Sikander Hashmi – Islam A Religion of Wisdom
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the benefits of Islam, including a "back-to-school" approach to life, pursuing one's beliefs and values, challenges faced by people who change their ways and adopt Islam, and the importance of clear communication and evidence in achieving success. They stress the need for people to be honest and not get embarrassed, and emphasize the importance of practicing and understanding deeds to avoid confusion. The speakers also touch on practices from the Bible and the importance of not giving definitive reasons for a belief. They emphasize the need for practice and guidance to avoid confusion and challenges, and emphasize the importance of delivering the message and not giving definitive reasons for a belief.
AI: Summary ©
Salaam, Alaikum.
Sala Rahman irahim Alhamdulillah, mean Salah to as a Phil hamia,
even more saline, so you didn't Muhammad wala Alihi Osama he Asmaa
in Oman tabi alhambisan in ilayam Deen.
Respected elders, dear brothers and sisters,
we begin by thanking Allah, Subhanahu wa,
the Lord of the universe, who has not left us without guidance,
our Rab, our Lord, the one and only Allah who has sent
messengers, and the final messenger, Muhammad, sallAllahu,
alaihi wasallam, to give us principles and guidance on every
aspect of life. And indeed, this is a great favor upon us, because
you can imagine going to a new place, not knowing where to get
help, not knowing how to live, not knowing what to do, and indeed,
that would be a very difficult circumstance to find oneself in.
So this is a great favor of Allah subhanahu wa taala upon us that
there is no need for guesswork. There is no confusion in terms of
what is required from us, why we have been created, and what we are
supposed to do and what we are not supposed to do, and this gives us
the ability to live with inner peace. It should give us inner
peace and satisfaction knowing that if we follow the guidance and
if we follow it properly, we will be safe and we will we will be
successful in the long run, Inshallah,
and this is in contrast to Those who are constantly questioning
in a state of confusion, struggling with different ideas,
different philosophies, desires and pressures to change. Allah
subhanahu wa is our designer. Allah Azza wa Jalla is our
Creator, who knows us best, just like the creators or the designers
of an object or of an item, know that item and that object best,
Allah Azza wa Jalla is more knowledgeable and more wise than
any other designer or any other creator that exists. So Allah
subhanahu wa is our designer, our Creator who knows what is best for
us,
and what his final messenger, sallAllahu, alaihi wasallam, has
taught us
is that which constitutes the healthiest, most efficient, most
optimal, most balanced way of spending our lives, and this is
what we know and we understand from Allah subhanahu wa taala.
Now, there is no question,
there is no doubt, that some of those teachings right, the Allah
subhanahu wa guidance that Allah has given us, some of the
teachings that the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam has
taught us that some of them are different than what the norms are
today. They are challenging to people's desires, and they go
against some of the philosophies and popular movements of the day.
And there's no question about that.
But this is nothing new, because at the time of pre Islamic
jahiliyyah, at the time of ignorance, it was considered
radical, and it was considered shameful, for example, to not bury
baby girls alive. Or it was considered radical and shameful to
treat your slaves and your servants kindly, because that was
not the norm. It was something odd for people not to drink alcohol,
for alcohol to be prohibited. It was unfathomable. It was
it was difficult to imagine right other things like for a woman to
receive inheritance that was unheard of at that time, and, of
course, to believe in Allah, Azza wa Jalla alone, and to believe in
the message of the Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa sallam, that
too, all of these things were unpopular and they went against
the norms of the day.
Now those who changed,
those who changed their ways, and they adopted and adapted to the
new way of life, and they believed
in one Allah
and in a.
Rasulallahu alaihi wasallam, yes, they were mocked and they were
harassed and they were attacked. But that did not deter them from
the truth and from knowing that what they were following was
indeed the truth that had come from Allah subhanahu wa taala
through rasulallahu alayhi wa sallam,
the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam himself. And you imagine
this scene that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is
going around right in the marketplace, in the marketplace,
preaching
and inviting people towards Islam, inviting them, saying, yahan NAS
Kula, Ilaha illallahu. Flahu, that oh, people say there is no God
worthy of worship except Allah. You will be successful. So the
Prophet salallahu, alayhi wa sallam is going around, person to
person, making this proclamation, passing on this message.
And there's people who are gathered around him and behind him
there is a person described as having a bright face and squint in
his eyes and two braids in his hair, and he's going behind him.
