Reflect & Connect: Surah Naba - Ep.01 - Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed | 6/17

Opening Supplications

Introduction: Completing the 30th Juz

أَمَّا بَعْدُ — إن شاء الله تبارك وتعالى, we will be beginning the 30th juz. A lot of the surahs we have completed, a lot we still have to complete. So we will be starting from the first surah of the 30th and إن شاء الله make our way through all the remaining surahs that have not been covered in the 30th juz this summer, إن شاء الله. So that's Naba', Nāzi'āt, 'Abasa, Takwīr, Infitār, Mutaffifūn — which is the first quarter — and then Inshiqāq, Shams, Tīn, Bayyinah, Qāri'ah, Kāfirūn, 'Asr, Humazah. So there are about 10 or so surahs — 12 maybe — from the 30th. So that will be the goal now, إن شاء الله, to cover these, thereby completing the entire 30th juz.

We ask Allah to put barakah and blessing in everyone's attendance, in our participation, in our speaking, in our listening. We ask Allah that He inspire all of us to hear and share that which is most beneficial and most needed for us. May Allah open up the secrets of the Qur'an for all of us. May Allah make us all lovers of the Qur'an. May Allah make us all full beneficiaries of the Qur'an. May Allah make us from Ahlul Qur'an, and may Allah make the Qur'an an intercessor for us, a guide for us, and our friend and partner in this world, in the grave, and in the Hereafter. آمِينَ يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ.

Surah Naba' — The Opening Verses

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ، بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

The Power of the Opening

In this surah, Allah begins in a very powerful, beautiful manner. As we know, the beginning of a speech — they say the first few sentences or the first 30 seconds of a speech — is what attracts the attention of the crowd. If it is a very powerful beginning, then people tend to stay focused. And if the introduction is weak, then people think that what comes after that is going to be even worse. The surah begins with such a powerful introduction and a question.

What is Naba'? The Big News

This surah itself is called Surah Naba'. And Naba' means the big news. This is one of the reasons why Prophets — the word for Prophets used is Nabī — is because the Prophet comes with information of the big news. Every Prophet comes with — literally think about it — the biggest thing that no research center, no think tank can give us. What shall happen as soon as the soul departs? What is being experienced by a person who has died? What does it mean to die? These are things that no think tank and no research center can give us the answers. But that is what a Prophet gives.

That is where the Prophet just gets started — about what happens after the grave, what happens in the grave, what happens at the time of death, what shall happen on the Day of Judgment. So the Prophets are focused on the big picture, the big news. And hence they are called Anbiyā' because they come with big news. Not only big news of the Hereafter, but also big news of this world.

A Story of a Beautiful Death

And what is the biggest news? Think about it. The biggest news is: how will my final hour come? How will my ending come? Just this afternoon, one brother shared with me how his father, rahimahullah, passed away. I consoled him at the death of his father. And he was just sharing with me how his father passed away. He told me his father had become blind, he had become deaf, he had become paralyzed, he had become 100% senile — couldn't remember anything, dementia of the highest degree, for many years.

Think about that. But one thing — as soon as salah time would come, he would get into action. And since he was senile and couldn't remember how long he had been praying, he would pray Dhuhr for six hours. And they would tell him, "The Dhuhr time has finished, Asr has begun." He would say, "Okay, let me move on to Asr now." And besides Qur'an, he forgot everything. He had memorized Surah Al-Baqarah, apparently, so he would just read Surah Al-Baqarah loudly in all the prayers. He did not remember the names of his own children, grandchildren, etc. But he remembered Surah Al-Baqarah and remembered how to pray. This had been going on for years.

SubhanAllah — what his son was mentioning is that, before he passed away, by less than a day, he asked his son: "Is my grave ready?" The son, who was jovial with him, said, "Yeah, the whole graveyard is available for you," something like that. He said, "No, no, I'm not joking, I mean it. My time is up now, it's time for me to go." After that, SubhanAllah, even in those last moments, he called for his grandson, and he listened to three juz of Qur'an from his grandson. He performed his salah, and then he went into a coma.

SubhanAllah — he showed me a video, a very private video his son had taken. The father is completely in a coma, not in his senses. But you can still see the tongue moving: lā ilāha illallāh, lā ilāha illallāh. I saw it today, SubhanAllah. For many hours, no movement at all. But the tongue — you can see it, SubhanAllah — moving, saying the kalimah. And shortly after that, in the night, SubhanAllah, the whole entire family was reading Surah Yaseen around him. And he said, before they got past the second page of Surah Yaseen — which is prescribed to be read when someone is in the throes of death, as it makes the departure of the soul easier — the whole family, children and grandchildren, while reading Surah Yaseen, before they got through the second page, SubhanAllah, he passed away.

Ajeeb. He said that one of the nephews of the deceased — meaning the cousin of the brother who was sharing this story — was overseas in another country in the Middle East, flying. He got off the plane and called and said, "How is your father?" He said, "My father just passed away, a few minutes ago, or half an hour, one hour ago." He said: "On the plane, I fell asleep. I had no idea your father was sick. I fell asleep, and in my sleep, I saw a dream that your father was there, and I was coming to tell him that I have glad tidings — on behalf of the family, I want to share something with you." He said, "Yes, what is it?"

So — just like when you enter this masjid, you see at the top, at the entrance of this masjid in the lobby, the verses written in calligraphy, the final verses of Surah Al-Fajr:

"O tranquil soul, return to your Lord, pleased and pleasing. Enter among My servants, and enter into My Paradise." He said: "I conveyed this message — the person who saw the dream — to your father. And he closed his eyes and smiled, and that was it. The dream ended. So I called in to find out what was going on — and SubhanAllah, he had already passed away." Allah gave the bushrā.

Another thing he mentioned: in the final few weeks or months, instead of reading the usual Surah Al-Baqarah in every rak'ah, he was reading Surah Al-Nasr in the first rak'ah and the second rak'ah. So they asked their scholar, their mentor shaykh: "Our father is reading Surah Al-Nasr in both rak'ahs — what is this about? He usually always reads Al-Baqarah." The shaykh said — and students of knowledge are all aware of this, as are others — that Surah Al-Nasr was one of the final complete surahs to be revealed upon the Prophet ﷺ, at the time of Hajjatul Wada', the farewell Hajj. And this is the surah that people celebrated. But Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه was crying. People said: "The old man is crying. Why are you crying? Allah is announcing victory." But Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه said: Nu'iya Nabiyyunā — the passing of the Prophet ﷺ is being announced. His message is being informed to all of us that his time is up.

