Living Islam #51

Bismillah R Rahman r Rahim al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa salatu salam O Allah should be able mousseline

Muhammad Rasulullah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam to Sleeman kathira from Abbado. My dear brothers and sisters,

my fifth book of Dima foodbuzz, which will be inshallah published in the next few days is called race towards forgiveness.

I titled it some time ago, but I think it's a very appropriate title, especially today, in these days of COVID, where our mortality has been brought to our attention very graphically.

As I write this, more than 250,000 people have died in America alone.

With COVID yesterday, they said that the COVID count of number of people who are dying with COVID in America has now gone up to 2000 per day.

We ask Allah subhanaw taala for relief from this pandemic for all people everywhere.

This shows us the need our need for last few $100 forgiveness,

which Allah subhanaw taala advised us to race towards.

We must therefore reboot our attitudes and behavior and life's for this to happen.

I remind myself I knew that the purpose that almost 100% Islam was for us to live by it, not just to talk about it, not even to teach it, but to live by it.

The purpose of teaching and learning is to enable the teacher and the learner both to live by what the message is. And that is the message of Islam brought to us by our beautiful

leader, the Messenger of Allah, the last and final messenger after whom there is no messenger, Muhammad Mustafa sallallahu alayhi wa sallam,

my brothers and sisters COVID verot our lives to a rude heart.

And then it forced us to look at ourselves, to relocate ourselves. And to answer the question that unless we heard that asked us, for a NASA moon,

but in the moon,

when I when

I remember a couple of years ago, I was invited to a function

which was

being done by a big school. And part of that function was

recitation of Quran by the children. And one of the students he recited this, I find it on the moon.

Now,

when my I took my time to talk, they asked me to speak. So I asked them, I said,

you asked a question. Last question, and you didn't answer it. You just remember, you just repeated the question. So as I said, if somebody asks you, where are you going?

And

you just repeat the question back to them. Right? Imagine, do this role play? I'm asking where are you? When? And you say to me, where are you going? I said, No, no, hold on. I'm asking, Where are you going? And you know, where are you going? Now? What is the sound like? It sounds like it's a nut, sort of nutty conversation, right? It's like, right, like, it's crazy. So either you are making fun of me or you're trying to be cheeky or something. Because you're not answering my question. I'm asking, Where are you going? instead of answering my question, and what would we answer my question, the answer to my question would be that you tell me where you're going somewhere to the market. I'm

going to school, I'm going to I'm going to the university to wherever.

But instead of telling me that you are asking me the question, again, I've asked you something, and you ask me a question again, find a

receiver

for it.

What does it mean?

And what's the point? What's the point of repeating the same question? Now that is where COVID came.

And COVID halted us in our tracks. And COVID said, You can't go until you tell me where you're going.

Meaning think about where you are going.

My brother and sisters, how many of us,

you know, maybe those of us who had who both those of us who attended some kind of

Any vision course or any

seven habits of highly successful people Stephen Covey's course or anything like this anything of that nature, which focuses on personal development on, you know, on enhancing your value

on strategic thinking, I'm sure you would have come across this question

in many different words, but effectively the same meaning, which is, where am I going meaning Where is my life taking me? Where am I going? Where am I headed in my life? I have been living for so many years, I have so many years of work experience, I have this education and so on and so forth. But where is my life leading me?

I'm sure many of us have thought of this. This thought came into our minds, by one way or the other. And many of us would then have procrastinated and said, You know what, I'm going to give myself some time and think about this.

I wish I had some time just sit down by myself just one day, maybe even one hour, just to sit by myself without any disturbance, not having to go anywhere, not no deadline, nothing. There sit and reflect and answer this question for myself, not my various provider, where is my life headed?

I'm sure all of us wish that. Believe me, our collective wish God granted

when COVID happened.

Because we got time.

We were stopped in our tracks.

And we were given all the time in the world.

All the time in the world. For all of us. COVID forced us to reset our priorities, to reorganize our lives, to learn new ways of working and of relating to one another.

new ways of behavior.

And really a chance, a chance and an opportunity to reorder our priorities.

Every one of us got a chance to do that.

Some did, some didn't. But nobody will be able to say that they didn't have the chance to relook at their lives, to reorganize their priorities, to reboot themselves, to reinvent themselves.

