The Greatest Of All Nations - Mufti Abdullah Waheed

The Greatest Of All Nations

By Mufti Abdullah Waheed, Imam of Jamia Masjid, Flint, Michigan

Alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen. Allahumma salli ala Sayyidina Muhammad wa ala Sayyidina Muhammad al-Mubarak wa sallim. Alhamdulillah, we are honored.

My dear respected brothers and elders and sisters and fellow youngsters, Allah has spoiled this nation and given it a very special status in His eyes. And when Allah initially created this human, he was already honored, he was already privileged.

The Honor of the Human Being

Allah says in the Qur'an:

We honor this human before this human did any good, before this human ever stepped his foot onto this earth and did any sajda or praised Allah before this. Allah already elevated the status of this human being.

Allah says we created this human being in one of the most unique special forms:

We made the human in the best form, the best design. Allah, when He created the universe, says:

When Allah decides to create something, He makes an order for it to be and it becomes. When Allah created the human, of course it was between the orders of Allah, between the Kaf and the Nun and the command of Allah, but there was a special attention that was given to this human being's development.

When Allah ordered the angels, اسْجُدُوا لِآدَمَ, and all the angels prostrated to Adam, except for one evil devil — أَبَىٰ وَاسْتَكْبَرَ — he was arrogant. He wasn't only arrogant at this juncture, but his arrogance apparently showed up at this moment.

Allah said to Iblis:

What has given you the audacity to reject the order that I have given you to prostrate in front of Adam — for something that I created with My own Hand, مَا خَلَقْتُ بِيَدَيَّ? Something I made with special details, with My knowledge.

So this human is special. Before this human did any good, before he gave charity, before she gave charity, before they did any act of worship or nobility, Allah already elevated the status of this human being. And then Allah spoils us even more.

The Greatest of All Nations

Allah says particularly about this nation:

This is the greatest of all nations. Allah says in the Qur'an:

We made you the best of all nations. In Arabic you say وَسَط — the middle. And understood here in Chicago, downtown is the greatest part of the city. This ummah is the downtown of all the nations. This is that ummah that all the nations on the Day of Judgment will look at and envy.

Lived only 60 years but walks into paradise with Prophets. The Prophet ﷺ says:

What is it that we do so special that gives us that privilege — that we are the greatest of all nations? خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ, the greatest of all nations. Why is it that we're so special, that nations before us envied us and prophets before us wished to have this nation?

You know when you look at a child and you envy them — I wish that was my child. There were prophets that came before us and when they heard about this ummah, they went to Allah and they said: I want that ummah. Give me that privilege that I can stand shoulder to shoulder with these people on the Day of Judgment.

What Prophet Musa Said About This Ummah

When the slates and plates of the Torah were revealed to Prophet Musa عليه السلام, and he read them, he was impressed. He observed and noticed there was a mention of the greatest ummah that would come. Imam al-Suyuti has documented this. He says:

"Oh Allah, I see that there is a nation that is going to come — they will come in the end, they will come last. Make them my nation."

You never give a person who comes in last place the award for first place. You never give a certificate of honor student to a person who comes in at the end of the class.

This ummah that comes in the end — that falls short even in Ramadan to pray tahajjud. An ummah that struggles to pray Fajr after suhoor. An ummah that struggles to fulfill the fundamental basics of Islam. This ummah will come in the end, and yet Musa عليه السلام was saying — but they will enter Jannah in the beginning. They will be the leading nation to Jannah. فَاجْعَلْهَا أُمَّتِي — And make this my nation.

For anyone that can appreciate this, understand the Day of Judgment:

It is a long day. 50,000 years. One day. Imagine that on that day you were given the green light to enter paradise right after the Prophets. It has a different meaning, a different connotation in the context of this hadith.

The Nation of Intercessors

Then Musa عليه السلام says:

"Oh Allah, I read of a nation — they will intercede and their intercession will be accepted."

This privilege is only given to the angels, to the prophets, and to the shuhada. But an average person in this ummah who is righteous and pious — who memorized the Qur'an — will take 10 people to paradise. A scholar will take 70 people to paradise, those who were doomed to hell.

The other day I was telling one of my students, I said you've got to fix up your act. She's about 17, 18 years old. She says, "Don't worry, my grandfather is a hafidh." So brothers and sisters, this ummah is pampered with so many accolades and honors from Allah.

The Nation That Memorizes the Qur'an

And then Musa عليه السلام says:

"Oh Allah, I see and I read of a nation — they will memorize the Qur'an and recite it from memory."

