Broken – Why Does Allah Test Us
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Channel: Yusha Evans
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All right. Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
How's everyone?
Hamdulillah?
For the believers always good news, right? Always goodness in all situations. And that is kind of the premise of tonight, right? Why does Allah subhanho wa Taala test us?
It's important to understand this principle because all of us go through difficulty, right?
Right.
How many of you in here have never been through any difficult time in your life? Raise your hand. If you've never been through any difficulty. Alright, I was gonna say you're not you know, you'd have been alive long enough. You haven't left anywhere in one year where we all have gone through difficulty. Allah subhanho wa Taala tells us in Nepal and very famous in Soto ankle boot. Do you think that you be left alone upon saying belief, and you'll not be tested? Do you think you're gonna say, Ave I believe and Allah subhanho wa Taala is not going to test you. Allah says, Indeed, I am going to test you as I tested those who came before you. Why? So that I can see which of you are
truthful in their speech, who which one of you are liars. Meaning that when we say that we believe that belief is going to be put to some test, when we say that we are
believing in Allah subhanaw taala alone, and we're following in the message of Allah subhanho wa taala, which are the universal Islam, we are going to be tested. Now, we see that Allah says, I tested you in this verse, like I tested those who came before you. So let's look at the sum of those who came before us from amongst the NDI and see that Allah test them. Let's start with the first of us, Adam and a Saddam was he tested?
Yes, him and his wife were tested in the garden, right? Look at their test and the test as life has gotten more complex. The tests have gotten more complex.
Without a malaise, Saddam and his wife. They were given one test, right? What was it
don't eat from the tree, ALLAH SubhanA, WA, tada, created them, put them in the garden, gave them everything that they could wish, you know, all of this is for you. The only thing there's one rule one rule, right? Don't touch this tree. What did they do? They broke the one rule. They did the one thing Allah asked them not to do. So they were tested, they were tested.
But one of the things that we learned through this test, and there are many things that we have to learn through our tests, there's we're gonna talk about towards the end why there's a little testis. But one of the most beautiful things that I learned from the test of Adam and Eve in the garden is that that was needed. Allah subhanho wa Taala understood the course of human
genealogy and how will you be in what we would become, therefore with the first of us he needed to teach us about the nature of our relationship with Him? Subhanahu what to Anna and that nature of our relationship with Him is the nature of relationship number one with the murder, that we worship Allah, but also with sins and repentance. That would be the core of our relationship. Like yes, Allah subhanho wa Taala says He created us in early Ramadan, but to worship him, but do we do that perpetually, no, none of us are even capable of doing that perpetually. But one thing that I know that we are capable of doing perpetually almost is Kulu BANA Kulu Benny Adam Koto, every son of Adam
sins, that is something that is, it is similar to every single human being is that we commit mistakes. We do what Allah has told us not to do, Alfredo hotter, Inna Tobin, but the Best of those who sin are those who repent. So when Allah subhanahu, WA to Anna, but Adam and Eve in the garden, and told them not to eat from that tree, he knew good and well what they were going to do it, he knew they were going to do it anyway. If you cathedra him Allah Allah, if you read this Tafseer of these verses in Soto boffetta, where Allah subhanho wa Taala talks about the creative creation of Adam and Eve being placed in the garden, being told not to eat from the tree and doing it anyway.
There is a conversation that he records in a narration where Adam and Eve Sadam, ask Allah, my Lord, did you not create me with your own two hands? And Allah says, Yes, I did. He said, You do not breathe into me the breath of life and cause me to live. He said, Yes, I did. That I not when I sneezed, because then we know the first thing that Adam did when he was alive, he sneeze. And Allah said, your hammock Allah, may Allah have mercy upon you. That's why we say to one another. Allah says, Yes, I did say that. He said, Then he asked a very wise question. I'm not sure. He said did not when you told me not to eat from that tree. Didn't you know I was going to do it anyway. Didn't
you know we were going to do it anyway. He said, Yeah, I know, you're going to do it anyway. He said, then you cannot, can you not forgive me for that which you knew I was going to do? And he said, Yes. And he taught them to say, the very famous My Lord, I have wronged my own soul. If you're not forgive me and have mercy upon me, surely I'll be from amongst the losers. So Allah subhanho wa Taala knew that they were good
like to do what he told them not to do. And he knew that all of the children of Adam Alayhis Salam could Libyan Benny Adam Hatha, every son of Adam that came after him was going to do the same thing. Therefore, he knew that he needed to teach us from the very beginning, that the relationship between us and Him will be one based upon repentance, based upon repentance. That is the the core of the difference between our relationship to Allah subhana wa Tada. And almost every other human being on the planet Earth is that we understand our nature and the need of the forgiveness of Allah subhanahu wa to Anna, that's it. That's all that matters on the Day of Judgment, that is all that will matter.
It will not matter how much money you had, how much wealth you had, how many degrees you had it. None of this matters in the day judgment. It won't even matter how many Salah you prayed how much the care you gave, unless Allah subhanho wa Taala accepts it from you. And on the day you meet him. He says, For the stuff you did not do. And for the stuff I told you not to do, and you did it anyway. I forgive you.
That's the only. That's it. That's all that matters. The scholars have termed forgiveness as fundamental Jana, the price of paradise. This is the key that enters you into the door of Jannah is being forgiven. And the only people who will have an access to that key are the people of 99 Allah. That's it the people of Tawheed and Allah subhanho wa taala. And so he tested out of my day, Sam? No, because I don't want this to be long as a very, very long talk that I've done. I'm trying to summarize it for this for this tour in sha Allah Jota Anna, no la salon was tested. He was tested.
like few others, not at a salon, we know that he lived for nearly what how many years? Over 950 almost 1000 years now was on this earth? How many people answered his call?
A couple. A couple a couple of people answered his call Subhanallah I have brothers who are in the data today right? Because I've been doing this for a long time now.
