Conversations With Allah: The Prayer (with Sign Language) - Shaykh Sajid Ahmed Umar

The Adhān

اللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ — Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest.
I bear witness that there is no god but Allah.
I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
Come to Prayer. Come to Prayer.
Come to success. Come to success.
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest.
There is no god but Allah.

Opening Praise & Attestation

All praise is due to Allah, who made this nation strong in its Islam, strong in its faith. And all praise is due to Allah who made this nation a source of guidance and a good role model for others to follow.

Allah said: Allah is the Greatest, the Messenger of Allah, and the believers. Allah said:

You are the best nation brought forth for the people. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, and you believe in Allah.

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, there is no partner for Him. I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger — peace be upon him and his family and companions, until the Day of Judgment.

O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims. O you who believe, fear your Lord who created you from one soul, and He created from it a wife, and He spread among them many men and women. And fear Allah with whom you ask for help and mercy — indeed, Allah is watching over you. O you who believe, fear Allah and say a firm word that will make your deeds right and forgive you your sins. And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has won a great victory.

Indeed, the truest hadith is the Book of Allah, and the best guide is the guide of Muhammad ﷺ. And the worst of things are its innovations, and every innovation is a bid'ah, and every bid'ah is a misguidance, and as it is mentioned in the narration, every misguidance is in the Fire.

So fear Allah, O servants of Allah, and hold fast to Islam with firm faith, and beware of the wrath of the Lord, for your bodies on the Fire are not strong. We praise Him and we seek His assistance and guidance, and we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of ourselves and the adverse consequences of our deeds. Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide, and whomsoever Allah misguides, none can guide. And peace and salutations be upon the final messenger, Muhammad ibn Abdullah. I bear witness that there is no one worthy of worship besides one Allah, and that Muhammad ﷺ is His messenger.

The Story of the Young Man and the Sheikh

My dearest brothers and sisters in Islam, a while ago, someone from the youth visited an inspirational sheikh. And the reason for this visit was because this young man was experiencing difficulty in his life. Whatever he tried, whatever he studied, whatever he endeavored to achieve — a time would come in his journey whereby he would slip. No door would open for him except that after a short while, that door would close. No effort he would put into process and into progress would yield him great benefit before his efforts would come to a standstill.

On top of that, he complained about pains and aches that he felt in his young body — pains and aches that a person of his age and build and strength should not feel. He felt these pains and aches and felt that they were a detriment to his progress as well. He visited the sheikh, he visited this guide seeking assistance, seeking help for the predicament that he was in.

The sheikh listened and said to this young man: "There is a solution to your problem. There is a mighty solution to the issues that you are experiencing. There is a cure to the difficulties that you feel. But I will share this cure and solution with you on one condition — and that condition is you look after the solution. You look after the cure in the right way, administering the right dosages."

"Just like when you visit a doctor — when you have issues, the doctor carries out an examination to diagnose your issues. He carries out a series of tests to understand exactly what is in front of him and what he is dealing with. And when the results come through, the doctor prescribes a treatment. But that treatment has to be administered in a particular way, and the patient has to look after the treatment — look after the dosage prescribed by the doctor and the exact administration process of the treatment. If the patient decides he is going to overdose, the medicine is going to bring him harm. And if he decides he's not going to listen to the correct dosage and underdose, then that medicine will not bring about any cure. If the patient decides that he will take and administer this medication when he wants and not based upon the advice of the doctor as per the prescription received, this medicine will not help either."

The cure that this lecturer, guide, and sheikh offered this young boy was the five times daily salah. For the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 6576; also recorded by Ibn Hibban)

Whoever observes these salawat as they have been prescribed, at the times they have been prescribed, in the manner in which they have been prescribed — then the salah will be for this person a light, an evidence, and a guide on the Day of Qiyamah. And if this is the case with the salah for this person on the Day of Qiyamah, then no doubt this will be the case for this person in this life before the Day of Qiyamah. And as for the one who wastes these salawat — then not only will he be wasted, but Allah will waste this person. May Allah protect us.

The Three Groups Regarding Salah

Brothers and sisters in Islam, we have to ask ourselves this question: What is our situation with our salawat? What is our situation with the second pillar of Islam? What is our situation with the greatest act of worship after the Shahadatain? The first act that Allah will question us about on the Day of Qiyamah.

