Khutba On Visiting the Messenger and his Intercession

الحمد لله، الحمد لله الذي أرسل رسوله رحمةً للعالمين، وجعله شفيعاً لأمته يوم الدين ،   نحمده تعالى ونستعينه، ونشكره تعالى ونستغفره ونستغيثه، نعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا، من يهد الله فهو المهتد ومن يضلل فلن تجد له وليا مرشدا، ونشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، له الملك و له الحمد، يحيي ويميت، بيده الخير، وهو على كل شيء قدير،  ونشهد أن سيدنا و مولانا محمداً عبده ورسوله، وحبيبه وصفيه، بلغ الرسالة وأدى الأمانة ونصح الأمة، النبي الأمي الذيأرسله الله بالهدى والدين الحق، بشيرا ونذيرا بين يدي الساعة، صلى الله عليه وسلم وعلى آله وأصحابه ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيا عباد الله اتقوا الله حق تقاته ولا تموتن إلا وأنتم مسلمون. يأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله وقولوا قولا سديدا يصلح لكم أعمالكم ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم. ومن يطع الله ورسوله فقد فاز فوزا عظيما. اتقوا الله فيما أمر وانتهوا عما نها عنه وزجر. قالالله تعالى في كتابه العزيز:

واذكروا الله في أيام معدودات فمن تعجل في يومين فلا إثم عليه ومن تأخر فلا إثم عليه لمن اتقى واتقوا الله واعلموا أنكم إليه تحشرون

Allah says in His Noble Book:

Remember Allah on the designated days. Those who hurry on in two days have done no wrong. And those who stay another day have done no wrong – those of them who are godfearing. So have taqwa of Allah. And know that you will be gathered back to Him.

The three days following the Eid are called the days of Tashreeq and it is when the hujjaj stay in the valley of Mina for two or three days, going daily to the jamarat to stone the ‘aqabat.

Those are days filled with remembrance of Allah, and they are the last rites of Hajj, and after which it is completed. The only thing left for the pilgrims is to head back to Makka and perform the tawaf al-wada’ – the farewell tawaf – before leaving. 

It has been the practice of the Muslims since the time of the salaf – the first generations –, and based on prophetic tradition, to visit the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in Madina, after the Hajj. This visit to Madina, although strictly speaking not part of the Hajj itself, culminates the pilgrimage, ending it with the best and sweetest seal. It is also worth mentioning the fact that the visit to Madina should come AFTER the Hajj and not before. This is the proper adab and manner of things, since the Hajj is a pillar of Islam and the reason of your journey. One should not succumb to the purely practical system desinged for the better economic profiting from the pilgrims, where many of them are taken to Madina first and then to Makka to perform the Hajj, thus compromising the correct manners with Allah and His Messenger. He said, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: 

من حج فزار قبري بعد وفاتي فكأنما زارني في حياتي

Whoever performs Hajj, then visits me, it is as if he visited me in my lifetime. 

This event of visiting the Best of Creation, the Seal of the Messengers, the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has a direct and close real effect on those muslims who do it with a clean heart, full of love for him. How could it not be so, when he was sent as a mercy to all the worlds and is more beloved to us than anything or anyone including our own selves and he is our means to Allah? 

The benefits contained in this act of visiting the Messenger of Allah are numerous. One of them is becoming eligible for his intercesson with Allah, his shafa’ah, on the Last Day. He said, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: 

من جاءني زائراً لا تحمله حاجةٌ إلا زيارتي كان حقاً علي أن أكون له شفيعاً يوم القيامة

Whoever visits me, being driven by nothing but to visit me, it is an obligation upon me to intercede for him on the Last Day. 

And he also said: 

من زار قبري وجبت له شفاعتي 

My intercession is assured for all who visit my grave.

But what is the intercession of the Messenger, on behalf of this Umma? Allah says in His precise Revelaiton:

عسى أن يبعثك ربك مقاماً محموداً

“It may well be that your Lord will raise you to a Praiseworthy Station.” 

The people of tafsir have transmitted that the praiseworthy station granted the Messenger of Allah refers to one of two things: the first is that, on the Day of Rising, he will be the bearer of the banner to which all the believers, including the Prophets and Messengers will flock. And the second interpretation is that it means his being granted the intercession, for Abu Hurayra narrates that when the Messenger of Allah was asked what the praiseworthy station was, he said:

المقام المحمود هو الذي أشفع فيه لأمتي

“The praiseworthy station is the station in which I intercede for my umma.”

The intercession granted to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is one of the great blessings of Allah bestowed on this Umma, an honour by which Allah has singled him out, for it is not granted to any Prophet but him. He said, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: 

لكل نبي دعوة يدعو بها، واختبأتُ دعوتي شفاعةً لأمتي يوم القيامة

“Every Prophet has a supplication which he makes, and I have reserved my supplication for intercession for my community on the Day of Rising.”

The Messenger of Allah, out of compassion for his Umma, has stored up this supplication for our benefit on the day we will most direly need it.

أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم ولسائر المسلمين من كل ذنب فاستغفروه إنه هو الغفور الرَّحيم.

الحمد لله الحمد لله رب العالمين، وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وأشهد أن محمداً عبده ورسوله، والصلاة والسلام الأتمان  الأكملان على أشرف الأنبياء وإمام المرسلين وعلى آله وصحبه الطيبين الطاهرين، والتابعين وتابعي التابعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين.

