Sadullah Khan – Mi`raaj 27 Rajab 1446-26 January 2025

AI: Summary ©
The upcoming prayer time for Islam is highlighted, including the holy Bible's teachings and its implications for one's health, success, and joy. The importance of praying for spiritual health is emphasized, along with the loss of family members and struggles of a woman in her twelfth year of troubles. The history and meaning of the Bible is also discussed, including the implementation of Islam and the Prophet's message. The speaker discusses the importance of remembering the Prophet's remorseful words and actions, praying for spiritual health, and making decisions about the world. The speaker also mentions upcoming events and programs, including a program to be hosted by Um standards and a talk by the Musallis.
AI: Summary ©
Honored and privileged to be in the house
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala on this
night of Laylatul Mi'raj.
We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to
accept this gathering and to accept all of
our du'as and our our doings on
this night and may we do it for
the love of Allah and the love of
our deen.
The program tonight inshallah will end at isha
prayer time which will be performed on time.
We will open the program with a qira
'ah by Qari Mubeen Qari Hafid Mubeen Parker.
Thereafter we will have the talk by Sheikh
Saadul Afghan and the topic of the talk
will be on ascending through the legacy of
the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.
So the program should we will end on
time on the isha prayer time.
So it won't be will be short and
sweet.
Say jazakumullahu khairan to Qari Hafid Mubeen Parker
for that beautiful recitation of the holy Quran.
Increase his health and his happiness and his
happiness for the Quran and his joy joyfulness
for the Quran to increase for the ummah
inshallah.
Next up we will have Sheikh Saadul Afghan
delivering the talk.
In the name of Allah, most gracious, most
merciful.
All praise is due to our creator, our
cherisher, our nourisher and our sustainer.
We bear witness that there's none worthy of
worship but Allah.
We bear witness that we believe in all
the prophets who came throughout history and we
bear witness that Prophet Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Rasulullah
sallallahu alaihi wa alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam
is the final of all the emissaries of
Allah.
Respected ulama, khurra, hufadh, imam, respected elders, respected
youth, brothers and sisters, I greet you with
the Islamic universal greeting of peace.
May the peace, the mercy and the blessings
of Allah be upon each and everyone present
here on this auspicious evening.
We commemorate two major events that occurred at
night in the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad
sallallahu alaihi wa alihi wa sallam.
Two nights of such tremendous significance that they
are distinctly mentioned in the holy Quran.
One is Laylatul Qadr.
Specifically mentioned in the Quran is Laylatul Qadr
which occurred with the instruction of the word
Iqra, the commencement of the final divine communication
received by the final messenger that Allah has
sent to humankind.
And that Laylatul Qadr occurred when the Prophet
was 40 years of age and that occasion
marked the beginning of what we call the
bi'atha or the prophetic calling as mentioned
in the 97th chapter of the holy Quran.
The other night which is referred to directly
in the holy Quran is the Isra and
the Isra refers to the celestial night journey.
Laylatul Isra literally means the journey by night
and of course the ascension, the zimaraj, and
that Isra occurred when the Prophet sallallahu alaihi
wa alihi wa sallam was 52 years of
age and it is mentioned in Surah Al
-Isra.
One of these evenings is in Ramadan, the
night Laylatul Qadr, the night of power symbolizing
empowerment and the other is in the month
of Rajab which we are currently in Laylatul
Isra, the night of ascension symbolizing elevation.
Night of power symbolizing empowerment, night of ascension
symbolizing elevation.
On Laylatul Qadr, revelation descended from the divine
to the Prophet.
On Laylatul Qadr, divine revelation descended from the
divine to the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa alihi
wa sallam and on Laylatul Isra the recipient
of that revelation ascended unto the divine.
Education, enlightenment, empowerment, Isra, elevation, enhancement,
and upliftment.
The one who ascended on Laylatul Isra just
for contextualizing his life and his struggle is
the one who lost his father before he
was born, lost his mother at the age
of six.
Those close to him when he brought his
mission were harassed and persecuted to the extent
that some of them had to find refuge
in Africa, in Abyssinia what is now Ethiopia
and he himself sallallahu alaihi wa alihi wa
sallam had to later migrate from Mecca to
Yathrib to Medina and he even suffered assassination
attempts on his life.
