Suhbah with Q&A, Family Night at Islamic Center of Reseda
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani ‘r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem. Allahumma salli `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadan an-Nabi al-ummi wa `alaa aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallam.
We become obsessed with major things, but we must pay attention to the simple things we overlook. A person came to one of our teachers and said, “Oh my teacher! I want to quit everything and only pray like a monk in a corner by myself and not do anything else.”
The teacher answered, “Before you ask to be a monk, to leave everything worldly, what about the rights of your parents, children, spouse, neighbors, and specifically silaatu ‘r-rahm (blood ties)?"
Instead of talking about fixing the Ummah, how about we come together to fix our family relationships? Today in the same house, husbands and wives, mothers and daughters, fathers and sons don't talk to each other and yet they want to fix community politics. Leave that! Fix your silaatu ‘r-rahm, reconnect with loved ones. For example, you may have cousins living in this country, your flesh and blood, but don't connect with them. Why not? What I am trying to say is, look into things that are important in Allah’s View, which have so much ajar, rewards, and are easy to fix! On the Day of Judgement silaatu ‘r-rahm, the womb connection, is a big, big deal and those not joining rahm will be in big trouble! We cannot cut it, and there are so many Hadith that stress this.
What about our neighbors’ rights? To start with, how many of us even know our neighbors’ names? [“Steve.”] Alhamdulillah, at least one of us, even I don't know the names of all my neighbors. How do we behave towards them, do we smile and greet them? These are all Sunnah.
يا أيها الناس، أفشوا السلام، وأطعموا الطعام، وصلوا بالليل والناس نيام، تدخلوا الجنة بسلام
Spread (or say) the salaam, give food, and pray at night while people are asleep, then you will enter Paradise peacefully. (Tirmidhi)
Prophet (s) said, Afshoo 's-salaam, Give salaam, greet people. Do we usually greet people or only when we benefit from them? Wa at`imu ‘t-ta`aam, and feed the homeless. How many of us are going to homeless shelters to find out who is hungry? Wa salloo fi ‘l-layl wa ‘n-naasu niyaam, and pray at night when people are sleeping. How many of us are like most people, sleeping, not praying Salaat al-Layl, the night prayer? These are simple things that have so much value, because it is obedience to Rasoolullah (s). If we read Hadith and do not apply it, Allah (swt) will ask us, "I told you obey My Rasool.”
أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (Surat an-Nisaa, 4:59)
Ati`oollaaha wa ati`oo 'r-Rasoola. “Why didn't you obey him (s) and spread greetings, feed the homeless and worship at night?” People ask how to best greet non-Muslims. How did Sayyidina Musa (a) greet Fir`awn? When Sayyidina Musa (a) was in front of Pharoah, a big non-Believer, Allah (swt) ordered him to say:
وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى مَنِ اتَّبَعَ الْهُدَى
And peace upon those who follow guidance. (Surat TaHa, 20:47)
When we meet non-Muslims, we have to believe this and greet them because People of the Book were guided by Allah (swt), we cannot deny that as they received at-Tawraat, the Old Testament, and al-Injeel, the New Testament in their pure forms. They received guidance from their Lord and those who truly follow the guidance, we greet them in their language, no problem. We don’t say, “As-salaamu `alaykum,” but we greet them in a nice, neighborly way. We ask Allah (swt) to guide everyone, all humans, because Prophet (s) asked this of his Lord, Who told him, “The guidance is not up to you, Allah (swt) guides whom He likes.”
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاء وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ
It is true you (O Muhammad) will not be able to guide every one whom you love, but Allah guides those whom He wills and He knows best those who receive guidance. (Surat al-Qasas, 28:56)
It is Allah’s wisdom that some people are not guided to the Right Way and He knows best. He said, “You cannot guide whom you love.” Prophet (s) wanted his uncle, Abu Talib, to be guided but he could not. According to Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah belief, Abu Talib did not accept Islam. We wish guidance for them and ask Allah (swt) to guide everyone, but Allah (swt) says in the Holy Qur’an, “If Allah (swt) wills, He will guide everyone.”
There is wisdom that some people accept Allah’s guidance and others don’t, and we don’t know what that wisdom is. We cannot question our Lord like Shaytan, who said, "Why do You ask me to make sajda to Adam?" He questioned his Lord! We cannot, but we can definitely ask Him to guide everyone, even though we cannot force anyone to accept that guidance, as we learn from the Hadith that Prophet (s) could not force his uncles Abu Talib and Abu Lahab, and many people of his tribe. Prophet (s) asked, but Allah (swt) guides whom He likes. We pray Allah (swt) guides everyone that is on the wrong way and alhamdulillah some people are on the Right Way, but we don't know for sure because they don't show it. Many Christians are Muslims, but they are afraid to show it so they hide their belief, which is permitted if you are worried you will be harmed, abused or even killed, astaghfirullah.
We ask guidance for everyone. May Allah forgive all of us. May Allah forgive everyone on the Right Way, Siraat al-Mustaqeem, and bring everyone on the wrong way to the Right Way. O our Lord! Please accept our humble request that You allow all human beings to be guided on the Right Path, to enter Your Paradise, yaa Rabbee, yaa Rabbee, yaa Rabbee! Inshaa-Allah we will all enter Paradise with the shafa`ah of Prophet (s).
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