Special Program with Mufti Ibrahim Pandor Sahib

Opening and Welcome

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Alhamdulillah, as it was announced after the Maghrib prayer, we are very honored here to have two great scholars with us — Hazrat Maulana Rahmatullah Hafizahullah, as well as Hazrat Maulana Ibrahim Hafizahullah. We will begin the program with Tilawatul Quran, and after that we will have the Hazrat deliver their speeches, inshallah.

Tilawat — Recitation of the Quran

The Blessing of Faith and Our Connection to the Kaaba

Those who are present, we are blessed to be in the house of Allah. We performed an act which we call ablution, and the whole world is in disarray. But the Creator of the Universe has made a decision, and He has said it in the tongue of the one who has been given the title of Asdaqul Qa'ileen.

What decision has He made? That whoever performs this ablution is as pure as those in the world who wash their hands — we have not done anything different from them outwardly. But our action has been declared by the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad Rasulullah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that after performing this ablution you will be so pure that whether this mosque in Chicago is a mosque, or whether you go to the courtyard of the Kaabatullah and circumambulate — He has declared us to be so pure.

And it has such an impact on our hearts that we feel such happiness and joy which we cannot express in words. This is the result of that faith which Allah has bestowed upon all of us. Because of this faith we have a connection with Kaabatullah. As soon as the name of Kaaba is mentioned, we feel love, attachment and passion in our hearts. And this is the blessing of faith.

We are sitting in this mosque. From here to Jeddah it will take 12–14 hours by plane. But we are sitting here and we understand very well that we are heading towards the Kaabah. We are heading towards the Kaabah. And despite being so far away, we feel peace, happiness and joy in our hearts. And all of this is the result of faith. The people of the world cannot understand our connection. This love and passion cannot be understood by the people of the world.

Signs of Faith — The Example of Sha'ban and Ramadhan

I will give an example of the 29th of Sha'ban. Before the start of Ramadhan, when the 29th of Sha'ban comes, this date is known to the whole world. But on that day the people of faith feel a tremor in their hearts.

A young man who does not even want to go to the mosque on a daily basis — if he sees people going to the mosque, he changes his lane and goes to the other side of the road, thinking, "What if they catch me?" But on the 29th of Sha'ban, there are such signs of faith that this same young man goes to his house and tells his mother to keep a good attire ready today. The mother asks what is the matter. The young man says, "If the moon rises, I have to perform Taraweeh. I will go to the mosque for Isha."

The congregation of the area come and ask the Imam what is the time for Taraweeh and Isha. The Imam says, "If the moon rises, I intend to listen to the whole Quran. I have made up my mind that I will listen to the whole Quran in Taraweeh." The members of the mosque ask their chairman and president if arrangements have been made. They say they have found a Hafiz who will recite the Quran and lead Taraweeh.

In our area, where there are small businesses, an old lady tells her child to go to her brother's shop when he returns from school and see if the moon has risen. The child says, "If the moon rises, I have to perform Taraweeh. Maybe my brother will give me some money which will help me prepare for the day." Two younger brothers and sisters sit together. The younger brother tells his younger sister, "Mother will not let me wake up from my sleep. If you wake up, wake me up as well." Why? "Because I intend to fast."

If the people of the world ask us, "What is going on in your hearts? What is this all about?" — the old lady is getting emotional, and the boy who did not want to go to the mosque is already getting his clothes arranged. What is going on in your heart today? How did this change occur? We do not have the words to explain to the people of the world that there is such a heat in our faith today. There is such a month in which we prepare for Taqwa in the atmosphere of faith and we welcome a month of mercy. If all of this is in our lives, it is because of the blessings of faith.

How We Received This Faith

We received this faith in such a state that we did not even know when we would receive it. The Holy Prophet said that every child is born upon the pure nature of Islam — then the atmosphere of their home shapes them. That child is born in that atmosphere and he goes from one disposition to another because of the atmosphere of his home. Otherwise, it is the nature of man that he is born upon the pure nature of Islam.

