The Giver of Light

Bismillah Alhamdulillah wa salatu salam ala rasulillah who Allah Allah he was actually he h mehreen salaam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.

hamdulillah.

Allah subhanho wa Taala in the Quran he tells us for Maha Dr. Gina will insert le Abu fetullah in Lottie, Fatah, Rhonda Allah, Allah subhanho wa Taala created human beings with the inherent nature, to worship, to admire, to be loyal, to be committed to something or to someone. This is a part of human nature. And if you study human beings and you study human nature, it's an undeniable fact in reality, that everyone worships something. Everyone worships something I know brother Hamza is going to be talking to us. He was at the Pelham seminary with us a couple of months ago. And he talked about this idea that you always worship something. If not a lot, then you worship yourself. That's

why Allah subhanho wa Taala presents this idea within the Quran for our eighth Amanita Hola, Illa. Hahaha, this is not talking about the idea of shirak as we understand it, this verse where Allah subhanaw taala says, haven't you thought and sat down? Have you taken a look at the person who has taken his or her own desires as their deity, their God, their object of worship. So it's an undeniable fact in reality, everyone worship something, everyone is committed to something, everyone is loyal to someone or something. Allah subhanaw taala is telling us within the Koran, that He created us with an inherent nature, to worship Him, to be dedicated to him to be loyal and committed

to him. So the very first thing that I wanted to talk about and I wanted to address here is that we need to do away with this false notion that it's either worshipping Allah, or nothing.

This idea and that's what brother Hamza was talking about this idea of independence. I am independent, I don't worship God, I don't need a god to tell me what to do. I don't need some religion to tell me what's right and what's wrong. I am me, I will do me I will do whatever I feel like however, I think it's best and whatever makes sense. To me, this is a completely false notion. Because there is always something there is always someone in your life that is dictating to you what you should be doing.

And so what Islam presents is the higher notion and the idea that that authority within our lives is Allah subhana wa Tada. Now to talk a little bit about worshiping Allah and why worship Allah, why should we worship Allah? Let's talk about that idea for a minute. The first thing that we have to understand and that we have to grasp about why we worship Allah subhanaw taala. Anyone that you follow anyone that you obey anyone that you listen to, it's an it's a demonstration of their credibility, it is a result in the outcome of their credibility. When you follow someone, when you listen to someone, when you do whatever somebody tells you to do, you're doing it based off of the

fact that they have credibility in your eyes. And that credibility is what motivates you to obey them to listen to them, to follow them to do whatever it is that they're asking you to do. What is the last part or two is credibility? Allah subhanaw taala tells us within the Quran, what is the lowest credibility, but before I do that, I wanted to just explain to you what a very common word, maybe one of the first Arabic words that you probably learned in your life, what that word actually means. And that is Alhamdulillah.

Alhamdulillah in the Arabic language doesn't just simply mean praise, but it is praise that is deserved, and that is worthy of praise that someone or something is inherently entitled to. Number two is that this word hum, the majority of the times when it comes into fur on, it's presented in its nominal form, and hamdu lillahi. It actually gives ownership of this right, this entitlement of how to be praised to Allah. And what's really fascinating about that is that when you have a verbal construction, there is a Dewar.

I do I praise not my do we praise Yama do he praises

but when it's presented as a humble is just simply saying that the ultimate right, to be praised, to be worshipped to be shown devotion and dedication, respect and honor and dignity.

Regardless of whether or not somebody is actually praising him that right independently in and of itself belongs to

law, which implies that even if nobody worships a law, and there's a hadith to this effect, where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said,

that if every single human being from the beginning of time till the end of time, if they all became Gods called Rajamouli min come if they became like the most pious and righteous person to ever live like every single human being became the most pious possible.

This would not increase the dominion, the kingdom, the power, the magnificence, the majesty of Allah in the least bit. And if every single human being from the beginning till the end, became cashkaro, Julie minko, became the most wretched, sinful, disobedient, rebellious human being possible, when they had no regard and no respect for a lion is authority, that would not decrease a law in His Majesty in his magnificence and his power in his ability, even in the least bit. So Allah independently when we say Alhamdulillah, we are saying that he always was, is and will always continue to be worthy of praise, regardless independent of whether somebody praises him or not. So

what we have to understand is that as who was a lot now, let's read a little bit about from the Quran from the book of Allah, how Allah subhanaw taala talks to us about himself and what he tells us about himself.

