In the footsteps of our Prophet (PBUH)

By: Imam Lavdrim Hamja – Kenosha, February 04.2011

 All praise is due to Allah, and Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon His Final Messenger, his family, his noble Companions, and all those who follow them with righteousness until the Day of Judgment.

 Brothers and sisters in Islam, we are soon approaching the birthday of the last messenger to mankind, Muhammed (a.s), a blessing sent for mankind. It is obligatory that we advise one another, to remind each other of the path of our beloved messenger, Muhammed (a.s), because Allah tells us in the Holy Quran: “In the Prophet of Allah you have the best of example for those who believe in Allah and the last day”.

 I want to begin this speech with some sayings from a great scholar of Islam, Muhamad Al-Gazali of which he said: “I have no written of this personality of a great message, Muhammad the son of Abdullah (a.s) except after extensive reading and studying regardless of which personality I might have written. I am a Muslim un-doubtfully, I know as to why I have believed in Allah, the Creator of universe, why I believed the words of the prophet, and as to why I follow the Book which it was revealed to our Prophet, and that is why I call others in this belief in which my personal being is satisfied with”.  

 Therefore, brothers and sisters let us look together the examples of our messenger, Muhammad (a.s) in the call of mankind to believe in Allah.

 Allah says in the Quran: “And who amongst you is in a better path than he which calls in the way of Allah, does good deeds and who says: I am among muslims”. (Fussilet: 33)

 God Almighty, throughout the Holy Quran has given clear examples of manner and methods as how to call in Islam and at the same time He tells us the method of calling mankind to His laws. Nearly 200 verses are revealed and tells us in calling people to Islam, and each of these verse has its own theme, for example: “calling to Islam with wisdom”, “calling in the language of the people”, “to make it easier not difficult”, “debate in the best manner”, “in religion there is no extremism” and so on.

 But what is the base in which Allah has given us this task to call in His religion and at the same time He has ordered us to obey: In one verse Allah says: “Invite to the way of Allah with wisdom and holy teaching and reason with them by ways that are the best”. (Nahl: 125)

 One of the major criteria in calling to Islam is that of which Allah has given this task to those that He wishes: “He grants wisdom to whom He pleases; and he to whom wisdom is granted, (he) receives abundant rewards; but none will grasp the message except men of understanding”. (Bekare: 269)

 Accompanying the wisdom in calling to Islam is also to be gentle not aggressiveness regardless towards whom you deal with, weather he is an ordinary man or a dictator: “It is by the mercy of Allah that you dealt gently with them, if you were severe or harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from you – so overlook their faults by pardoning them, and ask (Allah’s) forgiveness for them; and consult them in affairs. (Al Imran: 159)

When Allah sent Moses and his brother Harun to save his people from the worst transgressors in the face of the earth, He (Allah) ordered the with these words: “Go, both of you to Pharaoh, verily he has transgressed all limits; and speak to him mildly; in case he may take the warning or fear Allah”. (Ta-Ha: 43-44)

 To call and to succeed on must be clear on that of which he propagates with clear arguments: “Say to them: “This is my way: I invite to Allah – on evidence clear as the sight of one’s eyes – I and those who follow me”. (Yousuf: 08)

 These were some examples of characteristic of our Prophet, as our example in calling to Islam of which Allah has decreed them in His holy book.

 What has the Prophet (a.s) taught us for these duties of a great importance for Islam and us muslims? He has taught us as from what point we should begin and where we should finish, the form and the manner of presentation, of which all of these have a great importance.

 From Ibn Abass (r.a) it is transmitted that the Prophet (a.s) when he sent Moadh ibn Xhabal to Yemen he told him: “You are about to undertake this journey to go to a people who are members of this book, therefore the first thing in which you’ll call people is belief in the Creator, and if they recognize it, then announce to them that God  has prescribed 5 daily prayers in 24 hours period, and if they practice it, then announce to them that God has made zakat obligatory, and if they heed to this then take from them and guard their wealth which they have”.

 When the Prophet would advise his companions when they would prolong the prayer, considering the importance of prayer, he would tell them: “Surely some amongst you distance people from Islam”.

 Today you can see and hear how people make Islam, with their unacceptable deeds and manner of arrogance, he despises, swears, oppresses, kills, massacres, no respect and so on, thing that depress you, but Prophet’s sayings are totally the opposite.

 Prophets wish was to make Islam easy to people not hard. For this, Aisha (r.a) has said: “Always when the Prophet would select among two things, he would pick the easy one if there was no sin in it”.

 Look how beautiful the Prophet teaches us while ordering us:

 “Make things easy not difficult, accepting not distancing”.

 “Call on people, recognizing them and not to distance them, make it easy not difficult”.

 “Surely you are sent to ease and not to make it difficult”.

 Aliu (r.a) use to say: Tell people, those who understand, do you wish to denied Allah and His messenger?”

 Ibn Mas’ud (r.a) said: “Whoever says something to people of which their minds do not grasp it, that will be a test for some of you”.

 In conclusion: We cannot be followers and members of the Prophet ummah, only if we heed and follow his commands in every aspect of our lives. Today we began talking about his example in calling people to Islam, however other examples, with the help of God we will discuss in future khutbas. To call in the path of Allah we must heed to some characteristics which are obligatory, and the manner of which we call people to Islam must be in accordance with the teachings of the Prophet which he called people for 23 years. The wish to accomplish a good deed is not enough if that person does not fulfill that deed in accordance with Prophets Teachings.

 “Ask the people of knowledge if you don’t know”. (Enbiya: 7)

 I ask the Almighty God to make us among these who call righteously to Islam.

 Translated by: N.I