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بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Friday Sermon
HAZRAT KHALIFATULLAH AL-MASSIH AL-MA’OUD
Munir Ahmad Azim
(14 Rabi’ul Awwal 1432 Hijri)
(Summary of Friday Sermon)
After having greeted everybody with the Salutations of Peace, the Messiah (Massih’ullah) read the Tashahhud, Taouz and Surah Al Fatiha and then he said:
لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا
Laqad kaana lakum fii Rasuulil-laahi uswatun hasanatul-liman kaana yarjullaaha wal yawmal aakhira wa zakarallaaha kasiiraa.
“You have in the Prophet of Allah a perfect model for him who hopes in Allah and the Last Day and who remembers Allah a lot.” (Chapter 33 Verse 22)
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) belonged to the Quraish tribe found in Mecca, the central town of Arabia. The Quraish was of the descent of Prophet Ibrahim (upon him be peace) through his son Ismail (upon him be peace). The Ka’aba was renovated by both Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail some 2600 years before the birth of Muhammad (peace be upon him).
At the time of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the whole world went through of sorts of ordeals and difficult situations. There was a decline in morality and religion. The conditions in Arabia were very bad. The Arabs used to commit all sorts of vices like indulging in alcoholic drinks, gambling and it was a common thing that tribes used to fight among themselves on several topics, even useless ones, and this bad behaviour remained with them generations after generations. In a nutshell they were barbarous people and every little thing of no importance used to offend them and cause them to lose their temper and fight.
Despite the fact that the Arabs used to believe in one Supreme God (Allah) and Prophet Ibrahim (on him be peace), they worshipped other divinities along with Allah, carving idols with which they represented these idols. In all there were 360 idols in and around the Ka’aba and Arabs all over Arabia used to come to Mecca in pilgrimage to worship these idols every year. Thus, the Arabs developed such good qualities as good sense of hospitality, honour, bravery and they used to like poetry a lot.
The women at that time did not have a great status in the Arabian society. Certain families (the heads of the families) were hot tempered and they were without any compassion. They were narrow-minded and thus they did not shudder or blink even an eye when, without pity they burnt or buried their new-born daughters. Slavery also was common and the conditions of the slaves were deplorable and hard to face. Their lives were a living hell. Thus, it was in such conditions and society that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born.
In the year 570 (Christian Era), some times before the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Abraha, ambassador of Ethiopia in Yemen sent an expedition in Mecca with the intention of destroying the Ka’aba. Unfortunately for him his intent was shed to pieces by Allah. A great number of his soldiers who were on elephant backs were destroyed by an epidemic. That year (570 Christian Era) was then known as the year of the Elephant – and a Quranic Chapter was later on revealed on this subject entitled: Chapter 105 Verse 1-6 – Al-Fil (The Elephant).
“Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the people of the Elephant?” (Verse 2)
Explanation: The people of the Elephant – the army of Abraha who was an Abyssinian. He attacked Mecca before the advent of Islam and the soldiers were hunched on elephant backs. Allah sent them birds which attacked them with stones and killed them.
The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was born in Mecca in August 570 (Christian Era). There are some historians who even established his date of birth as 24 April 571 (Christian Era).
His father, Abdullah died long before his birth. Some time before his birth, the Holy Prophet’s mother, Amina saw a vision in which an angel told her to name his son Muhammad (the praiseworthy) once he is born. Moreover a light issued forth from her womb and she was dazzled by this light which brightened the whole world.
His paternal grandfather, Abdul Mutallib, who was one of the chiefs of Mecca used to care a lot for him (peace be upon him), so did Halima who was the nurse of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) from his babyhood to early childhood. This was a custom in Arabia that every newborn be cared for by nurses or surrogate mothers.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was completely orphaned when his mother died when he was six years old. He then was put under the care of his paternal grandfather for two years till the latter’s death.
Thereafter the responsibility of the little Muhammad (peace be upon him) fell upon the shoulders of his paternal uncle Abu Talib. Abu Talib had a large family, yet he was not so rich, but despite this fact, he took great care of his nephew with love and consideration. In return, the little Muhammad (peace be upon him) showed himself to be a very peaceful and obedient. Moreover, he had a great gift of talking to people and making friends (with good manners).
