الحمد لله، الحمد لله الذي أرسل رسولَه على خُلُقٍ عظيم، وجعل محبتَه الطريقَ الوحيدَ إلى النعيم، نحمده تعالى ونستعينه، ونشكره تعالى ونستغفره ونستغيثه، نعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، من يهد الله فهو المهتد ومن يضلل فلن تجد له وليا مرشدا، ونشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك و له الحمد، يحيي ويميت، بيده الخير، وهو على كل شيء قدير،  ونشهد أن سيدنا و مولانا محمداً عبده ورسوله، وحبيبه وصفيه، بلغ الرسالة وأدى الأمانة ونصح الأمة، النبي الأمي الذي أرسله الله بالهدى والدين الحق، بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة، صلى الله عليه وسلم وعلى آله وأصحابه ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيا عباد الله اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون. يأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله وقولوا قولا سديدا يصلح لكم أعمالكم ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم. ومن يطع 

الله ورسوله فقد فاز فوزا عظيما. اتقوا الله فيما أمر وانتهوا عما نها عنه وزجر. قال اللَّهِ تعالى في كتابه العزيز: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ شَاهِدًا وَمُبَشِّرًا وَنَذِيرًا وَدَاعِيًا إِلَى اللَّهِ بِإِذْنِهِ وَسِرَاجًا مُنِيرًا، وَبَشِّرِ الْمُومِنِينَ بِأَنَّ لَهُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ فَضْلًا كَبِيرًا

 

Allah says in His Noble Book, the translation of which is, “O Prophet! We have sent you as a witness, and a bringer of good news and a warner, and a caller to Allah by His permission and a light-giving lamp. Give good news to the believers that they have an immense favour from Allah.” 

Tomorrow is the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal. On that day, 1484 lunar years ago, Allah bestowed upon mankind the greatest single blessing He has bestowed upon them in the entire history of the world - He sent to us His beloved, the pinnacle of creation, the light from which sprung the rest of existence. Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habib says in his diwan:

 

محمد منشؤ الأنوار والظلل وأصل تكوينها من حضرة الأزل فنوره أول الأنوار لما قضى إظهار أسمائه في العالم الأول منه اكتست سائر الأشياء إيجادها ومنه إمدادها من غير ما خلل

 

“Muhammad is the fountain-head of lights and darkness, and the source of their emergence from the presence of before-time. So his light was the first of lights when He determined the manifestation of His Names in the first world. From him all things were clothed in their origination of existence, and their continuance comes from him without interruption.”

Allah sent to us the seal of the prophets, the best and noblest of all the sons of Adam, the one whom He honoured by writing His name beside His on the Throne and on the gate to the Garden. Abu'l-Hamra' narrated that the Messenger of Allah said,

 

لما أسري بي إلى السماء إذا على العرش مكتوب: لا إله إلا الله، محمد رسول الله

 

“When I was taken on my Night Journey to the heavens, written on the Throne was: ‘There is no god but Allah; Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.’”

Allah sent to us one who embodied every noble quality of character, one truly vast in character, whose character was no less than the uncreated word of Allah. Aisha said, 

 

كان خلقه القرآن

 

“His character was the Qur'an.” This is the man in whose community Allah has chosen us to be, and on whose account Allah has made that community the best community mankind has ever known and the most numerous in the Garden. This is the man whom every Muslim, indeed every discerning human being, must love.

According to Qadi Iyad in ash-Shifa, there are three things which cause one being to love another, for they are things to which one cannot but help to incline due to their agreeable and harmonious nature:

1) The first is the perfection of its outward - if a being is marked by a beautiful form, a melodious voice or a fragrant scent, other beings naturally incline towards him. And as Umm Ma’bad said in her description of the Prophet, 

أجمل الناس من بعيد، وأحلاه وأحسنه من قريب

 

“From afar, he was the most beautiful of people, and close up he was finer and even more handsome.” And as Anas said, 

ما شمَمتُ عنبراً قطُّ ولا مسكاً و لا شيئاً أطيبَ من ريح رسول الله

 

“I have not smelled amber, musk or anything more fragrant than the smell of the Messenger of Allah.”

