Mohammed Faqih – Jummah 9.20.24
AI: Summary ©
The importance of pursuing personal growth and mental well-being is emphasized, along with the need for individuals to grow and mature. The speaker also emphasizes the importance of learning and self-awareness to achieve success in life, particularly in achieving spiritual health and making healthy relationships. The need for healthy relationships and a clear " glasses to achieve success" is emphasized.
AI: Summary ©
Perhaps this may be the beginning of the
most important series of talks and Friday sermons
that I will be delivering in this community,
inshallah ta'ala.
I'm hoping that it will have an impact
on me first and foremost, and then that
it will benefit as many of you as
those who are willing to, inshallah ta'ala,
listen with their hearts and lend me their
ears, and take whatever I'm going to say
as a source of motivation, but at the
same time also it's going to be a
hujjah, an evidence against myself first and everyone
else.
And I ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
to make me of those who listen and
follow the best of what they listen to.
And I ask Allah azawajal not to make
me of those who preach what they do
not practice.
And I seek refuge in Allah azawajal from
the weaknesses and from the shortcomings and from
the evil within my soul.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam teaches us, and
Allah azawajal invites us in the Qur'an
subhanahu wa ta'ala, and they provide us
with numerous principles that support our own personal
growth and mental well-being, to help us
achieve spiritual maturity.
That's what Allah azawajal wants for us.
Allah azawajal brought us to this life to
allow us and to give us the opportunity
to grow and mature, and become the best
version of ourselves, so that we would qualify
to have a place for ourselves and for
those who we positively impact in Jannah.
Allah didn't bring us here to get too
comfortable and settle and be okay with the
way we are.
Allah did not bring us to this life
to just simply be whatever we are, or
whatever we are not, or whatever anyone else
wants us to be, and get comfortable with
it, and live a life of no dreams
and ambitions and actions.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants us to
be the best we can be in this
life, so that we would qualify for something
even greater and better in the hereafter.
So therefore, it is essential that we really
go into this introspective journey of self-discovery,
and ask ourselves some of these tough questions
that as human beings we don't like to
be asked or to ask ourselves.
We may be willing to ask other people.
We may be willing to scrutinize other people.
We are all good critics.
We can identify what is wrong with everything
around us.
Except the most essential, the most important part
of this existence, which is you.
You.
For you, the most important is you.
You are your own greatest asset.
Our focus should be, how do I get
myself out of this world to where I
want to be, or to where Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala wants me to be, with
the least amount of damage, with the least
amount of losses, and how?
How can I live a life worth living?
Because in dunya, the only life that is
worth living is a life that qualifies you
for the eternal life.
وَإِنَّ الْآخِرَةَ لَهِيَ الْحَيْوَانُ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ Allah
azawajal in the Quran tells us that akhira
is the real life.
And that is why, when people, wise people
in the past, they were told, they were
asked about, when are you going to retire?
When are you going to settle?
When are you going to get comfortable?
When are you going to have peace?
Most of them, they will give answers such
as, when both of my feet make it
into jannah.
When I land in jannah.
When I receive my book with my right
hand on the day of judgment.
Things like that.
So what does it take for us to
really achieve spiritual maturity and grow?
Because if we're not growing, then we're dying.
If we're not growing, we're dying.
And if we're not gaining, we're losing.
You cannot maintain the status quo.
You cannot keep things the way they are.
The only thing that is permanent, the only
thing that doesn't stop is change.
There is change.
And that change is either regression and loss,
or it's your gaining.
But you're not going to be the same.
You're not the same person you were yesterday.
You're not the same person you were an
hour ago.
So how can we offset this loss that
Allah Azawajal mentions in the surah that we
discussed a couple of months ago?
Surah al-Asr, inna al-insana lafihus.
How can we ensure that we are growing,
and that we're gaining, and that we're progressing,
so that we would achieve spiritual maturity?
There are ten steps, each one of which
is worthy of us, inshallah ta'ala, dedicating
a full khutbah to.
So I'm going to go inshallah ta'ala
quickly through them, inshallah, and then dedicate a
khutbah for each one of them.
The first and the most important, and again,
you may not agree with me, there may
be other formulas, or there may be other
methods, or there may be a different order,
but the first important part is you, knowing
you, self-awareness.
Self-awareness.
Because if you don't know yourself, if you
don't know who you are, what your weaknesses
are, what your potentials are, what your strengths
are, you're not going to be able to
see what may be wrong in your life.
You're not going to be able to fix
anything.
And Allah Azza wa Jalla invites us to
get to know ourselves, and the Prophet Sallallahu
Alaihi Wasallam teaches us to be self-aware.
The very concept that we keep talking about,
or mentioning, or alluding to, of taqwa, that's
what it actually revolves around, self-awareness, taqwa.
