Shady Alsuleiman – Steadfastness during Challenging Times
AI: Summary ©
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AI: Summary ©
Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem.
Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen.
Wa salatu wa salamu ala Sayyidina wa Habibina
Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma'in.
Rabbish rahli sadri wa yasli amri wa ahlul
abdatan min lisani wa yabta'u qawla amma
ba'd.
All praise be due to Allah Subhana wa
Ta'ala and peace be upon Muhammad ﷺ.
I testify that there is no God except
Allah and I testify that Muhammad is the
Prophet and the Messenger of Allah.
And we thank Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala
for Islam and the bounty of the Iman
and worshipping Allah Azza wa Jal in the
month of Ramadan and after the month of
Ramadan until we met Allah Subhana wa Ta
'ala the Lord of Ramadan.
Worshipping Allah Azza wa Jal is not limited
to Ramadan and worshipping Allah Subhana wa Ta
'ala is 24-7.
And Alhamdulillah with the good news that things
are easing and the restrictions here in New
South Wales and Australia in general are easing
and we ask Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala
to bring us together and to assist us
online insha'Allah.
It's only a matter of time they'll come
back here at the UMA Center and resume
our normal operations and resume the UMA Sisterhood
lessons every single Saturday and we look forward
to your company as we look forward to
your online company and insha'Allah it's only
a matter of time that Allah Subhana wa
Ta'ala will bring the sisters here at
the UMA together for them to see each
other and for them to revive the spirit
of Islam in their lives and we ask
Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala to make us
from amongst those who continue getting closer to
Allah Azza wa Jal during all times and
situations.
One of the things that we've learned out
of this crisis is that worshipping Allah is
not limited to a time, it's not limited
to a place, it's not limited to a
circumstance and subhanAllah how this crisis came through
the month of Ramadan and subhanAllah in the
month of Ramadan a month that we connect
ourselves to Allah Azza wa Jal and a
month that we better ourselves with Allah Subhana
wa Ta'ala but something taught us that
Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala is there and
Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala's connection is not
limited to a place, a space, a time
or a crisis.
We must always be connected to Allah Subhana
wa Ta'ala and obviously just finishing from
the month of Ramadan which is what just
less than two weeks ago we finished the
month of Ramadan and less than two weeks
ago we celebrated the day of Eid the
day that Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala grants
His servants the great rewards and Allah Subhana
wa Ta'ala declares those who have fasted
in the month of Ramadan as His servants
and those that He's pleased from and those
that Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala has forgiven
and Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala accept your
worship.
Now obviously given that we just finished from
the month of Ramadan and subhanAllah we are
coming out of this crisis slowly and things
are easing off slowly it's important for us
to talk about where do we stand when
it comes to all this, where do we
stand when it comes to our position, where
do we stand when it comes to our
position with regards of having patience, with regards
of this crisis, with regards of perseverance and
steadfastness.
SubhanAllah, perseverance and steadfastness is a very important
aspect for us as believers.
So I'm excited that Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi
Wasallam was asked a question.
A man comes to him and says to
him or a messenger of Allah Qulni fil
Islami qawlan la as'alu amhu ahadan ba'da
or a messenger of Allah told me something
in Islam that I don't need to ask
anyone after.
So the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said
Qul amantu billahi thumma istiqam Say I believe
in Allah Azzawajal and be steadfast.
Be steadfast, istiqamah subhanAllah it's a very important
aspect and principle to us as believers, to
you as a believer and the month of
Ramadan is the month of istiqamah of course
and the month of Ramadan that teaches us
istiqamah and you know what in reality you
are never more steadfast in any other month
than the month of Ramadan.
SubhanAllah the month of Ramadan does really teach
us to be steadfast and does really teach
us to be perseverant and you will never
ever be more steadfast than any other month
of the month of Ramadan.
This is a blessing from Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala upon us.
It's a blessing of Allah Azzawajal upon you,
upon me and upon us all and the
month of Ramadan taught us a lot of
lessons and one of them as I mentioned
is steadfastness but now we have to continue
with this lesson that we have been taught
in the month of Ramadan after the month
of Ramadan and not just limited to the
month of Ramadan and subhanAllah it's so sad
when you start seeing people struggling in their
perseverance and their steadfastness after the month of
Ramadan and you engage with a lot of
others and you speak to them and most
people that you speak to that's why I'm
struggling after the month of Ramadan.
Why are you struggling after the month of
Ramadan?
What's the reason behind you struggling after the
month of Ramadan?
The only reason that you are struggling after
the month of Ramadan is because you've allowed
yourself to struggle after the month of Ramadan.
If you want to stay perseverant, you stay
perseverant after the month of Ramadan until you
meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Nothing should hold you back from Allah Azzawajal.
Nothing should hold you back from Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
And now we want to talk about steadfastness
during calamities and challenges.
Now obviously in the last few months as
human beings in general, as people in general
and as Muslims we've never ever encountered and
experienced challenges as much as we did in
the last three months.
We've never experienced, like we're talking about people
in our days.
We're talking about this day and age.
Now obviously before us, yes, generations before us
maybe our parents that probably struggled and encountered
challenges a lot more than what we've experienced
in the last three months.
