Ammar Alshukry – Redemption – Tawbah and Reconnecting With Allah

			So hamdu lillah wa salatu salam ala Rasulillah. While I also have the CMC Matthias lecture, they
will lay the hill Elijah who would actually do color wash rather than a hammer, then I'll go to sort
of philosophy of cinema ID. And my bad the cinematic won't have to live. But I go to everyone.
		

			It's a pleasure to be with you all. With ISG ah, and with main center, I did have the hamdulillah
the privilege and the great experience of being with the main center community for a couple of years
at Hamdulillah. And now I'm here back at Clearlake Islamic center
		

			in the southeast and Hamdulillah. So it's been it's been great.
		

			On the topic of Toba, on the topic of Toba Toba is returning to Allah subhanaw taala. And it is a
act of worship that is so beloved to Allah. Right from the get go. The prophets of Allah Allah who
seldom tells us a hadith that I have not found a more vivid description of Allah's happiness than
this hadith. The Prophet sallallaahu Salam tells us that Allah is more happy with the Toba of one of
you when when any one of us decides to give up a particular sin and return to Allah. Then a man who
has been travelling in a desert and has a camel, and on that camel is his food and his drink. It's
his entire life is on that camel, his ability to traverse this desert and not perish is on that
		

			camel. And then somehow he loses it. The camel escapes him. And so I want you to imagine like with
this hadith, I usually imagine like a two hour full fledged movie. This person is going through all
of the emotions, they are going from disbelief, to panic, to anger to pity, feeling pity on
themselves. And so finally they reached the state of despair, to coming to terms with the fact that
they're going to die. And after this person has gone through this entire emotional roller coaster.
		

			As he sits down to die, that's not part of the Hadith. This is just my envisioning. But in the
Hadith the Prophet sallallahu wasallam says that when they when they sat down, all of a sudden they
see their camel in front of them, their camel in front of them. Now I want you to imagine what is
the excitement? What is the jubilation when someone literally snatches life from the jaws of death,
he'd finally come to terms with the fact that he was going to die.
		

			And yet now he sees his camel in front of him with the fluid and with the water and all of that. And
that happiness that this man is experiencing in that moment is what the Prophet sallallaahu Selim
uses to describe Allah's happiness. The man is so happy he's so ecstatic that he looks up towards
the sky and he says Allahumma Anta Abdi one hour a book, he says, Oh Allah, you are my slave. He
wants to say You are my Lord. But he says, Oh Allah, you are my slave. And I am your Lord. The
province of Elijah is and there says
		

			that in Farah that he got everything mixed up because of how happy he was. Everything is jumbled
because of how excited he is. The province of delight SLM uses this striking example of happiness,
to describe Allah's happiness when you and I repent. It's amazing. Allah Subhana Allah calls himself
at the web, at the web, in Arabic grammar takes a form that's called fad. And there are a number of
names of Allah that take that form. When you have the shed in the middle like.
		

			Like, we'll have, like Bahar, when you hear these names, they indicate perpetuity, it means ALLAH
does this again and again and again. And again. Allah opens doors again and again, if Allah gives
gifts again and again, I don't wanna zap Allah provides every single day of our lives at the web,
when Allah names himself with the web, that indicates to us two things. Number one, Allah is the One
who inspires us to Toba. Allah is the One who inspires us, Allah is the one who sends signals to us.
Allah Subhana Allah is the one who changes our hearts, where we might look at different periods of
our life where we see that we were so attached to something we couldn't imagine living without it.
		

