Yaser Birjas – Uprightness And Steadfastness
AI: Summary ©
The importance of belief in Islam and the value of steadfastness are discussed, along with the need for consistency in one's approach to build a true Muslim belief. The speaker emphasizes the importance of proving oneself with the right kind of belief and showing consistency in one's behavior. The need for consistency in one's approach is emphasized, and the importance of practice is discussed in order to build a foundation for their success.
AI: Summary ©
You're here, man.
Should be given the khadr right now.
Should you?
Bismillah, alhamdulillah, wasallatu wasallamu ala rasulullah.
Tonight, inshallah ta'ala, we start with a
new chapter that Imam al-Nawawi rahimahullah azawajal
in Riyad al-Saliheen, he began with, and
the hadith is number 85.
The chapter is Bab al-istiqamah, living an
upright life and the life of steadfastness.
He quoted the ayat of the Qur'an,
qalul laahi tabaraka wa ta'ala fastaqim kama
umirt.
When Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, so
stand and ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
to make you, Ya Muhammad, a firm and
straight, which means an upright on the path
of monotheism, as you are ordered.
inna allatheena qaloo rabbuna allaha thumma istaqamu tatanazzal
alayhimu almalaikatu allatakhaafu wala tahzanu waabishiru biljannata allati
kuntum tuwa'adoon nahnu awliyaukum fil haadat dunya
wa fil akhira walakum feeha matashtiha anfusukum walakum
feeha matadda'oon nuzulan min ghafoorun rahim Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala says, Verily, those who
say, Our Lord is Allah, alone and then
they stand firm, which means istiqamah.
On them, the angels will descend and will
tell them, Fear not, nor grieve, but receive
the glad tidings of paradise, which you have
been promised.
We have been your friends in this life
and for this world and are also in
the hereafter.
Therein you shall have all that your inner
self desire and therein you shall have all
for which you ask.
Now, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, in these
ayat, he's talking to us about the value
of steadfastness and the reward for it.
But what does it mean when we say
to remain steadfast?
We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, this
in the Quran and surah al-Fatihah every
single day.
ihdinas siratal mustaqeem, siratal mustaqeem.
So the word mustaqeem, istiqamah, all of it
come from that.
So the hadith, the first hadith, ironically, Imam
al-Nayyuh, rahim Allah, brilliantly, he chose hadith
Abu Amr.
Abu Amr, waqeel Abu Amr, Sufyan ibn Abdillah,
radiyallahu ta'ala, waradah, qala qultu ya rasulullah,
qulli fil islami qawlan la as'alu anhu
ahadan ghayrak.
qulli fil islami qawlan la as'alu anhu
ahadan ghayrak.
qala qul amantu billah thumma istaqim.
Rawahum muslim.
In this very short hadith, very simple and
short hadith, Sufyan ibn Abdillah, radiyallahu anhu, he
said, I asked the messenger of Allah, sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam, tell me something of Islam,
which I would not ask anyone else about
it.
Like, ya rasulullah, tell me something about Islam,
I need to learn from you, I don't
have to ask anyone else after that.
Just from you, what is it?
Now, that's a very brilliant question, Jamal.
You know what the man is asking about?
He's asking, say, ya rasulullah, could you please
summarize Islam to me?
What is it?
How can I be a true Muslim?
How can I make this right, between me
and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and the
world as well?
Very simple question.
The task is humongous.
So you can imagine the Prophet sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam would say, okay, sit down here,
let me tell you what it is.
You need to do this and this and
this and this and this.
You can give a whole list of tasks
and assignments to become someone of true Muslim.
But the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he
gave him a roadmap.
And that roadmap made of two things.
The first one, he says, qal, qul amantu
billah.
Say, I believe in Allah.
Say, I believe in Allah.
And then he says, qal, thumma staqim.
He said then, remain steadfast.
Now that's the literal translation.
But if you look at the hadith from
a different perspective, how to translate that properly,
you would say, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa
sallam told him, say, I believe and then
prove it.
As simple as that.
That's the meaning of the hadith.
You say, I believe, like you really claim
that you believe, then prove it.
So our deen is based on this hadith,
is made of two things.
One thing that is internal and intrinsic and
something external.
The internal one is, qul amantu billah.
Say, I believe in Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala.
And believe, where belief happens, jama'ah?
Where is the core location of belief?
Where your belief system is?
It's in the heart.
The conviction of the heart.
And that's what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala
commands from you.
That al-aqeedah, in the Arabic language, aqeedah,
when you say aqeedah, which means creed or
belief.
It's called, al-ladhi ya'qadu al-insan
qalbahu alayh.
It's when you tie your knots.
So your knots in the iman and believe
in Allah.
Another knot by believing in the akhira, by
not believing in Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam
as a messenger.
All these knots, you know, you draw them,
you put them on your heart.
So it's basically confirmed right now.
So, the first thing, I have the absolute
conviction in my heart that I believe in
Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Unshakable.
Nothing should shake that conviction.
Not like the munafiqeen.
When they're tried by humans, what do they
say?
We run away.
They say, we're with you, we're with you.
And when the ghalabahs for the believers, when
the victors for the believers say, we're with
you too.
