Jum'uah Khutba - Aug 7, 2015 - Reaction to tests

Jumu'ah Khutbah — Reaction to Tests

أَمَّا بَعْدُ — Allah says in the Glorious Qur'an, in Surah Al-Furqan:

The Simplicity of the Prophets

Allah mentions in this ayah in Surah Al-Furqan:

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا قَبْلَكَ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ — "We haven't sent prior to you, our Rasool Allah ﷺ, any of the messengers —" إِلَّا — "except" — إِنَّهُمْ لَيَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ — "that they used to do two things: يَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ — they used to eat food — وَيَمْشُونَ فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ — and they used to walk about in the marketplace, for business or for whatever their needs may have been." And then afterwards Allah says: وَجَعَلْنَا بَعْضَكُمْ لِبَعْضٍ فِتْنَةً — "We have made some of you a test for others." أَتَصْبِرُونَ — "Shall you be patient?" وَكَانَ رَبُّكَ بَصِيرًا — "And your Lord is very watchful over what you do."

Allah here in this ayah in Surah Al-Furqan is mentioning the dealings of the disbelievers with the Prophet ﷺ. They had an issue — like they've always had issues in the previous nations as well — they had an issue: "Why does this Prophet — why is he not extra special? Why is he just a human? We are not inclined to believe in him because he is a human, and he leads a very average life in a sense that he eats and he drinks and he does this and he does that. Why wasn't he an angel?" Because when a person doesn't want to do something, he'll find a bunch of excuses. So they came up with this excuse: "Why is he not an angel? If he was an angel we would be more inclined to obey him."

And Allah refutes this in a number of places — that if he were to be an angel, then you would say that an angel is not worthy of emulation because he doesn't have the same wishes and desires and lusts and needs that a normal human being has. "So there's no compatibility here, he's not a real role model for me." You would have come up with some other excuse. So Allah makes it very clear that the Prophets are not angels or some other being that doesn't have to take care of family and what not. Rather, they are leading the lives of human beings. Although they are protected from sin — that's a different thing — but they have needs, they have families, they have to take care of those things.

The disbelievers were not happy with that. They said: "If he's not going to be an angel, how about if there was an angel right above him, right besides him, and this angel would be his bodyguard? He would be a warner — he would tell people, 'If you do not obey him, you're going to be a loser. Right in front of you, I'll knock you out if you don't obey this Prophet.' That angel should have been guarding the Prophet. When the disbelievers or anyone else challenges the Prophet, this angel should stand up next to him and say, 'Nope, you can't do that.' Then we would have seen that, okay, this man is to be reckoned with — he's a force to be reckoned with. But look at him, subhanAllah — someone pushes him from there, someone hurls insults from there, someone spits at him over there, someone pelts him with stones over here. What's this about?" So they wanted an angel to be guarding him.

And then they mentioned another possibility. They said: "If you really want us to be convinced, how about if there would be a large amount of gold and silver and wealth and properties given to him — like a massive treasure chest that he would walk around? He could use from it as he liked, build himself a nice home for his wife and for his children. Everyone lived a life of opulence and extravagance and a nice life, and at the same time dish out, dole out to whoever wants as much as he wants, because he's got all the money of the world. A big treasure chest should have been given to him."

"If not that, then how about at least a garden — a garden where he could eat from it, people can eat from it. He owns properties. This is the rental property. This is, mashAllah, a skyscraper he owns. And this is, mashAllah, this property he owns looks very nice. That's how the prophet should be — he should be wealthy and rich and show people, 'I've got the bucks, you better listen to me.' They say money talks, right? So if the prophet had the money, then his talk would have a lot more effect." That is the mentality of the disbelievers. They keep on asking, "We want this, we want this — until it doesn't happen, we're not gonna believe him. We want this degree, we want that formality, we want this type of dressing, we want this type of wealth. And if it doesn't happen like that, we're not gonna listen to nobody."

Allah chose not to do that. Allah could with much ease have made the prophet rich and wealthy, could have made him powerful, and most definitely could have sent angels with him guarding him everywhere. But Allah did not want to do that. Out of His wisdom, Allah wanted to send a prophet in a very humble way. He lived a very humble life.

