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Sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH:
Dear brother, today's topic is sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH (Assalatu Ala An-Nnabi). First of all, since sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH is mentioned in Allah's Book (i.e. the Quran), which was revealed to His Prophet, and which we are ordered to reauthor, comprehend and act upon, sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH is a very significant matter.The Quran includes the major matters in our religion, and the details are mentioned in the Prophetic Sunnah, so mentioning sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH in the Quran indicates that it is a crucial matter. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾Allah sends His Salat (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy, etc.) on the Prophet (Muhammad PBUH) and also His angels too (ask Allah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salat on (ask Allah to bless) him (Muhammad PBUH), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salamu 'Alaikum).﴿
am obliged to tell you that most Muslims do not comprehend what this means, while Allah the Almighty says:
﴾Allah sends His Salat (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy, etc.) on the Prophet (Muhammad PBUH) and also His angels too (ask Allah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send your Salat on (ask Allah to bless) him (Muhammad PBUH), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salamu 'Alaikum).﴿
In fact, sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH has a greater indication than just uttering the words which by time have been voided from their sense to such an extent that whenever someone is upset, people say to him, "Send Salat on the Prophet" as if these words have nothing to do with their life. The believer should follow Allah's Orders:
﴾O you who believe! Send your Salat on (ask Allah to bless) him (Muhammad PBUH), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salamu 'Alaikum).﴿
This matter needs extended research.
Trustworthiness is something one practises:
Before we continue talking about the benefits of sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH, I have to mention a grave fact to you: Principles can never be passed on but through setting a good example no matter how exalted these principles are. In other words, principles without people who abide by them are worthless. Take for example the concept of trustworthiness, one can listen to a very outstanding lecture about trustworthiness, about its dimensions, about its minute details, about its virtues and about its obstacles, but when you see a trustworthy man, you will get this concept right away.I was told a story about a taxi driver who found in his car 18 millions left by a passenger, so he kept them for 20 days driving around the place where he picked him up, till he found him and gave them to him. Such an amount of money solves million problems to this taxi driver; he can buy a luxurious house, and an expensive car, or he can use them in commerce, but he refused to take anything that did not belong to him. The nail trimming of that driver might be more exalted in the Sight of Allah than 100. 000 Muslims, simply because he was so keen on finding the owner of the money.
Man is not interested in the abstract concept of trustworthiness, for it is theoretical and it is mere words and information in books, but upon seeing it manifested in a trustworthy man, you will admire him and learn what it really means to be trustworthy. What did the owner of the millions do? He was so generous to the taxi driver, so he took him to the car market, and he bought him a new car immediately. The Prophet PBUH said:
((Grace for meritorious people could only be acknowledged by meritorious people.))
There is a big difference between reading about trustworthiness and seeing a trustworthy man. What did the Prophet PBUH do to his companions? He showed them exalted conducts to such an extent that he was like a walking Quran (with all its values), for he was so humble, so just and so honest.
((O King, we were a people in a state of ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols and eating the flesh of dead animals, committing all sorts of abomination and shameful deeds, breaking the ties of kinship, treating guests badly, and the strong among us exploited the weak. We remained in this state until Allah sent us a Prophet, one of our own people, whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and integrity were well-known to us.))
These were the traits of this Noble Prophet PBUH. I am deeply convinced that Islam will never resurrect from its coma by spreading abstract concepts and principles, or by publishing books only, but rather it will be rejuvenated by true Muslims who are honest, trustworthy, chaste, humble and righteous, and who are people of principles. We are in dire need of a Muslim who will easily refuse to take any amount of money no matter how big it is if it is suspected to be illegal, who do not mind the blames of blamers with regard to Allah's religion, who acts upon his words, who speaks what he believes in, whose ideology is based on honesty, who does not say what he does not believe in and who does what he says.
Dear brother, we are in dire need of Muslims in action, not Muslims who read books and listen to lectures only. The west and the east will not be convinced of Islam through lectures and books. Westerners seem to be saying, "Show us a true Islamic society which applies Islam and reaps its fruits, so that we may believe you". In fact, therein lies Muslims' problem. We live in the era of actions not words, and by Allah if every individual Muslim applies even 1/1000 of what he knows about Islam, he will turn into a Siddeeq, for we do not lack information, but we lack abidance. Hence, whenever you read an Ayah in the Quran in which you are ordered to send Salat on the Prophet PBUH, you should pay great attention to it, for setting a good example is deemed necessary these days.
