Loving the beloved (صلى الله عليه وسلم)

An inspirational speech by Shaykh Dr Sa’id Ramadan al-Buti (may Allah preserve him):

Ladies and gentlemen, at the beginning of my talk I’d like to express my sorrow and apologise for not being able to attend this blessed Conference of yours. In short, the reason for my absence is not having been able to obtain an entry visa. The only consolation for my absence is our belief that there’s good in whatever Allah exalted and high chooses for us, and I hope that Allah swt will bless me with another opportunity to meet you in another blessed meeting.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have no doubt that the motive behind your celebration of the birth of the Prophet (pbuh) and making his birth the central theme of such meetings and of this blessed Conference in particular - I have no doubt that what motivated you is your wish to renew your pledge (bay’a) with the Prophet (pbuh) out of your belief in his Prophethood and following his way and out of love for his sirah and in order to spread his message. I have no doubt that this is what motivated you to organise this Conference and have as its central theme the birth of the Prophet (pbuh).

Indeed this makes me even more sorry for not being able to participate with you in this blessed Conference, I further believe that you would not use this Conference to achieve any worldly gains, and you wouldn’t involve any if these religious activities in partisan competitions or to seek any political gains. I believe that whoever has strong belief in Allah exalted and high is He, and whose heart is dominated by the love of Allah and his Prophet (pbuh) wouldn’t veil himself from the love of Allah and his Prophet (pbuh) through collecting worldly gains or seeking them or exploiting such activities as a means towards such ends; I ask Allah swt to make me and you firm on this stance which I hope that we will all meet Allah swt while committed to it, with our faces brightened with our sincere devotion to Him and His religion.

However, dear brothers and sisters let me ask myself and ask you: What would keep us firm on this way ? What would keep us walking on the path of Allah swt, following on the footsteps of His Prophet, loving his sirah and spreading his message without having any ulterior motives beyond that? What is the guarantee that makes us committed to this path? In reality, rational belief exists and I can’t doubt it. I believe that each of us rationally believe in Allah swt and rationally believe in the Prophet (pbuh), yet this rational belief cannot by itself be the guarantee to remain on this path away from the worldly influences, away from the various temptations of this world. Rational belief is a reaction and not an action, one can’t make the decision to answer the question 1 + 1 = 10 for example; he’s compelled to say 1 + 1 = 2. Rational matters always involve compulsory reactions rather than a conscious decision.

I ask again, what is the guarantee that makes us firm on this path that I have described to you, sincere to Allah, ever alert to ensure that nothing influences our goals except seeking Allah’s pleasure? The answer is Love.

Love of Allah swt and then love of the Prophet (pbuh) is the only guarantee to keep us firm on seeking the pleasure of Allah SWT, without being tempted by worldly things and without being influenced by any temptations or divisions or blind following of any madhab or group .

Love, as Imam Shateby says, brings closer what is far, causes iron to melt, and makes what is difficult easy, but if the heart is devoid of the love of Allah and love of His messenger then I believe it would be easy for us and for many orientalists to follow the same path, and it would be very easy for us to do so because they (the orientalists) also believe in the same things we believe in - rational belief is a common feature between us and many of them, but what is the difference between those who write about rational proofs of God’s existence a lot more than what we write, and talk about the life of the Prophet (pbuh) with more respect and reverence than us? The difference is that they talk about it in a rational way, devoid of the flame of love, whereas the believer in Allah swt, whereas we - and I hope that this is true of us - the difference is that love of Allah and hence the love of His Prophet has filled our hearts. You may remember the saying of the Prophet (pbuh): “None of you believes until Allah and His messenger are more beloved to him than any one else.”

However, I’d like to suppose that we need to feed this flame of love within our hearts. I don’t think we need to strengthen our rational belief because such a belief can reach a peak, whereas love has no limit. We need to strengthen this love within our hearts to chase away the lower love and strengthen the higher love.

How can we renew our love of the Prophet (pbuh) within this blessed Conference that you have organised seeking the pleasure of Allah and His Prophet? There are several methods but I shall summarise and say: loving someone who loves us is something natural and I don’t believe that it’s a conscious decision. The Prophet (pbuh) loved us, and I don’t think that I’m making an empty claim because there are numerous proofs for us - specially that I’m basing this on my starting point that we all believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that you had only organised this Conference seeking Allah’s pleasure. Well, we would all like to increase our love for the Prophet (pbuh) so we can guard our lives against temptations, deviations and forgetfulness: To love the Prophet (pbuh) as he loves us is the way.

I present to you the following scene that deeply moved me , and I believe that all of us should embody this example whenever we feel that this world seeping into our hearts. The night the Prophet (pbuh) passed away, he went out to the cemetery of al-Baqee’ - as narrated by Imam Malik in his book al-Muwatta’ and by other scholars - he greeted the people of al-Baqee’, then he said, “I wished that I had met my brothers.” One of his Companions asked him, “Are we not your brothers O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “No, you are my Companions, my brothers are those who have not yet come, and I’ll precede them await them at the Fountain.” They said, “Do you know them O Messenger of Allah? How will you welcome them when you have not seen them?” He said, “You see one who has noble horses with white circles signs on their foreheads and ankles (Ghorran muhajjaleen) mixed in with common horses, would he not recognise them?” They said, “Yes.” So he said, “So will I know them, for they will have white circles of light on their foreheads and ankles (Ghorran muhajjaleen) from the traces of wudhu’”. This is what the Prophet said in longing for us.

