Saad Tasleem – Why Me
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hamdulillah alameen wa Salatu was Salam ala MV mursaleen Nabina
Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi. In a lot of Allah Allah Allah Allah Allah, Allah, Allah Allah, Allah Allah, Allah nama And Pharaoh now, when lantana was it Rama, Europa alameen, aloha Marina
Marina de la baltierra
Sara Mara Kumara Mata LA, he will barakaatuh.
I want to talk to you today a little bit about how we perceive not only certain events, but the world as a whole. You see all of us, we come from different backgrounds, we come from different life experiences. We lead our own lives, and some had a lot you can look at someone and you can try to make a judgement about what their life is all about. But we truly never really know what a person has really been through. Even if we have been there with them physically. We don't know what was happening in their heart when they were experiencing something. So we all have our own perspective. And in reality, when we compare our perspective, to the wisdom, and the sight of Allah has power to
Allah, without a doubt, we have to admit that not only not only are we limited, we are extremely limited. You see what Allahu Allah to Allah, whatever his name is Albus Li, the all seeing and of course, the sight of Allah subhanaw taala is fitting of Allah has power to Allah. And yes, we have sight as well. But our site is limited to us. Allah is an hikkim, Allah is all wise, the wisdom, Allah has power to Allah, we can try to understand it, we can try to see part of it. But we will never truly understand what is happening in the world around us. And even on a personal level, we may never truly, at least in this life, truly understand the wisdom behind what is taking place. And
sometimes it may be small things happening in our life. And, and we think we get it, we think we understand, we think we know exactly why something is happening. But we may be wrong. Or we may be limited, we may only know a small portion of what is happening. And all we have to do to catala is look at history. And look at how events were perceived in the moment, versus how something was perceived later, and sometimes had a line this is so telling for us, something happens and those who are, they're present in that moment. They have a certain outlook on what is happening. And then it's not five years or 10 years later, but it's possibly hundreds of years later, that we begin to see
the wisdom of Allahu Allah, and why something is happening. And so when we think about suffering, whether it be the suffering of others, or whether it be our own suffering, yes, it is normal to feel like we don't understand why it's happening. It is normal to say, Why me? Why is this happening to me? And that is a completely human thing to feel. Because yes, we are limited in our understanding. But as a Muslim, as a person of faith, the next step is very important. And that is that even though we don't fully understand, or we don't properly understand why something is happening, do we attribute what is happening to Allah Subhana Allah to Allah or not? And that is the question which
differentiates someone who has faith and someone who is just going along with what is happening. Because you know, the reality is, every single human being is tested by Allah, his panel, Adana, every single human being goes through difficulty and hardship. It doesn't matter how privileged a person may feel their life is it doesn't matter how much wealth and prosperity and seemingly comfortable lives that we live, the reality is that we will be tested in one way or the other.
The question is,
are we tested with difficulty? Or are we tested with ease? And you know what I was speaking to a brother who's going through a difficult time.
And I tried to convey to him this very idea and this very point
that I said to him, I
I understand that you're going through a difficult time. But you have to understand that you're not looking at the complete picture. And you know what he said to me? He said, that's easy for you to say, you don't know what I'm going through.
And I told him, you're right. And you're also wrong. You're right in saying that I don't truly understand what you're going through. I'm not going through what you're going through. So I cannot 100% empathize with the way that you're feeling. You're right in that. But you're wrong. In saying that, it is easy for me to say what I'm saying. Because what law II I fear for myself? Because I'm not going through that test. So the question that I must ask myself is, if you are going through this difficulty, then what is my test that is equivalent to that difficulty? So when we look at our brothers and sisters suffering around the world, and we think to ourselves, how is that fair? The
question that we should be asking ourselves is, how does my test match up?
Is my test, a test of ease, has Allah given me, given me resources given me comfort given me he's given me wealth, given me abilities that I will be held to account for, because we are all tested. And there's no difference in the severity of our of our test, but the type of test may differ. And that is why the companions of the Prophet salallahu, either he was sending them, they would be more afraid of tests of ease than the tests of difficulty. Because they would say when a difficulty comes upon us, we can see it, we can recognize it. We know it's difficult, and we know that in this moment, we have to be patient.