The strange thing about you and me is that we get to hear the call to prayer from the very beginning. First, we get to hear it from our mothers. Then, whenever we are at home as young children, our mothers begin reciting the name of Allah. Despite our ignorance, she recites the name of Allah to us. Allah's name reaches our ears and our hearts. We cannot even imagine how Allah's name reaches our hearts. After that, we hear the name of Allah again and again. These words keep coming to our ears through our parents. We spend the days of our lives in this atmosphere. We do not even realize how Allah has arranged this for us from the unseen.

The Sacrifice of the Companions

It is narrated in the Hadith that when the Holy Prophet sent Hazrat Mu'adh ibn Jabal, may Allah be pleased with him, from Madinah Munawwara, he told him to get on his horse. Hazrat Mu'adh got on his horse and the Holy Prophet was standing on the ground. To see him off, the Holy Prophet walked alongside him and gave him advice. This did not happen with just one Companion — all the Companions used to be sent off with the same love and honour.

When the Companions were departing from Madinah Munawwara, there was no time for telephones, nor for quick messages. There were no doctors available nearby, nor easy means of communication. The atmosphere was such that the Companions used to leave everything behind, and they did not even know whether they would return or not. The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, used to make all kinds of sacrifices — and the whole world knows about the sacrifices of life and of wealth.

When the Holy Prophet was ordered to gather provisions, Hazrat Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, brought each and every item of his house. Hazrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, brought half of the items of his house. And there was another Companion who had nothing. He went to a Jewish garden for labour and agreed that for drawing water from the well, he would receive one date in return. And this Companion worked all night. He worked all night, received so many dates, brought them in the morning and presented all of them.

Allah knew about his deeds. Allah saw — other people did not see. But Allah is the One who sees, and Allah knows the state of the hearts of His servants. All the provisions were gathered. Everyone brought according to their capacity. Then Jibreel-e-Ameen came and gave a message. And the Holy Prophet said the Companion who brought those dates — Allah has put such blessings in them that these dates should be scattered on the whole heap, and with their blessings, there will be more blessings in the whole heap.

The spiritual and financial sacrifice there was immense. You must have heard the incident of that woman who received the news that her husband had been martyred. She said, "No problem. Tell me — is the Holy Prophet all right?" Then it was found that her brother was also martyred, and she asked again, "Is the Holy Prophet all right?" It is not easy to say. And what will happen to the one who has gone through it? This was the sacrifice of the Companions.

But what was the greatest sacrifice of the Companions beyond all these? It was when they were sent away — what environment did they leave behind? They had to leave such a mosque in which the reward of one prayer is equal to 50,000 prayers. They had to leave a mosque in which the Imam himself was Muhammad Rasool Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. They had to sacrifice the prayer that was led by that Imamate. The muezzin of that mosque was Hazrat Bilal al-Habshi, may Allah be pleased with him — their ears were eager to hear the call of that Bilal. Where did that voice come from all his life?

And when there were rows, Hazrat Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, was standing on one side. The Holy Prophet himself said about him that if all the faith and deeds of the Companions are kept on one side of the scale, and only the faith and deeds of Abu Bakr as-Siddiq are kept on the other, that scale will be heavier — the one in which the faith and deeds of Abu Bakr are kept. Companions like Umar al-Farooq, may Allah be pleased with him. Companions like Uthman Dhun-Nurayn, may Allah be pleased with him — before whom even a dangerous shaitan used to flee and change his path. Companions like Hazrat Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him — whose knowledge is a model for the students of Islamic scholarship.

These Companions had to leave that mosque. They used to leave, taking the word of faith with them, leaving that Imamate, leaving the Iqtida of that mosque, leaving that Adhan. After making such a great sacrifice, they used to offer prayers on the roads instead of that mosque. They used to offer prayers in the mountains. Instead of Bilal's Adhan, they used to call the Adhan themselves. Instead of the rows of the great Companions, they stood in rows of just a few. But those Companions accepted this sacrifice. They offered the sacrifice of their emotions.

As a result of this, you and I have received this faith. Otherwise, we would not have been sitting in the house of Allah with this love and greatness. We would not have been sitting with this purity. When those Companions made such a great sacrifice, only then did this religion reach the whole world.

