Simple things by the Prophet for us to emulate...

****************************** In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful; blessings and peace be upon Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. **************************** Reflection **************************** The Declining Day (Al-'Asr) 1. By the declining day, 2. Lo! Man is in a state of loss, 3. Save those who believe and do good works, and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance. ***************************** RECENTLY I had the opportunity to attend several ‘Maulidur Rasul tazkirah’ (talks or reminders in conjunction with Prophet Muhammad’s (s.a.w.) birthday. Some interesting points raised by speakers caught my attention and I would like to share them with readers especially regarding those small matters carried out by the Prophet which are easy for us to follow. *************************** One ‘ustaz’ (a religious teacher) said it was no point in getting involved in ‘Maulidur Rasul’ processions while ignoring and going against Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) teachings, what more the simple ones. He said among those who were jubilant when the Prophet was born was Abu Lahab, but 40 years later when Prophet Muhammad revealed that he was the Messenger of God, this uncle of the Prophet started a war against him. ************************** He said when Abu Lahab heard news that a baby boy was born to Aminah who was his brother’s (Abdullah) wife, he was full of joy that he circled the Ka’abah seven times (did tawaf) and proudly paraded in the holy city. ****************************** But when Muhammad (pbuh) became a Prophet, Abu Lahab dan his wife, worked continuously to make it hard for the Prophet; in the Qur’an, there is ‘Surah al-Tabat’ mentioning about Abu Lahab and his wife’s horrible fate in the Hereafter. *************************** Another 'ustaz' said many of us did not know the life story of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. and his struggle, thus how could we fall in love with him? He said the love for the Prophet s.a.w. was very, very, very important because he is the only one among Allah SWT's creations (makhluk) who could render us help in our journey in the Hereafter beginning with our lives in our graves (barzakh). ********************************** The 'ustaz' said, once inside our graves, the angels, Munkar and Nakir, would pose questions such as who is your Lord and who is your Prophet? What do you know about this man (Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.)? Based on this, the 'ustaz' said, Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. would be beside us in our graves; but if in our lives we were ignorant of him and his teachings, then it would be difficult for us to have his 'syafaat' (blessings). ********************************* One way to get to know the Prophet s.a.w. is by following his 'sunnah' (way of life). Some 'sunnah' are so simple yet because of our ignorance, we just look it down or push it aside. ********************** From the several talks of Maulidur Rasul that I had attended, here is a compilation on the simple matters carried out by the Prophet as told by the 'ustazs' for us to follow. It is because of our love for him that we do our best to emulate his ways. Please do away with our ego and shyness in following the Prophet’s s.a.w. way of life ************************ On family matters *************************** One 'ustaz' said the Prophet s.a.w. was very loving towards his family, including to his wives. This 'ustaz' said one of his habits was to lay his head on the thigh of his beloved wife, Aishah upon returning home from a hard day’s work preaching to his people. *************************** "So after this talk, I recommend to husbands on returning home to show your affection to your wives. Please upon returning home, greet them with a 'salam' (greeting with a blessing) and whenever the two of you are free, do hold hands, never mind if you have been married for 20, 30 or 40 years. Your wife would be full of surprise, because all those long years you had not done that, but do not hesitate, go ahead; always be intimated with her, 'insya-Allah' (God willing) you would find out that your home would be full of 'barakah' (blessing) and with love." **************************** Drinking and eating *************************** "Oh, what a simple thing to emulate the Prophet," said an 'ustaz'. The general rule is to sit whenever one eats or drinks; begin with reciting 'Bismillah' (in the name of Allah) and when finished, recite 'Alhamdulillah' (all praises to Allah). Then one should drink or eat with one's right hand. ************************** "But this simple thing of the Prophet s.a.w. too people cannot follow...look around you, there are functions where even the ones organized by educated people and religious bodies where you find the guests drinking and worst of all, people eating whist standing." ************************** Conveying 'salam' ************************** An 'ustaz' said, when two persons (or more) meet, begin with 'salam' 'Assalaamu alaykum" (peace be upon you). And in the Qur'an in Surah An-Nisa 4:86) Allah SWT says; "And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with what is better than it or (at least) return it equally." ************************** Is it difficult to give 'salam'? It is a simple thing to do and by doing it, we are following the Prophet's way of life and it is a way to prove our love for him. But why does it seem hard for us to convey salam'? It seems to be 'the hardest word'... ******************** Seeking knowledge ************************** "Why masjids are always 'almost empty' during 'tazkirah' (talks) normally held between maghrib and isya prayers?" asked an 'ustaz'. "Seeking knowledge is a duty on every Muslim," says the Prophet in a 'hadith' narrated by Imam Bukhari. ************************ The Prophet's way of life is to seek knowledge which must continue as long as breath of life reminds in our bodies. Allah SWT says: "...those truly fear Allah, among His servants, who have knowledge..." (Qur'an 35: 28) ************************* So why not take time from our busy schedules to be at the masjid for at least during the maghrib-isyak 'tazkirah' slot. Is this difficult for us to follow? ************************* 'Leading by example' (kepimpinan melalui teladan) ********************** An ustaz said: "During the Ahzab War (War of the Trench), a 'sahabah' (Companion) of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. by the name of Salman Al-Farisi suggested that Muslims dug wide and deep trenches around Madinah to stop the invading allied forces of the Mushrikin armies. Their leader, Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. toiled and sweated in the hot sun with his 'sahabahs', many a time without enough food and water. There was a time when the Prophet had to tie a big stone onto his stomach to lessen his thirst and hunger. ************************** But today, why must our leader be only good at officially opening “projects”? He will officiate at a ground breaking ceremony or the laying of a foundation stone of the project, and in the next hour or worst still minutes later he would be gone... *************************** Why not our leaders emulate the Prophet’s s.a.w. way of life? Always be with the people and in this way you can share their feelings and their 'pangs of life' such as coping with the ever rising prices of necessary items or having 'kangkung goreng' (fried kangkung) every day for their lunch and dinner tables!