If we simply analyze the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ today with regards to their salah, we would easily perceive three groups of people.

The First Group: Those Who Do Not Pray

The first group — and we ask Allah to protect us from this group — is a group of people who have Muslim names. Their names are Muhammad and Abdullah and Abdurrahman. But سبحان الله they have lived their lives without ever tasting the sweetness of placing their forehead on the ground in worship of Rabbul Alameen, in worship of the Lord of the worlds. اللهُ المُسْتَعَان.

A group of people who have forgotten that Allah says in Surah Al-Mutaffifin:

Do these people not think and not remember? Do they not understand? That they will be resurrected on the Day of Qiyamah — on the day that all of mankind will be brought forth in front of the Lord of the worlds. We ask Allah to protect us from being from amongst this group — protect us and those who we love and those who we know are not prostrating for the Lord of the worlds. آمِين يَا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ.

The Second Group: Those Who Pray Carelessly, Outside Its Times

And then we have a second group — and may Allah also protect us from being from amongst this group, and perhaps there are times when we have fallen into this particular category. This is a group of people that pray their salah, but they pray it when it suits their lifestyle. They observe it when they finish playing, when they finish their work, when they finish their meetings, when they finish taking care of the matters of this life. This is their situation with the salah. Whenever they free themselves from the activities and endeavors of the life of this world, then they remember Allah and they worship Him. Perhaps they come home and then observe the five times daily salah all at once after the prescribed times.

This is a group of people, brothers and sisters in Islam, who have forgotten that Allah has said:

They have forgotten that Allah has commanded us to look after, to protect, the five times daily salah — especially the middle salah. These are a people that have forgotten that Allah has said:

They have forgotten that Allah has said: Command your family to the prayer and be persistent in this command. Be persistent in this da'wah. Do not let go of this da'wah with your families. لَا نَسْأَلُكَ رِزْقًا — we are not asking you to provide sustenance for them. نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُكَ — we sustain you and them.

Yes, go to work — this is from the commands of Allah in the Quran. After this salah, Allah commands us, encourages us:

Go out into the earth and seek from the sustenance and blessings and virtues that Allah has decreed for you. But in the same way, in the same way how Allah commands you to do that, Allah commands you to command your family towards the prayer — to make that your biggest endeavor with them. Not putting food on the table, as we say today. "I'm busy with the dunya — why? I have to put food on their table." Yes, you do. But you also have to make sure they are observing their salah.

They have forgotten that Allah has said:

Oh you who believe, do not let your children, do not let your wealth, swerve you off the protection and observance of this salah. وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ — the one who does this — فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ — then they are from the losers.

This is testimony from the Lord of the worlds, the King of kings — Allah: رَبُّ الْعِزَّةِ وَالْجَلَالِ، الْوَاحِدُ الْقَهَّارُ، الْأَحَدُ الصَّمَدُ الَّذِي لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ. This Allah — your creator and my creator — is laying down the reality for us: O servants of Allah, if you waste the salah, then you will be from the losers — irrespective of your financial standing, irrespective of your material well-being, irrespective of your degrees and promotions, irrespective of your holidays and successes which are confined to the life before the grave. Allah is telling you that you will be a loser.

These are a people, O servants of Allah and O children of Adam, who have forgotten that Allah has said:

They have forgotten that Allah has cursed those who observe their salah after its fixed and prescribed times. They have forgotten that Allah has said:

Indeed, these prayers have been prescribed upon the Ummah at fixed and prescribed times. May Allah protect us from being from this group, ameen.

The Third Group: Those Who Are Diligent in Their Salah

And then we have the third group — and this has to be the group that we are a part of. We ask Allah to make us a part of them. And this is a group of people that are upon their salah — on time, every time. Their mind is connected to their salah. Their heart is connected to their salah. Their soul is connected to their salah. Their nafs is connected to their salah. Their body is connected to their salah. They wait for their salah after a salah.

They are a people who haven't forgotten that Allah said:

They haven't forgotten that Allah has praised the forerunners — has praised the competitors in goodness, those who compete in getting to Allah. And they haven't forgotten Allah's testimony that these are from the closest people to Allah.

