{وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ لَا تُفۡسِدُواْ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّمَا نَحۡنُ مُصۡلِحُونَ (١١) أَلَآ إِنَّهُمۡ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدُونَ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا يَشۡعُرُونَ (١٢)} Surah Al-Baqarah v11-12
Every human being in society, whether at home or outside, has this desire that life should be peaceful, a life that is peace beyond peace, with no sickness, no problems, just a cool life of contentment. The opposite of this is a life full of quarrels. And due to quarrels and disputes, a person’s life of peace ends. He can handle everything else, but fighting and quarrelling is such that it makes a person lose his sense of peace. Every man, every wife, every husband, every child wants this, that there should be no quarrel or fight at home. Every mother and father has a desire that their children should be obedient, and should do whatever they are told to do. Which mother or father doesn’t have this desire? They want that their spouse should appreciate and value them, and that they should work together and understand each other. Which husband is there who doesn’t want his wife to follow his preferences, and that they should have mutual understanding so that they can assist each other?
All other assistance ends. Mother and father will pass away, relatives will pass away, children grow up and leave. But until the grave, the husband and wife are together. That is how fantastic this relationship is. But unfortunately, we see that in our society, the most difficult of all relationships today is between husband and wife. Whichever home you see, there is Fasaad. Whichever home you see, there are problems. It is very seldom that I have seen a home where there is no clash or fracture between husband and wife. Maybe they suppress it, and then it comes out suddenly, but the difference is there. There is not the feeling that the spouse is such a great assistant, who will be with me until the grave. What a great relationship it can be. And when Allah ta’ala has put this assistance, sincerity and love in this relationship, then the home becomes like Jannah, Paradise. Such a husband will do every action happily; and he will persevere through difficulties if he has a good relationship and compatibility and connection with his wife. And his wife, she will go through poverty, difficulty, and even if the situation becomes tight, with no happiness in worldly and material matters, provided there is love between them, she will pass through life with ease, without complaints and criticisms.
But where there is difference, it doesn’t matter if she is given a big car, and gold on her hands, and gifts and nice assets; if there is a difference between them in their hearts, such a house is like Jahannam. And this doesn’t stay between the two of them – it affects the children as well. And it goes beyond the children because they have brought them up in that environment. What I am trying to say is that the biggest thing in the life of a human being is that he wants to live a peaceful life, and that in his home there should be peace. And beyond that, in society, in the world, in the workplace, in your shop, office, business, or if you work for somebody – every day you have to live in society, and have to face other challenges there. So there, a person has a desire in the world, ‘I want a peaceful environment, whether I am working for somebody or running my own business, what I want is a life of peace, with no disputes, no quarrels. I want to work and take my salary and go home, with no fighting or quarrelling with anybody.’ And then in the society that is around us, we don’t want any crime, theft, no stealing from my shop, no burglary from my home. Nobody should grab my neck, or loot my wealth, or break into my car. Nobody should fight with me or dishonour me or disrespect me. These are aspects of society that we have around us.
So all these points that I am mentioning to you, if we manage to live without all of these negative things that we don’t want, then what an ideal life! Is this a dream? A vision? A mirage? No, this is a reality that is within reach in our lives. Allah ta’ala hasn’t created us so that we can fight and quarrel and break each other’s rights, and steal and take people’s wealth, and usurp people’s rights, and fight at home, and quarrel at home, Fasaad outside, Fasaad in the children, stealing this, taking that person’s wealth, deceiving people in business deals – no. This is not why Allah ta’ala has created us, is it?
And all these things, as I mentioned, should be sources of happiness – there should be no threat and no hazard in the home, outside, office, business, workplace. This is not impossible. Rather it is one hundred percent from amongst the possibilities. It is definitely possible to achieve this.
What is the reason? Look, the human being has Nafs and shaytan, base desires and shaytan – two big enemies of the human being. We think that Deen is an obstacle for us – no. Rather, Nafs and shaytan put barriers up in our life in society, not just in our Deeni lives. This is their mission, that they want to take us away from the Deen, but they are so fixed against us, shaytan is so opposed to us. He is such an enemy that Allah says he is { عَدُوٌّ۬ مُّبِينٌ} - he is an avowed enemy. Allah ta’ala has mentioned this in a few places. He is not a minor enemy. If a small enemy doesn’t leave you alone, then will the biggest enemy be happy with your happiness? Will he be happy if you are happy, and your wife is happy with you, and husband is happy with the wife, and the children are happy with you, and there is peace at home? Tell me, will the enemy allow that? Will he accept that? He will never accept and allow that. So if shaytan is { عَدُوٌّ۬ مُّبِينٌ}, then how could he accept that a husband and wife are happy with each other? In the same way, how will shaytan allow that we have a happy society without quarrels or disputes? How will he allow it if my business runs totally smoothly and happily?
So what is the root of all of the Fasaad and evil and wickedness? It is Nafs and shaytan – the base desires and shaytan. These are the two forces, from home to society to environment, in our whole life; from home life to outside life, it is shaytan and Nafs that create this Fasaad. It is not our wife that is fighting, it is shaytan who is creating that quarrel and that dispute. Nafs and shaytan when they overwhelm a person, he starts to follow the desires of his Nafs – his whims, his opinions. The Nafs and his desires have controlled him, and they are dictating his practice. Shaytan has controlled that person, and shaytan and Nafs are directing his life.
So tell me, if an enemy is controlling your home, and he wants to run your home according to his preference, then can that home be full of peace? Can that life be full of peace and contentment? Can the environment and society be full of peace? Can the area around us be peaceful? No – totally not, because shaytan, our enemy, and the Nafs, have controlled this, so shaytan and the Nafs will enable those actions which cause destruction, and which cause loss, crime, pain and anguish.
So when a person starts to follow the path of Nafs and shaytan, when the base desires and shaytan start to control him, then he becomes a worldly person, a material person. The shame is removed from his eyes, and there will be not an atom within him that is doing right. Rather he will be selfish and run after the world. He will betray his principles. And with apologies for saying so, I would say that not 95 percent, but rather close to 100 per cent of people are like this today. My words may be bitter or seem strict, but don’t take what I am saying badly or in a negative light. If we don’t expose the matter, and if we don’t speak the truth, then what? I am reminded that my Hadhrat Sahib used to recite a couplet, SubhanAllah, saying that if Allah ta’ala gives me an opportunity to speak the truth, how can I not do so? If we are sitting down and thinking about something good, then why shouldn’t we discuss good things and learn good things? They may seem bitter, but if we learn from it, then this will be very good, alhamdulillah.
So who is a worldly person? If the Nafs and shaytan have controlled a person, and he follows his opinions and whims and desires and his passions, he is worldly. Not 98, not 99, but 100 per cent of people are doing this today. And amongst them are those who have Qur’an, Hadith, Bukhari, and Tirmidhi, Nisaa’i, Ibn Majah – such a long list of Kitabs we could mention. And they have Uloom, and full bookcases. A fashion that you see in every home you visit is that there are stacks of books in a bookcase in the living room so that people can see them and think he is an educated person. I went to one person’s house and he sat me down and said ‘Look at all of these – this is my library.’ I could see them – they were behind glass doors in the bookcase. Some people hide the books under a cloth, while others put them behind glass to show how many Kitabs they have. And of them all, only one Kitab is needed. The Qur’an al-Hakeem is enough for you! One Kitab. That’s it. All the books can be taken away, and the Qur’an al-Hakeem will be enough for us. No need for anything else, in reality. And after picking up the Qur’an, if you practice just one verse { ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ} in the first Surah, then you have no need to look beyond that for success, for the solutions. No need for Tafseer, for commentaries – nothing! This Surah will tell us. { ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ} will automatically take us to the right path. Surah al-Fatiha is an automatic car! You just sit in it, turn the ignition, let it run - { ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ} - and it will take you to the destination of Allah’s nearness, automatically! You won’t need a driver – it is a driverless car! You won’t need to change the gears because it is automatic. Just turn the ignition on: { ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ}, this car, this Qur’an, will take you to the destination.
