ICNA-MAS Convention 2018
Farhan Abdul Azeez – Tazkia Your Personal Responsibility
AI: Summary ©
The Islamist movement has caused injuries and attacks on people, including the use of chemo and deadly ad None. The importance of learning to control one's behavior and finding the right person is emphasized. The importance of pursuing spiritual journey and not waiting for a perfect moment is also emphasized. Consistent with their principles, attending gatherings of rememb conversions strength one's personality and social behavior. The importance of mindful behavior is emphasized, as well as helping others to overcome struggles and achieve their goals.
AI: Summary ©
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so never heard that I came home to learn of Allah Allah. Allah while and he also he is right. So Mia congratulate Otto barakato want to start with was sharing a hadith with you was perhaps you've heard before a narration from our mother, I should have the line
in which she she talks about the revelation the person who had received in the early days.
Right so the Quran that was being revealed to the Prophet SAW Salem, in Mecca.
And you have to understand the context of what she's talking about. She's talking about a time when the Sahaba were actively being targeted, tortured and even killed when the president of himself and his family were being targeted, and tortured, and attacked in the light because this was this was a time in which she's referring to these verses are the sutras that were revealed. She says that if the first revelation she says the first revelation that was revealed was the sewer out of the sewers that that talked a lot about
paradise and hellfire
soil Mufasa and the sutras from Surah par for sort of 100 all the way to Surah NAS, in which you find frequently the outlet I mentioned.
Right? And she says that if the first thing that was revealed was that can
lead to trouble hum or don't drink alcohol.
She says that people would have said we're not going to leave alcohol.
Or if the first revelation was don't
commit * that people would have said we would never leave that. But she says the first thing that was revealed was the sorrows that connected people's hearts to Allah subhana wa Tada and to Alfetta had the authority to glue in the hands of the halal or haram right until the hearts became softened and attached to Allah subhana wa Tada. Then halal and haram came down.
Right What the heart once the hearts attached to Allah once the hearts aware of dunya and hellfire,
then it's easier to leave off that which Allah forbids and to do that, which Allah commands. And so when the revelation for the prohibition of alcohol came the the streets in Medina were flowing with alcohol.
And how that's remarkable, right? We in our own country in America, we had a period where alcohol was forbidden. And what happened when that law came out?
People were bootlegging it left and right, right, and probably consumption increase instead of going down.
Now, why is that there's a difference in the state of the heart before it happened. Right? So it's a very interesting concept, because, again, she's talking about a time when the Sahaba were being targeted and tortured, right? So in the early days of Islam, we find Somalia I'll be alone on how the first martyr in Islam being tied to, you know, a trunk and her husband and her son and they're being tortured. We see many of you have torturing began to grow by Halloween, you're putting a huge boulder on his chest and beating him. And he would say in response to that, what
I hadn't heard.
And they asked why. Why are you saying what, what what made that your slogan Oh, be done? You know, he said in response.
He said, I knew that that particular word is what made them the most angry. That's remarkable.
He's saying that what she knows will increase his punishment, increase the torture, but he had an
array with Bob, Lon who he was, he was placed on burning coals. And so later when they migrated to Medina and the Sahaba, were sitting together in a hotel was there the dad was there, how Baba was there and they were talking to each other about their earlier days of Islam. And that what they went through, and so each person was sharing what they went through. So how Babylon who he didn't say a word, he simply lifted up his his garment and showed them his back. And they saw literally, the holes that were burned into his back. That's what he went through. And the problem is what I sent him is seeing all this he sees, you know, the family of Yasser being tortured and he says, this
beautiful ad is ready to come and Jana patients or family of acid,
you're being promised paradise. He's seeing what's happening and he knows that the victory of Allah will come. But what's interesting is some of the Sahaba seeing what was what they were seeing. It's only natural when you see so much oppression and a moment like that you will you'll want to retaliate.
So they wanted to fight back. And Allah subhana wa Tada. He sees a certain Nisa about the mindset of the sahaba. At that time, he says, and I'm Tara ina Levine Okina whom kofi. Ada can
Evil sada Zeca he says, Do you not look or have you not seen those who were told, Khufu ADEA can
hold your hands back, meaning you are not given permission at this point, to retaliate or to fight.
