Aqeel Mahmood – Avoid Superstition

AI: Summary ©
The importance of Islam in shaping the future is discussed, including the need for people to have the knowledge of Islam to avoid harm and misules. superstitions like "good luck" and "good speech" can lead to happiness and success, but negative emotions like anxiety and fear can also negatively impact our daily lives and relationships with Allah. Going back to the benefits of superstitions in Islam, including wary things that can affect our daily lives and relationships with Allah subhanahu wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa wa
AI: Summary ©
Alhamdulillah, we praise Him, seek His help, and
seek His forgiveness.
And we seek refuge in Allah from the
evil of our souls and from the evil
of our deeds.
Whom Allah guides, no one is misguided, and
whom He misguides, no one is guided.
And I bear witness that there is no
god but Allah, alone, no partner.
And I bear witness that Muhammad is His
servant and Messenger.
O you who have believed, fear Allah as
He should be feared.
And do not die except as Muslims.
O you who have believed, fear your Lord
who created you from one soul, and created
from it its wife, and spread among them
many men and women.
And fear Allah with whom you ask for
help and mercy.
Indeed, Allah is ever watching over you.
O you who have believed, fear Allah and
say the right words.
He will correct your deeds and forgive your
sins.
And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has
won a great victory.
Indeed, the truth of the hadith is the
Book of Allah.
And the best gift is the gift of
Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
And he has shared the affairs of its
innovations.
And every innovation is an innovation, and every
innovation is a misguidance.
And every misguidance is in the Fire.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, brothers and sisters,
is the one who has knowledge over all
things.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is the
only one who deserves to be worshipped.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in the Qur
'an, in many places, He speaks about His
knowledge and His power.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, Verily, it
is Allah alone who has knowledge of the
hour.
And He is the one who sends down
the rain.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala continues.
He speaks about His knowledge of the hour.
He speaks about Him being the only one
who decides where the rain descends on earth.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, He is
the one who knows what is in the
womb.
And this also includes whether or not this
person in the womb, before it is born,
is going to be righteous, if it's going
to be a sinner, if it's going to
be from the inhabitants of paradise or hellfire.
Everything has been written.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, And a
soul does not know what he's going to
earn tomorrow.
This is something which only Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala has knowledge of.
A person, he may think that he has
a job which is a permanent job that
he's going to have for years.
And then he realizes he's lost his job.
He may believe and think that his business
which he owns and he's had for a
long time is secure and safe.
And then he realizes that he's going to
become bankrupt.
And that he'll have to find other means
of sustenance.
All of this, brothers and sisters, is in
the hands of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
It's knowledge which only Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala himself possesses.
Allah says, And a soul doesn't know on
which land he is going to die.
How many times have we heard or known
about people we know from our family members
or friends when they travel somewhere else away
from the land where they lived and they
end up passing away as a result of
an accident or an illness?
How many times have we heard about people
coming here from other parts of the world
just to visit on holiday for a temporary
amount of time and they end up passing
away away from home?
All of this, brothers and sisters, is in
the hands of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
This is part and parcel of the knowledge
of Allah.
And it's one of the reasons, from the
many reasons, why we have this complete reliance
and tawakkul upon Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
In other ayat, Allah speaks about His knowledge
being more than the knowledge of everything else
put together.
His knowledge is knowledge which He has of
things which we can't even see.
Things which are invisible to us.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, وَعِنْدَهُمَّ فَاتِحُ
الْغَيْبِ He has the keys to the unseen.
He is aware of the unseen.
He knows what is happening with regards to
the world of the angels and the world
of the jinn.
He knows what's happening in paradise, in hellfire,
in the deepest and darkest depths of the
ocean.
All of these things, brothers and sisters, is
in the knowledge of Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala.
وَيَعْلَمُ مَا فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ He knows what
is happening on land and He knows what
is happening in the oceans.
وَمَا تَسْفُطُ مِنْ وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعْلَمُهَا And there
is no leaf that falls except that Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala has knowledge of it.
Where it's going to fall, how it's going
to fall, where it's going to land.
This is the depths and the greatness of
the knowledge of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And nothing happens except by the permission of
Allah azza wa jal.
And this is why, brothers and sisters, our
reliance should be upon Allah.
And when we look at the future, it's
something which nobody knows except Allah.
And He is the one who has control
of the future just as He had control
of the past and He has control of
the present.
And so our reliance should be only upon
Allah.
In the days of Jahiliyyah and even today,
there are people who rely on things which
in fact have no power.
They're not able to read the future and
predict the future.
They don't have any power to cause even
harm to you.
Yet people end up having some kind of
fear or reliance on these things.
In the days of Jahiliyyah, they would have
similar superstitions.
For example, they would rely on animals or
inanimate objects to dictate what they should do
in the future.
Superstitious beliefs.
For example, they would look up into the
sky and if they saw a bird, they
would make decisions about whether or not they
would travel or do some kind of business
deal based on which direction the bird flew.
