Sikander Hashmi – Shine on the Inside KMA Friday Message Aug. 23 2024
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Respected elders, dear brothers and sisters, my young
friends, Assalamu alaikum.
We find ourselves on the second last
Friday of August, and that means
that back to school is coming and it
is coming very quickly.
And I know for many of my young
friends
who are in the French board, their school
will be starting in a few days, and
others will follow in the coming week.
My brothers and sisters, as we make preparations
and, you know, do back to school shopping,
one thing that might become apparent
is that many of my young friends
are conscious
about their looks, about looking good.
And this goes into, you know, the types
of clothes they want to buy, the types
of accessories they want to buy, the brands,
and so on. And this is natural.
Because
we don't want to look bad. None of
us want to look bad or look out
of place.
You know, we want to leave a good
lasting impression,
and it is the same for many adults
as well.
Yes, it is the same for many adults
as well.
And this
desire affects
how we all, youth, and adults,
how we groom ourselves,
you know, how we dress,
our hairstyles,
you know, hijab style, and everything else that
is visible about us because we want to
be presentable. We want people to have a
good impression of us. We don't want people
to think that, you know, we are looking
bad.
Now while looking decent
is permissible
in a in a permissible way rather is
good.
There is another aspect of ourselves
that can have even a greater,
more profound effect
and impact on others. And that has to
do with the inside. That has to do
with our character, our manners,
our behavior,
and how we treat others.
You know, nobody likes someone who is rude
or someone who lies
and is untrustworthy,
someone who treats them badly. You ask yourself,
would you like someone?
You know, do you like someone who is
rude to you? Do you like someone who
lies to you or who is not trustworthy?
Do you like someone who treats you badly?
You know, no matter how nicely they are
dressed, no matter what kind of clothes they're
wearing, what kind of hairstyle they have, what
kind of accessories they have, which brands they
have,
you
know, we don't like people
who are like that.
And this is especially true when we are
facing challenges
and
we want to bring positive change
to issues
that matter to us, whether it be on
campus
or in the workplace
or in school
or in our neighborhoods.
You see, before the prophet
Arabia was drowning
in the worst type of ignorance that anyone
can imagine. So, it was ignorance
but it was the worst type of ignorance.
It was in the they were in the
depths of darkness.
And Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala chose Sayna Muhammad
to
bring about
monumental,
phenomenal, positive change.
But before
he was given the green light
to start the official process
of bringing positive change through prophethood,
what was he known for?
What was the prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam
known for even before the advent of prophethood?
It was his character.
Right? And Allah
mentions in the Quran, Allah says in the
Quran referring to him,
And you are truly
a man of outstanding character.
Outstanding
great character. And likewise,
Allah
commands us by saying,
worship Allah alone. That's the first command, the
most important command.
Associate
none with him. So this is paramount.
But then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says next
and be kind to parents, deal within
with Ihsan, with excellence, with goodness,
with your parents,
your relatives,
the orphans,
the poor,
the near and the distant neighbors,
those who are close to you, close friends,
close in relations,
you know, the travelers especially the needy travelers,
and those in your possession, meaning those who
you have authority over. Surely Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala does not like whoever is arrogant
and boastful. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does not like the
person who is arrogant and boastful. You know,
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does not like, Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala does not love such a
person and we also as human beings, we
do not like people. Generally, who are arrogant
and who are boastful. So basically,
my brothers and sisters, my friends, Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala is telling us that anyone
whose company we are in,
our presence
should not be a source of harm or
trouble for them.
Our presence
should not be a form of harm or
trouble to them but rather our presence should
be a form of peace
and mercy for them. And this is indeed
the example of the prophet salallahu alaihi wasallam.
Every one of us, every Muslim
should be a
beacon of peace and mercy
wherever we go. No matter where we go,
we should be a beacon of peace and
mercy
so that people feel peace around you. They
can tell when a Muslim is walking. They
can tell when a Muslim has entered the
room,
the classroom, the boardroom, the meeting room.
Right? They feel that there is an aura
of peace and serenity
and mercy emanating from this person. And this
was indeed the state of the Prophet sallallahu
alaihi wa sallam. Allah Azzawajal says,
Tell my servants, my believing servants
to say only what is best.
Shaitan certainly seeks to sow discord amongst them.
And shaitan is indeed a sworn enemy to
humankind. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala commands us to
always say that which is best and to
be aware
of shaitan's traps and shaitan's efforts to try
to sow discord
and enmity
and
fights between people. You see, we often think
of Islam.
