Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education

The Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education (NFIE) is a non-profit, tax exempt, religious and educational organization dedicated to serve Islam with a special focus on Tasawwuf(Sufism),

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

MAWLID:TRULY GOD'S GIFT TO THE WORLD Should Such a Thing be Celebrated? Shaykh Jihad Hashim Brown

بسم الله افرحمن افرحقم

TRULY GOD'S GIFT TO THE WORLD Should Such a Thing be Celebrated?

Jihad Hashim Brown

PDF File with Arabic Text : file:///Users/User/Documents/Shaykh%20Jihad%20Brown%20Mawlid%20Article.pdf

The blessings of Allah are so many. They are humanly innumerable:

But if you count the favors of Allah, never will you be able to number themIbrahim:14.

The greatest of them is without doubt, the blessing of faith. From the infinite wisdom of Allah faith does not come to us except by way of His Messenger, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah . It was in fact the Will of Allah that no one can truly know Him except by way of the Messenger Muhammad :

Allah did confer great favor on the Believers when He sent among them a Messenger from among themselves; rehearsing unto them the signs of Allah; sanctifying them, and instructing them in scripture and wisdom; while

before that, they had been in manifest error.ali 'imran 164.

We spend our entire lives striving to show thanks to Allah for His blessing. In fact, showing thanks for the receipt of Muhammad is akin to celebrating the gift of faith itself.

One of the legal definitions of shukr (thanksgiving) is: ِِِِِِِِِِِِ

“The delight of the heart at the receipt of the blessing along with the disposal of the limbs in the obedience of the bestower; and the acknowledgement of the blessing of the bestower from a standpoint of submission.”

Delivering thanksgiving to Allah is a legal obligation on every responsible person,

Thank Me and don't be unappreciativeal-baqara:15.

It is the mark of the sincere slaves,

Indeed he was a thankful slaveal-Isra:3, Allah says of the Prophet Nuh ; yet it is a rare station indeed,

And very few of My slaves are thankfulsaba':13. We ask Allah to assist us in being truly thankful slaves. How could we not be thankful for, or celebrate the praises of the one whom Allah enumerates the

praises of so many times in His Qur'an. Such as His saying:

Indeed you are on a lofty standard of characteral-qalam:4.

This verse was echoed in the words of Imam Abdullah al-Haddad when he said:

A prophet, his character tremendous, the character that was glorified by the All-Merciful in the Master of Books

Truly golden words, which can be found inscribed on the outside of the Prophetic Chamber itself in the Illumined City of Madinah.

How could we not appreciate the one whose emulation Allah has made the gateway to His love?

Say: If you do love Allah, follow me: Allah will love youali 'imran 31.

The one whom the faith of no believer is complete until the love of him surmounts the love of all other things:

((None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than his child or parent or all of the people in their entirety)) bukhari, muslim, ahmad, ibn majah.

The one about whose love his daughter Fatimah, the Sayyida of the Women of Paradise lamented:

Is it not for the one who has smelt the earth of the grave of Ahmad; that he never for time eternal bear the fragrance of exquisite perfumes?
Upon me have been poured tribulations the extent of which, had they been poured upon the days, they would have turned into nights

How could we not be consumed with love and appreciation for the one but for whose presence amongst us, Allah would have unleashed His wrath:

But Allah would not punish them so long as you are amongst themal-anfal:33.

And he is still amongst us in his grave-life in Madinah. That said, it must also be noticed that what is usually translated here as "amongst" is actually the preposition fi, literally "in". So it becomes "Allah would not punish them so long as you are 'in' them. The deeper meaning of which is echoed in the verses of the Scholar and Jurist al-Bayanuni when he said:

A heart that the love of Ahmad has taken root therein; indeed by Allah never could the earth devour it

So this being the case, the believer should be preoccupied all year round with the mention of the praises of our Prophet Muhammad ; reviewing his sirah (biography), and extolling his virtues. Day in and day out, month in and month out, and even more critically in the month of rabi' al-awwal, the month in which Allah brought him into the world as a guidance and a mercy for all mankind:

And you have no blessing but that it is from Allahal-nahl:53

If we are not giving special emphasis in this month, then what is going on during the rest of the year?

