Getting drowned in details is a common disease that afflicted most Muslims:
Dear brothers, most Muslims are afflicted with a disease I call "getting drowned in details". Each one of us has a notebook or a phone wherein he keeps his "to do list", like "I will call such and such person", "I will pay such bill" and so forth. Nevertheless, the person, who is consumed in these tiny details, might overlook the most important and serious event, which is the hour of leaving this worldly life, whereby he will leave behind his house, lovely wife, young daughters, dutiful sons, trade office, picnics, travels and feasts to move into a grave.
((O My servant they returned to their houses, and they left you here, they buried you and if they stayed with you they wouldn’t benefit you and no one is left to you except I the Ever Living One Who dies not. ))
By Allah The Only Deity, I have never seen more prudent, cleverer, more successful and more reasonable person on earth than the one who prepares for this unavoidable hour.
I had been once invited to a funeral ceremony. Upon getting there, I entered an unbelievable house. It was so luxurious in its furniture, artistic tastes, perfection, expensive chandeliers, Persian rugs, Italian tilts and other levels of lavishness, but where is the owner of this house? He is under the ground.
(( O My servant they returned to their houses and they left you here, they buried you and if they stayed with you they wouldn’t benefit you and no one is left to you except I the Ever Living One Who dies not. ))
Your smartness, success, prosperity and superiority really count when you use them to prepare for this inevitable hour. What drives us away from preparing for this hour? In fact, getting drowned in details drives us away from the most serious event in man's life, i.e. leaving the worldly life. The most prudent and the cleverest person is the one who prepares for this hour. Hence, you should ponder over this event from time to time and ask yourself, "Who am I? Why was I created? Who created me? Why did He create me? What does He want from me? What is the nature of death? What is waiting for me after death? What is Barzakh? What is the nature of grave torture? What is the Hereafter? What is Paradise? What is Hellfire?"
I have overheard of a very pious man who owns a spacious house where he has dug a grave in its yard. He is used to lie down every Thursday and recite, "My Lord! Send me back, "So that I may do good in that which I have left behind!" [Al-Mu'minun, 99-100]." Then he would get up and say to himself, "Rise up! We have sent you back"
You should ponder over this hour along with all the daily concerns like making a living, traveling, meeting people, invitations, parties and touring…etc, thus you should ask, search, pay attention, consider the similarities and differences between things, and then reach a result.
Accumulated convictions shall turn into behavior:
Dear noble brothers, accumulated convictions will certainly turn into behavior whether you like it or not. There is a rule: your relationship with everything around you is based on: perception, reaction and behavior.
Assume that you are walking in a garden, and suddenly you see a snake. Your first move is realizing that this is a snake and its bite is fatal, because its venom will cause hemolysis to the blood gradually till death. So, first, you perceive that danger, and thus you react to it and you run away or kill the snake. Is it clear? Hence, the relation starts with perception, then reaction and after that behavior. If you do not show any reaction, this means that you have not perceived the danger, and if you do not show an action, this means you have not reacted to what you saw.
To clarify one's perception to things, if you say to someone, "Be careful, there is a scorpion on your shoulder", but he stays calm, smiles and thanks you for notifying him, do you think he has understood what you have said to him? Absolutely, he hasn't. Had he understood what you said to him, he would have jumped and taken off his cloth out of fear looking for this scorpion.
Unless you perceive matters, react to them and take an action, you then do not realize the serious nature of dangers. As I have said earlier, the whole thing starts with perception, then reaction and after that behavior.
Let me move to another point in this lesson. Unlike real narcotics, which are forbidden in Islam, we have in our era other kinds of narcotics, like the ipads, the smart phones, the internet, the screens of all kinds, the magazines and so forth, as they entertain you to such a point that you spend long hours on these electronics without noticing the passage of time. Despite that, I have my own opinion about these electronics: they are neutral, namely, they might be means to bring you closer to Allah, or means to drive you away from Him.
