Part One


Praise be to Allah. We praise Him and seek His help and forgiveness. We seek


refuge in Allah from the evil within ourselves and from our wrong deeds. He whom Allah


guides, none can misguide, and he whom Allah sends astray, none can guide. I bear witness


that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners, and I bear witness that our


prophet Muhammad is His servant and messenger. May Allah bestow his bountiful peace


and blessings upon him and upon his family and Companions.


O Muslims!


Fear Allah, servants of Allah, as He should be feared, for the best provision is that


which is accompanied by fear of Allah and the best deeds are those accompanied by


sincerity to the Lord.


2


O Muslims!


Allah created the jinn and humans to worship Him and ordered them to comply


with His commands. He has decreed happiness for those who obey Him. Worshipping


Allah, Glorified be He, is the fortress of safety and security for those who enter it and is


the source of salvation for those who conduct it. Indeed, it is pure good with no harm


whatsoever in it. Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, says:


And what loss have they if they had believed in Allah and in the Last


Day, and they spend out of what Allah has provided them? ... (An-


Nisa’: 39)


Obedience to Allah and His Messenger is the source of every good on earth. Ibn


Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon his soul, said, “Whoever reflects upon this world


and the evils that occur in it will realize that every evil in the world is due to opposing and


disobeying the orders of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him.” Every good in


the world is thus due to obeying the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him.


Similarly, the evil, pain, and distress that afflict the servant are due to disobedience to the


Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him.


One sign of Allah’s mercy to His servants is that He has ordered them to answer


His call so that they may attain all good. Allah says:


Answer the Call of your Lord (i.e. accept the Islamic Monotheism,


O mankind, and jinn) before there comes from Allah a Day which


cannot be averted (i.e. the Day of Resurrection) … (Ash-Shura: 47)


The believers answer the call of their Lord and are among the successful:


The only saying of the faithful believers, when they are called to


Allah (His Words, the Qur’an) and His Messenger (peace and


blessings be upon him), to judge between them, is that they say: “We


3


hear and we obey.” And such are the prosperous ones (who will live


forever in Paradise). (An-Nur: 51).


By doing so, their hearts are given true life and their standing is elevated. Allah, Glorified


be He, says:


O you who believe! Answer Allah (by obeying Him) and (His)


Messenger when he (peace and blessings be upon him) calls you to


that which will give you life … (Al-Anfal: 24)


Whenever a servant hastens to obey his Lord, He will increase his guidance. Allah,


Glorified be He, says:


While as for those who accept guidance, He increases their


guidance, and bestows on them their piety. (Muhammad: 17)


Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, may Allah have mercy on his soul, said, “The more


a man follows Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, the greater his belief in


Allah’s Oneness and his sincerity to Him in religion are. Conversely, the more he keeps


away from following him, the more his faith decreases.”


Allah answers the supplication of whoever answers His call. Allah, Exalted be He,


says:


And He answers (the invocation of) those who believe (in the


Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good


deeds, and gives them increase of His Bounty ... (Ash-Shura: 26)


Allah also loves whoever answers His call, bestows His mercy upon him, and admits him


into Paradise. Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him, says:


For those who answered their Lord’s Call [believed in the Oneness


of Allah and followed His Messenger Muhammad, peace and


4


blessings be upon him, i.e. Islamic Monotheism] is AlHusna.


... (Ar-


Ra‘d: 18)


Al-Husna here refers to Paradise.


All the messengers of Allah, peace be upon them, hastened to show total submission


and obedience to Allah. Allah said to His khalil (close friend) Ibrahim (Prophet Abraham),


peace be upon him:


... “Submit (i.e. be a Muslim)!” He said, “I have submitted myself (as


a Muslim) to the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that


exists).” (Al-Baqarah: 131)


Allah ordered Ibrahim to slaughter his only son with his own hand, so he laid him prostrate


on his forehead for this purpose. His son Isma‘il (Prophet Ishmael) said to him:


... “O my father! Do that which you are commanded, Insha’ Allah (if


Allah wills), you shall find me of AsSabirun


(the patient).” (As-


Saffat: 102)


Musa (Prophet Moses), peace be upon him, also hastened to please his Lord. He


said:


… and I hastened to You, O my Lord, that You might be pleased. 


