2023 in 7 Phrases

bIllahi min ash shaytani R rajim Bismillah R Rahman Rahim Al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen wa Salatu was Salam ala should have been more discerning Sayidina Muhammad Ali he also have he married my beloved brothers and sisters I said Mr alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh

Alhamdulillah Ramadan Amin always forever will begin with the praise of the thanks of Alana shadow Allah Allah Allah Allah we testify that there is none worthy of worship besides Allah subhana wa Tada and we send our love our greetings and salutations. So beloved Nabina Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, to his pious and his pure family to his companions and all those who follow his sunnah until the end of time. May Allah subhanaw taala bless us to be amongst them. I mean, I mean and Hamdulillah this is the final Juma of 2023 Hamdulillah. And we were doing a series on the Messiah and agile and it was today we're going to talk about the gel and I didn't want to end the

war in the talking about the gel. So inshallah we'll continue the series, perhaps in the new year. And then I thought, what do we talk about one of the most difficult parts of the DUA is deciding every week, what topic should we talk about? And that's why we love doing series here in Toronto. And so are some of my colleagues, you know, what is the feeling and the mood? What do people want to hear? What is what is that you want to hear from the from the member? How do you feel, and the colleague of mine, the chef, that I call this, his people just feel numb, they just feel like, you know, finished, And subhanAllah without a doubt 2023 has been a difficult year.

But I want to capture the feeling the mood, from my perspective, and I think from your perspective as well, in our last Joomla for 2023, seven phrases, seven words. The first one

Subhanallah another year, gone.

2023 finished. I think many of you can remember 2022 This time of the year last year, and how quickly time has gone. How quickly the years just keep going and with the knowledge and with the reality that we only have a fixed amount of years in our bank account. One Mugen never gonna get it back while also in Santa Fe Kosar. Allah subhanaw taala says by time when it comes to time, in son, you're all at a loss, you're all losing, nobody benefits, everybody is dying, everyone is losing. And so obviously Subhan Allah Subhan Allah mean it means all perfection belongs to Allah alone. It is only Allah that is timeless. It is only Allah subhanaw taala that is not temporary. It is only

Allah subhanho wa Taala that is permanent. So if ever were to wish and to hope and to put our trust into someone, it is on Allah subhanho wa Taala he will always be there. And so when you and I want you also to learn from these phrases, when to use it. And so whenever we see something, whether it's good or bad, and but it's an amazing thing, when something which shocks us, we see Subhanallah meaning Allah you are perfect. You are, you are perfection. And so as we see another year come and go, it is with a sense of our own mortality, we are imperfect. We have a limited timeframe. We don't know if this is the final year of our life, we don't know if we will even reach 2020 For how many

years we have left Subhan Allah the next word Inshallah, as we are discussing this, that

if we were to ask anybody, how do you find the house 2023 for you? What situation you're in? If so, if anybody asks you, how are you? How are you doing? What do we say? Alhamdulillah. Before we get into the problems at work and family issues and money issues, if Allah subhanaw taala were to ask us, How did you find 2023 We say to Allah Alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah means All Praise and Gratitude is to you yeah, Allah. Allah says Kulu nacinda. Eager to note, all of you are going to die.

Difficult. It's a difficult reality. It's a morbid thing. That yes, it's the end of the another year has come and gone. I don't know how much time I have left, but I'm going to die alone, all of you are going to die. Well in number two, a phone or a communal piano and all of you Allah says I will give you exactly what you earn for your life. When Allah reminds us, no matter how this year has been, what you got, what you didn't get, how successful you are, how much failure you had, how difficult you are, how secure Allah reminds us that there is one objective, there's only one objective. Allah says Bermondsey Hi Nina, whoa, the hill Jana for conifers. But the ultimate

objective of your existence of why on the earth is if you have avoided Jahannam if you saved from Jana the fire and you enter Jannah then you have won, if that's where you're in if the last last chapter of our life.