In fact, the observance or commemoration of a specific moment in religious history is nothing strange to Islamic Law. The Prophet , upon his arrival to Madinah, found the Jews fasting the day of 'ashura'. When he inquired about this he was told that this was the day in which Allah saved their Prophet and drowned their enemy so they fast out of thanksgiving to Allah for this blessing. To this the Prophet responded:

((We have more right to Musa than they))

So he fasted and ordered the others to do likewise [bukhari & muslim]. When he was himself asked about his own custom of fasting on Mondays he responded:

((On this day I was born and on it I received revelation))

muslim, abu dawud, al-tirmidhi, al-nasa'i, ibn majah & ahmad

As that twelfth day of rabi' al-awwal passes every year, it is really the same metaphysical envelope that contained the moment of his birth. The day on which, in the words of the famous

poet of prophetic praise, al-Busayri:

 A Countenance Brilliant like the Sun itself; was unveiled by a Radiant Night

The Night of His Birth whose day was for the Deen; a Pride and Joy” It was said of the birth of the Prophet Yahya ,

So peace on him the day he was born, the day he dies, and the day that he will be raised up to life againmaryam:15.

Likewise the Prophet 'Isa said of his own birth:

So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life again

maryam:33.

So what then of the birth of the seal of the Prophets for whom all other Prophets were only a precursor and a prelude?

Allah has commanded us to invoke blessings upon the Prophet as He Himself and His angels do [al-ahzab:56];

Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect

al-Ahzab 33:56

and a command in Legal Method denotes an obligation to be obeyed. The Muslim celebration of the Prophet's birth (mawlid) is one way of responding to that command. It consists of invoking blessings upon him , reviewing the story of his sirah, reminding the community of his virtues, feeding the Muslims, and giving charity to the poor; all of which are not only condoned by Islamic Law but sought after. The legal principle:

"That, without which a legal obligation cannot be completed, is itself obligatory" applies here.

It is not proposed for a moment that the exact format of the classical mawlid celebration was the practice of the first generation of Muslims. But the entirety of the format consists only of elements that were indeed the condoned practice of the first generation. In addition, the classical format as it stands has been received with acceptance by the overwhelming majority of scholars of this ummah from the earliest of generations. Here, the principle based on the famous statement of Ibn Mas'ud must be invoked:

"Indeed the performance of the walimah (feast) and the feeding of food is recommended at any time. So what if there is added to that the joy and happiness at the magnification of the Light of the Prophet in this noble month? And just because it is an innovation doesn't mean that it is blameworthy. How many an innovation is not only recommended (mustahabb) but obligatory (wajib)?" (1)

Al-Suyuti has said:

"it is recommended to manifest thanksgiving for his birth (mawlid) . Also to gather for the feeding of food and the like, of types of offerings of thanksgiving and manifestations of happiness."

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Hajar has said in his Greater Legal Verdicts:

"The origin of performing the mawlid is an innovation, which has not come to us from any of the Righteous Predecessors of the first three generations. But this said [the performance of the mawlid] might be comprised of praiseworthy things and of their opposites. So for whoever seeks out the praiseworthy and avoids their opposites, it is a praiseworthy innovation, and otherwise it is not.

Its affirmation has appeared to me according to a firm origin in the two sahihs; in that the Prophet upon arriving at Madinah found the Jews fasting the day of 'ashura'. He asked about this and they responded: It is the day that Allah drowned Pharaoh and saved Musa, so we fast in thanksgiving to Allah the exalted.

We therefore derive from this the offering of thanksgiving to Allah for what He has bestowed on a specific day, of blessings poured forth or tribulations prevented. That is then repeated on the corresponding day of every year.

Thanksgiving to Allah is achieved through all types of devotion. Like prostration, fasting, charity, and recitation. What blessing is greater than that of the appearance of the Prophet , the Prophet of Mercy on that day?

So this understood, it is imperative to suffice with what gives the meaning of thanksgiving to Allah the Exalted; of recitation and providing food, and singing something of the Prophetic Praises which move the hearts toward the performance of good and working for the hereafter.

As for what is pursuant to that, of audition (sama’) and amusement and the like, it must be said that: what is legally permissible of this and brings about happiness for that day, there is no harm in including it. Likewise what is prohibited or blameworthy must be forbidden, as well as what is contrary to preference(khilaf al-awla)."

In closing, we are reminded in the Qur'an:

Say: With the Bounty of Allah and with His mercy in that let them rejoiceyunus:58.

ِِِ ِِِ Al-Suyuti says in transmission from Ibn Abbas the Bounty of Allah is knowledge, and His Mercy

is Muhammad . Let us not forget the words of Allah:

And We have not sent you except as a mercy to all the worldsal-Anbiya':107

So, with His Mercy in that let them rejoice.

-- Written by the poor slave in need of his Lord, Jihad H. Brown the mawla of Bani Hashim

End Notes:

(1) Allah's Messenger said: ((Whosoever initiates in Islam a good tradition (sunnah) he has the reward for it and the reward for whoever acts on it after him without decreasing anything of his reward. Likewise, whosoever initiates in Islam a blameworthy tradition (sunnah) has the sin of it and the sin of whoever acts on it after him with decreasing anything of their sins)) [muslim, al-nisa'i, ahmad, ibn majah].

