A Different Gift

smilla rahmanir rahim al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa Salatu was Salam ala Colombia, Amina Muhammad, Allah Allah He was a

woman who served in ILA in Medina whereby we praise Allah subhana wa Jalla. We send blessings and salutations upon Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, his entire household, all his companions, may Allah bless them all, and may He bless every single one of us. And may He bless our offspring, those to come up to the end of time. I mean, my brothers and sisters in Islam, we know that as Muslims, we have duties unto Allah subhanho wa Taala, he has placed upon our shoulders obligations, and at the same time, he has restricted us from certain things and prohibited certain things. And I'm sure every single one of us, tries our best to adopt the commands of Allah subhanho wa Taala. And I'm

sure that as time passes, we become more and more conscious of our duty unto Allah subhanho wa Taala. So sometimes when we are young, we don't realize the purpose of life. As we grow a little bit older, we begin to look into why we are alive. We see sometimes our friends, our compatriots, our colleagues, perhaps passing on into the era, it shakes us up, it wakes us up a little bit, it makes us realize that we too will become maybe Old One day, or we might leave going back to Allah subhanho wa Taala, even earlier. And what that does to us is it gives us what is known as a wake up call. And that makes us ask questions and it makes us want to get closer to our maker. This is the plan of

Allah subhanho wa Taala. So, as a gift of Allah Subhana Allah to Allah, He makes certain things happen around us in a way that he constantly reminds us I exist, you are going to return to me. This is the reminder of Allah subhanho wa Taala prepare for the day that you are going to come back to me there is a time when you are young you are bubbling with energy and perhaps you might forget that so things keep on happening that are not to our liking. Sometimes we suffer a loss, we suffer health problems, we have certain things that happen to us that will then make us realize this, in fact, is a gift of Allah. Why is it a gift because we become in a position where we are far more prepared to

meet with Allah subhanho wa Taala then had that thing not happened? Subhana Allah. So this is why when something negative occurs when a person passes on who was closer to us, as much as we make dua to Allah subhanho wa Taala we turned to him, we become people whose hearts are softened once again, we need to understand that it is a gift as well. Because without that sometimes we continue in our ways and habits. And we would not like to be caught unaware when death comes to us. May Allah subhanho wa Taala grant us a death wherein he is pleased with us for indeed that is the best death possible. Like we've said before, and I repeat it the best death possible is that where Allah

subhanho wa Taala is pleased with you, no matter how you go. So one of the greatest ways of achieving the pleasure of Allah subhanho wa Taala is to be conscious of him, and to try and remind yourself every time that I need to fulfill my obligations unto Allah and to try and look into wherever we have faulted and correct ourselves. Now, one of the great gifts of Allah subhanho wa Taala as well is that he has not kept every day the same in virtue, he has not kept every moment of the day, same in virtue. So you will find from the 12 months of the year, there is the month of Ramadan, which is the most blessed month. There is the Night of Decree known as Laila to paddock

which is the most blessed night. They are the 10 days of good hedger. We are in them right now, the most blessed days. So Ramadan would have the most blessed nights and who would have the most blessed days we need to understand this. From the week we have a Friday that is actually the highest or the most high in value in spiritual value. This is a gift of Allah subhanho wa Taala. Then we have for example, the 10th of Muharram known as Ashura, what a powerful day it is a day that Allah has raised in virtue from other days. Now this if we take a careful look at it, it's a gift of Allah subhanho wa Taala because it softens us it softens us completely. You know, I can give you an example. Seeing

that in this country Mashallah. We go through quite a bit of economic hardship and I'm sure every single one of us knows what it feels like when the days are not as they were a time back May Allah subhana wa

make them easy for us once again, if I were to tell you, brother, you have always been talking about traveling, for example to Mecca. And do you know what the tickets are very, very cheap, they are going at 10% of the price, or 50% of the price, what would you do? You'd scratch your head, you would go you would start talking to people you would find out and perhaps you would make a buy, you would make a deal you would want to go and you will then pay for it in advance and say, Wow, tell everyone I got a very good deal because the tickets were on sale. This is just an example. But if we draw it to what I've been saying just now and that is the mercy of Allah, there are seasons that

Allah subhanho wa Taala has given us similar in a similar way where forgiveness is on sale. Literally there is a greater chance for you to ask to be answered. The fact that Allah has made you and I in need of him, we call out to Him that's a gift of Allah subhanho wa Taala if I did not have any means I would perhaps not even understand who my maker was because I would think I've got good health I've got well I've got everything moving the people around me are living forever and so on. But it's allows plan that to tap you He tells you come and then when he says come he gives you a Friday some kind of law to say this is the most blessed day Don't you feel the spirituality as a

believer on a Friday, you get up early morning you have your bars you eat your salad, or your bars after salad when you get ready. The earlier you come for Salah to Juma to the masjid The better you feel well la hits effect can I tell you why? The reason is the hadith of Muhammad Sallallahu wasallam says every Friday there is a competition that takes place the angel standard the doors of the massage the houses of Allah,

