Biography-Prophetic - Understanding the 's Biography- (lesson 50-57): The Importance of Prophetic Biography in Our Lives

Praise be to , the Lord of Creations, and Peace and blessings be upon our prophet , the faithful and the honest. Oh, Allah, w e know nothing but w hat You teach us. You are the All- Know er, the Wise. Oh Allah, teach us w hat is good for us, and benefit us from w hat You taught us, and increase our know ledge. Show us the righteous things as righteous and help us to do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us to keep aw ay from them. O Allah our Lord, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion, unto the lights of erudition and know ledge, and from the muddy shallow s of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity.

The of the Prophet is a full course for life:

Dear respectful brothers, w e go on w ith a new lesson of the Prophet’s noble traits. As Prophet Muhammad PBUH treats "Sunnah" is his w ords, deeds, characteristics, and as long as Prophet Muhammad PBUH is infallible by his ow n, so his w ords are Sunnah, his deeds are Sunnah, his acknow ledgment is Sunnah, w hich means are method and Allah the All Mighty said:

(( Neither did you (O Muhammad) read any book before it (This ) nor did you w rite any book (whatsoever) with your right hand. In that case, indeed, the followers of falsehood might have doubted.))

(Al-Ankabut: 48)

This means every w ord said by Prophet Muhammad PBUH is a revelation; revealed to him, not his ow n, because Allah the All- mighty said:

(( Nor does he speak of his (own) desire, it is only an inspiration that is inspired.))

(An-Najm: 3, 4)

His w ords are legislation. Therefore, there are tw o revelations; one w as conveyed to him by and another one that w as not conveyed. His honest traditions "Hadeath" are revelation that are not conveyed, his conduct is revelation w hich is not conveyed, and his acknow ledgment is a revelation w hich is not conveyed.

Desperate attempts to undermine the Sunnah:

Therefore, dear brothers, the enemies of cannot cancel this religion because it is like a high mountain. But, they are trying to destroy its pillars from inside and Sunnah is one of pillars

“ I have been given Quran and its resemblance w ith it. ”

(narrated by: Yazeed Ibn Haroon from Al-Mikdam Ibn Maad Yakreb Al-Kindi).

In addition, some people say that the Holy Quran is sufficient for us, although the Holy Quran says:

(( And whatsoever the messenger (Muhammad PBUH) gives you take it, and w hatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it).)) ( Al-Hashr: 7)

So, those people w ho w ould say the Holy Quran is enough for us; they are canceling the Holy Quran, because the Holy Quran orders you to take w hat the Prophet PBUH gives you and abstain from w hat he forbids you, so the Holy Quran show s that the prophet's PBUH mission is to clarify it. As if the Holy Quran is a law and Al-Sunnah is an explanation of this law , so if w e cancel this explanation w e w ould be canceling the law itself.

We must have great interest in the Sunnah of the Prophet:

Therefore, dear brothers, w e should take the prophet PBUH Sunnah, in w ords, deeds, acknow ledgment and characteristics. I ensure you; if w e have nothing but Sunnah; it w ould be enough to be your method, as his deed are legislation. As you know , each one of us has a personality that he established for himself, a personality he hates to be like, and a personality he w ishes to be like. This lesson and these treats are for those people w ho are looking for an ideal personality, as Allah the Sublime said:

(( Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad PBUH) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the meeting w ith) Allah and the last Day, and remembers Allah much.))

( Al-Ahzab: 21)

Then, w e should observe Prophet Muhammad's PBUH attitudes, his humanity, his fairness, his modesty, his justice, and w e should have the ambition to follow his steps, this means you are a believer. Whereas if you do not mind about his Sunnah then you do not w ant Allah and the last day, because Allah the All Mighty said:

(( Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad PBUH) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the meeting w ith) Allah and the last Day, and remembers Allah much.))