When the people of Mecca who once called
him al-Sadiq the truthful and al-Amin
the trustworthy when he came with his message
of Iqra they now rejected his message not
because they felt he was untruthful but because
his message challenged the political, social, moral, ethical,
and economic interest of those who are in
power.
They never called him a liar.
When the people of Mecca who had once
called him al-Sadiq the truthful and al
-Amin the trustworthy rejected his message, they ostracized
his followers, they victimized his family and he
and a handful of his loved ones had
to endure besides all of that three years
of relentless persecution, bitter hardship, and even boycott
from the Meccans to the extent that no
one dealt with them or engaged with them.
At that time he went to Taif to
preach the message of Islam and as we
know Taif was the first town that the
Rasul went outside Mecca to preach the message
and just to show the importance of patient
perseverance and the importance of keeping hope Taif
was the last town to embrace Islam before
the Prophet passed away.
He went to Taif and they stoned him.
Then came besides all of that the most
difficult period and trying time in the life
of the Prophet ﷺ in his illustrious life.
He witnessed what we call the عام الحزن,
the year of sorrow.
A year which witnessed the death of his
protective uncle Abu Talib and also the year
that witnessed the passing of his first and
most ardent supporter, his caring and compassionate confidant,
the first person to embrace the faith, his
beloved wife Khadija.
So both these were lost to him in
that year.
It was then at that stage of his
life at that time of strife and struggle
in that enduring hardship that Allah commanded the
Prophet ﷺ to the highest state of his
divine presence and then the verse Glory
to Allah.
Glory to Allah who took his servant on
a journey by night from the sacred mosque
to the furthest mosque, the precincts of which
he has blessed and that journey in order
that Allah might show him some of Allah's
signs for Allah hears and witnesses everything.
As the poet says, Angel
Jibreel came with glad tidings from Allah on
the night of ascension inviting the Prophet ﷺ
at that most depressed time of his life
to the highest manifestation of the divine presence.
Imam Musairi, the author of Qasida Buruda said
about this He
said you traveled oh Rasul ﷺ by night
from a sacred mosque to another one like
the full moon that travels through the darkness
of the night and you completed the ascent
and you reach the position of nearness of
a distance of two bows length such nearness
that has neither been aspired to nor ever
been achieved by anyone.
One of the scholars, the poet writes in
a poem, Maulana Ahmed Rida writes He
says, Allah is the first and the last,
the apparent and the imperceptible.
His divine splendor met the masterpiece of his
own creation.
Allah is the creator.
But on this occasion, his divine splendor met
the masterpiece of his own creation, the Prophet
ﷺ and invited him by himself towards himself.
The Isra wal Mi'raj, the celestial journey
by night and the ascension of the Prophet
occurred in the darkest year of the Prophet's
life.
But on that occasion, special things were granted
to the Prophet ﷺ and is documented in
the Sahih of Imam Muslim and other books.
Some say five things were granted, for sure
three of those five things are confirmed in
the Sahih of Imam Muslim.
Among the things, the daily salah and therefore
the Rasul ﷺ himself said, Salah is the
mi'raj of the believer.
And in one of the previous talks on
mi'raj, I went into detail with each
of these five points and specifically on this
salah, so I won't repeat that.
Second one, Allah's promise of forgiveness for those
who sincerely repent of their sins and those
who don't associate partners with him.
Then the last two verses of which also
I did as a talk on Isra wal
Mi'raj some years ago in this masjid.
The last two verses, Allah places no burden
upon you more than you can bear and
remember for your doings, whatever good you do
is for yourself, whatever wrong you do is
against your own self.
Allah has provided guidance and then of course,
Rabbana la tu'aqibna innaseena anaw shaykh really
so beautifully in the salah.
And among the things, according to other reports,
the whole world, al ardu kulluha masjid.
For a person of faith, though we have
the parameters of a mosque in which we
do itikaf and so on, but the whole
earth is a masjid.
Any place that's clean, you can pray there.
Wherever you are, al ardu kulluha masjid.
All of the earth is a masjid.
Some people have the notion in their religious
tradition, you must go to a church or
a temple, then you can pray.
That's not the case in Islam.
And according to some reports, innama al usri
yusra.
Whenever you have hardship and you persevere, double
the ease will follow.
After hardship, ease will come.
All of these gifts given to Rasulullah are
motivational and each one inspirational.
And therefore the israw al mi'raj is
all about inspiring hope.
Israw al mi'raj is about being motivated,
about Allah consciousness, about positivity.
