Suleiman Hani – Behind Closed Doors
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Smilla Al hamdu lillah wa Salatu was Salam ala Rasulillah while earlier he was asked me hey Woman, why don't we begin in the name of Allah subhanho wa Taala the oft forgiving the Ever Living the sustainer the cherish or the maintainer and we asked Allah subhanaw taala to send His peace and His blessings upon the messenger, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and all of those who follow him correctly, until the Day of Resurrection. How's everyone doing today?
How's everyone doing today? Well, Hamdulillah we woke up with the blessings of Allah subhana wa Tada. I know maybe I'm a little more energetic. I had some Energizer, a drink I've never tried before. But alhamdulillah for the blessing of being able to be in a gathering like this and being able to get closer to Allah subhana wa Tada. Together. That hustler busted Rama Allah, famous scholar of the past. He said, If someone is robbing a house, and then they hear the doorknob rattle, and they stop robbing the house out of fear of being caught, then this person has committed a type of minor shift. Because moments earlier, they had no fear whatsoever of ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada. But
at that moment, they fear that a human being would catch them in the x. This is a frightening thought, the sense of Morava that we should have the sense that Allah subhanaw taala is watching us is something that we strive for our entire lives is something that we renew and we build upon and we grow throughout our lives. It was reported that Imam Muhammad Rahim Allah Allah began crying when someone came to him with a shared with a poem.
And the first lines of this poem, he then our father, the European, Ms. The heater Tasini, if my lord or when my Lord says to me, were you not embarrassed to disobey me? What tofi Then the unhealthy webinterface Yanni teeny, and you hate the sins from my creation, and with the sins you came to me. Now we don't ever lose hope in the Mercy of Allah subhana wa Tada.
But there's no doubt that we react differently when we fear the one who's watching us. How many people here Dr.
Al Hamdulillah. I think I saw like a nine year old raise their hand, I'm not sure why you're driving.
When you drive, and you're speeding on the highway, and you notice a cop or a state trooper, how do you react? Because then you want to hear speed more, because that's just crazy. I don't know anyone who does that you don't speed more, you slow down, right? When you slow down, you're slowing down out of fear of being caught doing something you should not be doing. Now the reality is, and the irony is most people who drive even if they're not doing anything wrong, when a cop or or any type of authority is in the area, they change their entire driving behavior, right? Like you got 10 and two and their focus and they're like what's going to happen now? I don't have tinted windows I'm
following the rules stop everywhere. I'm supposed to stop out of fear of an authority figure. Because you fear the consequences of doing something wrong.
How do we treat ourselves, our knifes our souls when we're privately worshipping Allah subhanaw taala we're not worshiping ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada knowing that Allah subhanho wa Taala is always there. Knowing that ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada is always watching. Allah is watching over me. Allah is a witness over me, and Allah is also protecting me. We repeat these words all the time until we build this habit. And we engrave these thoughts into our hearts, that Allah subhanaw taala is presence is constant. Allah's Presence is constant in our lives. When you're alone in private realize there is no such thing as privacy. You are never alone. You are never alone. Your greatest audience is ALLAH
SubhanA wa Tada in those moments in which you thought yourself secluded from the rest of society, you were with Allah subhanaw taala. Amongst the most frightening of thoughts is that some people rush to be alone, so they can sin. And some people rush to be alone so they can have a conversation with Allah subhanaw taala. Which of them do we want to be? And how often will we work towards that which is best? How much effort are we willing to put in no matter how many times we fall short, how defiant and relentless will we be? Because there's no doubt we fall short at times. There's no doubt we make mistakes.
But the real reflection of the believer is how many times you get back up how many times you return back to Allah subhana wa Tada. I want to share with you a story that shook me. And it shook the people who are there at the moment that this happened
approximately seven years ago, in Ireland.
The university students there, the boys, actually, specifically the men, they had a hiking survivalist type of camp, or retreat, in which they were trying to live off of the basic resources of nature. This was a really rough camp, and they never did this again.