When he grew up, he became an even more respectable child and adolescent, with excellent manners, behaviour and attitude. Among the Meccans he was very quickly known as “the trustworthy” and “the truthful”. He regularly helped his paternal uncle and adopted father in his work. When he was 12 years old, he was able to accompany his uncle in Syria for his transactions (as a trader). Each time he witnessed a dispute among the people, he was among the first to come forward to establish peace and end the dispute. He became later involved in an association led by youths like him to form a pact called “Hilful-Fudool” wherein there was the stipulation that they shall help the poor and oppressed and re-establish their rights in society.
In the year 594 (Christian Era), Khadija (May Allah be pleased with her), a rich widow in Mecca heard about the exploit of Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the field of trade and as being a honest man. She thus sought him for employment for her business interest. The young Muhammad (peace be upon him) showed himself to be worthy of his excellent reputation and thus, attracted to him because of these excellent qualities, Khadija later on asked his hand in marriage. Khadija was the daughter of Khuwaylid and after their wedding, Khadija (May Allah be pleased with her) bore him seven children: 3 sons and 4 daughters. Their 3 sons were: Qasim, Tayyib and Tahir; and their daughters were: Zaynab, Ruqayya, Umm Kulthum and Fatima. All their sons died in infancy while their daughters lived to see the prophethood and struggle of their noble father as Messenger of Allah.
Before her marriage to him, Khadija (May Allah be pleased with her) was twice widowed and it was only at the age of 40 that she married the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) – long before his prophethood when Muhammad (peace be upon him) was only 25 of age. Just after their wedding, Khadija bequeathed all her riches to her husband (to deal with as per his wishes) and thus Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) upon taking possession of these riches, distributed a large part of it to the poor.
When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was 35 years old, the Quraish decided to rebuild the Ka’aba. When the moment came to put the sacred black stone in its place, all four main chiefs of Mecca began to dispute to obtain this favour. To avoid a great fight, it was Muhammad (peace be upon him) who came forward to mediate between them and thus the solution he proposed that he put the stone in a cloth which is to be held at its four corners by all four chiefs and that he himself would put with his hands the black stone in its rightful place. Upon hearing this proposition, all the chiefs agreed to do as per the bid of Muhammad (peace be upon him), the most trustworthy and truthful person among them all.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was very concerned about the moral and spiritual decline of his people. He did not found any solution to this ordeal except to turn towards Allah and seek His help. He thus made it a habit to go into retreat (spiritual retreat) in a cave name Hira which is found on Mountain Nur. This mountain was about 3 miles north of Mecca. There, he spent his time in prayers to Allah and meditation. This habit extended over some 5-10 years till he reached 40. In the year 610 (Christian Era), during a night in the month of Ramadan, when being engrossed in prayers, suddenly he saw someone in a vision commanding him to recite the following words, later known as the first revelation of the Holy Quran:
“Ikra bismi Rabbikallazii khalaq, Khalaqal-insaana min ‘alaq, Iqra wa Rabbukal-Akram, Allazii allama bil-Qalam, Allamal-insaana maa lam yalam”
Translation:
“Proclaim, in the name of your Lord Who created, Who created man from a clot of blood. Proclaim! And your Lord is the Most Generous; Who taught by the pen, Taught man what he knew not.” (Chapter 96 Verses 2-6)
That man was in fact the archangel of divine revelation Jibreel (upon him be peace). It was him who brought this first revelation from Allah to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). It is clear that his prophetic mission began with the receipt of that first revelation. Afterwards, Muhammad (peace be upon him) went back home shaken by what he witnessed in the cave. He told his wife: “Cover me! Cover me!” Khadija (May Allah be pleased with her) was very worried because of the great responsibility which Allah gave her husband. But nevertheless she was the one big comfort, giving moral support to the Prophet of Allah, assuring him that Allah shall never leave him in this noble mission which He bestowed upon him. Thereafter she took him to her Christian cousin, a learned person in matters of religion named Waraqa bin Naufal. Upon hearing what his cousin told him, he said to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him): “I am sure that the angel who came to Moses was the same one to come to you.” (Bukhari)
Waraqa bin Naufal was referring to the prophecy mentioned in the Bible (Deuteronomy 18 : 18).
