Omar Suleiman – Do Not Curse Time? What A New Year Really Means
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Brothers and sisters, because it's cold, I'll make it very short and shot lots on, it should be very obvious that there is no religious significance to the New Year switching from December 31 to January 1. In fact, that's not just true for the Gregorian calendar. Even from a history perspective, with our own hidden a calendar, there is no established practice of marking the new year in a way that represents a change in any way whatsoever, except that it allows us to date our events in accordance with the momentous occasion of the hyjal. But anything that would cause us to reflect on the change of time, and why we are still here, and what we need to be doing is good for
us and chocolates added to take time and to actually think about what it means to still be here on January 1 2021. And somehow a lot there's this interesting Hadeeth, which I've never seen cited so many times, in one period of time, as I have in the last week. And it matches with also an unprecedented time where I cannot remember in my lifetime, a single year that was cursed as much as 2020 that people would curse the year people would say we're ready for it to go. People would say all of these things about what the year was like and then attribute a curse to the year. And I wanted to talk about this Hadeeth and what it means and what it doesn't mean and then what the New
Year means and what it doesn't mean for us and that is the heady that we find in Bukhari and Muslim where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said follow to honor your deen even LaDonna yes so Buddha will enter via the via de Cali will later on one and a half. Allah subhana wa tada says that the child of Adam insults me now. That is a tough word here to translate because there is no model and there is no nuxe with Allah subhana wa Tada. Now yo boo boo boo Say Nothing hurts him and nothing depletes him or takes away from him or causes anything of him or what he possesses to become deficient. So it is an insult the child of atom insults me he curses time and I am time because in
my hands is all things I switch I alternate the day and the night and another Hadith the Prophet sallallahu it was and I'm setting that up so we do not curse time for Allah His time. And another Hadith the prophets I send them said, Now yah,
yah, hey, but no one of you should say what a horrible time this was or how horrible time is for in Allahu Adel For verily a lot is time. So what does this mean for us? Okay, now there is a context just like with everything else in Java and the days of ignorance where they attributed power to all sorts of things. Everything But Allah subhanho wa Taala attributed power to the stars attributed power to the idols attributed power to the time attributed power to animals attributed power to all sorts of things. They would curse time in the days of ignorance. And it's just really interesting to see how prominent it became how popular it became to curse time in 2020. Right? But they would say
yeah, hey better tub than the dump, they would say Muay Thai in Paris, how horrible is time, how miserable is time. And there were certain implications to that. So I wanted to talk about what it means and what it doesn't mean now obviously, Allah, Allah subhanho wa Taala and this heavy footsie Allah describes what he means when he says I am time it's not one of the names of a lot to call upon him as time it is immediately explained that what that means is that Allah is the one who controls time, Allah is the one who switches the night and the day Allah is the one who switches the weeks and the months and the years it is a law himself who does that. So what is permissible, what is
prohibited and what is on the on the you know, in the realm of shit in the realm of actually attributing a deity besides Allah subhanho wa Taala attributing a deity to Allah subhana wa tada in regards to this heading from a permissible standpoint, I just want to go through the very technical first.
It is okay. And it is natural to describe a time period as being a difficult time period. So it's okay to say that this was a difficult year. It was a difficult year. It was a hard year for us. That is what's not sub that's a description was not set, not cursing the year to say it was a difficult year is true.
I think that all of us male awesome panelists out to make it easy, and we don't
Know what still awaits us and the time to come. We don't know how long of it that we will be here to witness of 2021. Maybe 2021 will make us feel like we missed 2020 you never know. We don't know what's left. We don't know what's to come. And we don't know how much of it will be around for. But to say it was a hard year is permissible as well, as a description we find it in the story of use of it is Sam Subash. He does Southern difficult years, we find it in little tiny his Salaam, saying you'll now see it's a dark day to describe the day to describe the week to describe the month to describe the year as being difficult, is fine. It's natural. It's how we interact with things and
how we experience things. That is okay. The how long part where it becomes prohibited, which is the second degree of this is when you curse it, and you know a lot is in charge. So you're not saying that time determines or decrease. But as you insult and curse time, you are in reality, insulting the one who created time. And so it's you know, one of the examples that some of the scholars give is that if you go to someone's house, and you eat their food, and you insult the food, who are you really insulting, you're insulting the one who prepared the food, you're insulting the one who made the food. And that's bad other with the last panel, it's added that we are a people that tried to
elevate our standards and other in our, in our mannerisms with a lot. First, how we talk about God should be different. How we talk to God should be different. So we have a certain other with a loss of hundreds. And that is something that transcends all the different spheres, right, that's something that's highlighted and prominent in Islamic tradition that we have added with the last panel that we that we hold sacred. And so Allah hydrocal lluvia de casa ro laser Lake, all good is in your hands and evil is not to be attributed to you, Oh Allah. And so out of add up to Allah subhanaw taala we don't curse time, because we know that Allah is the one who is in charge of time.