The Completion of the Religion

When Adam came to the world, he said to the people, "O people, I am the Prophet of Allah. I have come with the message of Allah. Believe me. Accept my Shariah and you will go to Paradise." But he also said another thing: that there will be someone who will complete this mission — his name will be Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. When he comes, this mission will be completed.

This is what Moses said. This is what Abraham said. This is what Isaac said. All the Prophets of Allah who came to the world said this in detail — and at the same time they told their people that there will be someone who will complete this mission. In the Holy Quran, there is a verse in Surah As-Saff that mentions how Jesus, peace be upon him, gave glad tidings:

That Jesus Christ came to the world, he conveyed the message of the religion, he told the people about the Shariah — and along with that, he gave glad tidings of a Messenger who would come after him, whose name would be Ahmad. He also said that his name will be Ahmad. And we all know that the name of the Holy Prophet — just as Muhammad means the most praised, similarly, his name is Ahmad al-Mujtaba, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

That is why all the Ummahs were waiting for when this religion would be complete and when the Holy Prophet would come. When the completion of this religion would be announced. The people of the older religion said to the Muslims: "If this verse had been revealed in our time, in our religion, then the day this verse was revealed, we would celebrate it as a day of Eid." This was something which had been awaited for thousands of years. And when the Holy Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, announced it in Hajjatul Wida' that today the religion has been completed, the mission which had been announced for thousands of years was now complete. And you and I are the people who are included in this complete religion — and this has happened by the grace and blessings of Allah.

Allah's Grace in Making Us Part of This Ummah

We have not done this with our own efforts and hard work. When Allah has done this matter of mercy with us — otherwise, Allah could have brought us into the Ummah of any other Prophet. We would have recited the Kalima at that time and would have accepted that Shariah. Even then we would have been called Muslims. Even then we would have gone to Heaven. But Allah liked this — although Allah knew our weaknesses. Before our birth, Allah knew our laziness, Allah knew our weakness. But despite knowing this, Allah has decided about you and me that He will bring us and give us faith and make us Muslims in the time of Muhammad Rasulullah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

Imam Tirmidhi, rahimahullah, has quoted the narration of Hazrat Jabir ibn Samurah, may Allah be pleased with him. He says: "It was the night of the 14th. The moon was very bright, and in the desert, the moon shines even more. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was sitting outside in the moonlight, covering himself with a sheet that had red lines on it." Jabir ibn Samurah says: "I used to look at that moon — it looked very beautiful, golden, it attracted my heart so much. I would look at it for a while. Then I would look at the blessed face of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. That face looked even more beautiful to me. I would look at it for a long time. That face attracted me. Then I would look at the moon again. Many times I did this." At the end, Jabir ibn Samurah says — as narrated in the Shama'il of Imam Tirmidhi — "By Allah! His face was more shining than the moon."

Where is such a luminous Prophet? And where are we sinners — those who are lazy in their deeds, those who have a lot of shortcomings in everything? But this is Allah's grace. Allah grants what He wants to grant. And we say with great love, pride and gratitude: when He asks us, "Whose nation are you?" — we answer, "We are the nation of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah," and we are proud of it.

Because this nation is the last nation. And this invitation of faith is to be conveyed to everyone — to the whole world, till the Day of Judgment. That is why the style of this verse is as it is. The one who speaks, speaks. But who is better in speech than he who invites to Allah, and does good, and says with satisfaction, peace and pride, "I am of faith. Allah has made me of faith." He is proud of it and grateful to Allah. May Allah grant us His appreciation.

The Story of Hazrat Bilal and Allah's Choice of Guidance

Hazrat Maulana Umar Sahib Palanpuri, rahimahullah, was among our elders — an ocean of knowledge who used to explain things in a very simple language. Once he narrated an incident. He said: Hazrat Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, was very happy one day, and the happiness of a person can be felt from a distance, seen from the face.

