Hamza Yusuf – Fear And Hope
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So he says, call on him out of fear and hope Bama desire covetousness surely the mercy of God is close to the people. So allows mercy as close to the people who sent a law has united fear and hope in this verse. And in reality, it's a bummer. It's this desire inside for something. So it's in order for the servant to have both fear and hope. Allah says, They hope for the mercy of God, and they fear his punishment. So these two go together fear and hope. The poet said, we'll put them in La hoven model Roger, you have to have the two sandals of fear and hope that some say it's the two wings that you can't fly without the two of them fear and hope. And then he says, the inner Mooji,
but hovi myrica to subtlety that, that hope results from knowledge of a laws, divine
power that allowed Can you know the Lord of tsunamis. And that's where fear comes from. Because God is not God is merciful and compassionate. But God is also the lord of orphans, the Lord of hurricanes, the Lord of all of the these majestic things that occur in the world that are frightening and terrible. A lot is is Boone Jelani, when it caught on, he's the lord of majesty, he sees his people, he can take you at any time, he can take your child, he can take your life and limb, he can take all your property that that is his God also, it's not just, you know, all the nice things that happen in life know, Allah is both he gives and he takes.
And so it's an awareness of that power of God. And it's
those people that try to present God as everything's nice, everybody's going to heaven. It's all going to be wonderful, you know, that that's not reality.
Reality is that there's
people enslaved into prostitution, there's pedophiles that raped children there, you know, that's, that's also part of the world. It's all these terrifying aspects of the world and allow that's those things happen. It's part of his sooner in his creation, that he's the creator of good and evil, and we don't, we're not mannequins we don't separate God into you know, there's good God and then there's a hungry man, that God or, you know, if God's all good, why does he allow evil? That's not a Muslim problem. It's never been a Muslim problem. We accept God the way God has revealed Himself to us. And we don't, we don't have those problems for migraine, he does whatever he wants to know if
not when I throw these into the fire, and I have no concern, none whatsoever no emotion will be how it would have agenda without will Valley and I put these into paradise and I have no emotion, to add alarm miles. That's the transcendent God and that God is real.
But But Allah subhanaw taala is also an eminent God involved in his creation, filled with mercy and benevolence. And that's the agenda that we hope for. That's the manifestation of God that we desire in our lives. But both are God. And to reject one is to reject the other.
Both are God. We don't separate we're people till he, we believe that God is one, but God has attributes.
And those attributes are real. And that's what fear is. Fear is a recognition of that aspect of god that's terrifying. That can expel us from his mercy can deprive us of all good and it's bad to be thrown away from the door. There's a wonderful scene in Candide
Voltaire's can be at the at the end when when he goes Professor pangloss, who's the other character.
Candy.
Professor pangloss and candy they're traveling around the world pangloss is trying to work out of this is the best of all possible worlds. He's a German metaphysician, and Candide is just trying to find out what's going on, like, what's the world about? So they end up in Turkey.
And they go to the Sufi share. He's gonna give them all the answers to the world. And so they knock on the door on this very austere sushi chef answers the door of the zoja and he's What do you want? And Dr. pangloss is like, you have to explain to us, you know, is this the best of all possible worlds? Why do people suffer in the world? What Why is there suffering? And the Sufi looks at me says, what does the captain of the ship care about the rats in the hall?
And then he slams the door.
That's transcendence.
That's an aspect of God that and that's what he was teaching him is that it's actually quite a brilliant insight. That was a lesson because that is the nature of evil. That there's an aspect of God that is so transcendent, so frightening, so terrifying. We can't comprehend it, we can't understand it, but it's God. And we accept it. We're in submission to it, we say out loud.
But then hope
in genders hope is engender out of knowledge of His mercy.
