 I was asked to speak about the obligation of believing in the intercession. So tonight's theme as being the intercession, I was asked to speak about the obligation. The first thing you have to know before we talk about intercession is the fact that every single human being has to come to a point in their lives, even if you're born Muslim, when your heart realizes that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. There comes a time, you can say you're born Muslim or you practice the outward aspects of your faith, but in each of our lives there's a time when the truth hits you that this man, Siddha Muhammad s.a., is the messenger of Allah, and that is when our journey actually begins. When we say and we realize very, very deeply, not because others are saying it around us or because the sheeds are saying it, when we realize very deeply Muhammad s.a., we join all of creation in understanding this. The heavens have always known that Muhammad s.a., is Rasulullah. The Arsh of Allah has written on it that Muhammad s.a., all of the angels know that he is Rasulullah and have always known that. The angels have been commanded not to open the gates of paradise unless Siddha Muhammad s.a., enters into there and they've been created from the beginning of creation, standing there and waiting. So all of the creation of Allah, even all of the Jibril s.a., imagine the excitement in his heart when he had to come finally to Siddha Muhammad s.a., to give that revelation. In the command from Allah was what? Hug my beloved. Hug my beloved. We think the Prophet s.a.w was in awe of seeing Jibril. Imagine the awe that Jibril had standing in front of Rasulullah s.a., and asked to hug the best of creation. All of the prophets knew. All of the prophets were sent just like they knew Tawhid and they knew their message. They knew that there will come a prophet at the end named Siddha Muhammad s.a.m. In fact, it made their entire mission and purpose makes sense because none of them were sent permanently. None of them were sent for everyone. They knew they had just a small piece of the puzzle, a small piece of the puzzle in a wrinkle in time. And yet they knew that the one to round the entire thing out was Muhammad s.a.w. In fact, even the objects of the earth knew this. Bahirah the monk, when the Prophet s.a.w. as a boy came into his valley, what did he say when he came to Abu Talib and said, this is the last prophet. This is the final prophet. They said, how did you know? He said, because since you guys entered the valley, all of the rocks and the trees have been in Sajdah and they only do that for a prophet. Because he had that spiritual insight, imagine what level you'd have to be at with Allah to understand that a tree is making a Sajdah or a stone is making a Sajdah. And yet he knew. What does it mean? It means that even the trees and the stones and the objects knew Rasulullah s.a.w. They knew because they had not seen him before. So they knew from before that Muhammad s.a.w. It was in their DNA. It was in just like how they have atoms. And we know that subhanAllah, even the clouds knew, even the disbelievers knew. Even those people of the book, those people of Bani Israel, when they saw the Prophet s.a.w. as a boy playing in Medina, when his mother took him there to visit the grave of his father Abdullah, it was said that as the Prophet s.a.w. was learning to swim in the wells of Medina as a young boy, the reports say that he was being stared at by a group of men of the Bani Israel. And they were giving him this look. And somebody else, one of the family members, person who's sincerely concerned for the Prophet s.a.w. advised Amina, lady Amina, take your son now and go back to Mecca because the Ahl Kitab are looking at him. And it is even said that when the Prophet s.a.w. was born in our reports of the narrations of the Seerah, it talks about that people coming into Mecca of the people of the book and saying, has there been any child born on this night? Has there been any child born on this night? And one of the men of the Ahl Kitab said, yes, a child has been born in this house. And when he went to go, he said, let me see this child. When he saw the child, the report in our Seerah book says that he felt unconscious. He felt unconscious. And they said, what's wrong with you? You see one of our babies and you fall unconscious? Like he said, and he just woke up saying the prophecy has left Bani Israel. So even the people who had opposed the Prophet s.a.w. knew from far before. So it really shows us something. It really shows us something. The Prophet s.a.w.'s Prophet who didn't begin at 40 years old, we think he became a Prophet at 40. Never say he became a Prophet at 40, because the Prophet s.a.w. was a Prophet since the creation was made. In fact, they asked him. So then the question comes, when was he a Prophet then? If even before him, the Prophet s.a.w.'s knew about him. They asked him this question. When were you a Prophet? The Prophet s.a.w. said, well, when Adam was still being mixed in his clay, meaning as far back as anybody can remember. So if this becomes, if the Prophet s.a.w. Prophethood pre-exists, it basically predates human existence. So it's getting extremely cosmic at this point in time. That he's not just a normal human being. He's not just like you and me. He is Bashar. What does Allah swt says? He says, Inna ma, he said to say to them, Inna ma ana Basharum mitlukum yuha ilayh. Anna ma ila hukum ilahu wahid. Say, tell them, I am just a human being that is just like you, but it has been revealed to me that your Lord is one God, is one God. And that entire difference is what makes Rasulullah s.a.w. His Prophethood and his being predate all of the rest of creation. And then the question comes, why was it like that? Why was he sent? Why was he made so special? In order to understand this, you have to understand why Allah created creation itself. Allah created creation to bring servants into the world, human beings and jinn, who would worship Allah. Allah swt says, I have not created the jinn and the mankind, except that they worship