Yes — because when the job gets done, the person is called back. So Allah speaks about the victory of Allah, about people entering Islam in huge numbers, meaning the Prophet ﷺ's job has been completed. And when the job is completed, you are asked to come back. What does He say after that?

Glorify Allah and seek forgiveness. These are the two things Rasulullah ﷺ was tasked to do: now that you have done your work, thank Allah for allowing you to do this, and seek forgiveness for any mistakes. The Prophet ﷺ was being told this — SubhanAllah. So the shaykh said that your father's consistent recitation of Surah Al-Nasr is a good sign, a sign from Allah, as though Allah is sharing with him — and with all of you — that he has completed the work he was supposed to do, and now it is time for him to come back.

My brothers and sisters, think about a man who had become deaf, blind, completely paralyzed, senile, and physically gone — but anytime anyone asked, he would simply say: "Alhamdulillah, I'm in great shape, just doing well." And look what a death. What an enviable way to go.

The Main Concern: How Will We Leave This World?

The main important thing is: how will our last minutes of this world be spent? What type of situation will we be in?

This surah — Surah Al-Nasr — is also a message to our tanweer graduating students and our taqmeel graduating students, from the seven-year program, the one-year program, and those who, mashallah, have completed their courses and are leaving back to their homes in their respective states and cities: that these last few days should be spent in thanking Allah for the tawfiq He gave you to study here, and seeking forgiveness from Allah for any mistakes made while in this institution — mistakes towards ilm, towards your books, towards your teachers, towards the madrasah, in any way, shape, or form.

A time is now complete. Your stay in the madrasah has come to an end — whether it was a one-year stay or a seven-year stay or more. Alhamdulillah, this is life, and we have to move on to the next phase. But as we move on, make sure we don't forget these two things: thank Allah, and seek forgiveness. Just as husnul khātimah — ending on a good note in this world — is necessary, similarly, ending your stay in madrasah on a good note is also necessary. Make sure your last days in madrasah are your best days. Just as you want the last days of your life to be the best days, similarly, your last days in madrasah should be the most memorable, most beautiful days. This is not the time to be angry or upset about some random issue — my lunch was cold, my roommate used my towel. Those things are not what we should be fixated upon. Instead, focus on the blessing that Allah gave us to sit in this beautiful place and study, alhamdulillah, for the many years that you have been here.

Think about all those who would love to be here but did not get that opportunity. Many, many would do anything to have the opportunity that you all have. So value what you have, thank Allah for that tawfiq, and seek forgiveness for any mistakes. If we are humble about it, Allah will not deprive us — Allah will allow us to continue to have further opportunities, inshallah.

So the key thing is: what is the big news? The big news is — how will I die? That is the main concern a person should have. How will my first night in the grave be? And every problem of this world is insignificant in front of that. If that issue is sorted out, alhamdulillah, that is great.

We have seen so many stories, mashallah, of people who had beautiful deaths in these days of Dhul-Hijjah. One of our brothers in Hajj — his brother-in-law was very active in the effort of da'wah and tabligh. His wife would compete with all the other women of the neighborhood whenever a jama'at came to the area. She would say, "No one else is going to be cooking — I'm going to take all the meals. I have to cook." The brothers and sisters in the path of Allah are coming, so the food has to come from our home. That was the kind of competition she would have. SubhanAllah — a young man in his fifties. On Thursday night, the Day of 'Arafah, he simply said, "My time is up," performed his salah, began doing his dhikr and du'a, and passed away just like that. And on Friday Jumu'ah, his janazah salah was performed.

These people have such beautiful endings, and there are many others like them, because they had beautiful lives. And that should be our focus: when I hear these types of stories, I should be motivated to ask — what am I doing to ensure I also have a similar ending?

The Real Competition

My dear friends, I know it's nice to hear when someone rolls in with a brand new car with a very loud engine to the parking lot and everyone looks and says, "Wow, what has he got?" And everyone's thinking, how can I get that? When you hear someone's gotten their son or daughter into a very coveted program in the country, every father might be thinking, how can I get my child into that? That's great. But the thing is:

The real competition is: how can I have a beautiful ending? And in that beautiful ending, how much material wealth we have has absolutely no bearing at all. It is the fact that we should die in a state that Allah is pleased with us — even if we are passing in a way in which the world may think we are losers.

The famous incident — the Sahabi Harām ibn Milhān رضي الله عنه — that story of how a Sahabi is killed, but the Prophet ﷺ marveled at the fact of the murderer and the murdered. These are, again, notebooks for people who want to take notes on Surah Al-Naba' and the surahs that follow. There are beautiful pens and notebooks here — may Allah reward and bless the brother who continuously brings them at the beginning of every surah. Feel free to utilize them for taking notes, inshallah. Pass them around to the back if anyone would like. And utilize that, inshallah. May Allah give the brother who donated them the full reward of whatever notes you take. And hopefully, inshallah, you and I do benefit from it by jotting down certain things. And alhamdulillah, if we are sitting and listening — or listening online on a regular basis — so much knowledge can be gained that we can share with others and benefit ourselves, if we simply make a few points, a few points that really hit us.

So the Prophet ﷺ said: the murderer and the murdered, both are in Jannah. What happened? Because when this Sahabi was being killed by a disbeliever in the battlefield, as he was dying at the hands of a disbeliever, he yelled out:

The Prophet ﷺ said the murderer and the murdered are both in Jannah. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 2808; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1903)

"I have become successful! I swear by the Lord of the Ka'bah, I have become successful!" So the killer killed him — the Sahabi died. But the one who murdered him, it stuck with him: "This man died at my hands, and as he was dying, he said, 'I'm successful.' What is this? How can you say you're successful while you're dying?" It pinched him. He was looking at the barzakh — the world of the unseen that had unveiled itself to him. That's what he was looking at. So he eventually went and became a Muslim at the hands of the Prophet ﷺ. The murderer and the murdered — the killer and the killed — both going to Jannah.

In the eyes of people, this was a really horrible death — killed in the midst of a battlefield. But SubhanAllah, he was successful. So this is what the big effort is.

The Main Question: What Happens When the Angel of Death Comes?

My dear brothers, if we think about the Akhirah — honestly — I know there are lots of things going on in the world right now. Lots of stuff. From America to South America, to Europe, to Asia, to the Middle East, to Palestine, to Gaza — where do we start? Everywhere there are problems. "Problems" is an understatement. Financial issues, social issues, SubhanAllah, issues of life and death and all kinds of things. But a person, in order to remain sane, needs to focus on the main big picture. The most relevant thing is: what is going to happen when the Angel of Death comes to take out my soul? What will be my situation? That is the question we have to ask.

