Mirza Yawar Baig – Lessons From The Anbiya #74 I Love The Messenger

Mirza Yawar Baig
AI: Summary ©
The transcript describes a tragic death at a mosque in the United States that killed over 35,000 people, including the owner of the equipment and the owner of equipment. The segment also touches on the "fundzilla principle of Islam" and the "theENT strokes of the beast" that have caused the death of the son of the god. The transcript highlights the importance of forgiveness and sh mattered in Islam, and discusses the success and failure of individuals's return flight and return to their hotel. The transcript also touches on the importance of avoiding criticizing people for their actions and seeking forgiveness.
AI: Transcript ©
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim, Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen, wa salatu

00:00:03 --> 00:00:05

wa salamu ala sharafi al-anbiyai wa al

00:00:05 --> 00:00:10

-mursaleen, Muhammadur Rasulullahi sallallahu alaihi wa ala alihi

00:00:10 --> 00:00:13

wa sahbihi wa sallam, tasliman kaseeran kaseera.

00:00:13 --> 00:00:16

My brothers and sisters, from Abadu we come

00:00:16 --> 00:00:21

to the last days of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi

00:00:21 --> 00:00:21

wa sallam.

00:00:24 --> 00:00:31

These are very, it's a very painful subject

00:00:31 --> 00:00:35

to talk about, but obviously it is a

00:00:35 --> 00:00:37

part of the Seerah, and like the Seerah,

00:00:38 --> 00:00:40

like every part of the Seerah, no matter

00:00:40 --> 00:00:45

how painful or joyous it might be, it

00:00:45 --> 00:00:49

is a place of huge learning, and that

00:00:49 --> 00:00:51

is the whole maqsad, the whole purpose of

00:00:51 --> 00:00:53

the Seerah of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam,

00:00:54 --> 00:00:56

that it is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala

00:00:56 --> 00:01:00

sent him as a teacher and made his

00:01:00 --> 00:01:04

life, his whole life Allah subhanahu wa ta

00:01:04 --> 00:01:07

'ala made it the means of teaching, He

00:01:07 --> 00:01:10

made it the demonstration of what he wishes,

00:01:10 --> 00:01:16

and if one lives one's life according to

00:01:16 --> 00:01:18

the wish of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala,

00:01:18 --> 00:01:19

the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala,

00:01:20 --> 00:01:25

then success, final permanent success is guaranteed.

00:01:26 --> 00:01:29

Now Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said in

00:01:29 --> 00:01:34

one Hadith, he said when any calamity befalls

00:01:34 --> 00:01:37

you, think of my death, and that calamity

00:01:37 --> 00:01:39

will seem like nothing.

00:01:39 --> 00:01:43

Subhanallah, this is so so incredibly true, because

00:01:43 --> 00:01:47

there is nothing which is a bigger calamity

00:01:47 --> 00:01:51

and a bigger tragedy than having lost Rasulullah

00:01:51 --> 00:01:57

sallallahu alaihi wa sallam in person, that everyone

00:01:57 --> 00:01:59

after the first generation has faced.

00:02:00 --> 00:02:03

I remember many many years ago, I think

00:02:03 --> 00:02:07

almost maybe 20-25 years ago, I was

00:02:07 --> 00:02:11

in Chicago, and I went with my very

00:02:11 --> 00:02:16

dear friend Raza bhai, Raza Hussain, for Salatul

00:02:16 --> 00:02:19

Fajr, to a mosque, I don't remember which

00:02:19 --> 00:02:26

exact place it was, and immediately after the

00:02:26 --> 00:02:29

Salat, one of the brothers stood up, he

00:02:29 --> 00:02:32

was an Egyptian man, and he narrated this

00:02:32 --> 00:02:36

Hadith, he said when a calamity befalls, think

00:02:36 --> 00:02:39

of the passing away of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi

00:02:39 --> 00:02:41

wa sallam, and that calamity will seem like

00:02:41 --> 00:02:45

nothing, and then he announced that a plane

00:02:45 --> 00:02:54

which was carrying many tens of Egyptian pilots,

00:02:54 --> 00:02:57

who had come to the United States to

00:02:57 --> 00:03:00

be trained, that plane had crashed, and everybody

00:03:00 --> 00:03:03

on board had died, and I think probably

00:03:03 --> 00:03:05

maybe some people had relatives there, but even

00:03:05 --> 00:03:09

if they didn't, the majority of people in

00:03:09 --> 00:03:10

that mosque were Egyptian people, and of course

00:03:10 --> 00:03:12

it's a tragedy for all of us, and

00:03:12 --> 00:03:12

for everyone.

00:03:13 --> 00:03:16

So he mentioned this Hadith as a way

00:03:16 --> 00:03:19

of coping with that tragedy.

00:03:20 --> 00:03:21

Today we are living in a world which

00:03:21 --> 00:03:26

is seeing tragedy galore, tragedy that we have

00:03:26 --> 00:03:26

never seen before.

00:03:28 --> 00:03:31

As I speak to you today, over 35

00:03:31 --> 00:03:35

,000 innocent people, men, women and children, have

00:03:35 --> 00:03:40

been killed, murdered in Gaza, and the majority

00:03:40 --> 00:03:42

of them, 60-70% of them are

00:03:42 --> 00:03:43

women and children, and it's not to say

00:03:43 --> 00:03:45

that we keep saying these women and children

00:03:45 --> 00:03:48

as if the lives of men are expendable,

00:03:48 --> 00:03:49

and it's okay to kill men, it is

00:03:49 --> 00:03:52

not okay to kill anybody, irrespective of who

00:03:52 --> 00:03:54

they are, whether they are Muslim or not,

00:03:54 --> 00:03:56

it is not okay to kill anybody.

00:03:56 --> 00:03:59

This is the fundamental principle of Islam.

00:03:59 --> 00:04:04

The cardinal sin after shirk, after associating with

00:04:04 --> 00:04:05

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, is murder.

00:04:06 --> 00:04:08

And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will punish

00:04:08 --> 00:04:10

those who commit murder, no matter who they

00:04:10 --> 00:04:16

are, and no matter how protected they may

00:04:16 --> 00:04:18

be, or they feel they are in this

00:04:18 --> 00:04:19

world, a time will come when they will

00:04:19 --> 00:04:21

stand before Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

00:04:22 --> 00:04:26

On this context of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa

00:04:26 --> 00:04:30

sallam passing away, the biggest disaster for the

00:04:30 --> 00:04:32

Muslims was the death of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi

00:04:32 --> 00:04:35

wa sallam, not only because they were deprived

00:04:35 --> 00:04:38

of the barakah of his company, but because

00:04:38 --> 00:04:41

with his death, Wahy stopped.

00:04:42 --> 00:04:45

The connection, the direct connection, when Allah subhanahu

00:04:45 --> 00:04:47

wa ta'ala spoke to human beings through

00:04:47 --> 00:04:50

his messenger Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, that

00:04:50 --> 00:04:51

connection came to an end.

00:04:52 --> 00:04:53

And that connection will never happen again because

00:04:53 --> 00:04:55

Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam is the last

00:04:55 --> 00:04:58

and final of the people who received Wahy

00:04:58 --> 00:04:59

from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

00:05:00 --> 00:05:02

He is the last and final messenger, he

00:05:02 --> 00:05:04

is the last and final prophet, he is

00:05:04 --> 00:05:06

the last and final Rasul, he is the

00:05:06 --> 00:05:07

last and final Nabi.