But what happens in a test of ease? What happens when we're living comfortable lives? What happens when we look at other people's suffering and we're not suffering? Do we understand that that is also a test from a last panel, Allah? Or does that lead us to transgress? You know, Allah subhana wa tada told us of one of the main reasons why human beings may transgress, can indulge in Santa nyatoh.
Allah says no, surely a person transgresses because they see themselves as being self sufficient. What happens in times of ease, what happens in times of comfort, we forget. And there's people who live their lives and they don't even feel that they need Allah subhanaw taala and that is why a person may go days, months, without reaching out to Allah Subhana Allah to Allah yet, a person who is going through a difficulty, a person who is going through a hardship, a person who is suffering, may be calling out to Allah subhanho wa Taala with every single breath that they have.
And that is why my brothers and sisters, we have to be very careful when talking about tests and talking about suffering, because we cannot judge the test. We cannot judge what is really happening. What is upon us is to try our best to recognize the test that Allah has patented Allah has put us through
you know, something, which is very interesting, if you look at the life of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Allah He was sending them and the type of tests that Allah put him through, it is very telling for us. You know, I shout out the a lot that she wants to ask the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, after going through the Battle of which is a very, very difficult day for the prophets of the light Send them. That was the day in which the person send them was attacked. He was physically hurt. He was bleeding. And it was a difficult day. So I shadowed the Allah and he asked the prophets I send them he said, Have you experienced a day more difficult than the day ahead?
And the Prophet salallahu alaihe was sending them he said nothing to my latinoamerica Ah, yeah. He said, I have faced what I have faced from your people, oh, I meaning I have had test after test after test. I have faced hardship after hardship after hardship. It's not just one hardship. There is so many. And then he said, I should do my latte. He said the most difficult thing. The most severe thing that I faced, he said it was Yeoman acaba, which what he was referring to was the day when he went to go deliver the message of Islam, to the people of thought if and this is in the beginning of Islam, when the prophet SAW the light sending them did not see
any response from Mecca. Rather all he saw in his own city.
Was hatred and persecution. And so he turned to thought if another city in which he had hoped that that city would show him some support, that city would show him some compassion when his own city had turned him away. And he went to thought it would work with very high hopes. But what happened when he went to thought if we know the story, we know how he was immediately rejected. And not only did they reject Him, Sal, Allahu Allah, he was sending them. And by the way, the prophet Mohammed I send them when he went to thought if he went alone,
he had no one. He walked to thought if because he didn't want the people of Mecca to know that he was perhaps leaving the city of Mecca. So he went in secrecy. And can you imagine walking and traveling for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours, and the whole time that he is traveling, he is hoping that perhaps they will respond to him, perhaps they will show him some warmth, warmth, perhaps they will give him some comfort. Even if they don't accept the message of Islam, perhaps they will give him some support. And after that long journey, he arrives by himself, he goes to the leaders of five, and they reject the message, and they reject Him. And not only do
they reject Him, they mock him and they make fun of him. And they get the children.
And they get the young folk to go out in the streets and chase him out of the city with rocks and stones. And he's being run, some of them run out of the city. And they're stoning him, pelting him with rocks. And they're yelling at him. They're mocking him, they're cursing him. They're making fun of him. And the prophets. I said lamb is run out of the city.
And you can imagine the emotional state the profits, I said them as in at this point. You can imagine what he is feeling. He is emotionally hurt. He is physically hurt. He was bleeding Sal, Allahu Allah, he was setting them to the point where the narration mentions that blood had pulled up in his shoes, and had begun to dry it began to dry in his in his shoes, it was even hard for him to walk, some Allahu Allah He was setting up.
