Safi Khan – Soul Food 40 Hadith on Social Etiquettes
AI: Summary ©
The speaker discusses hadith collections that aim to cover 40 hadith collections by Shah, emphasizing the importance of understanding the meaning of love and the transmission of teachings from Shah. They also discuss the concept of " sight and perception" and the importance of not feeling like one is the worst of one's life. The speaker emphasizes the importance of guidance and understanding one's values, as well as the importance of not being bought out by anger and not being bought out by fear. They also touch on the negative impact of being a Muslim and the importance of respecting one's love for one's religion.
AI: Summary ©
Alright.
Everybody.
Hope everyone is,
doing well. Good to see you all.
I hope everyone's summer is, you know, going
smoothly so far. If you're just taking a
break from, obviously, your semester or if you're
working, whatever you may be doing,
hopefully, you know, there's some sort of benefit
to it.
Today, we are going to go ahead and
continue
with our soul food series. So this series
for a lot of you guys who are,
new here or if you have just been
here, you know, a couple of times and
missed a couple of the sessions.
This series aims to cover
one of the 40 hadith collections of a
very, very profound scholar,
in our tradition by the name of Shah.
So he
compiled this kind of 40,
hadith of the prophet
and one of his specialties that the hadith
are very very short and sweet.
And so each hadith is like a small
line,
and some of and sometimes the hadith are
a little bit kind of like a it's
like an excerpt from, like, a larger hadith
that you find in the prophetic tradition.
But nonetheless,
the hadith are all very, very beautiful and
easy to kind of just remember and even
in some parts in some parts memorize.
And also this is a proof and I
kinda mentioned this to to to the class
a few weeks ago that this is what
we kind of call in the prophetic
tradition, Jawami al Kalim, which basically means the
brevity in the prophet speech,
that he spoke very little.
He didn't speak very elaborately.
He spoke in a very succinct manner, but
a very beautiful in a in a very
meaningful manner. And so today's hadith is gonna
be, an example of this tradition of the
prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. Right? And we'll
take some lessons and kinda have some conversations,
share some reflections back and forth as we
go on, with today's, with today's session. So
this hadith, right, in Arabic,
obviously, I'll read in Arabic and I'll kind
of, have somebody translate it and and read
it out for the entire group here in
English. So the hadith says the prophet
that he mentions
Okay. Very short.
So who wants to volunteer to really quickly
read the English on the screen? Go ahead,
Akram Kogor. Your love of something can blind
you deaf.
Very good. So your love of something
can blind
and or deafen you. Okay?
So this hadith requires a little bit of
kind of breaking apart and a little bit
of kind of peeling back the layers to
see exactly what was meant by the prophet
Muhammad SAW. Right? So
what's the first thing that jumps out at
you guys? Somebody give me something. Your love
of something can blind and deafen you. What
do we what do we think? Anyone?
What are some, like, thoughts that, you know,
come into your head as soon as you
read this hadith?
Yes. Go ahead.
It could be talking about the dunya.
It could be talking about the dunya. Okay.
Good. Yes.
Like, a says, like, you may love something
that's very not for you. Mhmm. Not like
something that's confused.
Okay. Very good. So,
he just kinda mentioned that there is a
verse in the Quran that kinda mentions that
Allah says that perhaps
there are things that you like or you
love that are in fact bad for you
and things that you dislike that are actually
good for you. Very good. So it's almost
like this concept
of life is not always as it seems.
Right? There are moments in which life may
present itself in one way, but the reality
is in a completely different way. Right? And
what you think is one thing and what
reality is is something different. Very good. Anyone
else have any thoughts
on this hadith?
Yes. Go ahead. It was a two way
street if you don't have, like, self awareness?
Okay. So it's a two way street. If
you don't have self awareness, okay, very good.
It's a give and take at times in
your life. Very good. Anyone else?
Anyone else wanna share anything?
Okay. So this idea of love. Right? Right?
Right? Because the first thing that he says,
he says
that your love. Right? So what is love
in Islam? Right? One of the things we
understand is that actually there's a difference between
the word for like and love in Arabic.
Right? That the word for love is hub
and the word for like is almost along
the lines of like,
which basically means kind of like it's like
it's like almost it's from the same root
as ajaba, which basically means to be like
amazed by something or to like something. Right?
Hope is something a little bit different. Hope
is a little bit deeper. It's a little
bit more,
it's a little bit more, you know, it's
it's a little bit more,
involved that you could say when you love
something versus when you like something. Right? And
one of the proofs of this by the
way is in the Quran Allah Ta'ala uses
that word hub several times. Some of the
scholars actually say that the Quran used the
word hub over 60 times, which shows you
things that Allah
feels passionately about whether he likes it or
he loves it or he actually dislikes it.
Right? For example, Allah mentions in the Quran
several times,
in
Allah Right?
Allah loves those who do good.
People who purify themselves. Right?
People who repent to Allah. And at the
same time, Allah mentions that he does not
love people who are people
who are oppressive. Right? People who, do injustice
towards other people. People who are, mufsiddin. People
who basically kind of just cause trouble for
other people. People who basically go around the
world and kind of seek, like, this idea
of just kind of stirring the pot, instigating.