00:05:08 --> 00:05:15

There is another story of Sayyidina Hasan ibn

00:05:15 --> 00:05:19

Ali radiyallahu anhuma and I think it was

00:05:19 --> 00:05:25

also Abdullah ibn Abbas radiyallahu anhuma and one

00:05:25 --> 00:05:27

other young Sahabi.

00:05:27 --> 00:05:32

They went to meet this lady who used

00:05:32 --> 00:05:37

to work in the household of Rasulullah sallallahu

00:05:37 --> 00:05:37

alaihi wa sallam.

00:05:38 --> 00:05:42

And so they went to meet her and

00:05:42 --> 00:05:44

give salam to her and so on.

00:05:44 --> 00:05:47

And she, among her duties, she used to

00:05:47 --> 00:05:50

also cook food for Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa

00:05:50 --> 00:05:51

sallam and his family.

00:05:51 --> 00:05:53

So they went there and then they said

00:05:53 --> 00:05:57

to her, our mother, can you please cook

00:05:57 --> 00:05:59

for us something that Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa

00:05:59 --> 00:06:01

sallam used to eat and used to cook

00:06:01 --> 00:06:02

for him.

00:06:02 --> 00:06:05

So she laughed and she said, you can't

00:06:05 --> 00:06:07

eat what I used to cook for him

00:06:07 --> 00:06:09

and what he ate.

00:06:09 --> 00:06:10

They said, why?

00:06:11 --> 00:06:12

She said, because you have become too soft.

00:06:13 --> 00:06:15

Now imagine she is talking to the grandson

00:06:15 --> 00:06:16

of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam in those

00:06:16 --> 00:06:19

days, what would she say if somebody like

00:06:19 --> 00:06:22

me and you went to her today?

00:06:22 --> 00:06:24

They were soft and what about us?

00:06:25 --> 00:06:28

Anyway, so they persisted.

00:06:28 --> 00:06:33

So she took some barley, coarse barley, like

00:06:33 --> 00:06:34

barley meal.

00:06:35 --> 00:06:37

She took some sheep fat, she put the

00:06:37 --> 00:06:42

barley meal in a pan on the fire.

00:06:42 --> 00:06:45

She put some sheep fat into that, she

00:06:45 --> 00:06:48

put some salt, she fried the whole thing

00:06:48 --> 00:06:49

and she said this is what she used

00:06:49 --> 00:06:49

to eat.

00:06:49 --> 00:06:52

This is a kind of very rough bread

00:06:52 --> 00:06:54

with just salt in it.

00:06:55 --> 00:06:56

And she said eat this, this is what

00:06:56 --> 00:06:57

she used to eat.

00:06:58 --> 00:07:02

And this is the passing away of Rasulullah

00:07:02 --> 00:07:02

sallallahu alaihi wa sallam is amazing.

00:07:03 --> 00:07:05

Subhanallah, it's something that we should try to

00:07:05 --> 00:07:08

reflect on this and say, and it's easy

00:07:08 --> 00:07:08

to say.

00:07:09 --> 00:07:10

Let me tell you a couple of other

00:07:10 --> 00:07:11

things as well.

00:07:11 --> 00:07:15

There was a young man who was passing

00:07:15 --> 00:07:17

by after Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam passed

00:07:17 --> 00:07:17

away.

00:07:18 --> 00:07:21

There was a young man who was passing

00:07:21 --> 00:07:24

by and he saw a group of the

00:07:24 --> 00:07:25

Sahaba of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.

00:07:26 --> 00:07:28

Among whom was Abu Sayyid al-Khudri radiallahu

00:07:28 --> 00:07:30

anhu and others.

00:07:30 --> 00:07:33

So this young guy, he had never seen

00:07:33 --> 00:07:34

Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.

00:07:34 --> 00:07:35

He was from the Tabayyun.

00:07:36 --> 00:07:39

So he was born after Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi

00:07:39 --> 00:07:39

wa sallam passed away.

00:07:39 --> 00:07:41

So he was passing by this group and

00:07:41 --> 00:07:43

he made salam and he said, I wish

00:07:43 --> 00:07:43

I was like you.

00:07:43 --> 00:07:48

I wish I was born earlier and I

00:07:48 --> 00:07:51

wish I had seen and had the company

00:07:51 --> 00:07:52

of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.

00:07:52 --> 00:07:54

So Abu Sayyid al-Khudri radiallahu anhu called

00:07:54 --> 00:07:55

him and made him sit down and he

00:07:55 --> 00:07:58

said, Thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for

00:07:58 --> 00:07:59

what He has given you.

00:08:00 --> 00:08:02

And don't ask for and don't yearn for

00:08:02 --> 00:08:05

something which Allah chose, did not choose for

00:08:05 --> 00:08:05

you.

00:08:06 --> 00:08:09

He said, because among those who saw Rasulullah

00:08:09 --> 00:08:11

sallallahu alaihi wa sallam and who had the

00:08:11 --> 00:08:14

opportunity of being in his company were also

00:08:14 --> 00:08:15

Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab.

00:08:16 --> 00:08:18

And Abu Lahab was his uncle, was his

00:08:18 --> 00:08:19

blood relative.

00:08:21 --> 00:08:23

Today people talk with great pride and Alhamdulillah,

00:08:24 --> 00:08:25

this is good Allah has given this as

00:08:25 --> 00:08:26

ni'mah.

00:08:26 --> 00:08:28

It's not pride as in something that is

00:08:28 --> 00:08:30

achieved by the individual but Allah has given

00:08:30 --> 00:08:31

them as ni'mah.

00:08:31 --> 00:08:33

And if they get their ni'mah with iman,

00:08:33 --> 00:08:35

that's the key, the key is with iman,

00:08:36 --> 00:08:36

then it's good.

00:08:36 --> 00:08:40

Because Abu Talib and Abu Lahab were both

00:08:40 --> 00:08:42

blood relatives of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.

00:08:42 --> 00:08:45

Today somebody calls himself, especially in our part

00:08:45 --> 00:08:47

of the world, India, Pakistan and so on,

00:08:47 --> 00:08:49

I am a Sayyid, I am from the

00:08:49 --> 00:08:50

family of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.

00:08:51 --> 00:08:53

Actually if you trace it back, Allah knows

00:08:53 --> 00:08:53

best.

00:08:53 --> 00:08:56

But anyway, there was no doubt with regard

00:08:56 --> 00:08:58

to Abu Lahab and Abu Jahl.

00:08:58 --> 00:09:01

These people were the people in whose veins

00:09:01 --> 00:09:06

the same blood flowed, that flowed in the

00:09:06 --> 00:09:07

veins of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.

00:09:08 --> 00:09:11

Yet, both of them did not believe in

00:09:11 --> 00:09:11

Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.

00:09:12 --> 00:09:14

And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with respect

00:09:14 --> 00:09:15

to Abu Lahab, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala

00:09:15 --> 00:09:24

promised him Jahannam and revealed a surah in

00:09:24 --> 00:09:27

describing him and his wife.

00:09:28 --> 00:09:29

And of course, Abu Talib has done the

00:09:29 --> 00:09:30

same thing.

00:09:30 --> 00:09:32

We know that Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam

00:09:32 --> 00:09:35

said that he never accepted Islam and therefore

00:09:35 --> 00:09:37

he will not have Jahannam.

00:09:38 --> 00:09:40

This is something very important for us to

00:09:40 --> 00:09:42

think about and say, today I am here,

00:09:44 --> 00:09:45

what am I getting from the life of

00:09:45 --> 00:09:46

Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam?