			And yet, ALLAH SubhanA data changes our hearts we're able to give it up and to become better people.
Allah is the One who inspires us and Allah Subhana Allah is the one who guides us that is a
manifestation of Allah tau Allah being a tow up. But number two, Allah is the One who is the one
that he accepts our repentance. That when we turn to Allah
		

			So he's the one who initiates and he's the one who accepts. Allah says to metab it him Leah Tubu.
Allah says and then Allah, Allah facilitated doba for them so that they may make Toba. Okay? And so
Allah Subhana Allah is the one who initiates and Allah Subhana Allah Allah is the One who accepts
and this is a manifestation of Allah's beautiful name. So from the get go, when we know that Allah
Subhana Allah loves Toba. This should become something that is Beloved to us. Because if Allah
Subhana Allah loves it, then I want to do that which Allah Subhana Allah loves, we were taught to
make in the drought Allahumma India's Luca hog Buck would have been a you hymnbook were who were who
		

			Bamileke your caribou Illa phobic. Oh Allah I asked you for your love, and the love of those you
love and the love of actions that will garner me your love and have the greatest actions that gunner
Allah Subhana Allah Allah is Love is Toba. So what are the what are the pillars of Toba? What are
the what are the things that the scholars mentioned that a person needs to be able to have Toba for
persons repentance to be accepted? Number one, the scholars mentioned that a person must have Azeema
that a person must have commitment to never commit the sin again. They're not playing a game.
They're not saying wink wink. I'm going to quit this during Ramadan. And then you're already
		

			planning in your mind even if you don't tell anybody
		

			that after Ramadan is over that you are going to go back and relapse right these planned relapses
these planned returns to since Allah Subhana Allah to Allah knows, Allah says, Bellini Insano Allah
NFCA basura welcome, Adela. It's all of them. Kiama. It's a really powerful, amazing verse, Allah
says, rather, a human being is a witness over themselves, even if they were to cast forward every
excuse, meaning at the end of the day, you know what you're doing. And you know, what you're
planning. And if you know it, Allah subhanaw taala knows it. So the first requirement is a person
having commitment. If a person tells you and says I want to lose weight, I really want to lose
		

			weight. It's the new year, new year new me, I'm really trying to lose weight I really have and
you're telling, and you tell them, you say, Hey, listen, if you want to lose weight, these are the
steps. It's no secret. At the end of the day, no matter what the diet is, at the end of the day,
it's counting your calories. And number two, what everybody tells you is diet and exercise. It's
those two things, all of these other programs, you look at them at the end of the day, they come
down to these two things. And so your friend is telling you and complain to you, but I want to lose
it. I want to lose weight, I don't want to say and then you're looking at them after July they say
		

			let's go have lunch or like okay, get where do you want to go? They're like we want to go and have I
want to have a burger and fries and you see them downing a milkshake. And so they're talking to you
about I really want to lose weight. This is the new year for me. You're gonna say to that hold on,
you're not committed.
		

			I mean, you're saying it, but you're not committed. And so what does that mean to us when it comes
to Toba? It means that a person has a very, very true analysis of themselves, they see. And they
analyze what are the things that put me in a position to commit those sins, and changing the
circumstances that lead them to committing those sins in the famous Hadith of the man who committed
99 murders. So the famous story of Toba, of course, I don't want to spend too long on it, because
everyone's heard it before. But 99, he ended up killing 100. But I want you to point I want to point
your attention to one thing, this man was sincere. And so he was told by the scholar eventually, at
		

			the end of the story, he said, you have to change your environment. You can't live in the same
neighborhood, be around the same people and say I want to repent, you cannot live the same life and
say you want to repent, you have to take committed steps towards changing your destiny. And so this
man had to go and live in another town where there would be a righteous people around him that would
help him worship Allah subhana data. And so for some of us, it does mean depending on what that
thing is, it may require a change in environment, it may require a change in friendship, it may
require a change of priorities, it may require a change in phone number. It may require getting off
		

			of social media, it may require a lot of different things. But commitment is when a person looks at
themselves honestly and says this is what I need to change and then take the steps to changing it.
Otherwise, it's just claims and everybody can claim that's easy to do for all of us. Number two,
they said that a person actually continue in their Toba
		

			than a person actually continue in their Toba meaning that I told persons told as valid while they
have not relapsed, and then after they've relapsed in sha Allah, their reward for that Toba if it
was for a year or two months or however long it was, it is still valid difference of opinion amongst
the scholars, but inshallah to Allah it is still valid Of course.
		

