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From the pulpit

Faith is a 3-D Experience

Khutbah today May 20.2011. 17 Jumada II 1432

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says: O mankind! Fear Allah. Who created you, from a single person, and from him, He (Allah), created his mate of similar nature, and from both spread (like seeds) countless men and women; Be conscious of Allah, through Whom you demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah always watches over you.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters; how fortunate we are, to have faith, to have Iman. Without faith, people see the world in 2 dimensions only. They only see themselves and everything that’s out there, the natural world, the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms, earth, water, wind and fire. That’s all: just the human self and everything outside it.

People of faith, on the other hand, see themselves, and the created order, and Allah in a kind of triangulation. God, human beings and other creatures: this is really the true spiritual perspective. Allah created the world to serve us, and He created us to serve Him.  “I have not created jinn and human beings except for worshipping Me.” We serve Him by acknowledging Him with gratitude, and we take care of other people, animals, plants, the land, sea and air, in order to reciprocate His overflowing love and mercy towards us.

Brothers and sisters; once we understand this simple fact of a 3-dimensional perspective of life, some things become abundantly clear to us:

Firstly, there is this invisible but inseparable triangulation between me, my Lord and the rest of His creation. In our mind’s eye, we must live every moment in a state of awareness of this 3-dimensional reality.

Living with this awareness means that Allah not only watches over everything I do, but as long as I am aware of His presence, reminding my forgetful and infinitely distractible human nature of my total reliance on Him, He will be there to help me, to guide me and to protect me from harm.

My very awareness of Him actually brings him closer to me, “closer than our jugular vein,” says the Quran [ch50:16]. Knowing this becomes a tremendous source of inner peace for me, a source of security and tranquility...

Secondly, when I realize that I am an important part of this triangular matrix, God-man-and-universe, then logic drives me to answer the obvious question: what’s the plan? What’s the purpose?

Everyone makes plans. We plan our professional careers, our family plans, holidays, work and leisure times. We even plan for retirement and death. Believers plan. Non-believers also have plans. But their plans exclude the central Reality in all our lives: Allah said in the Quran that: “The unbelievers plot and plan, and Allah also plan, and Allah is the best of planners.” [Sura 8:v30]

Brothers and sisters; how wonderful is the gift of Iman, the gift of faith! Allah has given us this gift so that we can appreciate everything around us, not just superficially, but deeply, so that we understand the meaning of things. Other people, who have no faith, look only at the surface of things, and they see how things relate to each other, and how other things relate to them. But they miss out the vital 3rd Dimension: they miss out the One Who created everything, Allah.

The difference between those who believe and those who do not, is the difference between the 2 Arabic words, basar, and baseerah. Basar is to see, to have sight, and baseerah is to have insight, to understand the hidden meaning of things. Without faith, we are like people who are blind to the true meaning of things.

The Quran reminds us not to be like those who have eyes, but don’t see who have ears, but don’t hear. This is beautifully summed up in a rhetorical question, in Surat Al-Hajj (Chapter 22, Verse 46). “Do they not travel through the land, so that their hearts (and minds) may thus learn wisdom and their ears may thus learn to hear? Truly it is not their eyes that are blind, but their hearts which are in their breasts.”

If we really understand the 3-dimensional link between ourselves, Allah and His creatures, we won’t waste so much time on pointless amusements. We would be overwhelmed with gratitude to Allah for our good fortune.

We would be constantly looking for ways of expressing this gratitude in big and small acts of kindness and charity to others. Even if we tried to calculate how much we owe our Lord, we will realize that we can never repay Allah; we can never thank him enough, no matter how much we tried. The best we can do is to serve others as instruments of His mercy.

Remember, whatever fascinates you about this life, your sports, your hobbies, your loved ones, your nice car and your beautiful home, remember that Al-Jannah, Allah’s Garden, is better. Why not prepare yourself for where you’ll spend forever?

Why mess around with elusive pleasures now, when Allah has prepared delights for you, beyond your wildest imaginings that will endure for eternity? Behold, you prefer the life of this world, when the life to come is more beautiful, and longer lasting!” [Sura Al A’la 87:16-17]

Pet skupina (vrsta) klanjača

Pet skupina (vrsta) klanjača

Prva vrsta će bit kažnjena, druga vrsta će biti zadržana na obračunu, trećoj vrsti će njihove mane i grijesi bit prepravljeni (pretvoreni u dobra djela), četvrta će bit nagrađena a peta će biti u blizini svoga Gospodara, jer će primiti dio onoga koji učini svoj namaz oduševljenjem i zadovoljstvom svoga oka.