What an honor to listen to, read, and admire the book of Allah. The book that is synonymous with the month of Ramadan, where Allah says:

There are a few prophets' names in the Qur'an that Allah named — for example:

But there is only one month that Allah named Himself — شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ — the month of Ramadan, where Allah revealed the Qur'an. Allah has made it connected with the Qur'an.

We recite it, we read it. There is a hadith:

When a human from the ummah of the Prophet reads the Qur'an out loud, and no one is there to listen but Allah, that attracts the rahmah of Allah. Allah listens to this attentively — though Allah is not bounded by other voices — but gives respect to the reciter.

So brothers and sisters, what an honor! What an honor to be an ummah that can actually read Surah Yusuf:

Imam Ata ibn Abi Rabah says: anyone that reads Surah Yusuf in depression and anxiety, إِلَّا اسْتَرَاحَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ — except that they will find happiness and harmony and joy, and their depression will be removed after reading Surah Yusuf.

So many messages, so much for the ummah, all of this. Allah says:

He says this is the best story, and in the end of the story He says — this is a message for those who have intellect. This ummah has been given that.

This is special. No nation — from the Christians or the Jews — can actually say: we have a book that we can say is our book, that hasn't been tampered with or changed. We have this ummah. Brothers, this ummah has been blessed.

The Nation Whose Charity is Lawful

Then Musa عليه السلام says, يا رب اجعلها أمتي — Oh Allah, give me this ummah. Allah says: تِلْكَ أُمَّةُ أَحْمَدَ — This ummah has been reserved for the ummah of Muhammad Rasulullah ﷺ.

"I see a nation will come — they will give charity, and their charity will be lawful for them to consume."

Of course in the previous times when they would give charity, it would have to be accepted by Allah in different forms. But this ummah can give charity to the poor and the poor can consume it — and the one who is giving the charity will get reward for it. Then Musa عليه السلام says, يَا رَبِّ اجْعَلْهَا أُمَّتِي. Allah says: تِلْكَ أُمَّةُ أَحْمَدَ — This is the ummah of Muhammad Rasulullah ﷺ.

The Nation Rewarded for Intentions

Then it gets even better. Musa عليه السلام says:

Imagine — how many of us have the intention for Hajj this year? How many of us have the intention to do so much this Ramadan? The fact that we have the intention is enough for us to get the reward. This is why a believer's intentions are supposed to be high. They are supposed to be visionary, evolutionary — and then that leads to revolution. Having high visions, not small ideas.

Because in the eyes of Allah, there is nothing small. The smallest Jannah given to the last person entering paradise is 10 times bigger than this entire world. Allahu Akbar. There is no such thing as small in the eyes of Allah. Allah is great and beyond imagination. Our thoughts, our goals, our visions, and our actions should at least have a thought to impress Allah and please Allah.

Brothers, until we don't have the idea, until we don't have the intention to please Allah, we will never be able to please Allah.

And it comes in the narration — this ummah, if they do a good deed:

Can you imagine — so much reward just for doing one rak'ah? Imagine the reward of Ramadan. One Salatul Fard is equal to 70 Salat. And this is the month of Ramadan, and a person is spending it in the ibadah of Allah.

I always say this to myself, and I have read this in Tafsir also: وَيْلٌ لِمَنْ غَلَبَتْ آحَادُهُ أَعْشَارَهُ — Woe to that person whose ones outnumber his tens. When you do one sin, you get one sin written down. But when you do one good deed, you get a minimum of 10 good deeds written down for it. How could it be on the Day of Judgment that ones could outnumber the tens? Simple math. How misfortunate could a person be — that you had done so little to impress Allah when Allah is giving you 10 times more for one good deed.

Why Are We So Special?

So brothers and sisters, why are we so special? Is it the color of our skin? Is it the height of our bodies? Is it the age of our lives? Is it the women of this ummah? Is it the medicine and technology of this ummah? What is it?

Because if we compare ourselves to the nations before us, they were more beautiful than us. The people of Yusuf were very beautiful. The people of 'Isa were very smart — they could diagnose a patient as he walked through. Allah sent the best doctor who could give life to the dead by the will of Allah. Can you imagine 'Isa? And the Qaum-e-'Ad and Qaum-e-Thamud were given bodies not like ours — the kind of bodies where we look in the mirror after two weeks of exercise and think we've become the Hulk.

My son asked me the other day, he said, Baba, why are all superheroes always shirtless? The concept of immodesty. But the reality is, brothers and sisters, Allah has blessed this ummah. We're so lucky.