So when a person starts to control his desires, obviously if he is in control, then he will drive the car of life in the correct way. But a worldly person, who looks for his own benefit, has only one principle in his life. Never mind if it is his father, son, mother, sister, uncle from either side, wife, father’s brother - nobody has any rights over him. He will say ‘Where is my benefit? Where is my benefit? I want the money from the sale of this house!’ He has no intention of giving a share to his sister, or to his brother, no. He will say ‘Where is my success? What is my right? What is my share?’ He will shout, and even if he gives something to his children, the stage will come when even his children are nothing to him. He will think only about his own benefit. This is a worldly person, running after his own benefit. How can you trust such a person? How can you accept his promises? How can you believe that he is speaking honestly? The worldly person will not let anybody get in his way. He will follow his desires, his Nafs. The Qur’an describes this person, if we continue the verses. The person who follows his desires is clearly explained. Allah ta’ala has defined this in detail and explained the features. I am speaking to you in general terms here, SubhanAllah.
So why is society around us spoiled today? And we are looking at the people of Iman – that is the question I am posing. Tell me – do we have a peaceful society? Is there happiness? Is there anywhere where there is no Fasaad or wickedness, from our Masjids to our homes? People say ‘Oh let’s go to the Masjid for some peace’, and they find quarrels or arguments there, and the police have been called to grab those who are disputing and fighting between themselves in the Masjid. Someone says ‘I want this seat; I want to be the chairman; I want to be the secretary’, and they quarrel and fight when it is time for the election. So how can peace and contentment be found in the Masjids? You can’t even find it there, in our places of worship, which should be places of Sakeenah and peace.
So brothers, why is this? The reason is that Nafsi desires, base desires, have controlled the Nafs, and we follow them. Why do we follow them? The Qur’an gives the reason. What is this reason that makes us follow our base desires and our passions, the reason that the peace we wish for is turned into quarrels and fights? It is very difficult to find peace and contentment, very difficult even to shake someone’s hand and make peace. I’m trying to remember the couplet that explains how easily our hearts trust people and how easily we deceive people. How does it go? The friend is he who, when you shake his hand, what do you attain? We extend the hand of friendship to someone because we think he is sincere, but really he is not a friend. Remember this. With pride, we say ‘Don’t trust him!’ Mahmud and Ayaz are standing in the same line, but they don’t trust each other – and that is where we are praying Salah. Even the Imam doesn’t trust the Muqtadis, and the Muqtadis don’t trust the Imam. So what about the rest of society? We don’t trust each other even when we pray together. Why?
The reason for this is Fasaad. And why is there Fasaad in the world? What is the reason for mischief and Fasaad and wickedness and evil behaviour? Why is it there? Allahu Akbar. There is only one reason for the spread of these things in society. The Qur’an explains who that person is who came to remove this Fasaad, the person who came with the ways to remove evil from society, the person who came to teach human beings humanity, to take humanity to the peaks, SubhanAllah.
“رَسُولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: بُعِثْتُ لأُتَمِّمَ حُسْنَ الأَخْلاَقِ.”
The Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam said “بُعِثْتُ” – ‘I was sent’ – why? To implement one action. To complete and seal and teach - “لِأُتَمِّمَ” – to make complete the teaching of Akhlaq. Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said clearly ‘I came to teach, to seal, and to complete the subject of Akhlaq; to distribute, to present, and to complete the subject of Akhlaq’ – in other words, to make the whole world Jannah, Paradise! Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam said ‘This was the reason for me coming, the objective of me being sent to the world.’ SubhanAllah, the companion of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam stated ‘This was the reason that I came into the world.’ The Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said “بُعِثْتُ لأُتَمِّمَ حُسْنَ الأَخْلاَقِ” – SubhanAllah. Allah ta’ala saw that there was darkness and wickedness in the world, and that Fasaad and evil had spread, and when the earth became a place of extreme evil and wickedness, Allah ta’ala sent him to the earth. What was the reason stated by the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam? ‘So that I could teach the beauty of Akhlaq, good moral conduct and manners, across the world.’ SubhanAllah.
So what does this mean? He came to complete the subject of Akhlaq. What does ‘complete’ mean? SubhanAllah. By what means did he set about this? By opening the Kitab? No. By means of a lecture? No. No book will explain, and no sermon will explain. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said ‘I have been sent to the world’ – “قَالَ: بُعِثْتُ” – I have been sent in this way, that my every action will spread and beautify the Akhalq around the world. It will eliminate Fasaad and make it disappear. My smiling, my walking, my moving, my speaking, my looking – every single one of my actions will have this effect. And no action of mine will be hidden until the Day of Qiyamah. My actions at home - my wives will share with the world how I used to sleep, how I used to lie down.’ Aisha Siddiqa radhiAllahu anha would share every single habit of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. ‘His body, his hand gestures, how his feet rested against each other, how he touched me’ – everything. ‘If I drank water, how he would then drink from that vessel.’ Does anyone tell you about the secrets of their home? Do people tell about their wives, or wives about their husbands? But the Hukm was there – the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was sent to the world for this reason.
“بُعِثْتُ” ‘I was sent for this purpose, to spread and share and teach the world Akhlaq and manners and human conduct, social conduct’, because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was the complete, Jaam’i example of peace and Sakeenah and contentment. He was Rahmatu-lil-Alameen, the Mercy to the Universe. His coming was a mercy to the Universe, his every action was a mercy to the Universe, SubhanAllah. His every action is Rahmah, mercy. That is why Allah ta’ala created the greatest generation of human beings, the noble Companions radhiAllahu anhum, to record and share the great habits of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. They were unique, they were different; Allah ta’ala selected them. Their thinking, their style, their manners, their hearts, their bodies, their perseverance and endurance were all exceptional, because they had to implement a great action. First of all, Allah ta’ala taught them perseverance and gave them the strength that enabled them to see the beautiful face of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam for thirty or forty years. They would witness such a great Noor, from morning to evening, on the blessed face of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Imagine! Their eyes were unique, their hearts were unique, their understanding was unique – even their looking was unique, SubhanAllah.
Today, if somebody sees the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam in a dream, even though there is a veil, because dreams are a veil, yet still, for the rest of their life they won’t forget that blessed face. Such a Noor comes into the heart and mind that you cannot imagine – and that is in a dream, which is behind a veil; it’s not physical reality. But imagine the Sahaba-e-Karam; their eyes were unique, by Allah! And they had so many great achievements. They used to sit with their knees touching the knees of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, they used to shake the hand of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, they would drink the leftovers of his water, they used to wipe his saliva onto their faces, they used to save the water that flowed off him when he made ablution, they would collect his sweat – SubhanAllah! This cannot have been a normal human being. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was such a great personality, so to sit close to him, to look at him, to breathe next to him, to hear his breathing, SubhanAllah. Were the Sahaba-e-Karam normal people?
