Faraz Rabbani – The Rawha #128 Beneficial Reminder for the Caller to Allah
AI: Summary ©
The importance of avoiding the concept of parents and children in religious reminders is emphasized, along with the importance of preaching and being mindful of the hereafter. The speakers stress the importance of understanding the meaning of religious reminders and intentions, avoiding mixing with rulers and political parties, and prioritizing need and benefit. The speakers also advise against seeking funding from large corporations and the danger of corruption in the world. The importance of prioritizing need and benefit, not just rewarding one's actions, is emphasized.
AI: Summary ©
You're listening to the Roja daily guidance for
seekers with Sheikh Rasra Behni.
In our Roha sessions,
we are
looking at Imam Al Ghazali's closing counsel
to a dear student of his
whom he refers to affectionately
as
my dear child.
And they say there's 2 types of
parental relationship. Right? There's the parental relationship between
one's biological parents,
without 1 and if one doesn't have a
biological parent, one is an orphan.
But
one does not choose to be an orphan.
But if one does not have
a
one does not have teachers
in one's learning of the religion.
One is
educationally an orphan, and this is by one's
own choice.
Right?
So while
it is not a dishonor
to be
biologically an orphan, the best of creation
the messenger of Allah was
an orphan and that was part of Allah's
honoring him.
As it mentioned in the he
came
like the unique pearl,
an orphan.
The the unique pearl is called
came like the orphan pearl alone.
Right? Unique.
Dazzling
all creation
with his radiant beauty.
But in knowledge,
one has the choice
of having teachers, and one should have
the relationship of and
of of upholding
virtuous relationship
and remaining connected to them.
So we looked at
qualities
to avoid.
Like he mentioned, there's 4 things to avoid
and 4 things to engage in. The first
thing to avoid was argumentation.
The second
was
to avoid
mere preaching.
Right? Because it has
harms.
What are the harms of preaching?
That it can easily be
sort of
to impress,
to show off,
you know, to to self elevate, to call
people to oneself.
So he says, if one
does have to preach,
then
avoid 2 qualities.
If you do have to preach,
meaning in your situation where
there's a clear need to give
for example,
or there's a clear benefit
to remind
people, to call people. Right?
Then
the first thing is to avoid
to avoid putting on airs
and rather to give a genuine reminder.
Right, which is done out of
out of concern for good for them.
And he explained what it what what a
genuine reminder, what tatkir is.
And the second
thing,
to be careful
to avoid it, that's where we stopped. Right?
That if you are going to preach,
then
make your preaching a genuine reminder, number 1.
A genuine reminder,
right, which that which will
take them from where they are
and help them,
remind them, encourage them, warn them,
cause them cause the meanings of yearning to
be stirred within them to turn to Allah
The second quality
to avoid
is
The second quality is that you your concern
in your
giving
religious reminder
is that you don't want simply to move
people
and cause them
to
manifest
ecstasy,
to rip their clothes. People would get moved
by
by effective preaching.
Right? So you're not doing it just
to cause them to to put on appearances.
Right? And in the old days, it was
fashionable
to put on appearances. If you know the
subcontinent, for example,
there is sometimes like
when people do
there's some people who get up and start
going
ecstatic and so on. That's not the purpose
of
religious reminders
nor of
spiritual gatherings.
So that being said, what a great
gathering this is. And in our times, you
don't you don't do it to get a
standing ovation,
to get people impressed. Wow. That was amazing.
But it's so not to move people
emotionally or just to move them intellectually. You
mentioned something strange and people are like, wow.
That was amazing. But it didn't
help them change in their relationship
with Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
Because all of this is may merely making
them incline towards worldliness.
And it's just showing off in another form.
And it is all from heedlessness.
Right? What you want to
true preaching is done out of a sense
of consciousness of Allah
and is meant to instill
consciousness of Allah
or the beginnings, the stirrings, or the beginnings
of consciousness in them.
Right? Rather,
what is proper is that your resolve
and
determination
should be that you call people
from
worldliness
to concern for the next world.
From disobedience
to obedience.
From being avid
for
for worldly matters
to renunciation,
to zuhud.
As one of the scholars said,
any
understanding of religion
that increases people in worldliness
is a fake.
Any understanding of deen
that diminishes deen in the lives of people
is a fake.
Sorry. I skipped a little bit.
And to call people from stinginess
to generosity.