They'll call me and ask me you know questions about you know getting involved in our organizations or acceptor and then you know, they'll get you know, share with me their frustration, you know that it's not really working. You know, this is Subhanallah No, Elisa them bore the message of hate to his people for nearly 1000 years and no one listened to him. He never give up. Why? Because it was not his job to bring people to Islam.
Just like I tell all the brothers and sisters in Dawa today is not our job to bring people to Islam. There is no way you can find for me in the Quran. There is no way you can find for me in the authentic narration of the Prophet alayhi salatu salam where Allah tells you to bring people to Islam to give Shahad is he says or Oh LSCB Rebecca Hickman to warm or is it a lesson? call people to my way? That's it. That's all you do. You're a caller, if they accept the invitation, well hamdulillah if they don't accept the invitation Alhamdulillah either way you continue to convey the message. That's all it is. That's all our job is our job as as as Muslims and I'm not saying is that
isn't that is because every Muslim is supposed to be a color. It's a command of Allah in the Quran. It's an order to call into his way with what you know, everybody was asking me what if I don't I don't know a lot about Islam then convey with what you know. The Prophet salallahu Alaihe Salam used to simply say called La Ilaha illa Allah to floon If you say that there is no deity but Allah you'll be successful simple that our
our job is simply like the the the postman right your your your letter carrier your mail deliver package delivered DHL whatever it is you have here that's that's most prominent. All their job is what is what is a DHL package delivers junk.
I don't ask
retort questions. By the way, if I ask I want an answer Sharma, what is a package deliver his job
to deliver the package how, by sending it to doors. By the same way they received it. The same way they received the package in that same manner that they received it, they're supposed to deliver it, if you take a package to the post office, you expect that when the person whom you send it to gets it, it's the same as when you gave it to them. They're not supposed to open it take things out, you know, stomp on it, you're not supposed to do anything with it. They do a lot, unfortunately, get packages it all in pieces, but they're supposed to deliver it in the same way. This is Derawan the message that Allah has given us through the Quran, through the authentic nourishment of the Prophet
alayhi salatu salam, we deliver it exactly like that. We don't mess with it. We don't tamper it. We don't take anything away from it. We don't add anything to it. We don't need to sugarcoat it. We don't we just hand it away or hand it over. Because at the end of the day, whether or not someone who accepts Islam is up to Allah subhanho to Ana, he is Al Hadi. He is the one who guides the hearts. We are only the one who's delivering the message. As simple as that. And this was no headache Sam. He just could
tend to deliver his message because that was his job. But he was also human. There's a human element to it right? He became very frustrated with the the corruption and the FISP. And the facade of his people like the whole world was just at his time was was gone. So what did he do he made against him and ask Allah subhanho wa Taala to destroy his people. And Allah answered that door. Allah answered that door, every prophet whether you know it or not, every prophet was given one door. Allah told them there is there is there's one do I hand to you? That no matter what you asked me for, no matter how difficult it might seem, you asked me for it, I will give it to you. Every prophet had this
door, no, is going to be worried on the day of judgment about this door, because he's going to say, I used my dua against my people. When we are running around asking the NVR to help us the first one I go to his Adam at acnm. And I say I disobeyed my robbing the garden. Now I've seen I've seen I can't help you know, who will say, I use I destroyed my own people. I use that one do our that I knew Allah would give to me and I destroyed my own people. And Allah answered his door, I told him to build a boat, whoever believes in you and interest in this boat will be saved. So this was the test of no raisonne he was tested.
Ibrahim Ali Sudan was tested. Ibrahim alayhi salam was tested at a very young age. Allah subhanho wa Taala guided him right, he was born into a family of idolaters. His father was someone who used to build idols, he was well respected for building idols that other people worshipped. Even a myth that a sedan was guided, who was the first person he tries to guide his father. And they didn't go very well that his father basically said, get away from you with this nonsense. And if you don't stop it, there will be some harm will come to you. And then Abraham was trying to call his people nobody listened. He thought of the idea, okay, I'm going to be very logical about this. Where there is
there is room for logic in that way, as long as that logic stays within the framework of the Quran, and the Sunnah, it's use it to your advantage in sha Allah, who that because human beings that there based nature are logical, we are illogical, that's just how we compute. So what did he do? He went and destroyed all of the idols, hung the axe on the biggest one, because he's like, Okay, I'm gonna make them think, you know, I mean, this is we want to, I want to give them the capacity to think for a moment. And we know the very famous story they came in, what happened? First and foremost, they okay, this is up to him, you know, I mean, he's the only one who talks against our gods. So they
went call them and said, What did you do? He said, I don't know that he's old. Max, why don't you ask the big one? And he said, you know, that they told him, you know, that these things can't speak. And he said, Why would you worship that which cannot speak, or something which cannot defend itself, so is his logic, but it enraged his people. It enraged his people. And he was again tested. They made a huge fire. And they said that this fire was so big that you know, like birds were flying out the sky that would fly over it because it would just cook them. And they the the fire was so big that no one could get close enough to put him in it. Right. So they had to build a little catapult
to sling him in. And as they were slinging them in what did he do, he was just patient with the loss of no data, whatever is the will of Allah, Allahu Masha, Allah, whatever Allah wills that I except Allah subhanho wa Taala ordered the fire, be cool for Ibrahim, be cool for him and be a comfort for him. And he landed in it, nothing happened to him. So Abraham was tested, right? He was put through the test.
Ibrahim would then also be tested through his lineage. Correct. He would be tested with Ibrahim, there's a long story and a lot of Spence in it. This white Ibrahim is known as Allah subhanho wa Taala calls him on in the Quran. This is why he was known as the affiliate of Allah subhanho wa taala, the friend of Allah, he was with his wife, SATA was veteran, he had no sons, you know, and that painting, and that was a very important thing, especially in that time, you know, to have sons to have people to carry on your name, etc. So his wife allowed him to take a second wife, they had a handmade name 100 They said you can have for a wife, and she gave him who?
