Upholding The Honor Of The Prophet's Companions And Family

Opening Praise and Hadith

الحمد لله، الحمد لله رب العالمين، والصلاة والسلام على أشرف الأنبياء والمرسلين، وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين، أما بعد.

قال الله تبارك وتعالى في كتابه المجيد، بعد أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم، بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم. صدق الله العظيم.

وقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم:

(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3862)

The Theme: The Ahlul Bayt and the Sahaba

Alhamdulillah, this weekend we have our annual seerah conference and the theme, the main topic will be discussing the Ahlul Bayt of the Prophet ﷺ — the family of the Prophet ﷺ. And the family of the Prophet ﷺ of course is included in the larger group of the Sahaba, Ridwanullahi alayhim ajma'een.

Traditionally, Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama'ah have always revered the companions of the Prophet ﷺ. They were that group of individuals who accepted Islam, they believed in the Prophet ﷺ, and they supported the Prophet ﷺ, and they made sacrifices that the rest of this ummah perhaps can never be able to make. And in many ayat and in ahadith of the Prophet ﷺ we have been advised as the ummah to take the Sahaba, Ridwanullahi alayhim ajma'een, as an example — whether it's the Sahaba who accepted Islam early, the Muhajirun, whether it's the Ansar, or the women, the Azwajil Mutahharat and the Sahabiyat, the wives of the Prophet ﷺ, whether it's the senior Sahaba or the younger Sahaba. Each and every single one of them accepted Islam, each and every single one of them was true to their belief in Allah and their loyalty to the Prophet ﷺ.

That's why even in hadith sciences there's this idea that anytime any Sahabi's name comes in the sanad, even if we don't know any information about that Sahabi, that's okay. Because every single Sahabi — as-sahabatu kulluhum 'udool — each and every single one of them is upright, each and every single one of them is an authority, each and every single one of them is valid in their narration of whatever they narrate about the Prophet ﷺ. They learned from the Prophet ﷺ, they were the students of the Prophet ﷺ, and they saw the Prophet ﷺ, they were in the company of the Prophet ﷺ. Some had the virtue of being with the Prophet ﷺ more than others, but this ummah and the predecessors of this ummah — from the time of the Sahaba till today — this is acknowledged, and part in fact of our faith is that we do not criticize any one of the Sahaba, Ridwanullahi alayhim ajma'een.

There are two separate things here that are important to keep in mind: one is to analyze — that's fine, that can happen. There were things that definitely happened during the time of the Sahaba, Ridwanullahi alayhim ajma'een, that we today look at and we analyze. But at no point in time do any of the scholars or any of this ummah that follow the Ahlul Sunnah wal Jama'ah allow for any criticism on any of the Sahaba of the Prophet ﷺ. That is part of our faith.

The Hadith: Fear Allah Regarding My Companions

In one hadith — which I just recited, narrated by Imam Tirmidhi rahimahullah — the Prophet ﷺ said: "Allaha Allaha fee ashaabi" — i.e., ittaqillaha, ittaqillaha, ittaqullah — fear Allah regarding my companions. "La tattakhiduhum gharadan min ba'di" — don't take them as targets after me, i.e., don't criticize them, don't say things about them. "Fa man ahabbahum fa bi hubbi ahabbahum" — whoever loves them is because they love me. "Wa man abghadahum fa bi bughdi abghadahum" — and whoever hates them is because he hates me. "Wa man aadhaahum fa qad aadhaani" — whoever hurts them has hurt me. "Wa man aadhaani fa qad aadha Allah" — whoever hurts me has hurt Allah. And it's possible that Allah then takes him to task — wa yushiku an ya'khudahu Allah — or as he ﷺ said.

Of course, what does it mean that a person "hurts" Allah? No one can hurt Allah — Allah is Al-Qadir 'ala kulli shay'. But this is an expression: that person who hurts the Sahaba has hurt the Prophet ﷺ, and that person who has hurt the Prophet ﷺ has drawn the wrath of Allah, has drawn the anger of Allah. That's something very serious.

