Fajr Reminders - Mahmood Habib Masjid and Islamic Center

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We hear this Ayah in every Jumu’ah Khutba in practically every masjid on the face of the earth. Let us focus on just two words in it – Al Adl wal Ihsaan. إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْعَدْلِ وَٱلْإِحْسَـٰنِ وَإِيتَآئِ ذِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ ٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَٱلْمُنكَرِ وَٱلْبَغْىِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ Nahl 16: 90 Indeed, Allah commands justice, and excellence (mercy, forgiveness) and courtesy to close relatives. He forbids indecency, wickedness, and aggression. He instructs you so perhaps you will be mindful. Al-Adl is justice. Justice is not natural. Justice is a choice. It is a decision that we take to establish it, even if we stand alone. Especially if we stand alone, because we ask ourselves, ‘If not me, then who?’ That is why Allahﷻ commanded it. It won’t just happen. It happens only when there is an intention followed by firm, sustained, consistent action. There is no justice in nature. Lions don’t say, ‘Only one of us must hunt one antelope. We must be just.’ Three lionesses will go for the herd of Impala and stampede it into a shallow ravine in which the other four are waiting. As the Impala stampede down the ravine, they attack them in the most energy-efficient way possible and one or two of the Impala die, only because they were on the outer edge of the group. The zebra calf at birth imprints the stripe pattern on the hind quarters of his mother not because he loves abstract art, but because if he can’t find his mother in the herd of a million migrating animals, no other zebra mother will nurse him, even though she may be nursing her own calf. If he can’t find his mother, he will die. Justice is not natural. But justice is the single, most prominent sign of civilization. That is why Islam is all about justice. Anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture, and she said, ‘When I discovered a skeleton with a fractured femur which had healed. I could see where the broken bone had healed and fused back.’ They asked her why. She replied, ‘In nature, when an animal breaks a femur, it is a death warrant. It can’t run. It can’t hunt or escape hunters. It dies. A broken femur that healed means that there was someone who took care of that individual until it healed. That was the beginning of civilization.’ I wept when I read that, as I weep now because it reminds me of how barbaric we have become. It reminds me that all the veneer of education and sophistication is just that. A veneer. Beneath it, lies the barbarian, the unjust, the real savage, who will kill children who are not his own. Who will rape and plunder if he can do it with impunity. Who needs force to render him harmless. So, are we truly civilized? To be civilized is to be self-regulated. To be civilized is to care for others, who don’t matter to us in any material urgent way. To be civilized is to do what is right, not because it is convenient, or profitable, or safe. But because it is right. To be civilized is not to eat well but to ensure that nobody goes to bed hungry. To be civilized is not to wear good clothes and live in palaces but to ensure that nobody is naked and living on the street. The principle on which this self-regulation is based is called ‘justice’. Justice is not natural. It is an active choice. Justice is the basis of being civilized. Because to be civilized is not natural. It is a reflection of the Divine, because the source of justice is Allahﷻ. Justice is evidence that we have a Creator who loves us and is concerned for us and so taught us how to self-regulate our natural desires in a way that results in safety and caring for all of us. Justice is the criterion on which we will be judged when at the end of our lives, we will meet the One who gave us that law. Allahﷻ commanded us in the Qur’an: إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَأْمُرُ بِٱلْعَدْلِ وَٱلْإِحْسَـٰنِ وَإِيتَآئِ ذِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَيَنْهَىٰ عَنِ ٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَٱلْمُنكَرِ وَٱلْبَغْىِ يَعِظُكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ This is a world of cause and effect. If you want to change an effect, you must address its cause. Peace is an effect. Its cause is justice. Without justice, peace can never be established. Without justice, any apparent peace is only a recess between wars. There are two truths about justice which we all know very well. One, injustice to one is injustice to all. Two, justice can never be established until those that are not affected by injustice are willing to stand up against it. The question is, what are we willing to do about establishing justice? We will do that only when we see how not establishing justice will come around to bite us. I know that self-interest is not the most noble of motives, but I say, if that is what it takes for us to stand up, so be it. But stand we must, for those who can’t. Stand we must because it is about us, not about them. Rasoolullahﷺ commanded us as Abu Sayeed Al Khudri (R) narrated: “Whosoever sees an evil, let him change it with his hand;

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Video version: https://youtu.be/8aZRkIAk1rs Dr. Abdur Rahman Al Sumait 1947-2013 MBBS from the University of Bagdad. Diploma in Tropical Diseases from University of Liverpool. PG in Internal Medicine and diseases of the digestive system from McGill University Montreal Canada, 1974-78. Research in Liver Cancer Kings College Hospital London, 1979-80. Malawi (Nyasaland) Direct Aid. Housing 9500 orphans, 95,000 student scholarships, 864 schools, 4 universities, 9500 wells, 5700 Masajid, 102 Islamic Centres, distributed 50 million Qur'an, 5 million reverts. Work in 29 African countries. Seeking fame (Protecting Ikhlaas) At-Tirmidhi (2376) narrated – and classed it as saheeh – that Ka‘b ibn Maalik (رضي الله عنه) said: Rasoolullahﷺ said: “Two hungry wolves sent against a flock of sheep cannot cause more damage to them than a man’s eagerness for wealth and prominence causes to his religious commitment.” Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Rasoolullahﷺ explained that the damage that eagerness for wealth and prominence causes to one’s religious commitment is no less than the damage that two hungry wolves would cause in a sheep pen, and this is quite obvious. If there is sound religious commitment, there cannot be this eagerness, because once the heart tastes the sweetness of servitude to Allah and love of Him, then there will be nothing dearer to the individual than that, and he will give it precedence over other things. In that way, Allah diverts evil deeds and shameful acts from those who are sincere to Allah alone. End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (10/215) https://islamqa.info/en/answers/177655/is-it-permissible-to-seek-fame-and-love-to-be-prominent-in-worldly-matters

