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487 - Action points going forward
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- 487 - Action points going forward
A dear friend told me, ‘You have given us an analysis of our situation. I agree. Now give us action points going forward. What must we do?’ So, here is what I believe we must do to take back the reins of our destiny from the hands of those we have given them to. Believe me, we are all in the Game. If you are not playing your own game, you are a player in someone else's game. In the first case, you make the rules, you call the shots, and you win. In the second, you are a pawn and will be sacrificed for the benefit of the owner of the game. You are dispensable, to be used and discarded. Looking at our, Muslim, situation today globally, tell me which scenario looks familiar. Having said that, let me assure you that things are far from hopeless. There is great hope, even certainty of success, but provided we make the right choices. Like any game, it needs preparation, understanding of the situation, a play strategy, flexibility to change, and commitment to the goal at all costs. With that we can win. Without it, get ready for slavery.
If you read history, you will realize that there are forks in the road of destiny of nations. What happens after that fork depends on which branch you choose to walk on. I can give you examples from the history of different nations, but we don’t have time for that here today, so I will suffice to point out that we are standing at a fork in our destiny as the Ummah of Muhammad and our choice will affect our future generations, who will bless us or not for what we did. In the life of every person, man or woman, opens a window when they have the opportunity to make a difference. Once the window shuts our life is over, even if we remain alive because to live is not merely to draw breath. Our window is open now. What we choose to do will be our legacy. Choose wisely because we will be judged by our choice.
The best guidance is the life of Muhammad in which you can clearly see the sense of destiny that he lived with. He took decisions that colored centuries and never allowed exigencies to force him to take short-term or short-sighted decisions. He never sacrificed the principle for immediate gain at the cost of long-term results. For example, he didn’t accept the conversion of the people of Ta’aif when they put the condition that they would pray but not pay Zakat. He ruled that the one who separated Salah from Zakat was not Muslim. This ruling guided Abu Bakr Siddique (R) years later, when he faced the crisis after Rasoolullahﷺ passed away and Abu Bakr (R) was his Khalifa.
When Rasoolullahﷺ came to Madina, there were three things he did first. He started construction of his masjid, he formed the Ummah of Faith, and he formalized the Covenant which laid down the rules of interaction between the different groups who lived in Yathrib. Each of these was a generational project. The masjid was not simply a place to pray but was the epicenter of the community. A place where everything that was a collective need was addressed. Starting with Salah (prayer), which is the most important of all needs; our connection with Allahﷻ. But all collective matters where addressed in the masjid. Al-Masjid An-Nabawi Ash-Shareef was the place for Salah, the ‘Office’ of Rasoolullahﷺ, the Court of Law, the Madrassa, the communication center, the Command Center, even on occasion, a temporary prison. It was the nerve center of the community. If anyone wanted to know what was happening in Madina, they would know if they came to the masjid. The masjid was alive, open, populated and buzzing with activity all day long. The masjid was the place where the Ummah collected as one Ummah and you could feel the Brotherhood of Faith. Today we build Masaajid and give them sectarian names.
The second thing Rasoolullahﷺ did was to form the Ummah Muslima – the Brotherhood of Muslims, where he paired one Muhajir with one Ansari creati...Sat, 23 Nov 2024 - 26min - 486 - Focus on the fundamentals
The Connection Between Taqwa and Tawakkul
Opening
In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, ask His help, ask His forgiveness, and rely on Him. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whosoever Allah guides, there is no one to misguide him. We bear witness that there is no god but Allah, He is One, and has no partner. We bear witness that Muhammad ﷺ is His servant and His messenger.
A Reminder of Our Mortality
I begin with a personal experience that occurred this morning - a powerful wake-up call. One of my closest friends of nearly fifty years, who lived in Oakwood, Chicago, passed away at 3 AM. I had hoped to meet him after completing my work here, but Allah's decree came first. Let us make dua for him:
Allahumma aflahu wa arhamahu wa aafihi wa afwanahu wa kareem nuzulahu wa wasi muzikallahu wa ghusilhu il ma'i wa saj wa al barat wa naqihi min al qataya kama qayt al thawwil abiyatun min al danas Allahumma adhukilhu fi jannatil firdausil ala bidoon hisab wa a'idhu hu wa a'ifiz hu min adhabi al qabri wa min al naar
Understanding Taqwa
Allah SWT commands us in the Quran:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ
"Ya ayyuhalladheena amanu taqullaha haqta tukatih, wa la tamutunna illa wa antum muslimun."
"O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam." [3:102]
What is taqwa? Is it merely fear? The English translation often presents it as "fear Allah as He should be feared." However, taqwa is not simply fear - it is much deeper than that. Fear is a negative emotion; what you fear, you tend to hate. But Allah SWT says about the believers that they love Him ashad (most intensely).
The Relationship Between Love and Taqwa
Taqwa is the fear of disappointing the One whom we love the most. The more we love Allah, the more we fear disobeying Him. This is not out of terror, but out of deep love and respect. This brings us to a crucial question: How can we love someone we don't know?
Knowing Allah SWT
We come to know Allah in two primary ways:
1. Through His Self-Introduction
Allah SWT introduces Himself through:
* Ayatul Kursi
* Suratul Ikhlas
* His Beautiful Names and Attributes
When we reflect on His glory and majesty, our hearts fill with khashiyah (reverent awe).
2. Through Gratitude (Shukr)
We recognize Allah by reflecting on His countless blessings:
* The earth beneath our feet
* The mountains that stabilize
* Our sleep and waking
* Our sustenance
* Our families
* The rain and crops
The Test of Faith
Allah SWT provides a framework in Surah Al-Anfal:
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
"The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His Verses are recited unto them, they increase their Faith; and they put their trust in their Lord...Tue, 19 Nov 2024 - 27min - 485 - Facing Reality – Now what?
The election is over, and America has decided who gets the most powerful job in the country. That is why I thought it is important to put it in perspective.
قُلِ ٱللَّهُمَّ مَـٰلِكَ ٱلْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِى ٱلْمُلْكَ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتَنزِعُ ٱلْمُلْكَ مِمَّن تَشَآءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَن تَشَآءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَن تَشَآءُ بِيَدِكَ ٱلْخَيْرُ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
A’al Imraan 3: 26 Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “O Allahﷻ! Lord over all authorities! You give authority to whoever You please and remove it from who You please; You honor whoever You please and disgrace who You please—all good is in Your Hands. Surely You ˹alone˺ are Most Capable of everything.
The earth belongs to the One who created the earth and everything it contains, the One who owns the heavens and everything that is in them and everything between the two, the One who created and sustains all that we know and all that we don’t know, the One to Whom is our return – He is Allahﷻ and He is the Only One we worship.
وهو الذي يملك الأرض وما فيها، وله ما في السماوات وما بينهما وما في العالمين. الذي خلق ويدبر كل ما نعلم وما لا نعلم، الواحد الأحد. فهو الذي إليه مرجعنا - هو الله - الذي لا نعبده إلا هو.
He introduced Himself and reminded us: Ayatul Kursi/Hashr/Ikhlaas. Someone sent me a TikTok interview where the interviewer asked a senior priest for advice to young priests. He said, ‘Tell them to forget seminary and all their seminary degrees. Tell them to read the Bible and pray a lot. Tell them that unless they develop closeness to God they can’t achieve anything. And the only way to get close to anyone is to spend time with them. So, pray a lot.’ Now, tell me if this applies to us or not in the same away?
So, let us remember the reality and the reality is that Allahﷻ is our Rabb and to Him is our return. As far as we are concerned, only what Allahﷻ wants will happen and if we have Allahﷻ's pleasure on our side, Allahﷻ will keep us safe. This is an opportunity to realign our focus and to repair our Aqeeda and remember that it’s only and only Allahﷻ who can do anything. Our real test is not this or any election. Our real test is when we meet Malakul Mawth. That’s what we need to prepare for. So, we say Alhamdulillah and we turn to Allahﷻ.
Allahﷻ told us the stories of His Anbiya to prove this point that only what Allahﷻ wants to happen, can happen. And that Allahﷻ protects His people wherever they may be in whatever condition, provided they behave like His people. Allahﷻ told us the story of Ibrahim (AS) and all that led to his being thrown into the fire. As he sat in the cup of the trebuchet about to be thrown into the fire, Jibreel (AS) comes to him and asks if he needs any help from him. I can see the smile on his face as he says, ‘Thank you, nothing from you.’ Jibreel (AS) goes to Allahﷻ and reports his conversation (which Allahﷻ already knows) and begs for His help. Allahﷻ says, ‘Tell him that I sent you and that I want to know what he wants from me.’ Ibrahim (AS) replies, ‘My Rabb doesn’t need to ask. I want whatever He wants.’ This conversation is my imagination based on the Hadith, but it shows the essence of the state of the Muslim. Ibrahim (AS) said this because he had said before this something that His Rabb told us about.
إِذْ قَالَ لَهُۥ رَبُّهُۥٓ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
Baqara 2: 131 When his Rabb ordered him, “Submit ˹to My Will˺,” he responded, “I submit to the Rabb of all worlds.”
This is the position, the stance, the status of the Muslim. I have submitted. Not I will submit. I have submitted. When the Muslim submits, Allahﷻ takes direct charge of his affairs. Allahﷻ ordered:
قُلْنَا يَـٰنَارُ كُونِى بَرْدًا وَسَلَـٰمًا عَلَىٰٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ
Anbiya 21: 69 We ordered, “O fire! Be cool and safe for Ibrahim!”
No intermediaries. No Jibreel (AS). Nobody. Allahﷻ orders, ‘O fire! Become cool and safe for Ibrahim.Sun, 10 Nov 2024 - 31min - 484 - Define Yourself
We must define ourselves in life because all our attitudes and actions, what gives us meaning, depends on who we are. Allahﷻ made the laws that run this universe, including our world. They include the laws of physics which we call natural laws, but those are not the only ones. There are others, equally powerful, non-negotiable and inescapable, that govern and determine the success, influence, and happiness of human life. Those who learn those laws and operate according to them, can have as much success, influence and happiness as they wish.
Are we Spectators or Players? The difference is skin in the game. Spectators can watch, scream encouragement or abuse, wear T-shirts and caps, and discuss the game, but they have no impact on the outcome. They don’t decide who wins or loses the game, because they have no skin in the game. They don’t bleed for the cause. They don’t invest time, money, sweat and tears to help their side win. They just scream from the stands. That is our situation today. We don’t want to invest. We don’t want to bear inconvenience. We don’t want to stand in the street in rain or sunshine to make our voices heard. We want someone else to do it for us. We want someone else to lose their job, get doxed, get brutalized by the police, even go to jail for our cause. But we don’t even want to be seen with them. Yet we want our cause to win. Well, all I can say to you is, ‘Good luck’. Because you are going to need a lot of it. Allahﷻ created a world of cause and effect. Those who benefit from a rise in share price are shareholders in that firm. Not those who read the Financial Times but have no money in the firm. Invest in yourself, in your family and in your society if you want influence.
If you want power, start contributing. It is like a tweet by someone against BDS and the boycott campaign. It said, “I want to boycott everything made by Muslims. Can someone please send out a list?” Remember, we came to give. Not to take. Our teacher taught us, and we were supposed to teach the world. But we forgot the teacher and his teachings and started learning from others. We didn’t even have the sense to ask, ‘Who am I learning from? What is his interest in me? Why would he teach me anything to benefit me?’
In the life of every man and woman comes a time when a window opens, and they have a unique opportunity to make an impact and influence others. To succeed we need to anticipate, prepare for the opening and act with courage when our window opens. Our window is open now. Once the window is shut, our life is over, even if we remain alive. To live is not merely to draw breath. That’s to survive. To live is to create a legacy of honor.
We hear two statements from well-meaning but confused people regarding politics. ‘I am not interested in politics’ and ‘Politics is dirty.’ Well, guess what? As someone said, ‘You may not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in you.’ It is like a deer saying, ‘I am not interested in the wolf.’ If the deer wants to survive and thrive, there is only one way; get interested in the wolf to influence him in its favor. That is what we must do with politics. Become interested, contribute, participate and become influential. As for politics being dirty, that is true as a description of the current state. But that doesn't mean that it must necessarily remain that way.
Anything dirty remains dirty for one reason only and that is because those affected by the dirt choose to remain with the dirt. If those affected by dirty politics do what they do when they encounter dirt in anything else, the dirt will go the same way. So, let us complete that statement, ‘Politics is dirty’ and add, ‘but we are going to clean it.’ Believe me, it will happen. It is waiting to be cleaned. That cleaning can’t happen without us getting our hands dirty. But once we start washing, both the fabric of politics and our hands, will become clean.Sat, 02 Nov 2024 - 24min - 483 - Hardship and Relief
We are living through difficult times. Some of us are directly in difficulty. Others are watching difficult things happen to those they love. To truly understand hardship and relief, we must understand the source of both and that is Allahﷻ. Who is Allahﷻ and what does He want for us? Nobody can introduce Allahﷻ better than He introduced Himself. He said:
Baqara 2: 255 Allah! There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him, the Ever-Living, All-Sustaining. Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belong whatever is in the heavens and whatever is the earth. Who could possibly intercede with Him without His permission? He ˹fully˺ knows what is ahead of them and what is behind them, but no one can grasp any of His knowledge—except what He wills ˹to reveal˺. His Seat encompasses the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of both does not tire Him. For He is the Most High, the Greatest.
Hashr 59: 22-24 He is Allah—there is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him: Knower of the seen and unseen. He is the Most Compassionate, Most Merciful. He is Allah—there is no god except Him: the King, the Most Holy, the All-Perfect, the Source of Serenity, the Watcher ˹of all˺, the Almighty, the Supreme in Might, the Majestic. Glorified is Allah far above what they associate with Him ˹in worship˺! He is Allah: the Creator, the Inventor, the Shaper. He ˹alone˺ has the Most Beautiful Names. Whatever is in the heavens and the earth ˹constantly˺ glorifies Him. And He is the Almighty, All-Wise.
Ikhlaas 112: 1-4 Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “He is Allah—One ˹and Indivisible˺; Allah—the Sustainer ˹needed by all˺. He has never had offspring, nor was He born. (And there is none comparable to Him.”)
About what He wants for us, He said in the Ayaat related to fasting:
يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ بِكُمُ ٱلْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ ٱلْعُسْرَ
Baqara 2:185 Allah intends ease for you, not hardship,
So, why then are there trails and hardships in life? To understand this, we must understand that in life, appearance is deceptive. Many times, behind the apparently negative, great positivity is hidden. We know that one of the most severe if not the most severe pain that a human being can suffer is the pain of childbirth. Why then do women have children? Not only have them, but want them, pray to have them and go to all sorts of lengths for children? Because when the mother holds her baby in her arms, she forgets the pain.
The Qur’an tell us story after story of the Anbiya (Prophets) who faced not just hardships but each apparently total and terminal yet were victorious. Only when you know the whole story can you see the pattern and sequence, where the hardship and danger were signs that Allahﷻ was in control and that whatever was happening was according to His plan. Allahﷻ told us the story of Yusuf (AS) in the well and slavery and jail. Ibrahim (AS) in the catapult, Rasoolullahﷺ in Ta'aif, Musa (AS) between the sea and Pharaoh's army and others. And we know how each of those stories ended.
