Reflect & Connect | Surah Ahqaf - Ep.03 - Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed | 01/28

Opening & Intention

Please be mindful of those who might be still completing the sunnah and come forward. Insha'Allah, let's all sit as close as possible. Sisters as well, we encourage those in the sisters' prayer hall to sit away from the walls.

Let's try our best to sit next to each other. If we've got something to write with, alhamdulillah, that's best. And let's gather together with a proper intention and niyyah that we're here to benefit ourselves and listen with the intention of practicing the good that we hear, and propagating it to others as well.

Allah Azza wa Jalla, as some ulama have mentioned, makes a decision of whether a person — and to what degree a person will be able to practice on what he's listening — based on the etiquette with which he listens. So the more etiquette we show to what we're listening, and the more focus we have, and the more desire we have to practice on any good that we ever hear, insha'Allah, Allah will open up the doors for us to practice on it. If a person doesn't listen with that proper intention, then unfortunately he may be deprived of benefiting from what he may hear.

Instead, that knowledge may end up becoming a burden against that individual. It's not sufficient to just gain knowledge, but beneficial knowledge is that knowledge which motivates a person to practice on it.

I ask Allah Azza wa Jalla that He allows us all to benefit tremendously from whatever we hear and share today. I ask Allah Azza wa Jalla that He allows our words that we listen to and that we share to become a means of answering our questions, removing our doubts, and become a means of rejuvenating iman in our hearts. I ask Allah Azza wa Jalla that He not make the knowledge that we gain and that we share a proof against us, but He make it a proof for us. I ask Allah Azza wa Jalla that whatever issues any one of us are going through in our own personal lives — our personal issues, our physical issues, our psychological issues, our financial issues, our familial issues, whatever issues there may be of this world or the next — I ask Allah Azza wa Jalla that He allow our coming here to become a means of removal of those difficulties in our lives. And we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that He not hold us accountable for the mistakes and the sins that we have done in the past. And may Allah Azza wa Jalla not make those sins a means of our deprivation from the barakat and the blessings of the Qur'an. Ameen.

Surah Al-Ahqaf — The Testimony of the Witness from Bani Israel

Allah Azza wa Jalla mentions: Say to the disbelievers, have you considered your fate? If this Qur'an is indeed from Allah and you disbelieved in it, what would happen if — contrary to what you have been preaching your whole life — you find that all the promises of the Qur'an are actually true, and truly the Qur'an is the book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and that you are now faced on the Day of Judgment in front of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? What are you going to do at that time?

وَكَفَرْتُمْ بِهِ — And you have disbelieved in it.

وَشَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِّن بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ عَلَى مِثْلِهِ — Indeed, a witness from amongst the Children of Israel has already borne witness to you عَلَى مِثْلِهِ — of its resemblance. Meaning that the Qur'an resembles in its injunctions the commandments and tidings of the Torah, because they both have come from the same source.

فَآمَنَ وَاسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ — Whereupon he believed in it, while you have grown arrogant against it and did not believe in the Book of Allah.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ — Indeed, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does not guide the wrongdoing people.

So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is telling the Prophet ﷺ to speak to the mushrikeen of Makkah and those who disbelieve in the Qur'an, who say that this is سِحْرٌ مُبِينٌ — that this is open, clear sorcery and magic.

أَرَأَيْتُمْ — Have you considered that if this Qur'an, which has been revealed upon me and you are disbelieving it, if it happens to be true, what are you going to say about it?

شَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ — The witness from the Children of Israel. One opinion is that Musa ibn Imran alayhi s-salam is mentioned here. The witness from Bani Israel who has said that the Qur'an and the Torah have similar commands, and that they are from the same Lord. This is Musa alayhi s-salam bearing witness to that.

And that this is the true book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that will come — as also mentioned regarding Isa alayhi s-salam:

And a messenger will come after him by the name of Ahmad. Isa alayhi s-salam gave glad tidings of a prophet and a nabi that was going to come, whose name would be Ahmad. The previous prophets gave the glad tidings of a nabi that was going to come later on. This is the status of our beloved Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — that the previous prophets also informed their nations to believe in the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

And some have said that this شَهِدَ شَاهِدٌ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ was revealed regarding Abdullah ibn Salam. Others have disagreed with that. Those who say it is incorrect argue because Abdullah ibn Salam was a Jewish scholar who accepted Islam and then gave witness to it. Others have said that this ayah is a Makki ayah, and Abdullah ibn Salam accepted Islam in Madinah.

So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions the fact that the person who is testifying about the veracity of the Qur'an is believing in it — even though he may not be from the time of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He is believing that this is going to be a true book that is coming afterwards. You are seeing it with your own eyes being revealed onto the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, yet you don't believe in it. اسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ.

And then in the verse, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions that those who are sinful and who are oppressors, Allah Azza wa Jalla does not guide them. Meaning a person himself, through his own actions, closes the door of guidance upon himself.

Zulm and Its Effect on Guidance

When we look at people around us and we say, how do I stay on the right path? And how do I protect myself from being misguided? One of the answers is: do not oppress anyone, and do not oppress yourself. Oppressing ourselves means committing such sins which will make us — Allah forbid — the fuel of Jahannam. When a person commits zulm against others, and a person oppresses himself, then he deprives himself from guidance.

Humility in front of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is one of the key ways to ensure that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's rahmah, insha'Allah, will come to us. When a person is humble, when a person is showing his need for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — as long as a person shows his need, and shows that there is no other door he is knocking on besides Allah Azza wa Jalla's — Allah Azza wa Jalla will definitely open that door. But zulm is something, amongst many other sins, which deprives a person from gaining Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's guidance.

The Arrogance of the Disbelievers — Surah Al-Ahqaf, Ayah 11

وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا — Moreover, the disbelievers said to the believers: لَوْ كَانَ خَيْرًا — Had this faith been truly good, then they who are inferior to us — meaning the believers — مَا سَبَقُونَا إِلَيْهِ — would not have preceded the eminent amongst us to believe in it.

