The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) spent 23 years teaching others from the knowledge that Allah blessed him with. All the knowledge that he felt would save us from going astray he handed down to his companions, in the form of the Quran and his sunnah, to continue teaching everyone to follow the right path.

Every piece of information he gave to others was given for specific purposes. He was always into making sure that everyone would get his message. In his last sermon, the Rasul (saw) said, “Take these words to those who could not be present here today.” At the end of his sermon he stated, “All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly.”

Through the Quran and the Prophet’s (saw) interpretation of the Quran, much knowledge was gained by both the people of his time and of the present. We ask Allah to guide us towards the straight path, the right way, at least 17 times a day, so that we don’t enter hell. All of our protections are there in front of us and it is up to us to understand what’s being said. By using the judgment of the Prophet, scholars, local imams and ourselves, we will be able to remain good and avoid the un-Islamic paths.

Ibn ‘Abbas narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “A single scholar of religion is more formidable against a devil than a thousand devout people (Tirmidhi). Now, we don’t have to be scholars, necessarily; however by being a practicing Muslim and knowledgeable about Islam, then, InshaAllah, the devil will come to fear us one day.

Anas narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “One of the signs of the Hour is that knowledge shall be taken away and ignorance shall reign supreme (Bukhari). As each day goes by, the Day of Judgment looms closer and closer, and knowledge is becoming scarce. These days, people are coming out much less intelligent than generations before them, and yet our resources are the most developed. The Final Hour is so close that the Prophet once said that if all of eternity was compacted into one day, his lifetime was Maghrib and the Day of Judgment would be Isha.

We can’t prevent Judgment Day from falling upon us; it is inevitable. However, we can work on making knowledge abundant for our generation so that maybe we won’t have to see the Day of Judgment in our generation.

In the Quran, Allah says in Surah Saba (Sheba), “We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad tidings, and warning them (against sin), but most men understand not” (aya 28). Whether being born into this religion or reverting to Islam, it is our job to bring understanding to ourselves and to the ones who don’t understand. We have nothing to lose by teaching Allah’s message, nothing but good comes out of it. Allah states in Surah Az- Zariyat, aya 55, “But teach (thy Message) for teaching benefits the Believers.” Inshallah our benefits come in this life and the next.

Inshallah, in the next part of the Khutba, I will talk about the ways in which we can bring the understanding and wisdom of Islam to others.

We are accountable for our actions and the actions of those we have relations with. If we give knowledge to someone about doing good actions, then InshaAllah, we are rewarded for it; yet, if what we teach leads to haram, we will be held accountable for that as well. Abu Mas’-ud al-Ansari reported that the Messenger of Allah said, “He who directed one to a noble deed deserves the reward similar to one who does it.” This includes the simplest things: from the sunnah of the prophet—–like exiting a building with your left foot and entering with your right—to the fard, such as praying or fasting.

Local communities are always looking for volunteers to help with different activities and events. The most important and rewarding task and challenge that a Masjid may offer is to teach people, mainly the youth, about Islam. Most Masajid typically have some form of schooling to teach the youth about Islam. This may be Saturday or Sunday School, or evening Quran classes. Uthman ibn ‘Affan reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said, “The best of you is he who learned the Qur’an and then taught it (to other Muslims)” (Bukhari). Teaching the youth about Islam is crucial because they are our next generation of Muslims and will Inshallah keep the legacy of the Prophet’s (pbuh) message alive. If they aren’t taught properly, they may easily fall astray, or their Iman may be frail. As our communities have raised and taught us, we too should give back.

Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world and in the United States. Have you ever wondered what happens to those people who revert to Islam? After seeing people take Shahada in a Masjid, or during Ramadan, we may hug and congratulate them, and make sure they know that we’d be there if they needed anything, but we never end up giving them our contact information because we might actually run into them sooner or later. It’s sad to say that after the Shahada, Muslims who had reverted to Islam convert to their original faith simply because they don’t have people assisting them in learning about Islam. There is an organization that was launched almost a year ago which has been striving to make sure that these reverts of Islam learn what they need to know i.e. how to pray and fast, and so become a support group for the new Muslims. The Ummah Project has been successful with reverting people to Islam and maintaining relations after. For the past year, the Ummah Project has been hosting lecture series about Islam and bringing awareness to people. They’ve hosted workshops to teach Muslims how to pray, how to fast, and about Hajj. They also teach the Muslims how to read Arabic. The program also helps with memorization of the Quran. Alhamduliah, the organization is continuing to grow and they are assisting new Muslims though the challenge. Like many organizations, the Ummah Project still needs improvements. They are always looking for volunteers. They need volunteers from both gender groups to help mentor the new Muslims and teach them about Islam. Also, on September 24, before Ramadan begins, the Ummah Project will be hosting their second Annual fundraising dinner. Tickets are only $35 and all proceeds go to teaching new Muslims about Islam. The speakers will, Inshallah, include Zaid Shakar, Brother Ramzi, and two stories from people who came back to Islam.

Being college students, typically we don’t have time to volunteer at different events or the Masjid because we’ve got many other things to do, such as filling out admissions papers to get into an accredited graduate college. Nor do we have the money to support such events because we elect to spend our money on material goods that will make us happy. But it’s funny, because we forget what our real goals in life are: to submit ourselves to Allah. Ibn Mas’ud reported that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “The position of only two persons is enviable; the person whom Allah bestowed wealth empowering him to spread it in the way of righteousness, and the person whom Allah gave wisdom with which he adjudges and which he teaches to others.”

With that, I ask Allah for forgiveness for anything wrong I have said.