Remembering the Birth of the Best of Creation

The First Khutbah

All praises are for Allah. Who sent His Messenger with guidance and a clear Truth. And I bear witness, with every facet of my being, that there is nothing worthy of absolute love, adoration and worship, except Allah, the Uniquely One, having no competing second in that One-ness. And I bear witness that our Leader and Sayyid, our Prophet, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), is the perfect example of servanthood unto Allah, and is His sent Messenger unto the entirety of the created universe. The Mercy of Allah and His Blessing, His Gift and Boon. O Allah send your salutations, peace and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all of his family and companions. And upon whomsoever follows them in the best of ways till the Last Day.

To Continue: I advise you, dutiful servants of Allah, and myself, to adhere to a heartfelt consciousness (Taqwa) of Allah. For He, the Most Gloriously Transcendent, states:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَآمِنُوا بِرَسُولِهِ يُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَيْنِ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ وَيَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ نُورًا تَمْشُونَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ

O you who have believed, fear Allah and believe in His Messenger; He will [then] give you a double portion of His mercy and make for you a light by which you will walk and forgive you; and Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.  [Qur’an:57:28]

O Muslims: We are coming upon an immense occasion and an event of tremendous remembrance. Indeed it is remembering the birth of our Sayyid, our Prophet Muhammad r. The Best of Creation, the most pure of them, the most merciful of them, and the most conscious of Allah. He r was an answer of the supplication of our father Ibrahim (peace be upon him) when he said:

رَبَّنَا وَابْعَثْ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتِكَ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ

O Allah: Send amongst them a messenger from themselves who will recite to them Your verses and teach them the Book and wisdom and purify them. Indeed, You are the Exalted in Might, the Wise.

[Qur’an:2:129]

He was also the ‘good news’ given by Sayyid Easa (peace and blessings be upon him) who said:

وَمُبَشِّرًا بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِي مِنْ بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ

And bringing good tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad. [Qur’an:61:6]

So Allah answered the supplication of His intimate friend Sayyidina Ibrahim and He brought to pass the ‘good tidings’ He gave to His Prophet Easa (peace and blessings be upon him). So He sent forth to the world, our Sayyid, our Prophet, Muhammad r, who was born in the Year of the Elephant. His honourable birth was accompanied by numerous  portents and signs. Making clear for us the lofty magnitude of his worth, and his esteemed status and rank. He r says:

رَأَتْ أُمِّي أَنَّهُ يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا نُورٌ أَضَاءَتْ مِنْهَا قُصُورُ الشَّامِ

“My mother saw a light come out of her that illuminated for her the Castles of Sham (The Levant)”.

O Servants of Allah:

The Prophet r lived his childhood in the protection and safeguarding care of Allah. And he was in his youth an influence and aid to the formation and preservation of his beloved homeland (Mecca). He was avid in ensuring its justice, and that there be justice for all therein. And he attended the most honourable of pledges, one of the most honoured ones with the Arabs of the time. This is what was known as the ‘Hilf-al-Fudhul’ (The ‘Alliance of Virtues’) , a pact in which all the various tribes of Quraysh got together. In this they agreed to form an alliance that would protect and preserve the rights of those in need of such protection. They intended that there should not be anyone in Mecca who is oppressed, nor from those who come from the outside and have dealings therein. For should any of them be oppressed, they resolved to stand alongside them, until their rights and returned. Hence the Prophet r said: لَقَدْ شَهِدْتُ حِلْفًا مَا أُحِبُّ أَنَّ لِي بِهِ حُمْرَ النَّعَمِ، وَلَوْ أُدْعَى بِهِ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ لَأَجَبْتُ

I witnessed and partook in a pact that was more beloved to me than the worth of red camels [any most prized possession]. And if I were to be summoned to enter into such a pact [again] in Islam, I would surely answer its call.

This is because this pact of allegiance indicates  and contributed towards the establishment of peace. And the instilling and spreading of tolerance and harmony, whilst protecting from injustice and tyranny. As well as to establish common values and moral principles amongst the human fraternity. The Prophet r clarified that this pact was calling people to mutually unite upon righteousness, and to strive to preserve rights and establish justice. He stated: “Islam would not increase anything in this pact, except stressing it even more”. In other words Islam further emphasizes and preserves it.

O Lover of the Prophet: After he reached forty years of age, Allah sent the Prophet r forth as a mercy unto all the worlds. The Prophet r states:

إِنَّمَا أَنَا رَحْمَةٌ مُهْدَاةٌ

Indeed I am a gifted Mercy

And from his mercy to us in the world, is that he came to us with the Sharia, one of justice and tolerance. That in turn is built upon making things easy and light for people. Hence he used to make things easy for people in their worship. And to make the affairs of societal interactions easy for them. So he r said:

إِنِّي بُعِثْتُ بِالْحَنِيفِيَّةِ السَّمْحَة

“Myself, Myself, go to someone else”.

It is only then finally that the people will come unto the Messenger of Allah r and say unto him:

O Muhammad r : You are the one Allah has forgiven his shortcomings, both those before and after. Make intercession for us with your Lord. You are the Messenger of Allah. You are the Seal of the Prophets.

The Prophet then continued the Hadith by stating:

So I shall set forth, until I come unto and beneath the Divine Throne, and there I shall fall down prostrating to my Lord. Then Allah shall open up and inspire me some of His praises and glorifications the likes of which He has not inspired to anyone before me. Then it will be said:

يَا مُحَمَّدُ ارْفَعْ رَأْسَكَ، سَلْ تُعْطَهْ، وَاشْفَعْ تُشَفَّعْ

“O Muhammad: Raise your head, ask and you shall be given, intercede and it shall be granted”.