So if it is unacceptable that there be such a thing as a praiseworthy innovation, could there be any such thing as a blameworthy sunnah?


Monday, October 26, 2020

Shaykh Muhammad Yahya Bin An-Ninowy - Rabi'ul Awwal(The Original Spring) is the month of Prophetic Birth (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam)



Rabi'ul Awwal (the original Spring) is the month of the Prophetic birth ﷺ. Expressing happiness for this glorious event such as reading and contemplating Qur'an, going through the Prophetic Seerah, increasing the Salawaat onto the most pure of the creation ﷺ, gathering people to talk about the vision and mission of Sayyiduna ﷺ, are all permissible to be done as naturally organic non-legislated/mandated expressions of joy, hope, and love.
#love is not just the best response for hate, but it is the Islamic/Muhammadan one. Love for God, love for the Pure and Beautiful Messenger, love for all good.
The Prophets, such as Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad ﷺ, are all too used to all kinds of abuse and distortion, as is the case with all God-sent reformers. The call for "freedom to hate and humiliate" should be answered by a call for "love and honor". Raise the level of your "love" in your thoughts, words and actions with self and others, and pray for those drowning in their quest to hate.
(And you will certainly hear many hurtful words from those who were given the Scripture before you and ˹from˺ those who associate creation with God. But if you persevere patiently and become Present (with God)—then that is of the steadfast heart of things)-3:186
God informed the followers of Moses, Jesus, Muhammad and previous prophets ﷺ that it is expected if you follow such noble reformers and the line of reform to be abused, defamed and slandered, this may bring satisfaction to the petty, but it should never cause you to lower the level of your thoughts, words or actions in response.
(They cannot harm you save a trifling hurt..)3:111.
Free speech is a God-given right for all, however, hate speech that seek to humiliate many human beings is petty.
Let the Good Tree (الشجرة الطيبة) that yields Good Word come out. #liveyourlove and don't just talk about it. Let #love transform you to selfless love. This is the message of Sayyiduna ﷺ. He ﷺ did not come to be an unconditional mercy to those who love him only, but for all. He came to teach us that all humans are dignified (Indeed, We have dignified all the children of Adam)-17:70.
Evil does not extinguish evil, good does. Darkness does not extinguish darkness, light does (similar statement by ML King).
The Original Spring (Rabi'ul Awwal) purifies, illuminates, and fills with real love. The sign of real love versus claim is transformation. Sayyiduna Muhammad ﷺ came with a message that appeals to the best and highest in us. Never the other direction. Let us expose ourselves and souls to the exuberant source of #love and unconditional mercy, to the one who brought us #hope versus despair, and to the one who taught us #respect, #honor, and #Kindness. He ﷺ taught us that #kindness matters, and that God rewards for #kindness not Verbal Violence.
#Love in the month of #love reminds us with The All-Loving (al-Wadud: God), al-Rahim (The Loving Prophet ﷺ), and positivity, hope, Kindness, and care. The month of Rabi'ul Awwal is not just about the birth of a God-sent Prophet after Moses and Jesus, but is the genesis of #Mercy, #Love, and #Hope to all.
Pray for those who hate, and Let the lovers celebrate. #Celebrate Love..#love, #love, and more #love..Life is too short for anything else. #love on... May all your life be Rabi' (spring of hope, love and happiness).

Friday, October 23, 2020

Mawlid al-Nabi (saws) that the Qur’an tells is bounty, mercy, favor, and grace of God and legitimate to be celebrated for its deserving reward: Ghulam Ghaus

Mawlid al-Nabi (saws) that the Qur’an tells is bounty, mercy, favor, and grace of God and legitimate to be celebrated for its deserving reward

 

 

By Ghulam Ghaus, New Age Islam

14 Jan 2014

The term “Milad al-Nabi” or “Mawlid al-Nabi” has Arabic roots and means “the birthday of the prophet”. The legitimacy of Mawlid celebrations has been majorly endorsed by the most fundamental sources of Islamic law: the Qura’n and the Hadith. The history of Mawlid celebrations of any one of the prophets goes back to the time immemorial. A particularly strong endorsement was expressed when God, Almighty sent peace on the birthday and death-day of the prophet Yahya (pbuh). God Almighty says:

"The peace is on Him (the prophet, Yahya) the day when he was born and the day when he will die and the day when he will be raised alive." (Sura Al-Maryam, Verse 15)