Today’s Muslims, SubhanAllah, are so disrespectful when they talk about the Sahaba – and they call themselves Muslims? I’ve spoken in the previous verses that we have recited and discussed, about the nature and quality of Muslims today, about who is defined as a Munafiq and has hypocrisy inside. They are here. Allah says { وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ لَا تُفۡسِدُواْ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ} . We are talking about that today.
So why has Fasaad and mischief spread around the world today? Allah says ‘I sent you Rahmah, mercy!’ The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was Rahmatu-lil-Alameen, the mercy to the Universe, such a great personality – the greatest personality. He wasn’t a normal human being. He wasn’t normal. He wasn’t like Hadhrat Ibrahim alayhi salam, he wasn’t like Hadhrat Moosa alayhi salam, he wasn’t like Hadhrat Isa alayhi salam, he wasn’t like Hadhrat Yunus alayhi salam, he wasn’t like all the other Prophets. He wasn’t like them. He wasn’t like Hadhrat Yaqub alayhi salam, he wasn’t like Hadhrat Yusuf alayhi salam, no. All of the other Prophets alayhim salam who came before the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam were all, you could say, affected by the light of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. They were specks under that light, they were beneath the shade of that light. From Hadhrat Adam alayhi salam, to Hadhrat Isa alayhi salam came such great Prophets; they had beauty, and so many great characteristics. They had lands, like Hadhrat Dawood alayhi salam, who also had a beautiful, melodious voice and other beautiful qualities – every Prophet of Allah came to the world with beautiful qualities. But the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was the compilation of all of that; you could say that they were like specks. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was the beautiful, complete seal.
So those who reject the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam are the most wretched people. ‘Munafiq’ is a nice word to use for them. For today’s Muslim, Munafiq is a very, very nice word to describe them, a very minor word. We cannot understand the punishment. We put our hands on the Qur’an, knowing and accepting the glory of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and we have Qur’ans in our homes that all testify as to his glory and his greatness sallallahu alayhi wasallam. We can’t even imagine the status of his Companions radhiAllahu anhum. Someone gave as an example that the dust that comes out of the nostril of one Companion, or even touches his feet, is better by far than any Qutb or Abdal or Wali of Allah who came thereafter. So imagine Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, who made the Sahaba, who, SubhanAllah, gave Tarbiyya to the Sahaba, and due to whose great company, such stars emanated.
Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam said “بُعِثْتُ”. He said ‘I came to teach and distribute Akhlaq.’ What was “حُسْنَ الأَخْلاَقِ”? He said that no husband should be upset with his wife at home, no wife should fight with her husband, the children should have love, there should be love between relatives, no Fasaad. If you go to the office - peace; if you go to the market - peace; buying and selling – peace. In every society, for every person, buying, selling, whatever your actions and dealings in our lives, there should be peace. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was sent to teach us peace. And how does he teach us peace? Not through books, and not through sermons, no. Rather, his every single action will give you Da’wah; it will invite you to leave evil and to create peace.
If we look at his actions, they have come from those one hundred and twenty four thousand Companions who were prepared. And that was their job and they were given that function; they were given the strength to be able to see the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam; their eyes could sustain the pressure of looking at the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. They were given the strength, and also the brain power, the ability, and the capacity to see and witness and absorb the lifestyle of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Despite remaining hungry for days and weeks, their hunger would suddenly disappear if they gazed for a second at the blessed face of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. With one date, their hunger would be satisfied. Allah ta’ala created these great human beings, the Sahaba-e-Karam, because they were to witness and share every blessed action and habit of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam until Qiyamah, so that the Ummatis, the believers, afterwards could live their lives with peace and contentment. SubhanAllah.
Do you understand what I am saying? He came so that we could live a peaceful life, our ideal life, the ideal of our families and houses being full of peace, of the husband-wife relationship being full of peace. So what happens if we leave this path, and forget the actions of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and leave his habits? And worse, what if we reject them, saying they are cruel and wasteful, and a barrier to our lives, and we can only succeed without them, and that practicing them would take us backwards, and that they are an obstacle for us? Astaghfirullah! And in comparison, in opposition to the Sunnah, we prefer and respect the path of the strangers and those who are outside the Deen. And we crush the Sunnah and his beloved practice sallallahu alayhi wasallam. For example, we say ‘Why did he sit on the floor to eat? Why did he eat with his hands?’ We say that all these practices are backward and a waste, and yet we say that we believe in Allah, and that we are Mu’mins and Muslims. Only non-Muslims would consider that those who say this are Muslims! How could there be a greater rejection than this.
This Adheem Nabi, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, the Imam of all of the Ambiya, the king of the Prophets – to think that a person who lives a life against him has Iman is not correct. He is the king, the supreme king of the Ambiya. He has the station of Mahmud, and he will be given the standard of the Green Flag and a beautiful attire to wear, and all the people of the world will be stood beneath him. People will be looking and hoping that he will make Dua so that they can come out of their difficulty on the Day of Resurrection. SubhanAllah! Prophets will be passing, looking, seeking out the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. And we are his Ummatis; we are his nation. How can we reject his ways and shun his ways, and then hope for peace in our homes? SubhanAllah – this cannot be.
What kind of brains do we have, what understanding do we have, what consciousness do we have? We are very intellectual and feel we have reached an advanced condition. ‘Oh we have left the Deen – we don’t like the waist-wrap, the Izhar. What is this turban? What are these beards? No. no – we pity the people who wear this.’ Astaghfirullah! I remember it so happened that once when I went to Karachi – oh, it is so sad to share this – I met up with a dear colleague. He was from our city, and he didn’t study with me, but he lived in our area; his house was nearby. So he said ‘Let me introduce you to General Khalid.’ I said ‘Ok, fine.’ He was an officer mashaAllah, and myself and the other friend from our area went together, and I was dressed in this attire. Alhamdulillah, through the Karam and the grace of Allah, due the Sadaqa of my Hadhrat Sahib, due to the blessedness of his feet and of his shoes, a bit of understanding and wisdom came to me such that I knew this was the real appearance and attire, the real way of life. So when we went there, the General Sahib was sitting there in the style officers have, with pomp and glory, in the appearance of slaves who imitate their masters. So first of all, he looked at me, and then he said ‘Is it you?’ It was a very long time since we had last met. He said ‘What have you done to yourself?’ Astaghfirullah. ‘What have you made yourself into?’ he said. Straightaway I said, ‘Please, give me permission; I need to leave.’ I couldn’t stay there to eat. I was thinking ‘A Muslim is saying these words?’ When he saw me, he used dirty, impure words – ‘What have you done to your face?’ Astaghfirullah. ‘What is this you are wearing on your head? What is this you have done?’
And this is not just a one-off. Our whole society is full of people who have this approach and thinking. The Qur’an says { وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ لَا تُفۡسِدُواْ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ} When they are told about the Shari'ah and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, they crush it, and this mischief and Fasaad spreads around the world. It becomes a way of life. It becomes a methodology, an ideology, a mindset. The Qur’an is explaining this man’s condition. It becomes their mission, their way of life. And this is the true Fsaad and mischief. That is why there is no peace in our homes, or outside, or in our society. Why has it ended? Because the so-called modernists, who have proliferated, say that the Sunnah and Shari’ah is not necessary! I am not talking about strangers, who have no faith; I am speaking about our own, so-called Muslims. Forget about those who don’t have faith, I am talking about our own people, whose names are Khalid and this and that Muslim name. I am speaking about them. I am speaking about General Khalid – he has passed away, I believe, the poor soul. Where has his rank gone? His bones have decayed in the ground – where is that person? Where is his title now? I am sitting here still alhamdulillah. His skin has rotted and his flesh has rotted – what Adhab will be given if a person goes with this Aqeedah?
