MAULID AN NABI Celebrating the Birth of Prophet Muhammad (saw) By Shaykh Hassan Ali Cisse As Salaamu Alaikum: I am here

to welcome you tonight in this place under the shadow of the PROP HET (SAW), once again. I am here to speak on the Maulid for the brothers and si sters who do not speak Wolof or Arabic. It is very important to celebrate the birthday of the PROPHET MUHAMMAD (SAW ) because the PROPHET (SAW) is a mercy to everybody, whether you know it or don t know it and it is worthwhile to spend some of your time in every day, if you can , if not, in every year, to celebrate the Master of Mankind. This gathering, th e result of which the Sufi people call Al Jam ala Allah , is to meet for no other r eason except for the Sake of Allah. We are here for that, for the Sake of Allah, not for any other purpose, not for dunya, the worldly things, and not even for Akhira, the Hereafter. So, I am congratulating you, all of you, on this occasion and also, I am gi ving you good tidings from the PROPHET (SAW). Once, he (SAW) was asked by one o f his companions, When is the Last Day, the Day of Judgment? and the PROPHET (SAW) asked the man, What did you do? Are you ready for it? The man said, Really, I did not do many good deeds for the Last Day, but I have the love of the PROPHET (SA W). The PROPHET (SAW) said, Everybody is going to be with whom he loves on the D ay of Judgment. Congratulations, and from that position to all of you, may you love the PROPHET (SAW) and salute him. In the Muslim world today, there are different opinions about the Maulid it self. Some of the Muslims say it is Bid a, that it is not correct Islam, while ot hers say it is advisable to celebrate the birthday of the PROPHET (SAW). Yet, f or those who said it is Bid a there is no argument between us and them, because th ey have no proof that it is Bid a. Even if it is Bid a, it is good Bid a. Allah reve aled to the PROPHET (SAW) in the Holy Qu ran that He will narrate to him the stori es of the previous Prophets to fortify his heart. If that is the case with the PROPHET (SAW), then what will be the case with us if we hear the stories of the PROPHET (SAW)? Second, The PROPHET (SAW) himself celebrated his birthday after the age of forty and everybody knows that. His grandfather, Abu Mutalib, celebrated his b irthday and slaughtered animals for him, but why did he do it again after the ag e of forty? The PROPHET (SAW) used to fast on Monday. When asked why he fasted on this day, he used to say, That was the day on which I as born. The, based on t his Hadith and the Qur anic verse in which Allah said to the PROPHET (SAW): I am n arrating to you the stories of the previous Prophets to fortify your heart, I sa y it would be a very good idea for a Muslim to also listen to the stories of the PROPHET MUHAMMAD (SAW) to fortify his heart and to fortify himself. For this reason, since the third century of the Hijra, the Muslims, may I say good Muslim s, are celebrating the birthday of the PROPHET (SAW) every year. In the land of Senegal today, as you heard Shaikh Abdullah say the other da y, Hajj Abdullah, the father of Shaikh Ibrahim (RA), was the first one who celeb rated the birthday of the PROPHET (SAW) in Senegal. The way he used to celebrat e it is different than the way Shaikh Ibrahim (RA) used to celebrate it, because they used to meet on the night of the birth of the PROPHET (SAW) reciting Qur an all night, but when Hajj Abdullah, the father of Shaikh Ibrahim (RA) paid a visi t to Fez and found them celebrating the birthday of the PROPHET (SAW) by recitin g the poems, the prayers, he adopted that style and here they used the poems of

