“Allah Knows, and You Do Not Know” - Shaykh Yahya Ibrahim

Khutbah Opening

Always we begin with the praise of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We send our prayers of peace for our Nabi Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. We testify with firmness and conviction that none is worthy of worship but Allah azza wa jal, and that his messenger and final prophet to us, Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam, is his worshiping slave and final messenger.

I continue to remind you of taqwa Allah. And that is that we seek to grow in greater love for Allah, to grow in greater obedience to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That in the same moment as our heart grows in affection and love and our body conforms in obedience, that we increase in our fear. That we understand why we are fearful of our maker and creator and the day that we will stand before him, for he alone is the master and the sole judge on that Day of Judgment.

And we seek, as we grow in love and fear, that we never give up our hope. That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's endless, eternal, constant, and ever-present mercy and compassion has been written for those of faith, for those who have submitted in faithfulness to him. He is excessive in his mercy upon them. May Allah make you and I of them. Allahumma ameen.

I pray that Allah honors this blessed place, that is a waqf for the Muslims as a place of ibadah, that Allah increases the output of our brothers and sisters here who administer Green Lane Masjid. That it is a place of ar-ruku' was-sujood to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That it is a beacon of tawheed and calling to the oneness and the trueness of submission to Allah. That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala raises from amongst the ranks of the young those who will inherit from the mature and the elders, and those who will stand where I'm standing, speaking to you with the words of Allah and the sunnah of the Nabi Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam for years to come.

Allah Knows, and You Do Not Know

Allah knows. And you do not know. SubhanAllah. An ayah that at times is needed — in the days of our ups, and in the days of our sorrows and follies and faults and downward spirals. اللهُ يَعْلَمُ — Allah knows. And at times the eyes seem to not recognize the circumstances that we find ourselves in. The heart may see, and the eyes may be blind.

SubhanAllah, in the previous year, my family and I were visited with a number of tragedies and a number of successes. But the most sharp and acute of them was the loss of my dear brother Yasser. Yasser was thirteen months younger than me. Both of us competed in the memorization of the Quran. He was a gifted businessman, an entrepreneur. He was a pharmacist by training, but a businessman by enterprise. He was a person whose generosity was known within our family and extended to those we did not know — even to those his wife and children did not know.

And SubhanAllah, on a fateful night, just before Salatul Maghrib, after having just offered his Asr prayer, his last message to his daughter was: "Once I finish my Asr, I will come pick you up." And he was in a head-on collision. And SubhanAllah, it was not survivable.

And as I received the news a couple of days before heading out to Hajj, I thought to myself, SubhanAllah, let me make the trip from Australia to Canada to be a part of his janazah, to honor him and to show love to him and his family.

And as I sat with myself on that long flight home — there are so many hopes you and I at times have, so many things for our wives, our daughters, our sons, our husbands, our fathers and our mothers that we envision will come into the future. There are so many things that we've written for ourselves. So many things that you have set in motion and planned and saved for and intended. So many things that you have put down payments for — and promises that may not be fulfilled by you, but by others in your place.

But most importantly, sometimes we look at life in the moments of those dark patches and we forget the true words of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was an incredible human being. He says:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 55, Hadith 2999 — "Astonishing is the condition of a believer. Everything they encounter in their existence is always good for them, and this is not the case for anyone except the believer: if good times come to them they are grateful and it is good for them, and if hardship comes to them they are patient and it is good for them.")

On that long flight, that hadith was in my mind. We've had those moments — it might not be your own family, it may not be your own children. Those moments where sometimes you lay in bed, you were looking at those videos of our brothers and sisters, those beautiful children in Gaza, in Sudan, and in places where the spotlight is not shining. You look and you say, SubhanAllah — what good could ever come for this child? How could this place ever be rebuilt? What hope do these defenseless people have?

From what I can see, from what I know — what I know is not what Allah knows.

The Story of Prophet Yusuf: When Hope Seems Impossible

I want you to go back in time with me. I want you to travel back to the hills of Palestine, to the hills of Sham, at the time of Prophet Yusuf alayhis salam being kidnapped by his brothers.

Imagine you're sitting on the hills watching this moment. Allah says it is ahsan al-qasas — the most important narrative for you and I to consider. Imagine brothers colluding: "Yusuf — we're going to kill him." Until one of them says no. You see this young, defenseless boy — stolen by his own people, by his own brethren, his own blood — thrown in a well for people to recover. And those who recover him, the wickedness of their heart, a small payment of wealth distracts them. Rather than saying, "This poor child must have fallen in the well, he must be from the neighboring tribes — let us search for his father and mother," instead of doing what is right, they say: "We can profit from his loss and his harm."

The one who purchases him: "We can use him for this purpose or that purpose. We can claim him as a son. We can make him a servant if he is not good enough."

The woman in whose house he is raised up — she claims him as if he is her property: "If I say to you: give me yourself, you have no option but to obey."

