Respected, honorable elders, brothers, mothers and sisters, our respected students of knowledge — عُلَمَاء — السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ.

How blessed we all are to be part of such an auspicious gathering of the seerah and sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, where we have gathered from across the country — and many joining online as well — out of the desire to come closer to the Prophet ﷺ. How blessed we are to be part of a gathering in which millions of Salat al-Nabi are being recited, have been recited. And how blessed we are to be part of a gathering in which people have come together at a time of absolute heedlessness, fitna, hasad, and disregard of sunnah. A group of people — although maybe not as large in numbers as other places — but nonetheless, a small, strong group of brothers and sisters.

SubhanAllah, in this part of the world, we have gathered explicitly, expressively, out of love for Rasulullah ﷺ, out of love for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, hoping that we leave this gathering in a state that we are even more in love with Allah, and more in love with Rasulullah ﷺ. I ask Almighty Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He makes this final gathering of ours a gathering of absolute acceptance, a gathering of absolute forgiveness. May Allah jalla jalaluhu, out of His infinite mercy, change the direction of our hearts, away from His creation towards the Creator. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala prevent us from being impressed by anyone besides the Prophet ﷺ. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala remove the desire to follow the habits and ways and methods of anyone else besides the Prophet ﷺ. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala increase us in our desire, in our fervor to follow each and every single sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us all revivers of the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. Allahumma ameen.

Two Ends of the Spectrum: Elders and Children

This final session is on — as was mentioned by Mawlana Sulayman — Rasulullah ﷺ's method of acting and interacting with people who are on two opposite spectrums, two ends of the spectrum: one, the elderly, and one, the children. We have been hearing from yesterday, alhamdulillah, about different sections of society and how Rasulullah ﷺ interacted with them.

And now we are looking at these two — and sadly we may say — two who, by the standard of the world, are not part of the mainstream. One who are very elderly, and one who are very young. And because they are possibly not part of the mainstream workforce, society usually does not give them their rights and usually does not fulfill their rights. You have very rapid stories across the globe, past and present, of people abusing these two sections of the community: children as well as seniors.

I saw a billboard some time ago — I forgot the exact wording, but it was a very powerful billboard — highlighting the abuse that happens to seniors: abuse that happens in nursing homes, hospitals, and in homes themselves. Where people know that this is a vulnerable part of society, people who cannot defend themselves, and the only good they see in them is perhaps collecting their social security check. They commit zulm, outright oppression on them, to the extent that it has become an issue at a global and national level. And then of course you have the sweatshops and the child labor shops and everything else that is also extremely common. In so many different ways, in so many different parts of the world, children are also abused.

And so it is so important to study how Rasulullah ﷺ — not only treated those who were at the forefront of his da'wah, at the forefront of his efforts, those who were with him on his right and his left in expeditions, those who would spend in the causes that he would ask to be spent in — but also those who are not part of that main spectrum, those who are on the sidelines due to their old age or due to their young age.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in Surah Ya-Sin: Whosoever We give a long life, then he starts going backwards in his creation. Meaning, that as a person grows old and senile, in many ways they become dependent the way children become dependent.

Seeking Refuge from Senility

That is why the Prophet ﷺ mentioned in a du'a:

And part of that du'a — in one narration — includes:

O Allah, I seek refuge in You from incapacity, laziness, cowardice, and from becoming extremely senile in old age.

There is another hadith in which the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 54, Hadith 7321 — narrated by Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه)

Hurry up and do good deeds before seven things strike you. And one of the seven things the Prophet ﷺ speaks about is هَرَمًا مُفَنِّدًا — that extreme old age in which a person is not able to do any good deeds. That before that age comes upon you, do your best to spend your life in a productive manner. And if a person spends his life in a productive manner, and eventually — as we all must — grows older, when that person reaches that stage, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will still give him the reward of doing good deeds, even if he is not able to do so. Because he had spent his life in that manner, and now Allah is testing him with his final years where he is physically very weak. But nonetheless, the reward will be there, because he was doing it throughout his life in the past.

The Prophet ﷺ also said:

O Allah, I seek refuge in You from being sent back to the most degraded stage of life — that a person loses his physical, external, internal, and mental capabilities; a person begins to forget what he did, and so forth. So the Prophet ﷺ sought specific refuge from this, because a person is then many times not able to fulfill even the fara'idh at that age — not able to fulfill the obligations towards Allah nor towards fellow creation. And that is what the Prophet ﷺ was worried about, and so he specifically sought refuge from such an age.

The Status of Elders in Islam

The Prophet ﷺ highlighted the status that elders and seniors have in society. He said:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 17638 — narrated by Abu Bakrah رضي الله عنه)

The best from amongst you is the one to whom Allah has given a long life and whose actions are good. The Prophet ﷺ was then asked: أَيُّ النَّاسِ شَرٌّ — "Which group of people are the worst?" He said: the one who has a long life and evil deeds. Meaning that life is like capital money that we have to invest. If we invest it in goodness, alhamdulillah, we will come out at the top. If we invest that resource — life, age — in haram, then unfortunately we will end up in the worst situation. So a long life is not always a blessing. Instead, it is how it is spent.

It is mentioned that the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 21494)

There is no one who has a higher virtue in the eyes of Allah than a believer who has been given a long life in Islam — specifically because of his tasbih, the amount of times he said SubhanAllah; his takbir, the amount of times he said Allahu Akbar; and his tahlil, the amount of times he said La ilaha illa Allah. This all counts. Meaning, if every single day of our 90 or 80 years of life we did our morning tasbihat, and our Tasbih Fatimah after every salah, this is all being recorded. So truly every day counts, every hour counts.

The Prophet ﷺ mentioned another hadith:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 17638 — narrated by Abu Bakrah رضي الله عنه)

The best from amongst you are those who have the longest years in their life and who have the best actions. These are our most honorable members of society. They are the seniors of Islam — هُوَ الشَّيْبُ شَيْبَةً فِي الْإِسْلَامِ — those whose beards have grown white, and women whose hair has become white in Islam. These are our most prized asset.

Abu Musa al-Ash'ari رضي الله عنه says, the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4843)

Indeed, part of honoring Allah is to honor a white-haired Muslim. By honoring a white-haired Muslim, in reality we are honoring Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The more status we give, the more space we give to them in the front, the more space we give to them in our hearts — this shows the more love we have for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

He Is Not from Us Who Does Not Honor Our Elders

The Prophet ﷺ, on one occasion, saw an elderly person come into the gathering. The group of people did not make space for that elder to come forward — he was sitting in the back with no chance to come forward. So the Prophet ﷺ at that time mentioned the very famous hadith:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1919)

He is not from amongst us who does not show mercy towards our young ones, and who does not show honor and respect to our elders. Meaning, it is part of showing respect that when an elder person walks in or comes in, we move and give space for them to come forward.