It's not easy. It's amazing. And then later on, he would have his heart with his wife Sarah, but then you know, the wife became jealous. This is the to show you brother even in the best of situations, you know, I mean, these things happen. It always been brothers who think that this whole mother situation is peachy, you haven't been married long enough. That's not the way it works. It's not the way it works. It is. I was telling my brother last night that being married is an art form. Well, like it's an art form. If you learn how to do it correctly. It is an art form. It's a very beautiful thing. But if you don't do it, right, it comes out looking like a mess. So Abraham had to
take his wife had her son is nine and take them to the barren wilderness. Why? Because Allah subhanho wa Taala told them to do so. We know this because when she left them in a walk the way it pained them. He didn't even say much. He just turned and walked. You can imagine a father, you know walking away from his wife and his child. She only asked him Is this from the order of Allah subhanho wa Taala
And he said yes, she said then we will be provided by Allah subhanho wa taala. Right. So then now immediately has resisted. She's tested. left in the Arabian wilderness, desert, there's nothing there. There's nobody around. There's nothing there's no water, no nothing. She is patient with Allah and she waits and she waits and she waits. The child, her child is getting thirsty, she's running out of milk because women if they don't drink water, they don't produce milk. So she starts was looking running back and forth, up and down this two hills, she's going from one side to the other looking if I can find somebody, anybody that can help us. And then what she comes as different
ways that this narration is told either Ismael himself was you know, kicking his heels to the ground, or the angel does realize Sam was there, putting his wing into the ground, but then a wellspring of water from the middle of nowhere from the middle of nowhere. And may Allah bless our mother hajat she she had contained it she dug a well are a little container around it. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said Had she not done so it would have been a river that would have just conquered the world. It would have just kept on going to this day this, this this this, this well of zamzam is continued to provide so many healing benefits etc. But she was tested, but she was patient
with Allah subhanho wa Taala Allah and Allah azza wa jal rewarded her. And then later on we know the story of Ibrahim will come back and build rebuild the cab rebuild. I'm saying rebuild because the foundations of it were built by Adam at a sedan and in his time, but then it was rebuilt by Ibrahim on a sedan.
Loot on a sedan was tested right. Loot was put amongst the people, which we can relate to today, right we can relate to the test of loot.
Right? Loot was put amongst the people who were given to elicit indulgences I'm trying to be as is G rated and not get banned from UK in JAMA. But his people were given to illicit indulgences correct loot was tested with this. And he warned his people he warned them he warned they do warn them. He tried again and again and again. As Allah subhanho wa Taala says I will not destroy them. While there's a winner amongst them right? Then finally Allah subhanho wa Taala came to live and told him it's time to go, it's time to go, I'm going to destroy these people and I can destroy them while you're here. Because there's a promise Allah subhanho wa Taala made in the Quran, that I will not
destroy them. As long as there is a warner amongst them. It's when the people stop warning each other. It's when we stop that the Wrath of Allah subhana wa Tada comes. This is why the field of Dawa is so needed, because without it without people warning each other. This is when the Wrath of Allah is opened to mankind. So we know that Luke lay Sudan was told to leave. And as he was leaving, his wife was testing because she had some affection and feeding for people. And one of the law tell him when he do when he left when you leave, don't look back, don't look back on these people because I'm going to destroy them. His wife looked back and we know Allah subhanho wa Taala destroyed her.
So these tests have come before us Musa la Sudan. Musa was tested most of them will be tested before he even understood what tests were about. He would be tested as an infant fit on would have a dream that the one of the children of Israel would raise up and overthrow him. This would be a dream, this will be a warning to him from Allah. Right. But he took this warning from Allah and instead decided to you know, increase in his evil and order that all the sons of Bani Israel under a certain age will be all killed infants killed, so he started killing him. So Musa was tested, and now his mother gets tested. His mother gets tested by being told to take your son and put him in a box. The angel
comes to her and says Gibreel comes through and says put your son in a box and put him in the kneel the Nile River and Allah will take care of him. How many of you have children? Raise your hand? You have children.
Imagine this test as a parent being told to put your child in a box and put them in a very big river. I used to live in front of the Nile river in Egypt. They lived right on Sharlee Konishi, Neil, right near Manuel in the Nile River I wouldn't I wouldn't want to jump in as a grown man and I know how to swim to think to put a child in that box but she put her trust and Allah subhanho wa Taala Anna and we know how this story goes. Musa would then go on
to be raised in Pharaoh's house he would be found by his wife who had belief in our hearts and and encouraged him to take this child and then Musa would then be tested again later on in life right? He would he would kill a man on accident you know Musa was a very strong man you know the wisdom and the the Hadith about the the Angel of Death coming to him knock desire out you know, I mean like Musa was was a very strong man. So he actually killed the man and he fled. He fled but this was all part of the plan of Allah subhanho with Anna nothing this is the whole point we're gonna get to the end and trauma in this wilderness. You know, we know the story where he would come upon two girls
who were trying to get water from a well but they had no mom they had no one to really kind of this is the important
And so of having sons in that day, you needed somebody to take care of your daughters and your wife after you if you died before them. So he went and made sure they got taken care of, and he was hired by the father, etc. And at one point, you know, he would go on to get married and he would see a bush, you know, he would see a fire off in the in the distance, and he would go and be like, let me see if I can take some benefit from this, this weird fire just in the middle of nowhere. And that's where Allah subhanaw taala would order him and give him the command to go back to fit on the very first and he's fleeing from the whole, the whole his whole life. He's tried to run from Pharaoh and
he didn't know it from a child to a young man. Now he's being told about Allah go back to him directly, and not only go back to him directly, but go back to him and call him to tell he'd call him against his ways, etc, so on and so forth. So Musa alayhis salam was tested, he was tested. And we know that how that story goes, he would end up winning that test and fit on would be destroyed.
