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Give Up Our Comfort for Our Lord

Shaykh Nour Kabbani

2 October 2015 Rochester, New York

Fajr Suhbah

A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem. Alhamdulillahi Rabbi 'l-`Alameen, wa ’s-salaatu wa ’s-salaamu Sayyidina Muhammadin wa `alaa aalihi wa sahbihi ajma`een. As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh.

ذَٰلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ وَبِالْآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ

This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah, who believe in the Unseen, establish prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them, and who believe in what has been revealed to you, (O Muhammad), and what was revealed before you, and of the Hereafter they are certain (in faith). (Surat al-Baqarah, 2:2-4)

Mashaa-Allah, we are honored to hear such a beautiful voice (Qur’an recitation by Hafizh Imam Ismet al-Azhari of Islamic Center). Allah (swt) can give whatever He wants and when He chooses to give something, He gives it to test us. When Allah (swt) gives a favor, He looks at how we use it. If we use His Favors in the wrong way, Allah (swt) will question us. He wants us to use His ni`amat in shukr so much that He gave this imam a very good voice and he recites the Holy Qur'an and makes all of us feel love for Allah (swt). Especially if we can understand Arabic well, we really feel the beauty of the Qur'an. May Allah (swt) increase your voice and your effort, and increase the jama`ah!

Allah (swt) says in the Holy Qur'an, “Wa yuqeemoona ‘s-salaat,” praising those who establish prayer. This is the hardest time of the day for any mu’min or Muslim to come to the masjid to pray: Fajr and`Isha. The munafiqeen cannot do that, according to Islamic tradition only the real mu’min does it. To come to Fajr you have to get out of bed and it is difficult to give up your comfort for your Lord. This is a fact and also a way of spending. You are warm and happy in your bed, but when you leave it you are spending your comfort when you can also pray at home, which is good, but Allah (swt) praises those who come to the masjid and pray with the jama`ah: wa mimmaa razaqnaahum yunfiqoon,“And also they spend from what Allah gave them.”

Allah (swt) gave us health to use thanking Him by coming to the masjid tp pray, and He gave us wealth to use thanking Him by spending in the way of Allah (swt). You use your body, mind, intellect, strength and voice in the way of Allah (swt), and you use your money in the way of Allah (swt).

Why do we do this? The verse continues, wa bi ‘l-aakhiratihum yooqinoon, “Because the mu’mins, Believers, have yaqeen in Akhirah!” The level Yaqeen (Certainty) is the highest form of imaan, when believe without any doubt if there is Akhirah or not. Yooqinoon is more than yu’minoon: with yu’minoon we believe, we have faith, but still there might be doubt in our hearts; with yooqinoon, we have yaqeen, we are certain with no doubt that there is Akhirah.

When we come to prayer, especially Fajr, there is no nifaaq, hypocrisy in the heart. The munaafiqoon, hypocrites, have doubts and they don’t give up their comfort, but the mu'mineen give up their comfort because they have yaqeen in Akhirah, they know Allah (swt) will deliver what He promised and they come to seek His Forgiveness. This is the time of istighfaar, from darkness until sahar, full daylight.

Our tradition is to read istighfaar 100 times daily, as the Prophet (s) did 70 or 100 times according to other Ahadith. We know istighfaar is the tradition our teachers recommended, so whoever can do 100 istighfaar, this time in early morning is when we do it. Of course, you can do it during the day, but inshaa-Allah if we do 100 times istighfaar after this morning’s speech, we will continue until sunrise, Ishraaq. The Prophet (s) and his Companions (r) waited for Ishraaq, then ten or fifteen minutes later they prayed Salaat al-Ishraaq, either two, eight or twelve raka`ats. The Sunnah of Prophet (s) must be highly observed and, therefore, we must know what he did or how will we follow the Siraat al-Mustaqeem? Allah (swt) said:

يس وَالْقُرْآنِ الْحَكِيمِ إِنَّكَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ عَلَى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

Yaseen. By the wise Qur’an, Lo! You are sent on a Straight Path. (Surah Yaseen, 36:1-4)

“He is My Sirat al-Mustaqeem! Prophet (s) is on Sirat al-Mustaqeem.” If we want to find the Way, Siraat al-Mustaqeem, we have to know the Sunnah of the Prophet (s)! How did he dress, what did he wear on his head? He had an imaama; it is said when he conquered Mecca he had a black turban. What else did he have, how did he walk, how did he put on his shoes on, what did he do before he ate, how did he make wudu, how did he act with people? All these are Sunnah. Most of us are unaware; alhamdulillah, we follow the Qur'an as much as we understand and we follow the Sunnah, but we have to learn more about the Sunnah of the Prophet (s).

