The Final Destination: Preparing Our Hearts for Allah

Introduction

Currently serving as the Chief Medical Officer for FHE Health, which is a substance use and mental health facility. Together with that, Dr. Ahmed graduated from the University of South Florida, and he also completed his further education at the University of Miami. As well as pursuing his medical career, Dr. Ahmed is also currently pursuing his undergraduate degree in Islamic Jurisprudence, as well as Usul from Jami'at al-Uloom al-Islamiyyah in Jordan.

Dr. Sam is currently serving as a teacher and a youth instructor at the Islamic Center of Boca Raton in Florida. Alhamdulillah, we're very fortunate that we have him here with us today. Without further ado, we humbly request Dr. Sam to share and to enlighten us with his words of wisdom.

Opening Praise and Salutations

Jazakumullahu khairan. As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Bismillahir rahmanir raheem.

Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen. Wa sallallahu ala Sayyidina Muhammad wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma'een. Alhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen.

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. We praise Allah and thank Allah for bringing us together on this mubarak day of Jumu'ah in Iman and Aafiyah. And we ask Allah to send His peace and blessings on our beloved Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sahbihi wa sallam, and all of those who followed him from his family and his companions till the end of time. May we be amongst them. Ameen, Rabbil Alameen.

The Final Destination — Returning to Allah

My dear brothers and sisters, respected mashayikh and elders, the days and months and the years, they pass us by quickly these days, quicker than we would like. And we're busy with many things in our life. And time is passing us by. And at some point, it's going to come to an end.

For every one of us, that will come to an end. And no matter what path you took in this life, no matter what career path, no matter whether you chose to be a believer or otherwise, or a righteous person or a sinner — everyone's path will end at the same point, the same end point for every single person. And what is that end point? Allah tells us:

That verily, the end for everyone is with Allah. The return to Allah, the end point and the final destination is with Allah. So in reality, my time in this world is a journey to Allah. And I will stand before Him with nothing in my hands, nothing on my back, after whatever time He gave me in this life — 15 years, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, 50 years, 70 years, 80 years — and now I stand before Him. And what will I present to Him at that moment, with the time that He gave me in this life?

What will I present to Allah? Will I present to Allah the Facebook likes that I have, the Twitter followers that I have, the hours of YouTube I spent online? Are those the things that I will present to Allah? Those are the things that we waste our time with. What will I present to Allah? Allah tells us:

Allah says: on that day, when your offspring and your property will avail you not — except the one who comes to Allah with a sound heart. So I will present to Allah my heart on that day, and He will look into my heart. And dear brothers and sisters, what will He find in that heart?

So our time in this life is a journey to Allah. And I must prepare that heart for that journey, that heart for that meeting with Allah. When Allah will look into that heart at the time I stand before Him, what will He see? So I have to prepare my heart and fill it with the things that are beloved to Allah. All the decisions I make, all the actions I do, the things I do, the things I say, have to be in line with my goal of preparing my heart for that meeting with Allah.

Challenges on the Road to Allah

Now, on our road to Allah, there are going to be many challenges along the way — challenges within us, and challenges outside of us — that will try to take us off that road, off that path, to preparing for that day with Allah.

Within us, as you all know, will be the enemies inside of me that I have to overcome, such as my nafs, such as my hawa, such as the ego, such as shahawat, such as desire, such as hubb al-dunya. These are things within me I have to overcome. Outside of me there are also challenges that I have to overcome on my path to Allah, on my journey to Allah.

And in each era, my dear brothers and sisters, believers had unique challenges to that time that they had to overcome. Every era and every time had unique challenges. The Prophet ﷺ told his companions and would warn his companions about the problems and challenges and enemies that they faced, both physically and spiritually. Even the Prophet ﷺ would teach them — when they would travel, for example — a du'a to seek refuge from the scorpions and the snakes and the lions, these physical things that were around them. And the Prophet ﷺ would teach the companions to seek refuge and seek both the physical means and spiritual means against those things.

I want you to imagine a companion in the time of the Prophet ﷺ who is oblivious to the physical enemies around him. Imagine a companion who is traveling and doesn't know that Quraysh might be lying in wait, lurking. Imagine a companion who might not know that there are scorpions or snakes or things like this. No — they were aware of these things. And the Prophet ﷺ taught them about these things and taught them to seek refuge and to seek the physical and the spiritual means to protect against those enemies they faced along the path.