2) The second is the perfection of the inward - and by that we mean the noble qualities of character, such as courage, trustworthiness, knowledge, generosity, forbearance and humility, that draw men to follow others, sometimes even to give up everything just to be with them. And there has been no one in the history of the human race who has possessed any one of these characteristics to a more perfect degree than the Messenger of Allah, as the following hadiths show: ‘Ali said,

 

إنا كنا إذا اشتد البأس واحمرت الحَدَق اتقينا برسول الله، فما يكون أحد أقرب إلى العدو منه ولقد رأيتني يوم بدر ونحن نلوذ بالنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، وهو أقربنا إلى العدو وكان من أشد الناس يومئذ بأساً

 

“When eyes were reddened from the dust and fighting was at its fiercest, we were concerned for the Messenger of Allah, for none of us was closer to the enemy than he. I saw him on the Day of Badr when we were keeping close to him, and he was the closest one to the enemy. He was the bravest person on that day.”

And Ibn ‘Abbas said,

كان أجودَ بالخير من الريح المرسَلة

 

“...He was more generous than even the wind which is sent forth.” And ‘A'isha and others described him, saying:

 

كان في بيته في مهنة أهله يُفلِي ثوبه، ويحلُب شاتَه ويرقَع ثوبه ويخصِف نعله ويخدِم نفسه، ويقُمُّ البيت ويعقل البعير، ويعلِف ناضحه ويأكل مع الخادم، ويعجِن معها ويحمل بضاعته من السوق.

 

  “He would work in the house with his family, delousing his clothes, mending his sandals, serving himself, sweeping the house and hobbling the camel. He would take the camels out to graze and eat with the servants. He would knead bread with them and carry his own goods from the market.” Hadiths of this nature, describing the perfection of his character in every aspect, are far too numerous too mention them all in a khutba.

3) And the third is because it brings one benefit or good, for it is a natural tendency to love whoever does good to you. A king is loved for implementing a just law, a benefactor for his generosity to you even if it is only once, and a rescuer for rescuing you from damage or harm even when that damage or harm is only of a temporary nature. But the benefits brought by these are as nothing when compared to that brought us by the Messenger of Allah, for he rescues us from eternal punishment, brings us eternal bliss and shows us a degree of compassion and tenderness greater than that any mother has ever bestowed on a child, for he pleads and intercedes on our behalf even on the day of judgement when every other human being only thinks of themselves and their predicament. Truly he is,

بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ

 

the translation of which is, “merciful, compassionate to the believers,”

So, by all three of these criteria, the Messenger of Allah is more worthy of our love than any other created being. Indeed, that is the most natural response to him any human being could have. And as Islam is deen al-fitr and is there to affirm the natural state in which man was created, Allah, in His infinite mercy and wisdom, requires us to love the Prophet more than anything else in this world, saying:

 

قُلْ إِنْ كَانَ آَبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَاؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَالٌ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَاكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُوا حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ

 

the translation of which is, “Say: ‘If your fathers or your sons or your brothers or your wives or your tribe, or any wealth you have acquired, or any business you fear may slump, or any house which pleases you, are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and doing jihad in His Way, then wait until Allah brings about His command.” And that love of him in this world will be the cause of our being raised up in his company in the Next World. 

