Sikander Hashmi – Friday Message Hope & Positivity in the Midst of Crisis
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AI: Transcript ©
Respected elders,
dear brothers and sisters,
my young friends,
We begin by praising Allah
the lord of the universe,
our sustainer,
our creator,
our ultimate
protector.
We begin by sending peace and salutations upon
his beloved messenger, Mohammed, the son of Abdullah
sallallahu alaihi wasallam.
I hope and I pray that you and
your family are doing well under the current
circumstances.
Much has changed since the last time that
we were able to pray together.
If you look outside,
the snow has melted.
The salt, the road salt is getting washed
away.
There are some beautiful days that we have
seen
with blue skies,
you know, perfect for taking a walk or
getting some fresh air. And then there are
also some gray and rainy days like today
that are a means of revival of the
earth,
which will soon sprout life out of the
ground and flowers will soon bloom, Insha'Allah.
While our busy lives in this world have
slowed down and have become restricted,
Allah's earth and nature
marches ahead with the command of Allah
For many of us, the past few weeks
are probably
a blur,
with each day being very similar to every
other.
However, the one day that should stand out
though is this blessed day of Friday,
the best day of the week, and the
day of acceptance of dua.
The prophet
has said that
that in it is an hour.
There is a
time on this day, on Friday,
in which no Muslim stands to pray and
ask Allah for something,
but that they will be given it. And
the prophet
indicated with his hands that the time is
very short.
Scholars have given multiple views about when this
time, this moment actually comes on Friday,
and there are different narrations from the prophet
sallallahu alaihi wasallam.
Some indicate that it is during Salatul Jum'ah,
during the Friday prayer,
and others indicate that it is after the
Asr prayer on Friday until Madrib.
Now in normal times, we can take advantage
of both times,
meaning
Friday prayer
and the time between salatul Asr and salatul
Maghrib.
However,
nowadays, since we are
unable to offer salatul Jum'ah, unable to offer
Friday prayer, My brothers and sisters, let us
take advantage of the time between Asr and
Makwur prayer on Friday
to increase our dua, to increase our supplication
of Allah
to increase our remembrance
of Allah,
to increase our repentance to Allah
and to increase our salawat,
peace, and salutations and blessings upon his beloved
messenger
In Surat Al Jum'ah, in which Allah
has commanded the Friday prayer,
he tells us
to spread out
after the prayer.
To spread
out after the prayer
to search for his blessings.
And then Allah
also says along with that,
So he tells us to remember Allah much
so that we can be successful
even when we are outside of the masjid,
when we are outside of prayer, when we
have completed or
any other prayer for that matter. Allah
is indicating to us that when it comes
to seeking his bounties and his blessings,
we should increase
our remembrance of him so that we may
be successful.
Today, we may not be able to go
out. We may not be able to go
out to search for the blessings of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala in terms of sustenance
and and halal al rizq, but let us
increase his remembrance, my brothers and sisters, so
that we may achieve success
in all our matters. Because Allah
has repeatedly told us, instructed us in the
Quran to remember him much and has associated
that with success. So if we want success,
whether it's with regards to our sustenance,
which may be fearful for at this time,
or if it's regarding our health or our
well-being,
our family, or any other matter, our deen,
in which we want to be successful,
remember Allah much so that you may be
successful. Now
ends with a point reminder. Allah
says,
he tells the prophet
say,
That what is with Allah
what is with Allah is far better
than amusement
and merchandise.
And Allah is the best provider.
Now over the last 2 Fridays, my brothers
and sisters, we have discussed
the possible
divine wisdoms behind trials and calamities.
Some hints.
We have talked about how trials and calamities
are a call for reflection and reformation
and how this trial is forcefully reforming
our lifestyles and behaviors
physically and spiritually
and that it should be a cause for
reflection.
It is very likely that there is a
message and a lesson in it for us
and, indeed, for all of humanity.
We also discussed how
trials and calamities
are a test of attitude
and a means of gaining extra reward and
forgiveness.
Now another possible divine wisdom behind trials and
calamities
is to test our claim of belief
and to test our trust in Allah
As we have discussed, this life is a
test, and Allah has told us that we
will be tested in different ways, sometimes with
blessings,
other times with loss and hardship.
And everyone
everyone has a different test.
Allah
tells us
We will certainly test you with a touch
of fear
and famine
and loss of property,
loss of life and crops.
But Allah
says,
give good news,
give glad tidings
to those who do sabr,
to those who patiently endure.
And Abu Huraira
reported that the messenger of Allah
said
that that the parable of the believer
is that of a crop.
The crop which with withstands
the wind.
For the believer
continues to endure
the suffering of trials.
And the prophet
goes on to say,
that the parable of the hypocrite is that
of a cedar tree, for it does not
budge until it is uprooted.
Once again, the parable of a believer or
of the believer is that of a crop
which withstands the wind, for the believer continues
to endure the suffering of trials.