But I'm talking about in this day and
age.
I'm talking about someone like myself who's just
over 40 years old.
I've never experienced something like this.
A complete restriction and lockdown and people are
self-isolating and people are not allowed to
shake hands and hug each other and 1
.5 meters distance and 4.3 meters space
for each person and not allowed to leave
your home, not allowed this, not allowed that.
Even though for us here in Australia we've
had it a lot better.
We've had it a lot better than many
other countries, if not most of the countries
around the world.
But subhanAllah it is a challenge.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tests us
and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will continue
to test us.
And the reason that Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala tests us, it's not because Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala wants to punish us.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tests us to
strengthen us.
Allah tests us to strengthen us.
To strengthen our iman, to strengthen our aqeedah,
to strengthen our belief, to strengthen our relationship
with him, to strengthen our relationship with one
another, to strengthen our understanding in life.
That's why Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tests
us.
Don't you ever think that Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala tests you because he wants to
punish you.
Never ever think this way.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tests you to
strengthen you.
To strengthen your aqeedah.
To strengthen your belief in Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala.
To strengthen your connection to Allah azza wa
jalla.
To strengthen your connection to Islam.
To strengthen your connection to your belief.
To strengthen your connection to the masjid even
though subhanAllah we miss the masajid and slowly
we're coming back to the masajid.
But also to strengthen your relationship to the
masajid.
To strengthen your relationship to one another.
That's the test.
Allah never tests to punish.
Allah never tests to torture.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala never tests for
you to go through a punishment or a
torture.
But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tests you
to strengthen you.
And we've gone through this test.
And for us as Muslims even though we
share the same test with every other human
being and every other person standing on the
face of this earth.
But we as Muslims we had an extra
test.
That is experiencing this pandemic and this lockdown
in the month of Ramadan.
SubhanAllah that's a big test for us.
The month of Ramadan is our peak month.
Our peak month in our connection to Allah
azzawajal, in our iman, in our faith, in
the Quran and everything that we do.
SubhanAllah we had an extra burden.
If every other human being was suffering, we
suffered even more in the month of Ramadan
to be away from the masjid, to be
away from one another.
So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tests us.
But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tests, Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala tests to strengthen us.
Always remember that Allah tests you, Allah tests
me to strengthen us.
And that's why my sisters in Islam, even
though our brothers are welcome to what?
Online?
That's why the month of Ramadan should have
been a big lesson.
This year's Ramadan should have been a big
lesson for every single one of us.
And it's been two weeks from the month
of Ramadan.
SubhanAllah two sarrahs, two sarrahs, one four na
'iga.
A four na'iga, two sarrahs was the
last sarrah of the month of Ramadan.
This time two weeks ago we were fasting
and preparing ourselves to finish the month of
Ramadan.
SubhanAllah look at yourself right now, two weeks
after the month of Ramadan.
If you were strong after last year's Ramadan,
this year's Ramadan should be stronger.
And your steadfastness to Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala should be stronger.
Because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala put you
through a bigger test this year than last
year.
Which means you have to be stronger with
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala this year than
last year.
You have to be more empowered in your
iman.
You have to be more empowered in your
connection to Allah azzawajal this year than any
other time.
Because we went through a bigger test.
We went through a bigger training process.
So if you were trained one year, you
should be stronger than being trained six months.
And if you've trained two years, you should
be stronger than being trained one year.
Now alhamdulillah Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has
escalated and said alhamdulillah.
Yes alhamdulillah for the tests.
Because the sahabah radiallahu ta'ala anhum is
looking forward to those moments.
That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tests them.
Why?
Because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tests those
that He loves.
There's a statement by the sahabah radiallahu ta
'ala anhum and our predecessors which they say
that when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala used
to test one of them, they used to
say welcome, welcome, we welcome Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala's promotion.
We welcome Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's test.
We welcome Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's upgrade.
What upgrade?
You upgrade in your iman.
You upgrade in your taqwa.
You upgrade in your relation with Allah azzawajal.
Everyone loves to upgrade.
Everyone loves to upgrade.
Subhanallah, you've got a car after a few
years, you want to upgrade it.
You've got a house after a few years,
you want to upgrade it.
You've got furniture after a few years, you
want to upgrade it.
You've got a watch after a few years,
you want to upgrade it.
You've got a phone after a few months,
you want to upgrade it.
These days months, subhanallah, by the time you
upgrade your month, a few months after that
you want to upgrade it.
We as human beings, we like to upgrade
everything.
What about your iman?
Have you upgraded it?
Why don't we upgrade our iman?
When it comes to our iman, alhamdulillah, I'm
happy where I am.
No, no, you shouldn't be happy where you
are.
You should upgrade your iman.
I want to upgrade my iman.
And that's why this Ramadan was an upgrade
in our iman.
We should have all been upgraded in our
iman.
We should have all been stronger in our
iman.
That's why my sisters in Islam, now is
the month, now is the time that we
strengthen our souls to Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala and stay steadfast because this month, the
month of Shawwal, is a month that makes
you or breaks you.
The month of Shawwal makes you or breaks
you.
