2014-09-12 - Friday Prayer - Sheikh Abdul Nasir Jangda

Guidance, Patience, and Action in Times of Adversity

Allah in Surah Maryam, addressing the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and the believers, tells them about an exchange that is very similar to an exchange that believers might have had in a lot of different scenarios and situations, times and places. Where Allah says:

That when you recite to them our signs — the signs of Allah, the ayat of Allah — you recite to them the Quran, you quote to them the greatness of Allah, you point out to them what we consider to be the obvious truth and reality. Those who reject belief and obedience to Allah say to those people who are compliant, with the very least belief in Allah and are trying to live a life of obedience to Allah:

"Which of these two communities is better in terms of its situation? And which of these two communities is more well connected and established?"

And this causes a lot of confusion within the Muslim community. Just like at that time somebody might not have had an immediate response — well, how do I answer this?

The Context of This Verse

This ayah from Surah Maryam was revealed in the middle of the Meccan period — actually a little bit more towards the early part of the middle Meccan era. This is around the time, shortly before Muslims migrated — a huge number of Muslims, in fact the majority of the Muslims that lived in Mecca at that time — they left Mecca and went and sought refuge in East Africa, in Habesha, Abyssinia. And what led to them leaving Mecca and seeking refuge was that on a daily basis they were undergoing different types of indignities, torture, and oppression.

The believers had full conviction in what they believed and the way that they lived their lives and what they had committed their lives to. But when they presented this to other people, the response was: "Well, look at your situation. Look at your community." Today in our case somebody could say: "Well, look at your countries. Look at your instability. Look at what's going on with you. Really? We should want to be like you? We should follow you? I want what you have? What do you have?"

And just as we might not have an immediate response — it might kind of stop us, slow us in our tracks — the believers weren't sure how to exactly respond. And so Allah responds:

Allah says: Say that the one who is misguided — Allah, الرَّحْمَٰنُ, the abundantly merciful — allows them some opportunity. And the reason why it invokes the mercy of Allah here, doesn't refer to Him as Allah or Rabb, it refers to Him as Rahman, is that this is a manifest mercy of Allah that is giving people a chance and an opportunity to figure out what they are compromising for what, what they are exactly choosing in life.

Eventually they will get what they have coming to them, either in the form of punishment or in the form of the Hour arriving — the end of times, the end of this world. Then they'll know who was in a worse position and who actually had a lack of support.

What Are We Supposed to Do?

But this is the part that's very relevant to us. What are we supposed to do about this situation? How are we supposed to handle this situation? Where we believe — that's the part that needs to be understood. We have absolutely no doubt that we have the truth and that we believe in the truth. But what do you do about this situation, and maybe this apparent scenario that paints a picture otherwise?

And this is going to come off sounding a little cliché, this is going to sound like typical religious rhetoric — but that's not what it is. This is from the book of Allah. Allah will continue to increase — who will He continue to increase? The people who live their lives by the guidance and the instruction that Allah has provided. The people who continue to live and practice their deen and their religion. What will Allah increase them in? What will Allah give them more of? هُدًى — Allah will continue to grant them more guidance.

Even from a linguistic and a grammatical perspective, this is a very remarkable structure that Allah presents here — there's almost like what we would call a play on words. There's a very interesting connectivity between all the words. Allah says that He will continue to increase those people who have embraced what Allah has given them — He will continue to increase them in guidance.

And Allah goes on to say:

Actions that are everlasting in their implications, in their effects. But that's just not simply it, because good actions or bad actions could have an everlasting effect. الصَّالِحَاتُ — the good, righteous, honest, sincere, upright, noble actions that have everlasting implications. They are better in the sight of your Lord — better according to Allah in two ways.

Number one is the word ثَوَاب. The word ثَوَاب in the Arabic language refers to the immediate outcome of an action. So in the life of this world, these types of actions — now keep in mind what the nature of the action is: the nature of the action is that it's righteous and it has everlasting implications. And this is something so profound: that when you act, you choose your actions very carefully based on what has a longer lasting impact, what will bear greater fruits in the long term. A believer never reacts to the short term, never plans for the short term, never acts for the short term. All of our actions are based in the long term.

So actions that are good in their nature and have everlasting implications — this is a promise of Allah that even in the short term, those actions will be beneficial. But the same cannot be said otherwise. The opposite cannot be said — that if we act for the short term, not only are there no guarantees that this will be beneficial in the short term, but when it comes to the long term, we can almost bank on the fact that they will not be beneficial in the long term.

