The Prophet's Love For His Ummah

Opening — Khutbah al-Hajah

All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him and seek His assistance. We seek refuge with Allah from the evil within ourselves and from the evil of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide him. Yet whomever He allows to go astray, none can guide him. And I bear witness that there is no God worthy of worship except Allah alone. He has no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger.

O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared, and do not die except in the state of Islam.

O you who believe, fear Allah and speak the truth. He will direct you to do righteous good deeds and will forgive your sins. And whomsoever obeys Allah and His messenger, he has indeed achieved a great achievement.

The Prophet's Love and Care for His Ummah

Brothers and sisters in Islam, today our khutbah is about the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم love and care for his ummah. There is not any good that will bring us closer to Allah or closer to al-Jannah except that he صلى الله عليه وسلم has informed us of it.

Even in the month of Ramadan, to search for Laylatul Qadr so that he would find out when Laylatul Qadr is and inform the ummah of it so we can benefit. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم spent most of the month of Ramadan in i'tikaf in the masjid just searching for Laylatul Qadr. And after the 20th night, Jibreel عليه السلام came to him and told him that what you're seeking is now about to come. This was his effort just to find good so he can inform us of it.

But today we want to look at the role of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم on the Day of Judgment in relation to his ummah — when you see how much he cares for you and how much he tries to facilitate every step of the way for you.

And the Day of Resurrection is a very long and difficult day. 50,000 years people are just waiting for the judgment to begin. A day when you turn away from your parents, when you don't ask about your children, when your wife or your husband won't stop to inquire about you for a second. A day when Allah is angered to a degree that He has never and will never ever be angered to again. But every step of the way, your Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is waiting for you and trying to help you to make it to the next stage. His aim is to assist and to save as many of us as possible, by the permission of Allah.

The Parable of the Prophet and His Ummah

Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه narrates that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said: The parable of me and you is like a man who lit a fire. Then insects and moths started to fall into the fire, and they overwhelmed him — he couldn't stop all of them from falling into the fire. And I am grabbing you from the edge of your garments, trying to pull you away from the fire. So you overwhelm me as well, and you fall into it.

The Prophet Saved His Guaranteed Du'a for His Ummah

From his care for you, صلى الله عليه وسلم, is that he was given one guaranteed du'a. And all the Prophets of Allah have been given one guaranteed du'a. But the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم saved his du'a for you.

He says: We set out with a delegation and came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Then one of us from the delegation asked, "Why don't you ask your Lord for a dominion and a kingdom like that of Sulaiman?" So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم laughed. He said: "Perhaps your companion" — meaning himself — "perhaps I have something with Allah that is better than the kingdom of Sulaiman. Allah has not sent a Prophet except He has given him one du'a — a du'a that he will make that will never be refused. Some of the Prophets used that du'a for something in this world and they were given that. And some of them used it and made du'a against their own people when they disobeyed them, so they were destroyed. And indeed Allah has given me one du'a, but I saved it so I can intercede for my ummah on the Day of Judgment."

So he saved his du'a for you so he can intercede for you. And that's why in every station on the Day of Judgment the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم will be there trying to help you.

Allah's Description of the Prophet's Care

This is the loving and caring Prophet, the one that cared so much that Allah had to tell him multiple times in the Qur'an: don't be so saddened when people don't believe in you. It's like saying, take it easy, don't kill yourself with grief.

You're going to kill yourself with grief because of their footsteps — meaning they're turning away from you when they don't believe in this message — in sorrow because they don't believe in your message. But this is the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

And Allah mentions in the Qur'an:

Allah says there has come a Prophet to you — مِنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ — not مِنكُمْ, but from amongst you, which is a deeper connection. You know him well. You won't accuse him of not being sincere in his care for you. You will not think he's trying to deceive you because you're his people.

عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ — He is grieved and finds it difficult that any harm, injury or difficulty would touch you. حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُمْ — He is anxious over you; he wants very much for you to be rightly guided. بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ — And to the believers, he is full of kindness and mercy.

And Imam al-Qurtubi رحمه الله mentions that Allah never mentioned two of His own names right next to each other to describe any prophet other than Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. As we see in Surah al-Hajj, Allah says:

And He described the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with those very same two names: بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ.

The Prophet on the Day of Judgment

The First to Rise from His Grave

This is a man صلى الله عليه وسلم — when you come out of your grave on the Day of Judgment you find him already there trying to facilitate things for you. And he says:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 44, Hadith 272)

"So I will be the first that the earth separates from above" — meaning his grave opens up. And people stand for 50,000 years with the sun so close to their heads, with no talking and no side conversations. This is a day when the greatest of the prophets of Allah will fall down to their knees and say نَفْسِي نَفْسِي — "myself, myself" — everyone just caring for themselves.