The way I spent my day today — will it have made my final moments with the Angel of Death easy or difficult? How did I speak to people today? How did I interact with people today? How was my salah today? How was my dhikr today? How was my du'a today? What are the mistakes I've made? Have I repented? Mistakes we will always make — it is not possible for you and I not to make mistakes. But have we repented from them? Have we apologized to people? Have we apologized to Allah? That is the main naba', the main question that a person needs to be asking himself.

Tafsir of the Opening Ayāt

So coming back to this now. Allah says: عَمَّ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ — "About what are they asking one another?" Now, عَمَّ — there is an alif here that is removed when you have مَا اسْتِفْهَامِيَّة as a muḍāf of a ḥarf al-jarr. The alif is then dropped. So عَمَّ is actually عَمَّا — مَا with an alif — but in this form the alif is removed. So: "What are they asking one another?"

Allah then explains Himself. They are asking about the great tidings, the great news of the afterlife. And the asking refers to: الَّذِي هُمْ فِيهِ مُخْتَلِفُونَ — "that about which they dispute." Meaning these people — the disbelievers — are having philosophical discussions, going back and forth, debating whether the Day of Judgment exists or not. And that is exactly what is happening today in classrooms, for the most part: "Of course the Day of Judgment doesn't exist, God doesn't exist, Satan doesn't exist." And there are perhaps a few people trying to stand up and defend their belief in the existence of the unseen, in the existence of the Hereafter. But it seems as though the so-called sophisticated upper class — unfortunately even in Muslim countries — are among those who disbelieve in the Akhirah, who disbelieve in the Day of Judgment. And they think that belief in the Akhirah is a belief for the poor, for the lower class. And the sophisticated people — how foolish — they think it is strange. "I'm very sophisticated, I'm very well-educated, and I'm very rich, so I only have this dunya to live. You're poor, you're less educated, so mashallah, you have the whole Akhirah to live." Look at that mindset. The more sophisticated he is, the shorter his life is — in his mind.

"It is only our worldly life, and we will not be resurrected." That is such a small life. Why are you trying to constrict your life? Why don't you have a big mission, big vision, big aspiration? You are going to reach the ceiling very quickly in this world. How much can you expand? But SubhanAllah — the person who goes last into Jannah — the last person to enter Jannah — will have ten times this entire globe. Ten times this entire world. That is what you call a big vision.

So even today, most definitely, we see that people are in denial. Now, Allah calls this the great tidings, the great news.

The Greatness of Al-Nabā' Al-'Azīm

If a two-year-old comes to you and says, "I have a lot of money in my pocket," you know that for a two-year-old, a bag of pennies is "a lot." When a nine- or ten-year-old says he has a lot of money, you might expect perhaps a hundred dollars — Eid gifts, etc. A person who is thirty or forty years old with an hourly job says he has a lot of money — he might be talking about ten or fifteen thousand dollars. Now you have a high-level entrepreneur with a multinational business saying he has a lot of money — obviously the amount is much more. Who is speaking here? You have the Lord of the Worlds. And the Lord of the Worlds says: "I am speaking about some big news — al-'Azīm." This is not the president of our country calling something big. This is Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, calling something big.

And Al-'Azīm is one of Allah's own attributes. You know that. Allah says in Surah Al-Waqi'ah:

"Glorify the name of your Great Lord." And Allah ends Ayatul Kursi with:

And Allah mentions in Surah Al-Haqqah:

"Indeed he used to not believe in the Great Allah." So the Allah who describes Himself as Al-'Azīm — He describes His day as Al-'Azīm: النَّبَإِ الْعَظِيمِ — the Great News, the Day of Judgment.

Allah Jalla Jalāluhu mentions:

Leave them — these disbelievers — to continue to argue that the Day of Judgment doesn't exist. A day will come when they will completely lose their wits. We have covered the surah in which Allah so powerfully describes the Day of Judgment in one statement. He says in Surah Al-Muzzammil:

"The day in which children will become old men." We talk about stress — even if you get stressed out with whatever, it takes a few years for your hair to turn white. But Allah says that this is one day in which it is not a 40-year-old now looking like a 50-year-old. No. Wildān — kids, children — a little child, a toddler, is becoming like a shayban — an old man. That is one sentence that describes the enormity of the stress of the Day of Judgment. That a child will become — not overnight, but over the course of one day — a white-haired old man. Most definitely, Allah has a right to call that Al-'Azīm.

You know, when a person hears the news of the passing of some beloved one, very suddenly, or the sudden loss of wealth — what happens? You hear of instances of people, when they are shocked, they pass out — out of sadness. Sometimes even good news can cause shock. Now, Allah speaks about that norm. If in this dunya people can lose their wits and become shocked, and lose their consciousness because of some horrible news — can you imagine what will happen on that Day? When people will come face to face and realize, SubhanAllah, that they had wasted their entire life. You can think about so many things in this world where a person prepares all his documents and finds out they were all wrong. You spent one or two weeks preparing for something, but you missed the appointment date. Or the documents you downloaded were wrong. There is so much shock and sadness, my dear friends. But every single exam of this world has the possibility of a retake or figuring out a different way around. The only exam that has no retakes is the exam of the Akhirah. If that reality truly sinks in for me and for you, then everything, SubhanAllah, will change.

The Logic of the Hereafter

If you think about how this dunya is operating, we will see that the presence of the Day of Judgment is something logical. The details — we depend on the Shariah, on wahy, to explain. But when it comes to the existence of the Akhirah itself, this is most definitely something we can arrive at through basic logic — 'aqlan. Why? Because it does not make sense that so much oppression can take place without any retribution, without any punishment.

Even a simple road outside has rules. Rules for garbage pickup, rules for landscaping, rules for where a pipe can come out and where it cannot, rules for the conduits and wiring in this building. What do we not have rules for? How is it possible that this entire world can exist with rules for simple small infractions, yet the biggest infractions taking place today — the oppression, the zulm that is happening live-streamed, new countries being pounded and destroyed, lives overnight being ripped apart — and no one is to say anything?

The crisis and the catastrophe that is unfolding right now is actually proof that the Day of Judgment must exist. Because if it did not exist, then honestly — what is the point of any one of us living right now? What is the point for the people over there? Why should anyone live when their entire family has been wiped out? We heard of one person here in America who has lost over 400 family members. SubhanAllah. So what is the point? Why should a person keep fighting? Why should a person keep hoping for a better tomorrow if there is no Day of Judgment?