وَإِذْ لَمْ يَهْتَدُوا بِهِ — Indeed, since they are not blessed to be guided by it, they will continue to say of the Qur'an: فَسَيَقُولُونَ هَذَا إِفْكٌ قَدِيمٌ — This is but an old fabrication.

So the disbelievers are crying sour grapes. This is the dunya. Imagine what is going to happen in the akhirah. Because the sour grapes — they don't realize right now what a blessing iman is.

But when someone says, why aren't you a Muslim? Or why aren't you doing what the Muslims are doing? What is their response? There's nothing good about this faith. Look at the words that nowadays are being used by members of political clout: "Islam is the cancer." "Arabic is the language of the enemy." And so many other types of such sentences are being mentioned by people in leadership.

We are the billionaires. We are the powerful oligarchs. We have everything. If Islam was any good, we would be the first ones to have it. How could it be possible that someone besides us has Islam, who are all inferior to us? This is the mindset. The mindset is: if we don't have it, it can't be good. Because every good thing, we bought it. They feel that money buys everything. So if Islam was good and it was up for sale, we would have bought it all out. But since we don't have it, since we hadn't purchased Islam, that means this stock has no value. But why doesn't it have value? Because I didn't buy it.

So they regard themselves as the ones who set the prices for everything. If something is not in my bank account, if something is not in my portfolio, then it cannot be worthwhile. Because if it was, I would have bought it. So Islam — this is the way they are responding to any aspects of the beauty of Islam. Unfortunately, this is the level of arrogance. Arrogance — this is what ruins it. This is what leads to atheism. This is what leads to everything — arrogance. When a person feels like, I don't need Allah.

The Fitrah — Every Person Recognizes a Need for Allah

Someone was recently saying: deep down, everyone recognizes the need for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. I was speaking interestingly, in one of my travels, sitting next to a British naval officer. He was telling me — he had served in the Balkans, in Bosnia and Serbia in the 90s. He said, things got tight, we had some very rough times.

We were speaking about clergy and imams. Interestingly, he said, every naval ship has an imam on it. And all of their soldiers at every base have access to imams and all other clergy as well. And he said, subhanAllah, they have a rule in the army — in the British forces — that clergy are at the level of the person they are speaking to. You know, there is a very clear hierarchy within the armed forces. You can speak to someone below you, someone at your level, but you cannot go and give nasiha and advice to someone who is higher than you in rank.

He said, but for clergy they have it such that clergy are automatically upgraded to the level of whoever they are speaking to. SubhanAllah. So if they are speaking to a general, they are now at the level of a general. Speaking to a lieutenant, they are at the level of a lieutenant. Why? So that they should have access to anyone and everyone on the base, anyone and everyone on the ship. Because all of them go through trouble.

And so I said, oh, so tell me what happens? He said, even the strongest of men — when you're getting shelled at, when you're getting shot at, when your ship is sinking — he said, I saw it. They all remember God. Everyone is thinking about God. Everyone is thinking about some higher force. And they are traumatized by the losses they are incurring. And they need God in that specific weakness that they are going through. And that is the level of respect we have for clergy — whether an imam or a Christian priest — that these are people who will be able to give you something to handle the difficulty you are going through. SubhanAllah.

So this is the fitrah of the human being — that he needs someone to guide him. But it is like the child who says, I don't need mom and dad. Even a little kid, even a five-year-old says that. I'm upset, you didn't buy me my lollipop, I'm walking away from you in the store. And they walk away. But after two minutes, they start looking around, seeing all these new faces. Someone says, hey, where are you going? And then they all of a sudden realize, oh my God, I'm in trouble. I don't know where to go from here. This person is getting mad at me. Immediately starts screaming and crying. But you're the one who ran away. Why are you screaming now? Go. Be my guest. But what happened to the little kid? He starts screaming and crying, missing his mom.

And he gets so upset — how you left me? But I didn't leave you, you're the one who left. So this is how human beings are. We say we don't need Allah. Allah says, go, let's see how far you go. Run, see how far you run.

There is no place to hide, no place to run from Allah, except by going right back to Allah. So this is our arrogance — from a five-year-old to a fifty-year-old, we think we've got it. And then, as our ustadh would say: you won't find an atheist on a sinking ship. When the ship is sinking, who are you going to scream to? You have to scream out to someone as you're drowning. You have to say God or something. So that's where the haqiqah comes out — the reality — that deep down you had this all along.

The Rise of Atheism and How to Deal with Waswasa

So today, this fire of atheism and agnosticism that is spreading in our community — left and right, every day we hear of a new one leaving Islam. In reality, in the old days they would handle it differently. But now they have a platform for this verbal diarrhea — just saying, oh, God doesn't exist, this thing is nonsense. He knows — it's just khabasat, evil within himself — to say, I don't want to listen to anyone. Manmani — I want to listen to my nafs. So I'll just say, I don't believe in God, khalas. You all go for Isha and pray Fajr, you all fast, you all do whatever you want. I don't want to. And then you guilt-trip me — oh, what is Allah going to do to you? So I don't want to get guilt-tripped. I don't want to feel bad. Hence, I'll just say I'm not a Muslim. This is the logic.

Honestly, it's a spiritual issue. Shaytan puts waswasa all the time. He'll put waswasa that Allah doesn't exist, that this is not true. We say:

We make lots of dua, istighfar, pray two rakat salah, and move on. Go to sleep. InshAllah, in the morning wake up fresh. Like restarting your computer, restarting your phone — it's a great reset. So this waswasa, inshAllah by the will of Allah, will go away. But not to sit there and take that waswasa and say, oh yeah, waswasa, come, come, come. Let me add some spices in here. Let me cook you nicely. Let me make some broth out of this. To take that waswasa and to raise it up and add more stuff to it — I read this, I read that. Well, then we are shooting ourselves in the leg. We are causing the problem ourselves.