Right? We talk about instigating a a couple
weeks ago. This idea of just kinda, like,
making life harder for other people. Allah doesn't
there's actually in the Quran, Allah does not
love al muzbimin, the people who are notably
criminals.
Right? People who are who who are just
kind of out there doing wrong things. And
so the Quran
mentions in several different portions that Allah loves
or does not love something. Okay? So this
idea of love is very involved.
Okay? It's not just kinda like this idea
of, like, oh, I like it or I
dislike it. It's a very heavy emotion. Okay?
And so I wanted to kind of first
and foremost break down
the Arabic of what this hadith is basically
telling us. So the hadith says,
that
your love for anything
or your love for everything,
you're me. Your love for everything will blind
you and
and it will deafen you. So the prophet
initially what he he's saying here, and the
word means to kind of be blind. Ama,
means to be blinded by something. And there's
kind of 3 ways of being blinded by
your love. And this kinda I wanna share
with you guys the first couple of things.
The first thing that the scholars they actually
mentioned is that sometimes
love blinds to the point where you can't
see straight.
That you can't see straight.
Like, it's right in front of you, but
you can't see it. Y'all ever kind of
you're all able to relate to that? That
when you're so overly, emotionally attached to something
that you actually cannot see what's in front
of you, you almost are blinded, like, in
in in terms of, like, your your direct
vision. Okay?
The second thing that the scholars they mentioned
is that a person is unable to see
the whole picture.
That you can't see the entire story.
You only see the bits and pieces that
you want to see. Y'all ever have conversations
with your friends about stuff like that? Like,
no. No. No. I need you to see
what's going on here. They're like, well, I
do see it. And you're like, no. No.
No. Look at the bigger picture. Look what's
going on. You're not being able to see
the whole thing. So this is the second
type of thing that that the prophet is
telling us that love kind of blinds somebody
towards. Right? Is that they can't see the
whole picture. They can't see the whole idea.
The third thing is that they cannot see
clearly.
So whatever they see is almost like a
blurred vision of what it actually is, like,
what the reality actually is. Right? They've convinced
themselves that, hey. This is actually not what
you think it is. It's it's what I
want it to look like. Right? So the
vision is blurred at this point. So that's
what the the idea of blindness means in
this hadith. Right? And then the last thing
that the prophet he mentions, he says that
it causes someone to also
It causes someone to sometimes become deaf. Alright?
And so what does deafness mean in this
hadith? Right? What does it mean to be
deaf
when you're so overly in love with something?
How do you go deaf? Well, the it's
really interesting because
saw, you know, saw mean these are the
two letters that combine to form the root
of this this word.
Right? And it basically means to, like, plug
something or to stop something from functioning.
So, like, your ears
normally
are used to, like, hearing things very clearly.
Right? And mashallah, Muslims hear everything. Right?
Even when you're not supposed to hear something,
Muslims will hear it. Right? They're like, oh,
this person just said that they're going through
that issue. Right? Like, hold on, dude. That
was, like, 80 feet away. How'd you hear
that? You're like, you're some fox. You know
what I'm saying?
So unfortunately, we we have that. Right? But
the prophet is saying that when you are
so emotionally infatuated with something that even things
that are
around you, it's as though like those kind
of ears that function at such a high
capacity,
it stops working.
It's like it's plugged up,
and it can't do its job. Right?
And this hadith, by the way, is extremely
versatile, and I'll tell you guys why.
How can this hadith work both ways? Can
someone share me, like, share something? Like, how
how can this hadith both work towards good
and bad?
Anyone
have an idea? This is really interesting. Right?
Yes.
When you're in love with something that can
hurt you, you'll you'll listen to the voice
of reason.
Very interesting. So he said
that
when you love something that is bad for
you
then you tend to ignore
things that are actually good for you. Right?
Like you are totally emotionally attached to something
that is not good for you. So because
of that you actually your your your your
senses are kind of blocked off towards things
that are actually good for you. But the
the polar opposite also exists by the way.
When you're so laser focused on something that's
good for you, that distractions
are almost like, you're deaf and blind to
distractions now. So this hadith is very versatile
and I want that that's what by the
way, one of the beauties of the prophet
salallahu alaihi wa sallam is that the prophet
salallahu alaihi wa sallam didn't just address a
certain type of person.
You know what I'm saying? Like, a lot
of people are like, you know, like, when
we give advice in our life, sometimes it's,
like, very one dimensional advice. Y'all agree with
me? Like, we can only think about the
person who's speaking to us right now. Like,
we can't think about, like, what they might
do later on or, like, the context of
what they're asking for, sometimes our advice is
actually very, very misplaced. And this is why,
you know, at the at the end of
the day, unfortunately, not everyone should be giving
advice. Y'all agree with this?
I I I think there should be, like,
this kind of, like, etiquette and mannerism of
those who give advice. Right? Well, see, it's
not something that should be done, like, by
everyone.
It should not be done by everyone. It's
something that I sent you very, very there's
a lot of prerequisites to. Right?
My my my number one, you know, my
number one red flag is whenever someone's like,
brother, I'm gonna give you some. I'm like,
hold on a second. Who asked? Right? Okay.