Just a few verses, just a few thoughts I'm going to present to you of course, the last final word Salah begins to rot in Fatiha and hamdu Lillahi Rabbil aalameen the ultimate praise was is and will always be for Allah alone, who is the Lord in the master the Creator, the Sustainer, the provider, the protector of all people whenever and wherever they might exist. Alhamdulillah Illa de Hanako Sam Archie will Allah wa Jalla

the ultimate praises for Allah alone, who created the heavens and the earth, and he made darkness and lights Alhamdulillah he led the lamp is Walla Walla Punahou, Sherry de consumo. wollemi akula, who will examine as soon as the ultimate praise was is and will always be for Allah alone, who did not take any child he does not have any offspring. He does not have any partner in his kingdom and in his power, and he has no need for any assistance from anyone in the least bit. Alhamdulillah hinda De Anza Allah Allah Allah Azza wa Jalla who are a region that the ultimate praise was is and will always be for Allah alone, who sent down his book upon his selected slave, Muhammad sallallahu

alayhi wa sallam and just says God is perfect. Everything that comes from God is magnificent, and miraculous and beautiful. His book is absolutely perfect with no flaws in it whatsoever. Alhamdulillah in la de la Houma is Samajwadi. One of them are the one I will have to fill up the rock wall hockey will have been the ultimate praise was is and will always be for Allah alone. Everything in the heavens belongs to him. Everything in this earth belongs to him. And in the at the end of the day, eventually individuality the ultimate praise will only and solely belong to Him Alhamdulillah he faltered SMRT well,

Jilin melodica to Sudan, li ha ha ha mesna.

Yes, ito philhealth a mega Sha one in the Mahara coalition Hadid the ultimate praise was is and will always be for Allah alone. He originated the heavens and the earth. Nothing like this existed before Allah created it. He made angels to carry out tasks to carry the message back and forth. Some angels have two wings. Some angels have three wings some angels have four wings. The hadith of Bokhari tells us that when the Prophet salani salaam witness gibreel alayhi salam, in all of his glory, he had 600 wings to have his wings were so huge when he would expand them, it would cover the entire horizon from the east to the west, level him to fill oola Well, after a while, I will help him while

he turns around in the beginning, the praise only belongs to Allah. In the end of the day, the praise only belongs to Allah, and only his command is realized he is the only one with any authority. In the mahalo what he led you towards your own and all of us, all of you are returning back to him. When I will have to fit some hours he will be

the last man what Allah says to him along belongs to praise in the heavens and in the earth and in the mornings and even when you experience the evening time. Finally lacking Hammurabi somehow it would have been or the rock bill Allah mean when I will keep in your office somehow it will or the wahala as usual, Hakeem, for Allah alone is the ultimate praise. He's the Lord in the master of the heavens. He is the Lord and

Serve the earth. He is the Lord in the master of all people whenever and wherever they might exist. And for him alone is the manifest greatness within the heavens and the earth. What is this manifest greatness? When we walk around? When we look at the world around us? What do we see? What do we experience? That's a question we have to ask ourselves, you know, one of the most fascinating verses of the Quran to me just because in in how we trained you to think this is part of the problem. When we read the book of a law, are we reading it as just a set of verses a set of rulings? Little anecdotes here and there? Or are we learning how to think and how to process information from the

Quran? That's what the Quran teaches us to do? Allah subhanho wa Taala so magnificently and so eloquently and beautifully within the Quran, he says what Jana sama, soften my food

which is a masaka for Mafalda. Allah says we made the sky, a ceiling.

We made the sky a ceiling. Now let me ask you a question.

The next word, my food law comes from the root word, which means to protect,

the safeguard to protect, what does a ceiling do a ceiling does what it provides protection.

A ceiling provides protection, it's safety, it's a covering. So it seems like Allah subhanaw taala would have said, was a soccer fan having one we make the sky a ceiling that protects but that's not what Allah says, was young a summer, a soccer fan by Fudan we made the sky a ceiling that is protected.