If you enter Jannah you live happily ever after Alice's have been hired to do near ilimitado Hurrah. And then what is the dunya? What does it matter what happens in the dunya? What do you care about this dunya if you're into Jana, and so therefore we say, in the context of that Alhamdulillah Allah gave us Islam. Our objective is Jana, and of all the millions of people out there doing whatever they're doing, you are in the gym or

Allah has given us the trophy that in this time when people are losing themselves, you are here in the magic. Allah has made you and me the winners. Allah has gifted us with that bonus, we have the blessing of Islam. You had Alhamdulillah 52 June was 52. June was every single week you were in the masjid, the holiest time of the week, you got that Allah has given us 52 Juma is to worship Him. We had another Ramadan, we know from the Hadith, that there'll be several mentions that if you get one except to the Ramadan, one except to the Ramadan, Allah as you enter Jannah that is your ticket to Jana Alhamdulillah, given us that Ramadan,

we should not underestimate the Ibadah that we have done. We know in the Hadith, that if you were to fast your whole life sooner fasting, it will not equal to one day of Ramadan in terms of rewarding ALLAH given us 30 days of fasting, each and every one of you have that to your account in sha Allah, that if you made your five daily Salawat that's 1825 Sadhas. That is 12,400 suggests to Allah, every time we put our head on the ground that that Earth will testify that FTM this person submitted to you Allah. So the objective is to get to Jannah Alhamdulillah the scorecard keeps sticking in our favor. Every single act of worship every round that you've given every good deed that you've done,

Allah subhanaw taala keeps it and multiplies it. And so Alhamdulillah Allah, you've kept us on the straight path. You kept us our iman and Islam submitted to you. Yeah, Allah. So that is we always begin with Hamdulillah. And then when we look at the year we do know we are Allah, how many days did we not fulfill our obligation to you? How many acts of worship? Did we neglect? How many nights did we stand up in tahajud? If any? How many hard times did we make, if any? How much charity we give, if any? And so when we ever when we look at time, and remember in the context of Jana and Jana, we say a StuffIt Allah Allah then the third phrase, or stockfeed Allah so Phyllis, Oh Allah, pardon me,

forgive me. I repent to you, I turned to you. So while hamdulillah Allah, you've given me a lot you gave given me Islam, you've given me the opportunity to worship you. I know I'm not good enough. I know I'm not where I need to be as an as a slave until Yala. How much sin have we done also. And therefore, whenever there comes a time at the end of the year, at the end of the week, when you take an introspection, part of the good habits of the believer and the parts of the habits of the Sahaba is when they looked at the lives part of life is always to make use defer to Allah, even the MBA the most perfect of people made is the fact that part of our ECFR w two Matoba means to return to Allah

Allah I forgot you. I turned away from you. I was occupied with so many things here Allah and now you've given me the opportunity to come back at Hamdulillah we are alive while we still draw breath that dough October is open. And so we take this opportunity we in the year to say oh Allah forgive us for all the sins we've done this past year. Yeah, Allah pardon our haram that we looked at the Haram that we spoke the Haram that we are money whatever haram we have done big or small, you know we are Allah, you're the only one that can Forgive us. Forgive us. Yeah, Allah. Allah says, Well, me Yeah, I'm a to whoever that evil. Oh, you have lived enough, sir. Oh, you have to live within even

if so. Then you oppressed your own self. The sin corrupts you. Allah says whoever Have you committed sin, or you oppressed yourself to myself? Will Allah and then you ask Allah for forgiveness. Yejide Yejide Allahu Hakuna Rahima you will find Allah definitely most forgiving, Most Merciful. It's a promise. And therefore let us in the year between now and

as soon as we can. We raise our hands and say Allah for every sin that we've done, we've asked you for your forgiveness. Let us begin the new year sinless. Let's begin the new year without any baggage that we carrying over. You don't have to get you don't have to go to Makkah or have to get forgiven you can get forgiven in your own home in your own house. And so part of the ritual part of the life of the Muslim is that we look at our shortcomings and make instead find we can talk so much about Stefan. We can talk about so many beautiful Hadith about Toba and is different, but just one Subhanallah as we look at the our year, and some of us are so ashamed. Some of us may feel so guilty

because of how poor we've done as believers to Allah, how deficient we are as as believers, how can I even raise my hands to Allah and ask him how

