In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation. May the salutations of Allah, His peace and blessings be upon our beloved Prophet, his family, his companions and his true and sincere followers until the Last Day – then to proceed:
Dear servants of Allah! I advise you and myself to have Taqwa (consciousness of Allah), for there is no salvation on the Day of Resurrection except through it. Allah the Most High says:
“And Allah will deliver those who are conscious of Him to their places of success (Paradise). Evil shall touch them not, nor shall they grieve.” [Qur’an, 39:61]
He Almighty also says:
“He has decreed upon Himself mercy. He will surely assemble you for the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt.” [Qur’an, 6:12]
Dear brothers and sisters! Allah’s Mercy to His servants is great and His favour upon them is immense. And His Mercy is complete and does not have any deficiencies. And it is not driven by inability or weakness. It is the Mercy of the Most Merciful the Most Beneficent that encompasses everything with mercy and knowledge.
And the greatest mercy on this Ummah (nation) from the Lord is that he designated for them the Prophet of mercy. Through His Mercy, He honoured this final Ummah (nation) with the best of His creation and sent to them the seal of the Messengers. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was the most merciful of the Prophets to his Ummah (nation). He (Peace be upon him) was the most compassionate, vigilant, pardoning and forgiving of the Prophets to his Ummah (nation).
And through the Prophet (Peace be upon him), Allah took people out of the darkness into the light. And He the Exalted sent down all kinds of mercies through him. Such that the people of the earth are compassionate through it until the Day of Resurrection. Allah Almighty said:
“And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.” [Qur’an, 21:107]
His message revealed from His Lord the Exalted showered all kinds of mercies upon the creation. The people and the jinn. The believer and the disbeliever. The righteous and the wicked. The young and the old. The strong and the weak. The near and the far. Men and women. The birds and animals. Animals and inanimate objects.
And he (Peace be upon him) came with a Shari’ah (legislation) all of which is good and mercy for the people. And there is no one on earth from the time that he was sent to our present day until the Day of Resurrection except that will be touched by this mercy that Allah the Most High made reach all the worlds. Therefore, it was narrated in an authentic Hadith that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
“Oh people, indeed I am a gifted mercy.” [as-Sahihah of Imam al-Albani]
And those with preference and the greatest share of this mercy are those who believe in him, honour him, support him, and follow the light (the Qur’an) which has been sent down with him. It is they who will be successful. Their success will be in this world and the next. And just as it is indicated in the Qur’an that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) is a mercy to the worlds it is also mentioned in the Qur’an that he (Peace be upon him) is a mercy to the believers in verse 61 of surah At-Tawbah. Allah Almighty says:
“(He) believes in Allah and believes the believers and [is] a mercy to those who believe among you.” [Qur’an, 9:61]
And from his mercy for those who believe in him and embraced his religion is that he supplicated for them much. Especially if one considers the state of other Prophets with their Ummahs (nations). His mercy for his Ummah (nation) overtook him and he supplicated for them. As related by Abdullah Bin Amr Bin Aas (may Allah be pleased with them):
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) recited the Words of Allah, the Exalted, and the Glorious, about Prophet Ibrahim who said:
“O my Lord! They have led astray many among mankind. But whosoever follows me, he verily, is of me.” (Qur’an, 14:36) and those of Prophet Isa (Jesus) who said: “If You punish them, indeed they are Your servants, and if You forgive them, verily, You, only You, are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.” (Qur’an, 5:118). Then he (Peace be upon him) raised up his hands and said, “O Allah! My Ummah (nation), my Ummah (nation),” and he wept; Allah, the Exalted, said: “O Jibril (Gabriel)! Go to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) – and your Lord is most knowledgeable- and ask him: ‘What makes you weep?” So Jibril came to him and asked him (the reason of his weeping) and the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) informed him what he had said (though Allah is most knowledgeable). Upon this Allah said: “Jibril, go to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and say: ‘Verily, We will please you with regards to your Ummah (nation) and will never displease you.” [Muslim]
The mercy of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) for his Ummah (nation) was to an extent that he preferred them over himself in the answered supplication that Allah gave him as He the Exalted gave other Prophets before him. He did not limit this supplication to himself and he included his Ummah (nation). As Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) related that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
“Every Prophet had a supplication that was granted by Allah. I dedicated my granted supplication to having intercession for my Ummah (nation) on the Day of resurrection.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:
“Every Prophet had a supplication that was granted, and every Prophet advanced their supplication (in this world). But I reserved my supplication as intercession for my Ummah (nation) on the Day of Resurrection, and it will reach, if Allah wills, those of them who die, not associating anything with Allah.” [Muslim]
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, how great his mercy was for us and how cautious he was over us. Can the believers in him be blamed for loving, honouring and supporting him when he preferred them over himself and designated them for his supplication in a situation of all situations!? By Allah, no one can blame them for that aside for a disbeliever or a hypocrite who is hiding his disbelief or an ignorant person that does not know the virtue of the Messenger (Peace be upon him). Allah Almighty said:
“There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you [i.e., your guidance] and to the believers is kind and merciful.” [Qur’an, 9:128]
From the mercy of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to his Ummah is that he selected for them a complete and easy to follow Shari’ah (legislation). And the most precise and attainable decrees. And Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) described him and she is the closest of people to him:
“The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) was never given a choice between two matters but that he chose the easier of the two as long as it did not involve sin. If it was sinful, he was the furthest person from it.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
He (Peace be upon him) used to leave a deed that he wanted to do and was able to handle as a mercy for his Ummah (nation) fearing that it would be obligated and the majority of them would not be able to handle it. And whoever views his Sunnah can see that. And how many times did he (Peace be upon him) say: If it was not a hardship for my Ummah (nation) I would have commanded them with such and such or if it were not a hardship for the people I would have commanded them with this. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said:
“The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) would give up a deed that he liked to perform, fearing that the people would follow suit and it would be obligated upon them.” [Bukhari and Muslim]
Dear brothers and sisters! Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him) was afflicted for the sake of Allah Almighty, like no one else has been afflicted. He (Peace be upon him) said:
“Indeed I have feared for the sake of Allah, such that no one has feared, and I have been harmed for the sake of Allah, such that no one has been harmed.” [Tirmidhi]
Be conscious of Allah Almighty and obey Him. And know that affliction in religion and worldly matters is the path of the Messengers of Allah (Peace be upon them). And that steadfastness through affliction is the way of the successful servants of Allah. Allah Almighty said:
“Did you think that you would enter Paradise even though Allah has not yet seen who among you strove hard in His way and remained steadfast?” [Qur’an, 3:142]
There were periods when the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was deeply grieved due to his people denying him, and his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) being tormented and killed. And for his loss of supporters among mankind. And due to the hardship and harshness of life. And many instances of his grief were recorded in his fragrant biography after the start of his mission.
And the first grief that befell him (Peace be upon him) after start of his mission and the most intense and the greatest was due to the pause in receiving revelation after he received it for the first time. Waraqah Bin Nawfal (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“No man has come with what you brought without being harmed. And if your day comes while I am alive, I would support you strongly. But after a few days Waraqah died and the Divine Inspiration was also paused for a while and the Prophet (Peace be upon him) became sad.” [Bukhari]
And every believer who has a day in which he does not recite anything from the Qur’an must grieve. Because the Prophet (Peace be upon him) grieved at the pause in the revelation in spite of it being out of his control. So what about the one who is able to recite the revelation at every moment to nourish his heart, guide his soul and rectify his condition, but falls short in that regard and does not grieve over his shortcomings?!
And when the Prophet (Peace be upon him) invited his people to Iman (faith) they denied him. So he grieved deeply over them due to his knowledge of the fate of those who denied. And because he wanted for them Iman (faith) and a conclusion of success and great triumph. Allah Almighty addressed him to lighten his grief:
“We know that you, [O Mohammad], are saddened by what they say. And indeed, they do not call you untruthful, but it is the verses of Allah that the wrongdoers reject.” [Al-An’am 33]
Rather, his grief over his people’s denial of him nearly destroyed him, until Allah Almighty prohibited him from devastating himself through extreme grief. Allah Almighty said:
“Then perhaps you would kill yourself through grief over them, [O Mohammad], if they do not believe in this message, [and] out of sorrow.” [Qur’an, 18:7]
That is, perishing out of grief and sorrow for them. And that is because your reward is due from Allah Almighty and if Allah the Most High knew that there was good in them, He would have guided them. But He knew that they are only suited for the fire. Therefore he forsake them, and they were not guided. So occupying yourself with grief and sorrow for them is of no benefit to you.
