Muhammad West – The Test of the Good Life

			Good morning remain. And beloved brothers and sisters salam o aleikum wa rahmatullah wa barakato.
		

			Al hamdu. Lillahi Rabbil Alameen. Always and forever we begin with the praise of Allah insha Allah
you know, hit Allah we testify that there is none worthy of worship besides Allah subhanaw taala and
we send our greetings and love and salutations, beloved to be Muhammad Sallallahu sallam, to spice
in 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. mean I mean what hamdulillah Al Hamdulillah last
week we spoke about the hardships that Allah subhanho wa Taala sins upon us at time to time, why
does Allah cause suffering? Why does Allah bring about sickness? Why does he cause death, and we
		

			explain that not all hardship, is a punishment or a calamity. Sometimes, it is a punishment, a
purification, sometimes it is a test. Sometimes it's even a blessing. Allah subhanaw taala is
sending hardships to bring you closer to him. And we said last week, whenever we go through
difficulty, it's an opportunity to draw near to Allah subhanaw taala. We're not saying that you
shouldn't feel bad or try and avoid the calamity, cure the sickness, search for the wealth. But
while you're going through the hardships, it's an opportunity to get closer to Allah. This week,
we're going to also mention that not every good thing in your life, not every comfort, every
		

			blessing every enjoyment is necessarily a gift or a blessing from Allah subhanaw taala. In fact,
that thing, the good life, the comforts the joy, might be a curse behind Allah might be a curse.
Allah Subhana Allah says in the Quran, whenever you are unable to whom be sharing, we will test you
with hardship when evil will highly fitna. We will give you a fitna a taste of good and bad, you
your money, your promotion, the good things in your life might actually be a fitna. Sometimes the
blessing itself might be a punishment. Allah subhanaw taala mentions that is not in the in the
slides, but Allah subhanaw taala mentions that he sins upon a people hardship, he puts difficulty on
		

			them. He seems calamities upon them, let alone your job, so they may come back. But if they don't
come back, then what does he do for that Hannah? Baraka, he opens all the luxuries and ease and
comfort. You didn't want to listen. Now I give you all the goodness that you want. And in that state
of enjoyment of pleasure, that's when we take them. That's when the punishment comes to be taken
away. When you're complete. Hoffler forgetfulness of Allah Allah is a part of your life because you
are having a party, that is the worst kind of punishment. So Allah is one that actually takes them
in the state of pleasure. If you were to read the Quran, the heroes of the Quran, you will look at
		

			the lives very difficult life Ambia ssef suffering the Mujahideen Shuhada then you look at the
criminals of the Quran fit our own karoun They have all the joys the luxuries, the comforts of the
dunya span Allah it is therefore not strange that some might have felt some scholars might have even
said that wealth comforts is a bad thing we shouldn't want it no this is not our our Sharia either.
We'll talk more about that. Then episode Salam, listen to this hadith he says, Well Allah He swears
by Allah, I am not scared of poverty that I feel for you oh my my my my ummah, I'm not scared of the
poverty that you will go through, rather what scares then maybe some more. So what makes him more
		

			scared is that the richness of the world will be given to you. He's more afraid that Allah will open
the dunya to us, and He will give you the dunya like he gave wealth to the people before you and
then you will start to compete with one another. You want more and more and more as the people of
the past competed and that destroyed they will destroy you as he destroyed the people of the past.
But he won't destroy us this OMA but wealth cans panela
		

			poverty, one mile will protect you up in Jannah. But wealth cans panela. And so there is a danger in
blessings. There's a danger in the goodness and the good life. Whenever a person is given any
blessing in this world. Whether it is wealth, health, power, intelligence, beauty youth, you're
young, it's a blessing. It is a test from Allah. Allah is asking you how are you going to use it?
All it is some people by keeping away from them blessings and then Allah looks at them if they are
patient, and others. He gives them good in the world to see how they use that as a taste. And
subhanAllah as I said so many times and listen to this. You
		

			is the Sunnah it is the nature of mankind, that we tend to pass the blessings of hardship. Or
rather, the test of hardship is the easy one. If your exam people you got from Allah is one filled
with tests, sickness, hardship, chances are your past inshallah. The ones who fail this exam are the
ones whose exam paper is money, wealth, beauty, popularity, fame, power, very, very difficult to
pass that one, very difficult to remain humble and subservient to Allah when the dunya is at your
feet. Very few people pass that SubhanAllah. And so we should all be mindful, when we talk about the
blessing. Some of you might think this doesn't include me, this is only the billionaires. This is
		

