Dark Mode
07-10-2024
Logo
Biography- Prophetic Biography- Understanding the Prophet's Biography- (Lesson 06-57): The Names Of The Prophet (pbuh)
   
 
 
In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful  
 

All praise to Allah the lord of all worlds, blessing and peace be upon our master Muhammad the truthful in what he had promised and the trustworthy. O Allah we have no knowledge apart from what you have taught us, for you are the all knower and the all wise, so teach us what is beneficial to us, and let us benefit from what you have taught us and increase our knowledge, and let us see truth as it is and make us comply with it, let us see falsehood as it is and make us avoid it, and let us be among those who listen to what had been said and follow the best of it, and let us be under your mercy with your righteous servant. Take us out of the darkness of ignorance and illusion to the light of knowledge, and from the mud of lusts to the gardens of obedience.

The names of the Prophet (PBUH) in authentic Hadith:

Honorable brothers, we will start today with a new lesson of the prophetic biography, we shall move to his names (pbuh).

Prophet Muhammad, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, had many names that scholars found and explained their meanings as well as the indications embodied in them. It was narrated in the two most  authentic books of Hadith  (Sahih Al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim) that Muhammad Ibn Jubayr Ibn Mut'im heard his father saying:

The Prophet, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him,  said:

(( I have five names, I am: I am Muhammad, Ahmad, Al-Mahi, the one by whom Allah wipes out disbelief,, Al-Hasir, the one whom people will be resurrected at his feet; and Al-'Aqib, the one after whom there is no Prophet.))

In another narration in  Sahih Muslim:

Abu Musa Al Asha'ri narrated that the Prophet, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him,  mentioned many names of his and said:

(( I am Mohammad, Ahmad, Al-Muqafi (the last in succession), the Gatherer [of whom people shall gather around on the judgment day], the Prophet of repentance and the Prophet of mercy." ))


Honorable brother, the names of the Prophet, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him,  can be divided into two categories: the first one is the names which are restricted to him only, which means no other prophet shared them with him; such as the five names mentioned in abovementioned Noble Hadith.

The second one is the names which other prophets  shared with him, such as : The Messenger of Allah, al-Shaheed (the Witness), al-Nadhir (the Warner) and the Prophet of mercy.

The word: 'Muhammad' is an intensified form derived from Al-Hamd (praise)

 The Prophet , may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, is best known as Muhammad


The name "Muhammad" [in Arabic] is Ism al-Maf'ool ( a word that describes the object; the one on which the action of verb was done) derived from the word 'Hamd'  'praise' which connotes commending, loving , glorifying, and honoring the one who is praised (i.e. Prophet Muhammad, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him) .

The Prophet, (pbuh) is praised y by Allah the Almighty, and by people and even by himself (i.e. he was truly deserving of praise.)

 In contrast, a cunning person may deceive others so he could be praised  by them,  but he knows deep inside that he does not deserve it. 

Allah the Almighty says:


﴾ " Nay! Man will be a witness against himself [as his body parts (skin, hands, legs, etc…) will speak about his deed; though he may put forth his excuses (to cover his evil deeds)."   ﴿


[ [Al-Qiyamah, 14,15] ]


Also, a man could be praised  by Allah the Almighty for performing acts of worship, and for adhering to His Orders and Prohibition; but also, he may not be praised  by people since he is merciless and he does not follow the Prophet's morals and manners; he maybe praiseworthy by himself but not by people.

The greatness of the Prophet (pbuh) manifested itself in being  praised  by God, by people and by being truly deserving of praise. Therefore [in Arabic] the name Muhammad is the exaggerated form derived from Hamd (praise) when such form is used [in Arabic language] this denotes the repetition of the verb on the object either for being worthy of it, or being the object.

The name' Muhammad' literally means the one who has been praised time after time, or the one who is worthy of being praised time after time, either the praise is done on his blessed self, or he is worthy of it because he was sent as mercy for  mankind.