You must remember, after the Prophet ﷺ was
rejected by his own people, stoned by the
people of Ta'if, insecure in the hometown
of Bakka, where he was born and lived,
the earth became inhospitable to him, unwelcome to
him.
Allah opened the skies and welcomed him to
the heavens.
Never let the negativity of others prevent you
from being positive.
Never let the negativity of others prevent you
from being positive.
Mi'raj teaches us that when there is
faith and where there is faith, there must
be hope.
Because to be pessimistic is not part of
good character and bad character is not part
of the characteristics of a believer.
The lesson of mi'raj is never to
lose hope, even in the darkest hour.
But even if everyone forgets us, Allah will
not forget us.
Remember me and I remember you.
One of the Prophets asked, Ya Allah, don't
forget me if I remember you.
So Allah said, I don't forget those who
forget me.
How will I forget those who remember me?
That's why the Quran says, And some people
translate as, remembering Allah is the greatest thing.
But grammatically doesn't mean that.
Grammatically, Allah remembering, Allah's remembrance is the best
thing.
So how's Allah's remembrance?
The fact that you remember Allah.
And by doing that, you invoke Allah's remembrance
on you, that is the greatest thing.
Because the reciprocal thing from Allah If everyone
forgets, Allah will not forget.
Remember Allah and He will remember you.
Are we not witnessing the valiant example of
the people of Palestine?
We can't think of Laylatul Qadr without imagining
the cave of Hira in Mecca.
You can't imagine.
Iqra, cave of Hira, Mecca, in the darkness
of the night, where the Prophet received the
first revelation.
So too, we cannot fathom Al-Isra and
the Mi'raj in our minds without Al
-Aqsa in Palestine, to which the Prophet traveled
on that night journey.
They're inextricably intertwined so much Allah mentions in
the Quran.
In the ayah of Isra, He says, Allah
twins it up in the verse of the
Isra, when He speaks about the journey, the
night journey.
The resilience, the resolve, the bravery, the courage,
and the faithful commitment of the people of
Palestine reconfirms the promise of Allah.
Do not be faint-hearted, nor be weakened
by grief or negativity, for you will overcome
if you are truly people of faith, if
you are truly people of faith.
Muslims in many parts of the world are
witnessing and experiencing tremendous, well-organized, imperious,
orchestrated, media-promoted prejudice and negativity.
Well-organized, imperious, orchestrated, media-promoted prejudice and
negativity.
It seems that we ourselves are in that
year of sorrow that the Rasul went through.
We are an Ummah going through in our
year of sorrow, the whole time from the
genocide that we witnessed in Palestine.
It is precisely the time like this that
we as an Ummah need to rally and
to focus our energy on the positive contribution
that the Ummah has and continues to make
to the world.
And regarding this, I'm making an announcement here
as part of my talk in something that
I am also intimately involved with.
This year 2025 marks the Hijri lunar date
of 1447.
Remember the Islamic calendar begins from the time
the Prophet migrated from Mecca to Medina.
The time and 10 years after that he
passed on.
So the Rasul passed away 10 years after
Hijri.
But he came from Mecca to Medina at
the age of 53.
So he was born 53 years before Hijra.
53 years before the Hijri calendar that we
have.
53 years which means this year is 1500
years since the advent of the Prophet.
This year is 1500 years since the advent
of the Prophet ﷺ.
That Prophet, a guide to humanity, mercy unto
the world, whose teachings continue to inspire over
1.9 billion Muslims and others worldwide.
And a group of diverse Muslim people with
patrons from all walks of life and the
patronage of senior ulema like Maulana Qutb-ud
-Din and Sheikh Amin Fakir are launching what
they call a legacy project 1500.
With a focus, and this is where it's
linked to the mi'raj and to the
talk, with a primary focus on the universal
message of Islam rooted in the civilizational values
of peace, of mercy, of justice, of environmental
awareness as conveyed by the final messenger.
Because we are here tonight in commemoration of
the legacy of that Prophet ﷺ.
And that legacy project aims to commemorate this
great milestone in various ways.
From international qira and nasheed programs with participation
of international artists and presenters, national school speech
contests, family camps, enlightening and empowering publications, exhibition
of the relics of the Rasul ﷺ, the
contribution of Islam through the ages, and an
international conference hosted inshallah in Cape Town on
the civilizational heritage of the Prophet that has
the support of the Organization of Islamic Conference
branch here in Africa.
