Omar Suleiman – 3 Ways to Save Yourself from Fitna

			I begin by praising Allah subhanaw taala and bearing witness that none has the right to be
worshipped or unconditionally obeyed except for him. And we bear witness that Muhammad sallallahu
alayhi wa Salam is his final messenger. We ask Allah to send his peace and blessings upon him, the
prophets and messengers that came before him, his family and companions that served alongside him
and those that follow in their blessings path until the day of judgment. And we ask Allah to make us
amongst them Allahumma Amin, the brothers and sisters, last week, I spoke about this idea of
figuring out what to do when there's so much to do, and how to actually choose a path forward and
		

			keep our priorities as the priorities that Allah subhanaw taala has intended for us. And I mentioned
the narration of our beloved nonmotile The Allahu Taala and Houma when he was frustrated that a
group of people that would have taken place part in the murder of an Hussain will the Allahu taala,
and home spilling the blood of the grandson of the prophets lie some of them would have the audacity
to speak about, you know whether or not the blood of a mosquito coming on the garment of one would
nullify their prayer speaking about the idea of priority, priority priority, where are your
priorities, and then once you see so much that's happening, and you can exert yourself towards
		

			causes of good in so many different directions. How do you choose which cause without becoming
completely exhausted and eventually rendered idle. Now, last week, we spoke about prioritizing
action. This week, I want to speak about another elements of dealing with fitna which is chaos,
turmoil tribulation. And that is when inaction is actually necessary. When inaction, being
intentionally inactive, is actually a good thing. And where we hold ourselves back, especially when
we don't know what to do. Now, this is actually a very important dimension here. That many of the
narrations of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam about the end times are acted upon prematurely
		

			throughout Islamic history. So people who thought that the End of Times would have been 800 years
ago, or 900 years ago that's there. And so they kind of abandoned all things and didn't do anything.
So prematurely acted upon some of these Hadith in their most absolute sense. And there are others
that deal with these Hadith in a very inappropriate way. Where they use these a hadith to introduce
things that are not actually concepts in the religion. And so let's be very clear, when there is a
known good to busy yourself with then it is good to busy yourself with that known good. And when
there is a known wrong to combat and to work against, then it is always good to busy yourself in
		

			working against that which is wrong. But then when there's a lot of confusion in between, and gray
areas and disinformation and chaos, and people don't know where to go or what to do. That's where
holding yourself back becomes very important in this regard. And so let's talk about this for a
moment in sha Allah to Allah before I get to this beautiful Hadith of the prophets lie somewhere he
gives three fundamental tips that a person can act upon to really keep themselves safe, when things
become confusing, and distracting. This hadith is one in which herbal nama asks without Allah battle
the Allahu taala. And when he says, this verse in the Quran, Alikum and forsaken, like Worry about
		

			yourself, worry about yourself, which is one of those statements that can be good, or it can be
grossly misinterpreted, right to mean abandon all others worry about yourself. He said, does that
mean that like we really should not care about society or worry about what's happening outside of
ourselves and outside of our homes? How do we deal with this? And he said, You know, I asked the
Prophet sallallahu wasallam that question, and he said to me, but it tells me it will be my roof,
what's an hour and in one car, rather, you should enjoy and good and you should forbid evil. You
should not abandon the act of enjoying good doing good things and working against that which is not
		

			good working gets that which is not wrong. You shouldn't join good, you should forbid evil, but he
said after that sallallahu alayhi wa sallam Hatta era Atia Shu Han matar and well, Juan Mata Baron
were dunya Lazzara tun were and Jabril Cooley the Iranian Biragi Veronica BNF seeker were there and
kala Huang. Powerful narration, he said until you see people reach this level. And this particular
level, by the way, is a is an absolute level. But there are always going to be elements of these
things. So he said until you see people reach a point where Sure, Hamilton sure Hamilton means
people succumb to their greed. Sure has a very particular type of greed. It's to hold back what is
		

			due to God or do to the people around you. So holding back to the cup or not fulfilling
		