And look at this: the Prophet ﷺ did not say مَنْ لَمْ يُوَقِّرْ كَبِيرَهُ — "whoever does not honor his senior." He said مَنْ لَمْ يُوَقِّرْ كَبِيرَنَا — "whoever does not honor our seniors." This is the connection he made to himself. Every senior is our senior. Every youngster is our youngster. If you don't honor your elder, you're dishonoring my elder. If you don't show mercy to your youngster, you're not showing mercy to my youngster. And because of that, you're not part of my ummah — you have nothing to do with me. The Prophet ﷺ absolved himself of such a person who does not show honor to the elder and does not show love, shafaqah, and mercy to the youngster.

Umar ibn al-Khattab and the Blind Old Lady

Abu Talha رضي الله عنه mentions that one night, Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه went out in the darkest of the night and entered a home. Talha bin Ubaidullah says: the next morning, I said I wanted to go see what was happening in that home.

فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحْتُ ذَهَبْتُ إِلَى ذَلِكَ الْبَيْتِ — In the morning, I went to that house to see who was there. فَإِذَا عَجُوزٌ عَمْيَاءُ مُقْعَدَةٌ — There was a handicapped, blind old lady sitting there. فَقُلْتُ لَهَا: مَا بَالُ هَذَا الرَّجُلِ يَأْتِيكِ؟ — I asked her: Why does this man come to you? She said: إِنَّهُ يَتَعَهَّدُنِي مُنْذُ كَذَا وَكَذَى، يَأْتِينِي بِمَا يُصْلِحُنِي وَيُخْرِجُ عَنِّي الأَذَى — That man has been coming to me for so many years. He comes, takes care of my needs, and removes from me those things that bother me.

Who was this man? Amir al-Mu'minin Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه was taking care of this absolutely handicapped senior. He was making time in his day — and since he had no time during the day, he was going in the night to this old blind handicapped lady's house to take care of her.

It is mentioned in some of the books that when Umar رضي الله عنه became Khalifah, he wanted to follow in the footsteps of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq رضي الله عنه. So he found out that Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه used to go to such a house. He went and found this old blind lady. He thought: what could Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه have been doing here? Obviously he must have been feeding her and taking care of her. So he took food, not wanting to startle her, not saying who he was. He took a spoon and began to feed this old, sick, blind lady.

As soon as he put the spoon to her lips, she was startled. She said: Who is this? He tried to cover it up, but she figured out that he was not the previous person who used to come for all those years. He said, you know, the previous man — may Allah have mercy on him — he has passed away. How did she figure it out? She said: because he knew — he knew that I have sores on my tongue and my mouth is filled with ulcers. And so he knew that the spoon would hurt me. And so he used to feed me with his hands.

The man who is buried next to the Prophet ﷺ, إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ, who is the neighbor of the Prophet ﷺ — would take the time out to go feed an old blind lady with his own hands. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to honor elders like this. Allahumma ameen. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala truly allow us to understand and appreciate the status of our elders. Allahumma ameen.

Fath Makkah: The Prophet ﷺ and Abu Quhafa

This is the type of tarbiyah that Rasulullah ﷺ made of the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم, that men and women who are seniors and elders hold this status. Now let's look at what happens in his own life. It is the occasion of Fath Makkah, the conquest of Makkah. What a busy, auspicious, outstanding day — there is no day that can match it. The Prophet ﷺ is entering Makkah al-Mukarramah as a victor. The area from which he was exiled and which he left crying, at last he is able to enter without bloodshed, as a victor.

So the Prophet ﷺ enters, and Abu Bakr al-Siddiq رضي الله عنه comes, and he brings his father, the old elder of his clan, Abu Quhafa, and presents him to Rasulullah ﷺ. And the Prophet ﷺ sees Abu Quhafa and says:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 32, Hadith 6354)

Why, O Abu Bakr, did you bring your father to me? Why did you burden your father to have to come to me? I should have come to him in his home. The Prophet ﷺ, on the day of Fath Makkah, saying: no, I would rather have gone to your father's home to visit him than have him come to me.

Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه responded: Ya Rasulullah, هُوَ أَحَقُّ أَنْ يَمْشِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنْ أَنْ تَمْشِيَ أَنْتَ إِلَيْهِ — "It is more rightful, more worthy, and more correct for my father, although he is old, to walk towards you than for you to walk towards him."

Then the Prophet ﷺ made Abu Quhafa sit in front of him. ثُمَّ مَسَحَ صَدْرَهُ — the Prophet ﷺ placed his hand on the chest of Abu Quhafa and said: أَسْلِمْ — accept Islam. He put his hand on his chest, making du'a. This is where Iman enters. He is putting his hand on the chest and saying, "Accept Islam." فَأَسْلَمَ — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala put the tawfiq of Islam into the heart of Abu Quhafa at that time.

What do we see here? The Prophet ﷺ is showing the honor he has for elders by saying, "I would rather go visit the elder than have the elder come see me." And then he is making him sit in front of him, directing his full attention and focus toward him. And with what love and muhabbah, Rasulullah ﷺ places his hand on his chest and makes du'a for him.

Honoring Old Relationships

One day, the Prophet ﷺ was sitting and an old lady came in. The Prophet ﷺ went out of his way to honor her, welcomed her, and began to ask her:

كَيْفَ أَنْتُمْ؟ كَيْفَ حَالُكُمْ؟ كَيْفَ كُنْتُمْ بَعْدَنَا؟ — "How are you? How have you all been? How have you been since we last saw you?"

Aisha رضي الله عنها, his wife, said: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، تُقْبِلُ عَلَى هَذِهِ الْعَجُوزِ هَذَا الإِقْبَالَ — "O Rasulullah, you are focusing your attention on this old lady to this degree. Why?" The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Al-Mustadrak 'ala al-Sahihayn, Al-Hakim, Hadith 4835)

"O Aisha, this old lady used to come to me and to us when Khadijah was with me. And taking care of old relationships is part of our faith." This old lady reminded him of his deceased wife, and so he needed to take care of that relationship. That is why it is mentioned, from amongst the rights of the parents upon us after they pass away, is to take care of all of their relatives as well as their friends. If we know that someone was a friend of our father, mother, grandfather, or grandmother, then a person needs to go out of his way to respect them. These are things most definitely lacking in our society all across the globe.