			And then all they're required to do is to simply get up, dust themselves off and continue again.
		

			Renew a Toba and if a person is sincere, if a person is sincere and committed, every fall that they
fall, every time that they get back up ALLAH SubhanA, Allah will accept their repentance every
single time, they're not playing a game with themselves, they're not playing the game with Allah
subhanaw taala. Every single time a person gets, you know, slips that that person gets back up Allah
Subhana Allah will accept the repentance, but we so far we've got commitment. And we've got
consistency. Number three, the scholars mentioned is regret, regret.
		

			And that net them this notion of regret, basically is that a person is not. They don't look back at
those memories funding.
		

			They're thankful to Allah Subhana Allah to Allah, that they're out of those circumstances. A lot of
people when you talk to them about their Jamelia days, they talk about back in the day, and they're
sitting there cackling and laughing and all that type of stuff. But would a person laugh about their
lifespan being shortened? And, you know, the scholars debate how righteousness increases a person's
lifespan, and how sins decrease a person's lifespan. And they did talk about sins, decreasing a
person's lifespan, and then real theme tries to resolve this in his book, The venom in the serum or
that would throw up the illness in the cure. And he says a person's real life is life that is with
		

			Allah subhanaw taala that a person's true life is life that is spent with Allah. And so when you
actually have a year, for example, where you didn't pray, or you have a year of your life, where you
were just completely distinct, committing every major sin or what have you, then that is that is a
year that's lost from your, from your benefit on the Day of Judgment, right? It's literally like a
person lived shorter. Okay, now, there are still other caveats that we can go through and Allah
subhanaw taala is Grace's is great, but a person shouldn't look back at that fondly. A person should
feel they should feel content, that this was what Allah subhanho data decreed. Or they can be
		

			consoled in knowing that Allah subhanaw taala wrote this for them, but that they carry this, they
don't look fondly over the sins that they committed. And then number four, they add a fourth pillar
or a fourth principle. And that is if it has to do with the rights of somebody else, that that
person's right has to be returned. So a person can't say I repent from stealing money, and you've
got in your bank account 1000s of dollars that were stolen from people, right, a person has to
return the rights of people that were harmed as best as they can. Even to the point where the
scholars mentioned if a person back bit someone privately, that they then turn around and go and
		

			seek forgiveness from that person and say to them, Hey, I'm sorry, I, because Allah subhanaw taala
can forgive all of the rights that are due to him. But the rights that have to do with other people
are more difficult. Those rights have to be resolved with those people. And so if a person is backed
by someone, the scholars say that a person should then go and ask that person for forgiveness. But
what if I go in, I asked that person for forgiveness, and they didn't know and now it's going to
cause an even bigger problem that they they're going to be even more hurt. And it's going to cause
even more tension, and it's going to cause even more problems that they found out that I said such
		

			and such about them. So if if that's the case, the scholars mentioned that in those same gatherings
in those same WhatsApp groups in those same iMessage groups or what have you, where a person
mentioned that person and back with that person or mock that person or what have you, that instead
that they speak goodly about that person and try to resolve it that way. money of course, should be
returned as best as possible. But this these four principles are for a person's a person's
repentance versus repentance. Now, the Prophet salallahu Salam He says, Yeah, you have not to boo oh
people to repent to Allah subhana wa Tada because I repent to Allah over 70 times a day. Or in
		

			another nation he said over 100 times a day the province the lies in him is constantly repenting to
Allah. Now this shows us that a person not only repent for their sins but a person also repent for
their good deeds.
		

