Fajr Reminders - Mahmood Habib Masjid and Islamic Center

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Islam is the name of the relationship between our Creator, Allahﷻ and us. The Kalima Shahada is an affirmation of that relationship and the one who accepts it is a Muslim. To accept this relationship means to believe it in your heart, state that with your tongue, and act upon it with your limbs. That is the definition of Iman – Faith. Not merely to know, but to believe and submit our will and obey. That’s why the first and foremost demonstration of that is Salah which is evidence of our Iman. That is also why the first question that we will be asked in the grave will be: Who is your Rabb? The angels will not ask who the Rabb of the Universe is. They will ask, ‘Who is YOUR Rabb?’ Did we accept Allahﷻ Rabbul A'alameen as our Rabb? Rabbi Allahﷻ. Allahﷻ mentioned a differentiating characteristic of the Believers and said: وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِّلَّهِ Baqara 2: 165 But the Believers love Allahﷻ with great intensity The question is, can you love someone you don’t know? But how can we know Allahﷻ when we can’t see Him? We know Allahﷻ by reflecting on His bounties. Allahﷻ indicated this connection with gratitude in Al Fatiha ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ Fatiha 1: 2 All praise and thanks are for Allah—Rabb of all worlds The very first thing that we must thank Allahﷻ for is for introducing Himself to us, for honoring us with His Word, for honoring us with His Messengerﷺ and for honoring us with guidance to Himself and Jannah. The biggest need of humankind is not money or political or military power or anything else but guidance to the way of justice, compassion, charity, concern for one another and when we die, Jannah. That is why Allahﷻ sent all His Messengers and Prophets who were the best of all human beings with the greatest of all gifts – guidance to the path of steadfastness. That is why Allahﷻ taught us to ask for guidance 17 times every day in Sura Al Fatiha. This is what we must thank Allahﷻ for, above all else. For guidance to Him. Sadly, for many of us, we take blessings for granted and do not express gratitude for them and spend our time complaining about any hardship that comes our way. Allahﷻ reminded us always to have an attitude of gratitude. وَءَاتَىٰكُم مِّن كُلِّ مَا سَأَلْتُمُوهُ وَإِن تَعُدُّوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ لَا تُحْصُوهَآ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ لَظَلُومٌ كَفَّارٌ Ibrahim 14: 34 And He has granted you all that you asked Him for. If you tried to count Allah’s blessings, you would never be able to number them. Indeed, humankind is truly unfair, ˹totally˺ ungrateful. The Qur’an encourages us to reflect on the creation and learn to see the Glory and Magnificence of Allahﷻ reflected in it and to thank and glorify His praise. This produces joy in the heart that is unequalled and unsurpassed. قُل لَّوْ كَانَ ٱلْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِّكَلِمَـٰتِ رَبِّى لَنَفِدَ ٱلْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَن تَنفَدَ كَلِمَـٰتُ رَبِّى وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِۦ مَدَدًا Kahf 18: 109 Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “If the ocean were ink for ˹writing˺ the Words of my Rabb, it would certainly run out before the Words of my Rabb were finished, even if We refilled it with its equal.” Allahﷻ reminded us to be conscious of His blessings and to thank Him and said that for those who are thankful, He would increase His blessings. وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِى لَشَدِيدٌ Ibrahim 14: 7 And ˹remember˺ when your Rabb proclaimed, ‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more. But if you are ungrateful, surely My punishment is severe.’” We recognize Allahﷻ by His gifts. He said about His Word, the Qur’an. ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ عَلَّمَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ خَلَقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ عَلَّمَهُ ٱلْبَيَانَ Ar-Rahman 55: 1/4 The Most Compassionate, taught the Qur’an, created humanity, ˹and˺ taught them speech. Allahﷻ drew our attention to the world around us so that we can recognize His bounties and favors upon us and thank Him for them. He said: أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ ٱلْأَرْضَ مِهَـٰدًا وَٱلْجِبَالَ أَوْتَادًا وَخَلَقْنَـٰكُمْ أَزْوَٰجًا وَجَعَلْنَا نَوْمَكُمْ سُبَاتًا وَجَعَلْنَا ٱلَّيْلَ لِبَاسًا وَجَعَلْنَا ٱلنَّهَارَ مَعَاشًا وَبَنَيْنَا فَوْقَكُمْ سَبْعًا شِدَادًا وَجَعَلْنَا سِرَاجًا وَهَّاجًا وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلْمُعْصِرَٰتِ مَآءً ثَجَّاجًا لِّنُخْرِجَ بِهِۦ حَبًّا وَنَبَاتًا وَجَنَّـٰتٍ أَلْفَافًا Naba 78: 6 – 16 Have We not smoothed out the earth ˹like a bed˺, and ˹made˺ the mountains as ˹its˺ pegs, and created you in pairs, and made your sleep for rest, and made the night as a cover, and made the day for livelihood, and built above you seven mighty ˹heavens˺, and placed ˹in them˺ a shining lamp, and sent down from rainclouds pouring water, producing by it grain and plants, and dense orchards? The purpose of all this is to remind us that no matter what our present looks like, no matter how wealthy and powerful or poor and powerless we may be; no matter whether we are white, black or anything else, no matter whether we live in America or Brazil, no matter anything, one day we will meet

