Born to Die What s Your Legacy - Shaykh Dr

Born to Die: What's Your Legacy

Dr. Yasir Qadhi | East London Mosque

Introduction

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ

I appreciate the invitation. It is always a pleasure to come to East London Masjid. I apologize, my voice is a little bit sore. Lots of traveling, lots of speaking, that is what happens.

Reflection on Junaid Jamshed's Passing

Before I begin the prepared talk, I'd just like to mention and comment on a little bit the sad tragedy that has taken place this week of the demise of Junaid Jamshed. May Allah accept his death as shahada and raise his ranks. I was not a close friend of Junaid Jamshed, so don't take this as the light of a close friend, but for some reason, the death really, it moved me, it shook me immensely.

And it just got me to thinking, as every death should cause us to think, it got me to thinking about the very topic that I was scheduled to speak about here today, and that is leaving a legacy, leaving a legacy.

The Transformation of Junaid Jamshed

This was a brother who went through phases in his life. For those of you who don't know, Junaid Jamshed was at one point of his life the most famous musical singer, the most famous musical artist of Pakistan of the late 80s, early 90s. He was literally a heartthrob. He was put on posters, and he had fans, tens of thousands, millions of fans. His albums and his CDs were the most important and the most wide-selling and spreading throughout that era.

And if he had died in that phase, Allah would have known what his legacy would have been. But Allah had other plans for him. And after exposure to Islam, of course he was born and raised a Muslim, but you know how it happens. After exposure to Islam, he repented from that lifestyle, and he completely turned away from the music industry.

And he, for a while, lived in difficult circumstances because he realized that it is haram for him to even earn an income from his previous CDs. And that was his only source of income. Now he's at the middle of his life. He has no career and profession other than singing. When he turns his back on it, and he realizes that that money, in his opinion, and I also agree with this, was unethical, so he made the decision, subhanAllah, to stop receiving a penny from his royalties.

His New Path

And he lived a very difficult life for a while. He did not know what he would do. And it was then that Allah opened up other doors for him. And of the doors that opened up was business. He was never a businessman. But now you have to earn.

So he opened up a men's boutique, clothing boutique, where there were kurtas and very fashionable, very good quality. And his name brand became the most famous and the most prestigious. And frankly, I loved his, and I still love his kurtas. I actually have at least, I think at least seven, eight of them in my closet. I love his kurtas. They're very good quality.

And his name brand became, so he earned money from that. And then subhanAllah, Allah opened up the door for him to use his talent, and that is his voice, for a cause that was beloved to him, and that is singing nasheeds. Praise in honor of Allah, and praise in honor of the Messenger.

And he achieved a bigger legacy, even in this dunya, by becoming one of the most famous nasheed artists of the world, alive. And he dedicated his life to Islamic causes.

A Personal Anecdote

And subhanAllah, one of the ironic stories that I mentioned, just as a personal anecdote, he was not a friend of mine. I only met him as an acquaintance at fundraisers and at other events as we all participated, and you just happened to meet them. And just as an anecdote to show you how Allah brings people together and different paths crisscross.

When I was younger, when I was doing my education in the University of Houston, when I was a chemical engineering major, so I was very much involved with the MSA. You guys will call it ISOC. I was the main person of the MSA, the Muslim Student Association. And I was very, very active with the MSA.

And one day in the summer of 1992, we heard that Junaid Jamshed is coming with his rock band to the campus that I study at. So he came to our campus, but not as a da'i, but as a rock band singer. And we saw the groups of people coming, and the party folk, and the haram activities that are associated with those types of events.

And this is America. It's a free country. And so you're going to have those types of people and those types of drinks coming, and you see the reality in front of you.

The Protest of 1992

So those days, believe it or not, I was much more harsh and radical. I know it's difficult to believe I'm so calm and collect now, but in my younger years, I was a much more firebrand. The world was black and white, and I had a very strict vision of Islam.