00:09:46 --> 00:09:48

Now that he has passed away, what must

00:09:48 --> 00:09:48

I do?

00:09:48 --> 00:09:49

How do I maintain that connection?

00:09:50 --> 00:09:53

Another beautiful story, Abu Bakr and Umar r

00:09:53 --> 00:10:01

.a went to meet Um Ayman, the only

00:10:01 --> 00:10:03

person in the life of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi

00:10:03 --> 00:10:07

wa sallam, who was with him from his

00:10:07 --> 00:10:10

birth to his death, who saw the Prophet

00:10:10 --> 00:10:12

sallallahu alaihi wa sallam as a newborn baby

00:10:12 --> 00:10:14

and who saw him when he passed away

00:10:14 --> 00:10:22

was Um Ayman r.a, who later married

00:10:22 --> 00:10:25

Zaid bin Haritha r.a. So she was

00:10:25 --> 00:10:28

with Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam throughout his

00:10:28 --> 00:10:28

entire life.

00:10:29 --> 00:10:31

So after Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam passed

00:10:31 --> 00:10:36

away, Abu Bakr and Umar r.a went

00:10:36 --> 00:10:37

to meet Um Ayman.

00:10:37 --> 00:10:38

This is again on a side note, this

00:10:38 --> 00:10:45

is one of the qualities of our akhlaq,

00:10:45 --> 00:10:50

qualities of our behaviour, that we maintain ties

00:10:50 --> 00:10:53

with those who were the friends of our

00:10:53 --> 00:10:57

elders, especially friends of our parents, but also

00:10:57 --> 00:11:02

others, our teachers and friends of our elders.

00:11:02 --> 00:11:04

You maintain ties with them after they have

00:11:04 --> 00:11:05

passed away.

00:11:06 --> 00:11:09

This is a very important part of akhlaq

00:11:09 --> 00:11:10

and it is something to be taught to

00:11:10 --> 00:11:11

our children.

00:11:12 --> 00:11:14

So they went to meet her and when

00:11:14 --> 00:11:16

she saw them and she met them, she

00:11:16 --> 00:11:17

had tears in her eyes.

00:11:18 --> 00:11:19

So they said to her, inna lillahi wa

00:11:19 --> 00:11:22

inna lillahi ajoon, are you weeping because of

00:11:22 --> 00:11:24

the passing away of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa

00:11:24 --> 00:11:24

sallam?

00:11:24 --> 00:11:27

They said, you know, this is something which

00:11:27 --> 00:11:29

all of us are, for us it is

00:11:29 --> 00:11:31

the greatest tragedy, but this is from Allah

00:11:31 --> 00:11:33

subhanahu wa ta'ala and this is for

00:11:33 --> 00:11:34

all of us.

00:11:34 --> 00:11:36

So she said, no, I am not weeping

00:11:36 --> 00:11:38

for the passing away, or rather I am

00:11:38 --> 00:11:40

sad about that also, but she said, I

00:11:40 --> 00:11:44

am weeping because the connection we had with

00:11:44 --> 00:11:45

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has been severed,

00:11:45 --> 00:11:48

has been, the window of the heavens has

00:11:48 --> 00:11:48

shut.

00:11:49 --> 00:11:50

Wahi has stopped.

00:11:51 --> 00:11:53

Now these are people who truly appreciated that,

00:11:53 --> 00:11:55

obviously they saw it, I mean, we didn't

00:11:55 --> 00:11:58

see it, but we have it, Alhamdulillah, thanks

00:11:58 --> 00:12:02

to the fact that Allah subhanahu wa ta

00:12:02 --> 00:12:04

'ala preserved the Quran al-Karim, and thanks

00:12:04 --> 00:12:07

to those who engaged in the job of

00:12:07 --> 00:12:10

preserving the Quran al-Karim, the Sahaba, Rizwanullahi

00:12:10 --> 00:12:11

alaihim ajmain, may Allah be pleased with all

00:12:11 --> 00:12:16

of them, who recorded it, who recorded the

00:12:16 --> 00:12:18

teachings, the meaning of it and the tafsir

00:12:18 --> 00:12:21

of it, which was both the hadith and

00:12:21 --> 00:12:23

the seerah of Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.

00:12:23 --> 00:12:26

They recorded it, they kept it, so that

00:12:26 --> 00:12:27

it is there with us today.

00:12:28 --> 00:12:31

So let us think and reflect on these

00:12:31 --> 00:12:32

things, they are very important.

00:12:32 --> 00:12:35

Now to continue with the story of the

00:12:35 --> 00:12:40

last days, in the month of Safar, the

00:12:40 --> 00:12:42

beginning of the end commenced.

00:12:43 --> 00:12:45

Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam had received many

00:12:45 --> 00:12:48

ayats and indications that he would die like

00:12:48 --> 00:12:51

other messengers before him, and he was prepared

00:12:51 --> 00:12:52

and waiting for the day.

00:12:55 --> 00:12:58

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, for example, Allah

00:12:58 --> 00:13:01

said, innaka mayyitoon wa innahum mayyitoon In Surah

00:13:01 --> 00:13:04

Az-Zumar, Allah said, barely you and Muhammad

00:13:04 --> 00:13:06

sallallahu alaihi wa sallam will die, and barely

00:13:06 --> 00:13:12

they too, meaning his opponents, they will also

00:13:12 --> 00:13:12

die.

00:13:12 --> 00:13:14

And then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said,

00:13:14 --> 00:13:16

wa ma ja'alna li basharin min qablikal

00:13:16 --> 00:13:22

khunda, afa imitta fahumul khalidoon kullu nafsin za

00:13:22 --> 00:13:26

'iqatul mawt, wa nabluukum bil sharri wal khayri

00:13:26 --> 00:13:29

fitna, wa ilayna turja'oon Allah said, and

00:13:29 --> 00:13:31

we did not grant to any human being

00:13:31 --> 00:13:34

immortality before you, O Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa

00:13:34 --> 00:13:37

sallam, then if you die, would they live

00:13:37 --> 00:13:37

forever?

00:13:37 --> 00:13:39

Meaning these people, they think as if they

00:13:39 --> 00:13:41

are living in this life, as if they

00:13:41 --> 00:13:42

are going to stay forever.

00:13:42 --> 00:13:43

He said, even you will die.

00:13:43 --> 00:13:46

So what do they think will happen to

00:13:46 --> 00:13:46

them?

00:13:46 --> 00:13:48

Everyone is going to taste death, and we

00:13:48 --> 00:13:52

shall make a trial of you with evil

00:13:52 --> 00:13:54

and with good, and to us you will

00:13:54 --> 00:13:55

be returned.

00:13:57 --> 00:14:00

This is a message for all of us

00:14:00 --> 00:14:03

to say, that both good and evil are

00:14:03 --> 00:14:04

trials.

00:14:04 --> 00:14:06

It is very common when things are going

00:14:06 --> 00:14:07

well.

00:14:07 --> 00:14:11

People say, this is from the fadal of

00:14:11 --> 00:14:11

Allah.

00:14:11 --> 00:14:13

Alhamdulillah, it is a fadal of Allah.

00:14:13 --> 00:14:16

But also do remember that this is also

00:14:16 --> 00:14:17

a trial.

00:14:17 --> 00:14:20

For example, one of the most severe trials

00:14:20 --> 00:14:23

is the trial of wealth and power.

