Sikander Hashmi – Finding Solace in Failure KMA Friday Message
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AI: Transcript ©
Respected elders, dear brothers and sisters, my young
friends,
There is a good chance
that
you made some plans at some point
that flopped.
It could be related to travel,
Maybe it had something to do with marriage,
work,
family,
or life in general.
As we know, my brothers and sisters,
not everything that we wish for
or even that we pray for happens exactly
the way that we want it to happen.
And the reality is that Allah
has a plan
for every single one of us.
That plan takes into account
our free will
and the choices that Allah
allows us to make.
There are many things which are decided for
us by Allah
But in some matters, Allah
has given us free will to choose
and that of course is a test to
see if we make the best decisions.
Now since Allah
is all knowing,
He knows
what
each person
will choose and decide.
His knowledge is unlimited. There cannot be any
restrictions, any limitations
to the knowledge of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has the keys to
the unseen.
Right? As an expression in the Quran, the
keys to the unseen
and
he has knowledge that nobody else has. So,
there is no limit to the knowledge of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
If anyone believes that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala's
knowledge is limited in any way
then we have a problem of aqidah.
Okay? So the knowledge of Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala is perfect and complete and there's absolutely
nothing which is not in the knowledge of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
and this includes what is gonna happen in
the future.
This includes
what is going to happen
in the future. So therefore,
Allah
knows what each person will decide and will
choose
but that does not mean that Allah
is imposing that decision upon us.
It is in the knowledge of Allah
that you and I will make such and
such decisions at such and such point, at
such and such place.
However,
my brothers and sisters, what happens after we
make our choices is not in our control,
it is in His control. We make the
move, we make the effort, we make the
choice. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala delivers the
result if He wills.
We make the effort and the choice,
but it is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala who
delivers the result
if He so wills. In Suratul Kahf, we
recite, we read,
And never say of anything that indeed I
will do that tomorrow.
Without adding, if Allah so wills. So when
we say,
it is not just out of habit or
because we've you know, it's just nice to
say, but rather this is a command in
the Quran from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That
if you say that you will do something,
do not say it, that you will do
it without adding, without saying,
if
Allah so wills.
The reality is, my brothers and sisters, many
aspects of our lives,
as I mentioned earlier, are decided
for us.
Nobody came and asked you where you wanted
to be born, or when you wanted to
be born, or who you wanted your parents
to be, or, you know, what type of
eye color you wanted to have, or hair
color, or any other aspect,
you know, of your body, of your existence.
We don't. We are not asked about these
things. Allah
chooses this for us.
Similarly,
where and when someone will die is written
by Allah
We do not know where our death is
gonna come and when it is going to
come. Somebody may say, well, what if someone
decides to take their own life? There are
people who sadly take you know, commit suicide
which is forbidden.
But sometimes it happens due to various reasons.
But even then, there are so many cases
where people attempt it but it doesn't happen.
People attempt it
but it doesn't happen.
Right? Because it was not Allah's will. Right?
And other times people do
and
it happens because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala decided,
okay, this is what you wanted, you will
get it.
Right? So, this also is something which is
certainly determined by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Our
illnesses.
May Allah protect us all and cure all
of those who are suffering. Right? The illnesses
are written by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The
sustenance, the risk is written for by Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
There is nothing that is written for you
that you're going to miss.
And there is nothing that you're going to
get that's not written for you.
Yes? So if it's not written for you,
it's not gonna happen.
No matter how hard you try. And if
it's written for you, it's gonna come regardless
of what happens.
Okay. So this is something which is decided
by Allah
Successes,
failures, all of these things are written by
Allah
Some of these are based on our choices,
others
are upon are put upon us regardless of
our choices.
Yes, you made the good choice, Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala gives you the good result.
Sometimes,
you make no effort, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
still gives you good result. Sometimes, you make
the effort, you don't get the desired result
and it looks back and it looks difficult
and it looks hard, it seems like failure,
right? So, this is
all part of Allah's
plan. When our plan
matches with Allah's plan,
things happen and we appear to be successful.
Allah has a plan, our plan is under
that. Our plan matches with Allah's plan, things
happen, we appear to be successful.
When our plan does not match with Allah's
plan,
then we appear to fail because things don't
happen the way that we want them to
happen because they did not align with the
plan that Allah had for us. What we
need to remember my brothers and sisters is
this, is that Allah's plan is always better
for us.
Allah Allah's plan is always better for us
as believers. This is from the husnawlun,
the good opinion and the good feelings we
have towards Allah
Our responsibility
is to respond
in the best manner possible
at any given moment.
To try our level best
to do what seems to be most appropriate
and most correct and the most best under
the circumstances.