Imam Muhammad Buseri. Imam Buseri is one of the most famous poets who wrote about the PROPHET (SA W) because of his Burda and his Hamzia. During his early life, the man was not really an excellent Muslim. He was gifted poet entertaining the government offic ials of his day. Then, one time, Allah tested him with severe sickness. He went to see so many doctors and there seemed to be no cure for him. During his sickn ess, he wrote a poem, the Burda. Burda means cover in Arabic. When he wrote the poem, he saw the PROPHET (SAW) covering him with a cover. Then, he regained his health. In the morning, before he showed the poem to anyone, a good person came to visit him. When the door opened, the person said, Show me the poem which I sa w you reciting in from of the PROPHET (SAW) last night. That is why, throughout the Muslim world today, they have this belief, that wherever you read the Burda, the PROPHET (SAW) will attend that place. That is why when it is recited, all of the people stand up. The second poem composed by Buseri as called Hamzia. A ctually, thousands of people wrote poems about the PROPHET (SAW), but the fame w hich Buseri gained out of his praising the PROPHET (SAW) is unequaled, because his poem was excellent. On the occasion of the first Maulid in Senegal, all of the poems recited we re by Buseri. On the second Maulid, the poems were by Shaikh Ibrahim Niass (RA) . In addition, there was a narration of the biography or stories from the life of the PROPHET (SAW). There was also a recounting of Shaikh Ibrahim Niass (RA) m ove from Kaolack to Medina and why this move took place. This narration answere d the question of what was the problem, as well as what his own people did to ma ke him move from the area. In response, Shaikh Ibrahim (RA) has declared that es sentially he did nothing but love the PROPHET (SAW), for which he was driven fro m his house. To celebrate the PROPHET (SAW), you may gain out of it, as I said before, t he love of the PROPHET) SAW); you will be happy in this life and happy in the He reafter. The love of the PROPHET (SAW) may push you to see him in a dream, or y ou may see him in reality, in a state of being awake, because up to today good M uslims are seeing the PROPHET (SAW) in broad daylight, in a state of being awake , not asleep, because in the Hadith of Bukhari the PROPHET (SAW) said, Whoever ha s seen me in a dream has seen me in reality, because Shaitan cannot take my form . There are some of you who remember the poem composed by Shaikh Ibrahim (RA) during the last moments of his life in a Paris hospital. I saw the PROPHET (SAW) in a state of being awake in Paris. Is this a place where one can see the PROPH ET (SAW)? Still, there are some Muslims denying seeing the PROPHET (SAW). This is not possible, according to them, because the consider him being just like an ordinary person who, if he died and you bury him, that is the end of him. The PR OPHET (SAW) is not like that. Another story will show us that the PROPHET (SAW) still exists. One of the Meccan people was very rich at one time and he used to receive people from Mala ysia, Asia, being the host for them and helping them with his own money. It jus t so happened that one year he had no money and the people arrived. He said to h imself, I must hide, because it is a shame for me to meet my people without treat ing them nice. He finally decided to take them to the Rowda, the Masjid of the P ROPHET (SAW) and leave them there. They were the guests of the PROPHET (SAW). Wh en he came to the Masjid and greeted the PROPHET (SAW), he said, These people use d to come to me when I was able to handle their affairs. Today, they come when I am in a very bad financial condition. He fell asleep in the Masjid before he l eft the group. Go to this address and call this name. Tell him to give you what you need of money as far as your people are concerned. When he found the buildin g number, he called the man s name in a loud voice from the street. The man answe red, saying, I answer your call. I am the messenger of the Messenger of Allah. T

