Residence in Madinah Without Following the Sunnah (Malfoozat of Shaykh al-Islam Hazrat Maulana Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani)
He advised that the essence of religion is in following the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). One should have love for the Sunnah, respect for it in the heart, and be granted the ability to practice it. Even if a person is physically far from Madinah Munawwarah, if he follow the Sunnah, he is close to the Prophet (peace be upon him). May Allah protect us from the situation where a person is living in Madina but not Following Sunnah Life, despite spending an entire lifetime in Madinah, he does not attain the closeness of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
There were also hypocrites(Munafiqeen) residing in Madinah. The Quran states:
وممن حولکم من الاعراب منٰفقون ومن اھل المدینۃ(التوبۃ: ۱۰۱)۔
(Surah At-Tawbah, 9:101)
The hypocrites also lived in Madinah. They had physical proximity to the Prophet (peace be upon him), but since they lacked Faith(Iman), righteous actions, and adherence to the Sunnah, this physical closeness brought them no benefit.
May Allah, through His mercy and grace on us and instill in our hearts the zeal(Taufiq) to follow the Sunnah. Ameen.
(Dars-e-Shu’ab Al-Iman, Volume 1, Page 146)
This Malfooz is selected by Dr. Faisal Sahib.