And nothing that happened within that time through that time, during that time is anything except that it was decreed and that there is a greater wisdom and a purpose and something that we can grow and benefit from. And so not to simply die, don't curse time, because a lot is time a lot is the one who controls and they win the heart who alternates night and date. And of course should, which is the highest level. And this is what was prominent in Java was to actually attribute the DAP to make time itself the fan to make time itself the dewart to suggest that time was not just the time in which evil was prominent, but that time itself was the cause of evil or time was the was the Dewar
of evil. And that's something that I doubt that many of us do, or indicate May Allah protect us from it all, but that's the worst of it all. So to go back and to say, yes, it was rough. 2020 was rough and we don't know what 2021 holds. But then to reflect on ourselves, both at an individual level and at a societal level is something we should do inshallah Allah the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to me nyata Monday and I will note that not one of you wish for death in marsinah. Martina, it might be that that person is a good door for Allah who and he has dead Hydra. And if you're,
if you're a good Dewar, then you have more time to do good. What in Malmo cm for a static, and it might be that that person is doing something wrong that that person is committing wrong deeds. And so this is a time for them to turn away from those wrong ways. Every day you're here is a moment of reflection. Every week, you're here is a moment of reflection. There are so many people, so many people that would have been sitting in this Masjid last year at the same time that are not here right now. That's something for us to reflect. Why am I still here? How do I make the most of it? Allah has given me a chance either I'm doing good and I can increase in good or I'm falling short.
And I can turn away from those things that are causing me to fall short. But at hamdulillah. I'm here and so long as I'm here I'm able to help myself in regards to my afterlife, and I'm able to help others in regards to their worldly lives in their half afterlives. Every day is a new opportunity for me to better my afterlife better my afternoon, and an opportunity to help others in regards to their dunya and through Hitman del to help others in regards to their worldly lives and in regards to their afterlife. So I'm still here, and that's something that we say Alhamdulillah every moment that we wake up every morning Alhamdulillah Allah The ohana All praises be to the one
who gave us life after death.
unto him as the ultimate return anyway. And so dear brothers and sisters, in conclusion, when we're more vulnerable, at an individual level, we're more open to change. That's why for so many of us, our turn back to Allah subhanho wa Taala came at our most difficult moments, where we felt broken and hopeless. And the dunia turned its back on us with all of its promises, everything that we expect it to be stable of this dunya turned its back on us. We'll call it in Santa Monica, right? And the ultimate occurrence of the hereafter the earth starts shaking and you say, what's going on? This was supposed to be stable. So everything we used to count on things that we considered stable
things we considered untouchable, have betrayed us. And that causes us as individuals to think Well, where do I find stability? Where do I find meaning? Where do I find purpose? as an individual now that I've become more aware of my mortality? What am I doing in regards to my life that is beyond this mortality of mine? What am I doing with that recognition and realization that things get out of control so quickly? So there's an individual change that comes through vulnerability, and there's a societal change to
when we're more human, when we're more vulnerable, when we're more humbled, we're open to change. We're open to reconstruction. And the status quo has been unacceptable in so many different ways, so many different ways, not just in regards to the pandemic and how we handle the disparity in regards to who has health care and who doesn't, not in regards to who has access to food and who does not regards to how we have decided, as world powers over the last several years, who decides to live with bombs over their head, and who decides to live in peace and tranquility, not in regards to economic inequality, not in regards to police brutality, there were many George Floyd's before
George Floyd. But it wakes people up out of their complacency and gives them a chance to reflect as a society as a community as an individual. How do we embrace the vulnerability to change because for so many people 2019 was worse than you and I is 2000 22,019 and Yemen or Syria, or Palestine, or in different places was worse than our 2020. And so the status quo is unacceptable for the people that froze to death in the streets of Dallas. Do you remember last year that they were picking up frozen people to death at bus stops homeless people that froze to death? Your 2020 was not worse than their 2019 It's a time for us to reflect how do we get better? May Allah subhanho wa Taala allow us to be
better in our individual lives and in our community lives and to do better for our own. And for the people around us in regards to their dounia and there are a lot I mean a cornucopia of stuff. That must mean stuff in the hole of woodworking and hamdulillah salatu salam ala rasulillah How on earth he was like to be human whether
or not Muslim in all Muslim out here in normal amount. In the Casimir on caribou. There are a lot of children are having a wonderful ANOVA to either one alumna and four center in them suffering out of hunger then akuna Minal ha serene along with the Dena Robert Hamel McNamara bonus era, but then I have a dynamic as well as you know the reality no kurata Aryan Jana de mattina Inanna as well as one in admin Covina frequently McCann, Allah advocate lightning in a bit loud Meanwhile, for tonight with one lemon about the law and the law. I'm glad you're with us and we're at Cordoba, Vienna and in fracture, you wouldn't want to carry well Davi, Yocum Nando de Coronavirus como la health guru
calm wash guru. What is it? What are the Corolla about voila, yeah, no metal snow. Welcome solid.