me. Ibn Abbas said, what this really means is, And so Allah swt created all of us and all of humankind, so that we get to know Allah swt. But at the same time, at the same time Allah created us, so his love and his mercy could receive an object. Because Allah is ar-Rahman, but who is there to have mercy on? Allah created us to have mercy on. Allah is al-Wadud, the loving, but who is there to have love on? He created us to be the objects, to receive that divine love. Now when Allah created us, he also subhan Allah, he also knew, and Imam Jafar Sadiq, the great-great-grandson of Rasulullah s.a.w, mentioned in Qadi-e-Aad's Kitab-e-Shifa, that Allah knew that these people that I'm creating, just between them and me, they would not be able to stand up to my worship. They would not be able to measure up. Human beings fall so short of Allah swt's glory and what he deserves. And so, as Imam Jafar Sadiq tells us, he says, and so Allah created, in a form of a human, Allah created a human being and adorned that human being with Ra'fa and Rahma, so that human being himself could be described as Ra'uf al-Rahim, from the names of Allah swt, but a full human being. And then Allah swt sent this most special human form to all of us and said that this is my ambassador. So whoever obeys him, obeys me, and whoever is in harmony with him is in harmony with me. And this is exactly where, subhan Allah, when Allah says, may itair Rasul, fa qad ataa Allah, whoever obeyed the messenger has obeyed Allah. Now do we understand that if the whole point of our existence is to worship Allah, Allah knew we couldn't measure up to it, so Allah created Rasulullah s.a., sent him to us, and if we are in harmony with Rasulullah, we are in harmony with our Lord and our maker in understanding the purpose of our existence. And this is why the Prophet s.a., this is why there's no other name that was joined to Allah's name, except Rasulullah s.a. In fact, when somebody tried to say in the presence of the Prophet, oh, if Allah wills, and so and so wills, and the Prophet s.a.m stopped them, don't say that. Say, if Allah wills, thumma, then if this other person wills. And yet, when it came to Rasulullah, we say Allah wa Rasuluhu A'lam. Allah and his messenger are no best. In fact, this is why Allah s.a.m says, wa rafa'na laka zikrak, and we have raised your mention. So, oh Muhammad, any time I am mentioned, you will always be mentioned besides me. You cannot be a Muslim. You cannot gain salvation when you say la ilaha illallah, until you say Muhammad al-Rasulullah. In fact, SubhanAllah, what do we call him? We call him Rasul? Allah, Rasulullah. So, his name is completely tied. And this is why this embodiment of mercy is why Allah says, wa ma alasal maka illa rahmatallil alameen. And we have not sent you except as a mercy, a pure, amazing mercy, where every single aspect of you is a mercy, so much mercy that even those who disbelieve in you will have mercy from you. Why? How? Because all the previous nations, when they abused their Prophet, when they made their Prophet bleed, when they tortured their Prophet, they were destroyed. There was a punishment in adhab al-Allah that came down. And what did the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, what did Allah say for this Prophet? They said, wa maa kunna nua adhibuhu antafihim. We weren't going to punish humanity as long as you are amongst them. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, his presence itself held back the divine wrath. Allah does not punish because why Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was there? So, even those people who were opposing him were actually under his own protection while they were making our beloved Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam bleed. He was still making dua for them. Oh Allah, they do not know. Do not punish them. They know not. And this is why now, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, so we know his whole life was a mercy for us. And as Ammut Arif said, his death was a mercy for us too. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that because your deeds will be shown to him according to the Hadith and your deeds will be shown to him. He says, if I see something good, I'm going to praise Allah. And if I see something bad, I'm going to ask Allah to forgive you. Who do you want to make Istighfar for you more than Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam? And but then, his death is good for us, but what about after we die? When our deeds are no more and they're not being presented to him, when our deeds come to end, this is where intercession comes now. This is where our theme of tonight comes. This is the Shafa'a. What do we mean by intercession? It's a big word. Shafa'a means to join. It means something that's to join something against something else. When you're alone and you're facing a problem and you bring someone who is, can do something and you bring them close to you, that is called Shafa'a. It's when somebody else comes in to speak on your behalf and takes care of the matter for you. Now this, where Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that Allah created mercy in a hundred parts and sent only one part of that to the world and that's why even animals love their young and 99% of that mercy is saved for the day of judgment. In this world, in the life of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, we saw like one part of his mercy too and the real beauty and the mercy of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam will only be witnessed by everyone on the day of judgment because in this life there are people who lived and died without knowing him. There are people who lived and died while rejecting him in the next life that will not be an option for anyone because they will all need him for their very salvation and their existence. And this is why SubhanAllah, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, this is why Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says, منذ الذي يشفع عنده إلا بإثنه. In ayatul kursi, in ayatul kursi is an