And the best is what? Which is most
pleasing to Allah
First and foremost
that which is most pleasing to Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala. If we prioritize Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala,
Allah's will and Allah's guidance,
then you will see that Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala will grant his goodness throughout our lives.
Make it so
At times my brothers and sisters,
what we want
may happen
but it may not be good for us.
Right? So, you really wanna marry someone and
you make dua for that specific person.
You didn't ask Allah to grant you who
was best for you but rather you made
dua for that specific person and Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala accepted that dua.
But perhaps
that choice may not be the best for
you. You make dua for a specific job
that you really want, you really feel it's
good for you. Right? But maybe it has
actually not. Right? Or a trip or a
move.
Right? And at times what we want may
not happen
and that may be good for us.
Right? What we don't want may also happen
and might be good for us in some
way. Right? You lose a job and of
course, it's it's difficult.
Right?
It's hardship.
But maybe Allah has written a better opportunity
for you that you would not have gotten
if you had continued with this job. Maybe
you wouldn't be looking for a job if
you had continued with this job.
Right? Or a sudden calamity comes.
There's always that Allah
has written for the believers.
Now, why does this happen? Because our knowledge
is of no match to Allah's knowledge. Allah
tells us
Perhaps you dislike something which is good for
you
and or like something which is bad for
you. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala knows and you
do not know and that is our reality.
And this is beautifully demonstrated my brothers and
sisters. Normally, we human beings do not have
access to that knowledge of the unseen that
Allah
has. That knowledge of the future. Only Allah
knows it is only Allah's domain. Right? Nobody.
This is why it is forbidden. Right? For
the believers to resort to horoscopes
and astrology to try to find out what
the future holds because this is only only
the domain of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. But
in this case, Allah
had given the small opening of knowledge of
these few cases
to and demonstrated this as a lesson for
Sayeda Musa Alaihi Salam and indeed for all
of us. So before we embark on doing
something, my brothers and sisters,
we should seek Allah's guidance and weigh it
carefully to the best of our ability.
Right? Whether it's it's it's marriage,
work, related, a major purchase, any major decision.
Right? We should wait carefully
and we should seek the guidance of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala. Right? This is referred to
as probably known as right?
Is essentially to turn to Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala and to make dua seeking Allah's guidance.
It is not a crystal ball. You know,
it is not something that's going to, you
know, bring you dreams
or feelings, you know, if you feel like
I got up on the wrong side of
the bed after starting in and I'm
having a bad hair day. Like, those things
have nothing to do with.
Okay?
Who relates to the
way of doing istikhara
in all matters,
in all matters, in all decisions, big or
small.
As he taught us the Surah of the
Quran.
So the dua of Istikhara, the method of
doing Istikhara is not part of the Quran.
Right? It is taught by the prophet
The wording was not found in the Quran.
However, the prophet
taught it with the same importance,
not importance, but maybe emphasis or in the
same way as the Surah were taught. Right?
So does not mean it's part of the
Quran in any way, but it was given
a lot of importance. That is the point.
And he said that if anyone of you
thinks of taking
on any mind any matter, he should offer
2 rakat,
of prayer, 2 rakats of prayer other than
the compulsory ones and say after the prayer
and then the dua of comes in.
So, the first part of the dua is
surrendering in front of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
and
describing
our helplessness,
describing our ignorance, describing how weak we are,
how small we are, and how little we
know. So, oh Allah, I ask guidance from
your knowledge and power from your might, and
I ask you I ask for your great
blessings.
You are capable and I am not. You
know and I do not,
and you know the unseen.
And then asking Allah
this matter.
If you know that this matter, whatever that
matter is, marriage, you know, work, travel, moving,
purchase, whatever it is, decision you're trying to
make. If you know that this matter is
good for my religion and for my subsistence
and
in my hereafter,
then
ordain it for me and make it easy
for me to get. And then bless me
in it. Right? So it's a conditional. Ask
Allah
if this is good for me in every
way, then make it happen. And make it
easy for me and bless me in it.
Beautiful
If you know that this matter is harmful
for me,
in my religion and subsistence,
and in the hereafter, then keep it away
from me.
And let me be away from it, and
ordain for me whatever is good for me
and make me satisfied with it. Right? Such
a comprehensive and beautiful dua. Right? Meaning, if
you make this dua and you turn to
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, there is no chance
of failure.
Right? Allah responds and accepts your dua. There
is no chance of failure. Right?
And it is taking the emotions out of
it. Right? It's not saying, oh Allah grant
me what I like.
Right? What I am, you know, impressed with.
Right? What I am infatuated with. You're not
asking for that. You're asking. Rather you're you're
you're you know delegating the the decision to
Allah
to guide you to the best decision and
to grant you what is best for you
in every way and to make you satisfied
with it.