The Qur’an tells us stories not for entertainment or history lessons, but as a means of interpreting the events of our own lives. So, let us see today's scenes of apparent difficulties and disasters in this light. We're influenced by the apparent and the immediate and don't remember that it's part of a sequence. It's like the electrician cleaning the copper wire and rubbing it and scraping it so that current can flow through it properly. It's the pain of weightlifting, or hard aerobic exercise but without that a good looking and functioning body is impossible. The lesson is that no matter what the difficulty, no matter what the apparent loss, if it takes me to Jannah,Sat, 26 Oct 2024 - 27min - 482 - The Chains in the Mind
Living is about making choices- the choice to be a ‘victim’ of circumstances or to do something about circumstances and be their ‘master’. We are free to choose – to be ‘victims’ or ‘masters’ – but the choices have different payoffs. Both stances are subject to the same givens of society, environment, organization etc. But have very different implications in terms of our development and happiness. ‘Victims’ complain about adversity, think of excuses, blame others, lose hope and perish. ‘Victims’ can be individuals, groups, communities or nations. The ‘victim stance’ is the same – complain and blame others. ‘Victims’ search for scapegoats; for someone to blame. They invent conspiracy theories. They have a ‘siege’ mentality, complaining that the only reason they are in a mess is because everyone in the world is out to get them. They don’t stop to think that no matter who they blame, their problems still exist and that it is they and not whoever they blame, that is suffering. Problems need solutions. Not scapegoats. These are the chains in the mind, which must be broken if we want to progress.
‘Masters’ on the other hand are people who when faced with difficulty and adversity, first look at themselves to see how and why they came to be in that situation, own their responsibility and then look for solutions to resolve that situation. They have the courage to try new ways and so they win even if they fail. “Masters’ recognize that whatever happens to them is at least in part, if not wholly, a result of the choices that they made, consciously or unconsciously. The result of what they chose to do or chose not to do. Consequently, if we recognize that we created the problem, then it follows logically that we can also create its solution. A ‘master’ never says, ‘I can’t’. She/he says, ‘I haven’t found a solution yet!’ – and in that, is a world of difference. The key question to ask therefore is, ‘What do I need to do to be a ‘Master’? What is the investment that I need to succeed? Free fall and flight feel the same in the beginning. But it is the end which spells the difference between life and death. One lands safely. The other crashes and burns. Ignoring the law of aerodynamics does not change the law or its result.
Take the story of Yusuf (AS) which has a political angle to it which is almost never mentioned. Let me delve into that for a bit. His story is about how to live in a society with norms and values totally foreign and even antagonistic to your own, but to become hugely influential without changing your own ethics and values in any way. Yusuf (AS) went from being a slave and a prisoner, to becoming the Prime Minister in the government of the Pharoah Sesostris I of Egypt. Sesostris I, was the ruler of Egypt when Yusuf (AS) was sold as a slave in about 1681 B.C. He decided to appoint Yusuf (AS) as the vizier to superintend the gathering of the grain during the seven years of plenty and gave him extraordinary powers to do it. ‘You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.’ (Gen. 41:40). The point that I want to make is that when Yusuf (AS) gained his freedom, he didn’t leave Egypt and return to Shaam, where he had come from but offered his services to the king of Egypt despite the differences in their beliefs. As a result he was able to change the lives of his family and his people who came to live in Egypt. He could do this for one reason alone: contribution. He showed the Pharaoh how he could be critically useful to Egypt. The result was massive power. Power comes with territory. Contribution defines territory. You want power, contribute. As much as you contribute, will you become powerful.
As of the last data available, Muslim representation in the USA is less than 2%. This small percentage means that,Sun, 20 Oct 2024 - 27min - 481 - Message of Muhammadﷺ
When you study the Seerah, ask yourself what the fundamental nature of the message ofRasoolullahﷺ was, which resulted in such overwhelming opposition to begin with and then total transformation of society. In my study of the Seerah, and I have written two books on this, the reason for the extent and severity of opposition was that the Quraysh realized what would happen if people accepted his message. The opposition was not to the theological content of the message but to the political change that it would create. The message of Islam is and was a call to total societal change. A change of the bases of social and political action and norms. Therefore, a change of social and political hierarchies and power structures. Islam is about action. Not about talking.
Power comes with territory. Contribution defines territory. The world respects and listens to contributors and uses consumers. When Muslims slipped from being net contributors to consumers, they became a commodity to be used. Which brings us to our present state, where despite being one in four, we are like foam on the flood. Without weight or value, to be ignored, exploited, and discarded at will. Allahﷻ said that He sent us for the benefit of people to teach them how to live a life of virtue and goodness, compassion, and justice. Allahﷻ’s book is witness. Allahﷻ declared:
كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ
A’al Imraan 3: 110 You are the best community ever raised for humanity—you encourage good, forbid evil, and believe in Allah.
Remember you can only change what you own. You can live in a rented house and complain until you die about all that is wrong with that house and what needs to be done. You will be totally right but totally helpless because you don’t own the house. Same thing with the society you live in. Until you start thinking of it as your society, you can’t change anything. Here’s a self-test. Ask, how many people complain about the political system in this country? Then ask how many of them register and go to vote? Ask, how many complain about schools? Then ask how many stand for elections to school boards? Ask, how many complain about local administration? Then ask how many volunteer on committees? How many volunteer to work in the Fire Service and the Police? Ask, how many complain about Muslim refugee children coming here through Christian and Jewish Refugee Assistance programs which are State funded and then going into non-Muslim foster homes? Then ask why there is no Muslim Family Service organization and why Muslims don’t volunteer as foster parents?
Those who seriously want change, don’t blame others, but ask themselves, ‘What can I do?’ That is what Islam teaches us. To do something. Not to simply complain. Problems need solutions, not complaints. In the life of every man and woman comes a time when a window opens, and they have a unique opportunity to make an impact. To succeed we need to anticipate, prepare and act with courage. Our window is open now. When the window shuts, our life is over, even if we remain alive. Because to live is not merely to draw breath but to leave behind a legacy of honor.
For Muslim society, to use TA terminology, the Parent-Child Ego state was (and is) the preferred state of being and all attempts to develop the Adult Ego state are repressed. It creates in us a tendency to blame others for our situation, be it local or global. Listen to our conversations and you will almost never hear statements owning responsibility for our problems. The rule of life is that only owners can change what they own. If you don’t own it, you can’t change it. So, if we don’t take ownership of our problems,Fri, 11 Oct 2024 - 29min - 480 - Investment – not ‘Charity’
Charity is a zero-sum game because we see charity as giving. All giving is to lose something. When you give, you are saying that you didn’t receive anything in return. That is why if you give $1000 in charity, you say, “I gave $1000.” But when you buy Tesla shares for $1000 you don’t say, “I gave Elon Musk or Wall Street or NASDAC or whatever, $1000.” You say, “I invested $1000 in Tesla.” That’s because you expect a return on your investment. You didn’t GIVE. You INVESTED. Anything that you expect a return on is an investment, not charity. Therefore, what do we say about spending in the path of Allahﷻ? Ask, because this is real retirement planning.
Allahﷻ created us for a purpose and told us what that purpose is. He said:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِمَآ أُرِيدُ مِنْهُم مِّن رِّزْقٍ وَمَآ أُرِيدُ أَن يُطْعِمُونِإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ هُوَ ٱلرَّزَّاقُ ذُو ٱلْقُوَّةِ ٱلْمَتِينُ
Zariyaat 51: 58 I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me. I seek no provision from them, nor do I need them to feed Me. Indeed, Allah ˹alone˺ is the Supreme Provider—Owner of all Power, Ever Mighty.
Allahﷻ commanded us to rush to the prayer and leave our work for this. After the prayer, He permitted us to search for sustenance. Not before. Not instead of. But AFTER completing the prayer. Command to leave everything and rush to pray. And after that, permission to search. Permission implies that what we have been permitted to search for is already there.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِذَا نُودِىَ لِلصَّلَوٰةِ مِن يَوْمِ ٱلْجُمُعَةِ فَٱسْعَوْا۟ إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ ٱللَّهِ وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلْبَيْعَ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَفَإِذَا قُضِيَتِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةُ فَٱنتَشِرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱبْتَغُوا۟ مِن فَضْلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
Jumu'a 62:9-10 O believers! When the call to prayer is made on Friday, then proceed ˹diligently˺ to the remembrance of Allah and leave ˹your˺ business. That is best for you, if only you knew. Once the prayer is over, disperse throughout the land and seek the bounty of Allah. And remember Allah often so you may be successful.
The command to leave ٱلْبَيْعَ - selling (where you see profit) is not restricted to the Friday prayer but applies to all prayers. Allahﷻ did not use the word شراء (buying) which is also part of business but (sale) باع and ordered us to leave that for prayer - the implication is to leave something which is profitable for something else in which there is much more profit.
Allahﷻ told us to search for sustenance, not to create it. If we are alive our sustenance has already been created but we have the choice of getting it from a Halal source or a Haraam source, which is an open book test because we have also been told the consequences of getting it from either of the sources. If we pick the right source, not only will our investment be protected but we will be rewarded for making that choice. But if we fall into the trap of Shaytaan and choose from the wrong place, then not only will we lose everything, but we may also be punished for choosing the wrong way when the correct way had already been shown to us. That is why the example of the bird in the nest which searches for its sustenance. It doesn't make its food. It searches for what Allahﷻ has already provided and finds it.
Allahﷻ ordered us to spend in charity more than 66 times in the Qur’an but did not ask us to accumulate wealth or to save for a 'rainy day', even once. That is because He is the Provider and we trust Him and rely on Him, and not on our effort, our smarts or accumulated wealth. This is not a prohibition on saving or earning.Sat, 05 Oct 2024 - 28min - 479 - Rasoolullahﷺ – Teacher Par Excellence
Driving transformational change is the most difficult of tasks, but the most rewarding. If we take the two Ahadith that are quoted on this subject, in one Rasoolullahﷺ said: وَإِنَّمَا بُعِثْتُ مُعَلِّمًا and in the other: بُعِثْتُ لِأُتَمِّمَ حُسْنَ الْأَخْلَاقِ
We can say from these two that he was sent as a teacher to transform society. Allahﷻ called the teacher – Rasoolullahﷺ His blessing on the people. We write books to be read. Allahﷻ’s Book came to be taught. Not simply to be read and understood according to the capacity of the reader. The Book was sent to the teacher. The teacher to the people, to teach them to live the Book.
تَبَارَكَ ٱلَّذِى نَزَّلَ ٱلْفُرْقَانَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِۦ لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَـٰلَمِينَ نَذِيرًا
Furqan 25: 1 Blessed is the One Who sent down the Standard to His servant, so that he may be a warner to the whole world.
Which explains the role and critical importance of the teacher as the medium between the message and the recipient...it was a verbal message. Without the Messengerﷺ we cannot understand the message. There is no Sahabi on record who claimed to understand the Qur’an on his own without the agency of Rasoolullahﷺ. For example, Aboo Bakr (RA) one time said, "What earth would give me place to live and what sky would shade me if I should speak about the Qur’an with my opinion or by something I do not know." `Umar ibn al Khattaab (RA), also said, "Beware of using your opinion in religious matters." Ibn `Abbaas (RA), the one who Rasoolullahﷺ made dua, for him to understand the Qur’an, to get the understanding of the Deen, and to be given by Allahﷻ the Ta’weel or the understanding of the Qur’an, he also said, "All that there is to follow and obey is the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messengerﷺ. Whoever makes any statement after these two according to his opinion, then I do not know if you'll find it among his good deeds or among his sins." This is the style of Ibn `Abbaas (RA), meaning that even if what you did looks like something good, you will find it among your sins.
This humility and turning to the teacher with humbleness are fundamental conditions of learning. That is why Allahﷻ gave Rasoolullahﷺ four related tasks which are a Teacher’s Checklist. Tilawatil Qur’an, Tazkiyyatun Nafs, Taaleem ul Quran, Hikma. Inform, Purify, Explain, Wisdom. This is the key to teaching anything. WHAT > PREPARE > HOW > WHY.
That is why in our tradition of scholarship whenever any scholar is mentioned, they don’t ask how many followers he/she has but who their teachers are. Followers, especially in today’s world of virtual followers, mean nothing and add no value to you. On the contrary, popularity is a big test of Ikhlaas and a slide into Ar-Riya (Shirk) for the unwary, when the person starts believing what people say about him. That is why I advise myself to look in the mirror. It is teachers who add real value. A person without teachers in Deen remains ignorant. The teacher is critical to learning. That is how the Sahaba are distinguished, and recognized and blessed because of their teacher, Rasoolullahﷺ and not vice versa.
We recognize the importance of the teacher in all bodies of knowledge that impact lives. Nobody becomes a pilot or surgeon or physician by reading books on aerodynamics or surgery, pharmacology or physiology. Reading is important but to qualify, the student must practice under the guidance of a teacher until the teacher is satisfied. Not the student. But when it comes to sacred knowledge that impacts not only the life of this world but much more importantly, the Aakhira, we imagine that reading some books, watching some videos, some pseudo-intellectual discussion, we have become experts and set ourselves up as teachers.Sat, 28 Sep 2024 - 30min - 478 - Rasoolullahﷺ – The Guide to Jannah
There are two ways to guide anyone. One is to give them a map and leave it to them to follow it. The other is to send a guide with the map, who teaches them how to read the map and guides them on the right path, course correcting as necessary, so that they can never be lost. In corporate consulting, we recommend a course of action and then run a pilot program as Proof of Concept to demonstrate the benefits of following our recommendation. That not only builds credibility in the new way but also prevents costly mistakes from being made. Allahﷻ chose that method, when He decided to give the world a new way of life for the last time.
That is why Allahﷻ taught us to make dua for guidance to the Path – Siratal Mustaqeem and not to the destination, Jannah. The Path of those who He blessed and not those who incurred His anger or became misguided. That is the dua we make at least 17 times a day when we recite Sura Al Fatiha in every Salah – Ihdinas Siratal Mustaqeem. Allahﷻ accepted this dua and said:
هُوَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُۥ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ ٱلْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلدِّينِ كُلِّهِۦ وَكَفَىٰ بِٱللَّهِ شَهِيدًا
Fath 48:28 He is the One Who has sent His Messenger with ˹right˺ guidance and the religion of truth, making it prevail over all others. And sufficient is Allah as a Witness.
The question to ask is, ‘Allahﷻ accepted my dua and sent His Messengerﷺ. But am I following him or someone else?’ Let us ask before we’re asked.
Allahﷻ not only accepted our dua but He also told us what the result of following His Messengerﷺ would be. The way of Muhammadﷺ, Islam would become the most preferred and prevalent way of life on earth. Today we wonder at how certain negative and harmful lifestyles and choices have become so prevalent and powerful when just a few years ago they were despised and kept hidden. That is the power of living your choice with confidence. No matter what it is, if you do it with confidence, the world will follow you. If this is possible with negative things, how much more with positive ones. But when the ignorant are confident and the knowledgeable are diffident and apologetic, ignorance will prevail. Remember that when the truth must be spoken, silence is culpable. Rasoolullahﷺ and all those who followed him in excellence demonstrated this and will be our witnesses.
