Wake Up Call - Mufti Azeemuddin Ahmed

Wake Up Call

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, and sufficient is the prayer, and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah.

Allah, the Exalted, said in the Glorious Qur'an, after seeking refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan:

"There is no god but He, and the angels and the possessors of knowledge stand firm in justice. There is no god but He, the Exalted in Might, the Wise."

"Are those who know and those who do not know equal? Only the possessors of intellect remember."

"Recite in the name of your Lord, Who created — created man from a clot. Recite, and your Lord is Most Generous — Who taught by the pen — taught man what he did not know."

Respected friends, elders and brothers, mothers and sisters, students — peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.

The Obligation of Knowledge

Allah, the Exalted, has given the responsibility upon all of us to educate ourselves, and learn about our surroundings, and most importantly, learn about Him. Allah, the Exalted, has created so many signs in the heavens and the earth, and He repeatedly says in the Quran, "Indeed, there are signs in this for those who ponder."

Allah, the Exalted, asks us in multiple places: Do they not look at the camel, how beautifully it's been created? Do they not look at the beautiful sky, how it's been lifted up without any type of pillar or any type of support? Allah, the Exalted, says: Do they not look at the birds that are beautifully flying and gliding in the sky? Allah, the Exalted, says: Do they not look at the mountains, how powerfully they've been laid as pegs? He says that they are pegs that are holding down the earth — otherwise, without that, we wouldn't be able to sit calmly and build as we do.

Allah, the Exalted, asks us to look at the changing of the day and the night. These are signs. Allah, the Exalted, says that if you were to bring about the night and keep it like that and make it eternal — who can bring the day for you? And if you were to make the day eternal forever — who would be able to bring the night for you? These are things that Allah, the Exalted, asks us. Again and again, the Quran is filled with these questions. Ponder. Think.

So, a person is not going to be able to answer these questions until and unless he interacts with his environment, interacts with nature. One third of the Quran speaks about this greatness of Allah, the Exalted. So education and learning is part of who we are. It is part of our responsibility. It is part of our being in existence. Without that, we won't be able to feed ourselves. We won't be able to lead any type of meaningful life. And most definitely, we won't be able to understand our purpose in life, our Creator, our Nourisher.

Allah, the Exalted, my brothers and sisters, has given us so many methods of learning — the senses that He has given us: the eyes, the ears, the hands, the feet, the heart, the mind. He has given us these to utilize in educating ourselves. And those who do not use them for this purpose, He says, it is as though they don't have them.

For example, He says that there are people:

"They have hearts, but they don't use them to ponder and to think. They have eyes, but they don't use them to see. They have ears, but they don't use them to listen."

So, although they have ears and eyes, and they have hearts that are beating, they have minds that are working perfectly — but the desired result is that a person uses these eyes, these ears, this mind, this heart, to think and to ponder about Allah. To think and ponder: Why am I here? Where am I headed? Where have I come from? And what will this all come to at the end?

The Proof for the Hereafter

Some may say, I don't even know if the life in the hereafter exists. What's the proof for that? And there are so many ways to explain that. And the Qur'an speaks about that as well. The Qur'an says the disbelievers would say:

"This is one life we have — we live and we die, and we will not be raised."

But if you look at a child — a 4-year-old, a 5-year-old, even younger, a 2-year-old — you'll see that each one of them has this one desire, this appeal, this desire to ensure that there is equality, there is justice. Two children: you give one something and deprive the other, they'll get upset. If you give one child something smaller and the other child something greater, they'll get upset. There's a natural fitrah, there's something within that child that says we're supposed to be treated equally.

And at times we see that a child does something wrong and another child does not. And when you don't punish the child who's done something wrong and you treat them the same, the child who didn't do anything wrong will speak up. Maybe the one who did wrong won't speak up — because it's in his best interest to keep quiet. But when sides switch and he's the one doing good and the other one is doing bad, then he'll speak up as well.