So that's why traditionally, in every era and generation of this ummah, those who upheld the true teachings of the Prophet ﷺ never ever made the Sahaba, Ridwanullahi alayhim ajma'een, as a target of criticism and as a target for saying all kinds of nonsense that sometimes we hear from within the Muslim community.

Allah's Testimony of the Sahaba in the Quran

Why? Because — and you can imagine — in the Quran, Allah is saying:

Those who went ahead and proceeded first from among the Muhajirun, and those who helped them — the Ansar — and those who followed them in the best manner possible: Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Allah. Allah has prepared for them paradise underneath which rivers flow, where they will dwell therein forever. That is their maqam. And their sacrifices — they made such sacrifices that, wallahu a'lam, whether any one of us would make that same sacrifice for our own parents and our own children, let alone for the Prophet ﷺ.

Stories of the Sahaba's Sacrifices

Talha ibn 'Ubaydillah and the Battle of Uhud

In Sahih al-Bukhari there is one hadith that comes regarding one Sahabi by the name of Talha. Talha radiallahu anhu is also among the Ashara Mubashara — the ten whom the Prophet ﷺ, in one narration, promised Paradise. So the tabi'i — the followers, those who come after the Sahaba, that generation who didn't get the opportunity to see the Prophet ﷺ but they believed and they had the good fortune of seeing the Sahaba and being with the Sahaba — one tabi'i reports: "I saw the hand of Talha radiallahu anhu paralyzed. All the nerves had been destroyed, he could not move that hand." Why? Because in the Battle of Uhud, when the mushrikeen were shooting arrows at the Prophet ﷺ, what did Talha radiallahu anhu do? He didn't have a shield that he could use, so he used his own hands to block the arrows from the Prophet ﷺ. This was the type of sacrifice they made.

Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas and the Early Days of Islam

Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas radiallahu anhu mentions that in the early period of Islam, when we didn't have anything — we would barely have anything to eat — and at times we would survive on leaves. And the type of leaves that they would survive on, he said: "After eating them for a long time, we would get blisters on our mouths." These were the sacrifices that these individuals made.

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari and His Journey to Istanbul

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari radiallahu anhu — who had the great fortune of being the host of the Prophet ﷺ when he came to Madina Munawwara — his home was next to Masjid al-Nabawi. His grave today we find in Turkey. He went all the way there for the sake of the spread of Islam, for the sake of the deen of Allah, leaving the comfort of his own home. He made these sacrifices. Which place, which land, could be better than the Haramayn Sharifayn? People make du'a: "Ya Allah, let my death come in Mecca Mukarrama, let my death arrive when I'm in Mecca or when I'm in Madina Tayyiba, so that I could be buried in Jannatul Mu'alla or Jannatul Baqi'." And this individual, despite having the opportunity of living right next to the Masjid of the Prophet ﷺ, where Jannatul Baqi' is — his grave is found all the way in Turkey, in Istanbul. That is Abu Ayyub al-Ansari radiallahu anhu.

Abu Lubaba and the Pillar of Tawbah

Their love, their devotion, their fear of Allah — subhanAllah. One Sahabi by the name of Abu Lubaba radiallahu anhu: when he came to one of the negotiations with the Jewish tribes, the Prophet ﷺ told him, "Don't reveal any information — just see what the situation is at hand." So he went there, and because he had connections with them even prior to Islam, he was sent. But he ended up making a gesture that gave them an idea of what would happen. We don't have the time to go into the whole story, but because the Prophet ﷺ had told him, "Don't say anything, don't reveal anything," — immediately he realized the mistake he had made by simply gesturing an indication to them.

Immediately he left Banu Qurayza, went all the way to Masjid al-Nabawi, tied himself to one of the pillars of Masjid al-Nabawi, and said: "I'm not going to leave here until Allah turns towards me, until Rasulullah ﷺ himself unravels this — because I did something, I made a mistake." And Rasulullah ﷺ said: "Had he simply just come to me, I would have taken care of the situation. But because he now leaves it in the hands of Allah, now it's up to Allah."

