Achieving Your Goals - Sheikh Abu Abdillah Yunus Mahmud

Khutbah: Achieving Your Goals

I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His help and forgiveness. We believe in Him and put our trust in Him.

We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whom Allah guides, no one can misguide. Whom He misguides, no one can guide.

I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, no partner. I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

The Gift of Focus on the Hereafter

My dear respected brothers and sisters, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentioned in the Qur'an, He said — and remember our servants, Ibrahim and his son Ishaq and his son Ya'qub — the companions of worship as well as strength. And they were blessed with sound understanding of the religion. And then He carries on in the next verse. He says:

He says: verily, we gave them a gift. And this gift — He said, we granted them the remembrance of the Hereafter and to strive for it. Meaning, we removed the love of this world from their hearts. And we singled them out and made them dedicated to truly the Hereafter and the remembrance of the Hereafter. And this is a true blessing from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala — when a person is focused in life and knows their final destination.

For if a person was to compare between this life and the next life, and specifically in regards to the delights in the next life, then there is no comparison whatsoever. And that's why, as the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam mentioned, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Himself said — and this is in Sahih al-Bukhari:

He says: I have prepared for my righteous servants something which no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, nor has it ever crossed any individual's mind. And this is in the next life. This is something hidden in the next life.

But when a person lives in this world, it's very easy to get distracted from one's destination. And that's why the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam warned us in regards to this, as mentioned in the narration in Sahih Muslim, when he said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2742)

That indeed this world is a sweet, dazzling place. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has placed you in charge in this world so that He may see how you're going to act. Then what was the warning? He said: so fear this world, that it may distract an individual from preparing for the next life.

And when a person knows and reads and learns all about the details of the delights in the next life, it becomes extremely difficult to get distracted when a person is preparing. Even if they were offered the greatest of the kingdoms of this world, it wouldn't affect them at all.

The Example of 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz

An example of that is the amazing personality, 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, who is the great-grandson of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab. As Ibn Kathir rahimahullah mentions in Al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah, they said that when he first became the caliph — meaning he had taken over the caliphate over all of the Muslims, the entire Islamic empire — then when he gave a khutbah, one of the things that he said during this khutbah was: O people, I have been given an ambitious soul. I have a very ambitious soul. It is not given something except that it yearns for that which is higher than it. And when I have been given this khilafah, I have been granted the caliphate, it yearns for that which is higher than the caliphate — which is Jannah. So then he said: so assist me, aid me, in fulfilling this ambition of mine. This lofty ambition of mine. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bestow His mercy upon all of you.

Look at these mind-blowing statements. And how old was he? He was in his late thirties. He wasn't an old man — late thirties. So he still had his physical strength at his disposal. But he knew, and he was very focused concerning his next life.

And that's why after that, after he became the khalifa, he would be very careful in regards to everything that enters into his stomach. And as Ibn Kathir rahimahullah mentions, he would eat lentils and food like lentils. Why? In order that he may weep frequently. This is wise. He's a khalifa, the caliph. And he would gather with his companions — who are from the 'ulama, who are from the scholars, and the jurists — every single night, as Ibn Kathir rahimahullah mentions, to discuss one of two things. Nothing other than that. Either death, or the Akhirah. Until all of them would be weeping, as if they were attending a funeral. This would happen on a daily basis.

And he was really concerned in regards to keeping himself focused. So he would do things that would help remind himself in terms of his objective. So one time he went to the graveyard, to where his forefathers were buried, and then he said: these are the graves of my forefathers from Banu Umayyah. Look at them now. It's as if they never shared and took part in the enjoyment of this world. And then he cried so much until he fell unconscious. And then when he gained his consciousness, they walked away.

Another time, Muqatil ibn Hayyan said that he performed the prayer behind 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz during his khilafah. And he said that he started to recite the verse:

That: stop them, they are to be questioned. And he kept on repeating it again and again, and he could not continue. And this carried on for a few years, until he was poisoned.