The Prophet ﷺ's Humor with Elders

At times the Prophet ﷺ would joke around with elders to break the ice and bring some humor. The Prophet ﷺ was approached by an old lady who said: "Ya Rasulullah, ادْعُ اللَّهَ أَنْ يُدْخِلَنِي الْجَنَّةَ — make du'a that Allah allows me to enter Jannah." He said: يَا أُمَّ فُلَانٍ، إِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ لَا تَدْخُلُهَا عَجُوزٌ — "O so-and-so, old ladies will not enter Jannah." You can imagine how worried she became. And then he said: "Tell her she will not enter Jannah as an old lady." Because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says that indeed, the women will be given a new creation — the most elderly of women will be made into like a new bride. So he said: "Tell her this, give her these glad tidings." So the Prophet ﷺ would find occasions to break the ice and bring some humor into his conversations even with elders.

Giving Hope to Elders

Another beautiful trait of the Prophet ﷺ was to give hope to everyone, especially to elders. Amr ibn Abasah says: a man came to the Prophet ﷺ — an old man, leaning on a stick, a cane — and said:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 19008 — narrated by Amr ibn Abasah رضي الله عنه)

"O Rasulullah, I have many major sins, I have made many mistakes. Will I be forgiven?" The Prophet ﷺ said: أَلَسْتَ تَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ؟ — "Do you not bear witness that there is none worthy of worship?" He said: بَلَى — "Yes, I bear witness." وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ — "I also bear witness that you are the Messenger of Allah." The Prophet ﷺ said: قَدْ غَفَرَ اللَّهُ لَكَ غَدَرَاتِكَ وَفَجَرَاتِكَ — "Indeed, Allah has forgiven all of your major and minor sins." The man walked away from the Prophet ﷺ so happy, saying: اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ repeatedly, rejoicing.

When a person is young, a person needs to be reminded of the fire of Jahannam, and of course the rewards of paradise as well — but fear should be dominant. But as we grow older, when speaking to elders, our job is to give them hope. Fear should not be dominant, as it could lead to despondency. As a person grows older, he should be given hope in the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Protecting Elders in Times of War

The Prophet ﷺ, when advising his armies going out, would specifically mention:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 2614)

Do not engage in killing elderly people. Do not kill any elder person. Because these people — unless they are actively fighting against you — do not harm them. Spare elderly men and women. Children and women were also spared. Those who are not active combatants, do not engage with them.

Giving Preference to Elders in Speech and Drink

The Prophet ﷺ's habit was that in many affairs he would give preference to the elders. For example, two men came to the Prophet ﷺ to speak to him about something — Abdur Rahman ibn Sahl was there, and Muhayissa and Huwayissa, two sons of Mas'ud رضي الله عنه. Abdur Rahman began to speak, and the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3173; Sahih Muslim, Book 28, Hadith 4370)

"Let the elder one speak. You are the youngest one — let the elder one speak." So he stayed quiet.

And I was just thinking, SubhanAllah, our society is so different. In the name of encouraging the young ones, we have made them — I won't say courageous, but — disrespectful. Because always giving them the chance to speak in the presence of elders, always giving them the opportunity to speak up while elders are present, has made them overconfident. Something which is, according to the eyes of the Shari'ah, disrespectful is now termed "cute." There is nothing cute about disrespect. In the presence of elders, children and youngsters should remain silent — and this is what our deen teaches us.

SubhanAllah, one scholar reminded us — I share this story many times. I went to his house for a meal, 10–15 years ago. We were having small talk and I asked about his kids. I said, so how old is this child? He said, 7 years old. So one of the boys, maybe 10, spoke up and said, "No, my sister is not 7, she's 8." So the father looked at his son right in the eyes, in front of me, and said: "Are you correcting me?" The son looked down and said: "I'm sorry." I was very impressed. SubhanAllah — that is exactly how it should be. Why are you sitting there correcting your dad in front of a guest? This is small talk. There is no reason for you to speak up.

Many years later, I told him I had mentioned his story and I was very impressed by this. He said: "Brother, where did I learn this? I'm also an American scholar, I learned this from my teacher." He narrated: I was traveling to Madinah al-Munawwarah and went to visit my Qur'an teacher. Two of my boys went inside with me. The sheikh was there, and his own two thirty-year-old sons were also present. As it happened, my kids were chiming in and answering half of the questions. After a while, the sheikh said: "You see my boys? My two sons — ever since we have been sitting here, have you seen them respond to anything? Have you seen them speak in my presence? Why do your kids keep speaking?"

He said: I learned from that, SubhanAllah, this is the etiquette. This is not culture — this is sunnah. This is the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ: in the presence of elders, unless you are spoken to and expected to answer, you remain silent. Instead, you benefit from those who are speaking. We all have our chance to speak. But right now, if we want to be able to speak, then we have to learn how to listen.

One of the statements attributed to Imam Malik رضي الله عنه: one day a student was writing and writing, and he told him: "If you stop writing and start listening, you will be able to speak the way I am speaking. But for that, you have to listen." Because when a person thinks everything is being recorded, he ends up not even properly listening. Whatever opportunity we have, we should focus and listen to every single gathering with the intent of practicing — and inshallah that will open up the doors.

The Prophet ﷺ also said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2571; Sahih Muslim, Book 23, Hadith 5022)

Whenever the Prophet ﷺ would give something to drink, he would say: "Begin with the elder, or begin with the elders."

The Three Men and the Cave: Honoring Parents

You know the famous incident of the three people of Bani Israel who were stuck behind a boulder that had closed up the mouth of a cave in a mountain pass, and they would most surely die. There was no way to remove that boulder. Each one of them presented a good deed in front of Allah — all of them interestingly having to do with حُقُوقُ الْعِبَادِ, the rights of the servants of Allah. Each one of them made tawassul with it, saying: "Ya Allah, if you know that I did this good deed for Your sake and it was accepted in Your court, we beg You to open up the pathway for us."

One of them was a shepherd who would go every day to graze his animals and then come home and milk them, giving his parents their milk to drink first, and then giving to his wife and children. One night, returning from the pasture, he got delayed. By the time he came home, his parents had fallen asleep. His children were crying, hungry. He did not want to wake his parents. At the same time he had a rule: I cannot feed my family until I feed my parents first. So while his wife and children — and he himself — were hungry, he did not drink nor did he give drink to his children until his parents woke up. Then he first served them, and then he served his family.

This man said: "Ya Allah, if you know I did this for Your sake and it is acceptable, please remove this rock." And a third of the blocked entrance immediately opened up. We do not have to wait until the Day of Judgment — Allah is showing us in this hadith that this good deed of his was accepted. So what was he doing? He was honoring his elders, specifically his parents. That is the key point.

Do not boast your favor of being Muslim upon Allah. It is Allah rather who has favored you by guiding you towards Iman.

