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Juma Khutbas

Juma Khutbas

Mirza Yawar Baig

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486 - Focus on the fundamentals
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  • 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
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