The Day of Judgment is what gives hope to the oppressed. The Day of Judgment is what keeps the oppressed alive. Honestly, that is what it is. Because if it were not for that, they would not have the strength to breathe anymore. SubhanAllah.

And I think when you ponder the āyāt of the Day of Judgment, the āyāt of Jahannam and Jannah, and then you see what is happening today, a person understands the power of the Qur'an. If it were not for this, what would we do? If it were not for the belief in the Akhirah, what would we do?

So Allah mentions Al-Tāmmah Al-Kubrā, He mentions Al-Qāri'ah, He mentions Al-Ḥāqqah, He mentions Al-Wāqi'ah, He mentions Al-Taghābun. All of these signs, all of these multiple names of the Akhirah — each one delivers a really powerful, awe-inspiring description. There is no name that conveys just beautiful enjoyment, because there is no enjoyment until the reckoning is done and until a person knows where he is headed. We just do not know where we are headed. It is only once Allah guides a person to be under His throne that he will know, "Alhamdulillah, I am in a good place."

Ka'b al-Aḥbār, rahimahullah, said: if a person were to have the iman of 70 Prophets — hypothetically speaking, iman equivalent to that of 70 Prophets — he said a person would still be afraid that he is not going to make it to Jannah. Still thinking: "I'm not going to make it."

The Hadith of the Dip into Jahannam and Jannah

My beloved friends, every difficulty of this world pales in comparison to the difficulty of the Akhirah. Let us constantly keep on remembering this. The hadith of the Prophet ﷺ from Sahih Muslim, where Rasulullah ﷺ said — the gist of which is:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2807)

The man who enjoyed the most in this world — from those destined for Jahannam — the one who had the most luxurious, most enjoyable, most pain-free life: Allah will bring him on the Day of Judgment. He is destined for Jahannam, he was a disbeliever, but he had the most luxurious life. Allah will dip him into Jahannam for one second — dipped — and then pull him out. And Allah will ask him: "Have you ever seen any comfort in your life? Have you ever tasted any luxury?" This person had the most luxurious life — not just the Fortune 500 CEOs of today, but from the time of Adam ﷺ until the Day of Judgment, the single person who had the most luxurious life from among those headed for Jahannam. And that man will say: "Wallahi, Ya Allah, I have never witnessed goodness in my life. I don't even know what you're talking about." One instant will wipe out all of that luxury.

On the other hand, the Prophet ﷺ also mentions that Allah will bring the person headed towards Jannah who had the most difficult life — whether the people of Suratul Buruj, the Prophets who were sawn in half, the Prophets who were torn apart — all included. Allah will dip him into Jannah for one moment, and then ask him: "Have you ever seen any difficulty? Have you ever come across hardship?" And he will say: "Wallahi, I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't know what difficulty is."

Beloved friends: one dip into Jannah will make a person forget all difficulty, and one dip into Jahannam will make a person forget all luxury. That is the khulāṣah. The key thing we all have to be working on is: how will my ending come, and where will I be raised?

Iman Must Come Before Death

The iman at the final hour — that does not count. Because even Fir'aun, the greatest of the disbelievers, said:

He proclaimed his faith multiple times — and Allah did not accept it. And it was said to him:

"Are you now accepting faith — when it is too late?" There is a specific time when Allah wants us to do that, and that is in this dunya, in the state of ghayb — before the unseen becomes manifest. That is why the iman and the righteous deeds of a young man or young woman are so much more rewarding. Because when you are young, you have so many temptations, and you have long drawn-up plans: "Inshallah I'm going to live another 60-70 years, I can do all kinds of things." Yet a young person who gives all that up — the shahawāt, the lustful things — and spends his youthful years in the worship of Allah: Allah will grant him a place under His throne.

If a person repents only in old age, alhamdulillah he is repenting before he dies — that is great. But it is not the same as the one who is young. So congratulations to all those youth who come here on a weekly basis, be they seminary students or outside students. How blessed you are — that in this young age, in this era of extreme fitnah, Allah has accepted you to be students of the Qur'an, students of tafsir, and regular in the masjid. We should be so grateful and thankful.

We ask Allah to make us from among those people about whom Rasulullah ﷺ said:

A young person who grows up worshipping Allah will be awarded the shade of Allah's throne on the Day of Judgment. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 660; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1031)

Why is the reward for this young person more? Because he has not yet seen old age and aches and pains. He has not seen all his friends dying. To believe in the Akhirah when you are young requires more iman bil-ghayb. It is not the popular thing to do. But look at the countries all over — who is there for salah? Most of the time it will be elders. Elderly people coming to the masjid for salah with jama'ah. When you see young people, it is amazing — mashallah. There are certain masajid known for having young people come for salah. But the norm is that older people are the ones coming, because as you grow older, you start realizing what your priorities are. You say, "I need to prepare for the grave." But when you are young and you worship Allah, this is so much more rewarding.

The Most Virtuous Sadaqah

Similarly, belief in the Akhirah is only accepted before the veils are removed. That is why the Prophet ﷺ, when he spoke about the most virtuous sadaqah, said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 1419; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1032)

When you are healthy and you are greedy for more, and you are afraid of poverty, and you have expectations and hope for: "I'm going to hit it rich — just give me a few more years." Think about all the young professionals sitting here. We are all part of that:

تَأْمُلُ الْغِنَى — you have hope for wealth. "Brother, I'm only 28, I'm only making 150, 200 — but just wait. Inshallah, I'm just watching this Bitcoin going up, watching this XYZ stock going up, and then I'm going to give." وَتَخْشَى الْفَقْرَ — "I don't even have kids yet, but what if I have four, and I have to send them all to Ivy League schools, and I have to spend 400,000 each — that's 1.6 million just for college. And then all their expensive shoes, basketball practice, swimming practice..." So you are afraid of poverty. You have expectations of great wealth. And صَحِيحٌ — you are healthy, you feel you can earn, and you can enjoy your money. The Prophet ﷺ said that the sadaqah given in this state is the most virtuous.

And the Prophet ﷺ said what is not the most rewarding — though it is still rewarding — is to give as death has entered your home, and now you say, "This belongs to the masjid, this belongs to the orphanage, this belongs to the madrasah." The Prophet ﷺ says: if you are giving more than one third, it does not even belong to you — it belongs to your heirs. It is like when a person is boarding his flight and they say, "Your flight is closing, and you have extra luggage here — we cannot accept that." You dump it. When you give and donate at the very end, it is actually very late. So now, Allah says these people are speaking about and asking one another whether the Day of Judgment is coming or not.

