Muhammad Vanker – 2017-11-03 – Surah Kahf – Trials of Faith
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Was it a nahum huda.
Respected on its scholars, ulama, elders, beloved brothers,
mothers and sisters,
one of the greatest challenges
that stare at the world today is the
fear of raising children.
One of the greatest challenges that stare at
the world today
is the fear of raising children.
The fears that haunt the mind of every
individual
without exception
is what would happen to a generation
in a society that has become totally immoral
and devoid of values.
As we draw closer and closer to the
day of Qayama,
and we find the prophecies
of the master
manifesting before us on a daily basis,
that Anas
had said that we had barely dusted our
hands from the grave of the Nabi of
Allah,
and already we found that the conditions around
us had changed.
In other words, the burial of Nabi alaihis
salaam
which marked the termination of the golden era
was felt so instantly,
so immediately
that we had barely dusted our hands from
the grave of the Nabi of
Allah and already we found that the conditions
around us had changed.
Friends and elders, what about you and I
who find ourselves
14 centuries
down the line?
Once Sahabi addressing his companions,
the hadith appears in Bukhari in the second
volume.
He says, oh my companions,
I find many sins,
many trials prevalent and common amongst you, which
you have trivialized
and regarded to be insignificant.
I remember very well if that very sin
had to be perpetrated
in the era of Muhammad
that would have been regarded as one of
the most destructive of crimes.
That was the era of the Nabi of
Allah. Friends and elders, when we look within
the Qur'an ekareem,
Allah Ta'ala makes mention of various duas of
various prophets.
And amongst the duas that Allah Ta'ala records
in the Qur'an ekareem
are the duas of Sayyidina Ibrahim alaihis salam.
The topic of discussion is the trial of
fate. I want to tie up this discussion
and the dialogue.
When we look at the verses of Qur'anikareem,
the Ayatikareem
I had recited before you, Ibrahim alaihis salam
was sent into this world
to destroy idol worship,
yet he himself
understood
the importance and the need. Ibrahim alaihis salam
made dua to the almighty
Allah. That oh Allah save me, save my
son,
save my progeny from worshiping idols.
Why the environment
he was exposed to was an environment of
idol worship.
We all know how vulnerable our youth are
becoming today. When Allah Ta'ala speaks in Surakah,
what does Allah Ta'ala say?
We narrate to you in great detail
the narrative,
those young lads who slept in the cave
for more than 300 years. What does say?
These were youth in the prime of their
lives.
You know, generally when you speak about a
notable scholar,
an alim, a scholar par excellence,
then automatically
the mind starts running
towards a elderly scholar who is bent, who
is hunched, you know, walking with a staff,
he's got a magnifying sunglass, you know, glasses
on and you say he's a notable scholar.
Speak here with the cream of the crop.
Speak here about the cream of his creation.
Says
These were youth in the prime of their
lives.
We know how vulnerable our youth are becoming
today.
A boy of tender age
is vulnerable to such crimes
and such sins which were unheard of in
the past.
So without doubt, friends and elders,
one of the greatest challenges that stay at
the world today is the fear of raising
children. And never mind saying that it works
for my children,
it does not work for his children.
Many a times as a father having 2
sons,
what works for one child
does not necessarily mean works for the other
child.
And as we are drawing closer to the
day of qiyamah,
wallahi, the trials are mounting upon the ummah.
If you analyze the Quran, kareem,
and the hadees of the prophet sallallahu alaihi
wa sallam, the rabi of Allah sallallahu alaihi
wa sallam,
Just
as He had mastered and perfected
every aspect of human growth and human development,
whether it was the interaction between husband and
wife,
interaction between employer, employee,
interaction between rule and subject.
Nabi'alai Salam's teachings
is teaching us
much has been said
regarding the turbia,
the nurturing and the upbringing of our children.
Wallahi it is the greatest of challenges,
but when the desire results are achieved, I
swear by the almighty Allah it is the
greatest of joys. I always say this,
to find a obedient child
who is upright in society,
I swear by the almighty Allah it is
the priceless gift of nature.