			only for the billionaire club, no Subhanallah this is for each and every one of us, every one of us,
we have health, how much you put your price and your health on your family on your job. Now the fact
that you have food in the fridge, the fact that you have a roof over your head, then responses
vividly the first thing a servant, the Muslim will be questioned about on the day of Kiama will be
his blessings. Allah is going to take an audit of our life account of everything. What did you do
with it? I chose you over that one. I gave it to you and not to your brother, how do you make
benefit of it? Do we have an answer for Allah for the blessings that we have? And so we need to take
		

			stock every single day. What do I have? And what do I do with it? They is there are ways in which
people fail the test of blessings and we talk about some of the ways we fail this exam. Some of the
ways we fail the exam. The first of course, the most logical way in which someone fails the exam is
he takes the blessings of Allah and he uses it against Allah subhanaw taala How ungrateful is that?
I mean, Leila masala, we don't give an energy. But imagine your dad gives you a gift money and you
take that against him to wage war against him or to hurt your brothers how that's the highest level
of of ingratitude. So to use a blessing against Allah subhanaw taala is the worst thing and
		

			sometimes as a curse to a person, Allah gives him more, keep going, keep using it more and one more
so that you are counted Allah gets worse and worse and worse. That's one type and inshallah Allah
protect us from those kinds of things.
		

			The another type, which perhaps we all fall into, is the chasing after blessings on wanting more and
more and more and never saying enough. You must have a number to say that's enough. With its money,
whatever the hamdulillah that's, that's, that's that's uncomfortable, you must reach a level of
contentment. Otherwise, you will chase and chase until you die. And this isn't about the character,
a very famous winner we all know and how can we take Ethel Allah says you're competing the rat race,
the chasing the running the deadline to deadline is diverting you away from Allah, you are being
distracted by the race of the dunya and how can we Takata you're going to run on the treadmill.
		

			Hatter's will tumble macabre the race ends when the day you enter the cover. The day in early law
you are in my late hours you own that's when all the deadlines come to an end you realize this is
the deadline that I have been been been avoiding.
		

			Allah says Carla sofa Anna Munna McCullough sofa Dalaman on that they always says you're going to
know a string you guys are going to know the day you enter the cover is when you realize what is it
that I've been doing what I've been chasing after running after Calello talamona Illuminati in its
policies, if only you could see the reality of things with certainty, if only you could, Allah
speaking like,
		

			if only you guys could see the reality of life death Janna Jahannam you are so distracted by things
that are meaningless things that doesn't matter things that won't give you happiness, things that
are not going to benefit you you're chasing after that letter I wouldn't know him on on the day in
the cupboard when you think I've been running and chasing and the only thing at the end of the
finish line is to him is the fire to monitor owner Hialeah clean and then you will see with
certainty and then Allah says when that is over and done I was gonna say to Mara to Soluna Yo Ma
even Annie nyeem Allah is going to ask you about your enjoyment of the dunya now you're gonna
		

			account now you have to answer for that everything you've chased after some people chase their whole
life they don't even get the blessings they don't even get to be millionaires, billionaires. They
lost the dunya and the era some hamdullah for them, they get it but then they need to account for it
in the Kiama then they need to answer to Allah Now what did you do with the billion that you wanted?
What did you do with that promotion? Now what did you do? And you need to have an answer. So the one
way and Suhana many of us we lose the dunya by chasing after blessings and and never being satisfied
what we have to remember when you're always chasing after happiness, you've always you've basically
		

			said to yourself happiness isn't here.
		

			My marriage isn't making me happy if my house isn't good enough. My job isn't good enough. If only I
get the next job the next house the next car, then I'll be happy and on and on. It goes strong, how
sad it is. As you go through life. You know when you're a kid, you look up oh my gosh. I get it. I
just need a car and fuel under that undergraduate pockets and I'll be sorted. You get these and you
look at the guy higher than you sometimes you sit in these board meetings with people that you
imagine you must have nothing no problems in your life you driving
		

			Ferrari isn't loving Him, and that guy is chasing, moaning Oh, I've only I get this and he's looking
at the next level. When is it enough? When is it that hamdulillah I'm happy. So that's one way of
failing the test of blessings, constantly chasing, and never ever sitting and looking at the
blessings you have.
		

			Another one is to envy to constantly look at the blessings of others.
		