ell me how much you need. If I have it, I will give it to you, if I don t have it, I will borrow it and give it to you. On another occasion, the Shaikh Ahmad Abdul Rafi, when he paid a visit to t he Rowda, spoke to the PROPHET (SAW) saying, Away from you I used to send my soul to kiss your hand on my behalf and today I come in person. Bring your hand so I can kiss it. The hand of the PROPHET (SAW) came out. The PROPHET (SAW) is not an ordinary person. He is in the second position after Allah. We love him and we are not worshipping him. We believe in his Mess age. We believe that he is the Messenger of Allah, the Servant of Allah and we will try our best to follow all of his teachings, step by step. All that he pro hibited us from doing, we will try our best not to do it. That is our belief in the PROPHET (SAW). Now, the PROPHET (SAW) came to this world when his own people and the major ity of the world community believed in worshipping idols instead of worshipping Allah, the Creator. Allah sent him down to correct the mistakes of human beings . The PROPHET (SAW) is in the position to teach us how to follow the right path , but he cannot create the righteousness in the heart of a Mu min, or believer. O nly Allah can create the righteousness in your heart, and the PROPHET s (SAW) purp ose is to show you the right path. In the teachings of the PROPHET (SAW), all good deeds are advisable. Islam, all of it, is nice. All bad deeds are prevented in Islam and it is an obligati on upon every Muslim, whenever the PROPHET (SAW) gives an order, you should foll ow; whenever he said you should stop, you should stop. Happiness in this life a nd in the Hereafter is in the following of the PROPHET (SAW). All of the celebrations you see these days, the poems, the recitations of Q ur an, all of it, is just to show the good character of the PROPHET (SAW). When S ayida Ayisha (RA) was asked what is the character of the PROPHET (SAW), she said , His character is the Qur an. Qur an is the character of the PROPHET (SAW) . When you read the Holy Qur an, his character is present, and outside the circle of Qur an, y ou will never see his character. He is in that circle. If you want to be close to the PROPHET (SAW), follow his teachings. What he said is good, try your bes t to do it. What he said is bad, try your best not to do it, because that is the key to happiness. It is the key to what you want in this life and in the Hereaf ter. We can summarize all of that in one word: Taqwa. Taqwa is everything. Whe never it is mentioned, to what you are ordered by the PROPHET (SAW) and to stop where he ordered you to stop, if you do it you will be a good Muslim and you wil l be a wali of Allah. You will be close to Allah. Your problems in this life wi ll be solved and all of this I am not saying from myself. Every word of it is i n Qu ran. If you fear Allah, Allah will teach you. If you want Paradise, fear Al lah. If you want to be a wali, believe and fear Allah. If you want to be honored at the presence of Allah, also Taqwa, fear Allah. If you want to be safe from t he hellfire on the Last Day, fear Allah. If you want to be victorious over your enemies, also Taqwa. If you want wealth, Taqwa. If you want to be a good Musli m, do your best to follow the instructions and the rules and regulations of Isla m and do your best to stop where it wants you to stop. You cannot claim that yo u love the PROPHET (SAW) and disobey all of his orders, that is hypocrisy. The PROPHET (SAW) described what Iman is. Iman is what you have in your he art and your actions prove it. If the actions are different than what you claim you believe, then it is false. We should try our best to be Muslim. I bear wit ness that there is no god but Allah; I bear witness that Muhammad is His Messeng er. It is good to say the words, but it is not enough. You have to follow a cert ain way, certain rules and characteristics.