SubhanAllah — one time, many years ago, I had this type of waswasa as well. And I went to one scholar and said, please help me, I'm going through a waswasa. This was already after I had graduated. SubhanAllah, you know, this is the ajeeb thing about the shuyukh — the Allah-wale awliya. The way he dismissed my waswasa: he said,

Completely disregarded. Go, go, go. He said it so harshly — it felt like he wasn't speaking to me, he was speaking to the shaytan. And honestly, the way he belittled it and just said — hit! Like that. To that waswasa. I genuinely felt something leaving me. Like that thing was just, what am I doing? Because I was crying. I was under a lot of stress. I was under immense stress because this waswasa had become so strong in the past few hours — or twelve hours, whatever it was. And subhanAllah, when he just belittled it and said, أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ — and just, leave it — it was exactly what I needed to hear at that time.

Now, if you and I say that to someone, we're not ruhani spiritual people. He might think that you're making fun of him, or belittling him — not his waswasa, belittling him — and that's going to cause even bigger problems. So I wouldn't recommend you doing it like this. But my point is: awliyaullah are different. The friends of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — their silence is more powerful than our speech. Their getting upset is more powerful than our pat on the back. There's so much ruhaniyat in that.

So the issue that we are faced with now — this continuous wasawis and people wanting to leave Islam — understand that this is a real, serious spiritual problem. One comedian — I mentioned this before in tafsir many years ago — subhanAllah, sometimes comedians are able to say things that no one else is able to say and be spot on. So one comedian was mentioning, why do we have so many people with crazy ideas today? And he said it goes back to the internet. You have rooms on the internet, chat rooms, and special spaces on Reddit, for anyone. And he was just mentioning a guy — let's say a fifty-year-old who is still playing with video games, and he has all sorts of problems. And he said, instead of taking him to treatment, to a proper clinic or hospital, he now has a support group online that validates his new identity. And he has an annual conference in Las Vegas that he can attend with fellow people like him. Get it?

SubhanAllah, it's so true. Someone has a feeling for same gender — you find a thousand websites supporting you. Someone says I'm a cat — a thousand people support you. Someone says, I don't change my socks as quickly as I change my gender — and there's someone supporting that. Whatever you want, Google it, you'll find a support group. Validation. Validates what you've got. It's your identity. Live up to your own identity. Be authentic to your nafs. To shaytan and nafs. Astaghfirullah.

Our deen teaches the opposite. The Sahaba said to Rasulullah ﷺ — Ya Rasulullah ﷺ, there are sometimes such thoughts that come to us that we would rather be flung into the fire than utter those things. And the Prophet ﷺ said: that is clear iman. So if one of you sitting here has some horrible thoughts — stop Googling it. Stop searching. Stop saying, this is my new identity because I think like this. No. Go to your local masjid, pray two rakat salah, give sadaqah, beg Allah Azza wa Jalla for forgiveness, fast. And in the next two or three days you will be okay. Don't tell your mom what you're thinking in that way. Say, Mom, Dad, I need dua. I'm going through a little difficulty, make dua that Allah Azza wa Jalla clears up my mind. That's how you're supposed to deal with the situation. Not to sit there and feed the waswasa until it becomes a big monster.

We have to teach ourselves and our kids how to deal with waswasa. Alhamdulillah — the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 5112; also referenced in Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 244)

All praise belongs to Allah, who has reduced shaytan's plotting and planning down to nothing more than a waswasa. Shaytan does not have the ability to stab you with a knife, force you, or put a gun to your head and say, say this. What he does have the ability to do is give you waswasa. And yes, waswasa gets strong — but you have to fight back.

So if a person has a waswasa of same-gender attraction, or gender dysphoria, or anything else — Allah has given us willpower, Allah has given us strength, and then Allah has given us adhkar, wudu, Qur'an, Surah al-Baqarah, the last four quls, Ayatul Kursi, awliya and righteous people, sitting in their majlis and going visiting them. Alhamdulillah — all of these can erase these types of things.

Shaitanism on the Rise

I think the main crux of the issue right now is that everyone feels like, whatever comes to my mind, I need to be frank and open and share it, and then after that you need to shake your head and validate and say it's okay. No, it can't happen like that. Yes, if there is a waswasa and a doubt based on an actual thing you read, and an objection has come into your mind about Islam, you may ask about it — I'm confused about this verse of the Qur'an, I'm confused about this hadith, I'm confused about this aspect of the Sahaba, or whatever. Okay, we can ask. Because the goal is that you're trying to get somewhere — I want an answer. But if you just say, I have a waswasa and I want to leave Islam, we can't find answers for that. But if you say, I'm confused about this issue, then we can find answers for that.

Because of the internet, people searching on Reddit and YouTube and elsewhere, that is leading to a lot more confusion. One of the key things I also mentioned two weeks ago is that our children and ourselves need to have this journey — intellectually understanding why Islam is true — and it should happen at home. There was a course held here in Chicago last year, by the Basira organization — "Why Islam is True." SubhanAllah, this was a weekend course over the summer for high school students. And they gave out Amazon gift cards for anyone who completed the course. And I thought, what a great investment. What a great way to use our resources. Because the kids are not coming on their own — fine, give even $200. Just come and take this course. One father was saying, my son was absolutely not interested, but through the Amazon incentive, he came in. But he said, subhanAllah, by the end of it, he completely changed. He actually benefited so much.

That part is really important — why am I a Muslim? I know the answer. Instead of going on your soul-searching when you get to college in a philosophy class 2,000 miles away from home. One Mawlana was telling me, subhanAllah, the type of clubs they have in college — one of them is occult sciences, Satanism being taught right on campus. I was shocked when he was telling me what is being taught in the university campus by someone who presents themselves as the most accomplished Satanist in the city. He's coming and teaching after hours in student clubs, with twenty-five students sitting there.

So Mawlana said, I want to go see what this is. He went. And it was wild. And when he went up to this person and said, are you atheist? Do you disbelieve in God? The man said, no. Of course not. He said, we are theists of the highest order. We totally believe in God and we totally hate God. He said, we cannot hate Him if we don't believe in Him. We genuinely believe He exists, and then we hate Him to the core. He says, our goal is to make sure we disobey Him as much as possible. Because — and this is them speaking — Iblis was the only one who had the guts to stand up to Him. So he got burnt, made into a scapegoat. He suffered on behalf of all.

