Sikander Hashmi – The Spiritual Journey of a Lifetime KMA Friday Message
AI: Summary ©
AI: Transcript ©
If I may please ask the brothers to
move forward and fill in the gaps as
much as possible.
And there's also space on this side as
as well. So please feel free to fill
it up. We will probably have a larger
crowd today. So let's try to maximize the
space inshallah.
My brothers and sisters, we find ourselves
at the cusp of one of the greatest
gatherings for the worship of Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala
and that is the Hajj. And when we
think of the Hajj, my brothers and sisters,
there's many things that you may think of.
But one of the things that I'm reminded
of is how the oneness of Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala
brings together Muslims from around the world. And
when you are there and you see
the villagers
from
far away places
on different continents,
from Africa, from,
Asia, from Malaysia,
from Canada, from Southern America,
and all other points in the world coming
together,
all looking alike
for the worship of Allah
alone. And especially when the eharm is dawned.
And there are only for the men, only
2 pieces of cloth. And practically everyone is
wearing white. And you are not able to
see or feel any differentiation
with regards to socioeconomic
status. There is no name brand Ihram, not
that I'm aware of. They're all pretty much
look the same, maybe a little bit, some
features here and there. Rather than that, it's
all alike, right? So, visible differences
go away and everyone becomes
1
and it is totally reminiscent
of the day of judgement.
On the day, on the morning of the
day of Arafah, when people are leaving from
Mina and they are heading towards
the plains of Arafat and
everyone is rushing and everyone is worried about
and worried about being there
in Arafat
on that day
during the prescribed time.
Otherwise, their Hajj is not going to count.
So there is this
feeling
of urgency, of importance,
that reminds one of the day of judgement.
My brothers and sisters, we know that Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala may has made
this journey of a lifetime, the spiritual journey
of a lifetime,
an obligation
The pilgrimage to the house of Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala is described as a duty by
Allah
for those who have the means. For those
who are able to go and have the
means, it is a duty, it is an
obligation.
And we know that when there is an
obligation,
ideally it should be discharged
right away, it should be completed as soon
as possible
when it's prescribed
time comes.
The prayer is obligatory
at specified timings
as is the fasting in Ramadan. So similarly,
the time for Hajj
is when becomes obligatory
is the year when you have the health
and the wealth to pay for the trip.
When you have the health and you have
the wealth and you are able to make
the trip, that is when this obligation becomes
obligatory
upon you. Now,
there's no question that it can be trying
and it can be difficult
at times.
Although it is so much more easier today
than it was in the past. When you
hear even stories from, you know, our
relatives, from our grandparents, great grandparents,
those who may have performed Hajj, maybe, you
know, 50, 75 years ago. If you go
back a little bit more 100 years ago,
it was a completely different landscape. It was
a completely different journey in terms of the
risks,
in terms of the effort, in terms of
the hardship that was involved. So, yes, for
us, it is still seemingly difficult, but it
is nothing like the difficulties that the people
in the past experienced.
And we must remember though that the more
challenging and the more difficult or trying an
act is the more rewarding it is as
well. The more effort, the more tiredness, the
more stress, the most, the more,
difficulty
that you bear in doing something good, then
Insha'Allah the ajr of that will be just
as great as well. Now, Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala knows
of the need
that and the things that you have to
arrange before going for Hajj in terms of
arrangements
for children, for family,
taking time off, the cost of the trip,
and other hardship as well. So in the
past, you know, year, couple of years, there
have been an added layer of
anxieties or complexities with regards to,
making arrangements and doing bookings and how to
do them and who to do them with.
And
even other challenges
where people have made the niya, they've made
the arrangements, they've booked the time off, they've
even paid.
But still they are not able to go.
Right? Because of various circumstances. Maybe the, you
know, the agent did not deliver. In one
case, we are dealing with someone has disappeared
with, the payments that people made,
and has not been able to deliver at
least until now. The the arrangements that were
promised for going for Hajj. May Allah
make it easy for all of those who
find themselves in these challenging circumstances. I mean,
so when we go through a hardship and
Allah
is aware of all the hardships that are
associated with an act. So you think that
Allah will not, you know, appropriately
uh-uh or rather will not appreciate the sacrifice
and and will not you know reward it
accordingly if it's done sincerely. Of course, Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala is watching everything and Allah
does not leave any good deed without its
reward and without its appreciation.
There are a number of,
of course, we know the Hajj is an
obligation but there's a number of rewards or
virtues that have been associated
with this special pilgrimage. And the first and
foremost
is the spiritual purification. Whoever
performs Hajj to this house, to the Kaaba,
the prophet said,
That whoever performs
Hajj for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
and does not commit any obscenity, does not
commit any wrongdoing,
that person will come out
as the day he or she was born,
meaning pure and free from sins inshallah.
And secondly,
we have emancipation
from the hellfire and entry into Jannah inshallah
as a prophet
said,
That there is no day on which Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala sets free more servants from
the * fire than he does on the
day of Arafa.