As they were hiking in the mountains, one of the brothers I think, 20 or 21 years old, he slipped, and when he fell something punctured his body, and he started bleeding out. Now he's bleeding out there in the middle of nowhere.
And they don't know what to do. None of them are practiced physicians, none of them are. None of them are certified to do anything. All they did was as he's on the ground, they started putting pressure on the wound. And the one who's saying this to me, and he's almost crying as he's relaying the story. He said, We told him, everything will be okay. Don't worry. He's bleeding out. You have no cell phone reception. You have nothing, nobody to help you. And as he's bleeding out, and they're telling him they're surrounding him telling him everything will be okay. The one who's saying this to me said I started worrying what if this guy died right now? What if he actually dies?
So he said just in case I told him to say La Ilaha illa Allah,
a phrase that for you and I right now you can say so lightly, your lips don't have to move. La, la la. I know like half of you just tried it.
La long.
The phrase of salvation.
The phrase of happiness and success, the phrase of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in the messengers worked for. So you and I could say it today. La ilaha illa. Allah. They told him c'est la ilaha illAllah. He did not respond.
He said, can you hear us? He said, I can hear you said just in case c'est la ilaha illa Allah,
no response. Can you hear us? I can hear you say, Allah, why you're not saying that, you know, and Allah.
He remained silent for a moment. And then finally he opens his mouth. And he says, for the last six months when I was alone in private, I did not pray a single prayer to Allah. And then he died.
May Allah have mercy on him and use him as the lesson for everyone else. All his friends, his click his buddies, they started crying. Some of them said later on, they struggled with these similar struggles, they struggled with other struggles. That moment was vivid. Why? Because you will die upon what you lived upon. And you will be resurrected upon what you died upon as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam informed us, how can you and I put in the effort today and never lose hope so that at the moment our souls are departing from our bodies, we are able to say law in the law in a very powerful way, in a very clear way, not so others can witness it, but for ourselves.
Because law law in the law at the moment of death, is something that you have to pay for. It's not free, otherwise everyone would do it. It's something you have to live by. And it's something that causes us and requires us to exemplify that either hand Allah throughout our lives by never giving up on returning to Allah. By never losing hope in the Mercy of Allah, by always trying, Allah subhanho wa Taala will not necessarily judge you based on your results, but he will judge you based on your sincerity and your efforts. How bad do you want to return to Allah? And what are you willing to do about it? How bad do you want to say La Ilaha illa Allah? And what are you willing to live by
to reach that point? Because the only thing all of mankind will agree upon. It's not death and taxes. Some countries don't have taxes. The only thing that all of mankind will agree upon is death. Every one of us knows that eventually, one day will depart from this world. It's not a sad thought. And it's not a thought that should cause us to be gloomy or depressed or stagnant in our actions. Death is a thought that should get us to act more productively today, death is a thought that should get us to be more grateful for the blessings that we have, and to use those blessings in ways that are pleasing to Allah subhanho wa Taala
if you want a good ending in this world, always returned to Allah subhana wa Tada sooner than later. Never procrastinate. You're returned to Allah. Allah is always waiting for you and I and he is the most loving, the most forgiving, they ever living Allah subhanaw taala is the most gracious His mercy cannot be limited. So we ask Allah subhana wa Taala to make all of us in this room and our loved ones amongst those who c'est la ilaha illallah at the moment of death
Hello So palata reminds us in the Quran of the type of person reflect on the scenario. In surah to me noon, verse 99, Allah tells us of a scenario of a man who dies. And he's asking to come back to this life.
Now Allah is one of the most frightening verses to read.
Because we reflect on the reality that people are passing away all around us, perhaps several 100 around the world every few seconds. Are we learning lessons from the people that we bury? Are we learning lessons from the geneticists that we attend from the Facebook posts about people have passed away? Are we changing anything in our lives? Or have we become adapted adjusted to the way of life that we're exemplifying?
