By: Haqqseeker
Source: Muslimvillage
APPEARANCE OF LIGHT OF TRUE KNOWLEDGE AND DIVINE GUIDANCE
About fourteen and a half centuries ago, when mankind was immersed in the state of degeneration and the world was sunk in the darkness of Jāhilyā (ignorance), when all kinds of sins were daily norms and when oppression was at its height, a light of True Knowledge and Divine Guidance arose from the horizon of the rugged hills of Makkāh.
As its rays spread to the East, West, North and South, they reached every nook and every corner of the earth and within an amazingly short period of 23 years; the way was paved through this light for mankind to move to such heights of glory as had never been attained before.
It enlightened all those who brought Imān and created in them the urge for obeying every command of Allāh and for adopting the right direction – direction chosen by Allāh Exalted and Majestic for the entire mankind, which would ultimately bring them their salvation. By following the right path and the guidance coming from this light, the Muslims moved from success to success and attained the pinnacle of glory in history.
This is an irrefutable truth and cannot be erased and neither can it be challenged. By now almost every one of us must have guessed who this light was that Allāh Most High sent to this world. Yes, he was none other than Prophet Muhammad (Allah’s peace be upon him), the Most Superior and the Noblest of all His creations.
It is a clear and evident reality that the coming of the Prophet (Allah’s peace be upon him) brought culmination and fruition to the Deen from every angle. It was the seal of all prophet-hood. The Final Divine Message had reached the earth. The final brick for the structure of Deen was put in place by the coming of the Last Messenger (Allah’s peace be upon him). The universe was struck with brilliant lustre which outshone that of the stars, and it never set.
WHAT ALLĀH SAYS ABOUT HIS BEST CREATION This is the Creation that Allāh Exalted and Majestic Himself has praised many times in Qur’ān Majeed! In one āyat (Surāh Ambiyā āyat 107) Allāh calls His beloved Prophet Muhammad, ‘ Rahmatul-Lil-‘Ālamīn’ [Mercy to the universe]! Just imagine! Rabbil ‘Ālamīn [the Lord of the universe] Himself describes His best creation Prophet Muhammad (Allah’s peace be upon him) as Rahmatul-Lil-‘Ālamīn [Mercy to the universe]!
One of the most Majestic moments in the entire human history is perhaps the moment when the exalted āyat number 56 of Surāh Ahzāb was revealed. In this āyat Allāh says: “Verily Allāh and His Angels send salāh on the Prophet (Allah’s peace be upon him) [Allāh showers special mercies on him and the angels pray for him]. O you [men and women] who have imān! Send Salāh and Salām to him [pray to Allāh to shower special mercies and peace on him by reciting the various forms of “Salāt and Salām” reported in the āhadeeth].”
That is why one of the greatest ‘Ibādāh (worship) which Allāh Most High has blessed this Ummāh with, is the recitation of invoking Allāh’s blessings on the Prophet (Allah’s peace be upon him), in other words the recitation of Durood. Has Allāh honoured with such majesty, dignity and grandeur, any other being from the entire humanity, or from the vast array of His Malāikah (Angels) or from the community of Jinn or from any other Makhluq (creation) existing in our universe or any other universe that we have no ‘ilm (knowledge) about? The answer is an emphatic ‘no‘!
THE BEST OF UMMĀH
How lucky were the people who were privileged with the honour and dignity of being the Sahābāh (companions) of such a man! They were favoured to be in his enlightening company, to behold his most handsome face, to touch his body that was giving out extraordinary fragrance and to hear his melodious voice. Aren’t we also very lucky to have been divinely chosen to be the Ummati of such a man?
The answer is a grand ‘yes’, of course.
Regarding the Ummāh of Prophet Muhammad (Allah’s peace be upon him) in Surāh Āl-Imrān verse number 110 Allāh says: “You [the followers of Muhammad (Allah’s peace be upon him)] are the best of all nations who have been raised for [the benefit and the salvation of] mankind. You command what is right, forbid from evil [kufr, shirk, wickedness, etc] and believe in Allāh [Umar (radhiAllāhu ‘anhu) said, “Act on this verse to be included in the Ummāh of Muhammad (Allah’s peace be upon him.)”].”
HOW DO WE THANK ALLĀH FOR BESTOWING UPON US SUCH HONOUR?
By doing what Allāh has praised us for in the above āyat (command what is right, forbid evil and believe in Allāh); by trying our best to submit to all His commands and by bringing in our life the true love for His Prophet (Allah’s peace be upon him)!