All of you are in need of Allah. And Allah is free of all want, worthy of all praise. Every single one of us, even a prophet, is as human as the rest of us in his need for Allah. The Prophet ﷺ was told: لَن يَدْخُلَ الْجَنَّةَ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا بِرَحْمَةٍ — "No one can enter Jannah except through Allah's rahmah." The Sahabah said: "Ya Rasulullah, وَلَا أَنْتَ — not even you?" He said: وَلَا أَنَا، إِلَّا أَنْ يَتَغَمَّدَنِي اللَّهُ بِرَحْمَةٍ مِنْهُ — "Not even me, unless Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala envelops me with His mercy."

So every single one of us — from Adam ﷺ to the Prophet ﷺ to the lowest among humans — everyone is in need of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We have to understand that. We are Muslim because this is our need. Allah is our need. We are 100%, in every moment, in every second, in need of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Our deen is not based on our parents and teachers. Our deen is based on what Allah has taught us and what Rasulullah ﷺ has taught us, as explained to us by the Sahabah and the righteous elders of the past.

(Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, narrated as a statement of Ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه)

Follow those who have already passed away. For the one who is alive, there is no safety from falling into fitna. If you follow religion because of someone you idolize who is living in front of you, you may end up in big trouble. That is why your role model is not someone who is alive, not someone on Facebook or YouTube. Sooner or later you will find something about them that you do not like. It is only Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala who is covering up our flaws. If our deeds were to become apparent, the stench of our deeds would force each of us to run away. Allah is Ghaffar and He is Sattar. He is enveloping and cloaking our sins, and He is forgiving our sins. This is the only reason we have the capacity to sit next to each other.

The Imam's Responsibility Toward the Weak and Elderly

The Prophet ﷺ addressed the imams who lead salah. He said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 703; Sahih Muslim, Book 4, Hadith 974)

When one of you leads salah for the people, then he should make it light. Because there are weak among the crowd, there are elders, there are sick. And when one of you prays salah by himself, then he can make it as long as he wants.

SubhanAllah — he is saying: make ri'aya of the elders, the weak, and the sick in the crowd. Many imams make the mistake of making the qiyam very long. That is one problem. But there is also the mistake of making the ruku and sajdah too short. You might be reciting your tasbih, but by the time the elder reaches ruku or sajdah, or stands up, we are already finished. So he is just playing catch-up the entire salah. We have to ensure that both the qiyam is not too long and that the takberat al-intiqal — the transitions between postures — are slow and appropriate enough to accommodate those who are weak and elderly among us.

The Age of 60: A Time for Preparation

The Prophet ﷺ also advised elders to prepare for the hereafter. He said:

Allah has removed any excuse from that person whom He has given a sixty-year life. Once a person reaches the age of 60, he cannot say, "I did not have long enough to learn." 60 is more than enough to wake up and learn the lessons of life. Now a person must start repenting in earnest. The hair has become white, arthritis may have begun, sickness may have come — all reminders that life is coming to an end.

The Prophet ﷺ also mentioned that old people are susceptible, like young people, to certain weaknesses. He said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6420; Sahih Muslim, Book 12, Hadith 2347)

The heart of even an older person is young when it comes to two things: the desire to have a long life, and the desire to have abundance of wealth. That when it comes to desiring more money and desiring long life, even a person of 60, 70, or 80 is constantly worried about investments. The phone has not helped us at all — it has created ghaflah even in that age. May Allah save us all. Allahumma ameen.

Someone said so beautifully: we spend the choicest, healthiest years of our life amassing money. And then we spend the remainder of our life using that money to try to protect our life. SubhanAllah. Money as well as our life are two blessings of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that need to be used for the betterment of our own akhirah.

The Prophet ﷺ's Interactions with Children

The Prophet ﷺ, SubhanAllah, created such an environment that every single child — every young one — felt that he is part of the ummah. We talked about respect and honor for the elders, and that is very important. But at the same time, the young ones should never feel that they have no place, no space. Instead, the Prophet ﷺ gave them encouragement at their appropriate place.

For example, the Prophet ﷺ showed so much importance that when children were born, they were brought to him first. He would hold that little child, make du'a for barakah, then ask for a date, soften it, and place his blessed finger — with his blessed saliva — inside the child's mouth. At times the Prophet ﷺ would also blow into the child's mouth. The first thing going into the child's mouth was the saliva of Rasulullah ﷺ.

The Importance of Naming Children Well

There are instances where the Prophet ﷺ would ask what the child's name was and then change it. For example, one person came and said: "Ya Rasulullah, my child's name is so-and-so." The Prophet ﷺ said: "No, وَلَكِنِ اسْمُهُ الْمُنْذِرُ — I want you to name him al-Mundhir." Why? Because the father's cousin was a great Sahabi who was a leader among those made shaheed at the painful incident of Bir Ma'una — where 70 Sahabah who went to teach Qur'an were ambushed and killed. The Prophet ﷺ cursed the perpetrators in the Qunut al-Nazila of Fajr for an entire month after this incident. The leader of that group was Mundhir رضي الله عنه. So the Prophet ﷺ wanted this nephew to be named after this great companion.

My beloved parents, when naming our children, keep this in mind. Let us not try to come up with the most unique name. Instead, name a child after someone of great personality — the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم. Every single child you name should have a back story. All of us should be able to say: "SubhanAllah, I love Ibn Mas'ud رضي الله عنه. I love Ubay ibn Ka'b رضي الله عنه. I love Abdullah ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه. I love Sumayyah رضي الله عنها. I love Umm Habibah رضي الله عنها. I love Umm Salama رضي الله عنها. I love Fatimah رضي الله عنها." These are all of their accolades. My dear daughter, that is why I named you after her. My dear son, that is why I named you after him.

And this is how the junior Sahabah would name their children — after the senior Sahabah — hoping that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala would make their sons and daughters like those great ones, رضي الله عنهم.

Playing with Children

At times, children would end up urinating in the Prophet ﷺ's lap. The Prophet ﷺ would call for water and wash it off, and would not be upset at the parents or at the child. There was an instance where Rasulullah ﷺ had a baby in his lap and got busy with something. The father then called the child back and sent him home. Then the Prophet ﷺ, after a while, immediately said: أَيْنَ الصَّبِيُّ؟ — "Where is the child? What happened to the boy?"

The Prophet ﷺ, at times, would play with the children. For example, it is mentioned that one day Zaynab bint Umm Salama came, and the Prophet ﷺ said: يَا زُوَيْنِبُ، يَا زُوَيْنِبُ — starting to use what we call tasghir, a diminutive form of the name. He was speaking in a childish tone, using that name in a manner that attracts young girls and boys and brings them closer to you.