So these people have spread mischief around the world. How? Because the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam brought a lifestyle, and we have left these things that were great and were spread around the world, and now we follow our Nafs and desires, and have become Dunya-dar, worldly people, after the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam came to teach us Deen, to make us Deen-dar, religious people. If we leave his way and take the hands of shaytan and Nafs, we become worldly. These are two opposite things. If we want to be a religious person following the Deen, then take hold of the hand of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. And if you want to be a worldly person, then take hold of the hands of Nafs and shaytan and follow their ways and methods and ideology; and they will overwhelm you. SubhanAllah.
My master sallallahu alayhi wasallam, his glory and his way was one: to eliminate wickedness and evil. What great practice he had; what beauty and glory there was in his life. Everything about him was glorious. There is a Hadith which I would like to explain to you, and I would like you to practice upon it. The Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam came to teach us this. This Hadith gives the real Tafseer of the Qur’an – don’t become a mischief-maker. When does a person become a mischief maker, with Fasaad at home, Fasaad outside, peace at an end, children running away? When we allow the lifestyle of following Nafs and Shaytan to overwhelm us, when we follow that and imitate that and love that. This is when Fasaad will start. Nothing will help and assist you at that time. No Khatum of YaSeen will assist you at that time, nothing. Allah ta’ala will not allow anything to progress at that time. Only one thing will give us peace. If we want to understand this message today, leave all of the darkness and take hold of the beautiful hand of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Take hold of his teaching, which is the reason for which he came.
So let us have a glimpse of his great lifestyle. What does this Hadith say? SubhanAllah, may I be sacrificed on every action, may I be assigned to every action – Allahumma Salli ‘ala Sayyidina wa Mawlana Muhmammadin wa ‘ala Aalihi wa Ashaabihi wa Baarik wa Sallim. May we send Durood Sharif millions and millions and millions of times over on the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and upon his Sahaba. Hakim ibn-e-Sa’ad narrates about the style of walking of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam – look at how the noble Companions embraced his style of life and delivered it to us today. What is the reason? If somebody asks ‘How did the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam used to walk?’ It is stated that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam used to walk in such a way, in his glory and status, that he wouldn’t look to the right or to the left. SubhanAllah – this is the Hadith. The whole society has been taught how to walk. If we practice this Hadith and bring it into our lives, and don’t look to the right or the left when we leave our homes, and revive this Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, I swear by Allah, Rabb-ul-‘Izzat, that the roots of sin and evil will be eliminated. You won’t look around, you won’t deceive, you won’t look with the evil eye, you won’t look at big shops. The world won’t come into me, I won’t look at people’s cars, I won’t look at another person, I won’t gossip-monger, I won’t backbite, I won’t despise people, I won’t look down on people. If I don’t look to the right or the left, then I will only remember one person, and Allah’s Dhikr will continue in my heart, SubhanAllah.
So when you leave home, don’t look to the left nor the right. The situation of women is different, for they have limited reasons for going out - I am speaking about the menfolk here. For womenfolk, there are conditions for leaving home. For women, reasons have been established from the Qur’an and Hadith, giving this and that specific and obligatory conditions for coming out of the house. But who follows this today? Nobody. So what is the lesson here? Those who go out to do shopping, to buy groceries and so on, are looking left and right, here and there, observing ‘Oh what’s he doing? What’s she doing? Oh, look, a new shop has opened up. Oh, there’s someone I know on the other side of the road - Assalamu alaykum, how are you? Is everything alright?’ There’s no need for this. It is shaytan who is making you do all this. Dirt and impurities are coming into you because we are following Nafs and shaytan. Come, let’s take hold of the great way of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Let us follow his ideology, his way, his implementation, his habit – he didn’t look to the left or the right but kept his gaze on the path ahead and minded his own business. Allahu Akbar Kabeera!
So my brothers, Allah has brought us the cure and solution to attain the peace we need. SubhanAllah. “رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " بُعِثْتُ لأُتَمِّمَ حُسْنَ الأَخْلاَقِ "” The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is telling us ‘Allah ta’ala sent me so that I can bring you a life of peace. How? Through my style, through my manners, through my conduct, through my Akhlaq, through my whole way of life, through my Tariqa.’ And this is the Sunnat-e-Sharifah, the honourable Sunnah. My brothers, let us take hold of the Sunnah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. We will continue this verse next time because time is up.
Remember: Allah ta’ala has broken mischief. And what is the way to break mischief? Why did Fasaad come? Because we have left the Sunnah and Tariqa of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. And the whole world today – I am talking about the Islamic world – is stood on the brink of Jahannam. Murder, fighting, enmity, selfishness – and this is between ourselves. Forget those outside our communities! Not one country is the friend of another country; no country gives benefit to another country. Today, if a country wants benefit, they make people from other countries their slaves. They put them beneath their feet because they are from another country. If doesn’t matter whether or not they are Muslims, someone from another nation is squeezed so much that the oil is extracted from his bones. If they come to their country to work, they trample over their rights. If a Muslim goes to another country to work, they will have different regulations; their houses will be different, their living areas will be separate.
This country here doesn’t do that! They uphold the rights. You don’t have such discrimination here. But today, in the place where the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam came with Akhlaq, they have left his Sunnah. There is wealth and Dunya; they are worldly people, not Deeni people. Why? Because they follow their Nafs; they worship their desires. And because they worship their desires, they say ‘Oh, we don’t care that they are Muslims from another country. You - do this! You – do that!’ They are slaves, these workers. They crush them and work them to the bone. People who come from poorer Islamic countries to richer Islamic countries get beaten with shoes. ‘Oh, what Islam is this that you are following? What Islam? What Muslim?’, they say. They treat them like slaves. ‘Keep your Islam to yourselves’, they say. ‘This is not Islam – we don’t follow this.’ I have heard these comments myself from their mouths, these masters who treat people like slaves. They say ‘This is a Muslim country, so how dare you tell us about Islam?’
So my brothers, how long does this life last, this bubble of life in which we are living? The bubble expands, then it pops; it breaks. How long will we live the life of pride and pomp? Eventually we will dive into the grave, and our flesh will decay. May Allah ta’ala give us all the Tawfeeq to follow the Sunnah and Shari’ah. Remember this: it is a foolish person who leaves the Sunnah and Shari’ah of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and then searches for peace. Write this, stamp this on a sheet: whether it is home, family, outside, wife, children, business – write this down; inscribe this! The Qur’an says don’t even imagine that a life of peace will come – the question doesn’t arise. If you are poor, it will not come; if you are rich, it will not come; if you are a millionaire, it will not come. Even if you have everything, still, peace will not come into your life. Such a person can never attain peace and contentment in the world - this is the clear promise of the Qur’an.
{ وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ لَا تُفۡسِدُواْ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّمَا نَحۡنُ مُصۡلِحُونَ} Allah says that the people who spread mischief in the world say that they are peacemakers. Allah says that they are liars! They are indeed the mischief-makers - another title is given to them here. { يَكۡذِبُونَ} - and on top of that, Allah says that { أَلَآ إِنَّهُمۡ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدُونَ } they are indeed mischief-makers.
So repent today, and peace will come into the house. Break the idols and bring the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam into your lives.