To find a obedient child who is upright
in society,
I swear by the almighty Allah it is
the priceless gift of nature. You don't need
to go far. You know my brother, when
you walk home, like someone said it so
beautifully
in the Arabic language,
There are only 3 things in life that
a person can truly cherish.
Listen to
this,
One is the smile of your child.
Number 2, to have noble friends,
to have good companions.
And number 3 is to sit with your
spouse
in seclusion and enjoy a wholesome discussion.
These are the three elements that add value
to human life. You know, one is when
you return home, that innocent child with that
innocent smile.
1 is the wife who has prepared herself
in the most seductive way, that's a human
need. And one is the sumptuous meal that
she has prepared for you, but in the
middle of that is that innocent child with
that innocent smile.
I sometimes
wonder, can you perhaps attach any price to
the smile of the child?
Wallahi, the smile of that innocent child is
so unique.
It has that potential
of putting an end to the stress of
the day. The smile of that innocent child
has that potential of putting an end to
the fatigue of the day. Ask those who
do not have children,
they are going to the extremes and extents
of adopting children to get that smile. So
like I've mentioned friends and elders, this is
one of the greatest of challenges,
the trial of fate. We look at the
condition of the youth of this ummah. I
just want to share with you 1 or
2 examples
in the light of Quran and Sunnah. What
lessons can we take?
Unfortunately, today,
because of the dictates and the demands of
dunya,
it has taken up our primary time, and
we don't have time for the spliceless gift
of nature.
Hassan Basri used to say,
I sat with a group of Sahaba,
I found that they were more possessive
over the time than they were out.
Time meant more to them than they were
out. Ask a man today, you know, to
sit with you in a coffee shop. He
will spend hours with you, but ask him
to give you money, he's not prepared to
spend a cent.
But we are prepared to give time. When
we study the lives of the noble companions,
wallahi, they were prepared to give you whatever
they owned, but they never gave you one
minute. Time is money like they say.
And this is one of the greatest questions
that many parents are asking today
in relation to the topic of discussion,
why have the youth of today become so
rebellious?
Why have they become so disobedient?
What is of course the medical perspective?
What doctors might tell you that the child
is suffering from ADD,
attention
deficit disorder.
These are medical scientific terminologies,
medical connotations,
physical expressions,
whatever it is. But before we go into
those aspects,
let us ask ourselves the question,
is there anything wrong
in my life as a parent
because of which
my son is suffering,
whilst every father, every mother
wishes to impress on his or her child
the good,
that my son must only see my good,
he must not see my evil.
Until and unless
we will not discipline
our lives as parents,
we are living in a fool's paradise.
Very well said that, oh, my boy, do
what I tell you, don't do what I
do.
Do what I tell you, don't do what
I do. It doesn't work that way. What
did my Nabi say?
A young boy who's growing up,
experiencing his adolescence,
you're putting such,
such trials before him. He doesn't know where
to turn. I mean you're driving on the
road today,
the first billboard that meets with your eyes
is, what a flirt.
You have a provocation of your ego.
You drive a few kilometers ahead.
You see the picture of the most charming,
the most beautiful woman.
Again, it just intensifies and multiplies
and your emotions take a somersault.
And you drive few kilometers ahead
and the next billboard reads, just do it.
I dare you.
How many youngsters under the very pretext of
just do it,
they popped that one pill, now they're addicted
to drugs, they're addicted to intoxicants.
How many of our sisters are caught up
in a scourge?
So what did Nabi alaihi salam say?
If someone had to tell you that a
mountain has moved from its place,
tell the man I believe you. But if
he tells you that so and so has
abandoned an evil practice, tell the man I
don't believe you.
Said the moving of a mountain is easier.
The environment that you create within your home,
this will play a vital role in the
upbringing and the nurturing of your children.
This is the trial of faith today. I
mean what is the condition of the youth
of the ummah? You know,
has recorded an amazing incident.
He says one day,
one father comes to an alim
and he asked the alim a question.
He said, my son is very rebellious towards
me.
He's very disobedient towards me, and at times
he even picks up his hands to slap
me.
So this arim asked the father,
What are you telling me that the son
slaps the father? He said, that's the reality.
You know, I recall some years ago I
was invited to a conference in America
and we are sitting down for dinner.
