- Seminars and Lectures abroad / ٠01 Masjid At-Taqwa- Morning lectures 1
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- Masjid At-Taqwa- part 1
Man is keen on his safety and on the perfection and continuity of his existence:
Dear brothers, any person on earth (among the 7 billion people in the five continents) but is keen on three things: he is keen on the safety, the perfection and the continuity of his existence. In addition, man has the need of being superior.
The safety of man's existence is achieved when he does not get sick, when he does not become poor and when he does not lose his freedom. The perfection of man's existence is achieved when he is financially secured, when he owns spacious house, when he gets married to the right woman and when his children are dutiful, for these are needful matters in man's life.
As I have just mentioned, man needs to excel in life. Actually, he becomes glee to hear people pointing to him as the best doctor, the best teacher, the most successful merchant or the richest person. Allah the Almighty tells us what the ancient nations said in order to fulfill this need (i.e. superiority):
﴾And (both) the Jews and the Christians say: "We are the children of Allah and His loved ones.﴿
They said that out of stressing the need of being superior. However the Divine Response was as follows:
﴾Say: "Why then does He punish you for your sins?"﴿
This means that Allah declined their claims and demanded them of a proof which they did not own.
﴾Say: "Why then does He punish you for your sins?" Nay,﴿
"Bal" is an Arabic word which means "However", so it indicates the opposite of what precedes it.
﴾Nay, you are but human beings, of those He has created, ﴿
Allah told them that they are not special in any way. Unfortunately, Muslims are acting the same nowadays, for they say, "We are the Ummah (Islamic nation) of the two revelations (the Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah), and we are the Ummah of the Master of Prophets and Messengers, peace be upon them. We are the chosen Ummah", and they go on and on. However, even if they keep saying so for 100 years, they will not meet these criteria unless they apply Islam rightly.
﴾Say: "Why then does He punish you for your sins?"﴿
Muslims nowadays suffer from lots of problems and disasters from which no other nation suffer. They are divided, and they are in conflicts where blood is shed. Not to mention, they own half the treasures of the earth, but they are the poorest nations. Regretfully, the highest rates of smokers are found among Muslims. This is but a bitter truth which we should embrace, since it is thousand times better than delusion. Accordingly, never claim to be Allah's chosen nation, because Allah the Almighty will say to you:
﴾Say: "Why then does He punish you for your sins?" Nay, you are but human beings, of those He has created,﴿
Had Allah accepted their claims (that they are the chosen and the most beloved nation), He would not have punished them.
The life of the believer is distinguished from others' lives:
When man finds himself amid lots of problems, he should stop praising himself, but if he does not, he has a serious problem.
Keep in mind that Allah the Almighty will never ever afflict the righteous servant with any harm.
﴾Verily, those who say: "Our Lord is Allah (Alone)," and then they Istaqamu , on them the angels will descend (at the time of their death) (saying): "Fear not, nor grieve!﴿
The believer is a unique person, and he has been given glad tidings that he will not fear the future, nor will he grieve over the past.
﴾Is then he who is a believer like him who is Fasiq (disbeliever and disobedient to Allah)? Not equal are they.﴿
The following Ayah is enough even if it is the only Ayah in the Noble Quran:
﴾Or do those who earn evil deeds think that We shall hold them equal with those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, in their present life ﴿
The worldly life of the believer is very special, for his household is coherent, it is like Paradise and it is full of love and affection, even though he might be poor, for money has nothing to do with real happiness. The believer's house is full of love, mercy, respect and high standards of children's upbringing.
﴾Is then he who is a believer like him who is Fasiq (disbeliever and disobedient to Allah)? Not equal are they.﴿
"Do not mind how minor your sin might look but mind Whom you dare to disobey":
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾Or do those who earn evil deeds﴿
Is it rational that the righteous chaste pious believer will be treated by Allah like the person who talks as he wishes, who watches dirty movies and who gossips people? Such a situation is impossible, and it contradicts not only Allah's Justice, but also Allah's Existence.
I told you once the story of the man whose wife was sick, and the doctor who was treating her took two years treating her from infections (as he claimed), but it turned out that she had cancer when this man took her to another doctor. He was shocked and the second doctor told him that even a student at the faculty of medicine would diagnose that cancer easily, but the first doctor wanted to take as much money as he could from him and for that reason he misled and misinformed him about her disease. Upon knowing that, that man was so angry to such an extent that he prostrated right away and talked to Allah saying, "O Allah if You exist, take revenge of that doctor, and if You do not take revenge, then You do not exist." He swore to Allah that eleven months later, the first doctor visited the second one to find out that he had cancer in his shoulder.
This was his punishment for extorting their money for two years claiming that she had infections instead of treating her cancer. Allah is Great, so beware of committing grave mistakes, beware of building your glory on the ruins of others, beware of becoming rich by impoverishing others, beware of building your dignity on humiliating others and beware of acquiring your security by scaring others. Some people in influential positions build their security by scaring people. I advise you to count to billion before you hurt an ant (rather than hurting a human being). Allah is Great, and as our Master Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "Do not mind how minor your sin might look, but mind Whom you dare to disobey."