وَءَاخِرُ دَعۡوَٮٰهُمۡ أَنِ ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ
2nd Jul, 2020
Alhamdulillah so so happy for hadhrat saheb teaching us the Sunnah methods of living Alhmdullillah Allah taala allow us to do amaal upon it Ameen Allahuma Ameen
{وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ لَا تُفۡسِدُواْ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّمَا نَحۡنُ مُصۡلِحُونَ (١١) أَلَآ إِنَّهُمۡ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدُونَ وَلَـٰكِن لَّا يَشۡعُرُونَ (١٢)} Surah Al-Baqarah v11-12
Every human being in society, whether at home or outside, has this desire that life should be peaceful, a life that is peace beyond peace, with no sickness, no problems, just a cool life of contentment. The opposite of this is a life full of quarrels. And due to quarrels and disputes, a person’s life of peace ends. He can handle everything else, but fighting and quarrelling is such that it makes a person lose his sense of peace. Every man, every wife, every husband, every child wants this, that there should be no quarrel or fight at home. Every mother and father has a desire that their children should be obedient, and should do whatever they are told to do. Which mother or father doesn’t have this desire? They want that their spouse should appreciate and value them, and that they should work together and understand each other. Which husband is there who doesn’t want his wife to follow his preferences, and that they should have mutual understanding so that they can assist each other?
All other assistance ends. Mother and father will pass away, relatives will pass away, children grow up and leave. But until the grave, the husband and wife are together. That is how fantastic this relationship is. But unfortunately, we see that in our society, the most difficult of all relationships today is between husband and wife. Whichever home you see, there is Fasaad. Whichever home you see, there are problems. It is very seldom that I have seen a home where there is no clash or fracture between husband and wife. Maybe they suppress it, and then it comes out suddenly, but the difference is there. There is not the feeling that the spouse is such a great assistant, who will be with me until the grave. What a great relationship it can be. And when Allah ta’ala has put this assistance, sincerity and love in this relationship, then the home becomes like Jannah, Paradise. Such a husband will do every action happily; and he will persevere through difficulties if he has a good relationship and compatibility and connection with his wife. And his wife, she will go through poverty, difficulty, and even if the situation becomes tight, with no happiness in worldly and material matters, provided there is love between them, she will pass through life with ease, without complaints and criticisms.
But where there is difference, it doesn’t matter if she is given a big car, and gold on her hands, and gifts and nice assets; if there is a difference between them in their hearts, such a house is like Jahannam. And this doesn’t stay between the two of them – it affects the children as well. And it goes beyond the children because they have brought them up in that environment. What I am trying to say is that the biggest thing in the life of a human being is that he wants to live a peaceful life, and that in his home there should be peace. And beyond that, in society, in the world, in the workplace, in your shop, office, business, or if you work for somebody – every day you have to live in society, and have to face other challenges there. So there, a person has a desire in the world, ‘I want a peaceful environment, whether I am working for somebody or running my own business, what I want is a life of peace, with no disputes, no quarrels. I want to work and take my salary and go home, with no fighting or quarrelling with anybody.’ And then in the society that is around us, we don’t want any crime, theft, no stealing from my shop, no burglary from my home. Nobody should grab my neck, or loot my wealth, or break into my car. Nobody should fight with me or dishonour me or disrespect me. These are aspects of society that we have around us.
So all these points that I am mentioning to you, if we manage to live without all of these negative things that we don’t want, then what an ideal life! Is this a dream? A vision? A mirage? No, this is a reality that is within reach in our lives. Allah ta’ala hasn’t created us so that we can fight and quarrel and break each other’s rights, and steal and take people’s wealth, and usurp people’s rights, and fight at home, and quarrel at home, Fasaad outside, Fasaad in the children, stealing this, taking that person’s wealth, deceiving people in business deals – no. This is not why Allah ta’ala has created us, is it?
And all these things, as I mentioned, should be sources of happiness – there should be no threat and no hazard in the home, outside, office, business, workplace. This is not impossible. Rather it is one hundred percent from amongst the possibilities. It is definitely possible to achieve this.
What is the reason? Look, the human being has Nafs and shaytan, base desires and shaytan – two big enemies of the human being. We think that Deen is an obstacle for us – no. Rather, Nafs and shaytan put barriers up in our life in society, not just in our Deeni lives. This is their mission, that they want to take us away from the Deen, but they are so fixed against us, shaytan is so opposed to us. He is such an enemy that Allah says he is { عَدُوٌّ۬ مُّبِينٌ} - he is an avowed enemy. Allah ta’ala has mentioned this in a few places. He is not a minor enemy. If a small enemy doesn’t leave you alone, then will the biggest enemy be happy with your happiness? Will he be happy if you are happy, and your wife is happy with you, and husband is happy with the wife, and the children are happy with you, and there is peace at home? Tell me, will the enemy allow that? Will he accept that? He will never accept and allow that. So if shaytan is { عَدُوٌّ۬ مُّبِينٌ}, then how could he accept that a husband and wife are happy with each other? In the same way, how will shaytan allow that we have a happy society without quarrels or disputes? How will he allow it if my business runs totally smoothly and happily?
So what is the root of all of the Fasaad and evil and wickedness? It is Nafs and shaytan – the base desires and shaytan. These are the two forces, from home to society to environment, in our whole life; from home life to outside life, it is shaytan and Nafs that create this Fasaad. It is not our wife that is fighting, it is shaytan who is creating that quarrel and that dispute. Nafs and shaytan when they overwhelm a person, he starts to follow the desires of his Nafs – his whims, his opinions. The Nafs and his desires have controlled him, and they are dictating his practice. Shaytan has controlled that person, and shaytan and Nafs are directing his life.
So tell me, if an enemy is controlling your home, and he wants to run your home according to his preference, then can that home be full of peace? Can that life be full of peace and contentment? Can the environment and society be full of peace? Can the area around us be peaceful? No – totally not, because shaytan, our enemy, and the Nafs, have controlled this, so shaytan and the Nafs will enable those actions which cause destruction, and which cause loss, crime, pain and anguish.
So when a person starts to follow the path of Nafs and shaytan, when the base desires and shaytan start to control him, then he becomes a worldly person, a material person. The shame is removed from his eyes, and there will be not an atom within him that is doing right. Rather he will be selfish and run after the world. He will betray his principles. And with apologies for saying so, I would say that not 95 percent, but rather close to 100 per cent of people are like this today. My words may be bitter or seem strict, but don’t take what I am saying badly or in a negative light. If we don’t expose the matter, and if we don’t speak the truth, then what? I am reminded that my Hadhrat Sahib used to recite a couplet, SubhanAllah, saying that if Allah ta’ala gives me an opportunity to speak the truth, how can I not do so? If we are sitting down and thinking about something good, then why shouldn’t we discuss good things and learn good things? They may seem bitter, but if we learn from it, then this will be very good, alhamdulillah.
So who is a worldly person? If the Nafs and shaytan have controlled a person, and he follows his opinions and whims and desires and his passions, he is worldly. Not 98, not 99, but 100 per cent of people are doing this today. And amongst them are those who have Qur’an, Hadith, Bukhari, and Tirmidhi, Nisaa’i, Ibn Majah – such a long list of Kitabs we could mention. And they have Uloom, and full bookcases. A fashion that you see in every home you visit is that there are stacks of books in a bookcase in the living room so that people can see them and think he is an educated person. I went to one person’s house and he sat me down and said ‘Look at all of these – this is my library.’ I could see them – they were behind glass doors in the bookcase. Some people hide the books under a cloth, while others put them behind glass to show how many Kitabs they have. And of them all, only one Kitab is needed. The Qur’an al-Hakeem is enough for you! One Kitab. That’s it. All the books can be taken away, and the Qur’an al-Hakeem will be enough for us. No need for anything else, in reality. And after picking up the Qur’an, if you practice just one verse { ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ} in the first Surah, then you have no need to look beyond that for success, for the solutions. No need for Tafseer, for commentaries – nothing! This Surah will tell us. { ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ} will automatically take us to the right path. Surah al-Fatiha is an automatic car! You just sit in it, turn the ignition, let it run - { ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ} - and it will take you to the destination of Allah’s nearness, automatically! You won’t need a driver – it is a driverless car! You won’t need to change the gears because it is automatic. Just turn the ignition on: { ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ}, this car, this Qur’an, will take you to the destination.