			Remember, at the end of the day, Allah decides who gets what, and to constantly envy and wish for
the things that are doesn't belong to you. It's a disrespect to Allah. Number one, it says to Allah
what you gave me I don't want and what you gave him I wish it was for me. And then I'll be some says
indeed, envy eats up the good deeds, just as fire consumes firewood. What's very dangerous here is
envy is a feeling. Usually we don't get punished for feelings, but this feeling, looking and it's
the life of someone else. Because by looking into doing it, it's a type of harm if you put a type of
hazard on that person. And so, in response, your own good deeds gets burned up used up.
		

			Don't do that. Don't covet and dream about the things of other people. It's no problem in wanting
more good for your life. But don't envy the goods of others. Be genuinely happy. When your brother
goes forward in life, be joyous when someone else gets the promotion, someone else gets the business
off of your hamdulillah for him, Allah had chosen it for that person. May Allah grant him good and
may Allah grant me Vita hamdulillah No, no. Allah's blessings have no limit. Another way in which we
use we must use our blessings is to not use it for any good
		

			or we fight. We give our youth our strength, our family, our free time to earn some blessings and
hamdullah you got it. Now that you have it, what do you do with it? It's only for amusement. There
is no benefit that comes from it. Allah says alright Allah you can be will be Dean, Allah asks us,
do you not see the one who denies Qiyamah? He doesn't believe in Kiama so we would think this must
be the atheists Allah you're talking about the people don't believe in you all says no. Do you not
see the one who just believes in Kiama for the illegal leather you don't really get him he is the
one who doesn't take care of the orphan. What I heard the other time in his skin and he never feeds
		

			the hungry. A person who does not have any care for Orphans or the poor or the hungry, those Lissa
then Allah says this is a person who doesn't believe in karma Subhanallah he doesn't do any good.
And so I'm gonna think about it when you stand before Allah. Also, I gave you health. I gave you
wealth. I gave you intelligence. You studied you had a job. You had so many gifts. What good did you
do with it? You said Yeah, Allah I bought a nice house. I bought a car. I went in a few holidays and
what else? What good did you do for humanity for the OMA for anything else? If you cannot answer if
I cannot answer the question Subhan Allah it's a difficult one stand before Allah. If all our
		

			blessings and benefits were talking about haram, obviously it's a different level. I use all of it
for haram. It's even worse. But yeah, Allah, I didn't use it. Why single? Good. I didn't do any good
with it. That's a bad answer. Allah says this is not a person who cares about piano. And then, of
course, on a lesser note, but also bad is to simply squander your blessings to really come and not
do anything with it. Like that. To be some says, There are two blessings that most people lose your
health and your free time. You don't do any good with your health. Only when you become old, or
become sickly. Then you realize, oh, what did I do? I had all the health and energy what did I do? I
		

			spent hours Netflix's with it from the dinner. I had all the free time I was so busy, I couldn't do
it. All the free time holiday came and went, I didn't make one extra raka of Salah one extra does be
one extra good deed. The amount of good I did during my busy time is the same in my holiday time. So
we lost that blessing.
		

			And Allah Subhana Allah says that, indeed those who are extravagant and wasted blessings, they are,
they are worker, they are kindly one Shayateen that they are the brothers of Shavon. This is a
quality, this is a characteristic of the devils. They squander the blessings that Allah has given
them. So that's how we fail the blessings of the fail the test of blessings. We chase after it,
never considering the giver of the blessings. We have it and we don't use it for good. We envy the
blessings of others. We're never grateful for what we have. But there is a way of passing this test.
Remember, as I began, I said, blessings I test. Your money is a test your salary is a test. The
		

			goodness the comfort is a test. You can pass it this test can get you to Jannah your money can get
you to Jannah Allah Subhana Allah says, What if as an Arabic Allah proclaim, he announced to all of
his creation lie in Shekhar tumulus Eden a comb that if you are grateful to me, I will give you
more. If you are thankful for the blessings you have not only passed it, you have also Allah is
going to give you more now, Mr. Sugar What is Allah mania Allah How do you want me to make sugar for
the blessings like
		

			Hadith which is not in the slides, I ask you, what is the price you put on your health?
		