Steadfastness on the path of Allah is the greatest honor bestowed by Allah


By the way honorable brothers, I will give you this great  rule:

If you want to know your status in the Sight of Allah the Almighty, then you should look what kind of deeds  you occupy yourself  with.

If you wanted to have special status and to be honored in the Sight of Allah then know for certain that the highest honor bestowed by Allah upon you is to get to know Him, and to adhere    to His Orders and Prohibitions .


Thus, steadfastness on the Path of Allah and getting to know Him is the greatest Karamah (i.e. honor bestowed by Allah the Almighty upon you), since true karamah does not refer to supernatural  deeds. Allah the Almighty says:

﴾ " And [He] taught you that which you knew not. And Ever Great is the Grace of Allah unto you (O Muhammad pbuh)." ﴿

[ [Surat Al-Nisa, :113] ]

The mismatch between one's name and his personality:


Honorable brothers, I would like to give another example; It is a sad thing that a Muslim may have a perfect name, but he is not; for instance, some called Saeed [means happy] but he is not.

The real achievement is that your name should match your personality. There is a rule in Arabic language that says: if you know a name [of someone] this because he is characterized by that name.

For instance; Mr. so and so is called Rashed [means rational], so he is supposed to behave rationally, therefore it is the children's right that their parents give them good  names. As the saying goes: The best names are those which describe one as a slave of Allah or which are derived from the name Muhammad.


The Prophet's parents, and where and when he was born:


Honorable brother,  Abdullah Ibn Abd Al-Muttalib, was the father of the Prophet, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, he was married to Aminnah Bint Wahab Ibn Abd Manaf Ibn  Zuhrah Ibn  Kilab. The details of this marriage was not reported through correct methods, but what matters the most is that the prophet (pbuh) was the fruit of the marriage of Abdullah Ibn Abd Al-Mutalib and Amina Bint Wahab [Pre Islam, old Arabs were concerned about the lineage of their families].

Do not be dissatisfied and unhappy with what Allah has decreed for you:

 

Furthermore, one may wonder: why was the prophet (pbuh) an orphan? 

He, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, had not seen his father, since his father died when he was in Al-Madineh at his uncles' (the clan of Al-Najjar).

Al-Zuhri mentioned that Abed Al-Mutalib sent his son Abdullah to buy dates from Yuthreb [Al-Madineh Al-Munawara] then he died there. Aminah gave birth to the Prophet (pbuh) under the care of Abed Al-Mutalib.

The Holy Quran mentioned that the prophet (pbuh) was an orphan, Allah the Almighty says:


﴾ "Did he not find you (O Muhammad [pbuh]) an orphan and gave you a refuge?" ﴿


[ [ Surat Al-Duha :6] ]


O brother, I heard once something that touched me so deeply, I heard someone saying to his friend: If an orphan does not have a father to care for him, doesn't his Lord; Allah the Almighty, take care of him?!. So those who lost their fathers are under the Care and Protection of Allah the Almighty, He says:


﴾ " And it may be that you dislike a thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah knows but you do not know." ﴿


[ [Surat Al-Baqarah, 216] ]


Actually, many orphans grew up to be very distinguished people.

In other words, a powerful rich father may become an obstacle in his son's way to reach the highest rank [in a certain field], for everything is at his disposal, whereas little orphans have nothing, so they may work harder than other kids .


But what I would like to clarify to you is that man is endowed with free choice concerning Allah's Orders and Prohibitions; such as fasting Ramadan, lowering one's gaze from looking at forbidden things, and earning and spending money in a  halal way, etc.. and  he is free to obey or disobey.  

However, he is not  free to choose his gender; whether a male or a female, his parents, where and when he was born, , what he looks like , and his qualities and skills, etc.   You should deeply believe that what Allah the Almighty has chosen for you is the best for you. Imam Al-Ghazali, the great scholar of his time,  expressed that saying:

"It is not possible to make things more wonderful and better than what they already are [the way and the look that Allah -Exalted He is- had created them]"

In other words, as for the things which you cannot choose in life, Allah has chosen for you what fits you the best. And then on the Day of Judgment, the wisdom behind such matters or behind Qada and Qadar (divine decree and predestination)  shall be revealed. 

