Abu Bakr Zoud – The Prayer & Haram Relationships, A Talk To The Youth
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My brothers and my sisters in Islam, I'm
going to discuss with you in perhaps 30
minutes to 40 minutes a very important matter
about our deen, al-Islam.
Of course, you all know that Allah created
us on this earth for a purpose, and
he mentioned this purpose in the Qur'an,
he said, الَّذِي خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ
أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا We're on this earth as a
test, Allah is testing us on earth, and
this is not strange.
Every single day when you're on earth living,
moving on in your day-to-day lives,
there are tests as well.
Your students, you know the concept of what
a test is.
You know when the teacher says to you,
you're going to be examined in maths, we're
going to give you an exam this Friday.
English, your test is going to be on
Monday.
What do you do before this exam?
Of course, before the exam, well I hope
the vast majority of you study, you put
some effort in, right, you memorize your work,
and you're stressing out the night before, a
few days before.
For some they don't care, for some, but
I hope the vast majority do care, so
you put a lot of that effort or
that stress into that work, and so on,
and then you come to the day of
the examination, and you begin to answer the
questions to the best of your ability.
As you're doing your exam, you can do
the necessary changes you want.
You can liquid paper what you want, you
can amend certain things, you can change certain
things, because the examination sheet is still in
your hand.
Once the bell rings, or the time is
over, you need to hand over the sheet.
Once you hand it over, the exam's over,
and you can no longer do any change.
Well, the same concept that we face in
this worldly life is similar to what we
are expecting in the afterlife.
Allah created on earth, and every moment of
our life is an exam.
Right now, think of having the examination sheet
with us.
We have an examination sheet right now.
Right now, in this worldly life, we can
amend things in our life.
We can liquid paper things, we can change
things.
Someone's behaving in a very bad manner, you
can change that, it's not too late.
You're upon some sort of sin, you can
change that, you can amend, you can fix.
Once we die, we've handed over the sheet,
we've handed over this examination paper, and just
like with every exam that is handed over,
there is a day of results.
On the day of result, you either said
you have passed your exam, or you have
failed your exam.
And on the day of judgment, when we
stand before Allah Azza wa Jal for the
ultimate judgment and accountability, the results will be
as such.
Either people have passed, and those who have
passed enter the paradise, or people come on
the day of judgment, have failed their exam
in this worldly life, and as a result
end up in the hellfire, and we ask
Allah Azza wa Jal to save us from
the fire, and grant us the paradise.
So which of the two exams is more
important?
The exam of this worldly life, and meeting
Allah Azza wa Jal, or the exam that
you sit a few hours in this worldly
life, and you do.
That's important, but the more important exam is
the greater exam, in where the results will
be announced by Allah Himself.
Why is that the greater examination?
Because that's the exam, and the test that
Allah told us about in the Quran, and
He promised for the one who passes at
paradise, and the one who fails it, the
hellfire.
Now this examination in this worldly life, what's
it all about?
What is Allah examining us?
When you come to school, you're said, or
you're told by your teacher, you'll be examined
on what you learned in mathematics.
So you know your exam is going to
be about maths, that's the questions you expect.
But in this worldly life, it's a test.
You've heard this concept, it's in the Quran,
It's a test.
What is being tested?
What does Allah Azza wa Jal want from
you and I?
What is the exam?
The exam is your taqwa of Allah Azza
wa Jal, and that's what our talk is
going to be in the remaining minutes we
have.
What is being examined is taqwa Allah.
So now I'm going to ask a question,
and I'm hoping that by the end of
the lesson, you all walk out knowing exactly
what taqwa Allah is.
That's our lesson going to be, nothing more
than that.
Taqwa Allah.
Who can now, and we're going to have
vouchers for these matters, so we start giving
out prizes, who can raise his hand quietly
and tell me something you know about taqwa
Allah?
Yalla brother, start off with us, Bismillah, give
us an answer.
What's taqwa Allah?
The fear of Allah, masha'Allah, an excellent
answer, but there's a lot more to that,
and that's a gift for you.
By the way, these gifts are by our
brother Rabee' from the boulevard, the cafe, boulevard,
the cafe in Punchbowl.
