As-Siddiq Institute & Mosque (ASIM)
Jumu`ah Khutbah
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
O mu’mins. O believers. Alhamdulillah, we keep getting messages about the passing of our esteemed `ulama, our shuyookh, our mashaykh in the Ummah. They are passing away. May Allah (swt) allow new replacements to come in. Of course, as Rasoolullah (s) said, at the end of times `ilm will be taken up. They asked, “How?” He said, the `ulama will be taken up. When the `alim is taken up from this world, that `ilm is taken up with them. But Allah (swt) continues His Guidance. He continues His Hidaya through the Qur’an and through the Sunnah. May Allah (swt) allow us to take from that `ilm.
Alhamdulillah, all over the world food is being given for the soul of Mawlana Shaykh Hisham (q). May Allah (swt) accept from the ones who are giving that charity and doing those good deeds. Allah (swt) has said in the Holy Qur’an, Wa ahsinoo inna’ Llaha yuhibbu ‘l-muhsineen.
وَأَنفِقُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا تُلْقُوا۟ بِأَيْدِيكُمْ إِلَى ٱلتَّهْلُكَةِ وَأَحْسِنُوٓا۟ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; but do good; for Allah loveth those who do good. (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:195)
Do your best. Allah (swt) loves the good doers. Are you doing your best, O mankind, O human being? The Lord of Heavens keeps pushing you to do your best. In the heavenly messages God Almighty tells the people, “Do your best.” Are they doing their best? Look at your friends. Look at your neighbors. Look in your society. Look in your country. Look all over the world. Look in your own family. Are they doing their best or are they coming against the Order of Allah (swt)? Allah (swt) says, wa ahsinu. Do your best.
One of the good things to do is to feed the poor ones. That is one of the meanings, which is to do good to your community: the homeless, the poor ones. Support them, feed them, shelter them. Don’t pull back: “Oh we don’t support anyone. We don’t want to feed the poor ones anymore. Everybody is on their own.” That is not the best. Allah (swt) is saying, Wa ahsinoo inna’ Llaha yuhibbu ‘l-muhsineen. Allah (swt) certainly loves the good doers.
It is said that Hajjaj, and his title is Hajjaj azh-Zhalim, was an oppressor over Iraq and that area. He was a governor back in the days, maybe 1,000 or more years ago. He was cruel. People knew he was cruel but there was something he used to do. It is mentioned in the history books that he used to feed people. He used to have 1,000 tables of food and on each table he had ten people. Every day in the morning and the evening he would send his messengers to announce, “Tell the people to come.” He fed people.
After a while, he became bored and tired and said, “O people. My messenger to you is the sun, whenever it rises, come for breakfast. Whenever it sets, come for dinner. I don’t want to send anybody out anymore. The sun is my messenger to you.” That continued for a while until people came less and less. So he asked what happened and they said, “O our sire, mashaa-Allah, under your rule the people have reached prosperity.” Because there was so much conquest in Khorasan and that area that Allah (swt) opened for the Muslims.
The people were in prosperity. But because he was Hajjaj azh-Zhalim, you have to say the right word in front of him. Sometimes a zhalim wants to be pleased and praised. If you don’t do that, you are on your own. Always say Haqq. Don’t go with baatil. They said, “Yaa Sayyidee. People have prospered. They are not coming anymore because under your rule people are rich now.” He was happy. He thought that was true which Allah (swt) knows best but he said, “BarakAllahu feek. May Allah (swt) bless you. Come eat with me.”
Even Hajjaj azh-Zhalim, the cruel tyrant, was opening tables for people to eat. Even that one was generous. Where are you, O insaan? It is also said about Hatim at-Tai, a very famous Arab who was known for his generosity that one time a group of people came to him and said, “O sire, we heard good things about you and we have a request.”
He asked, “What is it?”
“One of our people lost his ride. It died and now he is walking.”
Hatim at-Tai got off his horse and said, “Take my horse.”
It is said the horse had a pony that followed its mother. There was a servant with Hatim at-Tai taking care of everything. She ran after the pony to catch it. Hatim said, “O people! Whoever is following you, they’re all yours.” So they took the horse, the pony and the servant with them. Look at the generosity and he was not a Muslim. It is said his tribe was following Christianity but they were generous.