 Then all people will praise Allah saying:

﴾  And the close of their request will be: ( Al-hamdu Lillah Rabb-ill-Alamin) [All the praises and thanks are to Allah, the Lord of 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists)].  ﴿

[ Surat Yunus,10 ]


You should be satisfied with what Allah has given you. A man was circulating Al-Ka'aba saying: O Lord, are you pleased with me?

Imam Al-Shafi'i [one of the leading knowledgeable scholar of Islam] was behind him, he asked the man: Are you pleased with Allah so that He will be pleased with you?

The man said: may Allah bless you but who are you?

The Imam said: my name is Muhammad Ibn Idris.

The man said: how am I going to be pleased with Allah while I am desperate for His Pleasure?

The Imam said: " If you show the same level of satisfaction in times of diversity and in times of ease, then you are pleased with Allah the Almighty (i.e. you are satisfied with the Divine Decree. "

Therefore you should know for certain that what Allah the Almighty has chosen for you is the best for you., but according to what Allah has prepared for you to live an eternal happiness.


Dear brothers, the most authentic narrations that mentioned the birth of the prophet (pbuh) that he was born on the 12th of Rabi'Al-Awal [it’s a name of a month in the Arabic calendar, which based the lunar system] known as the year of elephant.

By the way, the 12th of Rabi'Al-Awal comes on Monday every 365 days. This year the 12th of Rabi'Al-Awal marked on Monday, this is what we call in sera [the biography of the Prophet (pbuh)] an early sign.

The prophet (pbuh) was born in the elephant year, when Abraha Al-Ashram headed to Mekkeh to tear down Al-Ka'bah.

Because he wanted people to perform pilgrimage to a church that he built in Yaman [south of the Arabian Peninsula]

[He was on top of a great army with elephants so when he became near Mekkeh his solders stole a cattle which belongs to Abed Al-Mutaleb (the prophet's grandfather).

He went to Abraha who was lying down arrogantly in his tent, but he admired his solemnity.

Abraha said: what can I do for you?

Abed Al-Mutaleb said: I came here to claim my cattle of sheep.

Abraha was irritated by that request, he said: how could man with such a stature ask for a worthless thing? I thought you were going to ask me not to tear down Al-Ka'aba and Mekkeh!

Abed Al-Mutaleb said: I am in charge of this cattle, Al-Kaa'beh (the holy house) has its own God to protect it, and then he left. Allah the Almighty says:


﴾ " Have you (O Muhammad pbuh) not seen how your Lord dealt with the owners of the Elephant? [The elephant army which came from Yemen under the command of Abrahah Al-Ashram intending to destroy the Ka'bah at Makkah].* Did He not make their plot go astray?* And He sent against them birds, in flocks,* striking them with stones of Sijjil [baked clay].  ﴿

﴾ And He made them like (an empty field of) stalks (of which the corn has been eaten up by cattle)." ﴿

[ [Surat Al-Fil, 1,2,3,4,5.] ]


Allah will definitely grant victory to Islam:

  The story is known to you, in comparison to this story I shall say: do not worry about this religion, it is Allah's religion and He will definitely grant it victory.

 In another word, there is no power on earth - no matter how overwhelming it is- can corrupt the guidance of Allah to His creatures.

Allah the Almighty says:

﴾ " They (the disbelievers, the Jews and the Christians) want to extinguish Allah's Light (with which Muhammad pbuh has been sent –Islamic monotheism) with their mouths,." ﴿

[ [Surat At-Taubah, 32] ]


Tell me if someone turns his face towards the sun and blows in order to extinguish it, What do you think the proper place that person should be in?