The Prophet is a human being has the human characteristics:

In this lesson, I w ant to pause a little bit at the importance of his prophetic biography. In the books w e read, w e may find ideality, but it is not enough to incite us enough to practice it. So, w hat does incite us to apply the Prophet Muhammad PBUH line of conduct? When you look at yourself, you w ill find out that you are a human being.

“ I am no more than a human being, I am pleased as a human being pleased, and get angry, as a human being gets angry.”

(Narrated by Al-Muslem from Anas from Abi-Huraira).

Prophet Muhammad PBUH says:

“ I w as harmed in Allah's sake,and no body w as harmed, and I w as frightened in Allah's sake and no body was frightened, thirty days and nights had passed and neither Bilal nor I had something to eat except w hat can be hidden by Bilals armpit.“

(Narrated by Ahamd and At-Termthi and Ibn majah and Ibn Hayan from Anas).

Then, he is a human being and because he is a human being w hat applies to human beings applies to him, thus he is the Master of all human beings. So, if your ambition and your desires w ere not directed to follow his steps then there is a trouble in your faith, and there is w eakness in your faith. And the follow ing Ayah is enough for you,

(( Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad PBUH) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the meeting w ith) Allah and the last Day, and remembers Allah much.))

Moreover, Allah the Great and All Mighty w ill not accept the claim of His love w ithout a proof.Allah the Sublime said:

(( Oh Muhammad tell all mankind (if you really love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Quran and the Sunnah) Allah w ill love you and forgive your sins.))

( Aal Imran: 31)

This means the one w ho does not think of pursuing the practical Sunnah, and do not make Prophet Muhammad PBUH his ideal, then he does not love Allah ( if you really love Allah then follow me). Moreover scholars said Prophet Muhammad's PBUH love is the core of Allah's love, and this is the meaning of Allah's w ords in:

(( But it is more filling that they should please Allah and His Messenger Muhammad if they are believers.))

( Al-Taubah: 62)

According to language both Allah and Muhammad w ere mentioned as one that means Prophet Muhammad's PBUH love is the core of Allah's love. So, Prophet Muhammad's PBUH love is a branch of Allah's love. In other w ords, the one w ho does not love Prophet Muhammad PBUH does not love Allah, and w ho loves Allah must love Prophet Muhammad PBUH.

“ Now how have you become. - I sw ear by Allah that I love you more than my folks, my children, and the w hole people, except myself …- then Prophet Muhammad PBUH said, Oh Omar your faith w ill not be completed. After a w hile, Omar came back and said, -O!Allah's Messenger now I love you more than my folks, my children, my money, and even myself. Then, Prophet Muhammad PBUH said: Now O! Omar (ie now your faith is complete).”

Dear brothers, our master Saad Ibn Abi Wakkas - one of the honest companions- says (Three things through out them I am a Man, and otherw ise I am I normal person) and the w ord "Man" does not mean male in Quran neither in Sunnah, it means a "Hero"

(( Men whom neither trade nor sale (Business) diverts from remembrance of Allah (w ith heart and tongue) nor from performing prays (Iqamat-as-Salat) nor from giving the they fear a day w hen hearts and eyes w ill be overturned (out of the horror of the torment of the ).))

( An-Nur: 37)

(( In it are men w ho love to clean and to purify themselves. And Allah love those w ho make themselves clean and pure.))

( Al-Taubah:108)

An example of the companions’ believe in the Prophet: So, the w ord "Man" does not mean male, it means a "Hero", and our master Saad Ibn Abi Wakkas says: (Three things throughout them I am a Man, and otherw ise I am I normal person.- What are the three things?- The lofty companion says, I have never prayed AL-Ishaa prayers and thought of anything else until I finished it)

“ The Prayer is the pillar of religion.”

(Narrated by Al- Bayhaqi from faith branches from Omar).

“ He who performed it (ie: prayers), has indeed constructed his religion and he w ho destroyed it, destroyed his religion, as the prayer is the ascent of the believer.” “The prayer is a scale and the one w ho performed it and fulfilled its due, w ill get its fruits”.

