Liberating Yourself from the Psychological Prison | Jumuah Khutbah | Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi

Dear Muslims, Ramadan was the month of ibadah and duas. Ramadan was the month in which all of us wanted some change, in which we would be constantly making dua to Allah to help us in some difficult situation, to change a calamity. Some of us were struggling with financial issues and so we made dua for those. Others were struggling with health issues, yet others had family issues, yet others have so many other problems and throughout the month, we kept on raising our hands to Allah, begging, praying, making dua. One of the themes of Ramadan is dua.

Now that Ramadan is over, it is possible that we are wondering, where are the effects of that dua? How come I don't see a change in what I was asking Allah for? In today's khutbah, I want to remind us of two verses that I hope insha'Allah you will reread and memorize. Surah Talaq verses 2 and 3:

Whoever has taqwa of Allah, Allah will create an escape route for him. Whoever has taqwa, Allah will make a makhrij, a way out. And Allah will give him help from sources he never thought would help him. وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبْ And whoever puts his trust in Allah, let him know that he needs no one other than Allah. Allah is all that he needs. Indeed, Allah will achieve his will. إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ Everything has a set destiny in the eyes of Allah.

A Story from the Time of the Prophet

Our books of tafsir mention a beautiful story. And Allah knows, insha'Allah the concept is there. This is mentioned in the books of seerah and in books of tafsir. That there was a companion in the time of the Prophet ﷺ. His name was Auf ibn Malik. And he had only one son. Him and his wife were elderly. He had only one son. And this son was sent on an expedition to defend the ummah. And everybody came back except this one young man. Everybody came back successful, but this man didn't return.

So Auf went to the Prophet ﷺ, he said, Ya Rasulullah, you know our situation, we have only one son. Where is he? What happened? And the Prophet ﷺ said, Allah will make a way out. Turn to Allah, make dua to Allah. Allah will make a makhrij for you. Turn to Allah.

Then news came that in fact he had been captured. The one person he had been captured and taken a prisoner. Most likely he would be executed. So Auf and his wife began making dua to Allah. Making dua to Allah to save. Turning to Allah in dhikr. And as they were praying and in sajda, in the late portion of the night before salatul fajr. The knock comes on the door. He opens it and he finds his son. Not only has he returned safe and sound, he actually has an entire flock of goats with him. They were a poor family. He's bringing a lot of rizq.

He says, what happened my son? We've been waiting for you so many days. What happened? And he said, Allah made a way out for me. I was a prisoner, I was tied up. I was literally a prisoner. My hands, my feet were tied. But I continued to wiggle my way out. Until I managed to get out of the shackles. And in the middle of the night when they were all asleep, I managed to escape. And I managed to take with them the very flock that they needed for their sustenance. I took it. So here I am along with the flock.

The next morning when they went back, it is said Allah had revealed these verses already telling the Prophet ﷺ what had happened:

Five Profound Lessons from These Verses

These verses, they have in them five phrases. Let us go over them one by one so that we appreciate, so that we absorb this message in our lives.

First: The Conditional Promise

First and foremost, the conditional phrase. Conditional. Whoever has the taqwa of Allah, for that person, Allah will make an escape route. It's conditional. Whoever has this, shall get that. This conditional clause is one of the most optimistic verses in the Quran. Because we are told that nothing can trap us if Allah is on our side. We are told, no matter how dark and dank, no matter how constricted the world appears, if we have taqwa in Allah, Allah will cleave open an escape route. Allah will draft for us, create for us an escape from places that we thought we were surrounded by.

One of the scholars of the past, Rabi' ibn Khaytham, he said, Allah has promised that for every worry that a person can have, for every worry that constricts his heart, Allah has promised if you turn to Him, He will open that worry out and leave you out of that difficulty. This is a promise that Allah has made. It is conditional. But that condition is on us, not on Him. It is conditional on us. Whoever has taqwa of Allah.

The Real Freedom

Now notice here, the perfection of the Quran. And I want you to memorize this point. It is very important. Allah did not say, your problem will go away. Allah did not say, your situation will no longer exist. Allah says, you shall be removed from that constriction. Maybe that constriction will remain where it is, but your heart will be liberated from it. The freedom of the heart is the real freedom. The freedom of the soul is the real freedom.