One time, Ibn al-Qayyim says, Zaynab bint Umm Salama came while the Prophet ﷺ was washing himself, and she came close as a baby. فَنَضَحَ فِي وَجْهِهَا — He took some water and sprinkled it on her face. فَلَمْ يَزَلْ مَاءُ الشَّبَابِ فِي وَجْهِهَا حَتَّى كَبُرَتْ — Until she became an old lady, she always had the freshness of a young baby. SubhanAllah. Because the Prophet ﷺ had sprinkled some water on her face.

One time it is mentioned that Mahmud ibn Rabi' رضي الله عنه was only five years old. He came in front of the Prophet ﷺ. فَمَجَّ فِي وَجْهِهِ مَجَّةً مِنْ دَلْوٍ — The Prophet ﷺ took water from a bucket in his mouth and sprinkled and spat it on this boy. Mahmud ibn Rabi' says: that is the only memory I have — I was five years old, and this is the only memory I have of the Prophet ﷺ: one day he spat out water. And through the barakah of that one incident, his name has now been recorded from among the Sahabah.

Why would the Prophet ﷺ do this? To play with the children, to put barakah on the children. We are never too old, never too serious, never too senior to spend time with kids and play with children.

Asking About the Children's Interests

The Prophet ﷺ would at times ask about pets. For example:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4969; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 333)

The Prophet ﷺ was speaking to a child and he gave him a kuniya: Abu Umair. Then he asked: "What happened to your little bird?" Asking about pets — because you have to speak to children about things that they like and are interested in. Allahu Akbar. There is nobody more senior and more busy than the Prophet ﷺ, who had the entire world and akhirah on his mind. Yet he had time to sit and speak with a child about his pet.

Racing with the Children of Abbas

One day, the Prophet ﷺ was sitting with children of Abbas رضي الله عنه — family members — and he said:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 1906 — narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه)

"I want all of you to race towards me. And whoever wins, I will give him this, this, and this." SubhanAllah — the little kids racing to him. فَيَقَعُونَ عَلَى ظَهْرِهِ وَصَدْرِهِ فَيُقَبِّلُهُمْ وَيَلْزِمُهُمْ — Some of them fell on his chest, some on his back, falling upon him as they raced. And the Prophet ﷺ is hugging them, expressing his love to these little kids.

And Rasulullah ﷺ is also described as: when he would pass by the children in Madinah as they were playing, he would stop and say salam to the kids. How many of us would think it important to stop by a playground and say salam and give treats and say: "SubhanAllah, you did such a good job coming to the masjid, make sure you come for Isha tomorrow as well"? This is what the Prophet ﷺ would do.

Anas رضي الله عنه says: one day I was playing with the kids, فَسَلَّمَ عَلَيْنَا — he came and specifically said salam. Imagine how important we feel. Children remember this. I remember — one alim told me — when he was 5 years old, he went to an ijtima, lined up with everyone saying salam to the sheikh at the end. The sheikh literally grabbed his hand and said: "What's your name, son? How old are you?" And then made lots of du'a for him. He said: "I was shaken by that experience. The du'as of the sheikh at that time — wallahi, I am benefiting from that till now." We do not realize how much a few encouraging words — a handshake, a hand placed on a child's head with a du'a — means everything. You do not have to be a scholar. The fact that some elder remembered that child, had time for him, said something to him — it goes a long way.

The Prophet ﷺ used to visit the Ansar, and when he did, the children of the Ansar would circle around him. فَيُسَلِّمُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَيَمْسَحُ عَلَى رُؤُوسِهِمْ وَيَدْعُو لَهُمْ — He used to say salam to the children, put his hand on their heads, and make du'a for them.

The Prophet ﷺ's Special Care for Orphans

The Prophet ﷺ made du'a for all children, but had a specific soft spot for orphans. He said: if you have a hard heart, then put your hand over the head of an orphan — this will soften your heart. I encourage myself and all of us: if you know of an orphan, show extra care and love. And definitely when you travel overseas, make a point to go visit an orphanage. You will understand what this hadith means when you see the eyes of a four-year-old, a five-year-old, a nine-year-old, knowing he has no mom and no dad. You look the other way because you do not want to cry in front of them, but you will definitely shed tears. SubhanAllah — these are people closest to the Prophet ﷺ. My Nabi was an orphan. So this is a habit we should inculcate: support orphans financially wherever you can, and whenever you travel, try your best to visit an orphanage.

The Blessed Hands of the Prophet ﷺ

Jabir ibn Samurah رضي الله عنه says: I prayed Dhuhr salah with the Prophet ﷺ. Then the Prophet ﷺ went to his home and I went with him. فَاسْتَقْبَلَهُ وِلْدَانٌ — Children came to greet the Prophet ﷺ. فَجَعَلَ يَمْسَحُ خَدَّيْ أَحَدِهِمْ وَاحِدًا وَاحِدًا — The Prophet ﷺ began to put his hand on the cheeks of the children one by one. وَأَمَّا أَنَا فَمَسَحَ خَدَّيَّ — As for me, alhamdulillah, the Prophet ﷺ put his hand on both of my cheeks. He says: فَوَجَدْتُ لِيَدِهِ بَرْدًا أَوْ رِيحًا كَأَنَّمَا أَخْرَجَهَا مِنْ جُؤْنَةِ عَطَّارٍ — I felt such coolness and such fragrance from the Prophet ﷺ's hand on my cheeks, as though his hand had come out from a bottle of itar. Allahu Akbar. This is the akhlaaq of Rasulullah ﷺ.

Kiss Your Children

One day, a group of Bedouins came and saw Rasulullah ﷺ kissing his children. They said: "You kiss your children?" He said yes. They said: لَكِنَّا وَاللَّهِ مَا نُقَبِّلُ — "Wallahi, we do not kiss our kids." So the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5998; Sahih Muslim, Book 30, Hadith 5736)

"What can I do if Allah has snatched rahmah out of your hearts? If you don't feel like kissing your own kids, you have no mercy in your heart."

Teaching Children Iman Before Qur'an

The Prophet ﷺ, along with teaching iman to the kids, would give them the akhlaaq of how to act at home. Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه says, the Prophet ﷺ said to him:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2698)

"O my dear son, whenever you enter your home, say salaam — there will be barakah for you and barakah for your entire family."

The Prophet ﷺ one day was sitting with his Sahabi Umar ibn Abi Salama — eating together with a boy. What happened? كَانَتْ يَدِي تَطِيشُ فِي الصَّحْفَةِ — My hand was rotating around, eating from here, there, everywhere. The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5376; Sahih Muslim, Book 36, Hadith 5264)

"O boy, say Allah's name, eat with your right hand, and eat from your end of the plate." Look at the humbleness of Rasulullah ﷺ — eating in one plate with a boy, and very nicely teaching him the etiquettes of eating.