The Enemies of Our Age — Digital Devices and Social Media

Now we also, my dear brothers and sisters, in our time, in our age, have enemies that lurk in the path — on our journey, on our path to Allah — that we must be aware of as well. And today, in many developed nations, such as — Alhamdulillah — we are blessed to live here, we have a life of ease, a life of comfort. There aren't scorpions and snakes waiting for you as you go to the supermarket. Maybe there's not a caravan of Quraysh waiting to take your belongings as you head to school. Maybe there's not a tribe that's going to wait to kidnap you. So we don't have those things.

But that doesn't mean there aren't still enemies that are laying in our path. Actually, in our time, there are enemies that still lie in wait. But they're more inconspicuous, imperceptible. But they're still there, my dear brothers and sisters. And there's a battle today for the hearts and minds of the people that can occur through inconspicuous means. The heart that you seek to prepare for that meeting with Allah — other people are trying to steal that heart.

My dear brothers and sisters, we live in the digital age. This is the world that we live in. And these tools and devices that we use on a daily basis that give us the semblance of ease and convenience and satisfaction — these are the scorpions and snakes of our time. These devices and these applications are the scorpions and snakes of our time. They come with benefits, yes, but there are hidden harms that we must be aware of.

Now, we have to know undeniably that in this age, one of the main things that is distracting us and pulling our children away from our goal of realizing true servanthood and tawheed and 'ubadiyyah of Allah is these devices. I want to be clear — do these digital devices, these digital applications, these social media applications, provide us some benefits? They do provide benefits. But undeniably, they have brought much misery and sadness to people around the world. That's something undeniable.

The people who created these devices and applications are not believers who were thinking about how can I create a device or an application that will prepare your heart for the meeting with Allah. That's not what they had in mind. The people that created these devices and applications had a different purpose. Their purpose was not to help you in realizing the meanings of tawheed. Their purpose was one thing and one thing only — and that is to make money. And that is to addict people who use them so they can profit off that data and sell it and use it for other things. So their goals are in complete opposition to our goals. They want to stimulate people's desires, stimulate people's shahawat, to addict you to these things, to profit off of that. And for a believer, he is trying to overcome his shahawat, overcome his desires, not to be addicted to things. So they are completely opposite.

Now, the issue here is we cannot deny that these devices and applications have brought us some benefits in this modern age. We cannot deny that. But we cannot deny also that they have brought people around the world misery. So while this is the age of indulgence and luxury, look at this dichotomy — we live in the age of indulgence, and luxury, and ease. And at the same time, this is the age of misery, and sorrow, and depression, and anxiety, and unhappiness. How is this? These devices are one of the reasons for that.

Known Facts About the Harms of These Devices

I want to mention a few things that are known facts right now that every believer, every Muslim, has to know about these devices — because they have a spiritual effect on us. And we have to be aware of these things. These are the harms of our age today.

Firstly, the rates of depression and anxiety are at an all-time high in adults, children, and teenagers. I want you to think — a child, 8 years old, depressed, having everything, all the material possessions. I want you to think — a teenager, 14 years old, 15 years old, in America, having all the material possessions, being depressed. Why is that? It is a known medical fact now that these social media applications are linked to higher rates of depression. People who use these have 2 to 3 times higher rates of depression. In the last 15 years, there has been a 150% increase in depression in teens. The rates of suicide have been continuing to increase. In young girls ages 10 to 14, that rate has tripled.

And I want you to think — you might think this is only in the non-Muslim community, the depression, anxiety, and suicide. No, my dear brothers and sisters. We are affected by this too. Your brother here is from South Florida. Our Muslim cemetery there — in the last year, 20% of the burials were from suicide. This is the Muslim community. We are not free from this. Because all of us, all of our children, all of our families, are connected to these devices all day long. And they're having an effect on us. But we are not seeing that. Or maybe we think there's nothing we can do — but there are things we can do.

In addition, my dear brothers and sisters, smartphones and social media apps are linked with other mental illnesses such as aggression, conduct disorder, and oppositional defiance disorder. They are linked with decreased focus and attention deficit disorder. They cause worsening of family ties, worsening of the relationship between parents and children. And they disconnect us from the real world — the world that Allah created. And they cause spiritual disconnect with Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.

