Ahmad Arshad – Delusions Of Life
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AI: Transcript ©
Alhamdulillah,
Subhan
arabika, Rabbi Alexei, food, Assalamualaikum, alays mean Allah
Sayyid al ra Muhammadi wa Allah Ali, Sayyid rahammadiyah wabaram.
The beauty about the sayings of Rasulullah sallallahu, alaihi
wasallam is
that in a very few words, Rasulullah sallallahu sallam, he
conveys very profound messages.
And these messages are something that are extremely impactful,
influential meaning. They are life changing. They are
transformational.
Now, ahadis are categorized, obviously, and the experts, the
masters of Ahadith. They have
created bigger collections, corpus of ahadis, but they also have
smaller books as well. And in some of these smaller books or
chapters, they cover ahadis That, for example, have to do with zohad
asceticism or other aspects of our spirituality or ikhlaq and the way
that we should be looking at life. Now, one such Hadith, it has been
mentioned by hazard Ibn Abbas Raziel, at all Anhu. It has been
narrated by Imam buchari Rahmatullah. In his Sahib,
he mentions that Rasulullah, sallAllahu, sallam, he said that
there are two blessings. There are two blessings from Allah subhanho
wa taala. They are two Niyama from Allah Subhan wa taala,
which a lot of people are deluded by,
dhoka Khaja.
What are those NEMA they are health and free time.
Health and free time, sekhat and Farah.
Now, again, it's a very small Hadith, amavarika,
the kitabul rifaq Is it actually starts with this hadith, ama
Baraka, because this is really it's very life changing, if we
understand
what this hadith is trying to convey to us, right?
Because a lot of time people are deluded. You know, a lot of times
we are unable to do two things, act on good actions, bring good
habits, good behaviors in our life, and leave certain actions,
leave certain behaviors. Because why we tell ourselves, Well,
there's a lot of time left.
I don't have to change myself today. I don't have to do anything
today. I don't have to take this first step today, kalpadi
tomorrow. We look at it tomorrow, and everybody knows that that
tomorrow never comes,
even in English, you know, they have that same don't put off till
tomorrow what you can do today, because that tomorrow will never
come. It's a big sign of laziness of a person if they are going to
be putting everything tomorrow.
So if you look at our own lives, this is really what is happening,
right? So let's look at the first aspect, which is, let's say, the
health. Now, mashallah, you are Shabaab here. Both you know,
Alhamdulillah and all the Shabaab
are especially deluded by this, right? They're especially diluted
by this because they think that
this vigor, this energy, right, this hemmet,
right, this, this takat, this Kuwait, the strength
that they feel today, it is going to be part and parcel of who they
are forever,
right? And it's very difficult to imagine
something that you have imagine in life without it. So, for example,
your Shabaab. So if you have this energy, right, you can get up and
you can run for a mile, and you won't even breathe heavy, right?
Or you can sleep for a few hours, and that set you you're energetic,
or mashallah, you're jumping around, and you know, you're able
to do accomplish so much now, because Allah subhanahu wa taala
has given that Saha has given that hemmat, it's very difficult at
that.
That age to
imagine yourself without it. Now, Allah Tala is a Rahim. So what
does Allah Allah do? The Allah Taala will sometimes give a little
bit taste of lack of Seha, which is, you know, ailment, or zorav,
for example. You know, people will fall sick, ill, you know, and when
that happens,
it's like the whole world turns upside down. And you can
now, I cannot get out of my bed. My whole body aches. I am so
tired.
People will, will just they feel so Ajit, you know, a lot of people
who went through this experience of covid, covid 19 it hit a lot of
people, especially the elderly people. But even for youth who
suffered from this covid, they'll tell you that, you know, for a few
days, you know, it's just
my whole body was aching, and
I could not smell and I could not taste, and I could not do this, I
could not do that. So that was a taste from Allah subhanahu wa that
this is your life without Saha. So if you have sihat, make use of it,
what do we make use of it that you have the energy to accomplish good
actions. He told me he had Ganga kuch Karlo na giovano, UTI
javania, okay, you have this time now. You don't know if it's going
to stay with you. Take it. Take from an old person, because I
remember my Shabaab.