So when a person starts to control his desires, obviously if he is in control, then he will drive the car of life in the correct way. But a worldly person, who looks for his own benefit, has only one principle in his life. Never mind if it is his father, son, mother, sister, uncle from either side, wife, father’s brother - nobody has any rights over him. He will say ‘Where is my benefit? Where is my benefit? I want the money from the sale of this house!’ He has no intention of giving a share to his sister, or to his brother, no. He will say ‘Where is my success? What is my right? What is my share?’ He will shout, and even if he gives something to his children, the stage will come when even his children are nothing to him. He will think only about his own benefit. This is a worldly person, running after his own benefit. How can you trust such a person? How can you accept his promises? How can you believe that he is speaking honestly? The worldly person will not let anybody get in his way. He will follow his desires, his Nafs. The Qur’an describes this person, if we continue the verses. The person who follows his desires is clearly explained. Allah ta’ala has defined this in detail and explained the features. I am speaking to you in general terms here, SubhanAllah.
So why is society around us spoiled today? And we are looking at the people of Iman – that is the question I am posing. Tell me – do we have a peaceful society? Is there happiness? Is there anywhere where there is no Fasaad or wickedness, from our Masjids to our homes? People say ‘Oh let’s go to the Masjid for some peace’, and they find quarrels or arguments there, and the police have been called to grab those who are disputing and fighting between themselves in the Masjid. Someone says ‘I want this seat; I want to be the chairman; I want to be the secretary’, and they quarrel and fight when it is time for the election. So how can peace and contentment be found in the Masjids? You can’t even find it there, in our places of worship, which should be places of Sakeenah and peace.
So brothers, why is this? The reason is that Nafsi desires, base desires, have controlled the Nafs, and we follow them. Why do we follow them? The Qur’an gives the reason. What is this reason that makes us follow our base desires and our passions, the reason that the peace we wish for is turned into quarrels and fights? It is very difficult to find peace and contentment, very difficult even to shake someone’s hand and make peace. I’m trying to remember the couplet that explains how easily our hearts trust people and how easily we deceive people. How does it go? The friend is he who, when you shake his hand, what do you attain? We extend the hand of friendship to someone because we think he is sincere, but really he is not a friend. Remember this. With pride, we say ‘Don’t trust him!’ Mahmud and Ayaz are standing in the same line, but they don’t trust each other – and that is where we are praying Salah. Even the Imam doesn’t trust the Muqtadis, and the Muqtadis don’t trust the Imam. So what about the rest of society? We don’t trust each other even when we pray together. Why?
The reason for this is Fasaad. And why is there Fasaad in the world? What is the reason for mischief and Fasaad and wickedness and evil behaviour? Why is it there? Allahu Akbar. There is only one reason for the spread of these things in society. The Qur’an explains who that person is who came to remove this Fasaad, the person who came with the ways to remove evil from society, the person who came to teach human beings humanity, to take humanity to the peaks, SubhanAllah.
“رَسُولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: بُعِثْتُ لأُتَمِّمَ حُسْنَ الأَخْلاَقِ.”
The Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam said “بُعِثْتُ” – ‘I was sent’ – why? To implement one action. To complete and seal and teach - “لِأُتَمِّمَ” – to make complete the teaching of Akhlaq. Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said clearly ‘I came to teach, to seal, and to complete the subject of Akhlaq; to distribute, to present, and to complete the subject of Akhlaq’ – in other words, to make the whole world Jannah, Paradise! Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam said ‘This was the reason for me coming, the objective of me being sent to the world.’ SubhanAllah, the companion of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam stated ‘This was the reason that I came into the world.’ The Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said “بُعِثْتُ لأُتَمِّمَ حُسْنَ الأَخْلاَقِ” – SubhanAllah. Allah ta’ala saw that there was darkness and wickedness in the world, and that Fasaad and evil had spread, and when the earth became a place of extreme evil and wickedness, Allah ta’ala sent him to the earth. What was the reason stated by the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam? ‘So that I could teach the beauty of Akhlaq, good moral conduct and manners, across the world.’ SubhanAllah.
So what does this mean? He came to complete the subject of Akhlaq. What does ‘complete’ mean? SubhanAllah. By what means did he set about this? By opening the Kitab? No. By means of a lecture? No. No book will explain, and no sermon will explain. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said ‘I have been sent to the world’ – “قَالَ: بُعِثْتُ” – I have been sent in this way, that my every action will spread and beautify the Akhalq around the world. It will eliminate Fasaad and make it disappear. My smiling, my walking, my moving, my speaking, my looking – every single one of my actions will have this effect. And no action of mine will be hidden until the Day of Qiyamah. My actions at home - my wives will share with the world how I used to sleep, how I used to lie down.’ Aisha Siddiqa radhiAllahu anha would share every single habit of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. ‘His body, his hand gestures, how his feet rested against each other, how he touched me’ – everything. ‘If I drank water, how he would then drink from that vessel.’ Does anyone tell you about the secrets of their home? Do people tell about their wives, or wives about their husbands? But the Hukm was there – the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was sent to the world for this reason.
“بُعِثْتُ” ‘I was sent for this purpose, to spread and share and teach the world Akhlaq and manners and human conduct, social conduct’, because the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was the complete, Jaam’i example of peace and Sakeenah and contentment. He was Rahmatu-lil-Alameen, the Mercy to the Universe. His coming was a mercy to the Universe, his every action was a mercy to the Universe, SubhanAllah. His every action is Rahmah, mercy. That is why Allah ta’ala created the greatest generation of human beings, the noble Companions radhiAllahu anhum, to record and share the great habits of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. They were unique, they were different; Allah ta’ala selected them. Their thinking, their style, their manners, their hearts, their bodies, their perseverance and endurance were all exceptional, because they had to implement a great action. First of all, Allah ta’ala taught them perseverance and gave them the strength that enabled them to see the beautiful face of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam for thirty or forty years. They would witness such a great Noor, from morning to evening, on the blessed face of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Imagine! Their eyes were unique, their hearts were unique, their understanding was unique – even their looking was unique, SubhanAllah.
Today, if somebody sees the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam in a dream, even though there is a veil, because dreams are a veil, yet still, for the rest of their life they won’t forget that blessed face. Such a Noor comes into the heart and mind that you cannot imagine – and that is in a dream, which is behind a veil; it’s not physical reality. But imagine the Sahaba-e-Karam; their eyes were unique, by Allah! And they had so many great achievements. They used to sit with their knees touching the knees of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, they used to shake the hand of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, they would drink the leftovers of his water, they used to wipe his saliva onto their faces, they used to save the water that flowed off him when he made ablution, they would collect his sweat – SubhanAllah! This cannot have been a normal human being. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was such a great personality, so to sit close to him, to look at him, to breathe next to him, to hear his breathing, SubhanAllah. Were the Sahaba-e-Karam normal people?