Everything we have in this world, from the air we breathe, produced by trees we cut, to gravity which cancels the centrifugal force of the spinning of the earth and saves us from flying off into space; to water which came from outer space and is the most ancient substance on earth, essential to survival of all living things, locked into a perpetual cycle of self-purification and renewal; to the Northern Lights, evidence of the shield that Allahﷻ placed to protect us from solar flares, a single one of which would be enough to reduce us and our arrogance to ash. From love in the heart, to courage, to Imaan which makes those who have lost limbs and families in Gaza, ask questions related to the Fiqh of Wudhu and the permissibility of adopting an orphan who not only doesn’t have parents, but who has nobody in the world. From the food we eat to our health and wealth, families and friends, power and authority, to happiness and the equanimity to face grief. For Tahajjud and His descent to the lowest heaven and offer to accept our dua, and even more for the Tawfeeq to get up and pray and ask Him to forgive us. And most of all for His Mercy and Forgiveness, His Generosity and Grace, His Glory and Majesty and the faculty to recognize it as such and fall in Sujood and say, SubhanAllah and Allahu Akbar instead of saying, WOW or OMG. Every single one of them, all that I mentioned and all those I cannot possibly mention, or even count,Sat, 21 Sep 2024 - 30min - 477 - Rasoolullahﷺ the Best Role Model for our times
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتَهُۥ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى ٱلنَّبِىِّ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ صَلُّوا۟ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا
Ahzab 33: 56 Indeed, Allah showers His blessings upon the Prophet, and His angels pray for him. O believers! Invoke Allah’s blessings upon him and salute him with worthy greetings of peace.
He is the one who Allahﷻ praised and blessed and the Malaika send blessings upon him. And Allahﷻ ordered all Muslims until the end of time to do the same. What can be more honorable than that? Allahﷻ promised:
وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَأَنتَ فِيهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ مُعَذِّبَهُمْ وَهُمْ يَسْتَغْفِرُونَ
Anfaal 8: 33 But Allah would never punish them while you ˹O Prophet˺ were in their midst. Nor would He ever punish them if they prayed for forgiveness.
To have Rasoolullahﷺ with us means to follow him. Remember that even when he was physically present, his Companions were only those who believed in him and followed him. Not those who were physically in his presence but didn’t believe in him. Not even those who believed him but didn’t follow him. Allahﷻ reiterated the position of Rasoolullahﷺ and said:
لَقَدْ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِذْ بَعَثَ فِيهِمْ رَسُولًا مِّنْ أَنفُسِهِمْ يَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ وَيُزَكِّيهِمْ وَيُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا۟ مِن قَبْلُ لَفِى ضَلَـٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ
A’al Imraan 3: 164 Indeed, Allah has done the believers a ˹great˺ favour by raising a messenger from among them—reciting to them His revelations, purifying them, and teaching them the Book and wisdom. For indeed they had previously been clearly astray.
We ask Allahﷻ to navigate us to Jannah at least 17 times a day. Allahﷻ granted our dua and gave us Rasoolullahﷺ and told us to follow his way. But then do we follow that direction or some other. That direction is called Sunnah. We asked for it. Allahﷻ gave it. Let us not get deceived by anyone or anything and leave the Sunnah because that is the only way to Jannah. Allahﷻ told us that the life of this world is deception. The truth, reality, hides behind what is apparent. That is what we must see. Allahﷻ warned us that the life of this world is deception. So, we must question everything we see or experience and understand its reality. That is why we have the dua asking Allahﷻ to show us the reality behind things.
اَللّٰهُمَّ اَرِنَا الْحَقَّ حَقًّا وَّ ارْزُقْنَا اتِّبَاعَهٗ وَ اَرِنَا الْبَاطِلَ بَاطِلًا وَّ ارْزُقْنَا اجْتِنَابَهٗ
O Allah! show us the truth as true and inspire us to follow it. Show us falsehood as falsehood and inspire us to abstain from it.
Allahﷻ in His Infinite Mercy didn’t leave us guessing and inventing our own ways to deal with the Matrix – the Ultimate Deception. He sent a guide and an entire pilot program as proof of concept that Islam works in all times. That is why Allahﷻ caused the Sunnah to be preserved with such integrity. We owe a debt of gratitude to all those who through the ages, starting from the Sahaba, preserved the minutest details of the life, ways, teachings, likes, and dislikes of Rasoolullahﷺ for the benefit of all, to learn and follow.
This gave rise to an entire body of knowledge, Ilm-ur-Rijaal, that has no parallel. There is no history that has been preserved with such rigor and passion. May Allahﷻ enable us to benefit from the treasure of the life of Rasoolullahﷺ which He blessed us with. That is why Allahﷻ declared that he is the best example to follow in all aspects of life.
Sat, 14 Sep 2024 - 31min - 476 - Benefit of Perspective – Part 2
To reach a goal, we must have a goal. That seems self-evident but just see if you have a written down lifegoal. If you don’t, then ask yourself what you are working and living for? Just to eat, drink, satisfy desires and die, is what animals do. To live for a purpose is not what most humans do, but what all humans are supposed to do. The truth is that for most humans, there is little to distinguish them from other mammals other than that they are the only ones who wear pants and show their teeth when they are happy. So, please invest some time in yourself and write down a lifegoal that excites and energizes you. Something you believe is worth dedicating your life to. That is where the rest of your life will begin. Either live by default. Or live purposefully. The choice is yours. The result will be yours. Choose wisely. Because to live is not merely to draw breath. They say, ‘You only live once.’ That is not true. You live every day. So, live deliberately and consciously. Live for a purpose. Live to please Allahﷻ. Live to leave a legacy of honor.
For the second piece of the puzzle, Allahﷻ defined parameters of success.
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ ٱلنَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا مَتَـٰعُ ٱلْغُرُورِ
A’al Imraan 3:185 Every soul will taste death. And you will only receive your full reward on the Day of Judgment. Whoever is spared from the Fire and is admitted into Jannah will ˹indeed˺ triumph, whereas the life of this world is no more than the delusion of enjoyment.
Nothing can be clearer than this. Allahﷻ mentioned three things:
* Everyone will die and be called to account and rewarded or punished.
* Success means to be protected from punishment and be granted Jannah.
* The life of this world is deception.
Let us begin with the first statement of Allahﷻ - Every soul will taste death. Ask, ‘Does this apply to me? When will it happen for me?’ Sounds like a dumb question, but believe me, it is the most important question you will ever answer. And once you answer it, your life ahead will be crystal clear. If I truly believe in the core of my being, not just intellectually, that I can die at any time and will have to answer to Allahﷻ, then I will remember that, at every decision point and will never do anything that I know, displeases Him. Let us remember that when we stand before Allahﷻ, it is our bodies which will speak and bear witness for or against us. Allahﷻ said:
ٱلْيَوْمَ نَخْتِمُ عَلَىٰٓ أَفْوَٰهِهِمْ وَتُكَلِّمُنَآ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَتَشْهَدُ أَرْجُلُهُم بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
Ya Seen 36: 65 On this Day We will seal their mouths, their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will testify to what they used to commit.
Look at your right hand and imagine it speaking. What is it saying? Then do the same with your left hand, your right and left feet, your eyes, ears, skin. If they are all saying good things, Alhamdulillah. But if not, the time to change that is now. Allahﷻ gave us Istighfaar and Tawba until the end. But when that end comes, the door will be shut. Let us not wait until then.
See the mercy of Allahﷻ. He said about repentance and returning to Him:
إِن تَجْتَنِبُوا۟ كَبَآئِرَ مَا تُنْهَوْنَ عَنْهُ نُكَفِّرْ عَنكُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتِكُمْ وَنُدْخِلْكُم مُّدْخَلًا كَرِيمًا
Nisa 4: 31 If you avoid the major sins forbidden to you, We will absolve you of your ˹lesser˺ misdeeds and admit you into a place of honor.
Sun, 08 Sep 2024 - 30min - 475 - Benefit of Perspective
Perspective is the ability to hold two pictures simultaneously in your mind – where you are and where you want to be. Without this, it is impossible to give any directions. Physically, mentally or spiritually, we need awareness of where we are and where we need to be, to be able to chart out a roadmap for development. Only with perspective can we say what investment we need to make to reach our chosen destination. That is why we need the three skills I mentioned in my last Khutba: Reflection, Introspection, and Abstract Conceptualization. These are critical life skills which must be learned. All of them need an attention span longer than that of a monkey or goldfish, which is the average duration of TikTok and YouTube Shorts. So, either pick the most successful goldfish or monkey you know as your role model or develop the ability to focus attention on worthwhile goals long enough to achieve them. It is our life. It is our call. Because it is our Aakhira.
Our species, Homo-sapiens have been on earth for about 300,000 years but when did civilization begin? In a 2020 article in Forbes, Remy Blumenfeld writes, “Years ago, the anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture. The student expected Mead to talk about clay pots, tools for hunting, grinding stones, or religious artifacts. But no. Mead said that the first evidence of civilization was a 15,000-year-old healed fractured femur at an archaeological site. The femur is the longest bone in the body and connects the knee to the hip. In the wild a broken femur is a sure death sentence.
A broken femur that healed is evidence that someone had taken time to stay with the one who fell, bound up the wound, carried the person to safety and tended the person through recovery. Helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts.” Looking at our current state of what we like to call ‘civilization’, where we have not only legitimized but sanctified fulfilling of personal desires, and where the highest ROI is in endless war and human life and suffering has no value at all, I wonder what Margaret Mead would have said. If caring for someone is the mark of civilization, what would you call the deliberate annihilation of people?
Passing over centuries like you would pass over days we come to about 5000 years ago when we find the first writing, Mesopotamian cuneiform script, invented in Sumer, present-day Iraq, c. 3200 BCE, and can be traced to the present-day alphabet. Writing is crucial because that is what distinguishes us from animals and enables us to build on the work of previous generations. All creatures have languages, they communicate, they have life experiences, they remember some of them for a long time, even teach some of them to their offspring, but none of them have the critical tool to transcend the time and generational barrier so that their experience can be recalled, relived and learned from. That tool is writing. In the 300,000 years that our species have existed on earth we only know what happened to them from about 5000 years ago. That is why reading is so important. When we read, we see that all success has been the result of collaboration and mutual consideration.
Our modern society here in America and all over the world, however, is primarily based on individualism. In the words of one of my dear friends, “Individualism as a philosophy draws from all corners of the lower nafs. It is hedonistic, myopic, egoistic, arrogant, selfish, self-preserving all masquerading as positive elements for “self-realization”. Human society is built on cooperative control of individuals for the greater good. No wonder that the social order has unraveled within a couple of generations since the idea went mainstream.”
Sun, 01 Sep 2024 - 28min - 474 - Understanding our World
We are living the parable of the boiled frog. That is why we must get ourselves educated – not merely trained to make a living. Just ask yourself which books you have read in the past one year and you have the answer. Without reading and skills of reflective observation, introspection and abstract conceptualization you are totally open to being manipulated to believe and act the way those in power want you to act. Only real education can save us from being mentally enslaved and manipulated by the puppet masters for their benefit. There are two things that distinguish the enslaved from the free. The willingness to take responsibility for oneself and to focus on contribution and not consumption. In one word – Participation.Rasoolullahﷺ mentioned this in the Hadith where he defined the Ummah.
Al-Nu’man ibn Bashir (RA) reported: Rasoolullahﷺ said, “The example of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.” [Muttafaqun Alaihi, Bukhari, Muslim]
We Muslims as an Ummah counting backwards from post WW2 nation states to the Khilafa Rashida which was our first experience of statehood for Muslims, have lived in Empire in one form or another. One ruler with absolute power. People must obey. No participation in decision making. Change of leadership, almost always violently. Fratricide was the norm and declared legal by Suleiman Al Qanooni. Yet another reason to study history.
Our history is the history of conquest and its economics – though actual conquests stopped over 300 years ago but the hangover remains. Our Muslim country economics has gone the same way – we have replaced state income from spoils of war to oil revenues. Local people never had to produce or show enterprise. They were on the dole and remain that way. Our wealthy countries are bank accounts, not economies. We compete in building structures, not minds. Ask how many of our speakers talk about conquests, wars, bravery, and how many about social work, industry, creating products or services? We live in the past, as if the present doesn’t exist.
I believe that we must wake up and get out of our Empire mindset and realize that it was a glorious phase in our history, but it is over. Today we must draw inspiration from the use of knowledge, technology, systems and markets. We must learn a whole new set of skills and contribute in new ways to be viewed as productive and contributing members of society. Power and influence are derivatives of contribution, not consumption. We must actively learn from our great history by interpreting it in the modern context. It is not about regression but about progress standing on the shoulders of giants.
I submit to you that most of what is happening to us today is because of our isolationist, myopic, and insular attitudes. We live as if there is nobody else in the world. Let me give you some metrics. Ask: How many of us greet people first and how many ask for a Fatwa about whether it is permissible to say wa alaikum salam to a non-Muslim who greeted you with Salam? How many of us speak the language of the country fluently enough to be able to represent ourselves in public fora? How many of us sit on school and other boards, and are in local government? How many of us volunteer in public programs for different social causes? How many of us volunteer in protests against different social evils like drugs, racism, gun violence, global warming, wars and nuclear weapons? How many of us participated in Black Lives Matter marches? How many of us participated even in the pro-Palestine protests and how many debated whether it is Halaal or Haraam to protest? How many of us vote and how many debate about voting? How many of us have local people as friends?Sun, 18 Aug 2024 - 28min - 473 - We know you by your gifts
Islam is the name of the relationship between our Creator, Allahﷻ and us. The Kalima Shahada is an affirmation of that relationship and the one who accepts it is a Muslim. To accept this relationship means to believe it in your heart, state that with your tongue, and act upon it with your limbs. That is the definition of Iman – Faith. Not merely to know, but to believe and submit our will and obey. That’s why the first and foremost demonstration of that is Salah which is evidence of our Iman. That is also why the first question that we will be asked in the grave will be: Who is your Rabb? The angels will not ask who the Rabb of the Universe is. They will ask, ‘Who is YOUR Rabb?’ Did we accept Allahﷻ Rabbul A'alameen as our Rabb? Rabbi Allahﷻ.
Allahﷻ mentioned a differentiating characteristic of the Believers and said:
وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِّلَّهِ
Baqara 2: 165 But the Believers love Allahﷻ with great intensity
The question is, can you love someone you don’t know? But how can we know Allahﷻ when we can’t see Him? We know Allahﷻ by reflecting on His bounties. Allahﷻ indicated this connection with gratitude in Al Fatiha
ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
Fatiha 1: 2 All praise and thanks are for Allah—Rabb of all worlds
The very first thing that we must thank Allahﷻ for is for introducing Himself to us, for honoring us with His Word, for honoring us with His Messengerﷺ and for honoring us with guidance to Himself and Jannah.
The biggest need of humankind is not money or political or military power or anything else but guidance to the way of justice, compassion, charity, concern for one another and when we die, Jannah. That is why Allahﷻ sent all His Messengers and Prophets who were the best of all human beings with the greatest of all gifts – guidance to the path of steadfastness. That is why Allahﷻ taught us to ask for guidance 17 times every day in Sura Al Fatiha. This is what we must thank Allahﷻ for, above all else. For guidance to Him. Sadly, for many of us, we take blessings for granted and do not express gratitude for them and spend our time complaining about any hardship that comes our way. Allahﷻ reminded us always to have an attitude of gratitude.
وَءَاتَىٰكُم مِّن كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ وَإِن تَعُدُّوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَآ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَظَلُومٌ كَفَّارٌ
Ibrahim 14: 34 And He has granted you all that you asked Him for. If you tried to count Allah’s blessings, you would never be able to number them. Indeed, humankind is truly unfair, ˹totally˺ ungrateful.
The Qur’an encourages us to reflect on the creation and learn to see the Glory and Magnificence of Allahﷻ reflected in it and to thank and glorify His praise. This produces joy in the heart that is unequalled and unsurpassed.
