Muhammad: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)

After praying Fajr and reciting the wird and Surah Yasin, Imam Zaid began his class reading from a book entitled, Muhammad Rasul Allah, by Shaykh Abdullah Siraj al-Deen. The first section Imam Zaid covered concerned the exalted character of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him. This section described how he was exalted from every aspect, including his forbearance, magnanimity, generosity, courage, humility, shyness, manners, and mercy. The Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, was the most beautiful physical creation and the most perfect in character.

Sayyidah Aishah was asked how the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, was at home. She said he was constantly smiling and was gentle. In another hadith she said he was in the service of his family.

The next section discussed his joking and playing with those in his company.

For example, he would race with his wife, Sayyidah Aishah. He did this twice and called others to come and watch. The first time, Sayyidah Aishah was light and fast on her feet, so she beat him. Later, when she gained some weight, they raced again, and he beat her and said that this race was for the previous one.

The Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, also sometimes joked with the companions. However, in his jokes, he always spoke the truth. He was not a person of empty jest and empty jest was not from him. He joked with his companions to lift their spirits. For example, once Umm Ayman al-Habashiyyah came and told the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, that her husband was calling for him. The Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, responded asking if he was the one with white in his eye. She denied that he had white in his eye, assuming the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, was referring to a cataract. However the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, continued to say that he thought her husband did indeed have white in his eye. She insisted that her husband had no white in his eye. Upon this, the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, laughed and responded, “Doesn’t everyone have white in their eyes?”

In addition, the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, used to play with children. He also used to give children nicknames. For example, he called one child Aba Umayr and said to him when his bird died, “O Aba Umayr, what did the bird do?” (Ya Aba Umayr, ma fa’ala al-nughayr?) Imam Shafi’i derived 40 rulings from this hadith, and other scholars derived over 100 from it. For example, the permissibility to give children nicknames, of having pets as long they are not mistreated, and to joke as long as it is not excessive.

Imam Zaid spoke of the importance of balance between serving Allah and serving the family. He stated that anything that is excessive will lead to distortion. He also warned that tyranny in the family translates into tyranny in society.

The next class was a Seerah class taught by Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah, which was translated by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf. Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah began the class by talking about what the Seerah is and why we study it. It is the path in all aspects of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, and a proof of his truthfulness and the message. The Seerah teaches us two things:

1. virtuous nature (akhlaq)
2. love of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him.

It teaches us how our soul is connected to the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him. The Prophet’s life itself is a miracle. His life had clarity and comprehensiveness; the Seerah covers all aspects of his life. We know a great deal about the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him. We know his lineage, all of his relatives, his journeys, how he slept, the names of his animals, how he laughed, how he cried, and more. When Sayyidah Aishah was asked about his character, she stated that his character embodied the Qu’ran. We cannot call him only a mujahid or a qadi or a legislator or a merchant or a religious man or a husband or a father because it isn’t enough; he was all of them and more. He gathered all of the virtues of all the previous messengers, peace be upon them.

Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah then spoke about how the Seerah was transmitted to us. He said there are four sources to the Seerah:

1. The primary source is the Qur’an, which describes his interactions with his companions and wives and his miracles.
2. Another source is the hadith. It gives great detail about the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him. If you want to know the Seerah, read the hadith
3. Another source is the battles (maghazi) that the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, fought in.
4. Finally, the last source is history books. The Qur’an says, “Surely there are lessons in those that preceded you.” Previous books indicated the prophecy of Sayyidina Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him.

The Shaykh stated that hadith literature has been preserved by great scholars. People of other faiths, such as Bosworth Smith, have marveled at the hadith books, stating that nothing like them exists. The Shaykh stated that this could be found in Smith’s book Mohammad and Mohammadism (14). In summation, the hadith are unparalleled in their clarity, extreme scrupulousness and detail.

The next class was a very pleasant surprise. Shaykh Abdallah al-Kadi came in to speak to the students after having just stepped off a plane. The students were delighted to see him. Many had heard about his gentle and compassionate nature and his humility. His presence surpassed their expectations. After apologizing for not being dressed appropriately or prepared to teach the class, which he said he held in high-esteem, he welcomed the students and gave a brief introduction to the class that he would be teaching; it would be about the wives of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him.

Shaykh Abdallah mentioned Surat al-Ahzab (the Confederates) which, among other things, deals with the Mothers of the Believers (umahat al-mumineen). They are not like other women; they have different obligations because they are attached to the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him. For example, they could not marry after the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, because of his sanctity.

Shaykh Abdallah also discussed the importance of implementing what we learn because we will be taken to account for what we know. He ended by reiterating the importance of taking Sayyidina Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him, as our example. The Qur’an says, “You have indeed in the Messenger of God an excellent example for he who hopes in God and the Final Day and who remembers God much,” and “Surely you [Prophet] are on a vast ethos.” Shaykh Abdallah urged the students to preserve their faith by practicing the Sunnah at home because the home is where social problems begin. Marital problems lead to social problems, which can ultimately lead to the collapse of society.

Shaykh Abdallah stated that the focus of his class would be on the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, and the manner in which he lived and dealt with his wives.

It was wonderful to end the day with seeing and hearing Shaykh Abdallah al-Kadi, and students left looking forward to his classes.