Of course, he should be sent to psychiatric hospital !, right?

Likewise, disbelievers  want to extinguish the light of Allah the Almighty with their mouths, but all their attempts will definitely fail, since if no one can ever  extinguish the light of the sun, then how is the case when it comes to the Light of Allah?

Allah the Almighty says:


﴾ " But Allah will complete His Light " ﴿

[ Surat As-Saf, 8 ]


﴾ " Verily, those who disbelieve spend their wealth to hinder (men) from the Path Allah, and so will they continue to spend it; but in the end it will become an anguish for them. Then they will be overcome. And those who disbelieve will be gathered unto Hell." ﴿

[ [ Surat: Al-Anfal : 36] ]


﴾ " Say (O Muhammad pbuh) to those who disbelieve: "you shall be defeated". ﴿

[ [ Surat: Al-Imran: 12] ]


﴾ " And the (blessed) end is for the Muttaqun (the pious)" ﴿


[ Surat Al-Anfal: 128 ]


You desire something and I desire something, but Allah the Almighty does whatever He wills. So, do not worry  about this religion; it is the religion of Allah and He will definitely grant it victory On the other hand, we should worry about ourselves; whether Allah the Almighty has allowed us or not to be among those who serve Islam  [through calling people to Allah with wisdom and best manners]  which  is indeed, a great honor.

The incident of the splitting of the Prophet Muhammad's chest


Another thing, it had been authenticated that Thawbiah –the servant of Abi-Lahab [the prophet's (pbuh) uncle who was totally against him and his religion and fought him fiercely] breastfed him (pbuh).

It had been proved that his uncle Hamzah Ibn Abd Al-Mutalib [his other uncle who loved him dearly but did not convert to his religion at the beginning but then he became a Muslim and won martyrdom in the battle of Uhud against the disbelievers] was his brother through breastfeeding [in Arab culture and in Islamic tradition it is commonly known that if a baby was breast fed by a woman other than her/his mother, then all the sons and the daughter of this mother will be her/his milk- siblings, so they can not marry each other and their mother will be her/his milk- mother ], and it has been authenticated that Halimah Al-Sa'adiah breastfed him (pbuh) and he lived with her in Al-Badiah [semi desert] where a miracle (splitting of the chest) took place. It needs to be introduced.

O brother, this text or this incident has its special connotation, so we only accept it with these connotations. 

For instance; if someone said: "There are some men  whom if they want  something, Allah the Almighty grant them whatever they want."

If you interpret this sentence that those men's will is similar to Allah's Will,  then this is an act of ascribing a partner or rival to Allah the Almighty [which is  the greatest unforgiveable sin in Islam].

However; if I interpreted the text in its right context; that those men are so righteous that their Duaa is always answered , then nothing wrong with that.

Now if we imagined that the incident of the splitting of the Prophet's chest [when the prophet (pbuh) was a little child, two angles took him away to split his blessed chest] meant that Allah had taken from the heart of the prophet (pbuh) through two angles was the misfortune of the devil then [Muhammad] become a prophet- then there is a problem.

Someone may say that if this black leech represents evil then how come hasn't it been taken from the heart of all human beings so that they would all enter paradise? How come it is placed there the first place?

Actually,  we understand that the incident of the splitting of the Prophet's chest was one of the  extraordinary events that took place before his Prophet hood. 

Likewise, when the pious lady Mariam (Mary )gave birth to Prophet Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him, he spoke in the cradle; Allah the Almighty says::

﴾ And peace be on him the day he was born, and the day he dies, and the day he will be raided up to life (again). ﴿

[ Surat Maryam : 15 ]

Although Allah The Almighty supported His Prophets with miracles, this is not called a miracle since Prophet Isa, peace be upon him, was still an infant, rather it is an early sign of  his Prophethood 

likewise, the splitting of the chest of the prophet (pbuh) is an early sign of his prophecy as well.

This indicates that there is something in prophecy; Allah had chosen them according to His knowledge of them.