Who who do I know you? Right? Like,
excuse me. Like, how how can you give
someone advice when you don't really know them
too well? Right?
This is one of the kind of this
is one of the prerequisites, by the way.
You know, there's a there's a Surah that
a lot of people probably memorize, you know,
and then one of the ending versus that
Surah
is right? That Tawaso comes from the word
wasiya which means like almost like a will,
like a dying wish. Right? And so when
you're enjoying people towards, you know,
towards truth and enjoying people towards patience, one
of the prerequisites, one of the scholars actually
said, is that when you wanna teach people
about truth and you wanna teach people about
patience, then you should make sure that you
know that person.
You should make sure you know that person.
You shouldn't just go up to people and
randomly give them unsolicited advice. And unfortunately, Wallahi,
I'll tell you guys something. That's one of
the things that turns people away from this
deen.
Wasn't random person comes up to you and
tells you, hey, brother. I don't think your
pants are on properly. Like,
okay. I get it. Big issue. Right? But,
like, you know, I don't know who you
are.
You know? Hey. I I saw you doing
this the other day. Yeah. Sure. There is
this kind of level of correcting the wrong
when you see it, but you have to
also ask yourself what's the mannerisms in which
I correct people?
How do I correct people?
What am I doing? Like, am I am
I doing them justice? Am I doing benefits
of the or is my advice actually causing
more harm than good? Right? And so this
is one of the skills of the prophet
that he actually had,
in in his prophethood. And so this kind
of blind and deaf towards good, let's talk
about that in the beginning. Right? What does
that mean? So there's a really beautiful aya,
right, in the Quran, and I'm sure a
lot of people, you know, maybe have heard
this being recited before or have read the
translation to a certain degree, but it's in
Surat Al Baqarah. It's very very beautiful. So
the aya kind of talks a little bit
about like an example of those who are
blind and deaf. Okay? Spiritually blind and deaf.
Because this is what we're talking about. Right?
Right here, the prophet is not necessarily talking
about, like, physical blindness that, like, oh, like
a person literally cannot see, but it's more
of like an emotional spiritual blindness, right, towards
things that are good for them. So Allah
actually says in the Quran very beautifully in
in an example he says,
That their example
is like the example of like a group
of people who are trying to, like, start
a fire.
Right? They're trying to start a fire. They're
working really hard to start a fire. And
I want you guys to kinda think of
that. Okay? Like, imagine, like, you're in this
kind of dark, desolate area, and you're working
really hard to start a fire. Right? It's
basically like we did last week burning in,
like, the 180 degrees heat making a bonfire.
I I was like, what are we doing
here? Why are we doing a bonfire in
the summer in Dallas, Texas? What's going on?
But you're you're you're you're trying really hard
to start a fire. Right?
And these people are working hard to start
a fire. It's almost like their life depends
on. Right? Like, they're they're they're they're they're
grinding away at it. They're kind of making
sure that they're really working hard at it.
And when that fire is illuminated,
as soon as it's lit around them,
Allah took away their light and left them
in the darkness, so they can't see.
So like as soon as like that that
that illumination is there,
they actually can't see what's around them.
This is the example that Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala is giving of people whose love is
misplaced in this dunya.
So even if there's, like, a light right
in front of them, guiding them towards Allah,
they can't see it.
They can't see it. Why? What What are
some of the reasons and I this is
where I want you guys to kind of,
like, give me some thoughts or reflections here.
What are some of the reasons
why
at times
when
people are literally right in, like, this kind
of, like, light that Allah is talking about.
Why are they still blind to that to
that guidance? Can anyone share anything? Ego.
Ego. Very good. That's an that's an example.
Ego sometimes turns people away. What else?
Anyone?
Yes. Go ahead.
Okay. Right. So some it's almost like complacency.
Like you're so just comfortable with what you
are and what you do on a daily
basis that the idea of change even for
the better is like alarming and and and
kind of threatening to you. You. Very good.
You know what? What Akram kinda mentioned is
really interesting. Right? Ego.
There's actually a verse in the Quran that's
very, very it's it's it's really
scary.
Basically, he says that I will turn away
people
from my signs, people who walk
or are upon the earth, like, arrogantly.
So, like, you could be, like, the most
close to being the most blessed person on
the planet.
Like, you can have every blessing under your
nose. But the minute that you walk around
with your nose, like, turned up, like, Allah
will cause you never to see everything in
your life.
Anything in your life. So, like, you can
have, like, amazing things in your life and
you have no idea.
And I've had, like, un unfortunately, well, I
I had really sad conversations with a lot
of people where, like,
you know and and and I I'm never
an advocate for, like, you know, like, belittling
people's problems and and and issues. But once
a person kinda, like, steps off steps out
of their shoes and kinda looks, like, outside
in, they kinda realize, like, dang. Like, it's
not that horrible or or as horrible as
I thought. Right? Like, it's not that terrible.
I remember one time there was a person
who and I saw this in front of
me, which is like the most like it
it was one of the most like eye
opening experiences of my life, and I swore
from that day to never ever do this
myself where, like, a parent was basically complaining
about their kid.