The Question of Rizq - Obtained or Ordained: https://youtu.be/UEEEvsI9xwg?si=BBRJB1jJgmAqQnWh

Video version: https://youtu.be/eELLaz2D-d8

My brothers and sisters, Allahﷺ sent his Kalaam (Word, Speech) so that we would reflect on it and change our lives to make them obedient to Him. In that lies our success both in this life and the next. Allahﷺ said in the Qur’an: لَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ كِتَابًا فِيهِ ذِكْرُكُمْ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ Anbiya 21:10 Indeed, We have sent down for you (O mankind) a Book, (the Qur'an) in which there is Dhikrukum, (your Reminder or an honor for you). Will you not then understand? We know that Allahﷺ didn’t mention anyone by name. But Allahﷺ mentioned groups of people and their qualities and He mentioned what would happen to people with those qualities. We must ask, ‘Which group do I belong to? Is that good? If not, what must I change in my life to be in the group that will go to Jannah?’ Allahﷺ gave the pen in our hands to write our destiny. We can choose where we want to go. So, choose wisely. The choice is a no-brainer, but the test is in living the kind of life that will take us to Jannah. For on the Day of Judgment, it is our actions that will speak, not our tongues. الْيَوْمَ نَخْتِمُ عَلَى أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَتُكَلِّمُنَا أَيْدِيهِمْ وَتَشْهَدُ أَرْجُلُهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ Ya Seen 36: 65. This Day, We shall seal up their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their legs will bear witness to what they used to earn. An exercise in contemplation for Tazkiyyatun Nafs is to look at our right hand and imagine it speaking. What do we hear it saying? Do we like what we are hearing? If not, what do we want to do about that? Let’s do the same with our left hand and our feet, eyes, ears and whole body. What do we hear each part saying to Allahﷺ about how we used it? This is the way to approach the Qur’an. Literally as a guide to action. And act on it immediately Allahﷺ mentioned one group and their ending as a metric for us. He said: إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ ٱللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتُهُۥ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَـٰنًا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا لَّهُمْ دَرَجَـٰتٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ Anfaal 8:2-4 The ˹true˺ believers are only those whose hearts tremble at the remembrance of Allah, whose faith increases when His revelations are recited to them, and who put their trust in their Rabb. ˹They are˺ those who establish prayer and donate from what We have provided for them. It is they who are the true believers. They will have elevated ranks, forgiveness, and an honorable provision from their Rabb. Five critical characteristics; three internal and two external. A heart that is responsive to Allahﷺ and to His Word. A heart that sees the signs of Allahﷺ in His creation and this increases its faith. And a body that submits in obedience and exerts itself in worship of Allahﷺ and in charity with the intention to please Allahﷺ alone. This is the metric to evaluate ourselves. Allahﷺ said about the value of a responsive heart on the Day of Judgment: يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى ٱللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ Shua’ara 26:88-89 the Day when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit. Only those who come before Allah with a pure heart ˹will be saved˺.” The single most reliable sign of true feeling is action. Actions are evidence. If I love my spouse, what is the sign of that? If I love my family or friends, what is the evidence of that? If I love my country, what is the evidence of that? If I claim to love reading, I will ask, ‘How many books did you read this year?’ So, if I claim that my heart shivers with the Majesty and Glory of Allahﷺ when I listen the Qur’an and see the signs of my Creator around and within me, what is the evidence of that? Not to show anyone, but to prove it to myself, because a day will come when this evidence will be in my favor or not. If I claim that my heart shivers with the Majesty of Allahﷺ but I earn and eat Haraam, is my claim true or false? If I claim that my heart shivers with the Glory of Allahﷺ, but park my car on my neighbor’s lawn, then my actions give the lie to my claim. If I claim that my heart is responsive to Allahﷺ and am kind, and compassionate, if I have the courage to stand for the truth against falsehood, then my actions prove my claim. It doesn’t matter what spin I want to put on my actions, my heart knows the truth and my Rabb knows the truth and, on that Day, only the truth will prevail. Allahﷺ mentioned two other qualities. Establishing Salah and spending in the path of Allahﷺ. Establishing Salah, not praying when we like. Spending in the path of Allahﷺ as an investment in our Aakhira, which is what it is. Not simply discharging what we consider to be a burden. Obeying joyfully. Not under duress. Let’s check our score. Are we satisfied? If not, what’s the plan to change our lifestyle so that we can pass this test of faith and gain the guarantee

The purpose of education is to civilize the individual. To connect the human being to his Creator, so that he recognizes Him, has a relationship with Him, strives to please Him, relies on His Mercy, and looks forward to His Forgiveness. The purpose of education is to give the child ethics, values, and morals which are timeless and fundamental and the confidence to live his life by those values. Without this it is not education. To learn a skill to make a living, no matter what that skill is, is ‘training’. Not ‘education’. They’re as different as chalk and cheese. Flying a plane, driving a 16-wheeler, designing software, operating on someone’s heart or brain, building a table, fixing an air conditioner or kitchen sink, and countless more are all essential skills. We need all of them. But they’re all training, not education. Education begins with ethics, morals, and values. That is the ‘WHY’, which drives the ‘HOW’ in the world. We must teach those who know ‘HOW’, to ask ‘WHY’, so that technology and resources are used for the right causes. This is what Rasoolullahﷺ did in Makkah. He changed people’s thinking and decision-making criteria. When they changed their focus from this life to the Aakhira, their speech and actions changed, and society was transformed. Just ask how our society would be different if we defined economic well-being not by the number of billionaires but the absence of poverty. That is why GDP is such a misleading number. Instead, if we look at disposable household income or buying power we will get a far more accurate picture of our society. Rasoolullahﷺ gave us proof of concept. Ours to implement it. We need education, which is relevant, current, and rooted in the foundation of Islam. Education in which those being educated are fully involved in all decision making because it is their future which is at stake. Education which prepares them for a world about which we really know nothing and so the only thing we can give them are tools and the framework of ethical and moral values to use them effectively. We must be coaches who teach them how to play the game but when they are playing, we can only watch from the sidelines and if we did a good job, then we can rejoice in seeing how well they learned the lessons and apply them to be victorious. To succeed, we need to educate ourselves and learn how to be good coaches. This is the generation gap thanks to which many parents have been reduced to being ATM machines which provide funds for what their children want to do. They can’t guide the children because they don’t understand their world, have no communication with them, and the children don’t look up to them as guides and mentors. I am not talking about showing respect. I am talking about actual respect which will make the child come to the parent as first port of call, when he/she needs guidance. Not just money. Allahﷺ defined for us the meaning of education and the way to do it. إِنَّ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَـٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَلْبَـٰبِ ٱلَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ ٱللَّهَ قِيَـٰمًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَـٰذَا بَـٰطِلًا سُبْحَـٰنَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ ٱلنَّارِ A’al Imraan 3:190-191 Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the day and night there are signs for people of intelligence. ˹They are˺ those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth ˹and say, “Our Rabb! You did not create this in vain. Glory be to You! Protect us from the torment of the Fire. Please note that in this Ayah, Allahﷺ described people of intelligence. He said that they are those who remember Allah while standing, sitting, and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth. Allahﷺ used the preposition AND. Not