Friday, February 11, 2011

Follow Sunnah | Say Bismillah

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah to be present at the Majlis Mawlid hosted by Darul Murtadza tonight. Habib Ali Zainal Abidin led the event which started off with heartfelt and melodious salawat.

Habib Ali welcomed the guest of honor Habib Mahdi Abu Bakar Al-Hamid from Yemen who now heads Madrasah At-Tazkiyah, the Malaysian chapter of the esteemed Darul Mustafa.

Habib Ali said:
Praise be to Allah, Alhamdulillah, that we are gathered here at this majlis with people who love Allah and Rasulullah s.a.w. It is obligatory to love Allah and Prophet Muhammad s.a.w as it is a mark of one's faith. We all come here seeking inayah (guidance), rahmah (mercy) and barakah (blessings). Gathered with us are notable people from countries as far as Yemen and Indonesia. The Prophet s.a.w said in a hadith that there is a group of people who will be resurrected while their faces shine so brightly. They would be standing on special pedestals (mimbar) made of gems and precious stones. They will be honored with such privilege that even anbiya would be envious of them.

When the Prophet mentioned this hadith, someone asked him, who are these people? In his reply, the Prophet said: They are my ummah who come from various countries and get together at a place for the love of Allah. They are awliya Allah. The awliya are those who neither feel afraid nor sad ever. They convene because they love one another for the sake of Allah. 

Tonight we are honored to have Habib Mahdi Abu Bakar from Yemen who will be giving a tausiyah (lecture). May we reap many benefits from each other. We are friends on the basis of taqwa, friends who advise one another.

[Habib Mahdi then spoke in Arabic and translated by Habib Ali as below.]

Alhamdulillah, we are gathered here to make zikir and salawat for Rasulullah. We meet to say His Name. It is a gift, an honor, a blessing from Allah. Those who make zikir, those who reminisce the attributes of the Prophet, those who are here at a majlis such as this, are granted rahmah (blessings), sakinah (tranquility) and mala'ikah (angels) descend upon them. Allah will mention the names of the attendees to His angels. In a hadith, the Prophet said: Allah will pardon the sins of those who attend majlis zikr.

O people, we ponder on the characters of Rasullulah and make salawat, therefore we should make an effort to study, understand and practice his sunnah. Allah did not send His Messenger except to guide the ummah; to bring them out from hell and enter the heavens; to rescue them from darkness to light and happiness.

Allah said in the Qur'an in Surah Al Asr: "By Time! Verily man is in a state of loss, except those who believe, and perform righteous deeds and invite one another to the truth, and with patience."

Allah swears by time that man is indeed at loss save those who have faith, who are righteous, who advise one another. Allah sent the Prophet so that people will not suffer misfortune. He was the last Messenger. The most honorable prophet was sent as the last of anbiya. Therefore, we must be grateful for this blessing from Allah that He made us ummah of Rasulullah - the best of all Prophets.

Nabi Musa was keen to belong with his ummah when he saw in Luh Mahfuz (the Preserved Tablet) how special Prophet Muhammad was. Nabi Isa too was eager. He said if he were to live in the times of Muhammad, he would surely follow him.

O people who are given the diadem/crown of being ummat Muhammad. Are you aware of this big honor Allah has granted you? Are we holding on to this honor strongly? Are we practicing his sunnah? The reality of our life is to look for sunnah and to practice it. Anything other than sunnah will disappear. Everything else will vanish except those who are associated with Nabi.

The Prophet taught sunnah to the sahabah. He taught them specifically and in great detail even on small matters like manners in the restroom. The kaffir will be attracted to Islam if Muslims truly follow sunnah and show a good example. The kaffir may be granted hidayah through the person who practices sunnah.

Prophet Muhammad taught us a simple phrase - Bismillah. Have we really thought about the meaning of Bismillah. Prophet Muhammad taught us to say Bismillah when we enter and leave our homes and the masjid.  He taught us to recite:
Bismillahi tawakkaltu alAllah wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah
when we leave our house.

Have you thought about the real meaning of Bismillah oh you who are granted the honor to be ummah of Rasulullah? When you recite that du'a the angels will say: 'Your needs will be met. You will be safe from shayatin. You will be guided.' So recite that du'a because it is sunnah. We also say Bismillah when we lie down to sleep and upon getting up.

Consider this: if you were to speak in the name of the President, speaking on his behalf, reading the text of his speech, the contents would become significant wouldn't it? So imagine if we were to speak in Allah's Name. Imagine if you enter your house, leave your home, sleep, do all that by carrying His Name with you, imagine the greatness of His Name. We ought to understand the reality (haqiqah) of His Name.

Khalid Al-Walid was approached by a group of kaffir who told him that they would embrace Islam on one condition that is if Khalid would agree to drink a poisonous concoction. Khalid with the degree of certainty he had, took up the challenge. With confidence he recited:
Bismillahillazi la yadurru ma as mihi syai un fil ardhi wala fis sama'i wahuwas sami'ul aleem
Khalid Al-Walid drank the poison but survived because he understood the meaning of Bismillah.

O people, we say Bismillah and recite the Qur'an but we don't study its meanings. In this time that we live in, we must adorn ourselves with sunnah Rasulullah s.a.w.

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Wallahu'alam. May I be forgiven for any mistakes in my note taking.
The majlis was graciously hosted by Darul Murtadza

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