Like, a parent was basically saying, like, oh,
like, you know, this kid is, like, you
know, doesn't listen to me and blah blah
blah. And, like, you know, he's 13 now.
He's not, like, this cute little 5 year
old anymore. He wants to be my best
friend. Now he's, like, thinks I'm shaitan basically,
like, all these different things. And the person
they were complaining to, subhanAllah,
later on told me that they were actually
having trouble conceiving a child.
So, like, that person's complaint was like that
person's dream.
You see what I'm saying? So, like, when
you're kind of just, like, caught in this
bubble of just
and this is what we talked about that
that that that blindness.
You or me, I can't see properly.
That that blindness towards, like, it's right in
front of me, but I'm not being able
to see it. Right?
And that's kind of one of the first
examples of what Allah Ta'ala is kinda mentioning
here is that, you know these people are
creating a fire.
They did it. The fire is there. They're
staying warm, but as soon as they create
that fire, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala blinds them
and deafens them, and they can't literally they
they they literally are not able to see
what's literally in front of them, and that's
one of the most kind of saddest things.
Anybody else have any thoughts on so we
mentioned ego.
Sister over here mentioned kinda complacency, being comfortable
where with where you're at. You had something
back there? Yeah.
Okay. So you have to want it.
Yeah.
That's one of the verses
It's
guidance for those who are conscious of Allah.
And one of the one of the scholars
actually say that one of the meanings behind
those who are conscious of Allah is those
who want Allah to be, you know, in
their life.
Right? Like the Quran, like, you know, a
lot of people unfortunately have this kind of
mindset that I'm just waiting for Allah to
guide me. Right? It's almost like this restaurant
order that hasn't, like it's like this DoorDash
order that hasn't been fulfilled yet. Right? Like,
I'm just waiting for it to come. It's,
like, taking 2 hours long for some reason.
And then you realize you're like, no. No.
No. Like, Allah doesn't owe you anything.
Like, Allah does God doesn't owe you anything.
You're the one that has to want it.
Right? Y'all y'all y'all a lot y'all ever
experienced that in your life where sometimes, like,
your mentality was, like, a little bit off,
but when it came to kind of, like,
a a task or, like, an objective that
you had, like, you were just kinda waiting
for it to happen, but when you swooshed
it around and you actually actively sought it,
you start you you start seeing things happen
because now you're not just kind of lazily
waiting around. It's not passive. It's actually active.
And that's one of the biggest advices, you
know,
from from from, you know, the knowledgeable people
in our in our in our community which
is, you know, don't just sit around and
expect Islam to do things for you.
Right? But you have to actively be a
part of it. Actively try and this is
why y'all ever,
well, I'm a be
near
no. No. No.
No. Very good.
So Right? The last verse of that surah
literally urges people to talk to others and
to and remind themselves
about their blessings.
But you gotta think about it, man.
Like, you you go through life thinking that
your life is the worst, like, of course,
you're not gonna appreciate this deen.
Of course, you're not gonna appreciate what what
what this deen has to offer you. But
then you go through your your your daily
list and you're like,
parents.
You know, I guess air conditioning, right, in
this Dallas heat. You know?
I I ate once or twice today. You
know? That's a that's a huge blessing.
You know?
These are things that once you start kind
of, like, thinking about and reflecting over, things
start happening. Right? Very good. Sorry. Go ahead.
I was gonna say,
he mentioned ego. What about impulse
What do you mean by that exactly?
Like, it doesn't
like, your ego is like, it helps you
I guess, it tells you to make bad
decisions. Like,
Okay. Yeah. I see where you're coming from.
So being impulsive,
kind of forces you to,
yeah. I guess to make bad decisions as
well in your life. Yeah? Doing it without
thinking. Yeah. Doing it without okay. Good. Like
not having, like, kind of, like, thought and
and purpose behind it? Yeah. Very good. Yeah.
Very good. Anyone else anyone else have a,
have a reflection as to why,
people kind of, like, are blind and deaf
to blessings or or or guidance in their
life even if it's right under their eyes
or right under their nose?
Yes. Go ahead.
Person's heart can become sealed after sinning so
many times to the point where they can't
allow the seals on their heart, and a
lot of times that Mhmm. While seals in
their heart, their ears, and their eyes, and
Right? Like, Allah has sealed their
their their their, you know, their their their
hearts
and they and they can't return to him.
Right? Because they've done so much that, you
know,
displeases Allah.
So guidance doesn't even
feel the same to them anymore. Right? And
by the way and I'm gonna kinda share
something a little bit, I guess, a little
bit alarming,
is we do have a lot of questions
in our community about, like, I pray, but
I don't feel it.
Or, like, I make dua. I don't feel
it. Or I read Quran, and I don't
feel it.
And and we do give the answers that,
you know, not everyone's Islam will be the
same as the person next to you. Like,
that's not like, comparative Islam is not a
thing that we just do in this deen.
We're like, oh, yeah. Like, this person recites
this way and reacts that way, and I
just don't react that way. Yeah. We shouldn't
do that. But at the same time, when
you see a person who is really positively
affected by their worship, you almost have to
ask yourself the question, like, I wonder what
they're doing right.
Right? Like, I wonder what they're doing right.
