The Potential of Every Human- Mufti Abdullah Nana

The Potential of Every Human

By Mufti Abdullah Nana — Mill Valley, California

Alhamdulillah, we have a guest speaker today, Mufti Abdullah Nana from Mill Valley, California, visiting us inshallah to give the Jumu'ah khutbah, the talk as well as the khutbah and the salah. Mufti Abdullah Nana is a graduate from Darul Ulum Azadville in South Africa and masha'Allah he is running a madrasa in California and he is also well known for his efforts in the field of halal and zabiha. He is visiting for a course he is teaching this weekend in Darul Hikmah regarding aqeedah, so we are blessed with the opportunity to benefit from him in the Jumu'ah inshallah. JazakAllah khair.

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Rahim. Alhamdulillah bil 'alameen, was-salatu was-salamu 'ala khalilil akreem, wa 'ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma'een.

Allah-Given Talents and Abilities

Allah has created each human being with unique, Allah-given talents and abilities. And this is one of the ways in which Allah has distinguished human beings from the rest of the creation. We have that higher level of intelligence and we are able to do things in an advanced way which normal animals cannot do. And each human being has a unique skill set, a unique ability which Allah has given them.

If we look around within our friends circle, if we look around within our families, we will see some people have astounding memories, some people are extremely good at math, others are born leaders — they are movers and shakers, they get things done. Other people are extremely athletic, they can dunk a ball on a 10-foot rim. Other people are born writers. Each person has been given different abilities and each person has some special field or some special talent which Allah has given them.

And the real test for all of us is: what do we do with these abilities and talents and how do we put them to good use? How do you optimize these talents? How do you unlock that potential and how do you put it to good use?

I vividly remember a few years ago that a great gathering of Islam was taking place. 3,000–4,000 Muslims from all over the world were gathering in one place. They were discussing different issues. During the break we happened to go to a supermarket and in front of that supermarket there was a Muslim brother who was protesting the fact that rats were found inside of the supermarket. My point is — yes, there should be some health codes, there should be some level of hygiene in a supermarket — but you as a Muslim, your whole time and energy spent protesting in front of a store? You are meant for greater causes and you have a higher objective for coming into this world. So again the point is: how to put these Allah-given talents to optimal use.

Yes, there are different ways we can use them, but how can we put them to optimal use? And more specifically, as we understand how we can put these Allah-given talents to serving the deen of Allah, to benefiting mankind and in giving back to the community — this is where we will get the maximum benefit. This is where we'll get the maximum reward for the hereafter.

The Hadith of the Mine

And Rasulullah ﷺ in a hadith alluded towards this hidden potential found in human beings:

That each one of us is like a mine. Some mines have gold inside of them. Some mines have silver. Some mines have oil. Some mines have different precious metals. So how can we extract those minerals? How can we extract that potential? And how can we put it to good use?

Rasulullah ﷺ explains that the best people before Islam are also the best people who accept Islam. The best people before Islam turn out to be the best of Muslims. You get in what you put in — whatever good qualities a person has before accepting Islam, those will remain with them and those will grow as he accepts Islam.

And we can say that the Prophets, the Anbiya 'alayhimus-salam, and Rasulullah ﷺ would specifically look for ways to utilize and harness those abilities and put them into the service of deen — how every single human being can serve the deen of Allah, can worship Allah, recognize Allah, and use those abilities for the sake of Islam.

Khalid ibn Walid and the Letter of the Prophet

Let's go back in time to Sulh al-Hudaybiyyah — the Umrat al-Qada'. We're going back to Umrat al-Qada', the time in Islamic history when Rasulullah ﷺ and his companions were given permission for three days to enter Makkah and to perform Umrah — that Umrah which they were not able to perform the previous year.

If you look in the books of Sirah, you'll find details given of this trip. And specifically, as Rasulullah ﷺ reaches Makkah, he performs his Umrah and he starts asking around. This is for us to understand that mindset of looking for good in people, looking for potential and abilities within the youth, looking for good and potential in others, and looking for ways to bring that good and potential to light.

