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Show Respect and Give Thanks for Allah’s Favors

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

20 May 2011 Lefke, Cyprus

Pre-Khutbah Suhbah

Nawaytu ‘l-arba’een, nawaytu’l-’itikaaf, nawaytu’l-khalwah, nawaytu’l-riyaada, nawaytu’s-salook, nawaytu’l-’uzlah, nawytu as-siyam lillahi ta’ala fee hadha’l-masjid

Today Mawlana is more in seclusion than in normal life and he is meeting with people and doing many things, because all the day he is busy with his writings and with his speeches, and depends on when he feels like it, addressing people as inspired (in an inspired state). And he just sent me down and he said, “say something to the people.”

It is mentioned in Ghida al-Mina that the Prophet (s) came to the house of Sayyida `Ayesha (r) one night. The houses then were not like now, they were full of holes and cracks. There was piece of bread in a crack. He took that piece and blew the dust off it and said, "Who doesn't keep Allah's favors with high respect, Allah will take His favors from him."

That is big discussion in Shari`ah, when Allah gives His favors to someone--wealth, knowledge, good parents, good children--if we don't thank Allah for those favors, as Allah said:

لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ

wa lain shakartum la-azeedannakum

If you are grateful, I will add more (favors) unto you. (Surah Ibrahim, 14:7)

Then if we don't give the thanks for that, we will see favors taken away. People are not keeping respect to these favors and thanking Allah for them. We have to thank Him in any way that He made us to live! We have to thank Him, that he gave us bread and He gave us life!

One time Sayyidina Musa (a) passed by a cave and saw a man making sajda and supplicating (from Quran):

وَفَضَّلْنَاهُمْ عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلاً

wafaddalnahum `ala katheerin mimman khalaqnaa tafdeela.

And have preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preferment. (Surat al-Isra, 17:70)

“Praise be to Allah, that He favored me and made me higher than many of his human beings.” And Sayyidina Musa (a) looked at him and waited for the man to raise his head from sajda,and he was surprised that man didn't have arms or legs, and yet he was in sajda. He was surprised the man was saying, “Praise be to Allah, who made me better than everyone.”

Sayyidina Musa (a) said to him, “What did Allah favor you with over others?”

He said, "O `AbdAllah! Allah made me better than everyone for one reason,” and that is what is most important. “He favored me by creating me as a Muslim."

That ni`mat of Islam and imaan is not for everyone; Allah gave it only to Muslims, and that one with no hands and no legs praised Allah that he has imaan in his heart, and we forget the imaan in our hearts!

Sayyidina Musa (a) raised his hands to Heavens and said, "O Allah! Give him Paradise."

Allah (swt) responded, "O Sayyidina Musa! It is as if you are asking me to give him more balaa (difficulty, trials),” because to get to Paradise you need to pass through so much balaa, as the Prophet (s) said, “We had the most balaa.”

Sayyidina `Isa (a) and Sayyidina Musa (a) went through balaa; we didn't go through any balaa. If you knew all the bala Mawlana went through, it is as if our life is a Paradise compared to his!

And Allah (swt) said, "Do you want me to give that man more balaa?" and as soon as he heard that, a hyena came and ate that man’s stomach and then ate him all.

Sayyidina Musa (a) said, “Is this how You do with your saints?”

Allah said, “Yes, this is how I do with My saints. You asked Paradise for him, and Paradise is not given without tests and difficulties. If you had asked for him dunya, I would have given him all dunya, but if you ask for him akhirah, I tests servants.”

Therefore, we mentioned in the beginning, if Allah (swt) gives you favors, be sure not to lose them by not thanking Allah for them! This advice is an ocean, here in Mawlana's place. I am not speaking much, as with any mistake here will be a problem, burning, so it is better to be quiet, to sit and recite tasbeeh, read Qur’an, read Dalail al-Khayrat, and wait for Mawlana to come for Jumu`ah.

Wa `alaykum salaam, ameen yaa Sayyidee.

As-salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

(More on this hadith follows in khutbah.)

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