But what is Allah saying, or instead, you can fight but what? Well, chemo sauna,
but rather established a prayer will add to the QA and give charity take care of the poor and the needy and the and the hungry, and those who are who are left without any resources.
So you find in the early days, that the prophets I send them even though they're not fighting back, he's building them. He's still meeting them.
He's still meeting in their makeshift Masjid at the time, right, he's still teaching the sahaba. And while he's teaching them the basics of the religion, the basics of belief outside some of their own family, some of their own brothers and sisters are going through the torture that they're going through. But he continued to teach.
And this is interesting. He continued to teach to build the people, because that wasn't a time where they were to fight. Allah didn't give that that order. Well, people have sought out to establish your connection to Allah, rectify your relationship with Allah subhanho wa taala. Take care of the poor and the needy. And when you do that, these same people who the prophets I send him was teaching, tomorrow, they will be capable of defending the Muslims. Because we are the people who are given victory by numbers or strength.
Right, in Allah nonverbal Kathira we are given victory by the numbers that we have.
But the person was building those people for tomorrow for that time, and so we hear we see what's happening nowadays, we see what's happening across the Muslim world and we hear from the member we hear from our our teachers that work on yourself, work on what you can control. And I don't want it I wanted to start with with this concept because I feel like sometimes people say it's a cop out.
That it's a cop out. Well look at the process and the way Allah revealed the verse specifically about this.
That what you can do and your time now and what you can control, you master that. Because you see we you know about the same companion who was tortured, he comes to the Messenger of Allah Islam and the Prophet ism is aware fully aware of what he's going through. And after going through one of these torture sessions, he goes across him and he sees Yatta suit Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah, O Allah, Allah, Allah,
Allah, Allah, Allah, He says, O Messenger of Allah, will you not make dua against these people will not ask Allah for victory, and the person whom he became, he became a little agitated, he stood up.
And he said, that will lie there are people who came before us, who they were brought, and they were literally cut in half.
And there were others who iron was used to remove their flesh from their body.
But that didn't, that didn't drive them away from the path of Allah.
Meaning they gave up everything. But they stood and they stayed firm.
And then he says,
Allah subhanho wa Taala will most definitely give victory to this religion, what I can know from common to start, you know, but we are people who are rushing, who is he speaking to?
To have bought one of the companions of mine who who was going through some of the most severe torture? Right? It's interesting when you when you find that conversation between her Oculus Hercules and Abu Sophia and UniPro Saddam, he sent letters to different leaders. So he sent a letter to Hercules who was a leader of the Persians and be glad to shine.
And so it's a letter inviting him to Allah subhana wa Tada and to Islam. And so Hercules sends for other any merchants, any people from Arabia who are in town that I can question and Abu Sofia, was there who was one of the biggest enemies of Islam at the time.
So they bring Abu Sufian and they bring his companions and they bring him in front of Hercules in his court. And Hercules asked Who amongst you is closest to the prophesy Salim and he says, I am a booster fiancees I am so he tells him to come forward. And he tells all of his companions to stay back.
And he tells them if he tells me a lie, I want you to indicate to me that he's lying to me. So it was a Vianne can see them. Right? So he's basically confirming that he's gonna get the truth about Sofia is in the front. He can't turn he's not allowed to turn around to look and he's being questioned and he has to respond truthfully. Or else if the people behind him say something. He'll be who knows what would happen. Right and beyond. He says himself in the narration that I only spoke the truth out of fear I would be discredited from the people behind
And so we asked him a series of questions about the Prophet so I said number then he asks a very interesting question. He says for * you return to I don't mean whom subtotal Nadine he better than yet hola fi he says, the followers of Muhammad Sallallahu Sallam
do any one of them? After embracing Islam, leave the religion
to any of the followers of Muhammad
after embracing a SNAM leave the religion because of some dislike they have towards it or somebody, do they find some some problem something problematic?
It's an interesting question, because we look around our own mind now. And what do we see?
We see a lot of our youth and our community people who are leaving Islam.
And so the answer is no.
Now what's sad is we have in our community, people who are leaving Islam, but they weren't going through what Bob was going through.
They weren't going through a Somalia was going through.
Maybe they're scared for getting a nasty look at work, or being scolded for getting can getting their foot caught in the sink,
or being harassed or verbally abused, or whatever it is, or just seeing the state of the Muslim ummah as a whole. And having to worry about that having to answer to that at work or in amongst their social circles, whatever it is, and so we leave, we have those who will leave the religion.
