Abdullah Oduro – Act patiently to success
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We
praise Allah. We seek his aid and forgiveness.
We seek refuge in Allah from the evil
of ourselves and of our shortcomings.
Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide.
And whomsoever Allah allows to be led astray,
none can gather right. And I bear witness
that there is no one worthy of worship
except the law, the exalted, the creator, the
maintainer, the sustainer
of the heavens and the earth.
And I bear witness that Muhammad, peace and
blessings be upon him, is his last messenger
and
servant. All you who believe, be mindful of
Allah and die not except in a state
of submission to him alone. All humanity, be
mindful of the law who created you from
a single soul and from that created his
mate and from that scatters many men and
women.
Three forms of advice
that was given
to
a young individual
when they were someone that wanted to turn
around and do, as they mentioned, the right
thing.
You know, they're human. As all of us
are human,
as all of us will fall into shortcomings,
rather,
that is a part of our nature to
fall into shortcomings, to make mistakes.
Whether it's the right thing at the wrong
time,
or the wrong thing at the wrong time,
or the wrong thing at the right time,
we make mistakes. The
because we may be forgetful
or rather
neglectful. Because forgetful
Allah the exalted will not hold us accountable
for that which we have forgotten.
But neglect is you know something should be
done, and there was not even an things
that
it could be the act that is done
without intention.
Someone comes to pray, and they're not even
thinking of god. They're not even thinking of
his names and attributes. They're not even thinking
of things that they have done that are
a reflection of god's power and majesty.
They're just going through the motions.
That could be a form of neglect. No
intention. Or someone has the intention or someone
doesn't have the intention nor action. In any
case,
the prophet
mentioned in a beautiful
statement, a beautiful tradition,
a beautiful quote that he has,
peace and blessings be upon him,
we may know the beginning of this statement,
but this is a hadith that continues on.
The hadith is as follows, and this is
what was told to the young boy when
he just wanted to get better. He said,
you know, sheikh, I just wanna be better.
I have a lot of, you know, And
he actually said, I have a lot of
demons in my closet.
You know, I have a lot of mistakes,
things that I can't even admit to you
in front of you in the house of
Allah.
I have a lot of mistakes, and Allah
knows. And to be honest,
sometimes,
I feel that god will not forgive me.
I feel so terrible.
You know, to be honest, brothers and sisters,
when I told when I heard that, I
said, bashir.
Basheer. I said, congratulations. Good for you.
He didn't want to look perplexed because he
doesn't wanna seem mean to the imam in
the office, but
you could see I could see on his
face, and I intended to tell him something
that would amaze him and make him kinda
confused. Okay. Let me get this straight. In
his mind, he's probably saying,
I just kind of was vulnerable to you
that I did bad things. Yeah. I didn't
say what the bad things were, but I
was vulnerable to you in saying that I
did some horrible stuff, man.
And then now you're saying good job?
I'm confused.
How can we congratulate someone if they have
admitted that they've done bad deeds? Why?
Because this is the first step
to spiritual renewal.
This is the first step to getting better.
This is the first step to rectifying,
enriching
your intention
from when you do something
after that moment.
And that is part of the process
of Inaba, of Tawba, Alistighfar.
That is the process
of returning and redemption
and seeking forgiveness from god. You think about
those things and you feel horrible.
Therefore, it's a beautiful thing, but what is
left
is to act upon that feeling.
Because, you know, sometimes,
we have just finished the 10 days of
Hajj,
you know, the 10 days of of Dhul
Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar.
Before that, a couple of months ago. Before
that, we just finished Ramadan.
So there was a level of spiritual euphoria,
if you will. We were on a high.
We were very,
active
in our iman, in our thinking of god
was more.
Our contemplation of god was more. We at
least thought about doing good things for the
sake of god
more than we would have in the previous
month. Most of us.
Again, with the nature of us being neglectful,
we make the effort because sometimes the society
and the environment,
particularly the masjid or friends or family, reminds
you of those good things.
But now what's
blessings be upon. I remembered a statement.
Many of us know the beginning of this
hadith where the hadith is as follows.
This hadith is in Muslim, Sahih Muslim, where
the prophet
said, he said, the strong Muslim
is more beloved
than the weak Muslim,
and in both of them are good.
