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Time is man's capital (the most important thing):
Dear brother, the noble Companions of the Prophet, (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to reauthor a specific short noble surah(chapter) before leaving each other, this surah is really short and all of you memorize it, it is surat Al-Asr, in which Allah the Almighty says:
"By Al-'Asr (the time)."
The transliteration of this Noble ayah is " Wal Asr", "Wa" here is "waw al-qassam”( the English equivalent of it is "By or On"). This is a linguistic particle used of swearing or to take an oath. Which means that Allah is swearing by "Al-Asr" which is the time; the fourth dimension of things. As you know, everything has a length, a width and a height, which are the three-dimensions. Let's think about a point, a line, a surface, and a volume: a point is a thing, if we move it, it will form a straight line, if we move this line it will form a surface, if we move this surface it will form volume, and if we move this volume it will form time. Thus, time is the fourth dimension of things.
There is something very subtle: when there is a movement with time, the moving thing will be consumed, therefore scientists said: Time is the fourth dimension of things. Hypothetically, if man is able to run on the highest speed known to him, the speed of light, which is three hundred thousand kilometers per second, he would become a light, with no mass, and with infinite volume, these are the qualities of light, Allah the Almighty says:
"By Al-'Asr (the time)."
Time is the man's capital, and the most precise definitions of man is that he is a time. Imam Hasan al-Basri, defined man as the following: Man is no more than a few days, whenever a day passes, a part of him passes (also).
By Allah, this definition of man makes a deep impact on the heart, you're but a few days, for example, someone of us may live, according to the Divine Predestination, for sixty-three years, four months, three weeks, four days, eight hours, seven minutes and six seconds, any movement (any passage of time) brings him closer to his end, a second, a minute, an hour, a day, a week, a month, a year, a decade, and a century.
The most critical event to come is to depart this life:
Whenever time passes you get closer to your end because you are (as it was mentioned earlier) a few days, whenever a day passes, a part of you passes (too). So, the real triumph is to live the future not the present, nor the past, so the real triumph is not to speak about your past achievements but to live the future. In addition to that, the most critical day to come is the day of leaving this life, the day of leaving your house to a your grave. It was transmitted that (Allah says to man after he is buried): "O, My servant, the people who buried you returned to their houses and left you here alone, they buried you in the soil, and even if they stay with you they would not benefit you, no one remains to you but Me, I Am The Ever Living Who never dies."
Can any one of us deny the fact of death? Allah the Almighty says:
"Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed."
Allah mentions death first because of its seriousness and importance, and because when human is born there are many choices in front of him, but at death time there are only two choices, which are mentioned in the following noble hadith in which the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
((By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, there will be no abode after this life except for the Paradise or the Hell))
So, whenever you see a funeral, this Noble Hadith should come to your mind:
((By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, there will be no abode after this life except for the Paradise or the Hell))
Therefore, the real triumph is not to live the past nor the present but the future (to prepare yourself for the Hereafter), because the most critical event in the future is to depart this life.
Man is definitely a loser because the passage of time consumes him:
"By Al-'Asr (the time)."
Allah has sworn by infinite time, why has He done that? Because the one to whom Allah has sworn is also time, i.e. Allah has sworn by infinite time to the most important creature, to the human, who is in reality a time, which means as if Allah is saying to you: 'By the time, you are a loser, O man'. The Creator of the heavens and the earth is swearing to you that you are a loser, what is the meaning of loss? The passage of time alone consumes you, the passage of days, weeks, months, seasons, years, and five of six decades then your life comes to an end, you will leave this life to a grave, to the Hereafter:
((By Him in Whose Hand is my soul, there will be no abode after this life except the Paradise or the Hell))
This is a very critical thing, and by Allah Who is the only God, if we really realize what will happen after death, we may not be able to sleep at night out of the severity of anxiety and out of performing righteous deeds, because the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
((Hasten to do good deeds before you are overtaken by one of the seven afflictions, are you awaiting for (anything) other than a poverty which makes you unmindful of devotion; prosperity that makes you corrupt, a disease that disables you, such senility that makes you mentally unstable, a sudden death, Ad-Dajjal (i.e. Antichrist) who is the worst expected absent, or the Hour, and the Hour is the most grievous and the most bitter.))