The Humility of Rasulullah ﷺ

Rasulullah ﷺ, when he would eat, he would eat so humbly — as we've heard — that he would lean over and eat. He would not sit uptight like this. This is called table manners — that you're supposed to sit upright and eat like this. The Prophet never ate like that. Our prophet bent himself in front of the food, and he made it very clear:

"I eat the way a slave eats. I am a slave of Allah and I will eat the way a slave eats."

And that is why it is against the etiquette to lean against something while eating or to be disrespectful. SubhanAllah — one of the etiquettes of food while serving food is that we should be at the table, or at the dastarkhān or at the sofreh, before the food is laid out. That's part of the etiquette — that the food should not wait for us on the table, that we served everything and then said, "Alright, now everyone come on in." Because this is disrespectful — to what? To the food. The food is the rizq of Allah. Allah doesn't need us, the food doesn't need us — we need Allah's rizq and we need the food. The teacher doesn't wait in the classroom and then the students come — the students are in the classroom and the teacher comes. The patient is in the room and then the doctor comes — not that the doctor is waiting for the patient to come. The food should come in afterwards. This is the etiquette, subhanAllah.

We're so far away from the teachings of Rasulullah ﷺ, we're unaware of these things, these basics — although they may seem very small. But there are volumes of teachings in this. The way we deal — imagine if we're going to deal like this with the rizq, how is our relationship going to be with the rizq? If this is our relationship with provisions, then how is our relationship going to be with the One who provides all these provisions? Obviously, the relationship of a slave in front of his master.

So Rasulullah ﷺ wasn't given all of these bells and whistles, and wasn't given all this wealth and pomp. He lived a very humble life. And you all know that incident where there was an angel who actually came to him — and that was the incident of Ta'if — where the angel actually came to him and said: "I have never ever come before and I have specifically been sent to look after you. I am the one who is in charge of these mountains over here and I simply await your command, your permission. All you need to do is give me the green light and in seconds, in front of you with your own eyes, you'll be able to witness these massive two mountains that surround the valley of Ta'if come crashing upon the people — and it will be long gone history. It will take archaeologists hundreds of years, if not thousands, to ever even discover that a society ever lived here. In layers and layers of mud and rock and sediment they will be buried — this whole civilization of Ta'if. All we need from you is a green light."

And our Nabi ﷺ, at that time, as you all know, did not give the green light. And he said: "Yes, I've been mistreated by these people and I've been abused — physically abused, emotionally abused. Every sense of the word abuse was applied to the Prophet ﷺ. But I still have hope that maybe they will accept. And if they're not going to accept, then someone in their progeny later on may believe in the message of Allah, and eventually they will be able to save themselves from the blazing fire of hell, of Jahannam." So Rasulullah's ﷺ mercy did not allow him to give the signal to the angel at that time to destroy Ta'if and the Valley of Ta'if.

Every Prophet Shared These Two Qualities

But that is what they wanted — they wanted an angel with him always. Instead, Allah here in this ayah — in the last verses of the 18th Juz, which is part of Surah Al-Furqan — He says that we haven't sent a prophet — not just Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah ﷺ, but any other prophet prior to him — every one of them had these two qualities. One of them was يَأْكُلُونَ الطَّعَامَ — they used to eat food. And this is an attribute of 'Isa ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) and his mother Maryam (may Allah be pleased with her), which Allah mentions in the Qur'an:

Allah mentions that certain sections of the disbelievers would say:

"That indeed Allah Himself is ingrained and engraved in the body of Masih 'Isa ibn Maryam." Someone would say:

"Allah is one of three." That's mentioned in the Qur'an. After refuting these ideas, Allah simply says: كَانَا يَأْكُلَانِ الطَّعَامَ — mother and son both used to eat food. Allah just says that. He said: "Bring me a historical narration that proves otherwise. Tell me — look at the annals of history and tell me: are there reports that 'Isa ibn Maryam and Maryam lived a life without ever drinking, without ever eating?" No. Of course they ate — from the last meal to every other meal, they ate.