And and and and most more often than
not, you'll find that this person's worship is
not think about it. The worship that you
see someone doing that's beautiful that caught your
attention is probably like a small, small percentage
of what they actually do.
So So you have to ask yourself, like,
what are they doing, like, without eyes on
them?
That, like, this 1% that I'm seeing is
so beautiful.
Right? It's very, very good point. Yes. You
have something.
Good question.
Ask me that then end end the session.
We'll we'll talk about that inshallah.
So
and then so at this point, Allah Ta'ala
also then kinda makes another
example. Okay? He creates another example of this.
Right?
The other example, Allah ta'ala he mentions in
Surat Al Baqarah he says or it's like
the example
That it's like a rainstorm from the sky
within which there's, like, there's darkness basically during
the storm. And there's thunder,
there's thunder and then there's lightning.
They put their fingers in their ears against
like the thunder
in dread and fear of death, but Allah
is encompassing it says
that Allah is basically encompassing or he encompasses
of the disbelievers.
So what this verse is also saying is
that there's a second type of being blind
and deaf. Right? The first type is almost
kind of being just like not appreciative of
the things around you. The second type is
being willingly ignorant.
Right?
That like you refuse
to acknowledge things around you. Right? Like you
know it's there. You've been told it's there,
but you're going out of your way to
kind of ignore it now. Right? And so
people who can see the truth around them
and they see the wrong voodoo mat, but
they cover their ears because they're afraid of
the reality. Now this is the second example
of this and an example of this basically
kind of like being advised about something. Right?
The scholars they say this is almost an
example of like being advised on something that
you do is incorrect and in your own
arrogance and love for your ego, your ego
disables you from learning from your mistake and
improving as a person. So the first example
the first example that I gave, it's more
of like an example of, like, you know,
that numbness because you're so immersed into, like,
a certain environment. The second example is kind
of along the lines of what Akram mentioned,
which is like the ego. Right? That you
you know what the right answer is, but
your own ego will not allow you to
admit it. And that's this is, like, one
of the more dangerous ones, by the way,
because that is, you know, what we call,
again, like I said, willing arrogance. Right? There's
one thing about, like, you snapping back into
reality. You all ever had snapping back into
reality moments in your life
where, like, you were just so immersed into
something and, like, you just couldn't see clearly.
And then one of your friends kinda, like,
took you by their shoulders and just kinda
shook you. You're like, oh, dang. Right? Like,
I can't believe I was, like, just in
this for the past year. Right?
When you're immersed in something, it's very hard
to see. Right, guys? It's like, this is
why, like, environment is so so important.
It's so important. That's why you get that
famous hadith of the blacksmith and the perfume
seller. It's a very elementary hadith that a
lot of people know, but a lot of
people overlook the deep meaning behind it. That
a person who is in the company of
a blacksmith
that would that's the example of being in
bad company. Like, they might not even have
anything to do with that act itself. Like,
you're not a blacksmith yourself. You ain't working
with no, like, metals or fire or anything
like that, but then you walk away from
being around that person an entire day and
you have evidence of being around that company
without you even knowing about it. Subconsciously, you
just have that about you. Right? And then
the, and then the example of the perfume
seller is that you could hang around that
person all day, the example of a a
person in good company, and you had nothing
to do with selling perfume, you had nothing
to do with making it, nothing to do
with the production, whatever it is, but then
you walk away at the end of the
night and you smell like that. You know,
one of the moments I man, I miss
this so much. One of the moments, like,
I felt that was when we went to
Umrah.
Like, all of our clothes when we came
back home, like, it just smelled like the
masjid in in in Medina and Mecca.
A really strong.
Right?
Like, every every every inch of that mall
smells like it for some reason. Like, I'm
going out to, like, buy, like, mangoes and
all I smell is, like, burning earth. I'm
like, what is going on here? Why does
every Saudi man smell like this?
But it's really good though. It's just a
really good smell. But but but literally it's
like I didn't do like, I might have
not even been near that store that sells
this, but I come home and it just
smells like that. Right?
This is kind of like the example of
just being kind of, like, associated with it.
Right? The second one, like I mentioned, is
a little bit more dangerous. Kind of, like,
actively,
being ignorant willingly ignorant against it. Okay? So
how can this hadith on the flip side
be in the favor of people who do
good? Right? What do we mention here? Somebody
over here mentioned what you say in the
beginning? How can this hadith be in favor
of people who choose to do good?
Well, I said that you
when you love something that's good for you,
you'll block out everything that's bad for you.
So when you love something that is good
for you, you tend to kind of, like,
just kind of, you know, black out everything
that's bad for your distractions. Right? And this
is where, by the way, we get that
famous statement
that this dunya
is a prison for the believer and a
paradise for the unbeliever for the unbeliever.
That this dunya if and that statement, by
the way, is very profound.
That this dunya is a paradise for is
a is a prison for the believer. Now
I'm not trying to go, like, hyper religious
on y'all by saying that, like, this world
is evil. Like, it's like a prison. It's
like a jail, and you shouldn't enjoy it.
But if you think about that example of
a prison for a believer,
prisons,
you can still live and eat and drink
and even have time that like, for free
activity and stuff like that, but it has
its limitations.
