The True Celebration of the Messenger ﷺ

The True Celebration of the Messenger ﷺ

Proving it is a liability. It's a responsibility. It comes with a lot of effort. And people just don't want to put the effort anymore. So I want to love the Prophet ﷺ but without any cost that would come with that.

My dear brothers and sisters, when it comes to the true celebration of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, it's following his guidance, fulfilling his commandments, following his mission, in the footsteps of the Prophet ﷺ. And we need to know and understand and see what the Prophet ﷺ truly did — what did he do — in order for us to follow that example of Muhammad ﷺ.

Love Is a Responsibility, Not Lip Service

My dear brothers and sisters, the Sahaba رضي الله تعالى عنهم — they understood the meaning of that. When you love the Prophet ﷺ, it's a responsibility. And with that responsibility, you're going to have to take action to prove it. It's not just lip service.

The reason why we say that is because it's not just about saying, "I love Rasulullah ﷺ." The Prophet ﷺ said to the Sahaba رضي الله تعالى عنهم that you are not going to be a true believer — you are not a true believer — until you love me more than you love your parents, your children, and the whole world.

Umar رضي الله عنه said to the Prophet ﷺ proudly: "Ya Rasulallah, I'm there. I love you more than anybody else, except for myself." He thought he was exempt as an individual — because he thought there was no way you could put somebody else above yourself. Coming from a tribal system where pride is everything, your individuality and your identity is your biggest asset. He never thought that you needed to put anybody ahead of yourself.

So he said, "Ya Rasulallah, I love you more than anybody else, except just for me." The Prophet ﷺ said to him:

"Not yet, O Umar, until I am more beloved to you than your own self." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6632)

SubhanAllah — look at the Sahaba رضي الله تعالى عنهم and how they responded. He switched immediately. Like there was no second thought about it. It wasn't "let me think about it," or "let me work on it," or "insha'Allah, maybe in the next few months I will get there." Instantly — instantly — he switched that in his mind and his heart. He said, "Ya Rasulallah, now you are more beloved to me than myself. More than myself." In an instant.

What does that tell us, my dear brothers and sisters? We know that in our society today, when it comes to the subject of emotions and going through difficulties and hardships, sometimes the recovery takes forever for people — going through a lot of mental health experiences and counseling and so on — and we're still waiting for the moment to switch. The moment to say, "I'm done with this. That is past. I have a different way right now of living."

But here is Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله تعالى عنه — in an instant he switched it. And he was true to it. So whenever an instruction about the Prophet ﷺ came in the Quran or from the Sunnah, he would be the first person to implement it.

In the ayah of Surah Al-Hujurat, when Allah spoke to the believers:

He said: do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, and do not speak loudly to him the way you speak loudly to one another. From that moment, Umar started whispering. When he talked to the Prophet, he would whisper — until the Prophet told him, "Speak up a little bit, I want to hear you." Because the Prophet thought he was crying. He realised that this ayah carries a big meaning — a huge responsibility. There is application to that love that you claim when you say, "I love the Prophet ﷺ."

Stories Must Carry Purpose, Not Just Wonder

Unfortunately, nowadays, many of us would come to the Prophet ﷺ — we celebrate the beautiful stories of the Hijra, we celebrate his birth ﷺ, we celebrate many things about the Prophet ﷺ — but it's much more than just a story to tell. And as a believer, as a da'i, as an imam, as a Muslim responsible for the mission and the da'wah of the Prophet ﷺ, the Seerah of the Prophet is full with purpose, not just stories.

What is that purpose? Allah is telling us in the Quran, as in the story of Yusuf ﷺ:

He said about the stories of Yusuf and his brothers — and of course all the other stories of the Prophets and the Anbiya in the Quran — that in their stories, there is truly a lesson for people of reason, Ulil al-Bab. What does that mean? It means when you read a story in the Quran, it's not just about marveling at the event and saying, "Wow, this is the most beautiful thing, oh my God, it makes me so emotional." What is the lesson? What do you learn from it? And not just what do you learn from it — what are you applying from what you learn? That's what's going to matter the most.

And when Allah told us in Surah Al-Imran about the Sahaba and meeting the kuffar on the battlefield, He said:

Allah is putting an example for you in two groups that met on the battlefield. One is fighting for the sake of Allah and the other is disbelievers. Allah made the small group appear large in the eyes of the enemy, and it is He who gives victory by His grace to the believers. Surely in this is a lesson for people of insight.

What does that mean? Read the story of the Battle of Badr. Learn from it. A small group, unprepared for battle — they carried nothing with them. It was an imminent, if not an absolute, death for them. But they stood their ground with better strategy and strong iman. They were able to defeat the mighty Quraysh. And history repeats itself today. You will see that example play out when you've truly learned that lesson. It's no longer about "oh, they're too strong, they're too big." Allah also says about those who were told, "Look, they are gathering against you, you cannot defeat these people":

It increased them in faith. And they realised — that is what Allah promised. That is what Allah says is going to happen.

The Prophet ﷺ: The Greatest Blessing Sent to the World

My dear brothers and sisters, there is a lesson from the stories of the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. What lessons are we learning from that? So when we think of the Prophet ﷺ — there is no doubt — Rasulullah ﷺ was the greatest ni'mah, the greatest blessing that Allah sent to the world.

If you read the history and the circumstances when the Prophet ﷺ arrived to the world, it was chaos. For more than 500 — almost 600 — years, people had no divine guidance from Allah, except for a few people, monks here and there, who carried al-Hanifiyyah al-Samha, the true path of Ibrahim ﷺ. That was the only source of guidance people had back then. Everything else — religious elites, political elites, merchant business people — all corrupted. Even those who were supposed to be the cure to the disease of the heart, they were corrupted themselves, unfortunately.

So when the Prophet ﷺ came, Allah said about him:

"We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds." The purpose of the Prophet ﷺ being sent down to earth — as wadi jama'ah — was to be a mercy to the world.

Brothers and sisters, it's a very small, short ayah — a portion of an ayah. However, it embeds everything about this deen, about the Seerah of the Prophet ﷺ, and about your love for the Prophet ﷺ. You are a follower of Muhammad. Are you being a mercy to the world? Are you bringing mercy to the world? What is it that you do with your life? Are you living an individualistic life, worrying just about yourself and your small circle of friends? Or do you have a bigger purpose — because we are on a mission. We are on a mission to carry the message of the Prophet ﷺ.

One of the last instructions he gave us, he ﷺ said:

"Convey from me, even if it is one ayah." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3461)

If it was even one single ayah — what does that mean? It means each and every one of us is capable of being that missionary on behalf of the Prophet ﷺ. Everybody can be that. Don't tell me you cannot teach an ayah. Teach them: بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ — "In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Gracious." Teach them how to praise Allah. You cannot say "I cannot do that." That is true following of the Prophet ﷺ. That is true love for Rasulullah ﷺ — when you follow that mission.

The Prophet's ﷺ Accomplishments in 23 Years

Brothers and sisters, when you look at the Prophet ﷺ's life, it was full with accomplishments. That's the purpose — he was sent with a mission. And subhanAllah, in 23 years, he changed the course of history. If he wasn't there in Mecca ﷺ, if he hadn't received Iqra on that day — where would we be today? How would the world look? But this man ﷺ, with those great achievements, he changed the course of history in 23 years.

That gives each and every one of us hope. It means it's not about time — it's about the quality of the accomplishment, the quality of the effort that you put in. And that's what the Prophet ﷺ did. He was a role model in that quality of accomplishment.

1. Aqeedah: Inviting People to the Servitude of Allah

So when it comes to the subject of aqeedah — the first thing the Prophet ﷺ did, and this is part of loving Rasulullah ﷺ and following his example — is teaching people what he taught people first. And what is it? To become servants of Allah. More than anything else. Sometimes we get into battles with people about side issues, peripheral things. And when the people's hearts are so busy with other desires besides pleasing Allah, you begin with this. That's the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. That's how we love Rasulullah ﷺ — follow the mission from the very beginning. You invite people to become servants of Allah. Ibadullah.

And if you succeed, you don't need to worry about what they do next. If you are able to plant that love of Allah in their hearts, and following the example of the Prophet ﷺ in how to implement that in their hearts — that's it. You're done. They will themselves pursue that which is right to please Him alone.

2. Akhlaq: Perfecting Character and Manners

When it comes to the subject of akhlaq and manners, the Prophet ﷺ said it clearly about his mission:

"I was sent only to perfect noble character." (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 8952; also reported in al-Bayhaqi's Shu'ab al-Iman)

So my mission — your mission — whether you're raising your kids, or teaching in a school, or coming to the masjid, or dealing with people around you — it's about what? It's about helping people perfect their akhlaq and their manners. It's about character.

What does that mean? It means we are responsible for one another. We live in a society that tells you, "It's not your business." But it actually is your business. Because whatever corruption happens around, at some point it is going to catch up with me, and my family, and my community. So I am responsible to make sure that people perfect their character. And the way we do it, we do it in the best way — just as in his akhlaq ﷺ.

Rasulullah ﷺ took the people from the darkness of this dunya to the beautiful light of the dunya and the akhirah. And that is your mission. I know a lot of people come to me and say, "I have a friend I work with, they're an amazing person, I wish they would just take their shahada." I say: have you ever told them to do that? "Well, I don't know, I don't want to lose their friendship." You're actually sacrificing the akhirah for them. What is it going to take for you to tell this good person that you truly admire, "Hey, let me take you to the masjid. You want to try something different? Let's go and see." What prevents you from doing that? Helping people to see the light in this dunya.

