Sikander Hashmi – Time to Reflect & Reset KMA Friday Message
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AI: Transcript ©
Respected elders,
your brothers and sisters,
my young friends,
We begin by praising Allah
the lord of the universe,
our creator, our designer,
our nourisher,
and the creator and the designer of the
entire universe and everything that it contains.
I hope that you're all doing well, my
brothers and sisters,
that your families
are safe and everyone is enjoying
to the best of your ability
the last few,
weeks of the summer.
We find ourselves today, my brothers and sisters,
on the 2nd day
of the new Islamic year
of 1442.
This means
that it has been
1,442
years
since the hijrah, the migration
of the prophet
and the Muslims
from Makkah to Medina,
which led to the creation
of the first Islamic society
and community
and the first home base for Islam.
SubhanAllah.
When we look back,
when we look back definitely to the history
of the world, but even the history
of this Ummah
of this,
of of of our community of Muslims,
there have been many ups and downs
in these 1,442
years.
There have been great moments.
There have been bright moments
of
glory
and happiness,
and
there have been terrible moments
when the Ummah has found itself
in terrible misery
when things appear to be hopeless.
We may be
thinking that we are living through perhaps one
of those moments
as we see
oppression
around the world,
as we see
hardships
facing different
segments
of the human population,
as we see fragmentation
within the Muslim Ummah
and great efforts
to keep dividing the Ummah in numerous ways.
But remember my brothers and sisters,
that each time
the state of the Ummah has fallen low,
Allah has brought it back.
And we should desire to be among those
who Allah chooses
as a means for bringing it back up.
We should desire to be among those
who Allah chooses
as a means of bringing the Ummah back
up, of bringing
the the community of Muslims and of bringing
Islam
back up to where it should be. This
means
taking a stand
even if it is just in our hearts
against
any evil,
against any perversion of the teachings of Allah
and his messenger sallallahu alaihi wasallam.
Taking a stand even if it is just
in our hearts
against any attempt
to justify
wrong.
Any attempts,
especially by leaders to justify wrong,
Haqq, which is the truth,
will always remain
and which is falsehood
will always remain
And a person of
the can never support
A person of the a person of the
truth
can never support
what is falsehood.
You may be faced with it in different
ways. You may be dressed up in different
ways. You may be presented to them in
different ways, but a person of the
a person of the truth can see the
truth and can never support that which is
falsehood. May Allah
make us all the people of May Allah
make us all the people of the truth
always.
What is heartwarming,
is that even in such dire circumstances,
when no effort is being spared
to disunite the Ummah
and hurt the cause of
Allah,
faith is still alive in the hearts of
believers.
Even during these times,
when every effort is being made
to
to hurt the cause of Allah, to hurt
the cause of Islam,
to disunite
the Muslims, to cause divisions,
to bring up new issues
so that the Muslims end up being divided.
Even in such circumstances we find that iman,
that faith still alive in the hearts of
believers. And there are many believers amongst us.
There are many people
around the world who actually believe
in what Islam preaches. They actually believe
in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala,
but they just don't realize it. They actually
don't know it. And when they discover it,
they realize
that, oh, I have always been Muslim. I
have always believed in what Islam preaches, except
they just didn't know that it was actually
Islam
that was preaching what they have are actually
believing already. Right? So there are many believers
amongst us but
also all around the world
who
are actually believers and they are believing,
but they actually don't realize it.
There are still and believers.
Today, who love Allah and his messenger sallallahu
alaihi wasallam,
who are still guided by Allah and their
ability to recognize right from wrong and their
ability to differentiate between the haqq and baqid,
between the truth and falsehood,
regardless
of what those in power say or
decide.
You know, sometimes
people are empowered.
They
feel they are able to do anything.
They feel that they are able to mask
their hypocrisy
and that
the people,
the hearts of the Ummah,
will be fooled and will not be able
to see their hypocrisy.
