Two Ways To Live

Weekly Bayaan at Masjide Amina, Tableghi Jamath Markaz, Tolichowki, Hyderabad
Published in Muslim Murasu, December 2011

Set your objectives right when you sit for the Bayaan (lecture). You cannot finish Maghrib in two rakaath. You will have to complete it fully. Shaitan will motivate you to leave in the middle. Then you won’t receive the benefits of the speech. Pray to Allah. “You brought me here. Make me listen till the end”. Sit with prayers in your hearts.
You can be poor or rich, man or woman. Whatever you are, it is imperative for you to learn the religion given to us by our Prophet. Allah will honor you if you follow His Prophet.
Wealth and property, affluence or left wanting, these do not mean much to God. A poor will enter heaven in his own right if he follows the religion. A rich person also will enter heaven if he follows the religion. There were people belonging to different sections of the society among the companions of the Prophet.
Bilal (rali) was a Negro slave. Prophet tells that I heard his footsteps in the heaven. In one hadees it comes that Prophet will be entering heaven on a camel and Bilal will be having the reins of the camel and he will be going forward. A slave can attain this height. Once Prophet was having food in Sehar time. Bilal (rali) came and said that Sehar time is over. He repeated second time also. Third time, he told, “I swear by God that Sehar time is over”. Prophet stopped eating after hearing this. He later told that Sehar time was not yet over. But because you swore by God, God had advanced the time.
Though Bilal was a poor person, he attained this position because of bringing religion in his life.
Abubakkar (rali) was a very rich person. He was leader and judge. He had 12 big shops. He had accepted Islam in its very initial days. Ashre Mubashira, 10 companions who were promised heaven, got Imaan through Abubakkar. He sacrificed everything in the cause of Allah. People on earth told that Abubakkar has lost everything. God on heavens told that Abubakkar deserves His Salaam. Angel Jibreel came to Prophet and told that God has conveyed Salaam to Abubakkar.
Kathija (rali) was a rich woman. She had been widowed twice. There were children from her earlier marriages. She was the first woman to accept Islam. She sacrificed herself, her children and everything she had for the religion. She was famished for three days during her death.
Poor and rich, women and men, can rise alike. There is only one condition. They have to bring Islam in their lives.
Enter completely.
Islam is not a textiles shop where you can pick what you like and leave behind what you don’t like. You are not allowed to follow only that which fits well with your culture, job and society and leave others.
The verse continues as do not follow Shaitan.
That which is not Prophet’s life is Shaitan’s life. He is your avowed enemy. Those who follow Shaitan will have their lives ruined. You can live either as God’s slave or as Shaitan’s slave.
Let us see the background of this verse. Abdullah ibn Salaam had accepted Islam. He was a Jewish scholar. He had known Prophet’s arrival through their scriptures and voluntarily accepted Islam. Camel is halaal for us. Meat of camel is haraam (forbidden) according to Jewish Book. He had never eaten camel meat in his life. A thought crossed his mind that he can follow Prophet Moses in this matter and in all other matters he will follow Prophet Muhammad. He thought that he could follow both the Prophets in this way.
Even we don’t eat camel meat in our lives. But we understand that it is halaal. This verse was sent down in this backdrop. You are not allowed to follow two ways. Enter into Islam completely.
Ya ayyuhallajina amanu udkulu fissilmi kaffa. (Surah Baqarah, verse 208).
Shariath of Prophet Moses is not for us. We cannot become Muslims by saying “la ilaha illallah moosa kaleemullah”. We cannot become Muslims by saying “la ilaha illallah eesaa roohullah”. Jews and Christians accept God. But they don’t accept Prophet Muhammad. They cannot become Muslims. The condition of Imaan is to accept Prophethood of our Prophet. The condition of Islam is to follow our Prophet.
Prophet once told Umar (rali). Listen carefully, the book you read, even if the people of that Torah are alive today, they cannot get salvation without following me.
Today you are following anyone you like without any sanction. You won’t get guidance in this way. We are not allowed to see anywhere else after accepting our Prophet's lifestyle.
Prophet’s Shariath is complete in every way. It is the perfect way. ‘Athiur Rasool’ – follow Prophet. This has come around forty times in Quran. Love for Prophet is love for God. Words of Prophet are words of God. Prophet’s ways are the dearest for God.
There was a companion of God who used to note down everything that Prophet says. Other companions of Prophet advised him not to take down everything because Prophet can be in different mood at different times. Prophet once noticed that he was not taking notes and inquired about it. He told about the apprehensions of other companions.
Prophet replied – In whose hand rests the life of Muhammad, I swear by Him, the words that come from my tongue are words of God. This is complete religion. We don’t have to beg others for any guidance. All we have to do is to follow our Prophet all the 24 hours.
Men are like mines of gold and silver. They have incredible talents and capabilities hidden in them. You will find goodness in them if you search for that. If you look for badness, you will find only that. You have to look inward to find bad things. You are bad. That is the reason you find detestable things in others. Be like bees and go after fragrance.