Ismail Kamdar – The Situation in South Africa – This World is a Test

			Salam aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato. hamdulillahi Rabbil alameen.
		

			Wa Salatu was Salam. ala nabina, Karim, Allah Allah, he was happy at mine.
		

			So where do we begin? What do we discuss this week? It's been unbelievable recently. You know, one
hand, I originally planned this week to talk about the importance of these days because it's
actually the first 10 days of Asia, which are the most blessed days of the year and he has around
the corner. But first in South Africa, it doesn't really feel like eats around the corner. It's been
really difficult. You know, there's also the, the fact that the great Mufti Ibrahim beside passed
away yesterday, rahimullah missed a few weeks of the mosquito, ha. So South Africa has lost both its
greatest hanafy and shopee. Movies within the same period of time, from COVID.
		

			May Allah assist us in moving forward as a community.
		

			But beyond all of that, the biggest issue and what I want to discuss today is, you know, these
events that have occurred over the past week that have ravaged our city and
		

			pushed into
		

			deeper poverty affecting the lives of many, many, many people, question that I've been receiving
throughout the week, from different segments of the community. Questions like, why did Allah allow
this to happen? Why did Allah stop it? You know, why is this happening to us? So I think it's
important to adjust this question because these type of questions affect our aqeedah they affect our
relationship with Allah subhanho wa Taala, and with the religion itself, and I decided today's
virtual hood by me doing a virtual football because it's still not really safe to be meeting for
Juma as COVID is really getting worse in South Africa.
		

			And so it is safer for us to be in our own homes playing in general with our family. And so to make
up for that, I am just doing this from Home Instead, ensure that soon we'll be back in the masjid.
		

			But he dedicated his football to two points, two points related to why this happens. And these
points are not, you know, as some have pushed it as a job and, you know, we are bad people and I'm
not going to cover that angle. I don't really believe that is the correct way to go about this kind
of topic. It doesn't really benefit the oma much. When people are constantly pushing the Azov angle.
There's two points I want to discuss. The first is the nature of this world. Why Allah Subhana Allah
created this world as a test. And so we will definitely be tested.
		

			And the second point, is the concept of free will I because from some of the questions that I've
been getting, you know, people that were asking why Allah stopped him from doing this.
		

			It really shows that we don't understand the concept of free will and judgment and consequences for
actions in afterlife. If we think Allah is just going to stop people from doing evil, then we
haven't studied history, because history is pulled up far worse incidents than what we've
experienced. So, the first half of this discussion will focus on the nature of this world. And the
second half inshallah, we will focus on
		

			the nature of free will and why Allah has given humanity free will and what are the consequences of
misusing that free will
		

			to begin. Now, both of these points are taken from Surah Baqarah
		

			and surah. Baqarah is one of the most important surah in the Quran.
		

			I highly recommend that everybody studies the Tafseer of Surah Baqarah. And also the will recite the
surah offered, because the prophets have always had stated that the devils ran away from a hole in
which Surah vaquera is recited, you will find in the surah everything.
		

			Almost any aspect of Islam that you want to discuss that you want to study that you want to talk
about, you will find some reference to it and sort of occur.
		

			And so both points will be taken from the sutra. And the first point in each of this word is I take
it from the beginning of the second juice of the Quran in surah baqarah. The famous verse, you know,
a few years back, one of my friends asked me what is my favorite verse in the Quran?
		

			And I quoted this verse and he asked me why, you know, adverse is scary. And I said because it's
only mine that was in times of goodness, that tests are going to happen. And during times of
hardship, it gives us the tools to deal with
		

			So what is this verse? Allah Suba how that houses into a bucket,
		

			a bucket, a bucket? Well, the number one Nakanishi in bigger hope you will join, we're not similar
and while he was unfit, he was kobashi saw baby
		

			unless you have the counters that we will definitely test you. And, you know, the Arabic year begins
with a lot of emphasis and enter the noon of emphasis. So it means we will definitely, definitely
without a doubt, test you history with what
		

			with some type of field with some type of hunger, with loss of lives, loss of wealth will also have
fruit. Right. Some of the facilities see the fruit of your efforts
		

			to give good news to those who have suffered, those who went the receiver effect of victim dc in the
law, he was not in the module.
		