And what does that tell you? What is Allah saying? The fact that they ate food tells you that they cannot be divine. They cannot be God, because divineness requires for a being to be above his creation. And to eat is a need of the human being — it is the need not just of a human being, but rather the need of creation, and not the need, the ضَرُورَة and the حَاجَة, of the Creator. Allah, being the Creator, does not need to eat or drink. But we see 'Isa and his mother would eat. That tells us — that is sufficient knowledge, that is sufficient proof — that both of them definitely were not divine. They were simple, righteous, pious human beings, servants of Allah.

The Test of Simplicity — Then and Now

So what happened over here? The fact that Rasulullah ﷺ was simple, or led a life of humility and humbleness, and lived a life of poverty, became a testing ground for the non-Muslims and the Meccans: Are you going to believe in him because of his flashy way of lifestyle, because of the attractiveness of his home or his clothing? Or are you going to believe in him because of the power of his message?

SubhanAllah, I feel and I fear that we are going through the very same test today — that we judge deen, and judge talks of deen, judge books of deen, judge conventions of deen, gatherings of deen, on so many superficial things. It's judged based on arrangements. It's judged based on the ability to portray a very flashy and very hip image — "Oh, we're connecting with you, we're connecting with this one or that one" — and an image of whatever that person wants to see. If that image is seen in that magazine advertising that program, or in that TV commercial, or that YouTube commercial, whatever the case may be, then a person feels, "SubhanAllah, that is an awesome scholar, or that is an awesome gathering." Why? Because they've got the audio-visual system really nice. They've got amazing lights and cameras. They've got an amazing AC setup and a very nice seating arrangement and so forth. They've got awesome food stalls, or whatever the case may be. When that is completely beside the point.

But what happens? This becomes a fitna — a test. Allah has mentioned this clearly in the Qur'an: that the simplicity of the Prophet ﷺ became a test for people. Are you able to see through that simplicity and look at the powerful message of his? Or are you going to be detracted by his simple and humble way of lifestyle and say, "There can't be any good with this, because it's too simple — he's too poor, he's too like this"? That same test lasts till today and continues throughout the times.

There are certain people who, when judging and making a judgment on who they should learn the deen from, or which event they should attend, judge it on very superficial things — based on accommodations, based on marketing, based on so-called relevance with people and so forth — and completely missing the point that, subhanAllah, a person could be speaking under a tree, but that message really might be the message you need to hear.

Someone may — you know — الْحِكْمَةُ ضَالَّةُ الْمُؤْمِنِ فَحَيْثُمَا وَجَدَهَا فَهُوَ أَحَقُّ بِهَا — "Wisdom is the lost property of the believer, so wherever he finds it, he has the most right to it." Sometimes you'll hear a wisdom from the driver going from the train station to the airport, and the driver of the taxi may say something. And I personally — I'm sharing this with you — I myself have picked up so many amazing pieces of advice from people who are driving me from one place to the other in foreign countries and here as well. And many times non-Muslims, many times random people. But subhanAllah, you shouldn't look at the person's apparent clothing or the apparent occupation and say, "What good have you got to give me?" Look at what he's saying. Look at the message, and do not look at the one who's conveying it. If it resonates with you, if it's something you need, then remember: this is a message that has been sent to you by Allah for your own benefit.

Responding to Sincere Advice

Many times an uncle or an elderly person may say something to us which, you know deep down, is right. But who likes to be told off? Who likes to be told the truth? Sometimes the truth is very bitter, right? So what happens? We say, "Look at yourself — where are your kids, where's your wife, where's your life? And you're coming and telling me?" Very quickly, what happens is that our nafs inside ourselves turns the whole piece of advice — that was really beneficial — turns it around and shoots it back at him.

You know what — he was just giving his advice. You're probably never going to see him again. But instead of getting all defensive and upset and hurling this back at him, a person should simply say: does what he says make sense? Does it really affect my life? And if it does, then don't worry about his faults. Don't worry about what's happening to his kids or his family. If it is something that you can benefit from, then take it wholeheartedly.

