Aqeel Mahmood – Taking Action
AI: Summary ©
AI: Transcript ©
One of the problems
that we have as Muslims today facing
western norms in western society,
and
Muslims not just living in the west,
but it's a problem
which
spans the whole globe.
And this problem
is
the fact that
it's as if we're living a dual identity.
It's as if we're living a double life.
We come into the masjid
for a lecture, for a khutba, for a
talk, for a seminar,
and we hear the words
of the lecturer or the speaker,
and we take this knowledge in.
And then when we leave the masjid,
we don't act upon the knowledge that we
had.
We don't implement the knowledge
that we've heard in the masjid itself.
It's like as if we leave the Masjid
and
our minds are wiped clean from whatever we
heard in the Masjid,
and that it only pertains to us being
in the Masjid that we have to act
upon the things that we hear.
We leave the Masjid and we don't implement
what we hear, and we don't implement
what we learn.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, he says in the
Quran,
Oh you who believe,
why do you say that which you don't
do?
It's a great thing in the sight of
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. It's a big sin
that a person
says something but he doesn't act upon whatever
he says.
He hears some benefit,
he hears some knowledge, but he doesn't actually
act upon the things that he hears himself.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala he says,
Do you order the people to do righteous
things?
And you forget yourselves, you don't even think
about acting upon the knowledge that you've heard
yourself?
The messenger of Allah
he was talking about the day of judgement.
And he was talking about the punishments of
the hellfire.
Because he saw them with his own eyes
when he traveled with the angel Jibril alaihis
salam in that miraculous journey that he went
on.
And he started to describe some of the
things that he saw
And he
said, I saw men
whose lips were being cut with scissors made
of fire
in the hellfire.
I saw men whose lips were being cut
with scissors of fire.
And so he said to Jibril, who are
these people, O Jibril?
And Jibril replied and he said these are
the khadibs from among your ummah.
The khadibs from among your ummah who used
to enjoin righteousness
on the people and they used to forget
themselves. And they used to recite the Quran.
They used to recite the book of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala, but they never understood what
they used to recite.
The messenger of Allah alaihi wa sallam
talked about the day of judgement.
And he described
those people who'll be waiting
for
their books,
and
for them being accountable for everything that they
did and said in this world.
And he said that a person that a
person will not be let go on the
day of judgment. He won't be allowed to
pass.
He won't be allowed to pass until
he is asked about specific things,
Until he's asked about his life and how
he spent his life. What he did with
his life that he was given by Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And you'll be asked about his knowledge
and what he did with his knowledge.
See it's not enough for a person to
just know things.
You know sometimes we hear a hadith, sometimes
we hear ayaats, about Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
telling us to do something,
forbidding us from something.
The messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
telling us to do something,
telling us the rewards of doing something, telling
us not to do something, to stay away
from something.
But yet we still go and do those
things which we're not supposed to do, even
though we know it's wrong.
And when we know something is
obligatory upon us, we still don't do it.
Even though we have that knowledge.
So it's not enough for an individual
just to know. He has to act upon
the knowledge that he's been given by Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
There was
a righteous,
scholar of the past
and
he was talking about this issue, this issue
of not acting upon what you know. And
he said that
he said I fear for myself
That I will be asked in front of
the whole of the creation of Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala.
He will be asked He said I'll be
afraid that I'll be asked
did you learn?
And I'll say yes.
And then I'll be asked,
what did you do with what you knew?
What did you do with the knowledge that
you had?
What did you do with this knowledge that
you had in your head?
The knowledge that you gained and you heard
from people,
what did you physically do with it? And
the scholars of the past, they would say
that the people
won't be happy with a scholar
who speaks but doesn't act upon what he
says.
And they won't be happy with someone who
acts without knowledge as well.
It's also said that Abu Darda
radhiallahu an he said
that you won't be a scholar
until you first learn
that knowledge
in order to become a scholar.
And then he said you won't learn that
knowledge
until you act upon the knowledge that you've
heard.
