Sikander Hashmi – Olympic Lessons KMA Friday Message
AI: Summary ©
The importance of working hard for one's life is discussed, including finding a job, purchasing a house, caring for oneself and family, finding a job, and balancing personal desires and needs with others. The speaker emphasizes the need for compassion and support for individuals who are unable to meet their own needs and building qualities and being a successful athlete. The importance of flexibility, travel, and work hard is emphasized, as it is essential for achieving success in the Olympics. Prospective actions such as working on forgiveness, learning about the benefits of poverty, education, work, and hard work are also discussed.
AI: Summary ©
Respected elders, dear brothers and sisters, my young
friends,
We begin by praising Allah
the Lord of the Universe, our creator, our
sustainer,
our nourisher, our protector. And we begin by
sending peace and salutations upon his beloved messenger,
beloved and final messenger, Muhammad the son of
Abdullah
Abdullah My brothers and sisters, as you probably
know,
the 30 the 32nd
Summer Olympic Games
are on as we speak.
And the athletes have been
racing to the finish line. They have been
lifting weights. They have been playing sports,
and they are being judged
on their style and their performance depending on
the sport that they're in. And just this
morning,
Mohammed
Ahmed won silver for Canada in the 5000
meter
track and field event.
We congratulate him
and all of our Olympians who have done
well and even those who haven't because
the reality is
that making it to that point,
making it to the Olympics
and especially getting onto the podium
is not a joke. It requires years of
training
with discipline
and dedication
and strong ambitions. So it's not something for
the weak hearted. I mean, you have to
be physically strong, but you also have to
be mentally strong as well.
And the reality is, my brothers and sisters,
that if this is true
in our lives
as well.
We spend
years
to get prepared for life.
If you think about it,
when does
education start for a child?
Now it is getting earlier and earlier.
Right? So
4 years old or even preschool. And
a good chunk of a person's life
is spent
on getting
educated. Why? So that we can be prepared
to be winners
in life.
And then we have our struggles
for trying to choose
the right education
for a rewarding career
or joining together night and day to establish
a successful business,
working hard
to purchase a home,
setting up a generous retirement fund,
and all the struggles that we go through
on a day to day basis that we
are all
familiar with,
we are all familiar with.
And these struggles, like I said, they start
early on. The effort starts
early on.
And we spend a large portion of our
life,
of our lives preparing
for those things,
right, which are important.
But sometimes what happens, my brothers and sisters,
is that we start
treating
buying homes and cars
and our careers
and our investments
like an Olympic sport.
We start treating it like that. So what
do I mean? We tire ourselves
with dedication and discipline. We see this in
the world. Right? Sometimes even in our communities.
And we tire ourselves
not so that we can have, you know,
a decent, a reasonable place
to live in for ourselves and our families
so that, you know, we have a decent
car to drive
with a decent respectable income, which is important.
All of those things are important.
But what it turns into what I mean
is
that it becomes our ambition
to be on top when it comes to
these things. So instead of looking at these
things as necessities
that
we need to live in this world, to
live in this dunya, to survive in this
world,
it becomes our ambition to be on top
with regards to these things within our circle
of friends
and our family and our profession. So it
goes from being a necessity, a need,
to being something that we start vying for,
that we start
competing
with others in. Now, in Islam, to be
clear, we are taught to work hard for
the things which are halal
in order to fulfill our needs.
And there's a very important difference distinction between
needs and wants.
So it is important, and indeed we are
encouraged,
to work hard to fulfill our needs, our
responsibilities
towards ourselves,
towards our bodies,
towards our families, towards our relatives, towards our
community,
to fulfill the needs
in a halal manner, to feed, to clothe
our families, not to be dependent on others.
Our religion is not a or our way
of life
is not one that is a religion or
a way of life of handouts,
that we wait for a handout in order
to live in this world.
That's not what we have been taught by
Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam.