Allah subhanaw taala reminds us had
either
bow to corner or pierogi or who Oh, don't let me loose on your home. FEMA tell not so when a person passes away he says to his Lord Rob, big ruin my Lord allow me to go back. Why? Donde Ahmed Hassan handfeel female turnout so I can do something good with what I left behind. So I can perfect one last prayer. Yeah, Allah let us go back so we can ask people for forgiveness since we've wronged so many people, He Allah let us go back so we can leave matters on a good note with our parents, with our spouses with our children, with our neighbors with people who have a right upon us. Here Allah let us go back so we can use our wealth in ways that are pleasing to ya Allah let us go back for one
last chance. One last opportunity to really exemplify Allah, Allah and Allah to really return to you in a sincere return in a sincere repentance. We all have blessings and the greatest blessing that you have is that your heart is beating right now. And that you have the ability at any moment to simply say Allah forgive me, y'all Allah I returned to you your Allah helped me Allah guide me Allah give me more strength and dedication to your faith. The DUA we make after every prayer or should be making after every prayer, Allahu Allah decreto Ashok Rika Hosni Riba, the TIG O Allah helped me to worship you, to praise you, and to remember you in the best of manners, we ask Allah subhanho wa
Taala to make us of those who live in such a state and die upon such a state. There's no doubt there are many beautiful stories of people who lived upon Allah, Allah, Allah, Allah and at the moment of death, we see signs of this person's good acceptance. If you want to die upon Allah, Allah and Allah, live a life for Allah, Allah is number one. And Allah comes before each and everything in our lives. When you plan plan first, how this relates to your relationship with Allah, how this relates to your hereafter, everything else comes into and everything else really aligns with your life mission to please Allah subhana wa Tada. You know, oftentimes when people start projects, or they
launch a new product, or they have a new business, or they start life coaching, you need to have a life mission that is very clear, very concise, what is your life mission? If it's not to know Allah? If it's not to please Allah then what is your life mission? When you know your life mission and you reflect on it frequently, everything else aligns with your life mission, and everything else becomes an act of worship.
There's a story attributed to a famous righteous tabulate by the name of David Ben Zuta Rahim Allah, who was walking one day because he was searching for food, starving a student of knowledge very righteous. He finds a garden with fruit trees and a stream. So that bit out of starvation takes one of the fruits and bites into it, and drinks from the water. And he feels a sense of guilt. Nobody's watching him but Allah, but he feels a type of guilt and remorse in his heart. So he says, I will not leave this place until I find the owner of this garden and ask for forgiveness. He finds the house of the owner, he knocks. The one who opens is an old man. He says how can I help you? Third
bit says I ate from your fruit tree without asking for your permission. And I won't leave here until you forgive me. So tell me what I need to do so that you'll forgive me for doing this.
Man thinks for a moment. And then he says I'll forgive you. Under one condition. He says anything.
He says you have to marry my daughter.
What?
I came to your garden and stole from your garden and I'm telling you to forgive me. I'll do anything and you're telling me to marry your daughter.
He says okay. He doesn't hesitate. But the man says there's a disclaimer. My daughter is blind she cannot see
She's deaf, she cannot hear. And she is mute, she cannot speak. The third bit remains silent. He thinks about it and later on, it's narrated that he said to himself, I would not want to come on the day of judgment with this sin that I committed. So I had to do whatever I had to do to have my sin forgiven. So he agreed to marry the man's daughter. He said, As the days of the marriage or the wedding came closer, he started having anxiety, how will I even communicate with my wife? How will this be a fruitful relationship? How will I deal with the hardships that come with it? He said, I wished for the earth to swallow me up because I had already committed to it. And I didn't want to
backtrack. But he went through with it trusting Allah, that his act of wanting to be forgiven for something that he had done in private was something he did not want his late on the Day of Judgment. So as the days got closer,
the wedding day came, he went to the man's house, and as he entered, he saw the girl for the first time. He said it was like I was looking at somebody from Jana, like she was not from this world. He said to her salaam aleikum wa rahmatullah completely forgetting that the Father had said she was deaf, and she was blind and she was mute. But she responded while it was Salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh. So tablets is shocked. He's like, What is this? Your father said You're blind. You can't see your deaf you can't hear and mute you can't speak. She says My father didn't lie. I'm blind in the sense that I've never looked upon something prohibited by ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada. I'm deaf in the
sense that I've never sat in a gathering in which there was gossip and backbiting and lying and profanity, and anything displeasing to Allah subhana wa Tada. And I'm mute in the sense that I've never spoken something displeasing to Allah subhanaw taala. And perhaps in one of the narrations, if she had fallen into any of these, she immediately returned to Allah.
So Thabeet married this girl, and people think this is like the end of the story. This is like better than Twilight happy ever after.
Everything's better than Twilight. So what happens here?
The actual peak of the story is that approximately a year later, they had a son, this son changed the world and every good thing that he does, the parents are being rewarded for it. And this is somebody that everyone here or perhaps the majority of you here know who it is. Does anyone know who it is?
Imam Abu Hanifa Rama hula, the son of Norman Ben sabot Rahima, whom Allah look at the reward for two righteous people who are not willing to have their sins in private between them and Allah subhana wa Tada remain a habit in their lives. What are you willing to do to purify your private state so that you are closer to Allah subhanho wa taala? How far are you willing to go to ask Allah for forgiveness. The results of there are rewards beyond our imagination, the results of the rewards beyond our imagination in this life, and in the next life as well. To summarize some practical advice. Number one, make sure you're always investing and working on the internal state of your
heart Wallahi everything external will follow. The best thing you can invest your time and your research and your efforts and your energy into is your heart, you purify your heart your actions will follow or should follow. Number two, focus on your alone time when no one is around as your time with alone. The best time with Allah and have conversations with Allah, make dua to Allah make thick yet constantly. And number three, focus on your private deeds. What this means is do you know that on the day of judgment that you will have some good deeds that nobody else is aware of? And that there are so private you knew that these were purely for his sake? Can you say to yourself I
know I have 1234 Private deeds, nobody's aware of whether it's charity, or praying at night, or even memorizing Quran or anything else? How many things do you have that are only between you and Allah subhanho wa Taala if you want to battle and combat insincerity, or private sinfulness, then increase your private deeds as much as possible. Number four, put reminders for yourself everywhere we forget, we fall short. You have a smartphone. If you're not using the smartphone to also get closer to Allah Subhan Allah Tada, you're not using your smartphone in the best way possible. In fact, I no longer consider a smartphone, especially if it's an iPhone. Most importantly, I'm just kidding. Most
importantly, have a reminder on your homescreen have an app on your homescreen have a wicked up a dual the Quran upon your homescreen not hidden away. So you're always reminded, have your laptop wallpaper as a sign of the Hereafter the grave and so on and so forth. So you're always practically reminded and lastly, recite, recite and listen to the Quran as much as you can. Let your house and your car and your life have this atmosphere and living by the Quran and dying upon the Quran. There is nothing greater than the speech of Allah subhanho wa Taala
And the last thing that I will say autonomy. They reported that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, when the people of Jana enter Jannah eVoice will call out and say there is a promise of reward with your Lord, they will respond and say, Did Allah Allah already brighten our faces, forgive our sins and allow us to enter paradise or protect us from the fire? The voice will say better? Yes, he did. So they're wondering, imagine your intergender you're wondering what more is there? How can there be more than this? And then Allah subhanaw taala will remove the veil and allow his creation his slaves in Jannah to finally see him all these years of worshiping Allah in private,
having conversations in private making dua and wicked without ever seeing him. The reward of doing all of this in private is seeing Allah in the next life and there is no greater reward. He ladina Prusiner was a Jada for those who do excellence and a son they will have excellence and ascend by saying Allah by entering Jana and more. We ask Allah subhana wa Tada to make us from those who are always working on our private states, our private deeds we ask Allah subhanaw taala to make us of those who never lose hope and always take advantage of the present state and we ask Allah subhana wa Tada as he gathered us in this beautiful gathering to reunite all of us in the highest levels of
paradise while Saudi level nada Mohammed while early or soft managed Marina was salam aleikum wa rahmatullah.
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