And in those moments of difficulty, he walked and walked and walked and walked and kept walking until he said, I said them himself, he tells us that at a certain point, I was shaded by a cloud. And I looked up in the cloud, and I saw the angel gibreel. And jP jP said to me, oh, Mohammed, Salim,
Allah has heard the message that you have delivered. And Allah has heard the response that they gave to you. And so I'm sending to you, the angel of the mountains, and you command him whatever you want to command. And the angel of mountain of the mountains comes to the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi, WA send them and says,
we know what has happened. So just give the command. And if you want, I will raise up the two mountains and destroy the city. And so you've had a lot in that moment of pain and suffering
and difficulty. Well, while you How would have how would we have responded? You know, when we are hurt, we are more likely to hurt other people. That is why when someone yells at us, we're likely to yell back at them. In that moment, where emotions and feelings are very strong, we usually act out. But how was the prophets that Allahu Allah who said them? He said, No, he said, but he said, No, he said, perhaps Allah who's Pamela Tiana will make it that from their progeny, there will be those yagoona la homocysteine, Allah deem that they worship Allah with sincerity in their religion, perhaps perhaps there will be those from their offspring. We cannot destroy them. We cannot harm
them. Because maybe there's something that I'm not seeing here. And this is the most difficult the president said, the most difficult day that I have ever experienced. And the press seldom said, leave them because perhaps there is something that I'm not seeing. And what does history tell us? History tells us that not just a few people,
but the whole city, accepted Islam, they came to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. And the whole city took their Shahada, a shadow Allah Allah in the law was had to undergo Mohammedan abita, who was sudo suddenly longer and he was in them. We have the story. My brothers and sisters in the life of the Prophet Mohammed say send them that was the Prophet. What about the companions? We have the story of the Treaty of who they be. So the head Abia, what happened?
You know the Muslims, they were hopeful they left the city of Medina. They were hopeful to go back and return to their home of Mecca. And the prophets I send them had told them that you will make your own Ma and they had traveled from Medina all the way to Mecca to come make Ramadan. There were approximately 14 to 1500 companions who had come with the Prophet Mohammed's I send them and they camped outside mecca for days and days and days and days. And some narrations mentioned that they were all prepared. They were all prepared to come make Ramadan. They had brought with them their sacrifice, some narrations mentioned over 1000 animals they had brought with them for sacrifice. And
they wait and they wait. And at one point they give back to the process send them what is known as battle Ridwan. 1400. companions give the give their their their they they give back to the person send them they're ready. And they say O Messenger of Allah, whatever it takes, whatever it takes for us to make oma this year.
And then the treaty occurs.
So could they be and what happens in the treaty? Well, from the perspective of the companions, it was an utter loss. Because part of that treaty said, you will not make a seminar this year, go home,
you have come over 1000 of you, you have prepared and you have traveled and you brought your animals and so on and so forth. You know what, turn around and go home, you're not making it this year. On top of that part of that treaty also stated that if there's a Muslim who escaped or leaves Mecca, to seek refuge with the Muslims, then the process sending them and the companions have to return those Muslims. And as the treaty is being signed, one of the companions about gender or the love that he had just broken free of the shackles and he had a run to the Muslims. He had run because he heard their camp right outside Mecca. He didn't have the ability, by the way to run all the way to Medina
on his own. But it just so happened that the Muslims were there, he broke out of his captivity, he broke away from his torture. And he comes and as as he comes, the treaty is being signed. And according to the treaty, Abu gendell has to be returned to his abusers to his tortures and tormentors.
And so when the treaty is signed, the companions don't understand what has happened, or modeled the lower ein for example, even question the process alum.
And he said, explain to me what is happening. Explain to me how this is okay. Explain to me how we were ready. We took the bay out, we were ready to fight with our lives. We were ready to give our lives to make this year.
And it was a very difficult time for the Muslims because they feel like they had lost.
And then the prophets I send them, it was revealed to him the ayat and he went to Omar and he said, in
a movie na, Allah has revealed sort of touch. in
Medina, Allah says, certainly, we have given you a great victory. And it remodeled the logo. In that moment of frustration and anger when he hears this idea. You know what he says? He says, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, in Nevada for a movie now. He is so happy and he's joyous. He's, he's bursting with happiness. Well, what changed here? A moment ago, the same, the treaty hasn't changed. Why One moment, he is upset and angry, and he doesn't understand what's happening. And in the next moment, he becomes extremely delighted. Well, what happened is the ayah was revealed. And now our motto, the Allahu urn, it all clicked for him. He understood that this is because of the father of Allah, that
this treaty is what Allah has commanded the prophets that I send them to do. And so he still doesn't understand the wisdom. But he knows if it is from Allah, it has to be good. It feels like a loss. It feels like we are allowing, and that's what our model is feeling. Are we going to allow our brothers and sisters to suffer? Are we going to return the Muslims back to those who are abusing them? Are we going to allow that to happen? But when he understood it is from Allah, he was happy. He knew that there must be something that he's not seeing because this is from Allah has panaway data. And what does history tell us? History tells us that indeed, that was a great victory. Because two years,
just two short years later, what happened? 1500 1400 people were at
Atari 114 100 people, two years later, how many companions come with the Prophet salallahu. Allah He was setting them for mecca for the opening of Mecca for the conquest of Mecca 1500, we would think, well, maybe it doubles, maybe it triples, but it was 10,000 companions that came with the Prophet Mohammed Sal, Allahu Allah, he was sending them. In those two years because of that peace treaty, Muslims were able to trade with other people, they were able to have interactions with other people. And just by meeting other people in other nations, people came to Islam in droves. And that is why we see the difference in the oma going from 1500 to 10,000 people.
