Men of Excellence: Friday Sermon June 26th, 2020

In today’s sermon, His Holiness^(aba) continued to narrate accounts from the life of Hazrat ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Auf^(ra), before speaking about Hazrat Sa’d bin Mu’adh^(ra).

Hazrat ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Auf^(ra)

Generosity and Financial Sacrifices

His Holiness^(aba) said that Hazrat ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Auf^(ra) was well-known for his generosity and his financial sacrifices. It is mentioned in an account that Hazrat ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Auf^(ra) left behind a will that everyone who took part in the Battle of Badr will be granted 400 dinars. There were 100 companions present at the time when this was implemented.

FEED THE POOR

Feeding the poor and needy is an act that draws us closer to Allah. We earn His forgiveness, mercies and blessings through this act of charity.

“Anyone who looks after and works for a widow and a poor person is like a warrior fighting for Allah?s cause, or like a person who fasts during the day and prays all night. (Bukhari)

When the Holy Prophet^(sa) instructed about the expedition to Tabuk, he encouraged the well-off people to spend in the way of Allah and to provide means of transport. Upon hearing this, Hazrat Abu Bakr^(ra) was the first one to present all of his belongings in this cause. The Holy Prophet^(sa) inquired from Hazrat Abu Bakr^(ra) if he had left anything behind for his family members. Hazrat Abu Bakr^(ra) responded by stating that he had left behind Allah and His Messenger (sa) for his family. Hazrat Umar^(ra) brought half of all his belongings. The Holy Prophet^(sa) inquired from Hazrat Umar^(ra) if he had left anything behind for his family members, to which he responded that he had left behind half of his belongings for his family. Hazrat ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Auf^(ra) donated 4000 dirhams in this cause.

The Holy Prophet^(sa) stated that Hazrat Uthman^(ra) and Hazrat ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Auf^(ra) are both treasures of Allah Almighty on earth, who spent in His cause to attain His acceptance.

On one occasion, Hazrat ‘Abdur Rahman bin ‘Auf^(ra) spent half of his wealth, which was 4000 dirhams, in the way of Allah Almighty. On another occasion, he gave away 40,000 dirhams, and in another incident, he spent 40,000 dinars towards the cause of Allah Almighty. Similarly, once he gave away 5-7 horses for the sake of Allah Almighty. He also offered 500 camels in the way of Allah Almighty on another occasion.

Hazrat Sa’d bin Mu’adh^(ra)

The second companion whom His Holiness^(aba) mentioned in today’s sermon was Hazrat Sa’d bin Mu’adh^(ra) who was the chief of the Aus tribe in Madinah.

Acceptance of Islam

His Holiness^(aba) shared the incident of Hazrat Sa’d bin Mu’adh^(ra) accepting Islam. This incident is mentioned in detail by Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad sahib^(ra) in his book ‘The Life & Character of the Seal of the Prophets (sa)’.

The Holy Prophet^(sa) dispatched Hazrat Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair^(ra) to Madinah to propagate the message of Islam. Hazrat Mus’ab^(ra) worked hard to spread the message and followed the guidelines of the Holy Prophet^(sa) as a result of which, Islam began to spread in Madinah. Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh disliked this, and endeavoured to stop Islam from gaining popularity. So he sent Usaid bin Al-Hudair to stop Hazrat Mus’ab^(ra) from spreading the message of Islam.

Usaid was from the revered chieftains of the ‘Abdul-Ashhal tribe, and his father had remained the leader of the entire Aus tribe during the Battle of Bu‘ath. After Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh, Usaid bin Al-Hudair possessed significant influence within his tribe. Therefore, upon the encouragement of Sa‘d, he went to Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair^(ra) and told him to stop spreading the message of Islam.

Mus‘ab^(ra) addressed him in a very respectful and loving tone, and asked him to listen to what they had to say with a cool heart before formulating his opinion. Mus‘ab^(ra) then recited the Holy Qur’an to him and enlightened him of Islamic teachings very benevolently. Usaid was so moved that he accepted Islam right away, and mentioned that if Sa’d bin Mu’adh would convert, their entire tribe would accept Islam.

Men of Excellence: Friday Sermon June 26th, 2020 (Video)

So Usaid^(ra) sent Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh to Mus‘ab bin ‘Umair^(ra). Mus‘ab^(ra) was able to convey the message of Islam to Sa’d bin Mu’adh by reciting the Holy Quran and detailing the Islamic principles in a wonderful manner. It did not take long for Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh^(ra) to also accept Islam. After accepting Islam, Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh^(ra), and Usaid bin Al-Hudair^(ra) went to their tribesmen and conveyed the message and were able to convert their entire tribe to Islam the same day.

Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib^(ra) writes:

“Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh^(ra) received a position amongst the Ansar as did Hadrat Abu Bakr^(ra) amongst the Muhajirin of Makkah. He turned out to be extremely sincere, remarkably loyal, and an exceptionally devoted lover of Islam and the founder of Islam. Since he was also the chieftain of his tribe, he was extraordinarily intelligent as well. He acquired such a position in Islam which was not only distinctive, nay, the most distinctive companions of the Holy Prophet^(sa) acquired. No doubt, upon his early demise, the words of the Holy Prophet^(sa) that, ‘Upon the demise of Sa‘d even the throne of the Gracious God has come into motion,’ was based on a very deep reality.”

After sharing a few more incidents from the life of Hazrat Sa’d Bin Mu’adh^(ra), His Holiness^(aba) then stated that he will continue to speak about him in the future, InshaAllah.

Summary prepared by The Review of Religions