Have We Abandoned Allah? | Mufti Abdul Rahman Waheed | Miftaah Circle

Have We Abandoned Allah?

Brothers and sisters in Islam, it's nice to be here and I will just continue the conversation that Mufti Kamali was having with you all. A beautiful conversation that shouldn't have ended — but prematurely it ended — and I'll just literally start from where he left off.

A poet — he says, should I sing it to you guys? I have a horrible voice. He says:

"When his love is in my heart, why won't he make me yearn for him? When his love is in my heart, why won't he make me yearn for him?"

Before I translate the poem — if you have ever seen somebody when they first see and start having conversations with the love of their life, you know the beginning stages? In that phase, you want to be alone. You want to speak privately to the one you love. You enjoy every moment. You love privacy. Even if you're with your friends, you walk out. You want to talk alone. Because this is a phase of love.

The Real Question

And with the people of the past — the topic that was given to me, I don't like the topic. "Allah has not abandoned you." That's not even right to say. The question is: have we abandoned Allah? Because Allah never — it's already mentioned. No way. It's not possible. But the real question is, have we abandoned Allah?

So you have this group of people that came before us. There's a poem in Arabic:

He says: one day I was sitting at night, and the silence of the night was so loud. It started speaking to me — speaking to me about the people that loved Allah.

As I started hearing about these and remembering about these people, my aspirations and my plans that I had for my life went out the window. All of it went out the door. Why? Because it reminded me and it spoke to me and said:

He said: weren't we people that we loved the solitude at night because we could finally be with Allah alone — so we could speak to Him?

Abu Sulaiman al-Darani and His Munajat

Abu Sulaiman al-Darani — رحمه الله — travelled all night. He was a traveller. Ibn al-Qayyim says that even for a person who is on a journey to get close to Allah, even in their safar they should not miss tahajjud. Even when they're travelling.

So he was travelling, he stopped a short while before Fajr. He went into sajdah and he recited the same munajat the entire night. He says:

"Oh Allah, if you present to me my sins, I will present to you your forgiveness."

You know how you compare two things? If you present my sins — hey, here are your sins — I'll still have no problem. Here's the Qur'an, oh Allah, full of your forgiveness. Which one is more? This is his munajat with Allah. He's literally saying this to Allah: Oh Allah, if you present my sins to me, I will present your forgiveness to you.

The Dream of Yahya ibn Aktham

There's a muhaddith, his name is Yahya ibn Aktham, رحمه الله. He was a teacher of Imam Bukhari. His student saw him in a dream after he passed away. The student asked: Oh Yahya, oh teacher, how did it fare with Allah?

He said:

"Allah made me stand in front of Him like this." And He said to me:

He was an old man — he passed away when he was 77 years old. Allah said: "Oh evil old man." Now this man is a muhaddith. If I tell you someone is a cool person, he's chill, he's this, he's that — and then he shows up and you have a different impression of him, you will say, that was not the impression I had. You understand? So Yahya is a muhaddith, reading Qur'an all his life, teaching hadith all his life. You know what he says to Allah?

"Oh Allah, this is not the impression I had of you. I was not informed of this in a hadith about you."

Allah says to him:

"What did you hear in a hadith about Me?" He says:

"Oh Allah, I heard from my teacher al-Zuhri, who told me that he heard from his teacher Ma'mar, who heard from his teacher 'Urwa, who heard from his aunt Aisha رضي الله عنها, who heard from the Prophet ﷺ, who heard from Jibreel عليه السلام, who heard from You, Oh Allah — that You said: I am embarrassed to punish somebody who has grown old in Islam, someone who has spent his life serving Me in worship. I am embarrassed when someone presents even one white, grey hair in front of Me and they have worshipped Me all that time."

Allah says to him:

"You spoke the truth, and al-Zuhri spoke the truth, and Ma'mar spoke the truth, and 'Urwa spoke the truth, and Aisha spoke the truth, and the Messenger of Allah spoke the truth, and Jibreel spoke the truth — go, you are in Jannah."