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was the most sincere in advice to his Ummah (nation) and had the highest compassion for them. He almost perished regretting the misguidance of those among Quraish who went astray, and they hurt him and tortured his followers!
And every believer should grieve over the disbelief of the disbelievers, and the hypocrisy of the hypocrites and the disobedience of the sinners. Because he desires good for all mankind and hates evil for them. And there is no good better than Iman (faith). It is happiness in this world and the biggest success in the hereafter. And there is no evil greater than disbelief and hypocrisy. For it is misery in this world and eternal torment in the hereafter. For people of Iman (faith) know the truth and have mercy on creation.
A believer benefits from the prohibition of Allah Almighty to His Prophet (Peace be upon him) to not grieve to the point of destroying himself or Impeding him from working for the religion of Allah Almighty and calling to it. Just as the accusations of the disbelievers and hypocrites against the people of faith do not weaken their strength or resolve. This and more happened to the Prophet and he armed himself with patience in facing their false claims and slander. And not being deceived by the prominence of the disbelievers and their lead in worldly matters despite their stubbornness and arrogance towards the truth. Indeed, this is from the trial of Allah – the Most High – of them. Allah Almighty said:
“And do not extend your eyes towards that by which We have given enjoyment to [some] categories of them, [its being but] the splendour of worldly life by which We test them. And the provision of your Lord is better and more enduring.” [Qur’an, 20: 131]
And if the caller to the truth is saddened by people’s painful reality and their distance from Allah Almighty, know that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) was saddened over that before them. And if they are saddened by the words of the disbelievers and hypocrites and their plotting, know that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) was saddened about that before them. And if they are saddened by the worldly prominence of the disbelievers and hypocrites, know that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) was saddened about that before them. However, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) prevailed and the disbelief, disbelievers and their plotting vanished. And Islam was honoured and spread. And the call of the Prophet spread all over the earth. And Allah Almighty was most knowledgeable and wise when he forbade his Prophet (Peace be upon him) from having intense grief.
May Allah the Exalted reward him (Peace be upon him) for his Ummah (nation) with the best reward that a Prophet was given for his Ummah (nation). And we ask Allah the Exalted to grant him the intercession and favour, and the high eminent level, and raise him to the honoured station that Allah promised him. May Allah make us among those who love and support him. And we ask Allah to resurrect us in his group and that we enter paradise with him. Indeed Allah is the All Hearing, Answering.
I conclude with this and send prayers of blessings and peace upon your Prophet, as your Lord commanded:
“Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.” [Qur’an, 33:56]
O Allah, guide us with those whom You have guided, grant us well-being among those You have granted well-being, be an ally to us along with those whom You are an ally to, and bless what You have bestowed upon us, and save us from the evil of what You have decreed. For verily You decree and none can decree over You. He whom You support can never be humiliated. Glory is to You, our Lord, You are Blessed and Exalted.
O Allah, We ask You for all that is good, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know. O Allah, we seek refuge with You from all evil, in this world and in the Hereafter, what we know and what we do not know. O Allah, we ask You for the good that Your servant and Prophet has asked You for, and we seek refuge with You from the evil from which Your servant and Prophet sought refuge. O Allah, we ask You for Paradise and for that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed, and we seek refuge in You from Hell and from that which brings one closer to it, in word and deed. And we ask You to make every decree that You decree concerning us good.
Servants of Allah! Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded.
Remember Allah, the Great – He will remember you. Thank Him for His favours – He will increase you therein. And seek forgiveness from Him – He will forgive you. And be conscious of Him – He will provide you a way out of difficult matters. And, establish the prayer.
All praises and thanks are due to Allah alone, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad, and upon his family, his Companions and his true and sincere followers.
Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.
