Dr. Waffie Mohammed
The first Trinidad national to have earned a doctorate in the study of Islam, Dr. Waffie graduated from the University of Karachi with a PhD in Islamic Studies, obtained in parallel with Al-Kamil certification from the Aleemiya Institute established by Dr. Fazlu R. Ansari.
On his return to Trinidad, Dr. Waffie contributed to the development of the Muslim communities located throughout the country and the region, while at the same time serving the wider national communities. This led to his appointment to the Senate in 1981, and his later appointment as Director of the Muslim World League regional office for the Caribbean and Latin America, a position in which he contributed to global Muslim development, until his retirement in 2003.
Dr. Waffie is currently serving as the Principal and Director at the Markaz al Ihsaan Institute of Islamic Theology. He also serves as a spiritual leader of the local chapters of the Qadri and Nakshbandi Orders within Islamic Spirituality Circles.
The author of numerous books, articles and publications dedicated to Islam and contemporary social issues, Dr. Waffie also has a growing number of pioneering works in contemporary Islamic studies. Dr. Waffie blogs often at http://drwaffie.blogspot.com
Muhammad (saws) The True Role Model for Mankind
- By Dr. Waffie Mohammed
- Published 02/25/2010
Text of lecture given by Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed
at the Union Road
Mosque, Rio Claro, on Sunday 21st February 2010.
Allah
says in Surah Baqara; “and whatever good you send forth for your
souls before you, you shall find it with Allah”.
The true believer
will want to live for the sake and die for the sake of Allah, so that when the Day of Accountability arrives they would have sent
a lot of good before them. It is important for us to try to understand
the different ways that we can compute good and send it to Allah<, while He bestows upon us health and understanding.
Allah
sent Prophet Muhammad
(sallallahu alayhi wasallam0 as The Model for mankind. In connection with this He says in
Surah Saba';
“We have
not sent You but as a universal Messenger to men, giving them glad
tidings, and warning them (against sin), but most men understand not”
Before our
beloved Prophet’s
coming Allah
sent Messengers to all the past nations. They all gave the same
message and they all knew that someone was to come. As a result
when what was decreed came to pass and Prophet Muhammad
came into this world Allah
said;
“For you
were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace,
you became brethren; and you were on the brink of the pit of
fire, and He saved you from it.”
And we can
see this at the time of Prophet that Bilal (ra) an African slave became a brother in faith
side by side with the wealthy Abu Bakr and Umar (ra).
Allah
says about the mission of Prophet
that ‘He favoured the believers by sending him.’
The Prophet
is therefore a blessing and favour to us all, even up to this very
day. The blessings began flowing to his person from the
time Halima took him. But all these miracles were not really his
mission. Through Allah’s
mercy He allowed some of His servants and followers of Prophet
to perform ‘miracles’. The Prophet
never emphasized his blessings; instead he focused the attention of
the people on The Book (Holy Qur’an).
Once Moses (as) wanted to see Allah, something which Allah said to him was impossible, but that
he should look at the mountain and if he could bear what would happen
to the mountain then it would be possible for him to see his Lord. After
a while Allah
caused some of His Divine Vibrations to descend on a mountain and the
mountain crumbled to dust.
The Holy Qur'an
contains divine vibrations as it is the Word of Allah, and indeed it
is very powerful. Whatever may be the power contained in it; Allah
impressed it in the heart of the Prophet
and through the passage of time it was put in his mouth as the Book
to be read. His person was so strong that he was the recipient
of the Qur’an with all its powerful vibrations.
We need to
forget the argument of whether it’s proper to ‘celebrate’ Mawlid
un Nabi or to stand for the tazeem and all the other issues that satan
uses to divert our focus. Try to understand the reason why our
beloved leader came, and what he brought with him and how we can use
it to our benefit. Aspire to get close to your Lord.
What is your
mission in life? To get wealthy, to build a huge house, or to
buy an expensive car? Pharoah had more than you and Qarun had
more than you and look how their end was miserable.
One of the
greatest gift Allah
has given us through the Prophet
is contained in this ayat.
"Allah and
His angels send blessings on the prophet: O ye that believe! send ye
blessings on him, and salute Him with all respect."
Allah, Who is free from compulsion testifies in His Holy Words that He constantly
and continuously sends blessings on His Habibullah, since from the beginning of time. Could you imagine how much
blessings is that? And what happens to all of it? It goes
to all those believers who do the same, i.e. those who send blessings
on our beloved leader. This is indeed a special blessing.
One Sheikh wrote "Har dard a ki dawaa hai sallay alaa Muhammad
– Darood is the cure for all aliments".
No other Messenger
has a darood and it is one of the gateways of accessing Allah’s
blessing, physical as well as spiritual. Make a resolution to
aspire to get closer to Allah
and His Habib
. Understand the Book and the relationship between the Message
and the Messenger; and on that Day instead of you going out to look for help, the Messenger
will be searching for you as he will be doing for all his followers.
We beg Allah to forgive us, to guide us and to bless us and may He always convey blessings on our beloved Prophet Muhammad and upon his blessed family members, his blessed companions and all his followers for all eternity.