Time is consumed either in wasting or investing:
Allah the Almighty says:
"By Al-'Asr (the time)."
Allah has sworn by time to the most important creature whose reality is time, so Allah swears by time to the time that man is a loser, because the passage of time consumes him. You either spend your time, which is your reality, in means of consumption like most of people do, or you spend it in means of investment. The consumption by spending of time means to eat, to drink, to lie awake, to laugh, to sleep, to wake up, to work, and to earn money…etc like most of people do without having a goal in your life, only to eat, to drink and to enjoy. Actually, this is a very dangerous situation, Allah the Almighty says:
"By Al-'Asr (the time).* Verily! Man is in loss, "
Because the passage of time alone consumes man, i.e. he gets married, then he has children, then they grow older so he arranges their marriages, then he takes drugs for his bad health then he dies. Allah the Almighty says:
"You shall certainly travel from stage to stage (in this life and in the Hereafter"
Belief in Allah as The Only Creator or as The Most Great:
"By Al-'Asr (the time).* Verily! Man is in loss, Except those" who are those excluded from the loss? "By Al-'Asr (the time).* Verily! Man is in loss" because the passage of time alone consumes him. " except those who believe" they believe in Allah so that their faith prevents them from disobeying their Lord, and leads them to obey Him, because not any faith is considered a real faith. Actually, Iblis (Satan) believed in Allah, and the proof of that is mentioned is the noble ayah below:
" Iblis (Satan)] said: "By Your Might…"
He believed in Him as a Lord and as the Almighty, and said:
"[Iblis (Satan)] said: "My Lord! Give me then respite till the Day the (dead) are resurrected."
And he believed in the Hereafter, despite the fact that he is Iblis, the chief devil. Pay attention to this accurate noble ayah:
"(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"
There is a big difference between believing in Allah as only a Creator like most of people do and believing in Him as Allah the Almighty:
"What is the matter with you, [that you fear not Allah (His punishment), and] you hope not for reward (from Allah or you believe not in His Oneness).* While He has created you in (different) stages"
Belief in Allah requires reflection on heavens and earth:
You should believe in Allah the Almighty, and this belief requires the cogitation over the creation of the heavens and the earth. I mentioned to you earlier that the distance between the Earth and the nearest flamed star to it is 4 light-years, if there were a way to it, it would take 50 million years to reach it, then what about twenty-four thousand million light years which is the distance between the earth and some galaxies? Is it reasonable to disobey Allah Who has created this universe? Should not we seek His Pleasure and His Paradise? I hope this is clear to you. Allah the Almighty says:
"By Al-'Asr (the time)."
