Be The Best, Not Only Just, To Your Loved Ones – Shaykh Faid Mohammed Said

Being the best ummah for mankind starts with being the best – not only just – with those closest to you, Shaykh Faid Mohammed Said writes.

“Allah Guides to His Light Whom He Wills.”  (Surah An-Nur)
Bismillah-ir Rahman-ir Raheem

The Best Ummah

Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) wanted us to be the best Ummah, as He said in Surah Ahli-Imran (110):  “You are the best ummah that was sent for mankind.”
FOR mankind!  
Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) did not say you are the best ummah “of” or “from” mankind, but rather He said “for”.
Being the best means being close to Allah (subhana wa ta’ala).  Being the best means being in the company of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala).

Rasulullah ﷺ said, speaking about being the best that it is not only in your ibadat, salah or zakat, but rather Rasulullah ﷺ said in a Hadith: The best of you are the best to their wives, and I am the best to my wives.”

In this Hadith, Rasulullah ﷺ is relating being the best to being good to the closest person to you, as it does not matter how good you are to others if you are not good to the closest person to you.  This relates to the Qur’anic verse in which Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) says that those that are close to you are the most deserving of your goodness and kindness, as opposed to others.
In another Hadith, related by Imam Tirmidhi (rehmatullah alaih) and narrated by Syedina Abdullah ibn Amr (radiallah anhu), Rasulullah ﷺ said:  “The best companions and friends with Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) are those that are the best with their friends and good to those in their company; the best neighbors with Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) are those who are the best to their neighbors.”
In yet another Hadith, speaking about being the best, Rasulullah ﷺ said:  “The best of you are those whom teach the Qur’an and learn the Qur’an.”
If we look carefully at these Ahadith, we see that being the best is related to the actions and deeds that benefit other people, being good to other people and helping other people; whether it is by spreading knowledge and making people closer to Allah (subhana wa ta’ala), or by being the best to our wives (spouses) to create a family of peace and goodness, rather than a family purely of justice.

Justice is important, but being the best is more than being just

Being the best entails giving from your rights, rewarding even if it may not deserved; because being the best is in actuality being good to Allah (subhana wa ta’ala),and He gives and rewards you even though you are not worthy of such and do not deserve anything!
Also, being good to your neighbors, not matter how they are with you, because you are doing it for the sake of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala).
Rasulullah ﷺ wanted a society and community of love and care, and as such Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) is giving you a door of ibadah that you have never even imagined:  being good to those whom you love, and being rewarded!  
This is the community that Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) wanted to be the Ummah of Khair!  All the good mentioned is for our fellow human beings, and when you do that good, others may even exchange you with good.
May Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) make us worthy of following Rasulullah ﷺ and may He make us from the Ummah of Rasulullah ﷺ.
Allahumma salli alaa Syedina Muhammad wa alaa Ahli Syedina Muhammad, fi kulli lamhatin wa nafasin ‘adada maa wa see-a-hu ‘il-muLLAH
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Shaykh Faid Mohammed Said is a jewel in the crown of traditional Islamic scholarship in the United Kingdom and we at SeekersHub are ever grateful for his friendship, guidance and support. He was born in Asmara, Eritrea, where he studied the holy Qur’an and its sciences, Arabic grammar and fiqh under the guidance of the Grand Judge of the Islamic Court in Asmara, Shaykh Abdul Kader Hamid and also under the Grand Mufti of Eritrea. He later went to study at Madinah University, from which he graduated with a first class honours degree. In Madinah, his teachers included Shaykh Atia Salem, Shaykh Mohamed Ayub (ex-imam of the Prophet’s Mosque, peace be upon him), Professor AbdulRaheem, Professor Yaqub Turkestani, Shaykh Dr Awad Sahli, Dr Aa’edh Al Harthy and many other great scholars. Shaykh Faid has ijaza in a number of disciplines including hadith, and a British higher education teaching qualification. He is currently the scholar in residence and head of education at Harrow Central Mosque, United Kingdom.
Read Shaykh Faid Mohammed Said’s articles on the SeekersHub blog.