There is another endowment in prophecy, splitting of the chest is an endowment, but the compassion of the prophet (pbuh) and his dedication to Allah and his devotion to serve people are qualifications. So prophecy has qualifications and endowments, and each has evidence, Allah the Almighty says:


﴾ "Allah chose Adam, Nuh (Noah), the family of Ibrahim (Abraham)and the family of Imran above the Alamin (mankind and jinn) (of their time)." ﴿


[ Surat Al-Imran : 33 ]


It is an evidence of qualifications; Allah had chosen them according to His knowledge. [The prophet pbuh said] Allah had chosen me and my companions; all the mentioned texts [of the Holy Qura'an & the prophetic sayings] confirm the qualities that the prophet (pbuh) had, but as for the splitting of the chest, miracles, revelation, and the memory that would not fade, these are all endowments which are means to introduce and to deliver the [Divine] message.

The text in which the splitting of the chest had been informed:

Muslim reported on the authority of Anas Ibn Malek : that when the Prophet, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, was at the age of 4, Gabriel  took hold of him, laid him prostrate on the ground, tore open his breast, took out the heart from it and then extracted a blood-clot out of it and said: That was the part of Satan in you. ; he washed him with Zamzam [holy water from Zamzam well] in a golden basin then he returned him to where he (pbuh) was.

The boys took him to his mother [in breast deeding] Halimeh Al-Sa'adiah saying: Muhammad was killed.

He had a pale face when they received him.

Anas said: I could see the mark of stitches on the chest of the prophet (pbuh); the other split of the Prophet's chest was on the miraculous Night Journey .


The Prophet's trade journey to Ash-Sham with his uncle Abu Taleb:


Dear brothers, the Prophet, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, was born after the death of his father so he couldn't see him. Also,  his mother died at al-Abwa'a [a place] between Makkah and Al-Madinah while he was at the age of 6.


Being an orphan had affected him deeply, for he was born without a father, he lost his mother in his childhood, after that his grandfather sponsored him, but his grandfather died,   his uncle Abu Taleb took care of him according to his grandfather's will while the Prophet was at the age of 8.

He (pbuh) was born not knowing his father, at the age of 6 his mother died then at the age of 8 his grandfather died as well.

Most narrations showed the sympathy of his uncle (Abu Taleb) and how much he was attached to him (pbuh).

Abu Taleb loved him dearly so he accompanied him in his trip to Al-Sham.

Abu Taleb was poor so the prophet (pbuh) worked to help him, so he shepherded his sheep  and he also shepherded the sheep of the people of Makkah for some Qirats.

 

Prophets, like all human beings, need food and water to survive:

Consider the following Noble Ayah in which Allah the Almighty mentioned some of  the characteristics of the Noble Prophets, He says: 

﴾ "But verily, they ate food and walked in the markets." ﴿


[ [Surat Sl-Furqan: 20] ]


Consuming food is decisive evidence that their [prophets] existence is not self- generated. Human beings take the energy of mobility from food and water, so they are creatures that lack food and water.

The prophet (pbuh) lacks in his continuity of his existence to food and water, so he is not God, in addition he lacks to provide the price for food and water:

﴾ " But verily,  they ate food and walked in the markets." ﴿

[ Surat Sl-Furqan : 20 ]


Allah-exalted He is- has made needs in ourselves, such as the need of food and drink to preserve our existence; and men & women need each other in order to avoid extinction, and He has made in us a need to prove ourselves in a certain field, these are essential needs that push us to work;

Without these needs, nothing would have existed on earth.

You would not have seen a mosque or a building or a bridge or agriculture or an industry or any invention or a machine nothing at all.

Allah has obliged us to work through these needs.