Here God Almighty gave the way to the Mawlid of Yahya (pbuh) by sending peace on him. It is the same way as today mainstream Muslims have adopted to practice the Mawlid celebrations. Just the same way, the Quran tells us, the prophet Jesus (pbuh) celebrated his own birthday:

"And the same peace on me the day I was born and the day I will die and the day I would be raised alive." (Sura Al Maryam, Verse 33)

Though the practice celebrated by God Almighty and the Prophet Jesus (pbuh) has been an apple of discord among Muslims in the last few decades, the mainstream Muslim intellectuals, Jurists (Fuqaha) and scholars over time have come to celebrate it as part of the mental and emotional furniture of Muslim community. The birthday commemoration of the prophet, particularly among the Sufi orders worldwide, is not a departure from the mainstream but a living testimony that the contemporary Muslims are still faithful to the Qur'anic injunction:

“Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace”. [33: 56] 

The Milad al-Nabi or Mawlid is celebrated in different ways in different parts of the world. For example, sweets are distributed, stages are put up, Youth come out dressed in their best and take out rallies on foot and on two-wheelers, carrying flags, raising slogans, reciting songs of peace and blessing upon the prophet (pbuh). The festival is observed with all fanfare. There is an atmosphere of bonhomie and people can be seen exchanging gifts and distributing food to the needy and poor. The day is celebrated with the offering of prayers by thousands in mosques being decorated with lights. Though different in ways of celebration in different parts of the globe, the overall intention is to reflect on the meaning of the prophet’s life, message and what he calls on us to do. In other words we Muslims celebrate “the days of Allah” as guided in the holy Quran: 

“And We certainly sent Moses with Our signs, [saying], "Bring out your people from darkness into the light and remind them of the days of Allah."Indeed in that are signs for everyone patient and grateful” (14:5)

In this verse God Almighty orders his prophet Moses (pbuh) to remind his nation of the days of Allah Almighty. "The days of Allah" are the days when Allah Almighty bestowed his great rewards upon his creatures or some great event took place. As the Holy Quran testifies this explanation:

“And [recall, O Children of Israel], when Moses said to His people, "Remember the favour of Allah upon you when He saved you from the people of Pharaoh, who were afflicting you with the worst torment and were slaughtering your [newborn] sons and keeping your females alive. And in that was a great trial from your Lord”. (14:6)

Hence it means that emancipation of the people of Moses (pbuh) from Pharaoh is the day of independence and the favour of Allah, the 10th of Muharram. The Jews of Madinah celebrated it as a special day on which they fasted in gratitude for salvation. Similarly the birth day of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is also the day of Allah, the day of independence because he emancipated the whole world from the darkness of ignorance, oppression and brought them to the light of guidance. There is no longer any way of doubt now that for Muslims the advent of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the favour and ‘the day of Allah’ that deserves to be celebrated.

The mention of the prophet’s birthday in the Qur'an is more exalted, closer to the angelic realm where God Almighty said:

"Indeed, there has come to you Light and a clear Book from Allah." [5: 15]

The widely approved Qura’nic exegetes have concluded that the "Light" as mentioned here is the beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his birth is believed to be the turning point of a new cycle in the history of mankind and the source of the Divine message of Islam and the Noble Qur'an.

The legal status of the Mawlid –al Nabi can also be ensured by the words of the Quran where the Prophet Jesus (pbuh), during his supplication on behalf of his disciples, said;

‘Isa, the son of Maryam (Jesus, the son of Mary) said: ‘O Allah, our Lord, send down to us from heaven the table spread (with bounties) so that (the day of its descent) becomes (‘Id) a festival day for us, and for our predecessors (as well as) successors, and that (spread table) comes as a sign from You, and provide us with sustenance, and You are the Best Sustainer.’ (surah Maidah: 114)

Here the day that the heavenly table descended causes a festival (Eid) for those living in the contemporary era of the prophet Jesus (pbuh), his predecessors and successors. The Quran exegetes have elaborated it saying that here the Eid for his successors include all mankind who would come till the last day. For a heavenly table of food, an Eid was held. What then for the coming to mankind of one who would be a mercy to the whole world. Can we not celebrate at least his annual commemoration?

