Jumuah Khutbah
Saad Tasleem – Life is hard
AI: Summary ©
The speaker discusses the struggle of life and the importance of knowing one's journey and balancing one's life with others. They share personal experiences of challenges faced by people in difficult situations, including lack of clarity, struggles with face, and struggles with their
the success of their spirituality and the importance of knowing their success. They also discuss the benefits of small moments in life, such as experiencing the Prophet sallavi, and share stories about people experiencing success in small situations.
the success of their spirituality and the importance of knowing their success. They also discuss the benefits of small moments in life, such as experiencing the Prophet sallavi, and share stories about people experiencing success in small situations.
AI: Summary ©
My dear brothers and sisters, in a very powerful verse in the Quran, a verse that I'm sure many of us have heard many times, Allah subhanho wa Taala says laka, the Filipina in Santa Fe habit,
which means that certainly we have created human beings in a constant state of struggle. In other words in a constant state of difficulty, but before this idea in the beginning of Surah, Al Bellet, Allahu Subhana, WA Tada actually swears. And when Allah swears in the Quran, and Allah swears by His creation, when we hear that, we have to pay attention, because it means that something very important is about to come. So Allah has kind of a data in the beginning of fourth amended, Allah says, leprosy will be hard and bandit. Allah says, I swear by his city, and the city that Allah has power to Allah is swearing by is a city that is very near and dear to all of our hearts. And that is
the city of Mecca, a city that was built that is Beloved to us. And it was beloved to the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu. I think it was send them. So Allah has kind of like the other says, One handed we haven't been speaking to the prophets, I send them that you are Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. This is a city from which restrictions were removed for you, it was made hidden for you. This is the blessing of Allah, who's Allah to Allah, upon the prophets of Allah, Allah who send them. And then Allah says, Well, why is he doing why am I what? And Allah swears again
by every parent,
and every child and their child. And now Allah has sworn Well, what is Allah swearing to? Allah swears to love God Hi, Laughlin and in Santa Fe,
into Panama the beauty of the Arabic Arabic language here. Our scholars say it is as if Allah is emphasizing this point three times or in three different ways. Number one, because Allah swore, number two, the Lamb which is known as Toki, and that cut,
so it's like Allah is saying, I swear, surely, most definitely. Mankind, human beings are created in a state of constant struggle, of constant difficulty. And we hear a lot of data tell us something very similar. It's loaded up with Allah subhanho wa Taala says, Yeah, you had inserted in naka de Haan in Arabic, they have Mulethi. Allah says, oh, people, oh, incense, oh, person. Certainly, you have been laboring, you've been working towards your Lord, You've been exerting yourself, and you will exert yourself until you meet your Lord until you meet the reward for what you have been working towards. And this tells us that Allah is reminding us that the nature of this life is a
nature of constant struggle, of constant strife. And you know, how Allah we can look at certain people.
And this can be evident to us. We may look at someone and say, You know what, their life is difficult. They're going through difficulty. And you can see that difficulty. If you've had a lot last month, I had the opportunity to visit Lebanon and visit some of the Syrian refugee camps.
And subhanAllah looking at their lives, and looking at how they're living.
This idea becomes clearly evident. I met refugees that have been in those camps for 20 years. You know, when we think of refugee camps, we may think that it's something temporary.
Right? They're just they're there to camp, right? So they can spend a little bit of time in a camp, and they're going to move on to somewhere better. But I met families, I met widows.
I met orphans, who have been in these camps for for 20 years.
And we remember the idea, the other halacha that in Santa Fe cabin, certainly we created man in a state human beings in a state of struggle and strife.
But we cannot forget that this is not just referring to those people whose difficulty we see on the outside because Allah said that the height of the neck concern we created mankind. This is general for all of us. Not just those whose difficulties are apparent on the outside. It means every single person in this life
will face difficulty will face struggles with face trial.
Like I said, for some people, you can see it.
But the reality is that all of us in our lives, sooner or later, we're going to be faced with challenges. And I know sometimes Pamela, it is easy to look at someone's life. And to assume that their life is easy. Because you know what our measure of happiness or how we measure happiness seems to be fulfilled, someone has wealth, someone has status, someone has beauty, whatever, however, people measure happiness, and ease and comfort in this life. And we may assume
that this person has no difficulty in this in this life.
We forget that Allah who was kind of like the Allah has created us to be tested to be trying, under the Halacha Mota will hire talent who you can accent or I'm
the one who created death in life to test you, to see who amongst you is best in their deeds.
That is the nature of this life. All of us, every single person, no matter what we may see from the outside, there's one guarantee we have, that every single person will face challenges and difficulties in their life.
That is the nature of dystonia. And we may live our lives trying to avoid it,
and trying to stay away from it. But there's no escaping being challenged and being tried.