قُل لَّوْ كَانَ ٱلْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِّكَلِمَـٰتِ رَبِّى لَنَفِدَ ٱلْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَن تَنفَدَ كَلِمَـٰتُ رَبِّى وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِۦ مَدَدًا
Kahf 18: 109 Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “If the ocean were ink for ˹writing˺ the Words of my Rabb, it would certainly run out before the Words of my Rabb were finished, even if We refilled it with its equal.”
Allahﷻ reminded us to be conscious of His blessings and to thank Him and said that for those who are thankful, He would increase His blessings.
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ
Ibrahim 14: 7 And ˹remember˺ when your ...Sun, 11 Aug 2024 - 29min - 472 - Where am I in the Qur’an?
My brothers and sisters, Allahﷺ sent his Kalaam (Word, Speech) so that we would reflect on it and change our lives to make them obedient to Him. In that lies our success both in this life and the next. Allahﷺ said in the Qur’an:
لَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ كِتَابًا فِيهِ ذِكْرُكُمْ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
Anbiya 21:10 Indeed, We have sent down for you (O mankind) a Book, (the Qur'an) in which there is Dhikrukum, (your Reminder or an honor for you). Will you not then understand?
We know that Allahﷺ didn’t mention anyone by name. But Allahﷺ mentioned groups of people and their qualities and He mentioned what would happen to people with those qualities. We must ask, ‘Which group do I belong to? Is that good? If not, what must I change in my life to be in the group that will go to Jannah?’ Allahﷺ gave the pen in our hands to write our destiny. We can choose where we want to go. So, choose wisely.
The choice is a no-brainer, but the test is in living the kind of life that will take us to Jannah. For on the Day of Judgment, it is our actions that will speak, not our tongues.
الْيَوْمَ نَخْتِمُ عَلَى أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَتُكَلِّمُنَا أَيْدِيهِمْ وَتَشْهَدُ أَرْجُلُهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
Ya Seen 36: 65. This Day, We shall seal up their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their legs will bear witness to what they used to earn.
An exercise in contemplation for Tazkiyyatun Nafs is to look at our right hand and imagine it speaking. What do we hear it saying? Do we like what we are hearing? If not, what do we want to do about that? Let’s do the same with our left hand and our feet, eyes, ears and whole body. What do we hear each part saying to Allahﷺ about how we used it? This is the way to approach the Qur’an. Literally as a guide to action. And act on it immediately
Allahﷺ mentioned one group and their ending as a metric for us. He said:
إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ ٱللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتُهُۥ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَـٰنًا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ
ٱلَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا لَّهُمْ دَرَجَـٰتٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ
Anfaal 8:2-4 The ˹true˺ believers are only those whose hearts tremble at the remembrance of Allah, whose faith increases when His revelations are recited to them, and who put their trust in their Rabb. ˹They are˺ those who establish prayer and donate from what We have provided for them. It is they who are the true believers. They will have elevated ranks, forgiveness, and an honorable provision from their Rabb.
Five critical characteristics; three internal and two external. A heart that is responsive to Allahﷺ and to His Word. A heart that sees the signs of Allahﷺ in His creation and this increases its faith. And a body that submits in obedience and exerts itself in worship of Allahﷺ and in charity with the intention to please Allahﷺ alone. This is the metric to evaluate ourselves.
Allahﷺ said about the value of a responsive heart on the Day of Judgment:
يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ
إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى ٱللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ
Shua’ara 26:88-89 the Day when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit. Only those who come before Allah with a pure heart ˹will be saved˺.”
The single most reliable sign of true feeling is action.Sat, 03 Aug 2024 - 30min - 471 - What is real education?
The purpose of education is to civilize the individual. To connect the human being to his Creator, so that he recognizes Him, has a relationship with Him, strives to please Him, relies on His Mercy, and looks forward to His Forgiveness. The purpose of education is to give the child ethics, values, and morals which are timeless and fundamental and the confidence to live his life by those values. Without this it is not education. To learn a skill to make a living, no matter what that skill is, is ‘training’. Not ‘education’. They’re as different as chalk and cheese. Flying a plane, driving a 16-wheeler, designing software, operating on someone’s heart or brain, building a table, fixing an air conditioner or kitchen sink, and countless more are all essential skills. We need all of them. But they’re all training, not education. Education begins with ethics, morals, and values. That is the ‘WHY’, which drives the ‘HOW’ in the world. We must teach those who know ‘HOW’, to ask ‘WHY’, so that technology and resources are used for the right causes.
This is what Rasoolullahﷺ did in Makkah. He changed people’s thinking and decision-making criteria. When they changed their focus from this life to the Aakhira, their speech and actions changed, and society was transformed. Just ask how our society would be different if we defined economic well-being not by the number of billionaires but the absence of poverty. That is why GDP is such a misleading number. Instead, if we look at disposable household income or buying power we will get a far more accurate picture of our society. Rasoolullahﷺ gave us proof of concept. Ours to implement it.
We need education, which is relevant, current, and rooted in the foundation of Islam. Education in which those being educated are fully involved in all decision making because it is their future which is at stake. Education which prepares them for a world about which we really know nothing and so the only thing we can give them are tools and the framework of ethical and moral values to use them effectively. We must be coaches who teach them how to play the game but when they are playing, we can only watch from the sidelines and if we did a good job, then we can rejoice in seeing how well they learned the lessons and apply them to be victorious. To succeed, we need to educate ourselves and learn how to be good coaches. This is the generation gap thanks to which many parents have been reduced to being ATM machines which provide funds for what their children want to do. They can’t guide the children because they don’t understand their world, have no communication with them, and the children don’t look up to them as guides and mentors. I am not talking about showing respect. I am talking about actual respect which will make the child come to the parent as first port of call, when he/she needs guidance. Not just money.
Allahﷺ defined for us the meaning of education and the way to do it.
إِنَّ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَـٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ
ٱلَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ ٱللَّهَ قِيَـٰمًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَـٰذَا بَـٰطِلًا سُبْحَـٰنَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ
A’al Imraan 3:190-191 Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the day and night there are signs for people of intelligence. ˹They are˺ those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth ˹and say, “Our Rabb! You did not create this in vain. Glory be to You! Protect us from the torment of the Fire.
Please note that in this Ayah, Allahﷺ described people of intelligence.Sat, 27 Jul 2024 - 25min - 470 - When the rubber meets the road
The Qur’an commands us to be patient, to have Sabr and promises help to those who have patience. Allahﷻ taught us how to face difficulty and said:
فَٱذْكُرُونِىٓ أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لِى وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ
Baqara 2: 152-3 Remember Me; I will remember you. And thank Me, and never be ungrateful. O believers! Seek comfort in patience and prayer. Allah is truly with those who are patient.
The concept of Sabr or patience in Islam is very interesting. Sabr doesn’t mean to simply pray and do nothing and expect help to come from outside including from Divine intervention. Sabr means to do our best and use every means at our disposal, exert our full effort and strength and then to turn towards Allahﷻ and seek His help to enable our efforts to succeed. That is Tawakkul. I call it the Tawheed of the heart. To illustrate with an example, it is like wiring up a new house, making sure that you did everything correctly, following all protocols and safety procedures and then connecting it to the transformer and turning the switch on. It is a combination of two things. Wiring everything up correctly and then connecting to the power source. It is also about the sequence. The wiring before the connection. That is why Sabr (maximum effort) comes before Salah. And Salah is essential after making the effort so that you don’t fall into the trap of the self-made man. Living in an imaginary world where you think that your success is your own and that you don’t owe anything to anyone. That is arrogance and arrogance leads only to Jahannam. We owe our success to all those around us, who Allahﷻ put there for our benefit and inspired them with love and respect for us to take the time and trouble to invest their own time, energy, money, experience and knowledge for us to succeed. Islam tells us that we need to acknowledge that and thank them and thank Allahﷻ. An excellent book to read in this context is ‘Outliers’, by statistician Malcolm Gladwell who shows how we owe our success to our circumstances far more than we may like to think. Gratitude saves us from arrogance.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لاَ يَشْكُرُ اللَّهَ مَنْ لاَ يَشْكُرُ النَّاسَ
Abu Huraira (R) reported: Rasoolullahﷺ said, “Whoever does not thank people has not thanked Allahﷻ.”
We ask but Allahﷻ gives at the right time. When we look at the wisdom of timing of Allahﷻ’s help, we see His Hand in it. The help may come through material means but Allahﷻ sends it in a way where it becomes clear that it was not material means but the command of Allahﷻ which was working.
Take the case of Musa (AS). Allahﷻ could have saved him in multiple ways. But He commanded Musa (AS)’s mother to throw him into the Nile. He said:
وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أُمِّ مُوسَىٰٓ أَنْ أَرْضِعِيهِ فَإِذَا خِفْتِ عَلَيْهِ فَأَلْقِيهِ فِى ٱلْيَمِّ وَلَا تَخَافِى وَلَا تَحْزَنِىٓ إِنَّا رَآدُّوهُ إِلَيْكِ وَجَاعِلُوهُ مِنَ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ
Qasas 28: 7 We inspired the mother of Moses: “Nurse him, but when you fear for him, put him then into the river, and do not fear or grieve. We will certainly return him to you and make him one of the messengers.”
Allahﷻ told us about this whole journey where instead of hiding him or his identity, Allahﷻ caused him to be directed into the palace of Firawn, and not only literally be in his hands, but be recognized as that child of the Bani Israeel who it was predicted would destroy the Pharaonic Empire of Egypt. The Pharoah’s astrologers identified him and a...Sat, 20 Jul 2024 - 25min - 469 - Muharram, another New Year
The month of Muharram is a great and blessed month. It is the first month of the Hijri year and is one of the sacred months about which Allahﷻ says:
إِنَّ عِدَّةَ ٱلشُّهُورِ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِى كِتَـٰبِ ٱللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ مِنْهَآ أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ
Tawbah 9: 36 “Verily, the number of months with Allahﷻ is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allahﷻ on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred, (i.e. the 1st, the 7t , the 11th and the 12th months of the Islamic calendar). That is the right religion…”
Abu Bakrah (R) narrated that Rasoolullahﷺ said: “… The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred: three consecutive months, Dhu al-Qa‘dah, Dhu al-Hijjah and al-Muharram, and Rajab which comes between Jumada and Sha‘ban.” (Bukhari)
Allama Ibn Katheer (RA), regarding this Ayah, explains, “Allahﷻ has chosen elites from His creation: from among the angels He chose Messengers, from among mankind He chose Messengers, from among speech He chose remembrance of Himself (Dhikr), from among spaces on earth He chose the mosques, from among the months He chose Ramadan and the sacred months. So, venerate that which has been chosen by Allahﷻ, because people of understanding and wisdom, respect that which has been chosen by Him”. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer)
Abu Hurairah (R) said that Rasoolullahﷺ said, “The best fast after Ramadan is in the month of Muharram.” (Muslim)
Rasoolullahﷺ encouraged fasting during the month of Muharram, particularly on the 10th day, called Ashoora, as a means of seeking Allahﷻ's mercy and forgiveness. In Fiqh As-Sunnah, Sheikh Sayyed Sabiq (RA) states: Abu Hurairah (R) reported, “I asked Rasoolullahﷺ, ‘Which Prayer is the best after the Fardh Prayers?’ He said: ‘Prayer during the middle of the night.’ I asked: ‘Which fasting is the best after that of Ramadan?’ He said, ‘The month of Allahﷻ that you call Muharram’.” (Ahmad, Muslim, and Abu Dawud)
Rasoolullahﷺ said, “Fasting the day of Ashoora (has great merit), I hope that Allahﷻ will accept it as an expiation for (sins in) the previous year.” (Muslim)
Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas (RA) said, “When Rasoolullahﷺ fasted on the day of Ashoora and told the people to fast, they said, “Ya Rasoolullahﷺ this is a day that is venerated by the Jews and Christians.” Rasoolullahﷺ said, “Next year, if Allahﷻ wills, we will fast on the 9th day (also).” But by the time the following year came, Rasoolullahﷺ had passed away. (Muslim). So let us fast on 9th and 10th.
Rasoolullahﷺ said, “One who generously spends on his family on the day of ‘Ashoora, Allahﷻ will be generous on him for the entire year.” (Tabarani)
Regarding this, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (RA) narrates that Sufyan Ibn Uyayna (RA) said, “I have practiced this (spending on the family) for fifty or sixty years and have found nothing but good in it.” (Lata’if al-Ma‘arif)
The day of 'Ashoora was known to the Quraysh and to Rasoolullahﷺ in Makkah, and the Quraysh used to venerate it and fast on that day. It is believed that Nuh (AS)’s ship reached land on Mount Judi, and Musa (AS) led his people out of the slavery of Firawn on the day of Ashoora. The Quraysh venerated this day and considered it holy and used to change the cover of the Ka’aba on 10th of Muharram and would fast and pray specially on that day. Rasoolullahﷺ fasted it with them during his life in Makkah.
روى الشيخان عن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: كانت قريش تصوم عاشوراء في الجاهلية، وكان رسول الله صلى ال...Sat, 13 Jul 2024 - 21min - 468 - How to beat sadness
Last week I told you that Allahﷻ prohibited sadness. That sounds unreasonable and you may say, ‘I don’t want to feel sad. But I do. So, why is sadness prohibited?’ We are conditioned to see emotions as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘positive’ or ‘negative’. The reality is that emotions are value neutral. They are neither positive nor negative. But what we do with emotion can make it positive or negative. So, while we don’t have control over the emotion, we have total control over what we choose to do thereafter. For example, people say, ‘Don’t get angry.’ That is as unreasonable as saying, ‘Don’t feel hungry or thirsty.’ In Ramadan we feel hungry and thirsty, but we choose to ignore it to please Allahﷻ. We may feel angry with someone, but we choose to control our anger for the same reason. Someone may come to us with gossip, or we may have the urge to backbite someone, but we stop ourselves because backbiting is destructive and like all destructive things, is Haraam. In the case of sadness and grief, to feel it shows that we are human and that our hearts are alive. But to allow ourselves to get bogged down in it is our choice. We can equally easily choose to break out of it.
For example, upon facing bereavement, we can either fall into depression or despair. Or we can choose to be grateful to Allahﷻ for having granted us the company of that friend for the duration that we were together. We can recall and relive the beautiful memories of our time together and pray for them and give charity to benefit them. If we lose our job, we can choose to see it as an opportunity to become entrepreneurs which most people in jobs declare to be their aspirational goal but do nothing to achieve it, until one day they find themselves looking at their office building without their passkey. If we face a financial loss or lose a relationship which is far more serious than financial loss, we can choose to analyze what went wrong and learn lessons from it to prevent it happening a second time. In all these cases and more, we will feel sad, but what we choose to do with that will spell the difference between happiness and gaining wisdom or wasting a life opportunity.
Sadness is prohibited for two other reasons. When our sadness turns morbid and is more than is normal in a situation, it means that we have not recognized the truth of the matter. And that truth is what Allahﷻ told us:
مَا عِندَكُمْ يَنفَدُ وَمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ بَاقٍ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوٓا۟ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
Nahl 16: 96 Whatever you have will end, but whatever Allah has is everlasting. And We will certainly reward the steadfast according to the best of their deeds.
How can you grieve or regret losing something you didn’t own in the first place? It was not yours. So, how can you say that you lost it? You had been given that person or situation or experience or thing in trust as a gift temporarily. When that period ended, it went back to its real owner, Allahﷻ, who is also our owner and to whom we will also return. When we remember this, loss turns to gain and sadness to gratitude. We become thankful for what we’d had, instead of feeling sad for what we think we lost.
