muslimah

Allah's Messenger (PBUH) is the practical image of Islam. There is no way that one can get to know Islam without knowing Allah's Messenger (PBUH); his guidance, work, instructions and prohibitions.

Allah's Messenger (PBUH) made peace and war, settled and traveled, sold and bought, took and gave. He never lived alone, neither did he travel alone.

Muslims had weakened only because they failed to follow his pattern and guidance for the Almighty Allah said" Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much."

Some Muslims went to the extent that they only read his biography (PBUH) during celebrations and forums without following his guidance. Some others read it either for obtaining blessings or for getting familiar with its events; wars, days…..etc.

This happens due to one of two reasons: first: their ignorance of the principal of following his pattern & guidance (PBUH) and not knowing that this is a necessity for achieving his love.

Second: their failure in perceiving the positions of guidance in his biography due to a weakness in their sense of conclusion or due to their lack of knowledge and readings.

Here lies the importance of deriving the lessons and benefits from his biography (PBUH).

The biography of the Prophet (PBUH) is not meant to be taught for the pleasure of reading nor for the knowledge of a certain historic period and not for the love of studying the biographies of the grand and heroes. Such kind of superficial study is performed by none Muslims. A Muslim should have various aims from studying his biography, among which are;

First: Allah's Messenger (PBUH) is the one to be followed for he is the example for all Muslims. He is the legislator whom we are instructed to follow, for Allah says" Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much." (Al-Ahzab:21). Allah (the Almighty) says" If you obey him, you shall be on the right guidance" (Al-Noor:54). Allah also says" He who obeys the Messenger, has indeed obeyed Allah" (Al-Nissa:80).  And Allah also says" Say if you really love Allah then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins" (Al-Imran:31).

He is the practical image and incarnation of Islam without whom we can not possibly know how to obey the Almighty Allah or worship Him.

From his biography the scholars derive the techniques of the Call and its phases. They also get to know the tremendous effort exerted by Allah's Messenger (PBUH) for the sake of raising the word of Allah and how he reacted in facing the hardships and obstacles that faced him.

• From his biography, teachers can derive the methods & techniques of education.
• From his biography, rulers can derive systems and methodology of leadership.
• From his biography, the ascetics can derive the meaning and essence beyond being an ascetic.
• From his biography, traders can derive the aims, systems and methods of trading.
• From it, those who are suffering can learn the highest degrees of patience and persistence, thus their determination can grow stronger and their trust in Allah increases knowing that the result will be finally in their favor.
• From it, the scholars derive knowledge which enables them to better understand the Book of Allah (Al-Quran) and the various sciences of Islam, among which are the abrogating and abrogated verses, the reasons behind the revelation of verses and many other knowledge.
• From it, the whole nation derives the morals, manners and merits.

Ibn Katheer said " a special care and attention must be paid to such type of study (the biography of Allah's Messenger (PBUH)) as it was narrated by Omar Al-Wakedi that Abdullah ibn omar ibn ali said that his father heard Ali ibn Al-Hussain saying: "we used to know the conquests of Allah's Messenger (PBUH) as we know the verses of the holy Quran".

Al-wakedi said, I heard Mohamed ibn Abdullah saying that he heard his uncle Al-Zuhri saying "in the science of conquests, lies both the science of life and that of the hereafter."

Ismail ibn Mohammed ibn Saad ibn abi Wakkas said " my father used to teach us the conquests of Allah's Messenger (PBUH) and repeated them to us saying: "these are the glorious deeds of your fathers so waste them not".

History had witnessed many kings, leaders, poets and philosophers but none of them had left behind such a biography and such pattern to be followed as it is with the Prophet's. History had wiped off all their credit and the only thing left is some of their names.

Biographies of many grand people had turned out to be mere jokes throughout history. Where is Namroud who said to Ibrahim (PBUH) "I give life and cause death" ?

Where is Pharaoh who said "I am your lord, most high." (Al-nazia'at:24), and what was his destiny" he who also said " I know not that you have an ilâh (a god) other than me." (AL-Qassas:38).

Those grand people of their ages are now being mocked by everyone; the young and the old, the knowledgeable and the ignorant, for if they had succeeded in deceiving their people at their time, their deception has been revealed and they became a mockery throughout time.