00:14:23 --> 00:14:26

There is truly probably nothing that is more

00:14:26 --> 00:14:27

severe than that.

00:14:27 --> 00:14:30

Allah gives in the hands of an individual

00:14:30 --> 00:14:34

the power to do things on a very

00:14:34 --> 00:14:36

large scale, thanks to the fact that he

00:14:36 --> 00:14:37

has wealth and he has power.

00:14:39 --> 00:14:41

So it is, you know, especially when today,

00:14:42 --> 00:14:46

when people criticize rulers, and I am not

00:14:46 --> 00:14:48

saying that the rulers that we have today

00:14:48 --> 00:14:49

are not to be criticized.

00:14:50 --> 00:14:52

May Allah protect us from people like that.

00:14:53 --> 00:14:56

They are well worth criticizing and so on.

00:14:56 --> 00:14:57

But before we go into that issue of

00:14:57 --> 00:15:00

criticizing, first of all, there is no point

00:15:00 --> 00:15:01

in criticizing them because they don't care about

00:15:01 --> 00:15:02

your opinion.

00:15:03 --> 00:15:06

But apart from that, it is very salutary

00:15:06 --> 00:15:08

to put yourself in their position and say,

00:15:08 --> 00:15:10

what would I have done if I was

00:15:10 --> 00:15:10

so and so.

00:15:12 --> 00:15:13

This really opens your eyes.

00:15:14 --> 00:15:16

What would you have done if you were

00:15:16 --> 00:15:17

that person?

00:15:17 --> 00:15:18

Today you are criticizing this one and that

00:15:18 --> 00:15:21

one and saying, you know, why does he

00:15:21 --> 00:15:22

do this or that.

00:15:22 --> 00:15:24

First of all, we are doing that without

00:15:24 --> 00:15:24

knowledge.

00:15:25 --> 00:15:30

We don't know what are all the problems

00:15:30 --> 00:15:32

that that person faces.

00:15:32 --> 00:15:36

We don't know, you know, all the things

00:15:36 --> 00:15:39

that motivate him or what he is forced

00:15:39 --> 00:15:39

by.

00:15:40 --> 00:15:45

But apart from that, if I was a

00:15:45 --> 00:15:49

king, if you were a king, or whatever

00:15:49 --> 00:15:51

ruler in whichever shape or form, what would

00:15:51 --> 00:15:52

you do?

00:15:52 --> 00:15:53

What would you do?

00:15:53 --> 00:15:54

What would I do?

00:15:54 --> 00:15:58

So it is very important to keep this

00:15:58 --> 00:16:01

in mind that goodness, so-called goodness, what

00:16:01 --> 00:16:05

we think is goodness, because before Allah subhanahu

00:16:05 --> 00:16:06

wa ta'ala the only goodness is piety,

00:16:07 --> 00:16:08

is taqwa.

00:16:08 --> 00:16:10

Everything else is a test.

00:16:10 --> 00:16:13

Taqwa is the only thing which is, if

00:16:13 --> 00:16:14

Allah gives you and we ask Allah to

00:16:14 --> 00:16:16

give it to us, this is something which

00:16:16 --> 00:16:18

is the true ni'mah from Allah subhanahu wa

00:16:18 --> 00:16:19

ta'ala, the true blessing.

00:16:20 --> 00:16:22

Everything else is a test and poverty is

00:16:22 --> 00:16:24

a test and wealth is a test and

00:16:24 --> 00:16:25

sickness is a test and health is a

00:16:25 --> 00:16:28

test and strength is a test and weakness

00:16:28 --> 00:16:29

is a test and age is a test,

00:16:30 --> 00:16:32

being old is a test and being young

00:16:32 --> 00:16:33

is a test, everything is a test.

00:16:33 --> 00:16:38

So in this case as well, the wealth

00:16:38 --> 00:16:39

is a test.

00:16:39 --> 00:16:40

Allah is saying this, we will test you

00:16:40 --> 00:16:42

with both, we will test you with evil

00:16:42 --> 00:16:43

and we will test you with good.

00:16:43 --> 00:16:46

And remember that the return is to us

00:16:46 --> 00:16:49

and this is the anchor, this is what

00:16:49 --> 00:16:54

keeps us in check, to remember that one

00:16:54 --> 00:16:56

day there is a return to Allah subhanahu

00:16:56 --> 00:16:56

wa ta'ala.

00:16:56 --> 00:16:59

Nobody but nobody will escape that return.

00:17:01 --> 00:17:22

Then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, Allah

00:17:22 --> 00:17:52

subhanahu wa ta'ala said, Allah

00:17:52 --> 00:17:55

subhanahu wa ta'ala said in these ayatul

00:17:55 --> 00:17:57

surah tul al imran, Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa

00:17:57 --> 00:18:01

sallam is no more than a messenger, and

00:18:01 --> 00:18:04

indeed many messengers have passed by before him.

00:18:05 --> 00:18:07

If he dies or is killed, will you

00:18:07 --> 00:18:09

then turn back on your heels?

00:18:09 --> 00:18:12

Meaning, will you leave Islam, will you become

00:18:12 --> 00:18:12

disbelievers?

00:18:13 --> 00:18:16

And he who turns back on his heels,

00:18:16 --> 00:18:19

not the least harm will he do to

00:18:19 --> 00:18:19

Allah.

00:18:20 --> 00:18:22

And Allah will give reward to those who

00:18:22 --> 00:18:23

are grateful.

00:18:23 --> 00:18:26

And no person can ever die except by

00:18:26 --> 00:18:27

Allah's leave.

00:18:28 --> 00:18:31

Nobody can die without the permission of Allah.

00:18:32 --> 00:18:34

And at an appointed time.

00:18:35 --> 00:18:38

And whoever desires a reward in this world,

00:18:38 --> 00:18:39

we shall give it to him.

00:18:40 --> 00:18:43

And whoever desires a reward in the hereafter,

00:18:43 --> 00:18:44

we shall give it to him.

00:18:45 --> 00:18:47

And we shall reward the grateful.

00:18:53 --> 00:18:55

And then of course Allah subhanahu wa ta

00:18:55 --> 00:19:05

'ala said, sallallahu

00:19:05 --> 00:19:09

alaihi wa sallam, Allah said, when the help

00:19:09 --> 00:19:11

of Allah comes to you, Muhammad sallallahu alaihi

00:19:11 --> 00:19:14

wa sallam, against your enemies, and this is

00:19:14 --> 00:19:17

referring to the conquest of Mecca, when the

00:19:17 --> 00:19:22

help of Allah comes to you, and you

00:19:22 --> 00:19:25

are victorious, and you see that the people

00:19:25 --> 00:19:29

enter Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's religion, which

00:19:29 --> 00:19:30

is Islam, in crowds.

00:19:36 --> 00:19:38

Then what must you do?

00:19:40 --> 00:19:43

Then glorify the praises of your Rabb, and

00:19:43 --> 00:19:44

ask for forgiveness.

00:19:44 --> 00:19:46

Seek forgiveness, ask forgiveness.

00:19:46 --> 00:19:49

Verily, He Jalla Jalaluhu is the one who

00:19:49 --> 00:19:53

accepts repentance and forgives.

00:19:55 --> 00:19:59

This is a beautiful Surah also to reflect

00:20:01 --> 00:20:04

on the importance of Niyah, on the importance

00:20:04 --> 00:20:11

of looking at Deen in the true perspective.

00:20:12 --> 00:20:15

Because if you think about this, and say,

00:20:16 --> 00:20:20

here I have worked all my life, and

00:20:20 --> 00:20:22

finally I get success.