That he gives immense reward. That we're healthy, we have so many blessings, we have water to drink, we have food to eat, we can go to sleep. When we drink, we can urinate when we eat, we can dedicate we have spouses, we have children, we have houses we have
weather that is just right for human habitation, we are planets protected, we have all of these amazing things. And then it gives us these incredible tools and gifts to do things. We have commerce from all around the world. And people we have people that are doctors that work hard, so they can heal our ills and treat us we have pediatricians that, that have compassion for our children, we have mothers that respond in the middle of the night, even though they're exhausted to the crying of their their children, and hold them in their arms and rock them. We have people that are so outraged by the injustice of the world that they give up everything, their careers, their stature to fight
for the truth.
People that that will die, they'll literally go up against the gun, because they know something's right. And they'll defend that, right? We have people like that the world is filled with that. And that's what Helen Keller said the world is filled with suffering. But don't forget, it's also filled with the overcoming of suffering. And, and and, and that's, that's what hope is about. And that's why they have to have this balance. You can't have one without the other. If you have one, you'll go crazy. You'll become the Richard Dawkins, who rejects God and sees all the evil in the world and writes about how terrible religion is and all these things, because all he sees is the eve of
religion. What when we come here, do we see the evil of Islam in this city? really look at these people. Look at these amazing people. Look how they go to the prayer fight, getting up. Before dawn, there's people waiting to get into the role that at 230. In the morning, they sit and wait for an hour just to go into the thing. And then they'll give you anything. People really, they make room for you look how crowded it is, you know, people behave in large crowds look at just the edge of the people. This is the Islam that we see. This isn't it's charity. Look at all these people giving charity. Look at this. This hotel is a walk for poor people to help people. Somebody you know, the
king made it a walk. So we're staying here we're eating this food, we're paying rent and all these things. That money that we're paying a large portion of is going to help people that's from love of God, that's from religion. That's what we see. That's our experience of religion. So all of these things in the world that you see that are good, that's what gives us hope.
And Allah subhana wa tada says, tell my servants, I am the Forgiving, I am the merciful tell myself to be tells the Prophet net very badly. Tell my servants, I am the merciful, I am the Forgiving, but also remind them my punishment is is my chastisement is fierce, it's painful, they go together.
man out of hope that Ilayaraja if you know the bounty of Allah, you'll have nothing but hope woman out of Idaho Haha, but if you know the justice of God, you'll have fear. That's why you need to know the balance and the little bit additi when he commands to both justice, and his and his bounty, so God commands to both. And there is an other
a saying that's come down. If the fear and the hope of a believer was weighed, the scales would be balanced, that that's the best state and it's most to have
anything it's said.
Or rather, although it is better during the life of a person to have a little more fear because that fear
will protect him and keep him obedient and help him avoid disobedience or foul deeds and actions.
But as he comes as he gets older and closer to death, he should have more hope.
So when you're young and it's easier to be disobedient, it's better to have that fear as you get older, and then when when you're almost dead, you should give up all fear. Don't be afraid of God. And that's the Sunnah is that when you when you're on your deathbed, don't let anybody tell you about the fire, have complete trust that God's merciful and compassionate and forget all of those warnings, and all of those terrible note, just have a good opinion of God. And I end up on the IMDb I am in the opinion of my servant.
So that's the Sunnah, to do that. And then the prophets alyssum said, that not any one of you, which is in Sahih Muslim, that none of you
have a bad opinion of God, you know, don't die with a bad opinion of God, have a good opinion of God that all his promises are true, that you're going to be in paradise with this, the prophets and the saints.
And know that fear has three degrees. The first is when it's weak, it occurs to the heart, but it doesn't have an effect, either inward or outward. And that's almost like not having any fear at all. So there's something you're aware, you know, stuff for the law, but it's not stopping you. And the second is where it's stronger, it wakes you out of your heedlessness, and it compels you to be upright, and the third is so strong that it leads to despair.