To remove every doubt I must quote God Almighty to demonstrate that the Mawlid celebration is permissible:

“But call to mind the blessing of Allah upon you when you were enemies (one to another). Then He created the bond of love amongst your hearts, and by His blessing you became brothers” (3:103)

 God Almighty said:

“O Children of Ya‘qub (Jacob)! Recall those favours that I bestowed upon you, and that I exalted you above all the people (of your age)”. (2:47)

God Almighty said:

“Say: ‘(All this) is due to the bounty and mercy of Allah (bestowed upon you through raising Muhammad [blessings and peace be upon him] as the exalted Messenger). So the Muslims should rejoice over it. This is far better than (all that affluence and wealth) that they amass.’ (Surah Yunus:58)

In the verses mentioned above God Almighty orders us to enjoy on his grace and mercy. By grace, bounty, mercy and favour, God means the prophet Muhammad (pbuh). We realize that each favour of Allah Almighty is great mercy for us. Even our existence is also a mercy of Allah Almighty. As for the advent of the prophet, it is the greatest mercy and favour of God Almighty to us and hence we ought to enjoy the Mawlid observance.

Let alone Muslims, even the non-Muslim who rejoices on the birth day of the Holy Prophet would not be severely punished.  Imam Bukhari (ra) narrates that the punishment of Abu Lahab would be made easy in the hell on Monday. This is because when the prophet was born, he rejoiced and freed his handmaid indicating by his finger.  So as a reward of happiness on Milad al-Nabi (pbuh) he would be given water by his finger. (Saheehul Bukhari Vol. 2, Page 764)

Islam perpetuated the significant memories by means of the stories mentioned in the holy Quran. For instance, it prescribed the laws of fasting and the pilgrimage. The fasting rituals during the month of ‘Ramadan’ commemorate the memory of revelation of the Quran in it. Just the same the pilgrimage (Hajj) rituals are performed to commemorate the actions of Hajrah, the prophets Ismai’l and Ibrahim (peace be upon them). The idea that the canonical Islamic rituals are the acts of commemoration is tabled into the debates over the legitimacy of the Mawlid al-Nabi.

The word Zikra’a (commemoration) emphasizes an informative model where the listeners learn about the didactic dimension of the prophet’s biography; his noble characters, generosity towards Muslims and non-Muslims together inspiring with his words, 'I have come to perfect noble character’. His noble character is the subject matter of the holy Quran. In the worldly affairs, the Prophet's character is an unprecedented example for us to adopt moderation in spirit, justice, generosity, dignity, moral excellence, humility, bravery moral excellence, sympathy for others and constant fear of the Lord. Such commemoration features in the modern discussions of the Mawlid celebrations.

The numerous proofs we have quoted justifies the birthday commemoration of the prophets. According to the classical, traditional and many of the highly regarded modern scholars, it is not only permissible but also praiseworthy and recommended and has its deserving reward. They believe it to be a moral and social bridge linking Muslim groups who may be light years away on account of doctrine but neck to neck in their race to honour and celebrate the birthday of the Prophet (pbuh).

To sum up I quote the Hadith "The Prophet (pbuh) said whoever innovates something good in Islam will have its reward and the reward of all those who act according to it and whoever innovates something evil will have its sin and the sin of those who act according to it." (Muslim Shareef)

A similar point is also encapsulated for the acceptability of Mawlid al-Nabi that Imam Abu-Shamah, the Sheikh of Al Hafiz Al Nawawi, said:

"The best of the innovations of our times is what is carried out on the day of corresponding to the birthday of our Beloved Prophet (Allah's Grace & Peace be upon Him), where people give out donations, practice what is right, express their joy and happiness, in doing so is surely a sign of love and admiration for the Prophet (Grace & Peace be upon him)".

A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Ghulam Ghaus is an Alim and Fazil (Classical Islamic scholar) with a Sufi background. He has completed the classical Islamic sciences from a Delhi-based Sufi Islamic seminary Jamia Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia Zakir Nagar, New Delhi with specialization in Tafseer, Hadith and Arabic. He completed his Alimiat and Fazilat respectively from Jamia Warsia Arabic College, Lucknow and Jamia Manzar- e- Islam, Bareilly, U.P. He has graduated in Arabic (Hons) and is pursuing his M.A in Arabic from Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

If you don’t like Mawlid, watch out - Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

If you don’t like Mawlid, watch out 

By Shaykh Hamza Yusuf







The birthday of the Prophet, God’s peace and blessings be upon him, is a great blessing for our community and, indeed, for all believers. So if we know the day, it should renew our joy manifold times. The Mawlid (his birthday) has traditionally been a time to reflect on – and be grateful for – our Prophet, peace be upon him, and his life, miracles, and the sacrifices he made on behalf of his community. Most of our scholars have considered celebrating the Mawlid as a good practice based upon the sound hadith, “Whoever establishes an excellent practice (sunnah hasanah) in Islam has its reward and the reward of those who act upon it.” This hadith, as some less perspicacious have thought, does not contradict the narration of Lady Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, in which she relates that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “Whoever introduces something in this matter of ours that is not from it will find it rejected.”