Actually, you have to work in order to make a living, however, you are  tested thorough your job; whether you are  honest or a liar, fair or unfair, chaste or unchaste, faithful or unfaithful. So, you are being tested through your work. Your job turns into an act of worship as long as it is a halal (lawful) job, you earn money in Halal ways,  your intention is  to meet your family's needs,  your needs, and the needs of those you are responsible for, you want to serve Muslims, and it does not divert you from performing any act of worship or any religious duty. 

It has been said: The habits of a believer turn into acts of warship whereas  the acts of worship of a hypocrite turn into sins, because hypocrites show off in their worship while the  believers' everyday acts turn into acts of worship due to their sincere intention.


I'll say it again:

profession must be by legal [in the eye of Islamic laws] mean in the first place, and your intention must be to suffice you family and yourself and the ones whom you support and to serve Muslims, and it does not occupy you from performing any religious obligation or duty or seeking knowledge, then your work shall turn into a kind of worship.

However, dear brother, the most attached things in one's life are his wife and profession.

Thus the prophet (pbuh) said:

(( The Holy Spirit had (the Angel Gabriel) cast inspiration into my heart that every soul shall not die except that its allotted time shall be completed, and it shall attain its allotted providence, so be pious [in your relation] with Allah and do not over-indulge in seeking your sustenance." ))

[ Al-Hakem on the authority of Ibn Masud ]


"Make your professions to serve people"


Blessed are those whose jobs are permissible according to the Islamic Sharia, . On the other hand, woe to the one whose profession is based on causing harm to people, or making them panic, or trading in  prohibited commodities or engaging in acts of disobedience to Allah the Almighty.  

If you want to know your status in the Sight of Allah the Almighty, you should look what kind of deeds  you occupy yourself  with.

I advise young men to choose a wife and a profession that please Allah to be happy in their life.

The virtue of work in Islam:


O brother, the prophet (pbuh) lived under the care of his uncle Abi Taleb, but he was poor so the prophet (pbuh) used to help him pasturing sheep.

The prophet (pbuh) said:


(( All the prophets who were before me were shepherds. ))

One companion said: what about you?


(( The prophet said: Yes, I used to shepherd the sheep of the people of Mecca for some Qirats.. ))


[ Narrated by Bukhari on the authority of Abu Huraira. ]


Working is an honor, and it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness 

The prophet (pbuh) had taught us a lot of things:

A man form Al-Ansar [People of Al-Madineh known as the supporters] asked him for money.

The prophet said: Do you have anything?

He said: I have a pot and a piece of cloth nothing more.

The prophet said: bring them.

He told his companions: who would like to buy these?

One said: I will buy them with one dirham.

The prophet (pbuh): Who pays more?

Another one said: I will buy them with two dirham.

The prophet sold the stuff and told the owner: Take the two dirham buy food for your family and buy a sharp blade with the other dirham then bring to me; the prophet (pbuh) tide the blade with his own blessed hand to a stick [to be used as an axe] he told him: now go to log and come back after 15 days.

He came back with 8 dirham, the prophet (pbuh) said: this is a lot better for you than asking people whether they give or not.


Honorable brothers, pay attention to this critical point: It was narrated that the Prophet, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, said:


(( "He who opens a gate of begging, Allah opens a gate of poverty (or he said a word similar to it)." ))

[ At-Tirmidhi on the authority of Abu Kabsha Al-Anmari ]


The prophet (pbuh) is the master of all creations the Allah's beloved one, he used to pasture sheep.

I don't think that there is a profession that is less than this one, in terms of income, simplicity and standing.

Have you ever seen a shepherd who has his business card with his address, phone number and web site in it?

Imagine! The lowest job on earth is to be shepherd that is a medal of honor for the prophet (pbuh).

Do not be ashamed of what you do as long as it is an honorable profession, do not be ashamed of what you do as long as you intend to please the Lord, do not be ashamed of your low-level job as long as it is your source of  livelihood.

But be ashamed of Allah when committing sins, , be ashamed of degradation [out of asking others for money] be ashamed when your hand is the lower; when you never give and always take].

Therefore, the prophet (pbuh) saw a young man at working time reading the Qura'an.