After his proclamation as Prophet of Allah, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) began his preaching in secret. Khadija bint Khuwaylid (his wife) was the first person to have believed in him, and afterwards came Zaid bin Harith (his freed slave and adopted son), Ali bin Abu Talib (his cousin) who was ten to eleven years old, and Abu Bakr (his long-time friend). Next came Uthman Bin Affaaa, Abdur Rahman bin Auf, Sa’ad bin Abi Waqqas, Zubair bin Al-Awwam, and Talha bin Ubaidah. His secret preaching continued for three years, and after receiving the official Divine command, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) began preaching openly, to one and all, first beginning with his very own people, the Quraysh. He advised the people of Mecca to worship only one God (Allah), to free all slaves and to be polite (and generous) towards the poor. The poor people and the slaves of Mecca were attracted to his message (the Islamic teachings) which was for the establishment of their rights in society. While the poor and oppressed were attracted to the divine message, the rich among the Quraysh and their chiefs rejected the Prophet’s call and they began a harsh campaign to persecute and torture all new converts to Islam, especially the slaves. Among those who used to persecute the newly converted Muslims were: Umar bin Hash-Shaam (Abu Jahal), Abu Lahab (paternal uncle of the Prophet of Allah), Abu Sufyan and others.
In the fifth year of his call to prophethood, the Muslims went through a lot of hardships. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) advised them to leave Mecca for Abyssinia (Habasha) and therefore 14 men and women went to seek refuge there. The next year, some 101 Muslim men and women went to Abyssinia and there they lived in peace until they came to know of the emigration of the Prophet of Allah to Medina.
The sovereign of Abyssinia was known to the Arabs as Najashi and in the Ethiopian language Negus means King. And Negus name was As-Hama. Najashi was a Christian, but later on accepted Islam and died as a Muslim in the times of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
In the sixth year of his call to prophethood, two influent personalities accepted Islam. One was the paternal uncle of the Prophet of Allah known as Hamza and the second was Umar ibn Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with them). Both were influent and powerful people from among the Quraysh. These two conversions to Islam meant a great support for the Muslims (for not just the fact that they were influent people, but also because people knew these two as great warriors, fearless and courageous). The Quraysh decided to punish the Muslims by imposing a boycott on the clan of Hashim (Banu Hashim – which were composed of both Muslims and non-Muslims because they were all of the families of Muhammad (peace be upon him)) and the Muslims in general. The Quraysh were strictly forbidden to speak to them. Moreover, no marriage contract is to be made with them and also no commercial transaction is to be made to them, including food. The infidels of Mecca all agreed upon this and Mansur ibn Ikrima even wrote down this agreement for boycott and pinned to the Ka’aba so that every one of the Arabs can be aware of such a Social Boycott and respect the agreements mentioned therein. Thus, due to this intense boycott, the family of the Prophet and the Muslims were forced to leave Medina for a valley called Shi’b Abi Talib. They stayed there for about three years. There condition was very deplorable for they had no food. Some had to eat even leaves! The children were famished and thus these three years were years of intense persecution and thus the Prophet when recalling this period in the Muslims’ lives called these three years, years of grief. All this happened in the tenth year of his prophetic mission and it was in that year itself that he lost both his wife Khadija and his uncle Abu Talib. He was very grieved by these events and thus the name ‘Year of Grief’ which he gave to that year (including the years of boycott which they went through together in the valley).
THE OBJECTIVES BEHIND HAVING MANY WIVES
Let us ponder over the circumstances which led the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) to marry many women. His marriage with Khadija lasted for 25 years and during this period; he did not take any other wives (despite that it was an Arab custom that the men took many wives). His first wife was 65 years old when she died and the Prophet was 50 years old at the time of her death. After emigration to Medina, it was then that Islam truly progressed and was propagated everywhere whereby many tribes embraced Islam. Now, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) needed many wives to succeed in certain fields of his objectives as Messenger of Allah. I shall give you a brief why.
He married with women from the different tribes to establish good relations with these tribes and to encourage spreading of the words of Allah amongst them. He married widows as an expression of compassion, kindness and generosity but primarily to protect their honour and elevate the status of women in society, a respectable status and dignity, especially in such a society which viewed women and girls as the lowest of the low – a barbarous society. Moreover more wives meant also teachers to promote the true values of Islam among women in general, and to make the spiritual education of the Muslim women of their time. Thus, the spiritual education of women was important, so that in turn these ladies can be apt to reform other newly converts and establish them in Islam. In this sphere, the young Aisha did an exceptional work of excellence (educating both the men and women of the whole Ummah).
The Holy Prophet was the embodiment of excellence, nobility, good conduct and he had great affection for all his wives, such a sentiment which was based on mutual respect, justice and equality.
