Taqwa Mosque 3- Lesson (021): Drawing closer to Allah
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In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Faithful and the Honest. O Allah, we know nothing but what You teach us, You are the All- Knower, the Wise. O Allah our Lord, teach us what is useful for us, let us make use of what You have taught us and advance us in knowledge. O Allah, show us the righteous things as righteous and help us do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us keep away from them. O Allah our Lord, make us amongst those who listen to the Word and follow the best meaning of It, and admit us, by Your Grace, to the ranks of Your righteous servants.
Man is the most honored of Allah's creations and the one who will be held accountable before Him:
Dear noble brothers, man is the most honored of Allah's creations and the one who will be held accountable, judged, admonished, punished or rewarded. Allah Almighty says:
﴾ Truly, We did offer Al-Amanah (the trust or moral responsibility or honesty and all the duties which Allah has ordained) to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it (i.e. afraid of Allah’s Torment). But man bore it. Verily, he was unjust (to himself) and ignorant (of its results). ﴿
By the way, wherever "the heavens and the earth" are mentioned in Quran, they refer to the universe, which, in turn, encompasses everything other than Allah.
﴾ Truly, We did offer Al-Amanah (the trust or moral responsibility or honesty and all the duties which Allah has ordained) to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it (i.e. afraid of Allah’s Torment). But man bore it. ﴿
When man accepted, in the pre-eternal realm, to bear the trust, he became the most honored of Allah's creations and the highest-ranking among them as a Favor from Allah. He was also entrusted with responsibility for his actions and will be questioned about them and held accountable for his choices.
﴾ So, by your Lord (O Muhammad PBUH)* We shall certainly call all of them to account. For all that they used to do. ﴿
Generally speaking, when you build your glory upon the wreckage of others, your life upon the death of others, your wealth upon the poverty of others, your dignity upon the humiliation of others and your security upon the fear of others, you will be called to a severe account (on the Day of Judgment).
﴾ So, by your Lord (O Muhammad PBUH)* We shall certainly call all of them to account. For all that they used to do. ﴿
All human beings will be called to account, and if they pass, they will attain eternal life in Jannah (Paradise) which is as vast as the heavens and the earth. Allah says in Qudsi Hadith:
(( I have prepared for My righteous slaves (such excellent things) as no eye has ever seen, nor an ear has ever heard nor a human heart can ever think of. ))
There will be eternal punishment or eternal happiness. Having said that, is it rational to sacrifice eternity for the few years we spend in this troublesome worldly life?
Once again, man is the most honored of Allah's creations and the one who will be held accountable, judged, admonished, punished or rewarded.
﴾ So, by your Lord (O Muhammad PBUH)* We shall certainly call all of them to account. For all that they used to do. ﴿
The different ways through which we draw closer to Allah:
There is a contemporary term we use, "duality", which refers to the coexistence of opposites, such as al-Haqq (truth) and al-Batil (falsehood), good and evil, belief and disbelief, happiness and misery, success and failure, arrogance and humility or beauty and ugliness.
Now pay attention: although the paths to Allah are countless, there is a path that leads to Allah, and a path that leads to Shaitan (Satan). There is also a path the leads to Jannah and a path that leads to Hellfire.
Allah is one, and so is His Guidance; however, there are many paths that lead to Him. Properly performed acts of worship, being benevolent towards others, caring for your wife and children, mastering your craft, spending on those in need, being kind to your neighbors, obeying Allah, performing Siyaam, offering the night prayers, and countless other good deeds can all be paths that lead you to Allah. In other words, there are as many paths to Allah as the number of creations.
I know a man who happened to be a fabric seller. A poor woman once came to his shop, and it was clear from her appearance that she was poor. Without her knowledge, whenever she asked about the price of a meter of particular fabric, he would quote a price that was one-fifth of its actual price. She continued buying until she had enough fabric for all her children, while still being able to pay for the merchandise and preserve her dignity. This was a good deed on the part of that seller.