But if you act for the long term, you base your actions off of the fact that there is a life after death, there is a hereafter, and my actions have everlasting implications on me and the people around me — then Allah says that they are better according to Allah in the short term. وَخَيْرٌ مَّرَدًّا — and of course they are better in terms of the eventual outcome, the end of the entire thing and the entire story, and that is the life of the hereafter.

This is a very, very powerful thought and idea that was presented to Muslims at a time and in a place and a situation where they were deeply struggling, profoundly struggling. These people were the opposite of weak. Nobody could ever point back to that point in time in history and call them weak. Allah says:

Allah praises them in the Quran time and time again. These were the pillars of their community, the pillars of Islam. And it would not be a stretch of the truth to say that the entire ummah was built on the backs of these people. But Allah is teaching them on how to deal with difficulty and adversity — not at an individual level, but at a collective level — when it comes upon the Muslim ummah, when it comes upon the Muslim community. And on so many fronts today we're dealing with this, we're observing this, we're witnessing this, we're experiencing this.

Practical Course of Action: The Hadith of Abu Dharr and Mu'adh

So now, to add a little bit more meat to the bones — to understand exactly what does this mean in terms of practical course of action — because Allah laid out the key to this entire equation where Allah says that you first have to take what Allah is giving you, what is available to you, what you know you're supposed to do, and then Allah will show you the rest of the way, what you are exactly supposed to do.

So how can we start doing our part? There are numerous hadiths from the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) that explain to us what exactly is our part. In a very succinct and powerful, beautiful hadith of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), narrated by Abu Dharr al-Ghifari and Mu'adh ibn Jabal (radiyallahu ta'ala anhuma), the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says:

(Jami' at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1987)

First and foremost: learn to be aware and cognizant of Allah everywhere, anywhere, anytime — any situation that you might find yourself in. And again, that might seem very abstract, but it's not. It's just a simple thought and idea of always reminding yourself of Allah and putting Allah back into the equation of everything you do in your life.

And this is exactly why there are practicalities here. Our deen and religion is an extremely practical, very very practical religion. There are practices that help us implement this. The five times daily prayer and salawat — part of the wisdom of the prayers being spread throughout the day is so that from morning to noon to afternoon to evening to night time, this constant awareness of Allah is present in our life. Part of the sunnah of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and the remembrance of Allah that we have been told to constantly observe in our lives — whenever the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) started anything, finished anything, he would always invoke the mercy and the blessing of Allah in everything he did. From saying بِسْمِ اللَّهِ to saying الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ — to the du'a before leaving your home, getting in your transportation, going to work, arriving back at home — constantly engaging in the name of Allah and making sure that you never forget that Allah is watching, Allah is listening, and Allah is informed and knows everything that we're doing.

This is the definition of God consciousness. It's not some abstract idea, it's not some external garment that we wear that denotes piety in some way or some form — but it's the awareness right here and right here: that Allah knows exactly what I'm doing, whenever I'm doing, whatever I'm doing, wherever I may be, whenever it is.

Then the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says — naturally part of the human dynamic is that we are not perfect, nor were we created to be perfect:

(Jami' at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2499; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4251)

This is an informative statement — in the Arabic language we call this a جُمْلَةٌ خَبَرِيَّةٌ, it is a factual, informative statement. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is telling us a fact: human beings make mistakes, to err is human. But what do you do when you make mistakes? The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says: وَأَتْبِعِ السَّيِّئَةَ الْحَسَنَةَ تَمْحُهَا — that when you do slip up and you make a mistake and you commit an error, then follow that up with a good deed.

And the most beautiful of good deeds that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) tells us about is وَخَيْرُ الْخَطَّائِينَ التَّوَّابُونَ — immediately reconcile with Allah. "Oh Allah, I messed up." You don't need fancy language or fancy adhkar, you don't need to know the Arabic language. "Allah, I messed up, please forgive me, I'll try to get it right next time." وَأَتْبِعِ السَّيِّئَةَ الْحَسَنَةَ تَمْحُهَا — it will remove the effect of it. You will not continue to feel the effect of it.

And then the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) — because this is a huge concern in our communities — we're very wary of what we like to call typical, stereotypical religious rhetoric. Any problem anybody has? "Make du'a, brother. Go pray salah." Which actually is part of the solution. But at the same time we're very wary because we also know that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was a man of action. Our history is full of people who took action, who rolled up their sleeves, and who got their hands dirty when they needed to get dirty in order to help provide solutions to humanity for their problems. And the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) touches on that and he says: وَخَالِقِ النَّاسَ بِخُلُقٍ حَسَنٍ — and deal with people in the most beautiful manner possible.

