Joe Bradford

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi ta'ala wa barakatuhu. I bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah.

Allah is whom we praise, we praise Him and we thank Him and we seek refuge in Him from the evil of our own souls and the evil of our actions. Whomsoever He guides, none can misguide Him. Whomsoever He leads astray, none can guide to the truth. And I bear witness that there is no one worthy of worship but God Almighty alone and that Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam is His slave and messenger.

O you who believe, be mindful of Allah as He should be minded and do not die except as Muslims. O mankind, be mindful of your Lord who created you from one soul and from that soul its mate and from those two spread many men and many women and be mindful of the wombs that bore you and be mindful of those you ask your rights from for indeed Allah is ever watchful over you. O you who believe, be mindful of Allah and speak the truth. He will guide you to righteous deeds and forgive you of your sins and whomsoever obeys Allah and His messenger has achieved the greatest achievement.

The best of speech is the speech of God and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam and the worst of things are newly introduced and everything newly introduced in faith is an innovation and everything which is an innovation goes astray and everything which goes astray will lead one to the hell fire and that which we were promised will come to pass and there is nothing we can do to prevent it.

The Story of Suraqa ibn Malik

During the time of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam leaving from Mecca to Medina, packing bags surreptitiously, leaving with near nothing, the only thing that was with him was his companion Abu Bakr and Allah, until they hid in a cave outside of Mecca on a small mountain known as Thawr and were fearful as the polytheists, the mushrikeen came looking for them.

Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu saying to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam as they were in the cave hiding: "يا رسول الله، لو أبصر أحدهم قدمه، لرآنا" - "O Messenger of Allah, if one of them were to simply look at his feet they'd see us here."

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said: "لا تحزن، إن الله معنا. ما بالك باثنين، الله ثالثهما" - "Don't have any worries, don't worry, Allah is with us. What would you say about two people, the third with them is Allah?"

After the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam stayed there for some time and his daughter brought him food, splitting her belt in half so that she could carry the supplies that she left with to take to them so that they may make the trip through Tehama and on to Madina.

As the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and Abu Bakr crossed through the desert, Quraysh heard of his leaving and they put a price on his head and they said, whoever can bring us Muhammad and his companion or bring them to us then we will give him this much.

One person who heard of this prize who wanted to make that money was Suraqa ibn Malik. Suraqa ibn Malik al-Mudlaji may Allah be pleased with him. At that time he was a Mushrik, he was a polytheist, but he was a tracker, he was a Bedouin skilled in following people through the desert and so he followed the track of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam until he almost caught them.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam raised his hands in Dua and Suraqa's horse, its feet sunk into the sand. He then got up again and just as he was about to catch the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and Abu Bakr again, the Prophet made Dua and his feet sunk into the sand, his horse's feet sunk into the sand, and then the third time the same thing happened.

At this, Suraqa ibn Malik said to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam that there is something that's going on and I feel that you one day will be in a position of power so write for me Kitab al-Aman, write for me a letter of security so that when you are in power I can present it and so it was written on a small piece of parchment that they had and this is narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim in their Sahihs.

Imam al-Shafi'i mentions in al-Umm that after this in a narration he narrates in al-Umm with his Isnad that after this, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam he said to Suraqa: "How will you be? Suraqa, how will you be on the day when you wear the two gold bracelets of Khusro, of Khusro, the emperor of Persia and his belt and his crown?"

Suraqa was taken aback. He said, "Khusro Ibn Kisra, Ibn Hurmuz?" He said, "Khusro, the son of Hurmuz?" The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, "Yes."

It wasn't until the caliphate of Umar radiallahu anhu when the palace of the Khusro was opened and all of the riches that were inside were gathered up and as the people were going to start putting them away and then dividing them up amongst the soldiers and sending some of them back to al-Madinah, to Bayt al-Mal, Umar radiallahu anhu stopped them. He said, first there's something we have to do.

He took those gold bracelets and the belt and the crown and he said, bring Suraqa to me and as he placed them on Suraqa's arms he said, "Alhamdulillah. All praise is due to Allah who took these from Khusro, the son of Hurmuz who used to say, 'I'm the lord of man' and gave them to a Bedouin, Suraqa ibn Malik, a Muslim from the tribe of Mudlij."

Suraqa radiallahu anhu he died in the year 24 during the caliphate of Uthman radiallahu anhu. He radiallahu anhu narrates several hadith from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam.

The Question About Actions and Destiny

Now I want you to keep his life story in mind when we think about today's topic. The Bedouins are known for being straight forward. Straight shooters, they're not going to beat around the bush. They'll ask direct questions.

Suraqa radiallahu anhu went to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam one day and he said: "يا رسول الله، بين لنا ديننا كأننا خُلقنا الآن" - "O Messenger of Allah, clarify our faith for us as if we were created right now."

"فيم العمل؟" - "Why do we do actions? Why do we act?" The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam answered him. He said, "Why do we act?" Suraqa said, "Why do we act? أفيما جفت به الأقلام وجرت به المقادير، أم أمر يستقبل؟ - Are these things that the pens have already scribed out and that the provisions have already been made for, or is it something constantly being renewed? Is it something constantly being created in the future?"

(Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said, "No. Your actions have already been written out for you and the provisions for them have already been made." So Suraqa said, "ففيم العمل؟" - "So then why should we act?"

He sallallahu alayhi wasallam answered him with the succinctness of speech that only he sallallahu alayhi wasallam had. He said: "Act! For each of you will be facilitated for that which he was created for."

In another hadith or in another narration from a different sahabi, He sallallahu alayhi wasallam added: "أما أهل الشقاوة فيعملون بعمل أهل الشقاء، وأما أهل السعادة فيعملون بعمل أهل السعادة" - "As for the people of despair, then they will do the acts of the people of despair. And as for the people of felicity, they will do the acts of the people of felicity."

And then he sallallahu alayhi wasallam recited Allah's statement:

"And as for he who is mindful and gives and confirms the good to come, then we will make easy for him the greatest of ease, jannah. And as for he who is stingy and sees himself as self-sufficient and disbelieves in the good that is to come, then we will make easy for him the greatest of difficulties."

The Hadith of Creation and Destiny

In the hadith of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)

"The creation of each of you is gathered in the womb of his mother for 40 days as a drop. And then 40 days as a clot. And then 40 days as a morsel of flesh. And then an angel is sent to it and he is ordered to write four things onto this child: its sustenance, its life, its actions, and whether it is from the people of despair or the people of felicity."

He then sallallahu alayhi wasallam said:

"One of you will do the actions of the people of jannah until there is only a hand span between him and it. He will then be overcome by his book, do the actions of the people of the hellfire, and then enter it. And one of you will do the actions of the people of the hellfire until there is nothing but a hand span or an arm span between him and it. And then his book will overcome him and he will do the acts of the people of jannah and then he will enter it."

In the hadith of Sahl ibn Sa'ad al-Sa'idi radiallahu ta'ala anhu, there is an addition. He said: "فإن أحدكم ليعمل بعمل أهل الجنة فيما يبدو للناس وهو من أهل النار" - "One of you will do the actions of the people of jannah, the people of paradise, in what it seems to the people, in what is apparent to the public, but he is from the people of the hellfire."

The Power of Action Over Negative Thoughts

Why do I mention these ahadith today? The last time we spoke, we spoke about our inner conversations. The things that we say to ourselves. The negative thoughts. The subconscious conversation we have between our mind and our heart when we are saying nothing.

And I mention these ahadith today to say to you that it is important that you act. Because nothing will change your life like action. Being proactive and doing what you need to do to better yourself in this life.

In the end of the ahadith that I mentioned before, your actions are judged by your last actions. So a lot of people will say: I have a horrible life. I can't get past my sadness, my depression, my inability to function, my inability to do good. I can't seem to progress in life.

We become so inundated by our own negative thoughts, incapacitated by our subconscious, that we forget to make an actual change in our life.

So for anyone that is keeping themselves back from doing any good - good for themselves and their deen or their dunya - I want to ask you this: Do you know the unseen? Has Allah shown you what is in the preserved tablet? Do you know what's in that book that the Prophet ﷺ just told us about?

I'm absolutely sure that the answer is no.

It's been said that good thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all of mankind. The Prophet ﷺ noticed that long question. He said: "Act, for each of you will be facilitated, made easy, for that which he was created for."

So I want to ask you this: You say to yourself, "I'm not a good person." You say to yourself, "I'm lagging behind." You say to yourself, "I can't succeed." I want to ask you: Who tied your hands? Who shackled your feet? Who stopped you from putting forth the effort to have those things that you intend for good for yourself, your family, your community, and for the sake of Allah?

Practical Examples of Action

If you want to know the value of action and how your thoughts have no effect in reality on what you do in life, each one of you when you walk out of here today, I want you to sit in your car and wait for it to start. Just sit there. Don't take your keys out. Just sit there, stare at your steering wheel, and see if it starts.

If you want to have kids, sit around and don't get married. Don't look for a wife. Don't look for a husband. Once you get married, don't do anything of that sort and see if kids come to you.

If you're hungry this evening, go home and sit at your dinner table and see if food shows up. And I don't mean what your mother will bring you or your wife or anyone else.

You can sit there and think good thoughts about your car starting all you want. You can think and sit there and think sad thoughts about "Why won't my car start?" all you want. But the only thing that will change your life is taking that key and putting it in the ignition and starting your car.

So never think that you are shackled by something that you have no knowledge about. You have no knowledge of tomorrow. You have no knowledge of the future. You have no knowledge of how your life will end. So constantly strive to improve your life by acting. Because once you act, it will be made easy for you that which you were created for.

I say what you hear and I ask Allah for forgiveness for you and the Muslims from every sin, so ask His forgiveness. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Second Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah alone and peace and blessings be upon those who have no prophet after him and upon his family and his companions and upon those who follow their Sunnah until the Day of Judgment.

Imam Al-Tahawi, may Allah have mercy on him, in his famous work of creed, he said talking about the idea of predestination, of divine ordainment, of providence, of destiny, whatever you want to call it, the idea of Al-Qadar. He, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

"Al-Qadar is the secret of Allah in His creation. No angel or prophet was revealed about this. Destiny is God's secret amongst His creation. He hasn't shown destiny, predestination, to the closest of angels or any of the prophets that were sent."

He says: "And to try and investigate and inspect and understand its details is a path to failure. It's a path to upset and it is a ladder to being prevented."

What does he mean by a path to upset and a ladder to being prevented? It's a path to upset because our minds cannot comprehend an infinite being. We cannot comprehend Allah's omniscience, His knowing everything, His hearing everything, His seeing everything. We can only comprehend about Allah what He has told us about Himself in His book and through the prophet in his sunnah.

It's like one of us looking at the moon in the sky and thinking that we understand the moon and all of the details of the moon. The moon looks small from the earth, does it not? Is it really? It looks beautiful. We understand its beauty. We understand its countenance. We understand its loftiness, its greatness. But just by looking, our eyes are not able to take in the information needed to be able to process everything that's coming at it.

And similarly, our minds - we are trying to figure out an experiment that we are not the scientists who are proctoring. We are trying to understand the parameters of a test that we are in right now. And so every time we try to understand something outside of our capability, we get upset. Every time we think we know what's going to happen in the future or why something was, it prevents us from doing what we need to do.

So I ask again, do you know the unseen? Has anyone tied your hands?

Belief Requires Action

Doing actions is going to be the number one way that you are going to be able to move past any negativity, any stagnancy, any problems in your life. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala praises those who believe in the unseen:

So it takes action after that belief. If we incapacitate ourselves, we can't expect anything from inaction. Again, we can sit at our cars all day long and wait for them to start, but they'll never start.

The Advice of the Scholars

I remember one night in an evening gathering in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah with Shaykh Ibrahim Al-Akhdar hafizahullah, former imam of the Masjid Al-Nabawi and one of my teacher's teachers. I asked him, I said, "Shaykh, is there any special dua I can make for memorizing the Quran? Is there anything special I can do?"

He said: "يا ابني ما فيش طعام دعاء. أكل شرب. رب يوفق اللي يمسك الكتاب ويقول بسم الله ويقرأ" - "My son, there's no special food, special drink, special dua. My Lord will give strength to the one who grabs the Quran, says Bismillah, and reads."

"Oh John the Baptist, take the book in strength, in confidence."

"And those who hold tightly to the book" - Allah describes the believers as.

So we can become incapacitated by our thoughts. We can allow ourselves to give in to negativity in our life. We can wait for perfect. Perfect will never come. There's two things in life: there's perfect and there's done. Wait for perfect, you'll never be satisfied. You'll always be upset. You'll have prevented yourself from the good that you can do with what you have been given.

So change your life by doing, not by thinking about what you should do.

The Heart and Actions

The Prophet ﷺ pointed to this very important point of how we can change what's in our hearts by changing our actions. He said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)

"Is there not a morsel of flesh in the body? When it is wholesome, then the entire body is wholesome. And when it is corrupt, then the entire body is corrupt. Is it not the heart?"

So our actions have an effect on our thoughts and our thoughts have an effect on our actions. But our thoughts can affect some of our actions, but they never become our life until we allow them to.

Each of us will make mistakes. Each of us will falter. Each of us will hold ourselves back. But the way out of that is not by self-deprecating, by keeping ourselves and saying to ourselves that we're not worthy.

Have you ever been in the zone while you're doing something? So busy with work or so busy with play that you forget about everything else and you're doing exactly what you need to do at that very moment and excelling in it? That's the state that you have to get in so that you're not distracted by any of those thoughts. Because those thoughts, most of the time, will become inaction. They'll hold you back. They won't allow you to progress.

The Prophet's Guidance on Moving Forward

The Prophet ﷺ said to us about the value of not giving in to the negativity and the value of acting to change our lives for the better. He said:

(Sahih Muslim)

"Seek diligently that which will benefit you - benefit you in your deen, benefit you in your dunya, benefit you. Seek diligently that which will benefit you and seek Allah's help and don't incapacitate yourself. Don't think of yourself as less. And never should one of you say, 'If I had only done such and such thing, then such and such thing would have happened,' because 'if' opens the door for shaitan."

Positive thinking doesn't equate to success, just like negative thinking doesn't equate to failure. It's only when you use the formula that Allah has told us about: when you have good intentions and you have good actions, then you have righteous deeds.

Allah says at the end of Surah Al-Kahf:

"So whoever wants to meet his Lord on the next day, then let him do righteous deeds and not join any partners in the worship of his Lord."

O Allah, forgive us of our sins and our transgressions in our affairs and make our feet firm, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, guide us and guide our daughters and our sons. Guide our wives and our parents and our husbands and our grandparents, O Lord of the worlds. O Allah, guide our neighbors and our friends and our co-workers at work. O Allah, guide this society and particularly all societies around the world. O Allah, give them safety and security. Give them peace and give them Islam, O Lord of the worlds.