The month of Shawwal is either going to
give you the strength for you to stay
perseverant and steadfast from now to the next
Ramadan or you're going to crumble and struggle
from now to the next Ramadan.
And subhanallah you can see that.
You can see that and you can see
that manifested by a lot of people.
You can see that in many brothers and
sisters who are struggling in their iman.
People are struggling to maintain their prayers.
People are struggling to maintain their relationship to
the Qur'an-e-Karim and the restoration
of the Qur'an-e-Karim.
Sisters are struggling to keep on the hijab.
This thing about people taking off the hijab,
al-Iyadu Billah, and not only taking off
the hijab and staying quiet about it and
saying Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgive me,
I'm struggling, I'm weak and I'm taking off
the hijab inshallah I have the intent to
put it back on, well I'm struggling because
of this and that.
Some of them are taking off the hijab
and boasting about taking off the hijab, al
-Iyadu Billah.
When you commit a sin, is one thing.
When you boast over the sin, that's worse
than committing the sin.
Islamically committing a sin is bad.
Boasting over the sin, boasting over committing the
sin is worse than committing the sin itself.
So when someone drinks alcohol, when someone drinks
alcohol, that's haram.
Boasting over committing, drinking alcohol is worse than
drinking alcohol.
When someone commits zina, that's haram.
And boasting over committing the zina, that's worse
than committing zina.
And when a sister takes off the hijab
and not wears the hijab, that's haram.
But boasting over taking off the hijab and
not wearing the hijab, that's worse than not
wearing the hijab.
We never boast over the sins that we
commit.
If you are weak, may Allah guide you.
May Allah guide you.
We're not 100% people.
I'm weak.
I'm struggling.
I'm struggling to put on the hijab.
I'm struggling.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala give me
guidance.
May Allah azza wa jal give me guidance.
But to take it off and boast about
it, that's a bigger sin.
That's a bigger problem.
That's a bigger deen.
Subhanallah.
That's a bigger bad deen.
So my sisters in Islam, the month of
Shawwal is a month that makes us or
breaks us.
The month of Shawwal is a month that
we will either continue getting closer to Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala from now to the
month of Ramadan or we'll find ourselves away
from Allah azza wa jal.
The month of Shawwal will set the stone
from now to the next Ramadan.
By the time next Ramadan comes, you'll be
stronger to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And then the month of Ramadan will give
you another head start.
The month of Ramadan will give you another
promotion.
The month of Ramadan will give you another
uplifting.
The month of Ramadan will give you another
upgrade.
So where do you stand right now?
For that, my sisters in Islam, we need
to always keep in mind, how can we
stay perseverant?
And as I mentioned, yes, the last few
months have been very challenging for every single
one of us.
But subhanallah, some people are coming out of
it stronger and others are coming out of
it weaker.
Some people find themselves closer to Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
That's the blessing of Allah azza wa jal
upon them.
And that's a sign of Allah's acceptance upon
them.
And other people are finding themselves weaker and
struggling, subhanallah.
And I want to be in a position
to be a weak believer.
I want to be strong with Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
That's why when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
commands the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Allah azza wa
jal commands the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to worship
him.
And what does Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
say to Muhammad ﷺ?
وَعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِيدُ O Muhammad, continue
worshipping Allah until the month of Ramadan is
over.
Continue worshipping Allah until the day of Eid.
Continue worshipping Allah until you get married and
you pay off your debts.
Continue worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala until
you retire.
Continue worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala until
you become rich.
Continue worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala until
you recover.
And I'm using all those excuses that we
always use.
I'm struggling because inshallah once I get married,
or once I get married, once I marry
off my kids, once I pay off my
house, once I pay off this loan, once
I do this and that.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, وَعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ
حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِيدُ Continue worshipping Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala until you meet Allah.
Continue worshipping Allah azza wa jal until you
meet Allahi Allah.
Until you face Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Which means you continue worshipping Allah azza wa
jal until that last moment that you're on
the face of this earth.
Until your last breath.
Until your last breath.
Until your last movement.
Until you meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
وَعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِيدُ Continue worshipping Allah
azza wa jal until you meet Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
Which means what?
Regardless what challenge you face.
Regardless what struggle you go through.
Regardless what trial and test that you go
through.
Regardless what you are encountering in your life.
You continue worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Regardless in the month of Ramadan.
Outside the month of Ramadan.
Regardless during this pandemic and outside this pandemic.
Regardless during social distancing and no social distancing.
You continue worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
until you meet Allah.
Until you stand with Allah.
That is, I will continue worshipping Allah azza
wa jal until I stand with Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
In Nabi ﷺ says, and subhanAllah listen to
this hadith.
It's a very very concerning hadith when you
really think about it.
It's a very concerning notion.
A very concerning meaning and understanding of this
hadith.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ says, one of you
will continue worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Until there is any one hand span between
him and entering the Jannah.
So we are talking about righteous person that
continues to worship Allah, worship Allah, worship Allah,
worship Allah.
Until he is on the edge.
Until he is on the doorstep of entering
the Jannah.
And then subhanAllah something happens.
This person gets misguided.
This person slips.
Then they start committing the sins.
So subhanAllah Nabi ﷺ says, things will flip.
Things will turn around.