And I keep on saying that with knowledge and experience, you temper down. With knowledge and experience, you become more mature. I don't regret that phase. I wouldn't be here were it not for that phase, but in hindsight, it's always 2020. Clearly, I went overboard. And I did something that perhaps wasn't the wisest thing to do.

I don't regret it, but at the same time, had I been alive now at that stage, I wouldn't have done it again. What did I do? So I called up all the MSA brothers. I said, khalas, we got to do something.

So what did we do? This is America. It's a free country. What did we do? We decided we're going to protest the event the way that American law allows, and that is to pass out pamphlets and flyers.

You're allowed to do this. American Constitution. I don't know how it works in England. In America, you're allowed to protest anything as long as you do it in a peaceful manner. The Constitution actually guarantees this, the peaceful right to protest. So anybody can protest anything given certain dynamics.

So we decided we're going to protest the event Islamically. And we went to the computer lab. I still remember as if it was yesterday, the old Macintosh. You remember those big boxes? I don't know if some of you have no clue what I'm talking about, but we typed up from whatever we had, the resources. I typed up half a page of maw'idah, nasiha. This was pre-Medina.

I'm still a college student. This is before going to Medina, pre-Medina phase. I'm still hardcore at that phase.

And I typed up half a paragraph of fear Allah, oh Muslims. Fear Allah, how can you come to this event? And this is haram going on, and the Muslim life is being shed. Now this was 1992. The world was much more innocent. Right now, I could mention five paragraphs of grievances. 1992, I could only mention Palestine and Kashmir.

Simple world back then, wasn't it? These days, Palestine and Kashmir are now background. We have now Syria. We have this. We have now the whole world, subhanAllah. Back then, I could only mention those two. I said, there's Palestine and Kashmir going on. How can you spend money on haram? How can you be singing and dancing, nightclub atmosphere? How can you do this?

So we protested. The police were called, by the way. And the police told us to go a certain number of feet. According to their law, you have to be a certain amount of feet. So outside of that range, we were allowed to hand out our protest flyers and whatnot. So we did that, 1992.

Some minor scenes caused some Muslims saying, you fundamentalist fanatics, you this and that. We had some interesting anecdotes, I remember, from my time at university.

Fast Forward 15 Years

Fast forward 15 years. So I've been to Medina, graduated. Now I'm doing my PhD at Yale. And the global peace and unity event goes on. The GPU event goes on. And that was the first time I actually met Junaid Jamshed. Obviously, in Houston, he was inside singing. I was outside protesting. So in Houston, I didn't meet him. We were just inside, outside halls.

So I meet him. This is in 2007, I believe. You know, the global peace and unity event that used to take place in London is the largest event of its type in the Western world. 45,000 people come, or used to come.

It's no longer happening now. And so I knew Junaid Jamshed was going to be there.

So I took my dua book, and I gifted him to Junaid Jamshed from Yasir Qadhi. And I gifted him that book, so I met him behind the stage. We were both speaking one after the other. He gave his nasheed, and then I gave my talk, and then we went back to the room. And then I introduced myself with this story. I said, you know, 15 years ago, you came with Vital Signs and your rock band to Houston.

And I was actually protesting your event. And now, SubhanAllah, look at how Allah brings people together. Now you are my brother in Islam and faith. We're speaking on the same stage, to the same audience, with the same complimentary message. Even though 15 years ago, how it was, right? And I gifted him my dua book and what not. And SubhanAllah, I'll never forget, he was so moved.

For whatever his memories and what not, where he was, where he is now, he was so moved that, SubhanAllah, he just hugged me tight. Right then and there, just as a surprise. I wasn't expecting that. He just hugged me tight. And I remember just seeing his emotion. Tears were welling up in his eyes.

And of course, I met him a few more times at fundraisers and what not. I was not his friend and what not, but when I heard of the news of the death, Wallahi, it really shook me. Because, SubhanAllah, what a beautiful legacy he has left. And we ask Allah to reward him even more and to raise his ranks even higher. What a beautiful legacy that he has left. And the fact of the matter is that this leads us straight into our talk.