Al-Shafa'ah al-Uzma — The Greatest Intercession

In Sahih al-Bukhari, narrated by Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم told us that people will wait for 50,000 years and will be so tired of waiting that they want the judgment to begin — they won't care if they end up in paradise or in the hellfire, they just want the judgment to begin.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4712)

When it is the Day of Resurrection, the people will surge into one another like waves. They will come to Adam and they will say: "Intercede for us with your Lord — ask Allah to start the Day of Judgment." He will say: "I am not the man for the job. But go to Ibrahim, for he is the close friend of ar-Rahman, the Most Merciful."

In the other narration, they go to him and say: "Oh Adam, you are the father of all humans, Allah created you with His own two hands — do you not see what state we are in? Do you not see what has befallen us?" So Adam says: "Today my Lord is angry in a way He has never been angered before and will never be this angry again. And He commanded me not to eat from the tree, and I disobeyed. نَفْسِي نَفْسِي — Go to Ibrahim."

So they will go to Ibrahim. But he will say: "I am not fit for that. Go to Musa, for he is the one to whom Allah spoke directly." And Ibrahim says: "I told three lies." And these lies — when you look at the story of Ibrahim — were not even lies; they were for the sake of da'wah, for the sake of Allah. But that's the difficulty of that day. He will say: نَفْسِي نَفْسِي.

So the people then will move towards Musa. But he will say: "I am not fit for that. Go to Isa, for he is a soul created by Allah and His word" — meaning when Allah spoke the word "Be" and he became. "And I have killed a person. نَفْسِي نَفْسِي." And Musa عليه السلام only accidentally killed a person, but the Day of Judgment is so difficult that even a non-sin will become a sin in the eyes of the righteous man عليه السلام.

So they will go to Isa. But he will say: "I am not fit for that. Go to Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم."

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4712)

"So they will come to me and I will say: I am fit for that — I am the one for the job." Then he will ask his Lord for permission, and He will give him permission just to approach.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4712)

"So I will come under the Throne of Allah and I will fall down in sujood. And Allah at that moment will inspire me with certain praises that He has not inspired anyone before me." And then:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4712)

"Oh Muhammad, lift your head. Ask, and you will be given. Intercede, and your intercession will be accepted."

Then Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم — on the day when Ibrahim عليه السلام and Musa عليه السلام and all the great prophets are saying نَفْسِي نَفْسِي — he will put his head up finally. And what will he say?

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 4712)

He will say: "Oh my Lord, my ummah. My ummah, oh my Lord. My ummah, oh my Lord." Three times he will say "my ummah, my Lord." And then the judgment finally begins.

The Prophet's Pool — Al-Hawd

But after standing under the sun for 50,000 years, people will be thirsty — dying of thirst. And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says:

"So then his pool will be brought forth." And he says its distance is that of a month's journey, and its length and width are equal, and its water is whiter than milk, and its scent is better than musk. And the people can come and they can drink with their own hands. But on top of that, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم with his own blessed hands will be filling cups and handing them out to people from his ummah — just quenching their thirst.

Every step, you will find the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم there, caring for people.

The Prophet Knocks on the Gates of Al-Jannah

And now people have gathered in front of the gates of al-Jannah. The gates of al-Jannah need to be opened, and only one human being in existence can knock on the door of al-Jannah.

(Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 384)

"I come to the gates of al-Jannah on the Day of Judgment and I ask permission for it to be opened. The angel — the keeper of al-Jannah — will say: 'Who are you?' And I will say: 'Muhammad.' And he will say: 'I was commanded to open for you and to not open for anyone besides you.'"

If this was the only hadith and the only description we had about the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم — and you didn't know anything else about him — you would conclude and tell yourself that this is the most important man ever, that I need to obey everything this man commands, even if Allah didn't tell you that thirty times in the Qur'an that you need to follow his footsteps and do everything that he did and worship Allah the way he commanded. Just from this hadith — and that's the only thing I knew about him — that he's the only one in existence who can knock on the gates of al-Jannah and the angel tells him: "I wouldn't have opened for anyone besides you."

The Prophet Continues to Intercede Even in Jannah

And when the people are in their homes in Jannah, already enjoying its fruits and its rivers — already in their homes — the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is still interceding for his ummah. Still going back and forth between the hellfire and Allah, trying to get people out. For those who are already in Jannah, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم intercedes for them so they can go to a higher level in al-Jannah. For those in the hellfire, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم intercedes for them so Allah can get them out.