And if the bird flew right, they would
make a decision to travel.
If the bird flew left, they would decide
not to travel.
All based on the bird's directions.
They would, for example, have other superstitions such
as having things similar to dice.
And they would roll the dice and whichever
side faced upwards, that would dictate based on
whatever was facing upwards, what they should do
and what they shouldn't do.
And these superstitions, brothers and sisters, dictated what
they should do.
They gave these inanimate objects or even those
animals powers which they never had.
And it's something which exists today.
Superstitions.
Things which are considered bad luck or good
luck.
Good luck charms and bad luck charms.
For example, a person has a mirror in
his home.
And the mirror falls and breaks.
Certain people think and they assume based on
their superstitious beliefs that because of the mirror
breaking in the home, they will now have
7 years of bad luck.
This is the belief.
That the mirror has some kind of ability
and power to cause you 7 years of
harm and 7 years of bad luck.
And no doubt, brothers and sisters, something bad
will happen to you in those 7 years
because this is the decree of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
It has nothing to do with mirrors.
A person is walking down the street and
he sees a black cat walk in front
of him.
And he considers this to be bad luck.
That it's going to cause harm.
Or that it has the ability, the potential
to cause him harm.
Something bad will happen to him as a
result of that black cat walking in front
of him.
But it's just a cat that maybe saw
some food on the other side of the
street.
And it was just walking across.
But the person has these superstitious beliefs.
A person, for example, spills salt on the
table.
And they say this is bad luck.
And even more crazy is they say if
you pick up the salt and throw it
over your shoulder, the bad luck is removed.
It's wiped away.
It's fine.
These kinds of superstitions, brothers and sisters, they
could resort to a person committing shirk.
Because you're associating partners with Allah by giving
powers that only Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
has to things which are either inanimate or
if they do have life, they don't have
the potential to cause you that kind of
harm.
They don't have the ability.
And so you're ascribing powers that only Allah
azza wa jal has to things which will
cause you no harm.
Irrational types of fears.
Superstitions.
A person goes palm reading, for example.
And the palm reader reads things.
And as a result of this, the person
becomes scared because the man said bad things
are going to happen to you today, or
this week, or this month.
And no doubt, bad things happen to everybody.
Bad things happen to the messenger of Allah
a.s. But it was as a decree
from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And it's something which we believe.
But the believer is always patient and reliant
upon Allah in all circumstances.
Moreover, brothers and sisters, when a person has
these kinds of superstitious beliefs, he ends up
having irrational fears, stresses, worries, anxieties.
He starts to become worried.
He's completely fine.
He wakes up in the morning happy, content,
ready for the day.
Leaves his home.
Sees a black cat.
Now it's the worst day of his life.
He's now anxious and stressed and sad and
doesn't know what's going to happen.
Where the harm will come from?
Even though nothing actually has happened.
Because he doesn't have reliance upon Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
Other superstitions.
Good luck charms.
People think a four-leaf clover will give
them benefit.
Other types of good luck and bad luck
charms and things which people perceive to bring
them good luck and bad luck.
These things make a person stressed and anxious.
He's worried and stressed about things which won't
benefit him and won't cause him any harm.
And this is how he ends up living
his days.
The believer on the other hand, when he
has complete reliance upon Allah azza wa jal,
he doesn't fear those things which he knows
won't cause him any harm.
There are no superstitions.
And this is what the Messenger of Allah
a.s.w. will tell us.
There are no evil omens.
And there are no animal superstitions.
And then he said, salallahu alayhi wa sallam,
وَيُعْجِبُنِيَ الْفَأَلُ And fa'al impresses me.
And the companions they said, Oh Messenger of
Allah, what is fa'al?
And the Prophet a.s.w. he said,
كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً Good speech.
Saying good things to others.
As opposed to a person assuming bad things
and thinking bad things, he spreads good by
saying good things to others.
Encouraging people to do good things.
Saying good things.
Positive remarks.
Praising people.
In a manner in which a person will
be encouraged to do more good things.
A person is always saying nice things.
Being kind.
Showing acts of mercy.
And Allah a.s.w. speaks about the
blessings and the benefits of good speech.
Allah alikens it to a tree.
أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتُ Its roots are firm.
وَفَرْعُهَا فِي السَّمَاءِ And its branches are way
high up in the sky.
Meaning it's something which will benefit the person
who is saying it.
And the benefits are such that a person
can tell somebody something positive.
And that person could remember that remark, that
good speech that he was given and he
was told for the rest of his life.
How many times brothers and sisters have we
been in a circumstance or situation where somebody
has encouraged us.
Given us support.
Said good things.
In times of difficulty and we never forget
those people.
Because it has an effect.
تُعْتِي أُقُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍ Allah says it gives
its fruits all the time.
This tree which is good speech, saying good
things.