So a person has to make sure
in order to retain that knowledge that he's
heard,
in order to keep it, he has to
act upon it. You have to go out
and implement the knowledge that you've been given
by Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Ibn Raja Ibrahimahuwala,
he said that knowledge is the tree.
Knowledge is the tree and actions are the
fruit of that tree.
Knowledge brothers and sisters that you don't act
upon
is like wealth that you don't spend.
It's like money that you have in the
bank account, money that you have on you
that you're not even spending. It was said
that just like you won't benefit from your
wealth until you spend it, you won't benefit
from knowledge until you act upon that knowledge
that you have.
There's no it's no benefit for you.
It's just information
in your head until you physically implement implement
that knowledge.
And when you leave the masjid
for any type of talk, any type of
lecture, any type of khutbah,
whatever it may be, don't just leave admiring
what was said.
Don't just leave thinking about what was said
and talking to others about what was said.
Rather act upon the knowledge that you had.
Implement it in your life.
1 of the scholars of the past,
he said that whoever goes out
wanting knowledge,
that knowledge won't benefit him.
If a person goes out wanting knowledge, then
that knowledge isn't going to benefit him. But
whoever goes out wanting to act upon the
knowledge that he hears, that will benefit him
even if he hears something minor,
even if he hears something small, even if
it's not some amazing thing that he hears.
If he acts upon what he hears, that's
truly what's going to benefit the individual.
He said to the people, don't be deceived
by the one who reads the Quran.
Don't be deceived by the individual
who recites the book of Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala. It's just words which are read.
It's just words that are read. Don't be
deceived by that individual.
But look at the one who acts upon
the Quran.
Look at the individual
who when he reads the Quran, he understands
what's being read and he acts upon whatever
is being recited by him.
Actions brothers and sisters and the importance of
actions
is something which every single one of us
needs to know.
Actions themselves
help us keep our knowledge and retain our
knowledge. 1 of the scholars of the past,
he said that we used to help
our memorization
of hadith. We used to aid this memorization
of hadith
by implementing
and acting upon them.
That's how a person retains his knowledge. There
needs to be practical implementation
of whatever a person learns and hears.
One of the scholars of the past he
said knowledge is understood
with good manners.
Knowledge is understood with good manners. If a
person doesn't have the right adab, doesn't have
the right etiquette, that knowledge won't register in
his mind.
And he said and with knowledge your actions
are rectified.
If a person doesn't know his actions aren't
going to be correct, he's going to be
doing things incorrectly.
And then he said with actions you will
attain Hikma.
You will attain wisdom
because of the actions that you perform.
One of the scholars also mentioned
about the importance of actions
and acting upon what you know. He said
a scholar will continue to be ignorant
until he acts upon the knowledge that he
has.
Performing actions, doing the actions,
doing good deeds is what's going to get
us into Jannah itself brothers and sisters.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says
by time itself. He swears by time.
Mankind
is at a loss. You all know this
surah.
Mankind is at a loss.
Man is a loser.
Except for the one who believes
and he performs
righteous deeds.
See it's not enough for a person just
to know. In order for a person to
be successful,
for him not to be a loser in
this life and in the hereafter,
he needs to make sure that he's he's
performing righteous deeds. He's doing deeds that will
make him enter into paradise.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala he says, And
those who believe
and they do righteous deeds,
they do righteous deeds.
They are the inhabitants
of paradise.
They are the ones who will enter paradise.
They will enter into it forever and ever,
never leaving it. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says,
He says we will surely give them their
reward in the hereafter.
According to the best of what they used
to do.
Because of what they used to do in
this world.
That's how a person will enter into Jannah.
Not simply by what he knows.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala talks about those who
will enter into paradise
and the angels who will greet them before
they enter into paradise.
And he describes what the angels will say
and how they'll greet those who will be
entering into eternal bliss.
What will the angels say?