The parable of the hypocrite is that of
a cedar tree, for it does not budge
until it is uprooted.
So a part of being a believer, my
brothers and sisters, is accepting that we will
be tested in different ways. What what we
learned from this hadith is that the believer
should be versatile
and should patiently withstand
the different trials of life and not be
one who gets frustrated,
who gives up, and who loses it.
You see,
our parents,
our elders,
our grandparents,
our ancestors,
and indeed the prophets of Allah
and the companions of the prophet
and those of other prophets as well. And
our salaf, our pious predecessors,
have lived through much
much more difficult and serious hardships.
So let us gain inspiration
from them and their stories.
And there are so many stories. There are
countless stories which I do not have the
time to share with you right now. But
if we search and if we look, if
we even speak to our parents and grandparents,
if we are able to, and if we
look up the stories that Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala has mentioned in the Quran and the
stories that are in the seed of the
prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam and in the
books of history, you will find that there
have been incredible hardships
that humanity has endured,
much worse plagues and and calamities and disasters
that people have lived through and humanity has
survived.
And this is just a small piece of
our share of those trials and those tribulations.
So my brothers and sisters, let us look
at those who have less than us.
Let us low look at those who are
worse off than us and who have less
than us so that we can be grateful.
The prophet
said,
look at those who are below you.
And do not look at those who are
above you.
For it is the best way not to
belittle the favors of Allah. Once again, look
at those below you and do not look
at those above you, for it is the
best way
not to belittle the favors of Allah.
Everyday, my brothers and sisters,
we are facing a barrage of bad news,
lots of gloomy numbers,
data,
and images.
My brothers and sisters,
let us remember what we have discussed
when this crisis started, that everything
is only and only in Allah's control.
So try your best and leave for him
the rest.
Strengthen
your bond with him. Remember him much.
Seek forgiveness
and accept whatever he decides
out of his knowledge and wisdom and know
that it will be the best for us.
Also, and this is very important,
take care of yourself.
Give yourself a break from the news.
Focus on the things that bring you closer
to Allah and closer to your family and
friends and the things which are halal and
which make you feel better.
Go out for some fresh air.
Smile and be grateful
for all the blessings that Allah
still continues to shower upon us.
Plagues, illnesses,
pain,
and the prospect of loss of life as
a result is definitely something we don't desire.
And beyond taking reasonable steps to protect ourselves,
these matters
are out of our control.
But while we cannot control the virus,
we can control
the way we respond
to and the way we see the illness
and pain and the loss of life.
Let us reflect, my brothers and sisters.
Why do we fear these things?
Why do we fear these things?
Why are we worried about these things?
It is natural, but why?
What if we embrace them as Allah's will
and saw them as a means and a
path to Jannah?
Or saw them as a small price to
pay for a tremendous
reward,
an opportunity
to earn
something
magnificent.
And indeed, for believers who live through such
trials
with patience
and with acceptance,
it will be,
It will be a relatively tiny price
to pay for the immense reward that Allah
will have in store for them.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us in the
Quran.
Perhaps you dislike something which is good for
you.
And perhaps you like something which is bad
for you.
And
Allah knows
and you
do not know. And I would also like
to remind you, my brothers and sisters, of
the hadith that we shared a couple of
weeks ago with the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam.
And Aisha
asked him
regarding plagues,
and he said that it is a punishment
that Allah sends upon whoever he wills.
But then the prophet
said something which is very important, something which
we must always remember.
That it is something that Allah has made
a mercy for the believers.
Allah has made it a rahma,
a form of mercy
upon the believers.
And the prophet said,
any servant
of Allah, meaning, who resides in a land
afflicted by plague,
and plague is a specific disease, but the
scholars say it is general, to all types
of outbreaks and epidemics and pandemics.
Whoever is a servant of Allah any servant
of Allah who resides in a land afflicted
by plague,
remaining patient and hoping for reward from Allah,
knowing that nothing will befall them but what
Allah has decreed, they will be given the
reward
of a shahid, of a martyr. And in
fact, in Fatholbari, the commentary famous commentary of
Sahil Buhari, it is mentioned that the reward
similar to that of a martyr
will not be just for the one who
passes away in a plague,
but also for one who survives it.
So it's not necessary that a person passes
away in a plague so to get the
reward similar to that of a martyr, of
a shahid, but rather even a person who
survives it while remaining patient,
while hoping for reward from Allah
and know and while knowing that nothing will
befall them except what Allah has decreed. If
we,
move forward with this
belief and conviction and this hope in the
mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Every single one of us can receive the
reward
equivalent to that the great reward of that
of a martyr, of a
and still continue
to live our lives by the will of
Allah.
So my brothers and sisters,
let us prepare ourselves mentally
that while we certainly pray for protection
and for ease,
if Allah decides otherwise for us,
we will embrace Allah's decree and see it
positively
and be grateful to Allah in all circumstances.
