Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Master Muhammad and upon his noble Folks, Companions, the trustees of his mission and the leaders of his banner, and be pleased with us and them, O Lord of the Worlds. O Allah, lead us out from the depths of darkness and illusion unto the lights of erudition and knowledge, and from the muddy shallows of lusts unto the heavens of Your Vicinity.
Dear brothers, I would like first of all to thank you for inviting me here, and this is a great honor to me since it reflects your good thought about me. I ask Allah the Almighty to help me be up to your good expectations. If the points to be discussed in this meeting are what you expect, then it will be due to Allah's Favor, but if they are not, then Allah (Alone) is Sufficient for you, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs.
Islam is the religion of tolerance, justice and benevolence:
Dear noble brothers, as you know a literary work can be a story, a short story, a novel and an anecdote. I would like to tell you three anecdotes; the first of which took place in the Middle East, the second one took place in Europe and the third one took place in America.
The first anecdote is about one of the benevolent men in Damascus who asked an experienced engineer to find him a land in the southern area of Damascus in order to build a Masjid on it. The engineer found the proper square-shape land in Al-Qadam neighborhood where one of its corners faced the Qiblah. He intended to meet the owner of the land who inherited that land one month before he saw the engineer. The owner was a poor man who worked as a janitor at a school, he had eight children and his income sufficed him for the first 10 days of the month only.
The price of the land was about 5 million Liras, and after negotiating the price with the engineer, he accepted to take 4 million Liras. The engineer, who is a friend of mine, gave the land's owner a check of only half of the price, so the poor man wondered, "When will you give me the other half?" To which the engineer replied, "I will pay you the rest when you officially transfer the ownership of this land at the Ministry of Awqaf (the Ministry of Religious Endowments), because a Masjid will be built on your land." The owner of the land (the poor man) was surprised, so he asked, "A Masjid!?" Immediately, he torn the contract and said, "By Allah, I am ashamed before Allah to sell a land to become a Masjid. I am more entitled than you to donate it for Allah's Sake." The Masjid was built with the longest Minerat (Mi'zanah) in Al-Qadam.
This is an example of a wretched poor man who felt ashamed for selling a land that would be used to build a Masjid on it.
Let me move to the second anecdote. A student of mine used to study in London, and he told me a story about an Imam of a Masjid who used to live in London, but he moved later on to be the Imam of a Masjid in Manchester. He had to go to his Masjid by bus, and he used to take the same bus which was driven by the same bus-driver every day.
One day, the Imam gave the driver a bill of five pounds, and the driver gave him the change. When the Imam counted the money, he found out that the amount was more than what he deserved to receive, so he said to himself, "I will give this money back to the driver before I get out of the bus." However, a while later, an evil thought occurred to him, so he said to himself, "The company of this bus is a well-known one, and its profits are very huge. This money will do no harm to it if taken. I need it badly, so I will take it."
He had an internal conflict with his own self, and what happened later was that when he was about to leave the bus, he put his hand in his pocket, and subconsciously he gave the extra twenty pennies to the driver, so the latter smiled and said, "Are you the Imam of this Masjid?" The Imam answered, "Yes, I am." Then the driver said, "By Allah, I was thinking about visiting you in the Masjid to worship Allah, but I wanted to test you before I come." The man passed out, because he realized the grave mistake he was about to commit. When he recovered from his shock, he said, "O Allah, I was almost about to sell the entire Islam for few pennies."
How many are the Muslims who sell their faith for worldly good?!
I would like to highlight this point, dear brothers, you "Muslims" live in this country where the people have no idea about Islam, Quran, Noble Ahadeeth or the Prophetic Sirah (the biography of the Noble Prophet and his companions), and thus Islam is represented by you alone. If they see how honest you are, they will glorify Islam, but if you misrepresent Islam, they will disdain this religion. This explains why Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, said:
(( You are a corner among the many corners of Islam, so do not let Islam be attacked from your side! ))
[ [Reported in the relic] ]
As a Muslim, your situation in here differs from that in your country. If you make a mistake in your country, where the majority of people are Muslims, only you will be blamed for that mistake, whereas, if you commit a mistake in here (i.e. the west), the entire Islam will be blamed for your own mistake.