So someone will continue worshipping Allah azza wa
jal until they are about to enter the
Jannah.
Until things turn around.
With Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
As the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ says, Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala will change things in his
life.
This person will be tested.
This person will go through a struggle.
This person will go through a test.
This person will be misguided.
And then he'll go on misguidance.
So he'll end up where?
In the hellfire.
SubhanAllah.
This person has been worshipping Allah azza wa
jal all his life.
Until he's about to enter the Jannah.
Just the very moment before he enters the
Jannah, he decides to do something wrong.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala turns things around.
He'll end up doing something wrong before.
He dies.
And he dies committing that sin.
So he'll end up in the hellfire.
And then the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ says, one
of you will continue worshipping.
One of you will continue serving Allah azza
wa jal.
Until this army of hands span between him
and entering the hellfire.
And then subhanAllah Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
changes his life.
Their life.
They'll repent to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
They'll bow and repent to Allah azza wa
jal.
And then they'll enter the Jannah after many
years of committing the sin.
SubhanAllah.
See.
See the seriousness of perseverance and steadfastness.
You need to be steadfast.
You don't know when things will flip.
You don't know when things will turn around.
You don't know when that time will come.
You have to stay on the right path
until you meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
You need to meet Allah azza wa jal
while you're on the right path.
You need to stand in front of Allah
azza wa jal while you're on the right
path.
You need to bow on the right path.
SubhanAllah it's very concerning.
And sometimes you know we become so complacent.
Right now a lot of people are in
a complacency.
They're in a complacency mode.
Very complacent.
Many people after the month of Ramadan become
very complacent.
Become very relaxed.
They become in that comfort zone.
No.
This is the time they need to step
it up.
You did so well in the month of
Ramadan.
You need to do more after the month
of Ramadan.
And you did so well during these challenges.
You need to do more after these challenges.
SubhanAllah speaking to a lot of people especially
during this pandemic because a lot of people
were staying at home.
Which means what?
It worked in their favor for them to
be away from the haram.
Alhamdulillah.
I thank Allah azza wa jal.
We're not the type of people that go
to the wrong places or hang out with
the wrong people.
But this pandemic worked in the favor of
a lot of people that disconnected them from
the haram.
Rehabilitated them.
This pandemic and this lockdown did rehabilitate a
lot of people.
Where people going to the haram, going out
to the haram, being in the haram, involved
in the haram, hanging out with the haram
and the haram people.
When I say haram people, those that give
me haram.
But subhanAllah because of this lockdown, a lot
of those environments were shut down.
So alhamdulillah.
It's out of your system right now.
It's out of your system.
Keep it out of your system.
Don't bring it back into your system.
It did work in the favor of a
lot of people.
Some people were struggling to stop the haram
because they usually go to the haram.
So those haram places are shut down.
So they haven't been to the haram for
the last 3-4 months.
Some people are saying alhamdulillah I haven't been
to the haram for the last 3 months.
It's out of my system.
I don't want to go back to it.
And some people are craving for it.
Some people are longing for it.
Looking forward to that moment.
When is this going to happen?
When is that going to happen?
I want to go to it.
Take this as an advantage.
Challenges come to shake you up.
Challenges come to shake you up.
To get the best out of you.
Make sure the best comes out of you.
Not the worst comes out of you.
And that's why we need to be steadfast.
And my advice to the brothers and sisters
out there.
Be steadfast.
Alhamdulillah.
Yes we went through these challenges.
But these challenges came to strengthen us.
To make us better people.
Not worse people.
To make us closer to Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala.
Not far away from Allah azza wa jal.
To make us to be stronger believers.
Not weaker believers.
To make us to be strong Muslims.
Not weaker Muslims.
So take advantage of this.
Alhamdulillah.
Some of the advantages and the positives that
came out of this pandemic.
That a lot of the haram came out
of a system.
Leave it out of your system.
Leave it out of your life and then
go back to it.
Now the true test comes.
The true test comes.
And alhamdulillah we came out of the month
of Ramadan.
And soon we'll be coming out of this
lockdown and this restriction.
Make sure you come out of both stronger
to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And be stronger with Allah azza wa jal.
And be from amongst those.
Continue worshiping Allah azza wa jal until you
meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Allah says in the Quran.
We will test you.
Allah says we will test you.
We will test you through your fear.
People are afraid.
People are petrified.
People are panicked.
People are scared.
And hunger.
Alhamdulillah.
Alhamdulillah.
I don't think people are hungry these days.
Probably what people have eaten in the last
few months.
They've never eaten in the last year.
But alhamdulillah the people are hungry.
We're not hungry.
Especially us living in Australia.
We're not that hungry.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given us
more than what we are even asking for.
There was that panic buying and people were
going crazy over, you know, things.
And out of all places, subhanallah, and out
of all things, that people were going crazy
over toilet papers.
I don't know what a toilet paper is
going to do to you.
I'm not saying it's not important.
But subhanallah, there was that panic buying.
People were scared.
وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُ بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ Hunger.
وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالْثَمَرَاتِ And a reduction,
as Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, reduction
in wealth, reduction in lives, which means people
who lose their lives.
وَالثَّمَرَاتِ And people who lose their children.