(Narrated by Ibn Al-Moubarak in Al-Zohd from Ibn Abbas).

That means w hoever gives prayer's performance its due in full, w ill get the fruits of the prayer. In other w ords, to w atch T.V soaps all night and then you go to pray Al-Ishaa, although you stand up and say Allah Akkbar – Allah is the Greatest-, next you read Al-Fatiha and any Surah, you kneel and prostrate, but you cannot approach Allah. As it had been said,

I complained to Wakee about my bad memory. He led me to leave sins, and told me that learning is a light and Allah's light w ill not be given to a sinner. ***

Prayer is light, delight, purity, scale, reason, ascent of the believer, approach, glorifying Allah, and the pillar of religion. It had been mentioned in the holy Traditions;

" Not every man praying really prays. I only accept it from the one w ho carries modesty to My greatness, resists his desires, w hich I forbid, does not insist on doing sins, feeds a hungry person, gives clothes to a needy person, and be lenient w ith the distressed person, and gives shelter to a stranger. All these things to Me, by My glory and My loftiness the light of his face w ill be to Me brighter than the sun. I w ill turn his recklessness to patience and darkness to light, he supplicates Me and I answ er him, asks Me... and I give him, he sw ears by My name…and I respond to him, keep him close to Me and let My angels protect him, to Me, he is like paradise w hich its fruits do not lack or change."

(Narrated by Al- Dulaimi from harithah Ibn Wahab).

Thus our Master Saad Said, Three things through out them I am a Man and otherw ise I am I normal person. I have never prayed Al-Ishaa prayers and thought about something else until I finished it, and never w alked in a funeral and talked to myself about anything else. Before w e started this lesson, w e had prayed for one of the Muslims w ho died. Did any one of us think about the day w ere he is going to be in a coffin, and he w ill enter the not to pray but to be prayed upon and then the funeral goes to the cemetery w here he w ill go into the grave and w ill be asked about all his deeds.

“ And never w alked in a funeral and talked to myself w ith anything else till I leave it.”

In traditions it had been mentioned that, the dead man's soul flies over his coffin saying: Oh my folks my children, do not let life fool you like it did to me; I gathered money from w hat is both allow ed and forbidden, and spent it in w hat isboth allow ed and forbidden. So, enjoy it, and I am the one w ho w ill be responsible. Also, in hadeath: "By the in Whose Hand is Muhammad's soul, in every home the Angel of Death w ill stand five times every day, once he sees a man ceased from livelihood, and his time is due, he w ill throw death sorrow upon him, and then let him go through the agony of death. After that, you w ill see his folks, one slapping her face, another screaming w ith w retchedness, a third one tearing her cloths. Then the Angel of Death w ill say w hy are you so concerned? Why are you scared? I did not take aw ay your sustenance nor made your time of death closer. I w ill come back again and again, until I w ill not leave any one of you. By the in Whose Hand is Muhammad's soul, if they heard his speech or saw his place they w ill forget all about the dead man and cry for themselves."

In addition, it had been mentioned in traditions,

" If you only know w hat you w ill face after death, you w ould never have food or drink w ith appetite, and you w ould never enter a house for shelter. You would rather go to highlands… hit your chests and cry for yourselves."

(Narrated by Ibn Assaker from Abi Ad-Dardaa).

- And never w alked in a funeral and talked to myself w ith something else until I leave it. and never heard a talk from Prophet Muhammad PBUH and doubted it, I know it is truly from Allah.

(( And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad PBUH) gives you, take it, and w hatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it).))

Excerpts from the practical biography of the Prophet:

If the honest believer read Prophet Muhammad's PBUH biography and line of conduct, how he w ould meet his family? He w ill say peace be upon you to them, and smile. How he w ould treat w omen?

(Be honorable w ith w omen, I sw ear by Allah, the one w ho honors them is a noble man, and he who insults them is a mean man. As they defeat the noble and they are defeated by the mean. And would rather be a defeated noble man than a mean triumphant.)