Meaning, the people, you know, who have either
been written or who are on the path
of ending up there. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
special mercy, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala special forgiveness
on that day will set
more people free on that day from that
destiny than any other day. So this is
a great virtue of the day of Arafa
which by the way is not lost for
those who are not performing the Hajj.
So the virtues of Hajj of course are
associated mostly with those who are actually performing
the act of worship and who are actually
present during the time frame of Hajj. But
for the day of Arafah,
the scholars say that this virtue is one
which is general inshallah
and everyone can take advantage
of the this virtue of being safe from
the hellfire on that day. May Allah make
us for amongst those who are saved.
Allah
the prophet
also
talking about the reward being Jannah.
The reward of of Hajj Mabroor, one which
is accepted by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is
nothing but Jannah, Insha'Allah.
Thirdly, we have the acceptance
of supplication and prayers because you see the
prophet
has described the people who are performing Hajj
as the guests of Allah
And he
said
that that he called them and they responded,
they asked of him and he will give
them inshallah. So, there is a a special
added virtue associated with the acceptance of dua,
of prayers and supplications
that are made during the course of Hajj.
Fourthly, my brothers and sisters, protection
from poverty and sin. The prophet said,
keep on doing Hajj and Umrah.
Prophet
said, keep on doing Hajj and Umrah for
they eliminate poverty and sin
just as the bellows eliminate impurities
from Iran. So here we get encouragement,
virtues of performing
Hajj and Umrah.
Once again, if you have already performed it,
there is virtue in going for Hajj and
Umrah. And sometimes people will say that, you
know, I performed 1 Hajj already. Why do
people keep going for Hajj? You know, maybe
they can use that money and and you
know, benefit
in other ways, benefit people who are needy.
And it is true. Right? It is true
that there are virtues associated with helping those
in need, and a person certainly can use
that money for that purpose. However, if a
person acts upon this hadith and this virtue
and goes for Hajj again, of course for
Umrah again, what is intention? Certainly nothing wrong
with doing that because they are following the
virtues that the prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
has given. So
they're not mutually exclusive. Yes, you can support
those who are in need. Yes, if someone
feels they have done Hajj once
and they don't want to go again and
they want to give for other good causes,
Inshallah, Allah will accept from them and will
reward them. But if someone decides that they
want to go again
because of this virtue and because of this
this this, encouragement,
then there is indeed nothing blameworthy
for doing that.
And, it is certainly good to do that
as well. Now we know, my brothers and
sisters, the obligation, we know some of the
benefits, and the prophet has
encouraged us to hurry. So and said hasten
to do Hajj, meaning the obligatory Hajj for
none of you knows what will happen to
him. So the advice is my brothers and
sisters, if you have the health
and then you save up the wealth
and you go as soon as possible inshallah.
And if you have already done so alone,
perhaps you went for Hajj, you went for
you went alone when you were single.
You did not take your wife, you did
not take your family, then try to do
it again and take her with you as
well.
Do not delay. This is something that you
know, if we decide to delay and put
it off, then it keeps getting put off
and off and off and off. So, we
need to have a Hajj first philosophy that
is as soon as possible.
After marriage,
after graduation, after school, save up and go
for your first Hajj trip. Inshallah. You know,
when you are young, it is going to
be much easier to perform Hajj when in
most cases, when you are, you know, you
are young and you know, you can bear
more hardship, you can go for a lower
or, you know, more affordable package. You can
do a bay bar bare
bone basic Hajj, you know, so there is
more flexibility when you are in that stage
of life. Maybe you're not married yet and
you don't have as many responsibilities.
So try to make Hajj a priority
and do it when you are able and
you are willing and you have the strength
to do so. The more your delay, the
more challenging it is going to become. There
will be one need or one excuse after
another that will keep making it harder and
harder. You will get married, and you'll say,
okay, I want to wait a little bit
because I'm newly married. Then you will have
a child, and you'll say, okay, I have
a young child right now. So I'm going
to wait a little bit until the child
grows older. By the time that child grows
older, you're gonna have another child inshallah. Then
you'll say, okay, now who's gonna take care
of them so I cannot go right now.
And then it's going to be work, and
then it's gonna be something else and else
and else. And the next thing you know,
you know, you're gonna be
in in not in the same state, and
perhaps Allah knows best what state you will
be in and whether you'll be able to
go or not. Although this would have already
become an obligation upon you. So do it
sooner rather than later inshallah. If you have
already gone for Hajj, then thank Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala
and you can if you can go again,
go perhaps for someone who is deceased and
who couldn't go or those who are physically
unable to go. Many people, you know, in
the world, they,
they, they dream to go but they're not
able to go.
So,
you know, maybe physically they're not able to.
So, inshallah, you can go ahead and perform
a Hajj on their behalf.
They are people
who save even now for the entire life.
They
save
money, their entire lives.
So that they can go and visit the
house of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala.