Because perhaps, when we are engrossed in our problems, that problem has shackled us. That problem has imprisoned us. That problem is like a psychological prison. We cannot eat, we cannot drink, we cannot move, because we have imposed the problem that exists onto our lives. And Allah says, if you have taqwa, you will no longer feel imprisoned. You will feel free as a bird. You will feel absolutely unrestricted. The problem that you had will no longer be a problem for you, even if it exists in your life. It is a frame of mind that Allah will liberate you. Allah will free you from your own shackles. You will begin to appreciate things you never appreciated. And what you thought was a very big issue, what you thought imprisoned you, you will realize, this is nothing. It's no big deal. I have Allah. I have this, I have that. And you will be able to be liberated from the shackles that that worry had imposed upon you.

Second: Help from Unexpected Sources

Then Allah says, وَيَرْزُقُهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبْ Help will come from places you never expected. And this is a reality in all Quranic stories. This is the reality of the seerah of the Prophet ﷺ. Go to read the Quran, go look at the seerah. Allah constantly demonstrates that help will come from places you never expected.

In the story of Musa, a man comes from the other side of the town warning him, Oh Musa, I'm here to warn you. And then when he's wandering alone in the world, not a friend on earth, a random family in Midian adopts him as a son-in-law, gives him a career and a job, and a daughter makes him a part of their family. Out of nowhere, Allah brought that family. Even when you're physically trapped, Maryam is in her cave worshipping Allah, in her place of seclusion worshipping Allah. And Allah provides food from places she cannot even see. Musa is trapped, he thinks there's nowhere to go. But he goes, No, Allah will not leave me trapped. And so Allah causes the very Red Sea to open up in front of them.

وَيَرْزُقُهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبْ Whoever has the true tawakkul in Allah, whoever really has the taqwa, Allah will provide from places one never expected. In the seerah, how many instances do we have? Even the animals are a part of Allah's army, such that when Abu Bakr and the Prophet ﷺ are in Ghar Thawr, Allah sends even a pigeon to go and make a nest over there. When the creation is part of the armies of Allah, when Allah's armies extend all around us, then when Allah wants to help, His armies will kick in. His armies will all aid you from places you could never expect. The point is, you need to have Allah on your side.

Third: Allah is Sufficient

And then the third phrase, وَمَنْ يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ Whoever has tawakkul in Allah, let him know, he needs no one other than Allah. He needs no one other than Allah. This is the key point. If you want Allah to take care of you, you need to remove everyone from your heart except Allah. If you want Allah to take care of you, your heart has to be pure for Allah. Your desire, your fear, your hope, your ibadah, your servitude, your sajdah, your dhikr, everything.

Liberating Yourself from the Psychological Prison

Everything, when you make it for Allah, to Allah, with Allah, through Allah, then you need nothing other than Allah. If you have Allah, you have everything. And if you don't have Allah, you have nothing.

And we all know, we've heard this a million times. Tawakkul is not just a frame of mind. It is not just cleansing the heart. Tawakkul is a state in which you exert your body while your soul is attached to Allah. In the physical world, you act horizontally. In the spiritual world, you act vertically.

The Balance of Effort and Trust

What do I mean by this? In the physical world, you go back and forth. You plan, you have a vision, you do what you need to do. In the physical world, you do not just sit up and adopt a lazy attitude. You do everything you need to do. This is tawakkul. Tie your camel, then put your trust in Allah. And then in your heart, your heart is attached only to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And so, when you put in the effort, and when you do everything in your power to do, Musa didn't give up back in the city. He didn't give up in Midian. He didn't give up when Firaun's armies were attacking. He didn't give up even as this Red Sea is in front of him, and the army is behind him. Even though there is nowhere to go, you don't give up. Until you get to the very dead end, then you say, O Allah, I've done everything I can. Now it's on you. Then if a miracle is gonna happen, that's when it happens.

Maryam alayhi as-salaam, story after story, you put in the effort, and then you leave the rest to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And the seerah shows this from beginning to end. Your effort is necessary in order to bring about Allah's blessings and barakah, and many miracles. That is a part of tawakkul. When you perform tawakkul, your actions are active, your heart is solid, and completely trusting Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Allah's Divine Plan

Point number four. What are you worried about? There is a plan. Allah's plan will happen. It's not random. It's not happening out of nowhere. Your life, your good and bad, your calamities, your success, it's all in a plan. And if the originator of the plan, if the creator of the plan is happy with you, then your plan will have a positive role.

Understand this point. Everything is happening by the qadar of Allah. And if Allah loves you, and He will love you if you turn to Him, He will love you if you want Him to love you, He will love you if you prioritize His love, if you put in an effort to obtain His love. If Allah loves you, what can possibly come between you and the plan of Allah?

إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ - Allah's plan is going to happen. Allah's amr will take place. Allah's qadar, nothing can come between it. You are nothing other than a manifestation of Allah's plan.

Nothing is gonna happen unless Allah has decreed it. And Allah is my mawla. Allah loves me. Allah protects me. Allah is nourishing me. Why should I be worried when I have trust in Allah? But do you have trust in Allah? Are you actually resigning yourself to Allah's qadar? If you are, then we want the best, but we put our trust whatever is happening is the best. Whatever is happening is for our good.

Divine Wisdom in All Things

And that's why Allah concludes this paragraph with a powerful reminder. Allah has made a time and a place and a quantity for all things. Allah has made everything in due proportion. Everything is happening for a divine wisdom. Whether you have rizq or you don't have rizq, it is for your benefit. Whether you are healthy or sick, whether you have this or that, قَدَ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدَرًا - Allah has appointed a qadar for everything. And Allah knows what is good for you.

Perhaps you desire a lot of money, but Allah knows if you had it, it would corrupt you. So in order to protect you, you do not have that money. You think you will be a good person, Allah knows you better than you know yourself. You put your trust in Allah, strive to obtain money. Yes, want to obtain money that is halal. In case it doesn't happen, قَدَ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدَرًا.

Perhaps you want children, but Allah knows your child might not be for your best interest. So to protect you, not to hurt you, not to punish you, to protect you. قَدَ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدَرًا.

Console yourself that Allah's qadar, Allah's plan, Allah's wisdom is far more powerful and perfect than my own. So trust in Allah's qadar after you have put in the effort, after you have done everything you can and you see absolutely no change. Console yourself. قَدَ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدَرًا.

True Liberation Through Trust

And when you understand this, you will be liberated from the pressures around you. You will accept Allah's qadar. You might not have to be happy at the situation, but you must accept and resign yourself that Allah's plan is more wise than my plan. And Allah's knowledge is infinitely more perfect than my own. So O Allah, while I want shifa, while I want rizq, while I want a child, if you have decreed otherwise, then I trust your judgment. If you have this frame of mind, Wallahi, you will always be a winner. You will always be a victor. You will never be surrounded by the woes and the problems of this dunya. You shall be liberated and free as Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala promises.

Ibn Taymiyyah remarks, regarding this ayah, that Allah has guaranteed that the one who has taqwa shall find a way out of the stress of this world. And that Allah will provide for him from sources they never expected. So, if a person finds that this is not happening, if a person finds they're still overcome with stress, they're still not feeling the sweetness of freedom, then that person should look at his own level of taqwa. For there must be a deficiency in his or her own heart, because of which, the fruits that Allah promised, he is not tasting those fruits.

Allah has made a promise. It is conditional, but the condition is on me and you. It's a conditional promise. If you have taqwa, this is going to happen. That is a guaranteed conditional promise. Ibn Taymiyyah says, in case that's not happening, well, the second half of the promise is guaranteed. Have you fulfilled the first half? That is the question all of us need to be asking ourselves.

The Context of Divine Support

And one final point about this verse. The context of this verse is very interesting. It's a side point, maybe another khutbah we'll talk about it. This verse occurs smack in the middle about verses pertaining to divorce. In fact, the surah is called surah At-Talaq. Why? And the context is actually women that are being divorced. Because as we all know, one of the most painful circumstances is a woman who is being unjustly divorced. And Allah puts this entire paragraph to calm down and to give courage and to give support to those women who are facing uncertainty.

This is the context of this verse. If you have taqwa, Allah will make a way out for you. Don't worry, your husband is leaving you, Allah will provide rest from places you never expected. And this is a different tangent, we'll talk about marital rights and the importance of spouses in a different khutbah. But I wanted to highlight here that this entire paragraph is occurring in the midst of divorce. And Allah is giving comfort especially to the woman but to both sides that listen, whatever is happening, Allah has a qadr written for you. And whatever happens, happens for your best. You turn to Allah, and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will take care of you.

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless me and you with the Qur'an. And may He make us of those whose verses they understand, and applies halal and haram throughout all his span. Ask Allah's forgiveness, you as well, ask Him for His ghafoor and the rahman.

Addressing Community Challenges

Alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen. All praise is due to Allah, the one and the unique. It is Him we worship, and it is blessings that we seek. He is the Lord of the oppressed, and He hears the prayer of the weak.

As to what follows, my dear brothers and sisters of epic community. Yesterday, Congressman Keith Self showed a map of our masjid, and the neighborhood surrounding our masjid in congress. And he made many false claims about you and me, and about our masjid, and about the people living around the masjid. This is in our congress.