Now, these points I mentioned — this is a reality that we must acknowledge. These are true. These are just facts. Non-Muslims know these things. So we can't run from these known harms of these devices.

The Believer's Response — Strength, Not Helplessness

Now, I want to make something clear. I'm not saying that we are against advancement. Muslims are not against advancement or modernity. Allah created us in this age, this digital age. But the Muslim also cannot just accept things as they are. If there's a fad or trend of people who don't believe in the akhirah, and they're going in a direction — and they're unhappy and they're addicted — we don't just follow that and say, "Well, this is the world we live in and there's nothing we can do about that." There are things we can do about that. So Muslims have to have a different approach.

The Prophet ﷺ told us that for every illness there is a cure:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 26, Hadith 5466)

So for these things also there is another way to live. And the believer doesn't just accept things and say, "Well, there's nothing I can do. What can I do? My child is on his phone all day. There's nothing." That's not the attitude of the believer. The Prophet ﷺ said the strong believer is better:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 46, Hadith 2664)

The Prophet ﷺ would say:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 46, Hadith 2664)

Be avid for what benefits you. Go after it and strive for it. And by turning to Allah and seeking His help — وَاسْتَعِنْ بِاللَّهِ — Allah, we need your help in these times. It's difficult, ya Allah, to raise our children, to deal with these devices. And then the Prophet ﷺ said, وَلَا تَعْجَزْ — and don't be weak. And don't fail in that striving. There is a solution for that.

The sharia gives us a solution for every challenge and every age that we live in. And nobody else besides the Muslims will have a solution for these problems in our age. Nobody besides the Muslims will have a solution for these problems in the digital age. And everyone is suffering, and the problem is only getting worse. Is there a better way? There is a better way, my dear brothers and sisters. There is a better way.

The Sharia's Framework for Navigating the Digital Age

The reality is there is a hayatan tayyibah — a better way, a pure way — to live according to the sharia. The sharia gives us the tools to analyze problems in our life, to balance and weigh things, and make decisions in our life. The sharia gives us principles, such as looking at the benefits and harms of things — masalih and mafasid. I don't only look at the benefits and ignore the harms. Your life will be in ruin if you do that. You have to look at both the harms and benefits and weigh them.

The sharia tells us that what takes precedence is the prevention of harm:

That preventing harm takes precedence. So maybe there is a benefit — I can communicate with people, I can message my family. But there is a huge harm — this can also cause depression and anxiety. So prevention of harm takes precedence over gaining a benefit. These are principles in the sharia.

Also the sharia teaches us that if I have to engage in something of harm, I do so only to the extent that is necessary:

The sharia teaches us: what is a real need? We may say, "Well, I need these things. There's no way out. I need my smartphone, I need my social media." So what is the need? Is that a real need? The sharia teaches us what is a real darura? What is a haja? What is just convenience? What is a tahsiniyyat? And then we have to weigh these according to the maqasid al-sharia.

What are our higher goals and purpose? I can put things in context and order. What is our higher purpose according to the sharia? We are trying to preserve the maqasid al-sharia — preserve our deen, preserve our life, preserve our family, preserve our intellect, preserve our mental well-being, preserve our property, preserve our children. These are the maqasid, these are the higher aims of the sharia. So I have to weigh the benefits and harms, look at what is really a need and what is not a need, and ask whether they are in line with my goals as a believer. And I always have to prefer the akhira and spiritual benefit over a worldly one. So I must look and eliminate things that are harming me and my children, and make changes in how I engage with these devices.

Now, that my dear brother and sister will take some sacrifice. That is going to take some sacrifice. It's not going to be easy. Nobody said that this is going to be easy. But the believer doesn't just take the path of ease. That's not what we do. There's struggle, there's mujahada, there's striving. The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 40, Hadith 6779)

That Jannah is surrounded by things that people's nature will dislike. And the hellfire is surrounded by things that people are inclined to, and which come easy to them, through desire. But we don't do that. That's not what the believer does. The believer overcomes, and strives, and struggles.

So in the digital age, these are the things that we have to struggle with. How can I manage my screen time with my children? How can I keep my family's, my children's hearts connected to Allah? How can I prevent them from falling into depression, and anxiety, and suicide, from these social media apps? This is our mujahada in our time in the digital age. The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1621; graded Hasan Sahih)

The one who truly strives in the way of Allah is the one who strives in the obedience of Allah.

