The Three Fundamental Principles – Part Six

Bismillah

The Three Fundamental Principles - taught by Abu Abdisalam – Part Six

THE THIRD PRINCIPLE

This is the final and last principle, where you need to have knowledge of your Prophet, sallalahu alayhi wa sallam.

It is knowing your Prophet Muhammad, sallalahu alayhi wa sallam who is Muhammad son of Abdullah, son of Abdul-Muttalib son of Haashim son of Quraysh who are from the Arabs. The Arabs are from the progeny of Ismaa'eel the son of Ibrahim, may the peace and blessings be on him and our prophet. He (The Prophet lived 63 years, from them are forty before prophet hood and twenty three as a messenger and prophet. He was a prophet by "Iqraa". He wasn’t ordered to call other to the religion of Islam yet.

and a messenger by "al-Muddathir" (names of chapters in the Qur’an.) It was here, three years later that he was told to call people to Islam and here he became a Rasul (Messenger)
His city is Makah and he migrated to Madeenah. Allah sent him to warn against shirk and to call to tawheed (monotheism) and the proof is His saying 

 "O you (Muhammad  ) enveloped (in garments)! Arise and warn! And your Lord (Allah) magnify! And your garments purify! And keep away from arRujz (the idols)! And give not a thing in order to have more (or consider not your deeds of Allah's obedience as a favour to Allah). And be patient for the sake of your Lord (i.e. perform your duty to Allah)!)." (Surah al Mudatthir:1-7) 


And the meaning of (arise and warn) is to warn about shirk and call to tawheed (and your lord magnify) meaning, magnify him with tawheed (and your garments purify) meaning, purify your deeds from shirk (and keep away from ar-rujz) Ar-rujz are the idols and keeping away from them is leaving them, being free of them and of whoever is associated with them. He spent ten years calling to tawheed like in this way. After ten years he was ascended to the sky and the five daily prayers where ordained upon him and he prayed in Makah for three years. He was later ordered to migrate to Madeenah. Hijrah is migrating from the land of shirk to the land of Islam. Hijrah is compulsory on this Ummah (the Muslims as a whole) from the land of shirk to the land of Islam and it is continuously valid until the last hour comes ( the last day) and the proof:  

"Verily! As for those whom the angels take (in death) while they are wronging themselves (as they stayed among the disbelievers even though emigration was obligatory for them), they (angels) say (to them): "In what (condition) were you?" They reply: "We were weak and oppressed on earth." They (angels) say: "Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to emigrate therein?" Such men will find their abode in Hell - What an evil destination! Except the weak ones among men, women and children who cannot devise a plan, nor are they able to direct their way. For these there is hope that Allah will forgive them, and Allah is Ever Oft Pardoning, OftForgiving."(Al Imran: 97-99)

And His saying: 

 "O My slaves who believe! Certainly, spacious is My earth. Therefore worship Me (Alone)." (Ankabut:56) 

Al-Baghawee (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The reason this statement was revealed is because of the Muslims in Makah that have not migrated. Allah has called them "believers"."  [According to Shaykh al-'Uthaymeen, this quote from Imaam al-Baghawee exists only and meaning and can be found in his Tafsir]. And the proof from the sunnah his saying (saws) "Hijrah shall not be cut off until tawbah is cut off and tawbah shall not be cut off until the sun rises from the west.  [Related by Ahmad (4/99) and Abu Daawood (3/7) and ad-Daarimee (2/239). It was declared authentic by Shaykh al Albani in Saheehul Jaami'us Sagheer (no. 7346)] When he settled in Madeenah he ordained the rest of the rules of Islam like obligatory charity (zakat), fasting, pilgrimage, jihad, the call to prayer, ordering good and forbidding evil, and other rules of Islam. He took ten years to establish this and after that he died. His religion is lasting and this is his religion. He didn't leave any good except he led the Ummah to it, and he left no evil except he warned it (the ummah) from. The good that he has led it to is Tawheed and all that Allah loves and is pleased with. The evil he has warned about is Shirk and all that Allah hates and is not pleased with. Allah sent him to all mankind and has made it compulsory to follow him for all of the Thaqalayn, (two worlds) Jinn and Mankind and the proof: 

 "Say: 'O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allah.'" (A’raf:158) 