They try to muzzle their citizens
and their people because they're afraid that their
hypocrisy is going to be exposed.
Their people around them
are able to feel, but they're not able
to speak
because every effort is made to mask hypocrisy.
So let it be known to every such
leader that your hypocrisy is being seen by
the Umla. That the hearts the believing hearts
of this Umla
can
see
and know about the ex the hypocrisy that
you're trying to cover, and it is exposed.
And while they may not be able to
say it, they can see what is happening
because
actions speak louder than words.
A person may say something,
but their actions will show what is actually
inside their hearts.
And that is something
that a believer
who is guided by Allah to see the
truth
will able to see
no matter what effort is made, no matter
how much effort is made to try to
conceal the truth, the hypocrisy
will always come out and will always be
visible and it is visible to the hearts
of the Ummah today.
As we move forward, my brothers and sisters,
it is a critical importance
that we not only keep our link alive,
but we continue to strengthen our connection
with Allah and his messenger Sallallahu alaihi wa
sallam.
Particularly through Allah's book and the teachings of
his beloved messenger Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. It
is of critical importance
that we not only keep that alive, but
we continue to strengthen
that connection because
as we get more and more distant,
it becomes easier
to lose that connection.
As time goes on
and we move further and further away, once
1442
years today, next year it's gonna be 1,443.
It's not gonna be going back. It's not
gonna be 41 and 40. It's gonna be
1,443
years. So as we move
further ahead in terms of time
and in terms of our attitudes, in terms
of our,
beliefs
and our choices,
that connection
will become weaker and weaker. If we do
not make an over an effort to overcome
that weakness. It's just like,
you know, as someone who is moving away
from the radio signal, right, from the broadcast
tower, from the cell phone
tower. Once as you move continue to move
ahead, your coverage starts getting lower and lower
if there's no other transmission towers in the
area.
So you have to make sure that that
connection is kept strong because we are moving
further away. Right? If not through our choices
and our attitudes,
then just by virtue of time. And it
is critical, therefore, that we continue to strengthen
our reception.
We continue to strengthen our ability to receive.
Otherwise, we will lose that connection
just by virtue of time.
Amongst our cousins in faith, my brothers and
sisters, we can see the differences
between those who have held on to teachings
and those who are very liberal in adopting
and embracing changes in the religion. We can
clearly see the difference.
We don't want to end up being among
those
who worship their desires
and their minds instead of Allah.
We don't want to be those
who worship their desires
and their intellect and their minds
instead of Allah. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says
in the Quran,
addressing prophet David
said, and do not follow.
And do not follow your desires.
Or they will lead you astray from Allah's
way. So if you bring your desires,
if you start following your desires that cannot
mix
with the way of Allah.
Either you follow your desires and you go
on your own path or
you shun your desires and you follow Allah's
way. If you mix those 2 together, you're
not gonna end up in a good place.
Do not follow your desires or they will
lead you astray from Allah's way. Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala also tells us in the Quran.
Have you seen
those who have taken their own desires as
their god?
Have you seen those who have taken their
own desires as their god?
And so Allah left them to stray knowingly.
Allah left them astray.
And Allah sealed their hearings in their hearts.
And placed a cover on their sight.
Who then can guide them after
Allah? Will you all not then be mindful?
Will you not take heed and recognize
what will happen or what happens to those
who take their desires as their god? They
start treating themselves,
their own desires
as if it is their god, meaning their
obedience.
Their worshiping of their self,
their obedience towards their self themselves,
their submission
to their, to their lowly desires.
They are people like that. And Allah
lets them stray knowingly even though they may
have knowledge. Allah
lets them go astray because that is the
choice that they end up making by taking
their desires as their
lord.
This deen, my brothers and sisters, this religion
belongs to Allah.
He will protect it.
Allah
will protect it, and he will revive it
through whom he
wills as he has in the past.
This religion,
Islam,
the one and true religion sent by Allah
is not dependent
upon us because it is the deen, the
religion of Allah. And Allah will revive it
through whom he wills, as he has done
in the past.