You can't do everything you want in a
prison.
And the scholars, they kinda mentioned that that
that that example.
That this dunya for a believer is like
a prison. It's not bad. It's not awful.
It's not the worst thing ever. It's something
that sometimes you have to do your time
in. Right? And obviously, we don't look at
it as that. Honestly, we don't look at
it as something that we just have to
do our time in because this world is
very different than a person in certain ways
as well because this world is the only
thing that can actually get you into paradise.
It kinda like it's almost like a cash
22. It's like you don't wanna be in
this world, but at the same time you
have to be in this world to prove
that you deserve Jannah. It's kinda confusing. Right?
But it's it's a it's a very, very
profound statement. Right? That in this world as
a believer,
you can go through it. You can function
in it, but you're not gonna be able
to do everything that you want in it.
And for people who seek that, like, eternity
in this world, they'll always be disappointed.
Always be disappointed.
People who like say like, oh, like how
can, you know, this happen in the dunya?
How can that evil happen in the dunya?
How can, you know, poverty, you know, be
so rampant in this world? How can world
hunger be so prevalent? How can social injustice
be so prevalent in the day and age
that we live in? Well, ask yourself this
question. Where were you ever promised that that
stuff wouldn't happen here?
Like, ask yourself the question.
Like, what document did you sign where you,
like, agreed that, like, this stuff was never
gonna happen in this world?
I taught a class this past this past
week about the sons of Adam, alayhis salaam,
Habid and Tawhid.
Literally, they're like the like the like the
2 sons of the first creation of man,
one killed the other.
And we talked about this last week. Right?
Like, when Allah created Adam alayhis salaam, the
angels, they actually kind of, like they they
they they, like, gave a little bit of
dialogue to Allah. They said, yeah, Allah, are
you, like are you gonna create something on
this earth that's gonna basically spread blood and
and and cause, you know,
a lot of, like, trouble between other other
other beings?
And Allah says that I know that which
you do not know. Right? And
so one of the limitations of this dunya
that we just know is that it's it's
it's a it's a place of imperfection. We're
not gonna expect perfection out of it. Right?
So a person
a person who is so laser focused on
the hereafter,
they realize that everything in this world that
is not meant for me, I'm not gonna
allow it to distract me from my ultimate
goal.
And there's a very, very by the way,
there's a very profound story that kind of,
like,
encompasses
this principle. There was a time where, you
know, one of the higher ups in Mecca,
right, Wataba ibn Rabia.
He
there was a point in which the prophet
was beginning to gain so much traction
in the community
that the
elites of Mecca started to kind of, like,
realize that, like, we have to buy him
out. Y'all ever been in, like, a buyout
situation where you can't, like, like, if you
can't if you can't beat this person, just
kinda, like, buy him out. Like, I was
I was gonna, like, kinda, like, you know,
at least try to bribe you and get
you to kinda come on my side deal,
like, whatever I have to offer you. And
so this is the point in which the
kind of, you know, reach. They're like, we
can't we we can't just, like, you know,
get this guy to stop because we offered
him so much. Right? And this is where
you get that famous story of, you know,
them telling the prophet
you worship our god for a year and
we worship your god for a year. Sound
pretty reasonable. Right? Kumbaya, we'll hold hands and
go to interfaith together. Okay. I'm I'm a
hit on interfaith, guys. Please don't quote me
on that. I will go to interfaith. I
go to interfaith stuff. Trust me. I do.
But I do I do disagree with that
statement that we're all the same. Y'all feel
me? Everyone's like, oh, we're all the same.
Like, no. We're not, dude. You believe the
process all the time? Oh, I I don't
think so.
By the way, I at at this point
in my life, when I was, like, 22,
21, I used to always, like, use, like,
neutral religious words like God and and and
prophet. And now I'm like, so Allah says
the Quran. And they're like, Like, I'm just
like, dude, I'm just gonna be unashamed Muslim,
man. I don't care. Like like, I'm just
gonna say Allah now. I'm not gonna say
God. Like, I don't say God to you
guys. Like, why should I say God to
other people? I'm just gonna say Allah.
But anyway, so these people, they offer the
prophet, like, this, you know, very tempting thing.
Hey. Worship our god for a year. We
worship your god for a year. Sounds really
nice. Right? And this is where the prophet
says, you know, if you were to put
the sun in one hand and the moon
in the other, I wouldn't stop doing what
I'm doing. Right? Like, you can't buy me
out.
This is one of the characteristics of a
Muslim man, that you can't be bought out
like that. You know, the the the the
sister of Omar Ibn Khabab
had the same exact attitude
when that famous story of happened where he
like was out to kill the prophet sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam and he got
you know, distracted because he heard that his
brother-in-law,
right,
Saeed bin, Zaid, he was in the
home,
in their house. He was married to his
sister,
Fatima, and they were, you know, apparently Muslim.
And he comes knocking at their door
and, you know, Sayid bin Zayed, he answers
the door and Omer al Khattab, he sees
the Quran them reciting it and he gets
so angry that he basically hits Sayid bin
Zayed,
and he basically strikes his sister Fatima
and out of anger. This is why anger
is so is so harmful by the way,
guys. And he sees what they're reciting,
and Fatima looks at, you know, her her
her brother and she says, you can kill
me. You can do whatever you want to.