OR. For a person to be intelligent, he/she must recognize their Creator, have a relationship with Him and remember Him in every aspect of their lives AND research the creation of the heavens and earth. Allahﷺ also described the sequence in which this must be done. First know the Creator. Then research in the creation. When this sequence is followed, the individual spontaneously says, “Our Rabb! You have not created this without purpose. Glory be to You! Protect us from the torment of the Fire.” When we invert the sequence, we have scientists who are atheist or theologians who don’t know how the world functions. We don’t have a behavioral problem. We have a systemic problem. We don’t need tinkering. We need to redesign. A locomotive is a million times more powerful than a microlight aircraft, but it can never fly. Not because it doesn’t have enough power but because it is not designed to fly. Money and power will not help us, because we have a connection problem. Factor Allahﷺ into the equation because He is in it anyway. Then se

Video version: https://youtu.be/pEn9hJ4wTsw We hear many times that Islam is a reasonable, logical, and rational religion and that Allahﷻ has encouraged us to think and reflect. For example, Allahﷻ said: A’fa-la tadhakkaroon (don’t you think/remember). A’fa-la tatafakkaroon (don’t you reflect), A’fa-la tubsiroon (don’t you see) and so on. Allahﷻ addressed us by terms such as Ya Ulil-albaab (O people of intelligence). Ya Ulil-absaar (O people who can see) and so on. So, the Qur’an encourages rational thought. All well until this time. However, some people take this to mean that we are free to take any Ayah of the Qur’an and any Hadith of Rasoolullahﷺ and come to our own conclusions about it and legislate according to those conclusions, without any reference to, and indeed even denying, denigrating, and discounting the 14 centuries of scholarship that is behind the interpretation of the Qur’an and the laws of our Sharia. The proponents of this irrational, illogical, and dangerous philosophy are the ones that I want to address here. Let us begin with defining logic and rationality because that is the foundation of the argument. If an argument is valid, then every argument with the same form is also valid. If an argument is invalid, then every argument with the same form is also invalid. So, the first thing to ask is, ‘What is the basis of my logic?’ Fundamental Laws of Logic (Aristotle) 1. Law of Identity – If something is identified as one thing, that is what it is. TheLaw of Identity basically states that anything that has been determined to be true must be identical to itself and different from other things. E.g., if a snake is venomous, then it is not non-venomous. And someone who knows the difference between the two but is afraid of all snakes is irrational. 2. Law of Non-Contradiction – If something is one thing, it can’t be its opposite at the same time. The Law of Non-Contradiction states that if something is true it cannot NOT be true at the same time. E.g., is to look at two opposing religious beliefs and use the Law of Non-Contradiction to evaluate them. One belief is that there is a Heaven that people go to when they die. The other belief is that there is no Heaven at all. Each belief seems legitimate on their own, but when compared to each other, one of them MUST be false. If Heaven is real for one person, it MUST be real for everyone. 3. Law of Excluded Middle – Everything is one or the other and not something in the middle of those two things. A way to think about this law is regarding death. A being is either alive or dead. There isn’t another state that a living being can be in. An unconscious person is still alive. Allahﷻ challenged the disbelievers with respect to their belief in the Creator. قُل لِّمَنِ ٱلْأَرْضُ وَمَن فِيهَآ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ قُلْ أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ قُلْ مَن رَّبُّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ ٱلسَّبْعِ وَرَبُّ ٱلْعَرْشِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ قُلْ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ قُلْ مَنۢ بِيَدِهِۦ مَلَكُوتُ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ وَهُوَ يُجِيرُ وَلَا يُجَارُ عَلَيْهِ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ سَيَقُولُونَ لِلَّهِ قُلْ فَأَنَّىٰ تُسْحَرُونَ Muminoon 23: 84-89 Ask ˹them, O Prophet˺, “To whom belong the earth and all those on it, if you ˹really˺ know?” They will reply, “To Allah!” Say, “Why are you not then mindful?” ˹And˺ ask ˹them˺, “Who is the Rabb of the seven heavens and the Rabb of the Mighty Throne?” They will reply, “Allah.” Say, “Will you not then fear ˹Him˺?” Ask ˹them also,˺ “In Whose Hands is the authority over all things, protecting ˹all˺ while none can protect against Him, if you ˹really˺ know?” They will