Allah is teaching us to think that when you look up at the sky, and you see the sky, providing you a ceiling and providing you covering and nourishment coming down from the sky, and the sky is there for your safety and your protection, realize, learn to see beyond the sky, and understand that beyond the sky, there is a creator of the sky who protects the sky.

So learn to see beyond the surface that is he man, he man.

He man is that which goes into the depths of the heart and takes root in the heart, and it changes the way that you perceive and you see the world around you.

Now,

this is such an undeniable reality. One other thing I'll share with you about this, about how we see and interpret the world around us.

There's a beautiful narration. I mentioned this quite often if you've heard me mentioned it before. I apologize.

Miranda being who sallallahu alayhi wasallam obeah Arabi in La Jolla ofI Salatin, it's a hadith in taba Ronnie, the prophet of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam passed by a better one man, a Muslim a better one man, which means he was a simple man. He was from the countryside. He was a villager. And he was making dry and his prayer. For work often the being who sallallahu alayhi wa sallam Masami, ie, the prophets a lot of them stopped and started listening to him. He figured, oh, how does this man make this simple man? How does he make do I? What I'm about to tell you is gonna sound very eloquent and powerful, but in its idea, it's actually very simple.

He says Yama, lotta rahula are you all the one who eyes cannot witness in this world? What not to Holly to whose own minds cannot comprehend his greatness. What I must say for when was the phone, people cannot praise Him as He deserves to be praised. When I talk about your role, however, this the events in the things that are occurring this world do not change him. When I look shadow IT, he does not fear the passing of time. Yamasaki la Jeevan he knows the exact weight of all the mountains in this world. When my god ll be hard, he knows the exact volume of all the oceans in this world.

Anyways,

he knows the exact number of drops of rain that fall from the sky, while others are working as john he knows the exact number of leaves on all the trees of this entire world. Why did Mr. Adama Halligan named Rama shakalaka he knows all those things that the day illuminates with this light and the night hides in the darkness. What not to worry man who sama sama? One sky cannot shield another sky from Allah. When

one ground cannot shield another ground from Allah. Well, I jump into my feet. In a mountain in its deepest, darkest caves cannot hide anything from Allah when I borrow my feet. And the ocean in its depths and darkness cannot hide anything from Allah. This is what lies.

Now, once we understand that, and if that's the undeniable reality, what prevents us

What prevents us from worshipping this Allah? What is getting in between me and worshiping and showing love and devotion and dedication to such an unbelievable amazing God and Creator?

What is it? Allah subhanho wa Taala tells us lanius Thank you for mercy who acuna Abdullah. Well, Mr. macabre Boone, Allah subhanho wa Taala says maybe it's your arrogance that gets in the way will then realize that great prophets men much greater than you have come before you. And they never found it beneath themselves to put their face on the ground in front of Allah. There are angels that you can't even fathom you can't even imagine. There's a hadith that the prophets a lot of human and authentic narration he tells us every single day directly above the Kaaba Bay to LA in Mecca. Directly above the Kaaba, there's a place on the fourth sky called Bateman Mahmoud.

And on at that place, there are 70,000 angels that do tawaf every single day.

And once an angel has dumped the wife, he is never allowed to make the wife ever again.

Every single day 70,000 unique angels make the laugh at that place. Imagine how many angels Allah has. They do not find it beneath themselves to worship Allah. Well, maybe it's not arrogance, maybe it's not something as systemic as arrogance or a problem within the heart. But maybe it's a smaller problem of the heart. Maybe it's laziness, it's a lack of prioritization. Maybe it's not important enough for me, maybe watching television or hanging out with the boys or doing something else maybe that's a little bit more important to me. Maybe that's something that I'm struggling with. Then Allah subhanaw taala tells us women I got to get a new one know how to wash shampoo, welcome from

his miraculous signs are the nights in the day, the sun in the moon, let us see what Allah says do not prostrate do not make such up before the sun or the moon. Once you do Lila Allah, Allah Kahuna income Tamiya Buddha Buddha, if you are true in your claim that I worship Allah, I recognize God than worship the one who created all of these things for innospec baru because if you think you're too good to make time to worship Allah, for Latina and Arabic, those angels that are with Allah in God's presence all the time been usurped behind Allah who've been lately one now basically sing his praises. they glorify Him nights and days, while hula is a moon and they never get tired of doing

so. They have been worshipping Allah subhanho wa Taala for we can't even imagine how long and they never tire of it because they understand who they are worshiping. They understand exactly what they are doing and how what a gift and how magnificent it is.

