PREVALENT SOCIAL ILLS CLOSELY BEFORE PROPHETHOOD AND THE APPROACH USED TO REMEDY THE SITUATION.

Praise is for Allah, The Most High, The Greatest, Who said: “Indeed, association of partners [with Him] is great injustice." Most magnificent praises be unto Him for His uniqueness at relating with His creation and for the sustenance, He is all-aware of all things. I bear witness there is no god except Allah alone, He has no partner, the Lord of all-encompassing favours. I bear witness Muhammad (PBUH) was a servant and messenger of Allah raised for purification, teaching and guiding the unlettered community to the straight path. May Allah bestow grace and peace in manifolds on him, his families, wives, companions and all followers of his guidance till the day of recompense. And after that, O Muslims keep your duty to your Lord dearly in utmost piety for that is the best preparation. It positions one for guidance, happiness and forthrightness and security. Allah says: { وَتَزَوَّدُواْ فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الزَّادِ التَّقْوَى وَاتَّقُونِ يَا أُوْلِي الأَلْبَابِ }(البقرة: 197) “And take provisions, but indeed, the best provision is fear of Allah. And fear Me, O you of understanding.” (2: 197) Dear Muslims, Allah created man as a composite of two principal elements: the body and the soul. Each of these has its own peculiar food for growth and development. God also guides to remedy that addresses both components when stricken by diseases. Verily Allah has bestows His blessings on His servants as exemplified in the verse below: {هُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي الأَرْضِ جَمِيعاً} It is He who created for you all of that which is on the earth. (2:29) As for the soul, its diseases were critical in this period, much closer to death situation before the advent of the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH). However, Allah revived and resuscitated the souls of men with the light and guidance of the prophet hood of Muhammad (PBUH). {أَوَمَنْ كَانَ مَيْتاً فَأَحْيَيْنَاهُ وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُ نُوراً يَمْشِي بِهِ فِي النَّاسِ كَمَنْ مَثَلُهُ فِي الظُّلُمَاتِ لَيْسَ بِخَارِجٍ مِنْهَا}(الأنعام 122) “And is one who was dead and We gave him life and made for him light by which to walk among the people like one who is in darkness, never to emerge therefrom?” (6:122) Through this, Allah emphatically inspired the soul of men that the only relevant and efficient way to disengage it of all its maladies and malfunction is the divine revelation. {وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ} (الاسراء82 ) . “And We send down of the Qur'an that which is healing and mercy for the believers, but it does not increase the wrongdoers except in loss.” (17:82) THE PREVALENT TRAITS OF THE HOST COMMUNITY OF MUHAMMAD’S (PBUH) PROPHETHOOD The host community of Muhammad’s prophet hood was bedeviled with all classes of the diseases of the heart, the leading of which was As-Shirk- joining partners with Allah, whereby the heart is absolutely attached to other than Allah (swt), and according such all the pristine and legitimate rights of Allah (swt). Shirk was the prevalent ideology among the Arabs and the general religion within the Arabian peninsula. The Arabs despite the prevalent polytheism, believed God as the Supreme Being, the creator of the universe, sovereigner of the heavens and earth. Allah obviously testified to their confirmation of God’s attribute as the creator, the provider of sustenance and the mighty, however, despite this, they remained pagans because they failed to translate that believe to sole worship of Allah alone, and they worshipped other than Him, exalted is He above what they join with Him. {وَلَئِنْ سَأَلْتَهُمْ مَنْ خَلَقَهُمْ لَيَقُولُنَّ اللَّهُ فَأَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ} (الزخرف87) “And if you asked them who created them, they would surely say, " Allah ." So how are they deluded?” (43: 87) {قُلْ مَنْ يَرْزُقُكُمْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ وَاْلأَرْضِ أَمْ مَنْ يَمْلِكُ السَّمْعَ وَاْلأَبْصَارَ وَمَنْ يُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَيُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَيِّ وَمَنْ يُدَبِّرُ اْلأَمْرَ فَسَيَقُولُونَ اللَّهُ فَقُلْ أَفَلاَ تَتَّقُونَ } (يونس31). “Say, "Who