So my dear brother and sister, the digital world does not have to control us, and we don't have to be helpless, nor do we have to abandon it completely. That's not what we're saying. But there's a better way. And that means we have to make some changes. And the time for those changes is now — because this problem is affecting Muslims and non-Muslims, and it continues to grow. Depression, anxiety, suicide, stress, insomnia, aggression, broken homes — and these digital devices and social media applications are now a known cause of these things.

It's not a secret anymore. The US Surgeon General, Dr. Murphy, has said he wants to put a warning label — just like they have a warning label on tobacco — on social media applications, that these can cause mental health illness. This is a known fact. So what are we doing? Am I just giving my child a cigarette? That's not the way of the believer.

Practical Steps for the Believer

We're going to mention just a few things before we close up — some things we can do. We don't have time to get into all of these. We have a session later this evening, if you come with your families, to discuss this more in detail. But this is something that is important for all of us.

1. Understand That These Devices Are Not Neutral

We have to understand the nature of these devices — that they are not neutral. It's not like it's okay to get on TikTok as long as you're looking at something halal. They are addicting by design. So they are not neutral tools. We have to know that. Addictions — what do addictions do? Addictions pull the soul and fitrah away from Allah. Addictions will strengthen your hawa. Addictions will take you away from Allah and waste your time in this dunya.

2. Have Taqwa With Your Digital Devices

It is due time that we have taqwa with our digital devices. My dear brothers and sisters, we have to have taqwa with our digital devices. I have to have taqwa with my phone use. I have to have taqwa with my social media use. That means I have to eliminate the haram from that. If there is a haram that I'm falling into, or my family is falling into, or my children are falling into, then I have to eliminate that haram. And I have to put roadblocks between me and that haram.

Before there used to be natural roadblocks. If someone — wa la yadullahu — wanted to commit a haram, they had to go and do this and travel and try. Now it's just a swipe of a finger. And am I going to leave my child just with that? Leave him to the wolves? I have to put some friction, some roadblocks between me and the haram. So it's counterintuitive. Because we want convenience. These things give you convenience. But that convenience makes the haram convenient. So what I have to do is put some friction, some roadblocks between me and the haram. I have to have some taqwa with digital devices, especially for my children.

3. Control Them — Don't Let Them Control You

We have to use these devices in a way where I control them and they don't control me. Are we going to get away from using a laptop? No. Am I going to get away from using a phone? No. But I have to use it in a way where I can control it, and it doesn't control me. We'll talk later tonight about some ways of how to do that.

4. Apply the Sharia Analysis — What Is Truly Necessary?

I have to ask what is really necessary and really needed in my use, and make the analysis we talked about — the sharia analysis. The sharia gives us a way to look at things. The lens of the sharia gives you the way to analyze things from a rational and spiritual lens. That's how the believer does. He doesn't just take things as they are. He looks at things and analyzes things from a rational and spiritual lens. So we have to make that sharia analysis and see what is really necessary and what is unnecessary — and I have to let it go and eliminate.

5. Know the Dangers and Teach Your Children

As parents, I must know the dangers and harms of these devices, these smartphones, these applications, these social media platforms. And I have to teach my children — because they are growing up in an age where, for them, there is only one standard, and that is living this digital virtual reality. People with gray hair grew up in a time where there was a period of life without phones, and a later time when they came. People growing up today have nothing else to compare to. So parents have to teach their children about the harms and dangers of these things, so they can take the necessary tools as they grow up and teach their own children.

6. Model the Way

My dear brothers and sisters, to my elders — we must model the way. Parents, teachers, leaders in the community — you have to model the way. I cannot teach and preach these things and then be addicted to these devices myself, always staring at the screen all day when people are trying to speak to me. I have to model the way for my children. I can't tell my child, "Why are you on that thing so much?" — but every time he looks up at Baba, Baba is looking down at the screen. I have to model the way for my children with these devices.

7. Connect More With the Real World of Allah

Allah created the real world. People created these devices to take you away from Allah and to make you more addicted to things of the dunya, and to strengthen your shahawat. Allah created the real world — the stars, and the moon, and the trees — to connect to Him. Spending time in nature, looking at the creation of Allah, connects your heart to Allah. So a way to counter these things in the digital age is to spend more time connecting within the natural world. Take your family out to the park, go for a walk, look at the sky, look at the trees. These things will have an effect spiritually on your heart, will connect your heart to Allah.