So may Allah Azza wa Jal reward him
for his generosity.
Who can, brothers and sisters, who can give
me something else about what taqwa is?
Okay, give me.
God Consciousness.
Masha'Allah, he said God Consciousness, excellent.
Okay, so without wasting any time, let me
tell you this.
You have an addition for us?
What's your addition?
Having trust in Allah, that's fantastic, please pass
it on to her.
Okay, now let me have your attention.
I'm going to break down this concept for
you.
I'm going to break down this concept in
a very realistic, simplistic matter that you will
never forget ever again, insha'Allah.
But pay attention and learn.
You've all heard this word, the taqwa of
Allah.
This is the essence of our relationship with
Allah and that is exactly what Allah is
testing us on earth.
If you come on the day of judgment
and your taqwa of Allah is a tick,
you've passed.
If your taqwa of Allah was across, a
person fails.
Taqwa of Allah is two parts.
Since this room is divided into two halves,
I'm going to give you one half and
the other side another half.
We'll give examples on that and we're going
to end.
Here, when we say the taqwa of Allah,
it means first and foremost to do what
Allah commanded and obligated.
And the second part of a taqwa is
to keep away from what Allah forbid and
prohibited.
Is that simple?
That is what taqwa is.
So let me go here and discuss some
of the pressing matters on a taqwa that
we need in our life.
We say that taqwa is to do what
Allah commanded.
Give me from this side an example of
what Allah commanded.
Yes.
Wearing an hijab, masha'Allah.
This is a voucher over there.
Sorry?
Prayer, masha'Allah.
Fantastic.
This is also a voucher for you.
And I want one more example from the
back.
Okay, masha'Allah.
That's from what Allah commanded.
Okay, excellent.
Now, pay attention.
One second.
Listen to me now.
We're still on this side of the room.
I'm coming to that side when we get
to that side.
From the most important matters, okay, if we
can just have your attention on this matter.
From the most important matters that Allah obligated
upon us, the first and foremost thing is
something called al-tawhid.
Al-tawhid means to accept the oneness of
Allah.
So as a human being, we worship Allah
and no one and nothing else.
We don't worship any human being.
We don't worship an idol, a stone, a
monkey, a cow, or anything else.
We don't worship any of that.
We worship the Lord of the One who
created all these matters.
Okay, why?
Because obviously He created us.
He sustains us and provides for us.
He caused our life.
He causes our death and He decrees all
our affairs and matters.
So why not?
Why not worship Him and show absolute loyalty
and love to Him?
So we are loyal and we love Allah
and our love of Allah is not just
we sit down and we say, Oh Allah,
I love you.
Oh Allah, I'm pleased with you as my
Lord.
Rather, if you really love someone, you will
do what they say.
Right?
Imagine you continue to say, I love my
mother.
But then every time your mother says to
you, do the dishes.
You say, I can't be bothered now.
Okay, she says to you, can you take
the clothes out from the washing machine and
dry them out?
Yeah mom, I love you but I can't
do that.
What happens eventually?
She will say, daughter, if you really love
me, you would have done what I said.
So I don't believe that you love me.
Right?
So a sign of loving someone is doing
what they tell you.
So now we love Allah azza wa jal,
show and prove this matter by doing what
He subhanahu wa ta'ala wants.
So that's the first thing of Tawheed.
The second most important thing when it comes
to the worship of Allah is what?
Is what?
Who can answer me?
What's the prayer?
Who said that?
No, no, no, I went from this.
You're coming, you're coming.
As-salat, yeah?
Okay, yalla, give her.
Yalla, bismillah, hand it over.
Yalla, the prayer.
Okay, listen to me very carefully.
I'm going to tell you this.
As-salat is a manifestation of your la
ilaha illallah, of your Tawheed.
If you truly say la ilaha illallah from
your heart and if you truly love Allah,
then don't display that in words.
Show it in actions.
And the greatest action you will ever do
that proves your love for Allah is the
five daily prayers.
Now, many youth today struggle with five prayers.
They struggle.
They don't pray five prayers on time.
It's very upsetting.
Why?
He says, Walla, I love Allah, but I
don't know, man.
I can't find that energy to pray.