			In the rights of your family, not fulfilling the rights of your society upon you, holding back your
wealth, holding back what you owe to others, because people succumb to greed, which is a potential
fault or flaw and all of us, they succumb to greed. Sure, Hambleton. Or he went on to say, well, how
can multiband and people follow their lusts? Now, you'll always find greedy people. And you'll
always find people following their lusts. But the idea that this becomes the dominant order of the
world around you, that people are shameless in their stinginess, and people are openly in obedience
or in worship of their lesson of their desires. And then he said, We're dunya, Sara, and you find
		

			that people prefer the life of this world to the life of the hereafter very clearly and very openly.
And the next one, he said, were a job. But clearly the Iranian Bureau II, and every person has an
opinion on everything, everyone has an opinion on everything. And they're impressed by their own
opinion, it's actually a very profound way of putting it everyone that could possibly have an
opinion, has an opinion on everything. So you have an opinion on everything, from religion, to
science, to medicine, to biology, to sociology, you know it all because you got something on
WhatsApp that looked very compelling, and you forwarded it, and you were very compelled by it and
		

			very compelling with arguing why it's true. So you know, there's very little dispute in the world
today that there is mass disinformation, the dispute is about who's causing the mass disinformation,
right? And who should be checking it not whether or not there is mass disinformation. That's a fact
that this point, right, we live in a post truth world, but everyone that has an opinion, has an
opinion on everything, and is impressed by their own opinion. And if they have the spiritual
corruption that is mentioned in the previous three categories, then their opinions are likely to
follow that which gives them access to their less, and makes them feel better about succumbing to
		

			their greed. You know, this is the way it is, this is why we're like this. And so everyone sort of
succumbs to that so fitna, in this sense, makes things very, very confusing, and very difficult for
a person to move forward. So the prophets lie some said so at that point, it can be enough cyclic
Worry about yourself, what there and kill our and leave the the things that people are talking
about, and the affairs of the people, the masses, stick to yourself, stick to what you know, you
shouldn't be doing with yourself and live off what everybody else is doing. And everybody else is
thinking of and the gossip of the day stick to yourself. So what are the ways then that you stick to
		

			yourself and what's a healthy way to do that? And this is the narration that I actually wanted to
share with you today. To narration from America webinar metal, the Allahu taala. And when he asked
the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, ya rasool Allah, Min Naja, how do you stay safe? How do you
stay saved? How do you protect yourself? We see corruption on the rise. We see a lot of things that
we're hearing about and we don't know what to believe and what to not believe. What do I do? Man
Naja greed is overtaking us on the profit slice and I'm sorry, I don't fear for you poverty. There's
a lot of poverty in the OMA province lies on said that's not my fear for you. Poverty is not the
		

			fear. In fact, riches are the fear because riches bring with them certain corruption, global
corruption, that's what I worry about for you, not the poverty part. It's the riches and the
corruption that is generated as a result of that. Seattle's little manager, like how do I protect
myself? Give me some fundamentals here. And this is where the prophets lie. Some said three things.
And listen very carefully. MC can equally Sonic, hold your tongue.
		

			Learn to hold your tongue.
		

			Like grab it and hold it not in the physical sense but restrain this tongue of yours. Hold yourself.
Everyone that has an opinion has an opinion on everything. You know what?
		

			Learn to practice some silence. Hold your tongue back and hold the allowance out and who literally
one day was walking around. And he was holding his tongue and he was saying this this thing has
driven me to dangerous places. Because it can be one word you say one thing that you utter that
totally ruins the life of someone else and ruins your own afterlife, right? A word of gossip. That's
actually a word of slander. A word that is displeasing to Allah subhana wa Tada. Like learn to hold
it even when you're so convinced that you shouldn't be saying this. You're weighing in on something
you really shouldn't be weighing in on, learn to not weigh in, learn to really practice silence and
		

			mechanically sound like he's saying this to us a hobby to a companion, who's righteous and who's
afraid. What about a person who doesn't have that level of Taqwa that level of God consciousness
that would govern their tongue in their expression and their keyboards, and mechanically Sonic, hold
your tongue and Subhanallah one of my teachers I
		

			She said that a gem from this hadith is that the prophets I said I mentioned holding on to
revelation that the way of the messenger sighs I'm the Quran and the Sunnah. He said, Hold on to it
with your with your back teeth, like someone's trying to pull it out of your mouth. And so if you
open your mouth to get loose with your tongue about all the nonsense, then the divine revelation,
and that which is good and righteous will be taken away from you right under your eyes. But a person
who's really trying to hold on guard that which is sacred in their life, practice silence
intentionally. You don't have to weigh in on everything. You can learn to be silent, and whoever is
		