One of his Sunnahs on Jumu`ah is to read Surat as-Sajda and Surat al-Insaan in Salaat al-Fajr and it is said the Prophet (s) recited Surat as-Sajda in the first raka`at and Surat al-Insaan in the second. This is where we go into Taziyyaat an-Nafs, the Purification of the Self, to make the self, our ego, in line with the Prophet (s). All the Companions (r) followed Sunnah of the Prophet (s) to the extreme! It is said one time when Sayyidina `AbdAllah Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father Sayyidina `Umar, and the rest of the Companions of Prophet [s]), entered Mecca on his camel, he made a circle. The people did not understand why. When they asked him, he said, “On this spot, the Prophet (s) made a circle with his camel and to follow the Sunnah and preference of the Prophet (s) we went around in a circle.” So they followed the Prophet (s) to the extreme, to the last point because they wanted to be with him in everything he did. Inshaa-Allah we can be like that. We can’t be like him as he is Prophet (s), but we can try to imitate and follow the Companions (r) and the Holy Family of the Prophet (s) and find out what he did and do it, because then we know we are on Siraat al-Mustaqeem.

اهدِنَــــا الصِّرَاطَ المُستَقِيمَ

Guide us to the Straight Path. (Surat al-Fatihah, 1:6)

We ask Allah (swt) all the time, “Ihdina ‘s-Siraat al-Mustaqeem!” Allah (swt) has given us His Prophet (s) with his Sunnah, practices, to show us Siraat al-Mustaqeem. If the Prophet (s) is not on Siraat al-Mustaqeem, who is? We follow the Sunnah and must learn what the Prophet (s) used to do, so open Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim as they are in Kitaab al-Imaan: read what he used to do and follow it, because when we follow Prophet (s) he will help us:

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Say (O Muhammad), "If you (really) love Allah, then follow me! Allah will love you and forgive your sins, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surat Aali-'Imraan, 3:31)

We want Allah (swt) to be pleased with us and the way to Him is ittiba` an-Nabi, to follow the Prophet (s)! We don’t live in his time, but the Companions (r) did and they taught that knowledge to the next generation, the Tabi`een, who taught the next generation, the Tabi`at Tabi`een. Therefore, we follow their teachings, not only the Companions’, but also whoever came after them. Inshaa-Allah Allah (swt) will make us on their way, the way of the Prophet (s), and make us come to Fajr, `Isha, and all the prayers, because that is the Way.

Attributes of Those Deceived by Shaytan

It is said that whoever is on yaqeen has found the Way, and whoever was deceived by Shaytan is from one of these ten groups:

من أيقن أن الله خالقه ولا يعبده

1. There are people who know that Allah (swt) created them, but they don’t worship Him.

ومن أيقن أن الله رازقه ولا يطمئن به

2. They know Allah (swt) provided for them, but they don’t thank Him.

ومن أيقن أن الدنيا زائلة ويعتمد عليها

3. And those that know dunya will end but they still depend on dunya in their livelihood.

ومن أيقن أن الورثة أعداؤه ويجمع لهم

4. And those that know their inheritors are their enemies, as Allah (swt) said, “O you who have believed! Indeed, among your wives and your children are enemies to you. (64:14) Some know this verse but they don’t understand it and they continue to accumulate wealth for their inheritors.

ومن أيقن أن الموت آت فلا يستعد له

5. Those who know that death is coming, but they don’t prepare for it.

ومن أيقن أن القبر منزله فلا يعمره

6. Those who know the grave is their home where they are going to end up, but they don’t make the grave Jannah for themselves.

ومن أيقن أن الديان يحاسبه فلا يصحح حجته

7. Those who know Allah (swt) will make them give account, He will ask them what they have done, but they don’t correct their evidence, their proof, or their testimony.

ومن أيقن أن الصراط ممره فلا يخفف ثقله

8. Those who know the Siraat is their passage, but don’t shed their wealth. Allah (swt) will ask them about the gold and silver they accumulated.

ومن أيقن أن النار دار الفجار فلا يهرب منها

9. Those that know Hellfire is the place of unbelievers, but they don’t escape from it.

ومن أيقن أن الجنة دار الأبرار فلا يعمل لها

10. Those who know Jannah is the home of the good ones, but they do not work to achieve it.

This is the example of people who do not have faith, true imaan or yaqeen. We ask Allah (swt) to make us firm on imaan and yaqeen, to know that He created us and provided for us! We know death is coming and the grave is our last home before Yawm al-Qiyamah and that we must work for Jannah and run away from baatil. We ask Allah (swt) to forgive us, our parents, our children, our brothers and sisters, and all mu’mineen and mu’minaat, especially those who recently passed away in Mina and also at the Haram in Mecca (on Hajj this year). May Allah (swt) accept their Hajj, grant them Jannah and grant all of us Jannah!

O our Lord! We want Jannah and to be with Muhammad (s), with the Prophets, Siddiqeen, Saaliheen and Shuhadaa. We ask on this holy day, in this holy time, Yaa Rabbee, that You give us Jannah and take us away from naar, not to punish us with Hellfire, and to make our graves a Garden of Paradise. Ameen, ameen, ameen.

Bi hurmati Taha wa Yaseen. Alhamdulillahi Rabbi 'l-`Alameen. As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh.

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