It is more than just a commemoration because
very often Muslims react to something.
Something happened, cartoons, now we react.
Something happened in Palestine, of course we need
to galvanize ourselves.
But here's a chance for us to proactively
organize and galvanize ourselves.
We're not forming one ummah, one unity, all
come together, form one jama'ah, one organization.
We're not talking about those kind of things
now.
Talking about practical things that we can do.
People can get involved and do something without
being dictated to by anyone.
So it's an affirmation of the Prophet's international
enduring legacy.
Opportunity for Muslims around the world, especially minorities
like us here in South Africa, to reflect
on their identity and our future role.
Because do remember, as we can see in
the Palestine case, the revival of Islam and
the defense of Muslims will not come from
the Muslim rulers.
It'll come from people like us.
We took them to court.
We are not even 2% of this
country.
There are people, 99% Muslim, that didn't
say a word.
You can't even walk with a flag of
Palestine in those countries.
You can't make tawaf with a Palestine badge
on yourself.
Here we are hardly two or maybe five
percent at most.
And we took the ICJ, we took the
Palestinians and we took the Israelis to court.
And not only that, most of these countries
didn't even endorse or sign or privately say
we're okay with it.
They completely abstained.
So it'll come from minorities like this.
For us to reflect on our identity, our
role.
Because if they didn't come for the Palestinian
people, they're not going to come for you.
They didn't defend.
They didn't rise in defense of the Palestinian
people.
You think they're going to come down and
defend you here?
If anything happens here or anywhere else in
the world, whatever programs that will take place
locally, nationally, internationally, with everyone's attention and support
and everyone's attendance where possible.
Some of these will be, most of it
will be in Cape Town, some other parts
of the country and some also overseas.
But coming to the point now.
The legacy of the Prophet ﷺ is immense
and far-reaching.
When we are here on Mi'raj and
occasions like these, we are commemorating a life
of someone who changed the course of history.
His teachings has had and continues to have
a profound impact on the lives of millions
of people.
And his sunnah, his life example, continues to
be the primary sample of exemplary behavior for
people of faith.
The Prophet ﷺ's lasting legacy is not only
how he dressed and how he looked and
which madhhab he belongs to.
It's so shameful that we are so caught
up with these kind of issues.
Debating on all age old stuff in the
same old manner.
We don't even debate in a new way.
Same old things we're arguing about in the
same old manner.
We haven't matured.
Some people debate, can you read when you
see the new moon?
Is it bid'ah?
Non-Muslims have gone to the moon.
They don't even go to the moon anymore.
We're still debating, is it now?
Can you read now?
Is it bid'ah or not?
We still busy with that kind of...
We haven't built a spaceship yet.
The Prophet's lasting legacy shines through the believers.
Because you know what?
It's not because we didn't do it.
We were at the forefront of these things.
The renaissance occurred because of Baitul Hikmah in
Baghdad.
So that's something new.
We have deviated from the legacy of the
Rasul.
From the all-inclusive empowering that Ikra and
Isra is gone.
Because the Rasul went up.
We should have gone up.
He's ascending and we're descending.
It's a disconnected dichotomy.
The Prophet's lasting legacy shines through the believers
who echo the spirit of that legacy over
the ages.
The call of Bilal, which the Rasul instructed
him to give the adhan.
The call of Bilal sounds from every minaret
of every mosque every day, five times a
day.
Lessons of selfless sacrifice of Imam Hussain.
The mysticism of Rabia al-Adawiyya.
The fairness of Umar ibn Abdul Aziz.
The storehouse of knowledge like Sayyidina Nafisa.
The heroism of Salahuddin Ayyubi.
The intellectual depth of Lady Lubna of Qurtuba.
The genius of al-Buruni, of Battani, of
al-Razi, ibn Hayyan, al-Khawarizmi.
Fathers of chemistry, of algebra and mathematics.
Ibn Rushd.
The foresight of Fatima al-Fihri, who built
the world's first university.
Not first Muslim university, the first university in
West Africa.
The brilliance of al-Kindi, of ibn Khaldun,
of Ghazali.
This is the legacy of the Prophet.
This is the one whose mi'raj you're
talking about tonight.
The royal patrons of learning like Harun al
-Rashid and Raziya Sultan and the poetry of
Hassan bin Thabit, Shayma, Iqbal and Rumi.
