The Happiness of Servants is in the Guidance of the Best of Servants

          Thanks to Al-lah for sending his messenger with guidance and the religion of the truth, that he may make it topmost above all religion, despite the hatred of associators (those who associate others with Al-lah). Peace and blessings be upon the one who was sent down as a mercy for mankind, our prophet Muhammad, his household and companions.

No happiness for mankind and no salvation for them except through following the messenger as Al-lah states (what can be translated as):

 “And whoever obeys Al-lah and his messenger, he will cause him to enter gardens from beneath which rivers run, eternally (abiding) therein; and that is the magnificent triumph. And whoever disobeys Al-lah and his messenger and transgresses his bounds, he will cause him to enter a fire, eternally (abiding) therein, and for him is a degrading torment.” (An-Nisa: 13-14) the obedience of Al-lah and his messenger (peace be upon him) is the pole of happiness that we revolve around and the abode of salvation that we seek.

Almighty Al-lah creates his creations to worship him as he says in the qur’an (what can be translated as): “and in no way did I create the jinn and humankind except to worship me.” (Ath-Thariyat [the winnowers]: 56)

Al-lah (swt) orders them to obey him and his messenger. There is no worship and obedience except for the duties and commandments of Al-lah, following anything else is a delusion. This is why the prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “whoever does an act which is not in agreement with our matter (Islam), will have it rejected.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)

The Prophet (pbuh) also said: “whoever lives after me will see many differences, so you must keep to my sunnah and of the sunnah of the rightly-guided caliphs, cling to it firmly. Beware of newly invented matters, for every new matter is an innovation and every innovation is misleading.” (Reported by At-Tirmidhi)

In the authenticated hadith narrated by Muslim and others the prophet (pbuh) said in each sermon: “the best discourse is the book of Al-lah and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, the messenger of Al-lah, and the worst matter is that of innovation and every innovation is misleading.”

Almighty Al-lah mentions the obedience to the prophet (pbuh) and mentioning him in forty places in the Qur’an: “and in no way have we sent any messenger except that he should be obeyed, by the permission of Al-lah.”¹ (An-Nisa: 64)

The demise of practicing sunnah and the ignorance of people about it are signs of the spread of innovation in religion. Ibn abbas (ra) said: “each year the people make up an innovation and abandon a sunnah till innovations live and Sunnan (plural of sunnah) die.”

In this small book, yet of a great value, I have collected with other kind brothers some of the Sunnan of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that we think are unknown, abandoned or diminished. We did this wishing to spread the sunnah of the prophet (pbuh) among Muslims and to explain these Sunnan to follow the order of the prophet (phuh) when he said:

“Whoever does a good sunnah in islam (brings something new and good) he has the reward of that sunnah and a portion of those who work on that sunnah, without any reduction from their rewards. And whoever does a bad sunnah in islam (brings something new and bad), he has the wrath of that sunnah and a portion of those working that sunnah, without any reduction on its wrath.” (Sahih Muslim)

All the goodness lies in following the guidance of the Prophet (pbuh) and pursuing his footsteps. May Al-lah make us of the followers of his sunnah and may Al-lah forgive us and our parents!

Peace and blessings be upon our prophet Muhammad, his household and his companions.

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(1) Majmu Fatawa, Ibn Taymiyyah (4/21)