Footprints in the Sand: Lessons from the Pious | Muftī Azeemuddin Ahmed | 02/24

Opening Supplications

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. O Allah, send peace and blessings upon our Master Muhammad and upon the family of our Master Muhammad and bless and send peace.

O Allah, open my heart and ease my affairs. Remove the knot from my tongue so that they may understand what I say. Glory be to You, we have no knowledge except what You have taught us. You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

O Allah, teach us what benefits us. And benefit us with what You have taught us. And increase us in knowledge and action. O Allah, enlighten our hearts with Your knowledge. And use our bodies for obedience. O Allah, guide us to what You love. And accept my words, deeds, actions, intentions, and guidance. You are capable of everything.

The Fear of Wealth and Competition

Yesterday we were discussing the hadith of the Sahaba coming back from Bahrain with the spoils — or rather the jizya. And how Nabi ﷺ saw the excitement in the faces of the Sahaba, the Ansar. The Prophet ﷺ said, "I know what you've come here for." He didn't get upset at them. He did not get mad at them. But he explained to them that the khair and the goodness that they have today is not being affected by the lack of wealth. SubhanAllah. But that the wealth itself — the abundance of it — will cause problems.

We talked about that yesterday. The abundance of it. And we mentioned the fact that previous nations competed with one another until they were destroyed. And so this ummah will compete with one another and it will get destroyed. So the idea of the money being kept in the pocket and not in the heart.

Rasulullah ﷺ had been informed by Allah that his people would become extremely wealthy. However, there would be competition and fighting for this wealth. And whenever money becomes general and common in society, every person desires more and more. The result of this is that every person will become diverted from the object of his life, and will be engrossed in the objects of this world. Eventually they are destroyed in this process.

We see this daily with our own eyes. Wealthy people generally have no time to care about halal and haram, and no time even for the salah. Their only object is to get a better car, better home, more money, investments, and properties. The actual object of wealth was that one's necessities could be fulfilled. But now what has happened — it becomes a hobby, a craze. Like a drug that a person is chasing. Then a person becomes obsessed with it. This was the fear that the Prophet ﷺ had.

Yesterday I was reading one hadith, that Nabi ﷺ said that those who have a lot of wealth will all be destroyed. Abu Dharr asked, "Ya Rasulullah, who is going to be destroyed?" So the Prophet ﷺ said, "Those who have an abundance of wealth will be destroyed."

"Except for the one who is constantly giving — giving here, giving here, giving here. Continuously he is just spending it. He will be saved. But besides that, those who have abundance of wealth will be destroyed."

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6638; Sahih Muslim, Book 12, Hadith 157)

No one speaks like this. SubhanAllah. But this is something we have to constantly be reminding ourselves of. Like I gave you the example of wealth yesterday — I likened it to a certain type of medication. I said this is like chemo. It's a poison. It is beneficial when applied by the right person, to the right person, at the right time, in the right amount — it can be beneficial. Otherwise it can be fatal. Similarly, this is what Nabi ﷺ was teaching his sahaba.

The Prophet as Teacher: Winning Hearts Before Advising

How beautifully the Prophet ﷺ explained the point to the companions. He first smiled, pacified them, and then advised them. Many times we break the hearts of people when we try to correct them. How can water be poured into a glass once it's broken? A man breaks his wife's heart and then wants to fill love in there. Or a woman breaks her husband's heart and then wants to fill respect there. Therefore, first win over the hearts of one's spouses, children, students, and so forth.

Mawlana Thanwi, rahmatullahi alayhi, used to say: "When any person becomes my student, my first worry is not his reformation. My first concern is that my love must enter his heart — then he will accept whatever I say." SubhanAllah.

I was speaking to an experienced therapist, and he was explaining that there are so many different methods of therapy, and the purpose of therapy is to change behavior. He said there are many different types of therapy out there. Which one is best? Which one is most suited? They can have different opinions. There are different strengths in each one of them. However, he said, the most successful therapy is not based on the method used or which type is used. Rather, the most successful one will be in which the client — the patient — has built trust in the therapist. If that trust is built, Allahu Akbar, then whatever the therapeutic method used, it will be successful. And if trust is not built, then no matter what you use, it will not work.