Today’s Muslims, SubhanAllah, are so disrespectful when they talk about the Sahaba – and they call themselves Muslims? I’ve spoken in the previous verses that we have recited and discussed, about the nature and quality of Muslims today, about who is defined as a Munafiq and has hypocrisy inside. They are here. Allah says { وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ لَا تُفۡسِدُواْ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ} . We are talking about that today.
So why has Fasaad and mischief spread around the world today? Allah says ‘I sent you Rahmah, mercy!’ The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was Rahmatu-lil-Alameen, the mercy to the Universe, such a great personality – the greatest personality. He wasn’t a normal human being. He wasn’t normal. He wasn’t like Hadhrat Ibrahim alayhi salam, he wasn’t like Hadhrat Moosa alayhi salam, he wasn’t like Hadhrat Isa alayhi salam, he wasn’t like Hadhrat Yunus alayhi salam, he wasn’t like all the other Prophets. He wasn’t like them. He wasn’t like Hadhrat Yaqub alayhi salam, he wasn’t like Hadhrat Yusuf alayhi salam, no. All of the other Prophets alayhim salam who came before the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam were all, you could say, affected by the light of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. They were specks under that light, they were beneath the shade of that light. From Hadhrat Adam alayhi salam, to Hadhrat Isa alayhi salam came such great Prophets; they had beauty, and so many great characteristics. They had lands, like Hadhrat Dawood alayhi salam, who also had a beautiful, melodious voice and other beautiful qualities – every Prophet of Allah came to the world with beautiful qualities. But the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was the compilation of all of that; you could say that they were like specks. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was the beautiful, complete seal.
So those who reject the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam are the most wretched people. ‘Munafiq’ is a nice word to use for them. For today’s Muslim, Munafiq is a very, very nice word to describe them, a very minor word. We cannot understand the punishment. We put our hands on the Qur’an, knowing and accepting the glory of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and we have Qur’ans in our homes that all testify as to his glory and his greatness sallallahu alayhi wasallam. We can’t even imagine the status of his Companions radhiAllahu anhum. Someone gave as an example that the dust that comes out of the nostril of one Companion, or even touches his feet, is better by far than any Qutb or Abdal or Wali of Allah who came thereafter. So imagine Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, who made the Sahaba, who, SubhanAllah, gave Tarbiyya to the Sahaba, and due to whose great company, such stars emanated.
Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam said “بُعِثْتُ”. He said ‘I came to teach and distribute Akhlaq.’ What was “حُسْنَ الأَخْلاَقِ”? He said that no husband should be upset with his wife at home, no wife should fight with her husband, the children should have love, there should be love between relatives, no Fasaad. If you go to the office - peace; if you go to the market - peace; buying and selling – peace. In every society, for every person, buying, selling, whatever your actions and dealings in our lives, there should be peace. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was sent to teach us peace. And how does he teach us peace? Not through books, and not through sermons, no. Rather, his every single action will give you Da’wah; it will invite you to leave evil and to create peace.
If we look at his actions, they have come from those one hundred and twenty four thousand Companions who were prepared. And that was their job and they were given that function; they were given the strength to be able to see the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam; their eyes could sustain the pressure of looking at the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. They were given the strength, and also the brain power, the ability, and the capacity to see and witness and absorb the lifestyle of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Despite remaining hungry for days and weeks, their hunger would suddenly disappear if they gazed for a second at the blessed face of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. With one date, their hunger would be satisfied. Allah ta’ala created these great human beings, the Sahaba-e-Karam, because they were to witness and share every blessed action and habit of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam until Qiyamah, so that the Ummatis, the believers, afterwards could live their lives with peace and contentment. SubhanAllah.
Do you understand what I am saying? He came so that we could live a peaceful life, our ideal life, the ideal of our families and houses being full of peace, of the husband-wife relationship being full of peace. So what happens if we leave this path, and forget the actions of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and leave his habits? And worse, what if we reject them, saying they are cruel and wasteful, and a barrier to our lives, and we can only succeed without them, and that practicing them would take us backwards, and that they are an obstacle for us? Astaghfirullah! And in comparison, in opposition to the Sunnah, we prefer and respect the path of the strangers and those who are outside the Deen. And we crush the Sunnah and his beloved practice sallallahu alayhi wasallam. For example, we say ‘Why did he sit on the floor to eat? Why did he eat with his hands?’ We say that all these practices are backward and a waste, and yet we say that we believe in Allah, and that we are Mu’mins and Muslims. Only non-Muslims would consider that those who say this are Muslims! How could there be a greater rejection than this.
This Adheem Nabi, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, the Imam of all of the Ambiya, the king of the Prophets – to think that a person who lives a life against him has Iman is not correct. He is the king, the supreme king of the Ambiya. He has the station of Mahmud, and he will be given the standard of the Green Flag and a beautiful attire to wear, and all the people of the world will be stood beneath him. People will be looking and hoping that he will make Dua so that they can come out of their difficulty on the Day of Resurrection. SubhanAllah! Prophets will be passing, looking, seeking out the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. And we are his Ummatis; we are his nation. How can we reject his ways and shun his ways, and then hope for peace in our homes? SubhanAllah – this cannot be.
What kind of brains do we have, what understanding do we have, what consciousness do we have? We are very intellectual and feel we have reached an advanced condition. ‘Oh we have left the Deen – we don’t like the waist-wrap, the Izhar. What is this turban? What are these beards? No. no – we pity the people who wear this.’ Astaghfirullah! I remember it so happened that once when I went to Karachi – oh, it is so sad to share this – I met up with a dear colleague. He was from our city, and he didn’t study with me, but he lived in our area; his house was nearby. So he said ‘Let me introduce you to General Khalid.’ I said ‘Ok, fine.’ He was an officer mashaAllah, and myself and the other friend from our area went together, and I was dressed in this attire. Alhamdulillah, through the Karam and the grace of Allah, due the Sadaqa of my Hadhrat Sahib, due to the blessedness of his feet and of his shoes, a bit of understanding and wisdom came to me such that I knew this was the real appearance and attire, the real way of life. So when we went there, the General Sahib was sitting there in the style officers have, with pomp and glory, in the appearance of slaves who imitate their masters. So first of all, he looked at me, and then he said ‘Is it you?’ It was a very long time since we had last met. He said ‘What have you done to yourself?’ Astaghfirullah. ‘What have you made yourself into?’ he said. Straightaway I said, ‘Please, give me permission; I need to leave.’ I couldn’t stay there to eat. I was thinking ‘A Muslim is saying these words?’ When he saw me, he used dirty, impure words – ‘What have you done to your face?’ Astaghfirullah. ‘What is this you are wearing on your head? What is this you have done?’
And this is not just a one-off. Our whole society is full of people who have this approach and thinking. The Qur’an says { وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ لَا تُفۡسِدُواْ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ} When they are told about the Shari'ah and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, they crush it, and this mischief and Fasaad spreads around the world. It becomes a way of life. It becomes a methodology, an ideology, a mindset. The Qur’an is explaining this man’s condition. It becomes their mission, their way of life. And this is the true Fsaad and mischief. That is why there is no peace in our homes, or outside, or in our society. Why has it ended? Because the so-called modernists, who have proliferated, say that the Sunnah and Shari’ah is not necessary! I am not talking about strangers, who have no faith; I am speaking about our own, so-called Muslims. Forget about those who don’t have faith, I am talking about our own people, whose names are Khalid and this and that Muslim name. I am speaking about them. I am speaking about General Khalid – he has passed away, I believe, the poor soul. Where has his rank gone? His bones have decayed in the ground – where is that person? Where is his title now? I am sitting here still alhamdulillah. His skin has rotted and his flesh has rotted – what Adhab will be given if a person goes with this Aqeedah?
