The Signs of The Hour - Mufti Ehzaz Ajmeri

Respected brothers and sisters, I apologize for the delay in the khutbah. Respected brothers and sisters in Islam, Alhamdulillah, we have experienced the month of Ramadan, and now the youth, those that are in high school and college, they're preparing for now the school, their education to begin. And this is a time that the parents, the students, the whole household, they have a mission.

And they get to begin to how they could be successful in their lives, in their education. More than the students, the parents have this concern. The parents have the concern that my child, my son, my daughter will go to so-and-so school.

We have this habit of making sure that they get into the best schools. If they're in college, we make sure that we apply for our scholarships, our financial aid. We choose the best classes.

And all this is a system that is put in place where we're staying in America. This is a system that we are part of that we don't need to make any effort. It becomes part of our life that automatically we know that when the month of August is about to start, that we need to start again.

Summer is finished. Time for enjoyment is over. Now it's back to work.

Now we need to become serious. Why? Because this is reality. This is where we need to start making effort.

Because by making effort for the next school year, next academic year, that will determine my child's future. That will determine whether my son in the future will be successful or unsuccessful. Whether my daughter will go to a certain school or not.

So this mindset that we have, it's an automatic response. And wherever we go in society, we go outside, it's always reminding us that. If you open the newspaper, we see the back to school sales.

If you see the media, it's always talking about schools are starting on so and so date. And this is going to happen and that's going to happen. Because why the entire society prepares for this? We have to make no effort.

So we also become part and parcel of it. And which is a good thing. That we should be ready.

We should prepare our children for this. And make sure that they have the best education. Make sure they have the most brightest future.

But just as we prepare for something that is going to come in this next year. Or for the school for four years or eight years. Why? Because we have a goal in mind.

We have a very specific goal in mind. That perhaps, just perhaps, if he is successful in this next few years. If he gets the degree, if he gets the job, then he will have a safe and wholesome life.

And all this effort that we are doing is for that end goal that we see. And the end goal is what? That perhaps, we are not even sure. There is no guarantee.

And we know that there are many people that are highly educated. They are highly qualified. They have degrees.

But they have been laid off. They cannot find a job. They are in a state that they are looking for some source of income.

People that have master's degree. They are doing menial jobs. Why? Because they cannot find a job in their profession anymore.

So there is no guarantee for it. But we know that, no, the system is in place. And that is the norm.

That if you want to have a good job, if you want to have a good income, if you want to have a nice family, buy a house in a secure location, send your children, your future children into a nice school, this is the system you have to go through. And rarely do we find a person who doesn't go to a system who is going to have that end goal that we have in mind. So because of that, perhaps, the chance that there is a strong possibility by them doing this, they will be successful in the future.

They will have a comfortable life in the future. We, without even hesitation, we follow the system. And we put our children, our families, our lives, our entire schedule then surrounds this.

Because why? We have sense and we understand that we have to do this. Respected brothers and sisters in Islam, just how we have concern for something that is coming in the near future, in the same manner, when is the time are we going to start to think about the far future? That future that Allah calls it, ٱلْيَوْمُ ٱلسَّاعَةُ, says it يَوْمُ ٱلسَّاعَةِ, the day of the hour. When Allah calls the hereafter as the day of tomorrow.

That's how close Allah refers to that day, the tomorrow. When tomorrow comes, this will happen. When tomorrow comes, this will take place.

Allah refers to this in a very close manner. This is also something that is part of our system. This is also something that we have to prepare as well.

And we have to get our families, our children, our relatives into that mode as well. As human beings, we only reflect on that which is right in front of us. And that which we could see with our own eyes.

Something that is tangible sometimes. Then we have a sense of understanding it. But that which we cannot see, which we cannot comprehend, we have a habit to delay it.

We have a habit to believe in it, but not really believe in it. We understand it, but we don't really believe in it. As they say in Urdu, ایک ہے جانا، ایک ہے ماننا.

One is that you know it. One is that you believe in it. So we all know, as Muslims, we all know that, yes, this life we have, this is a life we have to make effort for, but the real life, the life of the hereafter is the ultimate life.

And that is the life that we need to prepare for. That is the life that we need to take time out for. We need to get ready our children, our families, our relatives, the society that we live in, we have to make that the ultimate goal.

We know that. But the difference comes that do we believe in that. And that believe is what makes the difference.

Believing in the hereafter, truly to come without a doubt. It is only those people Allah praises in the Quran. Allah says, Alif Lam Mim, Zalikal Kitabu La Rayba Fi Hudan Lil Muttaqeen Alladhina Yu'minuna Bil Ghayb.

That Alif Lam Mim, only Allah knows the meaning of Alif Lam Mim, Zalikal Kitab, this Kitab, La Rayba Fi, there is no doubt in it. The Quran, the speech of Allah, the Kalamullah, there is no doubt in it. La Rayba Fi Hudan Lil Muttaqeen.

This is guidance for those that have taqwa. Hudan Lil Muttaqeen, Alladhina Yu'minuna Bil Ghayb. Who are those people? Who are the muttaqeen? Alladhina Yu'minuna Bil Ghayb.

Allah said, Alladhina Ya'lamuna Bil Ghayb. That's not the word Allah used. Those that know the unseen.

Those that understand the concept. No, those that believe in the unseen. Very specific words Allah uses, Yu'minuna Bil Ghayb.

They have iman, firm belief, conviction. Conviction is something that there is zero doubt about. You don't have to see it.

You know 100% it exist. Yu'minuna Bil Ghayb. They believe in the unseen.

What is the unseen? Everything that we cannot comprehend with our sense, that is unseen. The being of Allah. The speech of Allah.

Jannah and Jahannam. The day of Qiyamah. The day of resurrection.

The accounting and the hisab that will take place. All this falls under Ghayb. But Allah says, who will get guidance from this book? Allatheena Yu'minuna Bil Ghayb.

Those that have complete understanding. Those that have complete belief in the unseen. So just how in this society, we always make effort.

And we understand without effort, nothing can be achieved. Nothing can be achieved without effort. Similarly, respected brothers and others.

If this world, which... The Prophet in a beautiful narration, which is a hadith of Qudsi. Hadith of Qudsi is when the Prophet, he says, Allah says this. When Prophet, in the narration, he says, Allah is saying this.

So in a hadith of Qudsi, the Prophet says, that Allah says, that this world is not even equal to a wing of a mosquito. If it was even equal to a wing of a mosquito, if it had any value whatsoever in the sight of Allah, then Allah would not have given even a drop of water to quench for the disbelievers. Means those that don't believe in Allah, they will not be given anything to drink.

(Hadith Qudsi, recorded by At-Tirmidhi)

But because this world has no value whatsoever, it's free for everyone. Everyone has a share in it. The Muslim, the non-Muslim, those that believe in Allah, those that deny in Allah, those that are the enemies of Allah, they all get a share in the world.

Because what? It has no value. It has no value whatsoever. This is Allah, the Creator, the Sustainer, the Khaliq, the Malik, the Raziq.

In Allah's sight, this world has no value. So this world which has zero value in the sight of Allah, still too we make so much effort. Still too we make so much effort, that from the age of 4, sometimes even at the age of 3, we send them to what? Preschool.

We send them to Montessori school, kindergarten. We put them in private schools, pay fees of 600, 700 dollars a month for a 4 year old to go to school. Until they come to the age of 12, then we want to make sure they get into the best colleges as well.

We apply for scholarships. They must have the best education, the best track. They must get their masters.

If they can, they must try to get a PhD as well. Why? What is all this for? Let us think. Why do we do all this to our children? Because we know that with effort, there will be results with that effort.

By making an effort, we will see the result. And what is the result? They will have a nice life. That's period.

That's it. They will have a nice roof over their head. They will have nice food to eat on their table.