What we have been taught
is to work hard
with
the abilities, the faculties, the blessings that Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala has given us, even if
it is just our hands,
working hard to earn a halal income to
live and to survive and to sustain our
families. That is what we're supposed to do
first.
Yes. Our way of life is one of
compassion for a person who is not able
to work,
who is not able to find work, who
is not able to do anything
to sustain themselves or perhaps it is not
enough
to sustain themselves, then yes, absolutely, there is
compassion, there is support,
there is welfare, there is all of those
things.
But that's not the go to for the
believer.
That's not the way
we have been trained to live in our
lives.
So we have been taught to work hard,
to not to be dependent on others, and
to spread appropriately
of what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has blessed
us with. If Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has
blessed us,
then we should spend appropriately
of those things,
earn it in a halal manner, spend it
in a halal manner, in moderation,
according to the blessings that Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala has given to a person.
And, yes, these can all be an act
acts of worship as well.
It can actually be turned into an act
of worship or an act of servitude towards
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So imagine how beautiful
that is that a person is going to
work in the morning. They're waking up early.
They're working hard
to go to work,
to open their store,
to run their business, to study.
They're working hard. They're waking up in the
morning morning. They're just going to earn.
But it's a form of servitude. It's a
form of ibadah toward Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Why? Because their intentions are right, and they're
doing it in the right way, and they're
doing it for the right reasons.
So if we do these things while respecting
the guidance of Allah and his messenger salallahu
alayhi wa sallam, and we do them with
the right intentions out of a sense of
duty towards Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala,
a sense of respecting and honoring
the guidance of Allah and his messenger sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam, then it can be turned
that same effort.
The same effort that we would be normally
making anyway can be turned into an effort
that is actually rewarded by Allah subhanahu
subhanahu wa ta'ala. That is actually
pleasing to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Now, we
must ask ourselves, my brothers and sisters, that
how much of our effort is really for
this purpose?
How much of our effort is really for
this purpose?
And how much is it to satisfy
our own desires
out of greed?
Alright. That's the difference between the needs and
the wants.
So making the same effort, but if it
is with the right intention, with the right
purpose, in the right way,
then it can be rewarded by Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala.
But on the other hand, if that effort
is just to feed our own egos, our
own greed,
which will never be fulfilled.
Right. Greed will never be fully fulfilled. If
a person acts out of greed, they will
never have enough.
As the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam has told
us. Right?
The child of Adam
has won, the human being, has one valley
of gold, entire valley full of gold. He's
gonna want another one.
There's nothing that can fill that,
that or satiate that, you know, or be
enough to satisfy that desire for having more.
And it ends with the earth going into
the earth and the, you know, the mouths
and the bellies being stuffed with with dirt,
which happens when we pass away.
So my brother and sister, let's think about
it. If you're working that hard for the
things that are going to last for a
maximum of 70 or 80 years,
how much harder should we be working for
that which will last forever?
I mean, think about it. People work hard
in this life, and that's good.
If it's like I said, if it's for
the right reasons, right intentions, it's good. Alhamdulillah.
Alright? But if we're working so hard for
something which is temporary, right, just to get
by in this world,
then how much harder should we be working
for that which will last forever? And especially
in the case where we're doing the effort
for worldly reasons for our greed, to satisfy
our our desires, not necessarily our needs. Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us to race for
it. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us to
race.
Says, race
towards forgiveness from your Lord, and a garden
whose width is like the width of the
heavens and earth.
Prepare for those who believed in Allah and
his messengers.
That is the bounty of Allah
which he gives to whom he wills, and
Allah is the possessor
of great bounty. And another place, Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala tells us similar wording.
And hasten.
Rush toward forgiveness from your Lord. And a
garden as wide as the heavens and earth
prepare
for the righteous. So Allah
essentially is telling us to move,
take action,
rush. Right? Don't be behind. Don't take it
as an afterthought,
but move quickly towards his forgiveness, to seek
his forgiveness. Move quickly
towards
Jannah. So the message is do not leave
it as an afterthought.