And you know, when we talk about akhlaq and character — again, this is part of my shortcoming, our shortcoming, even here institutionally, it might be a shortcoming from the people who stand on this minbar and preach — that I might give you the wrong idea that the akhlaq are relegated simply to smiling at somebody, shaking their hand, and just saying something nice. كيف الأحوال؟ الحمد لله. Akhlaq! — that we might get this idea.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is saying: deal with people, interact with people in the most beautiful, dignified, and godly manner possible. And what the Quran tells us is our primary mandate in terms of that type of behavior and conduct is establishing justice and fairness for people:

Stand for justice and stand by justice. شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ — knowing that you are witnesses before God, that you have been entrusted with a message to deliver on behalf of Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), and that you will be held accountable before Allah. وَلَوْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ — even when it goes against maybe what you would like for yourself, even when it goes against you yourself. I might be a part of the problem. But when I identify that, it becomes my responsibility to solve that problem starting with myself, and to become an advocate and to go out there and help solve the problem in the community and in the ummah and in the global community — I have to be a part of the solution.

Building Spiritual Strength: The Obligations and the Boundaries

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) continues to comment on this and explain this issue and provide beautiful prophetic guidance and instruction. Now somebody individually might be saying: "I have to start living my life in a manner that is pleasing to Allah." And that is where the guidance and further instruction and clarity will come from about what am I supposed to do, how am I supposed to make the world a better place.

The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) provides this instruction. There was a companion of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), a man who accepted Islam. He comes to the Prophet, learns the religion, and the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) tells him to go back to his people and preach the religion to his people. And he provides him with instructions — this is the process of living, realizing, and implementing the religion within your life and teaching it to other people. Where the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says:

(Sunan al-Daraqutni; also referenced in al-Nawawi's commentary — attributed to a hadith narrated by Abu Tha'laba al-Khushani)

First and foremost: God has mandated certain obligations upon humanity — learn to first take care of those things, first start doing what needs to be done. We immediately highlight maybe what somebody else is not doing, and even with ourselves we start to beat ourselves up about what is wrong in my life, without realizing that we need some type of strength and sustenance to be able to survive the rigor of giving up bad things in our lives. Anybody who has ever tried to give up a bad habit can tell you how difficult it is. The first day you have that energy and that enthusiasm, but it begins to wane and wear on you and tear away at you as time progresses. But you have to develop your spiritual core and self by first and foremost taking care of what Allah has mandated. And first and foremost, before anything else, that is the five times daily prayer. So working on establishing prayer and implementing the five times salah — daily prayer — within your life.

Then the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says: وَحَدَّ حُدُودًا فَلَا تَعْتَدُوهَا — and Allah has set down certain boundaries. There are a very limited number of things that Allah has asked us not to do. He told us to abstain from — whether it is harming someone, stealing something from someone, consuming pork or alcohol — there are a very limited number of things Allah has told us to stay away from. Then turn your attention to those things and make sure that you are not committing any of those things that violates and breaks the command of Allah.

And then: وَحَرَّمَ أَشْيَاءَ فَلَا تَنْتَهِكُوهَا — Allah has prohibited certain things, so learn to put a distance between you and what Allah has prohibited.

You see the growth of the person. A person goes from first starting to implement what Allah told them to do. Then that person is learning to give up what Allah has forbidden them from doing. Then that person continues to evolve as a human being, as a slave of Allah, by starting to come more towards the center — and that center is representative of what Allah says:

A person starts to come back into the center where the mercy of Allah focuses upon that person.

The Mercy of Allah: The Hadith Qudsi on Good and Bad Deeds

What is the nature of our relationship with Allah? What is our dealing with Allah? This should inspire hope within us. Whenever we talk about the idea and concept of obligations, sins, and things that are prohibited — that's very intimidating for a lot of us, and that's why we hesitate to even take the first step, because we become so intimidated by the end goal. But that's why Allah — I go back to the beginning in the ayah — Allah said: no, no, no. You start doing what you're capable of, and let Allah's mercy carry you the rest of the way.

Somebody who is willing to believe in Allah — Allah will guide their heart, Allah will show them the way, Allah will tell them and facilitate for them what they need to do.

And this last hadith I wanted to share with you demonstrates exactly that. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says that Allah has said — it's called the Hadith Qudsi, where Allah is delivering this message to us through the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam):

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6491; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 131)

Allah has written down — Allah has designated — what are good deeds and what are bad deeds. But then Allah explains this:

Somebody who makes the intention — what that means is somebody who identifies what is right and what is wrong, and then that person identifies that this is right, is able to differentiate between right and wrong, and then that person makes up their heart and has the conviction to say "I'm going to do what is right" — but then, due to the human limitation and capacity, that person is not able to follow through with it. How does Allah deal with this person? كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ حَسَنَةً كَامِلَةً — Allah writes it down in the record of this person as a complete good deed, just by virtue of the fact that this person recognized what was right and made up their mind to do what was right and what was necessary.