They haven't forgotten the words of Rasulullah ﷺ:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 4, Hadith 979)

They haven't forgotten that the Rasul ﷺ has said that the closest a person can be to his Lord is when he is in prostration.

They haven't forgotten, O servants of Allah and O children of Adam, that all the success they need in this life and the Hereafter — it begins with worshipping the owner of all success, Allah. They haven't forgotten that they shouldn't rush this prayer for anything else, because whatever they need to get to after the prayer, the one who they're worshipping in the prayer is going to assist them in that task after the prayer.

This is the third group, O servants of Allah. They are a people who remember that the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, Al-Tabarani; also referenced in Majma' al-Zawa'id)

They haven't forgotten that the Prophet ﷺ said: When the servant of Allah stands up to pray, his sins collectively are brought and placed on top of his head and his shoulders, and every time he prostrates and every time he bows, the sins fall off him — Allah forgives him.

O servants of Allah and O children of Adam, may Allah make us diligent with our salah. Allah says in His Book:

Allah says: Indeed mankind has been created with this quality of haste — when goodness comes to him, he is withholding of it, and when difficulty afflicts him, he complains. Except — the truly successful ones. And who are they? The مُصَلُّون — the people who observe the prayer, those who don't just observe it but who are constant with it.

First Half Closing Du'a

Second Khutbah: The Prophet ﷺ Who Wept for His Ummah

فَإِنَّهُ تَرَكَنَا عَلَى الْمَحَجَّةِ الْبَيْضَاءِ، لَيْلُهَا كَنَهَارِهَا، لَا يَزِيغُ عَنْهَا إِلَّا هَالِكٌ. أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَاتَّقُوا اللهَ عِبَادَ اللهِ وَاتَّقُوا يَوْمًا تُرْجَعُونَ فِيهِ إِلَى اللهِ، ثُمَّ تُوَفَّى كُلُّ نَفْسٍ مَا كَسَبَتْ وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ.

O servants of Allah and O children of Adam — once Rasulullah ﷺ cried. He cried and cried ﷺ. And he cried after Jibreel revealed to him revelation. Why is he crying ﷺ after revelation? Jibreel reveals to him:

Allah, after praising the best of people, says: After them came a people who wasted their salah, and then they followed their desires. They wasted their salah. They neglected their salah. And they chose to replace looking after the salah with following their desires. And then Allah says: فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا — thus they will be thrown into the pits of the Hellfire.

The Prophet ﷺ cries and says: "Oh Jibreel, will my Ummah waste their salah?" This is our leader, our master, our guide — the one who loved us before we loved him. The one who made du'a for us before we knew of him. The one who missed us before we even knew who he was ﷺ. He knows the success of the salah. He is saying: "Oh Jibreel, my Ummah will waste the salah."

Jibreel says: "Oh Messenger of Allah, there will come from your Ummah a people who will sell all of their religion for a paltry sum of this life." That's what is going to happen.

Do you want to be the tears of Rasulullah ﷺ — or his smile and happiness? And above all that, Allah is الْعَلِيمُ الْبَصِيرُ الرَّقِيبُ الشَّهِيدُ — He is the All-Knowing, He sees you, He witnesses you, He observes you. How are you going to waste your salah, O servant of Allah, knowing the Lord of the worlds is watching you — waste a gift which He gave you? When He raised His Messenger ﷺ to the heavens — success. And all of success is in the salah.

The Call to Return to the Salah

A great paradigm shift has to come into our lives — into the minds of the parents, into the minds of the educators, into the minds of the youth who are our today and our tomorrow. We're chasing success. We're looking for success. We're asking: where is the Ummah? We're talking about Syria, we're talking about Palestine, we're talking about different ailments that the Ummah is going through. What is happening? What is going on? When are we going to stand up? When are we going to act? When is the izzah going to come back?

I started this khutbah saying: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي جَعَلَ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةَ قَوِيَّةً بِإِسْلَامِهَا، عَزِيزَةً بِإِيمَانِهَا — this is where the izzah is going to come, O servants of Allah. It's going to come when you come back to your religion. And you come back to your religion first by uplifting the salah — the second pillar after the Shahadatain, the second pillar of Islam.

Allah says:

Whoever does good deeds — whoever looks after the salah — from the males and the females, and they are believers, We will give them a revived life, a resilient life, a happy life, a life free from depression, a life free from sadness. This is Allah telling us in the Quran.