00:20:23 --> 00:20:25

And I am working for the sake of

00:20:25 --> 00:20:26

Allah.

00:20:26 --> 00:20:28

This is not building a business, this is

00:20:28 --> 00:20:33

calling people to Islam, and finally after going

00:20:33 --> 00:20:39

through innumerable difficulties, and trials, and tribulations, and

00:20:39 --> 00:20:44

tortures, and so on, eventually, finally, I am

00:20:44 --> 00:20:48

successful, and Allah has given me success, and

00:20:48 --> 00:20:49

then what must I do?

00:20:49 --> 00:20:52

Allah said, Ok, I understand this.

00:20:52 --> 00:20:54

Glorify Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, make tazbih

00:20:54 --> 00:20:55

of Allah.

00:20:58 --> 00:20:59

Seek forgiveness?

00:21:00 --> 00:21:01

For what?

00:21:02 --> 00:21:03

What did I do wrong?

00:21:04 --> 00:21:05

Why should I seek forgiveness?

00:21:06 --> 00:21:08

This is where shaitan comes in.

00:21:08 --> 00:21:10

This is where shaitan comes in.

00:21:10 --> 00:21:11

And may Allah protect us.

00:21:11 --> 00:21:13

We see this all the time, right?

00:21:13 --> 00:21:16

One person accepts Islam, immediately you make a

00:21:16 --> 00:21:18

video, you put it on Facebook, you put

00:21:18 --> 00:21:20

here, there, Oh, fantastic, wow, wow, they have

00:21:20 --> 00:21:21

accepted Islam.

00:21:22 --> 00:21:26

And Tom, Tommy, Mustafa, Oh, we get at

00:21:26 --> 00:21:29

least, you know, every month one or two,

00:21:29 --> 00:21:31

people accept Islam in our masjid.

00:21:33 --> 00:21:34

Allah is not talking about one or two,

00:21:34 --> 00:21:38

Allah is saying, Allah is saying, يَذْخُرُنَ فِي

00:21:38 --> 00:21:43

دِينِ اللَّهِ أَفْوَاجًۭا People will enter into Islam

00:21:43 --> 00:21:47

in hujoom, in crowds, in armies.

00:21:48 --> 00:21:48

Right?

00:21:50 --> 00:21:53

Now, we have to understand this, that what

00:21:53 --> 00:21:56

is Allah asking us or ordering us to

00:21:56 --> 00:21:57

seek forgiveness for?

00:21:57 --> 00:22:00

Allah is saying, the forgiveness is for the

00:22:00 --> 00:22:05

danger of kibr, arrogance, and for the danger

00:22:05 --> 00:22:08

of becoming a partner with Allah subhanahu wa

00:22:08 --> 00:22:11

ta'ala, committing shirk by putting yourself as

00:22:11 --> 00:22:12

a partner with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

00:22:13 --> 00:22:16

Because hidayah, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said,

00:22:16 --> 00:22:21

إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْمَدَتَ وَلَاكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي

00:22:21 --> 00:22:23

مَنْ يَشَهَدُ Allah said, you cannot give hidayah,

00:22:23 --> 00:22:28

you cannot guide anyone that you love.

00:22:28 --> 00:22:30

Only Allah can guide who He wishes.

00:22:31 --> 00:22:34

And this is a beautiful ayah that came

00:22:34 --> 00:22:36

to comfort Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, especially

00:22:36 --> 00:22:41

with regard to his uncle Abu Talib, who

00:22:41 --> 00:22:45

refused to accept guidance, who refused to accept

00:22:45 --> 00:22:46

Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, even though he

00:22:46 --> 00:22:50

loved him, he loved him, you know, absolutely

00:22:50 --> 00:22:52

beyond anybody's expectation.

00:22:53 --> 00:22:56

The contrast between Abu Lahab and Abu Talib,

00:22:57 --> 00:22:59

Abu Lahab hated Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa sallam,

00:22:59 --> 00:23:01

whereas Abu Talib loved Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wa

00:23:01 --> 00:23:05

sallam, beyond, literally, even more than his own

00:23:05 --> 00:23:06

sons.

00:23:07 --> 00:23:10

Yet, both of them did not accept him

00:23:10 --> 00:23:11

as a Rasul.

00:23:12 --> 00:23:14

And so the ending of both of them

00:23:14 --> 00:23:14

is the same.

00:23:15 --> 00:23:20

There will be, obviously, a difference in the

00:23:20 --> 00:23:20

level of punishment.

00:23:21 --> 00:23:22

And this is for Allah s.w.t.

00:23:22 --> 00:23:22

to decide.

00:23:22 --> 00:23:23

I'm not saying this.

00:23:24 --> 00:23:25

Nabi sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, man, like

00:23:25 --> 00:23:26

Abu Talib, would get the least of the

00:23:26 --> 00:23:27

punishment.

00:23:27 --> 00:23:28

But he will be in Jahannam.

00:23:30 --> 00:23:31

It's a matter of degree.

00:23:31 --> 00:23:32

What is the least and what is more

00:23:32 --> 00:23:33

if you are in Jahannam.

00:23:33 --> 00:23:36

So the issue to understand here is not

00:23:36 --> 00:23:37

how much punishment they are getting.

00:23:38 --> 00:23:39

The issue here to understand is that it

00:23:39 --> 00:23:41

is to accept Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam

00:23:41 --> 00:23:46

as the Rasul and to accept his message

00:23:46 --> 00:23:47

as the message from Allah s.w.t.

00:23:48 --> 00:23:49

Now here Allah s.w.t. is telling

00:23:49 --> 00:23:53

us, seek forgiveness because when we get success

00:23:53 --> 00:23:57

in Deen, the tendency with a lot of

00:23:57 --> 00:24:00

us, may Allah protect us from ourselves, is

00:24:00 --> 00:24:02

to ascribe it to ourselves.

00:24:03 --> 00:24:06

And we say, oh, fantastic, see how successful

00:24:06 --> 00:24:06

my dawah is.

00:24:08 --> 00:24:10

Inna lillahi wa inna lillahi ajab.

00:24:11 --> 00:24:14

The dawah of Nuh a.s. after 950

00:24:14 --> 00:24:17

years of preaching was less than 100 people.

00:24:19 --> 00:24:20

So was he successful or unsuccessful?

00:24:22 --> 00:24:23

Seek forgiveness.

00:24:23 --> 00:24:27

So that, to seek forgiveness is the Tawheed

00:24:27 --> 00:24:27

of the heart.

00:24:27 --> 00:24:30

So we don't join ourselves in my effort.

00:24:30 --> 00:24:31

No, it's not my effort.

00:24:31 --> 00:24:33

It can never be my effort.

00:24:33 --> 00:24:39

Because the hearts of people are between the

00:24:39 --> 00:24:41

fingers of Allah s.w.t. And these

00:24:41 --> 00:24:45

terms, fingers of Allah, hand of Allah, biadilahi

00:24:45 --> 00:24:50

khair, in the hand of Allah is khair,

00:24:51 --> 00:24:53

and so forth, is a blessing.

00:24:53 --> 00:24:56

All of these things are to be understood

00:24:56 --> 00:24:58

in the context of the glory and majesty

00:24:58 --> 00:25:00

of Allah s.w.t. There is no

00:25:00 --> 00:25:05

comparison, one is not like the other, it's

00:25:05 --> 00:25:06

not like ours.