You know, Hazrat Bilal is from Habasha — just as from here, Jeddah and Mecca are at a distance of 10–12 hours, similarly from there, Ethiopia and Habasha are at a distance of 7–8 hours. In that time, a person could be caught, sold, and made a slave. In this way, someone caught and sold Hazrat Bilal. There was no family at that time. He was in the life of slavery. Then Hazrat Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, bought him and set him free.

But after coming to faith, what status did Allah give him? The leader of that mosque was Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him. The leader of the prayer was Umar al-Farooq, may Allah be pleased with him. And if there is a muezzin of that mosque, it is Hazrat Bilal al-Habshi, may Allah be pleased with him. The second task — the responsibility of the guest house — was also his. And this is his position in this world.

What is in the Hereafter? That famous incident — Hazrat Maulana narrated: once, the Holy Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, reached the Garden of Eden and felt as if he was walking on leaves in a garden. The Prophet asked Jibreel al-Ameen about this. Jibreel replied, "Your servant, Hazrat Bilal al-Habshi, is walking ahead in the Garden of Eden." So Bilal got this position — he became the muezzin of the mosque, he became the servant of the guest house, and he had the honour of walking ahead in the Garden of Eden.

His companion asked him, "Bilal, you seem to be very happy today. What is the matter?" Hazrat Bilal replied, "I was thinking of a point, and I was very happy thinking about it." He asked, "What was the point?" He said, "I was thinking — if Allah would have given guidance to humans and left it in their hands, what would humans have done? They would have looked at who has the greatest right, and distributed guidance accordingly. After Allah, the greatest right is of the Holy Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and after him, his family — the Quraish, Banu Hashim, Banu Abdul Muttalib. Bilal — you did not have any family. You were under slavery. When would your number come?"

He said, "I used to talk to Allah. I used to say, my dear Allah, how did You do this? The one who lived next door to the house of the Holy Prophet — Utbah, Shaibah — they did not get guidance. How did You bring Bilal from so far and give him guidance? And these families of the Holy Prophet — the Quraish, Abu Jahl, Abu Lahab, Umayyah ibn Khalaf — such people who belonged to the family did not get guidance. But Bilal, who had no family, was put under slavery, and yet he read the Kalima and became a servant of the Holy Prophet. I was thinking about this point — that is why I was happy."

The companion who was asking him was also a distant companion, and he immediately kissed the forehead of Hazrat Bilal and said the sentence of Hazrat Umar: "Bilalun Sayyiduna A'taqahu Sayyiduna" — Bilal is our leader, and our leader freed him. And that leader was Hazrat Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him.

So Bilal was so happy about this point — and he said, "My country is Abyssinia and your country is Mecca. My family is nothing compared to the Quraish." This is exactly what happened with you and me. Where is our Kashmir? Where is America? Where is Gujarat? How did Allah connect us with this land, with this faith? When Allah knew how lazy we would be, how stubborn we would be — there would be Adhan and we would not prepare quickly. We listen to the words of religion and understand them, yet we are not ready to act. Despite this, Allah gave us the wealth of faith.

And now in this world, whenever someone asks us who we are, we say: we are the nation of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah. May Allah keep our faith safe. With this faith, if our good fortune comes in handy and we leave this world with this faith, then inshallah, on the Day of Resurrection, we will be part of the community of the Prophet. May Allah gather us at the feet of the Prophet.

Our Responsibilities in This World of Problems

My brothers, beyond this, there is no other happiness for us. Beyond this, there is no other honour. Allah has connected us in a chain. Now it is our responsibility to keep this relationship. Because in this world, we are connected to the things of this world. We have to earn, we have to eat, we have to raise our children, we have to do business, we have to travel here and there. There are a hundred stages in this. And sometimes we cannot fulfill the deeds of our faith.

This world is a place of problems — the name of the world is Darul Masa'il. When a person is young, he has different problems. When he is a teenager, he has different problems. When he becomes the head of a household, he has different problems. When a person starts a family, he has different problems. When a person goes to a job, he has different problems. Problems never end in this world.