And then Mawlana put to him this very ayah of Allah:

What happens if this all came from Allah? What can happen on the Day of Judgment? So he asked him: what happens if, actually, Allah is true? You say He exists. But on the Day of Judgment, you actually see Iblis is not sitting on the throne — it's Allah sitting on the throne. And Iblis is being sent to hell. How are you going to handle that?

And he said: I would rather spend my entire life worshiping Iblis, disobeying God, and then go to hell forever, rather than leading a life of slavery to God. I would rather be a slave to Shaytan in this world and then burn in hell for eternity. Because I know what I did was the right thing. Doesn't it sound like Iblis speaking himself? This is exactly what Iblis is saying.

Iblis has more yaqeen probably than, unfortunately, most of us, in terms of Jahannam and what lies beyond. He knows — he's seen things that you and I have never seen. But all of that belief is what they call iman shaitani — shaytan also has iman. Not only does he believe Allah exists, he believes in some of His attributes too. What does he say?

I take an oath on Your honor, O Allah — لَأُغْوِيَنَّهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ — I am definitely going to mislead all of them. إِلَّا عِبَادَكَ مِنْهُمُ الْمُخْلَصِينَ — Except for Your chosen servants whom I can't mess with. That's the challenge on that side.

How shaytan plays tricks with us is ajeeb. One student of knowledge said to me, I don't want to become a scholar anymore. I said, why? He said, you always talk about how when you tread the path of deen, difficulties come. When you become a scholar and you're guiding people, naturally more difficulties will come — like the prophets had. And shaytan also creates more obstacles. So I don't want to become a scholar because of this. I said, because of what? He said, because I don't want shaytan on my back. I said, ajeeb. What kind of thinking is this? You have two choices — either you be in the party of Allah, or the party of shaytan. There's no third party. Right? It's just fake. Hizbullah and hizbul shaytan. That's it. So now you choose. If you're going to say, the more I go forward and become closer to Allah, the more shaytan is going to come after me, hence I'm going to take a back seat — what kind of answer is this?

How can we be so scared? How can we say, if I start coming to the masjid, shaytan will start looking at me. If I start giving sadaqah, if I start memorizing Qur'an, if I start becoming a student of knowledge, shaytan will start looking at me — hence I'm going to take a back seat? The fact that this thought even comes to your mind means you have already fallen into a trap.

We should say, alhamdulillah, I want to be a general in Allah's army. Who am I to fight with shaytan? Who are you to fight with shaytan? None of us can. Allah made him such that on this earth he will not die. What we are supposed to do is take refuge in Allah and say, Ya Allah, You save me from him. That's it. That's the only one who can save you. Only Allah can save us from him.

I don't say, I seek refuge in my knowledge. I seek refuge in my tahajjud. I seek refuge in my piety. I seek refuge in my shaykh. I seek refuge in my books. No. I seek refuge in Allah, from the accursed shaytan. No one else can save us from that.

Shaitanism is actually on the rise in a big way, all across. And maybe the youth know what I'm speaking about, but this is definitely a very big thing — that people have a desire, at times, to reach out to a higher force. And some cross out Allah. They want something that they like — like an older friend or older mentor, but not their parents. Because parents will tell them what they need to do. Everyone likes an older friend or older brother who lets them do whatever they want. So now that inclination is being fulfilled towards shaytan. People can — Allah forbid — actually worship shaytan. And some of the things being taught on campus are things like how to do taskheer, how to get married to someone you desire through these means. What are those a'mal? What are those wazifas? It's all kufr. From beginning to end. And in order to get those powers, there is disrespect of the Qur'an, disrespect of the word of Allah. The worst things you can imagine, using najasa — because everything good, shaytan is the opposite of that.

When a person is not in the state of wudu, when a person is not in the state of tahara — understand that these shayateen and those who follow them, that's exactly what they're about. The opposite of sunnah, the opposite of the teachings of Islam, is exactly what they are about. So if we can understand why we need to follow the sunnah, then maybe listening to that will make us realize — okay, we need to. This is really serious.

So wasawis will come, and we need to be able to control that. Say أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ, and use all the asbab there to not allow it to get to our heads.

The Arrogance of the Ruling Class — Then and Now

So these disbelievers — what did they say? They said every good thing we have, and the fact that Muslims have something they're claiming is good and we don't have it, makes us very uncomfortable. And Muslims usually are not the ruling class. They were not the ruling class during the time of the Prophet ﷺ. They're not the ruling class now. So that becomes a means for them to say: if it was good, the Muslims themselves would be the wealthiest and the richest and the ones in power. Since we are the ones in power and we don't have Islam, it's probably not worth it.

This is something the nation of Nuh alayhi s-salam also said:

We see that only the most lowly amongst us — أَرَاذِلُ, plural of رَذِيل — the useless class, the poorest people, they're the ones who follow you. Look in our own Muslim countries at how people of deen are treated. People with beards, people with hijab and niqab — how are they treated?

Remember I shared with you that undercover reporting that was done in Egypt. A reporter dressed as a Muslim woman and made a phone call to an apartment complex — I would like to rent an apartment. She also tried to book a dinner at a five-star restaurant. They said, oh yeah, come through, we have space for you. And then she wore a niqab and went. And as soon as they saw her, they said, sorry, we're actually all sold out. The restaurant said we're fully booked, please go. The apartment did not want to rent. There was a whole article on BBC about the prejudice that women who wear hijab and niqab face in a Muslim country — in one of the most populated Muslim countries of the world, where Islamic scholarship thrived for hundreds and hundreds of years. That is the condition.

And same for Pakistan. I remember as a student of knowledge — thirteen, fourteen, sixteen years old — the way people would look at me. I was a kid, still had a beard and kurta. And the way those bus drivers and mini-bus guys would look. "Mawlvi." Right? That's how they would say it. And yet Mawlvi is actually a very good word. Mawlvi means Allah-wala — Mawla, Allah. Mawlawi — ya nisba — the one who is connected with Allah. What a nice word. But they've made it into a derogatory term.