00:25:07 --> 00:25:09

So Nabi s.a.w. said, the hearts

00:25:09 --> 00:25:11

are in between the fingers of Allah s

00:25:11 --> 00:25:13

.w.t. They can be turned anytime.

00:25:14 --> 00:25:15

The Qalb can be turned.

00:25:15 --> 00:25:20

And the one who turns the Qalb towards

00:25:20 --> 00:25:24

Hidayah, who gives Hidayah, who actually grants guidance

00:25:24 --> 00:25:27

to a person, is Allah s.w.t.

00:25:27 --> 00:25:28

himself.

00:25:28 --> 00:25:29

Not anybody else.

00:25:31 --> 00:25:33

It is Allah Jalla Jalaluhu Himself.

00:25:33 --> 00:25:36

So to remind yourself when you are successful

00:25:36 --> 00:25:39

in Dawah, that this is happening because of

00:25:39 --> 00:25:42

Allah's mercy on these people and on me.

00:25:42 --> 00:25:45

Allah chose to use me for this.

00:25:45 --> 00:25:46

Allah could have chosen anybody.

00:25:46 --> 00:25:49

Allah could have given them Hidayah without anybody

00:25:49 --> 00:25:49

coming in.

00:25:49 --> 00:25:52

In my life I have seen people who

00:25:52 --> 00:25:52

Allah guided.

00:25:53 --> 00:25:58

There was no other person who came in

00:25:58 --> 00:25:59

between.

00:25:59 --> 00:26:00

Allah did not choose anybody.

00:26:00 --> 00:26:03

Allah gave them guidance for them.

00:26:04 --> 00:26:07

Even some people who came to me and

00:26:07 --> 00:26:09

accepted Islam, I have nothing to do with

00:26:09 --> 00:26:09

it.

00:26:09 --> 00:26:11

I have nothing to do with it.

00:26:11 --> 00:26:12

It is just that Allah s.w.t.

00:26:12 --> 00:26:14

caused me to get them to recite the

00:26:14 --> 00:26:14

Shahada.

00:26:15 --> 00:26:17

But I did not know the person from

00:26:17 --> 00:26:19

a bar of soap before they came to

00:26:19 --> 00:26:20

meet me.

00:26:21 --> 00:26:22

Allah guides.

00:26:23 --> 00:26:24

Allah absolutely guides.

00:26:24 --> 00:26:26

I have told the story of this person

00:26:26 --> 00:26:36

who I had the honor of giving a

00:26:36 --> 00:26:38

Shahada before.

00:26:39 --> 00:26:41

Let me tell it here again.

00:26:42 --> 00:26:46

35,000 feet in the air on Northwest

00:26:46 --> 00:26:46

Airlines.

00:26:48 --> 00:26:50

Northwest Airlines used to be an airline which

00:26:50 --> 00:26:51

I think later on Delta bought it.

00:26:52 --> 00:26:54

It does not exist anymore.

00:26:55 --> 00:26:58

This was in 1998 or something.

00:27:00 --> 00:27:03

I was traveling from Hartford, Connecticut, Bradley International

00:27:03 --> 00:27:05

to Los Angeles.

00:27:07 --> 00:27:09

It was a Friday.

00:27:09 --> 00:27:11

I was dressed something like this.

00:27:12 --> 00:27:14

I was wearing a turban and so on.

00:27:16 --> 00:27:20

This Northwest Airlines, their hub was Detroit.

00:27:21 --> 00:27:29

The flight was from Hartford, Connecticut to Detroit

00:27:29 --> 00:27:30

and from Detroit to LA.

00:27:31 --> 00:27:32

Very, very long flight.

00:27:32 --> 00:27:33

Six, seven hours flight.

00:27:41 --> 00:27:44

In Detroit, we also had to change planes.

00:27:46 --> 00:27:48

When I got on to the next plane,

00:27:49 --> 00:27:50

I had a middle seat.

00:27:51 --> 00:27:56

On my left, it was the seats on

00:27:56 --> 00:28:00

the left rather than going on the right

00:28:00 --> 00:28:02

of the aisle but facing the pilot on

00:28:02 --> 00:28:03

the left.

00:28:04 --> 00:28:07

On my left, the window seat, there was

00:28:07 --> 00:28:09

a white American lady.

00:28:10 --> 00:28:15

It was Friday and I pulled out.

00:28:15 --> 00:28:18

These were days before cell phones and what

00:28:18 --> 00:28:18

not and apps.

00:28:20 --> 00:28:22

I had a small Musaf Quran.

00:28:23 --> 00:28:24

I picked it up and I put it

00:28:24 --> 00:28:27

out my case and I was reading.

00:28:29 --> 00:28:31

This lady looks across.

00:28:31 --> 00:28:33

She says, excuse me, what is that?

00:28:34 --> 00:28:34

I said, this is the Quran.

00:28:35 --> 00:28:36

No, no, what language is it?

00:28:36 --> 00:28:37

I said, it's Arabic.

00:28:38 --> 00:28:39

She said, then you can read something for

00:28:39 --> 00:28:39

me.

00:28:39 --> 00:28:40

I said, what's that?

00:28:41 --> 00:28:43

She goes into her handbag and she pulls

00:28:43 --> 00:28:46

out a locket which you wear around your

00:28:46 --> 00:28:46

neck.

00:28:46 --> 00:28:52

This locket had, on one side, it had

00:28:52 --> 00:28:52

Alhamdulillah.

00:28:54 --> 00:28:57

And on the other side, it had Bismillah.

00:29:00 --> 00:29:01

So, she said, what is this?

00:29:02 --> 00:29:02

So, I read it to her.

00:29:02 --> 00:29:04

I said, this is Bismillah.

00:29:04 --> 00:29:05

This is what it means.

00:29:05 --> 00:29:06

This is Alhamdulillah.

00:29:06 --> 00:29:07

This is what it means.

00:29:08 --> 00:29:09

Then I asked her, I said, where did

00:29:09 --> 00:29:09

you get it?

00:29:10 --> 00:29:11

I said, are you Muslim?

00:29:11 --> 00:29:12

She said, no, I'm not Muslim.

00:29:13 --> 00:29:14

I said, where did you get this?

00:29:15 --> 00:29:18

She said, my grandmother had a friend who

00:29:18 --> 00:29:20

was Iranian and he gave it to her.

00:29:21 --> 00:29:22

And my grandmother gave it to me.

00:29:22 --> 00:29:24

So, I said, okay, interesting story.

00:29:25 --> 00:29:27

Anyway, she put it back in her bag

00:29:27 --> 00:29:31

and I continued to read.

00:29:31 --> 00:29:32

I was reading silently.

00:29:33 --> 00:29:34

So, she said, excuse me.

00:29:34 --> 00:29:34

I said, yes.

00:29:35 --> 00:29:36

She says, can you read aloud?

00:29:37 --> 00:29:40

So, I'm sitting up in the air, 35

00:29:40 --> 00:29:42

,000 feet in the air in America.

00:29:44 --> 00:29:46

She wants me to read the Quran aloud.

00:29:46 --> 00:29:49

But people all around me who are not

00:29:49 --> 00:29:49

Muslim.

00:29:49 --> 00:29:51

Anyway, so I started reading aloud.

00:29:51 --> 00:29:53

In a low voice where she could hear

00:29:53 --> 00:29:55

me, not, you know, loudly, but loud enough.

00:29:55 --> 00:29:59

I'm sure people in the jattis, the ones

00:29:59 --> 00:30:00

sitting in the front, could hear me.