Now many times, you will find that we
use this when we hear or see some
physical activity between males and females.
Like, the females are doing something physical activity
or the males are doing some physical activity,
sports or something like that, we say that
the the strong Muslim strong believer is better
in the eyes of Allah than the weak
believer. Do more push ups or run a
little more. You know, you're a believer. You
wanna be strong. You're better than the weak
one.
This can be applied, but it is not
the initial meaning.
The initial meaning
is the one the believer
that has strong,
fortified,
enriched
belief.
That his strength
of iman
is better than the one that their level
or strength of iman is pretty weak.
But then the
prophet gave hope to all of us for
the ones that have entered the door of
believing in god and his oneness and his
majesty and his greatness, that god, the creator
of the heavens and the earth, there is
nothing like
him. People, place, or thing, there's nothing like
the one that created these people, places, and
things. Therefore, he would not be like them
in any shape, form, or fashion.
Maintaining that belief
and following the individuals that reminded people throughout
history of that belief, that is Islam.
And the one that strengthens their knowledge and
understanding of that, that is beloved.
The one that makes the intention to act
upon that, even better. The one that acts
upon it, the best situation.
So what did I tell this young man?
This is the beginning of the hadith that
we all know, that the strong believer is
better than the weak believer, but in both
of them, it's goodness.
Is better than the weak believer, but in
both of them, it's goodness. But then he
says something after that, which is very important.
I told this young man this, and this
is for all of us because all of
us are young. And I told this young
man
and this is for all of us because
all of us are young.
Each and every single one of us have
a father and a mother, whether they are
alive or not, grandfather or grandmother.
Make no mistake. They look at you as
their young
son, young
daughter.
So all of us have youth.
And sometimes with our spiritual renewal, it is
as though we are starting over again. New
Ramadan,
starting over again. A particular habit, being introduced
to a new habit,
being introduced to praying with her, being introduced
to giving gifts. So you're young in this
particular aspect of the implementation
of your faith in god. Now
what did the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
say after that?
Three things. He
said,
He said, be diligent
upon that which benefits
you. Seek help in Allah
and do not give up.
The third thing he said was, and don't
say,
man, if I was to do
this, this would have happened.
He said because that opens the door to
the
actions of Satan. What's the first thing he
said?
Be diligent upon that which benefits you. This
is very important
because when we understand
values,
we have to do some self reflection,
some introspection.
What do I really value?
Because whatever I value is what I hold
into importance.
Whatever I value
will show through my action. I can say
whatever I want, but whatever I value will
show through my actions because I will naturally
not do anything that I do not value
unless I am
forced.
So what do I do voluntarily?
What do I value? What do I love?
What do I like?
That's the first thing. Because when the prophet
said,
be diligent upon that which benefits you, being
diligent is someone that takes into high importance
and to a degree is protective
over that thing that they do. Meaning, they
will not allow anything to divert them
from being on social media.
They will not allow anything to take them
away
from hanging out with their friends.
They will not allow anything to take them
away from reading the Quran after Fajr, after
the morning prayer for 30 minutes. Nothing will
take me away from that. They will not
allow anything to take them away
from praying 5 times a day. Nothing will
nothing will change that commitment,
the intense commitment that I have.
That is why it's important for us to
ask ourselves consistently.
And this is a part of dhikr. This
is a part of,
muhasaba,
of holding ourselves accountable
before we are held accountable.
What do
I truly hold dearly
to my heart?
What do I value?
And as a Muslim,
it is important
that the number one value is Allah. We've
all hear it. We all hear this. Let's
get a little deeper. As a Muslim, which
means the one that submits and surrenders, even
within the name
Muslim, Islam
expresses and implies
what the most important
value
is.
My value is that I value what Allah,
the creator of the heavens and the earth,
values.
When you reach that level, that's the level
of dimuisin.
You love what Allah loves, as the prophet
said.
You love what Allah loves. Make no mistake.
That just doesn't happen overnight.
That doesn't happen just with one prayer.
That happens over continuous
practice.
