Manifestation of the Divine attribute of Al Hakeem in the Holy Prophet

Summary of Friday Sermon

delivered by the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

December 14^th, 2007

Huzur based today’s Friday Sermon on the manifestation of the Divine attribute of Al Hakeem in the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him).

The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) partook the greatest measure of Divine attributes; he was the most imbued in Divine qualities and was their true manifestation.

He was the beloved of Allah for whom the heaven and the earth were created; his blessed words are so significant that a believer should always pay deed to them for the purification of self. Huzur cited verse 152 of Surah Al Baqarah and explained that the teaching of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) encompassed from everyday matters to matters of national importance, each word replete with wisdom. His words and his guidance was, in fact, a sagacious commentary of the Holy Qur’an. His perfect model was for us to follow and inculcate wisdom in our word and deed. The Surah Baqarah verse verifies that whatever the Prophet taught or enjoined is not without objective and he did not simply instruct and command, rather he exemplified all that he taught. This is the reason why Allah commands us to obey him, reflect on his teachings and try and understand them, even if we do not fully comprehend his teachings we should have faith that they are full of wisdom and are for our benefit.

The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said ‘The word of wisdom is the lost property of the believer, so wherever he finds it he has a better right to it.’ Huzur said whether wisdom is found in a person of different religion, old or young, rich or poor, one who is not considered very bright etc. it should be adopted and not rejected with arrogance.

The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said ‘Envy of two kinds of people is permissible; one who has been given wealth and he spends it in the way of Allah and one who has been given wisdom and he employs it to make decisions and teaches it to other people.’ Huzur said it behoves a believer to spread anything that has wisdom in it. The Prophet deemed those assemblies and gatherings (na’im ul majalis) ‘excellent gatherings’ where matters are discussed with wisdom. Indeed believers are enjoined to depart from gathering where wisdom is not being employed and where religion is being mocked unless one stays on in order to clarify and explain. However, if the situation is such that people are simply being obstinate then the command is to leave.

The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) held learning and seeking of wisdom so significant that he instructed that if the prisoners of war who knew how to read and write would teach ten Ansar children how to read and write each, they would be freed. Contrary to the allegations that are made against his blessed person it was knowledge and wisdom he sought not people who has fighting skills and could teach those to Ansar children.

Huzur said we should be mindful that today the ways and means for us to attain triumph are also through wisdom and knowledge. Those resources should be used for Tabligh purposes that have wisdom and knowledge, just as it is enjoined in Surah Al Nahl verse 126 (16:126). Huzur said discussions should be carried out with good knowledge of the creed of the other person, one should not indulge in cynical debates and as said before, if people are being stubborn and are not prepared to use reasoning in discussion then it is best to leave such discussions. It is up to Allah to give guidance to people.

Hadhrat Safiyya (may Allah be pleased with her) blessed wife of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) related that once while the Prophet had been observing I'tikaf, she visited him one night and talked with him for some time. When she stood up to go back the Prophet also stood up in order to bid her good-bye. At the time two persons from the Ansar happened to pass. They saw the Prophet and swiftly walked past. The Prophet called them and told them that the lady was Safiyya. Both of them were a little embarrassed that the Prophet should explain to them, however the Prophet replied that Satan instils evil in hearts and he wanted to thus clarify the matter. Huzur said here the moral is that one should endeavour to save others from stumbling; in particular Huzur said office-holders of the Community should be mindful of this. It is not so that only huge matters cause people to stumble, sometimes even trivial matters can cause people to stumble, therefore where necessary clarification and explanation should be given.

Citing verse 28 of Surah Al Nur (24:28) Huzur related a Hadith in which a man peeped through a hole in the private apartment of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). The Prophet at the time was combing his hair. Later the Prophet said to him that had he known he had been peeping into his apartment he would have poked his eye with the comb. He explained that the commandment of 24:28 was based on not looking into other people’s houses without permission.

Explaining the significance of planning and making arrangements Huzur cited the Hadith that a man asked the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) whether he should tie up his camel or should he put his trust in Allah and leave the camel free. The Prophet told him to tie up his camel first and then put his trust in Allah.

Among examples of the wisdom of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) Huzur related the incident of the Battle of Ditch where victory changed into near defeat for the Muslims because they overlooked a perceptive instruction of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). Huzur also explained how the battle concluded in a victory, again, based on a wise and astute decision taken by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him).

Huzur said that as the advent of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) was for the entire world, Allah had bestowed great sagacity on him even before his prophethood. Huzur recounted the incidence of the placing of the Hijre Aswad (the black stone placed in the Ka’ba). The sacred Black Stone had to be placed in the wall of Ka’ba. Dispute arose as to who would have the honour of placing the stone. So serious was the matter that there was danger of bloodshed. An influential person among them said ‘Let the first person to pass through the gate of the Ka’ba be the arbitrator’. As it happened that it was the Prophet who first passed through the gate. They decided as he was known as Al-Ameen (the trustworthy) they would accept his verdict. The Prophet asked for a mantle to be brought. He placed on it the sacred Black Stone and asked the representatives of the four clans to hold the four sides of the mantle. On reaching the wall of the Ka’ba he lifted the stone from the mantle and placed it in the wall to the satisfaction of all the disputing clans. To reconcile a fiery people in those turbulent times required great wisdom and tact which was so well displayed by the Prophet.