And then when he was on his deathbed — the scholars have differed, there is a dispute concerning how old he was when he passed away, but the oldest that was said was that he was 41 years old when he passed away — then there are a number of accounts concerning how he passed away. One of them that Ibn Kathir mentions, and they're all beautiful, was that he told his family to sit him up. So when they sat him up, he said: O my Lord, I'm the one who you used to command, and I had shortcomings in terms of executing your commands. And I'm the one who you used to prohibit from doing things, but I had shortcomings in this too. However, لا إله إلا الله. And then his gaze became fixed at something. Then his companions and his family members asked him: what are you seeing? Why are you looking this way? And he said: I'm seeing a presence right now — those who are not jinn, nor mankind. And then he passed away.

Knowing One's Priorities: The Story of Rabi'ah ibn Ka'ab

When a person is focused and they know the details of the bliss and the delights in the next life, then it assists them and it helps them to remain focused. And not only that, but it makes them understand their priorities in this life. For no one knows when they depart from this world. No one has any idea. And every hour we are going closer to that inevitable ending. Every single hour. We're just an hour closer now to our ending.

And this is why, when Rabi'ah ibn Ka'ab al-Aslami radiallahu ta'ala anhu — from the Sahabah radiallahu ta'ala anhum ajma'in — during the lifetime of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he would serve the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and bring a container for the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam to perform his wudu. So one time the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, having the noble nature that he had, said: ask — ask for whatever you want. So Rabi'ah said:

I seek your companionship in Paradise. Listen to that. Imagine you are asked by the greatest Prophet: ask for anything you want. This individual had his priorities straight. He knew exactly what he wanted — immediately. There was no hesitation. I want to be in your companionship. I want to be in your company. In Paradise.

So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was amazed with this answer, and he asked him: أَوَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ — nothing other than that? This is all you want? And he said: هُوَ ذَاكَ — that's exactly what I want. That's all I want. Nothing else. So then the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to him: so aid me in assisting this noble goal of yours by performing excessive optional prayers.

And it didn't matter to these individuals in terms of what the price would be. If they knew that they were given Paradise in return for whatever they were sacrificing, they would make the sacrifice, and they would have no hesitation whatsoever.

Abu Talha and the Garden of Bayruha

And that's why, as found in Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of Anas ibn Malik, he mentions that Abu Talha — who is from the most wealthy of the companions and of the residents of Medina during the lifetime of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, from the Ansar — owned a very beautiful garden by the name of Bayruha, which had a large amount of date palm trees and some beautiful, fresh water which the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would go and drink from it. And it was opposite the masjid of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in Medina.

When the verse was revealed:

That you shall never attain Birr. Birr, which normally means piety and righteousness. According to a number of scholars of tafsir — from Ibn Abbas, the Prophet's cousin, and Mujahid, and others — they say that Birr in this verse means Jannah. So it is as if Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is saying:

You shall never attain Jannah until you spend in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's cause from that which you love the most. When this verse was revealed, Abu Talha came to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and said: Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has revealed this verse — that you shall never attain Jannah until you spend from that which you love the most — and the most beloved from my wealth is Bayruha.

And I hope that I see my reward for this sacrifice of mine, and for this investment of mine, with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: Bravo! What an amazing deal! What a great deal! And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: I've heard what you have said, and I believe the best thing that you should do is that you should give it and spread it and share it amongst your relatives. So Abu Talha said yes, and that's exactly what he did.

Meaning, these individuals — when they hear that this is the price for Jannah, nothing would stop them anymore. And in fact, subhanAllah, as a side point, I recall that one time when I mentioned this story, we wanted to try and help one of the Muslim countries because there was a lot of poverty and many problems. Then when we mentioned this, one of the brothers — no one knows who he was, but Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala knows who he is — had just bought a brand new phone, and he gave it to one of the brothers, and he said: this is hopefully something close to that. Well, Allah knows if it's close, but this is the best that I can do.

Sprinting Towards Paradise: 'Umayr ibn al-Humam at Badr

And others, if they heard the word Jannah, they would sprint towards Paradise — literally sprint towards Paradise. And that's why when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, as mentioned in the Sahih, was with his companions just before the battle of Badr, he told his companions: stand up, to a Paradise which is equal in width to the Heavens and the Earth. So 'Umayr ibn al-Humam al-Ansari said: a Paradise which is equal in width to the Heavens and the Earth? And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: yes. So he was so blown away that he made some statements expressing how amazing this was.