Allah is Great. When you serve Allah's creation, you will attain His Love and draw closer to Him. Hence, when you work in a particular field, you should offer your customers sincere advice. For example, if a certain expensive material is easily damaged, you should make them aware of it.
There are so many Islamic subjects and books, scholars, masajid and Islamic institutions on earth. Yet, the Prophet PBUH summarized Islam in one word:
(( Religion is sincerity." They said; "To whom, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: "To Allah, to His Book, to His Messenger, to the imams of the Muslims and to their common folk." ))
The true believer offers sincere advice to others.
A friend of mine was walking behind two doctors and overheard one of them saying to the other: "Tell your patient that you have to perform a C-section on her". Given that a natural birth costs only 2000, whereas a C-section costs 16,000, the patient's husband might be poor and unable to afford the C-section. He may have to sell his furniture to pay for the operation, even though she could give birth naturally.
Beware, Allah is Great. Allah may punish such a person with cancer, kidney failure, liver cirrhoses or a blood clot in the brain, which may cause this person to lose his mental faculties. If something like this happens to a person, he will be admitted to a mental health facility and prohibited from managing the property he worked all his life to buy.
Remember, you are in Allah's Grasp, and one mistake can turn your life into a living hell. So, fear Allah.
It is said, "Fearing Allah is the essence of wisdom", so fear Him. Do not cheat your customers or lie to them.
A woman wanted to buy a coat, so the shop owner showed her a particular one. However, she asked for a different kind. He said, "I will show you another one, but it is more expensive". She agreed. A witness to this incident swore by Allah that the shop owner climbed into the attic and brought her a coat of the same kind and color, but charged her twice the price of the first one. Do you think that Allah does not observe your actions? I have never seen a man more foolish than the one who pretends that Allah does not see him. Allah is watching, isn't He?
A pious physician once told me, "A patient came to me taking twelve different medications that had been prescribed to him by another physician who had no fear of Allah and who shared the financial benefits with the pharmacist. In fact, the patient needed only the first medication."
Allah is Great, so beware of sinning against Allah by wronging someone, even if he is not Muslim. Instead, always offer your sincere advice. I may sound harsh, but the bitter truth is far better than the comfortable delusion.
Keep in mind that there is a path that leads to Allah, and a path that leads to Shaitan; a path that leads to Jannah and another path that leads to Hellfire.
Once again, there are as many paths to Allah as the number of creations. Properly performed acts of worship, being benevolent towards others, caring for your wife and children, mastering your craft, spending on those in need, being kind to your neighbors, obeying Allah, performing Siyaam, offering the night prayers, and countless other good deeds can all be paths that lead you to Allah.
﴾ "And verily, this (i.e. Allah's Commandments mentioned in the above two Verses 151 and 152) is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path. This He has ordained for you that you may become Al-Muttaqun ﴿
Allah uses the plural form for the "paths", while He uses the singular form for the "Straight Path". In other words, there is only one path that leads to Allah (i.e. The Straight Path), while there are millions of paths that lead to Hellfire.
I have mentioned earlier that there are countless paths that lead to Allah, as numerous as the number of creations on the earth. However, there are millions of kinds of al-Batil. Al-Batil may take the form of misguided ideology, desires, plotting, oppression, theft, lies or lusts. Therefore, al-Batil has so many forms. Moreover, there are now countless cults, schools of thoughts, ideologies, orientations, movements and sects that embrace falsehood.
The obvious fact is that there is only one straight line between two points, which resembles al Haqq. However, there are countless crooked lines between two points, which resembles al-Batil. There are millions of forms of al-Batil whether in selling, buying, marriage, judgment or other aspects of life.
No matter how many ideologies, cults, sects, orientations, movements and schools of thought are there in the world today, al-Haqq is not multiple.
In concise, the forms of al-Batil are countless, whereas there is only one Straight Path (i.e. Al Haqq, the truth).
