Omar Suleiman – How Big is Your Next Step to Allah

			Was there Aisha ever to Dakar us
		

			and those very shift yesterday to start a Koto question was there isa ever today because
		

			when you're traveling was it ever just today guys before that though?
		

			Okay, was no whatever tonight guys.
		

			All right. So it might come as a surprise to many of you but the initial five Salawat
		

			the way that you pray them in travel was actually the way that they were initially revealed. Okay,
so initially the Lord was to us it was to Russia was also to and then over time, Allah subhanho wa
Taala legislated the additional rock guys, to those Salawat now one of the things that you learn
when you look in the Sharia and particularly in these first few Surah of the Quran, And subhanAllah
the genius of the structure of the Quran is that in these first few sources, you can see the
transition and the evolution of the law. Why because Al Baqarah is a very early Madani. Surah is one
of the first sutras in Medina, of course, not in its entirety, but a significant portion of it. So
		

			you see the beginning laws, and then you go to a mount EDA, you go to a Toba, you really see the
span of Medina, and the establishment of Islamic law over time and its growth and its evolution, and
the way that it was perfected over time. So you see the initial days of fasting, what was funneled
to fast first, what what days were funneled first,
		

			does anyone know? It was fuddled, it was mandatory, to fast for example, the day of Ashura, a Yemen
that do that out of and then these days are Ashura in particular am and might do that, once Ramadan
was made mandatory these days were made voluntary. So you see the evolution of laws. And one of the
things that becomes very interesting is that you can almost tell the sacrifice that was made by the
companions and the wisdom and some of that gradualism when it came to some of the laws. So there are
a few forms of gradualism a few forms in which Allah subhanaw taala built up these companions over
time. You have some are about that, that were legislated some acts of worship that were legislated
		

			in stages, you have some things that were prohibited and status as well. So they weren't immediately
prohibited. They were prohibited in stages. And you have other societal matters that Allah subhanaw
taala did not prohibit until Iman until faith was solid in the hearts of the people until that
belief in Allah and that belief in the hereafter was solid in the hearts of the people. So let's go
through some of these examples. Okay, because you can actually see where some of the difficulty of
sacrifice was at that time. Who knows of something that was prohibited in stages. So we talked about
a lot of the hood Asada, Aisha went from two dark eyes to four like eyes, for example. Who knows?
		

			And when did Makita become six like us?
		

			Never. Alright, just want to make sure that you all know that. All right.
		

			And we know of a very particular thing that was made haram in stages. Can anyone tell me what it is?
Come alcohol. Alcohol was a major issue. For the people of Arabia. They used to drink a lot, and
Subhanallah it's so much so that it shall be a lot of time on her mentions that it would have been a
fitna, it would have been a test and trial for the people how Allah made alcohol forbidden right
away in Mecca. Imagine what she's saying the implications of what she's saying, because it's very
significant. These people were willing to say La Ilaha, Illallah and Maccha. And saying La Illa,
Allah and Makkah would get you killed, you understand that it would get you killed. But she's saying
		

			that Allah still did not legislate the prohibition of alcohol. Why? Because some of those people
that were willing to go from kofler to Iman from disbelief to belief would have needed time for
belief to solidify itself in their hearts before they could give up alcohol. That's the wisdom of
Allah subhanaw taala. And Allah knows his creation, they would have been willing to be tortured, and
submitted to all sorts of persecution as a result of their belief, but they need a time to get over
alcohol and Subhanallah you find people that convert to Islam, and they make the ultimate change in
that regard, but they struggle with a sin or two, they struggle with certain addictions. I actually
		

			had someone that wants told me Look, I'll convert to Islam, but I can't give up my pork sandwiches.
I said, Listen, Inshallah, one day we'll give up your pork sandwiches, but it's better that you die
on Tohei than eating pork then you die a mushrik who eats pork
		

			So give up, you know, first become Muslim and inshallah you'll give up your pork sandwiches. And
then three months later he was like, Man, I stopped eating bacon, I'm like and hamdulillah it's a
good thing. You know, it took some time, but he loved his pork sandwiches, okay? At the end of the
day, certain people have certain sacrifices that they have to make, and Allah subhanaw taala gives
us a window into the psyche, of the people of Makkah, in particular, and some of the difficulties
that they would have had and how Allah solidified the belief in Allah and the hereafter before these
prohibitions came in their entirety, and all model the Allahu Taala and who specifically speaks
		

			about the prohibition of alcohol on model the Allahu Anhu was a heavy drinker before Islam, and he
speaks about the prohibition of alcohol, his fitrah his intuition, his natural goodness, it just
made sense that alcohol is not befitting to the people of la ilaha illallah in Abu Bakr on Earth,
man, may Allah be pleased with them never drink alcohol even before Islam, or amaro the Allahu Anhu
knew, it just was not befitting. So he was waiting for that guidance from Allah subhanaw taala
initially, don't come to the salah while you're drunk, don't come to the salah smelling like
alcohol, don't come to the Salah, intoxicated. And then eventually, as that belief solidifies itself
		

			comes the complete prohibition of alcohol after those stages and the believers were ready, not
because alcohol was not addictive, but because their belief in Allah and the messenger sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam and the hereafter had overwhelmed their hearts to where that sacrifice was now more
feasible for them to make. It's not that alcohol became less attractive to them. It's that Allah and
the afterlife became more important to them, and it solidified itself in their hearts. And
subhanAllah there's this interesting window that we have here. Now what do I want us to think about
as we're in Ramadan in particular,
		

			the sacrifices that people would have had to make them are not always going to be the same as the
sacrifices that we have to make here. In the sense that some sins may be harder for you to give up
in your particular circumstances because of your life and ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada seized up, and Allah
azza wa jal rewards accordingly, some deeds may be harder for you to practice in your life. And
Allah subhanaw taala sees that and Allah recognizes the sacrifice. He knows what you are doing for
his sake. You know, somehow I give the example of sisters that wants to start wearing hijab in
Ramadan, may Allah subhanaw taala help all of our sisters that want to start up in Ramadan Allahumma
		