False Claims and Misinformation

This congressman, Keith Self, he represents Texas 3rd district, that is parts of Plano, McKinney, Allen, Wiley, and other surrounding neighborhoods. And this congressman is the primary founder of an entire caucus. It is called the Sharia Free American Caucus, which is a political caucus that claims that America is facing an existential threat because of Islam and the Sharia. And that politicians have to come together to ban Sharia, and to make sure Muslims do not practice Sharia. Yesterday's hearing was a part of that tactic by this caucus to further their agenda.

Now this particular congressman, Mr. Keith Self, he has long shown his blatant animosity to our religion in multiple statements. In one interview recently, he said, and I quote, "while western civilization has evolved, Islam has not. Islam is stuck in the 8th century. And if they succeed at imposing their beliefs on us, we will be dragged back into the dark ages." End quote. He says Muslims will drag Europe back into the dark ages.

The Historical Reality

It would behoove an elected official and a representative of a district in which almost 15% of that district speak languages from Asia and the Middle East to learn some facts about the religion at least 10% of his own constituents practice and follow.

The fact of the matter, as all intellectual historians acknowledge, is that were it not for Islam, Europe would still be in the dark ages. This is a reality and a fact that every intellectual historian has highlighted. Will Durant, one of the most recognized and erudite historians of the last century, Will Durant in his magnificent The History of Civilization, he writes, and I quote, "the Islamic world was at that time the most advanced civilization on earth. It was the Muslims who preserved and enhanced and transmitted the Greek heritage back to Europe." End quote.

Bertrand Russell, perhaps the greatest philosopher of the last 150 years, Bertrand Russell, when he writes his history of Western philosophy, an iconic book in the required curriculum across Western universities. He writes, "for centuries, the Mohammedans, the Muslims, were more civilized and more humane than the Christians. They preserved Greek philosophy when Christians forgot about it." End quote.

And I can go on and on, but apparently, our congressman isn't somebody who is particularly fond of facts and truths. His entire tirade against us, against you, his entire tirade was riddled with wild accusations and conspiratorial craziness.

Addressing the Falsehoods

He claims, completely falsely, that the neighborhood around the masjid was sold exclusively to Muslims. This is a blatant lie. It was on a public market and anybody could buy. He claims, and I quote, that this is a sharia-adherent neighborhood. And he decries the fact that there are halal shops across the road. And there's a sharia-compliant institute that's giving sharia-compliant financing schemes and financing loans.

He even claims, and this is on YouTube, and if it were not for the fact that it's on YouTube, I would be embarrassed to say this ridiculous claim. He claims that girls disappear from our societies at some point in time. Sisters, apparently you don't exist in his world. He also claims that there are mysterious deaths taking place. He literally says this. Mysterious deaths taking place in our community.

He calls epic a parallel society cut off from the rest of the world. A de facto sharia enclave. Those are his words directly. And he makes a very big deal of the fact that close to us, around us, next to our neighborhood is a local police station. But he's never spoken to the chief of police with which we have very strong ties who visits our community all the time. We have a great relationship with them. But he has some sinister agenda that we actually wanted to build a mosque to do what exactly?

Standing Against Injustice and Defending Our Community

To monitor a small little precinct in America and think that that's somehow gonna change the course of American history? The fact of the matter is to read in something sinister to a mosque and a thriving community, to read in conspiratorial craziness to shawarma shops and halal products, to claim that a coincidental closeness to a small local training facility is somehow a sinister agenda to take over the country, would in most circumstances be scoffed at as some type of conspiratorial Glenn Beck talk of a person with very low IQ.

But when a member of Congress brazenly mentions our mosque by name, when he displays a neighborhood map with the actual houses of the people living around the mosque literally highlighted on his map, when he brings in talk of sinister accusations of a takeover, it is no longer some clown shouting outside of the street. This is a direct threat to the safety of the people of our community and of the innocent families living around our neighborhood. This is not some deranged, lone conspiracy theorist. This is a sitting member of Congress who is supposed to protect us. And instead of protecting us, he is literally inviting an unwarranted hatred attention to our communities.

Exposing the Hypocrisy

But you see, what clearly demonstrates this congressman's blatant deception is that while he was running for office, the very office that you used to attack us, you were standing right outside our mosque over there, not 10 feet from where I'm giving this lecture. You were begging us for votes. You were standing right there inside of our community asking us to vote for you. And now you come and stab us in the back. Have you no shame?