Six days he kept himself tied — not because the Prophet ﷺ told him to. He himself tied himself to the pillar of the Masjid. And after six days, ayat came down. The Prophet ﷺ smiled — he was in the home of Umm Salama radiyallahu anha. She asked: "Why do you smile?" He said: "Because the tawbah of Abu Lubaba has been accepted." She said: "Can I inform him?" — because the hujurat where the Prophet ﷺ and his wives lived were right adjacent to Masjid al-Nabawi. Ayat of hijab had not yet been revealed, so from the door of her home she called out: "O Abu Lubaba! Allah has turned towards you!" And when the Muslims rushed to untie the knot, he said: "No, no — I want Rasulullah ﷺ himself." Rasulullah ﷺ then came and untied that knot.

Till today in Masjid al-Nabawi that pillar is there. On top of it, it is written: Ustuwan Abu Lubaba. Till today. And in the narration it comes that someone would come during the prayers who would untie it so that he could pray — and then he himself, after the prayer, would come back and tie it again. That was the level of fear of Allah that they had.

Thabit ibn Qays and the Verse of Lowering the Voice

One Sahabi I mentioned to some of the students on one occasion: Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shammas radiallahu anhu. His nickname was Khatibun Nabi ﷺ — "the orator of the Prophet ﷺ" — because he was known for his naturally powerful voice. Just as Hassan ibn Thabit radiallahu anhu is known as Sha'ir Rasulillah — the poet of the Prophet ﷺ — this Thabit ibn Qays al-Ansari radiallahu anhu was known as Khatib Rasulillah. If the Prophet ﷺ at times needed to convey some information or announcement to the Ansar, he would be among those sent to proclaim it.

When the ayah was revealed:

"O you who believe, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet ﷺ, and do not call out to him as you call out to one another, lest your deeds become null and void while you perceive not" — this Sahabi stopped coming to the Masjid.

After a couple of days, it was the habit of the Prophet ﷺ that if a Sahabi who would regularly come stopped showing up, he would ask: "What happened to so-and-so?" So he asked: "What happened to Thabit ibn Qays? I haven't seen him." They said: "Ya Rasulullah, we don't know." So one of the Sahaba went to see him. He said: "O Thabit, what happened? Rasulullah ﷺ is asking about you." He started crying. Why? "This ayah was revealed — Ya ayyuhalladhina amanu la tarfa'u aswatakum fawqa sawti al-nabi — and you know that my voice is so loud. The Prophet's ﷺ natural voice was very soft, very tender. My voice is loud — I'm afraid that all my actions have become null and void."

This Sahabi didn't say anything; he went back and reported to the Prophet ﷺ: "Ya Rasulullah, this is what he's saying." The Prophet ﷺ said: "Go tell him that he is not one of them — he is in fact from the people of Jannah." Why? Because his raising of his voice was not something he was doing purposely. Rather, it was his natural voice — some people just naturally talk very loudly. But this was the degree of care and concern that they had, the fear that perhaps their actions might become null and void: "What am I going to say to Allah on the Day of Judgment?"

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari: Hosting the Prophet ﷺ

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari — when the Prophet ﷺ came to his home in Madina Munawwara, his home had two floors. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Please let me stay on the lower floor — because people are going to keep coming and going, it's going to disturb you." He said: "No, Ya Rasulullah! We cannot stay — how could we stay on the upper floor when you are staying on the lower floor?" The Prophet ﷺ said: "No, look — it's going to be very difficult, people are going to come and go, it's going to unnecessarily cause you difficulty." So they said: "Okay, fine."

One time — subhanAllah — a bowl or some glass fell, and they became so afraid that water might fall down to the lower floor and disturb the Prophet ﷺ. They said that the whole night they would spend just huddled up, not moving at all, otherwise afraid that it would make some sort of noise and disturb the Prophet ﷺ. And they even had in their mind: "The Wahy comes down — we don't want to come in between." Although of course it's not going to affect the Wahy. Eventually Rasulullah ﷺ accepted and moved upstairs. This level of love for the Prophet ﷺ, this level of love for the Deen of Allah.