In Panama, we have
people who are who have been given
the pleasures of this life, and we may think that perhaps they're not being tested. Number one, as I said, it may be just that their tests are in a way that we don't recognize, we don't know what's happening behind this perfect life of theirs that we may see online, we don't know what's happening in their household. We don't know what's happening with them and their children or whatever their spouse, or their families or their we don't there's so much we don't know about people's lives.
It may be also
that the test of Allah subhanaw taala is a test of what do they do with what Allah has given to them?
If Allah has given them, their test is, their struggle is their strife is do they do the right thing?
You know, some people are struggling to provide for their families and struggling for the necessities, as we mentioned, the refugees and others. But for some people, that's not their struggle. handler was giving them a comfortable life for the most part, they have a good job. They don't fear for the safety of their family and so on and so forth. Their life, from the outside from, from the from from an outside perspective seems to be okay.
But their struggle is because of the ease that what has given them.
Do they do the right thing? Do they live their lives in the obedience of Allah? subhanaw taala? Do they make sugar?
Do they thank Allah, for what Allah has given to them.
And sugar is not my brothers and sisters, as some of us think only, only something that is on our tongues, that we make sure our tongue when we said that was chakra Nilla we thank Allah and that said, No.
Sugar is made by living our lives in the obedience of Allah whose panela data our Creator, the one who gave us what we have. And that is why we have the famous statement of the prophets of Allah who I didn't send them. It was the prophets. I send them he said in Allah Allah meanie Bhima Ravi and we're setting the Allah has ordered the believers lies instructed the believers with exactly what he instructed the messengers with meaning the same message. The same instruction that was given to the messengers is the same instruction that has been given to the rest of the believers. And then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam recited
the statement of Allah who's part of what the Allah Allahu Allah says, Yeah, you have also Kulu minute piggybacked Oh messengers. Eat from the goodness that Allah has given to you.
But what comes after that was a man who saw
but do good deeds, and do goodness so if Allah has blessed you, Allah has given to you
then also be good in your actions. And Allah has Allah Allah has addressed the believers yeah when Medina aman pulumi, APIKEY bathy marzipan outcome Oh believers eat from the goodness from the good things the piggy bank that we have given to you.
Enjoy it, eat from it. And then Allah says wish guru Lila but make thanks to Allah
I'm going to write good deeds, so that the measure of our sugar is how are we living our lives with what Allah has given to us. Because sometimes it's it's easy to get comfortable and say, You know what things in my life are going good right now, it must mean that Allah is pleased with me.
And that is not necessarily the case. It may be that our lives are good right now as a test. This is a test from alums power data. This is why the companions of prophets ally send them, they would fear, the test of ease, because they would say, you know, when you're testing with difficulty, you can recognize you can see it, I'm going through a difficult time. And that's why it's not a lot. Oftentimes, when we're going through difficulty, our spirituality becomes strong. We're going through a hard time, our God becomes more sincere. Our prayers become longer, we spend more time and says that we asked Allah and that is a good thing.
But the problem is when our lives are going as planned, because as I said, number one, that's now that that is not how life always continues. In are we preparing for the difficult times in the easy times. And this is why the Sunnah of the Prophet SAW Allah who I think he said, if you look at it this amazing,
you know, there's a really beautiful point we learn in Islamic law. And
and that is regarding, you know, a very seemingly insignificant point about the life of the prophet Muhammad, I send them, it's about him combing his hair,
the process, send them would comb his hair, you would make sure it is here, so like sending them would look nice.
But there were some days
where the pastor said he would not comb his hair.
In the scholars looked at this, and they said, this shows us that the seminal percent of the general cinema the way a person is to take care of the way we look, to look nice to dress nice, and so on and so forth.
But it also means that we should be balanced, that our lives are not just all one way.
Do we prepare for the difficult times? Even when Allah who is what Allah has given to us?
Do we try to empathize with those who don't have? That's one of the lessons by the way that fasting is supposed to teach us
that we have right now we have been given we can eat, we can drink. And a lot of us I know we can't even imagine a life where we don't know where our next meal is going to come from. But we don't know the other Allah has kind of Allah protect us, but we don't know. We don't know what tomorrow holds. And if any of you ever spoken to a homeless person,
and you go ask them, Is this how you planned or did you see yourself being homeless, not a single person will say, I plan to be homeless.
None of them plan to be out on the street. None of them plan to be without a home. But this is the culture of Allah. This is where the ended up because of what Allah decreed the question for you and me and my brothers and sisters is are we prepared for the difficult times?
What is going to happen to our heart? If Allah who's who How do I die, Allah tests us.
Because the flip side of you know what my life is good, it must mean that Allah is pleased with me. The flip side of that is what can happen is when we go through difficulty and hardship,
we can have the other distorted view of my life is not good. It must mean that Allah is displeased with me.
There are people who think like that.
And that is not necessarily true. Because we know as the prophets I send them told us
in their element Jezza ma either man Bala that the greater the test, the greater the reward. And if Allah loves someone he does have below Oh my intellia Whoa. If Allah loves people, he tries them. Why? To raise them in status.