So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam asked him: what made you make this statement? He said: nothing, except hope — hope of being from the dwellers of Paradise. So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1901)

For you are from the dwellers of Paradise. Then he took out some dates and said:

He said: if I am still alive by the time I finish these dates in my hand, then indeed it is a very lengthy life. And he ate one, and then a second, ate a few, and then he threw the rest — and then he fought until he was martyred. Radiallahu ta'ala anhu.

Trials and Calamities in the Light of Paradise

And sometimes things may be going very well for a person in this life — they think that everything is going well, walhamdulillah — but then all it takes is a tragedy, a calamity, something heartbreaking over a text message, and all of a sudden a person is very depressed. But if a person knows and they focus in terms of where they plan to go and what they're working towards, it makes life easy. It makes life very easy for the individual.

And that's why when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, as mentioned in the authentic narration in the Musnad of Imam Ahmed rahimahullah ta'ala, would sit with his companions, one man would come and take part in the gathering, and then his young son would come from behind him and sit on his lap. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam asked him: do you love this son of yours? And he said: O Messenger of Allah, I hope and I wish Allah loves you the amount that I love this child of mine.

After some time, this man was not found in the gathering — his son had passed away. So he became very sad and stopped attending. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, having that noble nature that he had where he would always pay attention to his companions, said: where is that man? How come I'm not seeing him anymore? So he was told: do you recall that son that he would bring to the gathering? He's passed away. So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam summoned him, called him, and consoled him — he gave him condolences. Then he said: O so-and-so, what would you prefer? Would you prefer that you enjoy your son in this world, or that in the next life, tomorrow, in the next life, you don't go towards any gate of Paradise except that you find that he has preceded you and opened the gate for you? What would you prefer?

So then one of the companions, who was so mesmerized by this statement of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said: is this exclusively for him, or is this for all of us? So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: rather, it is for all of you.

The Lady Afflicted with Epilepsy

And sometimes it could be that a person is afflicted with something natural. But again, if a person knew — like these individuals, if they were told: don't worry, you might have this now, but have patience, and for you is Paradise where there will be no more of these illnesses — they would have the patience.

And that's why 'Ata' — who is from the Tabi'een — said that Ibn Abbas radiallahu ta'ala anhu, as recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, told 'Ata', his student: should I inform you of a lady from the dwellers of Paradise? And he said: yes. And he said: there was this black lady who came to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and said to him: I suffer from epilepsy — epileptic fits. So make du'a for me. Supplicate to Allah for me.

And only if a person is afflicted by something like this do you really know how it is. Or maybe a person whose family also knows how they are — if a person looks at them with their eyes going, it's as if they're about to die. That's how it looks when a person is in a similar position. So she went to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and said: I suffer from this, and my body becomes uncovered, so make du'a to Allah so He removes this. So the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to her: if you wish, I shall make du'a to Allah to remove this from you. Or if you wish, then have patience, and for you is Paradise. So she said: then I'll have patience. After this she said: however I become uncovered, so make du'a to Allah that I do not become uncovered. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam supplicated to Allah that she does not become uncovered.

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 5652)

Asiya, the Wife of Fir'awn

Other times a person may even be afflicted by something more physical. But again, if they knew that their destiny and their focus was on Paradise, then it wouldn't be so bad. Like Asiya, the wife of Fir'awn. For when it came to believing in Allah and His messenger — at that time, who was Musa alayhi salam — then it meant that she had to sacrifice the kingdom of this world for the next life. For she was married to one of the strongest, most powerful individuals of her time — Fir'awn. But when the call came, she decided to be persecuted and tortured until her soul departs from this world. Why? Because she knew that her destiny was in Paradise. And that's what she focused on. And she made a du'a:

O my Lord, build a house for me close to you in Paradise. And save me from Fir'awn and his actions. And that's exactly what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala did for her.

'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr

And when a person grows old — as there were some who grew old in age and grew very tired of this world — like the famous 'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, the companion of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, who was the khalifa. And then there was a war between him and the people of Sham, the people of Syria and Damascus, and they waged war until they besieged the Haram, because his capital was in Mecca. And they waged war on him until a large number of people left him. And then there was a famous conversation between him and his mother, where his mother told him to have patience and reminded him of his father Zubayr, and his aunt 'Aisha, and his grandfather Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, and his grandmother Safiyyah, who is the aunt of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And she advised him to go and fight courageously.

