Love for the Prophet (SAW) - Br Semir Said

Opening — Khutbah al-Hajah

Alhamdulillah, we praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our actions. Whomsoever Allah guides, no one is misguided, and whomsoever He misguides, no one is guided.

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except as Muslims.

O you who believe, fear your Lord who created you from one soul, and He created from it His wife, and He spread from it many men and women. And fear Allah with whom you ask for mercy. Verily, Allah is ever watching over you.

O you who believe, fear Allah and say the right words. He will correct your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly attained a great triumph.

The Prophet ﷺ as Our Role Model

Everyone has a role model or a person that they look up to somehow. And we as Muslims, we have been ordered by Allah to have the Prophet ﷺ as our role model. He says:

You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah an excellent example.

Rasulullah ﷺ was an excellent example in every field of a human being's life. In every single field in a human being's life, the Prophet ﷺ was the perfect example.

1. How He Treated His Family

With regards to his family, or how he treated his family — there is a famous hadith where the Prophet ﷺ says:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3895; Ibn Majah, Hadith 1977)

The best one among you is the one who is best towards his family. And I am best towards my family. And there are many narrations mentioning how he used to be with his family. It is also mentioned in a hadith that he used to help out in the house as well. Even though he had so many responsibilities and jobs and things to do, yet he did not forget his duty in his house.

2. How He Was with His Companions

We have so many stories mentioning the beautiful relationship between the Prophet ﷺ and his companions. Just to give you one example. One day the Prophet ﷺ was preparing the Sahaba for a battle and he was lining them up. And to make sure they were all in a straight line, he had a stick and he was making sure that they were all lined straight. There was one man who was a bit too far forward. So the Prophet ﷺ poked him in the stomach just to let him know that he needs to move back a little bit.

This man said, "O Prophet of Allah, you harmed me, you hurt me." Straight away the Prophet ﷺ lifted up his garment and showed his stomach and said, "Take it back. Do the same to me." The man straight away hugged Rasulullah ﷺ and kissed him on his stomach and said, "No, Ya Rasulullah. The only reason why I said what I said was so that I can touch you, and that would be the last thing that I do before I pass away." And this man was made a shaheed in this battle.

This was the relationship between the companions and Rasulullah ﷺ. Pure, unconditional love. Allahu Akbar.

3. How He Was with His Servants

You can see this as a relationship between an employer and an employee. Anas ibn Malik mentions in a hadith narrated in Sahih Muslim:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 43, Hadith 6056)

He says, "I served Rasulullah ﷺ for ten years. Not ten days, my brothers and sisters — ten years." But listen to what he says: "For ten years the Prophet ﷺ never, ever said to me for something that I did, 'Why did you do it?' And for something that I did not do, 'Why didn't you do it?'" For ten years, this young man is serving Rasulullah ﷺ, and Rasulullah ﷺ is giving him certain tasks and certain jobs to do. Now being a young boy, sometimes he forgets — for ten years the Prophet ﷺ never told him off. Never, for ten years.

This is a lesson for us to learn, my brothers and sisters. For any relationship — not just between an employer and an employee, but also between a father and a son, a mother and a daughter, a father and a daughter, a mother and a son. This was the manhaj of Rasulullah ﷺ.

4. How He Was as a Leader

One day, Umar ibn al-Khattab walks into the house of Rasulullah ﷺ, and he sees the Prophet ﷺ lying on the floor, on a bed made of palm leaves — very rough. And when the Prophet ﷺ saw Umar, he got up. And because this bed was so rough, it left marks on the Prophet ﷺ's back.

When Umar saw this, he started to cry. He said, "Ya Rasulullah, you are the Messenger of Allah. The kings of Persia and Rome are sleeping on silk beds. And you, Ya Rasulullah, you are sleeping on something like this. Why?" And then the Prophet ﷺ, very calmly, said, "O Umar, what is between me and the dunya? This is nothing for me. For them is the dunya. Let them have what they want. But for us, O Umar, is the akhirah."

5. How He Was in Da'wah — The Story of Ta'if

Another example — which is also relevant to us here, Muslims in societies like these — is the field of da'wah. And that is the story of the Prophet ﷺ when he went to Ta'if. He later mentioned to Aisha that this was the most difficult day he had ever faced. But just listen to how he dealt with this situation.

He came to Ta'if and tried to deliver the message of Islam. He was treated very badly by the leaders of that city. They made the people of the city line up in the streets and throw rocks and stones at the Prophet ﷺ. First he was humiliated and insulted, and not just that — people were throwing rocks and stones at the Prophet ﷺ until he started to bleed. It severely hurt him.

But then when he finally found refuge and shelter, what did he do? Jibreel came to the Prophet ﷺ and gave his salam. He said, "With me, O Rasulullah, is the angel of the mountains." And then the angel of the mountains spoke. He said, "O Rasulullah, order me — tell me, and I will squash this whole city, these people, in between these two mountains."