CAN WE CALL OURSELVES REAL ĀSHIQ-E-RASOOL?
With regards to the question of loving our Prophet (Allah’s peace be upon him), let us ask ourselves: Is our love for this great man genuine or is it only lip-service? One of the essential signs of our love for The Messenger of Allah would be that we imitate him in everything that we do. Unfortunately, that is not the case with most us. How disheartening it is to see that we have a perfect role model in the lifestyle that the Prophet Muhammad (Allah’s peace be upon him) left for us to emulate and yet we seek solace in the imitating the Kuffār (people of disbelief), following their ways and their fashions.
In this context Moulana Sarfraz Khan Safdar has said the following in his book “The Path of Sunnah”: ‘The cries of ishq-e-Rasool (love for the Prophet Allah’s peace be upon him) are all false, empty and hollow! We should ask ourselves the question as to whether we are displaying any affiliation to the Sunnah by introducing and following foreign ways and customs. The claims of love for Allāh Most High and the Prophet (Allah’s peace be upon him) are empty and devoid of substance. In this regard, the father of Molwi Ahmad Raza Khān Sāheb, Molwi Naqi Ali Khān Sāheb, stated, “Claims of love for Allāh Ta`ālā and The Messenger of Allah (Allah’s peace be upon him) without following the Sunnah is plain boasting and bragging.” [Sarwarul Quloob, page 139]
The crux of the matter is that the Kitaab and Sunnah are the basis of our creed, the foundation of our constitution, the fountainhead of our administration, the source of our politics, the ‘be all and end all’ (of utmost importance) of our living, the foundation of all our dealings and the source and headquarters of every aspect and ruling in our lives.
There is not a single aspect in our lives that ever falls out of the ambit of the Shariāh and its rulings. It is therefore imperative that we practice without compromise on the Shariāh.’ If we truly love the Prophet (Allah’s peace be upon him) from the bottom of our hearts then it becomes incumbent upon us to follow his Sunnāh in every aspect of our life – the way we carry out our ‘Ibādāh (worshipping Allāh and obeying His commands), our Mu’ālmalāt (business and financial dealings), our Ma’āshrāt (social dealings) and also our Akhlāq (practice of virtue, morality and manners).
Our lifestyle, our appearance, the way we dress up etc. should also reflect the Sunnāh of our beloved Prophet (Allah’s peace be upon him). From the time we are born till the time we leave this world, from the moment we wake up till the moment we go to sleep (and even while we are asleep) let us try to totally immerse ourselves in the Sunnāh of the beloved Prophet of Allāh. The Messenger of Allah (Allah’s peace be upon him) has mentioned in a hadeeth: “Whosoever brings alive even one of my Sunnāh in a time when my Ummāh is involved in corruption and evil will be granted the reward of a hundred martyrs.”
Another hadeeth says: “He who loves my Sunnāh, loves me and he who loves me will be in Jannāh with me.” The Messenger of Allah (Allah’s peace be upon him) has given us guidance in every step of life and yet some of us are selective in adopting his Sunnāh.
We only adopt the ones that are easy to practice and avoid the ones which we find against the trends of the modern society. Allāh Most High has said in Qur’ān; “Say [O Muhammad (Allah’s peace be upon him)], if you love Allāh then follow me [Muhammad (Allah’s peace be upon him)], Allāh will then love you [He will reward you and grant you numerous material and spiritual blessings] and forgive your sins. Allāh is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.” Surāh Āl-Imrān āyat 31. From the above verse we understand that by following the Sunnāh of The Messenger of Allah (Allah’s peace be upon him) we will gain two great benefits.
- We will become the beloved of Allāh Most High.
- Our sins will be forgiven.
The real success of every person lies only in following the Sunnāh of the Prophet (Allah’s peace be upon him). A true lover of the Prophet (Allah’s peace be upon him) must strive to follow him in every aspect of his life. May Allāh Most High grant us all the true love of Prophet (Allah’s peace be upon him).
And Allāh Most High knows best.
Ref:
Muslim Degeneration and its only Remedy by Moulana Ehtesham-ul-Hassan Kandhalwi.
The Path of Sunnat by Moulana Sarfraz Khan Safdar, translated by Mufti Afzal Hoosen Elias. http://talimiboardkzn.org/?q=system/files/The_Importance_of_Sunnah.pdf
Quran Made Easy – Mufti Afzal Hoosen Elias.