The biography of Allah's Messenger (PBUH) had provided the means for getting the people out of the darkness of polytheism and the corruption of worship to the light of monotheism and belief in Allah (the Almighty) who said " O Prophet ! Verily, We have sent you as witness, and a bearer of glad tidings, and a warner And as one who invites to Allah by His Leave, and as a lamp spreading light." (Al-Ahzab:45-46).

Second: we study Allah's Messenger (PBUH) biography so that our belief in his honesty may increase. Knowledge of his miracles and the signs of his prophecy are sure means to increase faith and trust in his honesty (PBUH). The study of his glorious biography and his great attitudes only prove his perfection, loftiness and honesty.

Third: we study his biography in order to have his love deeply entrenched in our hearts, for what his biography holds as regards his virtuous manners, his generous treatment, his great concern for guiding people to the right path and their welfare, his sacrifice with self and money for the sake of getting people out of the darkness and into the light and from distress to happiness and his great concern in warding off any hardships that may befall his nation  

Bismillah

This is a translation from the original article in Arabic.

1- It is a cause to receive the Love of Allah azza wa jal. The Most High says:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ

Truly, Allah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves. (2:222)

2- It is a cause of success. The Most High says:

وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

And all of you beg Allah to forgive you, O believers, that you may be successful. (24:31)

3- It is a cause of the acceptance of the deeds of a slave and pardoning of his sins. The Most High says:

وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَعْفُو عَنِ السَّيِّئَاتِ

And He it is Who accepts repentance from His slaves, and pardons sins. (42:25)

and The Most High says:

وَمَن تَابَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَإِنَّهُ يَتُوبُ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَتَابًا

And whosoever repents and does righteous good deeds; then verily, he repents towards Allah with true repentance. (25:71)

4- It is a cause of entrance into Jannah and safety from the Hell-Fire. The Most High says:

فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا

إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَأُولَـٰئِكَ يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ وَلَا يُظْلَمُونَ شَيْئًا

But there came after them successors who neglected prayer and pursued desires; so they are going to meet evil. Except those who repent, believe and do righteousness; for those will enter Paradise and will not be wronged at all. (19:59-60)

5- It is a cause of forgiveness and mercy. The Most High says:

وَالَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا السَّيِّئَاتِ ثُمَّ تَابُوا مِن بَعْدِهَا وَآمَنُوا إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِن بَعْدِهَا لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

But those who committed evil deeds and then repented afterward and believed, verily, your Lord after (all) that is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (7:153)

6- It is a cause in the changing of evil deeds into good deeds. The Most High says:

وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَ‌ٰلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُولَـٰئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

And whoever does this shall be thrown the punishment. The torment will be doubled to him on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein in disgrace; Except those who repent and believe, and do righteous deeds; for those, Allah will change their sins into good deeds, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (25:68-70)

7- It is a cause of [receiving] every good. The Most High says:

فَإِن تُبْتُمْ فَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ

So if you repent, it is better for you. (9:3)

and The Most High says:

فَإِن يَتُوبُوا يَكُ خَيْرًا لَّهُمْ

If then they repent, it will be better for them. (9:74)

8- It is a cause of emaan and [receiving] a great reward. The Most High says:

إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَأَصْلَحُوا وَاعْتَصَمُوا بِاللَّهِ وَأَخْلَصُوا دِينَهُمْ لِلَّهِ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ مَعَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ۖ وَسَوْفَ يُؤْتِ اللَّهُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا

Except those who repent, do righteous good deeds, hold fast to Allah, and purify their religion for Allah, then they will be with the believers. And Allah will grant the believers a great reward. (4:146)

9- It is a cause of the sending of blessings from the sky and an increase in strength. The Most High says:

وَيَا قَوْمِ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ ثُمَّ تُوبُوا إِلَيْهِ يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُم مِّدْرَارًا وَيَزِدْكُمْ قُوَّةً إِلَىٰ قُوَّتِكُمْ وَلَا تَتَوَلَّوْا مُجْرِمِينَ