Electronics are neutral in their nature:
I do not want to praise myself, but humbly I have my website which has a very advanced rating in the world. It is among the top 20 thousand websites among 6 billion websites in the world, with two million hits daily. How many are you? There is no Masjid that can be spacious enough to have 2 million people, yet this website attracts two million visitors every day. Hundreds of files are downloaded from it on daily basis, whether these files are Microsoft word files that can be added to, or pdf files that are unable to be adjusted, so that no one will add to it and then attribute it to me. Also, there are audio file, so one can listen to them before going to bed. Besides, there are video files you can watch and share with others.
All these files are available to you for free. I did not take a penny in all my life from anyone. You can download 64 books to your ipad or computer for free. This is an advanced accomplishment that is used for the good cause. On the other hand, you can use these electronics at the push of a button to watch porn videos. Accordingly, due to your free will, everything in life is neutral.
Dear noble brothers, the Ipads and computer's resolution is enhanced from one to million. To elaborate, 35 years ago, I said in one of my lectures: beware of "old scores", so when I searched my website for the word "old scores" in order to find that lecture, the lecture came out. In that lecture, I told the following story: Sulaiman (Solomon) was taught the language of birds, so one day a Glede bird asked him, "Does Allah hasten punishment or does He give a respite?" Sulaiman asked Allah and was told by Allah to tell the bird that Allah gives respite and does not hasten punishment. So the bird felt secured. One day, this bird stole a piece of meat some people were barbequing, and it flew with it, only there was a live coal in that piece of meat that was overlooked by the bird and as a result, its nest was burnt down. The bird went back to Sulaiman and said to him, "Does Allah hasten punishment or does He give a respite?" You told me He gives respite, but it turns out that He hastens punishment. Sulaiman asked Allah and was told, "The punishment is for the old scores and not for its latest deed".
This is how powerful these electronics are, at the push of a button, I found a lecture I gave 35 years ago wherein "old scores" was first mentioned.
New electronics can be great means to serve Dawah (calling to Allah), but at the same time they can be means to spread corruption. These electronics also reduce the effort we put from one million to one in order to find something, by only pushing a button.
In olden days, one has to go to the library and climb a ladder to reach out for the book he needs, and then he needs four hours to find what he wants in that book. Now, you can get any piece of information at the push of a button, and thus, the effort you put is reduced from one million to one, while the resolution of screens is enhanced from one to million.
Computers used to be very expensive, but then they became cheap, and this difference in prices is like the difference between the price of Rolls-Royce car and the price of a bike. However, the complexity of computers moved from being as simple as a bike to become as complicated as the Rolls-Royce car which is the most expensive car in the world. This kind car is not sold to people in order to avoid poverty; it is something else from other cars.
Once I was invited to a country, and the Rolls-Royce car was my ride for 7 days. It is unbelievable, as every seat has its own AC, and screen, not to mention the other features of the car. The Rolls-Royce has an anti-spinning mechanism at the back, due to which the wheel of the car rotates, but the logo of the tire of the Rolls Royce car does not rotate. This delicate work is beyond imagination.
To get back to the main point, the electronics I am referring to are neutral, so they might be means to bring you close to Allah, or means to drive you away from Him.
A scholar in Damascus died, may Allah have mercy upon his soul, he used to teach the Noble Quran. I saw on the ipad two days ago a video of him in which he seemed laughing, though he was dead. It was the first time that I saw a dead man laughing. He died while he was teaching the Noble Quran.
The prudent is the one who prepares for the Hereafter:
Dear brothers, prepare for the Hereafter.
(( Which no eye (has ever) seen, … ))
[ Abi Hurairah, agreed upon ]
(( Which no eye (has ever) seen, …))
Some people brag about visiting most of the countries in the world, but how many countries did they visit? Are they 20 countries?
(( Which no eye (has ever) seen, …))
I heard of Kuala Lumpur, for example, but I have never been there.