And then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says,
وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ Left eilings to those
who are patient.
Patient over what?
Brothers and sisters, don't get me wrong.
Patience is not just, you know, I'm patient
over the calamity that I'm going through.
I'm patient over the, you know, the predicament
I'm going through.
I'm patient over the trial and test I'm
going through.
I'm patient over the challenges that I'm encountering.
No, no, no.
Patience.
Patience is over keeping away from the haram
and patience to stay on the right path.
Patience.
Patience.
And sabr has a number of elements.
Sabr has a number of elements.
Patience has a number of parts.
One of them is to keep away from
the haram.
You have to have patience to keep away
from the haram.
Because you need to be patient to keep
away from the haram.
To control and restrain your temptations.
You need to have patience.
You need to be patient to keep yourself
away from the haram.
And also, to stay on the right path,
you need to be patient.
To stay on the right path, you need
to be patient.
To continue praying, you need to be patient.
To continue fasting, you need to be patient.
To continue paying your zakat, you need to
be patient.
To continue reading the Qur'an-e-Karim,
you need to be patient.
To continue listening to lectures on this, you
need to be patient.
You need to be patient.
So patience is not only one element, not
only one aspect, not only one path.
It's a number of paths.
One of them is to be patient over
keeping away from the haram.
The other one is to be patient of
staying on the path to Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala.
Two elements, always keep that in your mind.
Let's take fastness.
We will test you as Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala said.
And we will continue to test you.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says we
will continue to test you until you meet
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And the most tested human being by Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala is Muhammad sallallahu alaihi
wa sallam.
The most tested people are those who are
loved by Allah.
So when Allah tests you, that means Allah
loves you.
When Allah tests you, that means Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala wants you to be closer
to Him.
When Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tests you,
that means Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants
you to get closer to Him.
So these are the tests that Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala tests us.
It's a test upon me, upon me.
And we've been going through tests.
And we continue to go through tests.
And don't be sad.
Yes, it's hard sometimes.
But don't be sad when Allah tests you
with a matter that's not in your hands.
With a matter that you didn't ask for.
Be happy.
Yes, be happy.
I know it sounds ironic, but be happy.
Why?
When Allah tests you with a matter that's
not in your hands, that's a sign of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants you to
get closer to Him.
Yes, subhanAllah, imagine that you get that phone
call from your boss that tells you, we're
going to promote you, but you have to
undergo a test.
You get upset or happy?
Of course you get happy.
Yes, no one likes to go through the
test.
How many promotions are subject to a test?
How many people are out there, especially the
senior positions?
How many people are out there?
If you want to get promoted, you have
to go through the test.
In the police force and other forces, when
they want to promote someone, they have to
undergo a test.
You can't just get promoted like that.
Yes, you've been accepted to be promoted because
of your performance, but now you need to
do a test.
When you do the test, then you get
promoted.
So subhanAllah, when you get that phone call,
when you get that message saying that we're
going to promote you, and we're going to
give you a senior position, why don't you
do a test?
You get upset or you get happy?
Of course you get happy.
Yes, you stress over the test.
You stress over the test.
I stress over the test.
You stress over the test, but you get
happy because it's a sign of promotion.
And likewise, when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
puts us through the test, Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala is promoting us.
So be happy and be stressed.
Yes, be happy and be stressed, but don't
be sad.
Be happy.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is putting us
through the test because Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala wants to promote us.
Allah wants to promote you.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants to
get close to you.
So be happy.
And that's why Nabi ﷺ was always happy,
even during the toughest of times.
Now when you think about it, Sayyidina Allahu
Akbar has the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ handling this.
It's very tough.
Very tough.
Extremely tough.
But it's all about the promotion.
And right now, my brothers and my sisters,
it's a time of promotion.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given us
an opportunity for us to be promoted.
But promotions don't come without a cost.
Promotions don't come without a price.
And the price is pass the test.
Pass the test.
And alhamdulillah, we passed the test in the
month of Ramadan.
And inshallah we'll pass the test during this
challenging time.
So how can we pass the test?
Number one, is stay sincere.
Sincerity with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Everything starts from this heart.
Nabi ﷺ says, The
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, There's a piece of
meat.
If this piece of meat goes correct, everything
goes correct.
If it goes guarded, it goes guarded.
Everything goes guarded.
And if it's misguarded or incorrect, everything goes
misguarded or incorrect.
What's that?
It's your heart.
Everything starts from the heart.
You could be praying, you could be fasting,
you could be doing this, doing that.
So many things you could be doing in
your life.
But at the end of the day, if
this heart is not on the right path,
if this heart is not to Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala, not for Allah ﷻ to
please Allah ﷻ, then all those actions, all
those cosmetics, are only cosmetics at the end
of the day.
All those things from the outside are only
outside things.
That's sincerity.
And in order for us to be sincere,
we need to also accept, accept acceptance.
We also need to accept the fact that
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has tested me
to be from among them.
Acknowledgement.
It's very important.
Why are you going through that for?
Yes, I'm sincere for Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala.
But I also accept Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala's test.
I accept Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's test
upon me.
When you accept Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's
test upon you, that's also a sign of
acceptance, sign of sincerity.