			This is my favorite person.
		

			Because when things are going well, this first reminds me there's a bad time could come through, and
we need to be ready to deal with it. And when things go wrong, this first kicks in and I'm reminded
summer and second danila Raji
		

			when people ask why do bad things happen to Muslims, you know, those who worship Allah subhanho wa
Taala believe in Allah subhana wa tada fulfill the purpose of life, give charity to all of these
goodies, why do bad things still have Why do they still die of COVID? Why do they do businesses
still get burnt down? Or why do they no get arrested in in some other countries that Muslims are
being arrested must have been kicked out of the countries or Muslims have been put into
concentration camps? No, we don't really have it as bad as Muslims in those countries. People asked
why do these things happen to righteous Muslims?
		

			And the answer to that is that this world is a test. This is not gender. This world is a test Allah
subhanho wa Taala has created this world to test us. And he states in this verse five types of tests
we will definitely fix, we will be test tested with feel. Right now we are dealing with fear of the
looting and riots and V of COVID. At the same time, we will be tested with hunger. And many, many
people in our community at every state with hunger because of these riots and all of the food
resources they have destroyed, will be tested with loss of lives. We have lost a lot of lives here
to COVID Ultra diluting with loss of wealth. Again, most people you may have lost some wealth in
		

			some form or the other this year because of the various events that we are dealing with.
		

			And with loss of the fruits of our efforts, meaning you're going to work hard at something and you
basically get burned to the ground, which is exactly what many of us have seen during this time.
		

			So the question of why does this happen? Allah promised us it's going to happen. This is the nature
of this world, we will be tested. Every believer will face events in their life, that will be a
receiver.
		

			And when the Messiah comes, there are two things we have to do. Number one is to have sovereign
sovereign means we remain firm in worshipping Allah we remain firm in believing Allah, we do what is
necessary to rectify the situation. And we do not see a single word that is displeasing to Allah
subhanho wa Taala. That is,
		

			so what do we say?
		

			kalasa tells us what to say. In the law he was in illogical to allow we belong to allow we return.
Now many of us think that we only say this when someone dies. But Allah says that we say this
whenever in receba occurs, any type of masivo your business gets bogged down in the law of logic.
You cannot purchase milk and bread to the inner Lila.
		

			you've run out of food at home in the law, you were in dialing logic. This should be the first words
on our tongue when you see bakos
		

			lustbader has promised those who do this, those who have suffered those who say this during times of
masiva that Allah has promised him that he is with them and that they will have a great reward
		

			that Allah is with those who have suffered.
		

			So this verse a this passage in the Quran is very important. And you know, very often you want to
focus only on the verses about the nice things about gender, you know about the hardship comes ease,
about know if you have gratitude and it will give you more and we need to focus on that and we need
to remind ourselves that even during times like this, find things to be grateful for Allah will give
you more understand after hardship will come beats, but it's equally important to look at the verses
reminding us that we will
		

			Test, like the beginning of surah, on carboot, where Allah Subhana Allah tells us, does mankind
think that they will be left alone, upon saying we believe without being tested? No, we will
definitely test them. Like we tested those before them. So we can separate the true believers from
the hypocrites.
		

			So Allah has promised to test us and the test has come. And he has come in many forms. We all been
tested with this pandemic. Many of us have been tested with these violence and looting riots in our
neighborhoods, some of us have been tested, us many members of committee have been tested with a
business has been burned to the ground.
		

			Many people are being tested without having any food or any,
		

			any groceries for the for the homes. All of this is a test.
		

			And if we deal with the tests in the way that is pleasing to Allah subhanho wa Taala, then one of
two things will happen if we die during these tests, then gender inshallah, and martyrdom.
		

			And if we look through these tests, then after hardship comes ease.
		

			Either way, our religion is rooted in optimism and hope. And we have optimism and hope both ways. We
have lost all ama, to the pandemic. And we ask Allah to accept it as martyrdom.
		

			But we also have people amongst us who are still alive.
		