Right? And if this matter is not good,
then to grant you what is better. Right?
And at the end of the day, isn't
that what we all want? We want what
is better. Right? So, sometimes we focus so
much on what we want, meaning, what we
are want superficially or what appears to be
good but rather Allah
knows what is better for us and what
we think is good for us may not
always be what is best for us and
this is why it is dua is gold.
Whoever seeks
the counsel
of the creator
of Allah
will not regret it. And whoever seeks the
advice
of the believers will confident, will feel confident
about his decisions because Allah
says,
and consult them in the affairs. So we
should consult those who are close to us
and we have a decision to make. Don't
go do it on your own. Hey, don't
go make your decision and then inform everyone
afterwards. So, consult with one another.
Consult with your family members, consult with your
spouse, consult with your parents, whoever, depending on
what the decision is. And then
once you have decided and you have
done your and you have come to a
decision, then
place your trust in Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala. So when you do these, you
keep going forward with this matter. You don't
stop and wait for some sort of sign.
Can you continue the natural course of whatever
you would be doing for this matter? You
go for that job interview, you know, you
go and meet the family, you whatever it
is that you do, you continue working on
it, and then you see if it becomes
easier.
If it becomes easier than expected and expected
roadblocks melt away, then this is a good
sign. If on the other hand, you see
that this matter is becoming more difficult, it's
becoming more challenging, more than expected, you know,
unexpected issues come up, unexpected problems come up,
then that is a sign perhaps from Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala that this is
not better for you. If things work out,
we should be grateful and we ascribe our
success to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And we
continue to ask for guidance. This is a
part of being humble of humility
towards Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We don't say,
oh, I did this. So, therefore, I, you
know, was able to achieve this. Oh, you
did it. You had a role in it
but it was actually from Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala. So, express your gratitude to Allah and
continue seeking Allah's guidance. If things don't go
our way, then we see it as an
opportunity. Is there a hidden blessing here? Is
there a lesson to be learned perhaps? Is
there another opportunity that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
is directing us towards?
It is so important my brothers and sisters
that during challenges
and what appear to be failures,
we keep our eyes,
our mind,
our hearts open for opportunities
to learn, to bring renewal and positive change,
to grow, and to go into new areas
and things that perhaps we haven't tried yet.
Of course, that which is permissible.
Right? Consider that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala doesn't
want you doing this at this time. So
perhaps later, perhaps not at all. Perhaps there
is some hidden wisdom
and this is a blessing in disguise. So
always, the believer always tries to be positive
with whatever we are faced with.
Seek those wisdoms and blessings in every situation
especially when facing challenges
and apparent
failures.
Believe and place your trust in Allah
That he will always guide you to what
is best and expect that from him. Expect
what is best from Allah
and be grateful. Perhaps you could say
Allah has made his decision and his wisdom
about my matter apparent to me, has protected
me from some unforeseen harm, and has granted
me unforeseen
benefit. This is having a good
outlook, a good opinion of Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala. As Allah
said, hadith from the prophet
Allah says, I am just as my servant
perceives me to be, meaning towards the individual.
And I am with him if he remembers
me. If he remembers me in himself,
I too remember him in myself. And if
he remembers me in a group of people,
then I remember him in a group that
is better than them.
And regarding the evil doers who made evil
plots, because this is something we see from
time to time in the course of our
lives, Allah reassures
us,
Allah
says, They planned and Allah also planned and
Allah is the best of planners. So Allah's
plan never goes to failure. There was never
failure in Allah's plan. Allah
is always aware of what the evil doers
do. Allah is always aware of what the
oppressors do.
And, you know, when we come to a
point of feeling helpless and feeling
down and perhaps a bit defeated, let us
remind ourselves that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is
the best of planners.
Our job is to please Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala and behave in the most ethical and
most,
pleasing manner to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
and understand that Allah
has his plan which is playing out and
Allah's
plan is always going to come out on
top and those who plot evil,
they are the ones who will fail and
it will come back to bite them And
it is only a matter of time and
we must be reassured about this. No matter
how difficult it is, we must be patient
and we must keep reminding ourselves about this
and then when it becomes too much, then
we say
So to recap my brothers and sisters, plan
and try to make the best decisions under
every circumstance.
Seek the guidance of Allah
If things don't go the way you expected
or wanted, then seek lessons and renewal and
other opportunities that Allah
might be redirecting you towards
and finally be content with Allah's plan as
take it as a blessing. Always expecting positivity
and goodness from the plan of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala. May Allah protect
us from all types of harms and evil.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us and
the entire Ummah from all types of oppression
and injustice. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
grant us contentment
with all of his decrees and his decisions.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us those
who remember him and seek him at all
times and who he
responds to at all times.
We'll take a quick break and we will
continue.