Greatest Gift in Jannah to See Allah(SWT) - Mawlana Usman | Islamic Reminder | Jummah Khutbah

Greatest Gift in Jannah: To See Allah — The Blessing of Sight and Love

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And peace and blessings be upon the most honored of Prophets and Messengers — our Master and Beloved Muhammad and upon his family and all his companions.

O Allah, send blessings and peace upon our Master Muhammad and upon the family of our Master Muhammad. O Allah, benefit us with what You have taught us and teach us what benefits us.

We begin in the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate — our Lord, our Creator, our Sustainer, our Nourisher. And we bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him. And whomsoever Allah misguides, none can guide him. So we seek refuge in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala from Shaytan, the accursed, and from the evils of our own souls.

The Blessing of Seeing Our Loved Ones

From amongst the greatest blessings of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala upon us is the blessing of being able to see our loved ones. When a person sees their family, their friends, siblings, parents, children, nieces and nephews — seeing them is from amongst the greatest blessings of Allah. Even though we may not feel this as a blessing sometimes; a person will only consider this a blessing, or feel it to be a blessing, once they are detached. May Allah save us all.

So from amongst the greatest blessings of Allah is to see our loved ones. And on the flip side, one of the toughest things for a person to go through is to be detached or separated from their loved ones — from their family, their friends, their community, their parents, their children, their nieces and their nephews, and whoever else is beloved in their hearts.

As Muslims, we know that even above the love for our parents, and even above the love for our children and our families and our friends and our community, is the love of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and the love of His Rasul sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And so for a mu'min, the burning desire in one's heart always exists — that one day I will see Allah, and one day we will see the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Those that have a deep love for Allah and His Rasul sallallahu alayhi wa sallam have that desire and look forward to that day.

As we find in a hadith, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam mentions:

A person who desires and wants to meet Allah, then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala also desires and wants to meet this person as well. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6507; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2683)

The Greatest Gift of Jannah: Seeing Allah

The meeting of our beloved ones — and for us as Muslims, above anyone else, our love for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and our love for Rasul sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. That is why Imam Nawawi rahimahullah, at the end of his Riyad-us-Saliheen, dedicated a chapter to the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for those that enter Jannah. At the end of that book there is an inspiration, a hope, a yearning, and a desire to one day meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And so from one of those ahadith — a hadith reported by Imam Muslim — the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says:

When the people of Jannah will enter Jannah, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will say to them: "Is there anything more I can give you? Is there anything more that you desire?" (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 181)

The people of Jannah will be in luxury and comfort, enjoying themselves. They will have been saved from the fire of Jahannam and entered into Jannah. And they will think — O Allah, what more is there that we can have? We are in Jannah, what more is there that we can ask You for?

And so Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will ask again: Is there anything more that I can provide for the people of Jannah? And the people of Jannah will be flabbergasted — we are in Jannah, we are enjoying its blessings and its rewards, what more can there be for us?

And so in the hadith, the Prophet ﷺ tells us that at that time the people will reason with Allah and say:

"O Allah, haven't You already enlightened our faces and saved us from the fire of Jahannam and entered us into Jannah — haven't You already done all of this for us?"

And then at that time, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will remove the veil:

Allah will remove the veil that is between the people of Jannah and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and the people of Jannah will then be able to see Allah.

The Prophet ﷺ then says:

Nothing to the person of Jannah — nothing will be more beloved, more valuable, more priceless than the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala; the fact that they had the opportunity to see Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Seeing Allah Like the Full Moon

The Prophet ﷺ once was standing with the Sahaba on a dark night with a full moon. He pointed at the moon and told the Sahaba رضي الله عنهم:

"You will see your Lord just as you are seeing this moon. There will be nothing between you and Allah — you will be able to see Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 554; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 633)

The Qur'an on the Sight of Allah

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala describes this in the Qur'an as well, in various different ayat. Allah talks about people who will have, on the Day of Judgment, faces full of nur:

People whose faces will be full of brightness and radiance — and they will be looking at their Lord. And on the flip side, there will be those who will be veiled and prevented from seeing Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Allah says in Surah al-Mutaffifin:

There will be those on that day that will be prevented from seeing Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

So for the believer, our love for Allah and our love for Rasul sallallahu alayhi wa sallam creates a desire within us to see Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and to see Rasul sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And that is why also with seeing the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, even in the context of our conversations, sometimes the topic or the stories or the incidents of people who were blessed enough to see the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in a dream come up.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam mentions:

"Whoever sees me in a dream has truly seen me, for Shaytan cannot take my shape or form." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6993; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2266)

And a person with that love for the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam will also have a yearning desire to know what the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam looked like. And so we find the shama'il — the ahadith that were gathered regarding his physical characteristics, how the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam looked — and the different accounts of companions who mustered up the courage to look at the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and their descriptions of him.