The ones whom the angels
will take
They'll they'll take their souls
in a pure and good and gentle manner.
And then when they will enter into paradise,
the angels will say Salamun 'alaikum.
Peace be upon
you. Salaamun alaikum.
Enter into paradise
for what you used to do.
Because of what you used to do.
So actions brothers and sisters is what's going
to get us into Jannah
itself. And we need to make sure that
when we leave the masjid, whenever we hear
a piece of advice, whenever we hear a
hadith,
whenever we hear an ayah, it's not just
enough just to retain that knowledge and just
to hear it and admire it and think
about how amazing it is. We have to
act upon it if you really want to
benefit from that knowledge.
We talked about the importance of actions
and how a person needs to implement what
he's learned and act upon the knowledge that
he hears.
So that it will be a cause for
him to enter into Jannah. Because no one
will enter into Jannah except by the deeds
that they used to do life.
Now how can an individual
implement that knowledge? How can he practically go
out and do actions?
Because we are falling short in this category.
And I advise myself before I advise anybody
else, that sometimes we say things
and we advise people and we might mention
a hadith or we might mention aya, but
we don't
really implement that aya or that hadith in
our lives.
So how can an individual do this?
What can we do to make sure that
whenever we hear something we act upon it?
The most important thing
is
sincerity.
Making sure that whatever we do with any
act of worship, we're doing it for the
sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
One of the companions he said
It might be that a person does a
small deed, something minor,
something small, something maybe some people might think
is insignificant.
Because of his intention, that action becomes enormous
and huge in the sight of Allah Subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
Because of the purity of his sincerity,
his
And it might be the opposite as well.
That a person does a huge act. He
gives lots of money in charity,
but his intention isn't for the sake of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And because of that
that deed in the sight of Allah, even
though it was huge for that individual and
for the people who saw, because of his
incorrect intention and because of his lack of
sincerity, it's going to be tiny in the
sight of Allah. It's going to be insignificant.
It's not going to matter.
It's not going to have any effect for
him. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala he says,
worship Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala purely for his
religion, for his sake.
When a person does something
for other than the sake of Allah, he's
not going to make as much effort. We
always hear about sincerity.
You know, we always hear about how a
person should do things for the sake of
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. And sometimes we get
tired of hearing this all the time.
You know we think, yeah I've heard this
before, I know this. Tell me something else
that I can do. But a person when
he thinks this, he doesn't understand the enormity
of this, this single
note and this single point.
When a person does something for other than
the sake of Allah, he's not going to
be trying as hard as if he was
doing it for the sake of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
How is this?
If a person gives in charity
or he's praying because he sees some people
there and he wants to impress them,
and he wants to do it so that
they start praising him.
Once they start praising him, he's going to
stop doing that action
because his job is done.
He's got what he wanted from the people
which was their praise,
you know. It was their attention.
He wanted then He wanted them to notice
him.
And so once they notice him, once they
start to praise him, that's it. He's achieved
his goal and he's not going to make
as much effort. When a person does something
for the sake of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala,
he doesn't know whether his action has been
accepted or not.
And so he's going to continuously be trying.
He's never going to give up. He's always
going to be doing good deeds for the
sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And part of this brothers and sisters
is making sure that when we learn an
ayah
or when we learn a hadith,
that
we don't hear this ayah and hear this
hadith
and then think to ourselves,
I know someone
who does that act even though it's forbidden.
Now that I've heard this hadith, I'm going
to go to that person and tell him
about this hadith.
Even though he might be falling short himself
with regards to that piece advice that he's
heard himself.
And so he starts tell other people and
he uses it as ammunition.
You know he goes to other people, he
starts telling them.
He just heard the hadith and just heard
the ayah himself. Just heard these points of
benefit, but he hasn't implemented
it himself in his own life. Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala says,
Oh you who believe, save yourselves
and then your families from the hellfire.
Save yourselves 1st and foremost.