I'm going to give you a tip now.
A secret, private tip that if you were
to implement in your life, I will guarantee
you 100% you will never miss as
-salat ever in your life.
Listen to me very carefully.
Very carefully, listen.
You all have phones or perhaps the majority
of you have phones, right?
Okay.
And then you know that on the phone,
there is an app that calls the adhan.
Like what?
Give me an example.
Muslim Pro, mashallah, excellent, excellent, fantastic.
There's a lot of apps that have the
prayer times.
This is what I want to do.
That's the secret.
Listen, listen.
If you want the secret, listen, listen.
Whoever's struggling.
Tonight, when you're on your phone, if you
haven't downloaded the app, download it.
Then turn on notifications.
Make sure that your phone is notifying you
for every time of salat.
Either it vibrates or there's a tone to
it or there's an adhan or part of
the adhan.
As soon as your phone gives you a
notification for as-salat, I want you to
drop everything you have.
Make wudu if you don't and immediately rush
to as-salat and pray.
You know, if you do that, the prayer
will never ever be a struggle in your
life.
The only reason for many people, they experience
a difficulty with as-salat is because they
keep delaying it.
And the more you delay the salat, the
more difficult it becomes.
That's where the difficulty comes from.
So, give you an example.
You're sitting on your Xbox or you're sitting
and you're playing what?
Playing Roblox.
Your phone vibrates.
Okay, the girls play Roblox as well.
Listen, no one is immune from this disease.
It's a disease.
Listen, so this is what happens today.
This is what is happening today.
You're playing your Roblox.
You're playing on your Xbox and the adhan
is called.
Maybe your father says come to salat.
Maybe your mother's calling you to as-salat.
And what are you seeing?
Is shaitan plays with your mind?
After this level.
When you finish, inshallah, you're going to pray
after.
You know what happens when you do that?
As-salat starts becoming a burden.
You're playing and you're thinking, man, this salat
is just coming my way.
Later, later, I'll do it.
When you say later, that means it's not
a preference in your life.
When you're delaying it and you're preferring to
play, that means you've prioritized this more than
that.
What you're seeing is that my entertainment, my
joy, my pleasure from this game is a
lot more important than as-salat.
So then what happens?
You finish one level and you switch to
one more level.
We're still in the time of salah.
Relax.
There's no rush.
You finish the next level, another, and your
salat is being delayed.
What happens?
Salat feels like a huge burden now until
the end of its time comes.
And if you decided to miss it, what
happens?
Khalas.
Bye-bye.
It's gone.
The next one, you'll miss it as well.
And the one after, salat is removed from
your life.
Why?
Because of a silly, pathetic game that achieved
nothing in your life.
So pray on time.
You're going to love as-salat.
Imagine you're on your Xbox or whatever.
You can pause, pause, pause.
If you're playing some multiplayer game, well, I'm
sorry.
You're going to have to tell the players
with you, I'm leaving.
Save me.
Right?
Protect me.
I'm leaving the game.
I need to go pray.
You go, you pray.
Come back to your game.
Wallahi, you'll feel a million times better than
if you were to delay it.
Because your obligation's done and you've proven to
yourself that you love Allah.
Every salat you pray, that is taqwa.
Remember I talked to taqwa?
Every single command you do, that is how
you practice taqwa in your life.
Okay?
Okay, that's very clear on this end.
Let me come to this side.
And we're going to end our talk with
the brothers here.
What's your name?
Aiden.
Aiden, masha'Allah.
Our brother Aiden here, he received the first
gift and he's been very well-mannered, masha
'Allah.
Right?
Okay, let's do this now.
What did we say the second part of
taqwa was?
Which is on this side.
No, what's on this side?
No, no, no, the second part.
Here, your part.
Staying away from the prohibitions.
Excellent, ya Allah.
Okay, excellent.
Okay, brothers, I want you to pay attention.
So every single time you stay away from
a sin, you've actually practiced and exercised what?
Taqwa in your life.
Taqwa, right?
You understand?
Some people, some people, right?
They think if they avoid the sin, so
let's say someone's offered them a cigarette or
a vaping device or al-haram that is
accessed on the phones and so on.