The mission of the Prophet PBUH:
Some people might wonder, "What is the mission of the Prophet PBUH?" In fact, the Prophet has two missions; the first one is major, and the other is very significant. The first mission is conveying Allah's Message.﴾O Messenger (Muhammad PBUH)! Proclaim (the Message) which has been sent down to you from your Lord﴿
The big mission of the Prophet is to convey the Divine Message. However, conveying the message can be done by any smart person who is gifted with good memory, strong evidence and eloquence, and who is skillful enough to attract people. This fact leads us to the second very significant mission of the Prophet PBUH, which is to set a good example to people. Accordingly, some people, including me, believe that knowing the verbal Prophetic Sunnah (As7adeth) is Fard Ayn on every individual Muslim, but how have we come up with such a conclusion? We have come up with such a conclusion based on a very fundamental rule that goes as follows: Whatever is deemed necessary to perform Fard is Fard itself. For instance, without Wudu Salat cannot be offered, and thus Wudu becomes Fard itself. Therefore, whatever is deemed necessary to perform Fard is Fard itself, whatever is deemed mandatory to offer a religious duty is a mandatory itself and whatever is deemed necessary to offer Sunnah is Sunnah itself.
Pay attention to the following Ayah, please:
﴾And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad PBUH) gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it)﴿
This means that in order to carry out this Divine Order, the Muslim must know what the Prophet PBUH ordered him to do and what the Prophet PBUH forbade him from doing. This is the first fact. Allah says:
﴾Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad PBUH) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.﴿
How can you take the Prophet PBUH as a role model if you do not know his biography? When you utter Tawheed words by saying, "Ash Hadu An La Ilaha IllAllah (I testify that none has the right to be worshiped but Allah)", this is bearing witness of Tawheed, and when you say, "Wa Ashadu Anna Muhammadan Abduhu Wa Rasuluh (and I testify that Muhammad PBUH is His Slave and His Messenger)", this indicates following the Prophet's method. The proof is that whoever applies religion will reap its fruits and this manifests the perfection expected by Allah to be reached by mankind. Thus, bringing one's self to this perfection is within man's capacity and ability, given the Prophet PBUH (who is a human being) is the exalted role model of perfection (who all mankind should look up to and follow).
The believer's success lies in acting upon the Quran and Sunnah:
What you all should know is that every person looks up to someone, so if he is an average merchant, he looks up to two or three merchants (as role models to him) who earn millions and whose reputation is good. If someone is an assistant professor he usually looks up to his professor whose scientific position is very eminent, and whose conducts are exalted. Also, if someone is rich he usually looks up to those who are richer than him, and if someone is smart he usually looks up to the one who is smarter than him. Litterateurs said, "Every man has three personalities, the one he is, the one he wishes to be and the one he hates to be." This means that you have your reality, you look up to someone and you degrade someone.I for one believe that the personality every Muslim wishes to be is the character of the Prophet PBUH. Hence, every believer takes the prophet as an example for him to follow. Some people repeat nonsense proverbs such as, "Cut the head of the cat on the night of your wedding (it is an Arabic expression which encourages the groom to show his bride that he is in control of the household starting from the day of their wedding)." This saying is neither an Ayah, nor a Hadith, but it is mere nonsense. The Prophet PBUH said:
((Only an honorable man treats women with honor and integrity. And only a mean, deceitful and dishonest man humiliates and insults women.))
The Prophet PBUH also said:
((Do not hate daughters, for they are amiable and precious.))
These Prophetic As7adeth do not demand the groom to hit his bride on the night of their wedding, for this is nonsense, and it is said by those who are not religiously educated. Do a review of your ideational content every now and then, and be aware that your head is filled with rules, given some of them might be passed by ignorant people such like the saying, "Whoever marries my mother becomes my step father (this is an Arabic expression which encourages hypocrisy)." What kind of rule is that? Adopting this rule means that you are a hypocrite. Also another saying goes as follows: "Put your head among the heads of other people and do not mind being beheaded (this Arabic expression encourages herd mentality)." What kind of saying is this? Should I destroy myself if people are destroying themselves? Should I deviate from the Right Path if the majority of people deviate from the right path? Hence, do a review of the misconceptions which you think are right, only they are not or they even oppose religion. Furthermore, common people say, "Get involved in a funeral and do not get involved in marriage (this is an Arabic expression which encourages people to stay away from helping someone in getting married in order to avoid troubles)." What nonsense is this?
