SUNNAH- IT’S IMPORTANCE AND NEED IN OUR LIFE
Presented by
SYED AQEEL IQBAL QASMI, Ph.D. (Currently pursuing) Teacher of Arabic literature and Quranic Exegesis at Darul Uloom Online, Chicago, US And
Resident Scholar at Iqra Center of Indiana, Indianapolis, US
FOR
THE CONFERENCE OF IQRA CENTER OF INDIANA, INDIANAPOLIS
Entitled
SUNNAH, SEERAH AND OUR SOCIETY
ON
3rd May, 2014
All praises are for Allah, We praise him and seek his help and forgiveness and we believe in him and rely on him. We seek refuge from the Allah from the evils of Satan and the evils present in ourselves.
We also bear witness that our Prophet and Master, Muhammad (peace be upon him) is his servant and his messenger. May Allah send on him and his companions his special blessings and send them peace in abundance. Aameen
“In the messenger of Allah there is a beautiful model for such of you who hopes in Allah and Last Day and remembers Allah a great deal”. (33.21)
Brothers and Sisters!!
Today we are living in an era which is full of challenges. This is indeed an era where the whole mankind is intensely competing to hoard and accumulate worldly gain, without having much concern about the Halaal and Haraam of their actions. We witness that we are passing through a period where mankind always feels cheated with the prevailing system, and often frustrated with the misfortune that befalls them. It is as if mankind has lost the sense of direction when they are going after each other, each one blames the other, claiming that they are upon the right. In result we see disputes and wars without an end. In resolving all the disputes and disagreements the whole mankind should humbly lower themselves to accept the Prophet Muhammad [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam]’s life as our
way of life in each and every aspect of our lives. This is because the life of Prophet Muhammad [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] mentioned in various books of Hadith and History is not mere story-telling or folklore for the whole mankind, rather it illustrates the life of the Prophet Muhammad [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] that must be followed by the whole mankind because the life of Prophet Muhammad [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] provides the perfect model in living upon a religion according to the command of Allah. Allah himself mentions clearly in the Holy Quran:
“In the messenger of Allah there is a beautiful model for such of you who hopes in Allah and Last Day and remembers Allah a great deal”. (33.21)
But a question arises here….Why does the mankind need a model to follow in their lives when the Almighty Allah has already revealed his book (The Holy Quran) which we can study by ourselves and follow its injunctions?
The answer to this question is that man by his very nature, is incompetent to reform himself or to learn some art or trade only by reading books. Almighty Allah has so constituted man’s nature that he must have before his eyes the practical demonstration of a teacher and a model to follow for learning any art or trade.
If a man commits the folly of taking up the medical profession only by studying books on the medical subject he is doomed to fail in his practice: he can but cause only death and casualties to humanity.
It has, therefore, been prescribed as an international law that a man who passes the M.B.B.S. examination cannot practice as a physician, unless he undergoes a practical training in some
hospital for a prescribed period, and observes during this period the practical medication and operations performed on patients under the guidance and supervision of some expert and experienced medical professors or surgeons. This is necessary because he has so far studied the medical science only in books and through class lectures, but he has not yet learnt how to put into practice his book knowledge. He must, therefore, undergo a thorough practical training before he can be given license to practice as a physician or a surgeon.
Thus, it seems that Almighty Allah has so devised and moulded man’s disposition that he cannot take the right course without the practical model of an experienced guide, nor can he learn or practice any art or trade without guidance. That is exactly why Almighty Allah evolved the system of sending to the world Prophets and Messengers (alayhimus salaam) to provide practical demonstration as to how to put into practice the divine injunctions, as this could not be possible only by reading the divine scriptures. Thus Allah sent the last Prophet Muhammad [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] to serve as a perfect model for complying with the Qur’anic injunctions.
How nicely has the Holy Qur’an expressed this idea in another place! “A light and a clear Book has come to you from Allah”. (5:15)
There is an indication in this verse that if a man has a book, but has no light, whether sunlight, electricity or candle light, he cannot benefit from the contents of the book. If a man has sources of natural or artificial lights but is blind, he too, cannot receive any benefit from books. In the same way Allah sent along with the Qur’an, the guiding light of the Holy Prophet Muhammad without which you can neither fully understand the
injunctions contained in the Qur’an, nor can you comply with them according to Allah’s will.
