PROPHET*(ﷺ) FAREWELL 'KHUTBAH' AT MOUNT 'ARAFAT' and misc. news

 *PROPHET*(ﷺ) FAREWELL 'KHUTBAH' AT MOUNT 'ARAFAT'* ~{ خطبة الوداع,'KHUTBATUL-WADA'

 

{ خطبة الوداع, Khutbatul-Wada’}

{ 9 Dhul Hijjah 10 AH  at Mount Arafat }

 

 Prophet (ﷺ) undertook his Farewell Pilgrimage in 10 A.H.

The farewell pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the most significant historical events in the minds of Muslims, for it was the first and last pilgrimage performed by  Prophet(ﷺ) as well as being the model for performing the fifth pillar of Islam, 'Hajj'.

 

 Prophet(ﷺ)  final sermon was delivered during the Hajj of the year 632 C.E., the ninth day of 'Dhul Hijjah', the 12th month of the lunar year, at 'Arafat', the most blessed day of the year.

There were numerous Muslims present with the Prophet(ﷺ) during his last pilgrimage when he delivered his last 'Khutbah'.

 

Prophet (ﷺ) completed his last 'Khutbah' near the summit of 'Arafat', whereby the following revelation came down...

 

'This day I have perfected for you your religion and

  completed My favor upon you and have approved

for you Islam as your religion.'

{Source~ Qur`an~ Surat Ma`idah ~5. A # 3}

 

Even today, the last 'Khutbah' of Prophet (ﷺ) is passed to every Muslim in every corner of the world through all possible means of communication. Muslims are reminded of it in 'Masjids' and in lectures. Indeed the meanings found in this sermon are astounding, touching upon some of the most important rights that Allah Almighty has over humanity, and humanity has over each other. Though the Prophet’s (ﷺ) soul  has left this world, his words are still living in our hearts. {Alhamdulillah}

 

After praising and thanking Allah...

Prophet (ﷺ) said...

“O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again.

 

Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and TAKE THESE WORDS TO THOSE WHO COULD NOT BE PRESENT HERE TODAY.

 

O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust.

Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners.

Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you.

Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord,

and that He will indeed reckon your deeds.

 

Allah has forbidden you to take usury (interest); therefore all interest obligations shall henceforth be waived.

 

Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity. Allah has judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib  (the Prophet's (ﷺ) uncle) shall henceforth be waived…

 

Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion, he has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.

 

O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah’s trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.

 

O People, listen to me in earnest... worship Allah, perform your five daily prayers ('Salah'), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in 'Zakat'.

Perform 'Hajj' if you can afford it.

 

All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor does a black have any superiority over a white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.

 

Remember, one day you will appear before Allah and answer for your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.

O People, no prophet or apostle will come after me and no new faith will be born.

 

Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the QUR`AN and my example, the SUNNAH and if you follow these you will never go astray.

 

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness, O Allah, that I have conveyed your message to your people”.

 

Running the Vermont City Marathon for Aafia

By Nadrat Siddique

 

I drove to Vermont (almost 500 miles!) and didn't arrive until 10:00 PM the night before the race due to too many last minute family demands (unexpected), and massive amounts of preparation for my usual caregiver responsibilities (expected). The drive was not an easy one, as it was unrelenting rain throughout. And sadly, none of this was ideal for a 7:15 AM race start, particularly considering I didn’t have my bib, and race morning bib pickup was 5:00 - 6:00 AM.

I and another runner (she'd flown in very late last night from Chicago) got there a little after that time. As a result, the staffer handing out the bibs for us stragglers had disappeared. And we had to wait for what seemed an inordinate amount of time to get our bibs. Not fun, particularly when one is on 4 hours of sleep.

 

It was raining for the duration of the race (although it was just light rain for a good portion of it). The biggest surprise of all was the absence of GI tract issues, despite the terribly truncated sleep I got. (I'm attributing this to Divine intervention, plus the fact that I was super careful with what I ate leading up to the race).

 

The race course, though a bit hilly, was very conducive for a PR, so I was disappointed I could not seize the occasion for that (considering all of the suboptimal conditions I was running under). I would have been within 3 minutes of qualifying for Boston, if the organizers had not made the qualifying standards even more rigorous than previously starting from 2026.

All things considered, I was really shocked I was able to do this race. I think the main reason I persevere--despite overwhelming odds--was that I was running it to call for the freedom of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, an innocent Pakistani woman neuroscientist being held political prisoner by the US government. Alhamdulillah wa shukrAllah!

- - - - - - - - - -

About the Woman Inspiring All of This

 

Aafia Siddiqui is a Pakistani neuroscientist who has been unjustly detained by the US government under horrific conditions since 2003 (so 23 years- or most of her adult life).

- During that time, she has been separated from her children (elementary school age when she was initially abducted, leading to her incarceration);

- Her youngest child, Sulaiman, an infant, was killed (perhaps inadvertently) by the authorities during the course of her abduction;

- She has been the victim of international kidnapping by the US authorities;

- She has been repeatedly raped, both at the "black site," where she was initially held, and at FMC Carswell near Dallas, where she currently is, but no major US-based women’s rights groups have spoken out about this, perhaps because she's a Muslim;

- She has been beaten, to the extent that she's lost several teeth;

- She was shot in the stomach by US soldiers who were holding her on bogus charges in Afghanistan, and almost died. The US government, in a classic bait-and-switch, later charged HER with assaulting and trying to kill them!

- At FMC Carswell, well known for sexual abuse of female inmates, she has suffered near daily threats of sexual and psychological abuse;

- She has been denied visits by clergy of her faith;

- For the first two decades of her incarceration, she was denied calls and video calls with her family, most of whom are in Pakistan;

- Her holy book, the Qur'an, was desecrated by prison staff;

- She had hot coffee thrown on her face by a fellow inmate, and the only remedy provided by the prison was to place her (not the offending inmate) in solitary.

- There is literally no evidence whatsoever that she did what she was charged with (assault and attempted murder of US servicemen in Afghanistan).

- It's time to release Aafia now!