That happens with continuous struggle because the distractions
will eventually peel
struggle because the distractions will eventually peel away
at that fortified,
rich belief and closeness that you had to
allow when you could have sworn
that that was the 27th night?
It was a different feeling.
But Shawwal comes around, the next months come
around,
slowly peeling away because you're distracted.
And you hope to return to return to
that feeling, that euphoric feeling that you had,
closeness to Allah.
The more you have that, the more your
values will be intense and fortified. The values
of good, the values that Allah
wants.
So when the prophet said,
seek that and be diligent in that which
benefits you,
where do you find your benefit?
That will go back to what you value.
So it's important for us, firstly, to renew
what you value.
To review,
excuse me, what you value. Constantly review it.
Is what I like in compliance with the
dean of Islam?
Is it in compliance with the dean of
Islam? Is it compliance with what I hold
dearly to my heart?
And that review,
even of itself, that review of you constantly
turning back
and asking these questions, Allah
loves it. And if he loves something, he
will fortify it and give it more guidance.
So the first thing is when the prophet
said,
be diligent upon that which benefits you.
We even see this within the time of
the prophet, obviously, within the time of the
prophet when
he valued the religion of or the way
of life that transcended
the Arab culture
with a way of life that was much
more penetrable
than just a group of people or a
people.
When he challenged
challenged
by offering
consistently
offering
them the means to come closer to Allah
when he called them to Islam,
unapologetically,
wisely,
compassionately,
with integrity,
calling them to Allah.
Because if he would've valued his people,
if he would've valued even his own uncle,
if he would've valued any of his uncles,
those that the one that protected and supported
him and didn't come to Islam,
and the ones, plural, that fought him and
tried to kill him.
He could've easily
came back, and they offered him money and
status.
He could have easily came back if he
would have valued that
more
than Islam.
This is what is important. As scholars say,
If there was an action of the dunya
and an action of the deen or characteristic
of the dunya and a characteristic of the
deen of the dunya meaning this life, if
you had a choice to do that, which
will benefit you in this life and compromises
your religion,
you choose that, what,
which is beneficial for you and your religion.
Meaning, you choose that in which you know
is halal.
Meaning, you choose that in which is more
beloved to Allah. Make no mistake. Each and
every single one of us will encounter that.
In school,
our our first interview with the job, whatever
it may be,
and then there's no possibility for them to
say, no. Well, you you know, you're not
gonna get Jumah at all. This Friday's I'm
sorry. We can't offer that to you. You
have a choice to make.
You have a choice to make.
Because make no mistake
when one does not do those actions that
are obligatory
to the best of their ability. We all
make our mistakes.
We make mistakes, but at least the intention
to do the right thing,
that is the seed to actually doing the
thing that you intended.
But if there's no effort that is made,
we'll slowly peel away at your faith. To
her
from the Mu'min Qawi to. To where from
the strong Muslim Mu'min, you will eventually be
weakened to where you'll be labeled weak with
Allah, not by anyone calling you that.
So be diligent upon that which benefits you.
The second thing is he said,
What's so beautiful with the hadith of the
prophet is
that when he says one thing, it is
as though the next couple of items that
follow it
can serve as an explanation.
If he was to say one thing and
you say how, he says it right after.
For example,
when he says in a hadith that we
always mention, be mindful of Allah wherever you
are. Be mindful of God wherever you are,
not only in the mosque.
And then he says,
and follow-up a bad deed with a good
deed, you'll be rewarded. So if one was
to ask, how can I be how can
I get tuck while I hear this word
tuck while a lot? Well, one of the
good things is if you do a bad
deed deed, follow-up with a good deed. It
will erase it. That's an implementation. That's an
pragmatic
action plan for you to be of a
mittucki,
a mindful person of mindful person.
In this hadith, the prophet is
saying, be diligent upon that which benefits you.
What's one way that you can be diligent?
Is seek help in Allah and don't
give
up.
May Allah
the creator of the heavens and the earth
shower
shower
shower his protection
and pleasure
and strength
in the hearts of our brothers and sisters
in Gaza,
in the hearts of our brothers and sisters
in Sudan,
in Congo,
in China,
and all over the world where they are
being oppressed
continuously
to where it is normal
to them.
And sometimes,
it's normal for us. Unfortunately, we'll lie.