And from delusion
that I'm fine the way I am,
to being
mindful of Allah.
And to make the next world
beloved to them.
And part of it is to talk about
the hereafter,
which is almost out of fashion in our
people feel queasy. Let's talk about Allah. But,
you know, the the hereafter, who needs it
anyways?
Well, then why does Allah mention it?
Right?
And people,
the very reason people inclined towards the dunya
is that it seems tangible. And the wisdom
of of
the
of heaven is that it is tangible.
Though what is ultimately thought is Allah, but
the nature of the human beings that they
latch on to the to
the tangible.
So for them to latch on to matters
of the hereafter
as a means of their turning to Allah
is a facilitative
goal.
There's great wisdom in it.
To make them hate mere worldliness.
And that you teach them
the knowledge of how to worship
And you teach them how to renounce
the worldly.
Because what predominates
in the temperament of people
is
turning away from the from the path
of religious guidance.
And to strive in the things that are
not pleasing to Allah
to strive in. Nothing's new under this one.
That's how people are.
Right? And they are in their heedlessness
turning away.
Right?
The messenger
described in this way.
If they see trade or amuse if they
see some
trade or amusement,
they rush to it.
And they leave you, oh messenger of Allah,
standing.
Say that which is with Allah
is better
than
amusement
and trade.
Right? And Allah is the best of providers.
And what predominance over people is to busy
themselves with lowly qualities.
Right? So
cast in their hearts.
Awe.
Right?
And move them.
And warn them.
Of what they will face
of things that should stir fear within them.
Right? Or
or stir
longing and love.
Stir gratitude
within them.
So that it might be that their their
inward traits begin to change.
And their outward dealings
change.
So that they manifest avidness
and keenness for obedience
and for returning
back from disobedience.
This is the way
of
of
religious reminders
and
and sincere counsel.
Then Imam Al Ghazali mentions a principle.
Every
religious
reminder
that is not in this way,
that does not
stir
with that is not done to help a
person turn towards Allah.
Or stir the beginnings of turning to Allah.
Either in fear or in hope.
Either in love
and longing or in gratitude.
Out of
awe of Allah or out of a sense
of slavehood
to Allah. Any of these meanings
of the
of the qualities of faith.
Right? If that's not what the reminder does,
if that's not what the sincere counsel does,
then it is pure loss
both,
and regret.
Is complete loss and regret
for the one who said it and the
one who listened.
Rather, such a preacher
is like a ghoul. He's
someone who snatches souls
unwittingly.
The Arabs used to talk about the ghoul.
Right? Or these
spirits in the desert
that would
cap that would steal
unsuspecting souls.
That people think they're on a journey, but
they're snatched away by the ghoul.
Of course, we have no proof that they
exist. Right? Was shaitan and a devil
misguiding rather than guiding.
Taking creation
from the path of Allah and
ruining them.
So it is incumbent
upon them
to flee from such a person.
Right?
So beware.
Right? Beware.
You know, ask yourself why? And, of course,
there are there's a range of things. Right?
So we're not just saying that any beneficial
religious
talk
would only be spiritual in nature.
Because Allah is sought by anything,
you know, there there is someone who reminds
about the hereafter
but also about the means to the hereafter.
So for example,
we should be grateful as a community. Over
this last weekend, there was a march in
Toronto
that's very well attended,
for our Rohingya brethren.
Right? There's a good purpose behind that. So
someone reminds
about our responsibility
for political engagement. That is a call to
good.
Someone reminds of charity.
We had a series of fundraisers in just
in the last 48 hours in the Greater
Toronto area raising
close to $300,000
at least just for for one charity,
Islamic Relief
in the last 48 hours.
So fundraisers
it it they were not talking about the
the focus wasn't on the but it was
on a means to the which is charity.
So beneficial reminder is that which reminds you
of Allah or the hereafter
or that leads you to those actions that
lead you to Allah
Outward actions or inward actions because the actions
of the heart are the greatest of acts.
But
things that that me that merely make you
feel good,
right,
That just stir emotions within you.
But that but that don't relate to you
better turning to Allah.
Or
acting
as a means of your turning to Allah
that don't point to the goal or the
means
to the goal,
that
is loss rather than benefit.
Delusion
rather than
virtue.
Because what is ruined by such a speaker
in people's religion,
even the devil cannot do the same thing.