The Ummah has faced situations where it has
felt that it has hit rock bottom.
That there's widespread destruction, widespread chaos,
no hope.
Right? Widespread oppression, but Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
has brought it back up. The question is,
my brothers and sisters,
what role do we want to have in
it?
What role do we want to play?
Do we want to be a means for
its downfall?
Or do we want to be a means
for its revival?
This is our choice.
Which side are we on? Do we want
to be the means for the revival of
the deen of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala or
do we want to be a means for
its apparent downfall? We shouldn't say downfall but
it's apparent downfall because in the end the
deen of Allah will rise.
So this
Islamic new year
of 14/42
has begun
with the month of Muharram.
Right? With the sacred month of Muharram of
which today is the 2nd day.
Now the new year, my brothers and sisters,
just like every new day and every new
hour, it's a reminder
that time is passing.
It is a reminder
that time is passing.
Every single hour, every single minute, every single
second
that is gone will not come back. If
the seconds and the minutes and the hours
will come back, but guess what? The day
and the date is not not gonna be
the same. The day will be the same
once a week. The date will never be
the same. So August 21,
2020
will never come back.
You will never have to stay again. Whatever
is gone is gone.
So each passing of time
is a reminder
of the fact that this time is running
out. An opportunity for us to reflect.
When a year has passed,
you know, from the Islamic tradition, it's more
of a time of concern than a time
of celebration. This is why
we don't see in the Islamic tradition,
celebration of the passing of time.
There's no such holiday or celebration
passed down to us in our Islamic tradition
that has to do with the passing of
time.
Right? We don't see a celebration
for
New Year's, for example,
Islamically.
Even the celebration of birthdays was not something
that we find in the Islamic tradition because
the passing of time
is more of a time of a a
moment of concern than a moment of celebration.
It is not an achievement. It is a
blessing from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
that a moment of concern as well that
what have we done?
What have we achieved?
What did we do right?
What could we have done better
or done differently?
And for the new year, what are the
things we want to achieve
to get better as we get closer to
our end?
Right? As we get closer to
our end.
And this goes for the new school year
as well, which, of course, is going to
be very different this year. School is, of
course, starting soon. The new academic year will
be starting soon or perhaps even has started
for some.
So my brothers and sisters, you should take
this this reminder or these reminders of the
passing of time as an opportunity
to reflect and to reset.
These are reminders that our allotted time on
earth,
the short life is getting shorter by the
day. Every single person
has their time already allotted for them.
The exact moment
the exact moment
when I and each one of us are
going to take our last breath in this
world,
our last gasp of air
after which there will be none, the last
moment when our heart will beat,
the last heartbeat, everything has been recorded and
has been determined. And we do not know
when that is gonna happen. It can happen
today,
it can happen tomorrow, it can happen 50
years from now. Nobody can say with certainty
because only Allah
knows, but it has already been determined.
So it is getting shorter and shorter by
the day.
So as we enter this new year, right,
this is 1 year less
from our lifespan.
Right? 1 year closer
to that moment.
So what do I need to do to
make things right?
What do I need to do to make
things right? Because as long as
I'm alive,
Allah has given me the opportunity to make
things right.
But when I'm no longer alive, then that
moment will have passed. And I don't want
to be from among those who will regret,
who will say, oh, I wish and there
will be many people like that. And Allah
protect us. There will be many people like
that even in this world. An opportunity passes
and you say, oh, how I wish I
had done this. Oh, how I wish I
had done that.
For worldly matters,
okay, perhaps we can bear it. But when
it comes to our hereafter,
that will be too great of a regret,
my brothers and sisters.
So the question is, what do I need
to do to make things right?
Take some steps to bring about positive change
in our lives
that help us build a better hereafter.
Make dua. Have good goals. You know, people
have New Year's resolutions.