((It was narrated that Abu Ruhm said: "The Messenger of Allah said: 'One of the best kinds of intercession is interceding between two people concerning marriage."'))
It is also related in the relic:
((Whoever gets a man married to a woman, as if he worshiped Allah for a whole year praying all its nights and fasting all its days and that is his reward for every word he said and every step he took.))
This is the right thing to do. Thus, do a review, for there are tons of nonsense in your head which do not stand, which are groundless, which are not right, which reflect ignorance, which are diabolic and which manifest the ages of darkness, oppression, fear and hypocrisy.
You should make a total review of your beliefs, because your success as a believer lies in adopting what is mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah, for these are the words of the Creator of the Worlds and the Master of mankind. Hence, you have got the perfect standards (in the Quran and Sunnah) according to which you can evaluate any story, any word or any proverb, and so you either adopt it or perish it.
Getting to know the prophet:
Though our topic today is sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH, this matter is voided from its meaning by the common people, whereas it is a very significant matter to true believers. Its real meaning is to take the Prophet PBUH as an example to follow. One should know how the Prophet PBUH used to behave upon entering his house, how he treated his family, how he dealt with his daughters, companions and neighbors, how humble he was, how merciful he was and how he put every member in the house on an equal footing with him. Moreover, his attitude at home was distinct. He would lower the bowl for the cat to drink water, he would milk his sheep, he would patch his clothes, sew his slippers, serve himself, tie his camel and sweep his home, and he used to help his wives in the households. He was forbearing and he feared Allah:((Umm Salama reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was in his house and called for a slave of his (or hers) and she was slow in coming. The anger showed in his face. Umm Salama went to the curtain and found the slavegirl playing. He had a siwak-stick with him and said, '"Were it not that I fear retaliation on the Day of Rising, I would have hit you with this siwak."))
He did not even hit him with Siwak out of fearing Allah. This is how much merciful he was.
Let us refer to his love to his wife. How did the Prophet PBUH treat his wife?
(('Aisha (ra) and the Prophet (saw) would use code language with each other denoting their love. She asked the Prophet (saws) how he would describe his love for her. Prophet Muhammad PBUH answered, saying: "Like a strong binding knot." The more you tug, the stronger it gets. In other words, Every so often 'Aisha would playfully ask, "How is the knot?" The Prophet (saws) would answer, "As strong as the first day (you asked)."))
Marriage makes only one chapter in man's life, for he has so many other chapters like his religion, his work, his friends, his Masjid and other things, but marriage for the woman is the only chapter of her life, so if she is let down or gets frustrated (by her husband), she will be totally destroyed. For that very reason, the Prophet PBUH taught us how sweet words work wonders and give security to the wife. If the wife asks her husband, "Do you love me?", let him answer, "Yes, I do" whether he loves her or not, and lying in this matter is allowed. On the other hand, the wife should do the same when her husband asks if she loves him, so she should say, "Yes, I do. and I have none but you" though she might not love him. Honesty in this matter is not the right thing to do, because it will destroy a person. Hence, the main meaning of sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH is to get to know this perfect human being (i.e. the Prophet PBUH), and Allah recommends that in the following Ayah:
﴾Or is it that they did not recognize their Messenger (Muhammad PBUH) so they deny him?﴿
Accordingly, we should get acquainted with our Prophet PBUH.
Knowing the prophet's good conducts and exalted traits:
The following Ayah is very precise:﴾And all that We relate to you (O Muhammad PBUH) of the news of the Messengers is in order that We may make strong and firm your heart thereby.﴿
If the heart of the Prophet PBUH becomes strong and firm upon listening to the stories of other Prophets, peace be upon them, we, with greater reason, should listen to the story of our Prophet PBUH and should learn about his noble traits and exalted conducts.
