Abu Hurayrah (radiallaahu ‘anhu) once passed by the market in Madinah. He stopped at the market and said:

“O people of the market, how incapable you are!”

They said, “And how is that Abu Hurayrah?”

He replied, “Over there, the inheritance of Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is being distributed and you are here! Won’t you go and take your share?”

“Where is it?” they asked.

He replied, “In the Masjid.”

So they hurried to the Masjid, and Abu Hurayrah waited for them until they returned.

When they came back, he said, “What’s the matter?”

They replied, “Abu Hurayrah! We went to the Masjid, but we didn’t see anything being distributed.”

Abu Hurayrah asked them, “And you didn’t see anyone in the Masjid?”

They replied, “Indeed we did; we saw people praying, others reciting Quran and others studying the regulations of halal and haram.”

So Abu Hurayrah said, “Woe to you! That is the inheritance of Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam).”

[Reported by at-Tabaraani in al-Aswaat, with a hassan chain of narrators; Al-Albanee also graded it hasan in Saheeh al-Targheeb wa Tarheeb, Vol 1, pg. 19.]

Ka’b bin Malik (radi Allahu anhu) reported: “I saw the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) licking his three fingers after eating.” [Sahih Muslim, #5296]

Thus, the best way of eating is that shown by the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) which was eating with his three fingers.

Here is also the affirmation of licking one’s fingers after finishing a meal, and not during it. Another hadith encouraging licking one’s fingers states: “You do not know in which portion the blessing lies.” [Sahih Muslim, #5300] Therefore, to obtain the full benefit from the meal we should lick our fingers after the last morsel.

Also when eating, it if from the Sunnah to eat with the right hand for the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If one of you eats, he should eat with his right hand. And if he drinks something, he should drink with his right hand. For indeed, Satan eats and drinks with his left hand.” [Sahîh Muslim (2020)]

Praise be to Allah.

Should this occasion truly be celebrated? This is a question that arises every single year upon the advent of the Islamic month of Rabi' al-awwal. The almost self-evident counter question here would be, did the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) himself ever celebrate his birthday? Did his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) ever celebrate it? Are there any reports of this Ummah’s pious predecessors (the Salaf) ever having celebrated it? The answer is an obvious and resounding NO, thus providing a huge problem for those who wish to take this day as a day of ‘Eid alongside the two ‘Eids as legislated in the pure prophetic Sunnah.

There is nothing in the Quran to say that we should celebrate the Mawlid or birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Prophet himself (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did not do this or command anyone to do it, either during his lifetime or after his death. Indeed, he told them not to exaggerate about him as the Christians had exaggerated about Jesus (upon whom be peace). He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not exaggerate about me as the Christians exaggerated about the son of Maryam. I am only a slave, so say, ‘The slave of Allah and His Messenger.’” (Reported by al-Bukhaari).

What has been reported is that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made the day of his birth a day of worship, which is different to celebration. He was asked about fasting on Mondays, and he said: “That is the day on which I was born and the day on which I was entrusted with the Mission or when I was first given Revelation.” (Reported by Muslim, al-Nisaa’i and Abu Dawood).

Moreover, we know that the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) were the people who loved the Prophet most.

Was it reported that Abu Bakr, who was the closest of people to him and the one who loved him the most, celebrated the birthday of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)?

Was it reported that ‘Umar, who ruled for twelve years, or ‘Uthmaan, did this?

Was it reported that ‘Ali, his relative and foster son, did this?

Was it reported that any of the Sahabah did this?

No, by Allah! Is it because they were not aware of its importance, or did they not truly love the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)? No one would say such a thing except one who has gone astray and is leading others astray.

Did any of the imaams – Abu Haneefah, Maalik, al-Shaafi’i, Ahmad, al-Hasan al-Basri, Ibn Seereen – do this or command others to do it or say that it was good?

By Allah, no!

It was not even mentioned during the first and best three centuries. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said in a saheeh hadeeth: “The best of mankind are my generation (or my century), then those who come after them, then those who come after them. Then there will come a people who will not care if their testimony comes before their oath or vice versa (i.e., they will not take such matter seriously).” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, Muslim and al-Tirmidhi).