A man once came in the service of our elder, Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Hasan Gangohi, rahimahullah. He said, "Hazrat, I am doing a lot of work but my loan is not getting paid off." The Hazrat saw that he was very worried. So first, to give consolation — the first job of a doctor is to get the patient out of anxiety and make him feel better. The Hazrat immediately said to him, "You are one man. Here, the government has a loan from other countries. You are one man and the loan has come — why are you so worried? Don't worry. Ask Allah." Then he told him what to do step by step.

Sometimes a man gets depressed. Sometimes a man gets tensed. Sometimes a man gets very worried and comes across such problems in this world. In the same way, Allah taught us many things. He also taught us that we should never ask Allah for difficulties and pain. The Quran taught us du'a:

"O Allah, do not put such a burden on us that we do not have the strength to carry it." But sometimes a man gets angry and asks for pain, or gets tensed and asks for pain. A man said to the Hazrat — and the Hazrat was calm and peaceful — "I am very tired of sinning. I wish Allah would give me death." After a pause, the Hazrat asked, "Look, brother — does Allah have the power to give you death?" The man said yes. "Does Allah have the power to save you from sinning?" The man said yes. "Then why are you asking for death? Why are you not asking for that instead?" So we should never ask Allah for pain.

For example, Covid came. No one wanted Covid to come. Allah sent a creature. The big airports were closed. The airline routes were closed. The train stations were closed. The buses were closed. The cars were closed. We humans were also closed in our homes and could not even go out. Allah's creature came. But a believer does not get nervous in all these matters. A believer's heart is full of faith. He immediately turns to Allah at such times. What is the command for me?

A believer has had this experience since childhood. A mother is a mother after all — she has pain in her heart. She cannot bear it. Despite the injection, despite the tablet, despite the capsule, the child is warm, burning with fever. The mother still does not feel comfortable. The love in her heart then lifts the child in her lap and starts rocking him. And since there is this atmosphere in our area, she starts rocking the child and the Dhikr of Allah will be heard. She rocks the child saying "Allah, Allah, Allah." Mothers say: "The place where the injection failed, the place where the tablet failed, the place where the capsule did not work — there at last, when I saw my child burning with fever and lifted you in my lap and started rocking you, saying 'Allah, Allah' for 2, 3, 4, 5 minutes, Allah gave you great comfort and in a little while you fell asleep." We have tested this formula since childhood.

If any problem arises, the believer turns to Allah. He turns to prayer. He turns to Salah. And the scholars teach that if the heart suffers more, then by paying attention to the heart, when you remember Allah, Allah, Allah — the Quran declares:

Those who believe and their hearts are at peace in the remembrance of Allah — their hearts will be secure. The biggest problem will arise, but when the believer remembers Allah and turns to Him, at the very least this person's heart will be at peace. This person will have a secure heart, which the worldly people do not have. And when Allah wants to solve a problem, then a small arrangement is effective. And when Allah does not want to solve a problem, then even the biggest arrangements get stuck.

That is why problems arise, but the believer has to keep in mind that the biggest wealth Allah has given me is the connection with Allah. And because of the connection with Allah, the connection with the Holy Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace — because he is the one who leads the Ummah.

Increasing Love for the Prophet Through Durood

The Holy Prophet told the Ummah: "Allah has given you the wealth of faith, but how will this faith be complete?" He said: step by step. A person has to make the intention that when Allah has favoured me and included me in the Ummah, my biggest success on the Day of Judgment is to be gathered in his circle, his community. So for that, I have to make my life complete. I have to follow his commandments. I will do it with complete intention, but I will start as much as a person has the strength. When a person tries according to his strength, he moves forward. Sometimes, thinking "where can I do it," a person does not move forward. He stays behind.

And how does this strength move forward? The Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: the more you love me, the more you will move forward in following my commandments. And the love of Prophet Muhammad increases when a person recites a lot of Durood upon him. The more a person reads Durood — a person can read it while going to the mosque, a person can read it at any time — a person should try to strengthen his relationship with the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Then a person can see how Allah puts blessings in his actions.