But when he reached down for that, she
goes, you have to have when you read
it.
Can you can you believe that? Like, you
dude, that that dude coulda killed you.
But she said you can you can kill
me. I don't care about me, like, whatever.
If I die, I die inshallah, Allah accept
me accept me in the paradise, but you're
not gonna touch that Quran without having wudu.
Like, that's called being unapologetically Muslim.
You know what I'm saying? Like, that that
that's like there's no room for you to
you can mess around with me, but you
can mess around with my religion type of
behavior. You know what I'm saying?
And so
this this this person, Orzbah ibn Rabi'ah, he
came to the prophet
and he says, you know, we have an
offer for you. It's really incredible because we
have an offer for you.
And and I want you guys to really
think about this by the way, because a
lot of people read, like, these narrations of
of of prophetic,
you know, history, and they're like, oh, that's
really cool. Right? Uhud and Badr and, you
know, all these different things. But I want
you to ask yourself, if you were in
this historical context, what side of history would
you be on?
Like, seriously. Like, a lot of us, Wallahi,
man, and I'll say this for myself, we
are so lucky we were born Muslim.
Y'all feel me? Like we are so lucky
we're born Muslim.
Like God forbid, man, subhanallah, this is why,
like, people who choose to be Muslim by
choice,
you know, like they weren't born Muslim. There's,
like, another level of Jannah waiting for these
people, man.
There's another level of Jannah waiting for these
people. But, you and I just kind of
came about this religion because one day we
remember our our our dad was, like, leading
prayer in the house, or our mom was,
like, making dua or reading Quran.
So we just kinda, like, came into that
tradition.
The masjid was just like a thing in
Ramadan.
Right? We we never even thought about it
twice.
But think about the people who had to
actively choose to be Muslim. And if you
think about it and this is and these
statements that I, you know, this is why
having, you know, teachers and mentors is so
important because they point out things to you
that you always saw but you never realized.
One of the things that one of our
teachers taught us is that when you think
about it all the Sahabi were converts.
All the Sahaba were converts.
Not one of them was a Muslim from
birth.
Whether you talk about Abu Bakr or Amar
or Ali or Afman or Khadija or Aisha,
Like, all these people were they they they
came they they came into this religion because
they chose it actively.
And I want you guys to think about
how tough that was in a in a
in a context that was extremely hostile towards
them.
Right?
Look at look look at Abdul Labin Masarud.
Guy was reading Quran and got, like, hit
with stones
and fists.
Bilal ibn Raba
literally said
and because of that he was dragged around
the city of Makkah,
you know, tied up to the leg of
an animal
and his back was, like, torn up.
We're out here, like, you know,
we're like, oh, man. Like, man, like, being
Muslim is hard, man.
So it's Texas things. Right? Like,
man. Like, at least I can go to
the back of, like, a velvet taco and
pray lower if I need to. You know
what I'm saying? Like, seriously, it's a huge
blessing. It's a huge blessing. And I understand,
like, there there's a fear there there's a
fear factor in, like, you know, being Muslim
sometimes. Yeah. Sure. There's hostile environments and everything
like that. But,
again, perspective. Right? So Raffaibir Rabiahi came to
the prophet and he said, you know,
you know, if you're doing all this to,
to with a view to getting wealth,
we will join together
to give you all the riches that all
of us possess.
So basically, we'll just kinda give you every
every penny that you want. The wealth that
you can never imagine you can literally have
it. He goes if ambition is what moves
you if ambition is what moves you we
will make you like the leader of the
entire tribe of the Quraysh.
Again, if if that's what you want.
He goes, if you desire kingship, like you
wanna be like the most profound king of
all time,
We we will literally offer you that. We
will never make a decision without consulting you,
Mohammed, ibn Abdullah. That's what they used to
call him by the way.
You know? And if you
and and they even say they're like like,
and this is how, by the way, this
is how, like, messed up the Quraysh were.
They're like, if there's, like, an evil demon,
like, possessing you right now, we'll get you
the best doctor. It's an authentic
narration. They're like, yeah. If there's, like, a
there's, like, a there's, like, a there's, like,
a devil that's basically haunting you, we'll get
the best doctor for you right now. You
just tell me. So they, like, offer him
all these different things, and the prophet told
him they say and he says to them,
he goes, are you done?
It's almost like your mom. Right? Your mom's
like you, like, plea with your mom. You're
like, please listen. Your mom's like, you're done?
Now shut up. Right?
But the process is like, are you done?
Are you done speaking?
And
Rabi says, yeah, we're done. Take this offer.
It's on the table for you. And then
the prophet
he begins to recite
the first kafu ayat from Shulsul Fusilat.
Okay?
And in
the translation
basically goes on to talk about,
first and foremost, the Quran
and why it was revealed, what the Quran
is all about,
and it talks about that
why what what his role is, why I'm
here.
I'm not here to collect paychecks.
I'm not here to gain any monetary value
from you. I'm not here to gain your
praise or your love. I'm not here to
maximize on any benefit
whatsoever.
