Valuing The Greatest Blessing: Islam And Lifelong Submission

The Greatest Blessing: Islam and Submission to Allah

The word is to submit to Allah. So of course Ibrahim alayhi s-salam is not asking Allah to make him a Muslim, but he's asking Him to give him istiqamah and submission to Allah throughout his life. Similarly, we see the same du'a reflected by many other awliya of Allah and prophets of Allah.

For example, Yusuf alayhi s-salam. He's asking Allah towards the end of his life, after Allah has given him everything and anything a person could wish for in the world. He's given him wealth, he's given him honor, he's given him knowledge. So what does he ask Allah after that?

We see in the end of Surah Yusuf, Allah tells us, through the words of Yusuf alayhi s-salam: "My Lord, you have given me authority and you have taught me the interpretation of dreams." As we said, he has been given everything that a person could want. What more can a person want? What does he say? "Originator of the heavens and the earth, grant me death as a Muslim and join me with the righteous people."

Similarly, Yaqub alayhi s-salam — when he's advising his children, the final parting words he's saying to his children. These are going to be the most important words to him, the most valuable advices he can give to his children. What does he say? Allah says in Surah Al-Baqarah: "Do not pass away except that you are in a state of submission to Allah." So this theme of submission is commonly found amongst the prophets.

Similarly, at the time of Musa alayhi s-salam, the magicians who fell in prostration to Allah when they saw the miracle of Allah through Musa alayhi s-salam — what did they say? They said to Fir'aun and his people: "You only take vengeance from us because we believed in Allah when His signs came to us." They asked Allah: "O Allah, give us patience to endure what these people are going to do to us. And O Allah, grant us death as Muslims, as submitters to Allah."

This blessing of Islam is so great that even the prophets alayhimu s-salam, who were so close to Allah, were asking Allah to give them tawfiq to have this till the end of their lives. And this is such a great blessing — it is the greatest blessing that any of us has.

Allah tells us that we will say in Jannah, insha'Allah, when we pass away and we go to Jannah, one thing that we will say to Allah:

"All praise be to Allah who has guided us towards this religion. We would not have been guided if Allah had not guided us towards this religion."

Valuing and Protecting the Blessing of Islam

So we see that this is such a great blessing Allah has given us. Despite that, we see that people who have been given this blessing do not thank Allah for it. They do not value this blessing of Allah.

And what I mean by that is that despite people who have grown up in a Muslim household and have been given this Islam, we see them leaving the fold of Islam. Why is that? We have to understand that when you have anything of value but you do not take care of it properly, you can lose it just as easily. So if a person has valuables and he is in a dangerous neighborhood, or he is out somewhere where he knows there are people around who mug people, who hijack people, and he is flashing his valuables — that is extremely foolish.

A person who is doing that is practically inviting himself to be mugged; the person will take his belongings, might even shoot him. So this is the example of the deen.

We have such a great blessing of Allah. We have to value it and appreciate it — by doing what? Not putting ourselves in situations where we can lose it. Putting ourselves in situations where the command of Allah is being broken around us, and we don't do anything about it. We think: "Oh, I am a Muslim and I know that I am a believer, so I am firm. When I go to different environments, I am not going to be harmed."

But just like the example of a person who has something valuable going into a dangerous neighborhood — he doesn't flaunt his wealth and show it to people — we have to be careful not to put ourselves in situations where iman can be at stake. We might say: "No, it's just a wedding, it's just a party, I am just going there and I am going to enjoy my time, and I am not going to be disobeying Allah." This is not appreciating the blessing of Allah.

How to Protect Our Iman

So how can we protect ourselves? First, we appreciate it. Allah says:

"If you are thankful, then I will grant you more." So we have to protect our iman and protect our Islam by not going into environments where the commandment of Allah is being broken.

On top of that, we have to make du'a to Allah for it. We see that the Prophets alayhimu s-salatu wa s-salam and these awliya at the time of Musa alayhi s-salam — who is closer to Allah than them from among us? None of us is as close to Allah as them — yet they are making du'a to Allah:

"Grant me death as a Muslim." So we too have to follow that and make du'a to Allah to give us istiqamah on Islam and to allow us to die as Muslims. A du'a that comes in the Quran, in Surah Ali Imran, is:

"O Allah, do not misguide our hearts after You have guided us." Even though we are Muslim now, we ask Allah: "O Allah, grant me tawfiq to always stay as a Muslim till the day that I pass away."

The Hadith of Ibn Mas'ud: Protecting Iman Through Salah in the Masjid

We see in the hadith of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — the hadith narrated from Ibn Mas'ud radhiallahu anhu — he gives advice on how we can protect our iman. Now that we understand how valuable iman is, when we hear the advice from the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and the sahabah on how to protect the iman, we should hold firmly to this and grasp onto it, and make it our life.

Ibn Mas'ud radhiallahu anhu is narrated to have said:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 4, Hadith 1479)

"Whoever it pleases to meet Allah tomorrow on the Day of Judgment as a Muslim, let him be punctual on these prayers where the adhan is being called out for them" — and that of course refers to the masajid.

Whoever it pleases to meet Allah as a Muslim — well, that should be all of us. Allah says:

"O you who believe, fear Allah as He ought to be feared, and do not pass away except in a state where you are Muslim." So the advice is that we should be punctual on our salah in the masjid.

