Prophetic Perspective

Prophetic Perspective

Tariq Bhai messaged me that today there will be a janaza for our brother, brother Muhammad Nelson Akhtar. My topic today was actually about the perspective of the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ — the way he taught us how to see things, the way he taught us perspective in life. But when I realized that when you talk about death and you talk about the perspective of the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, they're all intertwined.

That was the life of the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ — that every aspect of his life you can learn something. And the beauty of the Prophet Muhammad's, ﷺ, sunnah is that whoever you are, from wherever you're coming from — whether it be a mother, whether it be a father, somebody who's just lost a loved one, somebody who's in a high moment of spirituality — any moment in your life you can pick and choose where to learn from the life of the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ.

And in our circumstance right now — what did we learn about the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, about death? What did we learn from the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, about when somebody passes away? What lessons can we take from his life?

It's in this month that we're approaching right now — we're in the end of Safar and we're approaching Rabi' al-Awwal — where the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, was brought into this world by Allah, and Allah took him back as well in this month. The Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, in Rabi' al-Awwal, he went back to Allah.

The Story of Abu Muwayhibah

There's a story that is narrated — that his servant Abu Muwayhibah, this was his servant, ﷺ, that used to accompany him in everything. So one time, close to his death, the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, was ordered by Jibril to go visit Baqi' — to go visit the ones that had passed away and were buried in Baqi', the graveyard in Madinah.

So in the middle of the night, or late in the night, the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, woke up and he awakened Abu Muwayhibah and he said, "Come with me, I'm going to Baqi'." So Abu Muwayhibah goes with him, and Abu Muwayhibah narrates that when the Prophet, ﷺ, got there, he said salam to the people and made du'a for them. And this was a telling — a concluding story — that the time of the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, was coming to an end.

The Prophet, ﷺ, told Abu Muwayhibah: "Ya Abu Muwayhibah, I was given a choice. Allah has given me an option: to have the keys of this dunya, live forever, and then go to Jannah — or go back to Allah now and enter Jannah after I pass away."

Abu Muwayhibah told the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ: "Ya Rasulullah, may my mother, may my father be sacrificed for you — please, take the keys of this dunya and then Jannah later." You know, when somebody is about to pass away and they're beloved to you, their passing away doesn't really register. You can't think about it, you can't fathom it, it doesn't process in your head, because you love them so dearly. Abu Muwayhibah was already being told: "Ya Abu Muwayhibah, my time is coming to an end."

So the Prophet, ﷺ, says: "Abu Muwayhibah, the matter is closed. I already chose." And we know the Prophet, ﷺ, chose Allah.

Lesson One: Choose Allah Over the Dunya

The lesson here is that whenever we're in this dunya — and a lot of times the Prophet, ﷺ, taught us this and he taught his companions — that when it comes to death, it's a hard process, or it's a hard topic to talk about and process. It's because we got too comfortable living in this dunya. And at times, when there was a matter of choice between Allah and the dunya, from our own struggles and shortcomings, we chose the dunya.

But the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, from the moment he was put on this earth to the moment he was going back to Allah — he always chose Allah. Allah gave him everything in this dunya if he wanted. "Ya Rasulullah, we could have given it to you easily." But there was nothing more that the Prophet, ﷺ, wanted more than Allah.

That's the number one lesson about death: that death has no timelines — it reveals itself to us. Nobody knows their timeline. But our responsibility is not the timeline. Our responsibility is making sure that in my life, every single day, I am choosing Allah. And he taught that to his companions, ﷺ.

Bilal's Last Moments

When Bilal, رضي الله عنه, was passing away, his family was around him at his deathbed — Bilal, the Mu'adhin, رضي الله عنه. And his family were crying and sad: "Wa huzna, wa huzna!" — "How sad this is!" The legendary Bilal, رضي الله عنه, and they're all crying and sad. And Bilal, رضي الله عنه, said: "Don't say that. Don't say wa huzna, wa huzna — say wa farha, wa farha!" He's saying: "Don't say how sad this is — say how happy! How happy!" He was happy. He was about to go back to Allah. And what did he say right after?

("Tomorrow I shall meet Muhammad and his companions." — Narrated by al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak, and referenced in Siyar A'lam al-Nubala' of al-Dhahabi)

He said: "I am so happy because I am about to see Muhammad again, ﷺ, and his companions." The love was so strong that these companions — they chose Allah and his Rasul over this dunya. His own family — he chose Allah and his Rasul over his own family.

These are the lessons. That's the number one lesson that we learn — that whenever Allah takes a soul back to Allah, we ask for husn al-khatimah. We always make du'a: "Ya Allah, give me a good ending — an ending where your name is on my lips, and people are happy with me, and most importantly, Ya Allah, you are happy with me." We ask Allah for that ending.

But what's most important is: we do not get that ending if in our life we are not making that choice every single day. If we do not choose Allah for the most mundane of things — like what? You hear the adhan come in and you're busy with something. Do you drop everything that you do and choose Allah and His salat? This is just a small example. But when we put Allah first in every decision, then when it comes to our death and meeting Allah, it is very easy for us.

For the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, and his companions, this dunya was just something in the way of going back to their beloved Allah. That's why the Prophet, ﷺ, when he was given the option — this dunya was worth nothing compared to Allah, al-Rafiq al-A'la.

That's the number one lesson: we choose Allah in everything that we do. Do not sacrifice your akhirah for the sake of this dunya. Don't. It's not worth it.