The main point of this lecture is to strive hard to know the Master of mankind, the best among human beings and the one who is in the highest rank (i.e. the Prophet PBUH), because he is a good example and a human being who might be pleased or get upset like any other human being. Hence, we should always remember that he is a human being, and in case we do not, his greatness will not show, because had he been an angel, he would not have been able to be our example. Also, because he longed for what other people long, he used to be scared like any other human being, he hoped for whatever other people hope and he loved what other people love, his greatness is remarkable and he is an example for every human being. Because the Prophet PBUH is a human being, his greatness makes him the Master of mankind, and because he is a human being who was able to conquer his desires, this also makes him at the top of all human beings. Furthermore, Allah swears by the life of this Noble Prophet PBUH:
﴾Verily, by your life (O Muhammad PBUH), in their wild intoxication, they were wandering blindly.﴿
Swearing by his life (by Allah) indicates how valuable his life is. Some people live for 80 years, sh3er live for 40 years, but they spend most of their life playing backgammon, well till when will they spend their life like this? What benefit will this game offer them? The lives of the majority of people are passed unnoticed; most of them are insignificant, and there are people in millions whose lives are worthless, simply because they follow their desires, they are self-conceited, they are selfish, they are self-centered, they do not abide by any values or principles and all they do is fulfilling their desires regardless of the means.
The difference is huge between the insignificant person and the serious one. Some people are just numbers in this life, they are not distinguished in anything and all they have is a mouth for food and a desire for lust and nothing more. Once I met a representative of a Dutch company, and when I was about to mention Allah's Name in front of him he said to me, "I am not interested in such topics, for all I care about in my life are three things: a beautiful woman, a spacious house and a luxurious car."
﴾Had Allah known of any good in them, He would indeed have made them listen, and even if He had made them listen, they would but have turned away, averse (to the truth).﴿
﴾Humiliation and disgrace from Allah and a severe torment will overtake the criminals (polytheists, sinners, etc.) ﴿
﴾And on the Day of Resurrection, We shall not give them any weight.﴿
Glory be to Allah, the end of the Kafir is very ugly and insignificant regardless of how powerful or famous he is. Hence, the purpose of sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH is to get acquainted with him, with his good conducts and with his exalted traits and to take him as an example to follow and to look up to. We should know how he used to act upon entering his house and finding out that food is not ready. Did he break down the door? Did he smash the glass? Did he curse? What did he do? The Prophet PBUH showed endurance.
((Once Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, got angry, and she broke a plate she had got from Safia, may Allah be pleased with her, she was jealous. Prophet Muhammad PBUH said, "Your mother got Angry, your mother got Angry."))
Therefore, the Prophet PBUH should be your example. If you are in a picnic, will you sit down and let other people serve you, or will you act like the Prophet PBUH in the following Hadith?((It was decided the companions would sacrifice a lamb for dinner. One of them volunteered, "I will sacrifice the lamb." Another said, "I will skin it." and The Prophet PBUH said: "I will gather the wood from the desert." So the group said, "O Messenger of Allah, it is not becoming of you to discomfort yourself as such. You rest. We will be honored to do all this on our own." The Prophet PBUH answered, "I know that you are eager to do it all, but Allah isn't pleased with the slave who distinguishes between himself and his companions, and considers himself better than sh3er."))
You should follow his steps on every occasion; inside your house, while you are putting on your clothes or in your apparent and hidden adornments. This is exactly the meaning of sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH which is manifested in looking up to this great human being.
Pleasing Allah entails pleasing the Prophet PBUH:
Listen to the following Ayah, please:﴾But it is more fitting that they should please Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad PBUH)﴿
Allah uses singular pronoun (Yordooh ["please him" instead of "please them" because the pleasing is to Allah and to His Messenger]):
﴾But it is more fitting that they should please Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad PBUH)﴿
This means that pleasing the Prophet PBUH means pleasing Allah and vice versa, simply because the Prophet PBUH is transparent like glass in the sense that he showed people the reality of Allah the Almighty, while some people are like the embossed glass that hides things behind it, so one can see the decorations of it only. Concerning this difference, allow me to tell you that you can see religion through the faithful sincere scholar, and the perfection of the Prophet PBUH (the Master of all Messengers, peace be upon them) does not draw your attention to him only, but rather it draws your attention to the basics of this religion. As for the Da'iyah (caller to Allah) whose Da'wah is revolved around his own interests, he will draw your attention to his character, so you will not be able to see the truth through him.
Transparency:
The term "transparency" is used a lot nowadays, and the more transparent you are, the clearer people will see religion through you. Accordingly, getting acquainted with the Prophet, with his noble traits, with his good conducts and with his Da'wah should greatly influence us. The proof is in the following Ayah:﴾Say (to them O Muhammad PBUH): "I exhort you on one (thing) only: that you stand up for Allah's sake in pairs and singly, and reflect (within yourselves the life history of the Prophet): there is no madness in your companion (Muhammad PBUH)﴿
Thus, we should stand up in pairs and singly and reflect on the morals of this Prophet, his Da'wah and his method, given he is the exalted example in his noble traits, behavior, words and attributes. Some scholars counted enormous amount of virtues of sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH, among which is that if you send Salat on the Prophet PBUH with your tongue and heart altogether (by mentioning him with your tongue and by esteeming him with your heart), you abide by Allah's Orders:
﴾O you who believe! Send your Salat on (ask Allah to bless) him (Muhammad PBUH), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the Islamic way of greeting (salutation i.e. As-Salamu 'Alaikum).﴿
In this case sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH is abidance by Allah's Orders.