Jundab ibn Abdullah says:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 61 — narrated by Jundab ibn Abdullah رضي الله عنه)

"We were with the Prophet ﷺ, young boys about to become mature. We learnt iman before we learnt Qur'an. Then we learnt Qur'an, and we increased in iman because of it."

We have flipped the order and hence we are suffering today. We have a huge emphasis on Qur'anic memorization — but not on iman. And now it is coming to bite us. I ask all the Hifz parents: if your son or daughter is memorizing Qur'an from 8am to 4pm, Monday through Saturday, for two and a half, three years, and they do not see you as a dad or mom attend even once-a-year Sira conferences — what message are you sending to your kids? No wonder we have children memorizing the Qur'an and then leaving Islam. Because they never learnt iman. They never learnt Sira, never built a love for Allah, never learnt to love Rasulullah ﷺ, never learnt to love the Qur'an before they started memorizing it. Otherwise, merely memorizing the words of the Qur'an when a child does not even know why — it will eventually create resentment.

My dear dads and moms of our Hifz classes across the country: please focus on this. Before you focus on memorization of anything, focus on teaching iman. And this is exactly what the effort of da'wah and tabligh is about. Mawlana Ilyas said: "If I were to give it a name, I would have called it Tahrik al-Iman — the movement of iman."

The Famous Hadith to Ibn Abbas: Teaching Tawheed

The Prophet ﷺ's famous beautiful hadith of teaching Abdullah ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه — he was sitting behind Rasulullah ﷺ, using that time together, to teach him:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2516 — narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas رضي الله عنه)

"O my boy, I am going to teach you some things: Protect the orders of Allah, Allah will protect you. Protect the orders of Allah, you will find Allah before you. Whenever you ask, only ask Allah. Whenever you seek assistance, seek assistance from Allah. Know very well — if the entire ummah gathered together to benefit you, they will never be able to benefit you except in a manner that Allah has already written for you. And if they gathered together to harm you, they would never be able to harm you except in a manner that Allah has already ordained for you. The pens have been lifted and the parchments have dried. And indeed, assistance of Allah comes with patience. Indeed, an opening comes after difficulty. And indeed, with hardship comes ease."

What do we see here, my friends? The communication between father and son and daughter, mother and son and daughter, teacher and students, all of us and our children — should not just be about "pray like this, fast like this, memorize this du'a." Beyond that, more basic than that, is the emphasis on teaching iman. Teach iman to our kids. Teach the qudra of Allah, the power of Allah. This is something that must be taught more than anything else.

Correcting Children with Kindness

Abu Rafi' ibn Amr al-Ghifari says: I used to throw rocks at the date bunches on the trees of the Ansar. The Ansar got upset and brought me to the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ said: يَا غُلَامُ، لِمَ تَرْمِي النَّخْلَ؟ — "O boy, why are you throwing rocks at these date bunches?" "Ya Rasulullah, الْجُوعُ — hunger. I'm hungry." SubhanAllah. Then the Prophet ﷺ said: فَلَا تَرْمِ النَّخْلَ، وَكُلْ مِمَّا يَسْقُطُ فِي أَسْفَلِهَا — "Do not throw rocks at the bunches on the tree. Eat the ones that have already fallen to the ground — those are free for all. But do not take what is on top." Then the Prophet ﷺ wiped his head, put his hand on the boy's head, and said: أَشْبَعَكَ اللَّهُ وَأَرْوَاكَ — "May Allah always keep your belly filled and keep you satiated." He made du'a for him. Look at how nicely he corrected him.

Not Lying to Children

Abdullah ibn Amir رضي الله عنه says: my mother one day called me — "Oh Abdullah, come here, I'll give you something." The Prophet ﷺ was sitting in the home. The Prophet ﷺ said: وَمَا أَرَدْتِ أَنْ تُعْطِيَهِ؟ — "O mother, what are you planning to give your son?" She said: أُعْطِيهِ تَمْرًا — "I'm going to give him some dates." The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4991 — narrated by Abdullah ibn Amir رضي الله عنه)

"Know that if you were not to give your son anything — having called him and said 'come, I'll give you something' — this would have been written as a lie in your Book of Deeds."

As it is mentioned in Awn al-Ma'bud, the commentary of Sunan Abi Dawud: what we see today — when children are crying, joking with kids by intimidating them, or scaring them with something false, or lying to them by promising something with no intention of giving it — all of this is going to be written as a lie against the parents. We are not allowed to lie to our children. This is the right of the children upon us.

Building a Prophetic Community

So this is how the Prophet ﷺ, from the spectrum of adults and seniors all the way to children, worked on building a society. A society is not built except by individuals. We have to work on individual blocks, individual units. My beloved brothers and sisters, if we want to build a prophetic, Madinah-based community, we have to become prophetic, Madinah-based households. Every father and son, every mother and daughter, every husband and wife — whether listening today or listening afterwards — needs to make this firm resolve: my house will become a madani household when I become madani. Whatever is happening in my home is because of me. If I change, Allah will change my house.

If I start waking up one hour before Salatul Fajr and cry in front of Allah, sharing my long list, I promise you — Allah will change my house. But it is not changing because I am crying on the phone, at someone's apartment, in someone's office. The place to cry is the musalla, the prayer mat. The time is before Fajr salah, in the darkness of the night, when everyone is asleep — and we are not doing that. And hence, year after year, our household environment gets worse and worse.

The solution is not pointing fingers at others. The solution is to take responsibility. I ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to give us this true humility. We mean it — that most definitely, I am the culprit. If I come right, my community will come right, my masjid will come right, my family will come right. And eventually inshallah, our community across the globe will once again become a prophetic community, close in line with the community of Rasulullah ﷺ that he left behind.

Remember: no matter how much fitna comes in the world, no matter how much fitna comes — even in the era of Dajjal, there will definitely be Isa ﷺ, and there will definitely be Hazrat Mahdi, and there will be people with him. Even the worst of times will have the best of people. So don't think it's over. This is the opportunity for us to get ahead. When the markets are volatile, most people lose money — but some become billionaires. Similarly, in terms of the akhirah, this is the opportunity for us to become millionaires, multi-millionaires, and inshallah, billionaires of the akhirah. Say inshallah.

A Call to Commitment and Action

Let us make a commitment to adherence to the sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ. A very straightforward, simple thing: success lies in the sunnah. No matter how many people you have at an event, no matter how much you have in life — if my life, my wife's life, my kids' life is not 100% according to the sunnah, I am wasting my time. My wheels are spinning in mud. The criteria of success is: how close are we to the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ?

