Gathering for The Sake of Allah SWT | Mufti Abdul Wahab Waheed

Gathering for the Sake of Allah

Wherever the work of deen is, and wherever the effort of the Prophet is being applied, there is always barakah in those communities. The reality of the matter is no one knew Makkah al-Mukarramah till Ibrahim alayhis salam came there. It was:

It was a land that was unable to give any benefit. It was a land that had no vegetation, no crops, no animals. It's a stretch to think about the fact that there were human beings there. No one was there. And then a family came and they committed to sacrificing their time, their energy for the sake of growing deen. And today there's no city as vibrant as the city of Makkah.

From Yathrib to Al-Madinah Al-Munawwara

There was a time that the city of Madinatul Munawwara was known as Yathrib. The city's name was Yathrib. Anyone know what Yathrib means? The meaning of Yathrib is sickness, is flu — that the name was synonymous with a sickness, that people would avoid the route of Yathrib. Ibn Hajar rahimahullah says people would avoid the route of Yathrib because they were afraid to fall sick. The Prophet's father passed away in Yathrib. The Prophet's mother sallallahu alayhi wa sallam left this world on her journey back from Yathrib. It was a city known for its sickness.

But however, when the Prophet of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam entered this city, Anas ibn Malik radiyallahu anhu says:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhī, Hadith 3618)

The moment the Prophet entered the city, it illuminated the entire city. And the name of the city changed from Yathrib to Al-Madinah Al-Tayyibah — Al-Madinah Al-Munawwara. He said, after today, no one will refer to this city as Yathrib. Now it's the purified city. It's the sanctified city. It's the illuminated city.

And the cause of the name change had nothing to do with the landscape, had nothing to do with the infrastructure, and the economical resources. The name change was simply because now the city had people present like the Sahabas. And the presence of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

The beauty of our deen is that the barakah, and the blessings, and the sense of sakinah, it transfers wherever the work of Allah is taking place.

The Four Blessings of Gathering for Allah's Remembrance

How the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says in a beautiful hadith — whenever إِذَا اجْتَمَعَ قَوْمٌ — whenever a group of people gather for the sake of remembering Allah, like how we are today. We have no other incentive from each other. We're gathering because we love Allah, and we love the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and we love each other based upon that foundation. He says whenever a group of people gather for this purpose, they are gifted four beautiful benefits. They're endowed with four blessings. And each of these blessings is actually the focus of our life — we're always aiming to earn these blessings, and they're earned by one thing.

This is what we call barakah. One movement, different forms of impact. You're not in five places at one time, but the effect is being felt in five places. So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says that these four effects are:

First Blessing: Sakinah — Peace and Tranquility

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2699)

That Allah allows peace and tranquility to descend upon those people. Sakinah. One of the words for homes in Arabic is مَسْكَن. We call a home a home because it's a hub of sakinah — it's a hub of peace. And even those who live in those homes and reside in those homes, if they don't feel peaceful, and if they don't sense tranquility, even they don't want to be in that house. Because there's no sakinah in the house. There's no peace in the house.

So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says, نَزَلَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّكِينَةُ — sakinah is found in the gatherings of the remembrance of Allah.

Allama Iqbal would say — and he says: Nowhere in this world was I able to find peace. And I tried everything. Like today in the world, people are attempting new things to feel the sense of sakinah that they wish to have in their life. So every day you hear about a new ideology, a new concept, a new trend and a new fad, but for the same outcome. But consistent outcomes can only be achieved by consistent systems. And the system of sakinah is Allah's remembrance.

And Imam Al-Ghazali says, in a similar quote referenced by Ibn Al-Qayyim: Temporary emotions will be earned through temporary things. So wealth is temporary, it can only give temporary emotions. Family is temporary, it will give us temporary impact. And the only thing which is everlasting is Allah — so it will give everlasting emotions, everlasting feelings of joy.

The only time Allah says in the Qur'an to be happy is in this verse. Nowhere else in the Qur'an does Allah command us to be happy. Because happiness isn't the goal — being content is the goal. Happiness is a concession. Ibn Al-Qayyim says that the default state of life is difficulty, and the concession is happiness and ease. Therefore gratitude is felt because a person knows it's a concession, and they don't believe it's a default state.

So نَزَلَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّكِينَةُ — we're sitting in this gathering, and in today's session, speaking about the Prophet's life and the Sahaba's life, we will feel sakinah insha'Allah.

Second Blessing: Allah's Mercy Covers the Gathering

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2699)

That Allah covers the gathering with His mercy. And the angels, they announce — the moment we stand and leave from this gathering, the angels will announce:

Stand, as you have been forgiven. Simply by sitting in the gathering, a person is forgiven of their sins. No one earns a raise just by showing up to work — they have to fulfill their tasks and their duties. But the Prophet is saying, simply by sitting in the gathering, وَغَشِيَتْهُمُ الرَّحْمَةُ.

Third Blessing: The Angels Surround Them

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2699)

That Allah protects us through divine intervention — through the presence of angels. حَفَّتْهُمُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ. When the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and Abu Bakr radiyallahu anhu were in the cave of Thawr, and the mushrikun were looking for them, and Abu Bakr radiyallahu anhu said:

If they were to look beneath their feet, they would find us. Such a state of fear, such a state of anxiety. But Allah protected them through divine intervention. This is what it means when Allah is in our life. Divine intervention was through a spider web — not human beings, through angels.

Fourth Blessing: Allah Mentions Their Names Among the Angels

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2699)

And lastly, the greatest effect of sitting in a gathering of such a nature — that Allah makes mention of our names in the gatherings of angels. And our names become famous in the heavens. Though fairly unknown in the world, our names become common within the people of the heavens.

You remember Me, I'll remember you.

The Story of Ubayy ibn Ka'b

One day the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam came to Ubayy ibn Ka'b radiyallahu anhu. And he said to him:

(Sahih al-Bukhārī, Hadith 4960; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 799)

Allah has ordered me to recite Surah Al-Bayyinah to you — لَمْ يَكُنِ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا. Even the mashayikh and the huffadh that lead salat don't want to read this surah. But he said, Allah has ordered me to recite this surah to you.

And Ubayy ibn Ka'b stopped in his tracks and he said, "Wait a second, ya Rasulullah —"

"Did Allah actually say my name? Like, stop kidding with me. Did Allah actually say my name? Or did He simply say, recite the Qur'an to one of your companions?" And the Prophet looked at him and said, "No —"

"Your Lord called you by your name." And he was so overwhelmed with joy. Imagine someone you look up to, someone who is everything to you — and they call you by your name. It's like, oh my God, this person actually knows I exist. Of course Allah knows everything. And he started to cry, and his tears started to flow down his cheeks. Just because Allah mentioned him by his name.

This effect is felt by every single person sitting in this gathering right now. We believe — نَحْسِبُ كَذَٰلِكَ — that Allah is saying our names to angels. And when we leave this world, and when we enter a realm of the unknown, where there is nothing but fear and perhaps sadness and anxiety, the response that will be given to us will be:

Don't be afraid. Don't be sad. Why?

We're your friends. We know who you are. We know your names. Because Allah would mention your name quite often. You're well known to us. You're not a stranger to us.

Why We Gather

When we sit in these gatherings for the sake of understanding why we're here — it's to be mentioned by the greats. Being mentioned by Allah within the gathering of the angels. Feeling sakinah. Knowing that we'll be forgiven. And knowing that we're being protected. This is why we're in these gatherings. It's an honor for us to be here.