Before Rasulullah ﷺ asked the question, let us find out about the individual regarding whom he asked. So he said, when he got to Makkah, he asked: where is Khalid ibn Walid?

Respected friends, the brother of Khalid ibn Walid at that point was one of the first people to accept Islam and he was a close follower of Rasulullah ﷺ. And who is Khalid ibn Walid? At that point he was one of the greatest enemies of Islam who had caused great pain to Rasulullah ﷺ. As we know, in the Battle of Uhud, he single-handedly was responsible for over 80 Sahabah becoming shaheed. In many battles — the Battle of Badr, the Battle of Uhud — this was an individual who had spent great energy fighting against Islam and trying to wipe Islam off from the face of the earth.

But even then, Rasulullah ﷺ was worried about him becoming guided, was worrying about his hereafter. When he came to Makkah, he asked, "Where is Khalid?" They told him, "Khalid's gone, he's far away from here." And the fact of the matter was that at that point in time, Khalid ibn Walid didn't want to see the Muslims — he went away from Makkah purposely so that he does not have to see the Muslims coming in.

At the same time, respected friends, it's also important we understand that Khalid ibn Walid is recognized universally as one of the greatest generals in the history of the world — not only in Islam, but in the history of the world. Even non-Muslims widely recognize him. You'll find certain video games in which he is featured because of his achievements in history. They say about him that in history he never lost a battle, before Islam or after Islam. We're not talking about a video game here, we're not talking about some fake reality or some fantasy — we're talking about real life. Before Islam and after Islam, Khalid ibn Walid never lost a battle. There may be tactical draws, but he never lost a battle.

And let's see — looking at the audience — when Khalid ibn Walid defeated the two greatest superpowers in the world at that time, the Persian Empire and the Roman Empire, can anyone give us a guess of what his age was at that time? Around the time when Khalid ibn Walid took on the two greatest superpowers of the world, what was his age? Around 49 years old. Just a young 49 years old.

So respected friends, if we stop and pause at Umrat al-Qada' — Khalid ibn Walid is one of the greatest enemies of Islam, it seems there's no hope for him accepting Islam, he's already taken up arms and fought against Rasulullah ﷺ in battles. And yet at that point, Rasulullah ﷺ sends a brief letter to Khalid ibn Walid. The contents of the letter have been recorded for us in Hayat al-Sahabah and other books of hadith.

So how did Rasulullah ﷺ address Khalid ibn Walid? Looking for the good in people, looking to use them for good. Ya Khalid:

(Recorded in Hayat al-Sahabah of Muhammad Yusuf al-Kandahlawi, and referenced in various books of Sirah)

These are the three brief sentences which Rasulullah ﷺ sent to Khalid ibn Walid:

O Khalid, how is someone so intelligent like you still oblivious and ignorant of Islam? O Khalid, use your intelligence. How can someone like you not see the beauty of Islam in front of you? O Khalid, you're very intelligent — I expected more from you, in other words. You're a very intelligent person. Use the intelligence which Allah has given you.

Thereafter, Rasulullah ﷺ says: O Khalid, if you were to put your talents and your ferocity — نِكَايَة — if you were to put your ferocity and military prowess and your ability to the service of Islam, this would be better for you. Reconsider your stance towards Islam, reconsider where you are. And Rasulullah ﷺ also says: O Khalid, if you were to put your ability to the service of Islam, then we would recognize that as well. We would put you ahead of others. We would recognize your status.

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4842)

And we would give you the status which you deserve. So in a nutshell, this was the meaning of the message of the letter which Rasulullah ﷺ sent to Khalid ibn Walid.