Pročitajte objasnjenje o kojim skupinama se radi: Ibn Qajjim el-Dževzijje, rahmetullahi alejhi, je rekao: Gledajući način obavljanja namaza, ljudi se dijele na pet vrsta:

Prva vrsta: To su oni koji su nemarni i griješni prema svojoj duši. To su oni koji ne uzimaju abdest ispravno, koji ne obavljaju namaz u njegovom vremenu i njegovim određenim granicama i ne ispunjavaju osnovne stubove namaza.

Druga vrsta: Oni koji paze da obave namaz u njegovom vremenu i u njegovim određenim granicama, ispunjavaju njegove osnovne stubove i uzimaju abdest onako kako treba. Međutim, njegova težnja za postizanjem suštine namaza propada zbog došaptavanja u namazu, tako da je on zauzet sa mislima i idejama.

Treća vrsta: Oni koji paze da svoj namaz obave u određenom vremenu, ispunjavaju njegove osnovne stubove, i teže da od sebe odagnaju došaptavanja, misli i ideje. Oni su zauzeti borbom sa svojim neprijatenjem (šejtanom) da im on ne ukrade ništa od namaza. Što se njih tiče, njima se piše dvoje - i namaz i džihad, (borba).

Četvrta vrsta: Oni koji su čvrsti/odlučni u svom namazu, izvršavaju i usavršavaju sve dijelove namaza, njegove osnovne stubove, obavljaju ga u određenim granicama i njihova srca postaju obuzeta u očuvanju njegovih prava i određenih granica, tako da od namaza ne bude ništa propušteno. Njihova sva briga je upućena prema njegovom uspostavljanju, izvršavanju i usavršavanju, kako i treba biti. Njihova srca su uronjena u namaz i u robovanje Uzvišenom Gospodaru.

Peta vrsta: Oni koji su čvrsti/odlučni u svom namazu kao i ovi prethodni. Međutim, pored ovoga, oni su uzeli i stavili svoja srca ispred Gospodara Uzvišenog, gledajući prema Njemu svojim srcima sa očekivanjem, srcima ispunjenim Njegovom ljubavi i moći, kao da vide i svjedoče Allaha. Došaptavanja, misli i ideje su nestali, a zastori koji su između njih i Njihova Gospodara su podignuti.

Ono što je između ovih osoba i ostalih, kada je u pitanju namaz, je superiornije i veće nego ono što je između nebesa i zemlje. Oni su zauzeti svojim Uzvišenim Gospodarom, oduševljeni sa Njim. Prva vrsta će bit kažnjena, druga vrsta će biti zadržana na obračunu, trećoj vrsti će njihove mane i grijesi bit prepravljeni (pretvoreni u dobra djela), četvrta će bit nagrađena a peta će biti u blizini svoga Gospodara, jer će primiti dio onoga koji učini svoj namaz oduševljenjem i zadovoljstvom svoga oka. Ko god učini svoj namaz, oduševljenjem i zadovoljstvom svoga oka, imat će blizinu svoga Gospodara učinjenu oduševljenjem i zadovoljstvom svoga oka za sva vremena. On će također bit učinjen zadovoljstvom za oko na ovom svijetu, jer ko god učini Allaha zadovoljstvom svoga oka na ovom svijetu, svako drugo oko će bit oduševljeno i zadovoljno sa njim.

Sad razmisli o ovome, koja vrsta ljudi misliš da si ti? Jesi li siguran? Može biti bolje, zar ne? Istinska borba do kraja. O Gospodaru, moji grijesi su veliki, ali mala količina Tvoga oprosta je veća od njih. O Allahu, oprosti veličinu mojih grijeha sa malo Tvoje milosti.

Dua - Weapon of the Believers by Shaykh Yasir Qadhy

Dua - Weapon of the Believers by Shaykh Yasir Q..., posted with vodpod

Forgiveness

Forgiveness

The Prophet ﷺ said: “All the children of Adam constantly err, but the best of those who constantly err are those who constantly repent.” [Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ahmad, Hakim]

We come to the next stage of gaining tranquility. Sometimes we don’t know why we feel down. We talked about al-Jabbar, and how we should go to Allah to help mend our broken hearts. But sometimes it’s more than that – it is the heavy weight of sins on our hearts. This topic may make us uncomfortable, because it is something we don’t like to be reminded of. It is difficult to think of and face up to our sins – and it makes us even more depressed! But the Prophet ﷺ taught us something very profound about the link between sins and the state of our heart. He says: “When a slave commits a sin, a black spot appears on his heart…”

Subhan’Allah. When we commit sins, they weigh heavily on our hearts. Imagine a spiritual darkening of the heart due to the wrongs we commit – is it any wonder that we cannot pinpoint why we feel down? Yet the Prophet ﷺ also told us of the cleanser for this: “But if he gives it up, seeks forgiveness and repents, his heart will be cleansed…”

Of course, because it is difficult to pinpoint every wrong that we do, prayer is also a cleanser, as is wudhu. But for a targeted cleansing, we need something more, because the Prophet ﷺ continues: “…but if he repeats it, (the blackness) will increase until it overwhelms his heart.” [Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah]

What we need is istighfaar (seeking forgiveness) and tawba (repentance) as the Prophet ﷺ said. Setting aside some time to sit back and reflect, seek forgiveness, and try not to commit that sin again is a way to improve ourselves and to realize how Allah is Merciful and Forbearing. Despite the fact that we commit wrongs, He has not punished us.