The Description of the Prophet ﷺ by Ummi Ma'bad

Today I wish to go through one of the descriptions that we find in a hadith. This specific description is known as the hadith of Ummi Ma'bad.

Ummi Ma'bad رضي الله عنها was a lady who used to live between Mecca and Medina, on the path between the two cities. As the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه, and their guide Amir ibn Fuhayrah made their way to Medina from Mecca during the Hijrah, they passed by the tent and dwellings of Ummi Ma'bad رضي الله عنها.

At that time, the enemy of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — the Quraysh — had sent out a message: if you see this man, there is a reward of a hundred camels on his head. And so they passed by the tents of Ummi Ma'bad رضي الله عنها, who would later on accept Islam.

The hadith is very beautiful because she explains her incident of meeting the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. She would stand and sit outside of her dwellings, outside of her tent, waiting for passersby — and it was out of her good nature and her generosity that she would feed them and give them drink.

The Miracle of the Goat

So Ummi Ma'bad رضي الله عنها was waiting outside when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, Abu Bakr, and Amir ibn Fuhayrah passed by. As travelers who had fled an enemy in Mecca, they were in need of food and drink. So they asked her:

"Do you have any meat or any dates? We will buy it from you."

Ummi Ma'bad رضي الله عنها, on that specific day, had nothing with her — not even water to drink or milk to offer. Her husband had taken out the animals, and she was only left with one old, fatigued, weakened goat. She apologised and said: I have nothing with me.

And so the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, as mentioned in the hadith:

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam saw a goat in her tent — a weakened and old goat, nothing that one could expect any milk from. And so the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam asked her:

"What about this goat? What is wrong with this goat?"

She answered: This is a goat that has become old and weakened. It is fatigued. It doesn't have the ability to give milk. It's just here.

And so the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam asked her permission:

"Do you give me permission to milk the goat?"

Ummi Ma'bad رضي الله عنها was taken aback. Of course the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam could see that there was nothing there to milk. And so she said:

"May my mother and father be sacrificed for you. If you see anything there to be milked, then go ahead and milk it."

And so the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam called the goat close. He made du'a to Allah:

He took the name of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He passed his blessed hand over the udder of the goat. And immediately the udder of the goat started to fill with milk — brimming with milk.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam then asked for a container. He filled it with milk and first offered it to Ummi Ma'bad رضي الله عنها, saying: "You drink." She drank until she was completely full. Then he took the bowl again, filled it again, and gave it to Abu Bakr and Amir ibn Fuhayrah. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam then drank from it himself. And then before leaving he filled another bowl and left it there. And then him, Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه and Amir ibn Fuhayrah made their way to Medina.

Abu Ma'bad Asks for the Description

Ummi Ma'bad رضي الله عنها was left there flabbergasted — what just happened? Her husband came home from wherever he had been herding the animals. He came home and saw the bowl of milk:

He was shocked. And he said:

"O Ummi Ma'bad, where did you get this? You have no goats here, no animals for milk, no one is around. I took the animals out — where did you get this milk from?"

And so Ummi Ma'bad رضي الله عنها replied:

"A very blessed man passed by." And she explained the incident of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam visiting her tent and passing his blessed hand over the goat and producing milk from it.

Abu Ma'bad — at this time both of them were not yet Muslim — said to her:

"Describe to me what this man looked like."

And this is where we find one of the most beautiful descriptions of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam from among the companions رضي الله عنهم. Today being the first day of Rabi'ul Awwal, I thought it an opportune time to talk about the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And it was actually the first of Rabi'ul Awwal when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam left the cave in Mecca and departed for Medina — the Hijrah — with Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه.

Ummi Ma'bad's Description of the Prophet ﷺ

She very beautifully describes the physical attributes of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam to her husband:

She said: ظَاهِرُ الْوَضَاءَةِ — The Prophet's sallallahu alayhi wa sallam's apparent nature was very striking; it was full of radiance.

أَبْلَجُ الْوَجْهِ — His Mubarak face was very luminous and radiant. Once a person saw it, if they had the courage, they would continue to look at the beauty of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

حَسَنُ الْخَلْقِ — The disposition, the makeup of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — his physical features, the way he was created by Allah — was beautifully done; it was amazing.

