How Do We Speak to the Prophet?

In speaking to one another. Lest your deeds become invalidated while you don't even realize it. So this verse here, this second verse, of Suratul Hajurat, there's a reason or an incident that occurred and Allah sent this verse down. So, Abu Bakr and Omar had a dispute in the company of the prophet and they started to argue and as they argued as arguing people usually do, they started to raise their voices and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sent down, oh you who have believed, do not raise your voices above the voice of the prophet. And so we see here that the verse was revealed and it wasn't it wasn't with regards to them speaking to him with raised voice or yelling at him. Rather, they were yelling at each other in his in his presence. And so, one thing we understand is that, being in the presence of the prophet is unique and different than being in the presence of any other human being. That is that we do not do anything that will that might interpreted as a disrespect of the prophet and part of that is that a gathering in which which contains the prophet must be a gathering of great honor and a gathering of great etiquette and part of that is that our voices are at a reasonable and respectable level. This is one aspect of the verse. Another aspect of the verse is that is physically raising your voice above the voice of the prophet and we have other aspects such as metaphorically figuratively, raising your voice above the voice of the prophet meaning that the prophet has a narration, a statement about a certain thing, a ruling on something, or how this thing should be understood, and I dismiss that with my own opinion. I dismiss that with my own ideas And in doing so, I have now set myself up as a kind of peer to the prophet just as a person who respects another will not raise their voice above that person. Likewise, appear a peer will speak to his peer with regular talk and voice. Now, go take any pains or go out of his way in any way. Two, to pull out any stops with regards to particular etiquettes in speaking to to to his peer and so, my peer, someone who's equal to me in status, he has an idea and I have an idea. He has a take on something and I have a take on something and that should never be the relationship between the prophet and his follower, right? The relationship between prophet and follower is I have an idea. He has an idea my idea is his idea, right? My take is his take. I may be correct or incorrect and the basis for that and the scales of of right and wrong with regards to that is the words of the prophet Those words, those takes, they trump anything that I would have to say. I am the follower. He is the leader. He is the master. He is the one who is walking ahead of me. I'm walking behind him. I don't raise my voice over his voice. I do not contradict him as I would someone who is my peer. This is the relationship of a follower to a prophet and it has to remain in that way. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says as well and do not speak to him as and do not address him as you address one another. We don't raise our voice above the prophet voice and speaking to him or in speaking around him that is physically and figuratively and we do not address him or speak to him except as a follower, a humble follower too, a a speaks to his master and speaks to his guidance, speaks to his leader. And a part of that, there are many aspects of this. This is a general rule but a part of that is speaking to the prophet is not speaking to any other human being. So, we cannot refer to him if if the companions didn't used to speak to him and refer to him by his first name. Say, you know, like you would call out to your friend. They would not call out to him using his first name. He had to call out to him saying, messenger of Allah, prophet of Allah, or by his the bare minimum is the utmost of respect, right? And there's a difference between that and speaking. There's a difference between speaking to someone and speaking about someone. Speaking about someone is a more general thing. Speaking to someone is very specific. So, what does that mean? So, if I'm speaking to the prophet I will not call to him, refer to him by his first name. But if I'm speaking about him and I refer to him by his first name, well, that might be perfectly okay. Just when we make dua, we make dua in Muhammad. Muhammad. I'm not addressing him. I'm speaking to Allah about him. Speaking about somebody is different than speaking to somebody. It's a person may call his father, will only refer to his father as sir or father or dad, what have you. But you're asked, who's your father? You say his name? So and so is my father. Because speaking about is different than speaking to. So, in speaking to the prophet there's a certain level of respect that must be observed as a bare minimum. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, lest your deeds become invalidated whilst you are unaware. What is meant by invalidating deeds here. It doesn't mean that your religion will be invalidated. Usually, invalidation of deeds in the Quran happens with happens with disbelief. However, not always and this is an example of that. Because disbelief is a choice. It's not a mistake that you make. Right? So then point here. Disbelief is a choice not an accident. Just Islam is a choice. The Islam that's going to that's going to benefit you and I in the hereafter is a choice. It's not an accident. You don't accidentally become Muslim. There's no such thing. You have to choose to become Muslim and make the conscious choice to be Muslim. Likewise, in order to, then depart from Islam, to leave Islam. You have to make the conscious decision to do so. It's not an accidental thing. So, the statement of Allah, lest you, lest your deeds become, lest your needs become invalidated lest your deeds become voided whilst you don't even know This means that this sin is big enough to void other good deeds that a person does, not by way of but by way of, there are some bad deeds that a person can do that will affect their good deeds, right? And so, in this same meaning, prophet said for instance, in Sahih Al Bukhari who said, he said, whoever misses then their deeds have become invalidated, right? That doesn't mean that a person becomes a disbeliever. It means that their deeds have been invalidated by this major, major disobedience and this is the same thing here. So, there's no such thing as a person accidentally becoming a disbeliever. Yes, accidentally doing something of disbelief? Yes. That's something that can happen. But accidentally leaving Islam no. Leaving Islam in the sense that you will be brought you you will be put in hell for eternity. Leaving Islam in the sense that you are no longer Muslim. In the side of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. This is a choice. This is not an accidental ordeal. And like wise becoming Muslim. This is a conscious decision that a person makes. It's not an accidental thing that a person becomes a Muslim.