Ammar Alshukry – The Checklist for a Sound Heart Lessons from Surah Al Mutaffifin
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AI: Transcript ©
Inna alhamdulillah, nahmaduhu wa nastaeenuhu wa nastaghfiruhu wa
na'udhu billahi min shururi anfusina wa min
sayyi'ati a'malina man yahdihi allahu fa laa
mudhilla lah wa man yudhlil fa laa hadiya
lah wa ashhadu an la ilaha illallah wahdahu
la sharika lah wa ashhadu anna muhammadan abduhu
wa rasuluh wa safeehu min khalqihi wa khaleeluh
balagha alrisaal wa adda al amana wa nasaha
al umma tarakuhum ala almahajja al baydaa layluha
ka nahariha la yazeegu anha illa halik salatu
rabbiyu salamuhu alayhi Ibadallah, yaqulu Allah azawajal fi
kitabihi al kareem ba'da audhu billahi min al
shaytan al rajeem ya ayyuha allatheena amanu ittaqullaha
haqqa tuqatih wala tamutunna illa wa antum muslimoon
wa qala ta'ala ya ayyuhan nasu ittaqu
rabbakum allathee khalaqakum min nafsin wahida wa khalaqa
minha zawjaha wabatha minhuma rijalan kathira wa nisaa
wa ittaqullaha allathee tisaaluna bihi wal arhaam inna
allaha kana alaykum raqiba wa qala ta'ala
ya ayyuhan allatheena amanu ittaqullaha wa tulu qawlan
sadeeda yuslih lakum a'malakum wa yakhfir lakum dhunubakum
wa min yuta'i Allah wa Rasuluhu faqad
faazil fawzan azeema Amma ba'd All praise is
due to Allah.
We seek His guidance and His forgiveness and
we seek refuge in Allah from the evil
of ourselves and the whispering of our desires.
Whom Allah guides, no one can misguide and
whom He allows to be misled, no one
can guide and I bear witness that there
is nothing worthy of worship except Allah alone
having no partners and that Muhammad sallallahu alayhi
wasallam is His slave and His messenger.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the
Qur'an O you who believe, fear Allah
as He deserves to be feared and do
not die except in a state of Islam.
And Allah says, O mankind, fear your Lord
who created you from a single soul and
produced from that soul its mate and made
from their combination many men and women so
fear your Lord whom you ask each other
by and by the ties of kinship verily
Allah is ever watchful over you.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says O
you who believe, fear Allah and say that
which is correct He will correct for you
your deeds and forgive you your sins and
whoever obeys Allah and His messenger then they
are indeed victorious.
To proceed, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala when
you study the Meccan Qur'an you'll find
that the concepts of the chapters of the
Qur'an that were revealed before the Hijrah
revolve around calling people to the worship of
God alone establishing that there is a hereafter
there is a day of judgment that there
is the establishment of the messengership of Muhammad
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and the finality of
that message and yet among these chapters that
many of us are very familiar with especially
in that 30th juz' you'll find, interestingly enough
a chapter that deals with a particular element
of character a specific element of character when
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِينَ
Woe be to those who cheat the scales
Woe be to them and here Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala is talking about those who
when they sell الَّذِينَ إِذَا اكْتَالُوا عَلَى النَّاسِ
يَسْتَوْفُونَ they receive all of their payment or
when they buy from people they get their
weight in full but when they sell to
people they play with the scale they play
with the measurement so that they can sell
them less while still receiving payment in full
this idea is one that is manifested not
just in buying and selling but also anytime
when you have two different sets of scales
when you have two different scales of justice
when you have two different scales for outreach
for outrage when you have two different scales
for outrage when you have two different scales
for what you view to be a human
being and who is deserving of your support
and your defense when you have two different
scales for what you believe to be acceptable
who has the right to speak who has
the right to share and who doesn't and
I believe all of us are quite familiar
with this because we have been experiencing it
our whole lives and witnessing it our whole
lives we see it play out on the
most dangerous of territories when we see that
the children of Gaza are not given the
same outrage that the children of Ukraine receive
we see it even in sporting events when
we see the western world not broadcast the
opening ceremony of Qatar which is highlighting the
culture of the Muslims that which is beautiful
of our culture but broadcast the opening ceremonies
of Paris the Olympics that were highly criticized
Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la when
speaking of these scales and those who play
around with the measurements and the weights and
standards Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la
says أَلَا يَظُنُّ أُولَٰئِكَ أَنَّهُم مَبْعُوثُونَ لِيَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ
يَوْمَ يَقُومُ النَّاسُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ Allah Subh'anaHu
Wa Ta-A'la says do those people
not think that they are going to be
resurrected for a great day when all of
mankind stands in front of the Lord of
the worlds on that day the scales will
be perfect and on that day there will
be no oppression and on that day the
scales will be the scales of truth now
when you experience the bitterness of oppression how
does a person have resilience how does a
person absorb everything that we continue to absorb
Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la says
as we continue in Surah Al-Mutaffifin Allah
Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la says كَلَّا
بَرَّانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ when Allah
Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la is describing
the personality and the traits of those people
who play with the scales Allah calls them
the Mutaffifin at the beginning of the Surah
but then He calls them the Fujjar كَلَّا
إِنَّ كِتَابُ الْفُجَّارِ لَفِي سِجِّيدٍ He calls them
the Fujjar the transgressors and Allah Subh'anaHu
Wa Ta-A'la says rather there is
a paint that has been placed over their
heart there is a stain over their heart
and the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam he tells
us that تُعْرَضُ الْفِتَنْ عَلَىٰ الْقُلُوبِ كَعَرْضِ الْحَصِيرِ
عُودًا عُودًا the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam says
that trials are presented to a person's heart
like straws one after the other so when
a person's heart is presented with a trial
it could be any test in a person's
life you've got two choices this is what
you know Allah loves and this is what
you know is forbidden but when a person
absorbs that which is wrong then that stain
comes on to their heart and that person
who rejects that trial a white spot is
placed on their heart until the Prophet Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam said the hearts of people become
like two hearts completely different one is like
an overturned vessel in Sahih Muslim one of
them is like an overturned vessel when you
have a cup and you flip it over
no light can come into that cup anymore
and so it becomes like an overturned vessel
not recognizing right or wrong إِلَّا مَا أُشْرِبَ
مِنْ هَوَاهِ except what it absorbs of its
own hawa except what it likes and then
another heart becomes white smooth like a rock
it is not afflicted by trials as long
as the heavens and the earth stay that
person is not afflicted by trials anymore but
the point here is that there are people
and I want you to understand that there
are two types of people there are those
who recognize the truth they recognize what is
wrong those people are pharaonic they still reject
it though Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says
about Firaun and his people وَجَحَدُوا بِهَا وَاسْتَيقَنَتْهَا
أَنفُسُهُمْ ظُلْمًا وَعُلُوًّا they recognize the signs of
Moses they still rejected it as they were
certain of it ظُلْمًا out of oppression and
arrogance but then there are those who truly
simply see their way as the right way
no matter how wrong it is Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala He says Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala He says أَفَمَنْ كَانَ عَلَىٰ بَيِّنَةٍ
مِّن رَّبِّهِ كَمَنْ زُيِّنَ لَهُ سُؤُ عَمَلِهِ وَاتَّبَعُوا
أَهْوَاءَهُمْ Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says so
is he who is on clear evidence from
his word like him who the evil of
his work has been made attractive and they
follow their own desires these people follow their
own desires or Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
says أَفَمَنْ زُيِّنَ لَهُ سُؤُ عَمَلِهِ فَرَآهُ حَسَنًا
فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يُضِلُّ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ
as for the person who his actions have
been beautified for them their evil actions have
been beautified there are people who have sin
colored glasses they just see everything that they
do no matter how wrong it is they
see it as right and that is from
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala that is from
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala misguiding them, not
protecting them and so we ask Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala to guide us always but
when we see everything that we continue to
see play out, whether it's on the world
stage or whether it's locally here one of
the feelings that I believe a person is
inspired to have is gratitude that I am
not like them I am not somebody who
distinguishes between the dignity of any human being
I find them to all be worthy of
protection I am not someone who defends the
killing of anybody who is supposed to be
protected no matter their race no matter their
ethnicity no matter their religion no matter their
creed and what I am following when these
systems continue to fail I seek comfort in
that I am following a book that is
eternal in its truth Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta
'ala says inna hadha al-qur'ana yahdi
lillati hiya aqlam Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
says this Qur'an guides to that which
is best so we ask Allah Azza wa
Jal to make us of those who follow
this Qur'an that we be guided to
that which is most upright and that which
is best aqoolu ma simihtum wa astaghfirullah ilayhi
walakum fastaghfiru innahu alghafoorur raheem alhamdulillah wa salatu
salamu ala rasoolillah one of the elements that
a person has to have is they have
to have resilience they have to have resilience
you have to recognize that if you speak
truth then not everybody is going to like
you the prophets were not loved by their
people once they called them to Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala they were mocked they were
ridiculed Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says wa
kadhalika ja'anna li kulli nabiyyin adooan shayateena
al-insi wal-jin Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta
'ala also says wa kadhalika ja'anna li
kulli nabiyyin adooan min al-mujrimeen Allah says
we made for every prophet enemies when the
Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam came to Waraqa ibn
Nawfal the first day he had received his
revelation the first person that he met after
his wife Khadija brought him he said I
hope that I am with you when they
kick you out and the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam said are they going to expel me?