			silent is safe. This is actually a saying and a principle, a great principle in our religion, not
when there is an obvious oppression happening in front of you. Right? You say no, I'm gonna stay
silent. No, no, you should say something. Not there. But assumption when things are not really
clear. Learn to um, Socratic reasoning, don't have an opinion when you're not sure. When you're not
sure. And then the prophets I seldom said
		

			what he Asaka they took hard, by the way phrase to translate, let your home suffice you. You all are
just coming out of quarantine and you're like, don't send us back home. Go home, stay home, learn to
enjoy your seclusion when he ISACA Bay took, you know, this literally means let your home encompass
you let your home suffice you like don't everyone wants to get out all the time, actually, while the
ISACA Bay took let your home suffice you. Now, the scholar has mentioned a few two meanings of this.
There's a minor opinion and a major opinion. And they don't they don't contradict one another. In
fact, they enrich one another. The first one, some scholars said, Imam will focus on your family
		

			focus on what's in your home. And that parallels, it's Tina leaving off the affairs of everybody
else like you know the saying clean up your own house first. And often you find those that talk
about everybody else's homes, the same things happening in their house, they're just not aware of it
because you're busy talking about everybody else's business. And you're not realizing that those
those flaws, and those diseases are actually penetrating your own home, you're losing your own
children, you're losing your own your own house. So they team up focus on your family. And indeed,
that's one of the ways that we learned that those who taunt others for their sins often end up doing
		

			the same sins themselves. At some point, those who taught other people for their affairs find that
those affairs consumed their own household. So that's one meaning of this hadith. The second
meaning, which is the main meaning is in some basic, like learn to stay home a bit, learn to be by
yourself, learn to enjoy seclusion, learn to be introspective and reflective and in a state of
contemplation in a state of remembrance. Because if you're talking about everybody else, and you're
busying yourself with everybody else's stuff, that is disaster waiting to happen, even if you escape
nine times out of 10, that one disaster you fall into, could lead to a much greater mostly before
		

			you on the Day of Judgment. So learn to enjoy your house. And this is something that that requires
some balance. Remember, no we don't aim Allah to Allah mentions that the believer when they think
when they're leaving their home, they leave and they weigh every time they step out of their home, a
Muslim denier or a Muslim dunya we're something that is good for me and my religion or something
that's good for my worldly affairs. Me, I'm going out because this is how can I actually justify, of
course, back then you don't have the world of social media, I'm stepping out of my house. Why am I
stepping out of my house? What's the what's the benefit of me leaving my house right now? And going
		

			out? So what's the religious benefit? Or what's the worldly benefit? Am I going to work? And am I
going to benefit myself? Am I going to increase my self interest and sustenance? Or am I wasting my
time and wasting my good deeds in the process as well? So why am I leaving my house? The opposite
extreme though some people use this hadith to stop coming to the masjid their start and stop going
to good things or doing good things. And the masjid is basically moment as the prophets I said, it's
the home of every believer. And the prophets lie. Some said, the gardens of victory. The gardens of
remembrance and knowledge are gardens of Paradise on this earth, you need to immerse yourself in
		

			those gardens. So some people use this and they disappear and they say no, I'm practicing some
seclusion right now. And that's actually a form of self delusion. Because we need these places. We
need these good gatherings and these good places and these volunteer opportunities and ways that we
can we can do good for ourselves and do good for the world. While the Asaka beta does not discourage
this in any way. Well, the Asaka beta means you know learn to actually enjoy being alone by yourself
sometimes and and not diving into a lot of these different things. And there's something very
profound and I hope inshallah you'll remember this because it actually blew me away when I read it
		

			in the context of this hadith. The scholar said, if you look at the prophets like Selim,
		

			he never forgot his Escar his remembrance when he stepped out of his home
		

			And what are those two eschar two phrases of remembrance to Escar that the Prophet SAW Selim always
would say when he left his home, the first one Bismillah to a character and Hola. Hola. Hola. Wala
Quwata illa biLlah in the name of Allah. I depend upon Allah La Jolla Lakota welcome to Out Hola.
Hola. Hola. Hola. Quwata illa biLlah there's no power, no mind except for that which is with Allah
with God. And what did the prophets lie? Some say happens? The devil flees you? The angel calls out
and says who DITA what Kavita Okita you're going to be guided for the day. You're going to be
protected for the day from your enemy. You will be protected for the day for any type of harm that
		