Because the devil,
you know, it if you think a little
bit you realize it's the devil.
But the false preacher,
you think you're you're benefiting in religion.
Amongst the examples
of of thing is getting into
polemics,
sectarian issues.
Right?
There's 2 groups in England that I've been
sort of from a distance observing last 16
years, they've been arguing about. Can you make
a certain
type of nada?
Like a certain call, they would say, you
know, nada takbir. Maybe can you make a
certain nada? And then there and it's
quote, unquote, entertaining because you listen to, oh,
cool, or so and so refuting so and
so.
Right?
Maybe entertaining.
Oh, guess what? Guess who said that so
and so is misguided,
so and so refuted so and so? These
kinds of things.
And who and this is a very important
point of collective responsibility
that whoever has
power and ability,
it is incumbent upon them to remove
such false preachers
from the pulpits of the Muslims.
People who open
controversial issues in their.
Right?
Who open divisive
discussions.
Who simply talk about worldly matters.
But
or who talk simply in ways to impress.
Right?
Because
the
whether it be the or
any situation of where there's a religious discourse
being given, this is a great responsibility.
People only have
limited
religious attention.
I'd only have limited
religious attention.
And if you busy that attention
with
with
harmful things
that is
a grave detriment. But he also busy it
with the useless.
And the same thing applies
so it applies in our masajid, in our
pub you know, other
public places. What kinds of religious issues are
raised?
Or are religious issues raised?
Many times you have a whole conference and
no one's talked about the hereafter
or anything related to the hereafter.
And one of the telltale signs
of a beneficial program versus not a beneficial
program
is that if you consider
that our religion revolves
around 4 matters mentioned in the Hadith Jibril.
Iman,
Islam,
Ihsan
and consciousness
of time.
K.
Does this
does what does what
was discussed increase you in your iman?
Does it increase you
your your your faith itself?
You increase in knowledge of what you believe
in or that cultivated
the strength of faith or the qualities of
the faithful?
Does it increase you in your Islam? You
learn something about how to better submit to
Allah
outwardly
or inwardly to embrace
prophetic guidance
outwardly or inwardly. It called you to do
good or to do the good better
or
to or spiritual excellence cultivating your relationship
with Allah and with Allah's creation.
Sincerity with Allah, sincere concern with Allah's creation.
Or
it gave you a consciousness
of the urgency
of time of life.
Warned you against the challenges of the time
so you could be more careful in your
turning to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
Those are the four meanings around which
beneficial preaching revolves. And if you're going to
a program, that's how this is how you
assess. How will this help me in one
of these 4 quadrants?
If it doesn't,
then it's just information.
There's some clip on YouTube.
Look at
whatever.
K?
From the excellence of persons' stamp, just leave
that which does not concern them.
And this applies to us individually, but also
what kind of programming should be taking place
at our religious centers,
at our Masajid,
where
are given.
Because
we we should be purposeful human beings.
Right?
And to prevent such people from such activity.
So some people say, can can there be
conditions for what the katib talks about?
And honestly, definitely,
they should be positive guidelines.
And one should be very careful who comes
and gives a.
Right?
Because this is
and people who are in, you know, if
you are in a position of leadership
somewhere, you you have taken on
responsibility
for the for
the best interest of the Muslims.
And it's a great opportunity for good, but
you'll be asked as to whether you fulfill
that responsibility.
Because
preventing
false preachers
from preaching, preventing
fake teachers from teaching is from that which
falls under commanding the good and forbidding the
wrong.
So that's the this
that
completes the second advice. Beware of preaching. If
you preach,
preach right.
Preach benefit.
The 3rd council of the
of what to avoid. Because now what I
say, 4 things
to avoid and 4 things to do.
He says,
The
third thing to avoid is do not
mix with
the
the the rulers and those in power.
Don't even look towards them.
Why? So don't
don't get close to them. Why? Because knowledge
and in the old days, the scholars were
like,
were superstars.
Everyone wanted to be around the scholars. But
even
now, right, even in at a community level,
you have to be careful.
You have to be very careful. Because most
politicians
reason would entail, let alone
human experience. Reason would entail
that
most politicians
who run for office
will be in there, there for power and
prestige.
That they're not sincere.
That they want
to influence others to have power and prestige
from themselves.
So beware of that.
Beware that there's a lot of likely harm
and they're in a position of advantage over
you because they have power,
they have
rank and status,
and you probably don't.
