Suleiman Hani – The Muslim Guide to Summer Season
AI: Summary ©
The importance of goal setting in Islam is a lifelong journey, not just a temporary break, and parents must communicate with their children about the benefits of travel, including learning about cultures and experiences. The importance of staying in a strong sense of community and connecting with others is emphasized, along with the importance of praying at the end of the day to see the light of Islam and avoiding playing with fire. Control and acceptance during busy seasons are also emphasized, along with not allowing people to feel guilty or sad or angry and focusing on the afterlife.
AI: Summary ©
Recently, a young student who finished school
blurted out really loudly
with his parents, Alhamdulillah. I'm done school, I'm
done learning.
And of course often times the parents are
like, enjoy your break, you deserve it.
But one of the parents said to him,
I believe is the mother, one of the
parents said to him
the school year is over but your learning
continues in the summer.
It's a very interesting statement.
And in light of the fact that many
of our students and many educators
and for those who have families
are experiencing now a change
with the summer break from many of the
schools,
I thought it would be beneficial for all
of us as a community
to have
a guide of sorts, the Muslims guide to
the season of summer,
so we can benefit our particular situations inshallah
ta'ala.
The first reminder, of course,
is that although perhaps an intense school year
could be over for 1 son or daughter
for the students, the many amazing students who
are here,
the reality is that time is still precious.
Time is always precious.
One time someone said, time is like gold,
take advantage of it. And the reality is
time is more precious than gold because gold
comes and goes. You gain, you lose, you'll
have some profits, some losses
but the time that you
lost or the time that's passed you can't
regain.
So this summer is a unique summer
and the next summer is also a unique
summer. There are no 2 days alike in
this world. Every single day, every moment is
a very unique opportunity that does not come
back. It may return in a different form.
It may appear in different way but it's
not guaranteed. Now I want us to imagine
for the young and the old, you're standing
on the day of judgment.
You look back at a dunya and you
remember when you finished 8th grade, 6th grade,
3rd grade, college, whatever it may be, or
you're a parent and you're remembering this summer
with your children
or your siblings or your friends
and you think back to something you did
good this summer, you took advantage of it.
Because on that day when time is no
longer relevant
and everything is eternal,
everything is forever,
You look back and this world will look
like a quick hour, a quick moment.
We lived in this world for just a
day or part of the day.
Ask those who are counting so the people
on the day of judgment will look back
and all these moments are like a quick
memory.
So imagine your quick memory instead of something
of regret
that I wasted my summer, I wasted the
2 months, they flew by like every other
month of the year. You look back and
you say Alhamdulillah.
It was different, it was in school, but
I took advantage. You look back and you
say Alhamdulillah, my children were able to benefit.
And oftentimes and a reminder for myself and
those who have children in their families,
oftentimes
when school ends there's no clear
expectation
communication about what the summer might look like.
There's no goal setting. And for the Muslim
the idea of goal setting is not about
a specific project alone.
Goal setting in Islam
is year round lifelong.
Goal setting in Islam
is year round and lifelong. It never ends.
You're always trying to benefit
as a believer from the next phase of
life. It doesn't mean I'm not talking about
working hard only,
but benefit in the sense that it may
be summer
but it doesn't mean we don't have some
guidance, some direction about what to do with
this time. And this is something that parents
must communicate with their children.
Spending
time with an internship,
learning something new, with community activities, community service,
volunteerism, youth programs, whatever it may be that
is suitable for your family and your children
and their age
is not like the one who's just completely
waste it because their perspective
or maybe their parents is like this is
just a constant break from any kind of
benefit. In fact, some studies have found that
some students because of their parents will excel
in the summer past their peers. They will
learn a lot more through different types of
learning experiences,
through travels, through internships, whatever may be learning,
studying, reading,
compared to those who take the summer as
a complete break from any kind of mental
growth, any kind of intellectual development. And for
the believer, of course, the growth and the
goal setting is year round life long. It
doesn't have to be in the same form.
It doesn't have to be 8 to 5.