So we see children speak up and say, "Why are we being treated the same? He did this, I didn't. Why are we being mistreated? He's been given that, I haven't." We've all been hearing "it's not fair, it's not fair" since we were young. We've been saying it ourselves, and we hear younger children saying it. Where is that coming from? There's an innate desire within every human being to see justice. We want to see people being treated in the manner they deserve.

And that's why children can't see their parents doing things inconsistent with what they preach. They get upset. They say, "You told us not to do this, but you're doing it yourself. You're telling us to get up for salah, but you're not getting up yourself. You're telling us to read Quran, but you're not doing it yourself." They speak back — they might not use the word "two-faced" or "hypocrisy," they may not know those words yet — but the theme is the same: why do you have one rule for yourself and one rule for us?

So the fact that all children — from all backgrounds, all ethnicities, all religious backgrounds — have this desire within them that there should be justice, there should be 'adl. And then we look at this world and we see that justice is really a bygone thing — it's not there. The people who ought to be in prison are running around ruling the place. And the people who are supposed to be leading a life of freedom and happiness are the ones rotting in jails. We see, subhanAllah, that the stronger are getting stronger, the weaker are getting weaker, and justice is nowhere to be found.

The ulama say: the fact that every single human being wants something means there has to be a place for the fulfillment of that. Just like all human beings want to breathe — Allah has provided an avenue for that. All human beings have a biological need to drink water — Allah has created the fulfillment of that need. There is an attraction to the opposite gender, and the desire for reproduction comes within a human being — Allah created that desire and then created a place to fulfill it. And that is how the world runs.

So the fact that human beings have this desire to see justice — and we've been seeing it's not taking place, not happening, not during today's era, but all the way from Habil and Qabil, from the very first murder that took place on earth — tells us that there has to be a place where this justice will be meted out. People will get what they deserve. And it's obviously not this world, because that's not happening. So there must be another place. And that place is called Al-Akhirah, the Hereafter, where that will happen.

"Whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it. And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it."

"Whoever does any good deed, he or she stands to benefit from it. And whoever wrongs someone or wrongs himself, he or she will have to face the repercussions for that."

So the fact that Allah created this within us — if someone didn't use his mind properly, he won't come to this conclusion. The Day of Judgment is a reality. We have to face Allah. We have to face the rewards and the repercussions of our deeds. This education makes us different from the rest of the animals, from the rest of the makhluq of Allah.

And the very same sources of knowledge — the hands, the feet, the mind, the eyes and the ears — when not used, Allah says:

"They have actually become like livestock, rather even more astray and more lost than livestock."

So a person falls below the level of the average creation of Allah when he or she does not use the God-given senses and abilities to seek knowledge. And when a person utilizes them properly, seeks knowledge, and understands most importantly who Allah is — and then his life becomes subservient to Allah's commands — most definitely a time can come when a person refines himself or herself to reach the levels, and even beyond the levels, of the angels.

The Obligation of Seeking Halal Income

So what types of knowledge are we instructed to gain? One — the obvious one — is enough knowledge for me to be able to earn a living. Enough know-how to utilize my hands to earn a living, pay for my expenses, bring food to the table, etc.

"Seeking halal income is an obligation after the other obligations."

This is an obligatory aspect of our faith — that one must go and seek halal income. And in order to seek it, most of the time we have to go learn a trade — whether through schooling, through hands-on internship, through someone, etc. That's just part of how the system works.

The Crisis of Faith in Our Educational System

And now as the school year is about to begin, and parents are preparing their children to send off to colleges, youth sitting here are also making preparations to travel to different parts of the country — or even just settle in parts of Chicago to attend university and high school. It's all about education now. We're going to be hearing about education reform, education budgets, cuts — all those types of things related to education nowadays.

But my brothers and sisters, what I want to take your attention towards is this: as we are focused on educating ourselves and our children, we have to ensure that this education does not take us to a place where we begin to forget Allah — or, Allah forbid, begin to deny Allah. This is unfortunately the irony of our system right now. That the more educated a person usually becomes, the less faith they have in Allah. Not always, but it definitely happens. The more time, the more exposure to the system.