أما بعد! فيأيها الذين ءامنوا اتقوا الله ما استطعتم واسمعوا وأطيعوا وأنفقوا خيرا لأنفسكم. يا عباد الله أوصيكم وإياي بتقوى الله وطاعته وأحذركم وإياي عن معصيته ومخالفته.

The intercession of the Messenger of Allah is on different levels. The most general is that Allah will alleviate the people from the harshness and suffering of the Day of Rising. 

Some people in this Umma will face no reckoning, rather will enter the garden directly, by this intercession. Others will be elevated in their stations in the Garden beyond that which Allah has granted them based on their actions. It is because of this, that the salaf and the great awliya, although they already possess a high rank with ALlah, do not cease to ask for the intercession of the Messenger. 

The Messenger of Allah will continue to intercede before Allah for his Umma, even on behalf of those who have made the Fire obligatory on themselves by means of the major wrong actions (the kaba’ir) that they committed. He says in a well-known hadith: 

“I will be told, ‘Lift up your head! Speak and you will be heard. Intercede and it will be granted. Ask and you will be given!’ I will say, ‘O Lord, give me permission for the one who says, “There is no god but Allah”.’ He will say, “That is not your affair, but by My might, My pride, My immensity and My greatness, I will bring out of the Fire those who say, “There is no god but Allah.”

There are ways of obtaining the intercession of the Messenger of Allah. The first of these is tawheed, confirming the Oneness of Allah, may He be exalted. The Prophet said: 

أسعد الناس بشفعاتي من قال لاإله إلا الله خالصاً مخلصاً من قلبه

“The happiest of people with respect to my intercession are those who say ‘La ilaha illa Allah’ sincerely from their hearts.”

Visiting him is another way, as has been mentioned. Also dwelling in Madina, bearing patiently its difficulties, and dying there, and being buried its graveyard, the Baquee. 

Making salawat on the Prophet:

من صلى علي عشراً إذا أصبح وعشراً إذا أمسى حلت له شفاعتي 

The Prophet said, “My intercession becomes lawful for anyone makes ten prayers upon me in the morning and ten in the evening.”   

And asking Allah to give His Prophet the wasila after hearing the adhan:

 من قال حين يسمع النداء: اللهم رب هذه الدعوة التامة والصلاة القائمة آت سيدنا محمداً الوسيلة والفضيلة وابعثه مقاماً محموداً الذي وعدته حلت له شفاعتي يوم القيامة

The Prophet said, “My intercession on the Day of Rising will be lawful for anyone who says, upon hearing the adhan: ‘O Allah, Lord of this perfect call and established prayer, give Muhammad the wasila and the fadila, and grant him the praiseworthy station that you promised him.’” 

These are some of the ways to obtain intercession of the Messenger of Allah, on the Last Day, and we should take advantage of what is easily within our reach and capabilities to benefit from this enormous blessing. 

We ask Allah to grant us the intercession of our beloved Prophet. We ask Allah to bless him with the best of your blessings. We ask Allah to gather us with on the Last Day, to place us in his company, and to allow us to drink from his hawd. 

إِنَّ اللهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ، يَا أَيُهَا الذِينَ آمَنُواْ صَلُّواْ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُواْ تَسْلِيماً. 

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ  أَجْمَعِينَ. وَارْضَ اللَّهُمَّ عَنِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ، وعن أم المومنين عائشة، وَعَنْ سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَجْمَعِينَ، خُصُوصاً اِلأَنْصَارَ مِنْهُمْوَالمُهَاجِرِينَ، وَعَنِ التَّابِعِينَ وَتَابِعِي التَّابِعِينَ وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ.

اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِ وُلَاةَ أُمُورِ المُسْلِمِينَ لِمَا يُرْضِيكَ وَلِاتِّبَاعِ سُنَّةِ نَبِيِّكَ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَهُمْ عَلَى الصِّرَاطِ المُسْتَقِيمِ، وَأَصْلِحْهُمْ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ. 

اللهم اغننا بحلالك عن حرانك وبطاعتك عن معصيتك وبفضلك عن من سواك

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى شَيْخِنَا، وَعَلَى أَمِيرِنَا، وَعَلَى جَمِيعِ أُمَرَاءِ وَزُعَمَاءِ المُسْلِمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ عَلَى المُسْلِمِينَ فِي هَذِهِ المَدِينَةِ، وَوَفِّقْهُمْ لِمَا تُحِبُّهُ وَتَرْضَاهُ يَا أَكْرَمَ الأَكْرَمِينَ. 

اللَّهُمَّ أَعِزَّ الإِسْلَامَ وَالمُسِْلمِينَ، وَاخْذُلِ الْكُفْرَ وَالْكَافِرِينَ، وَانْصُرِ المُجَاهِدِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ. وَاجْعَلْ كَلِمََتَكَ هِيَ العُلْيَا وَكَلِمَةَ الْكُفْرِ هِيَ السُّفْلَى. 

رَبَّنَا ءَاتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقَِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ. 

إِنَّ اللهَ يَامُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالإِحْسَانِ وَإِيتَاءِ ذِي الْقُرْبَى، وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالمُنكَرِ وَالْبَغْيِ، يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَّكَّرُونَ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ وَاللهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ. وَقُومُواْ إِلَى صَلاتِكُمْ يَرْحَمُكُمُ اللهُ.