- At his home, Prophet Muhammad PBUH used to do w hat his family is doing, fixing his shoes, mend his cloth, and sw eep his house. And you as a true believer should take the Prophet PBUH as your role model, you should take him as your example w hile in his home, w ith his w ives, w ith his children. Prophet Muhammad PBUH used to say:

“ Teach but do not reproach, because the teacher is better than the one who reproaches all the time.”

(Narrated by Al-hareth Ibn Adi and Al Bayhaki from Abi Horayrah).

He used to greet boys, play w ith them, kiss them, and carry them even w hen he w as praying. Once, he w as at the rostrum and saw his daughter's son Al-Housain stumbling, so he w ent dow n, carried him and climbed the stairs w ith him …. That is how he w as w ith children. That is how he w as w ith w omen as w ell, once , may Allah be pleased w ith her, got angry, and she broke a plate she had got from Safia, may Allah be pleased w ith her, she w as jealous. Prophet Muhammad PBUH said,

“ Your mother got Angry, your mother got Angry.” (Narrated by Al –Boukhari).

He w as a successful husband, a successful father, an honest friend, and a good neighbor. Dear brothers, by this lesson I w ant you to know that if Prophet Muhammad PBUH w as not our ideal as he w as in his biography, in his home, w ith his brothers, and at his mosque. Then w e are not as w e should be. Once, a Bedouin prayed behind Prophet Muhammad PBUH, and one of the men w ho w ere praying next to the Bedouin sneezed, so he said to him - may Allah have mercy upon you- (w hile praying).That made the noble companions strike their legs as a sign to tell this man you should not do that. So, the Bedouin w as afraid to be reproached or hit by them after prayer. Thus Prophet Muhammad PBUH called him after he finished his prayers

“ Allah's w orshiper, come over here, talking is not allow ed during prayer.”

The Bedouin said I redeem him by my mother and father, I sw ear by Allah; he never reproached or scolded me. Then he said, Oh Allah, have mercy upon us also upon Muhammad, and no one else but us. So, Prophet Muhammad PBUH said

“ brother you have narrow ed w hat w as very broad.”

(Narrated by Al –Boukhari).

He w as kind and modest.

"A man came to him trembling, Prophet Muhammad PBUH said to him “ take it easy, I am only a son of a w oman w ho w as used to eat jerky in Makkah.”

(Narrated by Al-Termithi).

- Once Prophet Muhammad PBUH w as traveling w ith his companions, and they w anted to deal w ith a sheep, one of them said I w ill slaughter it, another one said I w ill skin it, a third one said I w ill cook it and PBUH said, then I w ill gather w ood. They said - w e w ill do that for you, - he said: I know you w ill do but Allah w ould hate a distinctive w orshipper among his mates. I w ant from this good meeting to clarify a crucial truth; if you do not make Prophet Muhammad PBUH your ideal in your life then you are not pursuing him. Once, as mentioned in his biography, PBUH entered his home and said

“Do you have any food? – there was nothing at all- they said: no., then he said: I am fasting.”

(Narrated by Mouslem from Aisha).

- A chief of a tribe saw a valley full of sheep belonging to Prophet Muhammad PBUH. The chief said to Prophet Muhammad PBUH: w ho do those belong to? PBUH said: they are yours, the chief said:, are you making fun of me? PBUH said, No, I sw ear by God, they are yours. Then the chief said: I sw ear that you are Allah's messenger, giving like a person w ho does not fear poverty. It had been mentioned in traditions, He is an ideal for us in his poverty and in his richness. Also in his subjugate. Once he had been subjugated in At-Taayff, and now Muslims all around the w orld are subjugated. He said

“ Oh, Allah if you are not angry w ith me I do not care for anything, but your protection is vast for me. I am in due to You till You are pleased, but Your forgiveness is better for me.”

(Narrated by Al-Tabarani from Abdullah Ibn Jafar).

