Tawfique Chowdhury – Ust 1st Seminary Of Knowledge 2012 Lecture 1b 1 Of 2
AI: Summary ©
The Al Cancerute in 2005 delivered a lecture on Islam, with Dr. Chaudhary introducing himself and his educational background. The importance of learning and sharing knowledge is emphasized, as it is crucial for achieving success in life. The difficulty of achieving spiritual spirituality and achieving spirituality is discussed, along with the use of animals as carriers for political parties. The speakers emphasize the need for pride and sincerity in achieving success in life.
AI: Summary ©
Today's first lecture will be delivered by Dr. Tawfiq Chaudhary. And the topic for the lecture is discipline being consistent upon this path of freedom. I am going to introduce the speaker one more time because there might be some people here who are not here yesterday. So Dr. Tawfiq Chaudhary is the founder Chairman and CEO of mercy mission. He started mercy mission. Through its first program the Al Cancer Institute in 2005. Mercy mission is one of the fastest growing Muslim social enterprises today. Dr. Chaudhary graduated from the College of Sharia in the Islamic University of Medina. He is an experienced businessman having been the CEO of a multinational IT company. He is
also a practicing medical doctor in Australia, and is a corporate trainer and business coach.
Dr. Chaudhary is a prolific speaker and has traveled extensively. He specializes in Islamic Finance, personal law, and medical ethics. He is also the father of five children. I'd like I would like to welcome Dr. Chaudhary now to the stage deliver his speech.
Why the early
brothers, my students
a loss of power.
And I doubt that in my knowledge, there is anything worse than being ignorant.
Allah subhanho wa Taala has considered ignorance to be tantamount to blindness, Allah subhanho wa Taala has considered ignorance to be tantamount to disbelief. Allah subhanho wa Taala has counted ignorance to be tantamount to misguidance away from the path of Allah subhanho wa Taala. In fact, authentic hadith Rasulullah sallallahu sallam, he said every single thing in this dunya is cursed. Everything is cursed. Every single thing our businesses are cursed. Our markets are cursed, our buying our homes, our day to day life, everything is cursed except for three things. What are those three things? That is the remembrance of Allah, the scholar of Islam, and the students of Islam.
So Allah, everything else was cursed. Meaning what? Meaning that if you fail to be from those people who seek Islamic knowledge, or are actively teaching Islamic knowledge, or are engaging in something about the remembrance of Allah azza wa jal, then know for assurity that you are cursed,
and there are different regarding this topic of being cursed. They said being cursed means that there is no Baraka other said, being cursed means that there is a certain punishment waiting for us in the Hereafter, and that is a strongest opinion. The strongest opinion is when something is cursed, means that there is no blessing in it. And when something is cursed, it means that there is a particular punishment that Allah has set for it in this dunya or the hereafter. So the prophets are seldom said authentic hadith in Bukhari, everything is done yes curse, except for these three things. In another authentic hadith in Abu Dawood, a Sahaba went on an expedition with a group of
others who hadn't, they went for a battle, one of the Sahaba he sustained some injuries, so it cuts and bruises on his body. And unfortunately, there were quite major wounds, but he was still alive. So the went to sleep at night was very cold in the desert. And so he had a *. When he woke up in the morning, he saw that he had a *. And so he asked the other Sahaba say, Oh, so and so. Do you think I could just make more do? Do you think I can just make them dry? ablution because I'm afraid if I have to have a shower, my wounds will open up and the clots of bloods will peel off my skin, and my wounds will open up and I'll bleed to death. Do you think I could just make make
them? So some of this I haven't said no, no, you can't. You have a dream.
And the ruling for having a * is that you have to have a shower if you're going to pray for them.
So they forced him to go and have a shower. Because they didn't give him any alternative. So he went and he had a shower. Listen to this, listen to what happened. So the man went and had a shower, his wounds opened up and he died from the bleeding. He died before he could pray fudger
and so Rasulullah sallallahu Sallam heard about this incident.
And when he heard about this incident, look at what he said, Listen to the door that he made against to against his old Sahaba those Sahabi that gave him the wrong advice. What did he tell them? He said Aloo Katana hula. They have killed him. May Allah kill them.
Oh my god.
They have killed him. May Allah kill them.
Who is he making this go against
his own Sahabi but not all of his savvy he made this against those people that persistently ignorant. You see, my brothers and sisters in Islam ignorance is a curse.
It will lead you into short of assurity some difficulty in this dunya or the hereafter.
So the prophecies have continued and he said otahuhu Katana. They have killed him. May Allah kill them. We are lucky then. Allah Azza Alou? Couldn't they have asked in a Shiva and so on he said what? Verily? The cure to ignorance is to ask my brothers and sisters Islam today we live in a world where Muslim men think that they will be forgiven. But last, don't you because Allah as before, where he
will live in a world today where Muslims say that I don't want to learn too much knowledge. Why not? Because if I learn too much, then more things will become obligatory upon me. Has anyone heard about that before? Have you heard Muslim say that? I don't want to learn too much. Yeah, because if I learn too much, the more things will become obligatory upon me. It's good. Let me remind it do it that Allah will forgive you the Day of Judgment.
Well, I have an answer for you. And the answer is that this is not true. This is false. In Tamia, Rahim, Allah says in his fatawa, ignorance will never protect you from johannah on the Day of Judgment.
He says, ignorance will not protect you from the punishment of a law. Why not even TV? Why not? Because look at this in one instant, let's say is a business transaction that we're doing. And you're ignorant, I think, for example, about the running of river, for example.
So you engage that business transaction, you fall into a river, okay? river means usually your interest, okay? You fall into it, then someone comes and tells you all of the law, don't you know that this is haram?
Are you not able to then say I'm sorry? I didn't know. correct or not? Yes or No, you can. In that case, are you punishable? You're not a level that Punisher yes or no, everyone agrees on that. But the difference is, we have a life of 70 years. And there's one year we have internet, we have every avenue of gaining knowledge. We have money. We have Alibaba still available. We have books, we have time on our hands, we have health, we have every ability to get knowledge.
How can we come on the day of judgment and sejarah? I was ignored.
What Allah say didn't an island come to you? Wasn't scholars available to you? Weren't books available to you? Couldn't you travel? Did you have a god? Who's playing with a microphone again?
Someone's playing with a microphone. Okay. All right. Let's come back again, that is possessed.
I'm sure the microphones possessed because.
Okay, all right.
Couldn't we in 70 years have brothers and sisters lab, go and study Islam for these three, four years of our life? What life
couldn't be by Allah download a lecture and actually listen to it? Could we actively find out every avenue of learning about that particular issue?
Did we truly exhaust every opportunity? We didn't? None of us have. And so how can we come up with a judgment and say out of that was ignorant. You can't, you will be punished. You will be punished.
And remember our share for us to tell us? Yeah, I will share a lot when we were studying about double hedge the chapter of hedge. We spoke about mistakes that a judge do during Hutch. So I put up my hand and said hey, Chef, what about her judgment, China? I said what what about her judgment China? What if a judge
China come to Makkah and they end up doing something wrong.
Do we punish them as well with the with the explanation of that sin by punishing meaning not physically punished but punished, meaning oblige upon them what they are meant to do. If they make a mistake, like for example, if a judge from China, they come and they cut their hair, wash their hair, or they cut their nails, what's the what's the what's the punishment? The punishment is for your slave on slaughter. You slaughter a sheep. Yeah, we fast three days. And if the Hajaj from China don't know about this, do we just forgive them because they really didn't have any opportunity. Our chef was so reluctant. I remember she actually allows one of the great scholars of
Saudi Arabia now. And he is the king of Medina. He was so reluctant at that point to even say that they're excused. You know why? He said that no one should ever do any action or any deed before they learn about it.
And if Chinese Muslims had no access to Atlanta, up there back in China, don't they have access to Chinese students of knowledge in Medina? Have they actually asked those Chinese students of knowledge in Medina that speak Arabic to actually ask the olema? And to teach them? Did they actually organize classes before they actually started their hedge to learn about hedge? Why are Muslims doing things today? Before they learn? Why do they do something before they know whether it's right or wrong? So my brothers and my sisters Now the point I'm trying to make to you all, is never ever think that just being ignorant, is going to save you from the punishment of Allah, it
will not be ignorant will not save you for the punishment of Allah perpetually. It may save you at that particular instant when you made the mistake, because you truly didn't know correct, but for a 70 years of life, for you to cover the day of judgment and say, Yara, I didn't know will do was obligatory for Santa. yada. No have to wear the hijab. Yeah, Allah I didn't know the libera is around. I didn't know alcohols are up. I didn't know adultery was wrong. Oh, my God. Are you going to come and say that too? I love the deal judgment. I'm sure you realize the fantasy of this. And this is why it is so important for Muslim men to gain knowledge.
This is why it is so important for Muslim men to gain knowledge, because by Allah, but Allah you will never truly, you will never truly succeed on the Day of Judgment unless you have knowledge.
But then how do you get knowledge?
What would you study? Even though Sahabi made a mistake in the opinion that they gave to that other Sahaba? And so they ended up killing him? How'd you gain knowledge? How many of the students of knowledge today actually don't know how to study and they don't know where to go to? Yesterday, we took an our top the advice of a chef Li mala, about gaining knowledge. We said a chef he said six things about gaining knowledge. What are those six things again?
Yeah, actually that international
13. So it will not be all kinds of silly heavy Bayani as the car will help. So watch the hardware or software to study it. What are the six things again everybody? intelligence, and then focus, then hard work? And then money.
And then so battle started companionship for good teacher, and the tools and money and long duration of study.
But then even this is not enough. Because when I take you sometimes to a to a library, where do you start? Which book do you read first? Or do you just jump in? And and dive in? You know, I remember when I went to Medina first. The very first day that I went to Medina, I was so excited. Yeah, I'm gonna become an island in the day. Yeah. You know?
Okay. I mean, I never said that. Of course.
I never said that. But the thinking is there. Yeah. The thinking is there is like, you know, I'm going to be so great. It's not great. It's not funny.
So what's the first book that I bought?
The first book that I bought was some very intellectually high end the topic of Abu hanifa his opinion on this issue and the refutation of it from chef his opinions and have been the humbles
you know, you know what I'm saying like I'm moving my hand like this meaning is such a very complicated topic.
As the first book I bought why, because that looks interesting. How about a read read about that one? The second book I bought was not actually that the whole idea but I bought the explanation of how we buy even when there isn't, I still remember I opened the the two books up, okay. I opened the two books up in front of me.
Okay.
And then
The first word I could not read
Okay the first one I could not read because I didn't know Arabic
Okay, the first one I couldn't read what did I do? dictionary
Alhamdulillah or less Praise be to Allah.
Okay
you know every single one I still remember I have that copy of the other cellophane and, and the copy of of a shut up in the hallway with me now, and I still open an SSO panel and look at that idiot.
The idiot who thought he's gonna become it Allah Subhana Allah. Okay, idiot doesn't mean derogatory term I mean idiot who has low IQ. Okay, oh, less than 70.
So, I still look at that book now because I remember every word I underlined and I wrote the meaning of
every word underlined, wrote the meaning of it. Why am I saying that? This is this is loaded. ludicrous. Why am I saying that? This is? This is crazy. Why? Because you have to know the level that you're in. How are you going to run before you learn to crawl? How are you going to fly before you learn to spread your wings, how you can't, how you're going to write a book, before you even know the alphabet. How
you can. The point of the matter is students of knowledge must know how they will slowly climb the ladder of knowledge. Otherwise, they will never climb the ladder of knowledge.
Yet, it's very important to learn that. Also another thing that I did two points of advice.
The second thing that I did is I used to carry my books around like like this, you know how I used to carry my books like this with the outer cover of the book outside so that people could see what was coming.
Okay, right. But I've been Tamia you know, fertile valley.
What? I can't even read the first word in that book.
I did my dictionary.
Yeah, well, we're gonna have a chat outside in shock.
Okay, I couldn't read the first work in the book, the word in the book. And so when I look at the price, meaning what? Students knowledge when they first start gaining knowledge, they are arrogant. Not only that, they have pride in their hearts, every one of us, not just of each other. But every one of us. Every one of us when we start gaining knowledge, we have this attitude of
Wow, look at me now.
Yeah, we have this feeling that I am so great. I must be more knowledgeable than my own shaitan
right, I must be so knowledgeable. You have this praise, self praise.
And the reality of the situation is
the reality of the situation is
that but Allah in his pride, so Fiona thodi Rahim Allah he said,
he said tala tala Alma de la for about a year could be Isla de la. I sought knowledge for other than the sake of Allah but knowledge said No, I will not come except for the sake of Allah.
What did the scholars say from this statement of sufficient authority, they say that every student of knowledge one is begins his journey of gaining knowledge, right, every single knowledge, when it begins his journey of gaining knowledge. He honors his pride.
He always has a bit of sugar and pride in his heart. Then when he starts gaining knowledge starts gaining knowledge starts gaining knowledge, then that knowledge breaks his heart and tears it apart, and throws away every element of pride in his heart, until he knows about a lot is nothing less than except fear of a lasagna.
And that is precisely what happens to people after gaining a lot of knowledge. Have you all noticed the some of the most intelligent teachers that you've had so knowledgeable? They're so humble? Have you noticed? Have you ever noticed everyone I used to have this teacher of mine, Allah have mercy on me by the name of the lead to a god or Allah, half of the whole lot. We used to call him the walking and talking Encyclopedia of the Quran. He had read over 100 of C's of the Quran. He was such an encyclopedia of the Quran. He was not funny. Yet, when you spoke to him, he was the most humble of people. He'll be like Subhanallah, that verse of the Quran, how little do I know about this? And
then he would give you three hour lecture and then he will say Allah, I have not even touched it.
Do you know what I'm saying? It's unbelievable. And he was genuine when he said that. He was genuine when he said but Allah He knows very little about it. And he's right. How little do human beings really know about Allah subhanho wa Taala and his words. So my brothers, my sisters in Islam. Initially when you gain knowledge is a lot of pride in the heart. Initially, there is a lot of pride
Even though we don't know how to gain knowledge, even though we've not even started our journey properly, we have a lot of pride. However, slowly, slowly Allah subhanho wa Taala via persistence or gaining knowledge, it breaks through.
You see, there is a big problem with getting knowledge. That problem is that when you take the first step towards gaining knowledge, you already taking the first step to be the first of the people to be judged on the deal on the Day of Judgement. Allah subhanho wa Taala says, the prophets of Salaam said that authentic hadith, he said, the first person to be judged on the day of judgment will be a man who gained knowledge. Correct, will be a man who gained knowledge and you will be brought out and he will be said What did you do with your life? He said, I gained knowledge for your sake of Allah. And then I spread it. I teach. I taught people this knowledge that Allah will tell him No,
you lie. You gain knowledge that people can say you're an island, and they call you an island, and you did it for that sake. So for you is a reward of the people not from me. So you will be ordered to be thrown into Johanna.
David Hunter Kamala said from this Hadith, he said this heavies is a proof that anyone who gains Islamic knowledge will be the first of the people to be judged on the day of gentlemen.
So just because you're all getting knowledge today means the more earlier you'll be judged on the Day of Judgment.
what's the what's the wisdom behind that? The wisdom behind that is that if we truly are sincere, we will enter general before everyone else and we will have our reward before anyone else. Correct. But if we are insincere, then we will be made an example for the rest of humanity.
Allah will make an example of us for the rest of humanity. Look at these insincere people who did that act thinking they did it for my sake, and I will now destroy them imagine
this is the price of insincerity my brother's Islam.
Do you know what is sincerity?
Do you know what is sincerity? sincerity is like the example.
Sincerity is like the example of Sofia thorry Rahim Allah who said every single thing I have done in front of people, I do not consider it to be anything at all. Every single deed I've done in front of mankind, I do not consider Allah will ever reward me at all. Why is the fear is that because of the difficulty of the human heart, in having pure sincerity to the level that Allah needs?
How pure is Allah? So appeal so beautiful, and how adulterated is our heart?
Can anyone at all the brothers and sisters Islam Tell me of 100% surety that you had sincerity 100% sincerity with a particular deed that you have done?
But unless very difficult,
but it was very difficult. In the authentic hadith in Bukhari, we know that the Prophet has sort of said that Allah subhanho wa Taala gave Jana, to a Jewish prostitute woman who saw a dog that was thirsty, and she went down the well as you put water in a shoe, you know about the story. Everyone says this, right? You've heard of it, haven't you? She went down the well she put water in a shoe, she took the water out and she fed the water to that thirsty dog. So Allah gave her agenda. We also know of another Hadith where the Prophet said a pseudonym said, I entered gender. And I saw a man inside gender who was walking around gender and marveling about its beautiful, beautiful about its
beauty. And the only reason that he entered gender was because he was on the road once traveling, and he found a brick and he found a tweak of a branch branch of a tree, that he thought that Muslims will come over and will hurt them and they will trip over their branch. So all he did was remove the branch of the tree away from the road. So Allah gave agenda for that.
Why do you think Allah forgave the Jewish prostitute here? And Allah gave this man gender Does anyone know? Even Tamia Rahim? Allah says in his fatawa, listen to this, listen to what he said. He said, How many Jewish prostitutes or how many prostitutes are there worldwide that Allah will never forgive?
How many prostitutes are there worldwide, that Allah will never forgive them? Or how many prostitutes are there worldwide, that are so kind to other people, yet Allah will never forgive them. So why Allah forgive this particular Jewish prostitute, and that particular man Why? Because of one thing and one thing only, and that is sincerity. They did it purely for the sake of Allah,
purely for the sake of Allah. And this is why of the love that I'm already allowed to say. But Allah if I knew Allah Subhana, WA Tada, etc.
If even one of my prostration on this dunya I will be the happiest of every one of these.
Okay, a little baby is crying.
hope he's okay.
inshallah
Abdullah,
who said if he likes that even one of our prostration of this dunya will be the happiest of people.
This is one of our brothers and sisters in Islam true sincerity is that you look at every day that you have done and you don't think Allah will reward you for it. This is true sincerity.
I think Allah will probably not reward me for this lecture today.
Why? Because it's so difficult to have pure flesh in the heart. You heard what the brother said? Dr. tofik choudry.
This and that. This and that. How is it possible for a human being to have 100% sincerity after hearing him being praised in that manner? It's very difficult. So how can I be sure of 100% in the heart, that I am doing this lecture purely purely for the face of Allah alone? It's very difficult. This is why one of the great scholars Islam, one of the great scholars of Islam by the name of the hubby reports, in seed Allah novella, the story of a another scholar by the name of
Nathan, as he quotes him say, while la Hema started an akula Anita lotto animal had Ethiopian cartilage in them.
And other heavy says right after he said we're lucky we're not gonna, what does he call him say, though, because it will hate them saying, what la He is the author of the stowaway that's his name. So at this the wire rahimullah he says, while la he I cannot say of a certainty that I have at all gained the knowledge of God for a single day, purely 100% for the face of Allah. And other heavy says right after will law he not even I mean, even the great scholars, Islam cannot be sure that their sincerity is 100%
if there were there will be the happiest of people. Allah forgive a Jewish prostitute for giving water to drink.
Will do doing far more than a Jewish prostitute is doing forgiving water drink, right? We're doing a lot more, we're getting some knowledge. So if we were sure Allah would forgive us because of this, we should be jumping for joy. But the reality is, there's no one here who can guarantee that he has 100% sincerity in his heart. We ask Allah for that. We hope for that we prepare for it. But we cannot be certain of that.
Sincerity my brothers and sisters in Islam, is you looking at someone else next to you look at the person next to you. And thinking that Allah has forgiven him and not you.
Sincerity is that you look at everyone else, and you find them doing so much good and you're doing so much evil. So you look at a person who was older than you and you said Mashallah, how much more good has a person than more than me? And you look at someone younger than you and you say, Oh, so Pamela, how much less Evil has he done?
Less than me?
And this is sincerity. Sincerity, my brothers and sister Islam is that you consider the whole good near to be forgiven, except for you. And that is why fidelity rhodiola and all the great pious predecessor used to go to a student and say yeah, man, if you think of this day of arafat, there is anyone more wretched than you and me on the day of arafat more sinful than you and me, then but Allah you have made a bad decision. You made a bad choice.
Meaning that righteous people, sincere people, they think they are the worst of mankind. sincere people they think unless we're giving everyone but they're sincere people they can only find good with others not with with themselves. sincere people are more concerned about themselves than anyone else.
Does that make sense? Everybody? And I want my student of knowledge, my brothers and sisters like yourselves to develop this sincerity. You see, when you become sincere like that, you become a different type of person. When you argue with your brother and sister about Islamic topic, you don't become self righteous. Do you know one of the biggest problems that we have in the Muslim open today is something called self righteousness. You know what that is?
That's like, I'm right. You're wrong.
I know you don't.
This is halal, and you are wrong.
This is what Allah says and you're wrong. self righteousness is rife.
amongst my own self righteousness where a Muslim thinks he is right and his brother Muslim is wrong is rife amongst the woman.
Yeah, and that's what causes the differences.
How many of us are brothers is Islam know of two imams fighting?
To me imams two shakes two scholars who have something against each other. Do you know anybody?
No. Okay, you don't know enough imams.
Okay, you know what I'm talking about? It's common, isn't it? A one Islamic organization that thinks other Islamic organizations bad? How many of the things that
we know the so many of this, isn't it? So many people are like, Why? Why do we think like that? Can we not say they're less good? Why do we consider them to be bad?
They are Musharraf on their board. We have a chef on a board. Why are we fighting in that manner, because of something called self righteousness. Because we think we are right, and they must be wrong. We think we're headed for gender, and they must not be headed for gender.
And my brothers and sisters in Islam. This is due to a lack of sincerity. If a brother and sister had true sincerity, he would consider himself to be less, right, and someone else to be right. And this is why a chef, I used to say, Well, I have never ever debated anyone, except that I wanted that Allah give the truth of his tongue.
I hope that Allah would manifest the truth on his tongue, on the person that I'm debating on his tongue. Look at the sincerity that the people had. So this is the first thing towards being disciplined in your knowledge is to be sincere in your knowledge about life, you lack sincerity, you will never get knowledge. The second advice that I have for you all is about structure.
Structure yourself properly. Structure you're gaining knowledge otherwise you will not gain knowledge, structure your learning of Islam, otherwise you will forever forever be like, like the feature that he was when he bought that book thinking that he knew what he was doing. But he had absolutely no idea.
I know my brother's existence lab, how many people get accepted into Medina University every year. And I give the example of Medina because that's what I studied there for six years.
How many people get accepted to Medina each year?
Couple of 100 300 to 500 to 600 sometimes get accepted into Medina every single year.
How many graduate every year?
But again, but 300 to 500 graduate every year. Excellent. How many graduates across the world Muslim world in Islamic universities have as her Medina, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc. How many other Islamic graduates worldwide How many?
But 10,000?
I don't think would be too far off the mark. If you said 10,000 is probably too less even. But 10,000 graduates every year. So how many machines worldwide? Do you know of
how many machines worldwide are actually preaching Islam in a big way?