And they'll use it derogatorily towards anyone who has a beard, anyone wearing shalwar kameez, anyone wearing a topi, or anyone who wants to stop and pray. They would make fun. We used to go from Faisalabad to Lahore and we used to beg the guy, can we stop for salah? And they said, no. Blaring music, never wanting to stop. Then we'd have to pay the guy extra — five hundred, a thousand rupees. We say, by Allah's wasilah, on the way we have to pray Asr or Maghrib, can you please stop? Because of that he would have to stop, but he would say, do it quick. And as we're praying, everyone would be just watching, what's wrong with these people? They'd be so upset that we stopped to pray. This was the normal routine.

That was the normal routine — that people would be so upset. Then we'd have to pay the guy to play a cassette of Mawlana Tariq Jamil. We'd say, okay, here, just take this money and put that on. But you'll see the fact that the upper class thinks that people of deen are lower class — they're not as rich, they don't live in the hi-fi neighborhoods. And if deen was good, we would have it. Since the lower class has it — what does the nation of Nuh alayhi s-salam say?

We see that only the lower class follow you, and those who have a very shallow understanding — simple-minded people. When you get too philosophical, basic things you don't understand. So subhanAllah, this accusation against Muslims goes back thousands of years. We should never pay attention to it. Instead, we should take solace and comfort in the fact that the Sahaba radiyallahu anhum — when they went to Najashi and he asked, who is following this person, and is it the wealthy or the poor, and they said, the poor — he said, that's exactly what happens. When the deen comes, the first people to follow it are the poor. And when Allah wants to punish and destroy a nation, who does He order to accept Islam first? The mutarafeen — the luxury upper class, those living in luxury. Allah talks about them throughout the Qur'an:

أَمَرْنَا مُتْرَفِيهَا — That we order the upper class, come right, come right. فَفَسَقُوا فِيهَا — They said, no, we're going to continue to sin openly. We'll do whatever we want. فَحَقَّ عَلَيْهَا الْقَوْلُ — Then Allah says, My decision of punishment gets locked in. The red button is pushed. فَدَمَّرْنَاهَا تَدْمِيرًا — And then We obliterate them completely. So this wealthy upper class actually becomes the reason for the whole town being destroyed. That special neighborhood, that special zip code, that special gated community — they're not helping the people. They actually end up, because of their fisq and fujur and their sins, making Allah Azza wa Jalla so angry that He wipes out the entire region because of their neighborhood.

وَإِذْ لَمْ يَهْتَدُوا بِهِ — And Allah says, since these people do not get guided to Islam because of their arrogance, فَسَيَقُولُونَ هَذَا إِفْكٌ قَدِيمٌ — They say, this is but an old fabrication.

This issue of atheism and agnosticism is raging within Muslim countries — in Pakistan, Malaysia, Bangladesh. Massive amounts. And of course in the Middle East as well. And you'll see these same statements of the Qur'an being manifested in just a slightly different language.

Surah Al-Ahqaf — Ayah 12: The Torah as Imam and Mercy

وَمِن قَبْلِهِ كِتَابُ مُوسَى إِمَامًا وَرَحْمَةً — Yet before it, the Book of Musa was similarly revealed as an exemplar and mercy. The Torah itself was an imam — an exemplar. وَرَحْمَةً — It is a mercy for the one who follows it. So the Qur'an was like this, and the Torah was like this.

وَهَذَا كِتَابٌ مُصَدِّقٌ — And this Qur'an too is a revealed book as a confirmation. مُصَدِّقٌ — It confirms the previous scriptures. It confirms the previous prophets. لِسَانًا عَرَبِيًّا — And it is in an Arabic tongue. Of all the heavenly scriptures that preceded it, the Qur'an is a confirmation — and what language is it in? The Arabic tongue.

What is the purpose of Allah sending this Qur'an? لِيُنذِرَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا — To forewarn those who have oppressed themselves and done wrong by falsely worshiping other gods or denying Allah. وَبُشْرَى لِلْمُحْسِنِينَ — And the Qur'an as well is a glad tiding of everlasting delight in Jannah for those who excel in doing good deeds. This is the purpose of the Qur'an.

Surah Al-Ahqaf — Ayah 13: Iman and Istiqamah

Let's spend a little bit of time on this ayah. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is saying here that indeed those people who say, Our Lord is Allah. Allah Azza wa Jalla did not say, those people who are believers. Allah didn't say:

Instead, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, Indeed those who said — Our Lord is Allah — and then had istiqamah, steadfastness. So it is the fact that iman requires us to match what we say with what we believe in, and what we say with what we do. It is not simply believing from the heart. You have to also say it. You have to also believe in it. And you have to also show it through your practice. That's very important.

Iman is Not Tamanni or Tahalli

The Prophet ﷺ was asked about iman. It comes in a narration in al-Jami' al-Saghir:

(Al-Jami' al-Saghir of Imam al-Suyuti; also referenced by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali in Jami' al-Ulum wal-Hikam)

Iman is not through التَّمَنِّي — merely desiring and wishing. Iman is not through desiring and wishing. وَلَا بِالتَّحَلِّي — and not with adornment. Rather, iman is that which وَقَرَ فِي الْقَلْبِ — takes seat in your heart. وَصَدَّقَهُ الْعَمَلُ — And your actions are verifying that belief.

What does تَمَنِّي mean? If you ask any person out there, Muslim, he will have statements of لا إله إلا الله. He'll say, Mashallah, Alhamdulillah. Even political figures say "Inshallah." Everyone says Inshallah, Mashallah, Alhamdulillah — that's not Islam. By using Arabic jargon, by using Islamic wording, and then saying make dua, Allah forgives us, Ramadan is here, Allah Kareem — using these keywords, raising your hand and saying, oh yeah, you pray for me, I'll pray for you, God bless you, God bless me — this is not iman. You cannot expect to be regarded as a true believer simply by wanting to be a believer, acting like a believer, or using words that a believer uses.

وَلَا بِالتَّحَلِّي — Nor by adorning ourselves like a believer. How many homes have verses of the Qur'an hanging there, but the last time salah was performed there is years ago? How many businesses have verses of the Qur'an hanging there, but the business itself is based on haram, involved in riba, involved in lying, deception, cheating? But the verses of the Qur'an are there.