			would come to you who ditto Kavita, what will what will kita and this is one narration but the other
narration listen very carefully and I want you to try to practice this insha Allah to Allah and I'll
hold myself to it as well. Um Salah model the Allahu Taala and her says, Maharaja Nabi sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam in Beatty cuts in LA Rafa, I thought of her who either sama I love the imagery
here, and actually just thought about it today. She said every time the prophets like some left my
house and he never left my house, except that he would do this. He'd look up to the sky. He'd look
up to the sky, so let's try to practice this inshallah time. He'd look up to the sky and he would
		

			say hola, hola in the EU obika and Albula while as it was wizard of Lima OH, Willem. Hello. Oh, yo
Johanna Aditya so profound he would say Oh, hola hola hola in the Oval Vika and Linda Hold on. Oh,
my Lord, I seek refuge refuge in You from going astray or leading astray leading you're going
astray, being astray, or leading astray, being led astray.
		

			Oh, Zilla. Oh, Zell, or it's a slip or cause to slip or be made to slip
		

			of the Lima or the lump or to oppress or to be oppressed.
		

			I don't want to be misguided. I don't want to fall. I don't want to oppress and I don't want any of
those things happening to me either.
		

			Or the prophets. I said, I'm set agenda, oh, huge Allah, Allah, or to do wrong or to have wrong done
towards me. This is profound. Like think about the intentionality of stepping out of your house
every single day and looking up and saying this.
		

			I pray that we can practice it maybe not every time, but at least we can start bringing this in as a
synonym when you walk out of your home. And you make that even if you're in your car, driving out of
your garage, if you're coming out of a garage, say that you're out and think about the implications
of this drought. Like I'm trying to leave my home today, and I don't want to cause harm to anyone.
Nor do I want this harm to be caused towards me. So this is a profound way that the prophets I said
I'm used to engage every single time he walks out of his home walks into the world. I don't want to
harm be misguided, nor do I want those things to happen to me. So while you're Sarika Bay took and
		

			obviously, if you know, you're sad Kobe took. If you connect with social media, if you dive into
social media when you're at home, it kind of defeats the purpose of this hadith. The hadith means
disconnect. The hadith means under you know, learn how to cut off and enjoy yourself and seclusion
and in solitude, the last one, the prophets lie some said, what Kiana healthy attic and cry over
your sins. What this means is that many people focus on either the future uncertainty of the world,
or the current gossip about other people's flaws. And you have plenty of current and past baggage
that you need to cry about. And you need to get out of yourself, to really exert yourself towards
		

			Allah, and he is merciful, and He will forgive you when you ask for his forgiveness. But let that be
your concern. So some people talk about the fitna the fitna, and I think the end of the world you
know, I heard the chef say 2022 2022 came Alright, the world didn't end well. He got the character
he meant and 2222 You know, he read the Quran wrong. So I think it's 20 to 22 You know, and you're
not you're likely not going to be around at that time if it's even around right? But like this is
happening and you see this happening and so what causes them anxiety and paralysis is what
everything that might happen, or what causes them distraction and delusion is the flaws of other
		

			people. And the profit slice I'm saying bring it back to yourself. You've got your own flaws to work
on. What Kiana Hartley attic, let that be which keeps you you know, concerns. I've got things that I
don't want to meet Allah with. I don't know when I'm going to meet him but I know I will meet him.
		

			Let me work on those things and do that dirty laundry rather than trying to indulge in the dirty
laundry of everybody else. May Allah subhanaw taala protect us from that delusion May Allah subhanaw
taala guide us to that which is pleasing to Him in all of our affairs, Oklahoma. I mean Akula
colada, or stuff Lalibela company certain Muslim infested fruit and a whole lot for him.
		

			hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Alameen wa salatu salam ala Rasulillah Karim Allah Allah here also heavy
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Carrefour into Hibbeler 454 Anna llama Julio Idina, Robert humble my camera boom se la la Robin I
have learned I mean as far as you know the reality now Kurata REO or Jana Linwood subpoena in mama
llama so this one was the Latina female shout out to the Omaha Ruby llama is some old Muslimeen
		

			where the Leadership Academy and Madame Dean Allahumma Anika while Amina B vitamin was written out
as one and then veniam Sally mean about Alana La Jolla and Robert I do with their son Are you the
quarterback when how and in fascia you wouldn't want to carry with a bevy here either Kamala come to
the Coronavirus kulula headquarters mush crew who are in your mouth. Is it luck? What are they good
Allahu Akbar. Wala who Jana wanna toss Neverland. Welcome