(( You are a corner among the many corners of Islam, so do not let Islam be attacked from your side! ))
[Reported in the relic]
I always say to our brothers, who travel to a western country, that every one of them has two messages to convey. The first one is from your home country to the one abroad. The message that you are supposed to convey is about Islam as the religion of tolerance, justice and benevolence. As for the other message, it is a message you are supposed to convey to your home country about all the positive things you notice abroad, such as respecting the law, having equivalent job opportunities and so on. These are the two messages you have to convey; one to your home country and the other to the foreign country you will travel to.
I repeat what that Imam said, " O Allah, I was almost about to sell the entire Islam for few pennies."
Whoever worships Allah properly is granted wisdom, tranquility and security:
In the United States, a young man fell in love with a young woman, but his father told him, "O son, you cannot marry this girl, because she is your sister, but your mother does not know that." He fell in love once again with another girl, but his father told him the same thing. He fell in love for the third time with another girl, but his father told him that she was also his sister. The young man was disappointed, so he told his mother about the whole thing. She said, "You can marry the girl you fall in love with, because you are not his son and he does not know that."
Dear brothers, it was reported: "There is no good in the religion in which Salah is not obliged." Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ …And perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) for My Remembrance. ﴿
Salah is one type of remembrance. Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, says:
﴾ (Therefore remember Me (by praying, glorifying, etc.). I will remember you…) ﴿
In another Surah, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (…And the remembering (praising, etc.) of (you by) Allah (in front of the angels) is greater indeed [than your remembering (praising, etc.) Allah in prayers, etc.].) ﴿
This indicates that if you pray as Allah the Almighty wants you to pray, and you mention Allah properly, you will completely fulfill the assignment of worshiping Him. What will Allah grant you if He remembers you? He will grant you wisdom, which is the greatest Divine Bestowal, He will grant you tranquility (which pleases you even if you have nothing but it, while missing it makes you miserable even if you own everything), and He will grant you security. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (… (So) which of the two parties has more right to be in security? If you but know."* It is those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah and worship none but Him Alone) and confuse not their belief with Zulm (wrong i.e. by worshipping others besides Allah), for them (only) there is security and they are the guided.) ﴿
Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, says, "for them (only)", which indicates exclusiveness:
﴾ (…For them (only) there is security and they are the guided.) ﴿
Security is granted exclusively to the believers:
﴾ (... (So) which of the two parties has more right to be in security? If you but know."* It is those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah and worship none but Him Alone) and confuse not their belief with Zulm (wrong i.e. by worshipping others besides Allah), for them (only) there is security and they are the guided.) ﴿
The difference between the faith of Iblis and the one Allah orders:
It was reported:
(( (Not all those who pray are prayers...) ))
[ [Ad-Dailami, on the authority of Harithah bin Wahab] ]
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (…And perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) for My Remembrance.) ﴿
Let me go on with the Hadith:
(( Not all those who pray are prayers, as I accept Salat from only those whose Salat makes them humble to My Greatness…))
Pay attention to this critical question: Is Iblis a believer? Yes, he is, and the proof is:
﴾ ([Iblis (Satan)] said: "By Your Might…) ﴿
Iblis believes in Allah The Lord and The Almighty, yet, he is cursed! So, what is the difference between the faith of Iblis and the one Allah the Almighty asks for? Actually, the faith Allah the Almighty asks for is the one that keeps you obedient to Him.
Let me make this point clearer, so that none misunderstands it: The faith that does not keep you obedient to Allah the Almighty is pointless. I repeat the Hadith:
(( (Not all those who pray are prayers…) ))
[ [Ad-Dailami, on the authority of Harithah bin Wahab] ]
Consider this Hadith, please:
(( (…And twelve thousand will never be outnumbered.") ))
[ [Ibn Majah, on the authority of Anas Ibn Malik] ]
The Muslims are 1 billion and 800 million people, they own half of the natural resources and they have common grounds that none have. However, they are poor, and they always fight against one another. On the other hand, the enemies of Ummah work together against us although they have only 5% of common grounds unlike us, Muslims, who fight against one another although we have 90% of common grounds. This is a serious problem, and I beg your pardon to say this fact, but the bitter truth is a thousand times better than the comfortable delusion.