(( …No ear has (ever) heard and no human heart has ever perceived ))
(( I have prepared for My pious servants which no eye (has ever) seen, no ear has (ever) heard and no human heart has ever perceived ))
All the advanced electronics, like the ipad, iphone, laptop and others, are neutral, and so they can be means for good deeds or means for evil ones. I would like to assure every young man who is in his prime, and he has committed a sin or a mistake:
﴾ Say: "O 'Ibadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves (by committing evil deeds and sins)! ﴿
They have committed sins, but Allah the Almighty says:
﴾ Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. ﴿
Listen to the following Hadith, please:
(( He, who returns to Allah with sincere repentance, Allah will make those who know him, angels, and everything on earth forget his sins and evil deeds ))
Indeed, repairing your relationship with Allah can happen in the blink of an eye.
Different kinds of sins:
Pay attention to this serious fact: the first type sins is the one that is forgivable, and it is the sin between you and Allah, whereas the second type of sin is the one between you and others.
A Companion fought with the Prophet PBUH all battles, and he had died, so when the Prophet PBUH came into his house, he heard a woman saying:
("Congratulation, O Aba As-Sa'ib! I testify that Allah has honored you."…)
Had the Prophet, peace be upon him, kept silent, it would have meant that what she had said is right, because the Prophetic Sunnah includes his sayings, actions and things he approved by keeping silent. He PBUH said:
(( "Who told you that Allah has honored him? You should say instead, "I hope that Allah will honor you." Then, the Prophet PBUH said, "As for him, death has come to him and I wish him all good from Allah. By Allah, though I am Allah's Apostle, I do not know what will happen to me or to you." ))
The Prophet PBUH was a human being with all characteristics of any other human being; he felt pain, he got hungry and so forth, and thus the Prophet PBUH proved to be the best of human beings ever, and he is our role model.
It was narrated that Anas bin Malik said:
(( The Messenger of Allah said: 'I have been tortured for the sake of Allah as no one else has, and I have suffered fear for the sake of Allah as no one else has. I have spent three days when Bilal and I had no food that any living being could eat but that which could be concealed in the armpit of Bilal.' ))
[ At-Tirmizi on the authority of Ibn Malik ]
He referred to a small piece of bread.
Again, sins are of three types, a sin that is forgivable, a sin that cannot be neglected (between you and others), and a sin that is unforgivable, namely Shirk (polytheism), but how? Shirk is like a man who has a heart attack, and he has hope to be cured if he is taken to the hospital, so there is a hospital and a night club, if we take him to the night club, he will die for sure, right? This is the example of Shirk (polytheism); it is when you turn to someone other than Allah wherein there is nothing but death and despair.
(( "Whoever from among My servants gets disappointed with My creatures and takes refuge in Me, I shall realize his intentions. Then even if the Heavens and the Earth and whatever they contain plot against him, I shall provide means for him to be saved from them. And I shall know the intentions of whomever from among My servants who take refuge in others. Then I will take away from him all the means in the Heavens and the Earth, and leave him alone. I will not be concerned about where he will die. ))
[ Mentioned in the Islamic tradition
]
The words are very clear, aren't they?
Dear noble brothers, no one nowadays worships anything besides Allah, thus there is no apparent Shirk; however what we have nowadays is mentioned in the following Hadith:
(( Mahmud bin Labid (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The thing I fear most for you is the lesser shirk (polytheism), showing-off (of good deeds)."
))
Hidden Shirk is the gravest disaster in the Muslim world. let me repeat again:
(( Mahmud bin Labid (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The thing I fear most for you is the lesser shirk (polytheism), showing-off (of good deeds)." ))
The forgiven sin is whatever you committed between you and Allah.
There is a sin that cannot be neglected (the one between you and people).