Because part and parcel of the system — you want to look at a cell phone, you want to look at anything for that matter — there are some beneficial things and there are a lot of harmful things as well. People are slowly speaking about the actual harms of excessive cell phone use on people's health. There are places in the country where it's part of the law that you have to write on the handset that this device may actually cause cancer. It's some lawsuit someone won and they were forced to put that in small fine print on the handset. No one looks at it, no one cares about it. But only time will tell what is going to be the fallout of the excessive use of cell phones. Definitely, besides the moral harms, there are physical harms as well.

So the educational system we have — the benefits are there, we talk about them, we know about them. But the harms are something we can't deny. And the harms are such that they are ingrained into the system — to create doubt, to question everything, to become skeptical about everything.

So you take a kid, a five-year-old — a masoom bacha, a genuinely innocent child — you speak to him about Allah, he understands it, he believes it, he has full conviction in God. Whether he's coming from a Christian home, a Jewish home, or a Muslim home, there are morals, ethics, and values that you can ingrain in that child and he will take it in like a sponge. You send him into an environment that consistently promotes challenging morals and ethics and values passed down by their elders, communities, and families — and asks them to start thinking outside the box.

Certain aspects of that are good, definitely. When you want to solve a difficult math problem, maybe you need to think outside the box if the traditional method isn't working. But when it comes to our deen, my brothers and sisters, we all know that there is only one path — and that path is revelation. As soon as you go out of that, you go astray.

That's why in the Quran, Allah uses the singular word for nur — light — and uses the plural for darkness, dhulumaat. Because all the other ways besides the deen of Islam are many — there are hundreds, there are thousands. And they all lead to darkness. They all lead to deviation. And the path towards the forgiveness of Allah, the happiness of Allah, the pleasure of Allah, and paradise — ultimate bliss — is one. Allah is guiding people out from the dhulumaat towards the nur. The Book — Allah says: We have revealed it, O Muhammad ﷺ, so that you can utilize it to push people out of the multitudes of darkness into the one light.

So when we do not supplement the education at school with — if I may call it — an antibiotic, or a vaccine at home, to say: "Son, daughter, I'm sending you out there to learn math and science and English because I want you to get an education and a job. But at the same time, there are very harmful influences out there — and not just to your actions, but more importantly, to your beliefs." The core beliefs are being shaken up. If we do not supply that antibiotic, that vaccine, then you have a huge fallout.

That child who goes in saying Allahu Akbar, excited about the deen, excited about Islam — by the time he comes out of the system at 12th grade, unfortunately, he is in denial. Denial that Allah exists. Denial that the Quran is true. And this is beyond one or two cases. We are at an epidemic right now — a spreading epidemic, not just within the Muslim community, but within the entire population.

Recently, just this week, someone shared with me a poll, a research paper, regarding what is the fastest growing religion. And we would always proudly say, "Of course, Islam." But this paper was presenting the idea that Islam is no longer the fastest growing religion. And it's not Christianity or Buddhism either. It is the absence of religion — atheism, agnosticism, and everything that comes with it. The idea that disbelief is now the widest, fastest-spreading belief — all over Europe and in America as well.

When we see churches being put up for sale in Chicago in the past year or two — so many communities have purchased a church, and we get excited about it: good price, zoning no problem. But it's a moment of reflection. Would you really think that someone would have gathered the money and effort a hundred years ago to build this massive place of worship, only for it to be sold away for pennies? Something happened obviously. Membership decreased. People stopped coming. What are you going to do with this big massive place? It's a huge liability. Go ahead and sell it.

We're seeing these massive churches across the country — and they've been here much longer than us. Allah forbid, Allah forbid, Allah forbid — it shouldn't be that in the next hundred years we see huge masjids, Islamic centers, and Islamic schools being sold simply because attendance has decreased. Why? Because the new religion is to lead a life of hedonism — do what you wish, "I felt like it, that's my lifestyle." And that is becoming super common.