When we think of Islam,
we think of often
ritual
worship. You know, what is permissible? What is
halal? What is haram? Many questions I'll get
Many times I'll get questions, you know. Is
it haram to do this? Is it haram
to do that? You know. Is it obligatory
for, you know, this? If a parent says
this, does a child have to do this?
You know, do I have to do that?
Do I So a lot of questions about
what we have to do and what we
cannot do, what we are prohibited to do
which is good. I'm not discouraging that.
But the focus many times is other things
which are visible and which are apparent.
Right? And these things are all very important
But the deen of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
is very comprehensive.
And the prophet has
also emphasized
great great importance
on good manners. He said for example
In another narration,
I was sent to perfect
good character.
Yes? Different narration, slightly different wordings, same meaning,
I was sent to perfect good character. And
there's no shortage
of teachings. For example,
the believers
who have the most perfect faith,
who have the most camel, the most complete
faith are those who have the best behavior,
those who have the best
character.
That the verily, the believer,
the believer may reach
by his good character, just by virtue of
his good character, the rank of one who
regularly fast
and stands for prayer at night. So this
is the value of good character. If a
person has
has good character towards others, first of all,
by the way, first of all, with Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Good character with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in
our relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Good
character towards the prophet
Good character towards our relationships, our people around
us who are important to us, who we
have been mandated
to respect and to love, and of course,
towards everyone else. So,
by having good character,
a person may actually reach the rank, similar
ranks as someone who fast regularly
and stands for prayer at night. So this
person may not be doing these things. They're
still a good person but they're not able
to exert themselves in worship. But by virtue
of their good character, they're able to reach
similar
heights as the people who exert themselves in
worship. And why? Because of their good character.
The prophet
also told us,
there is nothing heavier
than good character put in the scale of
a believer on the day of resurrection.
Because you see, on the day of resurrection
and the on the day of judgement, the
good deeds, the scholars tell us they will
have a weight.
The good deeds will have form and they
will have weight. The weight will be dependent
on the type of action and also the
sincerity and the perfection of the action that
was done. So somebody could have big actions
or many actions, but maybe they're not very
heavy. Right? It's like having a weight. You
know, you do weightlifting. And who does weightlifting
here? Guys, you do weightlifting? Okay. So you
have a big weight, but it doesn't weigh
anything. K? It weighs very little. Okay? It's
very light, but it's just like a big
piece of air. K. It's hollow. So you
can have actions like that that they're big
or there are a lot of them, but
they don't weigh much. And on the other
hand, you can have actions which are small.
Right? But maybe they were consistent and there's
many of them. And they were very sincere
so they're very heavy as well. Or they
were done with great care and attention, and
they're very heavy as well. So,
on the day of judgment there's nothing heavier
than good character put in the scale of
a believer on the day of resurrection. Okay?
So, the prophet was telling us that the
good character actions,
they will be heaviest on the day of
resurrection when they are put in the skill.
May Allah grant us such actions. I mean,
the prophet
he never hit anyone except when in battle.
He never used foul language.
He never lied. He never bullied people. This
was not from the character of the prophet
and the many
beautiful characteristics
that he had, they show one thing and
that is that he was never a burden
for people around him. And how could he?
Because after all, he was a mercy to
everyone, a mercy to humankind, a mercy for
all the creation of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala. Even at home,
he was never a burden upon others, you
know, taking care of himself, managing his own
affairs to the best of his ability.
Yes. Coming in, mending his shoes, taking care
of his own things. You know, so never
trying to be a burden on anyone else
but rather being a form of mercy towards
all around him. So we should also, my
brothers and sisters, aim to be a mercy
for those around us and not a burden
or a liability.
So that when we walk into a place,
people don't think and this is not to
please people but rather this is to please
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So they don't think,
oh, this person.
Oh, Abdullah has walked into the classroom. Oh,
there's this Muhammad. He's come. Everyone, be careful
now. Okay? This should not be how people
are looking at us and dealing with us.
Rather, it should be, oh, Abdullah is here.
It's so great to see Abdullah back in
school again. Oh, Muhammad is here for the
meeting. Oh, now we're gonna have you know,
this meeting is going to go well because
why Muhammad is here. Yes. This should be
the type of character and the type of
demeanor we have and the reputation that we
have
based on the teachings of Allah and his
messenger sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. So
if you are my brothers and sisters, I'm
gonna tell you something important here.
If you have a positive presence in your
setting, if your presence
is positive,
And then if you have concerns, there's a
good chance that you'll be taken seriously.
K? And this is true about when we
go back to school or generally at work
and everywhere.
No? Let us pay attention to what we
say and how we say it. You know?
Let's pay attention to the words that we
use. You know, are we using bad language?
Are we gossiping about people? You know, are
we lying about things? Are we backbiting people
with our coworkers, with our classmates, with our
friends? You know, these things are noticed.
You know, the teachers when they're walking by,
they're listening to what people are talking about.
You know, when you have the water cooler,
others are listening to what you are talking
about. And of course, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
is always watching, and all your deeds are
being recorded at all times. You know, what
you do
and how you do it. So when you're
upset, when things don't go your way and
you're frustrated,
you know, what kind how do you respond?
And we always think about how the prophet
sallallahu alaihi wa sallam would respond. How does
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala like us to respond?
You know, do we try to be patient
and forbearing
and have kindness and forgiveness? Because indeed this
was the example, the character of the Prophet
sallallahu alaihi wasallam.
If we build trust
if we build trust,
there's a better chance that we will be
taken more seriously
and then it becomes much easier to have
a positive influence.
Understand this and you will be able to
resolve many many issues inshallah.
If you build trust first,
there's a higher chance that you will be
taken more seriously
and then it becomes easier to have a
positive influence
and get the changes
that you want. It's not guaranteed, it's not
always gonna happen but it makes it easier.
If there's no trust,
if there's an absence of trust,
then you can keep hammering, you can keep
arguing, you can keep shouting, you can keep
fighting,
but things will likely become more difficult if
there's an absence of trust.
Now this is what normally happens, you know.
Of course, there can be sometimes exceptional circumstances
that may require a different approach,
but those are the exceptions. Right? Maybe sometimes
you're dealing with someone who's very, very difficult.
You're dealing with someone who has a very
hard heart. You're dealing with someone who is,
you know, drowning in hatred. Right? Then it's
a different situation, and then maybe you come
and you ask seek advice on how should
I navigate the situation.
But generally, if you are able to build
trust,
things will become much more easier for you
when you have an issue. And if you
do not build trust and you have a
bad reputation,
then it becomes more difficult
to advocate and to get positive change. However,
my brothers and sisters, and this is the
second important thing, having good character. Right? Everything
that we've discussed, it does not mean that
we can support
that which is immoral or unethical or haram
according to Allah.
So, yes, we have good character. Yes, we
are polite. Yes, we are patient. Yes, we
are forbearing.
Yes, we speak with a smile. But at
the same time, the balance is it does
not mean that we can support
that which is immoral or unethical or haram
according to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Why? Because
then that would entail having bad manners towards
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
If we do that, then it means that
we are showing bad character and bad manners
towards Allah
wa ta'ala by not respecting
his decision and not respecting
his guidance.
So, we must stand for our beliefs and
our values but we do it with a
smile. Right?
Be firm but also be polite
and respectful, right? Many times, the same thing
can be said in an angry way, in
a shouting way, in a frustrated way, and
the same thing can be said with a
smile. You know, I'm very sorry but I
will not be able to do this. You
know, I'm very sorry. This is something which
is does not align with my my values,
my beliefs. So, I'm sorry, I'm not able
to participate in this. You know, I mean,
so you just see the same thing. It's
the same message but it's delivered nicely, politely.
It has a different effect. It says, no,
I will never accept this. You know, I
cannot do this. It is haram for me.
It has a different effect. You know, so
the way we say things
can have
a very consequential effect on how it is
interpreted and what the results are. You see
the finally my brothers and sisters, the prophet
he advised
what we are
saying
Have taqwa. Have fear of Allah subhanahu wa
ta'ala wherever you may be. No matter where
you are. You're alone, you're with friends, you're
at school, you're at home, you're online, you're
in your device, you're in the depths of
darkness, in the middle of the night, you're
in a closet, it doesn't matter where you
are. Okay? Have taqwa, have the fear of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wherever you may be.
And follow-up a bad deed with a good
deed which will wipe it out. Because none
of us are perfect. Everyone of us will
make mistakes. When you go to school, you
go to work, you go anywhere, we do
things, we talk, we make
mistakes. K? But if you make a mistake,
do tawba,
ask for forgiveness, repent, and follow it up
with a good deed. And that good deed
inshallah will wipe out the bad deed. And
finally, behave well towards people. Ask Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala to enable us to excel in
everything
good, especially our character and our manners. Ask
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to make us for
amongst those who bring peace and comfort to
others with our presence. Ask Allah
to protect us, all of our children, all
of our youth from being those whose presence
is a source of trouble and discomfort
to others.
Take a quick break and we will continue.