Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

During the time of Jahiliyatul ‘Ula, the First Period of Ignorance, people were astray from submission to The One God but their lives were centralised around godliness.

Today we are living far below such foolishness, in the Second Period of Ignorance, Jahiliyah Al-thani. Mawlanaق said that this second wave of ignorance is worse than the first as people's lives are centralised around secularism, denying and defying all divine authority. Belief is at its weakest and is fraying with every passing day.

Most Muslims today take religious advice loosely off the internet and have neither deep knowledge nor do they receive any spiritual guidance from a divinely appointed Guide on Islam.

This trend gave birth to the disease of self-interpreted Islam and dangerous teachings of ‘extremism’ rampant on social media, brewing hatred for others and attacking authentic Islamic practices as bid’ah (innovation). One such common attack is on celebrating the Sacred Birth of our Holy Prophetﷺ.

Muslims must be aware of how some so-called Muslims originating from Arabia known as the Salafis and Wahhabis, have worked hard to divorce love for Holy Prophetﷺ from Islam. They have tried to remove Islam from its Heart and Soul, discrediting The Beloved of Allahﷺ from hisﷺ divinely given authority.

In the Holy Quran, Allahﷻ Warns the believers of their shameless efforts and speaks subtly, in the highest level of respect for the Holy Prophetﷺ. Hence, it is of great benefit for students in Tariqah to also become a student of Quranic Arabic to better understand true Islamic teachings.

It takes the understanding of just three Quranic verses quoted below, to help cure the disease of doubt a believer might have on the love and reverence one must adopt for the Beloved Prophetﷺ.

Surah Al-Isra 17: Verse 23,

۞ وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ وَبِٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَـٰنًا ۚ إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِنْدَكَ ٱلْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَآ أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُلْ لَّهُمَآ أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُلْ لَّهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيْماً

For your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And honour your parents. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word.

Surah Al-Hujurat 49: Verse 2-3,

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِيْنَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَرْفَعُوٓا۟ أَصْوَٰتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ ٱلنَّبِىِّ وَلَا تَجْهَرُوْا۟ لَهُۥ بِٱلْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَنْ تَحْبَطَ أَعْمَـٰلُكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُوْنَ

O you who have believed, do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet or be loud to him in speech like the loudness of some of you to others, lest your deeds become worthless while you perceive not.

إِنَّ اَلَّذِيْنَ يَغُضُّوْنَ أَصْوَٰتَهُمْ عِنْدَ رَسُوْلِ ٱللَّهِ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِيْنَ ٱمْتَحَنَ ٱللَّهُ قُلُوْبَهُمْ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ ۚ لَهُمْ مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَّأَجْرٌ عَظِيْمٌ

Indeed, those who lower their voices in the presence of Allah’s Messenger are the ones whose hearts Allah has refined for righteousness. They will have forgiveness and a great reward.

Mawlanaق explained that the three verses quoted above clearly conveys that even for the least of all disrespectful behaviour, like expressing the smallest displeasure to one’s parents by saying a mere ‘uff’ to them, will incur the believer a great punishment of having all their deeds be made worthless in the Sight of Allahﷻ, when the Prophetﷺ is addressed in a similar way.

What more for those who preach to ridicule and prevent others from loving and respecting himﷺ.

Allahﷻ gives glad tidings to believers who ‘do not raise their voices above the voice of the Prophetﷺ’, meaning to accept his authority and show the highest of respect for himﷺ, and they will attain the honourable rank to become People of Taqwa and ultimately, be granted the Pleasure of Allahﷻ.

It is worth noting how Allahﷻ is specifically warning the believers in Surah Al-Hujurat, verses 2 to 3, and not addressing all people or the disbelievers who deny Allahﷻ and His Messengerﷺ.

Shaykh Nazimق said that in reality, Rasulullahﷺ is not in need of our respect and salutations (salawat) to himﷺ. Heﷺ is Saluted and bestowed the Highest of Reverence by Allah Almighty Himself.

However, we are in need of Prophet’sﷺ intercession in the afterlife’s Day of Reckoning and salawat is the means for us to be granted healing, cure and help in this life too.

Mawlanaق said that salawat is better than asking for forgiveness (istighfar) because with each salawat, Allah Almighty Himself sends 100 to 700 times more salawat upon the person. What can be better than The Lord Most High sending salutations to you, in honour of your love for His Belovedﷺ.

Salawat is the beginning and end of everything. Every supplication is accepted when it begins and ends with Salawat upon the Most Beloved of Allah ﷺ.

May Allahﷻ grant our hearts to be clear of doubts about the High Status of our Prophet ﷺ and may we and our progeny be raised as the People of Sollu ‘alan Nabi, to be with himﷺ for Eternity.

Please do take time to listen to the full Sohbah.