لَمْ تَعِبْهُ ثُجْلَةٌ — The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was not blemished by a protruding stomach.

وَلَمْ تُزْرِ بِهِ صَعْلَةٌ — The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was not disproportionate — he didn't have a small head. Everything about the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was perfect.

وَسِيمٌ قَسِيمٌ — He was handsome; he was perfectly proportioned. His limbs were of perfect proportion — nothing was out of place.

فِي عَيْنَيْهِ دَعَجٌ — In his eyes, عليه الصلاة والسلام, there was a striking contrast: the dark was very dark and the white of his eyes were very white.

وَفِي أَشْفَارِهِ وَطَفٌ — His eyelashes, عليه الصلاة والسلام, were very long.

وَفِي صَوْتِهِ صَحَلٌ — In his voice, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had a natural resonance and depth — a crackle in his voice.

وَفِي عُنُقِهِ سَطَعٌ — And his neck was elegantly long.

وَفِي لِحْيَتِهِ كَثَاثَةٌ — The beard of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was full.

أَزَجُّ أَقْرَنُ — His eyebrows had a natural arcing to them and were as if they met.

شَدِيدُ سَوَادِ الشَّعْرِ — His hair was extremely black.

إِذَا صَمَتَ عَلَاهُ الْوَقَارُ — When the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would remain quiet, he would be overtaken by an aura of dignity, reverence, and respect.

وَإِنْ تَكَلَّمَ عَلَاهُ الْبَهَاءُ — And when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam spoke, it was so beautiful — it was as if light was protruding from within him. So when he was quiet, everything would become quiet, encompassed by an aura of dignity and reverence and respect. And when he spoke, it was very meaningful.

أَجْمَلُ النَّاسِ وَأَبْهَاهُمْ مِنْ بَعِيدٍ — From far away, he was the most outstanding, the most good-looking.

وَأَحْسَنُهُ وَأَحْلَاهُ مِنْ قَرِيبٍ — And the closer you came to him sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the more beautiful he became. You know, sometimes you see a person from far away and what strikes the eye might initially appear to be beauty. But the closer you get, the more blemishes appear. She says the very exact opposite: from far away he is the most beautiful, the most handsome, the most outstanding — and the closer you got, the more the beauty of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam increased.

حُلْوُ الْمَنْطِقِ — His speech was very sweet.

لَا نَزْرٌ وَلَا هَذَرٌ — It was neither too short — just yes and no, choppy answers — nor was it too long, where a person speaks for so long that people become bored. His speech was perfectly proportioned as well.

كَأَنَّ مَنْطِقَهُ خَرَزَاتُ نَظْمٍ يَتَحَدَّرْنَ — She says: when the words would come out of the blessed mouth of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, it was as if beads were dropping. Like a person has a necklace of beads or a tasbih, and if it breaks, how each bead falls off one after the other, beautifully, off that necklace — the same way she mentions, as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam spoke, it was as if pearls were dropping from his blessed mouth.

The Description of the Companions رضي الله عنهم

And then she described the Sahaba رضي الله عنهم around him:

She said: He had these companions that were just surrounding him, with him. If he spoke, the Sahaba listened very carefully to what he had to say. And if he commanded them to do something, they would quickly hasten to go fulfill the command of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — without being angry or upset. They would fulfill it with a heart full of happiness that they could fulfill the command of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

More Beautiful Than the Full Moon

Many Sahaba say — and there are narrations of Jabir رضي الله عنه as well as Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه — that they came out at night and saw the moon. It was a full moon night. And then they saw the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه says: I look at the moon. I look at the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. I look at the moon. I look at the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And for us — just imagine being a person who lived in the desert. During the day it is a scorching sun, and during the night it is a moon that they appreciated the light of, because besides that there was no light. And it was cool. It was beautiful. It was everything that they wanted — a gentle moon, a beautiful light.

Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه says: By Allah, the face of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was more radiant, more beautiful, than even the moon that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala created.

Closing: Developing Love for the Prophet ﷺ

For us, the lesson is that we need to develop within us a love for the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that will lead to a desire to see the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

And I'll end with what I started with. From amongst the greatest blessings of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is that we get to see our beloved ones — our families, our friends, our communities, our parents, our children, our nieces and nephews. And from amongst the toughest things is to be separated or detached from seeing them. As Muslims, the most beloved to us are Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and His beloved Rasul sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to fill our hearts with the love of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to fill our hearts with His love and the love of those that will bring us closer to His love as well. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to send His choicest salutations and peace and blessings upon the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to forgive our sins, guide us, and keep us and our families away from all harm.