The celebration of the Prophet’s birthday appeared many centuries later, when many of the features of true religion had vanished and bid’ah had become widespread.

Thus this celebration became a sign of one’s love for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)? But can it be possible that the Sahabah, the Imaams and the people of the best three centuries were unaware of it, and it was only those who came later who were aware of its importance?!

What the Quran tells us is that love of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is demonstrated by following the guidance he brought. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Say (O Muhammad): ‘If you (really) love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Say: ‘Obey Allah and the Messenger.’ But if they turn away, then Allah does not like the disbelievers.” [Surah Ali ‘Imran 3:31-32]

The first aayah explains that love is just a claim, but the proof of sincerity is following what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) brought. The second aayah reaffirms the importance and necessity of obeying Allah and His Messenger. Hence Allah ended the aayah with a very stern warning in which those who refuse to obey are described as kaafirs, and Allah does not love the disbelievers.

We ask Allah to keep us safe from that. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told us of the danger of not obeying him, and the danger of adding to what he brought. The celebration of Mawlid or his birthday is indeed an addition to what he brought – as all the scholars agree. He  (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “The best of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The most evil of things are those which are newly-invented (in religion), and every innovation is a going astray.” (Reported by Muslim and al-Nisaa’i).

We ask Allah to protect us from bid’ah and to bless us by helping us to follow. Allah knows best. May Allah bless our Prophet Muhammad.

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“We were of the most disgraced of people, and Allah granted us honor with this Islam. Now, whenever we seek honor in other than that which Allah honored us with, Allah shall disgrace us (once again).”  — ‘Umar b. al-Khattab

“Black people in America can never be Muslim,” he said to me as I stood next to his desk. I stared at my teacher with an expression that must have conveyed very little of what I felt right then. I didn’t know what to say. I studied his eyes, slightly enlarged by the thick glasses he wore. The deep olive of his Arab complexion was nearly the same as my American brown. We even shared the same hair texture—though my hair was covered right then.

But, even so, to an outsider looking in, he could have easily been my father. And given that he was the only Muslim teacher I had at the high school, I should have at least shared with him the commonality of “brother and sister” in Islam. But that, I knew, was impossible to this man. He was Arab. I was American—and “Black” at that. He wanted to make sure I understood this impossibility. I did.

I continued standing where I was only because I was waiting for my teacher to mention the reason he had called me to his desk. The other students were at their seats working, some looking up curiously every now and then, wondering what it was our teacher wanted from me. Naturally, like most students would, they imagined I’d gotten myself in trouble somehow, and they didn’t want to miss the action. I waited only because I didn’t want to miss his point.

The teacher’s matter-of-fact expression as he blinked back at me confused me only momentarily. I hesitated for only a second after the realization, mostly out of respect, and I made an effort not to display disdain for my elder as I excused myself and returned to my seat. But it was impossible for me to concentrate after that. I was genuinely perplexed.

…

“In life,” my father told us once, “you’ll meet many people who’ll say al-salamu ‘alaykum, but they’re not really Muslim.” He shook his head. “No, I don’t mean they’re not Muslims to Allah. I mean they’re not living Islam. They have no idea what this religion means.”

I thought of my Arab teacher.

“Beauty is in carrying yourself like a Muslim,” my parents would say. “Beauty is in living Islam.”

…

I stood browsing the shelves of the modest store—“the Sooq”—adjacent to the prayer area of the Islamic center I liked to attend in suburban Washington, D.C. I did a double take before picking up the small box. I stared at it a moment longer, realizing my eyes hadn’t been mistaken at all. The skin-bleaching cream—manufactured in a Muslim country—did indeed say what I thought it said.

The solution to pollution.

Next to this tagline was the image of two faces, one brown (incidentally very close to my own skin tone) and the other white—the “before” and “after” of this product. Disgusted, I returned the box to the shelf and left.