Now if it was me and you, my brothers and sisters — what would we do? He had been insulted, humiliated, and severely harmed physically. We would do our best to make sure we got our revenge. But what did Rasulullah ﷺ do? He said, "No! Maybe they will have offspring who say لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ. Maybe in the future they will have offspring who say لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ."

And look at Ta'if today. Where is Ta'if in Saudi Arabia? The city — 100% Muslims. This is the manhaj of Rasulullah ﷺ.

And not just that — the story doesn't finish there. He made a specific du'a. Quite a long du'a. But from amongst the things he said:

"O Allah, I complain to You of my weakness." He doesn't blame them for hurting him or show any sort of animosity towards them. He looks at himself and his own shortcomings. Now Rasulullah ﷺ didn't make a mistake — he didn't do anything wrong. But still, he looks at himself: "How can I do this better? O Allah, I ask forgiveness for my shortcomings and my weakness." And then at the end he says, "As long, O Allah, as You are not angry with me, I'm okay. So no matter what happens to me, as long as You are not angry with me, O Allah, I am happy."

From this, brothers and sisters, we learn to never give up. Never give up, no matter what happens, regardless of what the consequence is. We still carry on.

6. The Conquest of Makkah — Fath Makkah

Rasulullah ﷺ, after so many years, comes back to his beloved city of Makkah. After so many years of torture and harm — so many times these people tried to kill him ﷺ, and they showed him nothing but harm. And yet, when he comes into Makkah, the narrators mention he lowered his head when he walked in, out of humbleness and humility.

And not just that — he gathered them all just outside the Ka'bah and asked a question: "What do you think I will do to you today?" And they said, "Akhun kareem, ibnu akhun kareem" — "You are a generous brother, and the son of a generous brother." And then listen to what the Prophet ﷺ said. These people had showed him nothing but harm. Because of them, his companions were killed, and so much else happened to the Prophet ﷺ. But yet, on this day, when he had the power to take revenge, he said:

(Sirah Ibn Hisham; referenced in al-Bayhaqi, Sunan al-Kubra, Vol. 9)

"Go. Because you are the free ones. I have forgiven all of you." This is the manhaj of Rasulullah ﷺ.

Second Khutbah — High Aspirations and Seizing Opportunities

My brothers and sisters, we as Muslims are people who are supposed to have high aspirations in life. We should always look for the best and not feel content with the smallest and the lowest. We should be people who always see the opportunities that are put in front of us. Because this is how the Prophet ﷺ taught the Sahaba, and ultimately taught us as well.

Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b — Asking for the Best

A Sahabi known as Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b — a young boy. The Prophet ﷺ asked him, "Ask me, O Rabi'ah." This young boy says, "For anything?" He said, "For anything — ask me and you will have it." Now bear in mind, my brothers and sisters, he's still a young boy. He says, "Okay, Rasulullah, just give me a minute, let me think about it." And he goes, thinks, and comes back. And listen to what he asks — bear in mind, he's still a young boy. He says, "I ask you, O Rasulullah, for your companionship in Jannah."

He could have asked for anything. But SubhanAllah — look at the fiqh of this young boy. He knows that he already has the companionship in the dunya, but he also wants the companionship in the akhirah. He doesn't ask for Jannah in general. No. He asks for the companionship of Rasulullah ﷺ, because he knows Rasulullah ﷺ is in the highest place of Jannah. He's still a young boy, my brothers and sisters. This is how Rasulullah ﷺ taught them, and this is how he is teaching us in his Sunnah.

Abdullah ibn Abbas — Eagerness to Learn

Ibn Abbas — a very famous companion. Why did he become famous? We all know Ibn Abbas is the scholar of this ummah, because of the du'a of Rasulullah ﷺ, and also because of his eagerness to learn even though he was young. He did not waste his time.

To prove this: when Umar became the khalifa, he used to gather the major companions in gatherings, and he used to bring Abdullah ibn Abbas with him. He realized that some of the Sahaba, who were elder in age, started to feel a bit annoyed with him bringing a young boy to the gatherings of the elderly. So Umar wanted to prove to them why he was bringing Abdullah ibn Abbas.

He asked them a question: "What do you say about

They all gave their translations — most of them were literal translations. And then Umar turned to Abdullah ibn Abbas and said, "What do you say about this surah?" And Abdullah ibn Abbas said, "This surah is an indication that Rasulullah ﷺ will pass away." Why? Because it says in the surah: once you see the opening — referring to the conquest of Makkah — and people entering into Islam in great numbers, and then at the end, "Praise Allah and ask for forgiveness, indeed He is the Most Forgiving" — this indicates the end of the message of Rasulullah ﷺ, because he has delivered what he needed to deliver. So at the end, Allah says to him: seek forgiveness.

Then Umar turned to the Sahaba and said, "This is why I bring Abdullah ibn Abbas — because of his great knowledge." And he's still a young boy. But this is how Rasulullah ﷺ taught them: to seize all the opportunities that are put in front of you, to not waste time.

