The Prophet's Elevated Name And Our Daily Devotion

Love of the Prophet ﷺ and the Importance of Salawat

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem. Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen.

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

Alhamdulillah — Continuing the Spirit of Rabi' al-Awwal

Alhamdulillah, today is the second day of Rabi' al-Thani, which means that the beautiful month of Rabi' al-Awwal has come and it has passed us — just like that. Throughout the month of Rabi' al-Awwal you may have heard many different talks about the praises of the Prophet ﷺ, different programs of seerah, maybe attended different majalis that spoke about the beautiful characteristics and qualities of the Prophet ﷺ. And I would like to continue on with that, because Alhamdulillah in Islam our love for the Prophet ﷺ, our desire to learn more about him, our desire to emulate him — is not restricted, is not confined to one month, is not restricted to one day, is not restricted to one event. Rather, this is something that a Muslim must bring into their life day to day, daily. This is something that is part and parcel with their Iman.

And so Allah says:

— that We have elevated your name, your mention. It is impossible to speak enough, to say, "Oh, I've listened to enough lectures, I've attended enough gatherings about the Prophet ﷺ," because Allah is the one saying that We have elevated your mention. The name of the Prophet ﷺ is not like any other name; his legacy is not like any other legacy.

You have the most richest people of today, the most — what we would say in dunya terms — the most successful in the eyes of the people, the most affluent, the most noble prestige lineages, whatever that may be, whether they're from the king of some country, the leader of some business — their legacy is not like the legacy of the Prophet ﷺ, whose name is mentioned, is remembered in every single corner of the globe from the time of Islam until the Day of Judgment. This is something we teach our kids; they grow up knowing, reciting, singing nasheeds about the Prophet ﷺ. These other people that we may see, no matter how much influence they have, no matter how much wealth they have, they might be able to buy views, they might be able to buy likes on whatever social media, whatever platform it is — but as soon as their wealth is gone, as soon as they pass away, they are no longer mentioned, they are no longer remembered. However, our love for the Prophet ﷺ never dies, from generation to generation, even from the Quran where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given this label, has given this golden standard: We have, oh Prophet of Allah, elevated your name.

So no matter what kind of propaganda, whatever the enemies of Islam, the Islamophobes, whatever agenda they push to try and deter people away from Islam, to present a bad image — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is solidifying and is consoling the Prophet ﷺ that from now until Yawmul Qiyamah, your name is at a higher platform, is at a different level. Nobody can reach that status, nobody can reach this level. And that is also not just a consolation to the Prophet ﷺ — this is the consolation to his Ummah. As a follower, as an Ummati of the Prophet ﷺ, you and I should be honoured that we are from his Ummah, that we have the opportunity to embody, to live, to follow his Sunnah.

Because whatever agenda it is nowadays, where they push the idea that "oh it's all about your identity, it's all about being unique, setting the trends, not following, not being a follower, rather being an influencer" — but for us, we get all our titles, we get all our names, we get all our fame from what? Being a follower, an Ummati of the Prophet ﷺ.

The Love of the Sahabah for the Prophet ﷺ

And we see that this love that the Sahabah had — the utmost love they had for the Prophet ﷺ. We find in the examples of Umar رضي الله عنه, where one day Umar رضي الله عنه was holding the hand of the Prophet ﷺ and he said to him: "I know what it is from Iman — that we have to love you more than ourselves, more than our parents, more than our children — and I am ready to love you more than my own children, more than my own spouse, more than my own parents. But I am not yet ready to love you more than myself. The love I have for myself is still greater."

So what was the response? What response did the Prophet ﷺ give? The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6632)

— No, by the One in Whose Hand my soul is, you have not brought complete Iman until I am more beloved to you than your own self.

So Umar رضي الله عنه stood there for a while and he thought about it, and he said, "Okay, now I am ready," and he took qasam — he said, "I am ready to love you more than I love myself." Then the Prophet ﷺ said: "Your Iman is complete."