The reason why this Ummah is the best ever:
Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, says:
﴾ (You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad PBUH and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind…) ﴿
Why is this Ummah the best ever raised up for mankind? The answer is in the following part of the same Ayah:
﴾ (…You enjoin Al-Ma'ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden), and you believe in Allah…) ﴿
Pay attention to the following Hadith, please:
(( (The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "How will it be for you when you stop enjoining Al-Ma'ruf and forbidding Al-Munkar?" The Companions asked inquisitively, "Will it happen, O Messenger of Allah?" The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, "Yes, and worse than that is going to happen." The Companions asked again, "What can be worse than that, O Messenger of Allah." The Messenger, peace be upon him, replied, "How will it be for you when you enjoin Al-Munkar and forbid Al-Ma'ruf." The Companions asked, "Will it happen, O Messenger of Allah?" The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, " Yes, and worse than that is going to happen." The Companions asked, "What is worse than that, O Messenger of Allah?" The Messenger, peace be upon him, said, "How will it be for you when you perceive Al-Ma'ruf as Munkar and Al-Munkar as Ma'ruf?") ))
[ [Ziyadat Razin, on the authority of Ali bin Abi Talib] ]
A poet in the era of Khalifah (Caliph) Umar bin al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, addresses a man called Az-Zabraqan by saying these verses:
Let the virtues, and do not seek them
Relax as long as you are fed and well-clothed
***
Critics of literary works consider these verses at the top of satire poetry, and actually our Master Umar ordered to send that poet to jail because of these two verses.
Unfortunately, they have become the motto of every human being today, haven't they? Man's main concerns and his utmost purposes in life at present are having a mansion and getting married to a beautiful woman.
Beware, when we care about our personal interests, we are nothing in Allah's Sight. If we do not care about our Ummah, we mean nothing to Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He. In other words, if we stop enjoining Ma'ruf and forbidding Munkar, we no longer belong to this Ummah in the Sight of Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He.
Whoever applies the Prophetic Sunnah is secured:
Dear noble brothers, here are painful facts about our Ummah. We are about 1 billion and 800 million Muslims, we own half of the natural resources in the world, and we have common grounds that no other nation has, such as aspirations, language, religion and so on. However, we are not the Ummah Allah the Almighty asks us to be. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad PBUH and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind…) ﴿
We are just like those whom Allah the Almighty addresses in this Ayah:
﴾ (Nay, you are but human beings, of those He has created…) ﴿
Keep this Ayah in mind:
﴾ (And Allah would not punish them while you (Muhammad PBUH) are amongst them…) ﴿
This indicates that Allah will never ever punish them:
﴾ (And Allah would not punish them while you (Muhammad PBUH) are amongst them…) ﴿
As long as the Prophetic Sunnah is established in their daily-life activities, they will never be punished:
﴾ (…nor will He punish them while they seek (Allah's) Forgiveness.) ﴿
We have two good things that save us from Allah's Punishment: The first thing is seeking Allah's Forgiveness, and the second one is establishing the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him.
How to regain our ruling position among other nations:
Pay attention to the following Ayah, please:
﴾ (Allah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islam). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear…) ﴿
Unfortunately, we have not been granted succession in the earth, we have not been granted authority to practise our religion, nor have we been granted security. There is a critical reason for this situation, because the annihilation of the universe is easier in Allah's Sight than unfulfilling His Promises to the believers.
Dear noble brothers, if we do not reconcile with Allah the Almighty, return to Him, establish His Way, enjoin Ma'ruf, and forbid Munkar, we will never be able to regain our ruling position among other nations. Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, says:
﴾ (Allah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them…) ﴿
This is a Divine Law:
﴾ (…and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion…) ﴿
Notice how the Ayah indicates the religion Allah the Almighty has chosen:
﴾ (That which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islam). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me.) ﴿
This means that our understanding of our religion does not please Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He. Islam means commitment to the Orders and Prohibitions, steadfastness, and applying Islam to your life, household and job. This is how you should understand religion.
