…Insha’Allah these blessed days of Rabi’al Awwal hearts are filled with reliving and reflecting upon the Seerah of our Noble Nabi SallAllahu alaihi wasallam…pondering over his perfected character and how we can act upon his esteemed examples…Ziyarahs around his Mubarak City always flame the love for him SallAllahu alaihi wasallam and all he bequeathed us to act upon…a visit to Wadi Ranuna called this speck…

…it was noon on the day of Juma’ah when our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam set off with his companions…some from Bani ‘Amr who had accompanied him from Quba…they stopped in the valley of Ranuna where the Khazrajite clan of Bani Salim resided…accounts say there were approximately one hundred men, including some who came from Bani Najjar to join them…the people of Banu Salim begged, “O Prophet of Allah, you stayed at the homes of our cousins for a number of days, reward us too with something, for they will pride themselves over us till the Day of Judgement that you stayed with them”…but he explained that it was his faithful camel Qaswa that was under Allah Ta’ala’s command…

…take the time this Juma’ah for the heart to absorb the eloquence of the Khutbah delivered by our Blessed Messenger on the very first Juma’ah…and Insha’Allah to feel a shift these words have upon your condition…may hearts receive a Rabi’al Awwal gift through this profound reminder…

Praise and glory to Allah!
I praise and glorify Him,
I seek His help and forgiveness,
I seek His guidance,
I believe in Him and do not deny Him,
and I take as my enemy those who deny Him.

I bear witness that there is no God except Allah
alone without partner,
and that Muhammad is His worshipper and Messenger
whom He sent with right guidance and the true Religion,
with light and admonition,
after an interval of time without Messengers,
in which knowledge had waned,
misguidance had spread among people,
time had become short,
the Hour had dawned, and the end is near.

Whoever obeys Allah and His Prophet has followed right,
and whoever disobeys them has gone astray,
wasted his opportunity, and truly gone far into misguidance.

I call upon you to fear Allah!
Truly the best to which a Muslim can call another Muslim
is that he urges him to seek the hereafter
and command him to fear Allah.

Beware, therefore, when “Allah bids you beware of Him” (3:28).
There is no better faithful advice than this.
There is no better admonition than this.
Truly it is a safeguard (taqwâ) for anyone that heeds it
in true Godwariness (wajal) and devout fear.
Truly it is trusty help toward what you seek of the hereafter.

Whoever sets aright what lies between himself and Allah
in matters both private and public,
intending nothing thereby other than Allah’s countenance:
it will be for him a reminder in his worldly existence
and provision for him after death,
when a human being finds himself depending solely
upon the deeds he has sent forth,
and whatever else, “he will long that there might be
a mighty space of distance between it and that (evil).
Allah bids you beware of Him.
And Allah is full of pity for (His) bondmen.” (3:30).

By the One Whose Word is true
and Who discharged His promise:
it shall not be otherwise than what I have described!
For He says – Exalted and Almighty:
“The sentence that comes from Me cannot be changed,
and I am in no wise a tyrant unto the slaves” (50:29).

Beware Allah in your worldly matters
as well as your otherworldly ones,
in secret and openly.
For whoever fears Allah, He shall absolve him of his evils
and grant him a great reward.
Whoever fears Allah has achieved a huge victory.
Truly fear of Allah protects one from what He detests.
It protects one from His punishment.
It protects one from His wrath.
Truly fear of Allah makes one illustrious
and raises one’s rank.

Take your share but do not fall short regarding Allah’s side.
Allah has taught you His book
and made plain for you the way to Him,
so as to make known (li ya`lama) those who are truthful
and to make known the liars.

Therefore, excel in goodness
just as Allah has excelled in goodness toward you.
Take His enemies for your enemies.
“And strive for Allah
with the endeavor which is His right.
He has chosen you and has named you Muslims” (22:78)
“that he who perished might perish by a clear proof and he who survived might survive by a clear proof” (8:42).

And “There is no strength save in Allah” (18:39)
so remember and mention Allah abundantly
and work for what comes after death!
Whoever sets aright what lies between himself and Allah,
Allah shall give him sufficiency
in what lies between himself and humankind.

That is because Allah pronounces judgment on mankind
while they do not pronounce judgment against Him;
and He owns rights over them
while they own no right over Him.

Allah is greatest!
And there is no change nor power
but with Allah the Exalted, the Almighty!

Source

…Abu Khaythamah RadhiAllahu anhu was one of the Sahabah from Bani Salim…when the army set off for the Ghazwa in Tabuk, during the extreme heat of summer, he remained in his home enjoying ease and comfort and khidmah from his family…however his mind was persistently thinking of the Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam and his companions as they travelled in harsh and scorching conditions during the arduous journey…he found little peace as these thoughts plagued him…so he gathered a few provisions and left to join the army…when he finally joined them our merciful Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam made special Du’a for him, SubhanAllah!…what lessons of sacrifice we can take from such stories…asking ourselves what sacrifices can we make to improve our condition?

…looking north from the rubble of the restoration work of Masjid Juma’ah two minarets of Masjid Quba can be seen just beyond the residential buildings…such a pity that this short 800 meters of Mubarak land connecting these historic places could not have been developed into park land…

…while looking south is the Ottoman Quba fort…it was in this area that the children sang the welcoming Ta’ala Al Badra Alayna (Arabic lyrics with English translation) at the time of our Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam’s entrance into Madinah…

…topping off this Ziyarah was a delicious wholesome meal prepared by Dear Sister Iman who lives near this Mubarak Wadi Ranuna, Masha’Allah…

JUMA’AH MUBARAK!

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.