Be like that, O insaan. Mashaa-Allah, everyone says, “I am an angel.” Everybody thinks they are angels. If you want to be an angel, you have to be compassionate like the sun. You have to be generous like the flowing river. You have to be in concealment of faults like the night. We said this before but who remembers? Nobody. I don’t even remember sometimes because we are all driven by the desires of our egos.
Allah (swt) says, find the best ways of manners, the best ways of speaking, the best ways of acting. Verily Allah (swt) likes those who do their best. Be like that. Be in tolerance and patience and forbearance like the dead. They attack you, they insult you, they hit you, they hurt you with words or whatever. Be halim. Be patient and tolerant. This is all moral excellence. Where are we from that? Where are we from giving like the river? Very few. Where are we from compassion like the sun that shines on the kafir and the mu’min? Very few. Where are we in the concealment of the faults of others? Rather, we expose others. Where are you from humbleness like the earth? Everything walks on it and it still gives them what they need. Be like that. This is outwardly.
How about batin? How can you be good internally? Wa ahsinoo means do your best to protect your ego from the first of its desires. Outwardly we explained it. Inwardly protect yourself. Be good to your ego by protecting it from the fires of desires. Be good to your heart by protecting it from ghaflah, from heedlessness, from forgetfulness of Allah (swt). Protect your ego from the desires outside. Protect your heart from being forgetful of Allah (swt). Protect your soul from attaching to other than Allah (swt). Don’t get attached to this dunya. Your soul is going to depart. It is just a visitor as Rasoolullah (s) said, you are a traveller. You are going to come and take shade under the tree and move.
Your soul should not be attached to this lower world. Protect your heart from forgetfulness. Be good to your heart. Always remind your heart of Allah (swt) and his dhikr. Always protect your ego from the desires. This is what you have to do for yourself.
How about for people? You have to be sure that you shelter people from your evil and you deliver to them from your goodness. Are we doing that? Are you sheltering others from your evil? No. Are you delivering goodness to others? Very few. That’s what you do with khalq.
And Khaliq, how can you be good to Allah (swt)? Be good to Allah (swt) by:
1. Obeying His Orders and staying away from what He forbids,
2. Being patience with difficulties,
3. Being thankful for His ni`mah,
4. Trusting in Him that He is your support,
5. Delegating your affairs to Him,
6. Submission.
Whatever Allah (swt) has destined for you, you have to accept. Allah (swt) has written your `amal, ajar, and rizq while you were in your mother’s womb. He has written what you are going to do, He has written what you’re going to eat, He has written how long you’re going to live and He has written whether you’re going to be a wicked one or a good one. He has destined what you are. A Muslim surrenders to what Allah (swt) has destined for him from the beginning.
That’s how you become muhsin, worshipping with the full characteristic of witnessing. You are worshipping and witnessing Allah (swt). That is ihsan. That is what Rasoolullah (s) has told you. That’s the highest level that in your worship you are seeing Allah (swt)’s Attributes and Holy Names and Manifestations. That is what Allah (swt) wants from you.
In the beginning, feed the poor, be compassionate, be humble, be patient, be tolerant, be forbearing, give people what they need and more than they need. That is all good outwardly but inward is important. Protect your ego.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ قُوٓا۟ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا وَقُودُهَا ٱلنَّاسُ وَٱلْحِجَارَةُ عَلَيْهَا مَلَـٰٓئِكَةٌ غِلَاظٌ شِدَادٌ لَّا يَعْصُونَ ٱللَّهَ مَآ أَمَرَهُمْ وَيَفْعَلُونَ مَا يُؤْمَرُونَ
Yaa ayyuha ‘l-ladheena amanoo qoo anfusakum wa ahlikum naara.
O ye who believe! save yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones, over which are (appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who flinch not (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allah, but do (precisely) what they are commanded. (Surat at-Tahrim, 66:6)
Protect your soul from the fire of desires here because if you have the fire of desires here, you’re going to have the fire over there. Protect your heart from forgetfulness and heedlessness and protect your soul. Don’t get attached to anything in this temporary world. Ask only for Allah (swt) and see Him in everything. Be patient, sabr and shukr. Follow that road and you will be safe.
May Allah (swt) always keep us in the footsteps of Rasoolullah (s) and his Holy Companions (r).
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