Don't listen to a hadith or an ayah
and then go and start looking at people
who aren't doing that and then start using
that hadith as ammunition and argument arguing against
them and putting them down, but you're not
even implementing this ayah or hadith yourself.
Who were you to go and tell other
people about an ayah or a hadith when
you're not even implementing that hadith and ayah
yourself?
Do you think you're better than the rest
of the people?
You know, do you think that you're perfect
and you're high and might that you don't
need to implement that hadith or Aya yourself?
A person needs to understand that he needs
to implement that that Aya in his own
life.
Why do you say things that you don't
do?
Why do you say things to other people
when you know you've got your own shortcomings?
You know you're not perfect.
Nobody is perfect.
So a person needs to make sure when
he has some points of benefit, don't go
around looking and aiming it at other people
first. Look at your own self, look at
how you can implement that hadith and that
Ayah in your own life, On yourself first
and foremost, on your families.
Another way of implementing
the knowledge that we hear, my dear brothers
and sisters,
is by making sure
we have Ihsan
and we achieve excellence
in every single thing that we do. In
every single thing that we do. Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala he says, achieve
Ihsan.
Try to achieve excellence in everything that you
do. Verily Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala loves those
who achieve excellence.
The messenger of Allah alaihis salatu wa sallam,
he said,
look at the people who are below you
with regards to this dunya.
Because when you do this, you're grateful for
what you have. You're thankful to Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala.
You know, you might have an old car,
an old banger that barely drives properly.
And then you see someone
who's walking everywhere, doesn't even have a car.
And you're grateful to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
that he's given you a mode of transport.
He's blessed you with this.
Don't look at the person who has a
nicer car than you because then you're going
to start
being
an you're not gonna be grateful, you're gonna
be ungrateful for what you have. You're always
going to be looking at the next person,
the next car, the next house,
you know. The latest trainers, the latest computer
game.
You're always going to be looking at that.
You're never gonna be satisfied.
The messenger of Radha alaihis salatu wa sallam
he said with regards to the
acts that will bring a person closer to
Allah, acts of worship.
Always look at the person who is above
you. Don't look at the person who is
below you. Don't do an act of worship
and then say, you know I've done a
lot more than most people do today.
I've prayed some extra optional prayers.
I've read a few pages of the Quran.
I've done extra
zikr
and most people don't do that so I'm
I'm good today. I've done enough today. Alhamdulillah.
A person should always look at the people
who are doing better than him with regards
to acts of worship.
Because that way he's always going to be
improving with regards to his relationship with Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
Nowadays it's the opposite.
It's the opposite.
When when it comes to the with the
dunya,
we're looking at the people who are better
than us, and then we're never satisfied.
We're never going to be satisfied. There's always
going to be someone who has a better
car than us, always someone who has more
money than us, who has more children than
us, who has a nicer house than us.
And we're never going to have dissatisfaction.
And with regards to
acts of worship, we're always looking at the
person below us. The minimum is enough
and we need to change this this this
idea that we have with regards to these
two things.
The roles need to be switched. Our mentality
needs to change.
From the ways an individual can
act upon what he knows
is by making dua,
By supplicating to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
The messenger of Allah Alaihi Wasallam, he would
make dua to Allah Azzawajal and he would
say, Allahumma innee as alokaalmannafian.
Oh Allah I ask you for beneficial knowledge.
And beneficial
and goodly provision.
Good provision. Halal provision.
And
accepted
deeds.
Actions that are going to be accepted by
you, oh Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And this
is the messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam making this dua.
Somebody whose past and future sins were forgiven.
He's asking Allah that
Allah accepts his good deeds from him.
And if that's the messenger of Allah sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam, then what situation are we
in?
That we do a minimum amount, a bare
minimum amount and we think that it's enough.
We think it's enough, you know. It's okay.
It's fine.
We'll enter paradise with these small amount of
deeds that we have. Umrad
he said that if an announcer came down
from the heavens
and announce to every single person,
all of you are entering paradise,
except for one of you. Umradialahu
anhu he said, I would be afraid that
that individual would be me.