provides for you from the heaven and the earth? Or who controls hearing and sight and who brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living and who arranges [every] matter?" They will say, " Allah ," so say, "Then will you not fear Him?" (10:31) The Arab society was drowned in idolatry in its worst form, every tribe or area, or city had a particular idol, in fact every household had its specific idol. Al-Kalbi said: “Every home in Makkah had specific idol they worship. And when anyone among them is to embark on a journey, the last task he carries out in his house is to wipe his body with the idol while the first thing he does as he enters his house on his return is to wipe his body with the idol again. The Arabs were reckless in idol worshipping; some built an edifice for the idol, and others took an idol alone, and who is not capable of an idol nor erecting a house, could set up stone monument at the front of the ka’bah or other approved structures. Then they circumambulate around it the way they do at the ka’bah, and they called this practice Al-Ansoob (dedication of stones). At the centre of the ka’bah and around its spaces were three hundred and sixty idols. The people moved from worshipping idols and images to the worship of mere stones. From Abu Raja: “We used to worship stones, but when we find a better stone, we discard the former and take the latter. If we could not get stones, we gather heaps of sands, then get a sheep which is milked over it and we circumambulate around it.” (Bukhari) The situation of the Arabs was not different from a typical idolatry society anywhere or anytime in history. Gathering various gods and goddesses from among the angels, jinns, stars, they believed angels are daughters of God, they took them as intercessors before God, and they relied on them as mediators to reach God. {إِنَّ الَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاْلآَخِرَةِ لَيُسَمُّونَ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ تَسْمِيَةَ الأُنْثَى , وَمَا لَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ عِلْمٍ إِنْ يَتَّبِعُونَ إِلاَّ الظَّنَّ وَإِنَّ الظَّنَّ لاَ يُغْنِي مِنَ الْحَقِّ شَيْئًا} (النجم27- 28) “Indeed, those who do not believe in the Hereafter name the angels female names, And they have thereof no knowledge. They follow not except assumption, and indeed, assumption avails not against the truth at all.” (53: 27- 28) {وَجَعَلُوا بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْجِنَّةِ نَسَبًا وَلَقَدْ عَلِمَتِ الْجِنَّةُ إِنَّهُمْ لَمُحْضَرُونَ , سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ (الصافات/158- 159) “And they have claimed between Him and the jinn a lineage, but the jinn have already known that they [who made such claims] will be brought to [punishment]. Exalted is Allah above what they describe.” (37:158- 159) WAYS USED BY THE APOSTLE TO REMEDY THE ILLS OF THE SOCIETY Dear Muslims, the prophet approached these dangerous and seemingly incurable diseases by first eradicating and sanitizing the hearts. Thereafter he then filled their hearts with the love of God, His reverence, sustaining hope in Him, singling Him out alone for worship without joining partners with Him. For God is the sole creator of all creatures and existence Who rightfully deserves to be worshipped, and none must be worshipped beside Him whatever the status. The prophet met several kinds of abuse in the hands of the pagans. He was patient until God's victory and support came making him and his supporters the heirs. {وَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ}(المنافقون 8) " And to Allah belongs [all] honor, and to His Messenger, and to the believers.” (63:8) {وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلتَّقْوَى} {and the end is for piety} The prophet also faced series of intransigence and opposition from his people as encapsulated thus: {وَعَجِبُوا أَنْ جَاءَهُمْ مُنْذِرٌ مِنْهُمْ وَقَالَ الْكَافِرُونَ هَذَا سَاحِرٌ كَذَّابٌ , أَجَعَلَ اْلآَلِهَةَ إِلَهًا وَاحِدًا إِنَّ هَذَا لَشَيْءٌ عُجَابٌ , وَانْطَلَقَ الْمَلأُ مِنْهُمْ أَنِ امْشُوا وَاصْبِرُوا عَلَى آَلِهَتِكُمْ إِنَّ هَذَا لَشَيْءٌ يُرَادُ , مَا سَمِعْنَا بِهَذَا فِي الْمِلَّةِ اْلآَخِرَةِ إِنْ هَذَا إِلاَّ اخْتِلاَقٌ , أَؤُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ الذِّكْرُ مِنْ بَيْنِنَا بَلْ هُمْ فِي شَكٍّ مِنْ ذِكْرِي بَلْ لَمَّا يَذُوقُوا عَذَابِ}(ص4-8) “So they wonder that a Warner has come to them from among themselves! and the Unbelievers say, "This is a sorcerer telling lies! "Has he made the gods (all) into one Allah? Truly this is a wonderful thing!" And the leader among them go away (impatiently), (saying), "Walk ye away, and remain constant to your gods! For this is truly a thing designed (against you)! "We never heard (the like) of this among the people of these latter days: this is nothing but a made-up tale!" "What! has the Message been sent to him - (Of all persons) among us?"