A Wake Up Call for Parents and Youth

My brothers and sisters — as fathers and mothers sitting here, and as young men and women sitting here — as the school year comes to a start, let us ask ourselves: do we really want our children coming out like that at the end? This is not one in a million. I don't know the exact numbers, but I can tell you it's far too many. In our little community, the amount of cases I have come across in just one year are far too many for anyone to come across in their entire life. Far too many cases of people saying, "I don't believe." And they are coming out from the other end — whether from high school, college, or unfortunately, even from Islamic schools, even from those with a background in a Hifz school. Regardless, that is a problem we are noticing.

So, where is the solution? We have to have a multi-pronged approach. Not one solution can be given for every single family. Every single family, every single community has to look within themselves and find solutions best suited for them. But one thing I can say — it starts from home. It has to start from home. It has to be reinforced.

Our teachings of deen — you cannot bank on a madrasa, you cannot bank on an Islamic program, you cannot bank on an Islamic school, by any means, to train your children and make them — along with being a doctor — into a jannati. That just doesn't happen. There's no school that can give you that guarantee. You can barely give yourself that guarantee, much less give it to your own children, much less a school giving it to your kids. But what is our job? To work. To pray. To make an effort.

Practical Steps for the New School Year

So we have to start ensuring that as our students and our children start leaving for school, let us see what changes we can make. Summer has come to an end very quickly — before we know it, it's already over. We have to ensure that their companionship, their friendship, is with people who are afraid of Allah, who have taqwa within them. Their relationship with the masjid, their relationship with scholars, with students of knowledge — that needs to be something ingrained within our youth.

Because there's only so much that they're going to take from their parents. When they're young, they're very receptive. But as they grow older, a lot of it is the influence of their peers. If their peers are not practicing Muslims — God-fearing Muslims who give preference to the hereafter, who truly lead a life governed by the deen of Allah — then my brothers and sisters, the consequences can become very, very severe. And the worst part is that most of the time, parents don't realize it until it's way too late. Like someone who gets diagnosed at stage 4 — it's too late. If only you could get the diagnosis at stage 1, you could have done something about it. We hear that all the time. Well, the same thing applies to our children. We have to start young and we have to be consistent.

We cannot let go and say, "You're a young man, a young woman, you can handle yourself." Absolutely not. Our parents didn't do that with us — alhamdulillah. For the most part, all of us who are sitting here practicing the deen — they guided us till the very end. Even after marriage, they were there for us. We have to do the same for our children.

1. Evening Maktab Programs

Supplement it with education. For the younger boys and girls, find your local masjid that has an evening program — a Quranic program, an Islamic studies program. It is very important to attach them to the masjid. You say, "Well, I have someone who teaches over Skype" — that's great. "I have someone who comes to my home and teaches" — that's great. But they're missing on the environment. They need to have a heart-to-heart connection with the house of Allah. And a heart-to-heart connection with a teacher they can look up to and refer back to. And to have good Muslim friends — that's what the masjid provides.

So whether it's here at this institution — we have an evening program — or any other masjid close to your house, look for a good program that has an after-school evening program for your children and enroll them in it. You say, "My child knows how to read Quran." My brothers and sisters, this is much more than reading Quran. It's about the adab. It's about the etiquette. It's about the tarbiyah. It's about simply being able to blurt out the crazy questions that have been fed into their minds in elementary school and junior high. You don't know where to ask. Your parents won't know the answers either. So now at least you have an avenue — what you call an evening maktab — where you're able to share with your teacher those types of questions.

2. Weekend School and the Tafheem Program

On top of that, when it comes to weekends — enrolling our children, and ourselves, in the weekend school: Saturday school, Sunday school. And we have our Tafheem program here for college students, working adults, and professionals. Alhamdulillah, that's going to be starting a new semester — a brand new, revamped four-year program starting next weekend. That's a great opportunity for our college-age youth.