Yahya ibn Mu'adh, may Allah Subh'anaHu
Wa Ta-A'la ar-Razi, rahimahullah, very
wise man.
He has a statement that many people thought
it was prophetic.
They thought, I mean, most of his statements
are very prophetic, subhanAllah, in nature.
But it's a man that Allah Azza wa
Jalla gave wisdom.
Has this very profound set of advices and
words of wisdom.
And one in particular, many people thought it
was hadith.
So sometimes people may quote it as a
hadith, but it's actually not a hadith.
It cannot be traced back to the Prophet
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
And sometimes some people may have a problem
understanding what he exactly meant.
So one of the things, one of those
profound statements he made was, مَنْ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ
نَفْسَهُ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ رَبَّهُ او مَنْ عَرَفَ نَفْسَهُ
عَرَفَ رَبَّهُ It's actually related, there are two
versions of it.
One version says that, whosoever knows himself, knows
Allah, or knows his Creator.
A different way sometimes people may state that
statement is, whoever doesn't know himself, doesn't know
Allah.
And some people found this statement to be
very problematic.
It's like, what is he talking about?
Who said this?
This cannot be a hadith.
Actually it's not a hadith, but it's a
very deep, profound statement.
Because if you know who you are, and
there are scholars that actually spent some time
trying to explain what he meant.
If you know who you are, if you
know who made you, if you know how
sophisticated you are, if you know how special
you are, if you also know how limited
you are, and how vulnerable you are, if
you know your true nature, if you know
yourself and your true nature, you're going to
know who created you, and who made you.
It will humble you, but it will also
inspire you.
Allah Azza wa Jalla invites us to actually
do that in the Quran.
وَفِي أَنفُسِكُمْ أَفَلَا تُبْصِرُونَ Don't you reflect on
how you were created, how you were made.
And Allah is not only talking about the
flesh.
Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la is
also talking about the most essential part of
your being.
Your true essence, your ruh, who you are.
That thing that actually defines you.
How well do you know it?
How well do you know yourself?
So He says that if you really want
to know your Lord, you want to know
Allah, you want to know your purpose in
life, you want to know what you're supposed
to do, and whether you're doing it or
not, you need to get to know yourself.
Allah warns us in the Quran, not to
be like those who forget themselves, and Allah
Azza wa Jalla forgets them, right?
Sorry, they forget Allah, and Allah Azza wa
Jalla makes them forget who they are.
So it's all tied together.
So the scholars say, when Allah tells us,
do not forget Allah, lest you forget yourself
or who you are, He's also saying, if
you forget who you are, you're going to
forget Allah.
And the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam teaches us
in his own example, to be aware, to
be self-aware.
And we will talk, I promise you, we
will talk about the importance of self-awareness.
What it actually means, the significance of it,
and how self-awareness, actually, there are studies
that show, that most people are not self
-aware.
And those who are self-aware, they're not
fully self-aware.
Most people, they're not self-aware.
But those who think that they're self-aware,
80% of them are not, they don't
even know themselves.
And then on the other hand, you have
that minority, that small group of about 15
% of people who think that they're self
-aware, that are truly self-aware.
But every single one of them reports, breakthroughs,
and successes, and a level of happiness that
is beyond the ordinary people.
Even in this life.
Now, out of those people, I will contend,
I will say, that out of those people
who are self-aware, only a small minority
know their true purpose.
Very small minority know their true purpose, and
they're serving that purpose.
But the first step to get to, really
to grow, is to be self-aware.
To know where you are.
Where you are in life, what you're capable
of.
Number two, the Prophet ﷺ teaches us that
we must learn.
Seek knowledge.
And we learn through experience, we learn through,
you know, actually being taught.
لَكَنَ الْعِلْمُ وَالْتَعَلُّمُ We have to.
Every day.
If you stop learning, if we stop learning,
if we stop seeking knowledge, if we stop
acquiring more information, and skills, and talents, then
we are actually failing in one of the
basic obligations upon each and every single believing
man and believing woman.
So there has to be, like, when someone
asks you, you have to be able, well
not someone, you ask yourself, because we're talking
about self-awareness.
You ask yourself, when was the last time
I learned something new about my deen?
Especially your deen.
When was the last time I learned a
new ayah?
Or what it means.
When was the last time I gained a
piece of information that is beneficial, that is
going to help me become a better person?
So education and learning is very important.
Continuous education.
And the Prophet ﷺ tells us that it
is the work of the believer to seek
knowledge.
Scholars say that you must, there is no
point at which you say, well, khalas, I'm
done.
I know everything that there is to be
known, and I'm done.
As a matter of fact, when a person
reaches that level, then they are ready to
leave this world.
Khalas, you're done.
You're done.
We're here to learn.
The Prophet ﷺ teaches us to even start,
begin our day.
