 We began with the thanks and the praises of Allahu Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, proclaiming Alhamdulillah. We ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala to bless us in this time and in this place and on this blessed day of Jum'a and we praise him and we thank him for allowing us to gather here to worship him the way that he has commanded us to worship him. In our lives we go through many trials and tribulations and there are many difficulties that we face and we see other people face. And often we ask the question, what can we do to help ourselves? What can we do to get out of certain situations? What can we do to benefit ourselves? So whether that be difficulty in school, difficulty with family, difficulty with parents or siblings, what is the way out? What is the solution to my problems? So the greatest solution that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala has given us is the solution in the life of the Prophet Muhammad SAW. So many times we are faced with trials, so many times we are faced with confusion. And so we turn to this media platform or this book or this speaker to figure out how do I figure out the solution to what I'm going through, the struggle that I'm going through. But how often is it that we turn to the example of Muhammad SAW? How often is it that we truly believe that in the example and in the way of Muhammad SAW I will find relief? I will find peace? I will find guidance? This is a question we need to ask ourselves. Because indeed the more that we learn about the Prophet SAW, the more we seek out his example and the more we implement his way, our anxiety will go away, our depression will go away, our struggles will begin to disappear and we're going to develop a love, we're going to develop a love for his way and the struggles then that we face will be nothing because we'll know the life of Muhammad SAW. What is it that we can claim to have gone through except that the Prophet SAW has gone through worse? What is it that we can claim to be struggling with except that the Prophet SAW struggled with more? The more we begin to learn about how he reacted to things, how he accepted things, how he responded to the situations that were given in his life we will develop a gratitude not only for being amongst the Ummah of the Prophet SAW but also we will develop a type of honor and a type of dignity within ourselves that I am doing the best thing possible and that is responding to this situation the way that Muhammad SAW responded to this situation. So we'll just mention a few things in today's Khutbah on how we can become more like the Prophet SAW how we can love the Prophet SAW more, not solely for the purpose of knowing these things but also so that when we know them we can learn about them and we can implement them immediately So first we recognize that the example of the Prophet SAW and his coming to us is the best thing that could have ever happened He is the greatest blessing that Allah SAW has sent to us He is the perfect example of the Qur'an Did Aisha not say about the Prophet SAW's creation? Everything in the Qur'an is embodied in the Prophet SAW So if you want to connect to the Qur'an, connect to the way of Muhammad SAW The greatest thing that we could have been given is guidance and guidance could not have reached us except through Muhammad SAW So by following the way of Muhammad SAW we are acting upon the guidance that Allah SAW wants us to act upon But unfortunately now we look to others for guidance We look to others as role models We look to others for help How many times can we invoke a situation of the Prophet SAW when we are faced with the difficulty Or is it that we look to so and so basketball player, so and so musician or so and so celebrity The trials and the tribulations that we face Yes we need to respond to them with the way and the sunnah of Muhammad SAW But the trials and tribulations that we face are also because we have lost the connection with Muhammad SAW And the more that we turn away from his path The more that we turn away from his sunnah The more that we turn away from knowing about him The more difficulty that we are going to face If we ask who is Muhammad SAW What is his name? What is just the name of the Prophet Muhammad SAW? Can we give his name? Can we say that he is Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Abdul Muttalib bin Hashim Bin Abdul Manab bin Qusay bin Qilab bin Murra bin Ka'ab bin Luay bin Ghalib bin Fahir bin Malik bin Nadhar Bin Kinana bin Khuzayma bin Mudrika bin Ilyas bin Mudar bin Nazar bin Ma'ad bin Adnan Until we get to Ismail, until we get to Ibrahim, until we get to Nuh, until we get to Adam SAW Do we know his name? Do we know the wives of the Prophet Muhammad SAW? Do we know those who Allah SWT told us in the Quran? They are your Ummahat, they are your mothers. Do we know our mothers? Do we know Khadija? Do we know Saudat? Do we know Aisha? Do we know Hafsa? Do we know Zaynab? Um Salama? Zaynab? Maimuna? Do we know Juaidiya? Safiyya? Um Habiba? Do we know these names? Do we know these relationships? Do we know the love between them and the Prophet SAW? What about the example with our kids? Do we know the kids of the Prophet SAW? Do we know Zaynab? Do we know Um Kulthum? Do we know Ruqayyah, Fatima, Ibrahim, Abdullah, Qasim? Do we know these children of the Prophet SAW? Do we know each of them except Fatima who he buried with his own hands? What is our relationship to the Prophet SAW? What is it that we can learn about the Prophet SAW? Do we know the titles that he was given SAW? We know that Musa SAW is called Kalimullah, the one who spoke with Allah. And what is speech other than a conveyance of meaning? Meaning is conveyed through speech, so if you can take the meaning, then