The Prophet's Guidance in Every Aspect of Life

A Sahabi narrates — Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Bajali says: "Whenever I saw the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, look at me, he would immediately smile." To see someone with a smile — as if he taught how to interact. Whenever you meet a friend, meet with a smile. Do not meet in a bad mood. He also taught that if you see your brother in a difficult state, immediately pray for him. Such were the morals which the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was teaching his followers so that this world can become a paradise.

In the books of Hadith, all the Muhaddithin have a chapter called Shama'il. What happens in Shama'il is that the narrators describe how the face of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, looked. How were your eyes. How did you comb your hair. How did you apply kohl to your eyes. How did you talk with your wives. When you ate something, how was the manner of eating. When you smiled, how was the manner of smiling. In those books of Hadith, there is a chapter on how the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to eat, drink, sit and stand — how he lived with the Companions, whether he only spoke seriously or also laughed. The Companions mention strange and beautiful things about the blessed character of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace — how he taught each and every thing to the Ummah.

He himself said at one place:

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 8; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 313)

"I teach you like a father teaches his children." In that Hadith, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, mentioned three things: when you go to the washroom, which step do you take first; when you sit inside, what should your sitting position be; and when you clean inside, which hand do you use. Such small things the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, taught to the Ummah. Who can be more compassionate than him? Who can be more loving than him?

And the Quran said: the thing that is heavy on the Ummah, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has a great deal of difficulty with that thing.

That is why once Hazrat Aisha as-Siddiqah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "If someone's shoe's sole is broken, he will be disturbed while walking. Allah does not like the pain of his servant." Instead, he says to the angels: give him a reward. So where the Ummah is being brought up in this way, this Ummah should have the love of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. And how much effort should be made to grow this Ummah — that is why we have to do only one thing, and this is the summary of it all.

Protecting Our Faith Until the Day of Judgment

When Allah has brought us into his Ummah, and we say with pride that we are his Ummah, then how should we protect this faith? How should we make it strong so that even on the Day of Judgment we are at the feet of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, present with him in the gathering? This is our only point of concern.

For this, there is a whole life. In this life, we have to repeatedly evaluate: my faith should be safe, my faith should be protected. Faithful deeds should be with me, so that when I depart from this world, my faith should be with me. And in the Hereafter, on the Day of Judgment, I will be in front of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

A Sahabi asked a question: "O Prophet of Allah, there will be so many people — the Ummah of Adam, the Ummah of Moses, the Ummah of Jesus, the Ummah of Abraham. How will you recognize us among all these people?" In the Arab world, camels were raised and goats were raised, so the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, explained with that example. He said to that Sahabi, "Tell me, if there are so many camels, and your camels have a white mark on their knees — won't you recognize your camels?" He said, "O Prophet of Allah, we will definitely recognize them." So the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "I will also recognize my Ummah through their ablution — because the part of my Ummah's ablution will be shining everywhere."

May Allah grant us so much concern for our faith that we do not rest day and night without it. This is the Ummah of Khatm-e-Nubuwwat. The Ummah of Khatm-e-Nubuwwat has to worry about others as well — our children at home, our workers, our friends, our neighbors, and the whole world. May Allah grant us this concern. May Allah grant us the ability to value this faith.

Five Advices of the Prophet to Abu Hurairah

Alhamdulillah. We are very fortunate. Allah has blessed us with Iman and blessed us with a Nabi who was so kind and compassionate. He was worried and concerned for our well-being. He loved the Ummah so much that he taught the Ummah every small aspect of life and taught the Ummah how to come out of their difficulties and their problems.

Once, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, announced: "Who is there amongst you? I will teach them something that they can practice upon or spread to someone else to practice upon." From the gathering, Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, got up and said, "Ya Rasulullah, I am prepared to practice upon it." Imagine how kind the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is. Abu Hurairah says that the Prophet caught his hand and counted those advices on his fingers one by one.

First Advice: Stay Away from Haram

The first advice the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave was: stay away from haram, and you will be the most pious person. A small advice, but if we ponder over it, it is a great advice. If a person stays away from haram, that person will become very pious. In other words, the person who reads Salah and reads Quran, but at the same time his interaction with people is not correct — he harms people, hurts people, dishonors his promises — that person cannot be a pious person. To become a pious person, one must stay away from all types of haram and all types of sins.

