Mohammed Faqih – Friday Khutbah 05-07-2024
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AI: Transcript ©
Sheikh got some car issues, so he'll be
a little bit late.
My dear brothers and sisters, I was looking
forward to
this particular Khutbah.
As it is the last
Khutbah of the year
1, 445
of the hijrah of the prophet Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam.
So the year is coming to an end
and a new year is about to begin
and it's time for us to really reflect.
But in the very
within the last
10 minutes
of my preparation
and on my way here, the car I
had car issues as was announced.
And the 1 thing that,
was on my mind the whole time
as I was very eager to be here
on time,
And I said, what's gonna happen to us?
Because this is this life is a journey.
What's gonna happen to us on the day
of judgment?
If the vehicles that we're counting on to
deliver us to our destination and get us
to pass sirat into Jannah
don't function
or don't work
or if they fail us.
What is our backup plan?
I have to ask you something. What's your
backup plan?
Because if you're only counting on 1 thing
but that thing doesn't work or is not
accepted or is not approved.
1 of the most terrifying hadith
to me is the hadith that used to
terrify some of the companions of the prophet
sallallahu alaihi wa sallam.
Of the 3 individuals with whom Allah is
going to start the * fire. Each 1
of them
had counted on a particular deed that they
have done
thinking that that deed is going to get
them to Jannah, but they were not sincere.
So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala exposes them on
the day of judgment.
Says, the first 3 people with whom the
hellfire is going to get started.
And they are mentioned as
a person
who gave up his life
and earned the title shahid,
martyr.
And a person
who was known as either Qari or Alim.
He had the knowledge of the Quran or
he had the knowledge of the deen. And
it was someone that was praised and given
this very lofty and very
honorable
title.
And then another person, the 3rd category is
an individual
who was known as the most generous of
people.
Who gave a lot of donations and wealth,
and claimed to be for the sake of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So on the day
of judgment when Allah ahsawajal asks these individuals
to present
or to make a case for themselves, each
1 of them will say, well, I did
this for your sake. I was killed for
your sake. I sought knowledge for your sake
and
I gave
my wealth for your sake. And Allah ajazhu
will say to each 1 of them, kadab,
you lied.
Whatever you're counting on is not gonna count
today because the only reason the sole reason
you did whatever you did for is to
earn that
title,
to be called generous, to be called brave,
to be called
scholar.
And you earned that praise. You are praised
and celebrated.
So you got what you did it for,
so therefore, you have nothing with me today.
And this this is exactly why you we
really have to at the end of the
year, we have to take inventory of ourselves
and our deeds and our relationship with Allah,
and ask yourself and this is really what
I wanted to discuss or remind myself and
my dear beloved community members with
as this year comes to an end, as
it comes to a close,
we have to ask ourselves,
what have we done?
What have we done for
Allah What are the deeds, the 1 or
2 or few deeds that we can count
on or hope to
be accepted by Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala?
How much of this
past year, how much of it was dedicated
to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?
How much of it was it about Allah
Subhanahu wa ta'ala? Allah Azzawajal reminds us
of the
value of time.
He tells us that
mankind is in this perpetual state of loss.
We didn't gain a year. We lost a
year.
You don't gain a week. You lost you
lose a week.
You're not older.
You're not bigger. You're not closer unless you're
earning something.
You're actually just getting closer and closer
to the end.
So we have to ask ourselves,
have we grown in our faith, amen, over
the past year?
Are you
at a better place today than you were
a year ago?
Have we increased our good deeds?
Alamal saliha.
Because Allah A'Souza says,
ilalalalinaamanuamal
saliha. Mankind is in this perpetual
state of loss.
We're losing against time. We're losing.
Except those who believe. So we have to
ask ourselves, have we grown in our faith?
Is my faith today stronger than it was
a year ago? Have
I done enough good deeds?
Have I done as much as I could
have done?
Have I done everything within my capacity?
Have I excelled? Have I diversified?
Enough.
Did I do everything that Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala asked me to do?
Have
we been truthful
and patient?
Because Allah Azzawajal says,
They enjoin what is
true.
The haqq, the truth, and they stand up
for it. They have something that they stand
up for, something that they
live for.
They have what we call Mabda,
a principle.
They have something that they're living for and
living upon.
And by the way, speaking of Mabda,
you will be everyone's friend.
You'll be loved by everyone. You'll be accepted
by everyone if that's what you're looking for.
If we're looking for friendship, if we're looking
for acceptance, if we're looking for to be
accommodated and to be welcomed and to be
celebrated and to be,
you know, accepted by everyone around us,
I'll tell you 1 of the best ways
to do it is have no mabda, have
no principle,
have nothing to live for.