May Allah grant myself and all of us tawfiq to be not only on the receiving end, but also on the giving end. When we want to change behavior, it's not about the style — it's about the relationship. Once the relationship is there, then everything will happen.

I met a salesperson recently in a store trying to sell me a cell phone. SubhanAllah, really very, very powerful marketing skills. I said, "Mashallah, you're really good at what you do. You're a great marketer." Then they asked me what I do. I said, "I'm a teacher." They said, "Oh, I was a teacher too. I taught for many years, and then things didn't work out — divorce, this, that — I needed to get some extra income." I was pretty sad that someone had to leave teaching to go sell cell phones. But that's the reality.

I said, "SubhanAllah, look at the connection between teaching and marketing. The purpose of a teacher is how to market the subject he is teaching, to make the topic interesting, and to make the students fall in love with the class. That is a successful teacher." The Prophet ﷺ was definitely النبي المعلم — the Nabi who was the best teacher.

"I have been sent as a teacher."

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 229)

The Hadith of the Hawd and the Prophet's Fear for His Ummah

Once the Prophet ﷺ left from Madinah and performed the Salatul Janazah — the way he performs on a recently deceased person — upon the people who had fallen at Uhud.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1344; Sahih Muslim, Book 7, Hadith 419)

Then the Prophet ﷺ ascended the pulpit and said:

"I am your predecessor, and I am going to be a witness upon you on the Day of Judgment."

"And I swear by Allah, I am now looking at my pond" — the Hawd-e-Kawthar.

"And I have been given the keys of the treasures of the earth."

"And by Allah, I am not afraid that after me you will worship other than Allah." I am not afraid that after I die you will become mushrik. I am not afraid about that.

"But I am afraid that you will start competing for the pleasures of the world." I am not worried about shirk — I am worried that you will start competing with one another for the pleasures of the world.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1344; Sahih Muslim, Book 31, Hadith 5930)

The Kashf of the Prophet and the Karama of 'Umar

Nabi ﷺ offered the janazah salah — this is like a du'a for the deceased. And when Nabi ﷺ said, "I am now looking at the pond," it means this is like a mukashafa, a kashf. Where Allah removes the veils, and the Prophet ﷺ was able to see the Hawd-e-Kawthar. This was one form of mi'raj. The physical form of mi'raj happened where the Prophet ﷺ ascended the heavens and so forth. But then there is another form of mi'raj where Rasulullah ﷺ ascends to the hereafter through vision without having actually traveled.

So it is possible for a person to have such visions. It is not specific to Prophets. Allah can remove the veils for a person and they can see things.

Umar radiyallahu anhu, the Sahabi, was giving the khutbah. And in the midst of his khutbah, he said:

"O Sariya, the mountain! The mountain!" At that time, Sariya radiyallahu anhu — who was hundreds of miles away in a battle — heard Umar's statement. When he heard الْجَبَلَ، الْجَبَلَ, he turned around to look at the mountain. And sure enough, the enemy was planning an ambush from behind.

Umar radiyallahu anhu was hundreds of kilometres away speaking, just as I am speaking to you now. Then Allah removed the veil for hundreds of kilometres, and he saw the battlefield in front of him — live, everything. He saw that they were so focused on looking ahead that the enemy was slowly creeping up from behind. So at that moment, Umar radiyallahu anhu said, "O Sariya, look at the mountain!"

When the expedition came to an end and this group came back, it became apparent that they had actually been able to hear the voice of Umar radiyallahu anhu. And what could have been defeat — alhamdulillah — Allah changed into victory.

So Umar radiyallahu anhu was not a prophet — he was a companion. But because he was such a staunch follower of Rasulullah ﷺ, Allah allowed what we call a karama. Not a mu'jiza — a mu'jiza is the miracle of a prophet. A karama is the miracle of a wali. Allah made it happen. So it is possible for a person to see things that are very far away. Allah can bring them close.