(( Jabir narrated that a man died, and they washed him, perfumed him and shrouded him. Then he was brought to Allah's Messenger, peace be upon him, to lead the funeral prayer for him. They asked, "Could you pray for him?" He took a step forward then asked: "Does he have any outstanding debts?" It was answered: "Two dinars." He said: "Make the funeral prayer for your companion," and began to leave. Abu Qatadah took responsibility for [paying] the debt, saying, "The two dinars are my responsibility." Allah's Messenger (Peace be upon him) asked: "Will the creditor be taken care of and will the dead person be absolved from them?" He replied, "Yes," so the Prophet (Peace be upon him) led the funeral prayer for him. A day later he asked Abu Qatadah: "What was done about the two dinars? He replied, "He only died yesterday!" The following day he returned to the Prophet and said, "I have paid them off." The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said: "Now his skin has become cool." ))
Every human being needs religious surrounding:
A man once said to me, "O brother, we sit with you and we become different people (religiously speaking), but when we go back home, we turn into the same people we used to be, so what is the solution? Indeed, this is the most frequently asked question. My answer to it is that you need a religious surrounding: people who are committed to Islam, whether in your parties or picnics, with those you befriend, but what is my proof of that?
﴾ And keep yourself (O Muhammad PBUH) patiently with those who call on their Lord (i.e. your companions who remember their Lord with glorification, praising in prayers, etc., and other righteous deeds, etc.) morning and afternoon, seeking His Face, and let not your eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp and glitter of the life of the world; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our Remembrance, one who follows his own lusts and whose affair (deeds) has been lost. ﴿
[ Al-Kahf, 28
]
Here is another proof:
﴾ O you who believe! Be afraid of Allah and be with those who are true (in words and deeds) . ﴿
[ At-Taubah, 119
]
Pay attention to the following delicate point: your relationship with others is like the game of rope pulling where two groups hold on to both sides of the rope and pull till one group overcomes the other. Therefore, if people are able to pull you to their side in your picnics, parties and meetings, then you should leave them, but if you are able to pull them to your side (to faith), you may stay with them.
I remember a person who used to live in Syria, and he was drunken. However, he went to perform Hajj, and he turned to Allah with sincere repentance, and Allah accepted his repentance. He went back to Syria, so his old friends invited him to a party where there was wine. He said to them, "I have repented and will not drink again." They tried to make him drink, but he refused, so one of them said, "How much did your Hajj cost you?" He said, "50.000 Syrian Liras." So the man dared him to drink, and he offered to pay him 50.000 Syrian Liras. He drank, but 12 days later he died as a drunken.
Never befriend those who pull you to sins, and never befriend those whose words do not bring you closer to Allah, because the friend pulls (affects) his friend to do good or bad things.
The most miserable person is the one whose son is undutiful to him:
Dear noble brothers, I would like to tell you something very critical concerning raising children. The father, the mother, the old brother, the old sister, the scholar, the preacher and the Khatib of Masjid affect your child only 40%, whereas the bad friend affects your child 60%, so be aware of people your child befriends.
I know parents who teach Islamic education in schools, and their son went to Afghanistan. He was executed there, because he was convicted of smuggling narcotics. This son grew up in an Islamic environment with committed parents, but when he was left to befriend bad companions, he ended up like that.
Allow me to repeat that again: The father, the mother, the old brother, the old sister, the scholar, the preacher and the Khatib of Masjid affect your child only 40%, whereas the bad friend affects your child 60%.
I was in America when Clinton was the president, and I told the attendants of my sermon there, "If you achieved the position of Clinton, the wealth of Onassis and the knowledge of Einstein but your son is not as you wish him to be, you will be the most miserable person on earth." I dare anyone to be a happy person if his son is miserable.
A man once told me, "If my son is run over by a truck I will hold a party". His son was very undutiful to him.
(( Let the undutiful (to parents) do whatever he/she likes to do, he/she will never be forgiven. ))
Dear brothers, take care of your children, because I dare anyone to be a happy person if his son is miserable, for this person will never find happiness.