I remember when we were young and Subhanallah, you know,
king of the world, we could accomplish anything, any sports.
No problem you get, you know, like a chart or something, and you
know,
it's gonna go away in a day or two. And that was it. No worries.
You don't have to think about it twice. And now Subhanallah, you
sit down, you can't get up, right? You get up, you can't sit down.
Go dig it up there again, right? It's like you're, you're
completely getting, getting worn out, right, like every day. You're
just very thankful you do sugar to Allah subhanho wa Taala for
forgiving these narma.
So especially for the youth, it's important that we act like hazard
Yusuf al Islam. Because hazard Yusuf alaihi salam was young. If
you look at the you know, there's a book
by, you know, Sheik sulfaqar about, you know, the stories or
the lessons from Surah Yusuf. It's a good book in Urdu
that talks about it. So one of the things is that, you know, Yusuf,
alaihissam was very young when he was seduced by Zulekha.
And the Quran tells us that his whole heart was a little bit
inclined, because you're young, right? It's not, you know, you
have young but what is, what did he say? Allah Mala that he said,
Mallah that I seek. Allah subhanahu wa taala, protection.
And he did what he could do, meaning he could just run towards
the locked door. He knew that the door was locked, and your AQL is
telling you that what the door is locked, I can't unlock you. But
Allah subhanahu wa taala, if you take those steps the Allah, Allah
makes it easy, right? Allah Tala makes it easy.
So this is something that you know we have to do. We have to act like
the Ambika RAM alai salatu wa salam that when we are young and
when we have the himmt, this is when you really have to make sure
that you are spending your time properly,
okay, making use of it. And this is what ramachai said, that with
every Nemat, there are three things. Every Namath has three
Hoku, three rights.
Every Namath has what, three rights. Every name it one is uski
Kadar, Ko Jane,
that you really need
to appreciate, to understand
that this nehmet is a Nemat. That's exactly what I'm talking
like. I know today,
in August 2024 that Sehat is a big name.
If you had asked me, like, 30 years ago or something like that,
you know, it's like, Oh yeah, it's a name it, but we really didn't
appreciate it the way that we should have appreciated so that is
the first thing appreciate. Kodak
Karo,
second was sugar. Caro, you have to be grateful to Allah, Subhanahu
wa
insha, karto, lazidan ago, but you sugar karega, Allah aku, name
Thomas, a person who does Shukra, the Allah Tala will increase.
In their name, and regardless of the name,
do shukr of your zikr, you will increase in your Zikr. Do shukr of
your risk, Allah will increase your risk. Do shukr for the ILDA
Allah has given, Allah, Tala will put Baraka in that put put shukr
for your family. Your family will become a source of goodness for
you, your your wife, your children, they won't be
disobedient. Do sugar,
they can subsequent. Second is what sugar and the third is that
you have to use it the proper way.
Okay, this gift, and we covered this, I think, a couple of weeks
ago, that every Niyama, every NEMA has been given to us. And you
know, this is what life is giving of NA
and then what is that, that each and every nemath is taken away
from us, including life itself, right? So we have to use it
properly. Allah has given me this gift. Allah has given you the
gift. How do I use it? That is the little bit of control. Allah Tala
has given us little bit of willpower. Allah has given us. I
can choose to live it this way, or
I can choose to live it this way. But see Nemat cos titra system, Al
Karna, if I can see, if I'm not blind, I should. I shall use my
eyesight in a proper way. Not look at rail mehrab, not look at things
that we are not supposed to look at. If Allah has given me the
ability to commit, not everybody can communicate.
What do you do? You use it properly. Use your speech for
goodness, for khair,
to isitana Allah Tala has given us, and we have to use it
properly. So when it comes to Serhat, Alhamdulillah, I have
sayhat. Now, what does that mean? I will go and seek Ilm. I will go,
you know, spend time in chanakaaz. I will go for, you know, Jamaat
and tabri, and I will go and visit mas, and I will, you know, I will
use this energy before it's taken away.