Then I shall raise my head and say:

أُمَّتِي يَا رَبِّ، أُمَّتِي يَا رَبِّ، أُمَّتِي يَا رَبِّ

My people O Lord, my people, O Lord, my people O Lord.

So it will be said: “O Muhammad bring in by the right gate of Paradise those of your people who would have no account to render.  These people  would share with the people other gates  besides this gate.

Hence they will enter unto Paradise, then he r will make intercession for any who say: La ilaha il Allah (there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah), sincerely from their heart. He r said: The most joyous of people through my intercession on the Day of Judgment is he who says: La ilaha il Allah (there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah), sincerely from one’s heart.

So what could be greater as a blessing and bestowal, and what could be more encompassing as a mercy.

So O Allah: Make us lovers of our Prophet r, and those who benefit from the story of his life. Those who emulate his character and act upon the guidance he gave, and those who benefit from his intercession. And assist us all in the way of piety. Piety towards Your trustworthy Messenger, Muhammad, and towards those You have commanded us to be dutiful towards. In accordance with His words: O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. [Qur’an: 4:59]

May Allah bless me and bless you with the Noble Qur’an and with the Way (Sunnah) of His Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I say this, and I seek forgiveness for me and for you, so seek His forgiveness, for He is the All-Forgiving and the All-Merciful.

The Second Khutbah

All praises are for Allah. Who has sent forth unto us the Messenger, reciting unto us the verses and signs of our Lord. The One who teaches us the Book and Wisdom, and who purifies us. I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah, the Uniquely One, having no competing partner in that One-ness. I bear witness that our Sayyid, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), is the perfect embodiment of servanthood towards Allah and is His Messenger. O Allah: We ask you to bestow Your peace and blessings upon our Prophet, Sayyiduna Muhammad; and upon his family and all of his companions. And whomsoever follows them and seeks to emulate them in the best of ways till the Last Day. I counsel you, O servants of Allah, and myself, to adhere to the taqwa of Allah (glorified be He).

O Muslims:

Allah informs us in His Book about the station of His slave and Messenger r, His intimate friend and confidante. That He praises him from the Highest of Heavens, and the Angels in turn send their peace and blessings upon him. Then He in turn commands us to send our peace and blessings upon him, as a testimony and recognition of love and honour. So Allah says:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا

Indeed, Allah and His Angels [by asking Him to do so] confer blessing upon the Prophet. O you who believe: Ask for [Allah to confer] blessings upon him and ask for [ Allah to grant him] peace.

[Qur’an: 33:56]

For whosoever sends his peace and blessings shall find in turn his blessings increase, and his shortcomings decrease. And he in turn receives prayers and blessings from Allah and His Angels. The Messenger of Allah r said: مَنْ صَلَّى عَلَيَّ وَاحِدَةً صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ عَشْرًا، وَحَطَّ عَنْهُ عَشْرَ خَطِيئَاتٍ

Whoever sends salutations (peace and blessings) upon me once, Allah will send salutations upon him tenfold. And ten bad deeds will be erased from (his record) , and he will be raised (in status) by ten degrees. [Adab al-Mufrad]

And he said: مَا صَلَّى عَلَيَّ أَحَدٌ صَلَاةً إِلَّا صَلَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ مَا دَامَ يُصَلِّي عَلَيَّ

No one sends salutations upon me except that the Angels continue to send salutations upon them for as long as they do. [Ahmad]

And with salutations upon the Prophet, grief is removed, distress is made easy. So on the authority of Ubayy ibn Ka’b who said a man came to the Prophet r and said: “O Messenger of Allah, what do you see if I make all of my salutations upon you ?”

إِذَنْ يَكْفِيَكَ اللَّهُ مَا أَهَمَّكَ مِنْ دُنْيَاكَ وَآخِرَتِكَ

“Then Allah will suffice you concerning your worries in both this world and the hereafter.”

[Ahmad]

So this is one of the best of days to send salutations upon the Prophet r إِنَّ مِنْ أَفْضَلِ أَيَّامِكُمْ يَوْمَ الْجُمُعَةِ... فَأَكْثِرُوا عَلَيَّ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ فِيهِ، فَإِنَّ صَلَاتَكُمْ مَعْرُوضَةٌ عَلَيَّ

One of the best of your days is Friday…  So send a great deal of salutations upon me on this day, for your salutations will be presented to me.

[Abu Dawud]

So let us send our salutations, our peace and blessings, upon the one Allah has raised and esteemed with the loftiest of ranks. May He make him for us on the Day of Judgment, those who intercede, for the Prophet r said: أَوْلَى النَّاسِ بِي يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَكْثَرُهُمْ عَلَيَّ صَلاَةً

The closest of people to me on the Day of Judgment shall be those who were most proficient in sending salutations upon me. [Tirmidhi]

And with this, let us send our peace and blessings upon the one we have been commanded to send our peace and blessings upon, as Allah says: Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [ Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace. [Qur’an: 33:56]. So, O Allah, bestow Your peace, blessings and grace upon our Master, our Prophet and upon his family and all of his companions. And may Allah be pleased with the Righteous Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali; and the noble companions of the Prophet, the Sahaba, may Allah be pleased with all of them.