The Sahaba: Pillars of Faith and Guides for Our Lives

Opening

Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen, wassalatu wassalamu ala ashraf al-anbiya wal-mursaleen, wa ala alihi wa ashabihi ajma'een, wa man tabi'ahum bi ihsan ila yawm ad-deen. Amma ba'd, faqad qala Allahu subhanahu wa ta'ala fee muhkami tanzeelih, a'udhu billahi minash-shaytanir-rajim, bismillahir-rahmanir-raheem.

And the hadith of Nabi ﷺ:

The Importance of the Sahaba

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, we start by thanking Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for the blessings that He has given us in every aspect of our lives, including us being here at this time for the prayer of Jumu'ah in the masjid.

Now, the deen of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala came to us through the intermediary of Jibreel alayhi wassalam. It came down to Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam. And afterwards, it was upon the people that were around Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam to further this deen, to propagate this deen.

Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam did so much. 23 years he spent propagating the deen, spreading the deen to the people. But at the end of the day, Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam was also human. He passed away. So what was left of that deen — all that deen that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala had given to him in those 23 years — all of that was left to the people around him, to the closest companions, to the sahabah radiallahu ta'ala anhum ajma'in.

We recognize their contributions. We understand the sacrifices they made in their personal lives, in their finances — everything they made sacrifices in for one purpose. That purpose is to propagate this deen.

Now the history of the sahabah, if it is presented to the people, their stories are made aware — the people are made aware of their stories and their sacrifices — we use these things, we use these stories, and the lessons from their lives, we use them to help us in our lives at this time. We take from their stories, we understand their struggles, and that gives us context in our lives, that gives us understanding of what we have to do as Muslims in this day and age.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions regarding the sahabah radiallahu anhum in the Qur'an, the ayah that I just read:

He mentions that those who came early, those who were the earliest people from the muhajireen and the ansar, and those who followed them afterwards — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has promised them Jannah. This is the praise of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, this is the promise of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for these individuals in the Qur'an. These were individuals handpicked by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, chosen by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to accompany His Prophet. This gives us the importance of who they were. We have to respect them because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala chose them for this deen. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala chose them to further His deen.

They were the best of this Ummah, they were the most sincere, the most knowledgeable, and the most humble. From all of their stories, we see different personalities. We see personalities like Umar radiallahu anhu, who was among the most shadeed in terms of his deen — ashadduhu fee amrillah. He was the most strong in the matters of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. If there was anything going on that was against the commandments of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, Umar radiallahu anhu was the first and foremost to stop it. He was the first and foremost to uphold the commandments of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

We have personalities like Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu, who was one of the most kind and gentle souls. He was as close to Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam as possible. He was the most like Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam in his personality, in his looks, in every single aspect. And his contributions to Islam were amongst the greatest. The scholars have consensus that he was the most beloved in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala after the prophets. He was the most beloved human in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala after the prophets.

Now the companions applied the rulings of Islam and spread Islam to the east and the west. Their era was the best of eras. As the hadith that I mentioned from Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam:

He mentions the best of generations, the best of people. The best of the people are my people, my generation, my era. And then those that come after them, and then those that come after them.

Their history — the history of the sahabah, the history of Islam — is filled with treasures, filled with pearls, filled with so many stories that we can take lessons from. Their thoughts, their culture, their knowledge, all of their struggles, the conquests, and everything they went through for the sake of Islam.

The Danger of Trivializing the Sahaba

Now, we see in this time and age — not just now, but even previously — we have many individuals, many groups, many sects, whose aim is to trivialize the lives of the sahabah, especially some of the most close sahabah to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassalam. The aim behind this is to weaken Islam from within. Because our deen comes from them. Without the sahabah, we have no deen, we have no knowledge of the deen.

Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu was the first to compile the Qur'an. Afterwards, it was Uthman radiallahu ta'ala anhu. Umar radiallahu ta'ala anhu was the first to initially congregate the people for the sake of taraweeh in the masjid. All of these things come from the sahabah. Our entire deen predicates on their lives. If they have no respect in our eyes, if they are trivialized, if they are insulted, then our deen is incomplete. Our deen is incomplete without them. That's why understanding their struggles, understanding the importance they hold in Islam is so important.

The Life and Virtues of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq

Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu was amongst the most beloved sahabah to Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam. He was the most beloved. And he was the most beloved to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala after the prophets. His life and his story is full of lessons for us.

We start even before the advent of Islam. Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu was such a person that he did not worship idols. He did not drink before the advent of Islam either. Even before Islam, he had such morals that he did not drink, he did not worship idols. And when Islam came, he was the first to accept Islam — the first man to accept Islam — without question, without any resistance, he accepted Islam at the hands of Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam.