Now all of this to Free the Children of Israel from bondage of their slavery in Egypt, would Musa ever see the outcome of his of his work? Would he ever see the fulfillment of the dream of Bani Israel to go back to to Philistine? Who were Muslims at this time? By the way, when the Muslims? No, he wouldn't see it. Musa would die in that wilderness, he would die and be buried, it would be Yasha even noon, who would go and then finally be the one who conquer Jerusalem? He has mentioned bye, bye bye.
Bye by what is the word I'm looking for? Not by name. And the Quran breeze breeze mentioned by
brain just went dead. But he's mentioned when Allah Subhana Allah says that he Musa sent spies, when they were in the wilderness, this inspires him to Philistine to see you know, like, what are we going to come up on when we go and try to conquer this place, and all the spiders came back and said what their giants you know, like the other giants in this land and said Allah says except for to whom he had given guidance, and they've given a firm heart to these two were you SHA in Harlem, Joshua and Caleb, they said what Allah has made them small in our eyes through Eman through faith, they are smaller than our eyes. So Musa was tested, the NBI came before us for testing use of at a
sedan, I don't want to go too long in the story. But we talked about this last Saturday at mustard Omega in London, the test of use of La Sam was long, was long. He was first tested by his brothers being betrayed by his own blood thrown in a well. And then when he was saved from the well, he wasn't saved from anything he got saved from that well, can you imagine is a boy use of being saved from the world thinking that, you know, finally somebody has drugged me out of this thing. I'm safe, only to be sold into slavery. Immediately, you know, like, oh, here we call this kid we sell him into slavery. From that being you know, test he he got some reprieve when he went to the to the
house of Azeez. And he treated him very well treat him like a son. But then his wife, we know the story, the wife of Aziz tried to trick him into into sleeping, whether he would refuse then he would get you know, dragged into eventually thrown into prison to try to protect his wife's name. He would become an interpreter of dreams, Allah subhanho wa Taala would give him every everything along the way. It was exactly what he needed at the time. In the in the prison, Allah gave him the ability to interpret dreams, he interpreted to people's dreams perfectly. They came to me and said, What's going to happen to us, he said, one of you is going to become very prominent, very wealthy, very,
very known person, the other one, they're going to crucify you and the birds are going to pick from your head happened the same way for both of them. The man who went eventually to work for the king forgot about Yusuf until the King started having horrible dreams and wanting to know the reason behind them. And then he finally remember that whole tech guy told me not to forget about him. I forgot about him. But there's this kid in the prison use of this man who is very good interpret and dreams. He said, Bring him to me. They went to go get use of look at the test. Look at the test. For most of us. We'd have been like that's it. We're done. We're getting out of prison. You said no. I
am not leaving here until he clears my name. My honor is important to me. I want my name cleared. So the king we wanted to he wanted his dream. So he brought the girls who were at the handmaidens of the wife and said we No no bad of him. Finally, he brought the wife and said you tell me the truth under threat of death. And she said that he there is nothing wrong with him the fault was the knee. So use was honored, restored. He became a very famous man are very well respected man in the kingdom. He ended up meeting his own two brothers. We know the story about that they didn't know who he was. He tricked them, gave them their money back that they paid for the food also kept them and
imprison them, you know, just to kind of get get his way with them. Eventually, his father would see him again and know that his dream as a child came true. But look at the path. You know, look at the path. The dream you had as a child. He had no idea right? He knew the dream and he believed in the dream or loss of Hannah Montana, but he had no idea what the path was going to be the same with Musa no idea. When his mother put him in that box, she had no idea that the path would
We all have this way to bring him back to where he was. This is how Allah subhanahu wata Anna works. We know the story very famous the world with julu T will be tested. Isa it Sam would be tested. He would be tested by being turned against he would be the Busey. The one that the benefits right have been waiting for so long I'll mercy. The one they say they're still waiting on you. And I'm telling you when I talked to him, it's too late. He came and gone and you you tried to crucify him.
The very people whom he was sitting to to be their Messiah, they turned against him, they plotted against him, they tried to have him killed. They tried to have him killed, the most one of the greatest messengers of Allah subhanho wa Taala to ever walk the face of the earth. They plotted to have him killed. They were unsuccessful in their plan, but he was tested, Jesus was tested. And he was going to be submissive to that test as all the other Ambia were. We don't know whether or not this statement is true. But it's one thing I tried to point out to Christians that your Bible says when he was given this choice when he knew that they were going to try to crucify him, what did he
do? He went to pray.
He prayed to whom? If he was God, to whom did he go to pray to you and help
you go to someone who can help you, right? You run into someone who's powerful, the new more that you don't, if you are God, you don't need help. But he went and prayed and said, What father if it be let this cup pass from me, but if not, whatever your will is, that I will submit to whatever is your will, I will submit to it. Because this was the path of of a Muslim. A Muslim is one who is submissive, they are submitting to the will of Allah. But Allah Subhana Allah says in the Quran that you plotted to kill him, but you did not do so. Well my paternal when I said, Well, you didn't kill him. You didn't crucify him. So he never went on the cross. He never was crucified. Allah subhana wa
Taala protected him from this.
And then we're on to our messenger Muhammad Ali said to him,
how much was he tested? How much was he tested? He was tested from from from early on, before even becoming a prophet, Allah subhanho wa Taala tested him by making him an orphan, taking away his father, and then taking away his mother
may making him an orphan. And then Allah subhanho wa Taala would give him the test of being respected. Being someone who is known and liked and respected is also a test. This is a test. Just like poverty is a test power is a test just like you know people disliking you as a test for people being well respected and like is a test for us to test for your ego. He was well liked and respected. He was known as a follow me and he was known as the most trustworthy and truthful person in his people.