Just adjust to everyone else's whims and desires,
and it will work. It will work for
some time. By the way, eventually, it won't.
At the end,
no 1 is going to have any respect
for you, for all we want. Whether it's
as individuals
or as a community, if all we want
is to be accepted by others,
This is recipe for suffering
on the long run.
But you will be accepted by everyone.
But the minute you declare that you are
about certain principles
values and you live for them, you live
upon them, some people will respect you. Some
people will love you. Some people will follow
you and will be impressed by you
and inspired by you. And then others will
take you as an enemy,
and you should be fine with that. And
that is why
if you're upon the truth. You have to
remember patience because you have to be steadfast.
You have to persevere. You have to stand
up. You have to stand your ground because
you're going to
face flashback. You're going to be fought. You're
going to be
mocked.
You're going to be plotted against. You're going
to be called every name in the book.
You see Musa alayhi salaam, Allah azza wa
jal tells Musa later when he became an
adult, walqaytu alayhi hamhabbatammini
that I have Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala endowed
Musa with being loved. Musa used to be
loved.
It's from Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
Even pharaoh loved Musa.
The wife of Firaoun the household of Firaoun
embraced Musa when he was a baby.
Everybody loved him. As a young man, everybody
very charismatic, good looking, strong
personality,
amazing individual. Everyone loved him.
He was they were fine with him.
He was like a prince
up until he declared what he
stood for.
Up until he made
made it very clear to them that he
stands up for certain principles.
He stands up for the haqq,
And that started early on with him. Even
before he became a prophet, when he
saw some injustice being inflicted upon someone and
he stood up to defend the weak and
the oppressed and the
exploited. And he stood up for that man.
And in the process, he end up injuring
someone severely that that
person perished and died.
Musa alayhi salam, when he stood up for
justice against the status quo, against those who
were in charge, against the elites, now he
became
an enemy.
Not everyone now is like is liking him.
And when he continue continued upon that path,
he became their their their enemy number 1.
But Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala was with him.
And for more of the story of Musa
and all the great lessons that we can
learn from that, please join us tomorrow. If
you haven't signed up for the program, we
have Mujdih Hussain Kamani coming insha Allahu Ta'ala
tomorrow
from,
6 o'clock insha Allahu Azawajal until Isha.
Amazing
program
that you should be there for Insha'Allah and
bring your family members and join us here
at MIC.
But that's just a reminder. It's a little
lesson.
So therefore, Allah azza jah says
You have to be reminded. You have to
remind yourself. You have to remind others. You
have to remind your community members. You have
to remind the members of your household. You
have to remind everyone that this path of
ours is not going to be easy. Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala does not say it's easy.
It's not convenient to be a to be
to be a believer, to be a strong
believer and do righteous deeds is not going
to always be convenient.
It's not going to be always comfortable.
It's not going to be always politically correct.
But then what are you gonna do? Are
you gonna hold on to the truth,
And are you going to hold on
to your faith and be patient and persevere
no matter what happens to you or not?
That is why we have to ask ourselves,
have I been
strong enough upon the truth? Have I been
patient enough?
And if that wasn't the case, then what
can I do
to pass
this
test of time?
Just side note before I go quickly over
4 points,
that we need to pay attention to.
If you
if you're fulfilling your rights and your obligations
towards Allah
to the best of your ability,
Make sure
that that you at the same time,
make make sure that you fulfill your obligations
towards your your
family members and your relatives and your neighbors
and everyone else.
Because these are the deeds that you can
count on just in case you're
there is some deficiency, there is something
that is missing between you and Allah,
that will compensate for it.
Let that be your backup vehicle
just in case
whatever you're counting on fails,
you have something else to ride, insha'allah,
to your destination.
So how can we
increase
in all of these 4 areas?
In doing righteous deeds.
Needless to say that the most effective and
the most essential and the most important
element is our relationship with Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
If your relationship with everyone else
if you if you are in good terms
with everyone else, but your relationship with Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala is broken
or damaged,
you won't make
it. You won't make it.
So it is very important. And I know
that when we whenever we talk about this
aspect, some of us feel guilty. We may
not feel very comfortable. It's because we're gonna
feel yeah. Of course. There is no way
I can always you know, I can, you
know, for sure
be confident enough that what I'm doing for
Allah or my relationship with Allah
is where it needs to be.
But this is a conversation that you have
to have with yourself, when we have to
have with each other.
And at this at the end of the
day,
You're your own judge. You really have to
hold yourself accountable. It's an uncomfortable,
you know, state to be in, but but
it's it's it's a good
discomfort.