			If you couldn't walk
		

			I'm not going to fight anyone arthritis. If I could give you a cure to arthritis, how much would you
pay for it? Some people's or pay everything, I would sell my house everything to cure me of my of my
pain. We know the Hadith and responses. He says in your body, you have 360 joints. Now you know just
one joint must be out of place, and you are in complete misery. You have 360 joints Allah has given
you, we don't even know the names of them. Allah has given us to show sugar to show thanks to Allah
is just make tacos in the morning. That's it. The new show and Allah you're grateful. When you eat
to sell hamdulillah you're grateful to take stock once a day off the Salah. So Alhamdulillah
		

			Alhamdulillah Allah thank you for my money, thank you for my family, thank you for my health. Just
do that Alhamdulillah Allah will open all the doors of goodness do you force the taste, and he will
give you more just to say hum, just to say sugar.
		

			There'll be some says Verily, Allah has people, they are people he chose, he chooses, we assigns
blessings, to benefit his servants. So Subhanallah some of you and this is the this is how Allah
works. Some of some of us, Allah has put burdens on our shoulders to carry it, that's just your
place in life, your role in life is to show SABR and to inspire others through your solid, other
people not because of your intelligence, not because of how great you are, Allah has made you a a
bank for blessings is going to send all the blessings to you. Why?
		

			So that he consolidates the blessings, as long as they offer it to others, you are the distribution
center through you, others need to be blessed through you others need to be benefit. And if you
don't do that, if they refuse to do it, that Allah will either take it away from them and directly
to others. So if Alhamdulillah and you can call and we can all compete, compare yourself to those
beneath us compete, take a drive to areas that you would never wish to live in. And he asked me am I
of those who are getting more than average or less? When you realize I'm above average, I'm getting
more than what other people get. They know Allah has made it your job is to share your requirement
		

			is to give back. And so in a way if you ask how do I show Allah, masha Korea Allah, I want to be
grateful. I want to be grateful to you What do you want me to do? Firstly, is to acknowledge it, and
to give and to physically say Alhamdulillah just It doesn't cost you anything and Hamdulillah. And
then to think how do I use my blessings to benefit someone else? Doesn't mean you need to take in
your bank account Allah has given you and at the end, I need to give 50 to Allah and our 50 for the
family. No. Zika is two and a half percent, two and a half percent. We learned last week, the ship
the guys on the ship, but remember, what did they do? That Allah made the millionaires overnight?
		

			What did they do? They just gave Nabi Musa a lift,
		

			one lift, they use the boat 99.9% of the time for themselves, to get money to ship to fish to get
their own income. But on the way they picked up these two poor guys, and Hollis because of that,
I'll open all the doors of baraka for them. So as some scholars would do, in the past, whenever they
would get a blessing, they would see a small piece of it. Whenever they got something beneficial.
They would say something and that that is your insurance. That is your insurance. I get a new car
the first thing I'm going to do, let me do something good with this. I'm going to take some deliver
something to an orphanage, I'm going to pick someone up take him to the masjid so I'm gonna use it
		

			for your service your Allah, I get my paycheck as I pay my bills, I give 10 Rand as a sadaqa. So if
I purify my blessings with good that's the way we do with Al Hamdulillah.
		

			And that's why Allah see the Prophet says don't run away from money. Guys, please, if any of you can
make money, make as much money as you can. If any of you can be successful, Allah has given you that
gift. You are not making them to use all your energy to maybe memorize things, books and texts. Your
job is to make money and service the OMA That's your job. Not everyone is meant to be a Mola Nansha
some we need doctors and lawyers and engineers and and everyone in that is goodness. And that's why
the novices are limited to the Sahaba some of them will tell us well don't give me money. I don't
want any money. You would give them money. They don't know I don't want for visa vie the law for
		

			Allah sake. And then I being so insistent ticket and what did he say to them? How amazing is it?
Where Allah combines money with a good person?
		

			Allah the world changes. When you have a good person who is wealthy we know from organizations, one
man that is wealthy and as a good, you know, has email in his heart. He can change you can do more
than a million Allama a million Imams one person's panela with wealth and Iman, so if you can do
what's wrong
		

			be that guy,
		

			be on the be on Forbes richest man in the world and then have misogyny and orphanages,
		

			schools panela that you open with your wealth and enjoy it and go and travel the world and enjoy the
finer things of the dunya Well, hamdullah no problem in that. But let your wealth change the world,
the Sahaba the Sahaba when they came to Medina at the Mondrian, the people of Medina Makkah when
they came to Medina, they came to Medina, and they obviously had no money, the people of Makkah
Bilal and the Sahaba of Makkah, and they complained about the unsought the people of Makkah
complained about the people of Medina there is going to be Salam and say that we are complaining the
rich the poor are complaining about the wealthy as poor how do we complain about the wealthy? Yeah,
		

