Central Khutbah : “At the Moment with Allah and His Prophet, Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him, and His Companions
We thank Allah, the Most High, and send prayers and blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad, as well as his noble family, his companions, and all those who follow the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah.
Before our eyes, we constantly try to visualize the most beautiful, most challenging, and most precious time on earth – the time when the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and his companions, may Allah be pleased with them all, lived. At that time, the earth was illuminated for the last time by the light of revelation and mission – the greatest values ever to descend upon earth. However, these values are eternal, and whoever wants to experience them has the chance, no matter the era they live in after that. Mus’ir, may Allah have mercy on him, from the generation of the tabi’ine, narrates: “I was sitting with Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, when a man said, ‘I wish I had seen the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him!’ Ibn ‘Umar said to him, ‘And what would you do?’ The man said, ‘By Allah, I would believe in him, I would kiss him between the eyes, and I would submit to him.’ Ibn ‘Umar said to him, ‘Would you like me to give you some good news?’ ‘Yes, O Abû ‘Abdur-Rahmân!’ said the man. So Ibn ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, said: ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: “My love does not mix with the heart of a man, and he does not love me without Allah forbidding his body to the fire of Hell,” and he added: “Ah, how happy I am to see my brothers coming to my basin (the Prophet’s basin, peace and blessings be upon him). I will welcome them with cups filled with drink, and I will quench their thirst from my basin before they enter Paradise.” They said to him, ‘O Messenger of Allah, are we not your brothers?’ He said, ‘You are my companions, and my brothers are those who will believe in me without having seen me. I asked my Lord to delight me with you and with all those who will believe in me without having seen me.” (Ebu Nuajm in “Hilya al-’awliyâ’”, 7/301).
The primary goal of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was to prepare the companions and future generations for eternity. Al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib reports: “While we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, he saw a group of people and asked, ‘What are they gathered around?’ ‘They are digging a grave,’ someone said. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, became concerned and rushed ahead of his companions until he reached the grave in question and knelt before it.” The narrator said: “I stood in front of him to see what he would do. He wept until the earth was wet with his tears, and then he turned to us and said, ‘O my brothers, prepare yourselves for a day like this.’ (See: “Silsiletu el-ehadis es-sahiha”, 4/345, by Sheikh Nasiruddin Al-Albani).
The time we are writing about is the time when the fruits of true brotherhood were sown and tasted. What binds all Muslims together is precisely brotherhood. On this basis, this generation succeeded, and on this basis, every succeeding generation will succeed. Every individual had dozens of people whom he loved and cared for. Abu Darda, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “When I prostrate, I ask Allah for seventy of my brothers in religion. I mention them by their names and the names of their fathers.” (Musnad Ibn Majah, no. 1098). What a beautiful incentive for one who loves and knows the value of brotherhood, for he knows who established it and who will reward it.
When we examine brotherhood, it represents only a desire that we dream of today. Between us and the value of brotherhood lies an obstacle called pretension for various reasons. Every action in our religion requires knowledge and sincerity. To illustrate brotherhood according to Islamic principles, scholars have succinctly summarized: “My brother, without you I am nothing and no one. I am committed to you because our interests are mutual! If I am your worldly ease, you are my shortcut to the hereafter! If you need my sincere help and support, know that I need Allah on the Day of Judgment! If you need my wealth and charity, I need His shade on the Day of Judgment! If you need my love and respect, I need the love and respect of Allah for those whom He loves! Whatever you need from me, my dear, it is even more important to me than to you!”
On these principles lived the Muhajirun and the Ansar, and our task as those who declare themselves aware followers of the Sunnah is to revitalize these principles and thus experience a part of the atmosphere that the Ansar and the Muhajirun lived with the Prophet of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.
Lord, forgive us, help us in goodness, protect us from evil, and unite our hearts in guidance. Amen.
(Central khutbah by the religious leader Hafiz Hilmija Redžić on April 12, 2024, at the “Association Islamique de Luxembourg” in Bonnevoie)