Our Role Models

Each one of them — their sacrifice — books and books and books have been written. One story after the other, one Sahabi after the other. Unfortunately this ummah, we are forgetting. These were our models, these are our role models — not the people out here. Our role models are the Prophet ﷺ and his Sahaba. And if anyone wishes to gain the pleasure of Allah, they will have to — there is no other way — follow the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, the way of the Prophet ﷺ, and the way of the Sahaba, Ridwanullahi alayhim ajma'een. There is no other way. These are the individuals about whom Allah Himself has testified that He is pleased with. And if you're looking for the pleasure of Allah, then this is your way, these are your individuals.

I feel sometimes very ashamed — myself and our community. We know everything about all these other people. We're in an election year right now. Mashallah, those of us who are older, if we're living in this country we need to know politics — we know more about the candidates that are running for the presidency than we know about the Prophet ﷺ. You will not be asked in your grave: "Do you know who ran for office this year?" You will be asked: man hadha rajul — "Who is this individual?" And if you don't have iman in the Prophet ﷺ, you don't have love for the Prophet ﷺ —

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 15; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 44)

Your iman is not complete until I — meaning the Prophet ﷺ — am more beloved to you than your father, your son, and any other individual.

We should make it a point to learn about the Prophet ﷺ: What was his life, his seerah? What did he dedicate himself to? What was the ibadah of the Prophet ﷺ like? This is what matters. Nothing else. And I want to maybe rephrase — definitely in life there are things that are important to us, there are things that we need to be aware of, we need to know of our circumstances, know of the time we are living in, the situation, the conditions — no doubt about it. But the priority must be Allah and His Rasul.

May Allah grant us the tawfiq to understand this. May Allah give us the love. This was part of the du'as of the Prophet ﷺ:

"O Allah, I ask You for Your love, and the love of those who love You, and the love of those actions that will draw me near to Your love."

May Allah grant us that. Alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen.

Announcements

We'll pause for the sunnah prayers. Please, if everyone can move forward — if there's any gap in between, please fill that. Jazakumullahu khayral jaza'.

A couple of announcements inshallah. Please pass the donation boxes from left to right — donate generously.

Again, we are having our annual seerah conference this weekend, which is titled "The Prophet's Family: Ahlul Bayt in the Sunni Tradition." This will start tonight after Maghrib, and again it will continue tomorrow starting at 10:30 AM. Sisters will also have their parallel sessions with female scholars, which will begin from Dhuhr to the end of the program.

Sunday school registrations are open for boys and girls ages 6 to 16. The classes began September 8th, but you can still enroll them inshallah.

Darussalam will be offering a new online program called the Ta'aleem Program. We are offering 10 courses per semester — Monday through Friday, three and a half hours of study daily. For more information, visit darusslamamasjid.org/taaleem.

We have our weekly programs: Team Fajr resumes tomorrow — iqamah is at 5:45. Tuesday Tafsir continues after Maghrib salah — we just started Surat al-Fussilat this past week. And we have our weekly Urdu Seerah program, mashallah, conducted every Thursday after Maghrib salah.

Please join us for our Annual Benefit Dinner at Shalimar Banquets, Saturday October 5th. The guest speaker will be Shaykh Hussain Sattar. Tickets can be purchased by scanning the QR code or from the flyers displayed outside.

Also, save the date for our 7th Annual Winter Intensive — Saturday, December 21st through Tuesday, December 24th. More details are to come inshallah.

And again, a request for du'as: first and foremost for our brothers and sisters in Palestine — may Allah grant them assistance and help and remove their difficulty. Likewise, we have a request for du'a for our brother Abdul Manan — his mother, Arifa Begum, she passed away. May Allah forgive her and grant her Jannatul Firdaws. Brother Tanveer Zaman also passed away — make du'a for his maghfirah. May Allah grant him Jannatul Firdaws and forgive him for his shortcomings.

Second Khutbah: Salawat and Du'a

اذكروا الله العلي العظيم يذكركم، وادعوه يستجب لكم، ولذكر الله تعالى أكبر، والله يعلم ما تصنعون. أقيموا الصلاة.

Please ensure that the rows are straight, please fill in any gaps in front, and please turn off or put your phones on silent.