(Ta-Ha: 84)


Allah also took the Covenant of the Prophets to believe in and support our prophet


Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, if he was sent among them, and they said:


... We agree ... (Al ‘Imran: 81)


Allah, Exalted be He, ordered His Prophet, Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him,


saying:


5


Arise and warn! (Al-Muddaththir: 2)


Thereupon the Prophet went out to people and engaged in calling them to believe in the


Oneness of Allah. Allah also said to him:


Stand (to pray) all night, except a little. (Al-Muzzammil: 2)


So he used to engage in the voluntary night prayer until his feet swelled from long standing.


In the same way, the disciples of ‘Isa (Prophet Jesus), peace be upon him, answered


his call when he said to them:


... “Who will be my helpers in Allah’s cause?” AlHawariyyun


(the


disciples) said, “We are the helpers of Allah. We believe in Allah.” ...


(Al ‘Imran: 52)


The jinn urged one another to answer the call of Allah. They said, as the Qur’an


says about them:


O our people! Respond (with obedience) to Allah’s Caller (i.e. Allah’s


Messenger Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him), and


believe in him (i.e. believe in that which Muhammad, peace and


blessings be upon him has brought from Allah and follow him). He


(Allah) will forgive you of your sins, and will save you from a painful


torment (i.e. Hellfire).


 (Al-Ahqaf: 31)


The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, attained the greatest honour


because of their company of the Prophet, in addition to their sincerity of faith and their


being the first to answer the call of Allah and His Messenger. Therefore, their status is


elevated in the sight of Allah.


When they were ordered to face the direction of the Ka‘bah (in prayer), they


immediately changed their direction away from Baitul-Maqdis (Jerusalem). Even though


6


they heard Allah’s command while offering the prayer, they did not even delay their


compliance with it until the following prayer. When the Prophet, peace and blessings be


upon him, called them to give in charity, they spent the most precious of their property.


Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, donated half of his money, while


Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, donated all his money. The Prophet, peace and


blessings be upon him, also said, “Whoever equips the army of ‘Usrah (i.e. the Battle


of Tabuk) will be granted Paradise.” Uthman ibn Affan equipped it (Reported by Al-


Bukhari).


When Allah revealed the verse:


By no means shall you attain AlBirr


(piety, righteousness – here it


means Allah’s Reward, i.e. Paradise), unless you spend (in Allah’s


Cause) of that which you love ... (Al ‘Imran: 92)


Abu Talhah, may Allah be pleased with him, came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be


upon him, and said, “O Messenger of Allah! Bairuha’ (his garden) is the most beloved of


all my property to me, so I want to give it in charity for Allah’s sake” (Reported by Al-


Bukhari).


When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, gave his young Companions


a hint about the virtue of the voluntary night prayer, they constantly worshipped Allah by


performing this kind of prayer. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to


Abdullah ibn Umar, who was then still young, “What an excellent man Abdullah would


be if he performed prayers at night!” After that, Abdullah used to sleep but a little at


night (Agreed upon).


The Companions also sacrificed their lives for the Prophet, peace and blessings be


upon him, in obedience to Allah. Al-Miqdad ibn Al-Aswad came to the Prophet, peace and


blessings be upon him, while he was invoking Allah against the polytheists. He said (to the


Prophet), “We will not say to you as the people of Musa (Moses) said to him, ... Go you


7


and your Lord and fight you two, we are sitting right here. (Al-Ma’idah: 24), but


we will fight on your right, on your left, in front of you, and from behind you.” Abdullah


ibn Mas‘ud, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I saw the face of the Prophet, peace and


blessings be upon him, getting bright with happiness, for that saying delighted him”


(Agreed upon).