So the person who had hosted me, his
son was sitting next to him, so he
tells his boy, get me a glass of
water. He looks at his dad, get up
and get it yourself, I'm not your slave.
What
are you telling me that the son slaps
the father? He said, yes.
So this alim calls the father one side.
He said, number
1,
Have you taught your son the knowledge of
Quran?
Really, friends and elders, these institutions,
may Allah take this masjid from strength to
strength.
These are thoughts that insulate
our children,
that protect the iman of our children. Muhammad
bin Idris Shafi'i used to say,
latch on to scholars and olamah.
Hasan Basri used to say close to qiyama
it will come to a point of crisis
due to the lack of competent scholars and
olamah.
People will appoint ignorant people as the leaders.
Latch on to scholars and
that is the savior in this day and
age.
So he says, have you taught your son
Quran?
He said,
no.
Have you disseminated the knowledge of deen to
your son? He said, no. Imam Shafi'i used
to say,
I had seen a young boy
who has acquired the knowledge of deen.
Even though he came from the most broken
home,
he managed to
break through the shackles of negativity,
and he rose to the pedestal of glory.
Have you taught your son the knowledge of
Deen? He said no.
Have you taught your son what his other
respect, mannerism and conduct? He said no. The
alim then tells the father,
When you have not invested in that young
boy of yours, what else do you expect?
Syed al Nabi Nabi Talib used to say,
you know, there is an entire book that
has been translated
with the couplets of Ali bin Abi Talib.
Ali bin Abi Talib used to say,
said,
No father could favor his son with a
better gift than good morals.
Ali ibn Abi Talib used to say,
it is not beautiful
garments
that adorn your children nor beautify your children.
It is morals, it is values.
It is nurturing, it is tutoring.
To find the obedient child who is upright
in society I always say it is the
priceless gift of nature. He then goes on
to mention,
He alone is not an orphan
whose biological
parent has died
before he has reached the age of puberty.
Ali bin Rabi Talib said, he also is
an orphan
who sees the presence of both his parents,
but that young boy is devoid of mannerism
and conduct.
If you look at the definition of Alib
ibn Abi Talib, I swear by the almighty
Allah, 90%
of the youth of the ummah are orphans
today.
In relation to the Ashab ul Kahf.
What lessons do we take?
Faqibul alaihis
recorded this incident
that one person comes to Umar ibn Al
Khattab
and he,
you know, he levels a complaint against his
son that my son is very abusive, very
aggressive to me. So Umar radhiallahu ta'ala Anhu,
he admonishes
this young lad.
This young boy stands
up and he said, O'amir ul Momineen,
I acknowledge
that my father has certain rights over me,
but my question to you is, do I
have any rights over my father?
Umar radhiallahu ta'ala told him you've got 3
rights.
He says number 1, when your father got
married,
it was the duty of your father
to select a noble spouse who will give
birth to his children.
Number
2, when you were born, to give you
a good Islamic name.
And number 3, when you matured and attained
puberty,
it was the duty of your father to
teach you the knowledge of Quran.
This young boy says, O amir ul mumineen,
I want to negate all 3.
When my father got married,
he got married to a slave girl who
has no lineage.
When I was born,
my father had given me such a name.
Up to today I don't understand what it
means.
And when I matured and attained puberty,
my father did not teach me the knowledge
of Quran.
Umar
looks at the father and he said, You
have beguiled your son
before he has beguiled you.
You have been disloyal to your son before
he has been disloyal to you. This is
one of the greatest of challenges,
but wallahi
when the desired results are achieved,
I swear by the almighty Allah, it is
the priceless gift of nature. Like one pious
scholar writes,
he said one of the greatest questions people
are asking today, he said how much of
dua do we make for the tarbia, the
upbringing of our children? We all know the
incident of Yusuf alaihis salam. After being reunited
with his father,
the brothers who had committed every crime against
him, they come to Yaqub alaihis salaam to
beg for forgiveness.
Oh Allah, oh our father forgive us for
the wrongs that we had done.
Yaqub alaihis salaam,
food for thought for the parents of this
ummah,
he said I will not make dua at
this moment,
I will delay the dua.