And to choose a better, more powerful, more successful

and happier path of life for themselves, nobody will be able to say that they didn't have a chance. Anyone who has lived through these times

who didn't succumb to this COVID May Allah

protect us from it. And those who are those who are affected by like yoga.

Nobody, we will not be able to say that I did not have a chance

to stop what I was doing to reflect on my own life.

Allah forced us to do that. And let India's give us a chance. Allah subhanaw taala forced us to do that.

And what will emerge from this still remains to be seen. But we hope that we as human beings will become more responsible and hold ourselves more accountable, and learn to relate to each other with love and compassion and to the earth and its inhabitants. as trustees,

ask Allah subhanaw taala for his guidance for us all in the path of his beloved messenger, Muhammad Mustafa sallallahu Sallam so that our lives become a means of goodness for all those who share our lives and spaces with us.

My brothers and sisters,

I'm sure you will agree that this year has been unique in many unbelievable ways.

Let me list a few. Who thought that we would pray standing six feet apart.

How many of us remember the mom saying so don't

huddle Hello binary Mana kibby vologda.

Right.

close the gaps. stand shoulder to shoulder

today the man does not say that anymore.

Because that is not what we are doing. We're standing six feet apart. And this is good Alhamdulillah this is the thing to do. standing shoulder to shoulder would be completely wrong.

In these times, because you will be exposing yourself and others, to infection by COVID and possible harm. So Alhamdulillah it is good indeed.

And it is good in a rather in worship, to stand with at least two meters or six feet of space all around us

who thought that we would be doing this, who's our that our time would come when our massage it would be completely shut down.

I'm not even talking about only 10 people. And so I know I'm thinking totally shut down luck.

Who thought the Ramadan al Karim would come and go without therapy without Korea, Malaysia and without ethnographic massage

who thought that even had would come

and would be done in a on a minute scale. Under strictly controlled safety regulations.

We ask Allah to relieve us from this and enable us to worship him the way and much better than we than how we used to worship him inshallah.

Who thought that planes wouldn't fly that offices were shut down, and that the daily commute would be from the bed to the desk in the same house or maybe the same room

who thought that we would be able to reach. On the other hand, this is one side or the other side, who thought that we would be able to reach an unprecedent a number of people without moving from artists

who thought that international conferences and seminars with hundreds of people in attendance would be done without spending one single cent on travel, and hotels.

Who thought that children would go to school from home. And that home schooling,

which was something of a curiosity, would overnight become the norm.

Now what all this means for the travel and tourism and hotel industries and all those who work there is another story

I can go on. But I will leave you to add to this list.

What is true that every single one of us got our vision 2020 very badly wrong.

I want to point out all this

and

provide you that all of this happened, thanks to a microbe

which is so tiny, that it can only be seen under a microscope.

Something that is neither man nor beast, not bird, not fish.

It's not strictly speaking even a microbe.

Is it a living thing or not?

We don't know. We're not even agreed on that the jury's out on that. What we are agreed on is that it kills.

This is the power of our Creator, Allah subhanaw taala who can create anything he wishes and can bring all arrogance and power and prestige to the ground using something that is so tiny, but not insignificant.

I'm saying all this because there is one message that COVID came with loud and clear.

And that message is for each one of us. And it is that I too can die.

I too can die.

This may sound like a no brainer. But I'm sure that we will agree the too many of us had gotten used to living as if we as if we were immortal

and unquestionable.

Well,

that fog has now been cleared.

And there are over a million people in this world who would agree

if they could talk.

My brother sisters, I remember myself I knew

that.

One day, we will meet a lot.

It doesn't matter whether we choose to believe that or not. It will happen. It will happen.

And when that happens, we will be questioned about what we did and what we chose not to do.

And all these answers will depend our eternal lives. We should

We will live without any

death will die in this world.

In the accurate there is no death.

That is why it is essential that we make sure that we reach the arcade on a state where we will be entitled to the forgiveness of Allah subhanaw taala and will be granted entry indigena

Allah Subhana Allah said about his final test in the end the criteria for that final test.

For one Georgiana Nari are all the halal Janata factors.

Noble had to do Nia Illa Mata ro Alice Rhonda said which means and whosoever is removed away from the fire and admitted to Jenna,

only that person is successful.