The Companions gave up certain words and deeds when they heard the Prophet,


peace and blessings be upon him, forbidding them to say or do them, in obedience to the


Prophet and without ever arguing with him about them. During Al-Jahiliyya (the Pre-


Islamic period of ignorance), they were in the habit of swearing by their fathers. The


Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Allah has prohibited you from taking


an oath by your fathers.” Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I


have not taken such an oath since I heard that statement from the Prophet, peace and


blessings be upon him, neither myself, nor narrating it from anyone else” (Reported by


Muslim).


During a famine, the Companions cooked food but did not eat it because they came


to know that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had forbidden it. During the


Battle of Khaibar, the flesh of domestic asses was permissible, so they cooked it. However,


the caller of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, cried out saying,


“Allah and His Messenger have prohibited you from eating the flesh of domestic asses, for


it is an abomination of Satan’s handiwork.” Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with


him, said, “Thereupon, the pots were turned over along with what was in them, and these


were brimming with cooked meat at that time” (Agreed Upon).


Similarly, intoxicants (wine and all kinds of alcoholic drinks) were permissible at


the advent of Islam, but on hearing a man walking in the streets saying that they had been


prohibited, the Companions spilled them out. Abu An-Nu’man, may Allah be pleased with


him, said:


8


I used to serve wine to the people at the residence of Abu Talhah. Then the


order of prohibiting alcoholic drinks was revealed, and the Prophet ordered


a crier to announce that. Abu Talhah said to me, “Go out and see what this


voice is.” I went out and (on coming back) said, “This is a crier announcing


that alcoholic drinks have been prohibited.” Abu Talhah said to me, “Go


and spill it,” and the wine flowed through the streets of Al-Madinah.


(Agreed Upon)


Another narration has the following addition: “The people then never reverted to it, nor


even asked about it after the announcement by that crier.”


The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, used to emulate the Prophet,


peace and blessings be upon him, in his way of dressing without being asked by the Prophet


to do so. Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, said,


The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had a gold ring which he


wore with its stone towards the palm of his hand. The people also started


wearing gold rings similar to his. One day, the Prophet sat on the pulpit,


removed his ring, and said, “I used to wear this ring and I had its stone


towards the palm of my hand.” Then he threw it away and said, “By


Allah, I shall never wear it again.” Thereupon, all the people threw away


their rings. (Agreed upon)


Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, wrote his will when he heard


the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, say, “It is not permissible for any Muslim


who has something he wishes to will to stay for two nights without having his last will


written and kept at hand” (Agreed upon). Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with


him and his father, said, “Ever since I heard the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him,


say this, I have never spent a single night without my will at hand.”


9


The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, also undertook to control their


tongues by avoiding inappropriate speech, in compliance with the commandment of the


Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Jabir ibn Sulaim, may Allah be pleased with


him, said, “I came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and said, ‘O Messenger


of Allah! I am one of the desert dwellers and I have some of their coarseness, so what do


you recommend that I should do?’ He said, ‘Never curse anyone.’” Jabir said, “After the


commandment of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, I never cursed


any person, nor did I even curse a sheep or a camel” (Reported by Ahmad).


The Companions obeyed the commands of the Prophet, peace and blessings be


upon him, even in their movements and gestures. During the Battle of Khaibar, the Prophet,


peace and blessings be upon him, gave the flag to Ali ibn Abu Talib, may Allah be pleased


with him, and said to him, “Go forth and do not look back until Allah grants you


victory.” Ali walked for a little while then stopped and shouted, i.e. he raised his voice so


that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who was now distant, might hear him,


but he did not look back, in obedience to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him,


and said, “O Messenger of Allah! What shall I fight the people for?” (Reported by Muslim).


The Companions also abandoned all that the Prophet had forbidden them to do even


if committing it might include an apparent benefit that might bring victory to the Muslims.