Difference between Allah's Salat on the Prophet PBUH and the Muslims':
Of course you should know that when Allah sends Salat on His Prophet, it is out of manifestation, honoring and enlightening, but when we send Salat on the Prophet PBUH, it is for the purpose of following him and purifying our souls.﴾And invoke Allah for them. Verily! Your invocations are a source of security for them﴿
Pay attention to the following Ayah:
﴾and invoke Allah for them.﴿
O Muhammad PBUH:﴾ Your invocations are a source of security for them﴿
There are other more examples about this fact. As a believer, if you visit a brother who has stronger faith than yours, who is closer to Allah, who is more adherent to the Quran and Sunnah, who loves the Prophet PBUH and follows his Sunnah and who is keen on Halal and Haram, you will be so happy and tranquil, simply because this brother in Islam established a connection with the Noble Prophet PBUH, and visiting someone more exalted than him, will give you even more happiness.
The notable companion Rabi'a, may Allah be pleased with him, used to serve the Prophet, so after the Prophet PBUH offered Isha' Salah he used to say to him, "You can go home and get some rest", but Rabi'a used to sleep on the doorstep of the Prophet's house out of his love to him, because he was strongly attached and attracted to the Prophet PBUH. If someone is connected to Allah, he will attract you by his words, good heart, affability and religious state, so how would it be if this person is the Prophet PBUH, the Master of mankind? In fact, the companions were charmed by the Prophet PBUH in the sense of being affected by his perfection, mercy and humility.
This lecture is about being affected by the perfection of the Prophet PBUH. You should always think of him and you should recall his Sunnah in every move and stance you take in life.
﴾Allah sends His Salat (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy, etc.) on the Prophet (Muhammad) and also His angels too (ask Allah to bless and forgive him).﴿
Sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH is spirit lifting, enlightenment and mercy, given when the believer sends Salat on the Prophet PBUH, it is out of seeking purification and patterning after him, and keep in mind that the closer you are to the Prophet PBUH the more perfect you will be.
Starting Du'a with sending Salat on the Prophet:
There are some As7adeth which empathize the fact that when you start your Du'a (supplication) with sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH, your Du'a will most likely be responded to. Accordingly, all scholars start their Du'a with sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH. The Prophet PBUH taught us to make the following Du'a:(('Allahumma rabba hadihi-d-da wati-t-tammati was salati-l qa'imati, ati Muhammadani-l wasilata wa-l fadilata, wa-b-'athu maqamam mahmudani-l-ladi wa 'adtahu. 'Innaka La Tukhlifu Al-Mi'ad.' (O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and established prayer. Grant Muhammad the intercession and favor, and raise him to the honored station You have promised him. You never fail in Your promise).))
(('Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'As (may Allah be pleased with them) reported: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying, "When you hear the Adhan, repeat what the Mu'adhdhin says. Then ask Allah to exalt my mention because everyone who does so will receive in return ten rewards from Allah. Then beseech Allah to grant me Al-Wasilah, which is a high rank in Jannah, fitting for only one of Allah's slaves; and I hope that I will be that man. If anyone asks Al-Wasilah for me, it becomes incumbent upon me to intercede for him."))
Dear brother, when people gather in meetings, their talks are most likely about their pain and problems which bring gloominess, so make sure to talk about the Master of mankind in every assembly you attend, for mentioning his biography aromatizes the place, brings comfort to hearts, rejuvenates powers and makes people optimistic.
Mentioning the stories of righteous people aromatizes assemblies, whereas mentioning the biography of the Prophet PBUH brings life to hearts. Hence, do not relinquish talking about the Prophet PBUH wherever you go, and try to remind people of his conducts, forbearance, humility, love to all creations and his mercy even towards animals.
((The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) was one day in the garden of a man of the Ansar (Helpers). There was a camel in that garden and when the camel saw him, it groaned and shed tears. The Prophet of Allah wiped the tears and it became calm. He then inquired about the owner of the camel and when its owner appeared before him he said, 'Do you not fear Allah in this animal which Allah has put in your possession? It has complained to me that you starve it'.))