I'm here
for your,
literally, for your salvation. That's why I'm here.
And he recites, like, the first, like, 10
to 12 ayahs from Suratul Fosilat.
And Otbab in Rabi'ah,
he goes back to, like, his his his
his tribesmen
and, like, yeah. So what did he do?
You offered him, like, all the money. Right?
Like, you offered him, like, the the leader
position and everything like that. What did he
say? Like, they were expecting, like, a victory.
Easy dub. Right? They're like, yeah. For sure.
There's no way this dude's gonna deny it.
And,
goes, yeah. He just recited Quran to me.
Like, he just told me about how, like,
the Quran was sent to, like, clarify things
and how he was sent as a messenger.
And and you know what
said? He goes,
there's no way this dude is here
just for his own desire.
There's no way.
He's like, any normal man would have, like,
at least succumb to, like, one of those
things that we offer.
He would have just been like, yeah. So,
like, I won't take the $1,000,000, but, like,
if you got 10 k on you, I'll
just just whatever. I'll take that.
Any normal guy would be like, yeah. I
don't wanna be your king, but I'd rather,
like, I I do wanna have, like, leadership
position here, you know,
somewhere. Because he denied all of it.
He didn't take one thing. He denied every
single one,
and he just reminded us through Quran why
he's here.
And also Abba goes also Abba goes, I'm
not gonna like, don't ever send me to
him for any sort of negotiations ever again.
Y'all can do this from now on. I'm
not gonna do it anymore.
So, like, this is what you call,
you know, this hadith that we mentioned, your
love of something can blind and deafen you.
We talked about how, like, the wrong type
of love can blind and deafen you from
things that are good for you. But look
at the love that the prophet had for
his religion.
Like, it was unshakable,
you know.
It was unshakable.
And then when we ask questions, like, man,
like, when I'm in salah and, like
like, you know, I I start thinking about,
like, my exam tomorrow. Like, I start thinking
about, like, you know, the food that I'm
about to eat for dinner, and I start
thinking about that text message that I never
replied to.
Like, why am I getting distracted by all
these things?
I want you to ask yourself. I'll I'll
I'll I'll I'll I'll I'll I'll I'll ask
myself, how much am I in love with
the salah?
How much love do I have for this
dua that I'm making?
How much love do I have for this
Quran that I'm reciting?
Because that is ultimately
your question that you have to ask.
Like, think about anything you loved in this
life, man.
Anything.
If you truly love something,
that is always gonna take priority over whatever
else you have in your life going on
right now.
Man, like, I'm a the like, my my
daughter was born 3 like, about 3 and
a half, 4 weeks ago, and I told
I told my wife and she goes, like,
because, obviously, you know, she,
man. Like, I'll tell you guys something. Like,
you know, like, how in Islam, you learn
all these different kind of principles about respecting
your mothers and this and that, all that
stuff?
What I witnessed 4 weeks ago taught me
what I will never ever be able to
learn from books. Like, seriously.
I I I joked around with him, like,
you guys, like, last week about I was
like, man, if our daughter ever bad mouths
my wife, I swear to god that girl
is done. Like, after what your mother went
through for you, there's no way. And so
my wife asked me. She's like she's like,
so what what what did it feel what
does it feel like when you go out
to, like, work and, like, you know, when
you go out to, like, teach classes or
go to class or whatever it is, like,
how do you feel? Or even, like, go
out to, like, grab groceries from, like, the
store.
And I told her, I said,
there is something
in my heart now
that
I literally just cannot stop thinking about
her, about this girl. I cannot stop. Even
when I'm, like, picking out, like, small little,
like, things for our house, I'm like, man,
I need I wonder if Aya, like, needs,
like, wet wipes.
You know? Like, I wonder if Aya needs,
you know does she need new diapers? I
don't know. Like, she is she a size
1 now? Like, I'm not sure. Like, I
just grab it
because, like, that love. And and and and,
well, you know what's crazy?
The other day, I forgot something that I
actually needed for the house because I actually
got distracted by by buying something that I
needed.
Like, I literally went to the store with,
like, a couple of things in my mind
that I needed for the house, and I've
got distracted because I I remember I needed,
like, gas drops
and I bought gas drops and I went
home.
That was the only thing on my mind.
And then I read this hadith, I'm like,
dang. How do you know?
Right? How did he know this 1400 years
ago, man?
So there there there's a huge reality with
this hadith, man. There's a huge reality with
this hadith. Like, your love will motivate you.
You just have to ask yourself the question,
what do I love and how much do
I love it?
What do I love and how much do
I love it?
And ask yourself if those are applicable towards
your acts of worship that you have when
it comes to this deen. Right? We ask
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala to make us of
the people who are in love with this
religion and we ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
to make us of the people
who our love for this religion
drives us towards pleasing Allah
and we ask Allah
to make us of the people who are
never distracted by the things that are temporary
and we never sacrifice the things that are
permanent for the things that are temporary. And
we ask Allah
to allow us to
be
good representations
of what it is to worship
Allah way that he deserves to be worshiped.
And we ask Allah
to forgive us for all of our sins
whether they be direct or indirect.
To answer your question,
you had a question in the back and
you said,
when it