IlmNotes

Brother Ahmad Saleem is an active member of the Orlando community. This is from the first online study session for the Seerah: The Shepherd’s Path Al-Maghrib seminar conducted by brother Ahmad for Banu Noor (the aspiring Qabeelah of Florida).

If you truly love somebody, wouldn’t you love to know everything about them?

• Think of Michael Jordan, you know:
  • his jersey number, what team he played for, what cereal he ate (wheaties), what UNDERWEAR he wears! (hanes?)
• So, if you loved the Prophet (SAW), wouldn’t you want to study everything about him?

Why should we study Seerah?

• The Prophet (SAW) came into a society that not much different than ours (in the west):
  • Vices like obscenity, drinking, and disrespect is widespread
  • Islam is misunderstood, and not established here
• So, to deal with those around us now, in our lives, we should observe the best example: our Prophet Muhammad (SAW)

Chapter 1: Makkah, the blessed land

Taken from an awesome study book made by Qabeelat Tayybah.

Forefather of the Prophet (S)

• Ibraheem (AS) and Sarah
  • happily married
• Evil pharaoh, saw Sarah, “who’s that woman?”
  • Ibraheem, “she’s my sister” (to keep king from getting her)
    • the believers are brothers (and sisters)
  • The king tried to get close, but always failed, scared Sarah was supernatural
  • He stopped trying, and out of fear, gave her Hajar (as a slave)
• Ibraheem (AS) and Sarah had no children together, so she offered him to marry Hajar
• Hajar had Isma’eel with Ibraheem
  • Ibraheem happy, Sarah was jealous (FAMILY FEUD)
• So, Allah commanded Ibraheem to take Hajar & Isma’eel to Makkah (a barren desert)
  • He left them there (no food, no internet, no connection), imagine Ibraheem’s iman.
  • Hajar: What’s going on?; Did Allah command you to do this?
    • Ibraheem: “Yes” and walked away
    • That’s all Hajar needed to know. (look at the level of Iman).
  • Then, Ibraheem made a special du’a (Surah Ibraheem, 14:35-37) (to make Makkah a peaceful city, a city where Islam will be established, and make it a town of fruits so people will be thankful).
    • This was answered. (Imagine fruits in a desert, no trees, but there’s still fruits!)
  • Hajar went around looking for water so her son could survive.
    • In a panic, ran between two mountains, Saffa and Marwa, (went up on mountain to look for any caravan, animals, water, etc.) 7 times.
    • Then, she saw the water trickling out from around Isma’eel (AS).
    • Angel Jibra’eel came, struck his wing on the land, and water gushed out.
    • Hajar ran to the water and tried to fill her leatherskin with the water.
    • Jibra’eel: “Do not be afraid, this is the house of Allah”
    • The water kept going and flowing, so she began saying “Zam, Zam” (“stop, stop” in her language).
      • Hadith states that if she had not stopped it, it would have flowed until Judgement Day
  • Then, a caravan came, Jurham, (originally from Yemen), and asked if they could stay there (they needed water).
    • Hajar agreed to let them stay, as long as she (and her family) would be in charge of the water.
      • This allowed her lineage to keep control of the land.
• Later on, Isma’eel married of the Jurham tribe (family ties are the strongest).
• Ibraheem comes years later to visit, and he meets Isma’eel’s wife,
  • she began complaining and speaking of problems, (to a complete stranger to her)
  • Ibraheem said, tell Isma’eel Salaam, and to change his doorstep
  • Isma’eel heard, understood, and divorced his wife (and re-married)
• Ibraheem visited again, and met Isma’eel’s new wife
  • she spoke well and thankfully,
  • Ibraheem said to send his Salaam’s, and for Isma’eel to keep his doorstep.
• Years later, Ibraheem and Isma’eel built the Ka’bah (with the White stone, which came down from Jannah)
  • the stone is the Black Stone today, because of our sins
• Then, Ibraheem made another du’a: Surah Baqarah [2:127-129],
  • Send onto them a messenger from among themselves and:
    1. Make him recite the book
    2. teach the book
    3. teach wisdom (from the scriptures)
    4. and purify
• Allah made it so!

Future study sessions will come InshaAllah!