This seerah conference, mashallah, is about that. And we are around 15 million salat ala Nabi ﷺ collectively, alhamdulillah. One brother here attended the seerah conference 3–4 years ago and is part of two madrasahs in Bangladesh. He got inspired, took the salawat cards, made them in Bengali, printed them, and went back. His two madrasahs — 250 boys and girls and staff — now do 5 million salawat every single week. From last seerah conference to this one, those 250 boys and girls did 170.72 million salawat ala Nabi ﷺ. Allahu Akbar. I ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He allows the barakah of this place to spread across the entire globe, and may He multiply it a hundredfold, and allow people everywhere to come closer to the seerah and sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ.

My beloved brothers and sisters — make niyah. That we will definitely start focusing on sunnah in our homes and sending salawat at home. If that means today, pulling out your miswak, cutting it, and using it for Fajr — please do that. If that means entering and leaving the masjid while reading the du'a. If you don't know all the du'as, at least start with just bismillah — every occasion, bismillah. Entering the house with bismillah and salam. Once in a while sit on the ground and eat at home. Once in a while, Sunday lunch on the ground like the Prophet ﷺ. Once in a while, a simple one-dish meal like the Prophet ﷺ. This love for sunnah is what our children need to see in us.

If we do not have love for Rasulullah ﷺ in our heart, there is no safety for us. Actions alone are not sufficient to keep us as Muslims — love must be present. All the cases of people leaving the fold of Islam: I can guarantee you, they never loved the Prophet ﷺ. So we ask all of you to make this resolve of increasing salah ala Nabi ﷺ and the sunnah at home. Try to do ta'leem at home. Pick up the seerah books outside. Pick up Hayatus Sahabah of Sheikh Yusuf Kandhlawi and have ta'leem in your home. Let our children and ourselves be inspired.

My ustad, my Sheikh Mawlana Mubaidullah, mentions: stop screaming at kids at home, stop screaming at wives in the homes. He says: "I promise you, just read Hayatus Sahabah at home — give me 40 days consistently, your house will be changed. If you don't, call me." He says: "Read Hayatus Sahabah at home. I promise you, your life will be changed."

Today the message is loud and clear to us men: remember your responsibility. The tarbiyah of our children and families is the responsibility of us, husbands and fathers. And we have not done our job — and hence the whole family is suffering. So the best and easiest way is to bring a halaqah of ta'leem in our home, and to establish the five a'mal of the masjid and the five a'mal of the home: speaking about the greatness of Allah, the halaqah of ta'leem, the mudhakarah of the six qualities. This is where our iman will get built. Go for a couple of days in the path of Allah, learn how to do it, and then bring it home.

Announcements

Alhamdulillah, we have just about a month from now — our annual dinner, inshallah. This year's topic is Quarter Century: The Next 25 and Beyond. We are at a major milestone in 2025. You will hear the history of how Darussalam began in 1987 and its humble roots under a different name. Imam Dawood Waleed from Michigan will be joining us with a powerful reminder. We request all of you to scan the QR code, show your commitment to supporting traditional scholarship, and support the work that Darussalam is doing, alhamdulillah — both through your du'as and through your contributions. Please come with your family on Saturday, October 18th, inshallah. For those out of state, the event will be streamed online. Please visit masjiddeas.org/benefit to purchase a ticket and join online if you cannot come in person.

Alhamdulillah, every Saturday we have a program at Fajr. We are currently covering the stories of Sahaba. All of it is livestreamed for those out of state or area. Every single Saturday we have a full hot breakfast for men and women of our community. Our sponsorship has run out for this week onwards, so for next Saturday we do not have a sponsor. Kindly, if you are interested in sponsoring, it is about $500. If two families or one family would like to be a sponsor — please scan the sign-up sheet in the office outside. And most importantly, do come and attend in person or online for the Fajr program.

Last but not least, our next big program: the Winter Intensive, December 20th–22nd, three days. This year's topic is Paths of Piety: The Evolution of the Four Schools of Thought and Contemporary Approaches to Fiqh. How do we navigate new, uncharted waters? How do we differentiate between traditional Islam and a watered-down religion? This three-day intensive will focus on how these four schools of thought were developed and what the way forward is in an era of uncharted waters.

For those who would like to hear stories of our trip overseas — tomorrow after Salatul Maghrib, inshallah, we will have a dedicated session here between Maghrib and Isha. Do join us if you can.

We thank immensely our volunteers, our students, our staff — both boys and girls, men and women — our male and female teachers, our presenters, for their immense effort in inviting people towards this Seerah Conference: helping in the canteen, babysitting, childcare, security, overnight stay, cleaning, cooking for the bake sale, and all different departments. May Allah reward you in full. May Allah reward our teachers, our parents, our elders, and all those who are making du'a for the success of this event. All those across the globe who are listening in — may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allow you all to walk away with immense khair and barakah from this mubarak gathering. Whatever shortcomings we have in our presentations or logistics, we ask your forgiveness and ask you to pray that we are able to improve every single year, every single day, in the way we serve our community.

Dhikr and Du'a

Allahumma salli ala sayyidina Muhammad wa ala ali sayyidina Muhammad wa barik wa sallim.

Oh Allah! Oh Allah! Oh most merciful Allah! Oh most beneficial Allah! Oh most loving Allah! Oh our Creator! Oh our Master! Oh our Nourisher! Oh our Provider! Oh the One who loves us more than any mother can love her child! Oh the One who has created mercy in every parent's heart! Oh the Creator of mercy! Oh the Creator of benevolence!

We ask You, Ya Allah, to enshroud us with Your special mercy. Oh Allah, enshroud this entire gathering with Your special mercy. Oh Allah, enshroud our parents, our siblings, our spouses, our children, and our extended families with Your special mercy. Oh Allah, the ummah is most in need of Your mercy. Oh Allah, we ask You — one simple glance of mercy of Yours is sufficient for us. Oh Allah, glance at us with the eyes of mercy.

Oh Allah, make a decision of our forgiveness today. Oh Allah, make a decision that every one of us will lead a life in accordance with Your pleasure. Oh Allah, make a decision of the forgiveness of all of our major and minor sins. Oh Allah — the sins committed by our hands and our feet, by our ears and our eyes, by our tongues, by our lips, by our minds, by our hearts and by our private parts; by our wealth, by our time — whatever sins we have done against You or against Your creation, Oh Allah, make a decision of its forgiveness.

Oh Allah, create within all of us genuine remorse over our mistakes. Create remorse over our mistakes. Oh Allah, save us from becoming stubborn. Save us from covering up our flaws and faults. Save us from giving false excuses for our mistakes. Oh Allah, allow us all to acknowledge openly that we are the biggest of sinners. We have wronged You and we have wronged every creation of Yours. And oh Allah, the problems in our homes, in our society, and for the ummah — are because we are part of that problem. Oh Allah, it is my own sins, Ya Allah, that have brought upon these difficulties for me, for the ummah. Oh Allah, inspire in all of us to truly feel that we are the cause and the reason for the difficulties we are going through.