8. Eliminate the Harmful and Fill the Time With Good

We have to busy ourselves with good things. We have to busy ourselves with the Qur'an. Keep your children busy with the Qur'an and Sunnah. They'll be busy enough, and it'll be enjoyable and fun. And living the Sunnah will be just the most enjoyable thing for them. Keep them busy with the Qur'an and Sunnah.

9. Fill Hearts With the Love of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ

We must fill our hearts, and the hearts of our children, with the love of Allah, and the love of His Rasul sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and the love of the hereafter, and the love of the Awliya and Salihin. Because then, if their heart is filled with that, that love will be stronger than any other thing that any other person is trying to pull their heart to, or steal their heart from. If they have that true love for Allah and the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and the Awliya and the Salihin, and the righteous and the hereafter — that will be their protection.

Closing — There Is a Better Life

My dear brothers and sisters, there is a better life. Muslims have always been on the forefront of creating solutions, and we have the solutions to live a better, more spiritually grounded, balanced life in this age — the digital age we live in. We have to remember that Allah created us in this age, and we can still journey to Allah spiritually. We can still make our spiritual journey. Even in the challenges around us, we can still travel to Allah, and prepare our hearts for the meeting with Him. And so on that day that He looks into our heart — what does He see?

The best thing that Allah can see when He looks into our heart, my dear brothers and sisters, is to see Himself. We ask Allah to fill our hearts with His love, and the love of the Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and the Awliya and the Hereafter. We ask Allah to give us taqwa with our digital devices. We ask Allah to protect us and our children in these difficult times. We ask Allah to help us overcome the enemies of our modern age, and to help us overcome our enemies within us.

We ask Allah to grant victory to our brothers and sisters in Palestine, in Sudan, in Yemen, in Sham, in Kashmir, in Afghanistan, in Myanmar, in China, and all over the world. We ask Allah to give shifa to those who are sick, and to have mercy on those who have passed away. We ask Allah to grant us a good ending in this life.

Wa sallallahu ala Sayyidina Muhammadin wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma'een. Walhamdulillahi Rabbil Alameen.

Announcements

Jazakumullahu khayran, Dr. Ahmed, for those wonderful words of advice.

Please pass the donation boxes from left to right, and donate generously. Sadaqa wards off calamities, and draws the mercy of Allah.

Please join us tonight for The Dark Side of Digital Technology, our monthly seminar, with our guest speaker Dr. Ahmed, tonight after Salatul Isha. Isha iqamah is at 7:30 p.m.

Please join us for our 7th Annual Winter Intensive — Harmony Within: Cultivating Love and Unity in the Modern Muslim Household. This will be taking place from December 21st through December 23rd, here at Darussalam. On the brothers' side, we'll be having separate sessions, and we'll also be having separate sessions by female scholars and professionals for the sisters. Some of the topics include: Beyond the Spectrum: Upholding Marriage and Morals in an Evolving World with Dr. Shadi; Mastering Marital Communication with Dr. Human and Mufti Azeem; as well as Safeguarding Marital Bonds: Islamic Guidance on Divorce with Mufti Minhajuddin Ahmed.

ICW Masjid is having their annual fundraiser, taking place on December 8th, to build a youth center. Dr. Yasir Qadhi, Sheikh Ibrahim Bakir, Sheikh Hassan Saleh, as well as many other ulama will be there. You can purchase your tickets on the way out to support our neighboring masjid.

Please join us for our weekly programs. Team Fajr will be tomorrow after Salatul Fajr. Fajr iqamah is at 6 a.m. Tuesday Tafsir continues after Salatul Isha — we are currently covering Surah Fussilat. The weekly Urdu Seerah program takes place every Thursday after Salatul Isha.

Please make du'a for the Muslims of Palestine, of Lebanon, as well as the entire Ummah. Specifically, we have a few du'a requests: Sister Nusrat Fatima is in ICU — please make du'a for her shifa-e-kamila. Brother Sayyid Jabir Ali Hashimi is also in ICU in India in critical condition — please make du'a for him. Hafiz Ibrahim Batur's mother passed away yesterday — may Allah grant her Jannatul Firdaus. May Allah grant shifa-e-kamila to all those who are sick, and elevate the status of all those who have passed and grant them Jannatul Firdaus. Ameen, Ya Rabbil Alameen.