Allah forgive me, pardon me. We know that beautiful Hadith about the responses when the believer raised his hands to Allah, and he paints and he says, Oh Allah, I've sinned. I've done this I committed Zina, I still I killed whatever it is. I'm coming back to Allah except me in your forgiveness. What is Allah's response? The Prophet Salam reminds us it's like that man who goes to the desert, and he loses his camel, and he's lost in the desert and he's about to die. And he's so sure I'm going to die that he even digs his own cover. He thinks his grave because if I'm gonna die, I'd rather have a grave to lay in. And he lays in his cupboard about waiting to die, and out of

nowhere, he's camel appears, and he grabs that camel and he's so happy because his life is saved. He has his provisions and he says, Oh Allah, you are my slave and I am your Lord. You said this, the real deliriously? He was completely lost his mind. He said, Yeah, Allah, you are the Slave I am the Lord. He meant to say You are my Lord, I am the slave. So the man was so happy that he lost his senses. That he says when you raise your hand so Allah stockfeed Allah forgive me, Allah is happier than this man. Allah is more joyful when the slave comebacks comes back to Allah in spite of all the sins. So however you end of this year,

and there will be a time and a ticker and counting down. Take that moment to say Allah or stockfeed Allah, a year has come and gone opportunities. Everybody has come and gone sin. I've wasted my time on sin. But you can fix the year through so far and Toba. And Allah always accepts Inshallah, the fourth,

the fourth phrase, when you think of the seer, and now I talk to you personally, this year is different for different people. For some of you, that Hamdulillah you had a fantastic year, you got a new job, you maybe you got married, they will maybe addition to the family, you're planning some amazing holiday, some good news come to you of blessings. Fantastic. And for some of you, it must have been a very difficult year and I know people personally, that have lost loved ones and relatives. They've gone through extreme, extremely, extremely difficult here. There are people who have lost their loved ones, they've lost their health, people are struggling with sickness, a

disease might have come back that out of nowhere you got a diagnosis that is like a mountain on top of you. You might have Subhanallah going through financial issues, marriage issues, divorces, whatever it might be, when we go through these times. We c'est la hawla wala Quwata illa biLlah there is no power, there is no strength is no mic there is no change except through Allah subhanaw taala Allah says to us, reminds us, Oh Allah, may Allah Allah He absolutely screamer Yasha we do not see that is Allah alone when it comes to blessings that He alone expands he gives to whom He wants, and he contracts he takes away from me once in Nevada, I telecommute. And that should be an

indication for people that believe that your ultimate objective is to get to the one who benefits and the one who takes away the benefits only Allah subhanaw taala. Nobody can help you. Nobody can assist you. Nobody can harm you. Except with Allah spanners permission. And so for those of us that Hamdulillah, who had a good year, you got that bonus, you're moving forward in your career, your relationships are good, you just got married, if you are fine, if I asked you how was 2023, this was a good year, then Alhamdulillah, if you had a good year, in terms of blessings in the remember,

make time before the end of this year to give a special sugar to Allah.

that not everybody got what you got. And Allah says what is the general Bukom Allah says, Remember when I proclaimed that in Chikara Tamila as eternal come ready for you, thank me, I will give you more in your blessings. I will put Baraka in that blessings. So for whatever you have gotten, or whatever goodness has come to you make a special moment to thank Allah subhanho wa Taala make a special time to appreciate that blessings Allah has given you. And then as for those of us who is who if you were to ask him, they would say Alhamdulillah Quranic learning, but 2023 was a difficult year. And I'm complaining, I'm not going to be ungrateful to Allah. But it was a tough year. And I

know of people who have gone through the most difficult experiences of their life this year.