Oh Allah, create within us genuine remorse. Oh Allah, create within us a genuine repugnance and hatred for sin. Oh Allah, please create within us a disgust of sin. Oh Allah, create within us genuine love and ishq of the sunnah of Habib Mustafa ﷺ. Oh Allah, create in our temperament a willingness to go against all cultural norms to fulfill one sunnah. Oh Allah, make us such people who are willing to put everything on the line to revive one sunnah of Your Habib Mustafa ﷺ. Oh Allah, put the love of sunnah into our hearts. Put the love of his life into our hearts. Put the love of his being into our hearts. Allow us to spend moments every day thinking about him in seclusion. Allow us to fall in love with Rasulullah ﷺ. Allow us to love him to such a degree that we become worthy of his intercession on the Day of Judgment.

Oh Allah, the ummah today claims to be the follower of Rasulullah ﷺ. But oh Allah, the life of Rasulullah ﷺ, the sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ, is not in our homes, not in our events, not at work. Oh Allah, our lives are very opposite to that of Rasulullah ﷺ. Oh Allah, allow us to repent tonight. Allow us to sincerely repent tonight. Oh Allah, let these words not be mere words on the tongue — allow them to hit our hearts. Allow our words to hit our hearts. Oh Allah, allow us to truly make a decision of changing our lives.

Ya Allah, allow us to have the concern for the ummah that Rasulullah ﷺ had in his heart. Oh Allah, allow us to care about the ummah the way Rasulullah ﷺ cared. Oh Allah, the Prophet ﷺ's heart must be immensely aching today — not only for the butchering of innocent men, women, and children across the globe, especially in Gaza, Oh Allah, but also for the pure neglect and disregard for the deen and the sunnah that has become commonplace within the community. Oh Allah, save us from becoming among those who give pain to our Prophet ﷺ. Oh Allah, make us and our loved ones among those who will bring happiness to the Prophet ﷺ in his grave. Ya Allah, make us a means of happiness for Rasulullah ﷺ in the barzakh and on the Day of Judgment.

Oh Allah, allow him to receive us with open arms. Allow us to drink from the blessed hawd al-kawthar, from the goblet from which he has drunk — allow us to put our lips on the very same spot that our Habib Mustafa ﷺ placed his lips on. And allow us to drink, and after that protect us from ever becoming thirsty again. Allow us to enjoy his intercession on the Day of Judgment. Allow us to be standing next to him. Ya Allah, these things may seem far-fetched, but nothing is far-fetched for You. Pave the path for us to be sitting next to him under Your throne on the Day of Judgment.

Ya Allah, allow our hearts to ache and feel pain over what is happening in Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, and everywhere else. Oh Allah, save us from becoming desensitized. Allow us to shed tears for the oppressed ones. Allow us to do whatever we possibly can to stand up for their cause. Oh Allah, allow us to become a means of ending this oppression.

Ya Allah, make us from among those who give preference to the enjoyments of the akhirah over the enjoyments of this world. Oh Allah, grant us love of Yours that exceeds the love of any creation by millions of times. And oh Allah, grant us such fear of Yours that will make us needless of fearing any of Your creation. Ya Allah, grant all of us the ability to apologize to one another and seek forgiveness from one another. And Ya Allah, forgive us for not fulfilling the rights of those around us — especially that of our parents, our spouses, our children, our siblings, and our neighbors.

Oh Allah, grant all those who are sick complete shifa. All those going through debt, Ya Allah, grant them to get out of debt. All those who have lost their jobs, grant them halal, mubarak rizq. All those who are married, grant them barakah and happiness in their marriages. Remove the evil effects of nafs and shaytan from the marriages. Allow them to bring the sunnah into their homes. Oh Allah, those who are not married — allow them to find the very best of spouses. Those who are previously married, allow them to find the very best of spouses — one who will bring a glimpse of Jannah into this world. Oh Allah, save our marriages, save our homes. Put muhabbah and love between parents and their children. Inspire the moms and dads to raise their children with Islamic manners and tarbiyah. And oh Allah, allow the children to duly respect their parents and fulfill their rights.

Oh Allah, we ask You to accept the efforts of all our volunteers, all our speakers, all our guests from out of state, those who are listening online, those who are present here. Oh Allah, do not allow us to go back to our homes unchanged. Oh Allah, make the Seerah Conference a transformative experience. Oh Allah, by next year's Seerah Conference, allow our lives to be much, much more changed.

Oh Allah, we beg You through the barakah of these 15 million salawat and more, and through the barakah of the righteousness of the old men, the old women, and the children who are here — that all those brothers and sisters of our community who used to come to the masjid and are now for some reason disconnected: Oh Allah, we beg You to have mercy on them, to reconnect them with the masjid. Oh Allah, all of those who have fallen trapped to nafs and shaytan — we beg You, Ya Allah, please have mercy upon them. Oh Allah, have mercy on our community. Oh Allah, increase the number of musallis of this masjid. Oh Allah, allow our masjids all across the world, all across the country, and all across this city, to become populated, Ya Allah. Allow the neighbors of the masjid to start attending programs, to start learning about the deen, to start sending their children to classes.

Oh Allah, whatever sins we have done to make ourselves deprived of the barakah of the masjid — we seek forgiveness, Ya Allah. Oh Allah, please do not put a barrier between us and the programs of the masjid. Oh Allah, whichever effort of deen is taking place anywhere in the world — whichever masjid, whichever zawiya, whichever khanqah, whichever effort of da'wah, whichever madrasah, whichever deeni effort of our ulema-e-haq — protect them, Oh Allah. Grant them sincerity. Protect them from all evil.

Oh Allah, accept this blessed gathering. Oh Allah, accept all the prayers recited in Durood Sharif. Oh Allah, with the barakah of Durood Sharif, solve our religious, worldly, and other issues. Oh Allah, with the barakah of Durood Sharif, make us all lovers of the Prophet ﷺ, make us all followers of the Prophet ﷺ. Oh Allah, put love for each other, love for the ummah in our hearts. Oh Allah, correct the direction of our hearts. Oh Allah, create pride for the religion in our hearts. Oh Allah, create pride for the sunnah.

Oh Allah, wherever the ummah is in distress, wherever the ummah is oppressed — all their problems and their solutions are in Your hands. Oh Allah, decide the solution of the problems of the ummah. Oh Allah, grant salvation to the oppressed. Oh Allah, accept the prayers of the oppressed. Oh Allah, decide the help of the oppressed. Oh Allah, grant us a deep connection with the Qur'an.

آمين، آمين، آمين

وَآخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