When I was in Egypt, I remember — all the stores at night when they would lock up, they would put a chair and have a mushaf, the Qur'an Sharif, open, facing outside. As though you're telling the thief, fear Allah, I put a Qur'an here. Why should he? Why should the thief fear Allah when you have no fear of Allah yourself? The guy who put the Qur'an there has no fear of Allah. If he did, he would have prayed Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha. If he did, he would have guarded his gaze, guarded his tongue, guarded his ears. When you don't have any of this and you just put it up there, you think the guy is different? He's from your own society, from the same cloth. Why would the thief be scared by you putting a Qur'an there? That is tahalli.

Adorning our stores, adorning our homes, adorning our weddings — many weddings will give everyone small copies of Yasin Sharif. They give tasbihs. There's a goody bag with Islamic reminders, some duas, some tasbihs, copies of this and that. But no — you don't need to do this if at that same wedding at 9pm, it becomes a shaytan place. They tell everyone to leave and open up the dance floor. And then you're serving this. You're distributing pieces of the Qur'an. It's going to get disrespected — don't do that.

A person has a qari coming to recite beautiful Qur'an. And then in that same gathering one hour later something else is happening. SubhanAllah. This is exactly what we're speaking about.

Iman is not through tamanni or tahalli. Tamanni means desiring. You cannot just say, I desire to be a good man. I desire to be a good Muslim. I desire to have a righteous wife and righteous kids. Desiring gets you nowhere. Just as desiring for dunya gets you nowhere — you have to work for it. So desiring for deen gets us nowhere.

A person called me sometime ago and said, I need help, I'm in a very bad situation. He said, my son has a haram relationship and it won't stop. And I'm trying to get them married, but every single time I present a proposal, they always find fault with it. And he says he's stopping that haram, but he's continuing. I said, how long has this been going on? Five years. Five years in a full-blown haram relationship, and for five years you're trying to get them married, and every time they find fault.

So then he went on bad-mouthing the girl. I said, listen, hold your horses. How does it give you the right to sit there and speak about how bad she is, when you're not looking at the fact that the only reason how bad your son is — who is in a haram relationship with this person for five years — why is your anger directed at her, not directed at yourself, for doing such a poor job of raising someone who not only doesn't listen to you, but is also involved in every haram? You're completely missing it. I said, the mistakes he is making at this age, you made mistakes twenty-five years ago, because of which now you're suffering. But you still don't even realize what you're suffering. If she's Muslim, alhamdulillah, get the nikah done, finish it, and after that push them and encourage them to come towards the deen.

My dear friends, we are so selective with our blame. We want to say, inshAllah, Allah will make my children a sadaqah jariyah. What sadaqah jariyah? What have we done to make our children a sadaqah jariyah? What effort are we doing on our kids and ourselves to ensure that we don't go to hellfire? Many times parents come and say, I'm very upset, my son is involved in this and that, and I did so much — I did three jobs to take care of him. My answer: I don't need to hear what you did for their dunya. Tell me what you did for their deen. What sacrifice did you make for their deen?

You did three jobs for him to have nice shoes, nice coats and jackets, for this practice and that practice, for private school. What sacrifice did you make to teach him ethics, morals, taqwa, tahara? When summer comes, everyone's running to either vacation or summer school — MCAT prep, ACT prep, SAT prep, extra English classes. Who's saying, let me take my son in jamaat with me? Who says, let me go visit some mashayikh abroad and take my son? Let me go enroll in a madrasah with him somewhere — spend a month in South Africa, a month in Turkey, a month in Pakistan. That we're not doing. We want Disneyland and Disney World, and subhanAllah, we expect them to become like the Sahaba. That's not going to happen.

So this is what we're talking about. Tamanni — iman is not through wishful thinking. There has to be effort that goes into it. That's why Allah Azza wa Jalla says, They said our Lord is Allah. ثُمَّ — Then — they had istiqamah. This ثُمَّ, the ulema say, means it takes time for something to cook, to mature. It means you have to have a certain amount of dedicated resources — of your mind, your money, your time — dedicated to strengthening your iman and protecting your iman, for yourself and your children. And then you will reach a stage of istiqamah.

Allah Azza wa Jalla is not passing out Jannah to anyone who simply says La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah and walks out. It's istiqamah — are we remaining steadfast?

The Crisis of New Muslims and Istiqamah

We have a big problem in our country. The statistics show that somewhere between 70 to 80 percent of those who accept Islam leave within the first three years. 70 to 80 percent. We are looking at how many shahadas and takbeers are done in the masjid after Jummah and Taraweeh. But are we following up with those people? And is that surprising? No, it's not surprising. Because they have 100 percent an environment that's completely anti-Islam in their home — everything from their bedroom to the garage, every member of the household is all against them. While we have children born in Muslim homes with Muslim parents who are leaving Islam every day, what do you expect about new Muslims who don't have that support?

So what is the most important thing? Istiqamah. And mashAllah, we see some of our elders, many who are sitting here as well in this masjid — alhamdulillah, we're blessed to have them part of our community. If you saw those elders from the 1980s and you see them till now — consistency. 40 years, 50 years of consistency. There are people who pray Salah al-Fajr in the same spot for 30-40 years, every single day. That is what gets you ahead. It's not about the excitement of once in a great while — post-Umrah, post-Ramadan, or after someone passed away in the family. That's not long lasting. And it doesn't get you anywhere if you just burn out quickly.

Istiqamah. Steadfastness is where it all lies. Allah wants that from us. And that ثُمَّ is telling us it's going to take time. You're going to have to spend time cultivating that iman. Cultivating those good deeds. By attaching yourself to the right gatherings — not once in a while, but regularly. And also connecting yourself with such people who can constantly keep you in check.

If we visit a doctor once every ten years, what's going to happen to our physical health? If we visit a dentist every five to ten years, what's going to happen to our teeth? If we visit a mechanic for an oil change every five years, what's going to happen to our engine? Similarly, if we visit a spiritual gathering every one year or six months, we're not going to last. Especially when the circumstances are bad. You know, when we have these rough conditions outside — with the salt and the snow — how quickly the car gets dirty. You have to wash it more often if you want to keep it clean and protect it from the salt. The conditions of the road and the weather have an immediate corrosive effect on everything around us. Similarly, understand that the environment we are currently living in is very corrosive to our iman and very corrosive to our akhlaq.

