Sikander Hashmi – Racing for Everlasting Gold
AI: Summary ©
The speaker discusses the negative impact of the Summer Olympics on people, their families, and their career, emphasizing the importance of preparing for life through hard work and dedication. They stress the need to work hard for one's own goals and fulfill one's own desires, and to not let them be a priority. The message is to pursue forgiveness and pursue life practically, and to focus on doing good deeds and not wait for a particular time to achieve goals. The speaker also provides a personal story about working hard for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa waalala and encourages listeners to focus on their goals.
AI: Summary ©
As you probably know, the Summer Olympics have
come to an end in Paris.
And there were some
historic positive moments
that probably won't be forgotten
anytime soon
for different countries, for Canada,
for Algeria,
for Pakistan,
for Bahrain,
for Turkey,
for Egypt,
for the Netherlands,
and Ethiopia, of course, with their final
gold medalist, the last competition of the event,
breaking the woman's rock and running records,
and then
wearing the hijab
while she received the gold medal at the
closing ceremony in the country that has tried
to ban the hijab. So that was, of
course, very symbolic.
Then there were some not so remarkable moments,
like for Australia.
Now making it to the Olympics
and especially
getting on the podium as a winner
is not a joke. Of course, as you
know, it requires
years of training
with discipline
and dedication,
strong ambition, strong willpower.
Because when
most cases, when an athlete is training, there
are many ups and downs. People get injured.
There are failures. You know, maybe they go
into a competition
as it happened. Have it happened many times.
And then they failed to perform for whatever
reason.
And the reality is my brothers and sisters
that this is also usually true for
our lives as well. This is usually true
in our lives for us as well. So
what happens?
We spend
years
to get prepared for life.
Right? Our parents try to send us to
the best of schools,
and they tried to guide us to the
best of careers to get the best of
education.
So that we can be prepared to be
winners in life.
But the reality is,
you know, there are also ups and downs
in life as well. Just like there is
for an athlete in their journey
to the podium.
Perhaps there are struggles
for choosing the right
education
for the most rewarding career,
or perhaps we are joining night and day
to establish a successful business,
you know, working hard to own a house
or maybe to set up a decent or
generous retirement fund.
Reality is we spend
a large portion of our lives
preparing for these things.
In many cases, which are important.
But what happens is sometimes we start treating
the buying of properties,
buying homes and cars
and material things, and our careers, and our
businesses,
like an Olympic sport.
We tire ourselves
with dedication
and discipline.
But not so that we can have a
decent
and a reasonable place to live
and a decent car to drive
and a decent income.
All of which are important,
but rather,
it becomes
our ambition
to be on top
when it comes to these things.
Within our circle of friends and family
and perhaps within our profession.
So it goes
from being
an example
of,
like, the journey that Natalie goes through, but
the purpose becomes that of competition.
Right? The purpose turns
to being one of competition.
And this principle applies to everything that we
do. Whether it is our studies, whether it
is our work, whether it is it is
activism,
you know, standing up for justice. Right? Especially
when we see what is happening to our
brothers and sisters. May Allah
grant them relief. And Al Fazza in Sudan
and all around the world.
So we are not a religion of just
sitting and watching and not doing anything. We
are
accountable for the effort that we make. The
reasonable,
permissible,
wise effort that we make knowing that the
result come from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So
even when it comes to our studies, when
it comes to our work, when it comes
to our worthy lives, we need to work
for that. Right? We need to work with
that. For that, we are not to just
sit back and relax and just hope for
the best or just hope for, you know,
a check to come from the government or
from someone, and we don't do anything and
we enjoy life. Right? This is not the
character. This is not the ethos of a
believer.
And if we do all of this, even
worldly things with the right intention,
to stay away from dependency on others,
to fulfill our responsibilities
towards our families,
and we do it reasonably in a good
way according to the guidance of Allah and
his messenger salallahu alaihi wa sallam, then we
will be rewarded for it as well.
The question is my brothers and sisters, how
much of our efforts
are really for this purpose?