Allah subhanaw taala tells us

well, aka the kurama bunny Adam, we have to understand something that if Allah subhanaw taala is so great and so amazing. One of the things that when the other speakers is going to talk about are some of the names and the attributes of Allah, Allah.

Allah is independent. So what if we don't worship we already talked about the Hadith, where the where Allah subhanho wa Taala in the Hadith, he says Masada female ki Shang and hamanaka, Saman, Mulkey Shea and that if we don't worship Allah, it won't decrease Allah subhanaw taala in the least bit and if we worship a light won't increase him in the least bit then what is the goal and the objective of worship? It is to honor us it is to dignify us a Karamoja cannula Abdullah Ravi wahoo, Sajid, the closest that the slave is to his creator is when he or she is in such awe. When you put your face on the ground. When you humble yourself, when you lower yourself to the greatest extent

possible to put the most dignified part of your body, your face on the ground. Do you are never closer to Allah subhanaw taala than you are in that particular position.

That's what Allah subhanaw taala is telling us about his near miss. Wave as I like everybody, and if I need to read the beautiful Ayah when my slaves ask you about me, then tell them then Allah says for me for him, I am close. You know something very beautiful about the tone of the ayah if two people are talking right in brother hands on brother in Oman are talking and they're like, Hey, have you seen the Nasir and I'm standing behind them and I hear them saying Have you seen? Have you seen? What do I say I'm right here. A lead selling the profits a lot of the time that when people come to you, and they say tell us about God.

Then Allah subhanaw taala says I'm right here for any reason.

But what's lacking is on our part, the next part of the ayah for me is this life changing.

Wu Ji boo Tao with a diary that

I won't get into too much linguistics here, but very basically there's an excessive amount of repetition right there. The word do is the word to call out to a lot the word to pray to Allah to talk to alleged repeated three times and it's not necessary grammar

hoochie boo Eva Ani, I answer I always answer I will always answer whenever someone calls out to me. Allah could have said that but that's not what he said. He said, Oh gee boo da. A diary is either only I will always answer the door of the one who makes you are whenever he or she makes you off, I will always answer the call of the one who calls whenever he or she calls me, Ally's telling us that what's lacking is on your part, you're not talking to me. You're not bowing in front of me. You are depriving yourself.

And so what we have to understand is our honor and our dignity is in coming closer to Allah subhanaw taala.

There's a very beautiful Imam ghazali Rama

Imam ghazali he says in the area,

menorah For ye de la banda de la bella will St valby how wertha coolala Hill St. Paul be Heidi Ha. If somebody was to understand the benefits of worshipping Allah.

That person would want to remain in the worship of a law all the time. And engaging in anything else other than the worship of Allah would just become very difficult to do. You'd be encumbered by the by you you'd be you'd be weighed down by the fact that you were doing something else worshiping other than Allah. That's why the prophets a lot he said them into Hadith about the 700 the shade he talks about that person what Arjun Falco whom Allah Campbell machine. That's right, the profits are some talks about into lotto sala de la sala

waiting from one prayer to the next wending from one opportunity to the next. Because when you understand what's in worship, you'd want to be engaged in that on a bad day in the worship of Allah subhanho wa Taala all the time.

Now, let's talk a little bit about the, the solution to the problem.

I am struggling with worship, you know, the question why I should pray? Why should we worship, it's indicative of something. Maybe somebody doesn't have that level of arrogance, maybe somebody is trying to make time. But a lot of times that question arises when the experience is not fully there. You're going through the motions, but the experience isn't there, that's at the core of this issue.

The solution to that is not to find something else to do. But the solution to that problem is to make it an experience. inject quality into the practice that you're doing. That is so fundamentally important. When you make such a and you realize that you are the closest that you could possibly be to Allah. When you imagine and you think and you engage in the exercise of pondering and thinking Allah is Allah Ali, Al majali allays exalted in the highest and the most magnificent and the greatest. And when you were in such that you were humbling yourself to be the lowest possible and in that position, what do you say? What do you say to everybody?