			And for those of us who are still here who are attending these lectures, we're watching these
lectures, we're still alive, you may be looking at those who passed on and what why Allah take them.
They were good people. Allah took them because he wanted to give them to give the martyrdom
		

			and for us was around we should not lose hope University of Allah. Because how after hardship comes
ease, and every moment spent in sober will be rewarded beyond our imagination on the Day of
Judgment.
		

			This brings me to the second half the topic, and that is, why didn't Allah stop people from doing
bad things? Now, historically, there are a few times where Allah Subhana data, he actually stopped
things like this from happening, right where a miracle occurred, a karamba or Jesus occurred, where
something was physically stopped from happening, the famous story of the wife of Prophet Ibrahim Ali
samsara, and when the king reached out to hammer, and Allah stopped his hand for being able to
		

			write, or the Battle of butter with Lawson, the angels to protect the Muslims. But understand that
these are miracles, and these are exceptions, these are not the norm. What is the norm, the norm is
that Allah subhanaw taala has given humanity free will.
		

			And Allah will not normally interfere with how we use that free will.
		

			Some humans are going to use the free world to do great evil.
		

			Allah is not unmindful of what he do.
		

			He gives them time to repair. It gives them time to change, it gives them time to make up for the
evil deeds. And if they do not, they will have to face him on the Day of Judgment. And they will
have to make up what he did in this world.
		

			Others will use that free world to do amazing things. Look around us. While all this chaos is going
on. They must use in our community. They are distributing free milk and bread to everybody. They are
Muslims who are patrolling our neighborhoods and guarding our borders for meters. There are people
who have stepped up, there are people who are doing amazing good deeds, that is also the result of
free work.
		

			And this takes me to the passage from Surah Baqarah. At the very beginning, the very first story in
the Quran. The very first story in the Quran, begins with the we're also calling the angels, I am
going to create on this earth, a representative of me as a representative of Allah, whether or not
		

			human beings that Allah Subhana Allah had created a creation, that if they live up to their
potential, they would represent the will of Allah by submitting to the will of Allah and His role.
		

			Should the angels
		

			cannot understand why Allah subhanaw taala would create a creation of free will.
		

			And Allah knows best why they knew the creation of free will will do evil, some say they had
observed or the creation on earth before us they had done that. Some say they had observed the jinn.
Some say they just put two and two together that the creation their free will they're going to cause
chaos. But the angels asked a very important question. Why would you create something that has the
potential to shed blood and cause chaos
		

			Allah subhana wa simply replied, I know that which you do not know.
		

			So what's the point of the story? The point of this passage in the Quran and the story is to remind
us that number one, Allah created us with free world. Number two, Allah created us for free well,
knowing full well that some humans will abuse that free will to shed blood and cause chaos of God.
Number three, Allah has a deeper plan for humanity, that even the angels could not understand. So
Allah told the angels I know that which you do not wish you do not know. So if the angels can
understand the debug there, but behind why Allah created us and gave us free will, and we won't, we
won't understand that either. But we believe that Allah is most wise, and Allah is all knowing, and
		

			Allah is most merciful. Allah is most loving, and all of those attributes will manifest in our lives
and in this creation.
		

			And so we live our lives with hope, that Allah Subhana, Allah has given us this opportunity to prove
ourselves, yes, the beauty of free will.
		

			If we utilize this free world, to obey Allah, and to be righteous people, and to worship Allah, and
to be the best that we can be, then we will reach a status that is greater than the angels. Because
angels worship Allah, without any free will, they don't have a choice in the matter. But humans have
the potential for great evil and great code. So if you choose to do great good with their pre world,
then the reward for that is beyond our imagination.
		

			So why does Allah not interfere? Because Allah has given us free world. And the consequences for the
free world won't be manifested on the Day of Judgment. We recite it every single day. Allah subhanho
wa Taala is molecule within. He is the king of the Day of Judgment. He is Maliki omega, and he is
the Master of the Day of Judgment. There's two ways to recite the verse. He's the king and the
Master of the Day of Judgment.
		