And Allah has completed religion through him and the proof is His saying:

"This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion." (Ma’idah:3) 

And the proof about his death is the statement of Allah the Exalted: 

"Verily, you will die and verily, they (too) will die. Then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will be disputing before your Lord." (Az Zumar: 30-31)

 And when people die they are resurrected and the proof is His saying:

"From it we have created you and in it we are going to return you and from it you are going to come out another time." (Qaf: 22)

 And the statement of Allah the Exalted:

 "And Allah has brought you forth from the (dust of) earth. Afterwards He will return you into it (the earth), and bring you forth." (Nuh: 17-18) 

We should now take a step back and have a look at our beloved Prophet Muhammad, sallalahu alayhi wa sallam. We can understand that part of imaan is to love the Messenger of Allah

Narrated By 'Abdullah bin Hisham : We were with the Prophet and he was holding the hand of 'Umar bin Al-Khattab. 'Umar said to Him, "O Allah's Apostle! You are dearer to me than everything except my own self." The Prophet said, "No, by Him in Whose Hand my soul is, (you will not have complete faith) till I am dearer to you than your own self." Then 'Umar said to him, "However, now, by Allah, you are dearer to me than my own self." The Prophet said, "Now, O 'Umar, (now you are a believer)."  (Bukhari)

This is a reminder to all of US. To LOVE the Prophet, we would KNOW about his seerah and follow everything he said and did. How many of us know about him? How many of us have seen his mercy on his ummah?

Do we remember the time when he, sallalahu alayhi wa sallam was persecuted in Makah? By HIS OWN UNCLE.

Al Bukhari, on authority of Ibn Mas'ud narrated: Once the Prophet, sallalahu alayhi Wa sallam was offering prayers near Ka'bah. Abu Jahl was sitting with some of his companions. Some of them said to the others, 'Who among you will bring the guts of a camel and put it on the back of Muhammad, when he prostrates?' Uqbah got up and brought it and put it on his, sallalahu alayhi Wa sallam back. He did not get up from prostration until Fatima came and removed it. He raised his head and said thrice: 'Oh Allah! Destroy the infidels of Quraysh'
The Prophet invoked Allah to destroy those involved in this disgusting act and by Allah, Whose Hand my life is, I saw the dead bodies of those persons who were counted by Allah's Messenger, sallalahu alayhi Wa sallam, in Badr.
SubhanAllah, we see how our Messenger reacted this kind of persecution. What would we do if someone did this to us or our loved ones? Can you see his patience when he went through this hardship?

Do we remember when the Prophet travelled to Ta’if after the death of his wife, Khadijah and his uncle, Abu Talib? Do we remember that he went to give da’wah there and he had rocks thrown at him by the people of Ta’if? These people plainly told the Prophet, sallalahu alayhi wa sallam that they did not like his stay in their town. The Prophet Sallalahu alayhi wa sallam had expected a civil, even a cordial treatment and due courtesy in speech from them, as they were the heads of the clan. But one of them sneered:
"Hey, Allah has made you a Prophet!" The other exclaimed with derision:
"Could Allah not lay His hand on anyone else, beside you to make him His Prophet?"

He, sallalahu alayhi wa sallam was a rock of steadfastness and when he tried to speak to the common people but nobody listened to him so he decided to leave town and this is when they wouldn’t let him leave time normally but they started jeering at him, pelted him with stones, so much so that his whole body was covered in blood and his shoes were clogged to his feet. He made dua to Allah:

“O Allah! Unto You do I complain of my weakness, of my helplessness and of my lowliness before men.  O most Merciful of the merciful. O Lord of the weak and my Lord too. Into whose hands have you entrusted me?  Unto some far off stranger who receives me with hostility? Or unto a foe whom you have empowered against me? I care not, so long as You are not angry with me.  But Your favouring help, that were for me the broader way and the wider scope.  I take refuge in the light of Your countenance whereby all darknesses are illuminated and all things of this world and the next are rightly ordered, lest You make descend Your anger upon me or lest Your wrath beset me. Yet it is Yours to reproach until You are well pleased. There is no power and no might except through Thee.”