			We even repent as we as we offer good deeds Ibrahim and in my in our building the GABA and salted
Bukhara and where are they saying Well Ben at Taco Bell Mina in the Kansas City Mulaney
		

			they say Our Lord accept from us you are the All accepting the All Knowing say me accepting or the
All Hearing and then until they say what to buy Lena in Toto. Oh, a lot and except from us. Well,
Eddie and M and Asik Anna what to Ballina? Oh Allah show us our ritual places and tobuy Dana
		

			show us our rights and to beheading except our repentance. Now, this is Ibrahim acnm. And it's my
aid and they're building the Kaaba and they're asking Allah subhanho data takes up their repentance,
after the Salah that we just offer we're seeking the loss of Hannah that is forgiveness as soon as
you offer so lots of money, have you sat down and you said of stuff for the last for the last the
hospital Allah? This is why are we saying that? Because whatever we offer of acts of worship, is it
what ALLAH SubhanA data deserves? No, it's not. In fact, even after the greatest act of worship that
any human being ever offered Rasulullah sallallahu sallam said he sat at 23 years of, of the message
		

			of Mohamed Salah Leidos Allah, Allah Subhana Allah says either jet and muscle biofit Right and NASA
Tolulope de la vida hamdulillah bigger Western fear who in who cannot awaba Allah tells the prophets
Allah sent him to seek his forgiveness, and that he is off Accepting of repentance. And so the
Prophet sallallahu Sallam used to make the art in his sujood and his record and he used to say
Subhanak, Aleppo, behenic are built fairly. And I shot of the line I said he was interpreting the
Quran, he was seeking forgiveness in his record and in his suit. So the final thing that I mentioned
is how do we interact with this concept of Dubai? Number one is that we repent to Allah Subhana
		

			Allah a lot. Number two, we never feel distant from Allah Subhana Allah to Allah, we all make
mistakes. We have people in our community who make May Allah protect us all even major sins, even
major sins.
		

			But nobody should ever feel that their sins disqualify them from ALLAH SubhanA diatas mercy if today
they turn around and seek to repent to Allah, Allah subhana dinosaurian borouge He describes a
genocide that happened. These were a people who are bleeding people who are massacred by a
disbelieving king in his army. And they were burned alive. trenches were built, they're called us
how to do it, the people of the trench, they were placed in trenches and the trenches were set fire
to and these people were cast into those trenches. It is a horrible episode. And Allah Subhana Allah
threatens me he says in the Lilina, feta mean you know, minute film Mala Mia to further my double
		

			Johanna, what am I that would have you that those who try it and persecuted the believers and then
did not repent? For them is the hellfire and for them is the the punishment of burning? But did you
catch that? Allah subhana data in that threat? There are two commas there's a caveat. And what's the
caveat? Allah subhanho data says and did not repent and did not repent. What does that mean? It
means that if those soldiers or that King had turned to Allah Subhana Allah to Allah in repentance,
after that incredibly heinous crime, Allah subhanho data would have forgiven them. So even in the
threat, there is this beautiful, amazing gesture of Allah subhanaw taala this capacity for
		

			acceptance of repentance so none of us should ever feel, sha Allah never done anything anywhere
similar to that, that we are beyond Allah Subhana Allah to Allah has acceptance of our repentance.
And number three, the last thing is, whatever you want from Allah, be that for other people, you
want mercy from Allah show mercy to other people.
		

			A last panel at the end it is right man, he loves those who are Merciful. Allah is Aileen, he loves
those who are knowledgeable. Allah is powerful. He loves the strong believer Allah is generous. He
loves the generous Allah Subhana Allah to Allah accepts and forgives. So we should also accept and
forgive ALLAH SubhanA Dias as well. Yeah for well yes while Allah to a boon AR for Allahu Allah.
Allah says, Let them forgive and overlook. Do you not wish for Allah to forgive you? And so ask
yourself the question, as we're preparing for Ramadan, even though it's only 70 days away, or less
than 70 days away now.
		

			I am asking Allah for forgiveness all the time. When people ask me for forgiveness, do I forgive
them? And ask yourself the question if by forgiving this person, Allah who would forgive me would I
forgive them?
		

			And Allah Subhana Allah knows best