Kallā Saya'lamūn — They Shall Soon Know

Guess what? كَلَّا سَيَعْلَمُونَ — "Know indeed, most surely, they shall yet know its truth." Allah says a time is coming when they will know that the Day of Judgment is true. When is this referring to? The time of death. At the time of death, it will become very obvious that the Qur'an was right, that Allah and His Rasul ﷺ — everything said is right.

ثُمَّ كَلَّا سَيَعْلَمُونَ — "Again, know indeed, most surely, they shall yet know." The first was referring to the time of death. This second is referring to the Day of Judgment itself. What is the point of believing when you are dying? What is the point of believing when you have already arrived at the Day of Judgment? It is too late. The discussion is all about before — as long as a person believed before meeting Malak al-Mawt, it would be worthwhile.

And then Allah mentions: أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ الْأَرْضَ مِهَادًا — Now Allah speaks about His blessings upon the human being and what He has created for him.

Iman in Allah and the Day of Judgment are Inseparable

Remember, brothers: iman in Allah cannot be complete without iman in the Day of Judgment. We cannot believe in Allah the way He ought to be believed in without also believing in the Day of Judgment. Someone who says he believes in Allah but does not believe in the Day of Judgment will never truly be able to worship Allah. A Bedouin came to the Prophet ﷺ and said:

"O Messenger of Allah, advise me and do not make it long."

The Prophet ﷺ simply recited:

"Whoever does an atom's weight of good shall see it. Whoever does an atom's weight of evil shall see it." The Bedouin said: Kufītu — "I have been sufficed. I've got it. I know what to do now." What does that mean? If the belief in the Day of Judgment is strong, then honestly you really don't need to know too much after that. The belief in the Day of Judgment will make you truly fear Allah the way He ought to be feared, and believe in Allah the way He ought to be believed in. And a person will lead his life in the manner that Allah wants him to lead.

That is the issue today. We have so much knowledge, but when it comes to practice, we are suffering — because the belief in the Akhirah is weak. My beloved brothers — all of us sitting here, our relatives, our friends — no one is sitting here, inshallah, who does not believe in the Akhirah. But if you think about how many mistakes you already made today, this week, this month, and you ask yourself: "Why did I do that? When I know Allah exists and Allah is watching — why did I do that?" — the simple answer, among many answers, is that the belief in the Akhirah was not refreshed. It is there, but it is not refreshed. And when it is not refreshed, we end up making huge blunders.

The Example of the Police and Refreshing Iman

Think about this — cops are out there enforcing laws: speeding laws, parking laws, driving rules. We all know that. But many times, some of us end up breaking those laws. You ask someone, "What are you doing, speeding?" He knows the rules. He is still doing it. Why? Because the yaqeen that the cop may pull him over is there but not that strong. Until he is on the highway and sees a car being pulled over. As soon as he sees that, the iman becomes fresh — all of a sudden he slows down.

Recently I was with one brother. He was driving very safely and slowly — maybe a little too slow for me. So I said, "MashAllah, you are driving very safe and slow." He said yes, and then shared a story. He said when he was about 17, he was driving 30-40 miles over the speed limit — well over 100 mph. He had just gotten his license, and police pulled him over. In his mind: "Not only am I going to get handcuffed, I'm going to sit in the back of the car, my parents are going to be called, I'm probably going to be booked, and definitely my license is going to get suspended." And then — this is New York — the officer who came out was wearing a turban. Sikh. This kid was Punjabi. So he spoke to him in Punjabi. The police officer responded in Punjabi and yelled at him, screamed at him, just like an uncle would do to his nephew — but in the end, he let him go without a ticket. And many years later — honestly, I saw the effect of that. He learned a lesson. Maybe a ticket would not have taught him what that officer's genuine concern taught him. And that got me thinking about the maqṣad and purpose of rules — rules a school has, a university has, a government has. The purpose of those rules is obviously iṣlāḥ and change. But when you have a prison system that is for profit, then iṣlāḥ is never intended and never achieved.

One day I was on the West Coast, in a small masjid in Portland. It was a very humble masjid — the wudu area was outside — a Burmese community. There was a Somali brother who obviously did not understand the local language. I met him outside after the program, and we started talking. Then he started crying. I asked him why. He was a Somali police officer. He said: "You know how many times I have to go to families to give the news to the mother and father that their child has died — a Muslim kid, through drug overdose or through gang violence?" He was saying this was unfortunately a consistent thing — breaking this news to Muslim immigrant parents who couldn't speak English, that their child had been murdered. But one of the things he was thankful for was that he was there, at least, to share this news in their language and to try to explain what needed to be done to save the rest of their kids. And it got me thinking about how law enforcement is supposed to be — you are supposed to have the element of genuine care, of muḥabbah for the citizens, for the people you are trying to safeguard. Not everything is to be done with a stick. Kindness mixed with sternness goes a much longer way. But it is sad when the system itself becomes corrupt.

This is what the signs of the hour are. The Prophet ﷺ said, from the signs of the Day of Judgment: al-shurṭ — police, law enforcement — will become widespread. And he also said: bay' al-ḥukm — justice will be bought and sold. All the injustice you see happening, from the lowest paid civil servant to the highest chief justice across the globe — you are seeing that being prophesized by the Prophet ﷺ.

All of this happens when there is no belief in the Akhirah. This is what I was getting at. When there is belief in the Akhirah, alhamdulillah, a person will not be able to make these major sins on a consistent basis. So we are here — alhamdulillah, we say we believe in Allah, we believe in the Day of Judgment. But just like the police example — seeing someone get pulled over, and renewing your awareness of the law — similarly, we have to have mudhākarah and reminders like this every single day about the Day of Judgment: listening to a talk, speaking ourselves about the Akhirah, reflecting on the verses of the Qur'an, thinking about death and dying. This is what our ulamā have taught us to do. This was a particular spiritual exercise they would do every single day: muḥāsabah — taking account of one's day — and murāqabah — meditating on death.

Murāqabah: Meditating on Death

What they used to do — I am sure you have heard — ulamā and mashāyikh would even go to the graveyard at night. Imagine — right now, a person goes after Isha to a local graveyard. Just entering the graveyard itself is scary. But they would have a grave dug up, go inside at night, and lie down. Most of the brothers here — we have downstairs a janazah facility. I call it the "final destination room" when giving a tour. And when people open the door, they don't want to come in. I say, "Brother, come inside." "No, no, it's okay." I say, "No, come inside — I'm not going to kill you. You're not going to die even if we lock you in." But people are scared to look at coffins, scared to look at where bodies are washed. Yet that is the reality for all of us. SubhanAllah.

