Thursday, April 5, 2012

Principles of the Muslim Belief 3 of 3


Our best examples are from the Companions of the Prophet

The best of creation after the Prophets, are those with the most complete knowledge and religion, those who clung firmest to the rope of Allah and who followed the religion of Islam most closely were the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (saws)
Indeed the nation of Mohammed (saws) is the best of nations, and the Companions are the best of the nation of Mohammed (saws) as is established in the Saheeh(Saheeh al-Bukhari) with a number of different wordings that the Prophet (saws) said:
“the best of generations is the generation in which I have been sent, then those who follow them, then those who follow them (first 3 generations).” [5]
Allah has informed us that He is Pleased with the fore-runners and is Pleased with those who follow them in good saying,
“The fore-runners, the first to embrace Islam of the Muhajiroon (the ones who migrated) and the Ansaar(of  Medina), and those who followed them in good. Allah is well-pleased with them as they are well-pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success.” [at-Tawbah (9:100)]
These fore-runners are those who gave the pledge of allegiance under the tree and they were the ones who gave in charity from the beginning and they were the ones who (fought alongside the Messenger) in all the battles before the conquest of Hudaybiyyah, Allah said:
“Not equal among you are those who spent and fought before the conquest (with those among you who did so after) Such are higher in degree than those who spent and fought afterwards. But to All Allah has promised the best reward and Allah is All-Aware of what you do.” [al-Hadeed (57:10)]
It is established in Saheeh Muslim that the Prophet (saws) said, “whosoever gave the pledge of allegiance under the tree shall not enter the Fire.” [6]
In Sahih Bukhari and Muslim reported from Jaabir that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said to us on the Day of Hudaybiyyah, ‘you are the best people on the face of the earth’, and we numbered 1400 and if I could see now I would show you the place under the Tree (where we gave our pledge of allegiance).’ [7]
It was these people and those who followed them that Allah promised the best reward.
The way of the Companions of the Prophet (saws) was that they would worship Allah Alone in the way they were commanded by their Prophet. Therefore the lawful was what He made to be lawful, the unlawful was what He prohibited and the religion comprised of only what He legislated.
They prayed the five daily prayers at the correct times in congregation in the Mosques as they had been ordered to do so by Allah. They fasted the month of Ramadan, they performed the Hajj to the Ancient House, they gave in Zakat, they enjoined the good and forbade the evil and they performed Jihad in the way of Allah.
They worshipped Allah through doing everything that their Prophet ordered them to do, they did not worship any save Allah and they did not supplicate to anything else alongside Allah.
They did not supplicate to a created object nor an Angel or a Jinn, or a man be he a Prophet or other than a Prophet, neither at his grave nor in his absence.
They did not seek help except with Allah and they did not seek victory except with Allah. They did not put their trust in anything other than Allah and they did not supplicate to any created being be he absent or dead, neither did they seek succor and relief with him, they did not complain to him and they did not seek forgiveness, guidance or victory from him.
They did not do what the Christians used to do and seek intercession with the Angels or the Prophets and their righteous who have passed away at their graves or away from their graves.
Not one of them called out saying, “O Jibreel(Gabriel), O Meekael(Michael) intercede for me with Allah”, as was done by the Christians instead they knew that nothing is to be sought from the absent and the one who has died.
They knew that the Angels do nothing except that which Allah commanded them to do and they do not intercede except for the one with whom the Lord is Pleased. The same being true for the Prophets and the righteous.
The Companions also used to pray the five daily prayers behind the Prophet (saws) and behind others from the Imams.
There used to be a mosque for every inhabitation of the Ansaar and they used to have an Imam behind whom they prayed the prayers with the exception of Jumu’ah and Eid which they prayed behind the Prophet (saws). These were the inhabitants of Medina.