ayat about Allah s greatness but then Allah says who can ever intercede in front of Allah except with Allah s permission and that one who has that permission is Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and this is why the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he would stand up all night praying to Hajj on one verse وَإِنْتُ عَذِّبَهُ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكُ that oh Allah if you punish them then they are your slaves after all but if you decide to forgive them then indeed you are the mighty and the wise and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was crying over this ayat and saying my ummah my ummah my ummah my ummah why because even though the verse is about Allah can forgive if he wants and Allah can punish he could not leave his ummah to that chance he could not leave his ummah to that uncertainty will Allah forgive or will Allah not forgive and so he was crying my ummah my ummah Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in the hadith as mentioned Imam Ghazali also mentioned his hadith Allah said to Jibril alayhi sallam go and see why my prophet is crying what makes him cry even though Allah knows Jibril alayhi sallam went to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and asked him what makes you cry and he said this is the following reason I'm crying for my ummah why because he doesn't know if we're going to be forgiven or if we're going to be punished and so Jibril alayhi sallam went back with the answer and Allah swt told Jibril tell him we will make you pleased with your ummah and we will not make you disappointed right right so this is what Shafa'ah is about it's for the pleasure of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam to make sure that his ummah does not remain in that situation once obey how much how much time do you have one minute okay I'll just I'll end with this mashallah there's so many things we can say there's so many things we can say about the Shafa'ah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that on the day of judgment all of the prophets will be seated on members of light after the after the judgment has taken place and many of the Muslims will be in Jannah some of the Muslims will be burning in hellfire for the crimes that they did some of the Muslims will still be in the hellfire and all of that the umbia have gone and taken their seats and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said except my member it will remain empty I will remain standing out of fear that if I take my seat the doors of jannah will be closed and that some of my ummah will be left outside in hellfire and then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says and I will continue to go back to my lord and beg him and beg him and cry until Allah will say what do you want oh Muhammad and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam will say ummati ummati my umma my umma and eventually he will be given a piece of paper with the names of these men who are condemned for a long time to hell and he will say oh Allah make their sentences shorter make their sentences shorter he will take this paper and he will go to hellfire and take out even those very sinful Muslims and he will take them out and take them with him and it will be to the point where the keeper over the hellfire will say oh Muhammad didn't you leave anyone for the punishment of your lord from your umma this is the reality of intercession so when we add and then they will be taken forever inshallah we will be forever with Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam so when we talk about the obligation to get back to the topic of believing in the intercession we can tick off a box in an aqida book but it's more than this it's a debt of gratitude it is the it is obvious and shining as brilliant as the sun that when anyone connects to their heart to Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam you will have no choice but to be indebted to him but to believe in his intercession and live your entire life living preparing for that intercession that's why the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used to say to anyone who is suffering of his companions our meeting point is going to be the watering pool inshallah with Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and that will get us through our trials may Allah make us of those who meet the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam at his hold in a state where he is pleased with us and we feel his warm embrace drink from Koutar from his hands and be with him forever inshallah in jannah wa sallallahu alayhi wa sallam takbir takbir takbir may Allah grant us the shafa'a say amen wa sallallahu alayhi wa sallam La ilaha illa Allah Muhammad Rasulullah La ilaha illa Allah La ilaha illa Allah living life with his own father. But the day was fast approaching, that day all of that was far. First he told all his companions that this patch would be his last, to adhere to all the things that he had taught them in the past. Then when seeing Alfred Traveller, this last advice he gave, when you come next year, you might find just my best when the time to bike came closer all the hearts were filled with fear. What will happen if he leaves us in this world? There's none more dear in his final limits. I hope I can let the daily bear from his room the prophets mild-giving won't last no care. Then as our beloved prophet lay in eyes until he spoke. Guard your prayers, fear the Lord, how you treat your servant folk. Then he gazes into the heavens and begins to say softly, Allah, whom I gather me into the highest company. Allah, whom I gather me into the highest company. Allah, whom I gather me into the highest company. And without the prophet loves this world, the year to which it tears. All the precious time they'd had with him had been the best of years. La ilaha illa Allah. Prophet to touch his soft hands with mine or to look upon his face from which prophetic light would shine or to shield him when the rocks were thrown. So they'd hit me instead. But my consolation comes in what Rasul Allah had said. While my life was good for you, my death will be good for you too. I'll be shown your deeds so when I see a sin I'll pray for you. And he said, O people, if you one day face calamity, find your strength by thinking of the pain you felt by looking me. When he asked his companions, ask them, Who are we? Friends, he said, My brothers never saw me and believed in me. La ilaha illa Allah. La ilaha illa Allah. La ilaha illa Allah. La ilaha illa Allah. La ilaha illa Allah. La ilaha illa Allah. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi falaytullah. Want to meet the messenger then patience is the key. Okay, we'll try it like this. This is how we do it at that leaf. So this is how we do it. So in between every single one of the couplets, I want you all to say Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. How I wish I could touch his soft hand with mine. Want to look upon his face. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. Or to shield him when the rocks were thrown so they'd hit me instead. But my consolation comes in what Rasul Allah had said. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. While my life was good for you, my death will be good for you too. I'll be sure of your deeds so when I see you soon, I'll pray for you. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. And he said, oh people, if you one day face calamity, find your strength by thinking of the pain you felt by losing me. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. When he missed his brothers, his companions asked, then who are we? Friends he said, my brothers never saw me yet believed in me. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. La ilaha illa Allah. La ilaha illa Allah. La ilaha illa Allah. La ilaha illa Allah. La ilaha illa Allah. La ilaha illa Allah. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. Now this is the day of judgment and beyond. And I want you all to reflect on each single meaning of what we're saying. And then I want your hearts to cry out, Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. If you long to meet the messenger, then patience is the key. At the start of the year after, you will see him finally. He will be the leader of humanity on judgment day. After all, he was the messenger when Adam was still clay. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. When the prophets on that day will only say, nafsi nafsi, he will plead before Allah crying, my umma umma dee. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. He will bow and praise Allah in words no one before has said, he'll be granted intercession as he lifts his noble head. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. He will beg Allah to pardon us so sinner don't despair. He won't take his seat in heaven till his umma joins him there. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. Allah umma join us with your chosen prophet on the day when the world is resurrected with the souls in disarray. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. Let us gain his intercession when we're taken to account. Let us quench others forever when we meet him at his fount. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. When a man once asked for heaven in the prophet's company, help me get you this, he told him by prostrating frequently. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. If we feel that our good deeds are few and since stacked high above, our last hope is as he told us, you'll be with the one you love. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. Because loving is believing and our faith is not yet up. Tell we love him more than parent, child and every single soul. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. La ilaha illa Allah. La ilaha illa Allah. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. La ilaha illa Allah. La ilaha illa Allah. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. Such a beautiful creation, mortal eyes had never seen. No head women given birth to one so perfect and pristine. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. So complete in form and meaning and from every blemish free as if he had been created just the way he'd want to be. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. Best of those who ever lived or ever walked upon the earth, sinless since the blessed day on which his mother gave him birth. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. No one ever saw before and nor thereafter ever sees like the Prophet. Amazing, amazing song. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. He was one of Bani Adam but between himself and them was as though mankind were stones and as though he a priceless gem. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. Even if he had not come with any miracle or sign, just a sight of him would tell you that he came from the divine. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. Never should we think that by these words the Prophet has been praised rather through his blessed mention it saw words that have been raised. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. For Allah himself has praised him when he said so perfectly. Truly you are on a station of sublime integrity. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. Joy is tidings to those who believed when he called to Allah. Since he was the best Prophet we became the best Ummah. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah. Takbir. Mashallah. Mashallah. Mashallah. Mashallah. What do you guys think of both? The American bird or the English bird? Which one? Both. Takbir. Most amazing song ever. If you don't know about it, look it up. Zayn Bika sings it very, very beautifully on YouTube. It's a summary of the entire seerah in one song. Your children can read it, study it, learn it, and there's all these hidden secret hadith and gems in there too. I know one teacher, he's doing a shahreh about the song. Teaching it. Mashallah. How many years did it take you to write the song, Zayn? 12 years. Takbir. Muhammad Rasul Allah alayhi salatullah.