The World Was Created for Us — Not the Other Way Around

Allama Busayri, rahmatullahi alayhi, has beautifully stated: the mountains of Makkah Mukarramah could have been turned into gold for Rasulullah ﷺ. The one who had the most need for money was Rasulullah ﷺ — since he needed to spread the entire deen throughout the whole world until the Day of Judgment. SubhanAllah. However, there was none who remained as independent as Rasulullah ﷺ did in this world.

"How could the one for whom the world was created run after the world?" The world has been created for who? For us. How can we run after it? It is supposed to serve us. I am not supposed to be going after the servant — the servant is supposed to come and take care of me. The world is in need of him, not that he is in need of the world.

The Spirit Over the Structure: Lessons for Dini Work

SubhanAllah, a lot of times when we start thinking about a dini project — let's do something good, feed the poor, build some houses for the poor, teach some maktab or madrasa — our students, adults, mashallah, want to come forward. And the first thing they think of is: where does this dini work start? Fundraising, right? We have to first collect money. Not that I have to give — no, no. I have to collect from other people.

SubhanAllah, you are sitting nicely, giving everywhere, reading your Qur'an. Now you want to start something new. Then, as they say — put your money where your mouth is. First, you make sacrifice. Make a huge sacrifice. And then you will see how Allah will make things happen.

And I mean it, my beloved fathers, brothers, mothers, sisters — whoever you are listening. Understand this statement: in order for dini work to happen, it is not contingent on the abundance of material things. We have beautiful masjids — in size, small compared to what we have in America, so many big masjids. All these masjids put together, including Masjid al-Nabi where it stands today, Masjid al-Haram where it stands today — four and a half million, five million people praying. Can it equal the khair and goodness that came out of the Prophet's ﷺ masjid? That was a thatched roof. No windows, no doors, no lanterns. Dark after Maghrib. Just sand as the carpet, date palm trees as the roof, and date palm trunks as the pillars. That is all it was. The most makeshift thing you can imagine. But the whole world got lit up from there.

Structures do not do anything for us. We have to focus on the ruh and the spirit. What are we? We are not body — we are the ruh that is here. If the soul comes out, we are finished.

A brother mentioned someone who passed away recently. He said: make du'a for my uncle — he died. I said, how did he die? He said he was eating dinner at home with his wife. The wife went into the kitchen to grab a roti, some salt, water. Forty-five seconds — she comes back, and he is gone. Dead. Just like that. He was completely fine, eating, and she comes back and the soul had passed. Then another brother in the crowd said: your story hit me. He showed me a video — his friend's sister had passed away the same way, just last week. She was a government official in Africa, addressing people, thanking NGOs and humanitarian organizations for their efforts. Mashallah, she had an amazing smile. And as she was speaking, right there — she died. The soul came out. Finished.

As soon as you die, you lose your name. Your favorite t-shirt, your favorite jacket, your favorite ring, your favorite watch — all gone. You lose your name. Now you are called what? Janaza. The body. "Please move the body." You lose your name — what else have you got left?

We are not what we seem to be. We are actually soul. When you say you love someone, you do not love the body — you love the soul. When you say you dislike someone, you are disliking the soul, not the body. Similarly, the construction of infrastructure is the body — and the soul is what counts. What is the vision and mission of what you are trying to achieve? Is it rooted in proper principles? If that is the case, then Allah will make things happen without means.

Iman Fatigue — Not Donor Fatigue

I was speaking with a representative from one of the largest charities that collects online — like a GoFundMe type of organization, but for Muslims. He told me, just before Asr, that they are seeing a huge decrease in online funding, and institutions are reporting the same. Things are not going so well when it comes to giving. I agree — totally, that is how it is. But you have to understand what is the cause.

We have not seen a decrease in the weddings and the fanciness and the flashiness of cars. We have not seen a decrease in the number of over-the-top homes, over-the-top gadgets, and over-the-top cars that our communities are indulged in. Just six years ago, if I were to tell you that I want to give you chai and it is going to cost you $6, you would have said: What? How is it made? What are you talking about? $6 chai? But now that is the norm. And you get one small piece of cake, you are walking out the door $12 or $13 lighter. One cup of chai, one cup of coffee — $6, $7. A piece of cake — another $4, $5. Endless — there is no space to sit. You have to wait in line to get a chair. So the money is flowing. But where is it going? That is the question.