The prophet asked him: who supports you?

He said: my brother does.

The prophet said: your brother is a better worshiper than you are.

In another occasion the prophet held the hand of Abdullah Bin Masud –it was a rough one out of his work- he said: This hand is loved by Allah and His messenger." 

Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say:

"I do not respect the one who does not have a job and does nothing in life"


Muslims' duty towards their religion:


Actually, a believer should excel at his work .  Take these words of mine and keep them in your mind : unless you excel in life, , no one will respect your religion, because it is the logic of powerful people, and they only understand the language of force, [So we should prepare against them whatever we are able of power]

However, a very simple man may have a great status in the Sight of Allah the Almighty. The evidence of that is the following Noble Hadith: it was narrated that the prophet, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, said:


(( "How many are there with dishevelled hair, covered with dust, possessing two cloths, whom no one pays any mind to - if he swears by Allah then He shall fulfill it." ))


[ [Narrated by Muslim on the authority of Abu Huraira] ]


But If you want to be of support of this religion you have to be the best in your  field of specialization, in your profession, and in your career.

Let me give you the following examples: If you are a student, make every effort to be the best student, if you are a manufacturer, then seek perfection in your job, and if you are a trader, be as the prophet (pbuh) described traders, for they shall be resurrected with the Prophets and pious people.

The Prophet, may Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him, said:



(( The best earnings are the one of traders who would not lie when they talk, and would break a promise or betray when entrusted, and would not undervalue the goods [something in order to get a price reduction] when they buy, and would not speak highly of their commodity when they sell, and when they are in debt they do not delay its repayment, and if they are owed [money] they do not force [their debtor]. ))


[  Mentioned in the relic.] 

Choose a Halal job that helps you keep your religious commitment: 

Honorable brother, one may see pasturage as a pure, quiet and contemplating profession. If someone is at his work in a quiet place, away from the noise of the city where streets are full of half -naked women, and where all kind of sins and acts of disobedience are committed, even if he lives too far from his workplace,  he may find  peace of mind and inner peace. So chose a career that helps you keep your religious commitment, as the prophet (pbuh) said:


(( " The best earning of a Muslim is about to be the one he makes by taking cattle of sheep to the feet of mountains and where rain falls running away with religion to avoid enticement [of women and anything that displeases the Lord and cause a major problems to people" ))


[ Narrated by Al-Bukhari on the authority of Abi Sa'id Al-khudri. ]

There are some professions that  involve dealing with half naked women, such jobs involve  corruption and moral deviation, whereas other jobs might be rough but it is more purifying to one's soul and more favored by the Lord.

Therefore dear brother, your wife and your profession are of great importance, because they are the most attached things to you.

Some incidents the Prophet witnessed before prophethood

The prophet (pbuh) witnessed in his young age -when he turned twenty- the establishment of Al-Fudul Alliance, which all leaders of Quraish call upon each other to hold and to pledge that they will defend every oppressed man they find, and to return any stolen thing to its rightful owners- they are infidels, idolaters, but they wanted the enforcement of the fair law. The prophet (pbuh) said:

(( "The best of you, in the pre-Islamic age, are the best of during the Islamic age provided that they become knowledgeable [of Islamic religion" ))


[ [Narrated by Al-Bukhari on the authority of Abi Huraira] ]

And when one of the companions converted to Islam, the prophet (pbuh) told him:


(( "You converted to Islam with best characteristics that you had before." ))


[ [Agreed upon] ]


Thus, if you go to a western country that has an order, health security system and useful service to human beings, then you have to adapt it, and you should  not be narrow minded ( i.e. Muslims should follow the West in scientific advancement and at the same time should not imitate their moral deviation).