Allah Allah when they are writing down who came first who came second who came third. So basically I might have been 40 or 50 years. I can do better next time. But we as believers sometimes might not realize that there is a competition going on. But we will feel it if we come first we will feel it if we come you know top 10 so to speak, so make an effort to come earlier on a Friday give it importance because Allah has given it importance. Like the Hadith says, Hey, yo yo man politicians, it is the best day of the week that the sun has risen upon. It is the day that Adam alayhis salam was created a Friday and it is a day that pm I will happen upon it is a Friday and so on. So many

things are made mention of so it's a blessed day. We thank Allah subhanho wa Taala for giving us this day, but within this day, there is definitely one moment you know the term SA is used in the Arabic language so actually means time or it means the hour an hour. So let's just say it's an hour, a certain hour in the day of every Friday is such that if you call out to Allah subhanho wa Taala in that moment, you will definitely get what you've asked for for as long as it does not have sin or something evil in it, you will get it. So this is why like we normally tell people start asking Allah subhanho wa Taala from the morning, repeat the same every every little while, continue right

to the end of the day and see what happens. May Allah subhanho wa Taala help us if a person is really desperate they will do that because they know that this is Allah subhanho wa Taala telling us there is an hour on a Friday that is accepted. But what if Allah subhanho wa Taala were to tell you that you know what, there is another season that I will provide you as well. Another time let's make mention of a different time that happens every single day. Or should I say every night, that is the time known as that of the head good. The time the last third of the night or the earliest part of the morning before the time of fudger kicks in. There is a time known as the time of the head Jude

wherein Subhana Allah Allah subhanho wa Taala descends he calls out Is there anyone asking me I can give him Is there anyone who has a need I can fulfill? Is there anyone who wants anything? anyone seeking forgiveness? I will forgive them. Amazing. This is Allah calling us yet he does not need us we need him. So how many of us would get up at that time of the morning and call out to Allah Allah I am your servant. Nobody said it is compulsory to read that Jude tahajjud is a prayer that is definitely highly encouraged. It's something you should be doing. But even if you have, you know had a little bit of laziness, for example, may Allah protect us from laziness. At least sit up in your

bed or even whilst you're lying down in your bed, call out to Allah subhanho wa Taala and ask him what do you want because he is calling out to you saying What do you want? But it's that time of the morning you need to forsake your sleep my brothers and sisters, it's blessing and you and I know when we have a problem

And the problem is compounded or made huge and more difficult. We then get up for the head you come what may we will get up Why? Because we know it's a blessing time. May Allah subhanho wa Taala help us understand that those problems and difficulties that have brought you closer to Allah are actually not problems, they are not difficulties, they are a gift of Allah for you tailor made to bring you to steer you from the wrong path to the right path. That's the gift of Allah subhanho wa Taala. So, similarly, we have these 10 days of the Legion, they are the days of worshiping Allah in a beautiful way, he multiplies the reward of those who do any act of worship during this season,

these 10 days. You see when it comes to Ramadan, it's multiplied as well. And after the 30 days, or 29 days, the entire month, he gives you a day of eat. So here after 10 days, or the first nine days, the 10th one is a day of aid, and it extends into the 11th and the 12th amazing so the more we worship Allah The more we will feel the blessedness of the day of aid. And this is what I'd like to call you towards our aid inshallah we will be witnessing it in in a few days. But what is of importance if you want to taste the sweetness of your aid, you need to make resolutions and you need to make peace with Allah subhanho wa Taala you need to change your ways and habits, you need to

become a better person you need to sacrifice it is not enough to say oh, we are cutting one cow we are cutting for example one sheep and we've got such a beautiful one you should see and we take pictures of it and we put them up on our profiles and whatnot. That was our animal and so yet we don't get up for Salah. We don't want to dress appropriately. We don't want to stop lying and cheating and deceiving and so on. If that's the case, what was the point of just slicing an animal? You could have perhaps did something else may Allah subhanahu wa taala help us? This is why Allah says in the Quran.

Allah Allah Allah O Allah de ma,

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the meat does not get to Allah, the blood of the sacrificial animal does not get to Allah. But it is the piety, the consciousness that reaches Allah subhanho wa Taala. How did it change you? How did it move you? What did you do? What did you sacrifice? It's easy to know the history of Ibrahim alayhis salam sacrifice, but it is not easy to apply it and implement it and to look at it, how it applies to me, he obeyed an instruction of Allah that would never ever make sense to any one of us. Have you thought of that? Allah instructed him to do something that did not make sense not even to him. But the fact that he knew it came from a certain source and that is my maker. He said, I'm going to

adopt it with us. Let's be honest, the instructions of Allah to us are not on that level. They are such that we understand mostly we understand why this is being said. But still we find ourselves weak. So Allah says, I love you so much. I will give you reminders upon reminders, you see the EAD one of the meanings of eat, obviously a day of happiness, it would mean to recur to repeat that which comes back every year, eat, it comes back, every single year, and so on. So it's one of the meanings of the term eat, the other one's connected to happiness and so on. However, my brothers and sisters, how many E's have we seen in our lives? How many animals have we sacrificed in our lives,