You really have to ask yourself,
is your relationship with Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
where it needs to be? Starting with salawat.
Are your prayers
The prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam before he departed.
The prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam when he saw
his community members filling the masjid and praying
and maintaining their rows properly,
maintaining the form of salah as well as
the spirit of salah. That's when he was
finally
pleased and he looked at them and he
made dua for them. Oh Allah preserve them.
Oh Allah bless them. Oh Allah protect them.
Oh Allah
provide them with shelter.
When even the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam's sickness
and health
did not
distract them from their salah, from their relationship
with Allah azza wa jal, the prophet knew
that his community was
was in a good place.
And he was comfortable sallallahu alaihi wasallam departing.
And that was the last time they saw
him.
The last look that they had was the
prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam staring at them
and blessing them with his smile
as they stood and lined up for salah.
And the question we have to ask ourselves
as individuals or as a community,
if the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasalam was to
come and take a look at us,
or at least the ones that we can
congregate in, would he, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam,
be pleased?
Would Allah
be pleased?
It's the first thing that Allah will ask
you. If your salah, which is your connection
with Allah, azza wa jal, is intact, if
it's in good state,
then everything else will work out. We're
not gonna even talk about other things when
it comes to your relationship with Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala. Assalatasalah.
If we're not honest in our salah with
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, young, old, male, females,
We're not going to to get it anywhere.
Number 2.
We really have to ask ourselves, how can
we improve in all 4 areas, iman,
amal al salih,
sabr, and hap?
There is nothing that is more effective than
seeking knowledge and the understanding of the deen.
So if there wasn't anything that you you
were a part of that helped you
gain more knowledge and be at a better
place today than you were a year ago,
now is the time to do that. And
I urge you, sign up. Do not
say that you well, I don't know what
to do. There are a lot of opportunities
out there. We have a lot of programs.
There are a lot of things online, many
resources.
This particular program that is coming, this is
Magdul al Zul'airein.
Unless you have something more important
and unless you have something that is, you
know, better,
this is a place where you need to
be.
1 of the guardians of Jannah.
So come and join and learn and grow.
Number 3.
Another area where we can improve, insha'Allah,
our interpersonal
relations
and community engagement.
We know that we are part of this
big,
beautiful, amazing body called the Muslim Ummah, and
some of us
have
a good attachment to the ummah, to the
concept of ummah, the the global
ummah. And whenever something happens to any part
of this ummah, we get
hurt, genuinely. That is a good sign. That's
a sign of iman,
that you belong to this body.
And the prophet
says that we're like 1 body. So the
fact that you ache, that you hurt
for the rest of the ummah, that's a
good sign. But my dear brothers and sisters,
if you cannot function
with within or relate to your immediate
community or within your family,
then we've got a problem here.
If you're only able to relate to the
concept of ummah
and and this this this ideal that you
have in your mind.
However, when it comes to dealing with the
actual representation
at a at a micro level,
because we're just a reflection of the big
Ummah, then we've got a problem.
Those of us who went to Hajj and
were not able to stand being around Muslims
because we just couldn't relate to them. We
couldn't tolerate them. We we didn't like anything
about them. We've got a problem here.
Because whatever you're in love with or whatever
you're attached to or whatever you're committed to
is just something conceptual that has no if
you can't do that
and dealing with family members and community members
is a great place where you can actually
practice what obviously
in iman cause it's founded upon iman. But
whatawasawbihakwatawasawbih
sabr. Where are you going to practice that?
And this is precisely why the prophet sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam says,
A person who interacts with his community members,
with the Muslims,
and is patient with them, kind towards them,
even when they don't
respond properly,
kair is better
than 1 who doesn't do that.
1 of the greatest places to grow is
that interpersonal
relationship that we have because, by the way,
it's very easy to isolate yourself. And again,
it may work for some individuals. Some individuals
may have very hard time relating to other
people.
If that's that's the only way that you
just pull away and
you go and
get a a farm somewhere in a remote
area and worship Allah
until death comes upon you. If that's what
you want, that's fine. If that's what works
for you, that's fine.
But that's not the ideal.
The ideal
is that model of Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam and those who are around him. Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala praise them
as being being ruhamah
bayno,
compassionate towards 1 another,
tolerant of each other, accommodating for 1 another.
And this is where it start. Make this
upcoming year a better year in in terms
of your community relations,
And take the initiative and do not wait
until someone is begging you or dragging you
or
you take the initiative and say, what can
I do for my community? What can I
do for
my center? Last but not least,
acts of charity, my dear brothers and sisters,
subhanallah. I I will just say this. There's
a lot that can be said about this.