The Heavens were moved by the prayer, and Jibreel appeared before the Prophet, sallalahu alayhi wa sallam greeting him with salaam and said:
"Allah knows all that has passed between you and these people. He has deputed an angel in charge of the mountains to be at your command.". The angel of the mountain said he would cause the mountains to crush the people of Ta’if.

How did the Messenger of Allah reply?

The merciful and noble Prophet sallalahu alayhi wa sallam said:
"Even if these people do not accept Islam, I do hope from Allah that there will be persons from among their progeny who would worship Allah and serve His cause."

LOOK at the conduct of our Messenger! Look at his reaction and the mercy he, sallalahu alayhi wa sallam had on his ummah! How would we react?

Now, do we remember the time, during the battle of Uhud, when one of the mushrikoon struck the Prophet, sallalahu alayhi wa sallam with his spear that it went through the cheek of the Messenger and his incisors broke. How did the Messenger, sallalahu alayhi wa sallam respond?

‘How can a people who cut the face of their Prophet and broke his teeth – he who calls them to worship Allah – how can such people thrive or be successful?’

About that incident, Allah revealed the following ayah:

Not for you, [O Muhammad, but for Allah], is the decision whether He should [cut them down] or forgive them or punish them, for indeed, they are wrongdoers. (Imran: 128)

At Tabarani states that the Prophet, sallalahu alayhi wa sallam said: ‘Allah’s wrath is great on those who wounded the face of His Messenger.’ And then he said ‘O Allah, forgive my people for they have no knowledge’ (Muslim)

What do we learn from this? The Messenger of Allah reacted in such a way that even though there was no arrogance in what he said, Allah rebuked him – not to insult him, but so we learn a lesson from it. Only Allah can choose who He wants to punish and forgive. Also after that ayah was revealed, did you see the response of our Messenger? He still asked Allah to forgive these people. There is another lesson here for us and we only have to ponder on it to realise this.

And after resurrection they are going to be asked and are going to be responsible for their deeds. The proof is the statement of Allah the Exalted: 

"And to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, that He may requite those who do evil with that which they have done (punish them in Hell), and reward those who do good, with what is best (Paradise)." (53:31) 

And he who disbelieves in resurrection has disbelieved (in general) and the proof is His saying:

"The disbelievers pretend that they will never be resurrected. Say"Yes! By my Lord, you will certainly be resurrected, then you will be informed of (and recompensed for) what you did, and that is easy for Allah." (64:7) 

And Allah has sent all messengers as givers of glad tidings and warners and the proof is His saying:

"Messengers as bearers of good news as well as of warning in order that mankind should have no plea against Allah after the Messengers." (4:165) 

And the first of them was Nuh ('alayhis salaam) and the last of them was Muhammad and the proof that the first amongst them was Nuh ('alayhis salaam) "Verily, We have inspired you as We inspired Nuh (Noah) and the Prophets after him." (4:163) 

And Allah has sent a messenger to all nations from Nuh to Muhammad, ordering them to worship Allah alone and forbidding them from worshipping false deities and the proof is the statement of Allah the Exalted: 

"And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): 'Worship Allah (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Taaghoot (all false deities, etc. i.e. do not worship Taaghoot besides Allah).'" (16:36) 

And Allah has made it compulsory on All his slaves that they reject the Taaghoot and worship Allah.

Ibn ul-Qayyim may Allah have mercy on him said:  "A Taaghoot is what a slave exceeds his boundary with whether it be one worshipped or followed or obeyed and there are many Taaghoots." [A'alaamul Muwaqi'een (1/53)]  Their heads are five, Iblees may Allah's curse be on him, he who is worshipped awhile agreeing to it, he who calls people to worship him, he who claims that he knows something from the future, and he who rules by that which Allah has not revealed

And this is the meaning of Laa illaha illalah and in the Hadith: "The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is Prayer and the top of its hump is Jihad in the way of Allah" [Related by at-Tirmidhi (7/281) and Ibn Maajah (2/1314). It was authenticated by Shaykh al-Albani in Sahih Sunan at-Tirmidhi (no. 2110)]. Allah knows best and may Allah send his blessings on Muhammad and his family and companions.

The author, Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab has now finished with a dua and with that we have the final principle.

May Allah forgive my shortcomings and anything beneficial you take from this all from Allah, the Most High and all mistakes are from myself.