…

“And here we have a black woman,” the Muslim lecturer told the audience, his voice rising to reflect the sincerity of his message as he shared the famous hadith about the black woman afflicted with seizures, a story he hoped would encourage his Muslim sisters to take ḥijāb more seriously, “a black woman who wanted to guard her modesty. So she asked the Prophet, ṣallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, to invoke Allah so that she wouldn’t become uncovered. Sisters, this was a black woman…”

…

“My father would never let me marry a Black man,” my friend from Trinidad told me as we chatted one day. She laughed and shook her head. I couldn’t help noticing that her skin was a much richer brown than my own. “He told me, ‘You can marry whoever you want, but don’t ever marry a Black man.’”

…

“I must admit,” a sister from Somalia said after meeting me for the first time. We were at a book event for my novels held at an Islamic convention. “I’m really surprised you’re Black.” As we talked, she apologized for her prejudice: She had been unable to fathom that such “well-written” books could come from a Black American. Later at the same convention, a fellow American said something similar—but in different words. “And she’s really intelligent,” he said as he introduced me to his wife. His voice was between disbelief and awe. I smiled as I reached out to shake the hand of a woman who studied me with a sense of uncertainty that strangely mirrored her husband’s shock at my brain’s capacity. I read the question in her eyes. Really? Are you sure?

I could say that these experiences scarred me for life, that I went home in tears, and that these people’s bigotry incited within me that horrible inferiority complex due to my “Blackness” and my utter inability to be accepted not only by “White America” but also by the “real” Muslims of the world.

But I won’t. That would be dishonest. Truth is, I felt sorry for these people.

When I was still in high school, I would come home and recount such stories to my younger sister, and like myself at the time, she would become perplexed. And to be really honest, we would even laugh at times—not with the quiet, hesitant giggle most appropriate for our “lowly” status, but with the thunderous throw-your-head-back laugh that makes your stomach hurt and tears sting your eyes. This was how we dealt with much of the bigotry we witnessed in life.

Perhaps I am an exception. I can’t be sure. But I didn’t reach adulthood thinking I was less than anyone else. I didn’t shrink in the face of those deemed above me—whether Muslim or non-Muslim—and demurely accept their “superior” status. Quite frankly, I didn’t know they had one. Yes, I knew about those suffering from a tragic sense of insecurity, which made it necessary for them to release “statistics” about others’ intellectual abilities (or lack thereof) or call a student to their desk to say she couldn’t be Muslim.

Or to believe, perhaps, that those who aren’t Black are actually inferior. But, alhamdulillah, I didn’t go through any of that.

Yes, in childhood, I was mistreated—by non-Muslims mostly due to my Islam and brown skin and by Muslims mostly due to my “lack of Islam” because of my brown skin. And yes, it hurt. And yes, I cried from time to time. And no, I didn’t always feel confident in my Muslim headscarf and brown skin. And, naturally, I didn’t reach adulthood without insecurities (if such a thing is possible).

But, by Allah’s mercy, I also didn’t reach adulthood insecure. My self-image and self-esteem centered around one thing: my Islam. So when I picked up a “Muslim” magazine and happened upon the matrimonial section, it didn’t even occur to me that I should feel slighted or offended when I read dozens of ads by men looking for “fair” wives. I had a good laugh. And my sister did too.

…

“I’m Whiter than You”

I flipped back to the page of Al-Jumuah Magazine I had just seen. For a moment I just stared at the title. I couldn’t imagine what the article would be about. If there was a turning point in my youthful naivete, reading this article was probably it—though I was a wife and mother at the time I came across this piece.

To the author’s credit, the article was well-written and reflective. She was a White American who had accepted Islam and, due to her (apparently) being the recipient of superfluous praise for her appearance, she wished to let us know the downside of having white skin—sunburns and the like.

What was life-changing about this for me was two-fold: that the author had been inspired to write it in the first place and, what’s more, that a reputable Muslim magazine had seen value in printing it.

I sat still for quite some time. I wasn’t hurt. I wasn’t indignant. I was… confounded.

And concerned.

…

When I was in high school, a local radio show held a citywide essay contest, and contestants were to write about the hero in their lives. The winning piece would be read live from the Indianapolis radio station and broadcast for all the city to hear. As I contemplated whom I would write about, many personalities crossed my mind. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks… But in the end, I chose my father. And, to my surprise, I won.