And as he is trying to speak and as he is trying to preach, he is
this man is making his own proclamation, saying that, Verily,
He is an apostate, meaning from their religion, from the religion
of the time. And he is a liar. And the narrator says, The Witness
actually who saw this, says that this man was following him,
meaning the Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa sallam, wherever he
went. So he says, I asked who was he? And they, the people told me
that this is his uncle, Abu Lahab, and this narration is recorded by
Imam, ah.
So this was, you know, this is just one example of the types of
challenges that existed and how open this hatred, this
Islamophobia, was at the time of the Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa
sallam. So the opposition to the teachings of Allah Azza wa Jalla
and His Messenger, sallAllahu, alayhi wa sallam, this is nothing
new. This is unfortunately, nothing new, and it goes way, way
back today as well. You know, every once in a while, we have
some commentators.
We have some commentators. Sometimes in the media, maybe a co
worker, maybe someone within the community, or maybe in your social
circle, perhaps a family member who questions some of our
religious practices, because they're different, right? They're
different from most of the prevalent practices today. There
may be other faiths that are also doing things which are similar.
But of course, the attention is is on us.
The attention is on Islam, right? Because the rest, nobody's really
worried about that much, right? When it comes to Islam and
Muslims,
everyone is worried.
Lots of people are worried. Okay, so from time to time, we come
across these questioners, these commentators. Okay, now at times,
these questions may be genuine. It's possible sometimes people
sincerely want to know. They sincerely have goodness in the
heart. They have a desire to learn to some of them even profess that
maybe what I'm doing is not wrong. People who practice other
religions, they'll say openly that perhaps what we are doing, what I
am doing, maybe it is wrong. So I have a desire to learn and to know
that maybe there's a greater truth out there that I should adopt. So
there's people who are sincere, but then there's others who are
not. Now, if it appears that a question has been asked of you,
and I know that many of us face this scenario from time to time.
So if it appears that the question has been asked or has been raised
in a negative way, or has been raised with the intention it
appears to just mock or to provoke,
then in that case, you're probably better off not responding. Okay,
you're probably better off not responding or responding in a
tactful manner that makes the point without getting into details
or a prolonged debate. Okay? Because sometimes what happens is
someone asks us something, and of course, we want to explain it, we
want to defend and we want to do the right thing, so we get into
these long debates. Okay? Now this person has no intention of
learning. This person is just trying to provoke us, okay? And
he's trying to poke holes in our arguments. And sometimes they come
well prepared, okay? So if you sense that, then do not get into
that discussion. Do not get into that debate. It is fruit. It was
most likely going to be fruitless, okay? And as Allah tells us,
right, the qualities of the Ibadah Rahman, the servants, the slaves
of Rahman, of Allah subhanahu wa said,
okay, that the one of the qualities is that we would want,
we want to adopt, is that when the the ignorant address them, meaning
the slaves of the Most Merciful, the.
Say Salaam. They say words of peace, and they move on. Okay, so
this is a good approach to have, especially, you know, in those
comments, most, Alhamdulillah, most news sites are getting rid of
comments now under them, okay, but once in a while, when we have free
time, we say, Okay, let's see what people are saying, right? And then
you start scrolling down, and you start seeing all these comments.
The urge is there to respond to every single one. Now, perhaps
there is sometimes benefit in responding, but generally, what
does it lead to? Or sometimes it happens on Facebook posts, or it
happens on tweets, right? You start just back and forth, back
and forth. You know one person is dissing the other, and you're
going back and forth trying to make arguments, but really it's
just a show for everyone else what is happening. Or if it's a show
for everyone else, it's a type of entertainment. Say, oh, okay, what
do you say? Oh, okay. Now you said this. Okay, let's see what we see.
We're going to come back with there's no, there's no benefit in
that. Okay? Now, if you feel that the question is sincere, okay,
perhaps it is just out of curiosity or to broaden one's
understanding,
then that's great. Alhamdulillah, you answer the question, if you're
able to answer it, okay, if you have knowledge, you read up on the
issue. You have some background, you have you know, you have some
something to offer on it, which is you know, which is correct? Then
okay, go ahead. If you answer it, if you're able to, or if you don't
know, then you ask someone who does know. Okay, it's okay to say,
You know what? That's a great question. I haven't thought about
this. Let me look into it. Let me get back to you. Okay, actually,
you know, some of the you know, we learned, one of the signs of a
scholar, right? Is a person who's able to say that I don't know.
A true scholar is someone who says I don't know when he really
doesn't know. Okay? And a sign of an ignorant person is that even
when they don't know, they pretend to know, and they keep talking
Okay. So we should not be ashamed to say, I don't know, that's okay.