The Prophet PBUH used to deliver sermons standing by an old palm tree trunk, but when a pulpit was made for him he used it instead.((Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said: There was a trunk of a date-palm tree upon which the Prophet (PBUH) used to recline while delivering Khutbah (sermon). When a pulpit was placed in the mosque, we heard the trunk crying out like a pregnant she-camel. The Prophet (PBUH) came down from the pulpit and put his hand on the trunk and it became quiet.
Another narration is: The Prophet (PBUH) used to stand by a tree or a date-palm on Friday (to give the Khutbah). Then an Ansari woman or man said, "O Messenger of Allah! Shall we make a pulpit for you?" He replied, "If you wish." So they made a pulpit for him and when it was Friday, the Prophet (PBUH) sat on the pulpit [to deliver the Khutbah (sermon)] and the trunk of the date- palm on which he used to recline cried out as if it would split asunder.
A third narration is: It cried like a child and the Prophet (PBUH) descended (from the pulpit) and embraced it while it continued moaning like a child being quietened. The Prophet (PBUH) said, "It was crying for (missing) what it used to hear of Dhikr near it."))
He PBUH honored it.
The closer you are to Allah, the more transparent you will become. Also, you will behold and sense everything in the universe. In other words, you will love everything and everything will love you, so you will serve the bird and the pets, you will feed them, you will provide them with remedy and you will become a friend of all creations. Furthermore, because you are a true believer you are in tune with everything Allah the Almighty creates.
Literacy is a medal of honor for the Prophet PBUH him but a stigma for Muslims:
The purpose of this lecture dear brother is to tell you that sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH is not just mere words uttered by people, but rather it means to get acquainted with the Messenger of Allah PBUH and to know that he is the foremost human being, he is the human being who knew how to prosper in the worldly life, he is the only person by whose life Allah swore and he is the person who spread the word of truth for 23 years leaving behind him (after his death) valuable knowledge (his Sunnah) for those who will come 1500 years later to benefit from it or to acquire a doctorate degree by studying it. How high the rank of the Prophet PBUH is!O illiterate (i.e. the Prophet) it is enough exalted rank for you
in knowledge that all knowledgeable people hand it to you
***
﴾He has been taught (this Qur'an) by one mighty in power [Jibrael (Gabriel)].﴿
His illiteracy is a medal of honor to him, whereas our illiteracy is a stigma, because we already have the Revelation between our hands. We have no excuse of being illiterate, but as for him, his illiteracy is a medal of honor, because his heart never received any sort of earthy education before the Revelation.
Sending Salat on the Prophet is a reason to draw the Muslim closer to him:
One more thing: Sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH is a reason to bring the servant closer to him because he is very transparent, and this closeness means getting closer to Allah the Almighty. Namely, if you love the Prophet PBUH, you love Allah, and if you are close to the Prophet PBUH, you are close to Allah. If someone is so poor that he cannot pay Sadaqah, sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH will be his Sadaqah due to a Prophetic Hadith of that sense. Sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH is a reason to make a way out of hardship, and Sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH is a reason for getting Allah's Salat on this believer.
((Whoever sends blessings upon me once, Allah will send blessings upon himtenfold and erase from him ten bad deeds.))
Sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH is like paying Zakat which purifies man's soul.
﴾Take Sadaqah (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allah for them. Verily! Your invocations are a source of security for them﴿
Sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH spreads goodness in assemblies:
Sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH is a reason to survive the terror of the Day of Resurrection. Sending Salat on the Prophet in its gist, by showing the greatness of the Prophet, is a reason to aromatize assemblies. Be keen on reading the Prophetic biography, listen to CDs about the noble traits of the Prophet (I delivered 30 lectures about them) and read about the stories of the companions and learn from this great person (i.e. the Prophet PBUH). Read about how this great Prophet PBUH loved Allah, remembered Him, and submitted to Him, and how he was sincere to Him and how he used to be with Him. The Prophet PBUH spent his days in serving people, and he spent his nights in Munajat (talking secretly to AlHaqq (Allah).) This is how sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH becomes the essence of assemblies.((Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Those people who leave a gathering in which they have not remembered Allah, will conclude it as if it has foul odour similar to that of a rotten carcass of a donkey. And it will be a cause of grief to them."))