For men, Allah dia for level River. Because when a person is going through difficulty and they are pleased, they are accepting of the decree of Allah, then Allah is pleased with them.
You know one example of that, the prophets of Allah, Allah with him.
We cannot imagine the type of difficulties the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam went through I know we read about it. I know we hear about it, we wrote this see it all the process ended his life.
And we read how he went through difficulty after difficulty after difficulty, but we can never truly imagine what it was like
to go through the difficulties of the prophets of Allah I send them but the process send them was content with the decree of Allah. And so Allah was pleased with the prophets and lights and then likewise, the companions are the Allahu Anhu. In the type of trials that Allah put the Companions through. We really can't even imagine
But they did not complain.
Not to say that it was easy, it was difficult for them they're human beings.
But Manila, the Banana River, the one who was pleased with the decree of Allah, and for them as the most pleasure, woman suffering for another song.
men suffer for level suffer the one who is displeased
with the decree of Allah, that Allah is displeased with them.
And that is the test that I'm talking about. What happens will not protect us when we are placed into difficulty because that is the nature of our life. Things may be good today. But what is tomorrow hope you don't know.
Trials don't often come announce they come unexpected. But part of our spirituality, part of our connection with Allah is to prepare for the test that come May Allah who's Pamela tiada protect us from being displeased with the father of Allah.
Allah live
in a world of
unreliable Alameen
wa Salatu was Salam o Allah should have been a big mousseline maybe now was saying, You know what have you been a Muhammad Ali, he will fight me edge Marine. My dear brothers and sisters, I want to share with you a lesson that I learned from those very refugees that I mentioned in the first book.
Because you know what, you can take a look at their lives
and have a very pessimistic outlook towards life. Especially when you hear the stories, the individual stories of the strife and the struggle and the difficulties and the hardship that these people are going through.
From the outside.
We may think how can a person continue
20 years I mentioned 20 years of no relief 20 years of living in a camp and these camps. I wish I had the time to really describe the nature of these camps. I I've just been saying they're they're unlivable for our standards. They're unlivable conditions, but people have been living there.
And so from the outside, we may think, you know, what, how can somebody continue in a life like this.
And there may be times in our lives, our brothers and sisters when we are faced with hardship, and we may think to ourselves, how can I continue
but it is from our spirituality, our connection with Allah, that we continue. And I want to share with you what I learned from these refugees. Number one, I learned
to appreciate the goodness that we do have in our lives. And you may once again look at those refugees and say, Well, what, goodness, what happiness do they have in their lives?
I looked at I saw children were living difficult lives. But they were smiling.
I looked at you and I saw children, my children were playing soccer in the refugee camps. And they were laughing and they're joking in there are smiling. Why? Because they appreciate the moments of pleasure of goodness of happiness that was given to them. We can look at our lives and where difficulties say my life is terrible.
But what about those moments, those quote unquote, small moments? How important are those small moments to us?
You know, you can take a look at someone who's very wealthy. And you can ask them, how is your life going?
How is your relationship with your children, I can tell you as a parent myself, there's no amount of money that someone can offer me in exchange for a moment
with my child, where my child was happy, and I'm happy, and we're spending time together, to be able to hug and kiss and love my children. There's no amount of money that can replace that. But the question is, do we appreciate those moments? Do we understand those quote unquote, small moments, as long as it's a pleasure? Because we can look back we can look at our life and say, You know what, my life is difficult and all these things that are happening in my life are difficult. But what about those blessings that Allah has given to us? And this is how the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was, I mentioned the first footbaww how to live with the process and it was immensely difficult. Yet
we have statements from the Companions, saying, I never saw anyone smile more than the prophets of Allah Allah sent them how? Why?
Because the process appreciated those moments. The way the person was with children, the way he was with his companions. We have narration not one multiple narrations with Priscilla is joking. He's smiling, he's laughing.
Where he shows his love for for his wives. He shows His love for children.
Can we appreciate those moments that we have then?
We have so much,
but can we be conscious of those moments. So I hope today we can, you can go home and go back to our lives and, and begin to recognize those, quote unquote small moments of happiness in this crazy world that we're living in. And the second lesson that I learned from refugees
is that a lot of our happiness comes from helping others. We may not have a lot, or we may have a lot.
But our happiness is directly related to what we do with what Allah has given to us. And even now, the science of happiness, and studies on happiness, they tell us these very same things. Appreciate number one, they tell us appreciate experiences. They tell us if you're going to spend money on on trying to be happy, don't spend money on things, spend money on experiences,
right? Spend money on an experience, something that will bring you lasting happiness versus some product that we buy. And if you're happy for a moment, and then it's gone, spend on experiences. Number two, spend on others. This is what the what now studies are telling us something that we already understand Understand
that by helping others by spending on others, we find lasting happiness. So two things I leave myself and you with today, number one experiences appreciate a lot in those moments that Allah has given to us. Those small moments in number to help others spend on others. Without luck was Pamela dalla has given to you