Download Hijra to Medina

Hijra to Medina
First sermon
All praise is to Allah, the Sovereign, the Source of Peace, Who arranges months
and years, days and nights. We thank Him as is befitting to His great
sovereignty and glorious status and we bear witness that there is no deity but
Him, having no associates.
We also testify that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. He was sent as a
Mercy to all humankind. He is of praised station and can intercede for his
Ummah, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, his family, his
companions, and all those who will follow them in righteousness till the Day of
Judgment.
O Servants of Allah, I urge you and myself to be mindful of Allah the
Almighty, obey Him and do that which pleases Him, in light of what He says,
"and fear Allah and know that unto Him you will be gathered." (Al Baqara:
2013).
Dear Muslims,
The Prophetic tradition abounds with great events whose lessons are manifest
each time we celebrate their anniversaries. One of such special occasions is the
Hijra (emigration) of the Prophet Muhammad pbuh, the Imam of humanity, to
Medina.
For its impact, Hijra was a streak of light shooting across a new and bright era.
It extended the bridge for an eternal human civilisation [and change the world
forever]. Umar Ibn Al Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, was right to
associate this important event with our history. This way its value will remain
vibrant in our lives and there is so much for us to learn from this historic event.
For example, Muslims should seize this opportunity to increase their relation
with their Lord through obedience and trust in Him. They should know that
Allah the most Exalted is over their destiny and if He intends something, He
will make it happen. He says, "and Allah is predominant over His affair, but
most of the people do not know." (Yusuf: 21).
It all happened when Quraish tribe was set to rid of Allah's Messenger pbuh,
Allah had saved him thanks to His absolute Might and arrangement. The
Almighty says, "is not Allah sufficient for His Servant [Prophet
Muhammad]? And [yet], they threaten you with those [they worship] other
than Him. And whoever Allah leaves astray - for him there is no guide."
(Azzumar: 36).
So when the disbelievers reached the Prophet's hideout at the cave of Thawr,
Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "If any of them should look
under his feet, he would see us." The Prophet responded by saying, "O Abu
Bakr, what do you think of two (persons) the third of whom is Allah?"
They set out for their journey on Their Lord's command, putting their full and
unconditional trust in Him. On every step they took, the Almighty was there
bestowing upon them Protection and Kindness.
The Almighty says, "if you do not aid the Prophet - Allah has already aided
him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of
two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, "Do not
grieve; indeed Allah is with us." And Allah sent down his tranquility upon
him and supported him with angels you did not see and made the word of
those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah - that is the
highest. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise." (Attawba: 40).
Truly anyone who relies upon Allah, Allah will protect him, and whoever seeks
His Guidance, Allah will guide him to the right path. This is to further
demonstrate that faith in Allah is the surest safeguard at calamities and the
glimmer of hope at the time of distress.
Dear Servants of Allah,
In fact, the lessons that we can draw from the Hijra are numerous. One good
example is the importance of good preparation in achieving the ultimate goal
set for this journey. Our Prophet pbuh chose Medina as a destination, the right
time and place for starting the trip. He also arranged for other things like food
supply as well as a company. But prior to this he sent Musaab Ibn Umair to
Medina to pave the way for their arrival.
Mussab was chosen because of his qualities being a wise man and tactful
speaker. He was convincing in passing on the message of Islam. It was narrated
that he addressed people of Medina saying, "listen to me, if you accept what I
am going to say, then take it. However, if do not like it, I will stop telling you
anything that you may object to." Thereupon they said, "you said the right
thing."
He had also good common sense and used reason in dialogue. He could capture
the attention of people and persuade them as he articulated his ideas clearly and
fluently. He never threatened anyone. On the contrary, he was polite in treating
others and when calling them for Islam he showed them the true bright image of
the religion through its noble aspects of tolerance, mercy, justice and wisdom.
His efforts paid off. Increasingly, people converted to Islam and within a space
of one year there was no house in Medina that its dwellers were not Muslims.
This was the result of good speech and rational advocacy as reflected in this
verse: "invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction,
and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most
knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who
is [rightly] guided." (Annahl: 125). Thus, as Muslims, each one of us must
reflect our religion and country in the best way, by treating people nicely,
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respecting the elderly and showing mercy to the younger and due esteem to
important members of our community.
Dear Muslims,
Please know that having a good company is an aid at the good and the bad
times. Our Prophet pbuh chose one of his best and dearest companion. And
truly he was. The Prophet pbuh described him saying, "there is no one who had
done more favour to me with life and property than Abu Bakr bin Abi Quhafa.
If I were to take a Khalil [a close friend], I would certainly have taken AbuBakr but the fraternal relations in Islam is superior."
You are advised therefore to choose amongst your friends, those you like and
whose talk and work you can benefit from. Beware though from bad company,
for many have gone astray of ill-choice.
Dear Servants of Allah,
It is from Medina that civilisational values shone setting the ground for building
nations, populating lands and enabling man to rise in status. Building a mosque
was one of those principles and the first undertaking by our Prophet pbuh as he
settled there. Its role lies in strengthening bonds between believers and their
Lord, uniting Muslims and bringing them together to acts of worships. It also
protects them from adopting stern attitude or immoderation. In this sense it is a
source of charity and love that brightens the lives of people and ignites the torch
of knowledge and enlightenment.