And you actually are convinced that God's singled you out, he's gonna zap you with a bolt of lightning any minute. And you know that that is incapacitating and it's actually a religion is not a healthy state at all, or, in worst case scenario psychosis. So, so he says, Well, how the lay Jews will head on a moral support. This one is not permissible. And the best of affairs is that middle one, where it prevents you from doing wrong, and it compels you to do right. That's the best state of fear. When nezuko vyatta therapy mahkamah and that people have three stations when it comes to fear for homearama t minute the new overhauser team and our hakima will have a house that has
demoness sabitha feanor hottie Mata mania to an idea. So people are have three stations with fear. The first is the fear of the common people from wrong actions. The fear of the deceased people of distinction from a bad end, they have a bad seal. And and then the fear of the elect from amongst the people of distinction, who actually fear the sabitha what was written in the wombs of their mothers when when the angel was told about Schottky or say so that's that's the highest because the hajima your seal is based on the Sabbath. How you end was based on your beginning.
And that's why a new hire will be die at the end is always in the beginning. If you see a student who's studying hard in the beginning, it's an indication that he's going to have an auspicious end his education if he starts out lazy, more likely than not he's going to end up lazy not necessarily, but and then he says what Raja Raja Raja Raja hope is also on three degrees. The first oola Raja Rahmatullah him at a sub ob fi heavy authority will be taraki ma sia t fatherhood Raja Mahmoud athenia to Raja Ahmed, three, four str roar with Sadie Thoreau and jaquar Raja Hata jablonka. Elan m&e, Baja the hot arm. So the first is where you hope for the mercy of God, and you're working also
to by doing good deeds by being in a state of obedience, and by avoiding prohibitions, and this is a praiseworthy state of hope. The second is a hope that's excessive and becomes disobedient. And it's where you're diluted.
God's merciful Allah amarachi me. Yeah, he enjoyed life. Don't worry, God's not gonna do anything to you. He's, there's no, it's not gonna punish you. We're Muslims, everything's fine. That's a delusional state that people are in. And the third one on jaquar Raja hotair Brava in Amman, where they're just completely convinced I've got a ticket to paradise, and nothing's gonna stop me. I booked my suite in God's hotel, and it's
luxury villa up at the top overlooking all the rivers
and he says that's how long to feel so secure, and Abubakar who's the example of fear and hope of luck or said if one of my
seat was in Paradise and the other was out I still wouldn't feel safe from the design of God. Not until both theater firmly planted in paradise does he give up his
so that's important when nasopharyngitis at othera de Makana and people concerning whoa are on three stations from Obama Amity. rajabi Now one more common ha city Raja dhwani la como como hacer ha city Raja in the currency he will show can eat a he in naramata la heparin animasi oB datafield. So people concerning Raja, this hope have three stations, the first station is the general people, and it's a hope for God's reward, he's going to reward you. The second is a station of the elect, it's a hope for the pleasure of God, you're more you want
that God's pleased with you more than you want anything from God, you want to give to God, that's a higher station because it's love.
And then the third is the elect from amongst the people of distinction. And that is hoping to meet God you want to meet God you're looking forward to meeting God and we should all look forward to meeting God. Because it this is going to be the director's commentary.
Get to watch the whole thing and have it all explained to you.
Allah says I'm going to explain everything on that day. You're going to understand why you are all different. You know, why is there all this confusion? Why? Why do we have all these religions? Why do we have all these wars? What he's gonna explain it all? Everything is all that's what it meant. Yeah.
Seriously, people nobody has patience. This is too confusing. Well,
I mean, there's, you know, my father told me he didn't understand Hamlet until he'd read it 50 times.
There's people that work to understand things. And his assumption is we have to it's all supposed to be clear and worked out
why
it's only through work that you really appreciate.
So that's what we're preparing for
the day of judgment
and then that highest station just yeah. And then he says in naramata layer curry boom and Marcin in the mercy of God is close to the people of accent and with God is tofi
so it's almost time for mother and this is Babbitt Toba and then he ends it with verbal loss the book of the station of sincerity so inshallah Allah give us maraca hope Raja Toba and Alas, all inshallah get another time for this. Maybe
we could do it.