So if you're living in a remote village with no distractions, one little dose would be sufficient. But here, by the time we walk home and open our phone, subhanAllah, it could be completely — issue messed up. So this aspect of connecting ourselves to a good gathering and gaining ilm — becoming a student of knowledge — my brothers, it is so important.

A Call to Read Qur'an — Every Single Day

Take a class, whether it's at Darul Islam's ta'lim program or some other class. A scholar who is practicing, insha'Allah, what he's preaching — taking ilm from them on a daily basis for thirty to forty minutes — is so important. I encourage everyone who's listening here: please, before Ramadan starts, in the one month we have left, sign up for some program. If you can't take time out for anything, at least take time out to study, to read Nazirah, Qur'an. That's the number one thing. Reading Qur'an every single day.

Rajab is ending, Sha'ban is starting. Find an online teacher and start reading Qur'an. One page a day, half a page a day — whatever you can. Get started. So that in the blessed month of Ramadan, you're not wondering, what am I supposed to do? Everyone's reading, they're saying, how many juz are you going to read? How many khatms are you going to do? I should be able to say, no, I started working from now.

One brother impressed me so much. He was totally in a different lifestyle — not into deen, not into Qur'an, upper class, into music and this and that. A physician. And subhanAllah, he said, I started reading Qur'an. He started slowly, slowly. And in five years, just five years, he reached the level where mashallah tabarak wa ta'ala, this past Ramadan he did nineteen khatms. Nineteen khatms. Every single night he would complete a khatm of Qur'an at tahajjud time. And in Ramadan itself — thirteen khatms. Thirteen rounds of the entire Qur'an, in the month of Ramadan, while practicing his profession. Not a hafidh of Qur'an — someone who within just five years changed his life and said, I've got to start reading.

And what made me very joyful as well: he said, ever since the Gaza crisis began and the genocide, he heard that we should do sadaqah jariyah, make dua, tawassul through that, and dedicate certain rewards for the people of Gaza. He said, ever since then, every single week he does one khatm, finishing on Thursday and making a khatm dua at home with the whole family. Every single week, one khatm for the people of Gaza. So where there's a will, there's a way. All of us can do this. If he can do it with a fifty- to sixty-hour work week, why can't we? We can do it. But you have to start somewhere.

When you start implementing the teachings of the Qur'an, our problems will get solved. As it comes in hadith — the one who gets busy reading Qur'an, he's so busy that he doesn't have time to even ask Allah for his needs. Allah says, I'll give him more than the ones who are asking Me. Because he's so busy reading Qur'an, he doesn't have time for du'a. Allahu Akbar. So you think our problems of dunya — at work, in the family, issues between husband and wife, between parents and kids, between siblings, between business partners — how Allah Azza wa Jalla will solve those if we start dedicating time to read Qur'an? Let's do it.

Let's create an environment here — whenever we come for salah, before salah, after salah, pick up a mushaf and start reading. Connect yourself with someone who can teach you. There are so many people out there who are looking for fifty or a hundred dollars, for most of us that means nothing. For one month, fifty or a hundred dollars — it will take care of a whole person's household overseas. Sign up, get a teacher, spend an hour studying with that person, and you'll see their work will be taken care of, their needs will be taken care of. Alhamdulillah, your needs as well will be taken care of.

So this is where we're speaking about istiqamah. That ثُمَّ — that reading Qur'an is that ثُمَّ. Daily. You cultivate that iman. Be consistent — not just Sha'ban and Ramadan. You start off in Sha'ban, and insha'Allah, the next Sha'ban you'll be way ahead of where we are today.

فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ — They will not be worried about anything happening on the Day of Judgment. وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ — And they will not be grieving over anything that happened in the past. أُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ الْجَنَّةِ — These are the companions of Jannah, meaning they will always be in Paradise. خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا — They shall abide there forever. جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ — A reward for all the good that they used to do in this life.

May Allah make us from the people of istiqamah. May Allah make us from the people of Jannah. May Allah save us from becoming the people of tamanni and tahalli — who simply wish and who adorn themselves with things that look like Islam, but actually the iman has not entered the heart.

InshAllah, we will continue next week with the ayah of وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنسَانَ — about children, the raising of children, and reaching the age of forty. SubhanAllah — very pertinent ayahs for all of us, and especially for me as well. So we'll cover that bi-idhnillahi ta'ala.

Q&A Session

How do I recognize waswasa and get rid of it?

You recognize the waswasa when it's not the way you usually think. It's a thought that you know is sinful, haram, or a thought of kufr — and you know that it's wrong. Don't keep thinking about it. Don't keep giving it attention. The more attention you give it, the stronger it becomes. Say أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ, do istighfar, do wudu, perform salah.

What about reading the Qur'an in English translation?

A person should read the English translation — true — but that does not replace reading the Qur'an. Clearly, Qur'an is Arabic. You cannot call a translation the Qur'an. So the rewards are going to be there for reading the Arabic. You can read transliteration, but reading the translation does not take the place of reading the Qur'an.

How do we protect ourselves from waswas of nafs or shaytan?

Sometimes a person may find it difficult to figure that out — it can all get muddled up. But the hadith teaches us to seek refuge from both:

Oh Allah, I seek refuge in You from the evil of my nafs and the evil of shaytan.

Is it permissible to distance myself from my brother when all he does is say negative things?

You should try not to talk about things that are controversial. Just talk about the weather, the football game, whatever it is. You don't want to cut off the relationship entirely. And if certain things cause stress, then stay away from those specific things that cause stress.

Is it a must to learn Arabic to understand the deen?

It is a must to learn Arabic, or at least to learn through translation. So if you attend an Urdu class or an English class where the teachings of the Qur'an are being shared with you, alhamdulillah, that is good.

Can I make du'a to Allah against someone who severely wronged me?