In the initial days of Islam, the Muslims were a minority. They were very weak. And he was the one who strengthened them. He held them together. He propagated Islam to the people near him. And he was the one who propagated the deen to many of the elders, many of the honorable people in the community.

The Freeing of Bilal

Stories about him are plenty — such as his freeing of slaves. He had a lot of wealth, and one of the things he used to do was that he would buy these slaves who had become Muslim and were being tortured by their masters. He would buy them and immediately free them. We see this story from the famous story of Bilal radiallahu ta'ala anhu, where his master would lay him down on the hot sand and put coals and hot rocks on his stomach. Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu saw this, and he paid whatever his master was asking — even though he was asking such a high price — he immediately paid that without question, and he freed him.

His Sacrifice in the Battle of Tabuk

Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu helped Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam during all the battles. In the Battle of Tabuk, Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam asked the sahabah who was willing to give money for the battle, who was willing to give up their savings. Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu came to Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam and handed him the bag of money. Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam asked him, "What have you left for your family?" And his answer shook Umar radiallahu ta'ala anhu. His answer was: "I have left for my family Allah and His Rasul." That's all he left for his family. He gave every single thing he had for the sake of Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam, for the sake of Islam.

Umar radiallahu ta'ala anhu was beside him, and he said that when he came, he came with the intention that "today is the day that I'm going to surpass Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu in something." He knew that Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu was always ahead of him in everything. He said, "Today is the day that I'm going to do something more, something better." He came with half of his wealth. And Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam asked him, "What have you left for your family?" He said, "I left half." And when Abu Bakr came with everything, Umar said: "Even this I could not do. There is no one like him, there is no one as good as him."

Umar radiallahu ta'ala anhu once said to Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu that he would give up his entire life — all of his deeds — for just one thing in return from Abu Bakr: the reward he received for taking the hijrah with Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam to Medina, that night he spent in the cave with Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam. He said, "I'll give up everything I have, just give me this." This was the status of Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu in the sight of the other sahabah, in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, in the sight of Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam.

The Night in the Cave

When Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam went for hijrah, Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu was with him, and they hid in a cave. In this cave, Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam was sleeping on the lap of Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu. A scorpion came and bit Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu. He did not want to wake up Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam, he did not want to upset him. So he spent that night sitting there, getting bit by the scorpion, for the sake of Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam's comfort, for the sake of his peace. This was his sacrifice. This was the love he had for Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam.

Why He Was Called al-Siddiq

We know his name as Abu Bakr al-Siddiq radiallahu ta'ala anhu. That's the laqab that was given to him. Why was he known as al-Siddiq? Because when Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam went for his journey of Isra' and Mi'raj, the mushrikun of Mecca found this to be unbelievable. How can a man go to Jerusalem, and then go from there to the heavens in one night? Nobody believed him, and they wanted to use this as a way to mock Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam, as a way to discredit him, as a way to insult him.

So they went to Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu and said, "Do you hear what he's saying? Do you hear what your companion is saying?" Abu Bakr asked them, "What did he say?" They said that he says he went to Jerusalem and went to the heavens in one night and came back in the morning. Abu Bakr radiallahu ta'ala anhu's response was immediate — no hesitation, not a single stutter. He said: "If Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam said this, then it's true. If he says this, then I have no doubt about it. There's no doubt in my mind. If he said this, then it must be true." That's why he was given the laqab of al-Siddiq.

Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam mentions in a hadith:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3656; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2383)

He mentioned that if he were to take a close friend — Khalil refers to the closest companion you can have — he said: "If I were to take a close friend, then I would have taken Abu Bakr as my closest companion, as my closest friend. But he is my brother and my companion." And Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam further mentioned in the hadith that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has taken Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam as His Khalil, that is why. But if he had the choice, he would have taken Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu.

Abu Bakr and the First Hajj in Islam

Now, this ties into the aspect of the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah that are coming up. In the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, the people who are going for Hajj will go and complete their Hajj.

Now, in the time of Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam, the first Hajj that took place in Islam was in the ninth year. There were many battles going on and many trials and tribulations with neighboring tribes around Medina that hadn't accepted Islam yet. So Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam sent his closest companion — the most beloved to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala after the Prophets — he sent Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu in his place to perform the Hajj with the people, to lead the people in the Hajj, to teach the people the Hajj.

Now, many people ask: why did he send Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu instead of going himself? One reason is what I mentioned — there were tribes around Medina that hadn't accepted Islam, so there was always a fear of attack, and Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam stayed back as the general, as the leader of the people. Second, he trusted Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu to convey messages from him, and also Ali radiallahu ta'ala anhu. He trusted them to convey these messages to the people of Makkah at that time who were still in idolatry, who were still in their polytheistic ways.