The second bigger problem with prolonged sadness is that it takes away the desire to go forward in life. If you allow yourself to fall into that trap, you become morose, withdrawn and depressed. This is unique to sadness. With other emotions which are considered negative, it doesn’t happen. Anger can energize you to solve a problem or to ensure that a criminal is punished. Fear is a universal motivator to greater effort and in the right dose, it brings the world around you, alive. I recall with great happiness my wanderings in Indian and South American jungles, home to tigers, leopards, bears,Sun, 07 Jul 2024 - 23min - 467 - It’s my Life
We live in a paradoxical world. We are knowledgeable about the earth but are burning it up at a pace which is out of control. We are knowledgeable about health but disease, especially mental illness is in rampant proportions. We collectively have enormous wealth, but its distribution ensures that vast populations are deprived, even starving, while a few live in luxury. We have moved from physical conquest of countries to proxy wars which can provide never-ending ROI for weapons manufacturers. It is not a war to conquer land but to achieve macroeconomic goals while making profit for both sides. The devastation of cities and nations is an opportunity for contracts to rebuild which means more profit. The deaths of civilians is collateral damage mourned only by their families. The fastest spreading religion in our world is Materialism and its presiding deity is money. It runs on the illusion of fiat currency, its temples are banks, and its high priests are those who manipulate interest rates to enrich and impoverish people and nations at will. In our world, sin is good, greed is virtue, cruelty is nobility, anything that makes money for those in control is good, lying is the biggest talent, and truth is evil. We are living in a stupor in a 3-D surround sound theatre, wearing virtual reality glasses and anyone who tries to wake us up to the reality of our lives, is brutally silenced, so that it becomes a salutary warning for others. We have assets. What we have lost is our moral compass. We are like a very powerful car speeding downhill without brakes. Our speed is exhilarating, but the end is obvious and inevitable. The rise and fall of civilizations is not based on how much wealth they have but on how it is used. That depends on their values. Values decide how assets are used. That is destiny and it is in our hands.
The biggest casualty of this state of affairs in our brave new world is the almost total collapse of credibility. Today we trust nobody, believe nobody and suspect everyone. Politicians, religious leaders, business heads, teachers, media, doctors, attorneys, parents, spouses, children, and elders; we don’t believe any of them. We are constantly looking for second opinions in the name of trying to be accurate. The truth is that we do it because we don’t believe anyone. Our society feeds us a constant diet of bad news, usually exaggerated. We never hear or think about the enormous good that there is in our world today. The result of this way of life is stress, anxiety, and depression. You can’t live in a constant state of fear. And its effect shows.
There is a solution to all this and that is to rebuild our faith. To return to the standard that was taught and exemplified by Rasoolullahﷺ. A standard of life that was birthed in a society very similar to ours with similar materialistic motivations. He taught us how to deal with it in practice. His time and life were the pilot project, proof of concept that Islam works. His way, the Sunnah proves that Islam is not merely a theory, philosophy, or concept, but like Judo or Aikido, Islam is a practice. Like all practices, it must be practiced if you want to benefit from it. Merely knowing about it or having academic discussions is of no use. Allahﷻ drew our attention to it and called Rasoolullahﷺ and his way, the best choice for anyone who looks forward to meeting Allahﷻ and the Day of Judgment. If we follow him we will benefit.
So, do values matter? Think of values as a life jacket. The time you need to hold onto it and wear it openly is when you're in the flood. When you're on dry land it doesn't matter. But when you're caught in a flood, in danger of drowning, that’s when you need those values most. We need to hold onto our values especially when things are difficult. Sometimes people ask, “Why should I do it when nobody else is doing it?” I say,Sat, 29 Jun 2024 - 25min - 466 - Don’t be sad
My brothers and sisters, we are living in difficult times which are testing us in ways that at least I had never imagined. On the one hand Allahﷻ has kept us and our families safe and well in this land. On the other hand, we are seeing every day what is happening to Muslims and other innocent people in country after country. That can’t leave us unmoved and uncaring. I am always at a loss to answer a simple question when someone asks, ‘How are you?’ I say Alhamdulillah I am well, but my heart is heavy. This sign of a heavy heart which I know I share with all of you is the sign that our hearts are still alive. Because it is the ability to feel pain, not pleasure, which is evidence of life. So, we thank Allahﷻ that we feel the pain of others and make dua for relief for them. However, that makes the heart sad. That is the topic of this Khutba – Don’t be sad. The Muslim is one who complains only to Allahﷻ and he tells only Allahﷻ about his fears and seeks help only from Allahﷻ and lives to please only Allahﷻ. That is why he can rely on help from Allahﷻ because he is constantly connected to Allahﷻ.
The word (الحزن) sadness does not appear in the Qur’an except in the form of forbidding it, as in where Allahﷻ commanded:
وَلَا تَهِنُوا۟ وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا۟ وَأَنتُمُ ٱلْأَعْلَوْنَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
A’al Imraan 3: 139 Do not falter or grieve, for you will have the upper hand, if you are ˹true˺ believers.
Or in the form of negating, as when Allahﷻ said about people of Jannah:
إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوا۟ رَبُّنَا ٱللَّهُ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَقَـٰمُوا۟ فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
Ahqaaf 46: 13 Surely those who say, “Our Rabb is Allah,” and then remain steadfast—there will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve.
The reason for this is because there is no benefit of sadness in the heart. Rasoolullahﷺ sought the protection of Allahﷻ from worry and sadness.
اللهمّ إني أعوذ بك من الهم والحزن
Ibn Al Qayyim رحمه الله said, “Sadness weakens the heart and diminishes determination and wanting to go forward.” For this reason, be happy, optimistic and always think well about Allahﷻ. Have trust in what Allahﷻ can do and depend on Him alone. That is Tawakkul which Allahﷻ gifts to those who live a life of Taqwa. Tawakkul is the reward of Taqwa. Allahﷻ created us with a nature that seeks certainty and dislikes ambiguity and uncertainty. That is what anchors and is the fount of all laws, rules, government, order, culture, manners, which form the fabric of society. Without the drive for certainty, we would have anarchy and chaos. But Allahﷻ didn’t give us knowledge of or control over our future. That produces worry, anxiety, fear, sadness, even despair. And that is Haraam.
Ibn Al Qayyim رحمه الله said, “Don’t ruin your happiness with worry, and don’t ruin your mind with pessimism. Don’t ruin your success with deception and don’t ruin the optimism of others by destroying it. Don’t ruin your day by looking back at yesterday. If you think about your situation, you will find that Allahﷻ has given you things without asking, so have trust in Allahﷻ that He doesn’t prevent anything you want except when there is goodness for you in that prevention. You could be sleeping, and the doors of the Heavens are being opened with duas being made for you. SubhanAllah: perhaps from someone poor whom you helped, or someone sad whom you brought joy to, or someone passing by, and you smiled at him, or someone in distress and you removed it. So don’t ever underestimate any good deed.”
One of the righteous predecessors said, “When I make dua to Allahﷻ for something I want, and if He gives it to me then I’m happy once but i...Mon, 24 Jun 2024 - 23min - 465 - Hajj – A Journey of Love
He was Khaleelullah. And Allahﷻ loved him, so He tested him. In each test, by the help of Allahﷻ, he proved true to his Covenant with Allahﷻ. So, Allahﷻ gave him the job of building His House, the Ka’aba. Allahﷻ said:
وَإِذْ بَوَّأْنَا لِإِبْرَٰهِيمَ مَكَانَ ٱلْبَيْتِ أَن لَّا تُشْرِكْ بِى شَيْـًٔا وَطَهِّرْ بَيْتِىَ لِلطَّآئِفِينَ وَٱلْقَآئِمِينَ وَٱلرُّكَّعِ ٱلسُّجُودِ
وَأَذِّن فِى ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلْحَجِّ يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالًا وَعَلَىٰ كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ يَأْتِينَ مِن كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ
لِّيَشْهَدُوا۟ مَنَـٰفِعَ لَهُمْ وَيَذْكُرُوا۟ ٱسْمَ ٱللَّهِ فِىٓ أَيَّامٍ مَّعْلُومَـٰتٍ عَلَىٰ مَا رَزَقَهُم مِّنۢ بَهِيمَةِ ٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ فَكُلُوا۟ مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا۟ ٱلْبَآئِسَ ٱلْفَقِيرَ
Hajj 22: 26-7 And ˹remember˺ when We assigned to Ibrahim the site of the House, ˹saying˺ “Do not associate anything with Me ˹in worship˺ and purify My House for those who circle ˹the Ka’bah˺, stand ˹in prayer˺, and bow and prostrate themselves. Call ˹all˺ people to the pilgrimage. They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel from every distant path. So, they may obtain the benefits ˹in store˺ for them and pronounce the Name of Allah on appointed days over the sacrificial animals He has provided for them. So, eat their meat and feed the destitute (poor).
The Hajj is the story of Ibrahim (AS) and his family and the tests that they faced and passed. Allahﷻ loved this so much that He made their actions, the rites of the greatest act of worship, the reward for which is total forgiveness.
Allahﷻ made Hajj Fardh on all those who can afford it.
إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِى بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًا وَهُدًى لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
فِيهِ ءَايَـٰتٌۢ بَيِّنَـٰتٌ مَّقَامُ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَمَن دَخَلَهُۥ كَانَ ءَامِنًا وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ حِجُّ ٱلْبَيْتِ مَنِ ٱسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَنِىٌّ عَنِ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
A’al Imraan 3: 96-97 Surely the first House ˹of worship˺ established for humanity is the one at Makkah—a blessed sanctuary and a guide for ˹all˺ people. In it are clear signs and the standing-place of Ibrahim. Whoever enters it should be safe. Pilgrimage to this House is an obligation by Allah upon whoever is able among the people. And whoever disbelieves, then surely Allah is not in need of ˹His˺ creation.
The reciting of Talbiya declares that we are ready to obey Allahﷻ without question, because we know Allahﷻ and love Him over anyone else. Then we don the Ihram. Men in two pieces of unstitched cloth, nothing else, to remind ourselves of our reality and how we will be dressed when we leave this world. Shorn of all our worldly symbols of wealth and status. This reminds us of the true brotherhood of faith in which the single adhesive is our connection with Allahﷻ. Everyone reciting the same Talbiya, everyone making the same declaration, everyone seeking the same goal, the Ridha of Allahﷻ. True brotherhood that transcends all boundaries of color, race, tribe, and social rank. It reminds us of how we will be gathered before Allahﷻ on a Day where everyone will get justice. We ask Allahﷻ for Mercy.
Then we go to the next stage of making Tawaf of the Ka’aba and praying in the place of Ibrahim (AS) which Allahﷻ made a place of worship. We follow in the footsteps of our mother, Hajar (AS), the wife of Ibrahim (AS) and emulate her actions of climbing the two hills of Safa and Marwa and running between them in the valley. She did it because she was looking for help for herself and her infant son. We do it because she did it. The actions of one woman became the rituals of worship, performed by every Haaji of every race, from every part of the world for five thousand years; by a...Sun, 16 Jun 2024 - 24min - 464 - Joy of Submission
The most important thing in life is not wealth or knowledge or even action. It is attitude. With the right attitude, you can create wealth, acquire knowledge and find the motivation to act. Without it you may have wealth, fame, influence, and knowledge but you despair. Just look for celebrity suicides on Google and you will know that the difference between a dream and a nightmare is a very fine line. It is not because of wealth, knowledge, fame, or power that the Palestinians are unbeatable. It is not for these reasons that they pick themselves up from every disaster which would have destroyed others. It is because of attitude. It is attitude that enables totally traumatized Palestinian children to still smile and play games while the world watches in amazement. This applies to Muslims everywhere.
The attitude of the Muslim is not simply submission but to submit joyfully. To want to submit. To love to submit. To live to submit. To submit to the One who created us, blessed us in ways we cannot count, protects us from all evil, tests us and helps us to pass the tests, and rewards us in this life and even more in the next. To submit joyfully to the Only One who is worthy of worship. To submit because and as evidence that we trust Allahﷻ to know and to do what is best for us. To submit knowing that what is with Allahﷻ is better than what is with us. To submit to demonstrate our allegiance to Allahﷻ through His Messengerﷺ. The only two connections which will go with us when we die. The connection with Rasoolullahﷺ will be our identity when we meet Allahﷻ and we will be called by it on that Day.
Islam, therefore, is not only to submit but to want to do it, to find joy and fulfilment in doing it, to do it proudly as a sign of our identity which we don’t hide but display as we display famous brands. That is why for a true Muslim, to submit is not a struggle at all. It is what he loves to do.
Allahﷻ told us about the one who submitted joyfully, Ibrahim (AS).
إِذْ قَالَ لَهُۥ رَبُّهُۥٓ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
Baqara 2: 131 When his Rabb ordered him, “Submit”, he said, “I have submitted to the Rabb of all worlds.”
He didn’t ask for time. He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t say, ‘I will submit if it makes sense to me. Or if it seems logical, or is politically correct, or whatever.’ He said, ‘I have submitted.’ We submit because we trust Allahﷻ and that trust produces complete peace of mind. A total absence of fear, because we know who is in control. When we submit, our will is superseded by the desire to please Allahﷻ. That is why the slave has no will of his own. He wants whatever his Rabb wants for him. As one of the scholars said, ‘The love of Allahﷻ is the purest and greatest of all loves. It gives life to the heart, it is sustenance for the soul, and is the roadway to eternal success. Love is the road to Jannah. It is the main reason why we worship Allahﷻ and it is the only way to live a true meaningful life on earth.’ I remind myself that this love is a gift. It is the reward of submission. Tawakkul is the reward of Taqwa. We make the effort to have and live with Taqwa. Allahﷻ grants us Tawakkul, which results in complete absence of fear of anything in Dunya if we live with Taqwa.
May Allahﷻ protect us from His tests. Allahﷻ tested Ibrahim (AS). Place yourself as a spectator of the scene. The whole town has gathered to see the one they hated being burnt alive because he invited them away from worshipping their creations, to worshipping the One Who created them. See their excitement and hear their noise as they eagerly wait for events to unfold. The fire is so huge that they need a catapult to throw Ibrahim (AS) into it. We know the story leading up to this event where the people sa...Sat, 01 Jun 2024 - 463 - One Ummah under Rasoolullahﷺ
The post One Ummah under Rasoolullahﷺ appeared first on Mahmood Habib Masjid and Islamic Centre - We came to give, not to take..
Sat, 25 May 2024 - 462 - The position of Rasoolullahﷺ in Islam – 4
There are several ways to guide. The most reliable way is to give the person a compass to find direction, a map with details of the route and a guide to take them to their destination. That is what Allahﷻ did. He gave us the compass, the Qur’an, a map, the Sunnah, and the guide, Rasoolullahﷺ. The one who rejects any of these is rejecting guidance. Abu Huraira (R) reported: Rasoolullahﷺ said, “Everyone from my nation will enter Jannah except those who refuse.” They asked, “O Messenger of Allah, who will refuse?” The Prophet said, “Whoever obeys me enters Jannah and whoever disobeys me has refused.” (Sahih) Bukhari
About obeying Rasoolullahﷺ, Allahﷻ set a unique standard and declared:
فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىٰ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُوا۟ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا
Nisa 4: 65 But no! By your Rabb, they will never be ˹true˺ believers until they accept you ˹O Prophet˺ as the judge in their disputes and find no resistance within themselves against your decision and submit wholeheartedly.