This is a fitna. And look at you — sometimes our own custodian here, who is not a Muslim — may Allah grant him hidayah — an amazing, amazing person. But our students learn from him. We learn from him. Because sometimes he will say certain things — and I'm sharing this with you — many times he has said things to us that were really eye-opening. "What kind of teachings do you give in the mosque when the way people leave the bathrooms? Why would someone go and roll out so much toilet paper, or this wudu paper, that I change every single day? I'm asking — what kind of teachings do you give in this mosque to your students and to the congregants? Why would someone want to waste something? It makes no sense. It belongs to the mosque. It's your mosque. It's a not-for-profit organization. Why would you do that?" He's asked me: "Why would it be that after a wedding or something happening in the women's section, there's so much dirt and filth in the prayer hall? Why would someone leave food all over the place?" These are genuine questions he's asked me.

Right — now there's one way to deal with it: to say, "Oh subhanAllah, you know, you're just an employee, you're not even a Muslim. What's the point of listening and asking and interacting with you?" And another way is to say, "SubhanAllah, thank you so much. This is valuable advice. I really need to look into myself, and into my congregants, and into my students and what not, to see where are we going wrong — that Allah is sending this message to us on behalf of this individual."

So this is a test. When you look at the person and say, "Look at you — who are you? Who are you to speak to me? Who are you to address this issue?" — that's a test. And will you go above and beyond that and say, "MashAllah, your message is beautiful," regardless of whether you're flashy or not flashy, whether you're wearing this type of clothing or that type of clothing?

We Are Each a Test for One Another

My respected friends, Allah moves on in this verse and says something very powerful:

He has made some of you a test for others. And I have only taken one aspect and exemplified one aspect of that — and that is: when taking the message of deen, the person who is giving that message of deen may be leading a simple life, may be speaking to you in broken English, may be speaking to you in broken Arabic or Urdu or whatever other language. But let us not write him off because of his simple nature, because of his humble nature. Let us not write off an event, a gathering of some sort, because they don't have the best food, or they don't have the best arrangements, or they don't have the best audio-visual system set up. This is a test.

You and I have to be able to look at the crux and the cream of what we are out there for. Are we out here to be entertained, or are we out here to gain the deen? If you are here to gain the deen, then you should be able to look right through that fluff and look and go get that marrow — that center point, that cream, that hidayah — the deen that you and I want. Otherwise, Allah forbid, we have examples of the disbelievers of Mecca who fell into this trap and were not able to see the beautiful message of Rasulullah ﷺ. And they would say:

They said: "Why was this Qur'an revealed to this humble, simple person? Why wasn't this Qur'an revealed to a great personality from Mecca or Ta'if — the two cities, al-Qaryatayn? We want a man who had lived a life of nobility and power and pomp and show. If he were to say the Qur'an has been revealed to me, we would be inclined to listen to him. But the fact that the one who is saying, 'The Qur'an has been revealed to me' — he doesn't have food for tonight to serve to his kids, his grandchildren are sick and he doesn't have the means to cure them — why should we listen to this message?"

They fell into that trap. We must not fall into that trap by getting misgivings about the simplicity and the humbleness of those who grant us 'ilm, and those gatherings from where we get 'ilm.

The Wealthy and the Poor

That's one point, and that's one point I've been spending the past 20 minutes on. But this ayah has much, much larger implications than that. This ayah is saying — along with all that I've just mentioned — every one of you is being tested by the other individual. This means:

Every single person is being tested by someone who doesn't have — or does have — what he doesn't have. For example: the wealthy is being tested by those relatives and friends of his who are poor. The poor are being tested by relatives, friends, acquaintances, or just the general public — in the Muslim community and beyond — who are wealthy.

How is that? The poor person, when he sees someone who has, mashAllah, bought a new home or a new car, or has gotten a promotion — he is being tested now. When he is informed that "Your cousin, your sister-in-law, your brother-in-law, a relative, mashAllah, just landed themselves up with a very nice high-paying job and a good promotion" — or "Your cousin's son landed up with a very nice start-up job" — and this person is actually suffering, eight months no job, been working here and there trying to make ends meet — and then he hears all of a sudden that someone in his family, in his community, is doing very well. This is a test. How do we react to this news?

