Agra | The Imam of Masjid Neharwali, Muhammad Iqbal, spoke to the congregation in today’s Friday sermon about the Companions of the Prophet. He said that the Companions of the Prophet were those for whom religion became the most beloved thing. This concept is described in the Quran, in Surah Hujurat, verse 7, where it says, “Allah gave you the love of faith and adorned your hearts with it, and He created dislike for disbelief, sin, and disobedience. Such people are rightly guided.” Who were these people? These were the individuals who, when the Jews denied Jesus, even though they believed in Moses, and when the Christians denied Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) despite believing in Jesus, and similarly, when the Quraysh threw stones at the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and expelled him from his home, even though they took pride in being the descendants of Prophet Abraham. At that time, these individuals accepted the Prophet of Allah and supported him in the most difficult times. They accepted this historical truth when the greatness of the Prophet was not as clear as it is today. After the Prophet’s greatness became evident, even non-Muslim scholars were compelled to call him the greatest man in history. However, during his lifetime, recognizing the greatness of the Prophet was such a difficult task that only those who were specially guided by Allah could see it. These were the people who came to be known as the Prophet’s Companions. Today, it is easy to speak boldly about sacrificing one’s life or making other such declarations, because the “sun” is shining brightly. This is not a remarkable thing. Look at the examples of these Companions, reflect on yourself, and think about where we stand. That is why we must do whatever we can for the religion. We cannot ignore this. The greatest task is to convey Allah’s message to His people. This is what the Prophet’s Companions did, which is why the religion reached us. Now this responsibility is ours. We pray to Allah to grant us the ability to fulfill this, Ameen.