As we know, sin is culpable only when it is committed, either by speech or action. Not when you think or feel disobedient or rebellious. Except in the case of Rasoolullahﷺ. With his rulings, Allahﷻ declared that the condition of Imaan (faith), not just a sin but a boundary condition, is to accept his ruling in any matter and not only to do that visibly but also internally and to do that wholeheartedly without any resistance to it in our hearts.
That is the reason it is so important to know Rasoolullahﷺ and to love him more than we love any other human being. Only then can we develop the trust that is necessary to accept whatever he told us, because we know that his source of knowledge was superior to ours, that he always wanted the best for us and that whatever he told us, he had been guided to say. Allahﷻ said:
وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ ٱلْهَوَىٰٓ - إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْىٌ يُوحَىٰ
Najm 53: 3-4 Nor does he speak of his own whims. It is only a revelation sent down ˹to him˺.
This reinforces for us that what comes from Rasoolullahﷺ is always beneficial and important and so must be followed. Allahﷻ declared very simply and powerfully without any reservations or boundaries:
مَّن يُطِعِ ٱلرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ ٱللَّهَ وَمَن تَوَلَّىٰ فَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا
Nisa 4: 80 Whoever obeys the Messenger has truly obeyed Allah. But whoever turns away, then ˹know that˺ We have not sent you as a keeper over them.
Allahﷻ declared the fundamental principle of obedience to Rasoolullahﷺ.
وَمَآ ءَاتَىٰكُمُ ٱلرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَىٰكُمْ عَنْهُ فَٱنتَهُوا۟ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ
Hashr 59: 7 Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it. And whatever he forbids you from, leave it. And fear Allah. Surely Allah is severe in punishment. Allahﷻ commands – Do whatever he tells you and stay away from whatever he forbids you. This blanket statement shows that Rasoolullahﷺ can never command anything that is contrary to Allahﷻ’s wish.
Abu Hurairah (R) said: I heard Rasoolullahﷺ say: What I have forbidden for you, stay away from it. What I have ordered you [to do], do as much of it as you can. For verily, it was only their excessive questioning and disagreeing with their Prophets that destroyed [the nations] who were before you.Sun, 19 May 2024 - 30min - 461 - The position of Rasoolullahﷺ in Islam – 3
All knowledge begins with Adab – an attitude of respect for knowledge and everything and everyone related to it. Adab is like the preparation of the soil for planting. Without preparation the best seed will perish. So also with knowledge, especially the knowledge of Islam. Without Adab we may get the words, but never the Noor, the meaning, or the transformation.
Allahﷻ set the rules of behavior with Rasoolullahﷺ very strictly and said:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تُقَدِّمُوا۟ بَيْنَ يَدَىِ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ - يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تَرْفَعُوٓا۟ أَصْوَٰتَكُمْ فَوْقَ صَوْتِ ٱلنَّبِىِّ وَلَا تَجْهَرُوا۟ لَهُۥ بِٱلْقَوْلِ كَجَهْرِ بَعْضِكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ أَن تَحْبَطَ أَعْمَـٰلُكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَشْعُرُونَ
Hujuraat 49: 1-2 O believers! Do not proceed ˹in any matter˺ before ˹a decree from˺ Allah and His Messenger. And fear Allah. Surely Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. O believers! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet, nor speak loudly to him as you do to one another, or your deeds will become void while you are unaware.
In our context since Rasoolullahﷺ is not with us, this means that in any matter we refer to the Qur’an and Sunnah for a ruling. And when we come across a text, we don’t contradict it with our opinions but accept the text with submission. It means that we don’t disregard or ignore what Rasoolullahﷺ may have decreed and don’t use our selfish desires to contradict that.
That is the meaning of raising your voice over the voice of the Rasool and putting yourself ahead of Allahﷻ and His Rasool. The punishment for that is complete wiping out of all deeds. Imagine how terrible it would be that we spend our whole life doing all kinds of good deeds and acts of worship and charity but because of loose talk and disrespect towards Rasoolullahﷺ it is all wiped out and we have nothing when we meet Allahﷻ.
That is why the Persian poet said:
با خدا دیوانہ باش و با محمدﷺ ہوشیار
In our so-called worldly matters where we feel free to decide whichever way it suits us, Allahﷻ specifically commands us to obey the Qur’an and Sunnah.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَطِيعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا۟ ٱلرَّسُولَ وَأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ فَإِن تَنَـٰزَعْتُمْ فِى شَىْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَٱلرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًا
Nisa 4: 59 O believers! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. Should you disagree on anything, then refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you ˹truly˺ believe in Allah and the Last Day. This is the best and fairest resolution.
This is one of the many Ayaat which remind us that this life is the preparation for the Aakhira. It shows that no aspect of our lives is outside the purview of Islam and that everything that we say or do has the potential to take us to Jannah provided we do it as Rasoolullahﷺ did it. Study Seerah.
The big danger is when we are tempted to say, ‘In my opinion’, when we are faced with an Ayat of the Qur’an or a Sahih Hadith of Rasoolullahﷺ. Make Istighfaar and seek Allahﷻ’s protection from Shaytaan when such a thought comes, because ‘In my opinion’, is the door to disaster. There is no place for any contradictory personal opinion when we have a text – the Qur’an and Sunnah. That is the fundamental rule in Islam. I advise myself and you to be very careful with our language. We enter this Deen by saying some words. It is equally easy to leave the religion if we say the wrong words....Sat, 11 May 2024 - 18min - 460 - The position of Rasoolullahﷺ in Islam – 2
Allahﷻ declared that Muhammadﷺ is His Messengerﷺ and the last of them and the Seal of the Prophets and that after him there is no other.
مَّا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَآ أَحَدٍ مِّن رِّجَالِكُمْ وَلَـٰكِن رَّسُولَ ٱللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمًا
Ahzab 33: 40 Muḥammad is not the father of any of your men but is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the prophets. And Allah has ˹perfect˺ knowledge of all things.
The first thing to remember about Rasoolullahﷺ and our relationship with him is that we are required to believe IN him. Not just to believe the message, but to believe that he, Muhammadﷺ, was the messenger of Allahﷻ. To believe in Rasoolullahﷺ as the messenger of Allahﷻ is essential because the message is about Al-Ghayb, the Unperceivable. Iman-bil-Ghayb is the fundamental element of our Creed. Everything depends on that. We believe in it because Rasoolullahﷺ said so. We believe him because we believe IN him and believe that he was completely truthful and so if he said that Allahﷻ said such and such, then we believe it. His word is the evidence, Daleel. This is the basic principle of authentication of Ahadith. The Muhadditheen check to see if Rasoolullahﷺ said it. If he did, they don’t go further to see if it can be proven scientifically or in any other way. If it is verified that he said it, we believe it. The reality is that our science doesn’t go far enough to look into the future or to tell us what happens after death or anything of Al-Ghayb. We believe in Al-Ghayb simply because Rasoolullahﷺ informed us about it. If you think about it, this makes the entire Qur’an also a Hadith of Rasoolullahﷺ. We believe that Alhamdulillahi Rabbil A’alameen is an Ayah only because Rasoolullahﷺ told us that it is an Ayah. It could just as easily have been something that Rasoolullahﷺ said, because if you wanted to say, ‘All praise and thanks are for Allahﷻ, the Rabb of the Worlds’, that is how you would say it in Arabic. This is what Abu Bakr As-Siddique (R) said when they told him that Rasoolullahﷺ had said that he had travelled from Makkah to Jerusalem and then into the heavens to meet Allahﷻ. He said, “If he said it, I believe it.” That became the fundamental principle of authenticating Ahadith. That is why it is critical to believe IN Muhammadﷺ, as the Rasool of Allahﷻ because the truth of his message is based on his position as the Messengerﷺ. Allahﷻ ordered him to announce to the world:
قُلْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنِّى رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا ٱلَّذِى لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ فَـَٔامِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ٱلنَّبِىِّ ٱلْأُمِّىِّ ٱلَّذِى يُؤْمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ وَكَلِمَـٰتِهِۦ وَٱتَّبِعُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
A’araf 7: 158 Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “O humanity! I am Allah’s Messenger to you all. To Him ˹alone˺ belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. There is no god ˹worthy of worship˺ except Him. He gives life and causes death.” So, believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, who believes in Allah and His revelations. And follow him, so you may be ˹rightly˺ guided.
Allahﷻ reiterated and emphasized this relationship and commanded:
لِّتُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦ وَتُعَزِّرُوهُ وَتُوَقِّرُوهُ وَتُسَبِّحُوهُ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا
Fath 48: 9 So that you ˹believers˺ may have faith in Allah and His Messenger, support and honor him, and glorify Allah morning and evening.
The distinction of Rasoolullahﷺ is that though he is called a messenger, he is in fact a teacher. Unlike a postman who carries a bag of letters, which he has nothing to do with.Sun, 05 May 2024 - 22min - 459 - Position of Rasoolullahﷺ in Islam
The opposite of knowledge is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge. Ignorance which is recognized is a blessing because the person then seeks to dispel it by learning. But the illusion of knowledge produces arrogance which shuts the door to learning and greases the slide into Jahannam. As happened for the first time when Iblis, blinded by his own faulty logic based on his illusion of knowledge decided to defy Allahﷻ’s command. Imam Shaf’ee (RA) said, ‘It is possible to convince 70 scholars with one Daleel (piece of evidence) but you can’t convince one ignorant person even with 70 Dala’il (pl. Daleel). May Allahﷻ make us humble and be willing to accept the truth when evidence is presented to us and remember that is it not about winning arguments but of standing for the truth.
Allahﷻ in His infinite Mercy, sent for us a way of life called Islam. This came in the form of His Revelation and its meaning and demonstration through its teacher, our Beloved Prophet Muhammad. A Book of Commands – the Qur’an and its Field book, the Sunnah of Rasoolullah. Allahﷻ promised to protect His Word (text, meaning, context, implementation) and said:
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا ٱلذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَـٰفِظُونَ
Hijr 15: 9 It is certainly We Who have revealed the Reminder, and it is certainly We Who will preserve it.
The easiest way to understand this is to consider that Allahﷻ commanded us to pray. But didn’t explain the method of Salah in the Qur’an. Instead, He taught it to His Messenger who taught it to us and said, ‘Pray as you have seen me pray.’ Interestingly this is what Allahﷻ did with all the pillars of Islam to make the position of the Messenger abundantly clear. Allahﷻ said that Islam is the only way to salvation on the Day of Judgement and said:
وَمَن يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمِ دِينًا فَلَن يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ
A’al Imraan 3: 85 Whoever seeks a way other than Islam, it will never be accepted from them, and in the Hereafter they will be among the losers.
But Allahﷻ didn’t tell us how to enter Islam. It was Rasoolullah who was instructed about how people could enter Islam and it is from Him that we have the Shahada. In Hadith Jibreel we have the words of the Shahada:
On the authority of Omar ibn Al-Khattab (R) who said, “While we were one day sitting with Rasoolullah there appeared before us a man dressed in extremely white clothes and with very black hair. No traces of travel were visible on him, and none of us knew him. He sat down close by Rasoolullah rested his knees against the knees of Rasoolullah and placed his palms over his thighs and said, “O Muhammad! Inform me about Islam.” Rasoolullah replied, “Islam is that you should testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allahﷻ and that Muhammad is His Messenger, that you should establish Salah, pay Zakah, fast during Ramadan, and perform Hajj to the House (Ka’aba), if you can find a way to it (or find the means for making the journey to it)." He said, “You have spoken the truth.”
The method of praying and all the rules related to it, the rules related to Zakat, fasting and Hajj, all come from Rasoolullah and not from the Qur’an directly. Without the guidance of Rasoolullah it is impossible to live Islam.
To help us understand the relationship between the Book of Allahﷻ and its explanation, the Sunnah of Rasoolullah, Allahﷻ said:
وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ ٱلْهَوَىٰٓ إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْىٌ يُوحَىٰ
Najm 53: 3-4 Nor does he speak of his own volition.Sun, 28 Apr 2024 - 16min - 458 - Remember the Standard
There are two ways to lead our lives. The way we want and the way Allahﷻ wants for us. Whichever way we choose, we will be held accountable for it when we die. The issue with living the way we want is that our knowledge is limited, and our desires rule us. The benefit of living the way Allahﷻ wants us to live is that He knows what is best for us and guides us to that and since the accounting is with Him, if we live by His way, that day will be a day of rejoicing. I remind you and myself that to live is not merely to draw breath. That is the way animals live. They are the slaves of their drives, they follow their desires, and one day they die, and the story is over. Humans on the other hand have the option of living like animals, fulfilling every desire. Or of living a life of purpose and leaving behind a legacy of honor. That is the choice which we must make.
To underline this and set the standard, Allahﷻ said:
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ ٱلنَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا مَتَـٰعُ ٱلْغُرُورِ
Aal Imraan 3: 185 Every soul will taste death. And you will only receive your full reward on the Day of Judgment. Whoever is spared from the Fire and is admitted into Jannah will ˹indeed˺ triumph, whereas the life of this world is no more than the delusion of enjoyment.
Let’s give this some thought and ask how our lives compare to this standard. Success and failure in life are products of the choices we make. The Qur’an and Sunnah guide us to the best of them, the path of those who Allahﷻ rewarded and not those who angered Him.
In this Ayat-ul-Kareema, Allahﷻ mentioned four critical things that we must always keep in mind. They are:
* We will die
* We will be called to account and be rewarded or punished
* Freedom from the Fire and entry into Jannah is final success
* The life of this world is deception
There is a saying in English, ‘Forewarned is forearmed.’ This means that if you have early warning about a forthcoming event, especially a danger, then you can be prepared to face it and succeed. That is the reason Rasoolullahﷺ said:
أبو سعيد الخدري رضي الله عنه ، فجاء فتى من الأنصار فسلم على رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ثم جلس ، فقال : يا رسول الله أي المؤمنين أفضل ؟ قال : أحسنهم خلقا قال : فأي المؤمنين أكيس ؟ قال : أكثرهم للموت ذكرا وأحسنهم له استعدادا قبل أن ينزل بهم أولئك من الأكياس ثم سكت الفتى
Abu Saeed Al-Khudri (R) narrated, “Then a youth from the Ansar came and greeted Rasoolullahﷺ then he sat down and said: Ya Rasoolullahﷺ which of the believers is best? He (Rasoolullahﷺ) said: The best of them in character. The boy asked: Which of the believers is wisest? He (Rasoolullahﷺ) said: The ones who remember death the most and are the best prepared for it before those people take them down from the bags.
We see from this Hadith that it is a sign of intelligence to be prepared for death. There are numerous Ayaat where Allahﷻ mentioned death and the need to be prepared for it. Allahﷻ said about those who continue to live a life of heedlessness, denying the meeting with Allahﷻ on the Day of Judgement:
وَقَالُوٓا۟ أَءِذَا ضَلَلْنَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ أَءِنَّا لَفِى خَلْقٍ جَدِيدٍۭ بَلْ هُم بِلِقَآءِ رَبِّهِمْ كَـٰفِرُونَ
قُلْ يَتَوَفَّىٰكُم مَّلَكُ ٱلْمَوْتِ ٱلَّذِى وُكِّلَ بِكُمْ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ تُرْجَعُونَ
وَلَوْ تَرَىٰٓ إِذِ ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ نَاكِسُوا۟ رُءُوسِهِمْ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ رَبَّنَآ أَبْصَرْنَا وَسَمِعْنَا فَٱرْجِع...Mon, 22 Apr 2024 - 17min - 457 - Build the Relationship
Every relationship in the world has two things associated with it; a benefit that we derive from it and a responsibility that we owe to it. Any relationship that does not benefit ceases to exist even if it began and carried on for a while. Very soon any intelligent person will realize that they are gaining nothing from the relationship and will move away from it. On the contrary, a relationship that is beneficial will attract you to itself, will be constantly strengthened and you happily invest in it continuously because you realize how you are gaining from it. Needless to say the benefit or gain can be material (money, friends, fame, happiness) or non-material (spiritual peace, enlightenment, commitment to a cause or ideology, converts).