- Then Allah allow ed him to have revenge, after that, the king of the mountains came to him and said, - Allah ordered me to be at your service, if you w ant, I can let tw o mountains fall dow n on them-. But Prophet Muhammad PBUH said,

“ No brother, Oh Allah, please show my people the right w ay because they do not know .”

- He had been tested in poverty and he passed, tested in richness and passed, tested by subjugation and passed, tested by victory and passed. - He entered Makka a conqueror, ten thousands men at his service, w aiting a w ord from his mouth. Therefore, he w as able to do w hatever he w ants w ith those valiant w ho had been his enemies for tw enty years, killed his companions, and fought w ith him three times, he as the strong triumphant, could let his army confiscate their lands, and terminate them. Instead, PBUH said:

“ What do you think I w ill do to you? They replied: an honorable man and son of honorable brother. He said. Then go, you are free.”

(Prophetic biography).

He w as triumphant, conqueror, yet w hen he entered Makka he w as bending his head till the edge of his tiara w as about to touch the neck of his camel, as a w ay of modesty to Allah. His son Ibrahim had died and his eyes w ere full of tears. They said: Are you crying Allah's messenger. He said,

“ Eyes might be full of tears, heart might be sad, but w e have nothing to say, except w hat please Allah, and w e are sad for your death O Ibrahim.”

(Agreed on ).

- He w as tested by the death of his son and he passed, tw o of his daughters w ere divorced, the hypocrites -in Al-Ifk Hadeath -, had accused his w ife w ith adultery but he w as patient. A revelation from the seventh heaven has acquitted her from that. When that happened Al-Siddique w as w ith him, so he said to his daughter you should thank Allah's Messenger. She said, by Allah I do not thank anyone, but Allah, PBUH said; she is telling the truth – Allah is the one w hom should be thanked as He is the one w ho acquitted her-. Once, a disgusting unmannerly Bedouin held his cloth until his hand left marks on his neck, and he said: oh Muhammad this money is not yours nor you fathers, therefore give me some of it. Prophet Muhammad PBUH said: he is honest it is Allah's.

(( Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad PBUH) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the meeting w ith) Allah and the last Day, and remembers Allah much.))

Lady Aisha once asked him: How is your love to me? - Now adays most ignorant husbands w ould say, you are short, and they w ould not leave a bad thing about her w ithout telling her about-. While, w hen Lady Aisha asks him: how is your love to me? He says to her: it is like a knot in rope. Every now and then, she asks him, how is the knot? He replies: tight as ever. Another time Aisha w as talking to him about an example couple Abo Zar' and Om Zar'. Abou zar' used to be noble, courageous, generous….etc, but unfortunately, he divorced her. PBUH said to her: I am to you like Abo Zar to Om Zar, but I w ill not divorce you. (He secured her.) If w e do not keep in our minds his biography, and if w e do not consider this outstanding personality, -Prophet Muhammad PBUH personality as our ideal-, w ith his manners, characteristics, modesty, mercy, justice, and fairness. Then there is w eakness and trouble in our belief. Dear brother, w hen he prays Daw n he used to recites long verses, once he had heard a boy crying so he summed up the prayer and end it quickly. His companion w ere astonished, he said to them,

“ I heard a boy crying calling his mother, so I w as merciful w ith her.”

“ The one who do not gratify our elderly, have mercy on our children, and give our scholars their due, he is not one of us.” (Narrated by and Al-Hakem from Obadah Ibn As-Samet).

What matter in the prophet’s biography is following the prophet:

That is w hat PBUH said: Thus, dear brother w e should not only listen to these tales about Prophet Muhammad PBUH but w e turn should turn it to reality and live w ith it.

1 - Knowing the biography of the Prophet is a duty on each Muslim:

Thus, this point is very crucial, be accurate. There in no rule, that says a duty cannot be done w ithout a duty, for example, can w e pray w ithout ablution? So, prayer is a duty and ablution is a duty. Allah said to His believing w orshippers:

(( Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad PBUH) you have a good example to follow .))