The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to Hudhaifah ibn Al-Yaman during the


Battle of the Confederates, “O Hudhaifah! Go on a reconnaissance and bring me


information about the enemy, but do not do anything that may provoke them against


me [i.e. do not startle them lest they should recognize you and thus attack us].” When he


reached them, he saw Abu Sufyan, who was then the leader of the polytheists, warming his


back against fire. Hudhaifah said, “I placed an arrow in the middle of the bow, intending


to shoot at him; however, I desisted from doing so when I remembered the words of the


Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, ‘Do not provoke them against me.’


Had I shot at him, I would have certainly killed him” (Reported by Muslim).


10


The Companions obeyed the orders and prohibitions of the Prophet, peace and


blessings be upon him, out of firm faith and unshakeable belief. Rafi‘ ibn Khudaij, may


Allah be pleased with him, said, “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon


him, forbade us from something that was beneficial to us, but obeying Allah and His


Messenger is indeed more beneficial to us” (Reported by Muslim).


Among the believers there were also women who hastened to answer the call of


Allah in obedience to Him. Hajar, peace be upon her, put her trust in Allah, obeyed her


husband, and dwelled in a valley where there was neither vegetation nor water. There was


no living being in Makkah at that time. Her act of obedience, on the face of it, was bound


to lead to her death and the death of her son. She asked her husband Ibrahim (Abraham),


peace be upon him, “Was it Allah who ordered you to do so?” He replied, ‘Yes.’ She said,


“Then He will not cause our loss” (Reported by Al-Bukhari).


When the obligation of hijab (the veil) was prescribed for the women Companions,


they did not then have a piece of cloth that could serve as a veil. They thus tore pieces of


cloth from their own garments and covered their faces with them in compliance with the


order of Allah. Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said, “May Allah have mercy upon


the first women immigrants, for when Allah revealed, … and to draw their veils all


over Juyubihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms) … (An-Nur: 31), they


cut off parts of their clothes to cover their heads with” (Reported by Al-Bukhari).


O Muslims!


Obeying Allah and His Messenger is a requirement for the fulfilment of the two


testimonies (that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s messenger) and


is a sign for the perfection of one’s servitude to Allah. If you hear of an order, hasten to


comply with it, delighted with your worship of your Lord, and if you hear a prohibition,


11


avoid it and turn away from it, fully convinced that it is a harmful deed and seeking to


attain your Creator’s good pleasure. I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan:


And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger, peace and blessings


be upon him, fears Allah, and keeps his duty (to Him), such are the


successful. (An-Nur: 52)


May Allah bless you and me with the Great Qur’an and make us benefit from its


verses and wise words. I have said what you have heard and I ask forgiveness of Allah for


myself, for you, and for all Muslims for any sin that we have committed.


12


Part Two


Praise be to Allah for His kindness to us and all forms of gratitude are due to Him


for the success He has blessed us with and for His graciousness. I bear witness that there


is no god but Allah, Who has no partners, in glorification of His dignified position, and I


bear witness that our prophet Muhammad is His servant and messenger. May Allah bestow


His bountiful peace and blessings upon him and upon his family and Companions.


O Muslims!


Those who fully answer the call of Allah are the people who lead perfect lives.


Those who neglect one aspect of obedience to Allah have actually missed part of their lives.


As for those who do not answer the call of Allah, they will inevitably answer the call of


Allah’s creation, and will face humiliation as a result. Allah warns us against disobeying


Him. He says:


… And let those who oppose the Messenger’s (Muhammad, peace


and blessings be upon him) commandment (i.e. his Sunnah – legal


ways, orders, acts of worship, statements) (among the sects) beware,


lest some Fitnah (disbelief, trials, afflictions, earthquakes, killing,


overpowered by a tyrant) should befall them or a painful torment be


inflicted on them. (An-Nur: 63)


Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I shall not abandon


doing anything that Allah’s Messenger used to do, for I fear that if I abandoned anything


from the Prophet’s tradition, I would go astray” (Agreed upon).


