Attaining the Pleasure of Allah (SWT) - Mufti Minhajuddin Ahmed | Islamic Reminder | Jummah Khutbah

Attaining the Pleasure of Allah — Jumu'ah Khutbah

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. And peace and blessings be upon the Master of the Messengers and the Seal of the Prophets, and upon his pure, good people, and those who follow them in the best way, on the Day of Recompense.

Allah, the Exalted, said in the book of His revelation — after I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan, in the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful:

Whoever does a good deed, whether male or female, and is a believer — We will surely give him a good life. And We will surely reward them according to the best of what they did. Sadaqallahul 'Azeem.

My dear respected brothers and sisters in Islam, respected elders and young students, Assalamu 'Alaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

A Major Misconception About the Deen

Indeed, one of the greatest misconceptions we have — and that we are suffering as an Ummah — is that we have mistakenly understood that the principles of the Deen of Allah, the commandments of Allah, the Awamir, the Nawahi, the commandments and prohibitions, the Shari'ah, the rulings — we believe them to be important, it's necessary, we should comply with them — but we believe that these are related to the Akhira only. And that by fulfilling the orders of Allah, we will gain success in Jannah, we will gain the pleasure of Allah.

However, when it comes to our worldly affairs, that is a different matter altogether. The Deen of Allah has nothing to do with our worldly conditions. Our worldly conditions are solely based on our worldly efforts. This is a very major misconception and misunderstanding of our Deen.

The fact of the matter is — the reality is — that Allah has given us this beautiful Deen, not only for us to build our Hereafter, make our Hereafter successful, and gain the pleasure of Allah. And gaining the pleasure of Allah is more important than even gaining Jannah:

Attaining the pleasure of Allah — Akbar — Allah, after mentioning the blessings of Jannah, says the pleasure of Allah is the greatest gift of all. ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ الْفَوْزُ الْعَظِيمُ — That is the greatest success.

So these Awamir, these commandments, these prohibitions, the Shari'ah, the rulings, the Deen of Allah, the Sunnah of Rasulullah ﷺ — it is not only for building our Akhira. But — I cannot say more importantly, but chronologically coming first — this Dunya is called Dunya because it is Adna, it is close to us, it comes first. Akhira means that comes second, comes afterwards.

So this Deen will help us first right here in the Dunya. If you want actual success in this worldly life, then we also cannot achieve that success without the Deen of Allah. If you want happiness and contentment, and we want success — however we may define it — that actual success only lies in the Deen of Allah.

This is an ultimate reality we have to realize. And the sooner we do, the better it will be for us, and we can insha'Allah come onto the right track — before it is too late.

Understanding Surah An-Nahl, Ayah 97

In this Ayah that I quoted in front of you, Allah says: مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا — Whoever does righteous deeds. مِن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ — Whether they be male or female. Generally, Allah, whenever He mentions one gender — or if He mentions the male gender — by default the female gender is also already included. But this is such an important point, such a fundamental usul of understanding the entire Deen, the nature of the Deen, the nature of our existence, that Allah specifically mentions both males and females.

وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ — Provided they are true believers. Provided they have Iman. Meaning the righteous deeds will be of no avail without Iman. This is a condition for the acceptance of good deeds. A person might accomplish great tasks and great objectives and be, masha'Allah, winning awards for social service and khidmah of the creation. But if they do not have Iman, then that good deed will have no value on the Day of Judgment.

Allah says concerning such people:

Shall we not inform you? Say, O Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, who are the greatest losers? أَخْسَرِينَ أَعْمَالًا — Akhsarin is a superlative degree, it is from tafdhil. That means they are not only khasir — losers — they are akhsarin, the greatest losers. The greatest losers ever are الَّذِينَ ضَلَّ سَعْيُهُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا — those who did great works, underwent sacrifices, and did not just enjoy their lives but rather worked hard. وَهُمْ يَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُمْ يُحْسِنُونَ صُنْعًا — and they were under the impression they were doing good deeds, and that they would be rewarded for those good deeds. And they worked hard. But all of their good deeds became wasted away. They did not have any credit for them. It was of no avail on the Day of Judgment.