00:30:00 --> 00:30:03

Anyway, so I read the surah.

00:30:05 --> 00:30:06

The entire surah finished.

00:30:07 --> 00:30:08

And I shut the Muslim.

00:30:09 --> 00:30:10

She said, that's finished?

00:30:10 --> 00:30:10

I said, yes.

00:30:11 --> 00:30:12

She said, no, but there's more.

00:30:12 --> 00:30:14

I said, yeah, another 15 juz.

00:30:16 --> 00:30:18

So, I explained to her, you know, what

00:30:18 --> 00:30:19

is juz and so on, so on.

00:30:20 --> 00:30:22

So, she said, oh, but it sounds so

00:30:22 --> 00:30:22

beautiful.

00:30:22 --> 00:30:23

I said, alhamdulillah, inshallah.

00:30:23 --> 00:30:24

This is the Kalam of Allah.

00:30:24 --> 00:30:26

This is the word of Allah, speech of

00:30:26 --> 00:30:26

Allah.

00:30:26 --> 00:30:28

And, of course, it sounds beautiful.

00:30:29 --> 00:30:35

Then she says to me, she said, tell

00:30:35 --> 00:30:35

me about Islam.

00:30:38 --> 00:30:39

So, I tell her about Islam.

00:30:40 --> 00:30:42

I tell her about Tawheed, about worshipping only

00:30:42 --> 00:30:44

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, about Rasulullah sallallahu

00:30:44 --> 00:30:46

alaihi wa sallam being the last and final

00:30:46 --> 00:30:46

messenger.

00:30:46 --> 00:30:48

Because she was a Christian, I also told

00:30:48 --> 00:30:50

her about Isa alaihi salam and his position

00:30:50 --> 00:30:53

in Islam and how he's revered and how

00:30:53 --> 00:30:56

he's hugely respected, but he's not worshipped and

00:30:56 --> 00:30:57

that fact that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala

00:30:57 --> 00:31:00

has no partners, he has no relatives, he

00:31:00 --> 00:31:02

has no sons and daughters and what not.

00:31:02 --> 00:31:06

And he doesn't resemble anything in creation.

00:31:06 --> 00:31:10

And I went through the whole nine yards.

00:31:12 --> 00:31:14

And in my heart, I'm saying, ya Allah,

00:31:14 --> 00:31:16

give her hidayat, ya Allah, give her hidayat.

00:31:16 --> 00:31:17

And I don't have the courage to tell

00:31:17 --> 00:31:20

her, you know, why don't you become Muslim.

00:31:20 --> 00:31:22

So, I'm just answering questions, nothing else.

00:31:23 --> 00:31:28

This dawah, it has zero initiative from my

00:31:28 --> 00:31:29

side.

00:31:29 --> 00:31:30

It's all hers.

00:31:30 --> 00:31:31

She's asking me the questions.

00:31:31 --> 00:31:36

So, when all that finished, after a little

00:31:36 --> 00:31:39

while she tells me, so, how does one

00:31:39 --> 00:31:40

become Muslim?

00:31:40 --> 00:31:44

So, I said, you feel in your heart

00:31:44 --> 00:31:47

that there is no one worthy of worship

00:31:47 --> 00:31:48

except Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

00:31:48 --> 00:31:50

You believe this, you are sure about it.

00:31:51 --> 00:31:53

And then you say this with your tongue,

00:31:53 --> 00:31:54

there is no one worthy of worship except

00:31:54 --> 00:31:56

Allah and that Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam

00:31:56 --> 00:31:59

is the messenger of Allah and the last

00:31:59 --> 00:32:01

and final of them and then you say

00:32:01 --> 00:32:02

this in Arabic also, if possible.

00:32:03 --> 00:32:05

So, she said, can I do that?

00:32:05 --> 00:32:06

I said, you want to become Muslim?

00:32:06 --> 00:32:07

She said, yes.

00:32:08 --> 00:32:09

I want to become Muslim.

00:32:09 --> 00:32:10

She said, can I do that?

00:32:10 --> 00:32:10

Can you help me?

00:32:10 --> 00:32:11

I said, of course.

00:32:11 --> 00:32:14

So, 35,000 feet in the air, Northwest

00:32:14 --> 00:32:16

Airlines and at that time I think we

00:32:16 --> 00:32:18

were flying over the Grand Canyon or something

00:32:18 --> 00:32:18

like that.

00:32:20 --> 00:32:22

This lady came into Islam.

00:32:23 --> 00:32:24

She accepted Islam.

00:32:25 --> 00:32:27

And then she said, can you write it

00:32:27 --> 00:32:27

out for me?

00:32:27 --> 00:32:29

So, I wrote out the Shahada for her

00:32:29 --> 00:32:31

in Arabic and then in English.

00:32:32 --> 00:32:34

I said, do you believe that Isa A

00:32:34 --> 00:32:35

.S. is not a son of God?

00:32:36 --> 00:32:36

She said, no, no, he is not a

00:32:36 --> 00:32:37

son of God.

00:32:37 --> 00:32:38

I never believed that.

00:32:38 --> 00:32:41

He was a human being and you know

00:32:41 --> 00:32:42

the people make it up and so on

00:32:42 --> 00:32:42

and so on.

00:32:43 --> 00:32:44

So, we had this whole conversation.

00:32:46 --> 00:32:46

That was that.

00:32:48 --> 00:32:51

After a little while she tells me, I

00:32:51 --> 00:32:53

am telling you how Allah guides.

00:32:54 --> 00:32:57

No intervention, there is no, zero credit for

00:32:57 --> 00:32:57

me.

00:33:00 --> 00:33:01

So, after a little while she tells me,

00:33:01 --> 00:33:04

she said, you know, this meeting of ours,

00:33:05 --> 00:33:05

this was ordained.

00:33:06 --> 00:33:07

This is not a chance.

00:33:09 --> 00:33:11

So, I said, yes, of course, you are

00:33:11 --> 00:33:11

right.

00:33:11 --> 00:33:13

But I am thinking to myself, yeah, yeah,

00:33:13 --> 00:33:14

yeah, you are from California.

00:33:14 --> 00:33:18

You know, this is like typical Californian stuff.

00:33:19 --> 00:33:21

You know, everything is ordained, everything is some

00:33:21 --> 00:33:23

mysterious link to that.

00:33:24 --> 00:33:26

But of course, we also know that Alhamdulillah,

00:33:26 --> 00:33:27

Allah SWT orders everything.

00:33:27 --> 00:33:28

So, from my angle, but I am saying

00:33:28 --> 00:33:30

from her angle, this was a thought in

00:33:30 --> 00:33:32

my mind, may Allah protect me from myself.

00:33:33 --> 00:33:36

She said, she must have understood, you know,

00:33:36 --> 00:33:37

that I was kind of doubting.

00:33:38 --> 00:33:41

So, she goes back into her handbag and

00:33:41 --> 00:33:42

remember these were the days.

00:33:42 --> 00:33:45

Today we are, everything is paperless.

00:33:45 --> 00:33:48

So, you know, you make a booking, the

00:33:48 --> 00:33:50

thing comes on your phone and there is

00:33:50 --> 00:33:52

a barcode and you scan it and so

00:33:52 --> 00:33:52

on.

00:33:52 --> 00:33:54

In those days, we had actual tickets.

00:33:54 --> 00:33:58

You had this rectangular thing, which was like

00:33:58 --> 00:33:59

a little booklet.