The teachings of the Holy Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] are themselves light
Allah sent His Messenger [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] to this world that the light of his teachings may provide a practical explanation and demonstration of the Book of Allah before you. For this purpose Allah has made the Prophet’s life a complete model, the like of which humanity is unable to produce. You have been commanded to see and follow this model.
Hazrat Umar Farooq [radhiallaahu anhu] once took up residence in a house quite far off from the Prophet’s mosque. On account of distance he could not visit the Prophet’s mosque for prayer frequently. He, therefore, arranged with one of his neighbours that each of them would go to the Prophet’s mosque on alternate days and relate to his companion what he heard from the Holy Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam], so that each would, by this arrangement, remain fully informed of the Holy Prophet’s sayings. Thus did the Noble Companions devote themselves even to the smallest items of the Prophet’s directions and teachings.
Hazrat Huzaifah ibn Yaman was the conqueror of Iran. When Iran was attacked its Ruler, Khosroe, invited him to his court for negotiations. When he entered the court, food was served to him as a mark of entertainment, which he began to eat. During eating a morsel of the food fell down on the ground. It is the teaching of the Holy Prophet that on such occasions the morsel should be picked up, cleansed and eaten, as it is God’s gift of sustenance and none knows which part of the food contains Allah’s blessing. When Hazrat Huzaifah intended to take up the fallen morsel from the ground, a man sitting by his side tried to
stop him from that act, as it might degrade him in the eyes of the King and his courtiers. In reply Hazrat Huzaifah uttered this wonderful sentence: “Should I give up the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet for the sake of these fools?”
It is the Noble Companions of the Holy Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] who subjugated the world as a result of their unflinching compliance with the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam]. Today we feel ashamed in acting upon the Sunnah of the Prophet, and we think that if we comply with Sunnah of the Holy Prophet, the people of the world will laugh at us. The obvious result is that we Muslims have lost our prestige and are being ridiculed and humiliated everywhere.
Today, the Muslims make one-third of the world population and they are larger in number and richer in material resources than they were ever before. The Holy Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] had, however, prophesied that a time would come when the Muslims would be in a large number, yet they would be like straws floating on the surface of flood water, Today we have gone down to a position in which we have sacrificed everything to please our enemies. We have given up our character and our good deeds and have altered our appearances and form, in fact everything from head to feet to show that we are their slaves. Even then they are not pleased with us. How disgraceful it is for the Muslims that they are being constantly smitten by one nation or another! It must be borne in mind that when a Muslim turns his back on the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet he should expect nothing except humiliation and disgrace.
A question is frequently asked. It is alleged that we have been doomed to disgrace and humiliation for having abandoned the Sunnah. As against this, the unbelievers of some of the advanced countries are enjoying honour, peace and power and
worldly gifts of life. Whose Sunnah are these unbelievers following?
The answer to this question is very simple. Almighty Allah has granted us, by His mercy, the wealth of Iman and we have pronounced the Kalimah (Article of Faith) of the Holy Prophet Muhammad [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam]. So, we will not be safe from being smitten and disgraced, unless we surrender ourselves completely to Allah and follow sincerely and submissively His Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam]. As for the unbelievers, they have no share in the bounties and blessings of the Hereafter. If they are placed in authority, wealth, honour and progress in this world, we should not apply their analogy to ourselves. Just as we go through the pages of history encompassing these fourteen centuries, We find that as long as the Muslims complied with the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam], they enjoyed, Power, Authority, Honour and Grandeur. They however, went down the abyss of humiliation and poverty when they relinquished the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam].
We all take part in religious gatherings and listen to sermons, yet it hardly brings any change in our lives. Let us resolve today to review what are the Sunnah acts which we are doing and those which we are ignoring. Which are those acts of the Sunnah which we can start immediately and those which call for a little time. The acts which we can start immediately must be started from today. As for acts which call for time, we should give them that time so as to be able to start them as early as possible.
May Allah help us all to act on Sunnah throughout our وآخر دعوانا أن الحمد هلل رب العلمين .Aameen.lives