I would be afraid that that single person
would be me who's not going to enter
into paradise.
Umrah he went to one of the companions
who knew the names of the munafiqs.
He knew the names of the hypocrites during
the time of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam.
And so he went to this person, wanting
to know who those hypocrites were. Why did
he want to know? So that he could
beat them, so that he could kill them,
so that he could harm them, so that
he could go and teach them a lesson?
No, he was afraid that he was one
of those people. He said to the company,
he said, am I one of those people?
Did the messenger of Allah sallam mention my
name?
Was I one of those hypocrites that Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala revealed to the messenger of
Allah sallam that they live amongst you?
So, you know with acts,
with our actions that we do brothers and
sisters, with acts of worship, we can't cut
any corners.
We can't afford to cut any corners with
the actions that we do. Sometimes we may
feel weakness.
We may feel laziness when we don't wanna
do certain deeds.
But a person should make dua to Allah
azzawajal.
Oh Allah I seek refuge in you from
weakness and from laziness. As the messenger of
Allah used to make this application himself.
So a person is encouraged to do good
deeds.
A person needs to be involved and active
with social issues, social problems which are affecting
the Muslims.
Regardless of where he lives or you know
the the neighborhood that he's in or the
community that he's in.
We have problems with drugs.
We've got problems with alcohol.
You know we've got problems with sexual grooming.
These are serious issues.
And I don't agree with those people who
say it's a Muslim problem sexual grooming. It's
not a Muslim problem. It's a social problem.
It's a problem which isn't just affecting Muslims.
You know, people are going around saying it's
a Muslim problem.
It's not a Muslim problem.
It's a social issue.
And we all know it's something which is
wrong.
I don't go to a Christian and tell
that Christian, what do you say about sexual
grooming?
What do you think about it?
Obviously he's gonna say it's wrong. No one's
gonna say something which is good. We as
muslims we know it's something which is wrong.
No one's denying that.
You know we're not guilty until proven innocent.
We know it's a serious issue. It's a
social problem which everyone's facing. It's a problem
in society itself.
It's nothing to do with, you know, Muslims
or Christians.
And then you have people going into masajid,
giving out Bibles. If I went to a
church and gave out a Quran, wouldn't they
feel offended?
It's disrespectful.
We ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
that He rectifies our affairs and that He
transfers
and
changes our knowledge into actions themselves. And as
a result of this we enter into jannah.
So is for demonstrating your rose.
I love work, bub.
This
week's saturday lecture is entitled poverty and the
homeless
and will be delivered by Sheikh Abu Abdullah
Abbas,
the lecture will take place after the Mughri
prayer
The weekly Urdu lecture will take place today
after the Maghrib
prayer. The Sisters' Friday circle will take place
in the old library at 5:15
pm. This week's topic is on wasting time.
On Thursday 22nd
May, the Sisters' Coffee Morning will be holding
a Mosaic Art Workshop.
Greenlane Masjid are organising a community clean up
of Small Heath Park and the surrounding areas.
This is an ideal opportunity for you and
your family to perform a community service.
To register, please visit the Greenlane Masjid website.
Task Force Syria are organising a number of
events to raise money for Syria They are
collecting all mobile phones to recycle
and all money raised will go to Syria
If you have any unwanted phones that are
lying around, then please drop them off to
the Masjid office
A bungee jump for brothers will take place
in the Masjid car park on Sunday 8th
June
To register, please visit the Masjid office
Every week we have a we have a
bake sale for Syria in the Masjid car
park after Jum'ah If you wish to donate
any food items, then please drop them off
to the Masjid office before 1 PM
Please visit the stores on your way out
and make a purchase to help the people
of Syria
Finally, we ask that you donate generously to
the Masjid
After the help of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala,
we rely on your generous support. Buckets are
situated at all exit points.
We are still collecting money for Syria. Please
donate at the main masjid office.