Furthermore, as part of that legacy are institutions
like Bayt al-Hikmah in Baghdad, where the
top scholars of different faiths came together and
wrote manuals that lasted for hundreds of years
as manuals at the universities that would be
built after that.
Al-Qarawiyin in Fez in Morocco, al-Azhar
in Cairo, and existing structures that we visit
still today, like al-Hamra in Spain, the
Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, the Sulaimani Mosque in
Turkey, the Taj Mahal in India, the Grand
Royal Mosque in Isfahan, the Dome of the
Rock in Jerusalem.
All these are but extended reflections of the
Prophet's impactful legacy.
His impactful legacy on the world through those
who followed him, alhamdulillah.
That is the Prophet that we follow.
The one whom Allah took on Isra and
al-Mi'raj.
His legacy is reflected and still continues to
be so through the impact that he continues
to have on the lives of others.
A lasting living legacy.
An elevated Prophet.
Elevated Prophet that deserves the commitment of an
elevating Ummah.
An elevated, the one who went up, the
one who was ascended.
An elevated Prophet, an ascended Prophet who deserves
the commitment of an ascending and an elevating
Ummah.
Imam Busayri said in his Qasida Burda He
said, when Allah invites us to his obedience,
he calls upon us to follow the Prophet.
When Allah says obey me, If you obey
the Prophet, you have obeyed me.
Why?
Because he never deviates from the way of
Allah.
So when Allah invites us to his obedience,
he instructs us to follow the Prophet.
And by the honourability of that Prophet, we
have become worthy, worthy of being the most
honourable community.
Let us on this evening make a resolution.
A resolution to live up to that honour
of that Honourable Prophet.
O my Beloved, peace be upon
you.
O my poor and good, peace be upon
you.
O my Beloved, peace be upon you.
O my Beloved, peace be upon you.
I'll try to do just a last bit.
I say four more minutes left to go
for the Adhan.
So I'll read the Salawat read by my
Ustadh Qari Nurbai, so I'll read a bit
of that if I can.
If you have heard him read, please don't
compare the two.
I hope you haven't heard it from him.
Shukran.
Salamun Alaykum.
Jazakumullah Khayran to Sheikh Sadullah.
Certainly a very gifted man.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala increase Sheikh and
may he be a benefit to us in
this community for many many more years to
come.
And we are fortunate to have Sheikh right
on our doorstep every day.
Jazakumullahu khairan.
And maybe for the next Jummah, we can
cut out the talk and we can do
a whole Nasheed.
Jazakumullahu khairan.
But I'm not going out.
Just a reminder while the Masjid is quite
full, that next Sunday, the 2nd of Feb,
we'll be hosting the Seerah Jalsa.
It's okay.
I won't speak.
We'll be hosting the Seerah Jalsa at this
Masjid.
The program will start at 4.55pm and
then we'll perform Asr Salah.
And immediately after Asr, there will be a
Kira'ah by Qari Yusuf Osman and we'll
have a Dhikr by Sheikh Ismail Lunt, Qari
Yusuf Osman and Mawlana Yusuf Rabit.
Thereafter, we will have a talk by Mufti
Ismail Mink.
At 5.45pm, his talk will take place.
Thereafter, we will have a talk by Mufti
Sheikh Abdul Rahman Khan and after him will
be Mawlana Sulaiman Rabit.
And the final talk will be just before
Maghrib Salah by Mawlana Ibrahim Bam.
Please, you're all welcome to attend.
And free meals will be given to all
the Musallis outside the Masjid after the program,
after Maghrib Salah.
That's on Sunday, the 2nd of Hib.
Jazakumullah Khairan.
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the
Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of
the worlds.
The Beneficent, the Merciful.
Owner of the Day of Recompense.
It is You we worship and You we
ask for help.
Guide us to the straight path, the path
of those You have blessed, those
on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, those
on whom You have bestowed Your Mercy, In
the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of
the worlds.
The Beneficent, the Merciful.
Owner of the Day of Recompense.
It is You we worship and You we
ask for help.
Guide us to the straight path, the path
of those You have blessed, those on whom
You have bestowed Your Grace, As
-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah, as-salamu alaykum wa
rahmatullah.
Astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah,
astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah.
As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah, astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah,
astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah.
As
-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah, as-salamu alaykum wa
rahmatullah.
As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullah, as-salamu alaykum
wa rahmatullah.