When Muhammad bin Marwan, the last Khalifah in the Ummayad era used to pray at a certain Masjid, people would avoid performing Salah with him whereas Salah is only held in Masjid. Marwan wanted to get on the Minbar before the prayer. Someone pulled his cloak, and said this what the prophet PBUH did, but Marwan climbed the Minbar anyways, so another man said: "This man did what he had to do".
In fact, enjoining Ma'ruf and forbidding Munkar should be a way of life. When the father allows his daughter to be morally deviated without any objection from his side, al-Batil (falsehood) expands, while al-Haqq (the truth) shrinks. On the other hand, when you guide your son to the Right Path, and you give pieces of advice to the closest people to you, then you enjoin Ma'ruf and forbid Munkar. The reason behind being the best Ummah among all other nations is to enjoin Ma'ruf and forbid Munkar, so if we do not do these two things, we are like the ones Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, mentions in the following Ayah:
﴾ (Nay, you are but human beings, of those He has created…) ﴿
We are worthless in Allah's Sight.
Annihilating the universe is easier in Allah's Sight than unfulfilling His Promises to the believers
There are many Ayaat in the Noble Quran in which Muslims are promised to be victorious, such as the following Ayaat:
﴾ (And that Our hosts, they verily would be the victors.) ﴿
﴾ (…And (as for) the believers it was incumbent upon Us to help (them).) ﴿
There are many other Ayaat regarding this point, and let me assert this: the annihilation of the entire universe is easier in Allah's Sight than unfulfilling His Promises to the believers. Therefore, you should blame yourself for having these promises unfulfilled, and you should look for the reasons.
I would like to repeat the Hadith:
(( (Not all those who pray are prayers…) ))
[ [Ad-Dailami, on the authority of Harithah bin Wahab] ]
Suppose that those who perform Salah are about one billion out of the one billion and 800 million Muslims, but they are not victorious, do you not think that there is a serious problem with Muslims? If we do not know what this problem is, we will never be successful in our lives.
I go on with the Hadith:
(( (Not all those who pray are prayers, as I accept Salat from only those whose Salat makes them humble to My Greatness…) ))
[ [Ad-Dailami, on the authority of Harithah bin Wahab] ]
The way of realizing the greatness of the Creator:
The question to be asked is: How do you realize the Greatness of Allah the Almighty? No vision can grasp Him, but minds can reach Him.
Dear noble brothers, the distance between the earth and the closest blazing star is 4 light years, but what does 4 light years mean? The light travels at a speed of 3.00.000 kilometers in a second, so if we multiply this number by 60, we know the distance it travels in a minute, if we multiply it by 60, we know the distance it travels in an hour, if we multiply it by 24, we know the distance it travels in one day, if we multiply it by 365 days, we know the distance it travels in one year, and if we multiply it by 4 years, only then you know what 4 light years mean.
Your young son can easily do that by a calculator in minutes by multiplying 60X60X24X365, and the result will be a huge number, which is the distance between the earth and the closest blazing star.
The sun fits about 1.3.00.000 earths, and the distance between the earth and the sun is 156 million kilometers. Furthermore, a small brilliant red star called Antares is as big as the earth plus the sun plus the distance between them. How does anyone dare to disobey this Great Lord? Do you not believe that you should always stay connected to Him? Do you not believe that you should strive to be admitted to His Jannah? Do you not believe that you should fear His Hell-fire?
Obey Our orders, so that Our veils will be removed for you As We give Our content to those who love Us Seek refuge with Our protection and resort to Us So that We protect you from what afflict the villains Let nothing distract you from Our remembrance upon being sincere We shall grant you happiness and felicity And put your trust in Us in everything As being close or far is decreed by Us upon your choice What a shame if Allah addresses me saying O Our slave, you have never read Our Book Are you not ashamed of Us? Have you not had enough of what happened? Are you not frightened of Our Blame on the Day of Gathering? Is not it the time when you should repent from your sins? And pay heed to what Our Promise have brought Those We love have chosen the way of loving Us And this love have never deviated them from Our religion Had your eyes seen the beauty of ours that they have seen, you would have never turned away from us and turned to others. Had your ears heard the Beauty of Our speech, you would have taken off the cloak of arrogance and come to Us. Had you tasted the sweetness of love a little bit, You would have excused him who has become captive of Our Love. Had you felt a breeze of Our closeness You would have died out of longing for that closeness Our love is not easy, and whoever pretends so We would say to him: you don't know Us ***
Dear noble brothers, it was reported in the traditional Qudsi Hadith:
(( (Not all those who pray are prayers, as I accept Salat from only those whose Salat makes them humble to My Greatness…) ))
[ [Ad-Dailami, on the authority of Harithah bin Wahab] ]
In fact, when you know this Great Lord properly, and then you know His Commands, you will obey Him in the best manner, but if you know the Divine Commands, but you are heedless of the Commander, you will artfully disobey Him.