After this, he decided to perform salah the entire night. He sat down and placed his head on his sword, and then he fell asleep. After he woke up at fajr time, he asked his companion Sa'd — as the entire incident is mentioned by Ibn Kathir rahimahullah in Al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah — he said: O Sa'd, perform the adhan for the fajr prayer. And he done so. Then he performed his wudu, performed the two rak'ahs — the sunnah prayers for fajr — and then the obligatory two, and he recited Surah Nun, and he recited it very beautifully.

After he completed the prayer, he turned around, looked at his companions, and said: today, I'm going to die. Today is my final day in this world. For I had a dream when I was asleep last night that the heavens opened up and I was taken in. And I do not see this to be anything other than my death. And I've grown old to the age of 72 years of age, and I've grown tired of this world. And I'm bored of this life now. So O Allah, I yearn to meet you, so yearn to meet me. And then he asked his companions to remove their helmets, and he encouraged them and admonished them to fight courageously — and then he was martyred. Rahimahullah.

Hafiz 'Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi

And others were given different types of trials. Like the famous Hafiz 'Abd al-Ghani al-Maqdisi rahimahullah ta'ala. When he was put through trial after trial, then he fell very ill for approximately 16 days. And during that time, he could no longer stand up, and he could barely speak. And his son would come to him and ask him: what do you desire? And he would say: I desire Paradise. I desire Jannah. I yearn for Jannah. And he said: I desire the mercy of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That's what I want right now.

And then after the 16 days, his son came and brought some water for him to perform wudu. He performed the wudu. And then after that, he told him to perform the prayer, so he performed the Fajr prayer. Then after everyone had left, his son sat by his side, by his head, and he requested his son to recite Surah Yasin — there is a difference of opinion and dispute amongst the scholars concerning the authenticity of this when a person is on the deathbed; regardless, he asked him to recite Surah Yasin. And then after that, he started to make du'a generally, and his son said: I started to say Ameen.

After this, his son asked him: are you pleased with me? And he said: yes, I'm pleased with you. And I'm pleased with your brothers and your cousins. And then he said to him: is there any advice? Is there anything you want me to take care of? And he said: I don't owe anyone anything, nor does anyone owe me anything. I'm clean. It's as if he was preparing himself to depart from this world. Then after that, he started to remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala excessively with his tongue. Then his son went to the other side of the masjid to get a book to read to him — and by the time he had come back, his soul had departed from his body.

The Companion Who Loved the Prophet More Than Himself

I say this saying, and I ask Allah for forgiveness for me and for you, and for the Muslims, and for every sin they have committed, so forgive them. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

In an authentic narration recorded by Imam Ibn Kathir in his tafsir, he mentions on the authority of 'Aisha that during the lifetime of the Prophet, there was a man — the man's name was not mentioned — who came to the Prophet and said: O Messenger of Allah, I love you more than I love myself, and my family, and my children. And when I sit at home and think of you, then I don't feel at ease except after I've come to see you. And then when I think of my death and of your death — that when you die and enter into Paradise, you're going to be raised with the Prophets. As for me, when I enter Paradise, I fear that I might not see you. I may not see you.

The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam didn't say anything, until the verse was revealed:

And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, then they are with those whom Allah has blessed — among the Prophets, the truthful, the witnesses, and the righteous. And good are they as companions.

Conclusion: Learn About Paradise and Focus on It

To conclude — from now, insha'Allah ta'ala, it's really important for us all to learn about Paradise, in order for us to focus on Paradise. And not only that, but whenever we have any difficulties, or calamities, or are afflicted by some type of problems, we know our final destination. And not only that, so we can also help our fellow brothers and sisters to focus in life.

And also, just like we learn about Paradise, to also learn about the Hellfire — so it helps us and aids us, with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala's permission alone, to stay away from sins and disobedience to Him as well. And finally, to ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to enter us into Paradise. Like the authentic narration in al-Tirmidhi on the authority of Anas ibn Malik, where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said:

(Jami' al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2572)

When a person asks Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to enter them into Paradise, Jannah itself says: O Allah, admit him into Paradise. We say this three times — Jannah says: O Allah, admit him into Paradise. And if a person asks Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to protect them from the Hellfire, the Hellfire says: O Allah, protect him from the Hellfire.