Ali Hammuda – The Chosen Ten #10 Remarkable Wisdom – Umar RA
AI: Summary ©
The speaker discusses the importance of self accountability in pursuing heavenly dreams and highlights the use of the word "s race" in the Prophet's teachings. They encourage individuals to be mindful of their actions and to weigh up their deeds before they are weighed for their actions. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of self accountability in pursuing one's spiritual goals and offers advice on how to remove one's negative views.AI: Transcript ©
Seeing that the light of Iman had now
infused with the very essence of Omar since
the day he embraced Islam,
Pearls of wisdom became a feature of Omar,
speaking eternal truths that would continue to impress
to the end of time.
I take you on a tour of some
of these eternal gems that were uttered by
Amir ul Momineen Omar.
Except the matters of the hereafter.
The Arabs used to despise haste. They used
to call it the mother of regret. Omar
however is correcting a misunderstanding
and that this rule should apply to all
things with the exception to the matters of
the Hirafda.
In its case, no time is to be
wasted in drawing nearer to Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala and making a case for himself, herself
before death. Life is so sure. The competitors
for paradise are so many, and your Lord
is most deserving. When it comes to your
journey to the home of the hereafter, you
are in a race against time. And according
to the Quran, the greater the goal is,
the greater one's rush should be towards it.
Consider how when speaking about worldly pursuits, the
Quran uses the term, famsu, walk.
But when talking about the journey to prayer,
it uses the term,
proceed.
But when speaking about our pursuit of paradise,
it uses the term
race. But when speaking about our pursuit of
Allah, it uses the term
So not every ambition in life deserves the
same amount of effort. Let your slogan in
life be the words of the prophet of
Allah Musa who said, I
rush to you my Lord so that you
may be pleased.
This is the first gem of Amirul Mumineen
Umar. He said composure is praiseworthy in every
matter, except the matters of the hereafter.
What other pearls of wisdom did Omar Ata?
He once said,
hold yourselves accountable before you are held accountable.
And weigh up your own deeds before they
are weighed for him.
I'm preparing yourselves for the ultimate court hearing,
a hearing when nothing from you shall be
hid.
Because certainly your accountability
on the day of judgment will be made
easy if you start your accountability
today. Allahu Akbar, look at the ethic of
businessmen and their level of critique and assessment
when it comes to their business. How particular
they are to whom they hire, fire, their
reaction to losses, their focus on detail, and
their vision for the future. Yes, the businessman
is always in a state of muhasada, self
accountability.
The same can be said about elite athletes.
What is it that made Michael Jordan the
best basketball player of all time? Well, for
starters, his colleague said that he constantly criticized
every aspect of his game, his dunk, his
dribble, his jump shot, his 3 point range.
Again, Muhasibah, self accountability.
As a Muslim who believes that life starts
post death, you are the worthiest of those
who act upon this ethic of Muhasaba,
self accountability.
So, similar to the examples I shared with
you, ask yourself, who have I taken as
friends? What strengths am I allowing to go
to waste in my life? What weaknesses have
I allowed to linger for years? Hold yourself
accountable for every word you utter. Was it
for Allah? Should I have stayed quiet? Am
I showing off? Then ask yourself, was I
on top of my 5 prayers today? A
week has passed but is my iman or
knowledge of my religion stationary? Ask yourself a
year has passed yet my heart is as
tough as a rock. Why am I unable
to shed a tear in remembrance of Allah?
How beautiful were the Wajah Val Hasan al
Basri who said,
Never did I glance at a matter or
utter a word or strike something with my
hand or took a step with my foot
except that I first ask myself,
is this in the cause of a good
deed or a sin? If it is in
the former, I proceed. But if it is
in the latter, I refrain.
This exercise of self accountability is tough. It
is one that requires immense courage and intelligence.
So if you lose enthusiasm,
remember why you are doing it. As Umar
he said and listen to his words again,
hold yourselves accountable before you are held accountable
and weigh up your deeds before they are
weighed up for you and prepare yourselves for
the ultimate court hearing when nothing from you
shall be hid. Because certainly your accountability on
the day of judgement will be made easy
if you start your accountability
today.
What other pearls of wisdom did Umar Ata?
He once said,
Whoever traverses the pathways of doubt will be
doubted. What does Umar here mean, radiAllahu anhu?
Umar is warning the Muslims saying to them
that if you behave in doubtful ways, then
don't expect people to think well of you,
nor should you be alarmed when they start
talking, whether it's through outlandish stress or the
lack thereof, whether it's strange
social media posts, unrighteous friends you walk with,
or other covert relationship,
realize that people will talk and when they
do, blame none other than yourself. People can
only judge by what they see, the apparent.
So don't give people a reason to doubt
your character, nor the religion that you represent.
When the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was once
walking with his wife Safiyyah back to her
home, during the night before returning to the
Masjid, 2 men saw him. They lowered their
heads and rushed away. At once, he called
them back and he said,
He said to them, slow down, wait. This
is Safiyyah, daughter of Hawyayyah. In other words,
he is saying to them, this is my
wife. I am not walking with a strange
woman. They replied,
Glory be to Allah, o Messenger of Allah,
as if to say, we would never doubt
you. But he replied,
Shaitan flows through humans like the flowing of
blood. And I fear that he may place
an evil thought in your hearts towards me.
So if this was the Prophet's effort in
saving his reputation and character from doubt, how
then should the effort be for the rest
of us who are far lesser than him?
And the scholars of Islam have said that
this ethic is particularly emphasized
with respect to scholars or those who have
a following. It is not permissible they say
for them to engage in matters that will
cause them to be doubted even if they
have a justification
as this will nullify the value of their
knowledge.
So remove yourself from every situation that may
cause disrepute to yourself or the religion that
you represent. Omar, he said, whoever traverses the
pathways of doubt will be doubted.
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