What Sharia Enclave are you talking about? What parallel society are you accusing us of? When you came here unannounced, unarmed, you came here walked in with full freedoms. You came here begging for our votes. Where did you see a second parallel universe? Where did you see girls disappearing, being zapped up into the air? Where did you see mysterious deaths? All of a sudden, when you get into Congress, when you're finally elected to the place that our constituents used to elect you, you backstab the very people you're supposed to be supporting and whose very taxes pay your own paycheck. Have you no shame, Mr. Keith Self?

This is the reality that we have to deal with. The gap between what you say in Congress now and what you did yesterday outside of our mosque wanting to be voted in, that gap leaves no room for interpretation. You, sir, are a hypocrite of the worst kind. You are a hypocrite of the worst type. You took our votes. You took our endorsements. You knew full well we are a part of our society. We are American taxpaying citizens. And when you got into Congress, you turn around and you backstab the very people you are supposed to be representing.

The Real Enemy Within

Congressman, I say to you directly and I quote from you. I'm quoting from your statement yesterday. You said, "make no mistake, the enemy is inside the gates." End quote. Given the fact that you were inside our gates, let me state as a born and raised Texan that I actually do believe there is an enemy inside of our gates.

I do believe there is an enemy that is allowing this great nation to be overcome with fear and is dividing our societies based upon prejudice. There is an enemy that is actively working to dismiss the freedoms granted to us by the very constitution you claim to uphold. I do believe there is an enemy inside of our gates that is seeking to distract us from the Epstein files. That wants to deflect attention away from yet another war that this government is fighting on behalf of Israel. Yes, there is indeed an enemy. And it's not just inside the gates. It's inside Congress. It's inside the Senate. And it's inside higher places than that.

The enemy is indeed within. And that enemy is fomenting fear. It is preaching misinformation. It is preaching hatred.

Extending the Olive Branch

And so I say to you and to everybody who is listening, it is never too late. No matter what you say about us, we will extend an olive branch to you in spite of your misinformation. And we still will welcome you and anybody else who has any confusion about us. Because we are so confident that anybody who comes to our community, anybody who visits us with an open heart and an open mind, with a clean heart, wanting to seek information, wanting to interact with us. We are confident that what you will see far from being an enemy, you will see loyal, hardworking, taxpaying, honorable, dignified, believers in God, followers of the Prophet.

The people of EPIC, dear sir, are no enemy. The people of EPIC and all the Muslims of this country, they represent the best of what it means to be God-centric. The best of what it means to be believers in God. The best of what it means to contribute back to humanity. And thus, I firmly believe we represent the best of what it means not just to be Americans, but to be humans and to be representatives of the religion of God on earth. So help us God.

Du'a for Protection

We ask Allah سبحانه وتعالى to protect us from the evil machinations of all of those who are plotting to go against us. We ask Allah عز وجل for His protection.

Call to the Prayer and Salah

Straighten your rows, leave no gaps in the line.

اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ

Important Announcements

Just two announcements if you have time, very important related to what's going on.

Legal Standing to Speak Out

Number one, many of you are wondering is this allowed for khutbah to have political overtones? I have asked attorneys and lawyers. 501c3 does not allow us to endorse a candidate, but we have full freedom to defend ourselves against accusations. This is our right and we have to start pushing back. So I never said don't vote for him or vote for him, it's up to you what you want to do. It is completely allowed to criticize when he has criticized us. That's our first amendment.

Our Civic Responsibility

Secondly, many of you live in his constituency. I cannot tell you whether to vote for him or not. I can say he represents you. It's your right to do something about it. I can say this - it's your own district and all Muslims of America, if you just sit back and do nothing, this is now coming straight home. Yesterday our mosque is shown in Congress, the neighborhoods are literally earmarked, the apartment complex is mentioned by name, and we're just sitting here doing nothing.

I'm sorry, it's our Fard Ayn now. It's not Fard Kifayah anymore. Fard Ayn. If you're a citizen, if you're part of this country, get involved. These elections are small, they're not hundreds of thousands of people. And this district, I don't know the percentage, maybe 8, 9, 10% are Muslim. 8% of us living here. How can we allow this to happen in our own backyards? It's our responsibility.

So please, for the sake of Allah, be involved, be aware of what's going on and get involved. This is our not just democratic right, it's Allah's obligation on us to protect our masjid, our children. So do something for the sake of Allah. You have any concerns, I am here for you as well. Come to me, come talk to me. We're together insha'Allah, we'll do something. May Allah protect us all.

جَزَاكُمُ اللَّهُ خَيْرًا

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