Allah says to you, and some of you might be carrying that burden. Now, you might be carrying that sickness, that poverty, that sadness in your heart, you're sitting here and your heart is breaking. Allah says Ma, Saba Musa, whatever call Allah says, I tell you, whatever calamity befalls you fill out the will of the unforeseen, whether it happens outside of your outside of you, or on the earth or in your own personal life, in laffy Kitab him in Kabul and Nebraska, it was already decreed before the year began before you were even born. This calamity, this death, the sickness, this loss of risk, Allah says I had planned this for you it was in your taqdeer nothing you could have done to

avoid it. You could not have that you couldn't have changed anything you had no say in the matter. I had given this in your path. In a valley gala see it because this is how Allah says it's easy for me. It is a means by which in my wisdom

To purify you to guide you, whatever it is in Allah is wisdom, but you could not avoid it. Now Allah tells us, I tell you this beautiful if I was really kala Tae Soo lick a letter. So Allah Mr. Fattah, can I tell you this so that you do not beat yourself up? That you don't sit in grief and remorse about what you've lost? Had nothing to do with you. That is not about it's not about you. It's not about what you did. This is part of Allah's objective. Remember, our objective is I want to go on holiday. My objective is I want to build a beautiful house, I want to have a fancy car, Allah's objective is I want you to enter Jannah and if that path to Jana is a rocky path, that path to get

to Jana is a difficult one, or Allah is going to put me on that path because he wants me to enter Jannah so Allah says this whatever difficult you're going through, it's hard. It's okay to feel sad. It's okay to feel despondent. But don't feel don't don't give up and don't feel broken because this is not about about what you did wrong. It is about Allah subhanaw taala putting you through notice is your journey. And Allah says to those of us in hardship, remember, a man ug Budan Aman ug will matara either. We actually for Su where's your? Where's your aliquam? Hula? A colorful

Illa Houma Allah kalila Mata the Quran, Allah says it not He

is Allah not the one that responds to the desperate person when they call out? Allah says don't remember. Don't forget, whenever you're going through, I am the one as a response to your your time of desperation. I'm the one that hears you when you cry and you are heartbroken and you call out to me. I listen to you, I respond to you. And I remove any difficulty from you. I can remove anything from you. Whatever human life might seem so constricted today. You might feel that there is no way out I have zero hope. I can't even dare to believe ALLAH says I can take it all away if I wanted to. I'm the one that listens to you. And is there any law other than Allah? Do you have anyone other

than Allah? Is there any law that you can turn to other other than Allah, so turn to Allah subhanaw taala if it's if life is hard, this is what La hawla wala Quwata illa means how will actually means to change, there is no change, my situation cannot change except by Allah subhanaw taala my blessings cannot be taken away from me except by Allah subhanaw taala and my hardship cannot be removed from me except by Allah subhanaw taala so when you look at your life, when you look at your situation,

whether you like it, you don't like it, just think the whole our quarter in nebula only Allah, only Allah can change my affairs. Now we move on from our personal hardships, our personal struggles. And we know that this year if we were to highlight and talk about what really encompass this year, of course it is the situation in Gaza and the state of the Ummah,

that it was a traumatic, difficult hard year for the Ummah, seeing so many of our our Muslim brothers and sisters going through a genocide going through unimaginable atrocities. What do we say when we when we are confronted with something like this, now at the Battle of erode when the Muslims suffered a bit of a calamity a bit of a defeat at the hands of hardened Walid we know the Muslims, for those of us who know the Battle of the Muslims made a mistake. And there was a counter attack by the Quran and many, many Sahaba died, in fact, in a recent himself almost got was killed. And so the Sahaba were forced to retreat, the Muslims had to flee into the mountain of jihad. And they will