For the New Year the new Gregorian New
Year comes up, what do we find? New
Year's resolutions. Most of them have to do
with losing weight and more exercise.
That's the time that
gyms and, you know, fitness,
retailers are are waiting for. Because they know
that most people are gonna sign up, they're
gonna buy equipment,
and then after a month or 2, after
a few weeks, they won't be coming to
the gym, but the money will still be
coming in or the treadmill will be used
for putting towels.
Drying towels perhaps.
That is what the, the equipment will be
used for. Right?
So this the the resolutions are usually very
short lived.
I'm going to do long aspirations.
Oh, I wanna lose £50. I wanna lose
£100. I wanna do this. I wanna eat
healthier. I wanna go on a keto diet.
I'm gonna do this and that. Good intentions.
Good sentiments.
Nothing wrong with that.
Right? But at the end of the day
at the end of the day, how reasonable
and how practical is it?
And what do we realize? That the changes
don't stick because there's no real meaningful change
in a lifestyle.
Right? These are passing thoughts, but there's no
meaningful change in a lifestyle.
Those who are successful, there are a few
people who are able to do it. Right?
It's because to bring meaningful change,
substantive change in their lifestyles.
Right? And it was and it requires
resolve. What does it resolve require?
As a result, strong resolve
to stick to what one has
planned and what has what what one has,
you know, achieved,
or rather, intended to do. Right? It needs
strong resolve for those things.
Right? So this is a moment when we
evaluate.
Right? We will take a break.
We
evaluate ourselves.
Right? Because day to day, what happens? We're
busy with life.
Right? Perhaps you have some more time in
the pandemic, and maybe you're tired of that
more time, whatever. Everyone is a different situation.
But taking a pause
and examining ourselves.
Conducting an audit of ourselves,
of our own lives, of our own actions,
and seeing where do I stand
today
compared to a year ago.
Compared to a year ago, where do I
stand today?
Am I in a better state? Especially when
it comes to spirituality,
especially when it comes to my relationship with
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Am I in a
better state or in a worse state? Simple
question. You ask yourselves.
No need to ask anyone else.
My heart,
is it more pure compared to last year?
Or is there more filth and more junk
in my heart?
Am I feeling
good and peaceful?
Do I have clarity in my mind, in
my heart today
than I did than a year ago? Or
is there more confusion and more chaos in
my heart, in my mind? And we ask
ourselves these questions.
What's one of the tells us in the
Quran?
Shortest Surah of the Quran. Right? One of
the shortest Surah of the Quran.
Well, as
now it always strikes me. Right? Because when
we are out of time, that is the
Surah that we recite.
When you're in rush when you're in a
rush, you wanna get back to work, you
have, you know, something to do,
you wanna get your prayer over with,
many people will choose Surah Al As.
But it's actually talking about time.
In that moment, when you're in a rush
and you think you're running out of time,
Allah is telling you about time.
Yeah.
Is addressing time.
You're in a rush. You wanna get it
over with quickly. You don't have time?
Tells you about time.
I swear by the time
takes an oath of the time.
Direct message.
And human being indeed is in a state
of loss.
You're losing.
You wanna rest through your salah?
You're out of time, but you're actually losing
unless you're doing these 4 things.
Accept those. So everyone is in in a
human being is in a state of loss.
Except those
believed.
And those who believed.
And did righteous deeds, did good deeds. What
are the good deeds? Those which are pleasing
to Allah.
A person thinking that they're doing a good
deed but is actually displeasing to Allah, that's
not a good deed.
Right? It's not that we have no benefit
to them. So
will help you with the result. Exhorting each
other to follow the truth,
exhorting each other to observe patience.
If you do these four things,
then you're not in a state of loss.
Otherwise, your time is ticking. It's a time
bomb really. Right?
Which is gonna bring an end to our
life. So the time is ticking,
and you're in a state of loss. You're
not gaining anything
unless you're doing these four things.