Look at the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ when he
went to Ata'if.
And Nabi ﷺ was stoned, and Nabi ﷺ
was abused, and Nabi ﷺ was insulted, and
Nabi ﷺ was swore at, and Nabi ﷺ
was this and that.
And then he came out of Ata'if
saying, Ya Rabb, look what happened to me
in there.
Please see I'm happy.
Allahu Akbar.
Who says that these days?
When did you ever turn around to Allah
and say, Ya Allah, this test that I'm
going through, whether in my health, my family,
my work, and every other test that I'm
going through, Ya Allah, as long as you're
happy, I'm happy.
When did you ever say something like that?
Deep inside, even if we acknowledge it, we
struggle to say something like that because no
one is happy, and no one likes to
be happy because I've been tested.
We don't like to be tested.
It's our natural inclination.
It's our natural instinct.
It's our natural life.
It's a natural thing in us.
No one likes to be tested.
When was the last my sister in Islam
that when Allah SWT tested you in your
health, when Allah tested you in your work,
when Allah tested you in your children, when
Allah tested you in your marriage, when Allah
tested you in your family, when Allah tested
you in everything around you, you turned around
and said, Ya Allah, as long as you're
happy from me, I'm happy.
Very hard to do and very hard to
acknowledge and confess.
I know it's hard.
It's tough.
But at the end of the day, Allah
SWT tested us to get closer to Him.
And look at the Prophet Muhammad SAW, who's
more honorable than you and I.
And Nabi SAW was so tested to the
extent that he would stand and abuse me.
And I assaulted on him salatu wa salam
and he turned around and said, Ya Allah,
as long as you're happy from me, I'm
happy.
Acknowledgement.
That's part of the test that Allah SWT
tests us.
That's part of the acknowledgement that Allah SWT
wants to see.
That's part of sincerity.
So in order for you to pass the
test of the challenge, you need to acknowledge
that, Ya Allah, as long as you're happy
from me, I'm happy.
As long as you're pleased from me, I'm
happy.
As long as you accept me, I'm happy.
Reach to that level.
Reach to that level, alhamdulillah.
SubhanAllah, one of our predecessors, one of our
predecessors says that while he was traveling from
one city to Mecca, he had to stop
over a place.
So at night he said while he was
sleeping, one of the tents he heard someone,
the entire night, the entire night this person
was saying and repeating over and over and
over again, I thank Allah for everything they
had given me and I thank Allah SWT
for not putting me through the test as
He did to other people.
This scholar saying all night, I'm hearing someone
saying, I thank Allah for the test they
had tested me, for everything they had given
me and alhamdulillah Allah SWT did not put
me in a worse position.
I thank Allah SWT for everything they had
given me and I thank Allah SWT did
not put me in a worse position.
So this scholar wanted to know who's this
person, Allah Akbar, all night saying something like
this, is this person a very wealthy, healthy,
strong person?
So he went into the next tent and
he saw a blind person, paralyzed person.
The only thing, the only thing that works
are his hearing and his mouth.
He's blind and paralyzed.
SubhanAllah, you look at this person.
Like you know, all night you're thinking Allah
SWT for the test they had tested you,
for everything they had given you and He
did not put you in a worse position.
What worse position can someone even ask for?
You're paralyzed, you can't even move and you're
blind, you can't even see.
The only two things that are working are
hearing and his tongue.
So he told him, brother, all night, all
night, making this dua, I thought, MashaAllah, you're
a healthy, strong, wealthy person.
Look at you.
He said, Alhamdulillah, Allah kept my hearing for
me to continue hearing the words of Allah
and Allah kept my tongue for me to
continue remembering the words of Allah so Alhamdulillah
I'm in a better position than many other
people.
Allahu Akbar.
SubhanAllah, you think of this, that's why you
call imam.
That's why you call acknowledgement of faith.
Full conviction.
Full acknowledgement.
Full acceptance from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
He's paralyzed and he's blind but he's thanking
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for the hearing
to continue hearing the words of Allah azza
wa jal and for the tongue to continue
remembering Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
We are by far, by far, we are
by far a lot better position than this
position.
But he's probably by far in a better
position with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala than
us even though he does not even get
the chance to prostrate and bow.
Why?
Because subhanAllah, there's that conviction.
Acknowledgement.
Connection to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
May Allah azza wa jal keep us connected
to him.
So my sister in Islam, it's important for
us to continue with that.
So sincerity is very important.
Our actions, our tests, our patience, our forbearance,
our steadfastness and perseverance are all for Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And we acknowledge Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's
test upon us.
That's it, ya Allah.
Except from me, as long as you have
from me, I'm happy.
Number two thing is to be perseverant, steadfast
in your worship to Allah azza wa jal.
The good deeds that you've done, continue with
them.
If you can't continue with them on big
amounts, continue with them on small amounts.
If you can't continue with them on big
deeds, continue with them on small deeds.
But for you to completely cut it off,
that's bad.
SubhanAllah, if you speak to many people, you're
probably one of them.
You're reading the Quran again and again every
single day in the month of Ramadan.
I can ask you the question, when was
the last day you read the Quran?
Ah, from the last day of the month
of Ramadan.