Let me clarify this point by giving you an example: if you receive a message from the postal office to receive a registered letter in person, you will not be worried about such a message, and you may decide not to go there, but if you receive a letter from a powerful party, you will not be able to sleep all the night thinking of such a letter. But why do we have such a different attitude towards the two letters? Because the senders are not alike. Hence, when you know Allah the Almighty properly, and then you know His Commands, you will be diligent in obeying Him, but if you know the Divine Commands, but you are heedless of the Commander, you will be assiduous in evading His Commands.
We study Fiqh (jurisprudence) and whatever is related to it, which is important, but you should know the Commander Whom you are supposed to obey:
﴾ It will be said): "Seize him and fetter him* Then throw him in the blazing Fire* "Then fasten him with a chain whereof the
[ length is seventy cubits!”* Verily, He used not to believe in Allah, the Most Great. ﴿
[ [Al-Haqqah, 30-33] ]
Iblis believes in Allah, but he does not believe in Him as the Great Lord. So we should reconsider our faith; we should believe in Allah as the Great Lord so that we submit to Him, we remain steadfast on His Command, and we gain the fruitful results of this religion.
Let me elaborate, if the house contains a refrigerator, an air conditioner, an iron and a fan, and all other electrical appliances, but there is no power, then these appliances have no value at all. Similarly, whatever you do is valueless if it does not go hand in hand with steadfastness, true faith, and applying Allah's Commands. In other words, you will not reap the fruitful results of this religion if you do not understand it deeply.
Consider this example: If you walk on the road, and you find a sign that says: "Do not walk- a minefield", do you regard this sign as a restriction of your freedom or a guarantee of your safety? Accordingly, if we consider religion as a constraint to our freedom, and that the morally deviated are happier than us, then this is a sick, devilish understanding of religion, but when we understand the limits, we should respect in religion, as good things, and that they guarantee our safety, this will be the proper understanding of religion.
The scientific relationship between worship and its effects:
Dear brothers, when you apply the Commands of Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, you actually apply the instructions of the Manufacturer (i.e. Allah), because you are the most complex machine in the universe, and you should know that Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, has made a cause-effect relation between worshipping Him and its effects.
In order to elaborate this point, consider the example of a father who prevents his son from using a certain door to exit the house which has two doors. The father prefers to close one of them completely and lays down a rule that the members of the family should use only one door, but if the child opens the forbidden door, then he will deserve punishment from his father. However, the relationship between breaking the father's rules and being punished by him is not a scientific one, because this door is originally made to be used as an exit, so we say, "The relationship here has to do with a rule laid down by the father." On the other hand, if a little child puts his hand on a hot stove which causes painful burns, we say, the relationship between burning the hand and putting it on a hot stove is a scientific one, because it is applicable to any child in the world, at any time and in any place.
As for religion, when you understand religion well, you will believe for sure that there is a scientific relationship between obeying Allah's Command and the effect of this obedience, and that there is a scientific relationship between abstaining from His Prohibitions and the effects gained by such an abstention.
In fact, your concern for your ownself, and your keenness on your safety and happiness, make you follow the Manufacturer's Divine Instructions, and the Manufacturer is the only party Whose Divine Instructions should be followed.