Because when it's taken away, even when you want to do it, you can do
it.
And the second aspect is, what was mentioned is when Nabi SallAllahu,
sallam said, free time for us, that for either for other fun,
sob. What I love about
this Farah, that you know, it's I remember,
you know, because I teach in colleges and universities, and we
always come across students, oh,
Professor, life is so busy, and you just shake your head.
The most time that kids have is now. Not only do you have time,
but you also have again, say it. You have a
once you're done with college, it's just downhill. Now you have
to have a career that's like nine to five is stuck. For a lot of
people, people who do businesses, it's probably longer than that,
right? Your life is stuck second, right?
People get married. Of course, you need to get married, right? You
need that companionship. When you have a wife, then you have to give
her time. The wife has to give time to you.
You know people. You know people become deluded about marital life
too. They think, oh, subhanAllah, this is some like Cinderella
story. And no, no, no. It's not like that. It's all about roles,
responsibilities. It's all about negotiation. It's all about, you
know, behaves mubasa Half the time, right? So it's not a it's
not an easy task. It's an organization. You are creating a
new structure, a family unit. And you know, it's not easy to and
then, you know Subhanallah, when, when you have, you know you you
think you're Mashallah. You have, you finally are in control that
you have figured out how in laws work and how to kind of make it
work with between your mother and your wife and all of that. What
happens then you start getting kids. It's one and two and three
and four. Masha, may Allah, give everybody, lots of kids.
Inshallah, increase the ummah of the Sula system at least seven,
right?
It's a good number. It's a magical number, right? So,
but you know, that's those, the responsibility just increases from
there,
your your himmud is going down because you're you're aging. Your
Shahad is going down. So is your faramat is going down because now
only do you have to spend time with your wife, not only do you
have to spend time with your with your with your parents, not only
do you have to spend time in your career, you might have to develop
it your business. And now you have.
You have to give them time.
And while all of that, you have to get close to Allah, subhanho wa
Taala as well, you have to be focused on him and and so this
Farah, at this time, when you're like high school kids or college
kids or Subhanallah, it's timey time.
It's not going to get better.
Even when you want to take time off, you just can't. There's just
too many response, especially if you're living here in the US that
the society is built, where you are supposed to be, quote,
unquote, productive
and productive, according to, you know, like modern standards, is
that you're just working, working, working, and if somebody's
working, that's doesn't matter, you know, that's productive.
Staying at home, even if you're taking care of your children,
that's not productive, right? Because, yeah, that's the way that
the economy works here. That's the way the thinking is here.
So a lot of people are in mashallah, and by the time you
retire, right, 67 they keep on increasing the age
67
you know,
Buddha, but they can't move, can't you know,
do you I mean, this hadith, Mubaraka, is just amazing. It's
just you make use of it. Do not be deluded by this name. And there is
another translation of this. There's another translation of the
sadiz that Nabi says, said that they are two blessings which many
people lose. So this is kind of talking about in terms of
investment,
right? It's like making investment. These are two
investments that you make
your time, right, and your Sehat.
And just like any investment, you know, I know a lot of people get
excited about crypto and whatnot, right?
Goes up, mashallah, everybody's very happy. And, you know, goes
down and the ATA ab is on the family at that time, right? What
is that? Right? It's your you're making investment, you're putting
some money somewhere,
and you're expecting some return. Imagine seeing that red day after
day after day after day, right? It's like a red flag, right? It's
like, oh my God, what's going like every I'm losing everything.
That's how we should be looking at time, and that's how we should be
looking at our set for awhile. And say it should be looked at that I
have been given this. And how do you invest it? You invested in
goodness. Now it does not mean the job is, can't take 24 hours a day
that you'll be sitting on masala. That's just not what the deen
wants or requires.
Now, the deen does require being in a state of liq,
being in a state of huluri, wherever you are. I mean, the
Quran is, it's very explicit about this is, this is not some like
Sufi talking. This is like Allah subhanahu wa mentioning in the
Quran, not in one place, many places about the state of the
state of the
do not become those people who are, you know, who are divorced
from the sick. Do not shy away from the zikr. My true men are
those people who do not get distracted by trade and commerce.