Respected friends, there are a lot of lessons which we can learn from this letter. How to approach our fellow Muslim brothers, how to approach the youth, how to approach other human beings — looking for the good in everyone. Every human being has some good in them. Every human being has some unique talents and abilities which Allah has given them. And we should be looking for ways, we should be brainstorming on how we can harness those abilities, how we can optimize the usage of those abilities and how we can put them to the best service possible — the service of the deen of Allah.

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud and the Singer Zadan

Another story, also from the time of the companions of Rasulullah ﷺ. This incident is recorded in Kitab al-Tawwabeen of Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi. A very unique story and there is a great lesson in it as well.

We are referring to Kufa — in modern-day Iraq, not too far away from Baghdad. At the time of the Sahabah, many companions of Rasulullah ﷺ settled down in Kufa and lived there. Specifically, Umar ibn al-Khattab said: "O people of Kufa, I have given preference to you over myself by sending Abdullah ibn Mas'ud to you as a teacher." It is mentioned that after Abdullah ibn Mas'ud came to Kufa, within a short period of time he had over 4,000 students and students of students. This is the effort he made on the people of Kufa in teaching them about Islam and educating them.

So one day, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud is walking down the street of Kufa. It just so happened — the equivalent of what we would call a Muslim rock group. The lead singer, his name is Zadan, and him and his band are busy playing their music. So they're sitting there, playing their musical instruments, and this Zadan, he is singing. As they're busy with their musical instruments, Abdullah ibn Mas'ud passes by.

Respected friends — it is looking at the positive. Rasulullah ﷺ and the companions looking for good in people, looking for ways to encourage people:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 69; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1734)

Rasulullah ﷺ says: give glad tidings, encourage people — don't chase them away, don't create nafrat. Make things easy for people, don't make things difficult for people.

And you can well imagine right now, if we were to hear a Muslim rock group coming in or a famous Muslim musician, how would we react? And how would the companions of Rasulullah ﷺ react?

So Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, as he walks by, he doesn't walk in and rebuke them. He doesn't walk in and break their musical instruments. He doesn't walk in and say anything negative. He just says one sentence. He hears them playing their music, he says one sentence and keeps walking.

What was that sentence Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said? He said — giving credit where credit is due: "What a beautiful voice. If only that voice would be put to the recitation of the Holy Qur'an." That's all he says. He doesn't get in anyone's face. He doesn't go in and start a fight. He doesn't go in and try to convince them. He makes a positive statement: "What a beautiful voice. If only that voice could be put to the recitation of Qur'an."

So as he walks by, Zadan and his friends recognize that this great companion of Rasulullah ﷺ has just walked by. They say Abdullah ibn Mas'ud was so close to Rasulullah ﷺ that people thought he was part of Rasulullah's family. And he was given open permission to visit Rasulullah ﷺ whenever he wanted. That's how close he was.

So when Abdullah ibn Mas'ud walks by, Zadan asks his friends: "What did Abdullah ibn Mas'ud say about me? What did he say about us?" His friends relay the message — that Abdullah ibn Mas'ud said: "What a beautiful voice. If only that voice could be put to the recitation of Qur'an."

Hearing this, Zadan leaves his friends and comes to Abdullah ibn Mas'ud. He puts himself in front of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud and says: "O Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, can Allah love someone like me?" And Abdullah ibn Mas'ud grabs him, hugs him and tells him: "Allah loves someone like you."

So this same Zadan, respected friends — the same Zadan coming from his background in music — he leaves everything and he becomes a student of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud. And today, respected friends, if you look at the books of biographies of the people of Iraq, you'll find the name Zadan listed there as a scholar of hadith. He went and studied Islam and he did end up serving Islam just as Abdullah ibn Mas'ud had predicted. He ended up serving Islam and he ended up becoming a scholar of Islam.

Living Up to Our Potential

So the point is: each one of us, Allah has created us differently. Each one of us has some skill set, each one of us is unique in our own ways. Yes, we may have secular jobs, we may have secular education which we are pursuing, but really we should look for ways to give back to the community. We should look for ways to serve Islam for the rest of our lives.