reply, “Allah.” Say, “How are you then so deluded?” وَلَئِن سَأَلْتَهُم مَّنْ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ وَسَخَّرَ ٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ لَيَقُولُنَّ ٱللَّهُ فَأَنَّىٰ يُؤْفَكُونَ Ankabut 29: 61 If you ask them ˹O Prophet˺ who created the heavens and the earth and subjected the sun and the moon ˹for your benefit˺, they will certainly say, “Allah!” How can they then be deluded ˹from the truth˺? The question to ask those who claim to believe in Allahﷻ as the Creator is, “Why do you believe this?” Because Atheists have an answer to all the above questions which is that it is all accidental and does not point to a Creator. If you say that you believe that there is a Creator it means that by the Fundamental Laws of Logic, you can’t at the same time believe that there is NO CREATOR. So, what is your belief? Is there a Creator or not? And if there is a Creator, is it Allahﷻ. If you say, ‘Yes’, to both those questions, then the next question is, “Why do you believe this?” What is YOUR LOGIC? The ONLY POSSIBLE answer can be, “Because Rasoolullahﷺ told us.” Question: Why do you believe what he told you? Answer: Because we believe IN him (that he was the Messenger of Allahﷻ) and we believe him, that he never lied and always spoke the truth. Question: If that is your logic – that we believe what Rasoolullahﷺ told us with respect to Allahﷻ then that applies to the e

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https://youtu.be/7sz11TcUGu4 Tazkiyya Series 2020: https://mhmic.org/tag/tazkiyya-2020/ Tazkiyya Wal Tarbiyya Series: https://mhmic.org/?s=tazkiyya%20wal%20tarbiyya

The Qur’an commands us to be patient, to have Sabr and promises help to those who have patience. Allahﷻ taught us how to face difficulty and said: فَٱذْكُرُونِىٓ أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُوا۟ لِى وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱسْتَعِينُوا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ وَٱلصَّلَوٰةِ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ Baqara 2: 152-3 Remember Me; I will remember you. And thank Me, and never be ungrateful. O believers! Seek comfort in patience and prayer. Allah is truly with those who are patient. The concept of Sabr or patience in Islam is very interesting. Sabr doesn’t mean to simply pray and do nothing and expect help to come from outside including from Divine intervention. Sabr means to do our best and use every means at our disposal, exert our full effort and strength and then to turn towards Allahﷻ and seek His help to enable our efforts to succeed. That is Tawakkul. I call it the Tawheed of the heart. To illustrate with an example, it is like wiring up a new house, making sure that you did everything correctly, following all protocols and safety procedures and then connecting it to the transformer and turning the switch on. It is a combination of two things. Wiring everything up correctly and then connecting to the power source. It is also about the sequence. The wiring before the connection. That is why Sabr (maximum effort) comes before Salah. And Salah is essential after making the effort so that you don’t fall into the trap of the self-made man. Living in an imaginary world where you think that your success is your own and that you don’t owe anything to anyone. That is arrogance and arrogance leads only to Jahannam. We owe our success to all those around us, who Allahﷻ put there for our benefit and inspired them with love and respect for us to take the time and trouble to invest their own time, energy, money, experience and knowledge for us to succeed. Islam tells us that we need to acknowledge that and thank them and thank Allahﷻ. An excellent book to read in this context is ‘Outliers’, by statistician Malcolm Gladwell who shows how we owe our success to our circumstances far more than we may like to think. Gratitude saves us from arrogance. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ‏ لاَ يَشْكُرُ اللَّهَ مَنْ لاَ يَشْكُرُ النَّاسَ Abu Huraira (R) reported: Rasoolullahﷺ said, “Whoever does not thank people has not thanked Allahﷻ.” We ask but Allahﷻ gives at the right time. When we look at the wisdom of timing of Allahﷻ’s help, we see His Hand in it. The help may come through material means but Allahﷻ sends it in a way where it becomes clear that it was not material means but the command of Allahﷻ which was working. Take the case of Musa (AS). Allahﷻ could have saved him in multiple ways. But He commanded Musa (AS)’s mother to throw him into the Nile. He said: وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أُمِّ مُوسَىٰٓ أَنْ أَرْضِعِيهِ فَإِذَا خِفْتِ عَلَيْهِ فَأَلْقِيهِ فِى ٱلْيَمِّ وَلَا تَخَافِى وَلَا تَحْزَنِىٓ إِنَّا رَآدُّوهُ إِلَيْكِ وَجَاعِلُوهُ مِنَ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ Qasas 28: 7 We inspired the mother of