﴾ Allah is the Wali (Protector or Guardian) of those who believe. He brings them out from darkness into light. But as for those who disbelieve, their Auliya (supporters and helpers) are Taghut [false deities and false leaders, etc.], they bring them out from light into darkness. Those are the dwellers of the Fire, and they will abide therein forever. ﴿
Pay attention to this part of the Ayah:
(from darkness)
It is in the plural form.
(into light)
It is in the singular form.
Allah brings them from darkness into light.
﴾ But as for those who disbelieve, their Auliya (supporters and helpers) are Taghut [false deities and false leaders, etc.], they bring them out from light into darkness. Those are the dwellers of the Fire, and they will abide therein forever. ﴿
The Ayah is very subtle, clear and striking.
﴾ "And verily, this (i.e. Allah's Commandments mentioned in the above two Verses 151 and 152) is my Straight Path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will separate you away from His Path. ﴿
Once again, there is one Haqq, and countless forms of Batil, and remember that the paths that lead to Allah are as numerous as the number of creations on the earth.
The types of good deeds are uncountable:
The ways of performing good deeds are countless. One may donate his money, time or knowledge. Another person may reconcile between two people, help reconcile a married couple, or assist young people in getting married.
A man, in an Arab country, bought four buildings, each consisting of ten floors, with six apartments on each floor. Each apartment measures 60 square meters and is finished to moderate standard. Any student of knowledge who has a certificate of qualification from a scholar may have one of these apartments for five to six years at a nominal rent. How great this deed is!
Other deeds are manifested in helping the young ones get married and have household.
Again, the paths that lead to Allah are as numerous as the number of creations on the earth. Namely, there are millions of paths that lead to Allah.
When someone turns away from Allah, he goes down the wrong path. To elaborate, a man who sells olive oil told me about another seller who presses the olives brought to him by his customers in front of them. However, he had already added vegetable oil in the olive press. As a result, what the customer receives as olive oil is actually only half olive oil, while the other half is vegetable oil. Does this person not know that Allah is watching? The most foolish person is the one who thinks that he can deceive Allah. Allah is ever-watching.
Another way of abusing the Islamic rulings concerns Zakat. For example, a person may put his Zakat money, say 5000 liras, in a loaf of bread. He then gives it to a poor man and says to him: "Would you sell me this loaf of bread for 10?" The poor man, happy to receive 10, agrees to sell it to him. The man knows that the 5000 is hidden in the loaf, so he gets the money back, and thereby avoids giving it to the poor. Does this man not know that Allah knows what he has done? It is foolishness to assume that Allah does not know what you do.
﴾ Allah knows the fraud of the eyes, and all that the breasts conceal. ﴿
A gynecologist told me that, in some western countries, a woman has to remove all her clothes when giving birth, and that you may find 5 doctors standing over her head talking about her private parts.
There is a solution for such cases; a large cloth with an opening in it that can cover the woman's body. The opening can be positioned over the part of her body that the doctor needs to examine.
When you fear Allah, you will find a hundred, even a million, solutions, but when you do not fear Him, you will come up with a million false excuses to justify your actions.
When you resolve to know Allah, you come to realize that you should lower your gaze. Every sin has an act of obedience that stands in opposition to it. Hence, the paths that lead to Allah are countless, and so are the paths that lead to Hellfire.
It is like walking along a straight road until you reach a crossroads. The first path is uphill, unpaved and bumpy road; it is full of dirt, rocks, obstacles and potholes, not to mention the unbearable heat. Yet, there is a sign that says, "This road leads to a very beautiful and expensive mansion that will be given to whoever reaches it." While the second path is downhill, paved road, full of roses, trees and beautiful scenes, but there is a sign that says, "At the end of this road, there is a deep hole where there are wild beasts which have not eaten for a month, waiting for you".
In this case, you will demonstrate your prudence, wisdom and sound judgment by carefully reading the signs and choosing the path you will take. This road resembles Quran, in which Allah tells you in hundreds of Ayaat about Hellfire and Jannah and describes the paths that lead to each of them. So where is your reason?