Tasting the Sweetness of Iman

Another hadith of the Prophet ﷺ:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 34)

— The one has tasted the sweetness of Iman: the one who is content with Allah as his Lord, Islam as his deen, and Muhammad ﷺ as his Prophet and Messenger.

What does it mean to be content — radi? The one who is content is ready to submit, to follow whatever commandments are given, whatever injunctions are given. He is ready — even if it is counterintuitive, even if it goes against a person's own incentives, a person's own benefit — he is ready to give up all that and to give in to whatever he is content with. And what are the three things? Allah as your Lord, Islam as your deen, and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as your Nabi, as your Messenger.

The Arrival in Medina

We see what caused that immense love the Sahabah had for Rasulullah ﷺ. We have different incidents. When the Prophet ﷺ arrived to Medina, the people were lining up every single day. When the news reached that he's coming soon — but they don't know when — everyone would go out after Fajr, looking at the horizon, going up in the hills, seeing: "Oh, where is the Messenger of Allah?" Finally, when he arrived to Medina, the people were overcome with joy. They were flooding to him, ready to give gifts. But the mother of Anas رضي الله عنه had nothing to present. So what did she give to the Prophet ﷺ? She said: "I am ready to present to you my young son. He's not even the age of adult yet — he's still in his childhood, he's still in his youth. I am presenting him to you, oh Rasulullah. You take him for your khidmah. You take him for whatever you need."

You have another incident where a mother is giving her brand-new baby — still crying, a newborn baby — and Rasulullah ﷺ said: "What am I to do with this baby? How can you present this? You have nothing else to present?" Okay. But what can I do with a baby? She said: "Oh Rasulullah, if you need to use it as a shield, then use this baby as a shield."

This is the love that the Sahabah had for the Prophet ﷺ. And the purpose of these incidents, these stories, is not so that we now go and sacrifice our own children or something like that. No. Rather, it is to be inspired by the love that the Sahabah had, to understand that this love is derived from the fact that this is a key component, an integral part of one's Iman — to have love for the Prophet ﷺ.

Following the Prophet ﷺ as an Expression of Love for Allah

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the Quran that, oh Prophet, say to the believers: if you claim to have love for Allah, then follow me.

Allah is telling the Prophet ﷺ: tell the believers, if they claim to love Allah, to have the love of Allah — what must they do? They must follow the Prophet ﷺ. That includes the outward and the inward, the character, the akhlaaq. As Aisha رضي الله عنها reported — that the khuluq, the character of the Prophet ﷺ, was the Quran.

This is why we have the love of the Prophet ﷺ — because he is the one that conveyed the message from Allah to us. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ — He is not anything comparable to His creation. We are so insignificant, we are not able to comprehend Allah. So to fill in that void, to fill in that gap, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sent His Al-Mustafa, the Prophet ﷺ, as that bridge. He is the one that brought the teachings of Islam, he is the one that brought us salvation.

We are at a time of confusion where people don't know what to follow — you have one side saying this, one side saying that. Where do I go? We have the timeless Sunnah — that in any day and age, we can follow the Sunnah and that will lead us to salvation. So this is the importance of having the love of the Prophet ﷺ, having the importance for the Sunnah.

Sending Salawat: The Greatest Expression of Love

The number one way that we can actualize this love, that we can show this love, is by once again being inspired by the stories of the Sahabah, by reading the Seerah — but also by sending abundant salawat. Even Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the Quran that He Himself sends peace and blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ and gave us a command:

The angels and Allah send their peace and blessings upon the Prophet ﷺ, so all you believers — you also send the salawat. This is one way that we can get closer to the Prophet ﷺ. It is reported in the hadith that the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 484)

— The one that will be closest to me on the Day of Judgment is he who sends the most salawat upon me.

So let us make this a daily habit. And not only when we do this should we be conscious — we should be sending salawat in a state where we don't have ghafla. We understand what we are doing. We understand the sacrifices that the Prophet ﷺ made for us. We understand that this is a key component of our Iman, that this is not only a means of reward for us but an obligation from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. May Allah give us the tawfiq to have the love of the Prophet ﷺ in our lives.