By Allah dear brother, when people gather in their meetings all they talk about is the worldly life, the prices, how expensive goods become, the lack of water, the drought, the enemies, the killings, how someone resists the bullets, missiles and cannons with only stones and the absence of mercy, fairness and justice which have been replaced by arrogance and aggression, but such talks will paralyze the listener (out of their burden). Therefore, people in these gatherings should spend time in sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH, and in remembering his striving and endurance.
The Prophetic biography provides man with huge energy to endure matters:
The people of At-Ta'if accused him of lying, mocked him and hit him with stones, so he sat down, tired and bleeding against a wall and said:((As long as You are not angry with me, nothing else will matter, but Your favor is of a more expansive relief to me.))
The biography of the Prophet provides you with extra energy to endure life which is troublesome and full of grieves and oppression. When the Prophet PBUH was mistreated in At-Ta'ef, he stuck to Allah's Side and the most distinguished line of his Du'a then was the following:
((As long as You are not angry with me, nothing else will matter))
He said that when he was oppressed. On the other hand, when the Prophet entered Makkah and was victorious, he lowered his head in humility to Allah till his turban almost touched the neck of his camel, and he said:
(('O Quraysh, what do you think I am going to do to you?' They said: 'You will treat us as a kind nephew and a generous brother would.' To this he, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, replied: 'This day there is no reproof against you; go your way, for you are free.'))
Allah tested the Prophet PBUH him in oppression, and he showed endurance, then Allah tested him with victory, and he was humble. Allah also tested him in poverty and he was thankful:
((Muslim narrated that 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) entered upon me one day and said: "Do you have anything (any food)?" We said, "No." He said, "Then I am fasting."))
Allah tested him with affluence and he was generous:
((Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Whenever the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was asked a thing by one who is about to accept Islam but he would give it. A man came to the Prophet (PBUH) and he gave him a herd of sheep scattered between two mountains. When he returned to his people, he said to them: "O my people! Embrace Islam because Muhammad gives like one who has no fear of poverty."))
Allah tested him with his honor, for the people of Madinah spread the slander against his wife Aishah accusing her of adultery. Such an accusation will never be tolerated if it happens to any of us, but the Prophet PBUH endured this calamity for 40 days till Allah announced Aishah's innocence in the Quran. Allah also tested him in Al-Khandaq battle: some men in the Battle of the Trench (al-khandaq) said, "Your companion promises us the conquest of Caesar and Chosroes, yet none of us can even find a safe place to relieve ourselves."
﴾There, the believers were tried and shaken with a mighty shaking.﴿
When you read the Prophetic biography, you will realize that the life of the Prophet PBUH was an ongoing striving without rest, because this is the nature of the worldly life. It is the abode of trials, forbearance, striving, labor and endeavor, whereas the Hereafter is the abode of retribution, honoring, bestowing and treating with deference. The Prophet PBUH longed for the Hereafter, and he never minded the worldly life.
((Sahl bin Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Were this world worth a wing of mosquito, He would not have given a drink of water to an infidel."))
A powerful rich man might be in his casket in one second and his obituary declares his death.
Sending Salat on the Prophet eliminates stinginess from the Muslim:
Sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH is the essence of assemblies as it never makes any assembly a reason for remorse (for its people) on the Day of Resurrection. Let alone, sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH proves that this man is not stingy due to the following Hadith:(('Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The miser is the one in whose presence I am mentioned but he does not supplicate for me."))
((Abu Hurairah reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, ascended the pulpit and he said, "Amin, amin, amin." It was said, "O Messenger of Allah, you ascended the pulpit and said amin, amin, amin." The Prophet said, "Verily, Gabriel came to me and he said: Whoever reaches the month of Ramadan and he is not forgiven, then he will enter Hellfire and Allah will cast him far away, so say amin. I said amin. Whoever sees his parents in their old age, one or both of them, and he does not honor them and he dies, then he will enter Hellfire and Allah will cast him far away, so say amin. I said amin. Whoever has your name mentioned in his presence and he does not send blessings upon you and he dies, then he will enter Hellfire and Allah will cast him far away, so say amin. I said amin."))
This means that being dutiful to your parents is enough for you to enter Paradise, on the third step Gabriel said:
((…Whoever has your name mentioned in his presence and he does not send blessings upon you and he dies, then he will enter Hellfire and Allah will cast him far away, so say amīn. I said amin.))