			Allah I can go on the holidays I want to I can get the car that i want i All the enjoyment that's
the complaint. That wasn't a complaint. They said, Ya rasool Allah, how can we as the poor compete
with the rich in Jannah why? Because they make Salah we make salah, so one, one, they forced, we
forced, they do good deeds, we do good deeds, where they give charity and we can't give charity. So
they monopolize, they are going to get ahead of us in the exam through the money hamdulillah your
money is your ticket to Jana. So the poor Sahaba felt we can't compete with soccer with charity,
which they can. And then of course, animism told the Sahaba there are many forms of charity. Even if
		

			you don't have the money, you can be a good person, the smile is a sadhaka being with your wife is a
sadhaka so you don't feel like you're losing out everyone has opportunity to come first in the
class. But yes, indeed. The guy and that's why one of the Envy which is okay, what is the type of
envy which is okay, well, you see that wealthy man is driving his Ferrari but mashallah you open 10
melges don't envy the Ferrari in Viola How I wish I could open 10 machines, how I wish I could
sponsor orphans, that envy is goodwill Hamdulillah. But be careful. If you got the money, would you
do it? Would you be doing that? Would you be supporting and that is the challenge. And I must also
		

			admit there is so much wealth in the Muslim world in the Muslim ummah so much well, and
organizations are run on a small street like this struggle to get by month to month. If the wealthy
people in our community got together, a lie could change the world. We combined sincerity and wealth
and ingenuity and intelligence is nothing that stops us. And that's why when he did the series of
Sahaba, who want to change the world, we just combined the ingredients, the ingredients or the the
responses. So on saying all of that your money is a test. You can fail the test, you can win the
test, but also there's nothing wrong with enjoying it. So some of you might be feeling who I was
		

			about to plan my holiday.
		

			I bonus inshallah is coming up must I give all of it away to the most if you want to win hamdulillah
bear bronze bank account details, we except well hamdulillah that's better transaction, but can I
enjoy it? Can I go in SPIN houses hundreds of 1000s and go on audit and have fun. No problem in that
as well. So long as halal, then says there are four things that are essential to make your life
happy. Number one, a good wife, righteous wife. They don't come cheap, righteous wife. Number two, a
big house isn't saying it's a bad thing. You must want a good wife and you must want a big house.
And you must have good neighbors and good friends good company. And a sweet ride a sound means of
		

			transportation meaning a nice ride. And we suppose you have those four things at hamdulillah wife
house car, good friends, you sorted squid to have it and so there'll be someone saying go for that
love that enjoy that, but not at the expense of the Acura and that is why we are greedy. Provena
Artina for dunya Hassanein Allah want the best I want the best house the best wife the best car, the
best, everything the dunya are filled out God has Anna and I want John to fill those also in Accra,
you can get that nothing stops you, Okinawa and save us from the fire Jahannam we end up with the
dua of NaVi Sulaiman. So the man of yesterday was a man that had everything. He was the King, the
		

			most powerful man in the world. And he was an OB of the Gambia of Allah. And so Allah piled on him
blessings that made him scared. Very scary. When you see Allah is opening the door and you're moving
forward and you're prospering it should make you scared yeah Allah why are you doing this? What am I
I'm gonna be answerable. So don't be so lame and makes us to call her up B O Z and ash Khurana
metrical latian um to Allah. Oh Allah helped me to be grateful. Yeah Allah show me how to be
grateful to you for the blessings which you have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and help me to
do righteousness for your sake that you approve of Allah Saleh and and helped me to do deeds that
		

			you are happy with. Or other feeling may be radical theory radical Saudi Hain and always keep me
with a pious people that may always be a pious person. You can be a billionaire and be pious. You
can be on the streets and be pious. And you can be a billionaire amongst the evil people so long as
you in the company of the goodwill Hamdulillah. us and we conclude this very short series
		

			Use every difficulty in your life as a means to be closer to Allah. Use every comfort in your life
as a means to be close to Allah, every moment. Every challenge, every enjoyment is a question Allah
is going to ask you. Now what are you going to do? I've given you the sickness, what are you going
to do? I've given you the promotion, what are you going to do? I've given you the bonus. What are
you going to do? Thank Allah praise him be connected to him. And in the test, the real enjoyment is
in the era. And Allah grant us genital filled dos Rapana Artina for dunya hacer una fidelity hasta
la Pineda na are the female gender terminal Goradia as easier for FOD Europa datamine or Salah said
		

			no Muhammad Ali also said I'm sitting at home alone without Amin said I want it