Celebrating the Mawlid, as great scholars such as Imam al-Suyuti have shown, does not depart from the Sunnah and is a branch from the root of love of the Messenger, peace be upon him.

The latter hadith refers to blameworthy innovations that are not from Islam. Ibn Daqiq al-Eid, a polymath master of Islamic tradition, says that this hadith is foundational and that it rejects any innovation in the religion, and then further explains,

As for those matters that branch off of the roots and do not depart from his Sunnah, peace be upon him, this rejection does not apply to them, such as the copying of the Qur’an [with its innovated orthographies], and the various juristic schools that emerged as a result of the excellent study and thought of our mujtahid scholars capable of seeing the connection that the branches have to the roots, which is what the Messenger, peace be upon him, has transmitted; not included also [in this prohibition] are the later books of grammar, arithmetic, inheritance laws, and other sciences that have their basis in the words of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and his dictates. None of that applies to this hadith.

Celebrating the Mawlid, as great scholars such as Imam al-Suyuti have shown, does not depart from the Sunnah and is a branch from the root of love of the Messenger, peace be upon him.

Loving him is clearly from the Sunnah, as illustrated in the hadith in which when Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, expressed his love saying, “O Messenger of Allah, you are more beloved to me than everything except my own soul,” he was then reminded by the Prophet, peace be upon him, “None of you truly believes until I am more beloved to him than even his own soul between his sides.” At that point, Umar said, “By Allah, you are more beloved to me than my own soul between my sides.” The Prophet, peace be upon him, then said to Umar, “Now, O Umar, now!”

At that moment, Umar’s faith was completed – when his love matured from natural love to willful love. Natural love is the love of a child for a parent or the love of a devoted student for a teacher. This emanates from a simple truth, as stated by the Prophet, peace be upon him: “Hearts are inclined to love those who do good to them.” In other words, the human heart has no choice in the matter of natural love – love simply flows. Willful love, on the other hand, is of a higher order; it is love attained after deep contemplation of the beloved and a profound awareness that the object of one’s love is perfect, as in the case of God, or after the realization of the immense debt one owes to the beloved, as in the case of the Prophet, peace be upon him. Willful love is a matter of choice and introspection. Umar realized that his own soul that he loved so much was nothing, a cipher, without the blessing of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. It was at that moment that his willful love occurred; it took precedent over the natural love that everyone feels instinctively and without musing or meditation.

The celebration of his birthday, peace be upon him, is a matter of willful love, as it is from the religion to honor him and remember him, and part of the remembrance of Allah is to pray upon our Prophet, peace be upon him.

The celebration of his birthday, peace be upon him, is a matter of willful love, as it is from the religion to honor him and remember him, and part of the remembrance of Allah is to pray upon our Prophet, peace be upon him. Anything that helps us to do that, and is not an innovation, is good. Ibn Lubb and others have defined innovation as “what obliterates a sunnah.” Encouraging the community of believers to reflect on the Prophet, peace be upon him, on the sacred day of the 12th of Rabi’a al-Awwal, the day of his birth, is not destructive to the Sunnah that he brought. Moreover, the day itself is auspicious – it was the day of the Prophet’s arrival to Medina after his migration (hijrah). The day he died was also the 12th of Rabi’a al-Awwal. These are not coincidences. So let the lovers love in peace. The Mawlid is a national holiday in every Muslim country in the world except for one. May you use this time to read sirah and reflect on the blessings of his birth.

In closing, I would like to share a poem written by one of my favorite scholars, Ibn Juzayy al-Kalbi, who died a martyr in the battle of Tarifah defending the lands of the Muslims:

I desired to praise the Chosen One and was hindered

By my own inability to grasp the extent of his glory.

How can one such as I measure an ocean, when the ocean is vast?

And how can one such as I count the stones and the stars?

If all of my limbs were to become tongues, even then –

Even then I could not begin to praise him as I desired.

And if all of creation gathered together in an attempt

To praise him, even then they would stint in his due.

I have altogether ceased trying – awestruck, clinging to courtesy,

Tempered by timidity, glorifying his most exalted rank.

Indeed, sometimes silence holds within it the essence of eloquence,

And often speech merely fodder for the faultfinder.

Monday, October 19, 2020

Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah ‘s Talk at Chicago Grand Mawlid January 2016 YouTube Video & Text

Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah ‘s Talk at Chicago Grand Mawlid January 2016

YouTube Video Link https://youtu.be/3gkHBWbBqMI


اللھم افتح علینا حکمتک وانشرعلینا رحمتک یا ذا الجلال والاکرام

Welcome to all of you.
May God bless all of you.
May He record among His angels this session tonight which you have made possible by your presence as one of the great majalis of the heavens & earth. May all of our names be written down in the book of illiyeen, the highest book of the highest secrets
and may all our sins be forgiven, all of our shortcomings be forgiven.