"Not a big deal" is a phrase used by many people, and it serves Shaitan's purposes. If you tell someone that a certain medication might cause cancer, he might say "Not a big deal". Some people say, "This is what we were taught". Who taught you this such deed of Batil?
If your parents are not religious, you do not have to follow everything they taught you. Blind imitation is one of the most devastating things a person can fall into. Therefore, be aware that the paths which lead to Hellfire are countless.
Teaching and Da'wah:
Dear noble brothers, there are serious decisions to be made in your lives. They are not about a house you buy, or a car you purchase, because you can always sell them if you are not satisfied with them. You should know that there are momentous decisions in your lives, like choosing your job from which you will earn your livelihood or choosing the wife you will marry and have children with.
You should be careful when making such choices, because the choices you make reveal your wisdom, prudence and sound judgment. Try to choose a productive job, or a job through which you can teach and benefit others.
(( I was sent only as a teacher. ))
(( Allah has sent me to perfect good qualities of character ))
Teaching is the craft of Prophets PBUT, and the Prophet PBUH summarized his Da'wah in one word:
(( I was sent only as a teacher. ))
﴾ And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah’s (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims." ﴿
Calling to Allah can be done through words, conversations, meetings, speeches, lectures, sermons and many other means. It can even be done during picnics, gatherings, weddings or other social occasions, where you can remind people of Allah Almighty or explain an Ayah or two.
It is a good customary in Damascus that in every wedding (or funeral) a scholar or two or even more usually give speeches. So, even if any of the guests of a wedding (or mourners in a funeral) has never attended a religious session, he will listen to this call to Allah. These calls to Allah bring life to the hearts.
Just as your body is nourished by food and water, your mind is nourished by Islamic knowledge, which you need to seek, while your heart is nourished by love.
Du'a (Supplication) is the essence of worship:
You are all dear to my heart but remember that there are so many buildings around us, and so many people in this neighborhood, and their numbers may be hundreds of thousands. How many are you, O Muslims? I just want to give you sincere pieces of advice, so that every one of you will convey them to those whom he knows.
(Narrated Abu Hurairah: Allah's Messenger (PBUH) said, "Every night when it is the last third of the night, our Lord, the Superior, the Blessed, descends to the nearest heaven and says: Is there anyone to invoke Me that I may respond to his invocation? Is there anyone to ask Me so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone asking My Forgiveness so that I may forgive him?")
[Bukhari, on the authority of Abi Hurairah]
Whoever follows the prescription mentioned in this Hadith will surely see results.
In the last third of the night, Allah descends (in a manner befitting His Glory) to the nearest heaven and says: "Is there anyone who repents to Me, so I may accept his repentance? Is there anyone who asks My Forgiveness so that I may forgive him? Is there anyone who seeks My Help so that I may respond to his request. This continues until the break of dawn."
Let me be more specific: Du'a is the essence of religion.
(( Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Allah, the MostHigh, said: Whoever does not call upon Me, I become angry with him." ))
(( Anas reported Allah's messenger as saying, "Let one of you ask his Lord for all that he needs, even for the thong of his sandal when it is cut." ))
Religion is worship.
Every Muslim needs a supportive Islamic environment:
Dear noble brothers, there is another matter that should be clear to you. When someone says, "Everything in this world is corrupted", let me affirm that you are in dire need of an Islamic environment, which can be found by being with believers in gatherings, going on picnics with them, or sharing various activities and experiences with them. This is simply because a true believer is honest, trustworthy and chaste, and has control over his tongue and his gaze.
(( Narrated Abu Sa'id al-Khidri: The Prophet (PBUH) said: Associate only with a believer, and let only an Allah-fearing man eat your
[ meals. ))
A person is shaped by his companions. You are raised not only by your parents, but also by your uncle, teachers, the Imam at the masjid, aunts and other relatives. However, their combined influence may account for only 40%, while bad companions may have as much as 60% influence on you.
If you care about your son or your daughter, you should know whom he/she befriends, because as I have just said, the combined influence of your parents, uncle, aunt, cousin and other religious relatives may account for only 40%, while a bad companion may have as much as 60% influence on you.
