Suleiman Hani – Reviving Ihsan #7
AI: Summary ©
AI: Transcript ©
There's a very
famous scholar from the second generation. He's very famous. So
anyone, any student of Islamic Studies, has heard this name many
times, Abdullah ibn Mubarak, Rahim Allah. And he was not just famous.
He was a Zahid. He was very pious. He was very knowledgeable. He was
a muhadith, a he was very, very righteous and Abdullah Mubarak,
Rahima Allah, there's an interesting story documented in
some of the earlier books about his parents. Many people don't
know this story, but they know about Abdullah Rahima Allah. So
what is the story that's documented here? His father,
Mubarak, he belonged to a particular tribe. They talked
about his biography for a while, but Anyways, long story short, he
worked for a man. So he was employed by a man. He was actually
a servant to a man. And in this man's field, his plantations,
oftentimes he would bring specific things that his employer would
request. So one day, he was working in the field, and the man
told him to bring like a sweet pomegranate, little man. So, and
one of the stories, it didn't reference what the fruit was. But
anyways, he went to the crops and he brought back one of these
pomegranates. And eventually the employer, he ate for men. It was
very, very bitter or sour. It wasn't ready, so he took it too
soon. So he said, I requested a sweet one. You brought me a sour
fruit. Go back and bring something else. So he went back again.
Brought another one, still sour. He went back. He brought another
one still a problem. He said, Don't you know the difference
between the sweet and the sour? Don't you know the difference
between the two? He said, No.
So how is that possible? Meaning, like all these years of you
working in this garden, and you are looking at my fruits, and
you're bringing the fruits, you're selling them, you're doing all
these things you don't know the difference between, like, the
fruit that I have that sweet and the fruit that I have that sour.
How's that possible? He said, because I've never eaten from
them, for me to know the difference between them. He said,
Why didn't you eat from them? He said, Because you have not given
me permission to do so. He's working for this man. You would
assume, naturally, you're working for many years. Yeah, eating a
bite of fruit is not a big deal here and there. It's not like you
might not think it's theft. But in fact, if you think about it from
this time perspective, in fact, this is something you do need
permission for by default. Allah, in the philosophy it's understood,
the point of this is that this man was afraid of Allah, Subhanahu wa
to the extent that he was not willing to violate the right of
somebody else, to take even a pomegranate, to taste even a fruit
that did not belong to Him. And the employer was so impressed by
this. What are this piety? He started to inquire more about this
man's background, and he decided, and he informed his wife, I don't
see anyone more suitable amongst basically, the people of this
village to marry our daughter than this man. This man was working for
him for many years, but he saw in him what a righteousness. So long
story short, they agree this is a good idea. So the daughter, the
daughter, married this man, Mubarak. And of course, this means
what they went on to have Abdullah ibn Mubarak, Rahim Allah, one of
the greatest scholars in history. And we study his works all the
time. You look at the one of the many fruits of muraqabah, knowing
that Allah is watching you and acting upon that knowledge is that
Allah will bless you in ways you can't possibly predict, plan or
expect, also you can't accomplish on your own. So Allah gave them a
righteous son. Because of these righteous parents, everything the
Son does, all the things we benefit from the works of Abdullah
Barak, Rahim Allah, again, very famous scholar. You reference his
works all the time. The parents are being rewarded equally for
that. It's one of many types of sadaqa jariya, or a continuous
charity or a goodness that Allah will reward you for to raise a
righteous child. It's not an easy thing to do, but one of the most
rewarding. But this is one of the blessings given to Mubarak,
Rahima, Allah, and to his wife as well. This brings us to the theme
of this topic, which is reviving the trait, the individual trait,
as well, at a societal level of Ihsan. Now we talk about Ihsan and
muraqabah. And this word muraqabah is very interesting, because there
are different forms you'll find in the Quran on at least two dozen
occasions in different forms. But in one of these forms, you have
the name of Allah subhanaw taala Arab. And Allah subhanaw taala
tells us in Allah Kana, alakum, raqliba, Allah subhana wa Taala is
ever watchful over you. When we say Allah is arraqlib, it means he
is the observer. He is the watcher. He is a witness. But also
it has another connotation. Sometimes we don't mention this
the one who is in control. So the one who's in control is also
guarding, watching, seeing what's happening. And so when you talk
about Al raqqe, you're talking about Allah subhanahu wa is
watching us, and that suffices. And then you also have Allah aqeeb
Who appointed angels to record every single thing that we do, and
Allah aqee Who gave us bodies.
That will testify. So for the believers, their bodies will
testify good things. But especially in the Quran, the
references to the disbelievers who are lying, those who do evil, that
their bodies will start to testify against them. May Allah protect
us. You have, as well the earth and the environment that will
testify. And then, of course, if you are in the vicinity of others,
that people will testify on the day of judgment. And this includes
the prophet for every ummah. And when you talk about muraqabah, one
of the scholars, he's very famous for writing about heart softeners.
He talks about different levels and different types. So what does
he say? He said Al muraqabah to Dawa dawamula, how dat in mahsud.
He talks about muraqabah as an observance, and he says, it's
watching out for the ultimate goal, looking at the ultimate
objective, so you have something in mind, something that you are
after. And he gave different levels. I'm only going to mention
the first for its benefit here inshallah. He says, Aluna Murata
will happy to Allah Fili, Allah Bena. He says, basically you're
going towards Allah subhana wa taala, and he talks about three
different ways you're heading towards Allah Talim in mudhilin wa
mudah natin habinatin was Suru in barati. The first, he says, is
distracting glorification. What does that mean? The glorification
of Allah when you know he's watching, and you're in a state of
tasbih, and you're really thinking, and you're mindful and
you're attentive that Allah is with you in this moment, the
tasbih that you are engaged in, subhanAllah, Alhamdulillah. La,
ILAHA, illallah, Allahu. Akbar, Allahu, Ala. It protects you while
you are in a state of worship. It protects you within the boundaries
of servitude. It protects you, and it guides you and blesses you and
protects you, and it, in fact, may distract you from a dunya. It may
distract you from worldly things. So we talk about being in the
state of a sense of Murata, but then Allah is watching while
you're doing tasmiah. It's a type of tasbih takes you to the next
level. It's not just on the tongue, like you know what
SubhanAllah? Subhanallah finished my 10 I finished my 33 I'm done.