Main Topic: Leaving a Legacy

The Question of Legacy

The talk today is to encourage me and you to leave a positive legacy. The first question that arises is, should we even leave a legacy? Do we have any precedence in this regard? Are we supposed to leave a legacy? Are we supposed to think long term? Are we supposed to be thinking, what will my children, grandchildren know about me? What will the world remember of me? And the response is very clear that yes, the Quran is explicit. You are supposed to be thinking in that way.

Prophet Ibrahim's Du'a

Allah mentions in the Quran, the Prophet Ibrahim makes a dua to Allah:

"Oh Allah, leave me a lisan sidq". Now, lisan sidq has interpretations. One of them is, leave that positive legacy in the later generations that they will know me as a righteous man.

And Ibrahim (عليه السلام) is universally the paragon of worship to Allah. No other human being is as universally venerated. Christians, Jews, Muslims, all three venerate the Prophet Ibrahim. And this was something he made dua for, that oh Allah, make my legacy a positive one. Make it a positive one, a truthful one amongst the later generation.

Righteous Progeny and Leadership

And the desire to become a role model, the desire to be a positive legacy in your own life is in the Quran. In the end of Surah Furqan, what is the dua that Allah asks us to make?

"Oh my Lord, give me a righteous progeny. Make my wife and my children the qurrah of my eyes. And make me an imam for the believers".

What does he mean, make me an imam for the believers? This means you should aspire to become the imam of East London Masjid? That's a great position, but that's not what the ayah is talking about. Make me an imam for the muttaqeen, make me a role model. By imam it doesn't mean the one who leads the salah. By imam here, the one who is a role model for the righteous. You are supposed to establish your legacy in this world before the next.

The Right Intention

Ibn Al-Qayyim comments on this verse and he said, there is a difference between legacy for fame, lust for power, and between legacy for Allah. He comments on this verse, he says there's a difference. When you make dua to Allah, Oh Allah, I want to be an imam for the muttaqeen.

Ibn Al-Qayyim says, there are two, if you like, niyyahs that you can have. One of them is positive, the other is negative. The negative niyyah, the niyyah that you're never supposed to have, make me famous. Make

me beloved for the sake of my ego. Make the people know me as me. This is not what Allah is wanting us to do, obviously.

Allah wants us to have ikhlas. So then what is the interpretation when we ask Allah, Oh Allah, make me an imam for the muttaqeen. When Ibrahim says, Oh Allah, leave my memory to be a positive memory.

What is the right niyyah? Ibn Al-Qayyim says that the right niyyah is, you want Allah to be exalted by your exemplary manners. You want to become so righteous that others are inspired to be religious because of you. Not you become famous, but rather Allah is worshipped because of your impact on other people.

You see, this is a fundamental difference. When your niyyah is that Allah is worshipped, and you want to be raised up to a level so that Allah is venerated and worshipped, this is ikhlas. This is ikhlas.

Wanting to Be a Positive Influence

Don't you want to have a positive impact on your children, on your family, on your circle of friends. Don't you want that people wherever you go, that people are influenced positively by you? Do you know in the Quran, the prophets made this dua. Isa (عليه السلام), Yahya (عليه السلام).

What dua did they make? Read surah Maryam :

"Allah made me blessed wherever I am". Or Allah make me blessed, both are allowed. Allah made me and Allah, oh Allah, make me blessed.

Make me mubarak, Ibn Abbas commented. What does it mean, make me mubarak, make me blessed? He said, wherever they go, they influence people through their knowledge. They benefited the people through their akhlaq.

You want that every gathering you go to, when you leave, the people are better than when you came. Because that is your reward. That is your sadaqah jariyah. That will cause your ranks to be raised up. You want that wherever you go, you are a positive influence. You don't want to be a negative influence.

You don't want to cause people to become worse. You should and you do want to cause a positive influence. And therefore, leaving a legacy is a part of ikhlas to Allah. As long as it is done with Allah in mind. Now, if you want fame, and you want your own ego, then this is a major problem. And you're opening up the door to your own destruction, obviously.

