling upon you! Is he not hearing? So he is present or not? For sure he is present! We cannot see, yes we cannot, but can we feel? Yes, sometimes we can feel, you can feel your body tingling because it must be, with the ones who are calling on him, he has to answer back because he is of good character! Allahu Akbar!

وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلى خُلُقٍ عَظِي

Wa innaka la-`alaa khuluqin `azheem.

You are of the most exalted character. (Surat al-Qalam, 68:4)

If you say salaam, he will not answer salaam? Tayyib, we are saying istighfaar, “Yaa Sayyidee (s) it is said in Holy Qur’an to come to you, we have no other door, we are coming to you! But there are too many people, we cannot pass, we are coming,” you think Prophet (s) doesn’t come?

من تقرب إلي شبراً تقربت منه ذراعاً، ومن تقرب مني ذراعاً تقربت منه باعاً، ومن أتاني يمشي أتيته هرولة

Man taqarrab ilayya shibran taqarrabtu minhu dhiraa`an wa man taqarrab minnee dhiraa`an taqarrabtu minhu baa`an wa man ataanee yamshee aataytahu harwalah.

If he (My Servant) draws near to Me a hand’s span, I draw near to him an arm’s length. And if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length. And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running. (Hadith Qudsi, Narrated Annas Ibn Malik, Bukhari)

Allah said in a holy hadith of Prophet (s), that, “Whoever comes to Me one hand, I come to him one arm,” so if we are coming to Prophet (s) one hand, he will not come to us one arm according to the hadith of Prophet (s)? “Anyone coming to Me walking I come to him running,” Allah is saying, so what do you think, is Prophet (s) not going to follow?

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Qul in kuntum tuhibboona 'Llaaha fattabi`oonee yuhbibkumullaahu wa yaghfir lakum dhunoobakum w 'Allaahu Ghafooru 'r-Raheem.

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.”Yaa Sayyidee, yaa Rasoolullah, we are coming to you walking, as in the hadith… is he not coming to us running? So what do we have to say? “Allahumma salli `ala Sayyidina Muhammad wa `ala aali Sayyidina Muhammadin wa sahbihi wa baarik wa sallim,” always! Then we will know that on the Day of Judgement, how many times Prophet (s) answered back, that is what will count in the Balance, not what we did of salawaat. What we did of salawaat is soup! It is blended with all our egos, but what he answers us back, one of the salawaat that he answers is enough to make the whole universe to go to Paradise! [Takbeer…murshid jeevay!] I have to learn Urdu.

So we are analyzing, nahnu nuhaqqiq wa nastakhlis ma`anee, He said to us, “Come to Me one hand, I come to you one arm; come to Me walking I come to you running.” So we come to Him walking, then Prophet (s) comes to us running because Allah dressed him with that hadith, means Allah gave him the power to come to us, qul in kuntum tuhibboona 'Llaaha fattabi`oonee. Allah said, “Qul, tell them,” it is not a general meaning, so tell whom? Yes people, but Allah is telling Prophet (s) to tell. So when Prophet (s) is telling it is not like us, getting together all the people in a group to tell them, “You make salawaat on me.” Prophet (s), if there are 1,000 people here he speak to everyone individually, one by one, not by mass. Everyone will receive different meaning from that hadith, or from that ayah, or from that salawaat. What he gives him, he doesn’t give me, what he gives him, he doesn’t give the other, everyone separate and at the same time! Allahu Akbar! If we are going to make salaam to everyone at the end of the program, it takes one hour or two hours. On the Day of Judgement Prophet (s) is going to count everyone in one second, not a moment!

لَقَدْ أَحْصَاهُمْ وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدًّا

Laqad ahsaahum wa `addahum `adda.

He does take an account of them (all) and has numbered them (all) exactly. (Surah Maryam, 19:94)

He knows them all, all His Creation, he knows them by name, their name in Heaven, and he calls them individually on the Day of Judgement. Allah gives Prophet (s) that power, that responsibility. Prophet (s) goes into sajdah, and he (s) said, “Allah opens for me to make du`a that Allah never opened before. I make du`a and Allah says, irfa` raasak sal tu`ta, ‘Raise your head, I will give you what you want.’” Prophet (s) says, “My ummah!” Allah gives him one third of the ummah, and in the next sajdah He gives him another third, in the third sajdah He gives him all his ummah, “Go to Paradise with no account,” as long as you say, “As-salaamu `alayka ayyuha ’n-nabi,” or “As-salaatu wa ’s-salaamu `alayka yaa rasoolullah.”

Salaat al-Faatih

اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد الفاتح لما أغلق و الخاتم لما سبق ناصر الحق بالحق و الهادي إلى صراطك المستقيم و على آله حق قدره و مقداره العظيم

Allahumma salli `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadin ‘il-faatihi limaa ughliqa wa 'l-khaatimi limaa sabaqa wa 'n-naasiri 'l-haqqi bi 'l-haqqi wa 'l-haadi ilaa siraatika 'l-mustaqeema sall 'Llahu `alayhi wa `alaa aalihi wa as-haabihi haqqa qadrihi wa miqdaarihi 'l-`azheem.

O Allah, bless our liege-lord Muhammad who opened what was closed and who sealed what had gone before; he makes the Truth Victorious by the Truth and he is the guide to thy straight path; and bless his household as it befits his immense stature and splendor.

There was one person called Muhammad at-Tilmisani (q), a very famous wali. He completed reading Dalaa’il al-Khayraat 100,000 times. He had finished the 99,999th and the last one he was doing and went to sleep. He saw Prophet (s) in the dream and Prophet said, “Yaa Muhammad,” he was from Tilmis in Iraq, “yaa Muhammad that Dalaa’il al-Khayraat that you read has an ocean of rewards, but I will teach you one salawaat on me that is as if you read Dalaa’il al-Khayraat 800,000 times,” that’s in the dream to that wali. He was seeing Prophet (s), and anyone who sees Prophet (s) in a dream it’s haqq, and no one can say “no,” as no one can imitate Prophet (s). So he said it is 800,000 times if you read it in that way. That does not mean you stop reading Dalaa’il al-Khayraat, no you continue, because it has that salawaat in it after that, Imam Jazuli (q) put that salawaat in it, so let us read it together:

Allahumma salli `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadin ‘il-faatihi limaa ughliqa wa 'l-khaatimi limaa sabaqa wa 'n-naasiri 'l-haqqi bi 'l-haqqi wa 'l-haadi ilaa siraatika 'l-mustaqeema sall 'Llahu `alayhi wa `alaa aalihi wa as-haabihi haqqa qadrihi wa miqdaarihi 'l-`azheem. [Everyone repeats with Mawlana Shaykh Hisham.]

It is as if we have read Dalaa’il al-Khayraat 800,000 times according to Muhammad at-Tilmisani (q), who was seeing Prophet (s) in his dream teaching him that salawaat! What Allah gave Prophet (s) of favors, if we do one, learn one and do it, it will be enough for all our life, dunya and Akhirah!

May Allah (swt) forgive us, may Allah bless this masjid, the chairman and organizers, and the directors and the imams, and everyone coming here for prayer. Inshaa-Allah, Allah give Ummat an-Nabi happiness, and bring Haqq over Baatil. We are on Haqq, we have no enemy; our enemy is Shaytan that comes against us. We ask Allah for guidance for everyone, but the other group, if they don’t want to be guided, it is their problem, not ours. We are Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah, we love Prophet (s), and we ask Allah to make us under the feet of Prophet (s), to be dust on his feet of Prophet (s), inshaa-Allah in dunya and Akhirah.

Bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.

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