Honestly, w e cannot make Prophet Muhammad PBUH our ideal if w e do not know his biography. How w ould you treat your high blood pressure, - w hich is the know n as the silent killer - if you do not know that you have high blood pressure? The same as before, how can you make Prophet Muhammad PBUH your ideal if you do not know his biography. That is w hy it is a duty to every Muslim.

(( Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad PBUH) you have a good example to follow .))

How can he be an example for us if w e do not know how he eats, sleeps, treats his w ives, companions, and children. Thus, know ing Prophet Muhammad PBUH biography is a duty on each Muslim, and know ing his oral treats is a duty as w ell. The proof is that Allah Almighty says:

(( And whatsoever the messenger (Muhammad PBUH) gives you take it; and w hatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it).))

So, how w ould w e take w hatsoever he gave us and abstain from w hat he forbids if w e do not know his biography.

2 - Attending the lessons of the biography is important:

It is important to know his manners at his home, sometimes w hen a man talks to a person in a high rank he talks to him in a bad w ay like calling him by his first name w ithout the title considering this as a part of faith. No. When Prophet Muhammad PBUH sent a letter to Caesar the Roman king, he said to him (from Muhammad Ibn Abd Allah to Roman Grandiose) Therefore, he w as not grandiose but that w as a title. When you are close to Prophet Muhammad PBUH biography, you w ill follow it. I w ant to say this, you can learn every thing from his biography, the manners of eating and drinking. Nobody at all saw him spreading his legs, he w ho is the master of all human beings, the dearest to Allah the true, - nobody at all saw him spreading his legs – unless someone has an excuse, otherw ise, its not good manners to do so. He never dispraised food,- if someone invited you to have a meal at his place and w orked hard preparing it you should not say its not tasty, -this really rude,- Prophet Muhammad PBUH never dispraised food. Anyone of his companions, w ho dealt w ith him, thought he is the closest person to him PBUH. - This is heroic. - As he used to give them titles, - Abu Baker is like my sight and hearing, nothing w ould harm Othman after now , Khaled, Allah's sw ord, Abo Obaida the prince of this nation, Al-Zoubair Ibn Al-Aw am the of this nation.

“ You Throw Saad... I redeem you by my father and my mother.” “ That is my uncle show me one like him.”

(Narrated by Muslim from ).

He used to be a very successful husband w ith his pure w ives; he used to be fair and honest w ith them. Lady Aisha used to say to him w hen she w as annoyed from the much he praised Khadija, w ho w as dead: didAllah not replace her w ith a better one. He replied, by Allah no, and repeated: no by Allah, no. Dear brothers, I w ant you to turn this into reality; a w ay of living, his privacy at home, the w ay he sells and buys, how he deals w ith his brothers, companions, in w ar and in peace.

Why is the situation of the Muslims bad today?

Finally, I w ant to end this lesson w ith those tw o verses, w hich tell us w hy Muslims are being tortured now adays. Allah Almighty says:

(( But God w as not going to send them a penalty (torches) whilst thou are amongst them.))

(Al- Anfal: 32)

The meaning of this Ayah is very clear. How ever, w hat does it mean after Prophet Muhammad's PBUH Death? That means as long as your w ay of conduct Sunnah –OMuhammad PBUH- is w ith them in their lives, at their homes, in their mosque, in selling and buying, their w ay of earning and spending money, in their celebrations, happy and bad times, then they are released from Allah's torment.

(( But God w as not going to send them a penalty (torches) whilst thou are amongst them; nor w as He going to send it w hilst they are asking for pardon.))

So w hen w e do not apply his w ay of conduct all the time, but w e ask for pardon, w e w ill be released from Allah's torment, so if w e apply his w ay of conduct w e w ill be prosperous. Moreover, the w ay of Muslims salvation is to apply his w ay of conduct in their lives. Then Allah might be compassionate w ith them.

Translation : Hazar Saqbani Auditing : Ghada Homad