I seek protection with Allah. How could he betray the man who gave him this home to live in? Even with all of this injustice, the heart of a righteous man — his only place of protection: "O Allah, let my prison cell be better for me, let it be my abode, than what they are calling me into the haram." It's an easier way out, a more pleasurable way out, a more prosperous way out — but: "I would rather be there than commit that wrong."

And after years — you were to see that moment — he is being taken away to a land he does not speak its language, to a culture that is foreign to him, to a religion that he does not know and will not accept, because he is a muwahhid. You would say: "This child will be lost to the world."

You would never imagine. You would never consider. That Yusuf — this defenseless slave, abused, falsely accused, imprisoned — would become the economic minister of the greatest superpower of his time.

As I sat on that plane thinking about my nephew, my niece — what will we need to do for them? Who is going to help them? My sister-in-law, my father and mother — SubhanAllah. We always hope to make dua for our parents. I never imagined, SubhanAllah, that I would be jealous at that moment as I stood near my brother's grave, when I saw my father's dua for him.

The Name of Allah: Al-Latif — The Ever Gentle

Why do I narrate this to you? Because one of the great names of Allah that I want you to take away from this khutbah — if you take nothing else — is the name of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that he honors himself with. He is the Ever Gentle with his creation, who brings change from where you do not expect. Allah says in Surat ash-Shura:

SubhanAllah. My dear brother, my dear sister — if you are listening, whether online or present here in Green Lane Masjid — never let your heart be defeated. Never lose hope in the might of Allah. Never lose sight of the foreknowledge of Allah that you are absent of.

In the darkest hour, take refuge with the sunnah of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam — a man who buried five children. Who buried Khadijah, the one of whom he said: "To be hobbiy — I was full to the brim with affection and love for her." A man who buried his grandchildren, who buried Hamza and Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr and Abdullah ibn al-Jamuh. A man who carried in his hands the righteous, and asked Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to give him strength in those moments of difficulty.

Allah is always Latif. In every moment of your life, ya akhi, where it seems that the darkness is setting — know that al-Fajr is soon to arrive.

And as I share with you my story, I know each and every one of us has their own story. Your story may be financial. Your story may be a worry about your children, your separation from your spouse. Your story may be: "I'm looking for employment or a job. I'm worried about my status in this country." My worry, my worry, my worry. Allah's gentleness always remains with his servants.

Three Things That Benefit in Times of Difficulty

After jilsatu al-istiraha, I will share with you three things that benefited me in that moment of difficulty — that perhaps can provide a rising sun into your life as well.

First: Du'a

Du'a is more than a request. Du'a is more than just simply asking. It is a demonstration of your willingness to submit to Allah at the time of your request. And therefore Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, and the Prophet increases us in the importance of understanding that Allah is near to us without an intermediary:

"They keep asking you about me — I am near, I answer." SubhanAllah. Now the answer that comes to you may not be the answer that you want to see with your eye. The answer at times you need to see with your heart. You need to see it through the names and the attributes of Allah. You need to look and see that Allah — the one who allowed the harm — is also the one who allows the benefit in its removal. The one who is in control in all matters. The one who is the dominant and the owner of all things.

So as you stand before Allah and you make du'a, as you stand in front of Malik al-Mulk — the King of Kings, the Owner of all things — don't ask for pennies when you are standing in front of the Unending in his mercy subhanahu wa ta'ala. Open your heart to Allah. As you put your head in your sujood, increase your du'a to Allah in your fardh and in your sunnah.

Second: Charity

Your charity is your dhil — your charity is your shade. Wallahi, no difficulty is more easily removed from your hardship than by you removing difficulty from another. And when I use that word charity, I'm not asking you just to put something in a box at the masjid. But to have a charitable heart — that you are looking to bring change in other people's circumstances of life, in the way that you seek Allah to be able to help you in yours in your moments of difficulty. And never do you assist another except Allah is there to assist you — the words of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, demonstrated in your heart.

Third: Remember Your End

Know that all of us have an end. Live your life knowing that you have an end. As I'm about to lead you in Salatul Jumu'ah, I'm going to say a phrase that would be said by Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam — not every salah, but often:

("Pray as if it is your farewell prayer." — Sunan Ibn Majah, Book 37, Hadith 4171)

Pray now as if you cannot and do not know if Asr is coming — for اللهُ يَعْلَمُ. Allah knows what is between you and tomorrow.

May Allah give you a long life and good deeds, and give all of us a good end, and return us and rejoice us with those whom we love who have departed before us. Allahumma ameen.

Closing Du'a

I pray that Allah gives izzah to the people of Islam and the ummah of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Allahumma ameen.

Oh Allah, we turn to you with repentant hearts and ask you to accept us on this blessed day of Jumu'ah, and in this blessed hour of istijabah. Answer our individual du'a and our collective du'a, ya Allah. Oh Allah, join us in the highest levels with our Nabi Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam, the righteous of the past and into the future. Allahumma ameen.