If a person thinks, "It is a downturn in the economy, people are not giving" — no, no, no. This is not called donor fatigue. This is called Iman fatigue. Donor fatigue — that word does not exist. Can you imagine? If anyone should have been fatigued, it would have been Abu Bakr radiyallahu anhu. "Ya Rasulullah, I have left Allah and His Rasul everything — I have got nothing left." Who? Find me one person in this entire world who has done like this, like Abu Bakr as-Siddiq. Can you imagine Abu Bakr saying, "Ya Rasulullah, really — you really want me to give again? I have got nothing at all."

That is how the people who give — they are like this. And then the sahaba would borrow to give. Even Rasulullah ﷺ did that. Nabi ﷺ was always generous. If someone needs money — Bismillah.

Khadijah radiyallahu anha praises the Prophet ﷺ: "Don't worry. Whatever is your experience with Jibril alayhis salam, don't worry. You are an amazing person. Why would Allah do anything to you but be nice to you?" And she mentions:

"Ya Rasulullah, you go earn money to provide for the one who does not have." Can you ever think about that? That you are actually going to go work to help somebody. Can you ever think: someone is sitting here without money — you wait, come back to me after Maghrib, let me go earn some money and give it to you.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3; Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 252)

So when we say "donor fatigue" — for Muslims, this word does not exist. It is like saying Tarawih fatigue, ibadah fatigue, fasting fatigue, Qur'an-reading fatigue. You see stuff like that? Someone is reading one khatm of the Qur'an a day — I was telling our brothers in the seven-day khatm happening in Shalimar tonight. Seven-day khatm does not mean you do seven days and then after that you do no more Tarawih. These boys — mashallah, young ulema, may Allah preserve them and protect them from all evil and continue to open the doors of goodness for them — after they finish the seven, they are going to start the next five-day khatm, three-day khatm, one-day khatm, seven-day khatm. They are not going to stop.

I just spoke to one young madrasa student today. I said, how much Qur'an do you read in a day? He said: 24 juz a day. Does that person say, "I am fatigued"? He says, alhamdulillah. I have yet to find one person who says, "I pray too much tahajjud, I am tired." Tahajjud, ibadah, dhikr, Qur'an — what does that give you? It gives you strength. The more you do it, the more you become stronger.

My own experience from years working in the Muslim community: the ones who write the big checks, the ones who swipe their cards — I have never heard this word from them. Who says it? The ones who don't give. They don't like the fact that they feel guilty when others are giving and they are not. So they have to utilize some word to make themselves feel not so bad. But the one who is giving — he is enjoying it. The one who is not giving — he feels uncomfortable. And you know why you feel pressure? Because you are not giving.

I am not telling you to compete with Abu Bakr as-Siddiq — though you can if you want to. But give something. If all of us attending any masjid, including Darul Salam, just gave the price of one chai every single day — honestly, this whole community will change. 500 people coming for Tarawih, if 500 people just give the equivalent of one tea that they purchase outside — that is all I am asking.

There will always be one or two individuals who — they say 20% carry 80%, but I think it is more like 5% or 6% carrying 95% of the burden. But to the rest — why not $5? Why this level of stinginess?

Separating Salah from Sadaqah is Not Islam

Someone shared with me today — and may Allah forgive me, I am just a straight shooter — they messaged me saying it is called "Free the Tarawih." "We come to Tarawih to pray, not to pay." This is complete nonsense. What deen is this that separates salah from zakah? Salah from sadaqah? This type of usage — what is it doing to the future generation? We are already so worried about our younger generation. Now you feed them these type of statements. What is it going to do to the future?

You and I — our elder generation is going to die after building these masjids. Who is going to run them? If this is the type of thinking you promote — all the non-profits that have been established, all the humanitarian organizations that the elders built 50 years ago — they are going to the grave. Who is going to run what they built?