Don't leave it as an afterthought, which sort
of happens naturally because you're so
stuck in the day to day
and in planning for, you know, the foreseeable
future or maybe your retirement.
And sometimes
we get lost in that because
we're not looking ahead. We're not looking
beyond that. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says,
no. Don't let that happen. Don't don't let
it be an afterthought,
but keep it at at the forefront.
It may seem like it's far away, but
it's actually a lot closer than you think.
So move
towards it.
Move forward quickly.
And Jannah doesn't come cheap.
No. Who doesn't wanna go to Jannah? Of
course, everybody wants to go to Jannah.
Everybody wants to go to
paradise. Right? May Allah
make us from amongst the people of Jannah.
May Allah
grant us the best place in Jannah.
So we all want to go to Jannah,
but Jannah doesn't come cheap.
It's not cheap.
Right? And if you think about it, I
was, you know, watching the Olympics, and I
was thinking
how much struggle
athletes go through.
Right? Like I said, the training is hard.
It's not like someone just you know, they're
just sitting on their couch
a few weeks ago, and they're like, oh,
yeah. Let me go to the Olympics. And
then they just, you know, they just got
up, and they just started competing. No.
Right? They go through hard training.
Travel many times because the training is not
available where they live. So they have to
go away from their families.
Right? There's a financial burden. You know, sometimes
I I get the impression that, you know,
people watch the Olympics to see the athletes,
and they're like, oh, they're making a lot
of money. You know, they're not pro athletes.
Right? They're not playing in the NHL and
the NBA, you know, and the professional soccer
leagues. Okay. Some of them might be. But
most of the athletes, you know, they're not
they're not professional athletes. So they're not in
it for the money.
Right? In many cases, there might be a
financial burden,
right, for being away from home and, you
know, to look for sponsorships
and all these things. It's not easy.
So years of determined struggle. Why? For a
chance to be on the podium.
Right? How long does that last?
Right? To get the medal.
Few days of fame and recognition,
maybe some sponsorships, like I said.
Probably some positive effect on their careers, maybe
some good stories to tell when they get
older,
inspiration to others. Right? So there are benefits
to it. But if you think about it,
right, the amount of effort that goes into
it
and what is actually
achieved in terms of actual, you know,
achievement and and what is gained rather.
SubhanAllah.
Right? So if that's how much effort
needs to be made for something
that is so temporary and so short lived,
imagine how much effort should go into Jannah,
which is exponentially
greater and better in every way.
So much greater and so much better.
Now in one of the verses, Allah said,
he tells us,
that it has been prepared
for the people of Taqwa.
The Jannah has been prepared for the people
of Taqwa, people who are righteous, who are
God fearing, who are God conscious.
And after that, Allah
gives us some qualities
of these people.
Because, you know, to be a successful athlete,
you need to have certain qualities.
Not everyone can be a successful
athlete, especially,
you know, on a on a global level
to to play in the Olympics, to compete
in the Olympics.
Yes. Allah
gives us some characteristics of the people of
Taqwa
who are to be racing for Jannah and
for forgiveness. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us,
They are those who spend in the cause
of Allah during ease and hardship.
During ease
and hardship.
Right? They spend in the way of Allah,
in the cause of Allah, in both good
times and difficult times.
And they restrain their anger.
Right?
They are cool with their anger. They restrain
it. And even if they get angry, they
cool down quickly.
And they pardon people. They are forgiving towards
people.
And Allah loves the doors of good.
And Allah gives some more characteristics.
And those who when they commit an immorality
or wrong themselves by transgression
so you know what's interesting here. Right? Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala is talking about the people
of taqwa. He's talking about the people who
do good.
And then he says that they too commit
immoralities or wrong themselves sometimes. Meaning, they're not
perfect people. They're not angels.
Right? Even the people of Taqwa and the
doers of good will make mistakes.
They may commit an immorality. They may wrong
themselves by committing a sin by transgressing against
the guidance of Allah and His messenger sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam. But what do they do?
They remember Allah and they seek forgiveness of
their sins. As soon as they re realize
what has happened,
they are humble. They remember Allah.
And they seek forgiveness for their sins. Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala says,
And who can forgive except Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala? Who can forgive sins except Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala?
And they do not persist in what they
have done while they know. So basically, they're
sincere people.
They may make mistakes. As soon as they
make a mistake, they seek the forgiveness. Remember
Allah and they seek the forgiveness of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala. And once they know something,
they don't persist in doing it. When they
know that something is wrong, when they know
that something is displeasing to Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala, they don't persist in doing it, they
stop themselves. They com they they control themselves.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us,
Those their reward is forgiveness from their lord.
And gardens beneath which rivers flow in Jannah,
wherein they will abide forever eternally,
and excellent is the reward
of the righteous workers. Make
us from amongst them.
So my brothers and sisters, race towards it.
Work hard in doing good. Work hard to
become a person of taqwa and live it
practically.
Make it a priority and not an afterthought.
Something that we live by, not just we
something that we turn to when we have
nothing else to do.
Not something that we turn to when we
have nothing left to do. Right? When we're
free, okay, now we're gonna worry about it.
No. Try to make it an a a
priority.
Now in a number of places, we have
been encouraged
to be first
to be first. To be at the forefront
of doing good, whether it's giving charity, whether
it is worship, whether it is helping others.
There is virtue and encouragement
regarding
being first.
Right. It doesn't mean that you push others
out of the way to become first.
Right. For example, when we go for amra,
when we go for hajj, may Allah
open the doors once again for us. Right.
And this Hajj al Aswat,
People want to touch it, and they want
the virtue of kissing it. Right? And then
there's all this pushing and shoving. Right? So
that's not what we're talking about. We're not
talking about pushing others out of the way
in order to get ahead, but rather we're
talking about having the desire
and moving forward
to do good
without hurting others, without pushing others out of
the way. The messenger of Allah sallallahu alaihi
wasallam said, hasten to do good deeds before
you are overtaken
by 1 of the 7 afflictions.
Then giving a warning, he said, are you
waiting
are you waiting for such poverty which will
make you unmindful of devotion,
or prosperity which will make you corrupt, or
disease as will disable you, or such senility
senility as will make you mentally unstable,
or sudden death, or ad dajjal who has
the worst expected absent, or the hour, and
the hour will be the most grievous and
the most bitter. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
protect us. So poverty can be a barrier
to doing good.
Prosperity
can be a barrier to doing good. Disease
can be a barrier
to doing good. Senility,
old age can be a barrier
to doing good or sudden death and the
dajjal and of course the day of judgment.
All of these things can become barriers in
our doing good. So the prophet sallallahu alaihi
wasallam said, Hey, sin. Move forward. Move quickly
before
these things come and overtake you. My brothers
and sisters, as we watch and hear about
the Olympics and the athletes who have put
tremendous effort,
discipline, and dedication into where they are today,
let us think about what effort and dedication
we are putting and that we need to
put into taking us where we
really and truly want to be, not just
in this duniya, but in the hereafter.
Think about how we can make the actions
which are pleasing to
at the forefront of our lives. May Allah
grant us the ability and understanding
to make pleasing Allah and obtaining Jannah our
top priority. May Allah
make us for among those who strive to
be at the forefront of that which pleases
him most. And may Allah
increase us in everything that is good. May
Allah
continue to guide us to live this life
in the best way, and may he grant
us the best in the hereafter.
We have the sad news of the passing
of the brother-in-law of our brother Javed Hakim.
So may du'a for him and all of
those who have passed away.
We also make special du'a for all of
those who are ill. There are a number
of brothers and sisters whose loved ones have
cancer
and other serious illnesses, our elder sister who
is living in pain, our brothers and sisters
who are living with long term pain and
injuries, and all of those who are physically
ill or mentally ill or emotionally,
bruised and hurt. May Allah, please heal all
of them. Oh, Allah.
Cure them all and make them well. Oh,
Allah,