From Allah, people of iman, do not let your wealth and do not let
your your children distract you. From Allah subhanho wa Taala zikr,
it's again and against. Be in a state of zikr. Be remember Allah,
what are plenty of.
Do not forget Allah subhanahu wa do not become people who are
heedless. I mean, it's on and on and on and on and on so many I
mean, this is just the is, you know, you open up the Quran
father, Sheik di sa Rahmatullah, he has a full book called
fazaikar.
And that's probably not every Hadith in mubanek. That's, you
know, that's his collection of zikr that has to do with fadail,
etc, etc. So,
what is it? I mean, you know, you have to be in a state of zikr. And
then you, you know, you invest, you invest your time, your father,
then, then you invest in your in your Shahad. I mean, everybody has
the same sayhat And the same Farah, pretty much, right? Unless
somebody has a test where they have some disability, etc, etc,
usually everybody has Farah, then everybody has pretty much the same
sayhat. And on the Day of Judgment, it's just going to be,
how high did your portfolio go, right? That's how high did your
investment go?
Ischisco, they can as a Rudi, you know, we have to be very careful
about this. And this is what the, you know, the Masha ikh of the
Ummah, they try to teach, is this kind of awareness of this time
that ALLAH SubhanA.
Know what Alaska? And there are, you know, other Hadees that talk
about this. You know the famous one.
You know it has been narrated by Ibn Abbas Raziel at all, anhu, and
he mentioned the Rasulullah Kram, salallahu alaihi wasallam
mentioned that take Advent advantage of five before five.
It's a very famous Hades and five before five, right? What is it
your youth before your old age? It's the same hadith of a
different angle, right? There. They're talking about Farah
here, the sulasama is talking about your youth. Yes, abab, take
care of your youth before you become the reef, become your
before you become old. You're held before your illness. Exactly the
same thing. Sickness will come, even if the person is like 100%
without sickness, old age itself.
You know it's old age itself is, is a sort of a sickness. People
will say, You know what, I took care of my car. And you know why?
Why is it that I'm hearing all these sounds in it?
And the mechanic will tell you, Well, that's the normal wear and
tear. It doesn't matter, you know, it's like 20 years old car. It
doesn't matter how good you took care of it. Even if it's just
standing there, it's going to rust it. You know, that's that's how
things are
so the natural wear and tear of life, it will cause people to feel
that weakness. And then Nabi says something, your riches before your
poverty. Again, when Allah Tala gives make make good investments.
Make investments in akhira, make sure that we are not treading into
this luxuries. I mean, you know, it's very a Jeep, you know, if
anything, you know, spend and there's nothing wrong and, you
know, invest, and there's nothing wrong with it, but kind of
treading into this life of pleasure and luxuries that doesn't
suit the meaning.
It doesn't mean that you don't have a car. You have car, but you
know people, oh, I need to get, you know what? What's the most
expensive one? Like, I don't know, you know whatever, the most
that
I need to get a book. But why? Why do you need to spend, I don't know
how many millions of dollars it is. If Allah has given you those
millions of dollars, you know, go for a Kia, right? And that said it
takes you from point A to point B. You know, have a good car so it
doesn't bother you, right? If it's breaking every two minutes,
obviously your you know the Hadith Barga that talks about, take care
of your time is going to be effective. Have a good, sturdy car
and just be happy with it if it's 10 years old, Alhamdulillah, as
long as it's running.
So this is, this is, this is the difference between what is needed.
Yes, a car is needed. A house is needed, right? Certain things
within the house this, you know, these are necessities of life.