And then Allah subhana wa Tada will give him his greatest test when he was alone in the cave, in the hall of heroes, and Allah subhanho wa Taala sent Angel Jibreel to him and told him, if ora, Miss Mira, Bacala, the Halacha those words would change the world forever. Those words would change the world until the date of judgment, I knew would be given such a test, that the weight of it, the weight of it, we forget about this part of the Sierra sometimes the weight of it after Allah told him the first few verses of Surah Baqarah. Allah just left him with this for a moment to think about it and to ponder upon it so long past it is said that the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam became
worried or fresh that you know, maybe, you know, maybe I'm not doing something right and something's wrong. So he tried to flee. You know, he tried to flee Mecca and go out to the wilderness and clear his mind. And what happened he said, I saw Angel Jibreel and he said, I'm standing across the sky.
The same one that came to Him in the grave has now a huge standing across the sky, telling him go back. For indeed You are the messenger of Allah. And when he went back home, he went back home to his wife, Khadija Radi Allahu La Baja. He told her what the very famous words diamond Dooney come from me at wrapping me up and they wrapped him in a blanket. And in that position, the next verses were revealed. Yeah, you have more depth here. And there. What about Africa beer, now he isn't told what to do. He's now giving his order. Get up. Oh, you who has wrapped them blanket get up and go and warn mankind and magnify your Lord and purify your garments and remain away from the idols. So
for the next, for the next
20 plus years of his life, he would convey the message of ALLAH SubhanA with Anna, he would first tell his family who would reject him except for his closest eye. Felicia Radi Allahu Allah would Allah would become the first to affirm him in the moment she taught he told her, she believes in him and she stood by his side to the day he died. His cousin Isley, although the Allahu Allah believed in him, his his best friend Abu Bakr
is the reason why he's known as I studied. From the moment he heard the message. He believed in it and never wavered, not not an inch, not not none of it never wavered, no matter what happened, even when the court age came to him after the SR will Mirage and said, Do you hear what your companion is saying? He's saying that he went from here
You to Jerusalem to the heavens and back one night. What did he say? If he said it, then it's true. He said, It is true. That's it, but he will be tested his family he would gather you will gather his family for a dinner and tell them about Allah subhana wa Dawn and warn him and they will laugh at him, mark him and then turn on him. His own people were turning on him, the same people that were calling him so that I mean, we're now calling him a magician. They were calling him Majnoon. They were calling him a liar. They were calling him a soothsayer. They were calling him all sorts of names that you know, paint him. He's a human being some Allahu alayhi wa sallam. So these things are
going to bother you. They are going to bother you. But his job is to continue. And he tried to use everything it is affordability. He even stood up on the the tallest hill in Mecca and said, oh people, if I told you there was an army on the other side of this hill, would you believe me? And they said, Of course we would. He said then know that I'm telling you that there's only one God. There's only one God La Ilaha illa Allah that's it. Believe in that and they said, Okay, we believe you in that but we don't believe you and that they turned on him. Eventually,
he would lose his protection. And his uncle I will call him the only person who was stopping the Quraysh from from hounding him. Then he would also lose his comfort. In Khadija Radi Allahu Allah, Allah, Allah. Your wives are a comfort to you, if you if you let them be the Prophet sallallahu wasallam said this, of the best of this dunya OF THE BEST OF THIS WORLD IS THE RIGHTEOUS spouse is a good spouse. There's no There's no better gift than that from Allah. She was his comfort. She was his console. He lost her. And I will tell you both in very short span of time, and the walls of college grad gathered around him and plotted to take his life. He knew this, he knew they were
plotting. So what did he do? He went to die if this is the best of creation.
I want you to think about your situation. And then think about the best of creation. Are we even close to that? No. He went with his adopted sons a toy for three days knocking on every door and every door slammed in his face. He sat with the leaders of of the city of Thrive and ask them to either accept Islam and save yourself or accept me and protect me from my own people. They rejected both and laughed him and mocked him and then told the people to throw him out of the city. Throw him out of the city literally stone him out of here.
The human element all of us could have been broken by now. Our Prophet sallallahu Sallam left on a broken battered, bloody bruised, he stopped in an orchard outside of the city, stuffed in an orchard outside of the city to get some rest.
And asked Allah subhana wa LMA do it and what do I What should I do? What like what do I do now? What do I do now? We know that Allah subhana wa Tada sit in Jabril. At this time, he was angered. He sent Gibreel with an angel that controls the mountains of the earth. And he told him he said go to Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and if he allows you destroy them, I've I've given them permission. I've said it's okay. But it's up to him if he gives you permission, destroy those people. There was the owners of this orchard very famously. They had a servant known as our deaths of the Allah one more. They sent a desk with some food and drink because there was some little bit
of humanity in these people. And when our desk gave food and drink to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam he said Bismillah before eating it was a very unknown custom, but something it rang and thus is fitrah. The Where did you Where did you get this custom? He asked a dustman. I enter Yeah, that's where you from young man. He said Mina Nina, one from Lenovo. He said, he smiled. He said, If you're from Lenovo, then you from the home of my brother Yunus, who was also tested in the belly of the fish.
He's How do you know of units these people don't know. And he told him who he was simply gave him the data were very simple and sweet. The man and that's dropped down in front of the Prophet Salla Selim started kissing his bloody feet saying I shall do Allah Allah Allah Allah, what I should do Anika rasool Allah, and bear witness does Neil know DT but Allah and the euro is messenger. Then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam guide that men know Allah did Allah is reminding our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam at a very hard day that Aisha Radi Allahu Allah, Allah, Allah said, when she was asked what was the worst day of the life of the Prophet sallahu wa salam was it the day his
uncle died was the day his wife dies, was it the day of 100 was, what was his worst day. She said it was the day of life.