That is the ultimate, basic, simplified, what is the purpose. So I'm not saying that we shouldn't make effort. No, we should make effort.

But we need to realize, but if something that has zero value in the sight of Allah, we make so much effort. Now we are intelligent beings. Allah causes intelligent beings.

That thing which Allah has prepared for us in the hereafter, that day, the hereafter, Allah has given, He said, مُلْكَ ٱلنَّعِيمَةِ Allah says, a huge kingdom is going to be for the believers. Now, let us bear in mind that when someone says something is big, it depends on the individual who is saying it. If a child, a 7-year-old child, 8-year-old child, he says, I have a lot of money.

You know, on the day of Eid, he got Eidi. He said, I got a lot of money. $100, $200, mashaAllah, he got.

$300, he got. That's a lot of money to him. A lot of money to him.

A teenager or a person who just starts work, and he brags to his friends, and he says, you know what, I got a lot of money. Okay, we'll say about what? $5,000 maybe, $10,000, because that's a lot for an 18-year-old, 19-year-old, that's a lot. Someone, mashaAllah, Allah has blessed him, he has a nice job, let's say he is a physician, Allah has blessed him with a lot of money, and he happens to use the word, a lot.

And he says that he has a lot of wealth. Then you say, okay, maybe $500,000, $1,000,000, $2,000,000, you know. It depends on the person who is speaking, right? But when Allah, subhanAllah, maalikul mulk, Allah, the king of all kings, the king of all kings, the one who created the entire universe, and the universe is such that we still don't understand how big the universe is, right? Scientists and astronomers are still exploring the universe and how vast and wide it is.

It's mind-boggling. And Allah is the creator of that. And Allah says, whenever I want to create something, it is easy of saying, كُن فَيَكُونُ Just saying, be and it becomes.

If Allah, the power of Allah says, that if Allah wants to create a billion universes equal to the one we're in right now, it's a matter of saying, كُن فَيَكُونُ And it'll come into existence. So when Allah says, that there is a vast kingdom for those that believe in Him, for those that have iman, now how big must that kingdom be then? When Allah says, I will give you a lot, and I'll give you whatever your heart desires, how much would that be? How big should that be then? Because again, keep in mind, it depends on the being, the individual who is saying a lot, big, vast. So vast according to us is something very small, but vast in the eyes of Allah is not something small.

That's something we cannot comprehend. So in this world, we make so much effort for something that is so limited, has no value, and is temporary as well, which we have to leave. Everyone has to leave.

But that, that hereafter, which is forever and everlasting, never coming to an end, forever and ever, ever and ever. That's a concept that human beings, they pretend to understand, but we can never truly understand. What does forever, what does eternal mean? Infinite means.

And so much so that in the hadith of Nabi, the Prophet, when describing the ni'mah of Jannah, he says, the ni'mah of Jannah are such that when you eat something, when you eat a fruit and take a bite into one of the fruit, it will be the most sweetest bite you have ever taken. You'll forget all the pleasures of the world. But when you take the second bite, it will be sweeter than the first bite.

(Hadith related to the bounties of Jannah, referenced in Islamic sources)

When you take the third bite, it will be sweeter than the second bite. And it will get sweeter. And there will be no limit to the sweetness.

On every Friday, there will be a gathering. There will be a gathering. And all the believers, all those that are in Jannah, they'll come.

And when they return to the palaces in Jannah, their wives will say that you look more beautiful than you were before. And the husbands will say to the wives that you also look more beautiful than you were before. And every Friday, their beauty will increase and increase and increase.

There is no end to it. We could pretend to understand this, but relatively think forever, never coming to end. Is there even a limit? There is no limit to the bounties of Allah.

But we make effort. So along with this effort in this world, side by side, we have to make another effort, the ultimate effort. And that's the effort of the hereafter.

That just how we want a peaceful life, a safe life, not for us only, but for our families, for our children, for our loved ones. And alhamdulillah, those that are fathers over here sitting in this gathering and mothers that are listening in, you realize that how much sacrifice sometimes the father and mother have to do to make sure that my son or my daughter has a beautiful life. I will sacrifice my pleasure, especially those that come from overseas and they start working.