Rather, what happened is:

They brought mountains of good deeds, and they were all turned into dust. That is a very grave loss. May Allah protect us. Qulu Amin.

The Condition of Iman and Ikhlas

So Allah says: مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ — Whoever does righteous deeds, whether male or female, provided they have Iman — which is a shart for qabul al-a'mal, for acceptance of actions. Iman and Ikhlas.

فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً — We will grant them surely, most definitely a beautiful life. Allah uses two forms of emphasis in this Ayah — the Lam of Tawkid and the Nun of Tawkid, the nun thaqilah. فَلَنُحْيِيَنَّهُ — Most definitely, most surely, We will grant them حَيَاةً طَيِّبَةً — a beautiful life, a bountiful life, a life of contentment, a life of happiness. A life where a person is totally in sync with his Creator and with the creation. He is رَاضٍ بِقَضَاءِ الْقَاضِي — pleased with the decree of Allah. He has now become النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّة. He is waiting for when he will be called back to Allah.

And this beautiful life — let us not be mistaken — is not referring to the life in Jannah. It is not referring to Jannatul Firdaus and Jannat al-'Adn. Rather, this is referring to the worldly life. And then as far as the Hereafter is concerned, Allah says: وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ — We will give them further reward for the good deeds that they were doing.

The Deen Brings the Best of This World and the Hereafter

Rasulullah ﷺ — not at Hajjatul Wada' but rather at Fath Makkah, in the 8th year of Hijrah, when he came with 10,000 Sahaba and was entering Makkah — Abu Sufyan, who had still not accepted Islam and was the leader of Makkah, went out with Abbas to observe the impending advance of the incoming army. He looked from a mountaintop and saw that as far as the eye could see there were the camps of the Muslims and their fires lit up in the night. He was so overwhelmed by that sight and said to Abbas: "Oh Abbas, your nephew's kingdom has become so vast."

Abbas replied: "Oh Abu Sufyan, when are you going to understand — this is not my nephew's kingdom. This is the Risalah and Prophethood of Allah. He is the Prophet of Allah. This is the help of Allah. Come, let me take you to Rasulullah ﷺ. Why don't we talk to him personally, and see if you can finally understand the reality of this Deen."

So he brought Abu Sufyan to Rasulullah ﷺ. And Rasulullah ﷺ again invited him — after so many years of inviting him — he again invited him directly. And what he told him, those words are significant and related to our topic today. He said: "Oh Abu Sufyan, don't you realize that what I am bringing for you — this Deen — is the best thing for you in this worldly life, and it is the source of honor, sharaf, and karamah for you in the Hereafter." Because he was the leader of the Quraysh and ruler of Makkah, Rasulullah ﷺ was saying: "Don't worry — it's not that you are going to accept Islam and lose your worldly honor. Rather, this Deen is going to give you khayr al-dunya — the best of this worldly life — and it will give you everlasting honor in the Hereafter." SubhanAllah.

The Rise and Fall of the Ummah

Many times we are under this misunderstanding — when we see the rise and fall of the Muslim society, Muslim empire, Muslim Khilafah, Muslim rule in the past, and we see the rise of other nations — we think that it was because we fell behind in technology, research, innovation, or these worldly accomplishments that led to our downfall. This is a major misunderstanding. Our downfall as an Ummah came when we left the Deen of Allah, and our 'izzah and honor came when we held on to the Deen of Allah.

The rise and fall of nations based only on worldly asbab — that is for the disbelievers. If you take Allah out of the equation, and there are two nations that both are disbelievers and do not have Iman, then based on the rules of the worldly asbab, more likely that group which has more material means will be successful in their campaign against each other.

But when it comes to the believers — those who recite the Kalimah لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللَّهِ — there is another factor at play: the hidden help of Allah, which transcends all physical means and all worldly asbab.

The Lesson of Badr

When Allah granted victory to the early part of this Ummah — whether it was in the time of Rasulullah ﷺ — the 313 at Badr versus the 1,000 Mushrikeen. That day Allah calls Yawmul Furqan, Yawm Taqal Jama'an — the Day of Criterion, when the two groups faced each other on the plains of Badr. Why is it called Yawmul Furqan? Because it established the faraq between al-Haqq and al-Batil — who is in truth and who is in falsehood.

Allah had destined it such that the believers were going out to retrieve their stolen wealth — they were not prepared to fight. The Mushrikeen of Makkah had taken their life savings and were engaging in trade — not for peaceful purposes but to prepare a war machine to destroy Madinah al-Munawwarah. So it was by all means a legitimate military target. They went out, and they were not prepared to fight. Sometimes when we hear that there were 313 Sahaba and they had like 7 camels, 2 or 3 horses, and few swords, and the rest had sticks — we might think: what was wrong with them, why did they come so ill-prepared? It is because it was the trade caravan of Abu Sufyan.

Allah says in the Quran that you had wished that the easy target would have been there for you to retrieve your money without any soldiers — just a few guards for the whole trade caravan. But no, Allah had other plans. That is why Allah allowed Abu Sufyan to escape with his trade caravan, and Abu Jahl with 1,000 fully armed soldiers came — 700 riding camels and 300 horsemen, cavalry, fully armed to the teeth. And Allah sent down His angels and His help in the battle of Badr, when from the worldly perspective the believers were not in a good position at all to face such an enemy.

So what happened to that Allah? That Allah is present today with the same attributes, the same Sifat, the same Qudrat, the same powers as He was on that day. Part of the definition of Allah is that He is a supreme being who is free from change in His attributes. Imam Raghib al-Asfahani in his Kitab al-Ta'rifat — when he defines what is Allah — he says that Allah is the 'alam, the proper name; Allah has all the other beautiful attributes, Asma' al-Husna, those are asma' al-sifat, those are His attributes, but His proper name is Allah — for that being who is Wajib al-Wujud, necessarily existent. There is no concept of any existence without His existence. He is always existent by His nature.

We are mumkin al-wujud — possibly existent. We could exist, and we are existing, but if we didn't exist the universe would continue on. Then there is mustahil al-wujud — that which is impossible to ever exist — like a partner for Allah. شَرِيكُ الْبَارِي — a partner of Allah — can never exist in reality. At a conceptual level you have it in mind, but in reality there can never be any partner to Allah. It is mustahil al-wujud.

So Allah is Wajib al-Wujud — necessarily existent — who at any given moment, at every given moment, is completely encompassing all the attributes of perfection. And He is Munazzah — He is pure from change and decrease and decline. There is no change in the being of Allah and the attributes of Allah. So that Allah who was powerful at Badr is also powerful today and will be powerful tomorrow.

But what happened is that we are the ones who changed. We do not have that Iman of the Sahaba of Badr — the Badriyyun, the 313 Sahaba of Badr — whose names we recite and with whose tawassul we make du'a, and Allah brings help throughout the ages. This is the amal of the Mashayikh. We do not have that Iman.

This is a very common conception — we say that the reason the enemies of Islam are overpowering us is because they have atomic weapons, armies, and technology. Yes, those things are important from the asbab perspective. Allah does not deny that in the Quran — He says that you need to prepare and should have the worldly means available to defend yourselves. But what grants and secures victory for the believers is Iman and Amal Salih. This is very, very clearly mentioned repeatedly throughout the Quran.

Allah does not say: "You will remain supreme provided you have technology." What does Allah say? You will be supreme and on top — even from the worldly perspective, in the Dunya — provided you are true believers. The promise is with Iman. The promise is with Amal Salih and Iman. This is a promise of Allah, and Allah never goes against His promise.

Those who believe and do righteous deeds — Allah has promised them that He will give them sovereignty over this world, over this earth. Worldly power will be granted to them. It is so clear — right there, black and white in the Quran — that He has promised worldly supremacy. You will not be degraded, disgraced, humiliated, killed, and tortured, but rather you will have sovereignty over the earth, provided you have Iman and Amal Salih, just as He gave sovereignty through those prior to you. And He will firmly establish for you the Deen, make it the supreme way of life of the land. And He will change the conditions that you were suffering from — fear — and make it peace and safety. You were refugees, thrown out of your country, you lost your worldly belongings and family — Allah will change the condition of fear into peace, stability, and prosperity. And who are these people? They are those who worship Him and do not ascribe any partners unto Him.

The Words of Rib'i ibn 'Amir Before the Persian Emperor

These are the words of Rib'i ibn 'Amir in the court of the Persian emperor, when he said: "Allah has chosen us to take out His slaves from the slavery of other slaves into the bondage of the one Allah who is the Lord of all slaves; to take people out from the difficult, straight, and tight life that they are suffocating in to the expansive life of contentment and happiness; and from the tyranny of the false religions to the just system of life of Islam."

Begin at the Micro Level — Within Our Families

May Allah make it easy for us. At a macro level, if the Ummah understands this, then the Ummah will be uplifted. But at least we can begin at the micro level — within our families. If we are not responsible for nations, and we are not the presidents of countries and cannot direct the course of our entire country — at least we are responsible for our own families. Each one of you who is responsible, like a shepherd, will be asked regarding his flock. A man is responsible for his family and will be asked regarding them. The malik, the king, is responsible for his entire country and will be asked. We do not have control over the finances of entire nations, the budgets of countries, how they will be spent, or how the military will be used and deployed — that is not up to us.

But we do have control over our personal finances. We have control over the rules and regulations we are setting in our home. We have control over how we arrange our marriages, how we celebrate, and how we worship Allah. We have control over what type of life our children are leading, what food we bring at home, what clothing we wear, what types of entertainment we engage in as a family. These we have control over.

So in our own life, if you bring the Deen of Allah, then you will be the first recipient and beneficiary of the barakah from Allah. If you want to see happiness in our marriages — the more Deen we bring into our marriages, the more happiness will be in our marriages. If you want to see prosperity in our businesses — the more Deen of Allah we bring into our business, the more prosperity we will see.

The Attitude of the People of Shu'ayb

We unfortunately have the attitude of the Qawm of Shu'ayb. The people of Shu'ayb said to him — and subhanAllah, we see the same today. We say, when it comes to Hajj: you need to attend a Hajj seminar, learn how to do Hajj — and Hajj is the extreme example, where every single second people are asking the imams of the Hajj groups: "I did this — is my ihram violated or not?" "I did this — is there a jina'yah or not?" "Mufti sahib, do I have to give a dam or not?" We are so concerned, because we want our Hajj to be correct — and that is good, that is correct. When it comes to fasting: "I have a dental appointment — will my fast break or not?" "I have to draw blood — will my fast break or not?" We are concerned about our fast. We are concerned about our Salah: "Do I have to make sajdah al-sahw or not?" "Imam, after Salah I forgot to get up and I did this — do I have to repeat my prayer or not?" We ask these questions when it comes to ibadat.

But when it comes to earning and spending money — مَا نَفْعَلُ فِي أَمْوَالِنَا مَا نَشَاء — "This is our money, we can do what we want." This is what the Qawm of Shu'ayb told Shu'ayb. And what's more, they said it sarcastically, mocking him: "Perhaps your praying Salah so excessively has made you go mad — you have lost your senses — to the extent that you believe you have the right to tell us how we earn and how we spend? How do you have that authority? You talk about the Deen, fine — but don't talk about business."

Whereas our Deen gives us many injunctions regarding how we earn. And from the hadith, the first questions that will be asked include: how did you earn your livelihood, and where did you spend it?

(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2417)

Conclusion

So let us apply the Deen to our lives and we will see that Allah will bless us at the individual level. And let us make du'a and have concern for the entire Ummah — so that if the Ummah comes onto the Deen, Allah will give us that supremacy at the global level as well. May Allah give us this understanding of this reality — that the Deen is there for our success here in this Dunya as well as in the Akhira.