Let us see some examples from our lives.
Parents – Children: Parents gain from the love of their children; both being loved by them and being able to love them. They believe that they gain so much in fact that they are able to make little of all kinds of sacrifices for their children to bring them up. Sadly many grown up children don’t see the same level of benefit from continuing the relationship so they need to be motivated either by the promise of reward or the fear of punishment, to do even a fraction of what their parents did for them as they were growing up. There is of course a biological explanation for this relating to the continuation of the species and the discarding of those who have reached their productive end. But I remind myself that to transcend biology is the meaning of being civilized. To act for reasons other than species survival is to prove the existence of reason itself. For it is reason that distinguishes us from animals.
To pay for this gain, there are responsibilities that each must fulfill. Parents, the responsibility of Tarbiyya (proper upbringing) and children the responsibility of Khidmat (service to the parents).
Employer – Employee: This is a very easy one to understand where the employer gains from our work and we get paid. We continue to work happily as long as we feel the equation to be in our favor or at least fair. The employer will continue to employ us for the same reason, as long as he feels that the equation is in his favor or fair to both parties. As soon as this equation is seen as one sided, the relationship ends. To pay for the benefit of employment, the employee has to fulfill his responsibility of being productive and loyal. The employer, to pay for the gain of having the employee work must fulfill his responsibility of paying him and taking care of him and providing him with an environment in which he can be productive.
Husband – Wife: Once again this relationship is formed on the basis of mutual benefit and breaks when one or both see that they are not gaining from it. For the benefit of having a home which is a place of mutual love, respect, harmony and pleasure, the husband must fulfill the responsibility of proving for it materially. In order to be free from the problem of earning a living and to benefit from being cared for the wife must fulfill her responsibility of creating a home that is a joy for the husband to return to. Both must fulfill the responsibility of mutual good treatment.
Citizen – Country: The country provides the benefits of affiliation, opportunity, safety and guarantees certain rights. The citizen pays taxes, follows the law and is obliged to fight if necessary to protect his country against outsiders. Failure to fulfill his responsibility to his country can be very costly for the citizen.
I am sure you can think of many other relationships...Sat, 06 Apr 2024 - 32min - 456 - Spirit of Ramadan – Part 4
Ramadan comes to help us to become Muttaqoon and become eligible for all the promises of Allahﷻ. That process begins with Istighfaar and Tawba.
فَٱسْتَغْفِرُوهُ ثُمَّ تُوبُوٓا۟ إِلَيْهِ إِنَّ رَبِّى قَرِيبٌ مُّجِيبٌ
Hud 11: 61 So seek His forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance. Surely my Rabb is Ever Near, All-Responsive ˹to prayers˺.”
Seeking forgiveness must be followed up with turning away from sin. We must change the basis of our choices keeping the Ridha (Pleasure) of Allahﷻ as the criterion of decisions. If it pleases Allahﷻ, we do it. If not, we don’t.
Al-Qur’an Al-Kareem begins with a reminder about Taqwa. Sura Al-Fatiha reminds us about the Glory and Majesty of Allahﷻ, our Rabb, Creator, Sustainer, Maintainer, Protector and defines our connection with Him. It reminds all humankind that we have a Creator, who is interested enough to teach us a way of life, which if we lead it, will result in a society based on justice and compassion. And reminds us that one day we will all return to Him. Just as we had no choice about coming into this world, so also, we will not have a choice about leaving it and meeting Allahﷻ. But Allahﷻ gave us the choice to make that meeting the best meeting of our existence because unlike this life, what will come after that meeting is forever. That way is called Al-Islam. Al-Fatiha is the Sura of Khashiya (Awe) of Allahﷻ. It is the Sura of Shukr (thankfulness) and the Sura of Tawba (return) to Allahﷻ. Al-Fatiha is the Sura of dua for guidance to the path of the prophets that leads to Jannah. The people to whom this will be granted are the Muttaqoon – those whose single criterion for all decisions is – does it please Allahﷻ? Taqwa is the fear of displeasing the One we love the most. Only for such people, Allahﷻ promised guidance.
ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ
Baqara 2: 2 This is the Book! In which there is no doubt. A guide for the Muttaqoon
To help us to become Muttaqoon – People of Taqwa – Allahﷻ prescribed fasting and sends Ramadan.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
Baqara 2: 183 O believers! Fasting is prescribed for you—as it was for those before you—so perhaps you will become mindful ˹of Allah˺.
Fasting helps us to inculcate Taqwa by emphasizing the fact that when in this month we could stay away from even the Halaal, only because Allahﷻ commanded us, how much more important it is to continue to obey Allahﷻ’s commands about His prohibitions throughout our lives. The reason Muslims fast is because Allahﷻ commanded it. Therefore, everything a Muslim does in his/her life must also be for the same reason; because Allahﷻ commanded it. We know Allahﷻ, we love Allahﷻ and we know that to Him is our return. So, we do only what pleases Him. This is the basis of our existence as Muslims. This is the basis of all virtue and leads to Jannah.
Taqwa is critical because it is the first right of Allahﷻ. It is His right that His creatures recognize Him, obey Him, and worship Him alone. He declared:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِۦ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ
A’al Imraan 3: 102 O believers! Have Taqwa of Allah in the way He deserves, and do not die except in ˹a state of full˺ submission ˹to Him˺.
What therefore are the signs of Taqwa? How do I know if I have it and how strong it is? Allahﷻ gave us a gauge to measure Taqwa which i...Fri, 29 Mar 2024 - 20min - 455 - Spirit of Ramadan – part 3
The purpose of fasting is not to fast but to transform our lives and put ourselves on the path of success in this world and the next. Ramadan comes to reset our standard, the criterion of what has value and what doesn’t. When we stay away from even the Halaal during the hours of daylight we are emphasizing for ourselves that what makes something good and valuable is not the thing itself but whether it pleases Allahﷻ or not. That is the meaning of Uboodiyah. The slave has no will of his own. His will is the Will of his Creator, Allahﷻ. He wants whatever Allahﷻ wants for him and not only accepts it but is pleased with it. This is the essence of Ridha bil Qadha – to be pleased with the destiny that Allahﷻ wrote for us. That is the first lesson.
Obedience is the essence of Islam. When Allahﷻ revealed:
لِّلَّهِ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَإِن تُبْدُوا۟ مَا فِىٓ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُم بِهِ ٱللَّهُ فَيَغْفِرُ لِمَن يَشَآءُ وَيُعَذِّبُ مَن يَشَآءُ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Baqara 2: 284 To Allah ˹alone˺ belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Whether you reveal what is in your hearts or conceal it, Allah will call you to account for it. He forgives whoever He wills and punishes whoever He wills. And Allah is Most Capable of everything.
When this Ayah was revealed, the Sahaba went to Rasoolullahﷺ and knelt before him and said, ‘Ya Rasoolullahﷺ, Allahﷻ has said that He will hold us accountable for our thoughts, desires, and emotions. We have control over our speech and actions. But we have no control over our thoughts and desires. If Allahﷻ punishes us for that, we will be destroyed.’ Ask yourself if this doesn’t sound like a reasonable plea. But see the response of Rasoolullahﷺ to this. His blessed face became red with anger. He asked them, ‘Will you be like those who when they received a command of Allahﷻ would say, ‘We hear but we will not obey.’ Say, ‘We hear and we obey. Forgive us, Our Rabb. To You is our return.’ The Sahaba didn’t argue. They didn’t make excuses. They didn’t even hesitate. They obeyed him instantly.
Ask what happened then? Nothing happened. Nothing happened for one year. For 12 months, the Muslims lived with the knowledge and belief that Allahﷻ would hold them accountable even for their thoughts and desires. That was the toughest training imaginable to inculcate the fundamental and greatest of all virtues, obedience to Allahﷻ in the way of Rasoolullahﷺ. Then after 12 months, Allahﷻ revealed:
ءَامَنَ ٱلرَّسُولُ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِن رَّبِّهِۦ وَٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّهِ وَمَلَـٰٓئِكَتِهِۦ وَكُتُبِهِۦ وَرُسُلِهِۦ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِّن رُّسُلِهِۦ وَقَالُوا۟ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا غُفْرَانَكَ رَبَّنَا وَإِلَيْكَ ٱلْمَصِيرُ
Baqara 2: 285 The Messenger ˹firmly˺ believes in what has been revealed to him from his Rabb, and so do the believers. They ˹all˺ believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, and His Messengers. ˹They proclaim,˺ “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and obey. ˹We seek˺ Your forgiveness, our Rabb! And to you ˹alone˺ is the final return.”
The reward of obedience is sweet and honorable. When they obeyed Him, Allahﷻ honored them by repeating the words of Rasoolullahﷺ and the Sahaba as His Word, to be recited in Salah until the end of time. Allahﷻ gave the Sahaba relief and honored them by teaching them this beautiful dua. Let’s reflect on the value of dua that is taught by the One who will accept it.
لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَ...Sun, 24 Mar 2024 - 28min - 454 - Spirit of Ramadan – part 2
Ramadan is the month of self-reflection and introspection with the intention of getting our lives back on track. Our life is a journey which we hope will end in Jannah. Our parents Adam (AS) and Hawwa (AS) came from Jannah and when Allahﷻ sent them to the earth, He gave them the key to return home - Istighfaar. They said to Allahﷻ:
قَالَا رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ
A’araf 7: 23 They said, “Our Rabb! We have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will certainly be losers.”
To make Istighfaar and Tawba is to acknowledge that we have a Creator, our Rabb and to accept that we need Him to be pleased with us in all matters and therefore to humble ourselves before Him and seek his pardon. This is the key to Jannah because Istighfaar and Tawba is the first step to develop Taqwa. The mistake that our parents Adam (AS) and Hawwa (AS) made was to give precedence to their desire over the Will of Allahﷻ. They didn’t deny Allahﷻ but in that one instance they denied the superiority of Allahﷻ’s Will over their own desire. To give Allahﷻ’s Will its due place as being superior to anything and everything that we may wish for, is the essence of Taqwa. A single instance of neglect caused our parents to lose Jannah. But Allahﷻ gave them the key to return, which is Istighfaar. I begin with this primordial and fundamental incident because it is such a powerful message for us about where we need to start, to return to Allahﷻ. It is never too soon or too late.
I remind myself and you to identify the things in our lives that must change and to change them and turn to Allahﷻ and seek His Forgiveness. Change precedes and is evidence of the sincerity of seeking forgiveness.
قُلْ يَـٰعِبَادِىَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا۟ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا۟ مِن رَّحْمَةِ ٱللَّهِ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ
Zumar 39: 53 Say, ˹O Prophet, that Allah says,˺ “O My slaves who have transgressed against their souls! Do not lose hope in Allah’s mercy, for Allah certainly forgives all sins. He is indeed the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Anas bin Malik (R) reported that Rasoolullahﷺ said, ‘Allahﷻ said: 'O son of Adam, I forgive you if you worship Me (alone) and hope for My forgiveness, whatever sins you have committed. O son of Adam, I do not care if your sins reach the height of the heavens, then you ask for my forgiveness, I will forgive you. O son of Adam, if you come to Me with an earth load of sins, and meet Me associating nothing to Me, I will match it with an earth load of forgiveness.' [Tirmidhi]
Alhamdulillah, we have a Merciful and Forgiving Rabb. Let us return to Him. The blessing of Ramadan is to help us to develop Taqwa which is the secret to solve all our worldly problems and becoming deserving of Allahﷻ’s forgiveness. Allahﷻ declared the benefit of Taqwa and said:
وَمَن يَتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ يَجْعَل لَّهُۥ مَخْرَجًا وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ
Talaq 65: 2-3 And whoever is mindful of Allah, He will make a way out for them, and provide for them from sources they could never imagine.
Not only did Allahﷻ promise to help the Muttaqi but said that He would help him in ways that he couldn’t imagine. Imagine Ibrahim (AS) sitting in the cup of the trebuchet, trussed up in ropes, about to be flung into a huge fire. Ask why he showed no signs of fear or worry? That is the meaning of Taqwa. When a person has Taqwa, he has no will of his own. His will is the Will of Allahﷻ. He wants whatever his Rabb wants for him.Sat, 16 Mar 2024 - 28min - 453 - Spirit of Ramadan
My brothers and sisters, in another day or two we will enter Ramadan. The question I ask myself and you is, will we enter Ramadan or will we allow Ramadan to enter us? If we enter Ramadan then on the 1st of Shawwal, we will exit Ramadan. But if we allow the spirit of Ramadan, the spirit of absolute obedience to Allahﷻ in the way of Rasoolullahﷺ and concern for the Pleasure of Allahﷻ in all matters to enter our hearts and lives, then we can hope that this will transform us and make us true Muttaqoon for whom Allahﷻ promised Jannah. Abu Hurairah (R) reported from Rasoolullahﷺ:
قَدْ جَاءَكُمْ رَمَضَانُ شَهْرٌ مُبَارَكٌ افْتَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكُمْ صِيَامَهُ تُفْتَحُ فِيهِ أَبْوَابُ الْجَنَّةِ وَيُغْلَقُ فِيهِ أَبْوَابُ الْجَحِيمِ وَتُغَلُّ فِيهِ الشَّيَاطِينُ فِيهِ لَيْلَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ مَنْ حُرِمَ خَيْرَهَا قَدْ حُرِمَ
“There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month, in which Allahﷻ has enjoined you to fast. In it the gates of Jannah are opened, and the gates of Jahannam are shut, and every devil is chained up. In it Allahﷻ has a night which is better than a thousand months; whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived”. [Nasa’i]
I ask Allahﷻ to grant us all, Ramadan with strong Iman, good health and free time and the guidance (Tawfeeq) to do our utmost to earn His Pleasure. My brothers and sisters, I remind myself and you that all the promises of Allahﷻ in the Qur’an are for the Muttaqoon – people of Taqwa. Not for the Muslimoon. Becoming Muslim is only the entry point, a boundary condition. Without that you are not even in the fold. But to attain levels with Allahﷻ we must make effort; to enter that blessed group of people who will be honored and granted entry into Jannah. Allahﷻ ordered us to have His Taqwa – to fear His displeasure and be aware of His presence – and said:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ
A’al Imraan 3:102. O you who believe! Have Taqwa of Allah as it is His right that you should have Taqwa. And do not die except in a state of Islâm (as Muslims)
Allahﷻ ordered the Muslims to develop a state of mind and heart where they fear to displease Him as it is His right that people should fear to displease Him. And He told the Muslims to make sure that they don’t die except in a state of complete submission to Him. Then Allahﷻ showed us how to develop Taqwa and gave us the means to do it. He made fasting Fardh (compulsory) upon us so that we could develop Taqwa. He said:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
Al Baqarah 2:83. O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become Al-Muttaqoon
Islam means submission. To obey without question. It is not obedience without understanding but because we understand who Allahﷻ is. Allahﷻ gave us the example of Ibrahim (AS) and his willing submission to Him.