if that has made us slice our bad habits, put a knife to our bad habits and encouraged us to obey other instructions of Allah subhanho wa Taala we have succeeded. But if that has just made us say, oh, wow, the meat was good. This was nice. We served so many people we did this we did that we've achieved absolutely nothing to be honest with you. It will keep on happening every year in that way, and we wouldn't have achieved so my plea to yourselves myself as well. Let us make this eat and eat with a difference where we have turned to Allah we seek His forgiveness. The Times of dua are different in terms of acceptance not every moment of the day is the same not every day of the week

is the same we will have inshallah, today we have a Juma The hajis are in arafa we will be making do out tomorrow for us is the ninth of the ledger. We will be making even extra to our we've been blessed to be given another day. And at the same time when we celebrate our eight on the Sunday, it will still be so great that Allah has blessed us with an early morning so panela you get up you thank Allah, you sacrifice your animal, and at the same time you meet your family. It's a clean day full of cleanliness. You have good clothes, just like

We'd like to see ourselves looking so smart,

neat in your heart, smart in your heart. You know Subhanallah what's the point of having such beautiful clothing but the heart if one was able to look at it is dirty and filthy and Subhanallah no one would like to look in its direction. That's not it. Believe me, if we have good character, good conduct, we purify ourselves, we reach out to others. inshallah, even if our clothing is slightly tatty, people will love us, they will look at us, they will respect us, they will love us in a way that we would feel a part of the community a part of the aroma of Muhammad Sallallahu Sallam May Allah subhanho wa Taala make that easy for us. If you take a look at the importance of

reaching out to fellow human beings, you will find it even in this folder here are what we termed Qurbani. Do you know that the meat should be divided into three it's a tsunami of Muhammad Sallallahu wasallam dividing into some portions, you may eat from it, and you give a portion to your friends and family and the portion you give it out for charity. Why? Because it shows you and I that it's not enough for me to just leave my salah and for me to just you know, do whatever I have to in terms of reading the Quran and Tila and doing my own things with my Vicar and then when it comes to my relationship with fellow human beings. I am a person who no one wants to talk to because my mouth

is so you know, smelly if I can put it that way or the words I use are harsh and hard. If that's the case, what is the point of calling yourself a Muslim Islam is a holistic religion. It covers every aspect of your life, and it covers every aspect of mine. So in the same way that it would not be enough for me to say I read Salah five times a day in the masjid in the first stuff and I don't mistake beer. But I am bad to the rest of the people. It would also be wrong for me to sacrifice an animal and eat all the meat. If it was all about you know myself and having the meat Allah would say okay, sacrifice it and enjoy it. But Allah says no, you must reach out to the poor, go and look for

them. Go and hunt for them. Go and see who they are. Go and give them all make someone responsible to do that on your behalf. Make sure the meat gets to those who are underprivileged. Why? Because it shows you Islam is not all about yourself. No, it's not all about yourself. We are an oma we are a part of one major family. Let's reach out to one another. Similarly, when we make dua when we supplicate asking Allah Do not be selfish in your prayer, make dua for others, lots of people, sometimes we have a person who we don't get along with, for example, and what would happen if we keep on cursing them and we keep on making prayers that are hard and harsh, perhaps they might go

further away from us. Try making a blessing. Try saying Oh Allah help this person, bless them, you know, soften their heart, create goodness, help them in their families, in their businesses and so on. Make dua for others. One of the bonuses of doing that is the angels make a similar job for you. Whenever you call out for someone else, the angels are making the same draft for you. So it's something that is a bonus I'd rather make draft for you than myself. When I know that if I make a draft for you, the angels are going to say and Oh Allah grant this person the same Allahu Akbar, may Allah subhanho wa Taala protect us from selfish selfishness. So these days are days where Yes, we

will correct ourselves, we will improve our own bad habits we will improve our link with Allah subhanho wa Taala. But at the same time, we will reach out to others we will ensure that we have made do and for them, we have felt the the hurt that the rest of the oma is feeling. To be honest. There is chaos on the globe at the moment, especially in Muslim lands, and it is our duty to pray for them. It is our duty to pray for them. Really no one would like to see chaos. No one would like to see things that are happening where people are dying no matter what. So this is why it's important for us to ask Allah subhanho wa Taala to help us and to use these beautiful days to turn

to Allah brothers and sisters, I end on one note.

This might be the last e that you are going to see. It might be the last eight that I am going to see. Let's make sure that we've made resolutions. We've turned to Allah, we've cut our bad habits as much as we can. Wherever we faltered due to human nature, or human weakness. Let's turn to Allah immediately in repentance and forgiveness. He will forgive he is the most forgiving, the Most Merciful. I have no option but to hope in the mercy of Allah. The day I go the day you go, you have no option but to hope in Allah's mercy, that's all and that is so great. It is something that will keep us smiling even on our deathbed because we know we are returning to Abu Ayub a lord who is so

merciful. May Allah have mercy upon us. May He grant us all paradise, and may He make it easy for us to enter Paradise was on Allahu wa salam ala nabina Muhammad