But most of Yan said no. The earliest generation of the Muslims, who were going through the most difficult tests didn't leave the religion and philosophy and after asking a series of questions, you know, he's asking that he response. And you know what he says about this question? He says Kidani can Eman.
Cavalli can II man.
He's not surprised by the answer. That no one's even despite what they're facing, that no one at all is leaving. He's because that's the nature of faith. Either Holocaust, Bashar Assad.
When it truly enters the heart, the heart embraces it was such a such a in such a intensive embracement that it never can leave it off. That's what Eman does. When the heart truly sets in the heart, there is nothing more joy. It brings more joy to a believer than that. There is nothing of more value to a believer than that. And that's why they could go through what they went through and be like beat out and say I hadn't heard bringing more punishment upon him. Because when they would do that he would smile. You know what asiyah Vince Rosa him the wife of Iran. As he Allah has Salam, one of the greatest woman in the history of the world, married to the most hated and cursed
individual in the history of the world.
When found found out that she was a believer
what happened
he brought her out and he laid her down this is his wife.
And he stepped drive stakes through her limbs and pins her on the ground
and they begin torturing her
they begin torturing and even for all and turns to it, this is his wife and he turns to his his
his like cattle, you know, as advisors and, and whatnot.
And he you know what he sees? Subhanallah
hacia begins laughing begin smiling.
As he begins smiling, and she's been tortured.
And he says Ella
junonia
Frauen says aren't you like amazed by her? She's lost her mind. She's gone crazy.
In
the heck, we're torturing her and she's smiling.
You know why she was smiling?
Cuz it can Eema
he the Hollywood shots its own group. Once a man enters like that, the heart embraces in such a taste. You know, as she says a lover
you know compiled this for us in the history in the Quran. As an example for all of mankind. Well Dorabella who method at least Lavina
Delphina.
Allah has set an example for all the believers believing men and woman, the wife of Iran
even called bidden Ed
when she
said Oh ALLAH
built for me, not just a palace and pit not just a home in paradise. But Oh ALLAH built for me a home next to you in paradise.
And so as she was being tortured Allah subhanho wa Taala opened up the skies and allowed for her to see her home in paradise.
She saw what no other I could see.
And so seeing the reward Allah has prepared for her. She was smiling.
And then she passed away and she went to her home next to Allah subhanho wa Taala and Jana and Decker beaten Phil Jana can only can Eman right? And so we find for us now,
in this days in these days of difficulty, the prophets that I sent them is building his Sahaba by focusing on the relationship with Allah subhanho wa Taala and their relationship with the society and how they're taking care of the poor and the downtrodden and oppressive society. Right. And
interestingly enough, you know, this concept of Teskey of purifying the soul, purifying meaning by cleansing of its ills, you know of arrogance and and jealousy and resentment and anger and also purifying the heart from that which harms it which is any any form of disobedience of Allah
and also from the purification of the heart and the soul is by doing good all sorts of good whether it be in your character, or whether it be in your a binder and your your external acts of worship like making vicar or serving your parents or or giving in charity.
All of that is part and parcel of this concept of Tescan to knifes. Right but when you Brahim and they sit down he made a dua to Allah subhana wa Tada the prophesy centum. He would say that I am the answer that Dr. Ibrahim Ali has set up. Right and what's interesting is that when he brought him on, he said I made the DUA to ALLAH asking ALLAH to send what would be Muhammad Sallallahu sallam. He says
Rob banner Wi Fi him Rasool Amin homeopaths know him. Yeah Tikka. While you are Nemo, humo kita Mehta, why use a key him? Allah says, he says, Oh, our Master arrays from amongst them
a messenger from themselves who will recite to them your verses. And he says, who will teach them the Book and the wisdom and who will purify them? Right he makes a DUA, oh Allah raise a messenger from amongst them and he asked for four things.
Teaching them the book.