Moses: “Nurse him, but when you fear for him, put him then into the river, and do not fear or grieve. We will certainly return him to you and make him one of the messengers.” Allahﷻ told us about this whole journey where instead of hiding him or his identity, Allahﷻ caused him to be directed into the palace of Firawn, and not only literally be in his hands, but be recognized as that child of the Bani Israeel who it was predicted would destroy the Pharaonic Empire of Egypt. The Pharoah’s astrologers identified him and advised him to kill the child. The Pharoah obviously had no compunctions about killing a child since it was by his command that thousands of newborn boys of the Bani Israeel had already been killed, just to ensure that this one child didn’t survive. Now they had that very child in their hands. All that remained was one simple action and the job would be done and Musa (AS)’s story would have ended before it began. But Allahﷻ wanted to show that all worldly power and wealth mean nothing and Allahﷻ’s Will prevails. The astrologers advised the Pharoah to kill the child. But the wife of the Pharoah advised him to spare the life of the child and instead to raise him as their son, as they were childless. The Pharoah listened to his wife and the rest is history. Rameses II became the foster father and protector of Musa (AS) and paid for him to be nursed by his own mother. Naturally that meant a total transformation for the family of Musa (AS), financially and socially. Once Musa (AS) was old enough, he was raised as an Egyptian prince with access to the highest and most valuable resources of the time, learning from the best scholars and warriors destined to be a ruler after his foster father. After all Egypt was the most ancient and powerful empire of the time on earth. But Allahﷻ had something better in store for him so instead of becoming yet another ruler of an ancient dynas

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The month of Muharram is a great and blessed month. It is the first month of the Hijri year and is one of the sacred months about which Allahﷻ says: إِنَّ عِدَّةَ ٱلشُّهُورِ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ٱثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِى كِتَـٰبِ ٱللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ مِنْهَآ أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْقَيِّمُ Tawbah 9: 36 “Verily, the number of months with Allahﷻ is twelve months (in a year), so was it ordained by Allahﷻ on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are Sacred, (i.e. the 1st, the 7t , the 11th and the 12th months of the Islamic calendar). That is the right religion…” Abu Bakrah (R) narrated that Rasoolullahﷺ said: “… The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred: three consecutive months, Dhu al-Qa‘dah, Dhu al-Hijjah and al-Muharram, and Rajab which comes between Jumada and Sha‘ban.” (Bukhari) Allama Ibn Katheer (RA), regarding this Ayah, explains, “Allahﷻ has chosen elites from His creation: from among the angels He chose Messengers, from among mankind He chose Messengers, from among speech He chose remembrance of Himself (Dhikr), from among spaces on earth He chose the mosques, from among the months He chose Ramadan and the sacred months. So, venerate that which has been chosen by Allahﷻ, because people of understanding and wisdom, respect that which has been chosen by Him”. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer) Abu Hurairah (R) said that Rasoolullahﷺ said, “The best fast after Ramadan is in the month of Muharram.” (Muslim) Rasoolullahﷺ encouraged fasting during the month of Muharram, particularly on the 10th day, called Ashoora, as a means of seeking Allahﷻ's mercy and forgiveness. In Fiqh As-Sunnah, Sheikh Sayyed Sabiq (RA) states: Abu Hurairah (R) reported, “I asked Rasoolullahﷺ, ‘Which Prayer is the best after the Fardh Prayers?’ He said: ‘Prayer during the middle of the night.’ I asked: ‘Which fasting is the best after that of Ramadan?’ He said, ‘The month of Allahﷻ that you call Muharram’.” (Ahmad, Muslim, and Abu Dawud) Rasoolullahﷺ said, “Fasting the day of Ashoora (has great merit), I hope that Allahﷻ will accept it as an expiation for (sins in) the previous year.” (Muslim) Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas (RA) said, “When Rasoolullahﷺ fasted on the day of Ashoora and told the people to fast, they said, “Ya Rasoolullahﷺ this is a day that is venerated by the Jews and Christians.” Rasoolullahﷺ said, “Next year, if Allahﷻ wills, we will fast on the 9th day (also).” But by the time the following year came, Rasoolullahﷺ had passed away. (Muslim). So let us fast on 9th and 10th. Rasoolullahﷺ said, “One who generously spends on his family on the day of ‘Ashoora, Allahﷻ will be generous on him for the entire year.” (Tabarani) Regarding this, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (RA) narrates that Sufyan Ibn Uyayna (RA) said, “I have practiced this (spending on the family) for fifty or sixty years and have found nothing but good in it.” (Lata’if al-Ma‘arif) The day of 'Ashoora was known to the Quraysh and to Rasoolullahﷺ in Makkah, and the Quraysh used to venerate it and fast on that day. It is believed that Nuh (AS)’s ship reached land on Mount Judi, and Musa (AS) led his people out of the slavery of Firawn on the day of Ashoora. The Quraysh venerated this day and considered it holy and used to change the cover of the Ka’aba on 10th of Muharram and would fast and pray specially on that day. Rasoolullahﷺ fasted it with them during his life in Makkah. روى الشيخان عن عائشة رضي الله عنها قالت: كانت قريش تصوم عاشوراء في الجاهلية، وكان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يصومه، فلما هاجر إلى المدينة صامه وأمر بصيامه It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (RA) said: Quraysh used to fast on 'Ashoora during the Jahiliya, and Rasoolullahﷺ used to fast on (that day) too. When he migrated to Madinah, he fasted this day and ordered that this fast be observed. When the month of Ramadan was enjoined, he said: “Whoever wishes may fast on (this day) and whoever wishes may leave it.” (Bukhari, Muslim) Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (RA) narrated that the people of the Jahiliya used to fast on the day of 'Ashoora, and Rasoolullahﷺ and the Muslims fasted it before Ramadan was made obligatory. When the month of Ramadan was made obligatory, Rasoolullahﷺ said: “Ashoora is one of the days of Allahﷻ. So, whoever wishes may fast it and whoever wishes may omit it.” (Muslim). Muharram serves as a time for self-assessment and repentance. It is a reminder for us to reflect on our deeds, seek forgiveness for our sins, and strive to improve ourselves as individuals and as a community. Having said that, I remind myself and you that the time to change is as soon as we realize our mistakes and not wait for some auspicious month or day. We don’t know when we will die and so let us hasten and hurry to cleanup our act and get our lives in order so that we can meet Allahﷻ seeking His Mercy. The Battle of Karbala was fought on 10 October 680 (10 Muharram 61 AH) between the army of the second Umayyad Khalifa Yazid I (r. 680–683) and a

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Ayaat supporting the authority of the Sunnah وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ ٱلْهَوَىٰٓإِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْىٌ يُوحَىٰ Najm 53: 3-4 Nor does he speak of his own whims. It is only a revelation sent down ˹to him˺. وَمَآ ءَاتَىٰكُمُ ٱلرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَىٰكُمْ عَنْهُ فَٱنتَهُوا۟ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ Hashr 59: 7 Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it. And whatever he forbids you from, leave it. And fear Allah. Surely Allah is severe in punishment. مَّن يُطِعِ ٱلرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ ٱللَّهَ وَمَن تَوَلَّىٰ فَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ عَلَيْهِمْ حَفِيظًا Nisa 4: 80 Whoever obeys the Messenger has truly obeyed Allah. But whoever turns away, then ˹know that˺ We have not sent you ˹O Prophet˺ as a keeper over them. قُلْ أَطِيعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا۟ ٱلرَّسُولَ فَإِن تَوَلَّوْا۟ فَإِنَّمَا عَلَيْهِ مَا حُمِّلَ وَعَلَيْكُم مَّا حُمِّلْتُمْ وَإِن تُطِيعُوهُ تَهْتَدُوا۟ وَمَا عَلَى ٱلرَّسُولِ إِلَّا ٱلْبَلَـٰغُ ٱلْمُبِينُ Noor 24: 54 Say, “Obey Allah and obey the Messenger. But if you turn away, then he is only responsible for his duty and you are responsible for yours. And if you obey him, you will be ˹rightly˺ guided. The Messenger’s duty is only to deliver ˹the message˺ clearly.” لَّقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلْيَوْمَ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرًا Ahzab 33: 21 Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for whoever has hope in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah often. قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ A'al Imraan 3: 31 Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “If you ˹sincerely˺ love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins. For Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” فَلَا وَرَبِّكَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ حَتَّىٰ يُحَكِّمُوكَ فِيمَا شَجَرَ بَيْنَهُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَجِدُوا۟ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ حَرَجًا مِّمَّا قَضَيْتَ وَيُسَلِّمُوا۟ تَسْلِيمًا Nisa 4: 65 But no! By your Lord, they will never be ˹true˺ believers until they accept you ˹O Prophet˺ as the judge in their disputes, and find no resistance within themselves against your decision and submit wholeheartedly.