Sometimes people think, oh, you know what?
This is haram in our deen and I
have to keep away from it.
But if I keep away from it, then
I've deprived myself from some luxury and temptation.
What did I get out of it?
Every time you avoid a sin, you got
out of it that you practiced the taqwa.
And this taqwa is the exam in this
life.
And on the day of judgment, you will
realize that every opportunity of haram that came
on your doorstep and you turned away from
it, you threw it out of your life.
You weren't interested even though you had a
desire to do it, but you left it
for Allah.
You'll find that that is what is going
to benefit you on the day of judgment.
Allah Azawajal will be pleased with such a
person.
Like look at this slave of mine.
I gave him so much opportunity to do
haram.
He could have done it.
It was very easy to do al haram,
but he left it for my sake.
He preferred me over what he self prefers.
Like your body loves to sleep in the
morning.
Why am I going to get up at
five in the morning to pray?
My body loves to sleep and rest.
But then you say to yourself, now that's
haram to do.
I'm going to get up and pray on
time.
Because that's what Allah loves.
And I want to prefer what Allah loves
over what my own body wants.
So I do that.
That's taqwa.
That's immense reward.
Now let me tell you something.
From the greatest devices and the greatest tools
that expose the young Muslim to an abundance
of sins and prohibition is this here.
The phone.
More specifically, social media on the phone.
This here has become a huge disease.
It has become like a gun in where
we're shooting our own heart with it.
It blackens the heart.
There is an access of sins on this
that is abnormal and crazy in the times
that we live.
Let me tell you this now.
Very easy.
It's very easy for you at night when
you're alone and no one with you to
open your social media and your finger goes
wild in scrolling and going from profile to
profile and sending friend requests and messages.
Let me tell you this now.
Let me tell you this.
From the matters that Allah forbid that has
become a normal practice among a lot of
our youth is the establishment of boyfriend-girlfriend
relationships.
You agree with me?
Allahu Akbar.
You agree with me?
Listen to this now.
I'm going to give you a very important
advice.
Okay.
Boyfriend-girlfriend relationships are destroying a taqwa within
us.
I'm going to give you a tip now.
Many years ago for boyfriend and girlfriend to
come and mix with each other it was
very difficult.
I first had to check out this girl.
I had to now find ways in how
I can tell her that I want to
meet up.
How am I going to get her number?
Because back then that's how it was.
And if you did, you did.
And then it takes a long mission to
do that.
Today it's very easy.
All I need to know is her name
or his name.
Search it on Instagram or TikTok or Snapchat
and just quickly press friend request.
And then wait.
Let me see.
It's not awkward now because it's not face
-to-face.
It's behind the screen.
If I get a notification request approved.
Allahu Akbar.
She loves me, right?
Or he loves me.
That's boyfriend-girlfriend established among today's youth.
The next step is this.
And I'm going to give you serious advice.
I really want you to listen.
Could be funny now, but I want you
to listen.
So then the young brother that is very
tempted in this very tempting sexualized world sends
a message.
Assalamu alaikum.
Sister, I love you.
Let me now tell you something.
Very important.
To add to that, I tell you.
Don't be fooled and don't be tricked.
From the additions today to make it a
little bit more Islamic.
I love you for the sake of Allah.
Nothing else.
Okay.
Now listen to me.
All of this goes against a taqwa that
we're trying to explain.
Let me tell you something now.
Sisters.
If you were to ever receive a message
from a man that is not related to
you, and he says to you, please pay
attention now, I love you.
I want you to understand and really understand
what I'm saying.
That he actually does not love you.
I'll explain.
Give me a chance.
Listen to me.
Okay.
Three things here.
Number one.
If this young man actually really did love
you, why is he exposing you to sin
and the anger and the punishment of Allah?
He doesn't love you.
So when you get this message, I want
you to respond in this way.
Say, wa'alaikumussalam, brother.
Do you love that I enter the paradise
and the mercy of Allah?
If he says, yes, I love that for
you, say, why are you talking to me?
Why?
And you end it right there.
In all reality, the one who sends you
this message, this inappropriate message, he actually loves
himself.
And he is using you for the love
he has for his own self.