			On that day, no injustice that ever occurred on this earth will go on past, it will be sorted out on
that day. Anyone who faced injustice in this world, will get what they need for justice on that day.
And anyone who committed injustice in this world will face the consequences of their deeds on that
day.
		

			So Allah subhanaw taala is not letting it go. It is going into the book of sins, and they have been
given whatever is left of their life to be pet. And if they do not, then the punishment would come
in this world or in the text.
		

			But Allah does not interfere. Because that would contradict the point of evil. Allah only interferes
in very rare situations, to show us America.
		

			For the bulk of history, humans use the free world for either good or evil, Allah allowed it to
happen. What's happening now is small scale, compared to what Muslims of the past had to deal with.
The other parts of the world are currently dealing with it is small scale to what what's going on in
Palestine? It is small scale compared to what is going on in Syria is small scale compared to what
is happening in the concentration camps in China. It is nothing compared to what the Mongols did to
the Muslim world, what the Crusaders did to the Muslim world. What happened in World War One? What
we are facing now is a small test compared to that. For us, it's a big test. Yes, because we are in
		

			it. Now. It's happening now. It's real. It's happening around us. So it's a big test for us. When we
when we when we zoom out, and we look at it historically. We thank Allah, that we do not have to
face the Mongols. We don't allow we did not have to look to World War One. We don't allow do not
have to look to the plagues of the past we have far more severe than the pandemic we are facing
right now. We don't allow that we don't have to deal with the sorts of the Crusaders. Yes, we are
being tested.
		

			And the way to deal with the test is to Sabah and tawakkol and hope in the mercy of Allah subhanho
wa Taala in rising up to do good deeds, and all the end of this point honorable Christians, right?
Why does Allah allow this to happen actually from two angles number one, because life is a test
number two because Allah has given us free work.
		

			Now let's end up with some advice. What can we do? Remember, Allah has placed us on this earth as
his Khalifa as a representation of Allah.
		

			We must use that in a way that is pleasing to Allah, we must rise to the occasion.
		

			If you are able to protect your communities, in a way that is within the law, do so. If you are able
to provide for others whether it is milk, bread, petrol
		

			groceries, money, whatever it is, do so if you're able to help clean the streets, do that. If you
are able to help you know open up the delivery route to into the area to do that to whatever you
can, everyone plays a different role. If you can't do any of this make you up, make you are because
Allah answered the door to your press.
		

			So on one hand we have to have sobor on the other hand, we have to work hard and rise to the
occasion. And finally, we must strengthen our relationship with Allah subhanho wa Taala any anything
any musubi occurs in this world is a blessing if it brings us closer to Allah. It is a blessing if
it brings us closer to Allah. So let us use this period of difficulty to reflect on our own lives
and our own relationship with the Creator
		

			is used as a time to make doba is used as a time to make a steel bar to start playing or Salah to
start getting serious about the deen to start practicing our religion better. Let us use this time
to reconnect Allah subhanho wa Taala let us increase in our Salah increase in alcohol increasing our
ticker, whatever we are doing if you are out there delivering groceries to those who don't, who
can't afford it themselves along the way Mexico as well. Make a signifier as well. If you're
patrolling the borders to keep the looters out, remember Allah recycle and Mexico while doing so
		

			increase in your remembrance of Allah subhana wa tada and seeking forgiveness and this will bring
about the mercy of Allah subhanho wa Taala to our communities.
		

			And by asking Allah to lift both of these receivers that we are in the
		

			the protests that turned into riots and looting and the pandemic that has gotten worse over the past
few months. We are about to end both of these difficulties and to bring about up to this hardship a
lot of ease to help us to rebuild this community and to make it better than it was before to grab
everyone who is going to hardship right now ease and to provide for them from where they never
imagined. We ask Allah for everyone who has lost their businesses or their jobs during these these
these riots and looting the law replaces it with better than what they lost and better than they can
ever imagine. We ask Allah subhana wa tada
		

			to accept those who have passed away as Shaheed as much as in his part and to grant all of us who
are living through this summer. The walk will strong demand and all of the resources that we need to
get through this will help us all grant us is me Allah make us stronger through all of this. Super
hanabi is at the nysc for casilla mursaleen 111