Some powerful people take advantage of the weak, but they should know that power is not permanent and that the Divine Punishment moves mountains. The one who deceives his customers in selling and buying is like the one who deceives his clients in any exalted career. Some lawyers might mislead their clients by telling them that their case wins though they know that they will not win the case, but they say so in order to take millions from their clients. Moreover, they keep the case going for ten years moving it from one court to another and from respite to respite while they are draining the client out of his money, and when the verdict of the judge comes out against his case the lawyer will say to him, "Well the other party bribed the judge and there is nothing we can do".
The problem with those of professional careers is that you cannot argue with them (because you are not an expert in their domain). Therefore, if the physician says to you that you have to run 12 lab tests, can you argue with him? What if what you need is only one test? Because the physician and the lab are sharing profits the physician is ordering unneeded tests.
Hence, the more exalted the career becomes, the hardest the mission will be to hold the expert accountable for what he does. In such cases, all we count on is the righteousness of the expert. Take for example cancer (given cancer and flu are the two diseases which have no cure, only cancer is intractable), it might afflict man any time, any place, at any age and without any warning. Suddenly, the patient's life turns into living Hell, but bear in mind that when man follows Allah's Path, Allah will reward him by granting him good health, and this is his reward in the worldly life.
The utmost graces after believing are health and provision:
The utmost graces in the worldly life, after the graces of guidance and faith, are the grace of health and the grace of provision (in the sense of meeting man's needs).
(('Ubaidullah bin Mihsan Al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Whosoever begins the day feeling family security and good health; and possessing provision for his day is as though he possessed the whole world."))
When man wakes up let him supplicate as instructed by the Prophet PBUH who used to say upon waking up from his sleep the following:
((All praise is for Allah who restored to me my health))
Lots of people may have strokes while they are asleep, and they become paralyzed thereupon, so it is a grace (which deserves praising) to be able to wake up, go to the bathroom, offer Wudu and then go to the Masjid.
((All praise is for Allah who restored to me my health and returned my soul and has allowed me to remember Him))
Each one of us, who is able to wake up in the morning, has got a great grace, since he is allowed to live another day.
((…and returned my soul))
It is a grace to be able to wake up, to go to the bathroom, to offer Wudu and then to perform Salah.
((All praise is for Allah who restored to me my health and returned my soul and has allowed me to remember Him))
It is the special time of Fajr, which embraces two kinds of people: the people who head to the Masjid, and the people who come back home from nightclubs. A famous actress, who was blessed by being guided to Allah, said in an interview, "I used to come home at dawn, now I wake up before dawn to offer Salah." How big the difference between the two cases is! If Allah allows you to come to the Masjid, and if Allah bestows health upon your body and permits you to remember Him, then you should know that you have priceless grace.
The paradigm shift of values:
The Ayah is very precise:
﴾And (both) the Jews and the Christians say: "We are the children of Allah and His loved ones.﴿
Allah did not accept their claims:
﴾Say: "Why then does He punish you for your sins?" Nay, you are but human beings, of those He has created,﴿
Similarly, any word that is said by Muslims today is not accepted (since they are not applying Islam):
﴾You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind﴿
As long as we, Muslims, are suffering hardship, this means that we have not met the standards of being the best Ummah which cannot be met but through enjoining Al-Ma'ruf and forbidding Al-Munkar:
﴾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.﴿
It was reported that the Prophet PBUH addressed his companions by saying:
(("Imagine what will be the condition if you stop enjoining Al-Ma'ruf and forbidding Al-Munkar?"))
The companions were stunned.
((The Companions asked inquisitively: "Will it happen O Messenger of Allah?" The Messenger of Allah gave the same answer: "Worse than that is going to happen."))
They were shocked even more than the first time.
((The Companions asked again: "What can be worse than that O Messenger of Allah." The Messenger PBUH replied: "You will start enjoining Al-Munkar and forbidding Al-Maruf."))
By Allah, some fathers prevent their daughters from putting on Hijab, and they get furious because of that.
((The Messenger PBUH replied: "You will start enjoining Al-Munkar and forbidding Al-Maruf."))
The companions were stunned once again.
((The Companions asked: "Will it happen, O Messenger of Allah?" The question came from the depth of anxiety and fear. The Prophet PBUH said: "Yes, but worse than that." Once more shocking words came, and this increased the concern which appeared in the question again. The Companions: "What is worse than that, O prophet of Allah?"))
Listen to the third situation:
((The Messenger's answer was: "Maruf will become Munkar and Munkar will become Maruf among you."))
This is called "Paradigm shift in values" which is the gravest thing our Ummah is going through today. Those who collect huge wealth by taking bribes and unlawful money are considered shrewd people despite the fact that their money are from unlawful ways.
One might be taken by the luxury of the drug dealer's house, but he should always remember that this money has been collected from selling drugs, simply because the righteous person cannot be that rich, because lawful money is gained from lawful resources which does not make man rich overnight, and millions cannot be earned at once unless the ways of earning them are unlawful. In fact, the highest income in the world is the one that comes from selling narcotics, and the profits might reach a huge amount from the minute they are planted until they are sold as narcotics, whereas any other business will not bring more than 12% profits (like in commerce) or 20 % profits (like in industry).