Let us vow to always remain positive,
to always entrust our affairs to Allah,
to always be content
with Allah's
decree,
expecting
the great rewards he has promised to all
believers
who find themselves in such situations.
Let us live up to our name and
our claim of being a Muslim as one
who submits
to Allah in every way,
including
his decree and his decisions
even though we may find them to be
uncomfortable or undesirable for us.
Let us also remember, my brothers and sisters,
that we are almost 10 days into the
month of,
which means
we only have 20 or so days
to go until
the blessed month of Ramadan,
the month of mercy,
the month of Rahma,
the mercy we are so needy of at
this time, the month of
of forgiveness
of which we are so needy of at
this time.
We make dua to Allah
that he blesses us in this month of
which is a month of preparation
for Ramadan,
especially fasting and the recitation of Quran,
and that Allah
grants us an opportunity
to witness the beautiful month of Ramadan.
My brothers and sisters, it is very likely
that if we make it till Ramadan, misha'Allah,
it will be very different
than any other Ramadan we have ever experienced.
But nonetheless,
Ramadan
is a great blessing, a great gift from
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
So let us have the intention from now
and the burning desire
to make the most of it. Inshallah.
May Allah
reward us according to our intentions
and guide us and grant us that which
is best.
So my brothers and sisters,
let us smile,
reassure each other
that we have Allah
the almighty,
the kind,
the merciful,
the protector,
our loving love.
Allah tells the prophet
in the Quran, and this is for us
as well.
Put your trust in the almighty, the most
merciful,
who sees you when you rise.
Who sees you when you rise, meaning for
prayer at night.
As well as your movements in prayer
along with fellow worshipers.
He alone is indeed the all hearing,
the all knowing.
So my brothers and sisters, as I like
to end every week now, these verses from
the Quran as well, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
tells us
that whoever is mindful of Allah, whoever is
conscious and fearful of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala,
he will make a way out for them.
And provide for them sustenance
from sources that they could never imagine.
And whoever puts their trust in Allah,
then he alone is sufficient
for them.
Certainly, Allah achieves his will.
Allah has already
set a destiny for everything.
So let us pray and make
Oh Allah, please cure all of our brothers
and sisters who are ill.
Especially our elder sister who has cancer,
our brother and sister who are suffering from
long term pains and in pain and injuries.
All of those who are ill, who are
at risk of becoming ill. Oh, Allah, you
are the protector and the healer. Oh, Allah,
grant them a speedy recovery. Oh, Allah, please
protect
them, each and every one of them, from
all types of illnesses,
pain, and suffering.
Oh, Allah, protect us and all of our
fellow human beings, especially the health professionals professionals,
the first responders,
the workers who are out serving us, and
all of those who are on the front
lines.
Please grant relief to all of those, to
every single person who is in pain,
who is in grief,
who is experiencing
stress and anxiety
and fear. Oh, Allah, replace
all of those emotions and feelings with happiness
and peace and joy.
Oh, Allah, we are your weak sinning servants.
Oh, Allah, you are the most kind, the
most merciful. Oh, Allah, please forgive us for
all of our sins and our mistakes.
Oh, Allah, please lift this trial from us.
For indeed, we are very, very weak.
Oh, Allah. Please grant us strength and bring
us
closer to you. Oh, Allah. Please guide us
for that which pleases you most and grant
us the best return to you whenever it
has been decreed for us.
My brothers and sisters,
and thank you so much for joining us
once again,
on this Friday, on this blessed day. May
Allah
reward you. May Allah
protect you. May Allah
keep you together in goodness and with love
and mercy with each other. Please continue to
make dua for all of us, for your
people in your neighborhood, for all of our
brothers and sisters in faith and humanity around
the world. Inshallah, please go ahead and pray
and offer a 4 of luhr prayer at
home,
or if you have 4 Islamically mature males
in your household, you can have your own,
if you wish. We have instructions on our
website as always at canonmuslims.ca.
But if you don't,
then please don't go to each other's houses
to do this. Please stay in your homes
and offer for a
of
I really look forward, to seeing you all
tomorrow for our community chat, and family game
night virtually, of course,
tomorrow, Saturday at 8 PM. And you can
find, the information
at kanata muslims.ca/live. So once again, kanata muslims.ca/live,
and I wanna say take care of yourself.
It's a time of of, of some fear
and anxiety perhaps and stress, due to various
factors.
So please,
know that I'm available,
for you. If you would like to speak,
have a chat,
please don't hesitate to contact me. You can
email me at imamimam@kannata
muslims.ca.
Feel free to reach out for any type
of assistance
and I and all of us, we will
try our best, to assist you and to
be there, for you to the best of
our ability.
None of us are alone in this. We
are in this together.
May
Allah his mercy and protection be upon you
and your family and all of us.