It's always beneficial to the person who says
them and the person who earns them or
receives them.
So brothers and sisters, superstitions in Islam are
things which we have to be wary of.
And it's something which can affect our deen.
And it can affect our connection and relationship
towards Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And it can affect our daily lives.
أَقُولُ قَوْلِ هَذَا وَاسْتَغْفِرُ اللَّهَ لِوَلَكُمْ إِنَّهُ هُوَ
الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ بسم
الله الرحمن الرحيم.
الحمد لله رب العالمين.
والصلاة والسلام على أشرف الأنبياء والمرسلين.
نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين.
Brothers and sisters, we were speaking about the
dangers of superstitions.
And having superstitious beliefs.
And how it's something which can affect our
relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And it's something which affects us on a
daily basis because a person becomes stressed, anxious
because he saw something or he heard something
or he experienced something which he believes will
cause him harm.
But in fact all things which happen to
him are as a result of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
And Allah azza wa jal in the Quran
speaks about harm which afflicts a person.
Allah says, وَمَا أَصَابَكُم مِّن مُصِيبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ
أَيْدِيكُمْ Whatever harm afflicts you, whatever harm comes
to you, it's because of what your own
hands have done.
It's as a result of your own actions.
The things you've said to others, the lying
and the backbiting and the ghiba and the
slander and the curses.
It's about things you've said, things you've done,
the things you've done with your eyes, the
sins of the eyes, the sins of the
hands.
Those sins that you commit, brothers and sisters,
are a cause for a person having trials
and tribulations in his life.
How can a person remove those superstitious, false
superstitious beliefs from his heart and from his
mind?
Number one, brothers and sisters, as we've already
mentioned, having complete tawakkul in Allah azza wa
jal.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, وَمَن يَتَوَكَّلْ
عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ Whomsoever has tawakkul and
trust upon Allah, then that is enough for
him.
He doesn't need anything else.
He doesn't need anybody else.
And the companions were at the forefront of
having complete reliance upon Allah.
They would never ask others for things because
of their reliance upon Allah.
Their dependency upon Allah was on a different
level.
Sometimes the companions would be on their horses
and their whip would fall from their hands
and land on the floor.
And they wouldn't ask anybody who was next
to them, walking beside them, to pick it
up for them.
They would come off their horses and pick
it up themselves.
Because they felt like they were dependent on
others and they could have done those things
themselves.
And they were completely dependent upon Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
Number two, brothers and sisters, from the ways
a person can avoid superstition, is by increasing
in doing good deeds.
The scholars, they say, that every time you
spend in obedience towards Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala, you'll find its blessings and its fruits
and its rewards.
And every single time you spend in evil
and in sin, you're going to taste that
evil and the consequences of that evil in
your life, in the future, in one way
or another.
So, brothers and sisters, ensuring that a person
continues and increases in good deeds, especially considering
the month of Ramadan is almost upon us,
in a couple of months' time.
Practicing new good deeds that maybe he hasn't
done before.
Getting into the habit of being consistent in
some good deeds.
Starting something new from the good deeds established
in the Quran and Sunnah that he hasn't
done before, will enable a person to have
more reliance upon Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And finally, brothers and sisters, making dua.
The scholars, they would say, الدعاء صلاح المؤمن
that the dua, the supplication, is the weapon
of the believer.
Regardless of which circumstance you may be in,
what calamities are befalling you, what trials you
may be going through, even if everybody has
abandoned you, dua is a weapon which you
will always have.
Even if nobody else is with you and
nobody else is supporting you, Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala will always respond if you supplicate
to Him.
This is something which a person always has
with him.
And Allah azza wa jal hears and sees
everything, as we've already mentioned.
If Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala can see
everything, can hear everything, knows everything, and knows
the future, it only makes sense that when
we rely, we rely only upon Allah.
And when we supplicate, we supplicate with the
belief that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has
the knowledge, the ability, and the power to
be able to listen and respond to our
supplications.
We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that
He gives us the ability to be able
to remove any superstitions from our lives and
from our hearts.
And that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala increases
our tawakkul in Him.
Allahumma salli ala Muhammad wa ala aali Muhammad.
Kama sallita ala Ibrahim wa ala aali Ibrahim.
Innaka hamidun majeed.
Allahumma barik ala Muhammad wa ala aali Muhammad.
Kama barikta ala Ibrahim wa ala aali Ibrahim.
Innaka hamidun majeed.
Allahumma aghfir al muslimin wa al muslimat wa
al mu'minin wa al mu'minat.
Al ahya'i minhum wa al amwat.
Inna Allah ya'murukum bil adli wal ihsan wa
ita'idil qurba wa ninha'an al fahsha
'i wa al munkari wa al baghi.
Ja'idukum la'alakum tadhakarun.
Wa ladhikru Allahi a'ala wa awla wa
akbar.
Wallahu ya'alamu ma tasna'oon.