The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception to deceive them thing.

My brother's just asked us rather to decree that all of us will be among those who are mentioned and desire and will be freed from the fire

and granted entry into Jana in the company of Rasul Allah, He is another highly values of Salah

I reminded myself

What must we do,

when we are in the situation

where we are facing a calamity that we really have no control over.

Just think about that, what is the today what is the state of COVID-19

the state of COVID-19 is that all that we can do and all that we have been told to do. And of course, I strongly recommend this and I advise you to do it

is to wash our hands

to web us and to maintain distance from each other.

None of this is a cure.

These are hopefully preventives

and we should follow them.

But these are not cures.

We need a cure.

We need a cure.

And that is the reason why we need to keep

asking ourselves as a as a Muslim. What can I do

unless rands Allah told us what to do?

narrated villano

that Rasulullah Hassan said our Mr. khattala

descends every night to the nearest heaven

when the last third of the night remains saying, Is there anyone to invoke me? Is there anyone who's making God me? so that I may respond to the invocation so that I may give him what he wants? Is there anyone to ask me? so that I may grant him his request? Is there anyone seeking my forgiveness? so that I may forgive him?

And this is a say Hades in Makati.

My brothers just

many people have asked me this question and said

why is it that you emphasize the handle so much?

Why is it that we emphasize the Agile so much?

And I would say that this is Angela is my answer to them.

Because

if you think about this,

one is to go

to the king and ask him for a favor.

Now he may give it to him or not give it to you.

Because you went

but contrast that with a situation where the king comes

and says okay, I'm here to give who wants something?

Now tell me between the two situations. Where is the DA Where is your request? Where is your publications? more likely to be accepted?

Right.

So here is a chance and this chance is not on a specific day in the holier it's not for example on the odd nights in Ramadan is not on in the nights of Malaysia. It is it is every single night.

every single night,

there is a time,

which is the time of the acceptance of door

where the one who grants the door

is asking us,

who is there who wants something that if asked,

Who is there who wants something that he musk?

My brothers just Seriously?

Let us think about this and say,

do we take advantage of the mercy of Allah? subhanaw taala or not?

Right?

And if the answer is no, then we have to ask ourselves why?

Why would you not take

advantage of the situation?

Here is Allah subhanaw taala asking.

And that's why, like, somebody said once,

that if you really want something, and you're not praying that, then it means you don't want this. You're only saying that

you're saying I want this thing so badly is once on but really you don't want it because if you wanted it, how come you don't take advantage? When the one to give?

The only one who can give?

There is nobody else other than Allah subhanaw taala who can give?

And ultramatic Allah is the one who saying, Tell me and I will give you

who is who is asking this question allows right to ask his questions in Tell me I'll give you

and we are not responding. So who is to be?

Who's responsible for this?

Brother sisters, really? I think it's time we get serious with our lives. Right high time

that we get serious with our lives. There's this beautiful heaviness of

of unibus

delana

which also I want to

mention to you. It is in theory,

Abdullah with a bunch of melanoma, he said I was behind, also sell them on a writing animal one day

when he said, Oh, young boy, verily, I'm going to teach you some words of advice.

And then he said to him, if you preserve Allah and protect Allah, meaning that if you are mindful of the orders of Allah subhanaw taala. If you protect the orders of Allah, meaning if you follow the orders of Allah,

then Allah will preserve and protect you.

If you protect Allah, meaning if you protect the, the orders of Allah, meaning if you live by them,

then you will find Allah subhanaw taala in front of you.

If you ask, then ask only Allah.

If you seek help, if you need help, then seek help only from Allah.

And know that if the whole world gathered to benefit you with something, they will not be able to benefit you with something except what Allah subhanaw taala has written for you and decreed for you.

And if they all gather to harm you with something they would not be able to have you except with what Allah Subhana Allah has decreed against you.

The pens have been lifted, and the pages have dried.

they've ever had this off of the live near a bus of the Allahu Anima

What is this telling us?

This is telling us and showing us what should be our priority. And our priority should be only one. And that's what makes life so simple.

And that is to please Allah subhanho wa Taala della della who in every situation,

never to do anything that is likely to displease a lot.

And if we do that inshallah, then we are sure insha Allah of the protection of Allah subhana wa

So we are living in the middle of our test.