So you may want
power, you may want prestige, you may want
some of what they have, but they'll use
you
for that.
But that's not it. Imam Al Ghay said
don't even look at them.
And here, looking at them mean don't be
impressed by them. The fact that they have
power, they have
prominence,
they have influence,
they have funding.
Right?
Because looking at them, sitting with them, mixing
with them are all
tremendous
harms.
Unless
there is
a clear intent
and purpose behind
such a relationship. Number 1,
where
you have taken
the reasonable means of
attaining benefit
or
preventing harm.
Right? So you have a clear purpose behind
it.
And your goal is to achieve genuine benefit
or genuinely prevent harm.
And you
and you are you have good reason to
be sure
or to be reason good reason to be
reasonably sure that you will not that your
engagement will not result in
harm
for others
or harm for you.
Right. So you have a good intention behind
it that is sincere for the sake of
Allah and to benefit
others.
And
there's a clear purpose.
There's some clear benefit that you're seeking to
achieve or some clear harm that you're seeking
to ward off.
But you have but the third is important.
That's so there has to be some clear
purpose behind it, but you have to be
aware
that
you will avoid
the harms that would arise from such an
engagement.
And this is very important in our times
because
as a
community, we must engage
politically
and socially
but we have to be aware
that power corrupts.
If you seek funding,
it'll move you away from your purpose. How
many a project
was doing good
and was directed towards genuine community benefit but
then money came into it.
Right? And say, as one uncle said, money
makes people monkeys.
Right?
Because before someone was acting like a human
being,
a rational animal, they're considering
where there's genuine benefit and they're turning to
it. Well, once the money is dangled,
people become they they're no longer the rational
animal. They just become an animal.
Dangle a little more money and you can
take them wherever you want.
Right?
Slave to the dollar.
Right? And that's very dangerous. In our times,
there's a whole industry of Islam Inc.
It's not called that if you look.
But
all these activists who are serving their communities,
But now you can get funding from Google,
from Facebook, from this company, from that company.
Not for some genuine benefit to the communities
but serving
their own motives etcetera. But instead of doing
what needs to be done, what's most of
benefit, people are running running from one funding
opportunity to another. Never building anything
that lasts
for their communities. And that is
that's tremendous harm. And that's a type of
power.
Right? And in our times,
the the power is not just with rulers
and government,
but it's also beware of corporate funding.
Because that that is, you know, corporations
are at least as strong
as
governments.
Right?
Other types of funding
are extremely
dangerous.
And if you're in a situation where you
have to deal with those in power,
then keep away from praising them
and exalting them.
Make it principled
but remain carefully restrained.
Because Allah is angered
when the corrupt
and the wrongdoers
are praised.
And whoever
makes dua
for the long life
of the the corrupt
and the oppressors
has
has liked that Allah be disobeyed on his
earth.
And
the the the 4th
is in the same vein
and and we'll read it before we break
for Maghrib. He says the 4th thing to
avoid.
The 4th thing to avoid is do not
accept anything
from the grants
of rulers
and their
gifts.
Even if you know that it is from
the halal.
Why? Because Allah only accepts that which is
done sincerely for his sake alone.
And if you are trying to serve
for the sake of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala,
then the basis is that you're not gonna
have much.
Because it's not a material transaction. And if
you don't have
much and then you're seeking
and you're accepting the gifts
or the grants
of the wealthy and the powerful,
then how are you going to sustain your
sincerity?
That you're acting only for the sake of
Allah.
Alone
without even considering
Allah's creation.
And this permeates
the decision making of our communities and community
organizations
all the time.
Why are you doing this? Oh, it's a
good funding opportunity.
Funding opportunity to do what?
Right?
Where is the sincerity in it?
Right? And this is the death of hearts,
the death knell of hearts.
Right? Is to make
religious decisions based on monetary considerations. Al Hasan
al Basri said
summarizing so many of of the prophetic teachings
that
The punishment for the people of knowledge
is the is the death of hearts.
And he said,
He says, and how would that be? He
said,
by seeking this world
with an action of the hereafter.
So this is and this is one of
the grave, grave bidans
of our age.
Right? Because people there's the commercialization
of religion
and putting a dollar value to
to to religious teachings, religious activities, religious projects
is extremely dangerous.
Right? And one has to really be careful
and must consult extensively
from the people of sincerity and wisdom.