The scholar, subhanallah, not too long ago, one
of the scholars, you know the hadith that
I usually mention, or we talk every now
and then, we bring it up after fajr,
the fajr crowd.
You know what I'm talking about.
The hadith.
What is the first dua that you're supposed
to say, that is recommended to say, after
you finish praying fajr.
You say, assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah, assalamu alaykum
wa rahmatullah.
The Prophet ﷺ teaches us to pray for
three things.
Allahumma inni as'aluka.
What's the first thing?
Allahumma inni as'aluka, ilm an-nafi'a.
The first thing.
And they said, that ilm is what leads
to the other two.
Because if you don't know ilm, if you
don't have knowledge, if you don't know the
how-to, you won't be able to seek
rizq, you won't be able to gain any
good deed, you won't be able to grow.
You have to know.
If you want work, you have to know.
If you want to succeed in anything in
life, in anything that you're doing, you have
to know.
Learn.
Allahumma inni as'aluka ilm an-nafi'a.
So, that has to be a lifelong commitment.
A lifelong commitment.
You know, it's...
Let me just stop here before I get
myself in trouble.
We understand.
This is the second step, learning and education.
Number three.
And not to be confused with self-awareness.
There is something called mindfulness and presence.
To be present.
This is different.
Self-awareness is you knowing yourself.
Mindfulness and presence means knowing your surrounding.
Knowing your surrounding, knowing the external factors that
impact you and being aware of them.
Sometimes that may require, if you're self-aware
and at the same time you're aware of
your surrounding, that may require you distancing from
some of these factors that you may not
be ready to deal with.
But that is going to only happen if
you're self-aware and at the same time
you're aware of the internal factors.
You're aware of what may actually be suitable
for you, may not be suitable for you.
What is going to bring the best out
of you, what may actually trigger you.
Number four.
And number four is something that these three
elements are going to lead you to as
well.
But they are something that you need to
hold on to and appreciate.
And Islam teaches us to be committed to
this, to number four.
And I know I'm hyping it up.
But it's not something to be taken for
granted because a lot of people do that.
And when we lose appreciation for it, we
ruin it.
And that is healthy relationships.
Allah tells us about taqwa.
فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامُ Reminds us
of the relationships that we have.
We're social beings.
You don't live in a vacuum.
You don't live by yourself.
People who say, I am happy with who
I am, and I'm okay, I can be
by myself.
I don't need anyone.
Yakhir, you might as well just die, yakhir.
Move on.
Go.
If you have nothing that you can offer
someone, and you have no need, you do
not need anyone, then you might as well
die.
One of the scholars heard someone saying, O
Allah, make me self-sufficient so that I
don't need anyone except You.
He said, woe to you, man.
You just asked Allah, you just prayed for
death.
Die.
If you don't need anyone, then die.
Go on.
Be with Allah.
By default, we are social beings with deficiencies.
We need someone.
Adam alayhis salaam was by himself in Jannah.
He had it all to himself.
No one nagging him.
No one demanding anything from him.
No one actually, nothing.
No one asked him questions of his nature,
of his type.
فَاسْتَوْحَشَ Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala knew what
He created.
أَلَا يَعْلَمُ مَنْ خَلَقَ فَاسْتَوْحَشَ The Prophet tells
us that Adam felt lonely.
A feeling that only someone that feels it
knows what it's like.
A feeling that doesn't even have an opposite.
فَاسْتَوْحَشَ So Allah created Eve for him, Hawwa,
to compliment him.
لِيَسْكُنَ إِلَيْهَا So we need healthy relationships.
We need support system.
We need to learn how to maintain it,
how to appreciate it, how to strengthen it,
how to protect it and preserve it, because
it's something not to be taken for granted.
And whatever it takes to do that, such
as communication skills.
Number five, we need to have goals and
objectives, specific purpose, clear objectives.
Because objectives or goals, sorry goals, specific goals
and dreams, they're the ones that keep you
going.
They're the ones that are going to help
you be resilient.
Because you have a goal, you have a
destination.
Last night I kind of mentioned, was it
last night or this morning?
Last night we talked about visions and dreams.
Where is it that you want to be?
Allah tells us some stories that began with
a vision, with a dream.
Such as Yusuf Alayhi Salaam.
What is your ultimate goal?
What is it that you want to achieve?
Number six, ibadah.
You ask some experts, they will tell you
meditation and spiritual practices, ibadah.
It's called ibadah.
It's what Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A
'la created us for.
And someone might say, well if that's what
Allah Azawajal created us for, why are you
mentioning it now?
Why didn't you mention it as number one?
Because it takes all of that to really
be able to taste ibadah.
Live ibadah.
Achieve what ibadah was meant for.
But ibadah is something very essential.