A brief account on his Respected Wives (May Allah be pleased with them):
1. Khadija bint Khuwaylid: was a rich woman in Mecca who was twice widowed. She married the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) in the year 595 (Christian Era) when she was 40 years old and her husband was 25 years old. She died two years before the Prophet’s emigration to Medina. The Prophet of Allah did not take any other wife while he was married to her. 2. Together they had 7 children, three sons and four daughters. No other wives except Maria gave the Prophet of Allah children. While Khadija gave the Prophet three sons, Maria Qibtiah had a son named Ibrahim who died some months (18 months) after his birth. The names of the 8 children of the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) are as thus: Qasim, Tayyib, Tahir, Ibrahim, Zaynab, Ruqayya, Umm Kulthum and Fatima (May Allah be pleased with them all). 3. Sauda bint Zama: A widow in her fifties whom he married in 620 (Christian Era) and she died in 24 (After Hijra). 4. Aisha bint Abu Bakr: Daughter of Abu Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him), she was of excellent exceptional intelligence. Prior to her wedding to the Holy Prophet of Islam, the latter (peace be upon him) more than once saw an angel presenting to him in a silk cloth the photo of Aisha, indicating to him that she was both his wife on earth and in the Hereafter (thus this being Divine instruction and clear indication for the Prophet to marry her). Aisha, not only excel in religious affairs but was also a devoted wife to the Prophet of Allah. She always maintained herself clean and she was a very pious lady. Most of the sayings of the Prophet (peace be upon him) are reported by her. 5. Hafsa bint Umar: Daughter of Umar ibn Al-Khattab whom the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) married in 624 (Christian Era) after she became a widow. She was honoured to be the first guardian of the original text of the Holy Quran. She died in 45 (After Hijra). 6. Zaynab bint Khuzaimah: Twice widowed and her second husband was martyred in the Battle of Uhud. After the death of her husband, she got several marriage proposal but she refuse all until the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) proposed to her and she accepted that honour (in 625 Christian Era). But shortly after her wedding (some two to three months after) she died at the age of 30. Due to her immense generosity and consideration to the poor, she was known by the title of “Mother of the Poor”. Thus her death was hard upon those under her care. 7. Umm Salama: She was a widow with four children when the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) married her in 626 (Christian Era) and she died in 63 (After Hijra) at the age of 84. She was the oldest among the wives of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). 8. Juwayriyah bint Harith: Daughter of Harith, a tribal chief. She was a widow and the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) married her when she was 20 in 620 (Christian Era). She died at the age of 65. 9. Zaynab bint Jahsh: She was the daughter of the Prophet’s paternal aunt. She was firstly married by the Prophet to Zaid ibn Harith, the freed slave and adopted son of the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) but due to irreconcilable differences, the marriage did not last. Thus, under Divine commandment, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) got married to Zaynab bint Jahsh. Cruel tongues began spreading the word that the Prophet of Allah married her daughter-in-law, but it is a fact that Zaid ibn Harith was never the biological son of the Prophet of Allah. The marriage happened in 626 (Christian Era) and Zaynab bint Jahsh was 38 years old. She died at the age of 53. 10. Umm Habiba: Daughter of Abu Sufyan. When upon leaving Mecca for Abyssinia along with her first husband, the latter renounced Islam and became a Christian. Thus, Umm Habiba stopped all relations with him. Once, she even dreamt that a voice was calling her: “O Ummul Mumineen!” She was scared but later on when the Holy Prophet sent her a marriage proposal through the Negus (of Abyssinia) she understood her dream. It was the Negus himself who pronounced her Nikah and conducted the marriage ceremony in 628 (Christian Era) and made arrangements for someone to sent her to Medina to her new husband (peace be upon him). Umm Habiba died at the age of 73. 11. Safiyya: Daughter of one of the tribal chiefs of the Banu Nadir. During the battle of Khaybar, both her father and husband died, leaving her and her people to be made captives of the Muslims. When she was liberated later on, she accepted Islam. Moreover, upon the marriage proposal of the Prophet of Allah, she accepted. Through this marriage, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) wanted to consolidate ties with the Jews who were beforehand harsh enemies of Islam. Safia died at the age of 62. 12. Maimuna bint Harith: Twice widowed, she was the sister-in-law of the paternal uncle of the Prophet of Allah, Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him). Her father Harith belonged to the tribe of Harzin. Upon the suggestion of his paternal uncle, the Prophet married her in 629 (Christian Era) when she was 30 years old. She died at the age of 73. 13. Maria Qibtia: The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) married Maria in the year 629 (Christian Era). Beside Khadija, she was the only wife to have given the Prophet a child. They had a son named Ibrahim. When Ibrahim was born, he was with the exception of Fatima the only child (son) of the Prophet being alive, all the others having already died. That is why, the Prophet had a special love for him. But as it was the decree of Allah, when his son was 18 months old, he died. This saddened a lot the Prophet of Allah and he was seen with tears in his eyes. But nevertheless he submitted to the will of Allah and thus it was one of his excellent qualities which he left for mankind.
