Prophet Muhammad (saw) was sent to us for some important reasons. When nations have been destroyed, and the people slowly forget who Allah (swt) is, what His dues are, and what the purpose of our existence is, He (swt) sends a Messenger with a divine message. The Prophet will then teach the people knowledge and wisdom. It is said that knowledge is the revelation and wisdom is how to act upon it. In our case, the Qur'an is the knowledge, and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (saw) is the wisdom.
Part of that knowledge and wisdom was to warn about things that we shouldn't do, as well as instruct on things that we should do. Allah (swt) instructs us to follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (saw) as mentioned in the Qur'an. By doing so, we are obeying Allah (swt). In Prophet Muhammad (saw), we have a real-life example of what Allah (swt) expects from us, and to prove this point, the Companies of Prophet Muhammad (saw) used to stick as closely to the Sunnah as possible. In this post, we have put together five simple things that we should refrain from that Prophet Muhammad (saw) instructed us.
Allah's Messenger (saw) said: "It is one of the greatest sins that a man should curse his parents." It was asked (by the people), "O Allah's Messenger (saw)! How does a man curse his parents?" The Prophet (saw) said, "The man abuses the father of another man and the latter abuses the father of the former and abuses his mother." (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
Today we have lost all sense in thinking about the words that we use. It has become normal to use filthy language within normal speech, whether it be with friends, family, or on TV. We should be aware of the meanings of the words we use so lightly and sparingly so that we can learn to refrain from them.
Allah's Messenger (saw) said thrice, "Shall I not inform you of the biggest of the great sins?" We said, "Yes, O Allah's Messenger (saw)" He said, "To join partners in worship with Allah: to be undutiful to one's parents." The Prophet (saw) sat up after he had been reclining and added, "And I warn you against giving forged statement and a false witness; I warn you against giving a forged statement and a false witness." The Prophet kept on saying that warning till we thought that he would not stop. (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
Worshipping anything or anyone other than Allah (swt) and being undutiful or unfilial towards parents are major sins. Allah (swt) has mentioned these as sins in the Qur'an in numerous verses. But what do forged statements and false witnesses mean? These two things are referring to those who lie to gain something. In the courts, bringing a false witness or false testimony or false statement could make the difference between a suspect being sentenced, or released. Prophet Muhammad (saw) warned against this, and he kept repeating it and repeating it to show its importance. How unfortunate it is that today people will lie to claim a few pounds in injury and other insurance claims!
Prophet (saw) said: "The person who severs the bond of kinship will not enter Paradise." (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
This is another common practice that many have been doing since the beginning of mankind. Severing the bond of kinship is breaking ties with family members. By doing that, you are closing the door of your mercy to the other person. The other person may have done you wrong, and maybe it is the best place to avoid that person. But severing it completely is something that Prophet Muhammad (saw) forbade us to do.
The Prophet (saw) said: "By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe! By Allah, he does not believe!" It was said, "Who is that, O Allah's Messenger (saw)?" He said, "That person whose neighbor does not feel safe from his evil." (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
However our neighbours are, we have been instructed to not be hostile to them. To not make them feel like you as their neighbour will cause harm to them. Rather, they must feel safe that you are there.
The Prophet (saw) said: "A Muslim is the one who avoids harming Muslims with his tongue or his hands. And a Muhajir (an emigrant) is the one who gives up (abandons) all what Allah has forbidden." (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
Prophet Muhammad (saw) is mentioning in this hadeeth how our tongues and our hands can cause a lot of harm. We know that sometimes words can hurt us more than fists, and so both of these have been mentioned so that we refrain from evilly using them. By doing that, we are ensuring that other Muslims are safe from us. The second part of the hadeeth mentions the one who has emigrated. Emigrating for Allah's (swt) sake is a big sacrifice. So by giving up all that Allah (swt) has made forbidden, we achieve the reward of one who has emigrated to another land for his religion.
Prophet Muhammad (saw) was and will always be the best role model for us. He taught us everything we need to know and didn't leave anything. He warned us about every single thing that we need to be warned about, and he also instructed us on how to do the best of things. All of his Sunnah was to achieve one thing only - the pleasure of Allah (swt). In turn for that pleasure, Allah (swt) promised Jannah. As Muslims, we should be proud that Allah (swt) has given us His Guidance. We know that there is a Hereafter, but who among us is going to strive for it? Let's pray it is you!