Second Advice: Be Content with Allah's Decree

The second advice the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave was: be happy and satisfied with what Allah has destined for you, and you will be the most wealthy person. What Allah has pre-planned for you, what Allah has designed for you — if you accept that, you have contentment within yourself. You haven't got greed within yourself. You haven't got hatred within yourself. You are the most wealthy person.

Many people have a confusion between satisfaction and success. In actual reality, we need success and not just satisfaction. Satisfaction only fulfills your desires to feel happy and comfortable. Success is something which Allah loves, and that is more important for us to look for — success in the sight of Allah — rather than our own satisfaction. If you are happy with Allah's decisions, then you are the most wealthy person, you've got peace of mind, and you are a happy person.

Third Advice: Be Good and Kind to Your Neighbors

The third advice the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave was: be good and kind towards your neighbors. Fulfill the rights of your neighbors. Neighbors have rights upon us, in such a way that they must not get harmed and disturbed because of your actions.

There was one pious person who had a mattress in his home and always complained of mice in his house. Somebody said, "Why don't you keep a cat in the house? The mice will run away." It was a very good idea. After a few days, the same topic came up again. The same person said, "We told you to keep a cat — the mice will go away." So the pious person told him: "Where will the mice go? They will go into the neighborhood. And what I don't like for myself, I would not like for my neighbors." Because they love their neighbors just as they love themselves. So the neighbors also have a right upon us — that we are kind towards them and don't give them any type of difficulties or worries, so that they feel safe and say, "Alhamdulillah, I have a good neighbor who looks after us."

Fourth Advice: Like for Others What You Like for Yourself

The fourth advice the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave — he caught the first finger and said: what you like for yourself, like for everyone else. The same thing. Then you will become a proper Muslim. A person who likes for himself what he likes for somebody else is a proper Muslim. A Muslim's quality is that what you like for yourself, you like for the next person also. In fact, there is no hatred with one another, no enmity, no jealousy, no grief for one another. There is peace and contentment, and each one loves one another and prefers to help one another. That is the quality of a Muslim.

Fifth Advice: Avoid Excessive Laughing

And the fifth advice the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave to Abu Hurairah is: save yourself from excessive laughing. Excessive laughing will take away the sensitivity of your heart. When a person laughs too much and jokes a lot, he lives a life of unawareness, a life of negligence. In that mood, he won't respect anybody either. As a result, he speaks such words that his Iman will be at stake. So don't indulge in excessive laughing — that will decrease the sensitivity of your heart, and as a result you won't understand your responsibility: how to respect people, how to talk to people, how to behave with people.

These are the five small advices the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave to Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, and told him to pass them on to those who are prepared to accept and practice upon them. These advices are for us. We can practice on these advices, our lives will become successful, and we will have a good environment and a good society around ourselves — where each one will value the qualities of the next person and find happiness in society.

Character vs. Personality

May Allah give us the best understanding and the ability to practice and bring our character and our habits to such a degree that Allah is happy with us — and good character can take us to Jannah.

There are two things: one is character and one is personality. Normally people get confused with these two things. Character is separate and personality is separate. But many people are worried about their own personality more than their character, whereas we should be worried about our character more than our personality. Because our personality depends on our character — if we worry about and focus on improving our character, the next person will say, "This person's personality is very good." But if your character is bad, if your character is rotten, people will say, "This is a very bad person." So our character will depend upon and define our personality. Focus more on our character — that is our responsibility. Our personality is not our responsibility; it is the other person's responsibility to define our personality.

May Allah make us perfect in looking after our character in such a manner that we find happiness in this world and happiness in the Hereafter. Because the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that a person who possesses good character is like a person who fasts in the day and makes ibadah at night. So to modify our character and build our character to such a degree where we get sawab equal to a person who fasts in the daytime and makes ibadah the whole night — this is how good character rewards us. May Allah grant us all the tawfiq to practice upon this.