The PROPHET SAW) said: A Muslim is one from whom the others Muslims are safe . They will not harm each other with their tongue or their hands. A Muslim to a nother Muslim is just like a wall; if any part of it is suffering, the entire wa ll is suffering. To be a good Muslim, you must be very serious. You should follow the rules as if the PROPHET (SAW) was there. A Muslim should not oppress another Muslim. He should not look down upon another Muslim. He should not leave any Muslim he lpless. You should help your brother. In another Hadith, the PROPHET (SAW) said , Allah is in the help of a servant as long as the servant is helping his brother . If you want Allah to be helpful to you, be nice to your brothers in the religi on and help them. In Suratul Asr, a very short chapter in the Qur an, Allah swears that all of mankind are losers, except these four kinds of people: those who be lieve, those who do righteous deeds, those who advise each other to follow the truth an d those who advise each other to be patient. If you want to be safe from being a loser, adapt these characteristics. As Salaamu Alaikum. Suhail Cisse posted (Facebook) in Imam Cheikh Tidiane Cisse: Letter #14 from the discourses of Shaykh al-Islam Al Hajj Ibrahim Niasse (ra): vice To Patiently Bear The Negative Criticism Of The Enemies Of Tariqa". In The Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful May the Peace an d Blessings of Allah be upon His Noble Prophet, Muhammad (SAWS), the Best of Cre ation. All thanks and praise belongs to Allah - the Absolutely Perfect Being in Hi s Essence, Attributes, Names, and Actions - throughout the entirety of His manif estations (Tajalla). May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon the Axis of the Orbit of Divin e Beauty (Qutb Falak al-Jamal) and the Essence of the Majestic Presence (`Ain Ha drat al-Jalal). May the perfect Pleasure of Allah be upon the complete inheritor (of the Pr ophet) in each of his states, in speech and deeds - the caller to Allah - and hi s secret (Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani, RA). After this: To my brethren in Allah, in the Messenger, and in Shaykh Ahmad al-Tijani the blessed Muqaddam, Al-Hajj Salim and his nephew, Muqaddam Al-Hajj Mu`az: As-S alaamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullah Ta`ala wa Barakatuh! I am very happy to hear that your condition is being solely focused on Alla h and being completely occupied with Him to the exclusion of everything else, al -Hamdu li-llah! I am advising you to remain in the service of the Real and to pa tiently bear the negative criticism of the enemies of the Divine Presence, for t he good end belongs to those with conscious awareness of Allah! O you who believe ! If you help Allah, He will help you and make your foothold firm (47:7). The mo st severely tested (by Allah) are the Prophets and then the Saints! You should know that ever since my youth, (even) when I possessed little kn owledge and was very weak in the Deen, I have been tested by Allah with the most severe testing! I have been (falsely) accused of kufr, fraud, making halal what is haram, cutting off filial relations, corrupting the Tariqa Tijaniyya by intr oducing what does not belong in it, of inventing lies against Allah, of being a Ad

magician, and being insane. Things have been done to me which my pen cannot even write! However, I remained patient for the sake of Allah and I regarded the tes t accordingly. I raised my spiritual energy (Himma) above the entirety of creati on until I had no concern for the (negative opinions) of anyone. I came to know that no one could harm or benefit me (except Allah), and that nothing existed ex cept that which He willed - and in this (way of thinking) is abundant goodness! He came to my aid with help from Himself and He saved me from the evil of my ene mies, and I continued my Suluk in this Tariqa. In short time they all became reg retful, by the Might and Power of Allah! I bore patiently because I knew that a time was coming in the future (where things would be different) - and with me the future is just like the past! Whos oever does not make Suluk just as you are making it will soon be full of regrets ! I am sending your brother and your friend, Abu Bakr Jaj to visit with you all as my deputy, and I am praying that Allah will aid and assist all of us with His Bountiful Grace and that He guide us to that which He loves and is pleased with . I ask that He grant us the healing for what ails our hearts and that He cover us with His Love, His Choice and His Pleasure, until we come to be the neighbor of the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) in the highest regions of `Illiyin! Ameen! Sal aam.

Reproduced by Sidi Ali Cisse from the handwriting of our Shaykh Ibrahim ibn Al-Hajj Abdullahi al-Tijani- with his permission. Medina-Baye, Kaolack (Interpreted from the Arabic by Muhammad Abdullahi al-Tijani al-Ibrahimi) Welcome: Shaykh Mouhamadou Mahy Cisse

Shaykh Mouhamadou Mahy Cisse is a Muslim, a teacher, and a consummate spir itual guide whose teaching and lifestyle transparently reflects the Qur`an and l ife of Prophet Muhammad (saw). At age 12, he completed memorization of the Qur` an under the supervision of Mauritanian scholar, Abdullah Ould Rabbani. After e xtensively studying all the disciplines taught in the Majaalis-al-Ilm under his father, he traveled to Egypt to continue his education. He holds a bachelor of arts in Islamic Studies and Arabic Literature from Al-Azhar University. He is t he son of Shaykh Sidi Ali Cisse, the first caliph of Shaykh al-Islam, Al-Hajj Ib rahim Abdullah Niass, who is celebrated and well known throughout the world by t he scholarly elite. He is currently the Director of Studies at the African Amer ican Islamic Institute - also known as AAII - an international, non-governmental organization recognized by the UN, founded by his elder brother, the Chief Imam , Shaykh Hassan Ali Cisse. *** [www.alfityanu.org]