May all of us by the blessings of the Prophet and our attachment to him and our love of him,

may all of our wrongs be blotted out and all our sins be forgiven.
May we love each other and may we work with each other and may we bring this

love of the Prophet to life.

This is the secret, this is the victory and we live in a very difficult time. You know so much about this time and it looks like as if there is no hope, and it looks as if our enemies are about to finish us off but we have a secret, and that secret is in

your heart, and that secret is love of the Prophet . We have to bring that out, cultivate it, nourish it and then everything changes because those who speak about Islam negatively and those who want us out, they do not know who he is

. They never dreamt of who he is and if they knew him, they would be

transformed because that is the kind of human being that he is. We have to

make that known with help of Allah . You, I and all of us have to radiate that light and then there is nothing to fear, and then you will even see that however great your enemy may be, he is quite likely or she is quite likely to become your

friend. So we have the obligation as Muslims to make our love of the Prophet known and to teach why we have that love, and to take this message forward in an authentic way, and then everything begins to change. This ugly version of something they call Islam, this is a travesty of the truth and it has many defects. It has run up like a monster over the last eighty or hundred years in particular. One

mark of that beast is that, it does not know the Prophet at all and it does not love him, it does not even follow him even though they think that they do. So we ask Allah to fill us with that love and to enable us to take that love to every one. When you think about time, what do you think of? Is there an image that comes to your mind? For many of us if we think about time, we think of a straight line and that is because when we went to school, we were shown timelines and that line is straight and this thing happened here and that thing happened there in another place. But time is not a line. That notion of time as a line is fundamentally mistaken and that is a notion of time which is very common today and is based purely on the idea of quantity that things are basically always the same. So here we are in the year 2015 (1437) in the beautiful month of Rabi al- Awwal. Maybe the moon was in the sky tonight, I did not have a chance to look . This is a blessed month but we have a tendency to think of time as a straight line

that would mean that basically everything that happens in time is about the same except that something happens earlier & something happens later but that is not the way time works. Time is fundamentally an embodiment of quality. Time is effected by the events that happen in it, by the people who live in it, by the places that exist in it and if the events are great like the birth of Jesus (peace be upon him) or the birth of Moses (peace be upon him ) who is put in the tabut & sent in

the Nile, or like the birth of the blessed Prophet Muhammad ,then that time is different & there are changes everywhere, there are changes in the earth, there are changes in the flowers, there are changes in the petals of the flowers, there are changes in the stars ,there are changes every where because great events qualitatively transform time. They make it something absolutely different just as blessed places effect space. We live in State of Illinois, this is our home and wonderful brothers & sisters who came from Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, and they are our neighbors. They are all beautiful homes for us but, are they equal to

the land in which the Prophet is buried and in which he lived and in which he walked on the earth? Imam Malik (RA) would not wear shoes in Madinah and he was a wealthy man but he did not want to step with his sandals on any piece of

ground in the blessed city where the Prophet might have stepped & this shows you how much he understood about the greatness of time and the greatness of place and the greatness of space. Time is transformed by you. When you come

together tonight to demonstrate your love for the beloved , then the world is not the same after that, and time is not the same after that! Although this is the time of blessed month of Rabi al-Awwal, Rabi al-Awwal now has treasures & ornaments to wear. So, time is not a line. There are also events that happened in time that transform it in ugly way. So, for example when the great Muslims of Portugal & Spain were conquered and forced to give up what was dear to them than life and to silence their religion. That was not a good time. That was not the time that made the heavens rejoice, but it made the heavens weep. It was horrid and painful and it was too hard to bear. So, this is the way that time works, it goes

up and then it can also go down. It can also come back up and youare a maker of time, youare a transformer of time. How do you do that? By transforming yourself, by transforming your heart, by filling your heart with the love of the

Prophet and tying yourself to him with knowledge ,tying yourself to him also with a Golden Chain, a Silsilah. A chain of living people who knew the

people, who knew the people, who knew the people who knew him and that changes everything. You are a blessed community and you can do amazing things. So we did not come here for entertainment, even though what we heard was extremely entertaining. We did not come here tonight just to be enraptured, even though the words we heard and the drum beats, the beautiful notes were enrapturing. But we came here to renew the covenant! Take my hand, take my

hand, I cannot live without you, I am nothing without you. You are my light, you are my moon, you are my guidance, you are my every thing, take my hand O

blessed one . I give you my life, I will give you anything and you are the beloved . You never saw him and if you saw him, you will not be able to bear it.