The story of the alliance of Al-Fudul:

The Prophet (pbuh) witnessed Al-Fudul Alliance, which has a story:

It says: A man from Zubaid sold a commodity to Al-A'ss Bin Weal Al-Sahmi but he procrastinated and refused to pay the agreed price., so the man from Zubaid complained about that to clan's leaders of Quraish and its allies but they paid him no attention; so he stood before Al-Ka'bah and chanted at the top of his lungs saying:

O Al-Fihr [title of a clan] an oppressed, coming out of no where, who had an unpaid commodity in the heart of Mekkeh.

A weary man who has not performed pilgrimage yet, where are the men of this town [to support him]

The protection must be to the one of whose dignity had been wasted, but not to the perfidious, the obscene and the treacherous one.

The poem touched Zubir's Ibn Abd Al Mutaleb feelings when he was with Prophet (pbuh), so he called- out of his gallantry- upon the leaders of Quraish; affectively, the clan of Hashem, the clan of Abed Al- Mutaleb, the clan of Assad, the clan of Zuhrra and the clan of Tamim gathered in the house of Abdullah Ibn Jada'an, then Al-Fudul Hilaf (alliance) was formed, and  Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) attended it prior to his mission [when he was first received revelation through Gabriel]. The Prophet (pbuh) celebrated it after he received Revelation, and from that point some scholars said:

Pay attention " Justice even if combined with infidelity may sustain life, but unfairness though it comes with Islam will not do so "form that point the same scholar said:

" Allah the Almighty  grants victory to a just disbelieving nation over an unjust Muslim nation". Consider the following Blessings be upon him, clarified  the path of triumph: he said:

"You gain no victory or livelihood except through (the blessings and invocations of) the poor amongst you. [by means of supporting the poor and the one whose earnings does not cover their basic needs]"

[ [Narrated by Abu Dawood ] ]

The weak ones must be fed when they are hungry, must be provided with clothing when they  do not have any, must be taught when they are  ignorant, must be provided with medical treatment  when they are  sick, must be sheltered when they are  homeless and must be supported when they are  oppressed, in order to deserve the victory of Allah Exalted and Glorified He is.


What do we learn from Hilf Al-Fudul?


There is a point when the Prophet (pbuh) attended Al-Fudul Alliance and praised it after his mission.

Thus we ought to take the good thing from the other side (i.e. the western world). In other words, when it comes to the western world, be open minded  and do not reject everything related to them since , there are many [good] characteristics in the western word.

Some scholars said:

"The culture of any nation belongs to  all mankind, for it is more like honey that has been extracted  from flowers belonging to different  people over  generations. So it does not make any sense that we no longer buy or eat honey which has been taken from our flowers if we got stung by a bunch of bees."

Some scholars were asked:

As for the Western civilization, when should we accept and what should we reject? , he answered:

We should take what's in their heads( i.e. Muslims should follow the West in scientific advancement) and leave what  is within themselves (i.e. we should not imitate their moral deviation). We have our own feelings and ethical values and they have their own, whereas knowledge belongs to all of us. 

Thus, when you see a positive thing in the western world then you must take it and adapt it.

There is another alliance which is called Al-Mutaibin Alliance, it had been proven that the prophet (pbuh) mentioned that he witnessed and praised it saying:

(( I had witnessed Al-Mutaibin Alliance with my uncles when I was a little boy; I would not prefer to have the most extravagant grace to infringe it. ))


[ [ Mentioned in the relic]  ]

The prophet (pbuh) witnessed two alliances (Al-Fudul, Al-Mutaibin) before his mission, and praised them after the mission.

Human beings are human beings [no matter what grace, color, country that they belong to] therefore the prophet (pbuh) said:

(( " I have only been sent  to perfect good manners-noble quality of traits." ))

[ [Narrated by Ahmad on the authority of Abu Huraira] ]


In conclusion, we should take and strengthen our selves with any good thing form others, when we intend to boycott a hostile country, we just boycott their goods and products , not  their programs and scientific accomplishments, because such things contribute to the scientific   development of Muslim society.

Next lesson, if Allah wills, we will continue this lesson


Download text

Other Languages

Hide Images