			Amin so difficult thing in the West, right? It's a new step and it means very significant changes
for you. When you look at MCC and you look at Medina, the hijab did not come for example, in stages.
Why? Because if you look at the women and Gehenna, the women and the days of ignorance what they
wore in the days of ignorance, if most Americans would have seen them in they would have said that's
a job because they already used to cover their hair. But they didn't cover their hair entirely. And
they didn't use to cover their neck and their chests entirely. And so the only thing the ruling of
hijab did for them was it meant to pull the hijab over and to cover everything except for the hands
		

			in the face. So to cover the entirety of their hair and to cover their chests, and leave only the
hands on the face since some of the scholars mentioned there was some transparent clothing that was
common in the time of the Arabs, that they couldn't wear transparent clothing anymore. Right. And
the issue of the niqab is one of difference of opinion. But the point is, is that that jump in that
society might not have been as big of a sacrifice as it is for our sisters today. But Allah azza wa
jal knows them. And Allah subhanaw taala rewards accordingly, praying perhaps five times a day in
certain societies or even fasting, the idea of fasting in a Muslim country. Everybody's fasting
		

			anyway, right? But Allah subhanaw taala knows your sacrifice, when you're in a situation where
you're surrounded by people who don't fast and you still choose to dedicate yourself to Allah
subhanaw taala that reward is there. Now what does this mean for us right now in Ramadan? Ramadan is
the time to take your next step towards Allah subhanaw taala.
		

			And here's the thing about taking that next step towards Allah.
		

			One of the most dangerous things that can happen to us there's a sense of complacency
		

			where I've already taken this step, so I'm good now.
		

			I pray five times a day, I come to Salafi Juma. That's fine, but what's the next step in your
journey? Maybe you can start coming to Russia every night as well. Maybe you can add budget to that
as well. What's the next step? So it's not just I went from not praying to praying, right? This is
how you start to think about sacrifice. It's how can I make my prayer even
		

			better and more pleasing to Allah subhanaw taala? How do I go from here to here, because a lot of
times we stop at 70%, we stop at 60%. And one of the things that you see in the process of the Quran
and the evolution of law is how the generation of eemaan within the hearts of the believers, was
allowing them to make that next sacrifice and that next sacrifice and that next sacrifice, and it
might be a small sin that you're going to give up. But it's a major sacrifice that you're making in
your six situation might be a small sin, but it's a major sacrifice. It's going to redefine
something significant in your life. But you know what, that small sin that you give up for Allah
		

			might be the reason why you get to gentlemen, it might be a small good deed that you're going to
start to do. But that small good deed that you start to do is a major sacrifice in your situation in
your circumstances. And Allah subhanho To Allah might enter you into Jana as a result of that. And
you know what, and I say this, I told the brother this by the way, this is not I said, you know,
Allah might enter you into gender because you gave up pork. It's true,
		

			man. Oh, man, he's the most merciful. Someone gives up something that they love, whatever it is,
what does Allah subhanaw taala say to us in early Emraan LANTERNA. Birla tune FICO minima to
hipbone. I know that many of you hear this only in fundraisers, and maybe I'll start to fundraise.
		

			But this idea is profound. LANTERNA Lobero had to turn the corner to hipbone you will not achieve
true righteousness or the reward of righteousness until you give up what you love. Now, obviously,
spending wealth when it pinches, that's when the reward of paradise becomes more imminence. When you
have to struggle when you give more, and you're actually making a sacrifice, when you give, that's
when that reward of Jannah becomes that much more imminent for you but in the light Tada. But you
know what, not all of us love money.
		

			Some of us love comfort.
		

			You will not achieve true righteousness and gender until you give up the comfort that you love. Some
of us like looking a certain way being perceived a certain way, you will not achieve Jannah and true
righteousness until you give up what you love for the sake of Allah.
		

			Some of us love a certain level of prestige, you won't achieve that level with Allah subhanaw taala
until you give up what you love, don't stop at comfort. Move yourself to striving and in Ramadan.
This is the time if you haven't already formed that resolve in your mind. Ramadan is the time you
take that next step towards Allah subhanaw taala and it should be a significant step. Ramadan is a
time to take a significant step to Allah. If that means doing a good deed more consistently or
better. Or if that means giving up a sin that you've become complacent with don't stop at 80% Masha
Allah, how many can I see a show of hands? How many of you converted to Islam within the last five
		

			years? Can I see your hands in sha Allah to Allah, we want to celebrate you inshallah. Hector's your
official ambassador VRSC man.
		

			May Allah Subhana Allah bless you all and reward you and of course everyone who made that step. Your
brothers and sisters you're surrounded by people that change their entire lives around for this
Deen.
		

			We can make a significant step as well in sha Allah to Allah and give up some of what we love for
the sake of Allah subhanaw taala whether it's social, whether it's economic, whatever it may be, for
the sake of Allah, and that's when we achieve that true level Bismillah May Allah subhanaw taala
give us the resolve to do so. And grant us the full reward. May Allah subhanaw taala give everyone
who is looking to make that next step in the law in whatever way it is. The ability, the sincerity
and the steadfastness to make that step and to stay there a long time. I mean, just that little
hiatus and I want to go to Antarctica