Sometimes they're working two, three jobs at a time. Early in the morning, four o'clock they leave the house, they come 11 o'clock at night time. Then they take a third job also in the week, and seven days a week they're working.

We're asking, why are you doing this? I just want a bright future for my child. That's the only thing I want. I want to make sure that my child has those opportunities which I never had in this world.

I want to make sure he gets the best education. He has the most comfort. He is happy.

He is comfortable. And they do all this. And I've seen examples with my own eyes where the fathers and the mothers, they work so much.

Why? For the sake of the safety and comfort and the happiness of the children. But we all love our children so much. Let us take the same concern a step further.

Let us have concern for the hereafter. Is my son, is my daughter praying the Fajr Salah or not? Is my son or daughter upholding the commandments of Allah or not? Are they involved in any sin that they're not supposed to be involved in? What is going to happen on the day of Qiyamah? Is my son or my daughter going to be safe on that day? Are they going to be comfortable on that day? Are they going to be happy on that day? Let us have concern for this as well. If not, the loss of this world is a loss.

We admit it. If someone doesn't have a comfortable life, it's difficult. But a loss on the day of Qiyamah, we cannot even explain how big of a loss that's going to be.

The losses of this world can be made up. You have some difficulties in this world. They can be made up by making more effort.

But if a person is a loser on the day of Qiyamah, then he'll remain a loser. A person comes to the court of Allah, he does not have iman. He does not have faith.

He does not have sound faith. Then that person is a loser forever. And on that such day, Allah, يَوْمَ يَفِرُّ ٱلْمَرْءُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ وَأُمِّهِ وَأَبِيهِ وَصَـحِبَتِهِ وَبَنِيهِ لِكُلِّ ٱمْرِئٍ مِّنْهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ شَأْنٌ يُغْنِيهِ And on that day, each and every individual have his own shaan.

And say, يَوْمَ يَفِرُّ One is ذَهَبَ, one is just to go. ذَهَبَ in the Arabic language is just to leave. فَرَّ يَفِرُّ means to flee, running away like you're trying to save your life.

يَوْمَ يَفِرُّ ٱلْمَرْءُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ A person will flee away from his brother. وَأُمِّهِ وَأَبِيهِ A person will run away from the mother and the father. Flee, not just walking away, just like trying to save his own life.

I'm being far away from you. I have nothing to do with you. وَصَـحِبَتِهِ وَابْنِي And from his spouse and from his children, he's gonna flee.

لِكُلِّ ٱمْرِئٍ يَوْمَئِذٍ شَأْنٌ يُغْنِيهِ Each and every individual on that day will have his own shaan, his own state. In this world, we show our love, but let us show also our love for our family members, ourselves, for on that ultimate day. Because why? On that day, no one will be able to help each other out.

Everyone is gonna be in his own concern, his own worry. But you have time in this world. Let us make effort that along with the education that we give our children, how can we give them an Islamic education? They know their skills for the ACTs and SATs, or if they finish the college, for the AMCATs and LSATs, they're preparing that.

We take sometimes a year off. Why? Because you need to prepare for your AMCATs. So we make so much effort to make sure.

Why? Because that's an examination. We want to make sure to get the best results. The best results.

So many individuals take a whole year aside to prepare for that exam. So why they could get the highest remarks? But when's the last time we took a year out for the sake of the hereafter? Let me take my sons one year out. Let me take one year out of the schedule.

Why? So they could recognize Allah. They could understand what Quran has to say. They could understand what the Prophet has to say.

Because of all that, let me take one year out of my child's life out for the sake for them to become a true Muslim. Respected brothers and elders, many people, they ask us questions, that what is this one year program that you guys have at Darussalam? How can you become an alim in one year? I say, when did we say you become alim in one year? We never even called it an alim course. Yes, if people outside calls it, that's their fault.