Then Ibn Mas'ud gives more detail. He says:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 4, Hadith 1479)

"Allah has legislated for your Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam the paths of guidance, and the five daily prayers in jama'ah in the masjid are from the sunan al-huda. If you were to pray your salah in your home, like this person who is praying his salah in his home, you would have left the sunnah of your Prophet. And if you leave the sunnah of your Prophet, you would have been misguided."

We can all reflect on this in our own lives and see where we are at with our punctuality of salah in the masjid. Whatever level we are at, we should try to take it one step higher. If we are not able to pray salah with jama'ah except at Jumu'ah, or even less than that, then we need to understand this hadith very clearly — that if you have left the sunnah of your Prophet, you would have been misguided. We should make an effort to become closer to the masjid and become more punctual in our salah there.

The Reward for Every Step to the Masjid

Ibn Mas'ud continues:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 4, Hadith 1479)

"No person makes wudhu, and does his best in making wudhu — the way the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did it, not wasting water, washing each limb three times — and then makes his way to any of these masajid, except that for every step he takes, Allah writes a good deed for him, raises him one rank higher, and forgives one sin." So every single step this person takes towards the masjid, all of this reward is being given to him.

The Example of the Sahabah

We see that the sahabah radhiallahu anhum, whenever the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said anything, they truly internalized it and took it to heart. There is a hadith narrated by Ubay ibn Ka'b radhiallahu anhu about an Ansari sahabi — he said that he didn't know anybody who lived farther from the masjid than this man, yet he would never miss a single salah in the masjid of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

It was suggested to him: "Why don't you build a house closer to the masjid so it's easier for you to pray in the masjid?" And this person refused. The matter was even taken to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, who suggested the same thing to him. But what did he say? He said: "I want that my steps towards the masjid will be counted for me." Every single step, as we see in this hadith, is going to be an extra good deed, a higher rank, and a forgiven sin by Allah.

The Standard at the Time of the Prophet

Then Ibn Mas'ud radhiallahu anhu reflects on the time of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. He is relating this hadith to the tabi'un, to the followers. But at the time of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the environment was of a much higher standard. So he laments about that time and says:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 4, Hadith 1479)

"At the time of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, no single person would miss the salah with jama'ah except a munafiq — a hypocrite — whose hypocrisy was known. And at that time, a person would be so weak that he could not come to the masjid himself, but still two people would grab him by his sides and take him to the masjid until he stood in the saf."

These people had the excuse not to come, but because of all the reward that comes from coming to the masjid, and because of how great it was, they still made such a tremendous effort to be there.

Conclusion: A Call to Reflect and Act

My dear respected brothers and elders, we should reflect on this and see in our own lives where we stand. We all know where we're at. We are the judges of our own selves.

Back to the main point — this is the advice being given to protect your iman, to preserve yourself, so that you die as a Muslim and you meet Allah as a Muslim. We should understand how valuable this advice is and see where we can build our connection with the masjid. Along with that, we make du'a to Allah that He gives us tawfiq to stay on Islam and iman until we pass away, and that when we meet Allah, we meet Him in a state where He is pleased with us.

We should also make sure that we do not put ourselves in situations where iman is in danger. And along with that, we follow this advice and try to be as close to the masjid as we can.

We ask Allah to give us all tawfiq to perform the five daily prayers with jama'ah in the masjid. And our final call is that all praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds.

Announcements

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: "Charity given on the day of Jumu'ah is greater in reward than any other day." So please pass the donation boxes from left to right. And sadaqah wards off calamities and draws the mercy of Allah.

Regarding our annual winter intensive — the dates are Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, December 20th, 21st, and 22nd.

Join us every Monday night for a podcast-style conversation with Mufti Azim Al-Ahmad alongside a co-host. Each week he will share his experiences, travels, and perspectives on current events. The community will have a chance to ask questions and engage in an open, interactive discussion after Isha.

Also on Tuesday Tafsir, we deep dive into Tafsir and uncover its timeless wisdom.

Additionally, join our new Thursday program: Imam Tirmidhi's Al-Shama'il Al-Muhammadiyah after Isha Salah for brothers and sisters in Urdu.

Lastly, join us for our weekly Saturday team Fajr, which will be tomorrow after Fajr. The Lives of the Companions series will continue.

Additionally, sisters' part-time programs are offered online. We have the Saliheen Part-Time Hifz, taught by experienced female scholars. Register at masjidds.org/seminary/sisters-part-time.

The Muslim Community of Joliet is fundraising to purchase a property for the masjid. The target is $780,000 and the closing date is December 8th. We ask you to open your hearts and donate generously. Help establish the first masjid for the Joliet Muslim Community and earn your share of a home in Jannah.

As the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: "Whoever builds a mosque for Allah, Allah will build for him a house in Paradise." Please visit their booth at the archway entrance outside and donate for this cause, so that Allah builds your home in Paradise, insha'Allah.

Du'a request: please continue making du'a for the people of Gaza and the entire Muslim Ummah. May Allah relieve all of them. Additionally, Dr. Waqar Ahmed is experiencing a blockage in the heart. Please make du'a for him, and we ask Allah to grant him a quick and speedy recovery.