Generous people are not the ones that when
someone approaches them and says give, they
give.
Because once someone approaches you, you're gonna give
and there may you may be elected.
Generous people are those people who are looking
for opportunities to give.
They treat every invitation
as an opportunity for them to get closer
to Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala.
1 of the greatest
examples amongst the sahaba of generosity was Uthmar
radiAllahu an, who never complained every time there
was an opportunity for him to earn jannah.
Who would do such and such? And I
guarantee him jannah Uthman would raise his hand.
Who is going to purchase this pea this
piece of land to the left where the
prophet was facing the companions? To the left,
there was a piece of property.
And the prophet salallahu alaihi wa sallam wanted
someone to pay for it
so that they can expand the masjid of
the prophet salallahu alaihi wa sallam. When you
go to Madinah
and you enter from Babu Salam,
and you're heading towards the
blessed grave of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam, That first section that you see from
the moment
you take about maybe 20
you walk 20 feet,
that that whole section was a piece of
property that Uthma radiAllahu anhu purchased
and gave to the prophet and the community
to expand the masjid.
And the prophet promised an agenda for that.
Muslims,
as their population grew, they needed more water.
They needed sources
for for them to have water. And there
was a a well known as Rumah. And
the prophet said, man,
yesterday Rumah, whoever purchases Rumah, he
promised him Jannah Uthmar
said, Anaya Rasool Allah. I will do it.
Not that he didn't earn Jannah the first
time, he did.
But because every time there was an opportunity
for him to go to Jannah, that's what
generous people do. They look for opportunities, and
whenever they're presented or they're invited to do
something,
they do that. My dear brothers and sisters,
Allah tells us that when time when an
individual's time expires,
when it's all over,
that person will say,
oh Allah,
give me an extension.
In another place, in Surat Al Munafiqoon,
the person will say, oh Allah, give me
some time so that I can faas sadaqa,
so that I can give sadaqa.
Because they're going to realize the true value
of wealth is not
is not the number that you have in
your in your bank account. It's not the
balance that you have. It's not your net
worth. Your true net worth is whatever you
present to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
And I will be amongst the righteous. So
there isn't 1 of the greatest acts of
righteousness
is sadaqah. Look for opportunities to do that.
Today, I invite you
to
end this year with a considerable
generous
donation of sadaqah for your center. You know,
summertime comes with added expenses, especially when it
comes to utilities.
And
just because we're not,
MIC is not appealing to you or we're
not asking you, that doesn't mean that we
have,
surplus. No.
We're actually running deficit, I I was told.
So please, without me coming after the salah
and saying anything, let us all, Insha'Allah, end
this year
with a generous donation for the sake of
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. And know that whenever
you give to your center, you're actually giving
to so many causes.
So make it general with the intention that
this goes to the most needed areas,
and may Allah reward
you for that. And may Allah bless you.
All the young folks, if you can stay
quiet for like 2 minutes, I'll be very
brief. Starting with tonight. Okay? So tonight, the
fun stuff.
Starting with the basketball courts will be open
tonight. So come in, Inshallah, enjoy in the
light and the dark. You can play basketball.
Secondly, we have a new water fountain.
I announced it a couple of weeks ago,
but if you haven't seen it yet, you
can bring your children and enjoy the water
fountain splash pad.
We were able to open that up this
summer. Enjoy but please don't bring in the
wet shoes inside. Bring your towels. Thirdly, badminton
will continue tonight 8:30 after,
badminton in the back.
Tomorrow, as the sheikh has already announced, brothers
and sisters, 30 days of your vacation with
the children that are out of school is
over.
Only 30 days remain
for their vacation in the summertime.
What have we done with our children when
it comes to knowledge and and
gaining information and knowledge with our children? If
you haven't done something like this, it's a
unique opportunity to bring your children. You come,
bring your children,
6 to 10 PM, the study of Musa
Alaihi Salam. If we know what's going on
in the rest of the world, do we
think that this is the relevant topic? Absolutely.
When you sit with 2
that are giving and so on, you you
learn a lot from this topic and other
topics. Many things happen when you get together,
sit down for knowledge. This will happen right
behind you in this hall, 6 to 10
PM tomorrow. Monday to next,
end of the month,
the
the the the the the the the the
the the the the the the the the
the the the the the the the the
the the the young folks rest of the
month. You can register for that program. Lastly,
the thrive program will continue for another 2
weeks. I'm pretty sure if your child isn't
already on there, your son or daughter, they
can join
another 2 weeks. We will see you all
this weekend.