Ukasha ibn Mihsan — Taking the Chance

Another excellent example of how Rasulullah ﷺ taught the Sahaba to seize opportunities is a Sahabi known as Ukasha ibn Mihsan. In one of the gatherings of Rasulullah ﷺ, the Prophet ﷺ mentioned that there will be people who will enter Paradise with no judgment. Straight away Ukasha stood up and said, "Ya Rasulullah! Ask Allah that I am one of them." And Rasulullah ﷺ said, "You are one of them." Then another Sahabi said, "Ya Rasulullah! Ask Allah that I am one of them." And Rasulullah ﷺ said, "Sabaqaka biha Ukasha" — "Ukasha got there before you." There was one chance, and Ukasha took it straight away. After that it was closed.

Abu al-Dahdah — Selling the Dunya for One Tree in Paradise

Another amazing story is the story of a Sahabi known as Abu al-Dahdah. There used to be an orphan who inherited a piece of land. He got into an argument with his neighbor regarding a little piece of land, because this young boy wanted to build a wall around his plot to safeguard it. There was a tree right in the middle, and he wanted to complete this wall. But the neighbor refused — he said, "You're not taking my tree." So the young boy became very sad and came to the Prophet ﷺ to complain.

The Prophet ﷺ tried to convince this man to sell the tree so that the young boy could complete his wall. But this man became angry — first of all because the young boy had gone and complained to the Prophet ﷺ. So he refused. He said, "Ya Rasulullah, is it not my belonging? Don't I have the right to not sell?" He said, "Yes, it's yours. No one can force you." He said, "Fair — I don't want to sell it." And then he said to him, "Sell it, and I promise you a tree in Paradise." But now this man had become so angry that he didn't want to. He said, "No."

Now Abu al-Dahdah was there and heard all of this. So the man left, and the young boy left still sad. And Abu al-Dahdah asked Rasulullah ﷺ, "That promise that you made — is that open for anyone?" "Yes, it's open."

Abu al-Dahdah went to this man and said, "Sell me." The man said, "Do you know who I am?" And he said, "Of course — you are Abu al-Dahdah, very famous, the owner of the gardens." Abu al-Dahdah was very rich and owned many gardens, very well known in Madinah. And he said to him, "Sell me your tree and I'll give you all those gardens. All the gardens that I own — I'll give them to you. Just give me that one tree."

This man couldn't believe what he was hearing. He said, "Are you sure?" He said, "I'm sure." So they made the aqd, wrote it down, got it confirmed. Abu al-Dahdah ran home. He called out to his wife, "Ya Umm al-Dahdah, get out!" She said, "Why?" He said, "Because this land does not belong to us anymore." She said, "Why?" He said, "I have sold it to Allah and His Prophet. I have sold it to Allah and His Prophet." And for what, my brothers and sisters? For one tree. For one tree in Paradise, this man sells everything that he owns in this dunya. But it is because of his yaqeen — his certainty and belief — in everything Rasulullah ﷺ says. So he sold his dunya for one tree in Paradise.

And look at the response of Umm al-Dahdah, his wife. She said, "What a bargain! What a bargain!" So she gathered the children and left. And the narration mentions that one of the younger children had a date and was putting it in his mouth. Umm al-Dahdah rushed and took that date out of the baby's mouth, put it down, and said, "It doesn't belong to us anymore." So they left.

And the narration mentions that Abu al-Dahdah for the rest of his life lived very poor. For one tree, my brothers and sisters. For one tree, this man sold his whole dunya — everything that he owned. Why? Again, because of the tarbiyah and the upbringing of the Prophet ﷺ for these Sahaba. This is what the Prophet ﷺ left behind. This is the tarbiyah that we need to implement in our lives, my brothers and sisters.

Conclusion — Following the Prophet ﷺ out of Love for Allah

Allah sent down many, many prophets. He sent down many prophets and messengers. From among these, He chose five — known as Ulul Azm, the five elite. And amongst these five, He chose one to be His final messenger and prophet — Muhammad ibn Abdullah ﷺ. And He chose me and you, my brothers and sisters, to be his followers. This is not something that we chose. This is a blessing and a gift from Allah that He made me and you, my brothers and sisters, a follower of Rasulullah ﷺ.

This is how He taught these Sahaba — not just them, but also me and you. We can mention so many stories, but what is the point of mentioning them if we do not implement them in our lives? Allah mentions in the Qur'an:

"Say, O Muhammad, to the people: if you love Allah, then follow me, and Allah will love you and forgive you your sins." Then follow me. Allah is telling us to follow Rasulullah ﷺ — follow his teachings and the way he raised the Sahaba. And these are just some of the examples that I have mentioned. That is how he raised his Sahaba, and that is how we also should be as Muslims in this society especially.

We ask Allah to give us the tawfiq and the ability to learn from Rasulullah ﷺ's teachings and his life in general. And we ask Him to allow us to see the good as good, and the evil and falsehood as falsehood, and allow us to stay away from it.