And in particular there is one verse of the Holy Qur'an which really can be our slogan, our motto for life. In fact, it's a message for everyone — it's a message for Rasulullah ﷺ and it's a message for every Muslim. And it summarizes this discussion in a very beautiful way.

Allah tells Rasulullah ﷺ: say that "O Allah, everything I have is for You — my bodily worship, my sacrifice, my living and my dying — all is for Allah." And we say: we belong to Allah and to Allah will we return. That's why we hear: our health, our wealth, our bodies are not ours — Allah has given them to us. And Allah will see how we use our health, our wealth and our bodies. Did we use them to serve the deen of Allah? Did we use them to worship Allah? Or did we use them for other things?

And here in general, the scholars explain different levels — even earning a livelihood is part of serving the deen of Allah. Earning a livelihood, taking care of our family and responsibilities — that is also considered. But the travesty and the tragedy would be that these talents go to waste. As they say, a mind is a terrible thing to waste. A life is a terrible thing to waste.

So imagine a person having the greatest of talents. Imagine a diamond in the rough. Imagine the next Salahuddin Ayyubi. Imagine the next great scholar of Islam. Imagine the next Khalid ibn Walid. But imagine that life being wasted playing video games. Imagine that life being wasted on useless things. This is the concern we should have — how every single human being can live to their potential, how every single human being can worship Allah, how every single human being can give back to the community and serve mankind as a whole.

The Challenge of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq

Respected friends — where is the next ruler of Islam? Where is the next Salahuddin Ayyubi? Where is the next great person? They say every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. Many of us, if you look at us 15–20 years ago, we were not in a position — many of us were not even very religious. We had what we call J-days — Jahiliyyah days. As the person says, straight out of Jahiliyyah, straight out of the days of ignorance. People have a past. Every saint has a past.

So the point is: perhaps the next great leader of Islam, perhaps the next great scholar of Islam, perhaps the next great general of Islam — maybe right now he is sitting in school, maybe right now he is sitting in a club, maybe she is sitting right now in some other place. How do we harness that talent, how do we bring that person back, and how do we make an effort on them?

So I will end on this quote of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq in which he gave a general challenge to all of us and to our Muslim females in particular, to our Muslim mothers in particular. I highly recommend, respected friends — read a biography of Khalid ibn Walid. You will be amazed, you won't be able to put the book down. The Sword of Allah by General A.I. Akram is an excellent and inspiring book.

So when Abu Bakr al-Siddiq received the news of the conquest of Khalid ibn Walid — the fact that he took on the two greatest superpowers of his time — when he hears of Qadisiyyah, when he hears of Yarmouk, when he hears of Ajnadayn and the other conquests and victories of Khalid ibn Walid — he makes a statement. He says:

"O mothers — are you unable to give birth to someone like Khalid ibn Walid? Are you unable to give birth to someone like Khalid ibn Walid?"

A general challenge which he issued to all of us.

Conclusion

So respected friends — in summary, every one of us is unique. We have our commitments, we have our jobs, we have different occupations and different aspects of our lives. But the one thing which we can do is at least make this pledge with Allah and make that intention with Allah that we want to serve the deen of Allah. If we have a degree, if we have a skill set, if we have a certain ability — let's do our best to use it to serve the deen of Allah. Let's do our best to use it to give back to the community. And let's do our best to use our health, our wealth, our bodies — everything we have — to serve the deen of Allah till we pass away.

As one of the elders says: this is something you do right till the end of your life — serve the deen of Allah, give back to the community, go on the path of Allah and encourage others. And look for those diamonds in the rough, look for those hidden jewels in the Muslim community which are out there.

May Allah give us tawfeeq to put it into practice. May Allah use us all for the service of His deen. May Allah use us all as a means of guidance for others. And may Allah make us all rightly guided.