And the rest is history. We know how that was a great victory for the Muslims, even if they did not understand it in that moment. So my brothers and sisters, the reality is that our perspective may be limited. We don't have we don't have knowledge. We're lucky we don't even have knowledge of the next day. We don't even know what's going to happen tomorrow. How can we try and understand what's going to happen? 10 years or 100 years from now? Yes, it is painful. And as I told my brother earlier, you're right. I don't understand. But don't for a moment think that when you hear someone come and say this is from the wisdom of Allah, that that is an easy statement to make. Because that means
that we are part of that situation. We are part of the decree of Allah Subhana Allah has he been nozzle au trakone akula Amanda, homelife ternoon that do that people think they will be left alone, simply because they say we believe and they will not be tested?
Well,
certainly we tested those who came before them, just look at your history. Just look at the history of Muslims, over and over and over again, we see calamity after calamity after calamity. But if we give it time, then we understand just a little bit, just a little bit from the wisdom of Allah, Allah to Allah, we understand just a little bit of the blessings of Allah whose power to Allah. And so Likewise, when we ask ourselves, why me? Yes, that is a fair question. Yes, it is okay to feel that way. But also, we have to understand that this is part of the plan of alows. Pamela Tiana. This is part of what Allah has presented to Allah has decreed for us. And maybe my brothers and sisters,
maybe in this life, we don't understand. But if we trust in Allah, his power to Allah, then at the very least, and even though it's it's, it feels wrong, saying at the very least, but at the very least in the upset, we will understand, because we don't know what law here we don't know, we look at our brothers and sisters. And we think we know, but we don't know. We would imagine. Just take one example. And I'll end with this inshallah Tiana,
our brothers and sisters in Burma, who are being persecuted, why
they're being persecuted for their faith. And we would think that if somebody is being persecuted for their faith, they're suffering, and they're going through different they're literally being killed off. It's a literal genocide, we would think that people would leave their faith, we would think that people would walk away.
But go ask what is happening there? How are the Muslims they're behaving, this has been a reason for them to hold on to their faith, and their faith now is stronger than it has ever been. And that is a lesson for us. Likewise, for us, even though it wasn't nearly close to the trials that our brothers and sisters over there are going through, but 911 you know, we keep talking about 911 I think we should keep talking about 911. Because there are lessons in our history. What happened after 911? We would think that because of that, because of that huge calamity that came upon the Muslims because now the whole Ummah now had to answer for the actions of a few individuals. Now every single Muslim
was held accountable for the actions of a few individuals. We would think that people would distance themselves from Islam. We would think that people would leave Islam, we would think that people wouldn't want to identify as Muslims. But the vast majority of people went in the other direction. People strengthen their faith. They learn their faith, they educated themselves, and how many people came to Islam because of 911.
And so how dare we call that a pure calamity? In hindsight, for the Muslims, yes, it was a difficult time.
But also it was a way for Allah subhanaw taala to strengthen our Ummah, it is for Allah subhanho wa Taala it was an opportunity for us to be raised in status, then that's it, we were challenged, right? We either step up to the plate, and we hold on to our faith, we learn our faith, we teach our faith, and we stand up for that which is right or we let it go. And those who stood up those who held on without a doubt Allah has penalties that are raised their status and that truthfulness of the process and them came to light where the prophesy said them said that if Allah loves someone, a lot of tests them so we asked a lot of what data to make us of those who loves parallel data loves
and we asked a lot of data to help us recognize our tests as tests and Allah has power to Allah knows best subotica lahoma will be handed a shadow Allah Allah inand istockphoto kawakubo lake was set up more akin to LA he or Waikato.