When we think about this longing that overwhelmed the heart of our beloved Prophet (pbuh) should we not feel the same longing for him? Should we not love him the way he loves us? Indeed, that would be natural. This scene is one we should never forget dear ladies and gentlemen. The Prophet (pbuh) just as he loved and cared for his Companions he felt the same for his brothers who had not yet come, and I pray to Allah swt that we will be among them.

At the end of this talk, I’d like to mention another situation but this time a negative one, even though one usually would not mention separation (jafaa’) at the time of rejoicing (safaa’), but nevertheless I’d like to mention it as a deterrent for us. The Prophet (pbuh) says, “Indeed some would be taken away from my Fountain just like lost cattle, I would say let them come, let them come, they would say you do not know what they did after you, I would say away with them, away with them, away with them.

Two images, the first one, I truly hope that we would be amongst them, those who didn’t deviate and remained steadfast on the pledge, faithful to Allah, and to his messenger (pbuh), and the love of Allah and the love of his messenger (pbuh) overwhelming their heart, they didn’t look to the temptations and distractions and didn’t justify their deviations; I hope and I pray to Allah to make me and you among them. Then the Prophet (pbuh) would welcome us and the signs of his love would be apparent on us.

In contrast, the other image, which we should be cautious lest we may fall into it and be of those who are removed from the Fountain (hawdh) like lost cattle; the Prophet (pbuh) would say, “Let them come” which shows that they appear like Muslims, they used to raise the banner of da’wa to Allah, and they used to talk about Islam and Iman so you would assume that they would be with their brothers on the day of judgment, but the Prophet (pbuh) is surprised that they would be taken away, the explanation is “You do not know what they have done after you.” They were not faithful to the pledge, they were not faithful to the message which the Prophet (pbuh) left with them.

I do not wish to dwell on the temptations and distractions which make us justify changing and deviating. The scholars of shariah agree that the interests that the shariah came to protect are based on the Text (Qur’an and Sunnah) and that one cannot recognise any interests that contradict the Text, remember this important rule dear ladies and gentlemen. If there was a need for our souls to burn with love for the Prophet (pbuh) then study his sirah. I don’t think there is a human being who has love for humanity whose heart wouldn’t be filled with the love of the Prophet (pbuh). Muhammad (pbuh) is the source of all human values.

Let me relate to you an example that I never forget which I want each one of you to emulate everyday. After the end of the battle of Hunain, the Prophet (pbuh) gave a large share of the booty to those who had recently embraced Islam from among the people of Meccah considering them recent converts (al-mu’allafatu quloobuhom). The Prophet (pbuh) heard that some of the Ansar were saying to one another may Allah forgive the Prophet, he gives these people while our swords are still dripping with their blood. The Prophet (pbuh) heard about this so he gathered those people in an isolated place and he gave them a sermon. Let’s listen to what he said and reflect upon it. He praised Allah and glorified him and said: “O people of Ansar, I heard something regarding you. Did I not come to you while you were astray and Allah guided you through me? Were you not disunited and Allah united you through me? Were you not destitute and Allah enriched you through me?” Everytime he asked one of those questions they said: “Indeed O Messenger of Allah, to Allah and His Messenger be all praise and gratitude.” The Prophet (pbuh) stood and said, “Will you not respond O people of Ansar?” They said, “We do respond O Messenger of Allah, indeed He did, to Allah and His messenger be all praise and gratitude.” Once again the Prophet (pbuh) asked them, “Will you not reply?” They said, “How should we reply?” He said, “By Allah if you had wished you could’ve said and you would’ve been truthful: You came to us chased away by your people and we gave you refuge, defeated and we gave you victory, and belied and we believed in you.” i.e. he said you could’ve responded that you have also given me in return. Then he said, “O people of Ansar, did you feel something in your heart just for a little wealth I had given to some people so that they believe, entrusting you to your belief. Would you not be pleased that people go back with sheep and camels while you go back with the Messenger of Allah (pbuh); by Allah, that with which you go back is far better than that with which they go back. Indeed - by Allah - had it not been for the fact that I migrated I would’ve been one of the Ansar. People are my outer garment and the Ansar are my inner garment. You will find selfishness after me so be patient until you meet me at the Fount. O Allah have mercy on the Ansar and on the children of the Ansar and on the children of the children of the Ansar.” The people cried until their beards were wet.

Dear brothers and sisters we have been deprived of meeting the Prophet (pbuh), but we were not deprived of hearing these words and of seeing these human emotions.

I just wish to say one thing which might be an answer to a question that might be in your minds: What about those who insult the Prophet (pbuh) or rather they do not insult him, for no one can insult the Prophet (pbuh) but they only try. We have greater mission which should make us ignore their attempts. What is that mission? It is to embody the message of Islam which our Prophet has brought us and make every effort towards that goal. Then to convey that message in the way our Prophet conveyed it, to clarify to people the true image of Islam, to show them the true character of the Prophet (pbuh) using the attractive Prophetic methods, to address this Western world which is lost in its ignorance out of mercy and love for them, to introduce them to the sacred message with which our Prophet was sent to the whole of mankind. If we fulfilled this obligation with which Allah has entrusted us we would find ourselves too busy to pay attention to such people. Dear brothers and sisters, leave them alone, do not busy yourselves with them. Instead of running after them and focusing on them thinking that we are doing something for Islam, we should plan our actions to seek Allah’s pleasure motivated by two things: our rational belief in Allah, and our love for him and His Messenger, remaining between these two fundamentals.

I pray that Allah accepts this gathering of yours, and I pray that Allah makes it one of those meetings which Abdullah Ibn Rawaha called for every now and then, asking the Companions “Let us sit and remember Allah.”

I pray that Allah swt brings us together and praise be to Allah Lord of the worlds.

Source link and video of speech (in Arabic) - http://www.sirahtour.com/