Medina was a large area having no defined boundary, rather it consisted of places dispersed over an area, each tribe had their own area with a Mosque, graveyard and homes that were used to differentiate between the area of another tribe. The title Medina included all of this and only people that were not included under this name were the Bedouin Arabs, Allah said;
“Certain of the desert Arabs round about you are hypocrites as well as among the inhabitants of Medina.” [at-Tawba (9:101)]
When Allah caused His Prophet (saws) to pass away the Companions continued what they were upon during his lifetime.
They and the Taabi’een used to pray behind Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali in his (saws) Mosque just as they used to pray behind others. However these four led the prayers in his Mosque. Abu Bakr and Umar until they died, Uthman until he was besieged and Ali before he moved to Iraq.
The pledge of allegiance was given to these four in his Mosque and this is my Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal said, ‘every pledge of allegiance that was given in Medina was for the Khalifah upon the Prophetic way.”
They continued praying the five daily prayers and invoking salah and salam upon him in them. They used to supplicate to Allah during the prayers and outside of the prayers knowing that this was sufficient for them and in fact sufficed them from anything else from those matters that the Prophet (saws) had not commanded or legislated.
When the Prophet died he was buried in the room of Aisha in the same room in which he became ill.
The rooms of his wives were to the east and the rear of his Mosque, joining on to the Mosque. Allah mentioned them in His saying;
“Those who call out to you from without the inner apartments, most of them lack understanding.” [al-Hujuraat (49:4)]
These houses belonged to him and his wives. Allah mentioned this in His sayings;
“O you who believe! Do not enter the houses of the Prophet until leave is given you.” [al-Ahzaab (33:53)]
“And stay quietly in your houses.” [al-Ahzaab (33:33)]
When the Prophet was on his death bed he said:
“Allah cursed the Jews and the Christians, they took the graves of their Prophets as Mosques.” (17) And via another route, “Except that he feared that it would be taken as a Mosque.” (18)
**Prophet Mohammed was warning us not to worship him, we are to follow his examples but we are Only to Worship Allah.**
Aisha said; “had it not been for his grave would have been raised but it was feared that it would be taken as a Mosque.”(19) the wording of Bukhari has, “Except that I feared it would be taken as a Mosque.”(20)
Also the Prophet said in other authentic hadiths:
‘O Allah do not make my grave an idol that is worshipped, The Anger of Allah was severe upon a people who took the graves of their Prophets as Mosques.” (26)
In the Sunan of Abu Dawood he said, ‘do not take my grave as a place of festivity and invoke prayers upon me wheresoever you may be for indeed they are conveyed to me.” (27)
In the Sunan of Sa’eed bin Mansoor that Abdullah bin Hasan bin Sasan bin [Ali bin] Abee Taalib (28) and he is from the most noble Hasans during the period of the tab’a taabi’een – that he saw a person frequenting the grave of the Prophet (saws) and said;
‘O person indeed the Messenger of Allah said, “do not take my grave as a place of festivity and invoke prayers upon me wheresoever you may be for indeed they are conveyed to me.”
**Meaning: Every time we make dua for the Prophet, every time we send blessings upon him the Angels come to him and tell him that so and so made dua for you. So we don’t worship the Prophet or his grave but we ask Allah to bless him. When we ask Allah to bless the Prophet the Angels make dua asking Allah to bless us.**
We have been informed that the Salah and Salams reach him from near and far through his saying;
‘Send Salah upon me from wheresoever you may be for indeed your salah is conveyed to me’, and his saying, ‘do not take my grave as a place of festivity.’ Similarly the salam reaches him from near and far as in his saying, ‘indeed Allah has Angels roaming the earth who convey to me the salam of my nation.’
So when every Muslim says in his prayer ‘Peace be upon you O Prophet and the blessings and mercy of Allah’ then this reaches him (saws).
**Our belief in Allah is based upon not only believing in Him and worshipping him Alone, but also worshipping Him the way He legislated (the way he taught us to), and also by following the example of the Prophet Mohammed and his companions because they were the best of this nation, they were the ones guaranteed Paradise, by following their example you cannot help but be following the path to Paradise.**

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