It is normal for us as well
because of the distractions that will take us
away
from continuously
making dua. Whether we're driving in our car
and verbally thinking about it and then make
a dua for them or whether when within
our pray in our prostration,
we have a particular prostration,
oh, Allah, protect our brothers and sisters in
these places.
So when we see the second part of
the hadith,
seek help in Allah and don't give up.
Don't give up on Allah.
Don't give up on yourself.
Don't give up on people.
Don't give up on Allah saying, why would
Allah allow what is happening in Gaza to
go on? Why would Allah allow my elder
relative to pass away? Why?
What did they do? What did my young
child do? What did those children do?
How could a merciful god do that?
When we say at the end of our
prayer,
Oh, Allah, assist me
upon remembering you
and thanking you and worshiping you in in
worshiping you in excellence.
That's what we say at the end of
our prayer, and if we don't know, this
is what the prophet
instructed
us to do. At the end, we'll say,
You say,
Somewhere in this time frame, you say,
Oh,
assist me,
to worship to thank to to remember you
and to thank you and to worship you
in excellence.
To worship you in excellence. So
even when
we
say This is the same verb, the same
word that the prophet used in this hadith.
Seek help in Allah, and don't give up.
This is
so beautiful for us as human beings that
go through so many different forms of distractions
and trials.
Distractions
and trials.
Those distractions
can be a trial for us.
You seek help in Allah for Allah to
pull you through. I'm almost sure each and
every single person here
did not know how they were going to
get out of their particular
situation.
All they had, not to minimize it,
not to minimize it, all they had was
their trust in god. That's all they had.
Somebody let you down. You let yourself down,
but you trust in god.
And you know that he has the power
to flip your heart, to flip your psychology,
to bring someone from a place you didn't
even each and every one of us has
that story
lie. Each and every single one of us.
When when times go down, when you're down,
it's time to retreat, literally,
retreat to those moments, hopefully, in masala.
You retreat to that moment, and then you
thank Allah.
That is the epitome of what we call
trust in Allah. 3rd thing.
So when he said, firstly,
be diligent upon that which benefits you. Seek
help in Allah and do not give up.
And he says, do not say, if I
was to do this, this would have happened,
for verily this opens the door to Satan.
How is that the case?
Because, typically, the one that does the first
two things,
they seek help in Allah
They don't give up.
They're diligent upon that which benefits them by
seeking help in Allah
in everything that they do, they most likely
wouldn't say that. You see the wisdom?
Man, if I was to do this, this
would have
happened. How does that open the door to
the actions of Satan? Because you start to
slowly, slowly, and lightly
contradict
the predestinative
action of Allah.
That's why the prophet
said, say, rather, say,
This is what Allah has willed for it
to happen.
And when this happens,
you leave from regret
to renewal.
Instead of regretting because that regret can lead
you to be sad. That regret can lead
you to blame someone. That regret can lead
you to be very, very angry at yourself
or at someone and say something
online that you cannot erase and delete, and
it stays on the news feed for years,
that can cause you to do these things.
Rather, you stop, you say, alhamdulillah.
Your family members telling you, why did you
do this? Why did you if you were
to alhamdulillah.
You say what the prophet instructed
you to say.
This
is what Allah has allowed to happen. That
is predestination.
That does not mean that one is lazy.
Because as the scholars say,
That when one is lazy,
this is the pathway or the seed to
destruction.
So in these three forms of advice, brothers
and sisters, let's remember that in these beautiful
days that we have just concluded, the first
10 days of the see the season of
Hajj,
to be diligent in that which benefits you,
seek help in Allah,
and don't give up. And don't say, if
I was to do this, this would have
happened for really. That has the potentiality,
the possibility
to open the doors of Satan.
Meaning that we can only we will only
rely on ourselves and not rely on the
creator of all of us. May Allah make
us of those that initially and, ultimately,
trust in him. May Allah allow that trust
to be manifest in our statements and actions.
May Allah make us of those from our
actions to call on him
secret and in open for our brothers and
sisters that are suffering all over the world.
So
please.
Guys in the corner, get it together.
Guys in the corner by the bathroom, let's
get it together.
A lot
more active.