We are living in the middle of a calamity of a pandemic.

But there's nothing to fear there's nothing to be hassled about nothing to have a phobia about the electrodeless what to do

or pseudo citizen to less than one follow the orders of Allah

the God of time as I mentioned to you allied asked us a question Where are you going? Busy I don't know I don't have time to answer now in their 11

Salah stop this is all gonna stop now tell me where are you going?

So let us take stock of our lives.

Let us ask ourselves this question Where am I going?

And that is answered that question.

Where should I be going?

Sorry, we'll um affinity. affinity Allah.

Allah said race towards the forgiveness of Allah.

run towards the forgiveness of Allah.

So where should we where should we be going towards the forgiveness of Allah? How do we get the forgiveness of Allah, number one, by abstaining from sin, by abstaining from by staying away from everything that Allah subhanaw taala has prohibited.

And the second thing is

by seeking forgiveness,

by the far and Toba.

So I stay away from sin.

But despite that, I know I forget, I know, I may still commit some sin and commit a sin of lesser lesser

grievance and lesser gravity than the one that I intended to commit.

But still, it's a sin. So what must I do? is the one of them.

And if you do is that one of the words that Allah subhanaw taala promised to forgive?

Such so beautiful, isn't it?

Enough of us to believe.

And Allah then said, Allah, if you do that, meaning that he will try to follow the orders when this runs Allah, that Allah will protect you.

Now Allah Subhana Allah, if Allah is protecting me, now how can I get affected by COVID? Or by anything else? How can I get sick, if by an herb is

protecting me?

Now, the second part of this is that

as soon as I'm said, whatever, Allah has decreed for you, you will get and whatever he has not decreed for you cannot get

now there are about within quotes. Good and bad aspects for this.

You might say, Well, you know, I wanted a million dollars. Well, I didn't write for me. Sure. He also didn't didn't write COVID for you.

handler. Now, tell me which one you would prefer.

You got the million dollars, but then you end your life on a ventilator, you know, in hospital?

Would that be nice?

Is that preferable?

So we say Alhamdulillah, Jada could have all prayers and thanks to Allah subhanaw taala in every situation that we might be in, because we don't know, the wisdom behind that situation. We don't know the reality of that situation. The situation itself seems to seems to us to be good or bad.

Today, think about that. I'm speaking to you, you know, which is the most troubled pillow

in the world, to rest your head on the most troubled?

Do you know, which is the most difficult and the most,

you know, troubled house to live in

the White House.

The most trouble pillow is the pillow on which the President had dressed when he's when he tries to sleep.

On the face of it.

In this world today, at least people think that the final ultimate point

beyond reach a human a human being cannot go the ultimate damage of this world is president of the United States.

is nothing superior to that. That's what people think. Right?

Well go as the president that.

Go ask him that. Does he does he agree with you? I don't think he will.

Because he's going to say that this is a very difficult job to do is a very difficult place to be

Very tough situation.

I'm not talking about good or bad, I'm just saying that this is what is going to tell you that this is a very, very difficult situation to be in. This is a is not easy by any stretch of the imagination, you think it is so great, because you are not the President of United States. But if you were the President of the United States, and you would probably be be in agreement with me that this is not a nice place to be in as we speak.

We do not know the reality of things, we ask Allah, we have a lot of running around, making that in making the ask Allah.

But also remember

two things. Firstly, the one that you are asking, can give you anything he wants. Because he owns it all.

Everything belongs to him.

There's nothing that he doesn't know if it exists, it exists because he created it.

And so he owns it.

And you can give it to.

Right. Second thing is that in his wisdom, because he wants the best for you, because he is a Rihanna Rime of Edina alacra He's the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful in this world and the next, because of that reason, he doesn't always give you what you ask. Because you asked out of your desire and your desire is full of foolishness, you don't know what you're asking.

And if you are given that

it's very likely that you will turn around and say, Oh, my God, what is this thing I got?

Please take it back.

I don't want this.

So Allah subhanaw taala, accept your dog,

treats it as a rather rewards you just for making the door. And then he gives you

according to his wisdom,

which obviously, I mean, there is not even a comparison. So I don't even need to say it is better than yours and mine because, you know, what's the point of saying something like that.