“And O my people! Ask forgiveness of your Lord and then repent to Him, He will send you (from the sky) abundant rain, and add strength to your strength, so do not turn away as criminals. (11:52)

10-It is a cause of [receiving] the supplication of the Angels for those who repent. The Most High says:

الَّذِينَ يَحْمِلُونَ الْعَرْشَ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهُ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ وَيُؤْمِنُونَ بِهِ وَيَسْتَغْفِرُونَ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا رَبَّنَا وَسِعْتَ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ رَّحْمَةً وَعِلْمًا فَاغْفِرْ لِلَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَاتَّبَعُوا سَبِيلَكَ وَقِهِمْ عَذَابَ الْجَحِيمِ

Those (angels) who bear the Throne (of Allah) and those around it glorify the praises of their Lord, and believe in Him, and ask forgiveness for those who believe (saying): “Our Lord! You comprehend all things in mercy and knowledge, so forgive those who repent and follow Your Way, and save them from the torment of the blazing Fire! (40:7)

11- It is obeying the Will of Allah, azza wa jal. The Most High says:

وَاللَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَن يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ

And Allah desires that He should turn to you (in repentance). (4:27) So the one who repents is doing what Allah loves and Pleases Him.

12- Allah becomes happy with the repentance of His slave. The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam said, “Truly, Allah is happier with the repentance of His slave than one of you who is on his mount, and upon his mount is his drink and food; then he loses his mount in the desert, and he searches for it until he loses hope; so he sleeps and then wakes up to find that his mount is beside him, and he says, ‘O’ Allah, you are my slave and I am your Lord’. He pronounced this mistake as a result of extreme happiness.” [Muslim]

 (http://www.ilmfruits.com/benefits-of-tawbah)

What is about the Quran that makes it so beautiful? What is it that endears it to hearts and makes them be at peace? What is it about it that causes men to stand humbled before it, even reduced to tears? For me, there are three factors which contribute to the sublime nature of the Holy Quran. The first of these is the distinctive sound of its recitation. Listen to it with an open heart and one cannot but be amazed at its beauty. In this regard it is unparalleled amongst all the scriptures of all religions. The recitations of famous Qurra’ have many times over caused grown men to weep and to be moved to ecstasy, simply due to the sound of it! The word Quran means a recitation: it is not simply a book that one reads. It was always meant to be heard and listened to, similar in this regard to poetry, and one cannot truly appreciate it if he has not heard it being recited. There are many different modes and methods of recitation and this increases the amazement for the one who is knowledgeable of such things. But even an untrained ear is able to recognise something of its beauty. I have heard of people who immediately upon listening to the Holy Quran decided to revert to Islam. And this is by no means something far-fetched. Listen. These are the words of God.

The second aspect of the Holy Quran which makes it so spectacular is the inimitable nature of its language and literary style. For those well-versed in Arabic and its rules of grammar and rhetoric, this is self-evident. Of all the literary works in the Arabic language, none even come close to matching the brilliance of the Holy Quran. The Quran itself testifies to this: it issues a challenge to all those who disbelieve that it is the Word of God to produce something like it if they are truthful in what they claim. This challenge was primarily addressed to the Arabs living during the time that it was revealed. Know that these people were masters of the Arabic language and they prided themselves on this – on their ability to create masterpieces of prose and poetry. But when confronted with the Quran all they could do was stand in awe of it and many of them reverted to Islam: they realised that this Book could not have come from any other than God Himself. It is necessary to know something of Arabic in order to appreciate this aspect of it but even so, it maybe possible to grasp some small part of it without knowing any. Reflect. These are the words of God.

The third sublime feature of the Quran is its incredible depth of meaning. Many many volumes have been written expounding on the meanings the Holy Quran and this practice continues till this day. The Quran is like an ever-flowing spring: it gives and gives and never runs dry. And people will take from it according to the extent of their sincerity and their willingness to be guided. If one approaches it with a closed mind, then he will take nothing from it. But if his heart is open, he will be guided, insha Allah. Read. These are the words of God.

Each of these features on its own is amazing enough. But when we bear all of these in mind at once, and try to comprehend all of it at the same, then do we come to realise just how truly astounding it is, how sublimely beautiful it is

(http://tmr123.wordpress.com/ )