I will now talk a little about his death. The month of Dhul-Hijjah was nearing and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) decided to accomplish the great pilgrimage (Hajj). He sent messages all over Arabia, inviting the Muslims to join him to participate in this pilgrimage. Thus he, and a large party of believers marched towards Mecca. At Muzdalifa, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and the believers put on their Ihram.
“Labaik Allahoumma Labaik, Labaik, Labaik la Shareeka laka labbaik.Innal-hamda wan nimata laka wal-mulk.La shareeka lak”.
(I respond to Your call O Allah, I respond to Your call, and I am obedient to Your orders, You have no partner, I respond to Your call All the praises and blessings are for You, All the sovereignty is for You, And You have no partners with you.)
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) arrived in Mecca on the fifth Dhul-Hijjah after a journey of 19 days. He accomplished the Tawaf (seven times circumbulation of the Ka’aba) and afterwards made the Sa’i.
The eighth Dhul-Hijjah, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and the believers left Mecca for Medina where they spent the night and the next day (ninth Dhul-Hijjah) after Fajr prayers, they headed for Arafat.
There the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) made his farewell sermon. He reminded his Ummah:
1. about the Unicity of Allah. 2. that each one will be responsible for his own deeds on the Day of Judgement. 3. that they should perform the five daily prayers as ordained by Allah. 4. to observe the obligatory fasting during the month of Ramadan. 5. to accomplish the Hajj. 6. To spend in Zakaat. 7. that all believers were brothers in religion and form one whole body. 8. that usury is forbidden in Islam 9. to act in a decent manner with the ladies. 10. to obey an Amir who acts according to the Book of Allah. (Not one who is a tyrant and usurper of the riches and honour of Islam!) 11. to avoid adultery. 12. that all men were equal. An Arab is not superior to a non-Arab and vice-versa, a white person is not superior to a black one and vice-versa. Superiority exists only on the question of piety (and/or Fear of Allah - Taqwa).
While he was in Arafat, the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) received the following verse of the Holy Quran as revelation:
“Al-Yawma ak-maltu lakum diinakum wa’at-mamtu alaykum mi-matii wa raziitu lakumul Islaama diinaa.”
This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as religion. (Chapter 3 Verse 4)
After this speech, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) completed the Hajj and at the end of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, he along with the believers returned back to Medina.
There he fell ill and it was on Monday the twelfth Rabi’ul Awwal that he died. He was 63 years old.
Thus, we must bear in mind that success of a believer (male or female) be it on earth and the hereafter lies in obedience to Allah and following the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The life of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) is that excellent model for humanity. Thus, we must make the necessary efforts to follow that perfect model for mankind. By studying the life of the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him), we learn a lot what behaviour to adopt in life. What is praiseworthy in the life of the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) is the patience he bore. How much patience must he have had to transform the whole of Arabia wherein the people were deep in idolatry and afterwards some years later, Arabia witnessed the sole worship of Allah? Keep learning about the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and this become a Must for each Muslim. Let’s pray that Allah help us to spread His religion as He wants us. Ameen.
To conclude, let’s pray also for the victims of the horrendous attack on Ahmadi Muslims in Indonesia. The local Ahmadi people received warnings about a sure attack and thus other Ahmadi people (the youths) from other places in Indonesia came to help in (as security). The non-Ahmadi Mullahs wanted the religious preacher out but the Ahmadis of Indonesia showed courage in not succumbing to their warnings. The evildoers penetrated the mission house and killed mercilessly (through barbarous means) three Ahmadi Muslims while five were severely injured. The acts of killing were so horrendous that the dead bodies were barely recognisable.
I had already sent severe warnings to the government of Indonesia and its Mullahs but they did not heed my warning. The culprits from among the Muslims shall soon see that Allah is against those who attack those who say that they believe in one of the elects of Allah, that is, the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on him be peace). Now, instead of being one like ordained by Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him), there is much division between Muslims, each taking themselves as superior, but all in all, when Allah sent to them His messenger in this era, to revert back to the original teachings of Islam, what do they do? They scoff off the message of Allah and ridicule His Chosen One. May Allah help the Muslims and humanity at large to understand that violence (until ordains by Allah Himself like in the era of the Prophet of Islam) is to no avail but it is respect which bounds people and Insha-Allah, creating such a bond in worship of Allah alone. Ameen. |