...but they are in doubt concerning My (Own) Message! Nay, they have not yet tasted My Punishment! (38: 4-8), Pride and Envy propelled them (unbelievers) to this ugly state to utter such ridiculous statement as explained in the Qur’an concerning the people of prophet Solih: {كَذَّبَتْ ثَمُودُ بِالنُّذُرِ فَقَالُوا أَبَشَراً مِنَّا وَاحِداً نَتَّبِعُهُ إِنَّا إِذاً لَفِي ضَلالٍ وَسُعُرٍ أَأُلْقِيَ الذِّكْرُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ بَيْنِنَا بَلْ هُوَ كَذَّابٌ أَشِرٌ} “The Thamud (also) rejected (their) Warners. For they said: "What! a man! a Solitary one from among ourselves! shall we follow such a one? Truly should we then be straying in mind, and mad! "Is it that the Message is sent to him, of all people amongst us? Nay, he is a liar, an insolent one!" (54: 23- 25) The most manifested of the approaches employed by prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to treat this disease was to insist and prevail on the unbelievers to recognize Allah as the Only One Who deserves to be worshipped solely, based on what they know and claim of God’s supremacy. A graphical detail of this situation is mentioned in Suratu-n-Naml: {آللَّهُ خَيْرٌ أَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ أَمَّنْ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ وَأَنْزَلَ لَكُمْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مَاءً فَأَنْبَتْنَا بِهِ حَدَائِقَ ذَاتَ بَهْجَةٍ مَا كَانَ لَكُمْ أَنْ تُنْبِتُوا شَجَرَهَا أَإِلَهٌ مَعَ اللَّهِ بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ يَعْدِلُونَ أَمَّنْ جَعَلَ الأَرْضَ قَرَاراً وَجَعَلَ خِلالَهَا أَنْهَاراً وَجَعَلَ لَهَا رَوَاسِيَ وَجَعَلَ بَيْنَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ حَاجِزاً أَإِلَهٌ مَعَ اللَّهِ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لا يَعْلَمُونَ أَمَّنْ يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَاءَ الأَرْضِ أَإِلَهٌ مَعَ اللَّهِ قَلِيلاً مَا تَذَكَّرُونَ أَمَّنْ يَهْدِيكُمْ فِي ظُلُمَاتِ الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ وَمَنْ يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ بُشْراً بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَحْمَتِهِ أَإِلَهٌ مَعَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى اللَّهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ أَمَّنْ يَبْدأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ وَمَنْ يَرْزُقُكُمْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ أَإِلَهٌ مَعَ اللَّهِ قُلْ هَاتُوا بُرْهَانَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ}(النمل 59-64) “Is Allah better or what they associate with Him? [More precisely], is He [not best] who created the heavens and the earth and sent down for you rain from the sky, causing to grow thereby gardens of joyful beauty which you could not [otherwise] have grown the trees thereof? Is there a deity with Allah ? [No], but they are a people who ascribe equals [to Him]. Is He [not best] who made the earth a stable ground and placed within it rivers and made for it firmly set mountains and placed between the two seas a barrier? Is there a deity with Allah ? [No], but most of them do not know. Is He [not best] who responds to the desperate one when he calls upon Him and removes evil and makes you inheritors of the earth? Is there a deity with Allah ? Little do you remember. Is He [not best] who guides you through the darknesses of the land and sea and who sends the winds as good tidings before His mercy? Is there a deity with Allah ? High is Allah above whatever they associate with Him. Is He [not best] who begins creation and then repeats it and who provides for you from the heaven and earth? Is there a deity with Allah ? Say, "Produce your proof, if you should be truthful." (27: 59- 64) In Suratul- Hajj, Allah