 

وروي أن رجلاً أتى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال: يا رسول الله، لأنت أحب إلي من أهلي و مالي، و إني لأذكرك فما أصبر حتى أجيء فأنظر إليك، وإني ذكرت موتي وموتك تعالى فعرفت أنك إذا دخلت الجنة رفعت مع النبيين، وإن دخلتها لا أراك. فأنزل الله تعالى: وَمَنْ يُّطِعِ اللهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فُأُوْلَئِكَ مَعَ الذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ وَحَسُنَ أُوْلَئِكَ رَفِيقاً. فَدَعَا بِهِ فقرأها عليه 

 

It is related that a man came to the Prophet and said, “Messenger of Allah, I love you more than my family and my possessions. I remember you and cannot wait until I can come and look at you. Then I remember that I will die and you will die and I know that when you enter the Garden, you will be raised up with the Prophets, and that when I enter it, I will not see you there.” Allah then revealed, “Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, will be with those whom Allah has blessed: the Prophets, the men of truth,  the martyrs and the righteous. And such people are the best of company!” And so, the Prophet called the man back to him and recited him the ayats.

We ask Allah to grant us true love of the Messenger of Allah and to raise us up in his company. We ask Him to make the Prophet more beloved to us than our families and possessions, indeed more beloved to us than our own selves. And give us the strength to emulate him and put his sunna into practice.

 

أقول قولي هذا و أستغفر الله لي و لكم و لسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرَّحيم.

الحمد لله الحمد لله رب العالمين، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله، صلى الله وسلم وبارك عليه وعلى آله وصحبه، والتابعين وتابعي التابعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله ما استطعتم واسمعوا وأطيعوا وأنفقوا خيرا لأنفسكم. يا عباد الله أوصيكم وإياي بتقوى الله وطاعته وأحذركم وإياي عن معصيته ومخالفته.

 

Know that there are many people who claim to love the Messenger of Allah, but whose so-called love is but empty words. Simply saying that one loves someone does not make it so. Rather, in order to ascertain whether that love is true and sincere, one must look to see whether they manifest  its signs. In his Shifa, Qadi Iyad lists eleven of those signs:

1) The first is to emulate him, apply his Sunna, follow his words and deeds, obey his commands, avoid his prohibitions and take on his adab in times of ease and hardship, and joy and despair.

2) The second is to prefer what the Prophet has laid down as law and encouraged, over his own whims and appetites. 

3) The third is to not feel any anger against people except if it be for the sake of the pleasure of Allah. Anas ibn Malik said, 

 

قال لي رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم: يا بني، إن قدرت أن تصبح وتمسي ليس في قلبك غش لأحد فافعل. ثم قال لي: يا بني، وذلك من سنتي، ومن أحيا سنتي فقد أحبني، ومن أحبني كان معي في الجنة

 

“The Messenger of Allah said to me, ‘My son, if you can be without any grudge in your heart against anyone in the morning and evening, then be like that.’ Then he added, ‘My son, that is part of my sunna. Whoever gives life to my sunna has loved me and whoever loves me is with me in the Garden.’”

4) The fourth is to mention him often, for as the Prophet himself said,

 

من أحب شيئاً أكثر من ذكره

 

“Whoever loves something, mentions it a lot.” This manifests itself in dedication to reading or writing his seera, remembering and commemorating the events of his life and especially his birth, and praying for him and singing his praises constantly. This was the hallmark of the noble Companions of the Messenger of Allah, and of the great men of Allah of this umma, men like Qadi Iyad, Imam al-Jazuli, Imam as-Suyuti, Imam al-Busayri and others, men whose lives, whose words and whose thoughts were fashioned by their immense unquenchable love for him, men who continue to mention and praise the Messenger of Allah even after the deaths by us reading and reciting what they wrote about him. May Allah give them an immense and everlasting reward and may He give us a love of the Prophet to rival theirs.

5) Another is great yearning to meet him. Every lover yearns for their beloved, and with each passing moment that yearning grows stronger. Absence truly makes the heart grow fonder. 

 

لما احتضر بلال رضي الله عنه نادت امرأته: واحزاناه! فقال: واطرباه! غداً ألقى الأحبة  محمداً و حزبه

 

When Bilal was near death, his wife called out, “O sorrow!” Bilal replied, “What joy! I will meet those I love, Muhammad and his party!”

