Life's Tests: Overcoming Heedlessness And Drawing Closer To Allah

Opening

الحمد لله، الحمد لله رب العالمين، والصلاة والسلام على رسوله الكريم. أما بعد، فقد قال الله سبحانه وتعالى في القرآن المجيد. أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم، بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم.

(Reported by al-Hakim in al-Mustadrak, and also narrated in Shu'ab al-Iman of al-Bayhaqi)

Tests in Our Lives

Respected friends and elders, we thank Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for granting us the ability to come to the masjid in such inclement weather conditions.

We must remember that throughout our life — in fact all of our lives and the lives of those who have come before us — Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has constantly filled in different tests throughout their life. And this will be the situation of every single individual who comes into this world until Yawmul Qiyamah. And so now, different individuals face different tests in life.

Today we face a test of weather. Coming to the masjid has become difficult, going to work has become difficult, going anywhere has become difficult. Others today are finding themselves in the test of loss of life, loss of family, loss of basic human necessities. Others may have found themselves in the difficulty in the test of lack of avenues to learn deen. So everyone is facing a different test.

And the idea is that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has placed these tests into our lives not just to shake ourselves up, not to make us sit down and cry, not to make ourselves lock ourselves in our bedrooms and let the world move on but let us sit still. Rather Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given everyone a test according to their capabilities, according to, in proportion to what they can handle.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does not test any individual more than what that individual can handle. Rather, whatever we are being tested with, it is not going to lead us to a breaking point. Because Allah ta'ala is the one who created us, Allah ta'ala knows our limitations. Allah ta'ala knows what is too much for us, what will lead us to the breaking point.

Rather, every single test, every single situation — or from our perspective every single calamity — should be a means of us pushing forward, accelerating towards Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, connecting with Allah ta'ala in such a manner where we are closer to Allah ta'ala, far greater than what we were before this test.

Respected friends, this dunya is not lasting any longer. Our lives are not increasing; rather we are only moving closer and closer until the day which no individual can turn away from. That inevitable reality, when we return back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Words of 'Ali radiyallahu 'anhu: Two Great Fears

There is a statement of 'Ali radiyallahu 'anhu, where he mentioned:

There are two things which I fear the most for you. 'Ali radiyallahu 'anhu is mentioning this — two things which he has complete fear over the people for. اتِّبَاعُ الْهَوَى — that falling into fulfilling one's desires, meaning one makes his entire purpose of life fulfilling their desires. وَطُولُ الْأَمَلِ — and alongside that, having many lofty hopes. That your desires and your hopes and your aspirations are far beyond your entire life.

The Problem with Following One's Desires

Now 'Ali radiyallahu 'anhu is explaining, what's wrong with these two things? What's the problem with maybe indulging in yourself every now and then? What's the problem with having high aspirations? Nowadays we see that it's good, you should spend on yourself a little bit. That's what we tell ourselves, right? It's good to spend on yourself. You should have high aspirations.

But now 'Ali radiyallahu 'anhu is explaining what he means by this. He says:

That when one is constantly engaged in fulfilling his desires, then it turns him away from the truth. Meaning it turns him away from deen. Then now his purpose of life is not fulfilling the commandments of Allah ta'ala. He is not looking at what is going to please Allah ta'ala. He is only looking at what is going to please himself — what is only going to please his nafs. And his nafs is being driven by Shaitan. So inevitably he is looking towards what can please Shaitan.

The Problem with Excessive Hopes

But now, what's wrong with having high aspirations?

You are going to forget about the akhirah. Remember that at one point you will end up leaving this dunya. At one point you will leave your home, you will leave your families. And you will be in front of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

So 'Ali radiyallahu 'anhu is not saying do not have aspirations. 'Ali radiyallahu 'anhu is not saying don't have goals. Rather as Muslims we are goal-oriented individuals. But don't make them so lofty that you end up forgetting about the akhirah.

The Dunya Retreats, the Akhirah Approaches

Then 'Ali radiyallahu 'anhu mentions:

That the akhirah is only coming closer — it's moving forward, it's coming towards you. But the dunya is retreating. Meaning that your time of life is only getting shorter and shorter and shorter. The dunya is going back and the akhirah is coming closer.