We need it.
We need it to grow.
We need the five daily prayers.
الا يعلم من خلق It's by design.
If Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la
knew that one salah is sufficient for you,
He would have just told you to pray
one salah.
Or pray as many salahs as you want.
It's up to you.
No, He said five.
Each and every single one of us at
least needs five.
And the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam says, if
you want to grow even better and more,
if you want to be a better person,
then you need to enhance or increase your
ibadah.
And pray your sunnah and other things.
Number seven, we need to maintain our physical
well-being, and our health, and our fitness,
and make lifestyle choices that are suitable for
that.
And obviously, we have a lot of experts
here that can talk to us about how
important that is.
And number eight is attitude, positivity, gratitude.
And number nine is discovering the power that
we have as human beings, as individuals, and
especially as a believer.
There is quwwah in you.
There is a strength in you that Allah
every now and then makes you see, gets
you a taste of it, makes you see
a small portion of it.
Many of us do not realize how, many
individuals, most people don't realize how strong, how
resilient, how powerful they are.
Allah Azawajal made them.
It's from Allah.
The things that we go through or we're
capable of going through.
But again, you may be strong, but if
you're not mentally, if you're not self-aware,
you don't realize that strength.
Number ten is service to others.
Being part of a community.
Service to others.
Serving people.
Serving the servants of Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala.
And each and every single one of these
is very important for our own personal growth
and success.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant you
and I the success of this life and
the hereafter.
I say this saying, I ask forgiveness of
Allah for me and you, so ask forgiveness
of Him who forgives you.
Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.
Alhamdulillah wa kafa wa salat wa salam wa
ala ibadihi alladhina istafa wa ba'd.
My dear brothers and sisters, this morning and
yesterday and the day before and the day
before, I and many people around the world
learn about individuals that are as old or
younger than themselves.
That either suddenly or gradually departed this world.
And whenever someone is gone, everyone, especially those
who are close to them, they reflect on
what was that individual's life all about?
What's the legacy that that person left behind?
Who that person really was?
Nobody remembers, for the most part, nobody really
puts a lot of value on what that
person used to dress like or what brand
they were wearing or what kind of vehicle
they were driving.
Unless that is the only thing that defined
their life.
Because if that's the only thing that defined
that individual's life, wallahi, musiba.
It's really sad.
If the only thing that that person is
known for is for their rides or for
the type of shoes they used to put
on or watches they used to have on
their wrists, then it's musiba.
So that individual's life is reduced to that.
It's really sad.
So it's usually what that person was like
in terms of the quality of that individual's
character.
And we have to think about that always.
What are we going to be remembered for?
Not for the sake of people, but because
antum shuhada'ullah fil ardh.
Because people are going to come and they
are going to testify.
They're going to say, this person was forgiving.
This person was kind.
This person was good-hearted.
I have never...
No one has ever complained about this individual.
This person has never hurt anyone.
Or the other way around.
Or the opposite.
So I urge you and myself, do not
wrong anyone intentionally.
And ask people for forgiveness if you have
wronged them unintentionally.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala rid us
of any injustice or wrongdoing.
Subhana rabbika rabbil izzati amma yasifoon wa salamun
ala mursaleen.
Alhamdulillah rabbil alameen.
Alhamdulillah rabbil alameen.
Al rahman al raheem.
Malik yawm al deen.
Iyaka na'budu wa iyaka nasta'een.
Ihdina al sirata al mustaqeem.
Sirata allatheena an'amta alayhim ghayri al maghdoobi
alayhim wala al dhaalleen.
Ameen.
Ulaika humul fasiqoon.
La yastawi ashaabun naar wa ashaabul jannah humul
fa'izoon.
law anzalna hatha al qur'ana ala jabalin
laraytahu khashi'an mutasaddi'an min khashyati Allah
watilka al-amthaluna zdribuha linnas la'allahum
yatafakkaroon.
Allahu akbar.
Sami'a Allahu liman hamidah.
Alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen.
Al rahman al raheem.
Malik yawm al deen.
Iyaka na'budu wa iyaka nasta'een.
Ihdina al-sirata al-mustaqeem.
Sirata al-lazeena an'amta alayhim.
Ghayri al-maghdoobi alayhim wala al-dhaalleen.
Ameen.
Ameen.
Ameen.
Ameen.
Ameen.
Ameen.
Insha'Allah.
If you're waiting for announcements, brother Samir is
not here.
Please make dua for him.
The only announcement we have is that our
director, our executive director, brother Samir Mansur, may
Allah bless him, got married.
Insha'Allah ta'ala.
Barakallahu lahu wa baraka alayhi wa jama'a
baynahu wa baynah ahlihi fi khair.
Please remember him in your dua and remember
him with a gift insha'Allah.
Assalamu alaykum.