In summary, Allah has sworn by the infinite time because we are but a few days, and we are losers because the passage of time consumes us. Consider the people who are attending this lecture now, may Allah preserve for you your faith, health, families and children, however, after one hundred years, is there any one of us still living on the earth? We will be all under the ground (dead). So, the existence of man is temporal. 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 "
Paradise is achieved after seeking it, toil and effort:
Dear brother, the commentators of the Noble Qur'an said that what comes after 'except' in the Noble Ayah below are considered the bases of salvation:
"Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds"
First, you should be a real believer. Actually, is it believable that a student wakes up after sleeping to find that he has got a high school diploma? Of course not. To get this diploma, he should go to school for twelve years, nine months per year, he should study about twelve books each year, there are semi-exams, and there are final-exams, after all that he can say that he has got this diploma. Furthermore, he has to study for another twelve years to become a doctor; to write the letters: Dr. before his name. Thus, in order to become a doctor, he has been studying for many years, so do you want to enter the Paradise which is as wide as the heavens and the earth with no effort, without seeking knowledge, without adhering to Allah's Straight Path, without effort, or without any reason? This Paradise is as wide as the heavens and the earth, Allah the Almighty says:
"By Al-'Asr (the time).* Verily! Man is in loss*Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) "
Basic elements of salvation:
Listen to the bases for salvation:" Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism)" pay attention to what did Iblis say:
" Iblis (Satan)] said: "By Your Might…"
You should hold the faith that prevents you from hurting any creature, the faith that leads you to obey Allah. On the other hand, the faith which does not prevent you from hurting any creature, and does not lead you to obey Allah, has no value at all, and I call it: the faith of Iblis, "Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism)" So, when you believe in Allah, when you adhere to His Straight Path, when you are disciplined by His Orders, when all your actions are in conformity with His Path, and when you give, take, get angry, or be satisfied only for His Sake, this is the real faith. Furthermore, real faith is accompanied with knowledge, as it was said: ' Allah never considers an ignorant person as a Wali (a holy man or a pious worshipper), if He had wanted him to be a Wali, He would have taught him (He would have inspired him to seek knowledge)'. Also, real faith is accompanied with a degree of high moral standards and perfection, and the believer is very pleased because of getting closer to the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
Knowing Allah through faith and getting closer through good deeds:
Dear brother: "Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism)" which means those who have the real faith that leads them to obey Allah and prevents them from hurting any creature, even an ant:
((a woman was tortured and was put in Hell because of a cat which she kept locked till it died, she neither fed it, nor watered it when she locked it up, nor did she set it free to eat the vermin of the earth.))
If she entered Hell because of a cat, then what about hurting people! this is a very serious speech:
"Except those who believe (in Islamic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds"
In fact, through real faith (the first element of salvation) you get to know Allah, and through righteous deeds (the second element) you get closer to Him, now the third element is:
"And recommend one another to the truth"
This call to Allah is the duty of every Muslim:
((Convey (my teachings) from me (to people) even if it were one ayah))
If you heard a khutba and you was affected by it, then write several words about it, and tell them to your wife, your children, your neighbors, and your business partner, or take a tape of it and give it to your relatives:
"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 and recommend one another to patience "
Which means they recommend one another to be patient about seeking the real faith, about performing righteous deeds, and about calling to Allah.
The one who knows Allah knows everything:
Actually, life is full of efforts and troubles, and whoever wants to perform a righteous deed that admits him to Paradise should face these troubles, like an infidel who fights him, a hypocrite who hates him, a believer who envies him, his own soul which leads him to commit sins, and a devil who tempts him to disobey Allah, so these are the five problems which face any believer, as if we are in a battle with ourselves. Thus, we should get to know Allah, and to know His Method, because doing so we have acquired knowledge of everything (the most critical things in our life).
It was narrated in a Noble Qudsi Hadith:
(Qudsi Hadith is the Hadith in which the Prophet says that Allah says so and so. The meaning of this Hadith was revealed to the Prophet but he put them in his own words.)
(( I, Mankind and Jinn are in a great serious state (great news). I create (them), then they worship other than me; I provide ( them with My bounties), and someone else is thanked; My Mercy descends to them while their evil deeds ascend to Me; I endear Myself to them with My gifts even though I have no need to any of them while they alienate themselves from Me with (their) sins even though they are desperate for My help. Whoever returns to Me, I accept him no matter how far he is; and whoever turns away from Me, I approach him and call on him. My dear people are those who remember Me. The thankful ones to Me, I grant them more blessings; and the disobedient ones to Me, I do not dishearten them from My Mercy. If they return to Me, I bestow them with My Love. If they do not repent, I still treat them by putting them in hardship to purify them from (their) sins and faults. I reward every single good deed ten times over and more. I count every single bad deed as one and I forgive and I am more merciful with My slave than the mother with her child))
I say these words, and ask Allah 's Forgiveness for me and you; so ask Him His Forgiveness and He will forgive you, and you will gain a lot by doing that.
