What is my attitude towards the Seerah? – #2

Auto-generated transcript:I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. Indeed, Allah and His angels send their blessings upon the Prophet. O you who believe, send your blessings upon him and give him your blessings. O Allah, send your blessings upon our Master Muhammad and his family. As you sent your blessings upon Ibrahim and his family. You are the Most Glorious. O Allah, bless Muhammad and his family. O Allah, send your blessings upon Ibrahim and his family. You are the Most Glorious. My brothers and sisters, we are on the series of lectures on the Seerah of Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. With an idea of understanding how the Seerah can help us to be successful in this world and the next. Now all of these, as I mentioned, on the first day, they represent changes that Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam made. Changes that were made in society as a result of Islam coming into people's lives. If you think about that, if you take the Seerah itself, and usually the way we discuss the Seerah is the Makkan period and the Madinan period. You will see a very interesting thing. One is, you will see that the focus of Dawa in the two places was very different. The focus of Dawa in the Makkan period was on the establishment of Tauhid. There were no laws, interest was not haram, alcohol was not haram, and so on and so on. Salah hadn't come down. They were praying Tahajjud from the beginning, but other than that there was no other, the five Salawat were not there, Ramadan was not, had not been made for, Hajj was not there, and so on and so forth. The focus of the entire Makkan period, almost the entire Makkan period, not entirely, but almost entirely, was on the establishment of Tauhid. The establishment of the oneness of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala Jalla Jaladhu, and the supremacy of the commands of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala over everyone and everything else. This was the focus of the Makkan period. Makkan period of Dawa, so I call this the theological Dawa. And the opposition to that also came from a theological perspective. People say, religion of our forefathers, this is how we found them, and so forth, and now you are bringing a new thing and so on. But there was also an underlying thing in this, an underlying flavor, an underlying platform, which the people of Makkah, the Moshiikin of Makkah, they understood that, they recognized that. And that was, what happens when I accept Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala as the supreme commander in my life. So it is not just a matter of intellectually saying, there is no unworthy of worship except Allah, La ilaha illallah. It is the consequence of La ilaha illallah. What is the meaning of La ilaha illallah? What happens when I say La ilaha illallah? Meaning when I accept that, as this is the truth, that there is no unworthy of worship except Allah, what does that happen? And believe me, they were not saying, I will get Jannah. No. They were looking at what will happen to me in my life here. How will my life in this world change? It's a strange thing. We have been Muslims, most of us here in this room, have been Muslims for God knows generations, a thousand years maybe, and more. But that hasn't dropped, the penny hasn't dropped in our brains. But the Makkahans, the Bushrikin of Makkah, they understood that in one second. And that is the reason why they opposed Rasulullah so vehemently. Because they recognize, what is this thing? It's not simply saying, one God. No, no, no. If I accept that there is no unworthy of worship except Allah, then I have to subjugate myself completely and totally to Allah. There is no alternative. If Allah is supreme, He is supreme. If Allah is not supreme, then I am a Bushrik. If you are saying, Allah is supreme, but I am also supreme. Allah has a will, I also have a will. Khala, you have to go on. Your Islam is zero, nullified. La ilaha illallah means, la yanfa wa la yadhurra illallah. La razzaqa illallah. La malika illallah. La khaliqa illallah. There is no one who can cause benefit or harm except Allah. There is no one who provides me with my sustenance except Allah. There is no one who is the owner, the true owner except Allah. There is no one who is the creator of conditions, ala shia wa ala hawal, conditions and things. Illa Allah. It's not just a matter of saying, la ilaha illallah, okay fine, alhamdulillah, I pray two rak'ah salah, I am gone home now, rest of the life is my own. No way, no way. Complete and total subjugation, which means that every decision I take until now, every decision I take, I took it on the basis of my own logic, my own understanding, my own likes and dislikes, my own desires, so on, so on, so on. This is how I live my life. But from the minute I say, la ilaha illallah, I said, la ilaha illallah, the minute I say that, everything changes. All those researchers now have got a rider, they've got a criterion. And