So if you wanna overcome this loss,
inherent loss
in time, then this is the prescription, my
brothers and sisters.
This is the prescription. It's very simple. Right?
Just a few verses. As I said, read
it so quickly.
Right? But that is a prescription. Otherwise, you're
gonna end up being a loser. Simple as
that. This is what Allah says.
Humanity is in a state of loss. Right?
Everyone's gonna be a loser. You're not gonna
gain anything. You're gonna end this life as
a loser.
Who wants to be a loser?
Nobody.
Ever heard of a show called who wants
to be a loser? No. Then who wants
to be a millionaire? No one wants to
be a loser because nobody wants to be
a loser. Okay? Okay? If you don't wanna
be a loser, this is the prescription.
Allah gives us in one of the shortest
surahs of the Quran.
Now,
Imam Shafi'i
has said,
said,
that if people reflected upon Surah Al Asr
if people reflected upon Surah Al Asr on
the Surah, it will be enough for them.
It will be sufficient for them,
if they're reflected.
Right? Short Surah. Go through it quickly.
Reflect upon. Reflect upon Allah
is saying. And the underlying principle, my brothers
and sisters, is making the right choice.
Making the right choice. You see, Allah tells
us in the Quran.
That they ask you, Muhammad concerning
alcohol or concerning wine, concerning alcoholic drink, and
gambling.
Allah tells the prophet
that say in them is a great sin
and some benefit
for people, but the sin of them is
greater than their benefit.
So there must be benefit
in what we do, and the benefit should
be greater than the harm or the risk
of harm. This is a simple philosophy, simple
principle of Islam,
which can keep us all out of a
lot of trouble.
Can keep all of humanity out of trouble.
So things can have benefit.
Allah tells us that, yes, alcohol can have
some benefit.
Even gambling can have some benefit.
Right? When we look at usury and interest,
just haram, it can have some benefit, but
the benefits have to be greater than the
potential for for harm. And here Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala tells us that the harm in
these things is greater than the benefit.
The harm the risk of harm is greater
than the benefit. And therefore Allah Subhanahu Wa
Ta'ala made it Haram. Right? Made it prohibited
for us for our own benefit for our
own good.
Otherwise, we're gonna end up harming ourselves.
Right? And this goes for all the prohibitions
of Allah. Allah has given us. They are
prohibited because they are bad for us. And
all the obligations are there because they are
beneficial to us and because they are good
for us, we need them. Right?
So there must be benefit in what we
do and the benefit should be greater than
the harm or the risk of harm. Right?
Simple underlying philosophy of Islam.
And in these cases, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
tells us that the benefit is not greater
than the harm rather the harm is greater
than the benefit.
Allah Azzaw tells us
You think that we have created you in
vain in play?
Do you think that you have been just
created
just for just for nothing?
With no purpose?
And we created not the heaven and the
earth and all that is between
them
in vain.
Allah has not created anything without a purpose.
He has not created anything in vain.
So we shouldn't do anything in vain either.
So let us reflect on the passing of
time, my brothers and sisters. How are we
spending our time? How could we better
how could we do better to reverse this
inherent loss in the passing of time? What
adjustments can we make in our lives, in
our ways to make the upcoming year better?
And sometimes they're little tweaks.
Sometimes they're little tweaks.
Now go to bed half an hour earlier
so that we can wake up for fajr.
Right? Go to sleep a little bit earlier,
taking a nap during the day so we
can wake up for the Right? I mean,
little little things. Right? They may seem like
they're really hard things to achieve, but sometimes
it just takes a little tweak cutting down
on sugar
to gain control on your weight, for example.
I mean, little things. Right? Sometimes it's just
small minor tweaks that we make, and they
have a tremendous impact on our lives.
So what can we do better?
What adjustments can we make? What are the
activities that we're involved in? Right? Is there
any benefit
in the things that we do apart from
satisfying our desires? Islamically,
satisfying our desires is not a legitimate benefit.