speech has given you what you needed. But meaning can be conveyed in other ways as well. Meaning can be conveyed through motions and through hands and through signals, through noises. And so the meaning that you have in this world is your relationship to Kalimullah, is your conversation with Allah, you finding your meaning in this world, is you embodying Kalimullah. Because this universe is nothing other than the speech of Allah, hence, universe, one verse. What is the universe except for Allah saying kun and it was? It is the speech of Allah, it is meaning that is conveyed to you, find your meaning and you will embody Kalimullah. Or perhaps Isa SAW, his title is Ruhullah. The soul of Allah, the soul that freely lives in the heavens and can travel between the heavens and the earth, such that when it travels, you can't call it death. Yet, when it returns to this earth, it will be honored by being part of the ummah of Muhammad SAW and honor that you already possess. Or perhaps the title of Ibrahim SAW, Khalilullah, the intimate friend of Allah. And what does Allah say about us? That indeed the believers are the awliya of Allah. That you too are the intimate friend of Allah. But what is Muhammad SAW, what is his title? He encompasses Kalim, he encompasses Ruh, he encompasses Khalil, he encompasses Wali, he is Habibullah, the beloved of Allah. That is the station that we aim to attain. How do we become like Muhammad SAW, the one loved by Allah? By following the way and the example of Muhammad SAW. And how do we know the extent to which Muhammad SAW is loved by Allah? A hadith that's applicable to us all but realized in Muhammad SAW, the hadith says That when Allah loves someone, He calls Jibril and he says love so and so. So Jibril loves so and so. Then Jibril goes to everyone in the heavens and the earth and says Allah has loved so and so and I love so and so, so you love so and so. Such that this person is accepted in the heavens and the earth. That is realized in Muhammad SAW. By mutawat or narration the tree cried when the prophet SAW left him. When the SAW left the tree. Because the tree is part of the sky and the earth and the tree declared its love for Muhammad SAW. The tree declared its love for the prophet SAW by crying when the prophet SAW left. An authentic hadith in Sahih Muslim, the prophet SAW said That before even the revelation was given to the prophet SAW, there's a rock in Makkah that used to send salams on the prophet SAW. The prophet SAW said, I know this rock until today. The heavens and the earth declare their love for Muhammad SAW. At least we can be like a tree or a rock. At least let us be like a tree or a rock declaring our love for Muhammad SAW. How do we declare our love for him? Learn about his life. Go and learn one thing about Muhammad SAW every single week. Learn it on your own and implement it on your own. That is your homework. Every week I will learn one thing about Habib SAW and I will implement this one thing about him SAW. If we truly claim to love him SAW, we must learn about his way. If you truly love Allah, follow the way of Muhammad SAW and then Allah will love you. This is the way to gain the love of Allah and his messenger SAW by acting upon the sunnah of the prophet SAW. So go and learn. Just one hadith. Even if it's one hadith a week, learn the hadith and learn how to implement it. Learn an ayah of the Quran and learn how to implement it. Not for me, not for yourself, but for your love of Muhammad SAW. And increase in your salawat. Allah SAW says They send their salawat upon the prophet SAW. This is from the Quran. The Quran is pre-eternal. The meanings of the Quran are pre-eternal. They existed before time. Allah SAW was declaring his love of Muhammad SAW even before time existed. And what happens? What happens when you say salawat on him SAW? You are doing the same action and this is the only action that you can do that both Allah and the angels partake in. That you do the same action that they are doing. This is the beauty of the salawat on the prophet SAW. You partake in the action that Allah SAW and his angels are doing. And what is the reward of that action? What is the reward of that action? What does Allah say in the Quran? He says That salawat is such that when you remember the prophet SAW the act that you do is the same act as Allah and his angels. And the reward that you get is the same reward that Allah sends upon his prophet SAW. This is the power of salawat. So increase in your salawat upon the prophet SAW. Learn about his life SAW and implement the teachings that he has brought us. And this will be our alleviation. This will be our freedom from the restrictions and the difficulties of this world. This will be our path to salvation. This will be our entrance into Jannah. Do not leave this gathering just with this new information and feeling good but rather take this and act upon it. None of this is beneficial if you do not leave here and act upon it. Act upon his sunnah, act upon his sunnah, act upon his sunnah. Allah says in his holy book After I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Allah and His angels pray upon the prophet O you who believe, pray upon him and submit to him May Allah pray upon our master and our master Muhammad and upon the family of our master and our master Muhammad As you prayed upon our master Ibrahim and upon the family of our master Ibrahim in the world, you are like Hamid and Majid In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Allah commands justice and goodness and the coming of the nearness and the end of evil, evil and the rest may Allah remind you remember Allah, remember you and pray for him to respond to you and may Allah's remembrance be the highest, the highest, the greatest and the most righteous.