So be from the children of the akhirah. Meaning make your attribution with the akhirah. Make yourself an individual of the afterlife. Make yourself an individual of Allah ta'ala. An individual of Jannah. وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنْ أَبْنَاءِ الدُّنْيَا — do not make all your associations with this dunya. Do not cling your feet to this dunya and say, "I am one of the dunya." Your goal is in the akhirah. Do not make your goal solely for the dunya.

فَإِنَّ الْيَوْمَ عَمَلٌ وَلَا حِسَابٌ — today you have the opportunity. Today you have the ability to work, to do actions, to build a better Jannah. And if we may have fallen, if we may have sinned in any way, then we have the ability of seeking repentance in front of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. We have an ability to turn back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. وَغَدًا حِسَابٌ وَلَا عَمَلٌ — but tomorrow, it's just reckoning. There's no opportunity to say sorry tomorrow. Rather, any way you want to make up for the past, and any way you want to move forward for the akhirah, you can do that today. Work, work, make opportunities. Make goals for the akhirah. Because you won't lose this opportunity.

A Lesson from the Snow

And so this hadith came to mind, seeing the weather conditions this morning — that it was very difficult for many of us to come to the masjid even for Fajr prayer. And you think that today we may not have an opportunity to come to the masjid. But at least Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given us our lives to make an opportunity for the akhirah. Because one day that opportunity will go.

Just as the snow had hit us so hard today, and it was very difficult to do our everyday actions, to go to work in the morning — and so we're thinking, the roads were clear yesterday, there wasn't snow yesterday, the weather conditions, the roads weren't blocked yesterday. And so I had the opportunity to do X, Y and Z things. Perhaps some individuals, they may have forgotten to go to the store to pick up some needed items. And so now they're thinking, I should have just went yesterday.

That will be the condition of many individuals on Yawmul Qiyamah. That today I'm not able to work towards my akhirah. Today I'm not able to do any more good actions. Had only I had just worked in this dunya. And so now we need to see what are some actions we can inculcate into our lives to work towards the akhirah.

A Du'a for the Cold: Protection from Zamharir of Jahannam

Now the weather is getting colder and colder. In fact, in the next few days we will hit the negatives. The snow is only increasing. And so there is a du'a which Nabi ﷺ has taught us, which is something we can take home with us today insha'Allah.

Nabi ﷺ in one hadith mentioned that when the day is very cold, a servant of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala makes this du'a. The deen has given us opportunities to connect with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala at every moment in our life, at every stop. Whether it's hot, whether it's cold, whether we are free, whether we are busy. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given us an avenue to remember Him, to rack up good deeds, and to make our scales heavy in terms of the good deeds.

So he said: if a servant, at this time when it's extremely cold, says:

"There is no God except Allah. Today is extremely cold. O Allah, protect me from the zamharir of Jahannam."

What is the zamharir of Jahannam? Zamharir is a place in Jahannam which is very cold. Now we know Jahannam to be very hot, blazing, scorching. But zamharir is a place that is extremely cold — such that, as the hadith mentions, it is so cold that an individual's limbs will start to fall apart, fall off of him. That is how cold it gets. So an individual sees the cold of this dunya and he remembers the akhirah. And he makes du'a that Allah ta'ala saves him from that part of Jahannam.

So now what is the response? What does Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala do in return?

He tells Jahannam: "My servant is seeking protection from Your zamharir, from that part. And I make You my witness, O Jahannam, that I have saved My servant from this part of You."

And so now, this is just one habit we can inculcate throughout the winter season — that we just start making this du'a. And this is a means of protection from the hellfire.

Again, this du'a is:

For those who may not remember the Arabic, the translation is: "There is no God but Allah. Today is a very cold day. O Allah, protect me from the zamharir of Jahannam."

Closing Du'a

May Allah ta'ala protect us from Jahannam. And may Allah ta'ala grant us the opportunity to utilize every moment in our lives to come closer to Allah ta'ala and build a better akhirah.

وَآخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ.

Announcements

Firstly, there is a du'a request for brother Ismail Amjad's father whose health is unstable. Please make du'a for him. There are 2024 calendars available in the lobby.

And lastly, we would like to invite you to our weekly programs. First being Team Fajr, which will continue tomorrow — Fajr Iqamah is at 6:15 AM. Our Tuesday night Tafsirs — currently we are on Suratul Qasas — will remain after Isha Salah, and the Iqamah for Isha is at 7:45. And we have weekly Salawat followed by a khatira every Thursday after Isha Salah. For any more information on our programs, please visit masjiddias.org.