illustrates the incapability of the idols they worship in a wonderful and eloquent manner thus: {يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ ضُرِبَ مَثَلٌ فَاسْتَمِعُوا لَهُ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ لَنْ يَخْلُقُوا ذُبَاباً وَلَوِ اجْتَمَعُوا لَهُ وَإِنْ يَسْلُبْهُمُ الذُّبَابُ شَيْئاً لا يَسْتَنْقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَالْمَطْلُوبُ. مَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ}(الحج 73-74) . “O people, an example is presented, so listen to it. Indeed, those you invoke besides Allah will never create [as much as] a fly, even if they gathered together for that purpose. And if the fly should steal away from them a [tiny] thing, they could not recover it from him. Weak are the pursuer and pursued. They have not appraised Allah with true appraisal. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.” (22: 73- 74) THE SPREAD OF THIS DISEASE IN OUR SOCIETY TODAY: Muslims, this deadly disease (shirk) has spread its fullness in our society today such that the Government even supports this idolatry practice in the name of culture and spends a lot of money on this project. Shirk was the first corruption or evil done on Earth, even, it is the biggest and the greatest. That is the reason why the prophet (PBUH) placed it as the first of the seven destructing sins. From Abu Hurairah: “Avoid the seven destructing sins” they (the companions) said: “O Messenger of God and what are they?” He said: “Joining partner with Allah in worship matters …” It is a form of sin which the sinner will not be forgiven if he dies in that state. Allah said: { إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَمَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرَى إِثْمًا عَظِيمًا} (النساء48) “Allah forgiveth not that partners should be set up with Him; but He forgiveth anything else, to whom He pleaseth; to set up partners with Allah is to devise a sin Most heinous indeed.“ (4:48) God bless you all and me with the Holy Qur'aan, and benefit us all from the lessons there in. Having said what I said, I seek forgiveness from Allah for me and for you all, Muslims, engage in seeking forgiveness from Him, He is All-forgiving, Most- merciful. THE SECOND SERMON All praises are for Allah, the most powerful, most wise, supporter and protector of the righteous and pious. I testify there is no god except Allah solely exclusive without any partner; He is the protector of the righteous. I testify also that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, may Allah bestow His blessing on him, his household and all his companions. There can be no pride, dignity, nor hope of victory and safety from painful torment except by the return to the religion of Allah, sincerity of adherence to His orders and prohibitions, complete submission to the religion of Islam, and following the Prophet (PBUH). { وَلله الْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلَكِنَّ الْمنَافِقِينَ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ }( المنافقون:8) "And to Allah belongs [all] honor, and to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites do not know.” (63:8) {مَن كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعِزَّةَ فَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ جَمِيعاً }( فاطر:10) “Whoever desires honor [through power] - then to Allah belongs all honor.” (35:10) Be aware that sin against Allah is the cause of all forms of relegation, debasement and drawbacks. Allah deals with whoever sin against Him; he could be subjected to open humiliation, put him in a state of perpetual fear, subdued and overturned into grief and sorrow and even become abandoned before Allah, because sin is the cause of all defects and a reason for being dominate or overrun by the enemies, and equally a source of trials, hardships and adversity. { فَكُلاًّ أَخَذْنَا بِذَنْبِهِ...} “So each We seized for his sin” (29: 40) May Allah forgive the believing men and believing women, Muslim men and women, the living and the dead, You are All-hearing and Ever-responsive. O Allah, honour Islam and the Muslims, humiliate idolatry and the idolaters, and destroy your enemies- the enemies of Islam, O Lord- the most powerful, most enduring. And make this country- Nigeria safe, and other Muslim lands, through your mercy Oh merciful Lord.