So these people have spread mischief around the world. How? Because the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam brought a lifestyle, and we have left these things that were great and were spread around the world, and now we follow our Nafs and desires, and have become Dunya-dar, worldly people, after the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam came to teach us Deen, to make us Deen-dar, religious people. If we leave his way and take the hands of shaytan and Nafs, we become worldly. These are two opposite things. If we want to be a religious person following the Deen, then take hold of the hand of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. And if you want to be a worldly person, then take hold of the hands of Nafs and shaytan and follow their ways and methods and ideology; and they will overwhelm you. SubhanAllah.
My master sallallahu alayhi wasallam, his glory and his way was one: to eliminate wickedness and evil. What great practice he had; what beauty and glory there was in his life. Everything about him was glorious. There is a Hadith which I would like to explain to you, and I would like you to practice upon it. The Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam came to teach us this. This Hadith gives the real Tafseer of the Qur’an – don’t become a mischief-maker. When does a person become a mischief maker, with Fasaad at home, Fasaad outside, peace at an end, children running away? When we allow the lifestyle of following Nafs and Shaytan to overwhelm us, when we follow that and imitate that and love that. This is when Fasaad will start. Nothing will help and assist you at that time. No Khatum of YaSeen will assist you at that time, nothing. Allah ta’ala will not allow anything to progress at that time. Only one thing will give us peace. If we want to understand this message today, leave all of the darkness and take hold of the beautiful hand of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Take hold of his teaching, which is the reason for which he came.
So let us have a glimpse of his great lifestyle. What does this Hadith say? SubhanAllah, may I be sacrificed on every action, may I be assigned to every action – Allahumma Salli ‘ala Sayyidina wa Mawlana Muhmammadin wa ‘ala Aalihi wa Ashaabihi wa Baarik wa Sallim. May we send Durood Sharif millions and millions and millions of times over on the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and upon his Sahaba. Hakim ibn-e-Sa’ad narrates about the style of walking of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam – look at how the noble Companions embraced his style of life and delivered it to us today. What is the reason? If somebody asks ‘How did the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam used to walk?’ It is stated that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam used to walk in such a way, in his glory and status, that he wouldn’t look to the right or to the left. SubhanAllah – this is the Hadith. The whole society has been taught how to walk. If we practice this Hadith and bring it into our lives, and don’t look to the right or the left when we leave our homes, and revive this Sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, I swear by Allah, Rabb-ul-‘Izzat, that the roots of sin and evil will be eliminated. You won’t look around, you won’t deceive, you won’t look with the evil eye, you won’t look at big shops. The world won’t come into me, I won’t look at people’s cars, I won’t look at another person, I won’t gossip-monger, I won’t backbite, I won’t despise people, I won’t look down on people. If I don’t look to the right or the left, then I will only remember one person, and Allah’s Dhikr will continue in my heart, SubhanAllah.
So when you leave home, don’t look to the left nor the right. The situation of women is different, for they have limited reasons for going out - I am speaking about the menfolk here. For womenfolk, there are conditions for leaving home. For women, reasons have been established from the Qur’an and Hadith, giving this and that specific and obligatory conditions for coming out of the house. But who follows this today? Nobody. So what is the lesson here? Those who go out to do shopping, to buy groceries and so on, are looking left and right, here and there, observing ‘Oh what’s he doing? What’s she doing? Oh, look, a new shop has opened up. Oh, there’s someone I know on the other side of the road - Assalamu alaykum, how are you? Is everything alright?’ There’s no need for this. It is shaytan who is making you do all this. Dirt and impurities are coming into you because we are following Nafs and shaytan. Come, let’s take hold of the great way of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Let us follow his ideology, his way, his implementation, his habit – he didn’t look to the left or the right but kept his gaze on the path ahead and minded his own business. Allahu Akbar Kabeera!
So my brothers, Allah has brought us the cure and solution to attain the peace we need. SubhanAllah. “رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " بُعِثْتُ لأُتَمِّمَ حُسْنَ الأَخْلاَقِ "” The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam is telling us ‘Allah ta’ala sent me so that I can bring you a life of peace. How? Through my style, through my manners, through my conduct, through my Akhlaq, through my whole way of life, through my Tariqa.’ And this is the Sunnat-e-Sharifah, the honourable Sunnah. My brothers, let us take hold of the Sunnah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. We will continue this verse next time because time is up.
Remember: Allah ta’ala has broken mischief. And what is the way to break mischief? Why did Fasaad come? Because we have left the Sunnah and Tariqa of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. And the whole world today – I am talking about the Islamic world – is stood on the brink of Jahannam. Murder, fighting, enmity, selfishness – and this is between ourselves. Forget those outside our communities! Not one country is the friend of another country; no country gives benefit to another country. Today, if a country wants benefit, they make people from other countries their slaves. They put them beneath their feet because they are from another country. If doesn’t matter whether or not they are Muslims, someone from another nation is squeezed so much that the oil is extracted from his bones. If they come to their country to work, they trample over their rights. If a Muslim goes to another country to work, they will have different regulations; their houses will be different, their living areas will be separate.
This country here doesn’t do that! They uphold the rights. You don’t have such discrimination here. But today, in the place where the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam came with Akhlaq, they have left his Sunnah. There is wealth and Dunya; they are worldly people, not Deeni people. Why? Because they follow their Nafs; they worship their desires. And because they worship their desires, they say ‘Oh, we don’t care that they are Muslims from another country. You - do this! You – do that!’ They are slaves, these workers. They crush them and work them to the bone. People who come from poorer Islamic countries to richer Islamic countries get beaten with shoes. ‘Oh, what Islam is this that you are following? What Islam? What Muslim?’, they say. They treat them like slaves. ‘Keep your Islam to yourselves’, they say. ‘This is not Islam – we don’t follow this.’ I have heard these comments myself from their mouths, these masters who treat people like slaves. They say ‘This is a Muslim country, so how dare you tell us about Islam?’
So my brothers, how long does this life last, this bubble of life in which we are living? The bubble expands, then it pops; it breaks. How long will we live the life of pride and pomp? Eventually we will dive into the grave, and our flesh will decay. May Allah ta’ala give us all the Tawfeeq to follow the Sunnah and Shari’ah. Remember this: it is a foolish person who leaves the Sunnah and Shari’ah of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and then searches for peace. Write this, stamp this on a sheet: whether it is home, family, outside, wife, children, business – write this down; inscribe this! The Qur’an says don’t even imagine that a life of peace will come – the question doesn’t arise. If you are poor, it will not come; if you are rich, it will not come; if you are a millionaire, it will not come. Even if you have everything, still, peace will not come into your life. Such a person can never attain peace and contentment in the world - this is the clear promise of the Qur’an.
{ وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمۡ لَا تُفۡسِدُواْ فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّمَا نَحۡنُ مُصۡلِحُونَ} Allah says that the people who spread mischief in the world say that they are peacemakers. Allah says that they are liars! They are indeed the mischief-makers - another title is given to them here. { يَكۡذِبُونَ} - and on top of that, Allah says that { أَلَآ إِنَّهُمۡ هُمُ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدُونَ } they are indeed mischief-makers.
So repent today, and peace will come into the house. Break the idols and bring the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam into your lives.
وَءَاخِرُ دَعۡوَٮٰهُمۡ أَنِ ٱلۡحَمۡدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