SubhanAllah, two weeks.
It's only two weeks.
Tomorrow is going to be two months.
And then from now to the next Ramadan,
you'll be so disconnected from the Quran.
Why?
Why do you do that to yourself?
Continue with the good deeds.
Continue with the good deeds.
That's why the Prophet ﷺ encouraged us to
fast six days in the month of Shawwal,
which is the month that comes straight after
the month of Ramadan.
Why didn't the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ encourage us
to do that in the month of Shawwal?
Why didn't the Prophet ﷺ say, do it
two, three months, as long as you do
six days throughout the year?
Because the Prophet ﷺ said, fasting 30 days
in the month of Ramadan is equivalent to
300 days.
That means you are short on 60 days.
Fast six days of the month of Shawwal,
you'll complete to have fasted the complete year.
Why did the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ say six
days of the month of Shawwal?
Isn't the purpose to fast six days?
That means I could fast any six days
throughout the entire year.
But the Prophet ﷺ wanted to be in
the month of Shawwal, to stay in that
connection, ongoing connection, subhanAllah.
To keep the ongoing connection, steadfastness, subhanAllah.
So continue with the good deeds, continue with
the good deeds.
The third action that will help you to
be steadfast is dua.
Dua, dua, dua.
Ask Allah ﷻ.
Always ask Allah ﷻ to keep you steadfast.
It's not just, ya Allah, give me money,
and give me hope, and give me wealth,
and make me strong, and make me this,
and make me that.
Yes, make dua of the goodness of this
dunya, but also part of the goodness of
this dunya that we forget to make dua
is, ya Allah, I ask you to give
me istiqamah.
Ya Allah, I ask you that you grant
me istiqamah.
And one of the ongoing ad'ia that
the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ used to do every
single night.
So much so that his aunt's wife, his
aunt's wife would ask him, our Messenger of
Allah ﷻ, of real love, that he make
this dua every single night.
Ya muqalliba al-quloob, thabbit qalbi ala deen.
Ya muqalliba al-quloob, thabbit qalbi ala deen.
O Allah, you are the changer of the
hearts, change my heart towards you.
Ya Allah, you are the changer of the
hearts, change my heart towards you.
O Messenger of Allah, you make the dua
every single night.
Why?
The Prophet ﷺ says, because the hearts are
the servants of Allah, around the fingers of
Allah.
Allah will change them however He wants.
SubhanAllah, dua.
The Prophet ﷺ, the master, the master of
steadfastness ﷺ, would make dua every single night.
O Allah, keep me steadfast.
Change my heart towards you.
When was the last that you and I
made dua, Ya Allah, keep us steadfast.
We rarely probably even make dua, that Ya
Allah, keep us steadfast.
Rarely make dua, that Ya Allah, keep us
on the right path.
That's it.
Ask Allah to give you steadfastness.
Ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to keep
your heart towards Him.
Ask Allah to change your heart towards Him.
Ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to keep
you persevering.
Ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to keep
you on the right path.
Make dua.
Every single time you make dua, Ya Allah,
give me hope, give me love, give me
this and give me that.
Ya Allah, grant me steadfastness.
I ask Allah to grant us all steadfastness.
So dua.
Dua is very important.
Dua.
And out of the other many things that
can help us, and out of the other
many things that can assist and aid us
in being on the right path and steadfast,
two more things.
The other one, ongoing remembrance of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala.
That's part of reading the Qur'an al
-Kareem, and always saying subhanallah, alhamdulillah, la ilaha
illallah, Allah akbar.
Always remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala on
your tongue.
Keep your tongue moist in the remembrance of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Keep your tongue busy in the remembrance of
Allah azza wa jal.
Keep your tongue busy in always remembering Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
So always remembering Allah azza wa jal.
Always, ongoing, always, subhanallah.
Remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Remember Allah azza wa jal.
And subhanallah, what does it cost you?
You're sitting, you're doing nothing.
You're driving the car.
Well, it's just enough.
Subhanallah, subhanallah, subhanallah.
Without you realizing, without you realizing, it starts
to clean the heart.
Without you realizing it puts you on the
right path.
You are cooking, you're washing, you're working, you're
walking, you're doing any other work.
Subhanallah, alhamdulillah, la ilaha illallah, Allah akbar.
The Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam says,
two words, say beloved to Allah.
Say heavy on the scalp.
Say a lot on the tongue.
Subhanallah wa alhamdulillah, subhanallah wa alhamdulillah, subhanallah,
subhanallah, subhanallah.
You are walking from one room to another
room.
Say subhanallah a few times.
This one subhanallah can be the reason that
will determine your destiny.
Can be the reason that so many of
your steadfastness can turn between the hellfire and
the paradise.
And lastly, my sister, in Islam, environment, environment,
environment.
Your friends, your friends, your friends.
Put yourself in the right environment.
Put yourself amongst the right people.
Do not surround yourself with bad people.
You surround yourself with bad people.
You are bad like them.
And if you are not bad like them,
you're going to become bad like them.
And don't be fooled by the shaitan when
he says to you, ah, you know, that
your mates, that your friends from school, you
grew up with them, that your neighbours, your
friends, your cousins, this and that.