But Allah subhanaw taala gives us according to his wisdom, and according to His mercy.

This is the beauty of worshipping Allah subhanho data,

that you're worshiping somebody whose mercy has no limits, whose treasures have no limits,

whose generosity has no limits, whose power and glory and majesty has no limits.

This is a lot.

muscle is the new level, that when we start in Salah, let us first spend a couple of minutes

reflecting on who we are standing in front of

and so that we can stand in front of him with the kind of all and and

kind of, you know,

what's the word for the all and majesty of Allah must be in our hearts

with a sense of standing in the presence of Rabbul aalameen.

Number of the sisters

that is where we look at the studies of our drama about that.

And praise those who wake up and pretend

and sort of center and listen to the Java genome Omani Maharaja Runa Bonhoeffer, Mr. or Mrs. Naumann, cocoon. Father talamona somehow fellowmen karate I'll

just be McHenry Amano.

ls monterra said that these are the people who get up from their sides

in the right, they get on their sides and istan before Van alterra binal how few uttara between hope and fear

between fear and hope,

mindful hope, hope fear of Allah subhanho delas punishment.

Fear because we have not done what we should what we should have done we know this. So we are afraid.

What am I but we have hope. We have hope in the forgiveness of Allah. We have hope in the mercy of Allah Subhana Allah.

Then Allah says

Farah, enough so malfi alone, min karate ion, just

listen, nobody knows what a last captain, but if they knew that, it would become the coolness of their eyes.

The key is this

The key is to change our attitude from doing something as a

as something which is a which is a which is an imposition

I must do this and this and this or this or this

to say to doing it out of love and also one I love to do this thing

I love to do this thing.

Sometimes in terms of charity, I tell people give until it hurts and then when it hurts, no, then it is hurting because your image is weak.

Because if your man was not weak, why would it hurt to do something

which is beneficial for you

giving charity who does it benefit the most the giver or the receiver

the receiver is getting some money or is getting some you know food or is getting some clothes or getting some something material for this life. But the giver is getting something in the accurate

what the receiver is receiving, will end in this life.

If he has got food he will eat the food that's gone.

After a while his hunger it returns. If we get some clothing he wears the clothing after a while the clothing restaurant he needs workloads

whatever the receiver receives

is to do with this dunia with his material life.

But what the giver is getting is the river of Allah. What the giver is getting is Jenna, what the giver is getting a southern Auto jariya what the giver is getting is not something that money can buy. So who is who is more

fortunate

in this transaction of giving and receiving of charities

think about

who's better off

the giver or the receiver.

That's why bribery does from extending our hand and asking anybody

unless you are in such dire straits that literally Your life is at at risk.

You know three days four days of fast or fasting of having no Voros traffic

but anything less than that

there is no sun included including the famous holidays which was no when it was awesome said that the Allah smart Allah He likes the strong person compared to the weak person. She likes the upper hand compared to the lower

so the question is to think about this and see how we can develop a love for good deeds. I love to please Allah subhanaw taala when that happens, the getting up in the night for the Hajj will not be difficult anymore.

Very easy.

will be very

people who get up every night with allergies or people who understand the value of that.

So they get up, they don't have to be woken up. Nobody's got to go big drums to wake them up. No.

They wake up.

And if they ever miss a day of the huddle,

they they fall into regret. They're so sorry, they're so regretful this one How did this happen? How on earth did I miss this the head of the salon is beautiful center. Allah subhanaw taala was there asking? And I was not there to reply.

Just to remind myself the new let us focus.

And let us take advantage of these beautiful things in this theme, which are small things, but hugely significant, hugely powerful.

So don't be don't go and get carried away by saying oh, you know, just to look at salado and that toorak of Salah

is worth more than this whole world and everything that's

that's really the main method when you let us focus on the hedges. And as asked Allah subhanaw taala for relief from this pandemic that has asked us rather enable us to see the beauty and value of whatever he chooses to give us his word.

Ask us for fire for you for Baraka in your lives. Ask a lot smarter to help you in ways that you cannot imagine as well as manage data to relieve you from all suffering. ask Allah to protect you from all evil that you know and that you don't know and ask for

I'll be pleased with you and never be distressed or Salalah will Karim Allah he was doing better

Samadhi