00:34:00 --> 00:34:02

And each sector that you were flying on,

00:34:02 --> 00:34:03

there was a page.

00:34:03 --> 00:34:05

And when you checked in, they would tear

00:34:05 --> 00:34:06

off that page and so on.

00:34:08 --> 00:34:10

So, she pulls out two tickets.

00:34:12 --> 00:34:16

One is a ticket on Delta and the

00:34:16 --> 00:34:18

other is a ticket on Northwest.

00:34:19 --> 00:34:25

She said, I was in Detroit for a

00:34:25 --> 00:34:27

business meeting with my company.

00:34:28 --> 00:34:29

She said, we had a whole team meeting.

00:34:29 --> 00:34:31

So, the whole lot of us, we came

00:34:31 --> 00:34:31

to Detroit.

00:34:36 --> 00:34:38

And she pulled out the Delta ticket.

00:34:39 --> 00:34:40

And she said, see, this is the ticket.

00:34:41 --> 00:34:41

So, I looked at it.

00:34:41 --> 00:34:42

She made me look at it.

00:34:42 --> 00:34:43

So, I looked at the ticket.

00:34:43 --> 00:34:46

It was LA to Detroit and return.

00:34:49 --> 00:34:50

So, I said, you have a return ticket

00:34:50 --> 00:34:50

on Delta.

00:34:50 --> 00:34:51

She said, yes.

00:34:52 --> 00:34:54

So, I said, now how are you on

00:34:54 --> 00:34:54

Northwest Airlines?

00:34:55 --> 00:34:56

She said, that is the story.

00:34:56 --> 00:34:57

I said, okay, so tell me.

00:34:58 --> 00:35:00

She said, our conference finished.

00:35:01 --> 00:35:08

And after our conference finished, I, something in

00:35:08 --> 00:35:09

my heart.

00:35:09 --> 00:35:12

She said, my conference finished and everyone was

00:35:12 --> 00:35:13

leaving and I was supposed to leave with

00:35:13 --> 00:35:13

them.

00:35:15 --> 00:35:16

Yesterday, last night.

00:35:16 --> 00:35:18

She said, something told me in my heart

00:35:18 --> 00:35:19

not to go back.

00:35:20 --> 00:35:20

So, I stayed.

00:35:22 --> 00:35:22

Everyone went.

00:35:23 --> 00:35:23

I stayed.

00:35:24 --> 00:35:26

She said, Detroit is a dead town as

00:35:26 --> 00:35:26

far as I am concerned.

00:35:27 --> 00:35:27

I have nobody there.

00:35:28 --> 00:35:29

I have nothing to do there.

00:35:29 --> 00:35:30

And I am sitting in this hotel.

00:35:31 --> 00:35:32

She said, the company paid for my hotel

00:35:32 --> 00:35:33

until last night.

00:35:33 --> 00:35:35

So, one extra night, I am paying.

00:35:36 --> 00:35:37

And I am sitting here.

00:35:37 --> 00:35:39

And I am thinking to myself, I had

00:35:39 --> 00:35:42

a ticket to return yesterday.

00:35:42 --> 00:35:43

I am sitting in this hotel.

00:35:43 --> 00:35:45

I am paying extra for the hotel.

00:35:45 --> 00:35:45

Why?

00:35:46 --> 00:35:47

But there was this feeling in my heart,

00:35:47 --> 00:35:48

stay here.

00:35:49 --> 00:35:53

Then she says, now, to return the next

00:35:53 --> 00:35:56

day, I look for, I try to, you

00:35:56 --> 00:35:57

know, book.

00:35:58 --> 00:36:00

I try to postpone the same Delta ticket

00:36:00 --> 00:36:01

to the following day.

00:36:01 --> 00:36:02

There is no seat.

00:36:02 --> 00:36:05

I try to find something else on Delta.

00:36:05 --> 00:36:07

She said, Delta is my favorite airline.

00:36:07 --> 00:36:08

I am a frequent flier on Delta.

00:36:08 --> 00:36:10

She said, the only thing I had was

00:36:10 --> 00:36:11

Northwest Airlines.

00:36:12 --> 00:36:14

That was the only thing available.

00:36:14 --> 00:36:16

This particular flight was the only thing available.

00:36:17 --> 00:36:19

And she said, I don't even like Northwest.

00:36:19 --> 00:36:20

I don't fly Northwest.

00:36:23 --> 00:36:25

So, I had to buy that ticket.

00:36:25 --> 00:36:27

I bought the ticket and right now I

00:36:27 --> 00:36:28

am sitting here next to you.

00:36:30 --> 00:36:33

Subhanallah, I tell you, if somebody had told

00:36:33 --> 00:36:35

me this story, I probably would not have

00:36:35 --> 00:36:35

believed it.

00:36:38 --> 00:36:39

But this happened to me and Allah is

00:36:39 --> 00:36:39

witness.

00:36:41 --> 00:36:42

I don't know where that lady is.

00:36:43 --> 00:36:44

This is 1998.

00:36:44 --> 00:36:46

I don't even know if she is alive

00:36:46 --> 00:36:46

or not.

00:36:48 --> 00:36:49

I don't know where she is.

00:36:49 --> 00:36:52

When we landed in LA, she made me

00:36:52 --> 00:36:56

tell her husband, who came to receive her,

00:36:57 --> 00:36:59

all about Islam in the airport, which I

00:36:59 --> 00:36:59

did.

00:37:01 --> 00:37:02

And then I tried to put her in

00:37:02 --> 00:37:06

touch with some of the Muslim brothers in

00:37:06 --> 00:37:06

LA.

00:37:07 --> 00:37:09

And I hope she is alive.

00:37:09 --> 00:37:09

I hope she is well.

00:37:09 --> 00:37:12

I hope she is, you know, she is

00:37:12 --> 00:37:14

well into Islam, Alhamdulillah.

00:37:15 --> 00:37:17

And I made dua for her.

00:37:17 --> 00:37:19

May Allah guide her.

00:37:19 --> 00:37:22

Subhanallah, this is like a miracle.

00:37:24 --> 00:37:25

And Allah guided her and through her Allah

00:37:25 --> 00:37:26

guided me.

00:37:27 --> 00:37:30

I am grateful to her for this experience

00:37:30 --> 00:37:32

in my life, which is unbelievable, subhanallah.

00:37:33 --> 00:37:35

And the reason I mention this many times

00:37:35 --> 00:37:36

is because maybe one day, you know, the

00:37:36 --> 00:37:38

internet today, maybe one day she will see

00:37:38 --> 00:37:38

this.

00:37:39 --> 00:37:40

Or somebody who knows her will see this.

00:37:41 --> 00:37:44

And nothing would give me more happiness than

00:37:44 --> 00:37:45

to get back in touch with her and

00:37:45 --> 00:37:47

to find out how she is doing.

00:37:47 --> 00:37:48

We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Jalla

00:37:48 --> 00:37:53

Jalaluhu to accept us into Islam and to

00:37:53 --> 00:37:56

keep us in Islam with istiqamah, with firmness,

00:37:56 --> 00:37:58

and to take us in a state where

00:37:58 --> 00:37:59

He is pleased with us.

00:37:59 --> 00:38:01

Wa sallallahu ala nabiyyil kareem wa ala alihi

00:38:01 --> 00:38:03

wa sahbihi ajma'in bi rahmati khaliqatuhu.

00:38:04 --> 00:38:04

Walhamdulillahi Rabbil Alamin.

Share Page