إِذْ قَالَ لَهُۥ رَبُّهُۥٓ أَسْلِمْ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
Baqara 2: 131 When his Rabb ordered him, “Submit ˹to My Will˺,” he responded, “I submit to the Rabb of all worlds.”
Ramadan comes to emphasize the fact that the Muslim obeys because Allahﷻ commanded it; and that makes ‘sense’ to him, even if he doesn’t always understand why Allahﷻ commanded it. This is an indication of his trust in Allahﷻ which comes from his love for Allahﷻ and his experience of the Glory and Magnificense of Allahﷻ.Sat, 09 Mar 2024 - 26min - 452 - Justice and Ihsaan
We hear this Ayah in every Jumu’ah Khutba in practically every masjid on the face of the earth. Let us focus on just two words in it – Al Adl wal Ihsaan.
إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْعَدْلِ وَٱلْإِحْسَـٰنِ وَإِيتَآئِ ذِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ ٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَٱلْمُنكَرِ وَٱلْبَغْىِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ
Nahl 16: 90 Indeed, Allah commands justice, and excellence (mercy, forgiveness) and courtesy to close relatives. He forbids indecency, wickedness, and aggression. He instructs you so perhaps you will be mindful.
Al-Adl is justice. Justice is not natural. Justice is a choice. It is a decision that we take to establish it, even if we stand alone. Especially if we stand alone, because we ask ourselves, ‘If not me, then who?’ That is why Allahﷻ commanded it. It won’t just happen. It happens only when there is an intention followed by firm, sustained, consistent action. There is no justice in nature. Lions don’t say, ‘Only one of us must hunt one antelope. We must be just.’ Three lionesses will go for the herd of Impala and stampede it into a shallow ravine in which the other four are waiting. As the Impala stampede down the ravine, they attack them in the most energy-efficient way possible and one or two of the Impala die, only because they were on the outer edge of the group. The zebra calf at birth imprints the stripe pattern on the hind quarters of his mother not because he loves abstract art, but because if he can’t find his mother in the herd of a million migrating animals, no other zebra mother will nurse him, even though she may be nursing her own calf. If he can’t find his mother, he will die. Justice is not natural. But justice is the single, most prominent sign of civilization. That is why Islam is all about justice.
Anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture, and she said, ‘When I discovered a skeleton with a fractured femur which had healed. I could see where the broken bone had healed and fused back.’ They asked her why. She replied, ‘In nature, when an animal breaks a femur, it is a death warrant. It can’t run. It can’t hunt or escape hunters. It dies. A broken femur that healed means that there was someone who took care of that individual until it healed. That was the beginning of civilization.’
I wept when I read that, as I weep now because it reminds me of how barbaric we have become. It reminds me that all the veneer of education and sophistication is just that. A veneer. Beneath it, lies the barbarian, the unjust, the real savage, who will kill children who are not his own. Who will rape and plunder if he can do it with impunity. Who needs force to render him harmless. So, are we truly civilized?
To be civilized is to be self-regulated. To be civilized is to care for others, who don’t matter to us in any material urgent way. To be civilized is to do what is right, not because it is convenient, or profitable, or safe. But because it is right. To be civilized is not to eat well but to ensure that nobody goes to bed hungry. To be civilized is not to wear good clothes and live in palaces but to ensure that nobody is naked and living on the street. The principle on which this self-regulation is based is called ‘justice’. Justice is not natural. It is an active choice. Justice is the basis of being civilized. Because to be civilized is not natural. It is a reflection of the Divine, because the source of justice is Allahﷻ. Justice is evidence that we have a Creator who loves us and is concerned for us and so taught us how to self-regulate our natural desires in a way that results in safety and caring for all of us. Justice is the criterion on which we will be judged when at the end of our lives,Sat, 02 Mar 2024 - 22min - 451 - Become a Standard Bearer – Part 2
Allahﷻ gave us a purpose of existence which is given to the highest in any society – to guide and show the way. This is the purpose that we inherited by being the followers of Rasoolullahﷺ – to give to the world. To give mankind a standard by which to live. To give it by living it ourselves and demonstrating it as Rasoolullahﷺ did.
A ‘Standard’ is something to aspire to, to aim to reach, to benchmark and measure yourself against. A ‘Standard’ is a flag, high and alone on its staff, establishing its presence, a symbol of great thoughts and ideas, a guide to the lost. A ‘Standard’ is the flag which represents its nation, a symbol of respect. A ‘Standard’ is called a standard because it stands out. A flag drying on a clothesline is laundry. A flag flying high on its staff is saluted. A ‘Standard Bearer’ is the one who carries the flag. In the days of medieval warfare, the Standard Bearer carried the battle standard around which the troops rally. As long as they saw their flag flying their morale remained high. If the flag fell it demoralized the soldiers. The Standard Bearer would not be armed. His only job was to keep the flag flying as the battle wore on. His comrades surrounded him and protected him from the enemy. On the other hand, the Standard Bearer was the focus of attack of the enemy because if they could cut him down it would have a far bigger effect than the death of any other soldier and would be a great victory for the enemy. The Standard Bearer was the rallying point of the army, the symbol of the nation. The Standard Bearer was not an ordinary soldier.
To relate this to our lives today as Muslims, living in a world that seems to be hurtling towards moral and ethical destruction, the term ‘Standard Bearer’ has special relevance. A Standard Bearer of Islam is the embodiment of the Islamic Way. This person is a walking, talking, living model of the beauty of Islam; completely obedient to Allahﷻ and a follower of the Sunnah of Rasoolullahﷺ. A Standard Bearer of Islam is someone who you would point to if someone asked you, ‘Who is a Muslim?’ A Standard Bearer of Islam is confident, not apologetic; stands out from the crowd, does not blend in; is proud of his/her Islam and practices it joyously as a matter of choice. Islam to the Standard Bearer is the primary focus, the criterion for every decision, the basis of their identity. A Standard Bearer differentiates based on Islam and Islam is their ‘Brand’ and their ‘Signature’.
A Standard Bearer of Islam is someone who considers their Islam to be the greatest gift from Allahﷻ and considers it a privilege to be its Standard Bearer which they would not exchange for all the gold in the world. A Standard Bearer of Islam understands that being a Standard Bearer is sometimes a lonely job and is ready for it and is proud of it. After all it is the ideology behind the flag that converts a piece of cloth into a symbol that is saluted.
What does it take to become a Standard Bearer of Islam? Allahﷻ said about the first Standard Bearer of Islam:
لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا
Al Ahzab 33:21 Indeed in the Messenger of Allâh (Muhammadﷺ) you have a good example to follow for the one who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allâh and the Last Day and remembers Allâh a great deal.
Allahﷻ sent Muhammadﷺ to be a living model of His Message, to demonstrate Islam in practice in every aspect of life and therefore Allahﷻ quoted the whole life of Rasoolullahﷺ as an example for us to follow and related it to our meeting with Him on the Day of Judgment. A Standard is meant to be followed and to be handed down from generation to generation.Sun, 11 Feb 2024 - 26min - 450 - Become a Standard Bearer
“Islam began as something strange, and it shall return to being something strange, so give glad tidings to the strangers.”
Saheeh Hadeeth [Ibn Maajah, Kitaab al fitan 3986
Like most thinking Muslims of our time, over the last few years, I have also been thinking about the sad state that the Muslim Ummah finds itself in. Like lost sheep we are large in number but distracted, disconnected, and dispersed, prey to every passing wolf. All the power, authority, wealth and influence seems to be in the hands of those who are arrayed against us, leaving us with little choice if any, even with respect to the wealth which is apparently in our hands. It is they who dispose of it at will even though on the face of it, we are its owners. Like most people I too complained, defined our ‘problem’ and re-defined it; discussed it, debated it and agonized over it until I came to the conclusion that none of this was getting me any closer to a solution. And frankly that is all that matters.
I read the Qur’an and the Seerah of Rasoolullahﷺ and our history, both ancient and modern because history has the potential to teach us lessons. I spoke to people wiser and more learned than I am and listened carefully to what they had to say; Ulama and others in several countries. I prayed and asked for the help of Allahﷻ to understand our situation and devise a way out of it. As I thought about these times, I couldn’t help but see many similarities between the situation today and the situation as it existed in the time of Rasoolullahﷺ and his Sahaba during the major part of his life in Makkah. They too had almost no influence, power, or wealth. They were the victims of all kinds of persecution and deprivation. They were evicted from their homes, boycotted, and embargoed, tortured and some were killed. Yet in one generation, in less than 20 years, the situation completely transformed and Muhammadﷺ and his followers became the leaders of Arabia and the known world.
The big question is, ‘HOW DID IT HAPPEN? HOW DID THEY DO IT?’
The answer is very simple – this happened simply by Muhammadﷺ and his followers living Islam. All that they did was to be Muslims. They were living models of Islam, Standard Bearers of Islam. They did not spend time in giving speeches about Islam or holding seminars and symposia about points of Fiqh. They did not write momentous treatises on the hidden aspects of this Ayât or that. They lived the Qur’an. They did not lecture others about the importance of the Sunnah. They followed the Sunnah in every single aspect of their lives. They did not debate and create nomenclature to distinguish between what is Haraam and what is Makrooh and within Makrooh what is Tanzeehi and what is Tahreemi. They did not get stuck in minor matters of religious observance, thereby creating divisions. They simply did not do anything that was displeasing to Allahﷻ and His Messengerﷺ. They did not ask which sin was big and which was small. They avoided sin because in their mind it was not the quantum or nature of the disobedience but who was being disobeyed, that was important. And that is why when Allahﷻ used the word ‘Believers’ He meant the Sahaba. So, there it was the answer to my question, ‘What should we do to help ourselves?’ The solution was clear as daylight:
‘Be Muslims as the Sahaba were Muslim.
Become Standard Bearers of Islam.’
I realized that it was necessary for us to go back to the basics and see how Rasoolullahﷺ and his Sahaba practiced Islam and do the same with the hope that Allahﷻ would then change our condition when He saw that we were ready to do His work and to give it precedence over our own desires and pursuits. It is really quite simple. We are the ones who complicate it for ourselves and then suffer.Sun, 04 Feb 2024 - 29min - 449 - Winning is about staying in the race
"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Jabir (R) reported: Rasoolullahﷺ said, “The best of people are those who are most beneficial to people.”
I am not against happiness, and neither was Emerson. But happiness can be the result of very selfish and toxic behavior. People engaging in substance abuse or in backbiting or slandering, and other negative activities can be very happy in their toxicity. That is why the importance of focusing on meaningful, honorable, compassionate action. The root cause of our problems as a society globally is that we have lost our ethical and moral compass. We have made the single-minded pursuit of profit our life’s objective. That is why we have a world that is full of war and violence. This is not sustainable and must change.
People are not equal. Not in this life. Not before Allahﷻ. Our job is to become winners and raise winners. Losing is the default. That's the Law of Entropy. Everything goes downhill unless you stop it. A garden untended grows weeds, not roses. A house left unattended doesn't clean itself. A car not maintained breaks down. A body not exercised loses muscle and strength. Not the other way round. So, you must decide what you want from life and then go and get it. The only thing that comes just by waiting, is death.
Everything else needs back-breaking effort because results are proportionate to effort. You won’t make that effort unless you enjoy it and that is where a belief in yourself and your mission makes all the difference.
To be - You must do. To do - You don't have to be.
But unless you do - You will never be
My favorite coach is Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers. He won five NFL championships, including Super Bowls I and II. He said: “Defeat is worse than death because you have to live with defeat. Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all the time thing. You don’t win once in a while; you don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all of the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”
If you want to know whether you are a winner or loser, check if you made your bed this morning. Check what your car looks like, outside, and inside. Do you return a shopping cart to where it is supposed to be after unloading your shopping? Everything matters. All your attitudes and actions indicate your mindset. Winning is important because only winners matter.
In 2021, Georgia Tech coach Lewis Caralla asked his football team a question: Are you willing to sprint when the distance is unknown? That will happen only if you have a deep belief in yourself and in your goal. One without the other won’t work. You need both. That is why passion is so important.
In WW2 Japan was all but destroyed with the two atomic bombs that America dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What followed was not one or two people but the whole nation sprinting without a finish line in sight. Despite the unbelievable loss of life and destruction of infrastructure and society there was neither despair, nor an exodus of Japanese towards the West, nor any hatred for Americans who had destroyed their country. Instead using the strength of their Bushido tradition, there began a reconstruction that in 2 generations made Japan an industrial powerhouse. Japan not only excelled in manufacturing products but also innovated production practices and quality standards that became a byword in industry worldwide.Sun, 28 Jan 2024 - 25min - 448 - Problems and Solutions
بَدَأَ الإِسْلاَمُ غَرِيبًا وَسَيَعُودُ غَرِيبًا فَطُوبَى لِلْغُرَبَاءِ
Abu Huraira (R) reported: Rasoolullahﷺ said, “Islam began as something strange, and it will return to being strange, so blessed are the strangers.” Ibn Majah (Kitab Al-Fitan)
In a world based on oppression, courage is strange. In a world based on amassing personal wealth, charity is strange. In a world where net worth means dollars, net worth meaning character is strange. In a world ruled by merchants of death, saving lives is strange. In a world where making money is the goal, the means be damned; virtue is strange. Therefore, blessed are the strangers because they struggle for a world where charity, character, courage, virtue, and kindness will be the standard. This is Islam.
We Muslims are like those on a sailing ship, caught in a storm. As the captain of such a ship, there are two paradoxical things that you must be able to do well. Be aware of the forces that are trying to sink you as well as be disconnected enough from them to be able to focus on the best way to navigate your way out of the storm. If you ignore the forces around you to focus, they will sink you. If you get distracted by what the forces throw at you, and lose focus on the goal, that will sink you just as fast. Time is of the essence and urgency is a competitive advantage. That is the difficulty – how to be aware, yet emotionally disconnected. Emotional reactions, no matter how justified, always lead to bad decisions. Seerah is the answer. Suleh Hudaybiyya is Rasoolullahﷺ’s Master Class in dealing with this dichotomy.
First a quick essential history lesson. The proliferation of nation states started after WW2. That is a reference point for us to understand that the Nation State is still very much a WIP project and is by no means complete. https://madsciblog.tradoc.army.mil/180-the-evolution-of-nation-states-and-their-role-in-the-future/
Add to this the complexity of the MNC some of which are wealthier than many Nation States – Amazon at $1 trillion (in 2018) would be #17 in rank if it were a country – and therefore what such companies and those who own them can do to impact global politics is a very important aspect to consider. Given the increasingly important and powerful role of online technology including AI and the enormous resources that these companies wield, it would be extremely naïve to imagine that they wouldn’t want to influence present and future markets. This will lead to a new form of colonialism which will be far more pervasive, insidious, and powerful than anything we have seen in the past. Here people’s minds will be the playgrounds and we will voluntarily allow them to use ours to make profit for their owners. FB and Insta members are already doing it. More will follow.
The Nation State idea differs from empires principally because for the first time common people were given a voice in law making. Like all WIP projects it is far from perfect but from our perspective as common people it is a very big step in our development which must be cherished and supported. The alternative is dictatorship. The biggest strength in times like this is to have a historical perspective and as clear an idea as possible about the best way forward. To do that effectively we must be prepared to face facts squarely without any sugar coating. If you can’t diagnose the disease, you can’t prescribe or implement the cure. You can’t diagnose with your eyes blindfolded. So, here’s a no-praise-no-blame view as I interpret the history of our people. You may not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in you. It’s your choice.Sat, 20 Jan 2024 - 26min
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