But in reality there's something of benefit during
this time. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala put
barak in our time and make us amongst
those who also communicate
that benefit to their children, to their families.
Some parents will say, Well, my children don't
want to do anything in the summer.
In reality, this goes back to the parenting,
this goes back to the terbiyah. That at
certain ages, there's an expectation that's communicated.
And in fact, when they get to a
certain age of maturity rather than just impose
on them the summer plan at a certain
age of maturity, what do you think amongst
these options would be motivational beneficial? What are
some motivators
of attending a Quran program of learning a
little more of community service? What are some
of the beneficial things we have to do
x y z of this and this and
this and yes you have your break, you
have your sports, you have your relaxation, you
have this and that but everything with due
measure, everything given its due right. The second
reminder about summer,
as many people tend to travel during these
months,
whether they have children or not travel increases
during the summer times. We remember that travel
in Islam is an act of worship
And it's an act of worship when it's
intended as an act of worship. So the
believer sees the concept of Saffar and exploring
the world as something beneficial if their intention
is aligned with their action. And Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala tells us,
Travel through the land and see how Allah
started the creation. This is not referring to
pointless travel, this is not referring to someone
who's traveling for the sake of showing off
on social media.
Go around and see natural scenery.
Connect your heart, your mind, your body when
you're hiking, when you're on a trail, even
if you have children who are old enough
to to go with you for these kinds
of trips, you're experiencing something beautiful and hiking
and exercise is good for the body, the
mind, and the soul. This is a beneficial
thing. But in addition,
those who travel with their children and those
who travel with their friends during these times,
you know that you learn a lot about
a person when you travel with them. So
parents have the opportunity to connect better with
their children that oftentimes,
they may not see them during the day
except for a few hours. These are opportunities
to connect, to hear them, see their development,
their growth for the husband and the wife,
for the friends, the roommates. These are some
of the best opportunities to really connect with
others for the sake of Allah. And if
you travel,
if you do travel outside of your city,
learn about the rules of prayer. What does
it mean to shorten the salah? When is
it allowed? Is it allowed to combine? There's
an entire study and discipline. We can learn
the summary of this easily InshaAllah Ta'ala in
our day and age, but try to know
in advance
where you're going, what you need to know
as a Muslim. Is it a country in
which there are a lot of Muslims? Is
there a Masjid? One of the first things
you should always try to do when you
go to a new country, a new state,
make sure part of your plan and your
schedule in your trip, make sure you're going
to see some Masjid. Make sure you're going
to pray there. This reminds the children
the masjid, the houses of Allah are a
priority and it also shows us the beauty
of Islam.
You can go to South Korea, you can
go to New Zealand, you can go to
many lands around the world and you find
there's a Masjid almost everywhere. You go to
Norway in the northern most Masjid in the
entire world I visited a few years back,
it's a very small community and there's a
large refugee community as well. May Allah make
it easy for them. It's out all the
way north in a cold cold area, but
yet you have hundreds of Muslims worshiping
there. So take advantage
as you travel to know the rules of
salah. When are you allowed to pray
on the plane, is the time expired, and
all of that. So these are things we
can learn and address in a future khutbah
insha Allah. The third reminder
is to extract benefits from the temperature
and the heat of the summer months.
And this is of course applicable for us
but remember at least three things.
And we have to be very blunt about
these things because as Muslims we have balance.
There's the hope, the motivation,
the mercy, the rewards of Jannah, the hope
for forgiveness.
But there's also what? The fear of deterrence,
the fear and deterrence, the fear of crimes,
the fear of transgressing against Allah. So remember
number 1, remember the hellfire and do not
play with fire. Do not play with fire.
I remember years back a young college student,
we were camping out
and a bunch of shabab, all these young
guys
were messing around and all that and then
somebody started a bonfire.
They wanted to do halal s'mores. What does
this guy do? One of the young students,
he says, Hey, let's have a challenge. Who
can jump over the fire?
And of course this is a reckless idea
but he insists on it and his friends
tell him that's not a good idea and
he insists and he's the only one who
did it. So what happens? He jumps over
the fire. He's okay. He does it again,
he's okay. He says add more logs. He
jumps over the fire, he fell into the
fire.
And he had severe severe severe burns.
And in fact to this day his arm
has not recovered in terms of how it
looks. Alhamdulillah, he's back to good health but
his arm has not recovered and he says
this is a reminder for me not to
play with fire.
And as we were one time discussing
in a seminar on perilous and hellfire,
the hadith in which the prophet sallallahu alaihi
wa sallam mentions,
hellfire is 70 times hotter
than the fire of this world. He said,
I started to tremble.
It's like, I never thought anything could make
me tremble but that fire was so severe,
the burns on my body were so severe
for me to think the hellfire is 70
times hotter. Is like this was a huge
deterrence like I don't want to come anywhere
near
the violation of the laws of Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala. Some people are very afraid to
break the law. They're afraid to to deal
with the consequences.
So they don't even think twice. No, that's
not something I would ever do. But their
deterrence is a worldly punishment.
Punishment of the afterlife is severe and Allah
mentions it. Not because He wants us to
worship only out of fear, but so that
we know that on the other side of
hope there's also
a reason for you not to be lax,
not to be reckless.
And the reality of this world is that
sometimes we forget and these reminders benefit us.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala uses this as a
form of healthy fear for his creation and
he says, oh my servants, oh my slaves,
have Taqwa, have God consciousness. May Allah protect
us, alohaamin. What else can we remember from
the heat of this very day as there's
a heat wave right now in the country
and around the world? And as we talk
about our brothers and sisters around the world,
we remember as well that on the day
of judgment as hot as it is, there
will be believers who are saved from the
heat of that day. May Allah make us
amongst them. There will be people who are
shaded on that day, in a cool state,
happy and relaxed at least knowing that they're
not going to deal with the punishment of
that day. Because for some people,
the punishment before hellfire is the punishment of
standing on the day of judgment. And that
punishment is so severe and difficult
for the disbelievers for 50,000 years or more
meaning it's either literal or more as Allah
tells us in the Quran
that the moment of waiting in anticipation for
the punishment will cause some of them to
say just expedite my punishment. That is the
heat of that day, but the believers as
we know are safe. Who are they? They
are those who take care of their prayer,
those who guard themselves in terms of their
They are those who take care of their
prayer, those who guard themselves in terms of
their desires, they are inclusive of the 7
categories of believers shaded on that day. We'll
mention this in a maybe perhaps in a
future khutba, one of these 7 is a
young Muslim.
One of them is a young Muslim who
can be shaded on the day of judgment?
Yes.
Because they grew up in the obedience of
Allah. Why that age of youth? The age
of youth from maturity all the way to
the age of 40 as some scholars say.
Because these are years
in which a lot of young people
are tempted by different things. So you have
to be smarter. You may be in middle
school, you might be in high school, you
might be a recent college graduate, but you
have to be smarter during these years than
any other time. And of course with every
year you learn and you grow and you
gain wisdom.
Amongst the categories is the one who is
alone in private and they shed tears for
the sake of Allah. It's not to show
off, it's not for others, there's a real
connection to Allah in that moment. Amongst them
is the person who's tempted for zina, for
fornication. May Allah protect us all. This man
is seduced and invited to do haram and
he leaves only for Allah's sake. He leaves
for the sake of Allah and the one
who gives in charity so generously and the
one whose heart is attached to the masjid.
May Allah keep our hearts attached to Allahumma
ami.
Remember as well the 3rd reminder with this
point,
remember those who suffer today without shade, without
AC, without cooling.
We all know what's happening to our families.
We know what's happening to our relatives. We
know what's happening to our brothers and sisters
from every ethnicity around the world who don't
have access to shade. They are dying in
the heat. They are dying because they don't
have access to cold water or clean water
in fact.
And we know this reality and sometimes we
forget. So before you complain it's too hot
as you enter your car with AC. Before
you complain that, Yes, we're sweating. It's a
very hot day, before you complain too much
about it, say, Alhamdulillah,
remember your blessings. Say, Alhamdulillah,
remember your blessings. Before we complain, may Allah
Subhanahu wa ta'ala keep us amongst those who
are grateful and never complaining about our blessings,
Allahu ameen. And of course, we remember
our brothers and sisters who passed away
in, during their Hajj because of the heat
of the sun. Over a 1000 people died
in this last Hajj from the heat and
it's a reminder for us, at least in
this case, they were striving, sacrificing.
How will we leave this world? When there's
heat or there's cold, how will we leave
this world? You know there were some people,
the story of the hypocrites in Madinah,
when it was said to them go out
for the expedition of Tabuk, some people stayed
back and they started giving excuses. You know
when someone says, Hey we all have to
do this and someone starts coming up with
excuses,
reasons they don't want to do something that
is important or valuable, a responsibility, an act
of worship, whatever it may be. They started
coming up with excuses.
And one of the excuses that they said
when they said when Allah subhanahu wa'ala tells
us about them, Surah Tawba,
They hated to invest, to sacrifice
their lives and their wealth for the sake
of Allah.
They said, Don't go out in the heat.
Don't go out for jihad in the heat,
it's too hot outside.
So they stayed back in Madinah while the
rest of the the entirety of the Ummah
basically all the men who could go went
out
to meet the Roman Byzantine Empire. The hypocrites
stayed back with the few believers who came
up with excuses.
But when they said,
Don't go out in the heat like we
wanna stay back in the cold,
Remind yourself with what Allah said, Say indeed
to them the fire of *, the heat
of the hellfire is more severe.
The hellfire is more severe and Allah subhanahu
says, If only they truly comprehend it. Meaning
what?
When it comes to your responsibilities, don't come
up with excuses.
Do what you have to do. You may
be young, you may be old, if you
know there's something you have to do whether
it's an act of worship between you and
Allah, don't wait for your your parents or
others to initiate to remind you, don't say
it's too hot to do this and that,
you're outdoors somewhere there's no indoors and you
have to pray, Time is going to expire.
Yes. Take care of your responsibility
especially when it comes to priorities. I'm not
saying don't take care of your health. Take
care of your health, no doubt. But these
ayats are reminder for us that sometimes people
do not sacrifice but their excuses are not
valid. And other times, yes. There may be
valid reasons and Allah knows best. But about
these people, the Munafiqeen by the way,
they had a lot of money. They had
a lot of wealth. Some of them were
eloquence. They were very rich and connected. Later
on, a few ayats, later Allah says,
Don't be impressed
by their children, how many children or family
members they have, or their wealth. Some people
are rich and they show off, don't be
impressed by that. Because Allah says,
It's actually a form of punishment for them.
How is it a punishment? You might think
when this guy is driving his Bugatti and
Ferrari. How is that a punishment when he
has 1,000,000,000 of dollars and he's showing it
off on social media? What punishment are you
talking about?
The blessings Allah gives you in this world
cannot be the reason you disobey Him. The
blessings Allah gives
us and blesses us with and bestows upon
us in this world cannot be your excuse
for not worshiping Allah. Don't use Allah's blessings
to disobey Him. Don't use the money He
gave you, the time He gave you, the
health that He gave you, the family He
gave you to disobey Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
So you'll notice what in the summer months,
sometimes unfortunately,
people show off more in the summer. They
show off their bodies they've been working out,
they show off their wealth, they start showing
off their cars, some people show off on
social media the places they travel to which
is a sign of wealth at times
but it's also very dangerous
and it affects the state of the heart.
Remember this,
you might be oversharing on social media to
the extent that the harm, may Allah protect
us all, if if there's a harm someone
experiences it might be because they're oversharing.
And also remember the people who are suffering
who don't have food. Imagine somebody from a
Gaza texted you
and they're telling you we're starving, you asked
for an update, and you said, Oh this
is what I did today and you showed
off your feast. Is that appropriate? No. We
would find that despicable, very pathetic, no one
would do that. Children know not to do
that. And yet when you over share
your blessings on social media, in a way
you may be hurting some people, You may
be affecting people and you also may be
showing off to those who are jealous. May
Allah protect us all. So use your blessings
for the sake of Allah, but enjoy them.
Don't show them off to the world. And
don't use these summer months to do something
that is displeasing to Allah. And finally number
4,
the last two points insha Allah.
During these months especially,
try your best to attend the prayer in
the masjid as much as you can. Fajr
and Isha is your challenge.
Fajr and Isha was the challenge with the
hypocrites. Those who are not really Muslim
could not go out, they found it difficult
because of sleep and all that but also
why did they not go out? There's no
lights, no electricity.
So nobody will know you prayed in the
masjid or not at that time. So they
had no reason to show off and fake
their Islam.
Now for us the challenge is different. Yes,
there's a long day. Yes, Isha is almost
11 PM and Fajr is very early.
Take that as your challenge for the summer.
For the fathers especially, you have sons and
daughters you can bring with you to the
masjid. Make it a challenge as a family.
Let's pray in the masjid as much as
we possibly can. These houses of Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala,
as we carpool to them, as we go
to them, as we visit them in many
different cities and states, are a reminder for
us.
Because as we see the quantity of the
of 2,000,000,000 we want to make sure we
are amongst those who are reviving the quality.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us from
amongst them. And the reality of course, Allah
Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala praises those who are not
distracted
and they pray and they take advantage of
worshiping the houses of Allah. In the verse
of light, ayatul Noor, in suratul Noor, Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala says,
And houses that Allah allowed to be established,
these are the masjid.
His name is mentioned within them.
His name is mentioned and people there in
the masjid here are
glorifying Allah morning and evening. These are the
prayer times as well.
And right after this as some Quran will
continue the recitation to the next verse,
Men, but it means men and women by
the way, but especially men because they have
less excuses when it comes to going to
the masjid. This is why some scholars say
it is wajib, it is mandatory for the
man who is resident, he's not a traveler
and he is not he doesn't have a
medical excuse. Some scholars, they are the mayor.
They said it is an obligation to pray
every prayer in the masjid. I'm not saying
this is the only opinion but I share
this opinion to indicate how serious it is.
While others said it is highly highly highly
emphasized
that the man who is not traveling and
he is resident tries to schedule
everything around salah in the masjid.
And this is the the standard we should
have, Allah speaking about these people and praising
them. May Allah make us amongst them.
Men who are not distracted by their wealth,
their business, their work, their jobs.
And buying and selling
and the remembrance of Allah.
The establishment of prayer. Is giving charity
This is what they're doing, they're doing this
out of a fear.
A day in which the hearts and eyes
will tremble, they're thinking about the afterlife.
Being in the houses of Allah should be
cooling for the heart. It's a reminder. Wallahi,
those who start coming back to the masajid
or in Ramadan, they will start to notice
that spiritual change, psychological relief as difficult as
it may be at Fajr or Isha.
Try to make it a challenge for you
and your family because Allah promises the reward
in these verses when He says,
Allah will give them a reward according to
the best of their deeds,
And He will give them more on top
of that out of His
grace.
And He provides for His servants as He
desires in ways they cannot expect. May Allah
make us amongst those whose hearts and families
are attached to the masajid.
And finally, number 5. And a reminder for
those who are, by the way, part of
the masajid already.
Be welcoming, be very welcoming and spread the
salaam to people you know and people that
you don't know. Finally number 5, during these
summer months remember young and old, there's an
emphasis on controlling our desires, shahawat.
Because these are months in which people let
go of their shahawat in society in general.
So yes, we know that there are temptations,
we know there's a there's fitna, we know
that people are less modest with their clothing
during these summer months. So control your eyes,
control your ears, your families, your environments, your
situation.
You're outdoors more often maybe working on your
yard or guarding. Be kind to your neighbors.
Spread the salaam, show them what Islam is
about. And and remember the one who gave
you the blessing of sight and hearing. And
if you decide insha Allah ta'ala to maintain
and get back into maintaining your body, your
exercise, your health for you and your children,
your family,
do so but in a manner that is
pleasing to Allah. In a manner that is
pleasing to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. There's so
many forms of halal, fun, and entertainment during
these months and throughout the year. Do so
as an act of worship, not as a
means of distance from Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
May Allah protect us and guide us and
bless our time and our families, young and
old from all walks of life to take
advantage of every opportunity that He gives us,
and ask Allah for forgiveness. He is the
All Forgiving, The Ever Merciful.
Alhamdulillah.
If the jihad of those who are trying
to just survive
injustice from day to day, trying to just
get by from one place to another, trying
to avoid being bombed and butchered and killed
and massacred. May Allah protect them, bring down
His divine justice and swift mercy for them.
If that is their daily life
and you are not living in that situation,
at the very least
take advantage of the jihad that is mandatory
upon all Muslims which is jihad against your
desires.
Jihad against your desires. You're feeling lazy, weakness,
temptations, whatever may be in the summer months
or beyond. This is the greater jihad that
is obligatory upon every Muslim. Meaning what? You're
not trying to just survive for another day
because you're being attacked. Now you are fighting
your desires,
and fighting your desires is one of the
greatest battlefields, one of the greatest challenges.
So if you say, I'm so tired. Why
do I have to go to fajr every
day? I'm so tired. Why do I have
to do this? Why do I have to
attend the Quran program? Look at the motivators
beyond it. Look at what you have to
sacrifice and what our brothers and sisters have
to sacrifice.
Look at what they're going through and what
you go through. Not so that we feel
bad and don't do anything about our feelings.
Redirect
those thoughts
of guilt or frustration or anger about injustice
into real measurable action.
Set your goals very clearly, communicate them with
your family, make sure you're on the same
page growing and remember ultimately, remember this,
the summer will end and Allah tells us
every season of this world will replace another
not just the literal seasons of temperature and
climate.
You will go through stage after stage, season
after season. What does that mean? We have
many young children here. May Allah bless you
all and your parents. Make them amongst the
righteous and protect their parents, and make them
a source of continuous charity for them. We
have a lot of you recent graduates from
college. May Allah bless them to be resilient,
proud Muslims who know their faith, practice their
faith, and show what Islam is about, and
are willing to deal with some of the
discomforts of being a Muslim for the sake
of Allah. But as we see these youngsters
here, so too we also see their parents
and grand and grandparents. May Allah bless them.
Every stage of life replaces another. One day
insha Allah ta'ala, the children who are here
will be in masajid attending as parents insha
Allah ta'ala. And that is a good sign
for the ummah that there are children in
the masajid.
But every stage will replace another, so do
not let your heart stay attached to any
stage.
Don't let your heart stay attached to any
moment of life. It is temporary not permanent.
The one who is permanent is Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala. We are temporary and every moment
is temporary, so cherish it while you have
it. Cherish your family members and the time
that you have with them. Cherish the season
you have of summer or school or work
or anything else for it will be replaced
soon with something else. And as you have
moments of difficulty, know that they will be
replaced with seasons of relief InshaAllah.
But ultimately,
ultimately,
the season of life will end and the
believer moves on to the afterlife. That is
the departure we prepare for. Every season of
this world and every time you think of
the temperature, let it be a reminder for
you about the changing nature of this world,
the fact that it is fleeting, and the
fact that our hearts have to be attached
to something that is eternal, and Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala Al Khayyul Qayyum. May Allah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala protect us, bless us during these
months, and allow us to take advantage of
them. May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala bless our
children, our families, and those who want to
start families. May Allah bless them. May Allah
subhanahu wa'ala bless those who are recently married
and those who are trying to get married.
May Allah subhanahu wa'ala bring down his swift
mercy and his justice for our brothers and
sisters in every land and place, and grant
us a share of facilitating justice for them
as well.