Alhamdulillah, we should work towards getting that so some of
the needs of the dunya do not keep us distracted. Because even
worrying about this all the time, about this and this and this and
this, what is that taking us away from, from the Yad of Allah, Tala,
from the Yad of Allah. So a lot of people, they are unable to commit
themselves to, you know, el mor dhikr or tabli or whatnot. The
reason for that is because they haven't, you know, they haven't
figured that part out properly yet, right? They haven't figured
it out. You know, how do you know the needs part,
right? You know, there was a psychologist there, you know, he
came up with a theory. It's called Maslow's pyramid of needs. And the
bare minimum is this, you know you need to be secure in your life,
and you know, your belongings. And until that is figured out, you
cannot achieve what you know, what he calls like,
you know, self achievement and things like that, right? So you
need to start here. If you are constantly being bombarded about
then there's no ways we'll be able to you know, how do I do khidmat
of the ummah? But do your whole khidmat first.
So that's why it's important to take care of that part
and then spend the rest of the time in in actual things. So this
is where we draw the line. What are my needs? What are the needs
of my family? What are the needs of my wife and children, etc, etc?
So I am not distracted, so they're not distracted. And anything other
than that, don't, don't, don't tread into those that luxuries and
pleasures and comforts, etc, etc. It doesn't suit us. Doesn't suit
us. And then Nabhi Sala.
Themselves. Your free time before your work again, is the Faraz so
before Nabi sasam is staying saying you know about about youth
before old age also have to do with time.
Health before illness usually has to do with time, your time when
you healthy and then certain that you're not healthy. Your riches
before your poverty, again, has to do with time till I am unnubilu
habina. So these are days that Allah subhanahu wa turns between
people, right? One day your risk. Other day you your your crypto
just goes down.
Right? A lot of people bought, what was that doge coin? Was it?
Maharaj? Absolutely
right. It's, it's time, right? So when you today, mashallah, you
just, this is going up and in a few days, again, this has to do
with time.
And your free time before your work and the last one your life
before your death, again, has to do with time. This is why, well as
Sir in a lintana, Levy, hustle, ladina, am I know what am I loose?
Ali, had whatever. So, Bill Haq, whatever. So be So, this is time
everything, take ownership of the time on the time
own the time.
Okay,
do I need to say anything about taking care of your life before
your death? I mean,
you know you're the king of the world, and that's it. Your life is
gone in a second.
All those dreams of doing this, some lump behave.
Lumbee, Lamb
be only he just key ho into her body.
Hazaro Haish, madam, Nikolay, baka, nikla, Mary, Aramaic and
Piri become.
So it's a,
I mean, that's, that's, I mean, life teaches that to everybody.
The thing is, we just, we are very determined not to learn the lesson
life is teaching that, you know, we have seen our own loved ones.
We've seen our own loved ones. Were called Say it, and we're
called chaudharys, and we're called this, and you know all
these big, big names,
mod man,
Doga, Zamin, kartukara, Chota, Sathi, ragha,
it's, you know, it's a
it, you know, it has to be. We have to be realistic about this
life is, is there? So we can, you know, use it. Use the gift. Use
the Nirma properly.
You know, do something for yourself. So you can, you know, we
can stand in front of Allah subhanho wa taala, make sure
you're leaving behind something. So on the Day of Judgment, we're
not asked about our children, right? Do your best. I mean, Allah
Tala is not looking for perfection. You know, we're not
perfect beings.
But the hymn that you know, the mehnat, Allah is looking for
mehna Kani. And there's another Hadith, Hadith
you know. This is, you know, people, when they're lazy, you to
get the Kal, karenge, Kal kar link as a karnyo na Kal Karna parso il
mas al karenge,
Nabi sasam said, and this has been Narrated by Abu Huraira. Very
beautiful ahadis, I'm just telling you. And these are Hadees. You
don't need any like long lectures. Just contemplate on. These are
Hades. So
what
did Abu Hari Ratan said the Rasul yakram SallAllahu Sallam
mentioned, raised to do works against seven. Raised to do work,
works against seven. Karna me against seven, seven things.
Huh? Are you waiting but for and then navisa, some mention seven
things. So don't wait, right? Do do good on any person. Okay, this
mindset, Nabi says some is challenging. This mindset, it's
like it's cheese. Coach weighs against these things to do good
works. Are you waiting? But for number one, overwhelming poverty.
Agar odds, if things are comfortable today,
we don't know if they're going to be comfortable tomorrow, the day
after the day after. It's again.
Another delusion.