that's never happened before they lived in a
tribal system you were born into your tribe
you were never exiled from your tribe and
so he said yes nobody comes with the
message that you came with illa Udi except
that they made enemies they made enemies and
so a person recognizing that this is something
that comes with the territory whenever you are
working for truth whenever you are calling for
truth there are going to be people who
you are ruffling their feathers and you are
stepping on their toes and they are going
to react like someone who is being stepped
on on their toes are being stepped on
and so Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says
and I conclude with this Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala says in Surah Ali Imran he
says kullu nafsin dha'iqatul mu't kullu nafsin
dha'iqatul mu't every soul shall taste death
wa innama tuwaffa ujoorukum yawmul qiyama your reward
innama tufeedul hasr innama means only this your
reward will only be fulfilled on the day
of judgment what is the reward that I
am seeking faman zuhzih a'aninnar wa udkhila
aljanna faqad fath wama alhayatu aldunya illa mata
'ul ghur if I enter Jannah at 20
years old no matter what crime was committed
against me or 30 years old or 15
years old or 7 years old or 60
years old no matter what difficulty I go
through Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says whoever
is shifted is just to be shifted a
little bit from the hellfire to Jannah that
person has won and this world that we
are so attached to is simply mata'ul
ghurur it is simply a delusion of enjoyment
and then Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says
and this is expectation latublawunna you will be
tested fee amwalikum wa anfusikum in your wealth
and in yourselves wala tasma'unna mina allatheena
ootul kitaaba min qablikum and you will hear
from those who were given the book from
before you wamina allatheena ashraku athan kathira you
are going to hear a lot of hate
you are going to hear a lot of
harm you are going to hear you are
going to hear that which grieves you that
which harms you when we see the news
being manipulated that harms us it grieves us
when we see the truth being distorted that
grieves us that harms us when we hear
the message and the beauty of Islam being
manipulated and distorted that hurts us as well
and so Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says
you will see that and you will experience
that and then he says wa in tasbiru
watattaqoo fa inna dhalika min aazmil omoor if
you endure if you persevere if you have
sabr and if you have taqwa if you
have the fear of God that is a
resolve to aspire to so we ask Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala to grant us sabr
we ask Allah to grant us taqwa we
ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala to accept
our actions Allahumma inna nas'aluka aljanna wa
maa qarrab ilayha min qawlin wa amal wa
na'udhu bika mina alnaar wa maa qarrab
ilayha min qawlin wa amal Allahumma ati nafusana
taqwaaha zakkaha anta khairu man zakkaha anta waliyuha
mawlaha Allahumma rahmaaka bi ahlinna almustadha'afina fee
ghazza Allahumma kullahum naasirin yawma qalla alnaasir wakullahum
mu'inan yawma qalla almu'ina Allahumma dawi
jarhaahum wa taqabba shuhadaahum wa arham moutaahum wa
fukka asraahum Allahumma ya mujri al sahab ya
munzil al kitab ya hazim al lahzab Allahumma
ahzim a'daaka a'da al deen Allahumma arima feehim
aja'iba qudratik Allahumma innahum la ya'jizunak
Allahumma salli ala sayyidina muhammad wa qoomu ila
salatikum wa rahmah Allah