Don't blame us for that. But we never called it an alim course. We say this is a one year intensive program.

But what is this intensive program? What is the purpose of this intensive program? The sole purpose of this intensive program is a person becomes a better Muslim. That is it. How many of our youth, they have gone to universities. Their iman and Islam was weak. They took a few classes and now they have left the fold of Islam. You have heard this khutbah from me, from Mufti Azeem, from Mufti Minhaj, and the other a'imah in this locality, about our youth leaving the fold of Islam.

I'm not gonna talk about that. But what is the reason? Why are they doing it? Is it that we don't have enough Muslims in our area to teach them Islam? Is that the reason? Is it because why we're so weak, we don't have wealth, we don't have resources? Alhamdulillah, the situation we are in this locality, the numbers of Muslims, we never had this number before. The number of resources and wealth we have in our community, we never had that before in this locality.

The amount of scholars and hufadh we have in Chicago land, we never had this many before. But why is it that the number of people leaving the fold of Islam is never as before? What is the reason? What is the reason that people are still leaving the fold of Islam? And the reason, my respected brothers and others, that we have lost our path. We have lost our path.

And we have now just concentrated only on this dunya. That's all we have concentrated on. And we said, I am a Muslim.

I pray salah. My name is Muhammad. My wife's name is Fatima.

My child's name is Ahmed. Alhamdulillah, that's enough. I don't need to do anything else.

We have never taught them what Islam really is. Islam is just a religion of my dad. Islam is just a religion of my mother.

That's all it is now. So when they go to universities and take away, why are you Muslim? I really don't know. I was born a Muslim.

That's why I'm a Muslim. But that doesn't make sense. You shouldn't be something.

You shouldn't be forced to be something. You have a right to choose. Oh really? You know what, I choose not to be a Muslim.

And they leave the fold of Islam. They ask me such questions that they doubt the Qur'an. They doubt the Prophet's teaching.

The narration of the Prophet. They create identity crisis in their youth. That when they go, they don't know what they are.

In the house, there's something else. When they go to colleges, there's someone else. When they're with their friends, there's someone else.

When they're with their relatives, there's someone else. This identity crisis is huge in our youth. This one year gives you that identity that, why are you a Muslim? One of the first questions that we ask in our Aqidah class is, why are you a Muslim? And you'll be surprised, majority have no answer.

Because I was born a Muslim. Because my dad is a Muslim. My mother is a Muslim.

That's why I'm a Muslim. Because I believe in the Qur'an. It's okay, how much of the Qur'an have you understood? Zero.

So how are you a Muslim because of the Qur'an? You don't even understand what's in the Qur'an. So it's all like, they're just assuming. So this one year, respected brothers and sisters in Islam, it is why we have this course, is for them to become firm Muslims.

So when they go back in society, they become Muslim first, then a student. Muslim first, then a husband. Muslim first, then a doctor and engineer.

They always know their identity that, I am a Muslim no matter what. And I am a Muslim not because of my father, not because of my mother, not because my family surname is Siddiqui. I am a Muslim because I firmly believe in Islam.

I firmly believe in Allah and His Prophet in the Qur'an. And I'm gonna defend this, this aqeedah of mine, this creed of mine. For that reason, we have this one year program.

Inshallah, the one year program will be starting this Monday. If any of the brothers and sisters are interested, time is very short, the seats are very limited. I request that you contact one of the scholars.

Go online, we have also people in the back that you could find out what this is about. Take a year off of your time. Now this is not only for students.

We have people that were doctors. They were practicing doctors in ER. They changed their schedule to such that they were only working on the weekends, Saturday, Sunday.

And they joined the one year program. Why? They wanted to study. They wanted to know what Islam has to say.

So we had people that were married that are part of this course. We have children that are 16 years old that are taking this course out. So for this reason, I request you also to find out more information.

Contact your family, family members and learn about this program. Not for the sake of Darussalam. I'm not here to promote Darussalam.