Sahaba: The Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him)

The people who lived in the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and followed his guidance are definitely the best of humankind. We can learn important lessons from each one of them. We as humans are good at observing something and then following it. Some of the things that may stop us from doing so are arrogance, procrastination, hypocrisy etc. We need to do two things to constantly remain on the Right Path.

We need to pray five times a day and try our utmost to follow the commands of Allah. Not only that, we have to introspect so as to compare our actions with our thoughts and feelings. This is necessary to avoid the evils of hypocrisy. The companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) are the best examples for us. By reading about their lives and adopting parts of it in our lives we can truly see and feel a positive change.

Many Muslims do not know much about the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). When I was taught Islamic studies as a young kid, our books narrated true stories about very few of the companions. Later on, when I read about other companion it brought a big change in me. Indeed it sparked true faith inside me which enabled me to distinguish between the right and wrong. I think that one of the most important things that is achieved by practicing Islam is the sense as well as intuition of distinguishing between the Right and the Wrong.

I highly recommend you guys both Muslims and Non-Muslims to read a few stories about the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). You can start by clicking here . I was moved by this one.

May Allah Guide Us All to the Right Path

Celebrating Birthday of Muhammad (PBUH): Right or Wrong?

I was born and raised in Pakistan. I remember every year when the 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal would come, there would be people singing the praises of the Prophet (peace be upon him), sitting in gatherings, selling badges with names of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Being a child I got very excited about the celebration as I had no understanding at the time.

Now I realize, how much time and money is wasted on the activities when the same can go towards much more needed and noble causes, such as helping the orphans, the needy and the poor. Some of you might say, “Well what is wrong with that?”. I pose only one question. Do you love the Prophet (peace be upon him) more than his companions did? I am sure that you are not arrogant enough to say yes which brings the point home. If the companions who loved the Prophet (peace be upon him) so much, never celebrated the day of his birth, how can we do so or for that matter they must have thought that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would not like it.

Most of the people in Pakistan do not want to think this way. The concept of Islam in their minds is the one inculcated by their parents and probably a few interactions with an Imam along with whatever hearsay from friends and people whom they trust.

I ask you, is this really the way to lead life? Every human is given a brain which has the capability to ponder and think. Does being Muslims mean that we do not have to think about our own religion Islam and we can let people around us bring innovations into it?

Believe me it does not take a lot of effort to learn Islam correctly because it is indeed very simple. This is the beauty of Islam, you don’t have to think very hard. That does not mean that you do not have to make an effort. Unless we learn and verify what the truth is, how can we preach it to others.

Remember Islam itself is simple, but people have made their concept of Islam complicated by mixing culture with it. Please sift out your culture from your understanding of Islam. Our religion is not a compartment we can get into whenever we feel like, its a complete way of life, adopt it in its entirety, which requires you to know the fundamentals well.

If you want a detailed scholarly answer to why we should not celebrate the birthday of the Prophet (peace be upon him), click here .

May Allah guide us all to the Right Path.