The Benefits of Dhikr and Istighfar

One last thing — not only before we break for the Sunnah. If all of this that was mentioned before isn't enough to convince a person, to push them towards adding the salawat into their daily routine — we know that doing the dhikr of Allah has many benefits: spiritual benefits, but also emotional benefits and even physical, actual health benefits.

For example, a couple days ago after Isha, the khatira that was given — the brother mentioned the hadith:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 1518; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3819)

Whoever sticks to istighfar, whoever is consistent in seeking repentance from Allah — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will make for him a path out of any constraint. Dhiq is any type of constraint: whether it's the financial difficulties that we may find ourselves in, whether it's the emotional constraints that we feel from anxiety or different societal pressures. This is the promise of the Prophet ﷺ — that from every single type of constraint, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will make for him a way out. And from any type of thing that causes him concern or worry, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will give him a path out, will give him an opening. And that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will give rizq to him, will provide for him from avenues where he does not even anticipate, where he could not have even expected.

So these are the benefits that we get from salawat, from dhikr — aside from getting reward, aside from realizing that this is a part of our Iman, that this is the least that we can do to pay back the Prophet ﷺ who had so much concern for us.

Poetry in Praise of the Prophet ﷺ

As the poet says:

He is the Imam of the messengers — for him is a special rank, special qualities. He gathered all of the prophets and he led them in salah. And there should be no prophet that comes after the Prophet ﷺ. He is the seal of all the messengers — he is our master, Muhammad ﷺ.

And if any day there comes upon you difficulties, if your conditions, your surroundings become difficult upon you on any day — then by the morning, send salutations upon the Prophet. Allah, the Lord of the Throne, will send for you ten salutations — so rush towards sending the salutations upon our beloved Al-Mustafa, Muhammad ﷺ.

May Allah give us the tawfiq, the love — make this a part of our daily routine. Realize the benefits that salawat has for us. Not just make this something that we do for a month or something that we do because a big event is coming around the corner, but rather make this a daily routine for us and our families.

Akhiru da'wana anil hamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen.

Announcements

Inshallah we can perform our Sunnah salah and then we'll have the Arabic khutbah soon. Just a couple of announcements before the Arabic khutbah begins:

Please stand up and move forward. Do not leave gaps and make space for others. There is a lot of room in this prayer hall, so the brothers still coming in — inshallah please make space for them.

Please pass the donation box from left to right and donate generously. Sadaqah wards off calamities and brings the rahma, the mercy of Allah.

Join us on October 31st, this Monday, for Youth Night — open to ages 5 to 16. Bring your kids to the masjid for fun activities and refreshments. Time is 5:00pm to 7:30pm. So once again, October 31st, this Monday.

Registration for the Annual Seerah Conference is now open — November 11th and 12th. Please register at masjidds.org/seerahconf.

Help us reach our goal of 25 million salawat. As mentioned, we listened to the benefits and the importance of salawat just now in the bayan.

Registration for the Winter Intensive is now also open. Tickets are available at a reduced price for a limited time. Get you and your families registered now. You can register on the website: masjidds.org/winter.

As for the weekly programs: Saturday's Team Fajr will continue tomorrow. Fajr iqamah at 6:15am. Bukhari Dars continues every single Monday after Isha salah. All the brothers and sisters are encouraged to invite their friends and family. Tuesday Tafsir program will also continue after Isha every Tuesday — continuing with Surah Al-Anbiya, so make sure to join. As well as the weekly salawat program on Thursdays after Isha — reading from the 40 selected salawat.

Request for du'a for Hafiz Yasir's father, Brother Iqbal, who passed away last Saturday. May Allah fill his grave with noor, forgive him for all his sins and mistakes, and elevate his ranks in Jannah. Ameen.

Closing Du'a and Salawat

Uzkuru Allaha yazkurkum, wad'uhu yastajib lakum. Wa ladhikru Allahi ta'ala a'la wa azzu wa ajallu wa atammu wa ahammu wa akbar. Faqeemus salah.