وَإِنْ هَمَّ بِهَا فَعَمِلَهَا كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ عَشْرَ حَسَنَاتٍ إِلَىٰ سَبْعِمِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ إِلَىٰ أَضْعَافٍ كَثِيرَةٍ — if a person actually follows through with doing what's right and what's necessary, Allah multiplies that person's reward by ten times, up to 700 times, up to many many thousands-fold beyond that. Allah will reward that person abundantly for the conviction, dedication, and devotion that person showed.

But somebody might say there is a flip side to this. وَإِنْ هَمَّ بِسَيِّئَةٍ — what if somebody erred to begin with? They either did not recognize what was right and wrong, or they could not differentiate between what was right and wrong, or they didn't have the conviction to focus in and hone in on what was right versus what was wrong, and that person made up their mind to do what is wrong. But then Allah says: فَلَمْ يَعْمَلْهَا — but then that person doesn't actually follow through with doing what's wrong, either due to circumstances or due to realizing at the last second — whatever the case may be — that person does not follow through with doing what's wrong. Then Allah says: كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ حَسَنَةً كَامِلَةً — Allah still writes it down as a complete reward and good deed on behalf of that person. That person made up their mind to do what was wrong but they didn't do what was wrong, they were able to stay away from it — Allah will still write it down as a complete good deed.

And if somebody actually does commit something that's wrong after trying to figure out what's right and wrong, and still fell into what was wrong — then كَتَبَهَا اللَّهُ عِنْدَهُ سَيِّئَةً وَاحِدَةً — it is still written down as only one sin or one bad deed on behalf of that person.

Conclusion: Opening the Eyes of Our Heart

This is the mercy of the nature of our deen and religion. Our responsibility, mandate, and obligation is very simple: recognizing, making an effort, opening our eyes, opening our hearts — to start to recognize what is right and wrong and trying to live by that, learning to live by that. And the moment that we begin that effort of learning what's right and wrong and trying to live by it, Allah will facilitate our growth, Allah will expedite our growth, Allah will guide us the rest of the way — and guide us to a course of action, individually and even collectively as an ummah, towards a course of action that will not only be better for us here in this life, in this world, but will be infinitely more beneficial and better for us in the eternal life of the hereafter.

And the reason why I emphasize this is because individually and collectively today, we all know that there is a problem. Everybody's got their individual problems; collectively we see what our problem is. And we're trying, we're all distressed, we want to solve the problem. But we're rushing in without understanding exactly what is at stake. And we're choosing sometimes — especially on the collective scale we see this — we're choosing a course of action that is much more harmful and detrimental to us here and in the eternal life of the hereafter. A lot of the extremism that is rampant, the violence that is undertaking a lot of parts of the Muslim world, is exactly a consequence of this.

But we need to go in with both eyes open. And the Quran talks about that — there is not just the eyes that are fixed in our head, the physical eyes. But the eyes of our heart. We need to open those eyes. Know what is right and wrong, know what our deen requires, know what Allah wants from us, understand what the Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) explained to us — and then take a God-conscious, moral, ethical, just stance. And then let Allah guide us the rest of the way. And that is where solutions will come from.

Second Portion of the Khutbah

Community Announcements and Du'a

To wrap up, I wanted to mention a couple of things that were brought to my attention. We all understand — as I talked about — all the difficulty all throughout the world, different parts and regions: from what's going on and what's continuing to happen in Palestine, to Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Burma, Central Africa — all throughout the world these tragedies that are going on. May Allah make it easy for them and may Allah alleviate their suffering.

Very recently, in the last couple of days, we found out about a natural disaster that struck the region of Kashmir. May Allah again protect those people, and may Allah grant safety and security to those people.

Kind of a personal thing to our community — and it's important to highlight these things and also understand and collectively aid one another, at the very least in the capacity of du'a and concern — the season of Hajj is rapidly coming near. And so many of our beloved friends and family members who had made great sacrifices and noble intentions to be able to go and complete this faridah, this obligation — a lot of folks are having trouble getting their visas and having their documents come through. May Allah make it easy for them, may Allah expedite the processing of their documents, and may Allah make it possible and accept them to be able to go and visit the Baytullah and be able to perform the obligation of Hajj. Ameen.

اذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ يَذْكُرْكُمْ، وَادْعُوهُ يَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ، وَلَذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ، وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ.

Alhamdulillah, it's always a pleasure to come here and visit the community here in Plano.