Before embracing Islam, Nu'aym Ibn Masud, the leader of Ghatafan, was one of the greatest polytheists, who intended to fight against the Prophet, peace be upon him, in the Trench Battle. One night he was thinking to himself and said, "O Nu'aym, what brought you to here? Did you come to fight this man? What did he do? Did he steal others' money? Did he abuse anyone's honor? Did he shed blood? No, he did none of these things, so, why have you come here to fight against this man? Have you lost your mind, O Nuaym?
After a while, he went to the Noble Prophet's camp, and stepped into the tent of the Prophet, peace be upon him. The Prophet, peace be upon him, was surprised, so he asked him, "What brought you to us?" Nu'aym replied, "I came to you as a Muslim."
The Muslims won the battle because Nu'aym had embraced Islam, and because of a moment of sincere way of thinking, due to which he was transformed from a polytheist into a great Muslim.
Death is the end of everything:
We should think of our deeds seriously as long as death might come to us at any time. Death ends everything; it ends the power of the strong, the weakness of the weak, the wealth of the wealthy, the attraction of the handsome, the ugliness of the ugly, the eloquence of the eloquent and so on. It is the end of everything, and regarding this point it was reported:
(( (O My worshipper, they left you alone here after they put you in the dust, and even if they stayed with you, they would not be useful. No one is left with you but I – Allah – and I am The Ever Lasting Who never dies.) ))
When I was in Egypt, a Da'iyah (proselytizer) mentioned a story of his own imagination, so it is not real. It is about a rich man who died, and his sons were worried about him being alone in the grave. They heard the following Hadith:
(( (O My worshipper, they left you alone here after they put you in the dust, and even if they stayed with you, they would not be useful. No one is left with you but I – Allah – and I am The Ever Lasting Who never dies.) ))
The sons were worried about their father who would spend the first night in the grave alone, so they looked for a wretched man who was wearing a jute sack, for he had no clothes to wear. The sons asked that man to sleep with their father in the grave, and they promised to give him 10 pounds. The poor man agreed, so he made a hole in the grave to be able to breathe.
While the poor man was in the grave, the two angels came. One of them asked the other, "I wonder how it comes that there are two in here." The poor man heard them, so he started to shiver out of fear. The other angel said, "He is alive. Let us start with him." They sat him up and started to ask him few questions saying, "Where did you get the robe from?" He answered, "I got it from the orchard." Then they asked him, "How did you get into the orchard?" He replied, "I do not know." Because of this answer they punished him severely. When he got out of the grave he said to the children of the deceased, "May Allah help your dad."
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (So, by your Lord (O Muhammad PBUH), We shall certainly call all of them to account* For all that they used to do.) ﴿
Seeking Islamic Knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim:
Dear noble brothers, I would like to repeat the Hadith one more time:
((Not all those who pray are prayers, as I accept Salat from only those whose Salat makes them humble to My Greatness… ))
[ [Ad-Dailami, on the authority of Harithah bin Wahab] ]
Every person does his best to gain the primary, intermediate and secondary certificates, and he pursues his studies until he finishes his education at the age of let us say 33. Well, do you not think the Jannah (paradise) that is as wide as both the heavens and the earth requires paying effort, remaining steadfast, seeking Islamic knowledge, and performing good deeds?
It is said, "Seeking Jannah without performing any good deed is a sin on its own", because Allah the Almighty has created the cognitive power in man that makes him seek closeness to Allah the Almighty, which I call "the exalted need in man". Unless this need is met by man, he will be degraded to the level that does not fit him as a human being.
Hence:
(( (Not all those who pray are prayers, as I accept Salat from only those whose Salat makes them humble to My Greatness, who do not follow their desires…) ))
[ [Ad-Dailami, on the authority of Harithah bin Wahab] ]
Can you summarize trade in one word? As you know trading starts from trading giant ships to trading needles, but it can be summarize in the word "profit", so if you do not make a profit, you are not a merchant.
Can we summarize the entire religion in one word? Yes, we can; religion is about "steadfastness". If you are not steadfast, you will not reap the fruitful effects of religion. Religion without steadfastness is merely Islamic folklore, Islamic arches, Islamic greeting cards, Islamic background, or Islamic interests, while Islam is something else. Islam is a way of life that starts from the private life of Muslim and ends with the international affairs.