Last week I told you that Allahﷻ prohibited sadness. That sounds unreasonable and you may say, ‘I don’t want to feel sad. But I do. So, why is sadness prohibited?’ We are conditioned to see emotions as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘positive’ or ‘negative’. The reality is that emotions are value neutral. They are neither positive nor negative. But what we do with emotion can make it positive or negative. So, while we don’t have control over the emotion, we have total control over what we choose to do thereafter. For example, people say, ‘Don’t get angry.’ That is as unreasonable as saying, ‘Don’t feel hungry or thirsty.’ In Ramadan we feel hungry and thirsty, but we choose to ignore it to please Allahﷻ. We may feel angry with someone, but we choose to control our anger for the same reason. Someone may come to us with gossip, or we may have the urge to backbite someone, but we stop ourselves because backbiting is destructive and like all destructive things, is Haraam. In the case of sadness and grief, to feel it shows that we are human and that our hearts are alive. But to allow ourselves to get bogged down in it is our choice. We can equally easily choose to break out of it. For example, upon facing bereavement, we can either fall into depression or despair. Or we can choose to be grateful to Allahﷻ for having granted us the company of that friend for the duration that we were together. We can recall and relive the beautiful memories of our time together and pray for them and give charity to benefit them. If we lose our job, we can choose to see it as an opportunity to become entrepreneurs which most people in jobs declare to be their aspirational goal but do nothing to achieve it, until one day they find themselves looking at their office building without their passkey. If we face a financial loss or lose a relationship which is far more serious than financial loss, we can choose to analyze what went wrong and learn lessons from it to prevent it happening a second time. In all these cases and more, we will feel sad, but what we choose to do with that will spell the difference between happiness and gaining wisdom or wasting a life opportunity. Sadness is prohibited for two other reasons. When our sadness turns morbid and is more than is normal in a situation, it means that we have not recognized the truth of the matter. And that truth is what Allahﷻ told us: مَا عِندَكُمْ يَنفَدُ وَمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ بَاقٍ وَلَنَجْزِيَنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ صَبَرُوٓا۟ أَجْرَهُم بِأَحْسَنِ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ Nahl 16: 96 Whatever you have will end, but whatever Allah has is everlasting. And We will certainly reward the steadfast according to the best of their deeds. How can you grieve or regret losing something you didn’t own in the first place? It was not yours. So, how can you say that you lost it? You had been given that person or situation or experience or thing in trust as a gift temporarily. When that period ended, it went back to its real owner, Allahﷻ, who is also our owner and to whom we will also return. When we remember this, loss turns to gain and sadness to gratitude. We become thankful for what we’d had, instead of feeling sad for what we think we lost. The second bigger problem with prolonged sadness is that it takes away the desire to go forward in life. If you allow yourself to fall into that trap, you become morose, withdrawn and depressed. This is unique to sadness. With other emotions which are considered negative, it doesn’t happen. Anger can energize you to solve a problem or to ensure that a criminal is punished. Fear is a universal motivator to greater effort and in the right dose, it brings the world around you, alive. I recall with great happiness my wanderings in Indian and South American jungles, home to tigers, leopards, bears, elephants, jaguars, anacondas, and other highly dangerous animals. But being in the forest always made me feel more alive, aware, and appreciate my surroundings and gave me tremendous confidence in my own ability to survive. As you can see, I did. The presence of danger is a great motivator because your life is at stake. You will never have that feeling when you look at the same animals in a zoo. Fear also motivates those who compete in extreme sports or even in polo or steeplechases. There is real danger of serious injury, even death. But it motivates you to develop expertise and win. This is what motivates entrepreneurs to take risks. It is the possibility of loss which paradoxically motivates a person to put himself in a situation where it may become real. It is a race against odds which is so heady and exciting. Ask anyone who is about to start a very difficult and potentially life-threatening climb up a mountain if he feels any fear. He does. But that not only motivates him but keeps him safe. Those who have no fear, die. This will suffice to show how different so-called negative emotions have positive effects. The exception is sadness. Sadness, if you allow it, drags you down into a s