So when you think about your test, I want you to think about the worst day of the best of us, life was that day. But Allah is reminding him giving him a little reminder that this is why you are here to guide people to me, because not long after that the angel real showed up with the angel of the mountains who was infuriated. He was angry, he was raging and Gibreel said Santa Monica Rasul Allah. Allah has sent me and given you permission, if you wish, the angel will take LF Chabane the two mountains that surround both Mecca and time together and he will push them together and destroy every one of your enemies. Allah is giving him a way out. Allah is telling
You can do away with all of your enemies
right now today
if that would have been you or me
would have killed the whole world where we will destroy enemies for cutting us off in traffic. Well, you know, I mean like we'll be ready to chase them down five you know six six hours to drink you know you cut me off the other day we remember what uncle so and so did to us seven years ago you remember you looked at me wrong that day? Yeah, even remember, we don't we don't want we don't live live and let live. We don't know how to forgive each other. We would have said destroy them. And you know these other people over here and you know that did these people. I think they were in this place called Rome that maybe we're thinking about me wrongly. You know, we would have destroyed
everybody. But our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam Rahmatullah I mean, he said, No, I have not been sent to destroy people I have been sent to guide them. He said, even if, even if someone from amongst their lineage, you know, way down the line, says La Ilaha illa Allah and what I have suffered with today was worth it. This is our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam the example for us.
During the lifetime of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the city of tarrif would accept Islam, the idols entire life would come down.
And then for our brothers here from the subcontinent, there would be a young man named Muhammad ibn awesome, who would take Islam to the subcontinent. He was known as ethnography, meaning that he was from the tribes of faith. He was from the tribes of Thai, this is the vision
of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is that he knew what is possible, what human beings are capable of, if you give them this opportunity,
what are they are capable of? So our Prophet sallallahu wasallam, the best of mankind is not going to the best of mankind, the best of creation for us on his worst day. What about our tests? Are we tested like this? You know, very few of us are tested like this. But we complain, we complain, and we complain, and we complain.
I'm gonna tell you why we tested now, that was the point, right? Because I think now you'll agree we tested, all of us have tested, none of us are free from it. And if the best of creation is not free from it, then none of us deserve to be free from it. None of us but why loss of Anguilla, the island tests to prove our mettle, as he says in the Quran. That which one of you are truthful in deeds, Allah subhanho wa Taala tests us because he is an alien. He is the All Knowing he's the all wise and he knows the entirety of his creation, from the beginning of time, to the end of perpetuate. Therefore, he sees what none of us can see. He knows exactly what we need in our life, and where we
need it. He knows exactly the good things that are needed in our life and when they should come to us and the bad things in our life, when they should come to us the difficulties and when they should come to us. And it's all part of the puzzle. Our lives are a puzzle. Think of I want you to think of your life as a jigsaw puzzle. This is why I want to bring it into fruition in completion in Sharma. I want you to think of your life as a jigsaw puzzle. Right? How many of you done jigsaw puzzles? Raise your hand if you got kids you've done you know I mean I can do my daughter loves jigsaw puzzles the more complex the more she likes them because it means we have to take longer doing them
when you take out a jigsaw puzzle immediately a lot of pieces make sense right? Edges corners make pieces if there is a flower it makes sense like the you know parts of the image is all the a lot of things they'll they'll just you know find their place. Then they are pieces of the puzzle you pick up like a solid color. i What is this go? I have no idea this, there's no way this goes, what do you do with that piece?
You throw it away.
What you do with the piece young men
leave it for later, right? You don't check it and say it has no purpose. You just don't know where it goes yet. You leave it for later. These are the trials of our lives. These are the tests of our lives. These are the difficulties, they are these pieces of the puzzle that we don't know where they go yet. But we have to have to walk with them Allah Subhana Allah with the end of that they are part of the puzzle and they will find a place later on because as you build this puzzle, you will eventually get to a spot to be like Oh, do we have a piece missing here? Right? The piece missing? What is it where that piece we set to the side later on? That's exactly where it goes. These are the
trials of our lives. I am telling you as someone who has been through a number of difficulties in my life and if you haven't follow me on youtube I'm not going to go down the whole road yet but if you haven't go to my YouTube and look at my domestic violence series of what I went through as a child the torture I was put through the My stepmother, etc. The prison series tapes you know why I never talked about this any throw on my dad our but to a few months after accepting Islam I was sentenced to five years in prison.
How many people knew that? Yeah. Good couple of you. You watched it? Yeah.
If I kept Why did I keep that to myself because I never wanted my data to be based upon like, you know, some some some
things that I had done, you know, I mean, like, I wanted my relatability to be based upon the data only. So I kept these things, I kept them they had no purpose now later on in life and I'm realizing how much our youth are struggling how many people are going through things and I've been around long enough to have shown improved my work for the best 17 years I let it all out. But those of you have listened to my story. You may have remembered when I talk about beating up a young man at a payphone. I never talked about the outcome of that my story, right? There's repercussions behind what you do in this life. I ended up being sentenced to five years in prison for beating up that
young man was test two months after becoming Muslim. Two months after accepting Islam I walk into the courtroom thinking you know, I've all my sin, you know, he told me all your sins are forgiven, you know, I mean, all you know, everything is good. Now Allah is on your side, Allah loves you. I go to prison thinking, you know, sure, I'm gonna breeze right through this, and I get sentenced to five, seven years in prison, five of them in prison and two on probation. It was a big test for me, but it ended up being the most beautiful part of my puzzle. Because what did I do for those five years, I studied my religion. Day in day out every single day from the moment I woke up to the
moment I went to bed, I had a book in my hand, or listening to a tape of the scholars or, or writing a letter to Chef Muhammad said Edley, who was a well known jurisprudence in South Carolina who had gained a relationship with to ask questions about the dean. People knew me as you shared with the books, you know, I mean, if you saw me I probably had a book in my face and another under my arm. For five years, I studied my Deen intensely, which allowed me to come out of prison and be solid on my religion, because before that, I had nobody teaching me anything I was trying to learn on my own. And it allowed me to catalyze catapult myself to be able to do what I've done for the past 17 years
and giving Dawa. So every part of that, that that that life that you live in that you sometimes ask Allah whiny, it's all part of a beautiful puzzle and loss plan. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that nothing, afflicts the Muslim of hardship or difficulty, nothing. Nothing afflicts the Muslims from hardship or difficulty, or illness, or sorrow or harm or distress. Not even the pricking of a thorn, except for them is an explanation for their sins, and is a means of goodness for them. Allah puts us through difficulties for one of three reasons. And this is how we'll wrap it up in sha Allah. And we'll take a few questions.
either number one, and I talked about this at the end of my talk in mastery. Lumira last week,
sometimes Allah puts us into difficulties because we've asked for it.