Without any exaggeration, there might be about 5.000 religious items including how you make money, how you spend it, how you spend your free time, how to raise your children, and so on. It is a detailed way of life, so seeking Islamic knowledge is an obligation on every Muslim. It is essential to know what Halal (permissible) things are and what Haram (forbidden) things are.
To make this point clearer, when can you are able to treat yourself from high pressure? The answer is simple: when you know that you have high blood pressure. You need a blood pressure monitor, and if you notice that it shows abnormal results, you go to the doctor and take the appropriate medical advice. Hence, if you do not seek Islamic knowledge, you cannot assess yourself.
Seeking Islamic knowledge is an obligation on every Muslim, and when you make religion the focus of your attention, the main thing in your life and the fulfillment of the supreme need in your life, only then you will be successful.
The supreme need is fulfilled by using the cognitive power Allah the Almighty has created in your mind, and if you do not use it, you will be just like animals. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (The likeness of those who were entrusted with the (obligation of the) Taurat (Torah) (i.e. to obey its commandments and to practise its legal laws), but who subsequently failed in those (obligations), is as the likeness of a donkey who carries huge burdens of books (but understands nothing from them)…) ﴿
﴾ (They are as blocks of wood…) ﴿
If you do not know the truth, the true meaning of faith, the purpose of your existence, and the main facts in religion, you are in a grave danger. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (By Al-'Asr (the time)* Verily! Man is in loss* Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth (i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (Al-Ma'ruf)which Allah has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (Al-Munkar)which Allah has forbidden), and recommend one another to patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allah's Cause during preaching His religion of Islamic Monotheism or Jihad, etc.).) ﴿
I repeat the Hadith:
((Not all those who pray are prayers, as I accept Salat from only those whose Salat makes them humble to My Greatness…))
[ [Ad-Dailami, on the authority of Harithah bin Wahab] ]
Allah's Divine Signs in man and universe:
The earth orbits the sun in an elliptical orbit, which means it has two diameters: long and short. Gravity law is related to distance, and mass, so when the distance decreases the gravity increases and we will have a high possibility of earth's gravitation towards the sun, and if this took place the earth would evaporate in one second, because the temperature of the sun is about 20.000.000 °C. So, what prevents the earth from being gravitated to the sun? The earth increases its speed when it is closer to the sun, and this creates a centrifugal power that is equal to the gravity power which keeps the earth on its orbit. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (Verily! Allah grasps the heavens and the earth lest they move away from their places…) ﴿
This is one of Allah's Signs in the universe.
Dear noble brothers, there are many other Divine Signs, such as the movement of the moon around the earth which takes place once a month. If we draw a line to connect the center of the earth with the center of the moon, what do we call this line? It is the radius of the orbit of the moon in its movement around the earth. If we multiply it by two, we get the diameter, and if we multiply that by 3.14, we will get the circumference of the orbit. If we multiply that by 12 (the months of a year), and then multiply that by 1000 years, we will have the distance that the moon travels in 1000 years, and this number will be in kilometers. This result is mentioned in the following Ayah:
﴾ (And verily, a day with your Lord is as a thousand years of what you reckon.) ﴿
We can deduce the speed of light from the above-mentioned Ayah. The absolute speed which Einstein discovered is mentioned in the Noble Quran, which contains many other scientific signs.
The Prophets, peace be upon them, who were sent to their nations before Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, were given tangible miracles, but these miracles are like lighting a match stick whose flame will go off and will turn into ash. Their people may or may not believe their tangible miracles, but the case with the Noble Prophet is different, because he has been sent to all nations and peoples. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (And We have sent you (O Muhammad PBUH) not but as a mercy for the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists). ﴿
The Prophet, peace be upon him, is the seal of all prophets and Messengers, peace be upon them, and His Book (the Noble Quran) is the last Divine Book, and that is why it contains miracles that should continue till the end of days, and thus they are scientific.