***
The second Khutba:
Praise be to Allah, and I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the Protector of righteous people; and I bear witness that Prophet Muhammad, whose character is exalted, he is His servant and His Messenger. O Allah! Bless our master Muhammad and grant him peace, and to all of his Family and his Companions.
The essence of Deen is to get to know Allah:
Dear brother, it was stated in Qudsi Hadith:
((Not every man praying really prays. I only accept it from the one who exhibits humility before My Greatness))
Which means he thinks deeply about the creation of the heavens and the earth, therefore, he magnifies Allah, submits to Him, and adheres to His Orders and Prohibitions, in this case his prayers are accepted.
((Not every man praying really prays. I only accept it from the one who exhibits humility before My Greatness))
Which is, as I mentioned earlier, the reflection on the creation of the heavens and the earth.
((..Who resists his desires (which is the uprightness) which I forbid, and does not insist on doing sins (turns to Allah in repentance), feeds the hungry ones (a righteous deed), gives clothes to the needy ones, and acts with kindness and mercy to those in misery and trouble, and gives shelter to the stranger. All these things are for Me (the devotion to Allah), by My Glory and My Loftiness the light of his face will be to Me brighter than the sun. I will turn his recklessness to patience and darkness to light, he supplicates Me and I answer him, he asks Me... and I give him, he swears by My name…and I respond to him, keep him close to Me and let My angels protect him, to Me, he is like paradise which its fruits do not lack and its state does not change))
Dear brother, this Qudsi Hadith is really comprehensive:
((Not every man praying really prays. I only accept it from the one who exhibits humility before My Greatness))
Thus, the essence of Deen is to get to know Allah and to reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth which will lead you to magnify him. So Allah accepts from whom humiliate themselves before Allah's Greatness:
((..Who resists his desires (which is the uprightness), which I forbid, does not insist on doing sins (turns to Allah in repentance), feeds the hungry ones (a righteous deed), gives clothes to the needy ones, and acts with kindness and mercy to those in misery and trouble, and gives shelter to a stranger. All these things are for Me (the devotion to Allah), by My Glory and My Loftiness the light of his face will be to Me brighter than the sun. I will turn his recklessness to patience and darkness to light, he supplicates Me and I answer him, he asks Me... and I give him, he swears by My name…and I respond to him, keep him close to Me and let My angels protect him, to Me, he is like paradise which its fruits do not lack and its state does not change))
Invocation:
O Allah! We beseech You to show us the way of righteousness together with those to whom You showed it; and to give us good health together with those whom You have healed; and to be our Protector, as You are of those whom You protect; and to bless what You have bestowed on us; and to save us from the affliction that You have decreed –for You rule with justice and You are never judged; and he whom You protect shall never be humiliated and he whom You make Your enemy shall never be elevated.
Blessed and Dignified are You!
And we thank You for what You have decreed, we ask Your forgiveness and we repent to You. O Allah! Please lead us to the good deeds for no one leads to them but You; please lead us to the good conduct for no one leads to it but You; please make us do well in the deen, which is our dignity, and make our life good for it is our existence, and grant us safety on the Day of Judgment for it is our Final Destination. Please supply our life with all good things and make our death a rest from every evil.
O our Master, the Lord of all Worlds! Please make us desire what You have made lawful and reject what You have made unlawful, and make us by Your Benevolence independent of all sh3er, and make our obedience to You turn us away from disobedience to You;p O Allah,let us not forget Your Plot and do not remove Your Cover from us, Let us not forget Your Remembrance, O the Lord of all the worlds, O Allah, by Your Generosity and Mercy elevate high the word of true and Deen; lead Islam to victory, and grant Muslims dignity in every place on earth and inspire their leaders to all what pleases You. Show us Your Strength against Your enemies. O Allah, the Most Generous!
