The 3 Fundamentals: 03 Knowing The Messenger

Summary

The lesson focuses on the second of the “three fundamentals”: knowing the Messenger, Muhammad ﷺ. The instructor reviews the framework introduced in the previous class and explains why learning about the Prophet is central to faith and religious practice.

The four obligations reviewed

The instructor says a Muslim is obliged to:

1. Gain knowledge.
2. Act on that knowledge.
3. Call others to it.
4. Be patient with the difficulties that follow.

He relates these obligations to a passage from Surah al-‘Asr, which describes people as being in loss except those who believe, do righteous deeds, encourage one another to truth, and encourage one another to patience.

What it means to know the Messenger

Religious knowledge about Allah and what He requires is learned through the Prophet’s message. The instructor describes Muhammad ﷺ as both a prophet and a messenger. In his explanation, a messenger is a prophet who is commanded to convey a revealed message. He uses the stages of Muhammad’s early revelation and the later command to “arise and warn” as an example.

The Prophet’s mission is presented as extending to all peoples and times, not only to one group or era.

Knowing and loving the Prophet

The instructor says that learning about the Prophet should lead to love, following his teachings, and increased faith. He distinguishes religious love for the Prophet from ordinary, worldly affection. A Muslim’s religious love for the Prophet, he says, should be greater than love for other created beings, while remaining subordinate to love of Allah.

Falling short in following a teaching does not, by itself, mean that a person has no love for the Prophet; it weakens faith. The instructor distinguishes this from rejecting teachings in a way that would amount to disbelief.

He cites a report about a man repeatedly punished for drinking alcohol. When people condemned the man, the Prophet reportedly affirmed that the man loved Allah and His Messenger.

Respect, following the Sunnah, and avoiding excess

The instructor stresses respectful speech about the Prophet and warns against disregarding his teachings or rejecting authentic reports. He cautions against expressing love through religious celebrations or practices he says the Prophet did not prescribe, as well as against exaggeration or introducing new acts of worship.

He also questions the authenticity of objects presented as relics of the Prophet, saying that the items people claim to possess are not reliably established.

The instructor makes a severe legal claim about deliberately insulting or showing contempt for the Prophet, including a death-penalty claim. The lecture does not explain the conditions or legal process for such a ruling.

He presents sending blessings and peace upon the Prophet (salawat) as an act of worship and a way to express love and respect.

Islam and religious evidence

The instructor distinguishes between:

• Islam in a broad sense: Submission to Allah, which he applies to the religions revealed to earlier messengers.
• Islam in its specific sense: The religion brought by Muhammad ﷺ, which he says is the religion now required and accepted by Allah.

He argues that religious claims should be grounded in the Qur’an and Sunnah, rather than unsupported assertions or unquestioning acceptance of individuals.

The class concludes before the remaining topics—acting on knowledge, calling others to it, and patience—are covered. These are deferred to a later lesson.

Question-and-answer points

In response to a question about dedicating part of one’s prayers to sending blessings upon the Prophet, the instructor recounts a hadith in which the Prophet encourages the questioner to increase this practice. He clarifies that the specific amount is not obligatory, but that sending blessings often is encouraged.

He says there is no fixed limit and encourages people to make supplications for themselves and others as well.

Speakers and sources featured

• Instructor/presenter: The speaker delivering the lesson; not named in the subtitles. The channel metadata identifies the channel as Faris Al Hammadi.
• Audience members: Unnamed questioners, whose questions are read or paraphrased by the instructor.
• Religious sources mentioned: The Qur’an; hadith attributed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, including reports the instructor says are found in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim; and a legal opinion attributed to Imam Malik.