Why are we so lucky? Why? Just think about it. The reason we're so blessed is that we associate ourselves to Muhammad Rasulullah ﷺ — the greatest human. The fact that we are related to him because we are his ummah is sufficient.

The hadith in Tirmidhi:

Allah consulted me about my ummah. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi)

So what should I do to your ummah, Muhammad? The Prophet ﷺ said:

"Ya Rabb, these are Your creation, these are Your slaves — You could do whatever You want."

Allah said, "Oh Muhammad, I will send 70,000 people to Jannah without any hisab. With every thousand, I will send another 70,000." That is approximately 4.9 billion people who are walking into paradise without any reckoning — just because they are from the ummah of Rasulullah ﷺ. Just walking through.

Imagine you have the TSA, and you could just walk through customs and security. No — we are not walking through the security of US customs. We are walking through the security of angels. We are walking through the security of Allah straight to Jannah. This is the ummah. May Allah bless Muhammad Rasulullah ﷺ.

The Prophet ﷺ on the Day of Judgment

And the Prophet ﷺ said, on the Day of Judgment, when everyone will be worried:

He will fall into sajdah. For what? For us. That — for us? Do we actually deserve it? Even when someone says the name of the Prophet in the adhan, we don't pay attention. Do we deserve the love of the Prophet on the Day of Judgment?

It comes in the hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim — that the Prophet ﷺ will go into sajdah, and he will say:

He will praise Allah like no one has ever praised Allah, and he will say: Oh Rabb, my ummah, my ummah. That ummah the other prophets wanted. That ummah that has neglected and forgotten Allah. Even in this auspicious month of Ramadan, the Prophet ﷺ falls into sajdah — يَا رَبِّ أُمَّتِي أُمَّتِي — Oh Allah, my nation, my nation. And he will cry and he will cry.

Allah will say to Muhammad ﷺ:

After all, in the end of the day, this is the Habib of Allah. When you see your child crying in front of you, innocently, for the forgiveness of a sibling — what did the sibling do wrong? Why is he crying for them? What did the Prophet ﷺ do to fall on his knees and cry for an ummah like this? And Allah says — ask, you'll be granted. Intercede, your intercession will be accepted.

The poet says:

Only if we could appreciate the language of Arabic — when the world will be in depression, and the world will be crying, humanity will be looking for salvation. There is only one person, there is only one human being. We are fortunate in the fact that we can associate ourselves to Muhammad Rasulullah ﷺ. And every time we say the Prophet's ﷺ name, our sins are forgiven and our worries are removed. What an honor just to say his beautiful name.

I am not motivating the Prophet ﷺ by speaking about his greatness. Allah has already said in the Qur'an:

We have elevated your status and your name. But I add his name to my speech to give glory to my words while I speak to you.

Our Responsibilities as This Ummah

Brothers and sisters, as we enjoy this month of Ramadan, and as we associate ourselves to the greatest ummah — the ummah of Muhammad Rasulullah ﷺ — there are responsibilities that come upon this nation. And that is to take the message from country to country, century by century, from city to city.

And the people of Chicago are blessed, because we are living and making history. We are going to witness a future that will change the tide of batil, reverse the tide of evil. In front of our eyes, you see something like this. In less than 7, less than 8 years, to see a place like this — it is an example of the miracle of Allah.

When this project first came out at 6-7 million dollars, when the first masjid was going to be built, everyone in the Chicago area said — what? 6 million? Where are you going to get the money from? Brothers, if you hope to get the money from people, you are limiting yourself.

The treasures of Allah are unlimited. Just as Allah completed this project that you're sitting in today — one of the most beautiful masjids in America.

The reason I say America particularly is this: when the notion of Islamophobia and bigotry walks through our minds, and people from the non-Muslim community see something like this, they do not only see the beauty of Islam, but they can also hear the echo of the beauty of Islam from these walls.

There are structures which are beautiful that you'll find the Ottomans built, but today they are hollow. But there are structures which are built in Chicago, and they are full — with angels surrounding these students with their wings. It is an honor to be part of a community like this where your children, the children of your neighbors and your families, are connecting with the book of Allah.

And today we are people who want everything with quick results. We want students to get results, we invest and we want returns. These children are going to grow up and they are going to lead a nation that has 2,200 masjids in America. And every masjid needs a scholar, needs guidance, it needs a light.

So brothers and sisters, you are not investing into structure. Let me make this clear. You are not investing into structure. You are investing in human resources. Big difference.