wait they're bleeding and they were tired and they were scared. And a few people came to them monastics came to the Muslims, and said, the Quraysh has returned the coalition, the coalition left going back to Mecca, the coalition made a U turn, they coming back to finish you off. You guys are injured, bleeding, defeated the coalition and I come and fight you and finish with one one last time and when I fix it, this to scare the Muslims. So when the Sahaba heard this, what did they say? They said husband Allah when Allah kill, Allah is enough for me. Whatever you take away from me, whenever I lose, haspin Allah I have Allah I do not I cannot lose because I have Allah when Allah kill and I

put my trust in him. I don't have an answer to the situation. So when the situation looks hopeless, when the super situation looks completely out of control, husband Allah, no matter what happens, I leave my face to Allah. I lay my life in his hands husband Allah, when it Malarkey, Allah Subhana Allah then mentions when they said this, Alina, Alina stojo Bula. As for those the Sahaba who responded to Allah wa surely and His Rasul, Malema Asaba human after they were inflicted with hardship when they came under when they were injured when they were going through that difficulty. These are the ones Lila the NASA woman whom otaku or the Allah says they are they had put the fear

and the trust in Allah they will get a great reward. As for those who said in the NASA kata Gemma Oh, that the people have come against you like him for the for the show whom for whom Eman and Mikado husband Allah when am I lucky? So

This is what they're telling the Ummah and this is what they say to us as well. The monastics said to the Muslims, you are weak, you are few, you're injured, you have no power, you have no weapons. The world has come against you, and they're going to destroy you. What are you going to do? Be afraid of them run? We said no husband Allah when Maliki the Sahaba said and we said the same thing that Allah is sufficient for us. And he will sort our face out further whom Iman and this only increase them in Eman. There's only made them more determined to stand upon the truth. And so when we look at this year, and we look at the state of the Ummah, on the one side, you can look at it as

a type of weakness, a type of sadness, we can look at it from a pessimistic point of view, or the other side we saying, why is it that the Muslims are being oppressed in China? Why is it that the Hindus are pressing the extremists oppressing the Muslims in India? Why is Israel bombing the Muslims in Haza? Why are Muslim struggling all over the world? Why? Because they are scared of this ummah. Because they know that the strength that they have thrown with the all the technology, all the advancements, all their weapon, the all the economic power, but this ummah will not go away, it will not roll over and die. The most defenseless group of people on earth against one of the most

advanced militaries in the world being bombed and pounded and blockaded and besieged the water cut off for 70 years, where these people will not go away. They will rather die, then submit to the oppressor. And this of this, this is scary for the oppressor. And so when we look at this husband, Allah Allah, Allah, Allah subhanho wa Taala will take care of our face. We also therefore remember the difficult moments in this year. Remember this year began with a massive earthquake in Turkey. 60,000 people died. It's strange when one calamity comes and makes us forget the last calamity. 60,000 people died in an earthquake in Turkey 16 million people lost their homes to be displaced.

What are they going through? What What kind of year was it for them? And of course, the ongoing genocide in Gaza. And so with all these difficulties, we don't have an answer to it except to say we have Allah subhanaw taala and whatever Allah is going to decide for this ummah, whatever Allah decides for this ummah, we put our faith in Allah subhanaw taala. And that leads to the the sixth moment, that in spite of all this, as I said, in spite of all the difficulty that we're going through, we say Allahu Akbar, that Allah is greater than all of this, that Allah subhanho wa Taala will make a way out for us that Allah subhanho wa Taala will show that this ummah, that in its time

of crisis, and its time of hardship, that's when this ummah comes together. But he has 60,000 people died in Turkey, but hundreds of millions of Muslims gave the charity the sadaqa to support our brothers and sisters, from Indonesia, to South Africa to South America, the Muslims have stood together because what do you have to do with the people of Gaza? What do I have to do with the people of Turkey, we share one common thing La Ilaha illa Allah. And so Allah uses these moments to show us and remind us about the strength of this ummah, that no natural disaster as a hadith when we send them, no natural disaster, and no external enemy will ever wipe this room out. It will never