Hesitation or laziness in the performance of acts of obedience to Allah is


incompatible with the desire to achieve perfect compliance with the orders of Allah and


His Messenger. Those who give precedence to any statement over the statements of the


Prophet, peace and blessings be upon, cannot be considered among the obedient ones. In


13


the hereafter, all of Muhammad’s ummah will enter Paradise except those who refuse to


enter it. The Prophet’s Companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah! Who refuses to enter


Paradise?” He said, “Whoever obeys me will enter Paradise, and whoever disobeys me


is one who refuses to enter it” (Reported by Al-Bukhari).


Those who turn away from the guidance of Allah will then wish to return back to


this worldly life in order to obey Allah and His Messenger and to redeem themselves with


all that is in the earth with its like in order to escape the punishment.


... But those who answered not His Call (disbelieved in the Oneness


of Allah and followed not His Messenger Muhammad (peace and


blessings be upon him)), if they had all that is in the earth together


with its like, they would offer it in order to save themselves (from the


torment, it will be in vain). ... (Ar-R‘ad: 18)


Servants of Allah! Know that Allah has commanded you to ask Him to send His


peace and blessings upon His Prophet. Allah says in His perfect Revelation:


Allah sends His Salat (Graces, Honours, Blessings, Mercy) on the


Prophet (Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)) and also His


angels (ask Allah to bless and forgive him). O you who believe! Send


your Salat on (ask Allah to bless) him (Muhammad (peace and


blessings be upon him)), and (you should) greet (salute) him with the


Islamic way of greeting (salutation, i.e. AsSalamu


‘Alaikum). (Al-


Ahzab: 56)


O Allah! Bestow peace and blessings upon our prophet Muhammad. O Allah! Be


pleased with his successors, the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, who ruled by truth and thereby


established justice, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali, along with all the other


Companions, and also be pleased with us together with them, by Your grace and generosity,


O Most Generous of all the generous!


14


O Allah! Provide power and glory to Islam and the Muslims, humiliate polytheism


and the polytheists, and destroy the enemies of the religion. O Allah! Make this country


and all other Muslim countries, safe, secure, and prosperous, O Lord of the Worlds!


O Allah! Grant victory to those who strive in Your cause everywhere. O Allah! Be


their Protector and Helper and be Supportive to them. O Allah! Gather them on the word


of truth and guidance, O Lord of the Worlds!


O Allah! Destroy those who have oppressed and harmed them. O Allah! Destroy


them utterly and let their evil plotting turn against them, O Most Powerful! O All-Mighty!


O Allah! Lead our ruler to Your guidance, make all his deeds pleasing to You, and


guide all the leaders of the Muslims to act according to Your Book and rule by Your


Shari’ah, O Lord of the Worlds!


O Allah! There is no god but You. You are Free of all wants and needs and we


stand in need of You! Send down rain upon us and do not make us among the despairing!


O Allah! Grant us rain. O Allah! Grant us rain. O Allah! Grant us rain.


… Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and


bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers.


(Al-A‘raf: 23)


Servants of Allah!


Verily, Allah enjoins AlAdl


(i.e. justice and worshipping none but


Allah Alone – Islamic Monotheism) and AlIhsan


[i.e. to be patient in


performing your duties to Allah, totally for Allah’s sake and in


accordance with the Sunnah (legal ways) of the Prophet (peace and


blessings be upon him) in a perfect manner], and giving (help) to kith


and kin (i.e. all that Allah has ordered you to give them, e.g., wealth,


visiting, looking after them, or any other kind of help), and forbids


15


AlFahsha’


(i.e. all evil deeds, e.g. illegal sexual acts, disobedience of


parents, polytheism, to tell lies, to give false witness, to kill a life


without right), and AlMunkar


(i.e. all that is prohibited by Islamic


law: polytheism of every kind, disbelief and every kind of evil deeds),


and AlBaghy


(i.e. all kinds of oppression). He admonishes you, that


you may take heed. (An-Nahl: 90)


Remember Allah, the Most Great, the Sublime, and He will remember you. Thank


Him for His blessings and favours and He will give you more. Verily, remembrance of


Allah is greater than all, and Allah knows what you do.