We've asked for it. How many of you would ever ask a lot of put you in the difficulty? No. How do we ask for them?
By dua, we ask Allah for something amazing, right? We ask Allah to grant us something good. We ask Allah to grant us something that is huge, right? And therefore Allah wants to grant you that dua, but he's not going to just hand you things nilly Willy, he's not gonna He's gonna give you nothing, something for nothing. So that dua is answered at the end of a test at the end of struggle at the end, the difficulty, what is the greatest dua that we asked for? Janitor for a dose? We want the highest ranks of paradise? How do you think you get? How do you think you get to the hamstrings of paradise, through difficulty through trials who who's in the highest ranks of paradise, the NBA or
the NBA, or the saw the pain or loss of anyone that talks about the people who've been tested? So if you want that, then you're gonna have to go through some or you ask Allah to grant you, you know, an amazing business. You know, you don't, you know, our businesses are built. I've been an entrepreneur for 17 years. They built through hardship and difficulties and sometimes losses and failures and lessons and setbacks and over and over and over again. So Allah sometimes Allah is testing us because we've asked for it. We ask Allah to grant his patience, right? You know, you get patients.
You go through stuff, you go through stuff, I've learned that now getting older 43 This year Hamdulillah. I've learned that patients come through going through stuff, this doesn't come on its own. So sometimes we ask Allah for things that are going to cause us to have to go through some difficulty, except it with a smile, because know that Allah is answering your DUA, because what you're wanting is on the other side, what you want is on the other side, if if somebody told you, you know that there's this baggy swamp that you have them here in England all over the place, right, this baggy, horrible swamp stinking foul smelling, but on the other side of it's a million pounds,
what would you do to get over there, we'd be killing each other to get over there, we'd drown and people will be thinking we'd we'd be thinking up of every solution, we'd go through whatever hardship and difficulty to get into the side. This is where a gentleman lives. This is where our answers to our doors line. So we have to go through these things. Or Allah subhanho wa Taala for the believer, puts us in the difficulty, to expiate us of our sins. We've done things, we've done things
that Allah subhanho wa Taala one
wants us to be forgiven for, we've asked Him to forgive us. Right. And in order to forgive us sometimes, sometimes we've done things that you know, can't just be wiped away, you know, like that. So Allah subhanho wa Taala puts us in the difficulty and erases our sins.
And trust me, brothers and sisters, any difficulty that you go through in this life, that is an exploration of your sins is the best thing for you.
Because if you don't pay for it in this life, you answer to it on the next life in front of Allah subhanho wa taala. And there is only one form of punishment in Africa. Yeah, that's the beauty of being tested and put to the metal in this life is that there are many ways Allah can exploit us for our sins, through illnesses through difficulty through loss through, you know, all of these things. And the Asita is one form of punishment. So may Allah subhanho wa taala, forgive us for our sins.
The third reason? The third reason this is one the door with the orlimar tell us the third reason is that Allah wishes to elevate your ranks in the next life. Yeah, Allah knows, because he sees the eternity, right? He sees everything, he knows that your life and what you're going to do, is not going to be enough to get you to the place of Jannah that you're asking for. But he wants to give it to you anyway. Right? Allah is knowing you're asking for a higher level of Paradise, and he knows that your life is not You're not going to do enough good to get there. So what does he do? He puts you into tests and trials and difficulties, this elevating your rank in the hereafter. The Prophet
sallallahu alayhi wa sallam,
he said that a person will be brought forward on the Day of Judgment. Someone who was given a good life, right? Is the best life that any disbeliever had ever had. The best, the nobody had more than this person.
And Allah will ask him about his life and say, how was your life? And Sal was amazing, you know, I mean, like, you gave me such grandeur. You know, like I lived in life of luxury. And then he will be dipped in Jahannam for a moment, just taste it, taste what's waiting for you just feel it for a moment, you'll be brought back, you know, say How was your life? You know, say my life there was no good in it. No good and it was all horrible. Why? Because it's the reality is facing him now. And
then a person who struggled the most, the Muslim who went through the most difficulty that no one had been tested, like no other Muslim had ever been tested. Allah is going to bring them forward and say, how was your life? And they will complain and say, you know, I went through such trials and tribulations like nobody can imagine. Then Allah will allow them to experience paradise for a moment. For a moment. This is what the reward is for that. Bring them back. How was your life Wallahi there was no bad in it. No bad. No bad, no, no bad in it. No bad in it. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that when the people who were not tested see the reward of those
who were tested on the Day of Judgment, they will wish that their skin had been torn from them by combs of steel. They will wish they had to come back to this world to be tested, and go through difficulties and hardships, the wish the wish on the Day of Judgment when they see the reward of those whom Allah subhanho wa Taala put to test they will wish that they could come back.