In another example of the wisdom of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) Huzur recounted that when the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) sent an expedition to Najad, a person from the tribe of Banu Hanifa, named Thumamah bin Athal, was brought in as a prisoner. The Companions tied him to a pillar of the Prophet’s Mosque. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) came to him and inquired, ‘O Thumamah, what is your excuse or what do you think will be done with you?’ He replied ‘I have positive expectation. If you have me killed, you will be killing a murdering person. If you show me goodwill, you will be favouring a person who values kindness. If you want property you may have as much as you like; (his people could give property for him). Next day the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) again came by and asked Thumamah what was his aim. He replied that he had already said the previous day that if a favour was bestowed on him it would be a favour on a person who valued kindness. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) left him there. On the third day he returned and inquired ‘O Thumamah, what is your objective?’ He said that he had already said what he had to say. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) ordered that Thumamah be freed.

Thumamah went to a nearby date orchard and bathed there, he re-entered the mosque and recited the Shahada and said ‘O Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) by God I disliked your face the most in the world, but now it is so that your face is most beloved to me. By God, I disliked your faith the most, but now it is so that my most beloved faith is the one you have brought. By God, I disliked your town the most, but now this is my most beloved town. Your horse riders held me although I wanted to perform Umrah. What do you say about this?’ The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) gave him the glad-tiding, congratulated him for accepting Islam and ordered him to perform Umrah, saying that Allah would accept it. When he reached Mecca someone asked him if he had become a Sabian. He replied, ‘no, I have believed in Muhammad, Prophet of God (peace and blessings of Allah be on him)’.

Huzur further elucidated the subject by relating an aspect of the victory of Mecca. After the fall of Mecca when Abu Sufyan was brought to the Prophet he was asked what his wish was. Abu Sufyan said to the Prophet that would he not have mercy on the people of Mecca, especially as he was a relative of the Prophet and had accepted Islam. The Prophet told him to go and announce that whoever came into the house of Abu Sufyan was pardoned. Abu Sufyan said his house was too small – the Prophet offered that whoever came into the Ka’ba would be in peace. Abu Sufyan maintained the Ka’ba was also not large enough to accommodate everyone. The Prophet then said all those who would stay indoors and closed their door would be in refuge. At this Abu Sufyan asked what of the homeless? The Prophet then called a standard and named it the standard of Bilal and handed it over to Abu Ruwaiha, who had entered a pact of brotherhood with Bilal. The Prophet then declared that whoever stood underneath the banner/standard of Bilal will have peace. Abu Sufyan, a Meccan chief, went into Mecca and had it announced to the people to close their doors, to go to Ka’ba and to come under the standard of Bilal and to throw away their arms.

The greatest aspect of this is that the Prophet chose to name the standard after Bilal, not himself, or Hadhrat Abu Bakr, Hadhrat Umer, Hadhrat Uthman or Hadhrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with them all) or any of the other great Muslim leaders. The wisdom in this decision was that everyone had relatives in Mecca and although they had expressed to the Prophet that he should avenge the Meccans they would have had feelings for their relatives. The only person who had no relatives in Mecca was Hadhrat Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him). It was also him who had endured the severest, unspeakable persecution (as a slave) at the hands of the Meccans in the earlier years. However, at the time of victory of Mecca, the Prophet reached a decision to grant peace to those who came under the standard of Bilal and the Meccan chiefs who had meted out barbaric treatment to Hadhrat Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) ran with their families in tow towards the standard of Bilal for refuge. This must be the most magnificent example of recompense in the history of mankind. Huzur remarked what devotion Hadhrat Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) must have felt at the time for the Prophet. This decision signified that none is mighty or wise but it is the God of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and Bilal Who is The Mighty and The Wise. This decision carries a profound message to only deem Allah as The Wise and with this decision the Prophet also effectively announced the abolishment of slavery. There was a message for Hadhrat Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) in this as well, that once he was weak but he had the insight to accept the truth of Islam and that it was time for him to enhance his wisdom and bring people to Islam and those who were seemingly under his standard, to make them turn to Allah. Huzur said, with the grace of God, this is exactly what came to pass.

Huzur said Ahmadis should be mindful that InshaAllah this manifestation is to be repeated. We are not going to respond to persecution with aggression; rather we are going to repeat this blessed example. Our opponents make think it over, time will tell as to who had the sense and who was senseless. We say to our opponents to desist and to turn to The Mighty God and seek wisdom from Him; their persecution will not last long and InshaAllah that day will come soon when we will witness similar manifestations.

Huzur concluded on sad news of an Ahmadi martyrdom in Sheikupura, Pakistan of a Humayun Waqqas Sahib who was martyred by unknown assailants. He was a sincere and active member of the local Jama’at. Huzur said without doubt the blood spilled by these martyrs will bring about a change but the opponents need to have some sense and should learn their lesson lest they are later humiliated. Huzur prayed for elevated status in Paradise for the deceased and for steadfastness for his bereaved family and said that he would lead the funeral prayer in absentia after Jummah.