Many people cannot dream of the Prophet , because they would not be able to bear it. Do you know how beautiful he is, even when he manifests himself to many people in dreams, he doesn’t come in his full beauty because you cannot bear it if he came as he actually is. I know a person who wanted so much to see

the Prophet but he would not have been able to bear it & one time he saw him a long way away, he saw beautiful but he was long way away because if he gets closer, you will melt and you will not be able to bear it. The Sahabah , they did dhikr, they loved dhikr. Quran was their dhikr. They had a dhikr which is superior to the one I have and the one that you have. They had a dhikr that has

no peer & what was that? It was to look on the face of the beloved and that is

the dhikr to look on the face of Prophet ,to hold his hand, to smell his blessed hand, to smell his fragrance. Maybe he will even give you a glow that is his. Maybe, a hair of his beard and that will be worth to you more than the whole world. That’s why they were transformed and then they transformed time itself.

So when the blessed Prophet was born, it was a time when it seemed as if the world was going to end. Abrahah comes towards Makkah with his elephant to try to destroy the Kaaba, but in that same year when God rescued the Kaaba with little birds with stones as a miracle, in the same year was born the miracle, in that same year was born the blessed one, the chosen one, the Prophet of the end of

days, the Mustafa Muhammad and time begins to change, and time begins to

turn around. If we were to look at the world in the days of the beloved ,the idea that, that world could be renewed, that world could be changed, that world could be made civilized, was impossible. And by an orphan born in the city of Makkah among a people, who never had a state, never had a government, never

had an army or an administration, who were not civilized people and he was going to change the world? Speak about the impossibilities! But, he is the master of revolution, and he is faced by impossible obstacles and every one of them, he

overcomes beautifully. It is said when the Prophet was born, he became an island in a sea of chaos. If you and I think about that, maybe we think of Arabia because Arabia was in chaos. It was difficult to rule, difficult to control. The idea that this could be the cradle of civilization, who would have ever thought of that? But that ocean of chaos was not just Arabia, it was not just Hijaz, it was not just Najd, it was not just Tehama, it was not just Eastern provinces, it was the whole world. The whole world was a raging sea of chaos and those companions who within a few decades would come forth from Arabia with a light in their hearts &

faces, hearts filled with the love of Prophet , would change it all! That is impossible! Do you realize how impossible that was and yet it happened? The transformation of time, the transformation of space, the transformation of people

and places! This is the gift of Prophet . Then that island of stability, beauty and peace and the sea of chaos begins to grow and then comes Abu Bakr Siddique,. Sadiq, the man of truth, the man of sadaqa, he would give you anything, everything, his wealth never means to him more than you. He joins hands with

the Prophet . Imam Ali(RA), who is nothing but the embodiment of knowledge

and courage, he joins the hands with the Prophet . As a young noble youth he stands by the Prophet . Then comes Umar(RA) and then comes Usman(RA) and all the rest of Sahabah & Sahabiyat, the great women around the Prophet .

Khadija, paternal and maternal aunts of the Prophet . The island begins to grow a little bit bigger and of course comes Hamza and the island grows & grows until finally it begins to claim the sea. Then all of the Arabia becomes an island of stability, an island of peace & beauty & it had never been that way. Now it becomes the miraculous transformation and then that word begins to spread to the whole world.

We ask Allah to fill our hearts with the love of the beloved because that is what that counts, that is what life is all about, that is what transforms us.

There was a great saint from in India, in the state of Orissa, & I happened to be very close to him. He was a great man. One day before he died, someone came to him and he said different things & said that there are people who do not believe

in the love of Prophet & they do not believe that we should sing about the

Prophet or we should do things that we are doing here. The saint was an old man & he said what is their Kalima? The person said “ La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah” , There is no god but Allah & Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. He said no, that is not their Kalima. Their Kalima is “ There is no god but Allah & Muhammad was the Messenger of Allah. But that is not the

Kalima. Muhammad is the Messenger of God. He is the Messenger of God before the creation of heavens & earth. He is the Messenger God when he is sent by angel Jibrail & he is now the Messenger of God & evermore.

We ask Allah to let us attach to him and to love him and to devote our lives to him with that love. All of you brothers & sisters who made this possible, may Allah bless you. May God bless this Center, May God bless the Turks, bless the Bosnians, may He bless all the Muslims in the Arab World, all the Muslims in

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Indonesia, Malaysia, all over the world & enable Muslims here in USA & Canada to do this beautiful work. Amin.

O God make us worthy of your Prophet . Let us walk in his sandals, live the life he guided us to and be filled with love and goodness, Amin

Source: Chicago Mawlid Committee