The idea of pitting giving against praying is so dangerous, and we have to deconstruct it. It is very enjoyable to listen to the melodious tone of the qari sahib leading Tarawih — because you are not taking anything out of your pocket. You are not doing anything against your nafs. You are just swaying. "Wow, let's do another 20 rakaats!" It is so enjoyable. Take out $5 — it pinches. Take out $5 — it hurts.

So what is the deen? Deen is not about what makes you sway from side to side. Deen is about what pinches. That is what you need to do. $10 hurts you? Give the $10. $20 hurts you? Give that. Do what is against your nafs — not what is enjoyable. That is what the deen teaches us.

Fada'il al-Sadaqat and the True Sign of Stinginess

This whole section — فضائل الصدقات. I have shared this book before. The Urdu-speaking brothers probably already have it at home, and it is available in English translation as well. Fada'il al-Sadaqat of Sheikh Zakariyya Kandhlawi. It will change your life. It will change your wife's life. It will change your kids' lives. Read it. You will realize where we stand today — all this "donor fatigue" and "Tarawih hostage" talk — you will realize these are not the words of a believer.

What I mean by that — not that the one who says it is a disbeliever. Don't get me wrong. I mean: where is this secular thinking going? Kufr is secular. A believer does not speak like this. A believer understands that sadaqah, zakah, and giving are among the most essential parts of our deen. We cannot get akhirah, cannot get jannah, cannot get the pleasure of Allah without it. So a person should weep if he is not giving every day. And if you cannot give, then at least do tasbih, dhikr, and salawat on the Prophet ﷺ, and say: ya Allah, remove bukhul — remove stinginess — from me and from the entire crowd.

If you say sadaqah needs to stop — no. All the extras that we have: the extra leases, the loans, the insurances, the memberships — if you are going through a tough time, those are the first things you cut. But sadaqah is something we cannot cut.

One of the ulama mentioned — and it sounds strange at first — giving zakah is actually a sign of stinginess. What does that mean? Mawlana Yusuf rahmatullahi alayhi meant: the one who is giving zakah — why did zakah even become fard upon him? That means he has not given enough sadaqah. A believer should be making money and giving money — so much so that there is constant production and flow. As they say about the store that is running well — there is always fresh chicken, fresh chai, because it is being sold. That is how a believer should be. No stagnation in his bank account. Money comes in, money goes out.

The fact that we have to give zakah means there is too much sitting there. SubhanAllah. If we cannot be at that level, at least give our zakah. That is the basic. Calculate your zakah properly — for every past year and this year — and give 100% of it. We are not doing a favour on anybody.

And after that — small amounts. $100, $5. You can sign up for $5 a day. We already have 6 days of Ramadan gone. From tonight — just sign up, wherever. $5 a night, $10 a night, based on your ability. We do not know which night Allah will accept it. Automate it. Or go get cash from the bank in small bills. And mashallah, based on your capacity — if $20 is your ability to give every day, mashallah. If $50, if $10, if $1 — no problem. My beloved fathers, brothers, sisters, daughters of the ummah. But just give. Give every day, give somewhere.

This is the only way we can properly get rid of the attachment we have to this world — by proving it to Allah that: ya Allah, I am going to give in Your name and I am not going to hoard.

Closing: Compete in the Akhirah, Not the Dunya

This is the section where we are talking about Rasulullah ﷺ explaining to his sahaba his fear — that what will happen afterwards is that people will compete with one another in dunya, in material things. "I am not worried about you committing shirk — I am worried that you will start competing with one another for the pleasures of the world."

The sahaba were people who competed with one another in giving. May Allah make our masjid, and all of our masajid, and all of our musalliyyeen, such that they compete with one another only in matters of akhirah — and in matters of dunya, do not look at one another at all. Who cares who has what home, who cares who has what car? Let us see how much we are giving for the sake of Allah.

May Allah create this spirit of competition within us. May Allah allow sakha' and generosity to fill our hearts, and the hearts of our loved ones, our spouses, and our children. May Allah cure us all of the horrible diseases of stinginess and miserliness.

وَصَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالَى عَلَى خَيْرِ خَلْقِهِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ

InshAllah, please head downstairs and we will begin our du'a.