So they would go inside the grave, tell everyone to leave, and sit there, thinking: "It is coming." Just as people go one or two months before a wedding to see the wedding hall — where the bride will sit, where the groom will sit, where the speakers are — planning for a three-hour event six months in advance, spending 60,000, 100,000, 200,000 or more. And the person building a house — every day he goes to that house, imagining how every room will look, what the stone will look like, all the architects coming — interior, exterior, lighting, landscaping. Imagining, planning that abode for a few months.

The real imagination that we should be doing is going into our grave — thinking: "This day is coming." May Allah give us the tawfiq to do something like this. To put ourselves in a coffin — keep it open, just lie down for five minutes. Try that spiritual exercise. Or simply — participate in washing the body of a deceased member of the community. Find out when a janazah is happening. Many people pass away with large families, but very few people show up to the washing. And the family members themselves — they hand them gloves and say, "Brother, come — this is your father, this is your grandfather." And he says, "I'm okay." People are not willing to wash the body of their own father, their own grandfather. SubhanAllah. They are not prepared for it.

So we should use this opportunity. I am telling you — there are many opportunities to participate. Find out whenever a janazah is happening, reach out and say, "Can I come and participate? Just watch." If we start doing this, it will help us with that murāqabah, with that meditation. And of course, going to the graveyard when janazahs are taking place — go for your own benefit. You don't need to know the person who died. Just go and witness: how does it happen when the body is lowered, and the dust is thrown. And we say:

And within five minutes, a couple of tons of soil are thrown on the body, and it is over. That is going to happen to me. That is going to happen to all of us. So thinking about that on a regular basis — this murāqabah, beloved friends — is what is going to help strengthen and refresh the iman in the Akhirah. And the refreshment of iman in the Akhirah is what is going to help us stay away from sin.

Renewing Iman

The Prophet ﷺ said in a hadith:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 8712)

"Renew your iman." It was asked: "O Messenger of Allah, how can we renew our iman?" He said: "Say lā ilāha illallāh abundantly." So speaking about Allah's traits, Allah's qualities, Allah's attributes, and doing dhikr of lā ilāha illallāh regularly — this will help strengthen our iman. This is what happens in the effort of da'wah and tabligh. Whenever we participate in talks, we always speak about the effort of iman, because today's problems across the entire globe — why are Muslim countries not united? Why are Muslim leaders not doing anything? Why are Muslim communities staying silent? You can ask a hundred questions, and the answer is one and the same: belief in Allah and belief in the Day of Judgment is not strong enough. It is very weak — we are holding on to it by a thread.

If belief in Allah and the Day of Judgment becomes strong, a person will definitely not stay quiet. He will do something — whatever he can. He will wake up at night and make du'a. He will do tahajjud. He will give sadaqah. He will do charity. He will do something. But when belief in Allah and the Day of Judgment is weak, you see what is exactly happening today — the world continues to celebrate its random celebrations. Weddings have not gotten simpler. Graduations have not gotten simpler. Money is being spent left and right. Vacations have not gotten shorter. While the ummah is dying of hunger, people are dying from overeating. What is happening?

I know most people think they read the news, but unfortunately most people do not read the news. For the past week or so — after they have been starving the people of Gaza for many months — they started inviting people to come and get food. And as these little children — four-year-olds, eight-year-olds, nine-year-olds — rushed to get food, they were shot. Every single morning, dozens killed: shot and killed through drones and tanks as little children and women ran to get food. No word can adequately describe this. No human being would do something like this. This is demonic. And we are seeing it happen while life moves on normally across 55 Muslim countries.

What is the reason for that? Belief in Allah and belief in the Day of Judgment is weak. A person who does not fear Allah will fear the creation of Allah. And a person who fears Allah will not fear anyone. The one who fears the Day of Judgment will not fear the difficulties of this world. What does the ummah need right now? The answer is simple: belief in Allah and belief in the Day of Judgment at the level that motivates action — that motivates us to do what is right and expected from us. And this is where the effort of da'wah and tabligh comes in. Strengthen the relationship people have with Allah. Strengthen the trust people have in the belief in the unseen. That is all you have to do. Then everyone will be good to their wives, good to their husbands, good to their children, good to their non-Muslim neighbors, good to the planet, good to their partners, good to their customers, good to everyone. And they will stand up for justice regardless of who the oppressed person is.

Of course, when I say belief in Allah and the Day of Judgment, that obviously means belief in Rasulullah ﷺ — belief in all the articles of faith. The Qur'an itself says, and Allah Himself says:

In so many places Allah says "belief in Allah and belief in the Last Day" — that doesn't mean that is all that is required. Obviously that means believing in the Prophets. Who told you about Allah in the first place? Who told you about the Day of Judgment? If you don't believe in Rasulullah ﷺ, how do you know what Allah is, and how do you know what the Day of Judgment is? We have been introduced to Allah through the Prophets ﷺ. We have been introduced to the Day of Judgment through Rasulullah ﷺ. We have been given the Qur'an only through Rasulullah ﷺ. There are those perennialists who quote these verses to say that Christians and Jews will have the same fate as Muslims because Allah is speaking about belief in Allah and the Day of Judgment — but brother, where did you get that quote from? You got it from the Qur'an. Who gave you the Qur'an? The Prophet ﷺ. How can you quote the Prophet ﷺ and say you do not need to believe in the Prophet ﷺ to enter Jannah? This is why more than ever, this effort of revival of iman, revival of belief in the Akhirah, is so important.

The Story of the Three Bulls

I know there are lots of misgivings — people don't understand this, people don't understand that. Give it a taste. Go out yourself. Try. We have hit rock bottom. What else are we going to do? We have hit rock bottom right now, honestly. If we don't wake up as an ummah right now, what are we possibly waiting for?

Remember — as I mentioned in the past khutbah — it is attributed to Ali رضي الله عنه, and the Arabs have a saying:

"I was eaten the day the white bull was eaten." (Attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه)

The story goes that there were three bulls — a black one, a white one, and a red one. One day a lion came and gathered the red and black bulls together and said, "This white one is very different from you. It attracts a lot of attention because of its beautiful white coat. Everyone praises it. I think it is a nuisance for you — it attracts all the good attention to itself and away from you. How about I get rid of it if you'll all allow me?" The two bulls said, "Okay, be our guest. You're right. This white bull is the one we are jealous of — it attracts too much attention. Go ahead and get rid of it." So the lion attacked and killed the white bull and had a nice meal.