But with the right intention, leaving a legacy and being a positive influence is a part and parcel of being a Muslim.

Allah Records Everything

And in fact, Allah reminds us of this in the Quran :

"We shall resurrect the dead. And we have written down what they sent forward and the legacy they have left behind". Think about this ayah.

Because when you go, and all of us are gonna go, and that's why these deaths like Junaid Jamshed and others, they should really cause us to pause. Because one time it will be me, and one time it will be you, inevitably. Nobody has lived eternally.

When you go, and when I go, Allah says, I have written down two things. What are those two things? Number one, what they sent forward. Number two, what they left behind.

Think about that. What do you send forward? Your pure rituals. Your salah, your zakah. These are things that, okay, they're not with you anymore. You're gonna meet them in the akhirah. What do you leave behind? This is what we call in English, your legacy.

What do you leave behind? It is your legacy. Your legacy. What did you build? The children you raised. How demonstrative are they of your akhlaq and iman and taqwa? The people that you influenced. And then realize, it is a chain reaction. It is a domino effect, or you can call it a pyramid effect.

You are knocking off some dominoes. How long it's gonna go, and how far it's gonna go, is something only Allah knows, but you can set up the circumstances to meet bigger and longer.

Examples of Great Legacies

Look at the legacies of some of our ulama, some of our scholars of Islam. You know people like Imam Al-Bukhari, I really just wonder, I'm amazed at the type of legacies that these great giants left behind. Imam Al-Bukhari lived only for 62 years, 63 years. Short life overall, just an average life span.

And that's it, he went to the grave. 1200 years ago, he's gone. But you cannot give an Islamic talk. You cannot give a khutbah. You cannot give a maw'idah, a khatirah, a wa'ad. Except that you mention something, then you say, Rawahul Bukhari, Bukhari narrated it.

You try to quote any hadith, and you're gonna end up for sure quoting some hadith of Bukhari. Bukhari is long gone, but to this day, his hasanat are being written down. His legacy is to the day of judgment.

What an amazing, amazing. Who remembers the kings and the muluk at the time of Bukhari? Who remembers the rich people at the time of Bukhari? Who remembers the movers and shakers and the political scene at the time of Bukhari? I swear by Allah, I'm positive, hardly anybody here even knows the name of the khalifa at the time of Bukhari. Even though when Bukhari lived and died, who was the big shot? Think about it.

Bukhari is a scholar, right? The politicians are ones on the media. The politicians in the front of your magazines and journals. The stars, the movie people, these are everywhere. Bukhari is living his life kinda sorta away from the public scene. He's writing, reading, researching. But where are the muluk and the kings? Where are the politicians and the rock stars of their time? And they had their equivalents of rock stars.

Where are they now? You don't even know their names. And Bukhari, rahimahullahu ta'ala, and all of the ulama, all of them, Ibn Taymiyyah, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Abu Hanifa, al-Shafi'i, al-Nawawi, al-Ghazali. These are great giants.

They lived one lifetimes, but their barakah, their blessedness is quite literally the equivalent of hundreds of millions of lifetimes. Hundreds of millions. Every Muslim that is even somewhat knowledgeable knows the names of Ibn Taymiyyah, Ghazali, and so and so and so and so.

This is what the real legacy is.

How to Leave a Legacy

So the question arises, brothers and sisters, what should we do to leave a legacy? How do we go about leaving a legacy? Some simple points, inshaAllah ta'ala. And then inshaAllah, after the break, we'll come back and take some questions as well.

1. Acquire Knowledge

Some simple points. How do we leave a legacy? Number one. Number one to leave a legacy is to have a knowledge of this religion and a knowledge of what is most beneficial.

In order to really be productive, you need to know the field you're going to be productive in. As a Muslim, you need to study your sciences. You need to know how to pray, how to worship. You need to have ilm. Just like in any discipline, you cannot become a computer scientist without knowing those disciplines, without knowing programming. You cannot become an engineer without knowing thermodynamics.

You cannot become a doctor without