Allah is Looking for Excuses to Forgive Us

This is Allah. He is not looking for ways to make us suffer. Allah is looking for excuses to forgive us. Allah is looking for opportunities.

One of our teachers said that his teacher, Sheikh Yusuf bin Nuri, رحمه الله, used to say — in his madrasa, in Binori Town — if you came and were accepted, he used to say: you have to try really, really, really, really, really hard to fail. Usually in a university you go to, it's going to be hard. But here, he's saying you have to try five times — with emphasis — that you have to try really hard to fail. And people would ask him, why are you saying that? He said: because this is the policy of Allah. You really have to try hard to fail. Allah is giving us all the opportunities, over and over again, saying — I just want you to succeed.

"What does Allah benefit from punishing you, if you are faithful and grateful to Allah?" Just be faithful, be grateful.

And Allah appreciates — as Sheikh Kamali was saying — the smallest, subtlest things. Where that man felt the breeze. You never know what Allah loves of you. Because Allah is looking for that. And Allah loves when we speak to Him. Allah loves it when we cry in front of Him.

The Dream of Sufyan al-Thawri

If you don't see your du'a being accepted, know very well — Allah heard your du'a.

Sufyan al-Thawri, رحمه الله — he came in the dream of his student after he passed away. The student said: Sheikh, what happened with you? He said: Allah forgave me. He said: Allah forgave you because of your knowledge? He was a great scholar. He said: my knowledge was about to get me — because of the knowledge I didn't act upon, it was very near that I was going to be destroyed because of my knowledge. Then why did Allah forgive you, oh Sufyan?

He said: Allah called me in front of Him and said to me — "Sufyan, you used to say a du'a all the time that I used to hear and I used to enjoy it. Say it again."

You've heard it yourself? You used to say this all the time — I used to enjoy it — say it again. And Sufyan thought of it. He says:

"Oh You, the like of whom there is nothing — gift me everything, and do not ask me about anything."

That's it. All the wonders — no one like Him — gift me everything. The word was gift. Because when it's a gift, you don't have to deserve it. Don't give me something based on my work, based on me earning it. Oh Allah, just gift it to me. I'm telling you, I don't deserve it. But oh Allah, You are al-Wahhab, so grant me as a gift. Whether I deserve it or not — it's not an award that I have to get first place to receive. It's not something I earn. Rather it's Your gift that You give me. Gift me everything.

And then he says: Oh Allah, my other request is — don't ask me about anything. You know what I'm saying? This man was so courageous. Because Allah loves him, you can speak to Allah like that. Oh Allah, give me everything and don't ask me for anything.

Allama Iqbal: Let Me Slide Through

You know Allama Iqbal? One of his great poems — he said:

He says: Oh Allah, You are ghani. You're independent, You don't need anything. Oh Allah, I am faqir — I am so dependent. Oh Allah, my request to You is: on the Day of Judgment, let me slide through and don't stop me for hisab.

Same thing. These are great friends of Allah saying — Oh Allah, don't make me stop.

You know when you cross the border — from Canada to America — and if they're not happy with your answer, they put an orange sticker on your windshield and they send you for secondary clearance? Iqbal is saying: Oh Allah, don't put the orange sticker on my windshield. Let me just go through. Because if you put that orange sticker on my windshield and I have to go inside for secondary clearance — Oh Allah, I'm not going to survive.

But then he says: Oh Allah, if You decide to stop me — how can I question You? I have to submit. Whatever You say, I'll do. But look how they speak to Allah. Look how these people speak to Allah. That's what he's saying — the memories of these people who love Allah just made his plans for the day go out the door.

Do Not Take My Account Near the Prophet ﷺ

He says: Oh Allah, I have one request — do not take my accountability next to the Prophet ﷺ. How would you feel as a child coming to your mother or your father with a report card full of Fs? You don't want to disappoint your mother, you don't want to disappoint your father. Iqbal is saying: Oh Allah, my report card is full of Fs. The Prophet has already seen so much. Don't make me a reason for him going through more pain. I don't want him to suffer more. So Oh Allah, please do not take my accountability near him. Because if he sees me suffering, he will go through more pain.

Imam Ibn Hanbal was asked: how are you so forgiving? You know what he said? He said: my teacher used to say that I am embarrassed — أَسُوءُ مُحَمَّدًا فِي أُمَّتِهِ — that on the Day of Judgment, because of me, the Prophet's entrance into Jannah will be delayed. Because he will be interceding on behalf of someone who wronged me. So I forgive them, so the Prophet doesn't have to stop and intercede on behalf of them.

Look how they used to think. Ya Rasulullah — you've already tied so many stones to your stomach. You've already been through too much. Just don't stop because of me.

You know who the last person is going to be at the doors of Jannah? The Prophet ﷺ. We're going to be waiting there because he's still going to be running around trying to help people out. And Imam Shafi'i is saying — I don't want to be the reason why he's running around. Not because of me. I'm forgiving everyone. So if you need a reason to forgive somebody, forgive them for this reason. Because that person you're not forgiving — if their entrance into Jannah is delayed, the Prophet will also be helping them out. So why are you going to wait? Why are you going to make him wait?

So he said: Oh Allah, do not do my hisab-kitab near the Prophet ﷺ, because I don't want him to suffer, I don't want him to go through pain.

Another poem he says: Oh Allah, but at least let me get a glimpse of him. Let me get a glimpse of him. Because I've never seen him. I've never heard his voice. I've never seen his face. So Oh Allah, let me see him.

You know that famous story of al-Qa'qa' al-Aswad, رحمه الله? When he was walking, he said to somebody:

"Tell me something that will motivate me to get to Jannah. Life is difficult." He said three words:

"In Jannah there is the Messenger of Allah." We've never seen him. We weren't even that tree that could even witness him, see him, hug him, nothing. So if we want to see him, we have to go to Jannah to see him.

Allah Eagerly Awaits Those Who Return

And back to Abu Sulaiman — he is saying:

"Oh Allah, if You present my sins to me, I will present Your forgiveness to You. And if You present to me my tawbah — Oh Abu Sulaiman, where is your tawbah? Because you have to do tawbah for your sins to be forgiven — I will say: Oh Allah, I will present Your generosity to You. You are sakhi. Do you have to ask a generous person for something? The generous person does more than you ask. Oh Allah, You are sakhi — why are You asking for my tawbah? You don't need my tawbah. You don't need my tears. Oh Allah, You are sakhi — just provide for me."

And then he says — check this out — he says to Allah: "Oh Allah, if You throw me into Jahannam, I will tell the people of Jahannam: I love Allah." Even while suffering — "Oh Allah, I still love You. No matter what You put me through."

Wallahi al-'Adheem — if you just summarize the cry and the voices from Gaza. When my brother Sheikh Abdul Rahim passed away — may Allah give him a different abode — I remember one of the most difficult things to come out, and my brother kept telling me to say it, was:

Basically you're saying — Oh Allah, I still love You. Even though I just buried my brother, I still love the Prophet. Even though I just buried my brother. Imagine the people of Gaza — "Oh Allah, رَضِيتُ بِاللهِ رَبًّا — Oh Allah, I still love You" — even though they just buried five of their family members. This is the love he's speaking about.

Now he's saying about the silence of the night:

"Were we not people that at nighttime we were just crying in front of Allah, because we love Him so much, waiting for that moment?"

Dawud al-Islam was told by Allah:

"Oh Dawud! If the people who sin were to know how much I love them, and how eagerly I am waiting for them on their way to Me — they would die out of happiness."

"Oh Dawud! This is the way I treat those who commit sins — so how do you think I treat those who come towards Me?" At this very moment, Allah loves all of you. Because He brought you here. So how do you think Allah is going to treat us?

"Weren't we people that we used to wait for the nights, because we knew how much Allah loves us — so we just wanted to have a conversation with Him? And weren't we people during the day who, out of love for Allah, were ready to give our lives for Allah?"

What is one salah? What is five minutes for Qur'an? Oh Allah, I'm ready to give my life for You.

The Honor of Those Who Sacrifice

The most honorable people in the time of the Sahaba were those who had wounds and scars from being in the battlefield serving Allah. Zubayr ibn al-Awwam had three large wounds in his back and his shoulder. Abdullah ibn Zubayr — he was a child — he said: when I was a kid, I could put my hand around the wounds.

One time Umar ibn al-Khattab walked into the room. He saw a man sitting there — his name was Amr ibn Tufayl ibn Amr, the son of Tufayl ibn Amr. Tufayl was a Sahabi. Father and son, at the Battle of Yamama, both decided to become shaheed. The father becomes shaheed. The son — his arm is amputated. And there was no medical treatment in those days. Open wound. So this is right after the Battle of Yamama, and he's sitting in the room about to eat food.

Umar ibn al-Khattab walks in. Blood is gushing from his arm. So this young man moves to one side — because he does not want Umar ibn al-Khattab to be disgusted while he's eating food. Umar ibn al-Khattab observes that this young man moved away from him. So he says to him: why did you move away from me? Come back here. And then he says:

"There is nobody in this room whose portion of their body is already in Jannah other than you. It is my honor to be next to you."

How honorable would it be if someone walked through those doors from Gaza right now — whose eye was shaheed in the path of Allah, whose foot was shaheed in the path of Allah, whose arm was shaheed in the path of Allah? That would be an honor for us to sit next to them.

Who Will Help the Drowning Ummah?

He says: who will help the drowning ummah when we are drowning ourselves? How can a drowning person help another drowning person? We were supposed to be on the shore, helping those who are drowning. But we are drowning in our own sins. We forgot Allah. We are literally giving up the sight of the Prophet — for what? For what? Nothing else is worth it.

A young man came to my brother's grave after he passed away. He was from Detroit, literally spoke in slang. He had studied in a madrasa but couldn't last. His words were the most impactful words after my brother passed away. He came to my brother's grave, he was standing there, and he said:

"Jannah just got personal. I have someone I love there. It's personal. I gotta get there now."

What is my ambition? What do I want? I leave you with that.

Representing Something Greater Than Yourself

What should you want in your life? He is saying: who is going to achieve the greater objective? All the sisters sitting here today — your greatest objective is that when an Islamophobe sees a Muslim sister walking down the road, one of the first thoughts that comes to their mind is Aisha رضي الله عنها. And through your actions, you could elevate her name in their mind.

That is why Iqbal says — the words of Bilal are still there, but the passion of Bilal is not there. Yes, the philosophy and the critical thinking is there, but the love and the ambition of al-Ghazali is no longer there. What does that mean? Your greatest objective is: this person is seeing me, and when they see me, one of the first people that comes to their mind is Aisha. I'm not representing myself — I'm representing her.

Once I was driving, and there was a person from Jamaat sitting next to me — and of course, BMW drivers don't put their indicators on. So Umar said to me: take your turban off. I said: why? He said: when these non-Muslims are driving by and they see you — they're not going to know your name, but they're going to see you as a Muslim driving like this. And you're going to misrepresent the Prophet ﷺ. Do you want to misrepresent the Prophet ﷺ?

And I conclude with this. I was in the Fairmont in Vancouver — a five-star hotel. We usually don't stay at five-star hotels, but it was Khabib's event. In these bigger hotels, every single smile comes with a tip. So I was giving the staff a generous tip every time I saw them throughout the day. I left Friday afternoon. As I gave him the last tip, he was about to close the door, and he said to me:

"If the people of Gaza are as good as you, then my heart bleeds for them."

It took a few tips — not even generous, I gave him 20 dollars — for twenty years of propaganda to be removed from their mind. Just one day. Just one day. Because now you're thinking about who you're representing.

And I said to them — I swear to God, don't even put me in the same sentence as the people of Gaza. They are a million times better than us. They're giving their lives for their cause. Their resistance is on another level. We can't even resist sins in our lives.

Conclusion: Return to Allah

So the ghayah al-kubra — the greatest objective: Allah has not abandoned us. We have to ask ourselves, how many times have I abandoned Allah? But Allah was always there for me. Imagine if I start protecting His deen — how much more will He give me?

وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