Love the Sunnah because it's the Sunnah! - Ustadh Adil Saleem

Khutbah: Love the Sunnah Because It's the Sunnah!

الحمد لله، نحمده ونستعينه ونستغفره، ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا. من يهده الله فلا مضل له، ومن يضلل فلا هادي له. وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله.

We praise Him, we ask His help, and we ask His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whomever Allah guides, none can misguide him. And whomever He misguides, none can guide him. And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

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

O you who have believed, fear your Lord, Who has created you from one soul, and has created from it a wife, and He has spread among them many men and women. And fear Allah, in Whom you ask for help and mercy. Verily, Allah is ever watching over you.

O you who have believed, fear Allah and say a firm word. He will amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, he has certainly attained a great triumph.

As for the rest — the best speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. And the worst of things are newly invented matters, and every newly invented matter is a bid'ah, and every bid'ah is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.

The Prophet as Our Example

As for the rest, Allah says in the Qur'an that you have in the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, the best of examples.

Allah has sent prophets and messengers to every nation, to every people, to every group, so that they can take them as an example — an example in their daily lives. Whenever there is an issue, whenever there is a question, you refer back to these messengers and these prophets that were sent to those nations. And as Muslims, our Ummah, we have the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, as our guide, as our leader, as someone who we refer back to in every affair of our life.

Allah says in the Qur'an:

Say: if you indeed love Allah, then follow me — follow the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him — then Allah will love you. By following the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, this is a way of gaining the love of Allah.

And again, Allah gives an order for me and for you to follow the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him:

O you who believe, obey Allah and follow the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Following the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him — in the Qur'an, Allah mentions it goes hand in hand. Follow Allah, obey Allah, and obey the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. The two go hand in hand. And this is what we find many times mentioned in the Qur'an, and again mentioned in the Sunnah.

Why Do We Follow the Sunnah?

Why do we follow the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him? Why do we follow his Sunnah? Why do we take him as a role model? Allah said so. And the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, also said so.

In a hadith narrated by Ibn Sariah, he says that the Prophet Muhammad, one day, gave us advice and admonishment — a piece of advice that caused our hearts to tremble, caused our hearts to shake, and caused us to shed tears. And we said to the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, that it is as if you are giving us a farewell advice. It is as if this is going to be the last thing that you tell us. Then tell us, advise us.

And the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4607; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 42)

Then upon you is my Sunnah — my way — and the Sunnah and the way of those righteous predecessors who came after me. Hold on to this. Hold on to my way. Hold on to this Sunnah that you see in front of you. And hold on to it with your molar teeth — the strongest part of your mouth. Hold on to it with everything that you can. Why? Because there is going to come a time when there will be much differing amongst you. And the only way you will survive is by holding on to this Sunnah.

How the Companions Responded to the Sunnah

When we hear that something is a Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, somebody will ask: is it Wajib or is it Fard? Is it a Sunnah? And if it is Wajib, we will say, okay, we will do it. But if it is a Sunnah, we will think twice about doing it. Or we will think: this is something strange. What if people look at me in a different way?

But if we look at the companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and how they would react and interact with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him — when he gave them an order, they would do it. No questions asked.

Umm Habibah and the Sunnah Prayers

Umm Habibah, may Allah be pleased with her, she said that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: if you want a house to be built in Jannah, then pray the Sunnah prayers — the two for Fajr, the six for Dhuhr, the two for Maghrib, and the two for Isha. Whoever prays these will have a house built for them in Jannah, in Paradise. Umm Habibah said: by Allah, we did not leave these Sunnah prayers from the moment we heard it from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. No questions asked.

Fatimah and Ali and the Bedtime Adhkar

We also find that Fatimah and Ali, may Allah be pleased with them, reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered them to make particular adhkar before they go to sleep. And again they said: by Allah, we did not leave this from the time we heard it from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Why? Because this was an order by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. He would tell them to do something and they would do it. No questions asked.

Umar and the Black Stone

And again we find Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, when it came to the Black Stone. When he kissed the Black Stone, he said: I know that you bring no benefit, nor can you harm anyone. And if it was not for the fact that I saw the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, kiss you, I would never have kissed you.

Umar and the Ramal

And we also find Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, reflecting on the ramal. A ramal — for those of you who have been for Hajj or Umrah — is when you make tawaf, it is the sprinting or the fast walking you do around the Ka'bah.

The reason why this was done in the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was that when the Muslims came from Medina to Mecca to try to perform Umrah, the Quraish stopped them and they made a pact — that they would come the following year to perform the Umrah. So the Muslims returned to Medina. The following year came, and news had it that there was a plague in Medina and the Muslims were weak. So news spread that the Quraish were saying the Muslims are weak and they are going to come in a weak state.

So the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered his companions that when they enter Mecca and start making the tawaf, to uncover their shoulder and to sprint, so that they could show the might and power of the Muslims in front of the Quraish, who thought they would come in a weak state.

Now, many years later — after the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him — Umar was saying: why are we still going around the Ka'bah sprinting? We are safe now. We are in charge and the Quraish are not the enemies. But then he said: but this is something we did when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was alive. And he said: by Allah, we do not want to leave anything that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to do.

Such was their love for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Even years after he died, the things they were doing were simply for the fact that they had done it in the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

Do Not Go Overboard in the Sunnah

Having said what has been said, we also need to understand that the Sunnah is there to follow — and not to go overboard in, or to exceed the limits that were set by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

We find three young men who came to the family — the wives — of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. And they asked the wives: how is the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him? We want to be like him. We want to do what he does. We want to know what is so special about his ibadah, about his worship. So the wives of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, told these three men that he prays some of the night and he fasts some of the days.

So the men said to each other: this is the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, doing these acts of worship. As for us, we are far below him. So we need to go over and above what he is doing, just so that we can achieve more. So the first man said: I will spend the whole night in prayer and I will not sleep. The second man said: I will fast every single day and not take a break. And the third man said: I will not get married. I will spend all my time worshipping Allah.

So the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, when he heard this, he climbed the minbar and said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5063; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1401)

He was admonishing those people who were going above what he had legislated and ordered. He said: I fast and I break my fast. I wake up and I go to sleep. And I marry women. So whoever goes against my Sunnah is not from me.

And again we find, in the times that we live in, people who say they love the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, yet they go overboard in their love for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. This deen has been completed. Everything we know, everything we should do, has been legislated by Allah and His Messenger. So we might find people doing something which may look good and they may feel it is good, but in fact they are contradicting the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

The Companions' Unmatched Love for the Prophet

If we look at our lives and we say that we love the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and we say that we follow his Sunnah — if we really look at the companions and see how they loved the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, there is no comparison between our love and their love. They would sacrifice everything they had for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

Urwa ibn Mas'ud's Testimony

Urwa ibn Mas'ud was sitting amongst the Quraish in the early days of Mecca and he said: I have seen these kings and these rulers in their kingdoms — the Najashi and others — the great leaders of that time in their kingdoms. And I have also seen the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his people. And I have never seen a people revere, look up to, and follow their leader the way the Muslims follow their leader. When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, orders them to do something, they do it. When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, makes wudu, they would compete with each other to gather the droplets of water that came from him. This was the love the companions had for him.

Abu Bakr's Total Sacrifice

Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him — when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, made a call for an expedition, he told the Muslims to gather up everything they had and bring it with them. When the day came, the Muslims came with what they had. And Abu Bakr came with all his wealth — with everything he had. And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: what have you left for your family? Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I have left for them Allah and His Messenger. This was the love and the trust that they had in the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

Loving the Prophet More Than Oneself

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 15; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 44)

None of you will truly believe until you love me more than your parents, your children, and everything you have. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, said: O Messenger of Allah, I love you more than everything I possess — except for myself; I love myself more than I love you. And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, looked at him. Then Umar said: I love you now more than I love myself. And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: now, O Umar, you have reached that love.

Abu Bakr Defends the Prophet

The early days of Mecca were tough for the Muslims. They were few in number and the Quraish were overpowering and torturing them. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would pray at the Ka'bah. And at one particular incident, somebody came and tied a rope around his neck and started pulling it. The companions were around him but they couldn't do anything, because they were small in number. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, walked by and said: why are you killing a man who says that his Lord is Allah? And the Quraish pushed the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, aside and started attacking Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him. They would rather themselves get hurt than the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

You Will Be With Those You Love

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, reports that a man came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and said: O Messenger of Allah, when I am at home with my family, I always think about you and I yearn for the time where I can see you and be with you. And when I am with you, I get upset and saddened because I think of that day when you die and I die and we go to Jannah — I will not see you because you will be with the Prophets and the Messengers. So the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, waited, and Allah revealed an ayah:

You will be with those who you love. What a great companionship this is. Indeed, what a great companionship this is.

The Passing of the Prophet

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, when he returned from the farewell Hajj — his final Hajj — and returned to Medina, he knew his days were limited, that he would be passing away soon. So he gathered the companions and said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3904; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2382)

Allah has given His slave a choice between what is in this Dunya and what is with Allah, and this slave has chosen what is with Allah. The companions did not know what the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, meant. They lived in a state where they would see him on a daily basis and could never imagine that he would die. But Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, understood what the Prophet was saying, and he said: do not leave us! And the companions looked at Abu Bakr, thinking: what is going on? They did not realize that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was inadvertently telling them that he was going to pass away.

Their love for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was so great that they could not fathom his death. And when he did pass away, the companions were in a state of loss and disbelief. Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, when he heard of the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, went to the people — who were in a state of commotion — and said: whoever says the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, has passed away, I will deal with him.

And Abu Bakr, when he came out and saw the commotion and heard what Umar was saying to the people, went to the corner and gathered the people around him, and said: whoever used to worship Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, let them know that Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, has passed away. And whoever used to worship Allah, then Allah is all-living and He will never die. And he recited the ayah:

And he also recited:

Umar said: when I heard these verses being recited, it was as if it was the first time I had ever heard them. So great was their love for the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. They could not fathom the day he would pass away.

Love for the Prophet After His Passing

Even after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, the companions would still reflect upon and think about him. Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, when he was leading the Muslims in prayer and recited the portion of Surah Yusuf — when Yaqub was talking about the loss of his son Yusuf — Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, started to cry because he was thinking about the loss of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. And then he recited the ayah:

Umar, again, started to cry even more because it reminded him of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Even after his death, peace and blessings be upon him, that love was still ingrained in them.

Bilal's Final Adhan

Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, used to make the adhan for the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. After the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, passed away, he stopped making the adhan. He could not handle the heaviness that was on him because of the Prophet's death. And years later, when Umar was the leader of the Muslims and Bilal was an old man, Umar said to him: O Bilal, make the adhan for one last time, so we can remember the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

So Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, started making the adhan. And when he reached the part — أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ — I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah — he broke down. He could not continue. And the companions behind him broke down. Umar and the major companions of that time all broke down in tears because it reminded them of the days of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Hearing Bilal making the adhan reminded them of those delightful days — those days of happiness — when they were with the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.

And Bilal, even on his deathbed — as he was about to die and his wife was saying: this is a great calamity, a great calamity, you are about to die — Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, smiled at her and said: tomorrow I will meet my beloved Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and his companions.

Where Do We Stand?

So having heard these few words in this khutbah, we have to ask ourselves: where do we stand with regards to following the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him? Where do we stand with regards to the love we have for the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him? When we hear something is a Sunnah, when we hear that this is something that the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, did — will it affect us in a way that it affected the companions?

Sometimes we use our intellect. We think we are more intelligent than the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. We say: eat with your right hand — and we say: what is the difference, left and right? Is our Islam going to diminish if we eat with our left hand? No. The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered us to do something. So we do it.

The way we look, the way we act, the way we behave with others — it should all be in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. It is upon myself and yourself to educate those around us — our families and those we have influence over — about the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and to implement it in our daily lives.

May Allah forgive us. And if He does not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will be among the losers. Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the punishment of the Fire. And peace and blessings be upon the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and upon his family and companions.