Yeah, yeah, they're bad people, but you know,
I'm just keeping the tie with them.
No, no, no, no.
No, no, no.
I'm not saying cut off the ties.
I'm not saying cut ties off them.
But I'm saying that, keep away from their
environment.
You don't have to be in those environments.
Keep away from those environments.
Keep away from environments that benefit your deen.
Why should you be part of an environment
that disconnects you from Allah Azza wa Jal?
You want to get closer to your mates?
You want to get closer to your friends?
You want to get closer to your cousins?
And distance yourself from Allah Azza wa Jal?
Or you want to get closer to Allah
Subhanahu wa Ta'ala and walk away from
those who disconnect you from Allah Azza wa
Jal?
Surround yourself with the right people.
Choose the right environment.
You need to be very selective with the
people that you surround yourself with.
You need to be very selective with the
environment that you attend.
You need to be very selective with the
people that you hang out with.
And insha'Allah, that's what the Umayyad system
is about.
Inviting you to come and be part of
those environments.
And insha'Allah, in the next few weeks,
the Umayyad center will be open for you
to attend to.
Come and be amongst the sisters that care
about you for the sake of Allah Azza
wa Jal.
Who love you for the sake of Allah.
Who make you for the sake of Allah.
Who engage with you for the sake of
Allah.
Not because of any personal interest or worldly
matter.
These are the environments that you need to
surround yourself.
How many sisters that you tell them, come
to the center, come and sit down with
the sisters.
Come and sit down with the Umayyad sisters.
Or they rather hang out with other sisters.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala guard them.
But the sisters that you're going to hang
out with, they're not going to get closer
to Allah.
And I'm not talking about, oh, I'm talking
about those bad ones.
They're not going to get closer to Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
You might get closer to them, but on
what expense?
Being away from Allah.
Come and get closer to sisters that will
get closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Come and get closer to sisters that will
get you closer to Allah Azza wa Jal.
That's what the Umayyad system is about.
And that's why insha'Allah, we look forward
to your company.
We look forward to you coming to the
Umayyad center.
If it's not next Saturday, insha'Allah, most
likely the following Saturday.
Most likely we'll inform you.
The most likely, not next Saturday, the following
Saturday insha'Allah, we'll be open to the
public and to the sisters to come back
again insha'Allah.
We look forward to you coming.
And I'm sure all the sisters look forward
to seeing each other and hugging each other
and meeting and greeting each other.
Because alhamdulillah, that's all for the sake of
Allah Azza wa Jal.
Coming here, one of the houses of Allah,
to be here for the sake of Allah
and getting closer to Allah Azza wa Jal.
And I'm sure that you are missed here
at the Umayyad.
And the sisters looking forward to your company
insha'Allah.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala keep the
hearts closer.
And that's why one of the things that
will help you to be close to Allah
Azza wa Jal, one of the principles, one
of the main things that will keep you
perseverant is environment.
Environment, very important.
Nabi ﷺ focused on it.
No prophet, no messenger, no human being probably
had ever emphasized on the importance of environment
and the people that you surround yourself with
and your friends and your mates as much
as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
لا تصاحب إلا مؤمنا As the Prophet Muhammad
ﷺ says, Only befriend a believer because a
believer will get you closer to Allah.
A disbeliever will disconnect you away from Allah.
A disobedient person will take you away from
Allah.
No, no, no, no, no.
No one's going to take me away from
Allah.
And if it's a choice between Allah, the
Creator, and the rest of the human beings,
the creation, it's always Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala.
So put yourself in the right environment.
Choose your friends wisely.
And this pandemic and this lockdown works in
your favor for you to start choosing your
friends.
For you to change your environment.
For you to change the people that you
used to hang out with.
For you to change the environment that you
were part of before.
So take advantage of this pandemic and take
advantage of this challenge.
Take advantage of this lockdown for you to
change your environment.
Choose the right environment that you want to
be part of.
Choose your friends.
Choose the friends that you want to start
hanging out with.
Choose your friends that you want to be
with.
So this is an advantage that you want
to benefit.
This is a positive that comes out of
this challenge.
This is a positive that comes out of
this pandemic.
It's for you to change the environment.
It's for you to change the environment that
you were in before.
And inshallah, the Umayyad sisterhood is an environment
for you to be proud of.
And inshallah, an environment for you to change
your life for the better and to be
closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with
respectful sisters that care about you for the
sake of Allah azza wa jalla.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala reward you.
May Allah accept from you.
May Allah azza wa jalla make us all
steadfast.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala connect us
to Him.
May Allah azza wa jalla bring us all
together once again.
My sisters in Islam, inshallah we'll see you
all here at Tayyub-e-Sana every single
Saturday and other days.
And inshallah you'll be informed.
Jazakumullah khairan for being with us online.
And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala reward
you.
And may Allah accept from you.
And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make
us to be from amongst those who continue
serving Allah, the Deen of Allah and the
servants of Allah.
Amin.
Ya Rabbil Alamin.
Jazakumullah khair.
Subhanakallahul Hamdik.
Masha'Allah wa la ilaha il'Allah.
Astaghfirullah al-Furqan.
As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.