He says,
recite to them your verses, teach them the Quran, teach them the Sunnah. And test Skia will use that key him and they will He will purify them. Right? He mentions four things. Now when Allah answers the Dr. Ibrahim out he said I'm sort of near Milan. It's interesting how Allah answers it. Allah he says, they'll call them and Allah. Meaning is about the Fenian rasuna Amin fusi him, Allah subhanaw taala indeed bestowed His favor upon the believers when he raised from amongst them a messenger. Now the four things Abraham asked for were reciting the Quran, recite to them your verses, teach them the Quran, teach them the Sunnah and purify them in that order. Allah says in response, yet smooth
it him Yachty while us at key him while you are Lemo hormonal Kitab al hikma Allah changes the order. He brought this concept of purifying them second and then teaching them the verses and the and the book and the Sunnah third and fourth. Very interesting and well suited to Sham Salah begins to surah was Shamcey while Doha was Comrie either
one hurry either gentle for these first 789 verses he goes on taking oath after oath after oath. Eight oats Allah subhanaw taala takes to start the surah What's he taking your oath about? What's so important that's coming Allah sunnah makes it very clear. That if the Hammonds aka
the one who is successful is the one who's able to purify his soul. But after the humans
right and who's the one? What's the reward for those people? Allah Subhan Allah he says, one was Nguyet uma EV need help call Femi Felco that's my was the you know who for
whom who didn't move me Hoon? Who are those who have this concept of of Fela. But if lemons or Ka were the people who succeed, those who purify their souls, Allah says they'll be those who their deeds will they will be happy
On the Day of Judgment, right? So purifying the soul brothers and sisters is a critical concept Protestant him. He he engaged from the earliest of days with the sahaba. So that's why later in life when some of the Sahaba were later in the Sierra after the Sahaba had died in the feed off Abu Bakr and Ahmad and the like the feed off of Ahmad one, the Muslims in Northern Africa had call for reinforcements. They asked for 8000 men.
I'm gonna have Bob send 4000 men.
And they said, he said in response to the letter he says I'm sending at the head of each 1001 man whose equal 1000
Each one man whose equal 1000 Lakeisha forehand said he didn't leave behind so I didn't leave behind books.
He didn't leave behind books he left behind men and woman
and where did they come from? From this process of purifying themselves leaving off that which Allah dislikes building that relationship with Allah subhana wa Tada. Right. And you know, sometimes, you know, I remember watching this video on YouTube about this brother who who converted to Islam.
And he's, he's, he's sitting at nighttime looking out the window. And he's, he's on he's, he's, he's, he's on the edge. He's ready to jump into the water and embrace us now. He's just waiting for a sign. Right? He's talking about this experience. He's waiting for a sign, right? So he's waiting for like, like a shooting star like a bird to fly right in front of the window or something, you know, and like, nothing happens. He's like, come on God. Now's the time, right? He's easy. He's give me the speed. And he's saying like, what he's going through, right? He's like, you know, I'm ready to show me something. And like, nothing happens. Right? Nothing happens.
And so he opens up the mishap.
And he Subhanallah comes to the verse, or Allah subhanho wa Taala says, Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of the light and Day is a sign for people who reflect besides right in front of you.
The sign was right there the whole time.
Right. And so sometimes in our lives, before we embark on this, self purification, self motivation, self
rectification, right, fixing our lives, fixing our mistakes, making changes, committing to Allah subhanaw taala we wait for that moment, that right moment.
That moments now, there is no perfect moment. The perfect moment is now there isn't anything you it's not worth waiting to get into a car accident and be taken to the ER and be put on life support and then you miraculously survive. Now you're ready. It's not worth waiting for when I'm ready for hajj when I'm 78 years old, when that day may never come. And Amir Nene levena Manu
Shah guru boom levy cream he warmer and as Amina will help God. Is it not a time?
Is it not time for the believers?
Is it not time for the believers? That their hearts become soften?
Right and they become attached to Allah to be humbled to Allah and what He has revealed? And what does that mean to be attached and to be humbled to what Allah has revealed?
That means you submit to the Allah, Allah and His messenger. So when I send, you know, for all the prophets, I send him what he went through, you know,
for us to be sitting here now.
It's a testimony to the truth of his new Booyah.
To have his message reach far and wide, as he said in a hadith saved Doha, the de Marbella laid on the heart, right, it's gonna reach wherever the night in the day reaches, right.
And he spent his life he dedicated his life as a Sahaba did for us. Right when he would cry at night in his feet would swell. He would say Almighty Almighty,
my own my my nation. And he says that he will be waiting for us in the Day of Judgment, waiting to see us at the hotel COFA that is pond a watch. If you drink from it, you will never feel thirsty again. He's waiting to see us.