You know, a lot of times, you know people think you know my my
parents are there. You know, they have a house, they have a desk.
You know, you know the cuisine responsibility. We don't know
what's going to happen.
May Allah protect them. What if they're not there anymore? What if
all these responsibilities come on you and and then you're just,
you know, it breaks your back. What are you going to do?
There are many stories like that, many stories, you know, where
people lost, for example, their their father, who was the the
breadwinner, and all of a sudden this person is very aloof, very,
you know, just what are you doing? Oh, I'm out with my friends
playing basketball, and now they have no idea how tough life is,
especially in this country, because it's very individualistic
society. Please understand this. Nobody's going to be there for
you.
Do those teeth up like
Chelsea bajo Tanase, bad Allah,
abjam Jana. It's not like a village, you know. They used to
have tribes which used to take care of them, you know. Now it's
not even in our own honor, based countries, you know, especially in
Pashtun and Arab and some other like Africans. And, you know,
it was very tribalistic, which was, you know, which work in their
favor? Because, you know, aches a and Nursey and falaz, you know,
they would, they would take care of each other.
That was the old time. Now, it's just every man for themselves.
That's it.
So nobody said, are you waiting for? What overwhelming poverty or
distracting richness? This is the opposite as well. It's like, how,
okay, shouldn't I be asking for, hey? Shouldn't be asking Yeah, but
sometimes, and this is, richness, becomes a distraction.
And you know, any person who has, let's say, lived here in the US,
and who goes back home, whether it's Afghanistan or Pakistan,
India, Bangladesh, they will tell you this, you go back home.
Everybody is, I mean, and we're not. You know, it's a reality.
They cannot afford anything. There's no electricity, no clean
water, right? Manga is just like killing their, you know, breaking
their backs. People are committing suicide there. This is what.
Nobody says this, you know, it's like overwhelming poverty. You
come here. It's exactly the opposite.
There's, there's so much real pale and, you know, everything is
there. And that also becomes distracting. People become so
distracted because you have everything Motown, nafs, Motte
nafs becomes because it's so comfortable. I have everything who
had to worry about electricity going, you know, you go home and
it goes away for a couple of hours like, oh my god, you know, just
Zamin goes circle, you go to Pakistan, and if you don't have
load shedding for like, seven, eight hours, you're like, hey, you
can Okay. It's everything, okay. That's miraculous.
So here richness becomes a distraction as well. A lot of
times it makes you talk like fir act like Firo,
and then Nabi says something or debilitating illness,
all this, covids and all this, you know, it's
or babbling senility, right? People become senile some over
time,
right? It's not that every person is going to be cognitively and,
you know, sharp, no, it's over time. You know, you lose it or
sudden that.
You know we have lost our own friends. And you know when people
just die without any reason, or that the JAL so that hidden evil
is what is awaited. You know, you know we don't know if the JAL is,
I mean, the Jali Nizam is getting, you know, established. Look at
what is happening in Philistine and Syria and other places. It's
like everything is just setting in place.
What are we waiting for? Do we think that we'll be able to oppose
the job in this sad state?
We can't even oppose our own nafs or shaitan, how are we going to
oppose the job
or the hour?
Nabi system said the hour is more
full of calamity and more bitter.
So this hadith is also telling us that you have to rush to do good
actions. And, you know, as salakin, as people who are, you
know, committed somewhat right, that we want to change. We want to
get close to Allah, subhanho wa Ta, these Hadith, I mean, they are
a framework in which to look at life. But.
These are named, and we should, again, we should look at them as
Nirma,
identify them, acknowledge them as NEMA Second, do Shiva for each and
every one of them. Allah, you gave me this, you gave me this, you
gave me this, and use it properly. Use your time. Use your Shahad,
use your Faraday, use your Jawani. You use all of that in the service
of the deen inshaAllah Tala, so on the Day of Judgment, we have
something to show for our life. May Allah subhanahu wa Tala make
it easy. May Allah Subhan wa Taala
not waste us away. May Allah subhanahu wa make us useful. Aminy
Abu Lamin, wahd avana And Alhamdulillah.