And the intercessions are mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari. Allah will tell the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم: "Go and bring forth everyone in whose heart there is iman the weight of a grain of barley." This little bit of iman — whoever has this much iman in their heart — "go to the hellfire and get them out." So he will go and do that. Then he will come back and praise Him with words of praise and fall down in sujood before Him. He will say: "Ya Muhammad, raise your head. Speak and intercession will be granted to you. Ask and you will be given. Intercede and your intercession will be accepted." He will say: "Oh my Lord — أُمَّتِي أُمَّتِي — my ummah, my ummah."

He will say: "Go and bring forth everyone in whose heart there is the amount of iman equal to a small ant or a mustard seed." So he will go and do that — he will take out everyone who has that little iman in their heart. Then he will come back and praise Him with words of praise and fall down in sujood before Him. And He will say: "Ya Muhammad, raise your head. Speak and intercession will be granted to you. Ask and you will be given. Intercede and your intercession will be accepted." He will say: "Oh my Lord — أُمَّتِي أُمَّتِي — my ummah, my ummah."

He will say: "Go and bring forth from the fire everyone in whose heart there is the iman that is the weight of the lightest grain of mustard seed." So he will go and bring them forth. Then he will come back and praise Him with words of praise and fall down in sujood before Him. And He will say: "Ya Muhammad, raise your head. Speak and intercession will be granted to you. Ask and you will be given. Intercede and your intercession will be accepted."

And he will say:

"My Lord, give me permission to take out of the hellfire everyone who has said لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ."

And Allah will swear:

Allah will swear by His might, His magnificence, and His greatness that He will take out of the hellfire anyone who said لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ. This heavy statement — this statement which is the key to paradise — and it's the reason that today people might persecute and make fun of you. But there will come a day when they will wish they were just like you.

Allah says:

There will be a day when those who disbelieve will wish that they were believers.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 453)

"I will keep interceding for my ummah until my Lord calls out to me: 'Are you pleased, oh Muhammad?' And I will say: 'Yes, my Lord. I have become pleased.'"

Following the Sunnah of the Prophet

This is the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. This is his care for us. And how do we regard his sunnah? How do we regard his commands? Today people are saying this sunnah is inappropriate, that sunnah is not good for this time and day and age — coming up with a thousand and one excuses not to follow his command. Whereas the believers should come up with a thousand and one possible ways to follow his sunnah before disregarding it or before finding a fatwa against it.

So this was how our Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم cared for this ummah. In everything — there is not anything that draws us near to Allah except that he has informed us of it. There is not anything that will take us to the hellfire except he warned us of it. There is not anything that will bring us closer to al-Jannah except that he has told us and informed us of it.

So it behooves the believing men and women to follow his commands and to follow his footsteps. Allah over thirty times in the Qur'an commanded us to obey the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم:

Multiple times in the Qur'an:

Whoever obeys the messenger has indeed obeyed Allah. So the scholars said: in this verse, Allah equated obeying Allah to obeying the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, because whoever obeys the Prophet has indeed obeyed Allah.

We are in a day and age where people are constantly attacking the sunnah, attacking the hadith, attacking the authenticity of the hadith, and saying that they will only follow the Qur'an. But if they followed the Qur'an, it would have guided them to the sunnah. And the majority of our religion — meaning the fine details of our religion — is in the hadith. So attacking that will be attacking the majority of our religion.

Following the Sunnah Unites the Ummah

In the month of Ramadan, one of the things that unites the ummah is that everybody and all the groups try to follow the sunnah as much as possible. Everyone — when they ask a question, whatever group, whatever sect in Islam — they look at what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did. When it comes to taraweeh, they dispute the number of raka'at because they are basing it on what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did. No group likes to delay their iftar just because another group is having iftar at that time. Everyone tries to follow the sunnah. Everyone tries to do suhoor in the way the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم commanded. Does i'tikaf according to the sunnah.

And that's why the Muslims feel a sense of unity in Ramadan. So in that is an indication — for those who are wise — that in following the sunnah is the unity of the ummah of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Closing Du'a

With that, we ask Allah to make us of those who recognize the truth as clear truth and follow the best of it, and to make us of those who recognize falsehood as clear falsehood and abstain from it.

We ask Allah to accept our fast during the month of Ramadan. We ask Allah to accept our qiyam, our prayers, and our good deeds. We ask Allah to accept our du'a. And we ask Allah to make us of those who worship Him during Laylatul Qadr.

And we ask Allah to make us of the followers of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم who will be recognized by him at the Hawd on the Day of Judgment, and to make us of those whom he will intercede for until he says رَضِيتُ — I am pleased — and we are among those for whom he is pleased.

Ask Allah for His forgiveness. Indeed those who ask for His forgiveness will prosper.