The Prophet's Detachment from This World

Even when the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, was passing away, he made sure — he told Aisha — every time he was in and out of consciousness, we know the story, every time he would wake, he told Aisha: "Aisha, do you have anything in the place where you keep money?" She said: "Ya Rasulullah, we have some few dinars here and there." The Prophet, ﷺ, said: "Give it away. Give it away. Give it away." Then he would go back unconscious, and he would wake up again, ﷺ: "Ya Aisha, did you give the money?" She said: "Yes." "But ya Rasulullah—" "Give it all away." And then when he, ﷺ, passed away, he had nothing on him. He had no money. He was detached from this dunya — physically and spiritually.

Lesson Two: Let Go of Grudges and Seek Forgiveness

The second lesson that we learn: whenever we have any grudges with anybody — let them go. Whenever we have done wrong to somebody, or somebody has wronged you — forgive them and ask for forgiveness. It is not worth carrying anything that is grudgingly holding you down in this dunya into the akhirah. It's not worth it.

The Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, taught us this. When the Prophet, ﷺ, knew that he was about to pass away, he got up and asked his Sahaba: "If anybody has something that I owe them, tell me now. In terms of money — I will give it to you. If I have hurt you and wronged you physically — here is my back." Can you imagine the Prophet, ﷺ, telling us that? And he was so intent on making sure that people had their right, that there was a Sahabi who said he was saying it so much that — to the point that — I was embarrassed of not telling him: "Long, long time ago you told me you'd pay me back three dinars, but you didn't. I forgave you, though. I forgave you." Of course, the Prophet, ﷺ, gave him. This was the Prophet, ﷺ — he didn't want anything attached to this dunya anymore. He chose Allah.

Lesson Three: Remember Death Often

And the last one, brothers and sisters: when we make Allah the everyday choice, everything in this world becomes a way of remembering Him. Which is why the Prophet, ﷺ, told us: you have to always, always remember the thing that takes away the happiness of the moment — remember death often.

It is not an easy topic to talk about death. It is not an easy topic to remember. It is not an easy topic to process. Many times when we talk about death and going back to Allah, there are many emotions. And for those that have passed away from our families and our friends — may Allah have mercy on them. And for those that have not passed away, we have to wake up if we are asleep, and we have to remember that our timeline is not confirmed by anyone but Allah.

The People of Jannah — Surah az-Zumar

And what is the one characteristic of the people of Jannah when they see Allah? Allah says in Surah az-Zumar:

"And those who feared their Lord will be driven to Paradise in groups, until when they reach it and its gates are opened, and its keepers will say to them: Peace be upon you. You have done well, so enter it, abiding therein eternally."

When the people of Jannah are at the gates and the angels open the gates of Jannah, what will be said to them? Peace be upon you. This will be the best peace. "Peace be upon you. Live in this. You've done a good job. Enter it. You'll be in this place forever."

What is the first response of these people of Jannah? Allah says in the very next verse:

"And they will say: All praise is due to Allah, who has fulfilled His promise to us."

The first thing that these people say is not: "Wow, this is Jannah! Wow, look at that, look at this!" The first thing they say is: Alhamdulillah. They remember Allah. How is that? Because habitually in their life they created that. Anything that happened to them, they remembered Allah. Anything that happened in their life — whether it be good, whether it be bad — they always remembered Allah. And they attributed everything back to Allah. So when Jannah is opened for them, the first thing they think about is not Jannah — it's Allah. That's the level that we want to aspire to. That's the level that we want to get to.

And those kind of people leave behind beautiful legacies. Whenever you have passed away, we ask Allah that your name be remembered in a good way. Not in a bad way. We ask Allah that everybody in this room is given husn al-khatimah. And we ask Allah that whoever is suffering from the emotional pain of losing a loved one, that Allah fills their heart with something that is healing — with Him, Ya Rabb. And we ask Allah to have mercy on those that have passed away, and to give those who are still living in this world thabat and istiqamah to meet Him in a good way.

The Prophet's Final Moments

Concluding — when the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, passed away. Because we love our Nabi, ﷺ. And the point of this conclusion that I'm about to make has already been made — but I love talking about the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ.

When our Nabi, ﷺ, was about to pass away — literally about to pass away — when his head was in the lap of Aisha. Aisha, رضي الله عنها, narrates that the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, told her one time: "No Prophet shall taste death, shall pass away, except that they — the Prophet — choose their place in Jannah."

So when the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, was in the lap of Aisha — these were his last moments, ﷺ. He was going in and out of consciousness — passing away, conscious, unconscious, conscious — all on the lap of Aisha, رضي الله عنها. And when she saw that he was doing that, in between going unconscious and conscious, the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, said:

"Ya Allah, the Most High Companion. Ya Allah, the Most High Companion. Ya Allah, the Most High Companion."

Aisha started to cry more. She said: "I know — the Prophet, ﷺ, chose Allah." And before the Prophet Muhammad, ﷺ, passed away — his last words were Allahumma al-Rafiq al-A'la: "Ya Allah, the Most High of Companions."

Allah is the best friend you can take in this world. Allah is the best sacrifice you can make in this world. When you choose Allah, you will never lose. The Prophet, ﷺ, showed us that.

So let's accept this sunnah. Let's choose Allah before it's too late, my brothers and sisters. Nobody knows their timeline. And we ask Allah to make it easy upon all of us. Allahumma Ameen.