 

ويروى أن امرأة قالت لعائشة رضي الله عنها: اكشفي لي قبر رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، فكشفته لها تعالى فبكت حتى ماتت

 

And it is related that a woman said to ‘A'isha, “Show me the grave of the Messenger of Allah.” She showed it to her and the woman wept until she died. 

Among those with the greatest yearning to meet him are those who never got the chance to accompany him in this world. Abu Hurayra narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, 

 

أشد أمتي لي حباً يكونون بعدي، يود أحدهم لو رآني بأهله وماله

 

“Those in my community with the strongest love for me are the people who will come after me. Some of them would give their family and wealth to have seen me.” May Allah grant us that degree of sincerity in our love for His Prophet.

6) The sixth is to exalt and respect him whenever one mentions him and display humility and abasement whenever one hears his name. Ishaq at-Tujibi said, 

 

كان أصحاب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بعده لا يذكرونه إلا خشعوا واقشعرت جلودهم وبكوا. وكذلك كثير من التابعين 

 

“Whenever the Companions of the Prophet heard his name after he died, they were humble, their skins trembled and they wept. And it was the same with many of the Followers.”

7) The seventh is loving those who love the Prophet and loving his family and Companions for his sake. And being against those who hate them and curse them. Whoever loves anyone, loves anyone he loves, and they were certainly people whom he loved:

The Prophet said about his grandsons, al-Hasan and al-Husayn, 

 

من أحبهما فقد أحبني، ومن أحبني فقد أحب الله، ومن أبغضهما فقد أبغضني، ومن أبغضني فقد أبغض الله

 

“Whoever loves them loves me. Whoever loves me loves Allah. Whoever hates them hates me. Whoever hates me hates Allah.” And about his Companions, 

 

الله الله في أصحابي، لا تتخذوهم غرضاً بعدي، فمن أحبهم فبحبي أحبهم، ومن أبغضهم فببغضي أبغضهم، ومن آذاهم فقد آذاني، ومن آذاني فقد آذى الله، ومن آذى الله يوشك أن يأخذه 

 

“Allah! Allah! My Companions! Do not make them targets after me! Whoever loves them loves them by loving me. Whoever hates them hates them by hating me. Whoever does something hurtful to them does something hurtful to me. Whoever does something hurtful to me does something hurtful to Allah. Whoever does something hurtful to Allah is about to be seized.”

Indeed, whoever loves someone, loves not just everyone but everything he loves, and that was certainly the case with Salaf, for Anas ibn Malik once saw the Prophet reaching for the pumpkin in a plate, and said, “I have loved pumpkin from that day.”

8) The eighth is hating anyone who hates Allah and His Messenger, having enmity towards all who have enmity towards him, avoiding all who oppose his Sunna, and finding every matter contrary to his Shari‘a burdensome. The true lover yearns for the company of those  who love him and hates the company of those do not - they repulse him to such a degree that he would hate to spend even a single minute, nay a single second, with them. Allah says, 

 

لاَ تَجِدُواْ قَوْماً يُومِنُونَ بِاللهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ يُوَادُّونَ مَنْ حَادَّ اللهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَوْ كَانُواْ آبَاءَهُمُ أَوَ اَبْنَاءَهُمُ أَوِ اِخْوَانَهُمُ أَوْ عَشِيرَتَهُمُ

 

the translation of which is, “You will not find people who have iman in Allah and the Last Day having love for anyone who opposes Allah and His Messenger, though they be their fathers, their sons, their brothers or their clan.” Many of the Companions fought and killed loved ones, even their fathers and sons, to gain the pleasure of the Prophet. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the son of the leader of the hypocrites, said to the Prophet,

لو شئت لأتيتك برأسه - يعني أباه

 

“If you were to have wanted it, I would have brought you his head (i.e. his father’s).”

9) The ninth is love for the Qur'an that the Prophet brought, and by means of which he guided and was guided. This love for the Qur'an shows itself in frequent recitation of it, reflection on its meanings, and putting its laws and prescriptions into practice. Ibn Mas‘ud said,

 

لا يسأل أحد عن نفسه إلا القرآن، فإن كان يحب القرآن فهو يحب الله ورسوله

 

“No one needs to ask himself about anything except the Qur'an. If he loves the Qur'an, he loves Allah and His Messenger.”