After some time, the lion came to the red bull and said, "Listen — my color and your color are similar, but this black one doesn't belong here. You and me, we are the same. This one is different. How about I get rid of it?" The red bull said, "Be my guest, go ahead." He went and killed the black bull. After some more days — when the lion got hungry again — he came after the red bull. The red bull was alone. The lion said, "You're next." The red bull said, "Okay. I want to do something before you kill me." And he called out three times:

"I was eaten the day the white bull was eaten." Meaning: "I am not dying today. I died the day I was foolish enough to allow you to come and divide and conquer us. I thought I was befriending you, and you were going to help me somehow. But the day I allowed you to come in among us — that was the day I had written my own death sentence."

It is attributed to Ali رضي الله عنه that he said: "I was disgraced the day Uthman رضي الله عنه was killed." Meaning — the day Uthman رضي الله عنه was attacked and brutally martyred in al-Madinah al-Munawwarah was the day the fitnah had truly broken open. And it became much, much worse afterwards.

My point here is: it is foolish to think that because my community, my neighborhood, my home is not currently going through a problem, I don't need to care. This is what I think many Muslims are going through right now — each one thinking: nafsī, nafsī, nafsī. Every country, every community, every village, every neighborhood. And in America, if we are not personally affected, we have no idea what people around us are going through. Allahu Akbar. People who came here when they were one year old and are now 40 — with their successful businesses, working for 20 years, kids in college — and overnight are being packed up and sent away. And the way they are being sent away is not with any respect. Watch those videos. See what is happening right under your nose. If we don't speak about injustices happening around us, and if we do not help those we can who are being oppressed, soon you will have nobody to help you when it is your turn to be oppressed.

A believer does not care only about himself. He doesn't even care only about his own people. A believer is someone who cares about anyone and everyone who is being oppressed. May Allah make me and all of you from among those who stand up for the truth. This is what Rasulullah ﷺ did even before he was gifted prophethood. When Khadijah رضي الله عنها was consoling the Prophet ﷺ after the first experience of revelation through Jibreel ﷺ — this is in the opening hadith of Kitāb Badā' al-Waḥy in Sahih al-Bukhari — she counted the amazing work Rasulullah ﷺ had done before the age of 40. And from among those things was:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 3; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 160)

"And you always assist those people who are in the truth when they are afflicted with problems." The people who are on ḥaqq and then are oppressed — Nabi ﷺ was standing up for them.

Easier said than done — I ask Allah to give me the courage. But when you see a non-Muslim student receive her class presidency at MIT — and she takes her two minutes to dedicate to Palestine — and then she is barred from her own graduation and denied her diploma, and a hate campaign is launched against her to make sure she doesn't get a job anywhere — just think about that. SubhanAllah. What type of courage this girl had. It is something to reflect upon.

A Message from Gaza

I'm not suggesting what needs or doesn't need to be done. All I am saying is: ask Allah for courage to do what is right. Because I myself am confused. Many times people say, "What to do?" And I say, "I don't know." All I am saying is: wake up and make du'a to Allah to inspire you to do what is right and guide you to do what is right. I don't even know who you are going to approach for guidance. I don't think our parents or grandparents have much to offer right now in terms of answers. These are very confusing, unprecedented times. What should you do? What should you not do? Where should you speak? Where should you stay quiet? These are very difficult questions. But being a sitting duck makes no sense. A person needs to use whatever ability he has to do something. And if that means dedicating tasbih and dhikr every single day — most definitely start with that. Let us make tawbah right now and start doing our ibadah. Let us start doing i'tikaf in the masajid.

I have a relative of mine, may Allah protect and preserve him, who is in Gaza right now, in the hospital, at this very moment. He sent me messages this morning — videos and messages — as he is there working as a doctor. He said: "You just smell death, death, death, death. I've never seen anything like this. No one has." The death, the depression, the quietness — people can't even open their mouths. They are too weak — physically weak and emotionally broken to even speak. Complete silence. Just death everywhere.

He showed me a picture of a one-year-old's burnt hand. Just this morning, when I woke up after Fajr, that was what he sent me. And then, a few hours after that, the bombing happened where they killed 50-60 people at a food distribution point. And then he sent me this message, which I firmly believe: "This is not human. These are satans." Allah says:

"Do you not see that We have sent the shayateen upon the disbelievers, inciting them strongly?" We are seeing that today — the shayateen are instigating them to do the unbelievable.

A Story of a Demolished Masjid in India

There was a jama'at from India — a scholar, an imam, a mufti — who told me this story himself. He said the masjid where he is from, in UP, accommodates 5,000 people between the courtyards and the main prayer halls. He and his family are in charge of the masjid, leading salah and taking care of it. And he said: one Sunday morning in February, in the early hours, 9 or 10 bulldozers came and destroyed the masjid. Just like that. I asked: "Was the paperwork not right?" He said: "No, the paperwork was 100% right." They put pressure on the local officer who handles the land paperwork, forcing him to forge documents to show that the plot belonged to Hindus. He resisted four times. Eventually they fired him, brought in another person who forged the documents, and then brought in the bulldozers. I said, "Where were all the Muslims?" He said: "All of them were crying, watching from the rooftops — because anyone who came close got shot at. They had already done that 60 kilometers away in Sambhal — people were killed when they came close, and hundreds arrested."

So in broad daylight, people are watching a masjid that houses 5,000 people be demolished. He told me: "If I show you what is on my phone, you will lose your sleep." And he said: "In this very parking lot where you and I are sitting, from this stop sign at the masjid entrance to the far stop sign — you cannot walk without fear of being attacked." That is happening in our motherland India. I am hearing it from the horse's mouth.

But SubhanAllah — one thing he told me: he said the manzil he saw being recited here after Dhuhr, the dhikr happening with the students after Isha, the morning adhkār after Fajr — he said: "SubhanAllah, in our demolished masjid — where about a quarter or half of it is still left — in that demolished neighborhood, I do not see the dhikr that is happening at Darussalam." Say alhamdulillah. But that is not sufficient. Wake up. Why aren't people waking up? From 5,000 worshippers, you now have only four rows left — and the ummah is still sleeping? What are you doing? If you are not going to wake up now, are you going to wait for them to demolish your house as well?