Take for example this miracle: When the astronauts in Florida travelled to the moon, they reached a point in the outer space where they shouted, "We are blind! We cannot see anything." Why this happened? On earth there is a phenomenon called "the light scattering"; when the air is exposed to the sunrays its particles reflect some of these rays to the particles that are not exposed to the sun, and thus we have the day light thanks to this phenomenon. The astronauts exceeded the air atmosphere, which goes as far as 65 kilometers around the earth, and upon passing it the light scattering phenomenon does not exist anymore because there is no air and no particles. This is why they shouted, "We are blind! We cannot see anything." Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (They would surely say: "Our eyes have been (as if) dazzled. Nay, we are a people bewitched.") ﴿
This fact has only been discovered after the astronauts travelled to the moon, but it is mentioned in the Noble Quran.
Another fact has to do with embryology, according to which the sex chromosome that a male sperm carries determines whether the offspring will develop into a male or a female. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (And that He (Allah) creates the pairs, male and female* From Nutfah (drops of semen male and female discharges) when it is emitted) ﴿
Let me mention one more fact. The battle between the Romans and Persians took place in a spot called al-Aghwar (i.e. that part of the Syrian trough which constitutes the Jordan valley in Palestine). After discovering laser, this spot has been called the very lowest part of the land; it is 600 meters below sea level. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (The Romans have been defeated* In the nearer land (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine), and they, after their defeat, will be victorious.) ﴿
There are more than 1.300 scientific Divine Signs that represent the inimitability of the Noble Quran, which should be studied by every Muslim to be his means to convince the other party with the fact that He Who has created the universes is the One Who Has sent the Noble Quran.
Man by Fitrah is a Muslim, but having means, studies and facts that will enrich and strengthen his faith. Therefore, seeking knowledge is an obligation on every male and female Muslim.
Dear noble brothers, the last scientific fact I would like to mention is the placenta. As you know it is a large disk that accompanies the embryo in the mother's womb, and it is expelled after giving birth. The placenta has two blood circulations, the mother's and that of the embryo. Those two circulations will never mix otherwise both the mother and the embryo will die. It is well-known that in some cases, the mother's blood belongs to a blood group that differs from that of the embryo's, and if they get mixed both the mother and the embryo might die, but how they are separated from one another? They are separated in the placenta by a thin membrane.
This membrane allows sugar to pass from the mother's blood to that of the embryo, and it allows oxygen, which the mother gets from the air, to pass from the mother's blood to that of the embryo. Sugar gets burnt by oxygen due to the insulin in the embryo's blood making the proper temperature for the embryo inside his mother's womb. Moreover, this membrane allows substances of immunity, from diseases the mother had, to pass from the mother's blood to that of the embryo. At the same time, this membrane allows all the nutrition the embryo needs to pass from the mother's blood to its blood. In case the mother lacks any of embryo's needs, her body urges her to have it for the sake of the embryo.
For example, the pregnant woman sometimes needs food that contains potassium, which originally needed by the embryo, so the membrane lets the mother yearns for something to eat that contains the minerals and vitamins the embryo needs. Thus, whatever the mother likes to eat is actually needed by the embryo. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (This is the creation of Allah. So show Me that which those (whom you worship), besides Him have created.) ﴿
Dear brothers, the human body is full of Allah's Signs that indicate His Wisdom, such as the absence of sensory ends in the hair, or the presence of sensory ends in the bone marrow. When a limb is broken, man cannot move it due to the severity of the pain, and keeping the bone from moving is three-quarters of the healing process.
In the brain, there are 140 billion cells whose functions are not known yet, and there are 14 billion cortical cells in which lies the memory. This area is as small as a lentil seed. Yet, it can save about 70 billion images. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ (This is the creation of Allah. So show Me that which those (whom you worship), besides Him have created.) ﴿
Do you think you are a tiny creature?
In you is imbedded the greater world!
Dear noble brothers, there are hundreds of topics that draw people to Allah the Almighty, so I ask Allah to help you go on with seeking Islamic knowledge. You should devote some of your precious time daily to seeking Islamic knowledge, which is available through unbelievable ways. In fact, clicking a button gives you many answers to a specific question.
The more you gain knowledge, the closer you become to Allah the Almighty. It was reported in the Prophetic Du'a:
(( (Not blessed am I at the sun rise of a day, if I did not increase my knowledge in it; and not blessed am I at the sun rise of a day if I did not become closer to Allah, Almighty.) ))