Okay, hopefully everybody went to Sunday school, right? What do you say in your such everybody?

Ready? Good. See, that wasn't too difficult. So hammer appeal Allah, how absolutely perfect. Think of your flaws. I am so flawed, I have so many issues and problems and mistakes and shortcomings. How absolutely perfect is my Lord, my master, and I am his slave.

Allah and he is the highest and I am the lowest.

When you understand what you're saying, when you reflect on what you're saying, when you enhance that experience, then there won't be a question that it won't be a question, why should I worship? The question will be Why should I not worship?

Why shouldn't I pray?

Not Do I have to pray, but can I pray? The question will totally change. But you have to take the initiative to improve your own experience. This is exactly there's a Ebner Omar Abdullah bin Amaro the Allahu Allah, Allah, He used to say in the house, he does come our

hearts become rusted, like iron becomes rusted,

Leela magilla. So he was asked, Well, how do you remove the rust from the hearts palette between our two?

By reading the book of Allah, don't just recite the Quran, but read it.

We don't have to say understand reading and the definition of the Sahaba their understanding of reading was you understand what you're reading.

Read the translation, learn and understand what the Quran is talking about. understand what you are saying in your prayer. That very ritual exercise that you go through that has become so meaningless and so cumbersome for you understand what you're saying and see how it frees you and I would enhances your experience. I always tell people, don't ask yourself When's the last time you prayed or offered your prayer or performed Salah. But ask yourself When's the last time you experienced prayer?

If you don't have an answer or you can't remember when was the last time you have to fix that you have to remedy that.

I'll finally end with a story. Very interesting story. And it talks about how when you invest into your relationship with a lot and you enhance and begin to experience a relationship with a law, then what it does to the way you think how it changes the way you think.

So, this incident is mentioned by Abdullah bin Ambassador the Allahu taala and Hama Imam to be mentioned it in his tafsir that some of the Sahaba saw a better one man, I tell about the machine. He came into the machine, Vanessa unathi he came up to the door of the machine he got off of his camel, if for us it would be he got out of his car, whatever that machine and he walked into the machine without tying his camel without locking his car he came into the machine was Sunday and he started praying will suddenly be suckiness he will walk he didn't have a worry in the world. He became completely disconnected from everything because he was experienced experiencing a

conversation with Allah

what the RP Mashallah and he after he got done praying then he sat there and kept making to offer so long and they said Fatah Jana. We were very impressed. And kind of just surprised by how much his man was enjoying his worship. The Sahaba were impressed with him. For the Maharajah lemonade Nakata who he goes out of the machine and his car's gone.

Somebody jacked this car

for Carla and he stands out there see doesn't see his car so he looks up at the sky and he says you're up be a day to Amanda Taka Farina. Amanda T. He says my lord I did what you asked me to do now where's my car? Where's my right I did my part you got to do your part.

And the Sahaba say for zip nada. juban we were even more shocked down that look at this, how this guy talks. Look how he talks to Allah for them. yelpers and Georgina alacati he was Salima naka de la he, after a little while he was still standing out there and a man rides up on that guy's camera when he comes driving his car and he pulls up and he gets on the ends of the keys and it goes, this is your car

for Karla Rasulullah sallallahu sallam. Then one of the Sahaba who is watching this whole scene he comments he says in the hula Mahavira Amanita Lucky Happy the Allahu Amanita who, when he took care of his responsibility to Allah, Allah took care of him.

And this is exactly what the prophet sallallahu Sallam told that Abdullah bin abass Yahoo lamb for the law if

you look after your relationship with Allah, and then you see how Allah looks after you,

the prophet of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam he was given goodbye and how gentle without this is his parting advice to us. He said it's Apple law.

Always think about your relationship with Allah. Anytime you do something, think about how it will impact your relationship with Allah will suddenly

pray five times a day. Well, so Lucia come fast in the month of Ramadan adoos akata Amala calm, make sure you give two years ago to your charity annually will apply to Morocco and make sure you obey those who deserve to be obeyed in your life. That the Hulu janitor have become you will enter Paradise that was prepared for you by your Lord in your master who loves you more than even your mother loves you. May Allah subhanaw taala give us all sincerity, and consistency and steadfastness and quality in our worship. Say I mean everybody. Just not gonna lock in and slowly come