the criterion is what? Does it please Allah? That's it. So at the same time it is very, very simple, but it's simple for the one who comes to it with a qalbun saleem, with a heart which is submissive, a heart which is pure. And the heart is pure. It's very simple. Just one line. Everything in life, does it please Allah? That's it. But simple only if that is the case. If that is not the case, then it's a very complicated thing. And that is why those who oppose the Aswad Aswad Aswad, some of them, they died with that opposition. Abu Jahl, Abu Lahab, so on. These were intelligent people. These were intelligent people. They were, Abu Lahab was a big businessman. He was a billionaire. He didn't become a billionaire by being stupid. Abu Jahl was the head of the entire tribe. He didn't get there by being stupid. They were smart people. They were very smart people. They were smart enough to recognize the meaning of la ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah. Unfortunately, they were not smart enough to accept that. They were smart enough to understand the meaning. They were smart enough to understand the meaning. They were smart enough to accept that. They were smart enough to understand the meaning. That is why they opposed. If they had not understood the meaning, they would have accepted it like, may Allah have mercy on us. Most people today, most Muslims today accept it. And then they lead their own lives. They won't pray. They won't do this. They won't do that. All that Allah has prohibited, you know, no problem. Just do it. What Allah has commanded, I will do if I have time. The other day I mentioned this also in one of my khatiras. I said, just listen to how announcements are made about religious events. My brothers and sisters, there is a session on Seela, which is happening in ISWM at 5.30 on Saturday. If you are free, please attend. What is that? What is that? If you are free? What is the meaning if you are free? What is it in your mind? What is it in your life as a Muslim that you could possibly be doing, which is more important, more critical, than learning about the life of Rasulullah with the intention of applying that in your life? What can be? Tell me. What can be more important than that? Free means what? Free means I have something more important. Nothing more important. This is there. So therefore I'll come. If I say I'm not free, what does it mean? It means now I have to do something else, which is more important. So I'm not free to come here. Right? If you are free. I mean the person who is even announcing it, may Allah have mercy on them. If you are free, come. What does it mean if you are free? Make istighfar. If you say this thing, make istighfar. Because Allah might be angry with you for saying this. He might be angry with you for saying this about His Rasul, if you are free. You know why the Sahaba succeeded? Because they made this their core business for their lives. Sayyidina Ali bin Abi Talib, he used to work as a labourer in the garden of a Jewish man who had a dead palm garden. Now he used to go there, harvest time, he's up on the tree, he's harvesting dates. And obviously, here is Alim Abi Talib, a man working with his very conscientiously, very hard, doesn't need supervision, because his supervisor is Allah . He has that tawheed in his heart, does a beautiful day's job. So he's working there, midday. He tells the man, give me my wages. I have to go. He said, why? If I give you wages now, I pay you only for half a day. He said, yeah, half a day. I work for half a day. I don't ask you for the full day's wage, half a day. He said, why? Where are you going? Effectively he's saying, what is more important than earning money? Sayyidina Ali said, I have to go to the Majlis of Rasulullah, to learn about Islam. Right? They paid for it. They paid for it. With their money, with their time, with their blood, with their lives, they paid for it. And so it worked for them. And we say, if you are free. Have you ever heard this kind of a statement for practice? This kind of a statement for practically any other announcement in the world? If you are advertising a basketball or a football match or something like this, have you ever heard, if you are free, go to that match? Have you heard this? There is a match here. We should go. The community should support. Blah, blah, blah. Have you ever heard, if you are free, go to the match? What is a basketball? What is a game? It doesn't matter what the game is. I'm talking to you about from the Islamic perspective. What is a basketball game? What is a soccer game? What is a cricket game? You name the game. What is a game? At best, absolutely top of the line, at best, it is something which is mubah. There is neither sin in it nor is there any benefit in it. At best. And at best is what means that while you are sitting there, you have not lost track of the zikr of Allah, time for salah, you will pray, you will not say, hold on a second, this is a, you know, this is a lie, one throw, one penalty, I'll wait. No, no,