In his stay in Medina, the Prophet pbuh had also sought actively to increase the
bonds of affection amongst Muslims. Thus, he brought the Aws and Khazraj
closer, and did the same with emigrants (Muhajireen) and supporters (Ansar).
As a result they all gathered around him pbuh.
Dear Muslims,
Another principle that our Guide Muhammad pbuh advocated in Medina was
organising relations with People of the Book and others, who were residing in
the city. He vowed to preserve their rights and ensured their freedoms. As a
result, everyone was guaranteed the right of citizenship and the peaceful
coexistence. Such important values were stipulated in the Charter of Medina
which the Prophet pbuh himself drafted. The Charter was a treaty that governed
relations between various city residents. One of its articles specified, for
example, that Jews had their religion and Muslims had theirs, families and
themselves, the exception will be those who act unjustly and sinfully. With such
principles, people can achieve stability and live in harmony, away from strife
and differences.
With this in mind, may Allah bestow upon us safety and protect our country
from all temptations, both apparent and hidden. May Allah help us also to obey
You, Your Messenger Muhammad pbuh and those You have decreed on us to
obey in compliance with Your orders: "O you who believe, Obey Allah, and
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obey the Messenger and those charged with authority among you."
(Annisaa: 59).
May Allah direct us all to the blessings of the Glorious Quran and the Sunna of
His Messenger pbuh and benefit us all in whatever is in them.
I say this and ask Allah the Great, the Most Honoured for forgiveness for me,
you and all the Muslims for every sin, so invoke Him for forgiveness, for He is
the Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Second sermon
Praise be to Allah. I bear witness that there is no deity but Him, having no
associates. I also bear witness that our Master Muhammad is His Servant and
Messenger, may the peace and the blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet
Muhammad, his pure family, his companions and all those who will follow
them in righteousness till the Day of Judgment.
O Servants of Allah,
Please be aware that you are asked to obey Allah as it ought to be by observing
Him in private and in public and know that Islam is a religion of peace and
coexistence. Please know also that Hijra- after the physical one- is a continuous
effort to give up wrong doings. It was narrated by Abdullah Ibn Amr that the
Prophet pbuh said, "a Muslim is the one who avoids harming Muslims with his
tongue or his hands. And a Muhajir (an emigrant) is the one who gives up
(abandons) all what Allah has forbidden." That is said, you are, therefore,
requested to obey the instructions of Your Lord and His Prophet pbuh by not
causing harm to people because this is one of the main foundations of Islam.
Moreover, avoid what Allah and His Messenger ordered you to give up, for this
is also a Hijra.
May Allah grant us peace and harmony and make us amongst those who hasten
to Him by engaging in acts of obedience and abandoning misdeeds.
Dear Servants of Allah,
Bear in mind that you are asked to offer prayer and greetings upon our most
noble Prophet pbuh for Allah says, "indeed, Allah and His angels sends
blessing upon the Prophet. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer]
blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace." (Al Ahzab: 56).
On the same matter, the Prophet pbuh said, "for everyone who invokes a
blessing on me will receive ten blessings from Allah." He also said, "Nothing
turns back the Decree except supplication."
May the peace and the blessings of Allah be upon our Master Muhammad pbuh,
his family and all his Companions. May Allah be pleased with the Rightly
Guided Caliphs:
Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, and all those who will follow them in
righteousness till the Day of Judgment.
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O Allah, we implore You at this instant not to let a sin unforgiven, a distress
unrelieved, an illness unhealed or a handicapped without relief, a dead without
mercy or a debt unsettled. Our Lord, give us in this world that which is good
and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the
Fire.
O Allah, may we ask You to help us with what gets us closer to Paradise and
furthers us from hell. O Allah we seek Your grace to admit us, our parents,
whoever has done a favour to us and all Muslims to Your Paradise.
May Allah grant success and continued good health to our leader HH Sheikh
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. May Allah also ensure success to his Deputy,
HH Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and provide strength and
assistance to his brothers, Their Highness The Rulers of the Emirates, and his
trustworthy Crown Prince HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
O Allah, forgive all of the Muslims, men and women, living and dead, and
make blessings follow us and them. May Allah have mercy on Sheikh Zayed
and Sheikh Maktoum and all their brothers, the Late UAE Sheikhs. O Lord,
forgive and show mercy to our parents, relatives and whoever has done a favour
to us.
O Allah, we pray to You to grant Your forgiveness to who built this mosque
and to his or her parents as well as to anyone who gave to this mosque. O Allah,
we also supplicate to You to forgive whoever built a mosque where Your name
is remembered.
We pray to Allah, the Most Gracious, to preserve the UAE from all temptations,
both apparent and hidden, and continue blessing the UAE and all Muslim
countries with safety and security.
O servants of Allah, remember Allah and He will remember you. Be grateful
for His benevolence He will increase His blessings to you. Allah, the Most
High, says, "and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and
wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows
that which you do." (Al Ankaboot: 45).
Translation
Mostapha El Mouloudi
Note: The English translation of the Quran and Hadith is an interpretation of
their meanings, and does not have the status of their original Arabic texts.
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