So they keep wushu fashi.
La ilaha illa'i wa la ilaha illa
'i.
Not here, not there.
So it all is between two ways.
Some people, unfortunately, that's what happens to them.
And we're going to see some of the
hadith that comes after that.
The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is saying,
people, during the day, they say we believe
and by the end of the day, they're
done.
They're gone.
They lose it, subhanallah.
But remaining steadfast.
So the first thing is, you say, I
believe.
The second thing, qal thumma astaqam.
What does that mean?
To remain steadfast.
And remaining steadfast means you prove it.
And that's when it comes outwardly.
Whatever in the heart should come out.
And if what I see from you, what
I see from you is falsehood.
If what I see from you is showing
off, if what I see from you is
wrong or bid'ah and innovations, that's an
indication to what's there in the heart.
That's what it comes from somewhere.
So therefore, you need to make sure that
you remain steadfast, meaning what?
Thumma astaqam.
You proving it, proving that belief with the
absolute purity of the heart and the actions
to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
Remember, Rajab rahimahullah wa ta'ala commenting on
the hadith, which we studied in ta'seel,
if you guys remember.
When he was asked, when he was talking
about al-istiqamah, qal al-istiqamatu, al-istiqamah,
what does it mean exactly when I say
to remain steadfast?
He says, ittiba'u awamarillahi subhanahu wa ta
'ala.
This is by following the commandments of Allah
subhanahu wa ta'ala, bi ta'ati awamirihi
wa jtina bi nawahi, by you obeying Allah's
commandments and stay away from His prohibitions.
What do you think of this definition, jama
'at?
Very simple, very, very, very basic.
There is no philosophical interpretation to this.
It's very simple.
You want to say that you're a believer?
Okay, then prove it.
How do you prove it?
You come closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala.
By doing that which is right, what He
commands you, and stay away from the moharramat.
How do you know that you are now
having that sense of steadfastness?
Test yourself.
Ask yourself, in terms of the commandments, how
good are you with your farad?
How good are you with your nawafil?
How consistent are you?
What's the quality of your salah, quality of
your ibadah and ta'ah?
How is that?
And at what level are you?
Are you at the level of the farad?
Like the Bedouin, he says, look, I'm not
going to add more or take less out
of this.
I will be fine.
The Prophet says, اَفْلَحَ أَوْ بِهِنْ صَدَقْتَ If
he tells the truth, he's going to be
fine.
That's a Bedouin's lifestyle.
To go just with the basics, with the
farad.
But the believer, a true believer, goes well
beyond that.
As Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, in
the ayat Qudsi, when He says, وَمَا زَلَتُ
قَرَّبَ لَيَّ عَبْدِ بِالنَّوَافِلِ حَتَّى وَحِبَّ And my
servant, after the farad, comes near me, closer
and closer by the nawafil.
Until I love him.
Until I love her.
So that's where the competition is, jama'at.
The competition is not in the farad.
The competition is in the nawafil over here
right now.
So ask yourself the question, where am I?
How much am I practicing of what I
know already?
You know that you need to fast Mondays
and Thursdays.
As a virtue, not as a fard.
You know that you need to give charities
regularly.
You need to pray in the masjid regularly.
You need to be there for tahajjud.
You need to do...
You know all these things.
That knowledge is there.
Probably even the conviction in the heart in
regard to the value of these ibadat is
solid already.
But how much of this are you really
putting into action?
So istiqama requires that effort.
So remember, this hadith is summarized our deen.
Things between you and Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala, amantu billah.
And things for the people, which is basically
al-istiqama, what you do, will reflect on
what you have in your heart.
Now alhamdulillah rabbil alameen, as an ummah as
you can see, these are from jawami al
-kalim.
Couple of statements from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi
wa sallam, summarized the whole deen of Islam.
The whole deen of Islam.
Which is why whenever we have somebody become
a Muslim, and they say, ash-hadu an
la ilaha illallah muhammadur rasulallah, but what if
there is no God worthy of worship but
Allah, and Muhammad is a messenger of Allah?
The second thing the person needs to learn
is what?
Now that you have that in your heart,
prove it to Allah azza wa jal, not
to me.
You don't have to prove it to anybody.
But you need to prove it to yourself,
to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and that's
what you need to do.
So we teach them.
And if alhamdulillah you're born into Islam, then
how much of what you know have you
really put into practice?
That's the big challenge.
May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us
among those who are mustaqimun ya rabbi al
-alamin.
Wallahu ala.
Any questions, jama'a?
Now, al-iman bil-awal istiqama?
ma al-farqu baynahuma?
The difference between iman and istiqama.
Al-iman fil-qalb.
Al-istiqama is the action to prove that.
Al-istiqama hiya fil-sala, wa al-siyam,
wa al-ta'a, wa al-dhikr, wa
kadha.
Now, al-istiqama hiya al-dalil ala wujud
al-iman.
Istiqama, state fastness, is the proof and the
evidence for the presence of that iman.
That's what it means.
True, but al-iman is in the heart.
Al-istiqama is a proof for the presence
of that iman.
Wallahu ala.
Subhanakallahu wa bihamdik.
Ashura lan as-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa
barakatuh.
As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.