Right? But that opportunity that chance, we it's our responsibility. We can't outsource our spirituality, meaning we can just depend on someone to, you know, drop some amazing, you know, gem or lecture or something and you're like, oh, wow, that's part of it. Being here as part of it coming to these programs attending Halaqaat is part of it. hamdulillah one of the companies that promises Salam, he says he wants he was walking out on the streets and he sees Nafa handled and I felt the hunger, I've become a hypocrite. And we were going to meet him and says why are you saying that he sees what I'm with the Prophet said a mighty man is so high. And when I'm home with my wife and my
kids, my Eman drops down. So I'm a hypocrite because my Eman is not the same. And we weren't gonna say as well that's true for me too. So let's go to the process LM so they go to the process of them and they tell them oh messenger of Allah when we're with you and you remind us of hellfire and J
Learn the Mercy of Allah and the like and all these things. Our Iman is flying through the roof. But when we go home and we get back to the grind of life, our Eman kind of goes down. You know it was gonna be sent in response he says, he says that, you know this is
he sees Yeah 100 Assetto Corsa he says, you know, a time for this and a time for that he sees in a viewer like you know, counted spooler to come at a corner and the Viken he says if your hearts were at the level they were at when you're in this gatherings of remembrance of Allah he says they'll solve for Hakuna Matata, you got to hit that to send him out a confit Toto, he says the angels would come down into the streets and dab you up, say salaam to you shake your hands.
That's what kind of love so it's not possible. But what is important
is that these that you're committed, right to attending these kind of, you know, gatherings, local Halaqaat. You know, you're saying having teachers, having mentors, people who can kind of help guide you and, you know, keep you in check. And I'll end with this because my time is up. But when you begin this journey, it's very, very important. You see, human beings naturally, we don't want to feel bad about ourselves. We don't want to. And so if we make decisions that start taking us away from Allah subhanho wa taala, what happens is you naturally shut down, you naturally shut out people who may want the best for you. Right? So you see your brother on campus, who now has a girlfriend
and you go Yo, bro, let's let's talk.
And he will say no, no, no, don't judge me man. heard that before. We've all heard it. Right? Don't judge me.
Right? But what that is, is our natural like self psyche self defense mechanism kicking in because we don't want to feel bad about ourselves. So we'll justify whatever we're doing for whatever reason, I'm trying to get married to her. It's all good in the hood. You know, like, you know, saying my parents know about it, whatever, whatever. It was just MSA. Man. It's all good, right? We just want however we want to justify it. But that concept of don't judge me is destroying us.
Because you want people who will tell you when you see you going wrong, reminding you what you're doing.
Don't let that that shape on trick your mind and run 360s around you. Because that's what's happening. You know, we're fooling ourselves into thinking that we're, you know, these people are judgmental, or they don't, they don't know me, they don't know what I'm going through, blah, blah, blah. Look, you want to be around people who want the best for you. You want to be around people not yes men. Right? You don't want Yes, man, you want people who are going to help keep you in check. And that takes a stronger personality, because it takes some strong introspection. When you're being told something to acknowledge the truth in it, to acknowledge the truth in it. It's a challenge. But
here's the deal. If you want to embark on this journey of having Iman truly soak into our hearts, and we ask Allah to bless us with that firmly rooted Eman in our heart so that whatever trials come our way, our heart stays firm. Because these these mistakes that we do they add up. They add up right and it may be because of that, that when the fitna comes we we fall short we succumb to that fitna, right. So we we have to do the best we can. Every day is a struggle every day is a struggle. But Allah says what Lavina todo czar the home who Dawa home taqwa, those who don't just you know ask for guidance. Teto comes from the family of like, really working on it every day. You know
struggling striving your best to get guidance for those people. Allah says Adam Buddha Allah will increase them and guidance while I tell him to call Him and He will give them that awareness and consciousness of Allah subhanaw taala so we ask Allah started to help us in purifying ourselves and in ourselves and and drawing closer to Him and to keeping our faith firm. And so tada.
So we can be at a point where, you know, our Eman is strong. Our faith is strong and we can be a light to others as well and help them on this journey. It's a challenge. We're all in the same boat. We're all in the same boat. A struggle everyday for everybody. But if we stick together what to our ability with Taqwa we help each other and righteousness shall Tada we can overcome Satan in our in our weaknesses will call upon you