Because being avid for what will come from
the from those in worldly power
corrupts religion.
Because from it arises being
literally buttering things up.
Right? You
leave aside your principles
for the sake of what will work with
those in power.
And being considerate
of their concerns.
And you will agree to their wrongdoing.
And this is all corruption
of religion.
Right? If you're getting funding
from one of these large corporations, are you
going to
are you going to speak out against
their corporate practices?
Are you going to warn against their unethical
activities?
And the least of its harm is that
if you accept their grants
and benefit
from their worldly
gains, you will grow to love them. You'll
grow to like them.
And whoever likes someone, likes that they live
long.
And you live that you wish for them
to remain.
And for wishing
for the long life
of a wrongdoer
is an acceptance of wrongdoing
and injustice
for for Allah's servants.
And wishing for this world to be ruined.
And these corporations, all these people taking funding
from these corporations. Who is spreading
* and * and corruption
and the destroying of social relationships
but these large corporations?
And you're and you're living off their funding.
So what could be more harmful
than this
in harming religion
and one's hereafter?
And Says, and beware and beware, lest you
be deluded
by the foolish
whisperings of the shaitan
or what some people say
that it's better to take their money
and then to to give it to the
poor and needy.
With the argument that they they spend their
money on corrupt
and sinful things. And if you get the
money, you'll spend it
on the needy,
which will be better than their spending.
Because the
because the
accursed shaitan
has has cut off the necks
of
numerous people
by this misgiving.
Says, and the harms of accepting the money
of
those in power,
the the corrupt and the oppressors
are numerous. He said we have detailed them
in
So seek it out there.
And the least of it is how it
affects sincerity.
The the least of it mean the beginning
of it. How it affects, number 1, your
sincerity.
Right? It affects
the entirety of what you do. It affects
why you're doing it. Because if you didn't
get that money, is that what you would
be doing?
The answer is no.
It affects your goals.
So it affects intentions.
It affects goals.
Because now it shifts your priorities.
What are you doing? Not what needs to
be done,
but rather what will
get the money or the grant or the
favor.
It affects the way you do things
because you you won't prioritize
need and benefit, you'll prioritize
what will fulfill
the the goals that now have to be
set for the sake of this funding.
It'll affect
your intention. It'll affect your goal. It'll affect
the means that you take and it'll affect
how you go about taking the means.
Right?
Because for example, you're working on a project
that you could have funded
for
$50,000.
But no one's gonna give you
a a grant for $50,000.
You could make a grant request for $1,000,000
because they wanna look big and you could
get the money.
But this is public funds even if it's
in their hands.
Instead of spending
$50,000
on a project, you can spend a 1,000,000
on it. You can splurge.
You can fly 5th you know, you can
fly 1st class.
You can get your friends involved in the
project. You can do this public money.
Now instead of the concern being what will
benefit people
is what will you get most funding for.
Why are you doing it? The intention was
the funding. The goal was no longer benefit.
How you go about doing it instead of
being careful about public funds,
You'll splurge because the more you the the
more you bill, the more they'll give.
Because they'll look good, you'll look good.
That's called showing off.
It's called wastefulness.
It's called
squandering public funds. Where is the in that?
Where is the trust?
Where is the sincere
concern? And you say, oh, it's halal.
I asked first money, they gave me money.
Where's the haram?
That's ignorance and that's self justification.
This is why this
you
know, the have always warned against this and
this is one of the great fitness of
our age. It's opening up right now for
some people.
There is a lot more funding coming to
the Muslim community and we have to be
extremely careful
how we respond to it. We must
be
very careful
of being very principled. And the only way
to be principled
is to uphold
the command of the messenger consult
the wise. Who are the wise?
Those who understand
what choices and outcomes will be pleasing to
Allah
We ask Allah for clarity and steadfastness and
that we not make any choice
on the basis of duniya
but rather we make our choices on the
basis of only of what is more pleasing
to Allah, more acceptable to Allah, more pleasing
to Allah, and more beloved to Allah
On Wednesday, we'll be looking at the 4
things that Imam Al Ghazali
advised to hold fast to.
If you seek to rectify
your relationship with Allah and to be right
as a person
who
is seeking
knowledge
or serving
the community
in any way. Four things to hold fast
to so that you benefit from religious guidance.
We ask a lot to be of such
people.
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