It's a desire that has built in his
heart that has made him send you such
inappropriate message or pictures or whatever it is
they send.
Don't fall for this trap.
If he loved you, he would not have
exposed you to the sin that goes against
a taqwa that we're explaining.
He actually loves himself and he wants to
use you for the love he has for
himself.
And the believer, in order to achieve a
taqwa in your life, you must love Allah
more than you love your own self.
How do you love Allah?
By doing what Allah said and keeping away
from what your desire is telling you to
do, if it's a displeasing matter to Allah
Azza wa Jal.
The other thing is this, I tell you
this, when you establish these haram relationships between
boyfriend and girlfriend that go against a taqwa,
it is actually a betrayal to all your
family members and a betrayal to all your
family members.
You've betrayed your mother when you engage in
this relationship.
Yes, you've betrayed your father, your uncles, your
aunties, your brothers, your sisters, your nephews, your
nieces, if you have that, your cousins, and
everyone in your line of family, you have
betrayed them all.
Why?
Why didn't you tell them about it?
Why wouldn't you be open and honest and
be proud and loud and say this is
what I've achieved and that's the relationship I
am engaged and involved in?
You wouldn't do that.
You're doing it behind their back.
That's the betrayal part.
And you too, you've betrayed all your part
of the family when you've agreed to do
this boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.
You've betrayed all your side of the family.
Why didn't you tell them about this?
Why are you so adamant to keep this
private and to meet up in private and
for no one to know?
That goes against what marriage is all about.
Islam taught us marriage if you really loved
each other and there's no problem in this.
Can a man love a woman?
Of course.
But there is a halal type of love
and there is a haram type of love.
It's like we can love food but eat
what's halal, keep away from what's haram.
You can love but love in al-halal.
Halal love would mean that I go to
her parents' house and I say, dear brother,
I am interested in your daughter.
I want to marry her.
So either two responses, either brother, welcome or
other a slap in your face and you
go back home.
Right?
But that's the proper way.
Okay.
And the other thing is this, as gruesome
and as nasty and as disgusting and abhorrent
as it sounds, this is the reality.
I want to tell you of a third
matter.
When you accept to establish a haram relationship,
you are basically saying that I'm fine with
some stranger doing this with those in my
household.
I give you, I tell you what I
mean by this.
A man came to the messenger ﷺ once.
He said, Ya Rasulullah, give me permission to
commit a zina.
He wanted to do al-haram.
Can you imagine?
This is a hadith.
Authentic hadith.
This is a young boy, right?
A young boy just like you.
I'm telling you, this is something that is
natural and normal.
But this young man came to the messenger
ﷺ, said, Ya Rasulullah, give me permission.
I want to do zina with a woman
I love.
He knows it's haram.
That's why he's seeking permission.
So he's thinking, I may be an exception.
Can you give me like an exception and
like an exemption from this?
I can do something I want.
Listen to what the Prophet ﷺ did.
And this is for you to understand how
merciful Rasulullah ﷺ was.
Imagine a young boy today came to a
sheikh and said to him, Sheikh, I want
to do zina.
Give me permission.
What's the sheikh going to do today?
It's going to be a whole different idea,
right?
It's going to be a whole different response.
But I want you to love your messenger.
Look at the Prophet ﷺ.
He understood the youth.
He connected with them on a way like
no one would ever connect.
The more you read about Rasulullah ﷺ's life,
the more you're going to wish.
I wish he was now among us and
our teacher.
Listen to what he said to this young
boy.
He said to him, come.
He said, do you like for a person
to do this to your mother?
He said, no.
He said, how about your sister maybe?
He said, no.
He said, how about someone doing this to
your auntie?
He said, no.
So then the Prophet ﷺ put his hand
on this young boy's chest.
And he said, oh Allah, forgive his sin.
And oh Allah, purifying his heart because the
heart's diseased when you're wishing for a sin.
And oh Allah, protect his privates that he
doesn't do anything haram.
The boy, the man, he said, he walked
out.
He said, when I entered upon the messenger,
the most beloved thing to me was a
zina.
I couldn't wait to get that permission.
The moment I left, he said, the most
hated thing to me was a zina.