﴾Say: "Why then does He punish you for your sins?" Nay, you are but human beings, of those He has created,﴿
Allah never accepts any claims of loving Him but by following His Orders:
In the following Ayah, there is another claim:
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH to mankind): "If you (really) love Allah ﴿
There must be a proof of this claim. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾Then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur'an and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. ﴿
Allah the Almighty will not accept anyone's claim of loving Him unless he puts forth a proof of that love. Thus, if you love Allah, apply His Method. Is Islam applied in your house? Do your daughters wear Hijab? Is your income lawful?
A man, who used to pray in the first row in the Masjid, once said to me, "I own a five star restaurant and my partner, may Allah forgive him, serves wine in it, so what should I do? I think Allah will call him to account not me." I said to him, "You will be reckoned with him as well, for you are taking hefty profits at the end of the year. You will be reckoned with your partner unless you break this partnership."
﴾ Say (O Muhammad PBUH to mankind): "If you (really) love Allah then follow me (i.e. accept Islamic Monotheism, follow the Qur'an and the Sunnah), Allah will love you and forgive you of your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."﴿
Allah the Almighty says:
﴾Verily, those who say: "Our Lord is Allah (Alone)," and then they Istaqamu , on them the angels will descend (at the time of their death) (saying): "Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised!* "We have been your friends in the life of this world and are (so) in the Hereafter.﴿
The believer is not like the corrupted:
The key Ayah in this lecture is the following:
﴾ Or do those who earn evil deeds think that We shall hold them equal with those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds ﴿
Treating them equally contradicts the Existence and the Justice of Allah. If you are righteous, you are satisfied with your wife and you do not fool around with other women, you will never be treated (by Allah) with equal measures as the one who is so called "expert in women" because he has committed adultery hundreds of times. People also consider the hypocrite a "clever person", because he satisfies all parties, but he, who satisfies all parties, is a hypocrite because he wears fifty faces.
I know a man who is a disbeliever with the disbelievers, a hypocrite with the hypocrites and a believer with the believers in order to win wherever he goes- I seek refuge with Allah from people like this man.
Dear brothers, Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Is then he who is a believer like him who is Fasiq (disbeliever and disobedient to Allah)? ﴿
The first Ayah is:
﴾ Or do those who earn evil deeds think that We shall hold them equal with those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds ﴿
﴾ Is then he who is a believer like him who is Fasiq (disbeliever and disobedient to Allah)? ﴿
"Partners" embraces any relationship between two people. Allah the Almighty says:
﴾And, verily, many partners oppress one another, except those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and they are few."﴿
This Ayah is very crucial. The one, who oppresses his partner, is not a believer. If a partnership between two persons is based on the money of one of them and the experience of the other, but the owner of the money intends to break this partnership after he gets enough experience, and he knows all the secrets of the craft, so he starts to harass his partner in all ways, and he makes his children disrespect him until the expert breaks this partnership, the owner of the money will have the money and the experience altogether thinking that he is so clever in his planning. However, he does not pay heed that a cancer might afflict him (for wronging his partner).
Do not you take diseases lightly for some of them turn man's life into living Hell. For instance, cancerous tumors do not save the powerful, the shrewd or the expert, so anyone might be one day a patient of cancer without knowing why, but Allah the Almighty is the One Who has created this disease, and thus man must pay heed.
﴾And, verily, many partners oppress one another, except those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and they are few."﴿
You should respect the rights of your partner.
Whoever applies the Prophetic Sunnah in his life will be protected from Allah's Torment:
The last Ayah is the following:
﴾And Allah would not punish them while you (Muhammad PBUH) are amongst them﴿
This Ayah soothes the Islamic societies. It means that as long as the Prophetic Sunnah is applied in any community, and as long as Muslims are abiding by it, they are safe from Allah's Punishment.
﴾ And Allah would not punish them while you (Muhammad PBUH) are amongst them, nor will He punish them while they seek (Allah's) Forgiveness.﴿
We move to the last Hadith:
((O My servants, even if the first amongst you and the last amongst you and the whole human race of yours and that of jinns also all stand in one plain ground and you ask Me and I confer upon every person what he asks for, it would not in any way, cause any loss to Me (even less) than that which is caused to the ocean by dipping the needle in it.))
If you go to Al-Aqaba (in the Red sea) and you dip a needle in its water, how much water will this needle hold?
((O My servants, even if the first amongst you and the last amongst you and the whole human race of yours and that of jinns also all stand in one plain ground and you ask Me and I confer upon every person what he asks for, it would not in any way, cause any loss to Me (even less) than that which is caused to the ocean by dipping the needle in it. That is because My Bestowal and My Withdrawal are but words.))
﴾"Be!" - and it is.﴿
((…That is because My bestowal and Withdrawal are done by words.))
The delicate point in this Hadith is:
((…so he who deeds of yours which I am recording finds good should praise Allah and he who does not find that should not blame anyone but his ownself.))
Thus, never say, "I have a bad luck."
((…and he who does not find that should not blame anyone but his ownself.))