We are frozen — like a deer in headlights. And Dajjal is not even here yet. There is still time before that. But we are already frozen without Dajjal here. What is going to happen when he comes? May Allah never allow us to see that day. But I am asking: if we do not, as a community, wake up right now — beloved brothers and sisters, wherever you are listening to me — the ummah is being slaughtered, mutilated, and killed, and no one is standing up for them. What makes you think people will stand up for you? You think your fellow Muslims will stand up for you? No one will. You are on your own. The only thing we have is our personal relationship with Allah. The only thing we have is that when we are going down, at least we say:

Instead of cursing and worrying. If we do not have the kalimah in our hearts, that is what will happen — we will be thinking about our money, our stocks, our university degrees. But a person who is a believer in Allah — Allah will unveil the scenes of Jannah before he goes, and he will be excited to go. That level of yaqeen has to come. And without speaking about the Akhirah, without speaking about Allah, we are not going to reach that level.

A Call to Action: Populate the Masjid

I implore myself and all of us: please, let us make an environment within our neighborhoods. Push each of our neighbors to come to salah. Wake the members of our households. Wake our neighbors. You don't need anyone outside to help you. You know your neighbors. Connect with them. You already have WhatsApp groups in your neighborhoods, probably. If you don't, create one now between you and your few neighbors. Start carpooling. Come for Salatul Fajr. Come for Salatul Isha. Reach out to your local masjid and say: "We have five or six brothers ready to do i'tikaf."

The masjid board members — may Allah guide them as well. Say ameen. And the imams — may Allah guide them as well. Say ameen. Because when I speak to them also, I feel like I am speaking to a wall. They say, "Brother, this is too much." What do you mean too much? What are you waiting for? Do you want a drone to hit your house before you wake up? By then it will be too late.

This is the time for the ummah, collectively, across the entire globe, to start coming towards the house of Allah. To start increasing in tahajjud, in a'māl, in sadaqah, in fasting. This is a beautiful avenue at Darussalam — we speak about this openly. We should feel excited, blessed, and grateful that you have a masjid from whose mimbar this is being pushed: towards a'māl, towards salah, towards dhikr, towards du'a. There are so many places where no mention of this is being made, and so good people also lose out.

Let us not listen from one ear and out the other. Let us actually create some goals. Honestly — I don't know how we are going to face Allah and His Rasul ﷺ on the Day of Judgment after witnessing everything happening in the globe, if we say we brought no change in the past two years, in the past months. You are not doing this for other people — you are doing this for yourself. We are not doing this for the people of Palestine or Yemen. We are doing this for ourselves and for our children. If our children don't see us being strong, how will they ever follow in our footsteps?

Let us all make niyyah — say inshallah — to become not only regular in our Fajr and Isha, but to start bringing people. Please, let us work on our neighborhoods. Those of us who live in the Willow Lake apartments, those who live in Tanager Court, those who live in nearby apartments and condominiums — make this effort inshallah to go to your neighbors and say: "Here is a link. Just watch what is happening. What am I doing? What are we doing?" Let us not sit there and drink expensive chai and talk about political theory. That is useless. Bring some simple small action: increase in our dhikr, in our du'a. And Allah then will guide us as to what to do. And:

Allah will not allow the rewards of the righteous ones to be wasted. You will see, inshallah, some major change happening.

Upcoming Events at Darussalam

Alhamdulillah, I am very excited to share that this weekend we have a very blessed gathering for our du'as to be accepted. This Sunday, inshallah, will be a very rare opportunity in this country. You will be witnessing a khatm al-Qur'an — not just any khatm, but a khatm in different riwāyāt. Those who have received ijāzah in the seven modes of recitation and the ten modes of recitation will be completing the Qur'an this Sunday. And alhamdulillah, there will be 12 men and women — ulamā and ālimāt — graduating this weekend, inshallah, after having spent many long years studying here.

This is happening this Sunday after Salat al-Dhuhr. I want all of you, inshallah, to participate. Why? Because you are going to be in a place where du'as will be accepted. There are years and years of effort being put together by the teachers, the students, and the families of the students. Whether you are listening online or here today — make a point: Salat al-Dhuhr on Sunday, inshallah, we will gather at 1:30 PM. After that, we will have the khatm of the 7 qirā'āt and the 10 qirā'āt, and then the khatm of Sahih al-Bukhari, and then du'a. We will wrap up by 5 PM, with refreshments after. We have 6 female scholars and 6 male scholars graduating, inshallah. Please join us for that.

And on Saturday, inshallah, we will have the graduation of our one-year program, our two-year program — yes, we do have a two-year program on the girls' side — and our Tadrees high school program. Graduations will be taking place for boys and girls after Dhuhr on Saturday. Additionally, we have many huffāẓ graduating this Saturday at 11 AM — all those who completed their khatm, alhamdulillah, will be receiving their ijāzah this Saturday at 11 AM.

This is a weekend of graduations. Usually people show up if their son or daughter is graduating from college. But this is not about your son or daughter — this is an investment of the ummah. Every graduating boy and girl, man or woman from this institution is, alhamdulillah, an asset to the ummah. I want all of us, inshallah, to be there to witness that. Share this with others for this Saturday and Sunday. And be there for the du'a — dedicate it to the people of Gaza, the people of Iran, the people of Yemen, and to oppressed people everywhere across the globe. May Allah allow the dhikr, the du'a, and the khatms happening at Darussalam to be a means of alleviating and removing the difficulties for the ummah. Say ameen. And may Allah make it a means of awakening all of us from our slumber. Ameen.

Please take a picture of the schedule and share it with your family and community. Saturday: 11 AM — Hifz ceremony, then the one-year program, one-year and two-year programs for sisters, and the high school program. Sunday after Salat al-Dhuhr: the qirā'āt khatm, the seven-year program graduation as well. We will actually be going through the detailed chain of narration — who each narrator is and where they are from — from the graduating student on Sunday all the way back to the Prophet ﷺ. You will be able to witness that on a beautiful presentation. I look forward to hosting all of you, inshallah.

And second — next weekend, the 26th and 27th — will be the World Ijtema taking place at the Rosemont Convention Center, right next to O'Hare International Airport. Alhamdulillah, they are expecting 20,000-25,000 brothers, inshallah, to attend. Please join — for brothers — from Friday Asr salah onwards, or you may come from Friday Fajr onwards. The program will conclude before Dhuhr on Sunday with du'a. This will possibly be one of the largest Islamic gatherings in the entire country. People will be spending the night at the Rosemont Convention Center — they have gotten permission for sleepover, for Qiyām al-Layl, and for meals. All will be there. There is no cost for the overnight stay — this is not a ticketed event. The only expense is your meals. Please share the word — that is next weekend at Rosemont, inshallah.

وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