happen and this ummah will continue to thrive and move forward through Allahu Allahu Akbar. On the one hand, they are bombing us and killing us, on the other hand, never before, if you look at the stats, as the conversion rate of people entering into Islam increase to the 16th. You look at social media, and people look at what's happening in Gaza. They look at what's happening throughout the world and the Muslim stand firm on the Eman This is strange. Where does this come from? What gives these people that you bury child after child your entire family you bury and they ask you? How do you feel? Me sister hamdulillah My family has returned to Allah. What gives you the strength? It's

only the Muslim that feels this so we say Allahu Akbar, Allah you are greater. When we were when you entered this earth when we were born, the first thing we heard was the name of Allah Allahu Akbar. This is the phrase by which we enter the world. And when you die, Allahu Akbar the Janaza sada. This is your Allah, whatever happens in my life is not important. You are Allahu Akbar, you are the greatest, you are bigger, you are more powerful than everything. The last, the last phrase, when I look at this year, we look forward we are always almost as optimistic we say in sha Allah, in sha Allah 2024 will be here in sha Allah next year, all our problems, by Allah's mercy and Allah's

permission will be gone. In sha Allah, the victory of Allah will come in sha Allah 2024 My personal struggles will disappear in sha Allah, that goal that you want to that promotion that job you'll get that that qualification that you want, you will get that that bright husband you want you will get that in sha Allah your sickness will be cured. In sha Allah, everything will happen that is that we wanted what is best for us. We leave it in the hands of Allah, Allah Allah, Allah willing, it's going to happen. Beautiful Hadith. Then it even says by the one

whose hand is my sole meaning by Allah, a believing servant. A believer is not given anything better than to have good thoughts with Allah subhanaw taala the best thing Allah can give you is to be optimistic when you think of Allah to have a good relationship with Allah. And he says that he says, and I swear that there is a servant does not improve his opinion of Allah, except that ALLAH gives him what he assumes meaning, the Prophet says, each time you think better of Allah, each time you're hopeful Allah is gonna give me this man, I'm going to get that thing. I'm going to get the deal. This disease will be cured whenever you have that feeling. The Prophet Allah gives you that which

you want, in a way which sometimes we can understand, we can't understand. But every time we are optimistic, Allah loves that optimism so much. He loves that belief of a Muslim, that He gives that person and he says, that is because all goodness is in the hands of Allah. Everything of good is in the hands of Allah. So we make dua we close off the year with the DUA, we ask Allah subhanaw taala to forgive us and pardon us. We thank Allah for all the goodness the fevers has bestowed upon us. We thank Allah for the blessing of Salaam and the missing of Eman. We ask Allah subhana wa Taala to pardon our shortcomings that he accepts our iba that we ask Allah to make easy for the Ummah

throughout the world made easy for the people of Gaza, the people of Syria and Turkey the people of China the people of the Muslims throughout the world yet Allah make it easy for us to give is an instinct to this ummah. protect us from our enemies. Oh Allah let your victory come bring about your victory and your support yeah Allah grant us to be an ummah that you're proud of your Allah grant us to where people that you love ya Allah grant is to be on the straight path protect us and our children. Yeah Allah from the fitna from the difficulties of this world, Ya Allah grant us blessings in our you know health, blessings in our family yet Allah bless us yeah Allah in our wealth, bless

us in our careers. Bless us in all that you have given us an increase as in goodness, yeah, Allah, Oh Allah have mercy upon those who are going through hardship, replace the these the sickness, the suffering with ease and comfort and Allah grant genital, for those for those who have passed away. There are people who have died this year. We won't see them again, Allah grant them genital filters, all those who have passed away like why they cover and grant us all of us here Allah to return to you in goodness. Amin, amin, well, hamdulillah Al Hamdulillah just one beautiful announcement hamdulillah for us, Inshallah, we'll be leaving for umara tomorrow. And for the many who are on

camera, what a wonderful way of enduring ending the year we ask that Allah grants you and all the people on Amara Amara Maqbool the safe travel and a safe return. I'll accept you by that. Please keep us in your doors Insha Allah, Allah Hi. Salaam Alaikum Salam