Are we going to become jealous and upset and angry and express our anger against Allah — na'udhubillah — or are we going to say, "This is a test from Allah"?

"May Allah increase in his wealth, may Allah increase in his children and give him a happy life. And may Allah grant me a life of قَنَاعَة and allow me to be content with whatever I have — and may He give me much more than that in the Akhira." That's another way. Glass half full, half empty type of attitude. You are being tested, I am being tested, in my attitude towards this news.

The Wealthy Tested by the Poor

On the other hand, the wealthy are being tested by the poor. A rich person who is doing very well for himself sees that, subhanAllah, a relative from overseas is coming penniless to this country. Now he is going to be tested: "Am I going to regard this close relative of mine as a burden? Or am I going to say, 'I came to this country with very little in my pocket and Allah gave me so much. Let me reciprocate this blessing and this kindness that Allah has done with me towards my relative — give him my house, or spend money and give him a job and what not.'" Am I going to look down upon him and his children and say, "Look at these fellows, they don't have an education and that's why they are suffering, that they can't find themselves good jobs"? Or am I going to say, "My children didn't deserve good jobs either, but Allah blessed me with such an easy life. Let me go out of my way to help my nephews, or my cousins, or someone in the masjid, someone in the community, and beyond."

The Healthy and the Sick

My respected friends, everyone is being tested by another person. The healthy are being tested by the sick. When you see someone who is suffering from a sickness, do we look down upon them? Do you say, "That's what happens when you eat unhealthy"? Or do you say, "Alhamdulillah, Allah has given me a healthy life. May Allah save me from that sickness and may Allah grant you health"? That is the attitude.

And the sick person — when he sees someone who is running by, sprinting, and he is able to barely walk — is his attitude "Ya Allah, why me?" Or does he say, "SubhanAllah, Ya Allah, the way he's running — allow me to run like this in Paradise. You could have easily allowed me to run in this world, but You chose not to. I'm asking You to grant me a life of happiness in Paradise and reward me in full for the patience I have to endure in the face of this sickness."

The One "Sore Thumb" in Your Life

Each person is being tested by others. So sometimes a person says, "I've got a perfect life — except if it wasn't for my boss, if it wasn't for my husband, if it wasn't for my wife, if it wasn't for my one son, my one daughter, my one neighbor, my one relative." Little do we realize — you're right, your life is perfect, and that one so-called sore thumb that we call, that is meant to be there. It is your test. It is your gateway to Jannah. How do you interact with that wife, with that husband, with that troubling child, with that boss who's really mean or doesn't understand your needs? How do you interact with that? Based on your interaction, insha'Allah ta'ala, your levels in Jannah will increase.

Conclusion: Patience and Gratitude

My respected friends, Allah ends this ayah when He says: أَتَصْبِرُونَ — "Are you going to be patient?" The tafsir of that: "Or are you not going to be patient? If you are going to be patient, you shall be rewarded." Allah then ends it: وَكَانَ رَبُّكَ بَصِيرًا — "And your Lord is all-watchful over what you are doing." Whether you are patient or not, Allah knows what is in your heart and how you are interacting with each other.

I ask almighty Allah to allow us to value the deen and allow us to see through the fluff and go to where the true, pristine deen lies. May He save us from getting caught up into avenues that are polluted — avenues of deen which are different from that which the Prophet ﷺ left behind. Ameen.

And may Allah allow us to succeed in our test — whenever we do get tested with each other — that He allow us to remain patient, allow us to be grateful for whatever blessings we are enjoying, save us from looking down upon anyone, becoming jealous of anyone, or regarding someone as inferior to us. We ask almighty Allah to grant us the ability to be grateful for all the blessings that we are enjoying. Ameen.

InshaAllah, we ask you to fill up the safs and move forward. There are a lot of people in the lobby. Then perform the sunnah. JazakAllah.