You should keep an eye on the people your son befriends. A dear friend of mine usually asks his children about their friends. He then invites them to dinner at his house so that he can get to know them and find out whether they are good people, they have good morals, they are religious and so forth.
As long as your son's friends are like him in terms of their morality and religious commitment, you do not have to worry.
I know a man who works in Da'wah in Gulf region, so does his wife. However, their son travelled to a very distant country in East Asia, he was involved in a homicide and was executed.
You should know your son's friend, and the mother should know her daughter's friend. If you encounter three young men smoking cigarettes, one of them is your son, the second is your nephew and the third is someone you do not know, you will be most outraged by your son. You will be somewhat less outraged by your nephew, and you may not care much about the third person. This is because your son is a part of you.
Righteous children are source of happiness for their parents:
I said the following when I was in USA 25 years ago, "If you have the high position of President Clinton, the wealth of Onassis and the intelligence of Einstein, you will be the most miserable father if your son is not as you wish."
Never believe that someone is truly happy if his son is miserable. The happiest father is the one whose son performs Salah, is religiously committed and befriends true believers. Only then does his son become the apple of his eye; something that can be truly appreciated only by those who have experienced it.
﴾ And those who say: "Our Lord! Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes, and make us leaders for the Muttaqun" (pious) ﴿
When you care for your son, you are actually caring for yourself. The feelings a father experiences when he has a pious, religious, steadfast daughter who performs her obligatory and nightly prayers, are indescribable.
(Bestow on us from our wives and our offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes, and make us leaders for the Muttaqun" (pious))
Let me offer you a piece of advice: even if you spend one third of your time raising your children properly, you will be a winner. However, although I might sound harsh, if a father leaves home before his children wake up, and comes home after they have gone to sleep, he is not truly fulfilling his role as a father.
Unless you dedicate part of your time to your children, talk to them and ask them about their beliefs and thoughts, you may not succeed in raising them properly. In most cases, the father and the son are on completely different wavelengths.
Media, in fact, can be one of the most devastating influences on people's life. Obscene movies are just a click away on the keyboard. These devices, from iPads to iPhones, are in the hands of children and people everywhere, and they can become powerful tools for corrupting hearts, minds and morals due to their scary strong influence. We live in the era of doubts that lead to disbelief and lusts that lead to corruption.
Your son is your continuation in life and your successor. A man died and left behind a son. One day, the father's friend saw the son and asked him, "Where are you going, my son?" He replied, "I am going to get drunk in honor of my father's soul."
It is obvious that this man failed to raise his son properly, and to make matters worse, he left him a substantial amount of wealth.
Be aware: the money in the hand of a non-believer is a booster for sudden changes. An unexpected development may occur when he suddenly finds himself with all this wealth, especially if his late father used to suppress him.
This unexpected development may manifest itself in a wife who removes Hijab after her husband's death, or a daughter who may dresses immodestly after her father's death. In this respect, do not suppress your family members, instead convince them rather than forcing them to comply. If you suppress them, they will comply as long as you are alive. However, if you travel or die, they may abandon their commitment to your rules. Therefore, be a Da'iyah (caller to Allah) not a suppressor.
Dear noble brothers, this is certainly a serious matter, and I do not think any of you would be happy to see this happen to your family. If this religion is not practised in your home, then there is a serious problem.
I will say the following from the bottom of my heart: beware of screens (TVs, phones or Ipads), for they are the most dangerous tools in our lives. A child can watch adult content on these screens, which may corrupt him at a very young age.
Keep control over these screens; otherwise, you will regret it deeply. This is the bitter truth, which is far better than a comfortable delusion.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds
In the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful. O Allah grant us and do not deprive us, honor us and do not humiliate us, favor us and do not favor others over us, make us content and be pleased with us.
May Allah's blessings and peace be upon our Master Muhammad, the unlettered Prophet, and upon his family and companions.