I stood before the microphone as the radio host looked on, and I shared with the world my honest testimony of what I felt right then— that my father was my hero in life. It wasn’t because he was a well-known community activist or because I’d grown accustomed to seeing his name in the newspaper or his face on television. It wasn’t even because he was the spiritual advisor to the famous boxer Mike Tyson. It was because, despite the many obstacles he faced in life and despite his being a rather ordinary man, he managed to instill in me, as well as my siblings, a love for the lives that Allah gave us. And never once did he make me or my siblings believe that our worth (or beauty) could be measured by— or limited to— our bodies or skin.

In a word, he taught us… truth. Today, I find it truly heartbreaking that of the more than one billion Muslims in the world, so few of them could say the same of their parents.

…

Unfortunately, in today’s world, Muslims — whether “fair” or “dark”, Arab or non-Arab, Black or White — seek honor in lifestyles and values that are far removed from Islam.

“Is it honor you seek among them? Nay, all honor is with Allah.” [Quran (Surah Al-Nisa’, 4:139)]

While in truth, we should seek honor in only one lifestyle:

That of being slaves.

Not to our country, skin color, tribe, or family name. And not even to our “victim status” as oppressed people of the world.

But to Allah, our Creator. Who has given us Islam.

If we don’t seek honor through this religion, we will continue to live in humiliation and make utter fools of ourselves. Not only through revealing our tragic colonial mentality in racist comments, ridiculous matrimonial ads, and bizarre articles in magazines. But through our sullied souls when we die and meet Allah.

For to our Creator, there is but one measure of human beauty and worth: Being Allah’s slaves on earth. And these superior slaves are not distinguished due to their bodies or skin. But due to their pure hearts and righteous deeds…

And through having in their breasts not even a grain of pride when they are buried in the dirt from which they were created.

So as we take pride in the color (or lack thereof) of our fleshy dirt,

Tell me, O child of Adam…

Are you amongst these honored slaves?

[Umm Zakiyyah is the internationally acclaimed author of the If I Should Speak trilogy and the novels Realities of Submission and Hearts We Lost. To learn more about the author, visit themuslimauthor.com or join her Facebook page.]

Commentary from Riyadh as Saliheen: “Water should be drunk in three breaths, that is one should breathe three times outside the drinking vessel one is drinking from. This habit has a salutary impact one one’s character and helps one avoid doing things in haste.”

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said: “Do not drink in one gulp like a camel, but in two or three (gulps). Mention the Name of Allah (i.e. say Bismillah) when you start drinking and praise Him (i.e. say alhamdolillah) after you have finished (drinking).” [at-Tirmidhi]

Commentary: This hadith too, prohibits us from drinking water in a single breath. It is preferable to say Bismillah everytime we drink and alhamdolillah everytime we stop drinking.

It’s always a joy when Allah blesses you with a child. Children bring great happiness, but also trials and responsibilities. One of the very first duties you have toward your new child, besides physical care and love, is to give your child a meaningful Muslim name.

It’s narrated from Abu Darda’ (may Allah be pleased with him) that The Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: “On the Day of Resurrection you will be called by your names and by your father’s names, so give yourselves good names.” [Abu Dawud: Book 41, Hadith 4930]

When choosing a name for a boy, Muslims have several choices. It is recommended to name a boy in a way that indicates service to God, by using ‘Abd in front of one of God’s Names. Other possibilities include the names of Prophets (peace and blessing of Allah be upon them), names of the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah be pleased with them), or other male names which have a good meaning. There are also some categories of names which are prohibited to use for Muslim children.

It’s narrated from Abu Wahb al-Jushami (may Allah be pleased with him) that The Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) said: “Call yourselves by the names of the Prophets. The names dearest to Allah are Abdullah and AbdurRahman, the truest are Harith and Hammam, and the worst are Harb and Murrah.” [Abu Dawud: Book 41, Hadith 4932]

Note:
* Abdullah means Servant of Allah
* AbdurRahman means Servant of the Beneficent
* Harith means Ploughman, cultivator
* Hammam means A great man, a chief, a hero
* Harb means War
* Murrah means Bitter

Source : iloveAllaah.com