You're doing tasbih, and you're not thinking about what's around
you, to the extent that sometimes you really don't even notice
what's happening. And then you're like, you're done with your
tasbih, and you notice something has happened or something has
changed in your environment. This is what it means to focus on
Allah, Subhanahu, taala, with a sincere, complete focus in tasbih
Ibn qayyim raham Allah, the famous scholar, he says, any love without
glorification, any love without tasbih leads to a type of
audaciousness, detachment and loss of status with the beloved. What
does this mean? We say we love Allah, but any love without
tasbih, if you love Allah and you don't do any tasbih, you are going
to naturally find yourself detached from Allah and losing a
status with Allah that otherwise you would have. So you cannot say,
I love Allah, and you never mention Allah. You love Allah.
You're so you're in a state of tasvia, because, you know, he is
watching. The second thing he mentioned was a staring nearness,
he says. So the commentary is on. This is what the closer you get to
Allah, subhana, the more energy you have to get even closer than
that. So there's a momentum that comes with it. There's a momentum
that comes from your knowing that Allah is watching. Don't let it go
to waste. The third is wasuru in baritin, a reviving joy. So the
joy of serving Allah, Subhanahu wa the sweetness of la ilaha illallah
that the believers taste when they're in a state of real
knowledge. Obviously, some of the scholars of the past who would
talk about tezki and to solve the purification of the heart, they
would refer to Al arifi, those who know Allah, subhana wa taala, they
will experience a taste, and they will find themselves revived,
consoled, rejuvenated, strengthened in their heart
through this journey. It's a type of happiness we know we can't get
anywhere else. When you're really connected to Allah, Subhanahu wa,
that's the type of tranquility that revives you, and in fact,
that's what nourishes the fitrah when it starts to become hardened.
May Allah protect us all. What happens? What's the problem? If we
ignore al Rafi, if we ignore the reality that Allah is watching,
what is the problem with that amongst many others, we had
mentioned in the very first episode of this series about
ikhlas, and later on, actually, in the first episode, we mentioned
two of these stories in the very first episode, two stories of
three people. What does that mean? The story of the three people in
the cave they made dua through a sincere act of worship. And then
the story of the first three people to be punished on the Day
of Judgment. May Allah protect us. These are the people that
literally were showing off with all the rabada, the martyr, the
generous man, the reciter, the qadi. So when you talk about what
happens if you ignore al raqqib, these stakes are very high. The
consequences are eternal, and Allah has made them clear to us so
that we don't come close to that direction. We're not even near the
consequence. And at the same time, he gave us a lot of examples to
follow. These are examples that we know from the Quran and Sunnah
that motivate, they inspire. These are the benefits of having a sense
that Allah is watching you. There's a beautiful story as well
as reported from Abdullah bin zay bin Islam, from his father, from
the grandfather, who said.
When I was accompanying law and on his patrol of Medina at night, he
felt tired, so he was leaning against the wall. It was the
middle of the night. You know the story. He heard a woman say to her
daughter, oh, my daughter, get up and mix the milk with some water.
She said, Oh, my mother, did you not hear the command of Amir al
mumin, meaning the ruler OMA radila on today? She said, what
was that? The girl said he ordered someone to announce in a loud
voice that milk should not be mixed with water, meaning, do not
dilute the milk that you are selling to people. So the mother
said again, get up and mix the milk with water. You are in a
place where Omar cannot see you. And the girl said to her mother, I
cannot obey. I cannot obey Allah him in public and disobey him in
private. And this is an example. This is a powerful example of what
it means to understand who al ratlib Is that even if your loved
one is telling you to do the opposite, you are reminding them
in a wise manner, reminding them. Allah is watching me in public and
in private. Allah is watching us wherever we are. How can we say in
public we're going to act like we obey Allah, but in private, we're
going to disobey? Allah is watching you wherever you are, and
therefore you don't want to be the type of person who only cares
about the audience of humanity and not Allah. Subhana wa Tara was
your greatest audience. There is no greater audience for us when
we're in our homes, in our rooms, in our cars, in private, wherever
we are, other than Allah, Subhanahu wa Furthermore, he tells
us about his knowledge. How extensive is the knowledge of
Allah? If one of us were to wonder, like, how much knowledge
is Allah, you know, on human terms, when we talk about
information storage, we're talking about, you know, some people may
have, for example, many terabytes. This is perhaps, I think most
companies, smaller businesses, will have terabytes, and then the
bigger ones might have, like, petabytes. I think that's what's
next, and you have more than that. So we talk about information in
terms of how much can be stored, how much do you have access to?
You can't think of Allah, Subhanahu, Taala with a limit.
Allah is beyond our comprehension. There's no limit. So when we think
of our limitations, we cannot ever humanize God lays a kamitri Shay
Allah, subhana Allah's knowledge is of every single thing, how it
was, how it is, how it will be, and how it could have been. So we
have no idea the ripple effects behind the scenes. So this should
liberate us from over worrying about the future. This should
liberate us from worrying once you've prayed this, tikhara and
you move forward with your decision, then put your trust in
Allah. Allah Alain, you just asked Allah alim, you're in good hands.
You're in a good position. Ya ALA, MUMA, Yadi, juhiha, wahoma, akum,
inama, Kuntum, Allah, a side point for those. Can someone turn off
the sounds into Zach mohina? There's a side point about Suratul
Hadid. Surat al Hadid in the very first six ayat, approximately
first six verses, has over a dozen different references to the
knowledge of Allah subhanahu in different forms. And in this one
ayah here, this is just one verse, Allah is Aware of whatever goes
into the earth and what comes out of it, whatever descends from the
sky and whatever ascends to it. And then he says, wahua Kuntum,
and he is with you wherever you are. And Allah subhana seeing all
seeing of everything that you do imagine. Just think of one thing,
one unit, one thing you're trying to measure. Think of water, and
how even our cells comprise of water, 70% or more of water, every
single drop of water in the universe. Allah subhana is aware
of it, and how it moves and where it's going every single atom in
the universe, every single cell, every single grain of sand on
Earth, and anything else that we can't even imagine. Allah,
Subhanahu wa of every single breath that you take, every plant
as it is given life and as it dies. Allah is Aware of every
rainfall in the weather all across the universe, and Allah is Aware
of every celestial object, every single thing beyond our discovery.
So Allah, subhana taala, when he tells us this, it has multiple
conclusions.
One of the conclusions is, don't worry, don't over exert yourself
in anxiety about the future, because the one who is with you,
the one who is with you. Wahoo ama akum ina makuntu is aware of
everything. Allah is Aware. When you think about what's happening,
Allah says, oftentimes, we always have to reference when somebody
asks, Why is an oppressor? Why someone who's hurting others
getting away with it? They're not getting away with it? What am I?
Ahmed? Don't assume that Allah is unaware of what the oppressors do
in Amaya, Min Tasha, feel absal, Allah, subhanahas delaying them
for a day in which their eyes will stare in horror. So even at a
personal level, when you struggle, know that Allah is Aware. Allah is
aware of your situation. A.
He's aware of your thoughts. He's aware of the things that you say
and admit, but he's also aware of the things that are secretly
buried as deep as possible within our subconscious. Allah is aware
of that. Allah, subhana is aware, and he protects and watches over
the believers in his wisdom, in his own manner. He rewards those
who are patient. And Allah has authority over everything. The one
who knows is not like the one who does not know. And all you can
really do at the end of the day is to put your trust in Al alim, Al
AQIM, the one who is all knowing, the one who is all wise. Now where
does this lead us? Why are we talking about Allah's knowledge?
Why are we starting with because
when you talk about Allah, Subhanahu, taala, it should cause
a change in your behavior. Our behavior changes when we know
we're being watched. And there's nothing more important for us to
consider at all times and places, no matter how many cameras are
there or not, no matter whether you're online on Zoom or not,
wherever you are, there is nothing more important than knowing that
Allah is always watching. So this leads to Ihsan. In Ihsan, as we
know from the famous Hadith, Ihsan and tabulakah and nakatara, to
worship Allah as though you see him. Fail them. Takuntara, if you
cannot see Him, which you cannot fail. Nahu, Iraq, he sees you. So
it is sufficient for you to know for your behavior to change that
Allah sees you. That's the conclusion of it. What does it
lead to? So you think about our own behaviors and how at times we
may change. And there are a lot of examples, very frightening and
very positive, very negative and very positive. We could say an
example in a story that I had mentioned many times before in our
community of a young man, a college student in Ireland who, in
his last moments, was not able to say the Shahad, and they kept
asking him to say it, and he could not say it. But he spoke about
other things. Long story short, right before he died, he said, for
the last six months, when I was alone in private, I didn't pray a
single prayer to Allah. Imagine these being amongst the last words
a human could say, How frightening is that? And he died in that
state. And of course, we don't pass judgment on him. We leave him
to Allah, Subhanahu wa. But it's a very frightening moment in which
someone who is talking is not able to enunciate the shahada, and at
the same time, they are able to express something that we could
not have otherwise known, that for the last six months, when I was
alone in private, I didn't pray a single prayer to Allah. He prayed
meaning with his friends. He prayed with his parents. He prayed
in the community. But when he was alone, the thing that Allah
commanded him to do, he did not do. And it is the first thing
Allah will ask about. And it could have been, some of his teachers
said it could have been the reason he wasn't able to enunciate the
Shahada. You abandoned the shahada when you were alone in private,
and it abandoned you in a time in which you needed meaning. You were
not able to enunciate it, to express it. So this reminds us of
what Hasan is that you don't care that people are watching for your
Alibaba. You care that Allah is watching. This is why, many times
we remind our children, we remind the youth, may Allah subhana bless
them and keep them firm. It's not about praying because your parents
asked you to pray. And as well as parents and as guardians and as
older siblings and uncles and aunts, we should not be sending
the message that you better pray, because I'm here, I'm going to ask
about your Salah. It's me or it's your mom or it's your dad. Now,
Allah wants you to pray, even if we don't remind you. Allah is
watching you. The angels are recording. Let your children know
that the most important thing in terms of accountability is with
Allah, so that when you're not around, and if you're not around,
may Allah preserve all of our lives, but when we are not around,
we want them to still think about Al Rafiq. We still want them to
have a sense of Ihsan. So Ihsan, what is it? Ihsan in Ibadah is for
you to know that your Salah in private is better than your Salah
as people see it in public, for you to be fasting in private,
better than people assuming people may not even know that you are
fasting. Ihsan is for someone to be driving on the highway and they
see a state trooper, so they start following the rules and slowing
down. You changed what you were doing. The behavior changed
because now there is a potential consequence, there's a sense of
authority in front of you. Then, of course, this is a clumsy
analogy. We're talking about loss of hanawata When we talk about
Allah, where does Ihsan come from? Many wrongdoers, many people do
the wrong things. They justify their crimes. And today you see
this more than ever before. You are seeing genocide, ethnic
cleansing, killing of over 5000 children that we are aware of,
ethnic cleansing to the extent that 2 million people are being
affected, starved to death, and many other things. And you will
see wrongdoers justify their actions if they believe that Allah
is watching. If they had a sense of Ihsan, if they knew who Al
raqqib was, they would not be doing what they're doing. And this
is why many scholars say most of the crimes committed in this
world, the oppression and vulnerab that we see, most of it, is
because of disbelief or heedlessness towards the akhirah,
meaning what, either those who do not believe and they will come to
see when they die, or those who believe, but they are completely
heedless of and this includes many Muslims. May Allah protect us that
we know there's an akhira we know we're going to die.
At any moment. We know there's hyssop, but we are just ignoring
it. So we're committing crimes. Crime of abusing your spouse, your
children, your parents, the crime of skipping an obligatory prayer.
So we're talking about different types of crimes. Allah, Subhanahu
wa Taala reminds us not to justify our sins. This is what Ihsan is.
You know, Allah is watching you. Are you really going to come up
with an excuse and blame Allah, blame society, justify your sin.
So we look at the path of Adam Ali, Salam al Hawa, and they
admitted what they did. They accepted responsibility in the
Presence of Allah. Rabban Ahmed, our Lord, we have wronged
ourselves. You're in the Presence of Allah, Ya Allah, I wronged
myself when we go back to Salah Ya Allah, I wronged myself when
you're in sudude, Allah, forgive me. Italy, what to bada in Naka
unta tawaf or in another rivaya, tawab, Rahim. So you ask Allah for
forgiveness. You accept you've done something wrong. This is what
Ihsan refers to, amongst many other things. You do what's right,
and you know that Allah, subhana wa Taala is watching you. Ihsan,
through charity, Allah gives us many examples of this in the Quran
Ihsan in your manners, your character. Can have Ihsan in it.
Wabi wadida is one example to your parents have their son to honor
them, to be righteous, to be kind, and so on and so forth. When
someone wrongs you, in some situations, not all, when someone
wrongs you, the best thing to respond with is a type of Ihsan.
Wada, Testa will Hassan, good and evil are not the same. It fab.
Leti here ASAN, Repel evil with that which is not good but best,
and the best here will vary from situation to situation. What about
calling non Muslims to Islam, or calling Muslims to practice your
own family as well? What are you saying? Allah subhana reminds us
there's a strategy would as a bill. Hikmati wala, the way of
your Lord, with wisdom and with good, the best of admonishment or
speech. What else? Ihsan, through seeking forgiveness from Allah and
forgiving people. Ihsan, when you are alone, knowing that Allah is
watching Ibn Al qayyim, rahmallah, he says the key to attaining
rahmah mercy from Allah. Subhana is Ihsan with the Creator and
working hard to benefit the creation. Ihsan is the metric by
which we know how successful we really are. How much Ihsan do you
have with Allah? Are we amongst any May Allah make us amongst
Allah Ameen. So Ihsan is for you to do good to others, knowing that
Allah is watching not because they did good for you or they did not
do good to you. So we don't treat people based on their standards.
When someone mistreats us, the natural reaction the shaytaan will
try to take advantage of is to do the same thing back to them. They
insulted you. You want to insult them back. They hurt you. You want
to hurt them back. Ihsan is for you to know Allah is watching, so
your standards are higher than theirs. This is why we don't
respond to everything that someone does in the manner that they have
done. They are not our teachers. They are not our standards. Allah
subhanahu wa is the one who teaches us. Allah subhanahu gave
us the standard of Rasulullah, sallAllahu, alayhi wa sallam in
rahmat Allah mean the Mercy of Allah is ever close, meaning it's
even closer. You'll have more of it if you are amongst al mahsin.
Ihsan brings barakah blessings to your life and Tawfiq and great
reward in the next life. Ultimately, it's summarized with a
very short part of an ayah in which Allah, subhana Tala says,
eladina Husna, waziadah. For those who have Ihsan in this life, they
did what Allah commanded. They knew Allah was watching. They were
aware. There's a sense of muraqabah. Allah subhanaw taala
gave them goodness, and much more. Goodness in the afterlife is not
what you did in this life. Goodness in the afterlife is
Jannah. Waziya is meeting Allah, Subhanahu wa people of Jannah
enter Jannah. A voice will call out, indeed, you have a promise
with Allah. So, meaning, what a promise for a reward. So the
people of Jannah say, Did Allah not brighten our faces, save us
from the fire and admit us into Jannah? Meaning, where did God
everything we could possibly need? Did Allah not do all of that? They
will say, yes indeed. And then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi salam
says, and then the veil, the barrier that prevents people from
seeing Allah, the veil, will be removed. And the Prophet
sallallahu alayhi salam said, By Allah, He did not grant them
anything more beloved to them than seeing him. Is that not worth it
having Ihsan for 1000 years in this world and working hard to
have higher standards than most people, knowing that you will have
a good reward. You will have Jannah forever, and also,
specifically, the meeting with Allah. And the meeting with Allah
is greater than any other part of Jannah, any other part of the
afterlife. One time, in a lecture, I was talking about Jannah, and
there's a brother, he was sitting in the front, and he's like,
Listen, I have been hearing about the levels of Jannah my whole
life. There's alferdos and there's the lowest level and everything in
between. And is it not true, everyone in Jannah is happy? I
said, Yes. He said, is anyone miserable? No, is anyone jealous
that they're not in alferdos? No. Why should I aim for alferdos?
He's like, I'm just going to be honest.
With you. This is what I've been thinking my whole life. I hear
people say, work hard, aim for those but everyone in Jannah is
happy. Why should I aim for the highest level? He's like, I'm
gonna be honest. I'm feeling lazy. This is a very valid question,
because it has perhaps voiced what many people have thought of many
times. Jannah is all peace. Jannah is all happiness. Jannah is all
relief. Why aim for Alfredo is a very valid question the first time
it's asked. And there's a very powerful response in this world,
just in terms of a dunya. Sometimes this is not the only
response, but sometimes, if you are given two options, you're
going to choose, at a worldly level, the better worldly option.
What does that mean? If somebody were to offer you two vehicles,
choose between two cars. You can have either one. One of these cars
is yours. You can take my old car. I have a car my driveway. Have it
driven for a while? It's a 2005 Chevy Malibu, and has a lot of
maintenance issues at Hamdulillah. I love this car. It's taken me to
many, many places. Alhamdulillah. Or you can have a brand new car.
This car has all the latest safety features. This car is really fast,
really nice. If you want a family car, it's a family car. You want a
fad, a fast car because you're going through a midlife crisis,
it's a fast car, Alhamdulillah. But any car you want a brand new,
nice car of a dunya, or an older car, let's say much older than the
car I referenced, a long that's the car that some people may have.
But you have an option, naturally, you're going to choose the nicer
car. And you know what? Here's an easier example. Somebody tells
you, listen, you have two options. You take this million dollars, or
you take this dollar. No strings attached, no taxes on this.
Nothing at all. We'll all go with a million dollars. You may even
take the million, give it in charity. But the point is that at
a worldly level, we don't, we don't usually choose the thing
that is lower. We go for things that are nicer when you have the
option for a nicer house, versus, let's say, a broken down cam in
the middle of the woods, and you're like, one of these is free.
You only have one option. You're going to take the nicer house, and
you're only going to live there or drive that car for X number of
years before you die, and that's if you make it to those years.
Whereas Jannah, you're there forever. You get to choose your
neighborhood in Jannah. Imagine being able to choose being close
to the neighborhood of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. Why
would we not aim for that like what on earth would stop us from
having so much love for the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam
that we want to be as close to his house as possible that you can say
to your family, you've all been upgraded to where I am in Jannah.
Let's go visit the prophet for dinner. Salallahu, alayhi,
assalam. Why would you not want to be beneath the throne of Rahman?
Why would you not want to be the one that upgrades people to the
highest levels of Jannah? But there's also another fahida.
There's another benefit we always overlook. It's not just about what
you get. The people of infer dos. They do have greater rewards than
the people in the lowest levels. If one of those rewards is seeing
Allah more frequently. Is that not enough? Instead of seeing Allah
twice, morning and evening in one Hali maybe you get to see Allah
more frequently than the people in the lowest levels. Is that not
sufficient for us to aim for those out of love for Allah? In addition
to this, this is the last point when you say, I have Ihsan, I'm
going to live a life of Ihsan. It means when you're aiming for
alferdos, when you're aiming for the highest standards of practice
along the way, you're going to develop many other traits. You're
going to influence many other people's lives. You're going to
impact this world at a greater capacity because of your Ihsan. So
there's a ripple effect from one more sin to the rest of the world,
from one person who has righteousness because you worked
harder, stayed away from more things that are prohibited. You
had a ripple effect your character, your speech, the
raising of your child, your dad while your education, whatever you
do, you had a higher standard. So you influence and impacted society
along the way in ways you couldn't really measure. And that should
suffice for us to know that you are changing the world by having
Ihsan. You are changing society, reviving the umma by having high
standards. So yes, everyone in Jannah will be happy. But if you
miss your goal in alferdos, if you don't make it there for some
reason, and you're a few levels below that, you're still happy,
much happier than if you're in the lowest level and you didn't make
it there, may Allah subhana grant us the highest levels of Jannah.
This is a race at the end of the day with this. Of course, there
are many other characteristics Allah subhanahu mentions. I
started off talking about muraqabah. Allah is Al Raqib
always watching this is something we should remember. And the
concept of Ihsan, how your behavior changes, because, you
know, Allah is watching. With this, we can add one more thing,
and this is what we'll summarize and end with, inshaAllah, and it's
the topic of hushuar. Many times in the books of tezki and
tasawwuf, these are covered separately. You have a section on
the station of Ihsan, and then you have the station of hushuar.
They're separate. But in fact, what I want to do as we talk about
reviving our hearts and our societies is to link them
together, because they are, in fact, linked. One of the benefits
of knowing that Allah is watching is that you will have Ihsan, and
also when you are doing acts of worship, that you will have
hushuar. What is hushuar you have the example in the Quran was there
in the Sabri was Salah wa inahaqi.
Seek help, seek help through patience, Sabbath, perseverance
and salah. And indeed, it's difficult, except for the one who
has Hosur, the one who is humbly submissive and attentive to Allah.
One ayah that came down from Suratul Hadi that we know of, this
is the only of that came down in Mecca. It's possible the two or
three after it also did too. This ayah, I believe maybe Ayah 17.
This ayah from Suratul Hadid. Abdullah bin Masood says it came
down four years after we became Muslim. He was one of the first
converts to Islam four years so it came down in Mecca. The rest of
Suratul Hadid came down in Medina. That's why the surah doesn't have
just one classification. And this ayah is so powerful to awaken the
hearts. It's so powerful, if we think about it, every day when
Allah Subhanallah rebuked, he says, Abdullah rebuked us with it,
he wrote the companions and by extension, us, alum Yani, Ladin, a
Manu and Taq sham lady, lahiwa, Haq, to the end of the has the
time not yet come for those who believe, for their hearts to be
soft and moved at the remembrance of Allah and what has been brought
down of the truth? Meaning, is it not time for you to wake up? Is it
not time for your heart to be affected? Is it not time, because
if you say not now, or you think not now, if not now. Then when, if
you're not going to repent to Allah, change today, if you're not
going to let go of that sin, now, then when, because we know
tomorrow is not guaranteed. Wallahi, this question, as much as
we know it, this is not, I think we all know this. This is a
reminder, whether kid finally, we're in need of this reminder,
just like the companions were in need of this reminder, if you
don't decide to change today, when are you going to change? Because
tomorrow is never guaranteed, and if we keep saying tomorrow or
thinking next week or ignoring the thought, we will never change, and
we might find ourselves abruptly cut off with that thought of
tomorrow, with the reality of departure and death. May Allah
protect us. So this is a powerful ayah, if you want to take a few
ayat that remind you every day for introspection. This is one of
them. Has the time not yet come. It is time. It is time. Every
reminder that comes your way every time, if you're on social media
and you see a reminder, or a family member forwards you a
reminder, or you read a hadith, or you think of something, stop in
the moment, reflect and let your heart be attentive. Is it not time
for me to change? Allah just gave me another reminder. Allah allowed
my eyes to fall upon another real Allah subhanahu allowed me to hear
another Hadith or ayah. Is it not time for my heart to really become
submissive to Allah subhanahu wa has been revealed of the truth al
khushu, real, real hushuar, as many of the scholars would say
it's rooted in the heart, and the fruits of it are exterior. So
Hush, hush is an internal thing, an example of this, Rama Raha, you
know how Ram was in his personality. Ram one time saw a
man walking and his neck is bent down, thinking, what hush like?
You walk like this. You're just staring at the ground out of
humility. So the man is bent down, his neck is like this. He said to
him, straighten your neck. Hoshuar is not about the necks, but about
the hearts. You walking like this doesn't mean you actually have for
sure. Now, some people may naturally be doing that, but the
point is that that's not the real understanding of hushuar. It
starts in the heart. Could you have hush and you are humble
externally because of the internal Yes, but not to the extent that
you're walking around and just staring at the ground and showing
that this is a person of khushu, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi
salam, as a side point in the conquest of Mecca. In fact, Mecca,
when he came back, he had 10,000 believers with him. And of course,
you know the story and how there was a peaceful surrender the
Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam could have come with his
head held high. He actually, one of the Sahaba said His neck was so
low His beard was touching the back of the saddle of the animal
that he was riding on out of humility to say, Allah gave us
this victory. So there's a time and place for that, but I'm giving
this example from the story of Ahmad Ali Allahu. And to
emphasize, it's not about you. Like walking around saying, ayahu,
sure, but it's about the fruit of the heart. Do you feel humbly
submissive to Allah internally? One of the scholars, he said, Al
khushu at tadalum, well, ist Islam will ill hook well, it Allah
already know the real Haqq. He says it is to show humble
submission to the commands of Allah subhana, to be humble with
what Allah revealed, not to challenge, not to always be going
against picking and choosing whatever works for you from Islam
and leaving the rest and justifying it. The second is to
surrender to the decree of Allah, whatever ALLAH SubhanA has
decreed. And the third, he said, is a type of brokenness, to feel
internally that you are in need of Allah. And this is, by the way, a
result of Ihsan, that you are thinking of Allah, watching you so
you feel like inside you are fragile, that you are humble, that
you are in need of Allah, AJ wa Allahu, Alaihe al Hamid, but part
of khushu is also to watch your actions. Be very cautious, because
there's a link between the interior and the exterior.
You, and it is to observe the virtues of the people ahead of
you, as the prophet commanded Sallallahu alasallam, so look at
those who are ahead so that you can be inspired to have more
hushuar and Ihsan. And finally, the main act of worship of all the
acts of worship in which hushuar is mentioned repeatedly as what
assala, the prayer we know in the beginning of Surat al mumin, the
blueprint for success, the key to Al Firdaus, as we talk about the
highest levels of Jannah. But Afla Hal Mun, the believers have
succeeded, meaning, certainly the believers are successful. This is
a guarantee from Allah. And then Allah mentioned six
characteristics the very first Allah, the salah ATI him kashyahu.
They are those who when they pray, they are humbly submissive. They
have khushu. So khushur is to know what you're doing in the act of
worship, meaning you are present, attentive. Allah is watching you,
so your heart is mindful. Khushur is for you to taste the sweetness
of Salah. The objective of Salah is not a physical movement, but it
is required. The objective of Salah is to connect to Allah. It
is a slida. Furthermore, as even Kathir Alhamdulillah, he quotes,
what makes a person have this khushu. What leads to it is the
sense that Allah is always watching. So if you pray and in
the moment you forget Allah is watching, you may notice what
there's a problem with the prayer that you rushed it. You weren't
thinking. Your mind was distracted. You're thinking about
something else. Hushuar means that the heart stands before Allah with
humility and submission. So we talk about qaddaflah, Minun, we
have some narrations from the Prophet sallallahu, alayhi, salam,
about how important hushuar is in Salah, especially since we were
created for it. It's five times a day minimum, and it's something we
do for the rest of our lives. So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi
salam said, when any one of you stands to pray, know that. He
didn't say know that, but the imply implications know that he is
conversing with his Lord. So let him pay attention how he speaks to
him. You're talking to Allah. You're talking to Allah. Are you
not going to focus on Allah, Subhanahu wa out of His Majesty.
Furthermore, even Abu Salli, Allah anima, he says you will only have
from your Salah that's based on Hadith as well, that which you had
khushu with. And this is a scary Hadith, because if we were to
assess ourselves and grade ourselves after every single
salah, we'd feel like, Oh, my God, how much of a Salah is missing,
how much of it is not complete. This is where the reminder of
khushur comes in. But number two, this is where the sunan come in,
the Nawaf and fill in those gaps that we are absolutely in need of.
So one of the tricks of shaytan, I've heard this many times,
somebody will come up, or he'll send me a message, or a sister
will say, You know what, I don't feel anything when I pray. I don't
focus when I pray. So I stopped praying, what you took two steps
back, not one. You didn't feel hushuar And salah. You're doing an
act of worship that is an obligation. And then you heard
that you're only rewarded for the thing that you are humbly
submissive with attentive to. So instead of focusing on how to have
more hushuar inside, I'm not going to pray. How is that the solution?
That's a trick of shaytan, but it does happen to a lot of people,
and this happens, and we have to be cautious. Why? Because
sometimes we may say things that push family members and friends
and others with the maybe the approach that is not best.
Somebody's saying, You know what I heard that, you know, if you're
not praying your five prayers, then you're fasting and accepted.
So I don't pray on my five prayers. I might as well not fast.
So they've taken another step back instead of saying what, let me
also pray my five prayers and fix the problem that I have, they're
taking a step back. So we have to be cautious with how we share
these things, how they follow the Allah.
He says, the first thing of your deen, that you will lose meaning
as an ummah is khushu, and the last thing that you will lose of
your religion is Salah. There may be a person praying, meaning at
the very end of times, there may be a person praying who has no
goodness in him. And eventually, a day will come in which you enter
the mosque and you will not find anyone with hushuar, meaning at
the end of times, khushu leaves first, and then eventually the
salah altogether. And while we're living in a times in which people
are justifying this, people are thinking about these spiritual
things that they want and they'll get in other ways, but they refuse
to get it through Salah, the very thing that you're supposed to be
enjoying in prayer, khurshu, applies to many acts of worship,
of course. How do we improve this? What are the practical advices
that we can end with? Inshallah, to be very practical. So number
one, when you pray, for example, know that you are conversing with
Allah. It is a conversation. Somebody asked me, What's What do
you mean? It's a conversation. I'm the one who's speaking. Allah is
responding to you. You're reading in Fatiha. Every ayah you will
recite, Allah is responding to you as we find the authentic hadith.
So you're in a conversation with Allah. How do you want to talk to
Allah? What kind of what level of respect do you have for Allah in
that moment? So right before you start salah, don't rush into the
prayer. Before you start the Salah, just remind yourself what
you're about to do. You're about to face Allah subhanahu wa. Second
advice, of course, is that when you are praying, think about the
reward, think about the benefit, think about the blessing. Think
about the objective of what you're doing. This is not a mindless
thing of just motion.
So you're not just moving about with, you know, acts of worship
that are just exterior. This is an internal purification. It's a
nourishment for the heart that we are in need of. The third, by the
way, somebody asked for a recommendation. I would recommend
as a reading recognition. There's a book called or an article called
Al Hoba by Ibn rajabraham Allah, and it has a lot of commentary on
these things as well. One of the Taberna when he went to pray, he
said he would think about the Kaaba in front of him, the Angel
of Death standing like over him. He would think about Jannah next
to him and hellfire beneath him. He said, When I start to think
about all these things, I would feel like I need this to be the
best salah I can possibly make it. Another example of how to improve
your prayer is to envision yourself praying your final prayer
and looking back at this from the afterlife. What was the last Salah
that I prayed like now we just, for example, as salatul Asha. If
that was the last salah, may Allah grant us many more years of
worship. But if that was the last prayer, think to yourself, how
would you grade yourself? Will you focus on salah? And if you say
yourself, oh my god. I hope that wasn't my last salah. I hope I
make it home to pray sunnah. I hope I'm able to at least get
another chance. That's a good feeling. That's a good thought,
but we have to follow it up with action. That's why. That's why, by
far, one of the most famous advices. When the man came to the
Prophet sallallahu, someone asked for advice. He said, When you
stand to pray for Salah, salatu, muddy and pray the prayer of the
one bidding farewell, you're saying goodbye to this world.
You're bidding farewell to a dunya. So this is your last salah.
How would you pray? Our brothers and sisters in Allah, there is no
doubt. There is no doubt they're not they're not sure they're going
to make it to another salah. Every salah, as one of them literally
told us, and as we're hearing from friends and family and relatives,
they're praying every prayer as though it's their last, and
they're praying on time with all that's happening to them. They're
praying on time, and they're praying with hushuar, because it
could be your last prayer. How will you pray if this is your
final salah? Another thing you could do is to prepare properly
for Salah. Sometimes we talk about just the prayer itself, but the
preparation make. Will do it with Ihsan. Allah is watching you. So
perfect you will do. Allah is watching you. So when you're about
to start praying, wear something that is decent for Salah pray in
an area in which there are no distractions, and before you start
salah, if your mind is on something, remove your your mind
from those distractions. If your phone is in front of you, no flip
your phone and disable it, or turn it off or silence or whatever you
have to do. But in other words, make sure you are giving yourself
the means the facilitation of a good prayer. And of course, as you
are in Salah, pause with every part of Salah. Just slow down in
Salah. If you feel like one thing you struggle with is praying too
quickly at times or not focusing, slow down as soon as you think of
it. Slow down in Salah. One of the best times to do that, especially
is in sujood. Slow down Institute and make a lot of dua. It's an
amazing opportunity. You know, sometimes people are told that,
you know, like they can have anything that they want, or this
is an opportunity to go ahead like you have, like, 30 seconds to get
whatever you need. You have those examples I remember from
childhood. I don't know if this is accurate, even as a memory used to
show us, sometimes people being told like they want, like they
want, like a gift. We can go around the store and put whatever
you want in the shopping cart. You guys know what I'm referring to. I
have no idea what it's called. I just, I just had that memory right
now. So when they when they have those opportunities, what are they
thinking I have 30 seconds or one minute, or whatever, put
everything that you want in the cart, whatever you want. It's
interesting how we respond when, when there's an opportunity for
something material, a limited time scarcity, even so with Allah,
subhana wa taala, your in sujood, the closest possible means of
being near Allah, abumaya kun Abu Asir dua, the Prophet salasam says
the closest a servant is to his Lord is in sudude. So increase
your DUA, ask of Allah. And when you make that dua like Subhan Abu
Lara, slow down. Because if you find yourself forcing yourself to
slow down, I promise, if you find yourself insisting on slowing
down, you will enjoy that prayer. And when you slow down, even in
your Kerala, by the way, even in the silent prayers and your Noah
fit when you are reading, try to read enough to the extent that you
can hear yourself, not loud, but enough for you to hear what you're
saying, because it adds to the focus that you'll have in salon.
So move at a measured pace in Salah. Take your time in Sud,
somebody asked me once, how can I take long in sujood, I don't know
Arabic. I don't know how to make dua. You can make dua in other
languages. You can make dua in other languages in the obligatory
prayer and in the nafidah. However, if you do know the DUA in
Arabic and what it means, then you make the DUA in Arabic. This is
the opinion of many scholars, Alhamdulillah. So there's
something that the majority um is benefiting from, because 85% of
them is not native Arabs. So they are able to make dua in their
languages. Allah understands all languages. Another thing, of
course, to keep in mind, it's makru when you are really hungry
and the food is being served to pray at that time. Now, somebody
will say, Okay, I'm going to take my time. They'll eat a feast,
three course meal. It means eat until you're not like, you know,
starving until you're not that hungry. This is why in Ramadan,
usually you want to break your fast first, like with dates and
water, and then pray, dates and water, whatever else, and then
pray inshallah. But generally speaking, you're not supposed to
do that if you are real.
Really, really hungry, and the food is being served. Of course,
the better thing to do is to make sure that you are planning
properly and don't leave the salah until the end of its time. And now
you have to make a decision between eating and salah. No, in
that case, if the salah time is almost up, you have to pray. And
then finally, think of the duha, the Prophet sallallahu, sallam,
used to make Allah, meaning the short, powerful dua, there's a
continuation in one Hadith, Oh Allah, I seek refuge in You from a
heart that has no attentiveness, no humble submissiveness, Allah in
me. A rudu, be coming. La SHA, may Allah, subhana grant us sincere
hearts along the Ameen. So again, some practical advices. Know that
you are never alone. Wah akum ay namah qantum, this could be
terrifying for the one who commits sins all the time in private, and
it could be liberating for the one who worries. Do I have any
support? Allah is with you. Wah akum ay na Kumar klib is with you.
And of course, how do you remember this? Put reminders in your house,
on your devices, the wallpaper. Remind yourself that Allah is
always watching. Is always watching. Make a lot of dua. By
the way, when you're always making dua and dikir, you are remembering
Allah. So in a time in which you might start to have heedlessness,
that habit has benefited kicking in the consciousness that Allah.
Is there another advice, of course, especially in times of
temptation, remember that Allah is watching. Don't allow your mind to
continuously build and develop a channel towards a bad habit. Allah
subhanaw is watching, redirect to that and then take the right
action, of course, as well. When it comes to our families,
remembering and reminding our children, our loved ones, our
parents referencing often, Allah subhanaw taala is watching and not
necessarily lecturing the family. What I mean is, in everyday
conversations, there are many opportunities to remind one
another, Allah is watching. You're talking about Philistine with your
family, or anywhere around the world. Allah is watching. Allah is
Aware. Allah is aware of what we do to help, and Allah is aware of
their situation as well. Allah is aware of the oppressors and will
hold them accountable. So frequently mentioned that Allah
subhanahu wa is because many times may Allah protect us. We might.
Let's say, I don't want, I don't like to use this term, but
generally, many people who regularly go to the massage and
attend lectures and classes and programs, they may say,
Alhamdulillah, I don't commit major sins. I don't deal with
riba, I don't drink alcohol. I don't have to worry.
Alhamdulillah, there's no adultery, nothing like that. But
then they're constantly May Allah protect us, falling into the sin
of gossiping and backbiting and slandering and lying. So it's the
sin now of speech and text the spin, the sins of what we do
online when we're typing and reading. May Allah subhana Tala
protect us. So Al raqqib is aware of what you say as well. So be
mindful with every word. Be mindful of every word that you say
this means to your family and to others. And finally, make dua,
supplicate to Allah abunafi, dunya
hassana Walking out Abu Na, make a lot of dua like the dua of unusual
who knew that even though he's in the ocean, and knew that even
though he was swallowed by a whale, that the darknesses and the
layers of darknesses that he could call upon Allah and still be saved
and not have to figure out. How will Allah save me? Allah,
Subhanahu has given us many reminders at the end of the day,
waziya and halisan, we are the ones who are in need of Ihsan and
Allah will reward us beyond our comprehension. Let us hold
ourselves accountable. Let us make dua consistently. Let us ask Allah
to make us amongst sin and to forgive us for all of our
shortcomings and to surround us with people of Ihsan, to surround
us with families of Ihsan, to surround us with children of
Ihsan, and to make us amongst those who facilitate Ihsan in
society. May Allah subhana forgive us for all of our shortcomings.
Allah Ameen wame, Muhammad.