3. Unity: Bringing People Together

When it comes to the Prophet ﷺ dealing with people, he was a man who unifies, not a man of furqah, not a man of division. He came to Medina ﷺ and the whole city was divided — the Aws fighting the Khazraj. He brought them together as one group and called them al-Ansar. The Muhajireen came as refugees from Mecca and elsewhere, and he made them and the Ansar one unified group of believers. And even with the non-believers who lived in Medina — the Jewish community and others — he made an alliance with them ﷺ. He was all about bringing people together.

And even when he was dealing with the mushrikeen, with the kuffar in Mecca, as they were charting an agreement, he said, "I swear to God, if they ask me for something good, anything that brings justice and good to the people, I will accept it from them." He was always looking for that which is best for the people. And that's the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.

4. Justice: Standing for the Oppressed

Rasulullah ﷺ established a society, a community. He wasn't just a political leader or a religious leader ﷺ — he was a statesman. As a man of bringing justice to the world, he had a mission ﷺ: spreading justice, making sure we don't live like we live today, where we see pure injustice and pure evil taking over everywhere — on a political level, a societal level, an economic level. You see it with your own eyes, you live it, and you unfortunately practice part of it. We worry about our income. We worry just about ourselves. And therefore we forfeit many opportunities to stand for justice and stand for the oppressed against the oppressor.

True Love Means Walking in His Footsteps

Rasulullah ﷺ was the best in everything — in his community, in his household, with his friends, with everybody. It is for that reason, my dear brothers and sisters, we love Rasulullah ﷺ. We love him for his character. We love him for who he is, for who he was ﷺ. We love him for what we have seen, for what he accomplished ﷺ. We love him for his dedication to his mission, to his Lord, to the people, and to the ummah. We love him for that ﷺ.

But my love for Rasulullah ﷺ is not going to stop at marveling at these stories and saying, "How amazing he was ﷺ." My true love of the Prophet ﷺ will be following in his footsteps. My dear brothers and sisters, that's the reason why we read stories, why we read Seerah.

Unfortunately, as an ummah, we have started separating ourselves from these principles. "I'm a doctor, so let me just mind my own business in medicine." "I am an engineer." "I am an IT person." We kind of stay in our lane. True — to a certain extent. But that is not your mission. Your mission is not just to be a doctor, or an engineer, or an IT person. What is that going to qualify you for in this society? What can you do to bring positive change to the society?

To learn that, I need to learn from history, from the people who came before me. That's why it is so important to read the Seerah and the Sunnah and to learn from the people of the past. Brothers and sisters, make an effort — make an effort — so that even though the Prophet ﷺ is not among us, we live by his Sunnah, by his guidance, and by that love we have for Rasulullah ﷺ.

Alhamdulillah Rabbil Alameen. Sallallahu wa sallam wa baarak 'ala nabiyyina Muhammad wa 'ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam tasliman kathiran.

The Scholars Are the Heirs of the Prophets

My dear brothers and sisters, the Prophet ﷺ, our beloved Rasulullah ﷺ, informed us:

"The scholars are the heirs of the Prophets." (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 3641; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2682)

So if you want to follow the example of Rasulullah ﷺ, we need to find these ulama rabbaniyyeen — those spiritual scholars who truly practice, and do, and guide, and care for others just as the Prophet ﷺ did. And they are very rare. And they don't last long. They are human, after all. They die. And once someone dies, subhanAllah, it is hard to replace them.

In Memoriam: Imam Muhammad al-Ajami, rahimahullah

Today, unfortunately, in the morning we woke up to the news that one of our dear senior imams in the DFW community in Arlington — Imam Muhammad al-Ajami, rahimahullahu ta'ala, the imam of Dar al-Taqwa in Arlington — had just passed away. A senior imam, mashAllah, who spent years in this community building communities, opening masajid, helping people, teaching children, subhanAllah. I was just with him not too long ago, a few months ago, speaking about the community and helping to expand their community as it grows. And today we wake up to the passing of one of our senior imams, Sheikh Muhammad al-Ajami.

May Allah have mercy on him, ya Rabb al-'Alamin. We ask Allah to accept from him his best deeds, ya Rabb al-'Alamin. We ask Allah to place him among the Anbiya, the salihin, and the shuhada in Jannat al-Firdaws, ya Rabb al-'Alamin.

Brothers and sisters, like I said — these ulema, once they are gone, it is hard to replace them, wallahi. He passed with almost 60 years of experience. No matter how much you try to replicate or duplicate, it is so hard. That experience is gone unless people learn from them. Take advantage of their presence. Learn from them before they are gone, so that we can keep the legacy of loving the Prophet ﷺ and practicing his Sunnah alive — through our learning from the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ.