Yaser Birjas – The Importance Of Masjid In Our Time
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AI: Transcript ©
I bear witness that there is none worthy
of worship except Allah, and I bear witness
that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.
O you who have believed, fear Allah as
He should be feared, and do not die
except as Muslims.
O you who have believed, fear your Lord,
Who has created you from one soul, and
has created from it a wife, and has
spread among them many men and women.
And fear Allah, in Whom you ask for
protection and mercy.
Indeed, Allah is ever watching over you.
O you who have believed, fear Allah and
say the righteous word.
Indeed, He will correct your deeds and forgive
your sins.
And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has
certainly attained a great victory.
Is it not, O servants of Allah, that
the best of speech is the speech of
Allah the Exalted?
And the best of guidance is the guidance
of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
And the worst of affairs are its innovations,
and every innovation is a creation, and every
creation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in
the Fire.
Then, after that, my dear brothers and sisters,
Subhanallah, I was listening to this beautiful Adhan,
and just kind of reflecting on something that
choked me a little bit.
Remembering as we're enjoying being in our masjid,
listening to the Adhan, raising the name of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and salawat upon
the Prophet ﷺ and these beautiful houses.
Listening to this Adhan on a regular basis,
Alhamdulillah, I remember there are masjids right now
in Gaza, in Palestine, that have been destroyed.
And the Adhan would not be raised anytime
soon.
I remember some masjids that we have, our
brothers and sisters in China, they lost, unfortunately,
deliberately, in a systematic way, destroying these masjids,
because they don't want the name of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala to be raised in
these masjids.
I remember some of the masjids that were
destroyed recently in India, for whatever excuse, and
these masjids are not going to have that
Adhan to be raised in them anytime soon.
And there are many more masjids, probably you
would see, but unfortunately be targeted in our
time, showing the importance of the masjid in
our life.
Brothers and sisters, I lived in Basra, Alhamdulillah,
for four years, and there, right after the
war, I could tell you, that many, many
masjids were targeted deliberately, to be destroyed, to
be wiped out, because it's a symbol of
Islam, and symbolic for the Muslim community and
the ummah as well too.
The masjid, my dear brothers and sisters, just
not walls, it's not just walls.
It's not just carpeted area, or fancy high
ceilings places, or beautiful space where people just
get together.
This is not the meaning of the masjid,
my dear brothers and sisters.
Wallahi, it is much more than that.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدِ
لِلَّهِ فَلَا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًا He said,
know that these masjids are raised and built
for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala, and only for Allah azza wa jal.
فَلَا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَدًا Don't you ever
call anyone besides Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
in these masjids.
Never ever praise any name besides the name
of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in these
places.
But we've seen somewhere else.
They tried their best to close these doors,
and abandoning these masjids and destroying them.
So because they're afraid that the name of
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in these masjids
means more than just an adhan.
Brothers and sisters, our masjids in our time
are much more crucial in our time than
any time probably before.
If you see the environment, the political environment
in the world today, and how unfortunately the
Muslims are being now targeted everywhere we go,
even Muslim countries.
We know the election is coming up very
soon for us.
In just a few weeks, everybody is waiting
and trying to hold their breath to see
what the outcome is going to be.
But rest assured, whatever the outcome is still
worse than the other.
And we know that for sure, whatever is
going to happen, we need as a Muslim
community to be strong.
We need to be united.
You need to be active.
And you need to be out there.
And we need to make sure that our
community, and our centers, and our masjids well
protected, well maintained, and also even visible for
the people to see.
Brothers and sisters, our masjid in the next
probably four years is going to become more
important than ever for many many people, because
whatever the outcome out of these elections, we
need shelter where we can come back to
and find peace and tranquility.
In the turmoil of this world, we need
to find that peace and tranquility.
We need to find that brotherhood and sisterhood,
that sense of community, sense of belonging.
Something that when you come back to, you
feel strong, and you hold on inshaAllah tight
to one another.
There are many reasons why the masjid is
very important, especially the time of the Prophet
ﷺ.
It was more like a social network for
the people.
Unfortunately, the social media of our time killed
that sense of community for us.
A lot of people, they socialize so much
on social media, they don't even have time
to come to the masjid, and they don't
even need to come to the masjid anymore.
And even when they come, they already killed
their socializing on their social networks, online, so
when they come to the masjid, there's nothing
left for them to talk about.
But the masajid were built for that, for
networking, for people to come and meet and
see each other, and get to know one
another.
And as our numbers are increasing, alhamdulillah, your
social network will increase.
Not just that, your reach, whatever that is,
whether it's emotional, social, economical, it will also
increase as well too.
There is so much khair come from coming
to the masjid and making sure they're well
maintained and taken care of.
Brothers and sisters, just the fact that coming
for the salah, look at the social aspect
of that.
You're sitting next to somebody, probably you don't
even know who he is.
Probably you don't know her name, the one
who's sitting next to you.
But then subhanallah, when the salah time comes,
you stand up and shoulder to shoulder, foot
to foot, you don't mind it.
You don't mind a perfect stranger to touch
your shoulder in salah.
And you feel just comfortable with that.
As a matter of fact, even you're encouraged
that if there's a gap, you come closer
to them.
And if you see that stranger standing next
to you and there's a gap between you
and this person, you tell them, come closer
please.
Can you imagine the impact of just this
action?
Preparing for salah, just lining up, making sure
the line is straight, there's no gaps, we're
next to each other, alhamdulillah shoulder to shoulder,
foot to foot.
Imagine just that aspect of the salah, how
much that sense of community will be built
just from these little things that we do.
And if you do that on a regular
basis, which means not just for Juma, you
come for Isha, you come for Fajr, you
come for other salawat every single day.
Imagine doing this on a regular basis.
That sense of community will be beautiful, feeling
comfortable with one another, even though I don't
know the person by name.
But I just, alhamdulillah, seeing them in the
majid gives me a sense of relief, sense
of comfort for one another.
Brothers and sisters, our masajids are going to
be inshaAllah more than ever.
Places for ilm and knowledge.
Why?
Because unfortunately nowadays when you open the internet,
people learning from short videos of 30 seconds
and 60 seconds and 2 minutes, that doesn't
give knowledge.
It doesn't give knowledge, it gives you information.
And without proper knowledge, there will be no
solid foundation for the belief system that you
have, and for you and your family, your
children.
Our masajid will provide you with that.
And it's very important for us to make
sure, alhamdulillah, we have the space for all
these programs and activities in our communities.
Brothers and sisters, the masjid is considered a
fortress for da'wah as well too.
Alhamdulillah rabbil alameen, in the past few years,
we've seen an increased number of people giving
their shahada.
Here in this masjid, since we opened this
masjid back in 2019, many many people give
their shahada alhamdulillah in this masjid.
And we've seen it guys in Ramadan, almost
every single night, we have somebody giving shahada.
And if you remember, we had few Fridays
as well too, people all the way across
the ocean, from the UK, sign language, they
don't even actually, sign language, they give shahada
with sign language as well too.
Alhamdulillah rabbil alameen, the khair is so great
ajma'ah.
A lot of people, and the Prophet ﷺ
says that لَأَن يَهْدِيَ اللَّهُ بِكَ رَجُلٍ وَاحِدٍ
If Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make you
the reason for one individual to find guidance
and find faith, he says, خَيْرُ لَّكَ مَمَّا
طَلَطْ عَلَيْهِ الشَّمْسِ It's better for you than
owning all that which the sun has risen
over or the sun shining over.
Imagine the entire universe, just guiding somebody, you
have the reward for that, alhamdulillah rabbil alameen.
Brothers and sisters, many many people they come
to the masjid with broken hearts.
Whether it's a family issue, job issue, personal
issue, a lot of that people they come
and they're looking for shelter.
That shelter is for them to find that
peace and tranquility.
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا
وَتَطْمَئِنُوا قُلُوبُهُمْ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ أَلَىٰ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ
تَطْمَئِنُوا الْقُلُوبُ Those who have faith, and their
hearts find peace and tranquility through the remembrance
of Allah.
Because indeed, through the remembrance of Allah, the
heart will find peace and tranquility.
You come to the masjid with the right
intention, you find yourself as if you went
through a portal.
You depart from this world for a few
minutes.
The time of the salah, the time of
the talk, you just feel out of this
world.
And you feel that kind of beautiful, amazing
that feeling you would love for it to
continue and not coming to an end.
Remember those feelings in Ramadan?
At the beginning, the first few days of
Ramadan were difficult for us.
You have to fast, change your routine, get
adjusted, and stay up night for taraweeh.
A lot of things will change for you
in the first few nights of Ramadan.
So people have difficulty adjusting.
By the time Ramadan comes to an end,
people crying, they wish Ramadan can stay longer.
Because of the amount of peace and tranquility
they were able to find in those beautiful
nights and beautiful days of the month of
Ramadan.
Imagine if Ramadan is everyday to you in
the masjid.
You come to get the exact same feeling
from those beautiful gatherings, from the salah.
Can you imagine the khayr that you will
get and your other people with you, inshaAllah,
tabaraka wa ta'ala.
Brothers and sisters, the Prophet ﷺ said, He
said, سَبْعَةٌ يُظُلُّهُمُ اللَّهُ فِي ذُلِّهِ يَوْمَ لَا
ظِلَّ إِلَّا ظُلُّهُ Seven categories.
Seven categories of people.
Allah ﷻ will give them shade on the
Day of Judgment when there will be no
shade but His.
And one of those seven categories, He says,
قَال رَجُلٌ نَشَأَ فِي طَاعَ الْأَغْطِقِ قَلْبُ بِالْمَسَجِدِ
Someone whose heart is attached to the houses
of Allah ﷻ.
What does that mean?
Means every time salah is over, by the
time they get home, they're waiting for the
next salah.
They wish to come.
And even when the salah is over, they
would like to stay as long as possible
because they find that peace and tranquility in
the masajid.
The masajid, the role of the masjid today
is different than it was before.
And I hope that we realize that.
And I hope that we realize that way
before it's too late.
That's why, alhamdulillah rabbil alameen, in your community
over here, when we started this community and
this masjid and this building, the plan was
to wait for 10 years before we do
our expansion.
Because alhamdulillah rabbil alameen, we thought this will
be sufficient for the next 10 years until
the growth that was projected to happen will
be coming in 10 years.
But subhanAllah, just right during COVID and right
after COVID, two years ago, the number of
musallin in this masjid for Salatul Isha doubled.
And last year, as a matter of fact,
just before early the summer, the numbers tripled.
You can imagine when you have, mashaAllah, 6
lines, 7 lines in this masjid for Salatul
Isha.
4 lines, 5 lines for Salatul Fajr, alhamdulillah
rabbil alameen.
The numbers of activities increased so much so
that we have a problem with the space
that we had to develop the north, the
VRC north as well, so we can have
activities happening over there.
But why is that?
Alhamdulillah, because we have seen the growth.
The growth in terms of people moving into
the area.
And alhamdulillah, for many, many brothers and sisters
local to the community, they're finding their way
back to the masjid and building their family
in the masjid, alhamdulillah rabbil alameen.
What a beautiful thing to see, wallahi.
They know and they understand the importance of
this masjid and why it is important for
them as well too.
This is why we're having tonight, inshaAllah, our
fundraising.
That I would like to invite you all
to come and participate so we can continue
with our expansion that will add, inshaAllah, all
the facilities that we need for the future,
bismillah, azza wa jal.
Like I mentioned, my dear brothers and sisters,
the elections are coming.
And regardless of the results, the role of
the masjid is going to become much more
important than ever.
Our need to be strong as a community,
visible, active, and out there, inshaAllah ta'ala,
will be actually much more important than ever.
I want you to be prepared for that,
inshaAllah ta'ala, and support your community, support
your masjid.
قولوا قولي هذا واستغفر الله العظيم لي ولكم
والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته استغفروه إنه هو
الغفور الرحيم الحمد
لله رب العالمين صلى الله وسلم مبارك على
نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم تسليماً كثيرا
my dear brothers and sisters الحمد لله as
we have seen in the news how much
masjid being destroyed in Gaza and Palestine how
many of them being destroyed in India or
China or elsewhere of the world الحمد لله
going back to Bosnia gives you so much
hope that the ummahs always have خير in
it الحمد لله رب العالمين some of the
masjid were destroyed in the war in Bosnia
their back function الحمد لله these masjid they've
been built 500, 400 years ago I prayed
in these masjid regularly and it's still operational
and we want to ensure that this community
inshallah ta'ala have the same legacy بِنِ
اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ five years from today people
will talk about this masjid was built back
in those days I want you to be
part of this inshallah ta'ala and participate
so join us inshallah tonight بِنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ
وَجَلَّ اللهم علمنا ما انفعنا وانفعنا بما علمتنا
إِنَّكَ تَلْعَلِمُ الْحَكِيمُ اللهم آتِ نفوسَنا تَقْوَاهَا وَزَكِّهَا
أَنْتَ خَيْرُ مَنْ زَكَّاهَا أَنْتَ وَلِيُّهَا مَوْلَاهَا إِنَّ
اللَّهَ مَلَيْكَةَ صَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ
آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا اللهم صلِّ وسلِّم
وبارِك على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين
وارضَ اللهم عن الخلفاء الراشدين وعن نبي بكر
وعمر وعثمان وعلي وعن سائر الصحابة أجمعين ومن
تبعهم بإحسان يوم الدين وأقم الصلاة