Simply and only satisfying our desires is not
a legitimate benefit.
There's gotta be something else. There should be
something else. It's just satisfying desires for the
sake of satisfying desires. That's not good enough.
K.
So is there any benefit? Any if yes,
do the benefits outweigh the harms and the
risks? Right? Learn activity should we be involved
in that have the most benefit and the
least harm. And the benefit in the hereafter,
of course, is the most valuable. But even
legitimate benefit in this world also counts. Right?
So there should be some benefit in what
we do. And that should it should be
greater than the than the harm and the
risk of harm.
We'll end with this dua and inshallah.
Abdullah bin Hisham
reports that the would
learn the following dua.
And one narration mentioned or I think I
believe the narration mentioned that they will learn
it as they will learn the Surah of
the Quran, although it's not part of the
Quran. Now when the new month or the
new year would begin,
they would say, Aloha, bring this month or
this year upon us
with security,
with iman, with safety, with Islam, your pleasure
and the protection from Shaikhan.
May Allah
bless you all. May Allah grant us all
much goodness
and greater iman and health and peace and
love and closeness to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
Then may he grant us to all of
our brothers and sisters and all of the
inhabitants of the world. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala
guide us to use our time wisely in
the things that are a true benefit. We
ask Allah to make whatever is coming towards
us in this new Islamic year and the
new school year good for us and easy
for us. May Allah
make us the people of truth. May Allah
protect us from all forms of prophecy and
evil.
May Allah guide those who are in positions
of leadership
to make the correct decisions and protect them
and us all from hypocrisy.
Oh, Allah, we thank you for all of
your blessings.
May Allah, count us from amongst the grateful,
the shaykireen,
the believers, the mumineen, and the people of
Taqwa, the muttaqeen.
May Allah grant us the patience and make
us people of of of beautiful patience.
Oh, Allah, please guide us and guide us
entire.
Oh, Allah, please protect us from the evils
of falsehood.
Oh, Allah, please make us the people of
the truth.
Oh, Allah, please make us steadfast. Oh, Allah,
please grant us his tafama.
Oh, Allah, please grant us his tama steadfastness
in our iman. Oh,
Allah, especially through these difficult times. Oh, Allah,
these times of chaos and confusion. Oh, Allah,
please protect our iman and grant us steadfastness.
Oh, Allah, please protect our future generations.
Oh,
Allah. Oh, Allah. Please make us and our
future generations
the means of the revival of this.
Oh, Allah. Please cure all of our brothers
and sisters who are ill. Oh, Allah, especially
our elder sister who is in pain. Oh,
Allah, our brothers and sisters who are suffering
from long term pain and injuries. Oh, Allah,
all of those who are ill or at
risk of becoming ill. Oh, Allah, the brother,
father,
and, the mother, the father, and brother-in-law of
our brother, Harman. Oh, Allah,
please, grant them a quick recovery, You Allah.
Oh, Allah, you are the protector and healer.
Oh, Allah, grant them a speedy recovery and
protect them all from all types of illnesses
and pain and suffering out of Bananameen.
Oh, Allah, please grant relief to all of
those who are in pain, who are in
grief, who are in stress and anxiety. Oh,
Allah, please replace it with peace and happiness
and joy, You Rabbal Alameen. Oh, Allah, we
are your weak sinning servants. Oh, Allah, you
are the most kind, the most merciful. Oh,
Allah, please forgive us for all of our
sins and sins and our mistakes, You Allah.
Oh, Allah, please forgive us for all of
our weaknesses, you Allah. Oh, Allah, lift us
from this trial of this pandemic. Oh, Allah,
lift this ummah from this trial of this
century. Oh, Allah, please protect us, umah. Oh,
Allah, please guide us.
O Allah, please grant us strength and bring
us closer to you, You Allah. O Allah,
please guide us to that. O Allah, guide
us and our leaders to that which pleases
you most. O Allah, grant us the best
return to you whenever it has been prepared
for us.