Sometimes we avoid apologizing to a human being because we feel we will be rejected, or that that person will make it very hard for us to be forgiven – so we end up just avoiding the situation. Sometimes the shame makes us unable to say sorry.

But with Allah, there should be no fear of that. When we admit to our wrongs and make a conscious and sincere effort to ask forgiveness, Allah (swt) is ready to forgive our sins even if they are like mountains. It is amazing how the very act of returning to Allah, after we have committed a wrong, is itself an act of worship that Allah loves. Allah says in a hadith qudsi: “O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.” [Tirmidhi]

Sometimes we assume that it is only those who have committed grave sins that need to return to Allah. But the Prophet ﷺ said: “Beware of minor sins. For they add on until they destroy a person.” [Ahmad, Tabarani]

Whatever stage we are at, we need istighfaar and true repentance. If the Prophet ﷺ himself would seek forgiveness 70 times a day, why do we feel that we have to commit something that is especially egregious in order to ask Allah to forgive us? If we think about it, every sin is a black dot. These black dots accumulate until our hearts become hard and do not feel anymore. An example of this is with cussing or swearing. The first time we say something we shouldn’t have, we feel this twinge of guilt in our heart. Then when we keep repeating it, it becomes normalized. Why? Because, our hearts become enveloped in these black dots.

Yet when we constantly go back to Allah, seeking his forgiveness, we are reminded. We become humble, because we are forced to face these minor sins that weigh heavily on our heart s- and through that our hearts are cleansed, insha’Allah. Because we face our sins, we are constantly trying to improve; we do not become complacent. It may seem hard, but a load will be taken off our shoulders with this constant returning to Allah.

By doing this, we will have realized Allah’s Names al-Ghaffar (the oft-Forgiving), al-Ghafoor (the Forgiving), at-Tawwaab (the One who constantly accepts repentance), ar-Raheem (the all-Merciful) – and we are essentially re-affirming our belief in His attributes. Look at this example of Allah’s mercy when we commit sins. The Prophet ﷺ tells us in this hadith: “The Scribe on the left delays registering the sin of a Muslim for six hours. If he repents (within these six hours), and seeks Allah’s forgiveness, they drop if off. If he doesn’t, they write is down as a single sin.” [Tabarani]

Moreover, if we seek forgiveness sincerely and Allah accepts our repentance, not only does He forgives us, but He turns those bad deeds into good – imagine that YEARS of sinning could turn into years of REWARDS. How? Allah says in the Qur’an:

“Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful.” [Qur'an, 25:70]. How could we not want to return to Allah, who is truly the Most merciful of those who show mercy?

Some ways of seeking forgiveness

The Prophet ﷺ taught ‘Aisha (ra): “Verily tawba (repentance) from sin is regret [ing the action] and seeking forgiveness.” [Bayhaqi]

The internal component is to regret what we have done – whether it is a small lie, a glance at something we shouldn’t be looking at, being heedless or even something greater. The external component is to ask Allah for forgiveness. The Prophet ﷺ taught us a few ways how, and these are two of them:

1. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever says it during the day with firm faith in it, and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be from the people of Paradise; and if somebody recites it at night with firm faith in it, and dies before the morning, he will be from the people of Paradise.

اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لا إِلَهَ إِلا أَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ وَأَبُوءُ لَكَ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِرْ لِي فَإِنَّهُ لا يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلا أَنْتَ.

“O Allah! You are my Lord! None has the right to be worshiped but You. You created me and I am Your slave, and I am faithful to my covenant and my promise as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from all the evil I have done. I acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and I confess to You all my sins. So I entreat You to forgive my sins, for nobody can forgive sins except You.” [Bukhari]

2. The Prophet ﷺ also said: “Whoever commits a sin, and then performs wudhu, then offers prayers seeking forgiveness of God, God will certainly forgive him.” After this the Prophet ﷺ recited the verse: “…those who remember God and implore forgiveness for their sins if they do something shameful or wrong themselves – who forgives sins but God? – and who never knowingly persist in doing wrong.” (Qur’an, 3:135) [Tirmidhi]

May Allah make us of those who constantly return to Him for forgiveness as a means to achieve tranquility in our hearts, so that when we finally meet Him on the Day of Judgment, we are of those “who come to Allah with a sound heart.[1.“The Day when there will not benefit [anyone] wealth or children, But only one who comes to Allah with a sound heart.” (Qur’an, 26:88-89)]”

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