10) The tenth is having compassion for his community, giving them good counsel, striving for their best interests and removing what is harmful. This was an essential characteristic of the Prophet and so we, if we are truthful in our love, must strive to do the same.

11) And the eleventh is doing without in this world and preferring poverty. In other words, true love of Allah and His Prophet dictates that there is no space left in the heart for the baubles of this world. Allah says,

مَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِرَجُلٍ مِنْ قَلْبَيْنِ فِي جَوْفِهِ

 

the translation of which is, “Allah has not allotted to any man two hearts within his breast .” Love of Allah and His Messenger and love of this world do not combine in a single heart - one will force the other out. If one’s love is sincere, then nothing will turn him aside tfrom his beloved, not even all the gold in the entire world. The Prophet said to Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, 

 

إن الفقر إلى من يحبني منكم أسرع من السيل من أعلى الوادي أو الجبل إلى أسفله

 

“Poverty for those among you who love me comes quicker than a flood from the top of the mountain to the bottom.”

Whoever manifests all these signs has perfect and sincere love of the Messenger of Allah. And what noble company he keeps, for no man who ever did anything meaningful or attained to anything meaningful ever did so except through love of the Prophet. He is the gateway to Allah - every path to our Lord is closed except through him. So, tomorrow night, after Maghrib, we will be gathering here in the mosque to celebrate his mawlid/ his birth. A meeting of the lovers if you will, and I invite every one of you to attend.

 

إِنَّ اللهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ، يَا أَيُهَا الذِينَ آمَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً. اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ  أَجْمَعِينَ. 

وَارْضَ اللَّهُمَّ عَنِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ، وَعَنْ سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَجْمَعِينَ، خُصُوصاً اِلأَنْصَارَ مِنْهُمْ وَالمُهَاجِرِينَ، وَعَنِ التَّابِعِينَ وَتَابِعِي التَّابِعِينَ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِ وُلَاةَ أُمُورِ المُسْلِمِينَ لِمَا يُرْضِيكَ وَلِاتِّبَاعِ سُنَّةِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَهُمْ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ المُسْتَقِيمِ، وَأَصْلِحْهُمْ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ.

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى شَيْخِنَا، وَعَلَى أَمِيرِنَا، وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ أُمَرَاءِ وَزُعَمَاءِ المُسْلِمِينَ.  

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى المُسْلِمِينَ فِي هَذِهِ المَدِينَةِ، وَوَفِّقْهُمْ لِمَا تُحِبُّهُ وَتَرْضَاهُ يَا أَكْرَمَ الأَكْرَمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإِسْلَامَ وَالمُسِْلمِينَ (3) وَاخْذُلِ الْكُفْرَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ، وَانْصُرِ المُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ. وَاجْعَلْ كَلِمََتَكَ هِيَ العُلْيَا وَكَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ هِيَ السُّفْلَى.

رَبَّنَا ءَاتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقَِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ. 

اللَّهُمَّ لاَ تَدَعْ فِي مَقَامِنَا هَذَا ذَنْباً إِلاَّ غَفَرْتَهُ، وَلاَ عَيْباً إِلاَّ سَتَرْتَهُ، وَلاَ مَرِيضاً إِلاَّ شَفَيْتَهُ وَعَافَيْتَهُ، وَلاَ مَسْجُوناً إِلاَّ طَلَقْتَ سَرَاحَهُ، وَلاَ مُسَافِراً فِي بَرِّكَ وَبَحْرِكَ إِلاَّ سَلِِمْتَهُ وَغَنِمْتَهُ.

إِنَّ اللهَ يَامُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى، وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ، يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَّكَّرُونَ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ. وَقُومُواْ إِلَى صَلاتِكُمْ يَرْحَمُكُمُ اللهُ.