We send Salat on the Prophet PBUH in order to get Allah's Mercy:
Sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH brings about Allah's Mercy. When Allah decrees to reward someone, He fills his heart with mercy. When you see someone who is optimistic and stable, and he cherishes his existence and this valuable world (in the sense that the worldly life is his chance to exalt), this is but a Divine Mercy bestowed upon this person, and although it is very hard to be explained in details, its effects are very clear. Hence, whoever sends Salat on the Prophet PBUH will be granted the Divine Mercy. The Prophet PBUH said:((Raja' Ibn Haywah reported: Abu Darda', may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Verily, knowledge only comes by learning and forbearance only comes by cultivating forbearance. Whoever aims for good will receive goodness and whoever seeks to evade evil will be protected from it."))
Love comes from endearing oneself to someone, so if you read the biography of the Prophet and you learn about his humility, mercy and perfection, you will love him. If you read more, you will feel as if you lived with him. Reading the biography of the Prophet PBUH in the year 2000 by someone makes this person live with the Prophet in his era. As a result, all his thoughts, conceptions and ambitions will be derived from the era of heroes (the era of the companions). Also, sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH embraces remembering Allah. Allah says:
﴾O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance.﴿
Remembering Allah includes remembering the Prophet PBUH; namely, part of remembering Allah is about remembering the Prophet PBUH.
The Prophetic biography is a method for all of us to read and follow:
I would like to mention what I have said at the beginning of this lesson. You will not understand any principle without seeing it in action. In other words, you cannot understand values without a role model, and you cannot understand perfection without a perfect human being. What we are in dire need of is perfection in action that is manifested in human beings, and the best example is the Master of mankind (i.e. the Prophet PBUH).I hope that you do not just utter the words of sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH like common people; some Muslims send Salat on the Prophet PBUH while they are staring at a woman and feasting their eyes on their beauty. It does not befit to send Salat on the Prophet without commitment to this religion, so whenever the believer sends Salat on the Prophet, he abides by his Sunnah. Remember that Allah does not accept any claim of loving Him without a proof, and this proof is to send Salat on the Prophet PBUH and to abide by his Sunnah.
﴾Say (O Muhammad to mankind): "If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur'an and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins.﴿
I do not believe that there is a believer who does not know the Prophetic biography, simply because this man (i.e. the Prophet PBUH) is the greatest character in your life, and he is your example in his actions, stances, anger, pleasure, strengthening ties or breaking them, which means that his life is a method for you to follow. Therefore, it is deemed necessary for you to read his biography or to listen to it.
In fact, the biography of the Prophet is learned either by listening to it and reading it in a chronicle order, or by using it as a practical reference due to the exalted traits of the Prophet PBUH, and both ways are enjoyable. Hence, you should be keen on listening to the Prophetic biography, on knowing his exalted traits and on reading the stories of the companions, for their stories give us hints about their relation with the Prophet PBUH. Thus, sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH should have deep content which is manifested in knowing him. The Prophet PBUH said:
((Teach your children three qualities: love of your Prophet, love of the family, and recitation of the Quran.))
Does this Hadith mean that you endear the Prophet PBUH to your children by saying to them, "Love the Prophet O son, I will be pleased with you if you love him"? No of course not, but the meaning of this Hadith is to use every occasion and opportunity to tell your children about the exalted traits of the Prophet, his good conducts, his sublime attributes, his generosity, his forgiveness, his love, his politeness and his humility in order to love him. As you know, souls incline to love perfection as every human being loves perfection and beauty.
I have mentioned in this lecture only few virtues of sending Salat on the Prophet PBUH. Allah says:
﴾And invoke Allah for them. Verily! Your invocations are a source of security for them﴿
((O Messenger of Allah, when we are in your company, and are reminded of Hell-fire and Jannah, we feel as if we are seeing them with our own eyes, but when we go away from you and attend to our wives, children and business, much of these things go out of our minds." Thereupon Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said, "By Him in Whose Hand is my life if your state of mind remains the same as it is in my presence and you are always busy in remembrance (of Allah), the angels will shake hands with you in your beds and in your roads; but Hanzalah, time should be devoted (to the worldly affairs) and time should be devoted (to prayer)". He (the Prophet PBUH) said this thrice.))
In another narration, the Prophet PBUH said:
((We, companies of Prophets: our eyes sleep but our hearts never sleep.))
The believer needs some company, because it is not enough to read for his own self only. He needs someone whose exalted religious state encourages him to become better, and whose words guide him to Allah.