To fulfill our responsibilities,
to be a better person, to be a
better citizen, to be a better servant to
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? And how much is
it
to satisfy
our own desires
and out of greed?
If
we are working that hard
for the things that are going to last
a maximum
of 70 to 80 years for us,
how much harder
should we be working for that which will
last forever?
If we are to work
that hard
for the things which will
exist as long as we are in this
world. And when we leave from this world,
they will not come with us. Then how
much harder should we be working for that
which will last forever? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
tells us to race for it. Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala tells us to race.
Prepared for those who believe 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. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala also tells us
and hasten to forgiveness from your lord and
a garden as wide as the heavens and
earth
prepared for the righteous. So Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala tells us to race. Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala tells us to move forward quickly
towards his forgiveness
and towards
Jannah. So the message is my brothers and
sisters, don't leave it as an afterthought.
Don't leave it as an afterthought that something
you think about only after everything else is
done. But rather,
you know, make it at the forefront of
your decisions, the forefront of your choices and
your activities. Because, yes, it may seem like
it is far away.
The hereafter may seem like it is far
away, but actually, it is a lot closer
than we think. So move
forward
quickly to prepare for it so that you
are ready and I am ready when the
time comes. And
make make us prepared.
And my brothers and sisters, it doesn't come
cheap.
You know, if you think about it, how
much struggle
the athletes go through.
Right? The hard training,
the travel, being away from their families,
the financial burden, the years of determined struggle
for a chance to be on the podium.
You know, a few days of fame and
recognition,
maybe some sponsorships,
some positive effect on their careers, maybe some
good stories to tell, and perhaps to inspire
others.
So, if that's how much effort for something
so temporary and short lived is required,
then imagine how much effort should go into
Jannah which is exponentially
greater and better
in every possible
way. In one of the verses of the
Quran, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
says,
He tells us
about Jannah being prepared
for the people of Taqwa.
Those who are righteous,
those who are pious, those who are God
fearing, and God conscious.
And after that,
Allah gives us some of their qualities.
They are those who spend in the cause
of Allah
during ease and hardship.
And who
restrain anger
and who pardon the people. And Allah loves
the doers of good. And why do they
do all of this? Because
they have
piety. They have the reverent fear of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala in their hearts. They are
conscious of him
at all times.
And those who and Allah
continues and those who when they commit an
immorality
or a or wrong themselves.
When they commit an immorality
or they wrong themselves what does this tell
us by the way? That the people of
Taqwa can sometimes
find themselves committing an immorality.
They can sometimes find themselves
wronging themselves, meaning by transgression,
by committing a sin against Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala. So this can happen even to the
people of Taqwa. But what do they do
when that happens?
They remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. They do
the of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And they seek forgiveness for their sins. Allah
says,
and who can forgive sins except Allah?
And who can forgive sins except Allah?
And their characteristic is that they commit a
sin by mistake.
They commit a transgression. They commit an immorality.
They remember Allah.
They seek forgiveness for their sins,
and they are those who do not persist
in what they have done while they know.
So when they know that something is wrong,
when they realize that they had made a
mistake, then they don't go ahead and continue
doing it. They try their best to stop
themselves from commit that. So they are not
persistent
in doing what they have done while they
know.
And those their reward is forgiveness from their
lord and gardens beneath which rivers flow of
meaning in Jannah where and they will abide
eternally
and excellent is the reward of the righteous.
Excellent is the reward
of the righteous workers. So brothers and sisters,
the message is race towards it. Work hard
in doing good. Become a person of and
live it practically. So make it a priority,
not an afterthought,
but rather something that we live by and
not just turn to when we have nothing
else to do. So we make it a
part of our lives, our daily lives. We
consider, we think, we reflect.
What can I do to get closer to
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?
What do I need to do to race
towards Jannah? What do I need to do
in order to improve myself, my faith, my
spirituality,
my character? What is it that I need
to do that I can do better which
I am not already doing? In a number
of places, my brothers and sisters, we have
been encouraged to be first, to be at
the forefront
of doing good whether it is charity
or worship and or helping others. And there's
a narration from the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam. Some issues with the chain of narration
but nonetheless the message is sound where it
is reported that he said, hasten to do
good deeds before you are overtaken
by one of the 7 afflictions.
Hasten to do good deeds before you are
overtaken
by one of the 7 afflictions.
Then giving a warning, he said, are you
waiting for such poverty which will make you
unmindful of devotion?
Are you waiting for such poverty that will
make you unmindful of devotion
or prosperity
which will make you corrupt
or disease which will disable you or such
senility as will make you mentally unstable
or sudden death
or the dajjal who is the worst expected
absent
or the hour, meaning the day of judgment
and the hour will be most grievous and
most bitter. May Allah
protect us all. So these things could happen.
Some of these things could happen to anyone.
Some of these things will happen such as
death of course. So the message is do
not wait for that time to come but
rather seize the opportunity
to do seize the opportunity to do good,
to get closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Don't keep delaying it because you may keep
delaying it until perhaps you are no longer
able to do it. So my brothers and
sisters, you know, as we hear about the
Olympics, of course, which are wrapped up and
the Paralympics coming up and the athletes who
have put in tremendous amounts of effort and
discipline and dedication
into where they are today.
Let us think
about the effort and dedication
that we are putting
and need to put into taking us
where we really and truly want to be.
Not just in this dunya but especially in
the hereafter. Right? So the reason why I'm
mentioning this is that the next time the
Olympics come around, next time we hear about
a competition, next time we hear about athletes,
we remember.
We put it upon ourselves
and ask ourselves how we are doing when
it comes to racing for Jannah, when it
comes to trying to get closer to the
ultimate prize which is Jannah because there's nothing
greater
in the entire
creation of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for us
than Jannah. Of course, once we get into
Jannah, then being close to Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala and being able to see Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala will be greater than Jannah. But
in terms of things which exist, right, material
things, then there is nothing greater than
there is nothing greater
than
and let us think about how we can
make the actions which are pleasing to Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala at the forefront of our
lives. Not as an afterthought but at the
forefront of our lives. So that everything that
we do is for the pleasure of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala
and we find extra opportunities whenever possible to
go the extra mile which is whether it
is, you know, coming for salah in jama'at
the masjid, you know, whatever we are doing,
maybe trying if you're not coming at all,
trying to start on a daily basis, if
you're already coming, trying to increase that, you
know, being able to wake up in the
night and offer some prayers, you know, to
increasing our even the little things. Right? The
little things matter. Don't underestimate as we have
been taught. You know, don't look down upon
any good deed because even a small thing,
small action could be the one that ends
up making the difference for us on the
day of judgment. So continue striving, continue working
harder for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala. Now, there is an aya in the
Quran
that I'm reminded of often
when the Olympics are on. But instead of
mentioning that aya here, I'm gonna leave that
as homework for you inshallah. And that is
aya number 20 of Surah Al Hadid.
Ayah number 20
of Surah Al Hadid.
So look it up afterwards inshallah, not right
now but afterwards. Surah ayah number 20 of
Surah Al Hadid.
And again whenever we recite the Quran and
we come across lessons and teachings and warnings,
instead of thinking about other people, let us
think about ourselves.
This was the one of the traits of
the companions of the prophet salallahu alaihi wa
sallam. That they would think about how does
this apply to me instead of thinking how
does this apply to other people or thinking
of other people who it applies to. So
when you read ayah number 20 of Surah
Al Hadid, try to take it as a
reflection, a moment of reflection and motivation for
yourself,
and I will try to do the same
as well. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
to grant us the ability and understanding to
make pleasing Allah
in attaining Jannah, our top priority. And ask
Allah
to make us from those who strive to
be at the forefront
of that which pleases him. May ask Allah
to increase us in everything that is good.
And of course we ask Allah azza wa
jal to grant his mercy and protection to
the entire Ummah and to grant relief to
all of our brothers and sisters who are
suffering around the world.