So never ever
miss out on these difficulties in life. They are opportunities. They are opportunities, there are opportunities to earn immense reward from Allah subhanho wa taala. Anna, when we go through them, when we go through them, and none of it is bad. I'll finish with two very small things for you. I remember one time this is just a personal story. I don't like to use personal stories too much more as I get older because I feel it messes with a little bit in the end anyway. I remember when in my younger when I was little bit younger and had a little bit more fire in me. I used to wear thongs everywhere I go right like even flying in the airport system that Allah has given me Hickman now,
you know, I mean to, to learn these things while we're in the airport, this was you know, not long after 911 We're talking about like, not long, maybe a year after they've been out of prison. You know, I mean,
so 2000 3004 Like, you know, it was it was you were a thought with the airport. You are like you know people are looking at you like especially in America but me I didn't go I was in you know in but every time I did that I would get you know, super special security. How many of you brothers get SS on your, your your boarding passes? When you go to the airport, right? Yeah, how much assets right? Super special security. Like if you are a VIP, that is they're going to pull you to the line and not only are they going to pull you to the line once they've probably got to do it again. And then before you get on the plane, they can do it again. You know, just the way it is. So I was
getting pulled to the side IT security. They pulled they saw my boarding pass at Oh, come on over here. You know we got we got a super special VIP room for you. And there was these, these rednecks, right? And I know rednecks because I'm born and raised around them. You know, I was born and raised around them, but these are my people my dad
had none of you would probably be able to understand the compensation. My dad has taken my wife, you know, 12 years on now and she's still
Has that helped me interpret half of what he says
they were like yeah boy get that there moslem make sure you check him real good.
I'd had enough for some reason. You know, it was one of those days I think I was on my way from one country to another I was being I was I was in Chicago Transit where you have to go through security and then go through. This is probably the fifth time I've gone through security that day. I was there, I just flipped out. I shouted at them from everybody. I said, there will come a day, there will come a day when you stand in front of the One who created you, and you would give everything that you could you will sell your own children to be in this line with me here right now. So be careful with what you say. I said it just like that. And I walked off. And I was like, Oh, that one
was not was not smart. Not wise, but it's truth. This true is the reality. One day they'll give everything they would tell their own children to come back and go through what we went through. So never ever, ever, ever. shy away from the test of ALLAH SubhanA Hutan the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, this is the last thing I promise. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said,
the life of the believer is ajeeb it's amazing. It's amazing. And it's strange. He said it's there's a strange quality about the life of the believer.
He said that the strangeness is in that it is good. It is prayer in its entirety.
Promise Allah sallam said the life of the believer is good as an entirety. He said if the believer is given some goodness from Allah, then the believer is thankful to Allah right? And what does Allah say in the Quran, Allah insha Khartoum? Is it then that if you're grateful to me, I'll give you more. So through his gratefulness, Allah gives him more. And then if the believer is tested by Allah is put into fit, then it's put into trial, tribulations, struggles, difficulties, whatever. Then the believers what patient with ALLAH SubhanA, Allah to Allah. And Allah is rewarding for those who are patients simple, Jamila beautiful patients, you just you just take what Allah brings. So either way,
the life of the believer is beautiful. He said that and that quality is only only for those who believe, only for those who believe. So brothers and sisters, never, ever let yourself get too far down. I am now I'm a therapist by date right now. That's what I do. I'm a counselor and therapist by day trading. I deal with a lot of Muslims with mental health struggles. And it's in there a lot. It's a pandemic, it's an epidemic in the Muslim community, a lot of times because our Islam is not framed properly to us, the way Allah tests us and puts us into things and the way we view and the paradigm with which we see our deen is not given to us correctly, and it causes conflict.
Never hold your head down because everything is good for you. For those who have not believe there is no goodness,
there is no goodness, if only they understood, even if Allah grants them everything. In this world, it is only so that there's nothing for them. On the Day of Judgment, maybe there are some good people out there and Allah gives them they're good in this life. He report rewards them for their good because on the Day of Judgment, there's nothing for them, maybe a lightening of punishment. That's it. And if harm comes to them, it benefits them in the least, it does not give them any benefit, because only on the Day of Judgment is only going to be doubled and tripled and quadrupled when they are thrown into the fire.
So no brothers and sisters, you've been given an honor, and it is is
that no other human beings other than the Muslims are given. Allah chooses very few people if you look at the the whole of humanity and how many people Allah chooses to rightly guide it is so small, and in for whatever reason, it's up to him. But for sure, Allah Subhana Allah wrote it with him in a book that is with him 50,000 years before he decided to create anything. The Prophet sallallahu sallam said that 50,000 years before Allah decided to create anything. Allah decided to take his other he told the pin, he first thing he created was what the pin right look to. Right. So first thing you decided to create because I want to set my when
you told the pin, right depends on what she already said right? Everything that will ever happen until the end, which is prepared to with the Prophet sallallahu wasallam after a surah will miraj he came back, what did you say about that pin? He said the pen has been lifted, the ink has become dry. And that book is with Allah. That book is what all every year Allah reveals his Kadota for that book, the Torah came from that book, The NGL cane book that the Quran came from. And somewhere in that book, Allah wrote your name. He wrote your name, and said that he would create you who your parents would be what you would be and then he wrote Muslim.
He willed it for you.
I used to think that I came to Islam, you know, through through my efforts of studying the Bible. He wrote it, it's written back to me it was written by Allah subhanho wa taala. I had done nothing. 50,000 years before existence, Allah willed that you would be a Muslim. It's a favor. It's an honor. And whatever I have to go through on this path of being a Muslim is an honor
When Allah grants me, goodness, it's an honor to favor for him and I'm thankful for when Allah puts me through difficulty, it's an honor. It's an honor to go through it because I'm going to learn something from it on the other side. Even if you fail brothers and sisters, you make mistakes. It's an honor if you learn from it, if you learn from it, if you learn from it and become wiser because of it, it is not a mistake, it is a lesson. And we all need these lessons in life. So hold your head up high, chin out, smile on your face, because you have been given something that is the most precious thing that can ever exist in the face of this planet and it's intangible, it's guidance.
It's guidance from Allah subhanho wa taala. Why are you tested?
The question is, why should you not be tested?
That shouldn't be the real question. When people come and ask me why is Allah testing me? My response is ask yourself, why shouldn't you be tested? If you can give me five reasons why you deserve amongst all of creation, not to be tested. And that makes the person think Wait a minute, you're right. I don't really in reading the reality of things. I probably deserve more than anybody else to be tested by ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada. So take it all with a grain of salt and thank him for every single thing, because anything from him towards you, is goodness for you. If you believe BarakAllahu li come Jimmy and wa salam alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh