Delivered by Imam Didmar Faja
All praise is due to Allah, and Allah’s Peace and Blessings be upon His Final Messenger, his family, his noble Companions, and all those who follow them with righteousness until the Day of Judgment.
Dear Brothers and sisters. Throughout this Khutba, I intend to speak about the importance of Sirah in a life of a Muslim. Every Muslim should learn and reflect upon the life of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The followings are some essential benefits that we adopt after learning and reflecting on his life.
First and most important: Loving the Prophet (pbuh) is a necessity for every Muslim. Learning and reflecting upon his life will definitely increase your love for him. Love of the Prophet is what differentiates the believers in the perfection of believe. In an authentic Hadith found in the book of Bukhari and Muslim the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said: “None of you believes until he loves me more than he loves his children, his parents, and all people.” In another Hadith he said: “None of you believes until he loves me more than he loves himself.” In a Hadith that is narrated by Anas we find 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 I cannot wait until I can come and look at you. I remember that I will die and you will die and I know that when you enter the Garden, you will be raised up high with the Prophets. When I enter it, I will not see you.” Allah then revealed:
وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلرَّسُولَ فَأُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنۡعَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡہِم مِّنَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ وَٱلصِّدِّيقِينَ وَٱلشُّہَدَآءِ وَٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَۚ وَحَسُنَ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ رَفِيقً۬ا
“Whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, they are with those whom He has favored: the Prophets (peace be upon them all), the True Saints, the Martyrs, and the Righteous. Ah! What an excellent company.” (4:69) The Prophet called the man and recited the verse to him.
Second benefit: Sirah An-Nabawiyyah helps us in having a better understanding of Quran and Islam. The Holy Quran was revealed in stages and it took almost 23 years for it’s revelation to be completed. Many events that happened during the life of Muhammad (pbuh) and his companions are mentioned in the Holy Quran. This Divine book taught the Prophet and his companions how to deal with different events through their lives.
Third benefit: Uplifts our spiritual level. The life of Prophet (pbuh) is indeed a great source of spiritual uplifting. He is the one who is called in the Quran: “Rahmatan Li Al-Alemeen. “Mercy for all the worlds”, and indeed he was a Mercy for all the worlds.
Fourth benefit: We draw valuable lessons for our life. The Quran says:
لَّقَدۡ كَانَ لَكُمۡ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسۡوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ۬ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرۡجُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلۡيَوۡمَ ٱلۡأَخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرً۬ا
“Ye have indeed in the Apostle of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah.” (Ahzab:21)
Many people study biography of individuals who they consider to be important and imitate their actions, thoughts and even the dresses. For a Muslim, there is no better example to be followed then the example of Muhammad (pbuh). If you follow his example, you are following the one who the Almighty God called him “The Praised One”. Is there any better example to be followed other than his example?