And then Allah tells us the opposite:

Allah says: Whoever turns away from this Quran — and its meanings, and its teachings, and its commands — and the biggest command in it is to the salah after Tawheed — whoever turns away from it, for him will be a narrow life of depression. وَنَحْشُرُهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَعْمَىٰ — and We will raise him blind on the Day of Qiyamah. What success do you have being raised blind on the Day of Qiyamah when you lived a life seeing?

The slave will turn to Allah and say:

"Oh my Lord, why did you raise me blind? I lived seeing — I wasn't a blind man." Allah will say: "Just like how Our ayat came to you, and you chose to turn a blind eye." The lectures came to you in a language which you understood. The khutbah was in English. The books were translated. The Quran was translated. The hadith books were translated. There was no excuse for you to be ignorant. You purposely chose to be blind to the guidance. Thus today you will be blind — you are raised blind. May Allah protect us from this, brothers and sisters in Islam.

A Message of Hope and Transformation

Brothers and sisters in Islam, I'm not here to share with you a message of doom and gloom. By Allah, I'm not. This is a message of hope. Because we as an Ummah — not an Ummah that sweeps our issues under the carpet and turns a blind eye to them, and practices what they call cognitive dissonance where we make excuses to make ourselves feel good and have a good night's sleep despite our failures — I'm not here to give you messages of doom and gloom. Because وَاللهِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ, we are all people who are breathing, and with every breath that we breathe we have a chance to turn back to Allah, for Allah is الْغَفَّارُ الرَّحْمَنُ الرَّحِيمُ الْغَافِرُ التَّوَّابُ. Allah will forgive us.

I'm here to kick off a program of transformation. And I stand in front of you as your brother, Sajid Umar, with a vision of ignited communities that benefit humanity. This is why I do what I do and say what I say. And no ignition will happen if this Ummah is not there upon the salah.

And الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ, you are fortunate in this city to have a masjid that is proactive like this one — that appreciates the importance of ignited communities that benefit humanity. Thus we have worked together to start a salah campaign called "Conversations with Allah", because that is what the salah is.

And this campaign entails many inspirational programs and transformational efforts. Because brothers and sisters in Islam, it's not enough to be inspired. You have to transform as a result of your inspiration. And transformation needs grass-roots level application. And الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ, the masjid is ready.

Thus, inshallah, tomorrow we will have three programs in this masjid related to salah:

• I will be conducting a workshop related to ten ways to bring contentment and ten ways to make our salah highly impactful.
• A workshop for youth to discuss hard-hitting issues and how the salah is going to assist them.
• A lecture tomorrow night — a story-time lecture titled "Glad Tidings Came to Him When He Prayed" — in which I will discuss with you all the virtues of salah and the spiritual and physical benefits that the salah brings to us in our lives. There are physical benefits in terms of leadership, in terms of time management, in terms of team competence, that we don't even realize the salah is training us with.

On top of that, brothers and sisters in Islam, the masjid has opened a WhatsApp broadcast list — and you can see the posters that we've placed up for each and every one of you to take note of the numbers. You have to save this number in your phone based on the instructions on the walls here, and then you have to message the masjid with your number so they add you to the broadcast list. Why? Because you all have to step up and become du'aat. You all know people who are not praying. You all know people who are lackadaisical with their salah. The masjid is going to help you with inspirational messages and lessons for you to share with those who aren't praying, or to assist you in becoming a person who will assist another person to pray — inshallah.

The masjid also has a website for you to visit and register yourself for the workshops, and they've informed me that there will be people outside as well to manage your registrations.

Closing Du'a

May Allah return us to our salah — a beautiful return. And may Allah forgive our past. And may He inspire our futures. And may Allah not cause us to die except as a people that were diligent with their salah and Allah is pleased with them because of their salah. Ameen.

I look forward to my time with you all over the rest of today and tomorrow. And may Allah make us a means of goodness for this city and the rest of the world. Ameen.

The Iqamah and Salah

اللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to prayer. Come to success. The prayer has been established. The prayer has been established. اللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ. There is no god but Allah.

Straighten the rows, adjust shoulder to shoulder, close the gaps, and ensure that your mobile phones are on silent.