Most Saturday and Sunday schools go up to 12th grade at most — and honestly, by the time 6th, 7th, 8th grade comes around, enrollment is already dropping off. What is there for our college-age boys and girls? Alhamdulillah, this is one great opportunity right here — the Tafheem program on the weekends, where they can be taught at their level. They don't want to be babied. They don't want things dumbed down in a manner that is insulting to their intelligence. We want them to be able to interact with the deen, love the deen, and feel — subhanAllah — that as I am becoming an expert in math or finance or whatever it may be, I am also at the same time balancing it with knowledge of the deen.

3. Weekly Family Connection to the Masjid

Beyond that, connection to the house of Allah. A Friday night program, a Saturday night program at your local masjid — once a week, as a family, coming together to the house of Allah, attending a lecture, attending a program, and whatever activities they have. Social activities are great — that is very necessary. But beyond that, they must be coupled with an academic and spiritual gathering as well. If it's merely socialization — eating together — although that has some benefit, it's not going to help when doubts start creeping into the minds of the children regarding their faith. That socialization alone will not be enough. It needs to be coupled with an academic environment where people are able to freely ask questions about their faith, about Allah, about the Prophet ﷺ.

So I would recommend that we choose a day of the week to bring them to a program. And for the boys and their fathers as well — one salah a day in the masjid. Not for the program, just one salah a day — whether it's Isha or Fajr — even as school is starting. Make a commitment that we are going to attend the house of Allah.

Just this small act of sitting in the car and driving to the house of Allah — taking that 10-minute drive, just like all of you are coming here for Jumu'ah. You could have just decided not to come. But you made a decision. You took time off work to come here. I know it's not easy, but you made that decision and you're doing it week after week, month after month. It's just a decision. If you say, "Why don't you take a day off and skip Jumu'ah?" you say, "What? I'm a Muslim. I wouldn't do that." Well — it's the same thing. If you make a decision that I am going to pray one salah in the masjid because I need it and my children need it, Allah will make it easy for you. Once you get into the rhythm, it'll be a no-brainer. It will just flow.

Make it a habit in our home that we will come for Salatul Isha, come for Fajr — whether you have a musalla, a masjid, whatever. Staying connected to the house of Allah is of utmost importance.

4. Open Dialogue at Home

When you notice changes in your children's behavior — "I don't want to pray" — people message me about this all the time. My child now says he doesn't pray. Instead of just beating it down with a stick or yelling at them, realize that this is a symptom you are seeing. There's a sickness and a disease behind the symptom. By hitting at the symptom, you're not going to get rid of the sickness. Get to the bottom of it. Why are you asking this? Why are you arguing with me on this? Why don't you want to pray? Let's sit down and have a discussion. At 5 years old you can try. But at 8, 9, 10 — definitely at 12 for sure.

We can't force them into doing things. We have to have an open dialogue, an open discussion with them. When they start resisting things of the deen, figure out real quick what the reason is. And if we're not able to solve it ourselves, connect them with scholars. Connect them with students of knowledge. Not necessarily always imams — sometimes they just need good company. Students of their age who are practicing the deen can easily answer the questions. This is both for the boys and the girls.

Closing Reminder

These are some tips that come to mind, and I wanted to share them with you as the school year begins. If we do not make this a priority, my brothers and sisters, then the school year will come and go — and there are boys and girls who will do very well. They'll be on the honor roll, they'll be doing APs, they'll have perfect GPAs. But not at the cost of losing our faith. Not at the cost of joining the fastest growing religion of atheism, agnosticism, and hedonism.

I pray to Allah that He protects us, our youth, and our generations from having doubts in our faith. And that He allows us as parents not to neglect our children when it comes to educating them Islamically. Just as we are taking care of their other needs, I pray and I hope to Allah that He grants us the understanding of the importance of giving them a proper Islamic upbringing — and providing for them a proper Islamic environment where they can thrive in every sense.