Delaying the dua for what? He said I
will get up at the time of tahajjud.
One pious scholar writes,
he said, make it a point on a
daily basis,
take out a few moments that, Omay Allah,
you protect the imal of my children.
Omay Allah, you protect the imal of my
children. What did my Nabi say? The best
legacy you could leave behind.
Waladun saaliyahdawalahu.
Leave behind pious offspring
who will convey aljal and tawab to the
parents after the parents have left these worlds.
Wallahi, we have seen this with our own
eyes.
When we speak on the aspect of parents,
young lads start sobbing and crying like little
babies.
Sheikh Wallana, the last time I visited the
grave of my father was was when I
lowered him into the grave 10 years ago.
What legacy are we leaving behind? Give them
the best of dunya. Give them the best
of education.
But when the child grows up,
subhanallah, what did my
Nabi
say?
When your children develop the ability of speech,
my Nabi said,
before you introduce yourself to your child that
I am your father and this is your
mother,
it is your first responsibility
to introduce Allah to the child.
When Allah will be introduced to the child
of the tender age, and when that child
will be asked regarding the commands of Allah,
then the child will respond like the Ismael
of Ibrahim.
That child will respond like the Ismael of
Ibrahim.
SubhanAllah, under the commentary of this verse of
Quran Kareem, many parents are asking the question
that, Mawlana, what dua do I read?
Oh Allah, reform for me my children that
you have blessed me with. Under the commentary
of this du'a that is contained in the
26 Jews, there is a quotation in Madariqot
Tanzil
on the strength of Sayyidra Abu Bakr as
Siddiq.
What does he say?
The only Sahabi
to enjoy the exclusive privilege
that both his parents
and all his children,
they were Muslim.
This was as a result of this dua
that he used to recite on a daily
basis. Friends and elders, there's so much more,
I could have told you my time is
up. We make dua to the almighty Allah.
Allah ta'ala grant us the tawfiq and the
ability that we reflect over this amazing surah
of Quran.
Surah Kahaf. What did Nabi alaihi salam say?
That
For qualities
formed the good fortune of a man.
What an amazing statement.
Said,
you've got a pious wife,
you've got good children,
your sustenance is in close proximity
to where you live, you don't need to
travel the length and the breadth of the
globe, you've got a pious wife, you've got
obedient children,
Your sustenance is in close proximity to where
you live and you've got close friends and
pious associates.
My Nabi said consider yourself to be the
most fortunate man.
Consider yourself to be the most fortunate man.
We make dua to the almighty Allah. Allah
ta'ala protect our youth in this evil environment.
Allah ta'ala protect our youth. I see there
are hundreds of youth that have gathered. Those
who are involved in drugs make this intention
of giving it up for the pleasure of
the almighty Allah. Wallahi, it will give you
nowhere. You take that pearl, you're flying on
cloud 9
and you want to keep on climbing, you
will get absolutely nowhere. My message to you
is turn to Allah. We have scholars, we
have reputable scholars, lecture on to scholars and
olamah. I always say this in this day
and age, the savior is the house of
Allah.
We traveled to countries of the world.
Just few days ago I visited Albania.
We had visited one of the Makatib,
these primary institutions.
These are forts that insulate our children,
that protect the iman of our children. We
entered into 1. Wallahi, my heart cried.
There were 3 generations,
the grandmother,
the mother,
and the child are sitting and learning at
the feet of the same teacher.
Appreciate what we have in this country. When
our forefathers came into this country, the first
thing they had done, establish
establish,
places of learning and teaching. Appreciate what we
have.
You don't appreciate these namats, Allah will take
it away from us. We make dua to
the almighty Allah. Allah ta'ala grant me the
tawfiq. Allah Tawfiq
that we imbibe within our lives and within
our families and our homes. These amazing advisors
of Quran and sunnah. And once again jazakAllah
to the board of Masjid al Quds. It's
always a pleasure to come back home.
Bless each and every one of you.
If Allah grants us life, inshallah we will
meet again.
And if before our next meeting, if the
angel of death knocks my door or your
door, then inshallah, the planes of Hashar will
reunite us.