You could say, Ya Allah, avenge me. You could do that. But obviously Allah says:

If you want to avenge yourself, avenge yourself equivalent to how much you were hurt in the first place. However, if you are patient — the reward that you'll get from Allah is going to be far greater. So if you have the ability, maybe you can say, Ya Allah, give me the ability to forgive, because right now I can't. Ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for that strength.

Can you throw away mail that has the Prophet's name on it?

Ideally, the more respect you give to the Prophet ﷺ's name, the better. If a person wants to shred such things that have the Prophet ﷺ's name on them, that would be best.

Can you have the intention to achieve heights in this world to challenge the accusation against Muslims?

The Prophet ﷺ himself passed away without having any wealth. So it is not a shame — it is not a black mark on Islam or Muslims to not have abundant wealth. The Prophet ﷺ himself chose to always be with the poor people. However, if you want to say, Ya Allah, I want to use my wealth to serve Islam — then, yes, definitely, that's a noble intention. But it's very tricky. Because many times, instead of serving Islam, we end up serving ourselves.

Look at all the wealth — do we not have wealthy Muslims? Of course we do. How many of them are using their wealth to serve Islam? What percentage? The amount of wealth in the Muslim community across the globe is unbelievable — billions and trillions. Where does it get used? How does that help Islam? So the key thing is: if you have taqwa, tahara, tawakkul, and good character — and then the wealth — you'll know how to use it. If you focus on gaining wealth first and then the attributes, it's not going to work. First focus on building yourself internally, building your relationship with Allah. And then whatever wealth comes to your hand, inshAllah, you'll be able to use it properly.

How to understand that Qur'an solves problems, alongside the concept of hardship with istiqamah?

When you read Qur'an and you bring the injunctions of Qur'an into your life — not just mere recitation — definitely your problems will get solved. One medical student left me a message saying, I have planned to take a year out to go learn the language of the Qur'an. I told him, brother, that is not a lofty intention enough. Abu Jahl knows more Arabic than all of us put together. You're never going to learn in one year enough Arabic. That is a very minimalistic goal. Your goal should be: I want to learn Arabic so that I can understand the Qur'an, so that I can genuinely implement its teachings in my life, and try to implement it in the lives of those around me and beyond. Implementation is the key thing. When you start implementing the teachings of the Qur'an, our problems will get solved. Number one: problems of the grave, problems of the hereafter — those are the biggest problems. And then after that, the problems of the dunya as well.

What is the cheat code to not miss salah?

When you find out, let me know as well. But one of the things is: my teacher, Qari Amirul Hasan, whenever he goes somewhere, he would never ask for the jama'ah time. He would always ask, what time is the adhan? He said, what do we have to do with jama'ah? Don't ask iqamah — ask adhan time. And for decades, he would be in the masjid when the adhan would happen, even when traveling.

So the cheat code is that you make it your biggest worry. As soon as the time starts, whether traveling, at home, or at work — the first thing you do is plan for it. Because what happens is shaytan makes us busy, busy, busy — and before you know it, especially in the winter when the prayer time is short, salah is over, salah is over, salah is over. If we just make salah a priority — just as how we don't oversleep for a flight — the concern for salah will come.

Reading about the virtues of salah — such as in the book Fada'il al-Salah by Shaykh Zakariyya Kandhalawi, or in Riyadh al-Salihin — where the virtues of salah and the punishments for missing it are mentioned, inshAllah that will have a powerful effect on truly valuing salah. May Allah make all of us amongst those who are absolutely most punctual in salah. Ameen Rabbil Alamin.

Closing & Announcements

Alhamdulillah — these are some beautiful books available, including Sufism and the Imams of the Salafi Movement. A lot of people are very confused about Sufism. What did Ibn Taymiyyah himself say? What did Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah say? What did many scholars including Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal say about it? This is a beautiful collection that will be very enlightening and eye-opening for anyone confused about this topic. Reformation of the Character is also about the building of character.

Alhamdulillah, we have Mufti Suheil Bengali confirmed, and Mawlana Yusuf Ghaus as well. We have about five to six speakers who are going to be covering the no-tech retreat. They'll be doing i'tikaf with us here. Please join us. Please prepare for Ramadan by joining us next weekend for 24 hours — our annual unplugged no-tech retreat. This year's theme is about death and preparing for death, and all the topics are related to that.

The sessions will include:

• Living for a Noble End: How to Have a Good Ending — a talk by yours truly, insha'Allah
• Humanity at Death's Door — by Mufti Ibn Hajj
• Selected Hikam from Kitab al-Hikam of Ibn Ata'illah — with Mufti Suheil
• The Passing of the Prophet — Lessons for Humanity — by Mawlana Ahsan
• Tadabbur: The Art of Qur'anic Reflection — by Mawlana Yusuf Ghaus
• A detailed janazah workshop — how to deal with death in the family, including a full demonstration of how to wash and shroud the body by Mufti Haroon

You know it's coming — to me, to everyone around me. To you and to everyone around you. And most people are absolutely unprepared. It hits them like a train. They have no idea what to do next. So please join us next Saturday to Sunday, 24 hours, February 8th to February 9th.

We also have three new programs that began and are going beautifully:

• Monday nights — for adults and professionals, called The Balancing Act, focused on being a leader in the home as a father and husband
• Wednesday nights — for college students
• Friday nights — for high school students

These are all led by our seminary teachers and students. Alhamdulillah, they are great programs, open to brothers from the entire community. Please attend.

The Tafheem weekend program now has dedicated sisters' teachers. Please spread the word amongst the women. Alhamdulillah, after eleven years, we now have full-time female teachers teaching both Saturday and Sunday classes. These are taught only on-site. The online Ta'lim program continues, and the Tafheem program is no longer available online — we want to encourage people to come here and attend in person.

The online Ta'lim program includes eight courses taught every single day, Monday through Friday, open to men and women all over the world. Classes are taught live and recorded, and you will have access to your teacher on a daily basis. Some of the courses include: Misunderstood Verses, The Heroes of Islam, and Fiqh of Marriage and Divorce — beautiful, relevant courses for our community.

I request you, insha'Allah, to stay till the end of du'a. Let's create an environment here to stay till the end of du'a, bi-idhnillah — unless a person truly has to go. May Allah accept from all of us.