And you can feel
you can feel their excitement and their passion
when you see these people.
In old age, when finally they've been able
to make it after a lifetime of effort
and desire to go and perform Hajj and
visit the house of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
You know, so if you have the opportunity,
then certainly value it, do not take it
for granted.
Some people take huge risks and long journeys
as well to go, for Hajj. So if
you've done it, be grateful and try to
find opportunities maybe to do it for others,
and, be grateful for that. And for those
who haven't, you know, looked for that opportunity
and try to make it happen soon. May
Allah make it easy. May Allah accept Hajj
from all of those who are there now.
Now with regards to the day of Arafa,
this is the 9th of the day before
which is going to be Tuesday
day of Arafa, the night of the
on Tuesday inshallah.
The following day, 10th of the which is
going to be Wednesday inshallah.
It is the day, the day of Arafah
is the day when the religion of Allah
was perfected
and Allah's
favor was completed
In, in the Sahihain, it was reported
from that a Jewish man said to him,
oh,
there is an ayah in your book in
the Quran which you recite. If it had
come to us, meaning the Jewish people, we
would have taken that day as a day
of aid, as a day of celebration, a
festival.
So said,
which ayah is that? Which ayah are you
referring to in the Quran? So he said,
the verse is
Allah
says, this day I have perfected your religion
for you, completed
my favor upon you and have chosen for
you Islam as your religion. So up until
that point, the injunctions of Islam were complete,
were still coming and were being revealed
in phases. And then this verse was revealed
and this was the completion
of the religion of Islam as it was
sent to the prophet
and Allah said that my favor is completed
upon you and Allah has chosen Islam as
your religion. So say no
Ahmed who said we know on which day
and in which place that was revealed to
the prophet
it was when he was standing in Arafa
on a Friday. So this was a very
special verse that has a special connection
fasting on this day as we discussed, is
highly recommended. It is an expiation for
2 years. It was reported from Abu Qadad
that
Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was asked about the fasting
of the day of Arafa and he said
that it expiates for the sins of the
previous year and the coming year Insha'Allah. This
is from the virtues of fasting on the
day of Arafa.
Inshallah being forgiven for the coming year doesn't
mean that it's a free pass that none
we have fasted on the day of Arafa.
Now you're good for the next year. You
could do whatever you want because it has
already been forgiven. We don't take anything for
granted. But inshallah, we hope that Allah
will grant us extra mercy and forgiveness
in the coming year as well as for
the deeds of the past year due to
fasting on this day inshallah.
It is Mustahab. It is desirable and virtuous
for those who are not on Hajj. Performing
Hajj,
it is not sunnah, for that person to
fast on the day of Arafa because the
prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam did not do so.
And it was also narrated that he may
have
perhaps forbidden
fasting on the day of Arafa in Arafa,
meaning for the person who is performing Hajj.
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala knows death knows best.
It is also the day of forgiveness,
of sins, freedom from the fire as, we
discussed.
And,
and Allah
takes pride in the people who are there
performing Hajj on that day.
It is a day of making dua.
Who reported the prophet
said
that that the best dua is the dua
of the day of Arafa. Now, whether you
are there or you are not there, of
course, if you are there, you obviously spend
the day making making, making dua. But if
you are not there, even then it is
a day of making dua and the prophet
went ahead and he said
that
the best of it is what was said
by myself and the prophets before me. And
he went on to say,
is that which is made on the day
of Arafa and the best of it is
what was said by myself and the prophets
before me that there is no god but
Allah alone without any partners until him belong
the dominion and all praise and he has
power over all things. So to recite this,
to repeat this on the day
of
Arafa
is
certainly
virtuous.
However,
you can certainly make other dua as well
and you should, we should try as much
as possible to spend the dua a day
in making dua inshallah.
So brothers and sisters, let us value these
days.
You know, this Friday is also special, of
course, being from the 10 best days of
the year. And then we have the day
of
coming up on Tuesday as we mentioned. So
try to fast if you're able to do
so. If you're not, it's fine. It's not
like it's, you know, obligatory or anything like
that, but certainly virtuous. So try to do
it if you can. Try to, you know,
make dua as much as possible
on that day,
and,
try to celebrate
with a sacrifice. If you can do it
yourself or do it here, it is better,
meaning locally. If you're not able to do
it locally, then send it elsewhere, delegate it
to someone else. It is either required
or an emphasized sunnah, certainly something which is
highly virtuous
and recommended at this time. So do not
leave that. Do not think of it as
something which is unnecessary or something that is
just optional, but rather it is a very
strong sunnah, if not a requirement,
and something that was practiced by the prophet
so value
it grant us to
honor these blessed days ask
for acceptance of our dua acceptance of our,
sacrifice.
We ask
for emancipation
from the hellfire. And we also ask Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala to grant us all the
opportunity to go for Hajj and to grant
an accepted Hajj
to all of those who are there now
and Allah make it easy for them.
We'll
take a quick break and we'll continue.