That's okay, right? So now, if it's you know, something that
that we do then, and most of the things that we do, especially when
it's related to our deen in our worship,
that it should be based on the Quran and the Sunnah of the
Prophet sallallahu, alayhi wa sallam. Okay, so if it's based on
the Quran and the Sunnah, and if it's it's something that is coming
from there, then we must make it clear to ourselves first, and also
to the questioner, that the first and foremost reason why we do it
is because we have been commanded to do so. It should be clear to
us, okay, that the first and foremost reason why we're here
today, right, whatever the wisdoms may be behind it, whatever the
benefits may be, the reason we are here is because Allah has
commanded this Prophet, sallAllahu, alayhi wa sallam, has
instructed us to do this, and this is why we're doing it, okay. So
this should be clear in our minds, and it is something we should also
communicate if we are asked about something okay. Now this is the
main reason. There may be other wisdoms, there may be benefits
that we may know or we may not know about. We may have seen some
lecture, or heard some lecture, you know, seen some very
interesting YouTube clip, you know, where someone was mentioning
some Sheik was mentioning, you know, all these, you know, things
that we hadn't heard before. Okay, Alhamdulillah, maybe there's some
wisdom, some benefits that we are not aware of. But nonetheless, the
first and foremost reason why we do something is because Allah and
His Messenger, salaried Salam have commanded us to do so. Okay, now,
some of these wisdoms and some of these benefits that we come
across, they may be convincing to some, maybe not for others, but
the reason we practice our deen the way we do so is because this
is the way that has been taught to us. This is how we've been taught
to do it. And As believers, we submit to the will of Allah, okay,
this is what, really what Islam is about, okay, submitting to the
will of Allah, Subhanahu wa Taala and the guidance of His Messenger,
sallAllahu, alayhi wa sallam, whether we like it or not, whether
we like it or not, and sometimes whether we understand it or not,
okay, because the fact of the matter is that
you know, the the wisdom of Allah subhanahu wa, the knowledge of
Allah subhanahu wa, is at a completely different level
compared to ours. But we will get into that a bit later on.
Also,
if we give, you know, you can give reasons and give wisdoms. Okay? So
people ask, for example, okay, why is court prohibited, right? So
then you say, Okay, it's a dirty animal. It's this, you know, it's
so unhealthy, this and that. Okay? So we give reasons, okay, so you
know that that's fine, but do not present that as the definitive,
definitive reason for the fact that it is haram. Okay, it is
haram because Allah decided it haram. Now, there may be reasons
for that. There's maybe wisdoms behind that, and this may be one
of them, okay, because you know what's going to happen if you say
that, this is the definitive reason why people say no. Now you
know it's genetically modified, and it's so pure and so clean, and
you know things have changed, and this is how it's treated. So is it
still halam? Okay, so now you're sitting there giving fatwa, so
you're trying to figure out, okay, is it still going to be Hanami?
And this can lead to confusion. Okay, so close that door for
yourself. Don't fall into that trap. You.
Now also, when we are having these discussions, do not expect
agreement. Do not expect agreement. Okay, most questioners,
most sincere questioners, will be respectful,
but expect that they will likely not agree, and that's okay, right?
Our job is not to convince everyone. It's Allah Who gives
hidayah. Okay? Our job is to deliver the message and to tell
people things as they are, right? As you know, the the prophet Ali
musallah would say, and the Prophet Salam as well, right? This
is our job. Our job is only to present the message, to deliver
the message. Okay, so don't be expecting that this person is
going to agree, and if they're not agreeing, then you feel like
something's lacking, and you know something's wrong, and so on.
That's okay, right? You just explain. Most sincere questioners,
as I said, will be respectful,
and yes, as I mentioned a bit earlier, we must also recognize
that our understanding, our capacity to understand, is nowhere
near the knowledge and the wisdom of Allah subhanahu wa. This is
very, very very important for us to understand. So there will
certainly be many things. They will certainly be things, perhaps
many things which we are not able to understand, okay, or benefits
and wisdoms in what we are commanded to do, to do that we may
not be able to figure out. And that is also okay, right? We must
be okay with this. We must understand and comprehend and
accept this concept, this idea that we will not be able to fully
comprehend every single wisdom, every single benefit, every single
reason behind every command of Allah and every guidance that the
Messenger of Allah, Salah Salem, has brought to us. So the next
time an Islamic practice, one that is, you know, truly proven from
the Quran the Sunnah. Because sometimes, you know, we think
there are practices which are Islamic in nature, and we are
doing them for a long time, perhaps, or people you know in our
culture or families have been doing them, but perhaps they're
actually not proven from the Quran the Sunnah. Okay, so I'm talking
about practices which are truly proven from the Quran sunnah. If
one of them is is attacked or questioned right by someone,
whether it's in the media or someone you know,
do not feel unconfident and worried. Okay, there's no need to
go into a panic.