Their culture around Hajj was that those people who did not have the clothing of the people of Quraysh would have to do tawaf of the Ka'bah without any clothes on. So Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam sent Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu to abolish all of these practices and to give a message to the disbelievers, to the polytheists of Makkah, that anyone who has a treaty with us must leave — from this point forward, there will be no more kuffar, no more polytheists in the region performing these acts. So he sent Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu first to clear out the path for him for Hajj.

The Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah and Qurbani

This ties into the aspect of the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. We see that Hajj is such a great ibadah of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. It is one of the most noble ibadahs. It is such an ibadah that requires complete faith, it requires complete submission. Because unlike many other things in Islam that have some sort of rationalization, some sort of reasoning or explanation as to why we do them, for the act of Hajj there is no such thing. It is an act that requires complete faith, complete submission in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

From the moment that the person performing Hajj ties his ihram — why does he tie this clothing? For no other reason than Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said to do this. He does tawaf of the Ka'bah — for no other reason than Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said to do this. All of the acts of Hajj — going to Mina, going to Muzdalifah, coming back, going to Arafah — all of these things have no other external reasoning besides the fact that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala commanded us to do this, so we do it. It is the act that requires the most submission to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — complete and utter faith in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said that I have to do this, I do this.

We also have the act of Qurbani — the slaughtering of the animal — that comes afterwards on the day of Eid. Also an act that has no external rationalization. It is because Ibrahim alayhi salatu wassalam did it, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala commanded us to do it, so we do it.

And Nabi sallallahu alayhi wassalam mentions in a hadith that the most beloved act to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in these ten days, on the day of Eid, is that act of spilling the blood of the animal.

Sending Money Overseas vs. Slaughtering Yourself

Now one common theme nowadays is that we send money to different countries overseas to slaughter an animal over there. There is nothing inherently wrong with this — this is a great act. If you're doing it with the intention that you want to feed people that are needy, this is a noble act. It has a lot of great benefits, a lot of reward. But specifically mentioned in the hadith is the act of spilling the blood. So what we should try to do is at least once in a while — at least if we can't do it every year, then at least once every couple of years — we try to do the slaughtering ourselves. Because this is an act of worship. The act of slaughtering with your own hands is an act of worship in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. It is an act that has a great reward, and it teaches generations further how to perform these acts.

Because many of these things are being lost. When the previous generation lived overseas, this was a common thing. Every single year, parents would come out, children would come out, children would slaughter the goats, parents would slaughter the bigger animals. This was a community act — everyone would participate — and it brought a lot of joy to the people. But now in this day and age, we have streamlined it. People have good intentions for these actions, but many of the times it is just for ease — because "I don't want to go out to a farmhouse and slaughter myself, so I'll just send the money overseas and they'll do the work and it'll count for me." It does count. But the act of slaughtering itself should have some significance in our lives. We should teach our own children, and the community around us, that this is also an act of great worship.

Closing Du'a

Insha'Allah, I pray that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives us tawfiq to act upon what has been said, and to understand the contributions of the sahabah, and understand the significance of the coming days that we have — the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah and the slaughtering of the animals, the Qurbani.

Announcements

Please pass the donation boxes from left to right. Insha'Allah, this is a time of immense reward starting from the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. Insha'Allah, donate generously.

The graduation ceremonies for the Tahfiz program, the Tanweer, and the Qira'at program will be tomorrow, Saturday June 8th. All enrolled students and their families are invited to attend and to support our graduating students.

Eid al-Adha will take place on Monday, June 17th. The first salah — Fajr iqamah is at 4:45 AM, and the takbeeraat for Eid will start at 4:55 AM. The Eid khutbah will start at 5:00 AM, and insha'Allah the Eid prayer will be at 5:30 AM. The second Eid will start at 9:00 AM, and the salah will begin at 9:30 AM.

Summer programs — insha'Allah the Tamheed, Summer Deen Intensive, and Arabic Essentials are beginning, as well as the Qur'an, Islamic Studies, and Sports Camp for kids, and the Tarbiyah program for kids and youth. Insha'Allah all these programs can be found on the website: masjiddeas.org.

Join us for our weekly programs: Team Fajr will continue tomorrow — Fajr iqamah is at 4:45 AM. Tuesday Tafsir will continue after Maghrib salah — Surah Ghafir insha'Allah. And weekly salawat and khatira every Thursday after Maghrib salah.

Masjid Aisha in Addison is hosting an open house for the Hifz and Islamic Leadership Program, followed by lunch. Please take a flyer for that on your way out.

Insha'Allah, as always, we make du'a for the victory and sabr for the Muslims of Palestine, for the Muslims of Gaza. Insha'Allah.