So what we learn from this hadith is
that if you're pleased to establish that haram
relationship with a foreign woman, not from your
family, what you're basically saying is I'm fine
with people doing this with my own mother.
That sounds horrible.
But that's the reality.
If you agree, I'm going to meet up
with this girl somewhere in the back of
a petrol station.
I'm going to touch her and kiss her,
and then I'm going to go home.
What you're saying is I'm fine with someone
doing this with my own sister and my
own mother and my own auntie.
And no one would be happy to know
this kind of statement and fact in his
mind.
You're with me?
Listen very carefully.
These are very important points, wallah.
I tell you, we at times may giggle
and laugh a little bit because it sounds
funny.
But you do not understand how many of
our youth have already passed that red haram
line and they are involved in so much
haram.
They are regretting themselves.
They are basically in some type of severe
depression.
Some of them even fall pregnant to al
-haram.
Then what do they do?
Abortion.
That's murder.
So haram, my murder.
The family doesn't know.
If the family knows, they are embarrassed.
People end up killing their own family members.
That's not right.
But the situation becomes so horrible.
How do you cover it up?
All because of what?
Because of a disease, a desire you had
in your heart you couldn't control.
Where was your taqwa?
Where was the taqwa?
The taqwa was supposed to hold you back
from al-haram.
You can love whatever you want, but you
can only love in that which Allah allowed
us to love.
And keep away from haram matters.
That is what taqwa is and it's a
lot beneficial for you.
Al-haram never satisfies.
Al-haram never brings good result.
It may be a moment of pleasure, two
moments of pleasure, but then you will have
a long lasting suffering that comes afterwards.
Whereas when you do what Allah wants, there
could be difficulty in that.
Imagine praying every day, five prayers and making
wuboo.
I'm not saying this is an easy matter.
It's going to be difficulty.
I obviously expect difficulty.
You're wearing al-hijab, mashaAllah, may Allah strength
you all.
I'm not suggesting here that it's going to
be something easy.
That's going to be something difficult, especially in
this day and age that we live in.
When you walk out or you're on your
social media scrolling and seeing every second woman
wearing the best of whatever it is, so
attractive, so beautiful, with so much makeup and
then you're thinking, look at the mirror, why
am I dressed in this way?
How do I fit into all of this?
It's not going to be easy.
It's not going to be easy to uphold
your hijab.
But if you are to do this, then
you understand there is great reward in this.
That is what taqwa is.
That's the test in life.
That is it.
The test.
You know, when I say test, that implies
what?
Difficulty.
When I say you have an exam this
Friday, already you're panicking.
Oh, difficulty, struggle.
I need to wake up extra hours in
the night.
When I say the world, the life Allah
put us here for a test, it implies
the same thing.
It's going to be difficult.
It's going to be hardship.
But at the end, the result, the reward
is going to be fulfilling.
Imagine you passed your exam and you're sitting
there in class, resting.
Alhamdulillah, finally my hard work paid off.
Right?
Yalla, we're finishing off in two minutes.
You see?
You see how excited you are?
Imagine then the greater excitement you'll enjoy on
the Day of Judgment.
And the Day of Judgment for each and
every single one of us, it's very soon.
It starts the day you die.
And the day you die, the day you
and I die, is any day.
No one is guaranteed to live this night.
No one of us here is guaranteed that
we'll wake up next morning.
Wallahi, yesterday, we prayed a jadaza on a
15-year-old.
15-year-old, he died.
May Allah have mercy upon him.
It was yesterday, here in Australia.
In Sydney.
15 years old, gone.
So, uphold the taqwa.
Do what Allah wants.
Keep away from what Allah forbid.
And with Allah's permission, you'll be very impressed
with the result in your grave.
And when you meet Allah Azza wa Jal,
and we ask Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta
-A'la to grant us all goodness.
I ask Allah Azza wa Jal to protect
you all from evil and sin.
And may Allah Azza wa Jal be with
you all in your exams, in your worldly
life affairs and situations.
I ask Allah Azza wa Jal to accept
from us, to forgive our sins and our
shortcomings.
Jazakumullah khairah.
Sallallahu wa sallam wa baraka ala nabiyyina Muhammad
wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma'in.