There's no need to go into a panic or to start thinking, okay, maybe
we need to revise our deen. This is what people are saying about
us. And you know, we're we're looking bad. Now, of course, if
it's something which is not proven from the Quran sunnah, if it's a
misinterpretation of the deen, if it's a misunderstanding of the
deen, then yes, we need to be concerned about how to fix that.
Okay, but the things which are established and are clearly
established, and it has been the practice of the of the Ummah since
the very beginning. Okay, one of those things come into question,
it's okay. You know, no need to panic or to start thinking about,
you know, how do we change things so that we fit in better, or that
so that people start thinking well, of us, and, you know, to
adapt to societal demands that or pressures that the certain players
or actors may be putting upon us. Alhamdulillah, we are very, very
fortunate. Alhamdulillah, we are very fortunate that we live in a
land where all people, all people in this land have the right to
freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of conscience,
freedom of opinion. So you can believe whatever you want to,
right you can believe whatever you want to no matter what anyone
thinks or says about it. Okay? Because your beliefs are are for
you, that's your matter. Okay? That's your prerogative. You can
believe in whatever you like regardless of what people say,
regardless of what people think about it, and you're free to
practice your religion. You're free to practice your religion as
long as you're not taking away the rights of others, hurting others,
putting others at risk. Okay? So within those boundaries, you're
free to do whatever you like. Alhamdulillah, this is a great
blessing of Allah, and one we should be constantly reminded
about. So let us thank Allah, Subhanahu wa Taala for this and
for the guidance that he has given us. And have inner peace. Have
inner peace and contentment knowing that your your Rab, your
Lord, is the most wise, that Allah subhanahu wa is the most wise, and
that following his commands and the guidance brought to us by His
Messenger, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, is the best course of
action for you in the long run. Okay, it may the benefits may not
be there immediately. It may not be visible immediately. Perhaps to
us, we may not be able to recognize them immediately. But
the fact of the matter is that in the long run, there will be much
higher and there will be falaf, there will be success in following
that which Allah, Subhanahu wa Taala has brought to us, has said
to us, and that the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu, sallam, has
taught us and let us also, my brothers and sisters, have the
desire and the effort to learn more about our deen, to learn more
about the guidance of Allah and the Prophetic practice practices
so that we live a.
More confident and more fulfilling existing existence, that which is
closest, that which is closest to that which is pleasing to Allah
subhanahu wa taala, because at the end of the day, right? And we
talked about this while I've been created, we've been created as
slaves of Allah to worship Allah subhana wa Taala and to gain his
pleasure, right? This is really what our objective should be in
life. So you know, through this journey of life, there will be ups
and downs, there will be bumps and along the way, there will be
things thrown at us. There will be some challenges here and there,
but these are temporary challenges. Okay, some of them may
seem to be long, but that's okay. We continue forward, but it's very
important that we have this recognition inside of us, that our
heart is content and we sincerely believe that, yes, this is the
hop, and this is the truth that Allah subhanahu wa taala has said
to us, that the messenger of allah sallallahu, Sallam has brought to
us. And if someone
feels hesitant, saying that,
if you feel hesitant, believing in that, thinking that, okay, no, I'm
not going to tell you. Leave the room. Okay, what you should do is
turn to Allah subhanahu wa taala, turn to Allah subhanahu wa
sincerely, and ask for hidaya and ask for guidance. Okay, if there's
something that sometimes is normal, you know, sometimes we
have a swas. Sometimes we have, you know, shaytan put some
thoughts in our in our minds, in our hearts. Sometimes our nafs is
saying something, doing something. Sometimes there's something we
see, we don't understand, we are confused, and we start getting
some doubts. Okay, this is something normal that many people,
almost everyone, goes through. And that happens if you seek
protection with Allah subhanahu wa sincere dua to Allah subhana wa
Taala to guide you and to clear up the the doubts that you're having.
And Inshallah, will guide you. InshaAllah continue to guide us.
May Allah Azza wa Jalla strengthen our Imaan, Allah subhanahu wa
taala grant us wisdom and knowledge to practice and to
understand the way that he has chosen for us. Aminu.