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Allahﷻ gave us a purpose of existence which is given to the highest in any society – to guide and show the way. This is the purpose that we inherited by being the followers of Rasoolullahﷺ – to give to the world. To give mankind a standard by which to live. To give it by living it ourselves and demonstrating it as Rasoolullahﷺ did. A ‘Standard’ is something to aspire to, to aim to reach, to benchmark and measure yourself against. A ‘Standard’ is a flag, high and alone on its staff, establishing its presence, a symbol of great thoughts and ideas, a guide to the lost. A ‘Standard’ is the flag which represents its nation, a symbol of respect. A ‘Standard’ is called a standard because it stands out. A flag drying on a clothesline is laundry. A flag flying high on its staff is saluted. A ‘Standard Bearer’ is the one who carries the flag. In the days of medieval warfare, the Standard Bearer carried the battle standard around which the troops rally. As long as they saw their flag flying their morale remained high. If the flag fell it demoralized the soldiers. The Standard Bearer would not be armed. His only job was to keep the flag flying as the battle wore on. His comrades surrounded him and protected him from the enemy. On the other hand, the Standard Bearer was the focus of attack of the enemy because if they could cut him down it would have a far bigger effect than the death of any other soldier and would be a great victory for the enemy. The Standard Bearer was the rallying point of the army, the symbol of the nation. The Standard Bearer was not an ordinary soldier. To relate this to our lives today as Muslims, living in a world that seems to be hurtling towards moral and ethical destruction, the term ‘Standard Bearer’ has special relevance. A Standard Bearer of Islam is the embodiment of the Islamic Way. This person is a walking, talking, living model of the beauty of Islam; completely obedient to Allahﷻ and a follower of the Sunnah of Rasoolullahﷺ. A Standard Bearer of Islam is someone who you would point to if someone asked you, ‘Who is a Muslim?’ A Standard Bearer of Islam is confident, not apologetic; stands out from the crowd, does not blend in; is proud of his/her Islam and practices it joyously as a matter of choice. Islam to the Standard Bearer is the primary focus, the criterion for every decision, the basis of their identity. A Standard Bearer differentiates based on Islam and Islam is their ‘Brand’ and their ‘Signature’. A Standard Bearer of Islam is someone who considers their Islam to be the greatest gift from Allahﷻ and considers it a privilege to be its Standard Bearer which they would not exchange for all the gold in the world. A Standard Bearer of Islam understands that being a Standard Bearer is sometimes a lonely job and is ready for it and is proud of it. After all it is the ideology behind the flag that converts a piece of cloth into a symbol that is saluted. What does it take to become a Standard Bearer of Islam? Allahﷻ said about the first Standard Bearer of Islam: لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا Al Ahzab 33:21 Indeed in the Messenger of Allâh (Muhammadﷺ) you have a good example to follow for the one who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allâh and the Last Day and remembers Allâh a great deal. Allahﷻ sent Muhammadﷺ to be a living model of His Message, to demonstrate Islam in practice in every aspect of life and therefore Allahﷻ quoted the whole life of Rasoolullahﷺ as an example for us to follow and related it to our meeting with Him on the Day of Judgment. A Standard is meant to be followed and to be handed down from generation to generation. That standard was exemplified by Rasoolullahﷺ, and his Sahaba were Standard Bearers of Islam who lived by standard wherever they went and practiced it in societies where they stood out as ‘Strangers’ because their way was ‘Strange’ to that society. Strange in the way that the one who stands up for justice looks strange in a land where oppression is the way of life. Strange the way the one who is modest and dignified looks strange among a collection of people intoxicated with self-indulgent shamelessness. Strange in the way that honesty and integrity look strange amidst corruption and lies. But it was this very ‘strangeness’ that caused people to stop and look; to compare themselves to the ‘Strangers’; to consider their own lives and the bankruptcy of values, ethics, and morals that they were immersed in and to decide to change. Islam did not spread because the Sahaba became like everyone else. Islam spread because the Sahaba stood out. Islam spread because it was ‘Strange’. That is why Rasoolullahﷺ promised them Jannah. Islam spread because of the ‘Strangers’. There are four steps to becoming a Standard Bearer of Islam: The Niyyah – making the intention Ta’alluq Ma’ Allah – connection with Allahﷻ Tarbiyya – thoughtful upbringing Ihsan – excellence in e

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Dua for Rizq and to get out of debt اللَّهُمَّ اكْفِنِي بِحَلاَلِكَ عَنْ حَرَامِكَ، وَأَغْنِنِي بِفَضْلِكِ عَمَّنْ سِوَاكَAllaahummak-finee bihalaalika 'an haraamika wa 'aghninee bifadhlika 'amman siwaak. O Allah, suffice me with what You have allowed instead of what You have forbidden, and make me independent of all others besides You. Ref:At-Tirmidhi 5/560.

“Islam began as something strange, and it shall return to being something strange, so give glad tidings to the strangers.” Saheeh Hadeeth [Ibn Maajah, Kitaab al fitan 3986 Like most thinking Muslims of our time, over the last few years, I have also been thinking about the sad state that the Muslim Ummah finds itself in. Like lost sheep we are large in number but distracted, disconnected, and dispersed, prey to every passing wolf. All the power, authority, wealth and influence seems to be in the hands of those who are arrayed against us, leaving us with little choice if any, even with respect to the wealth which is apparently in our hands. It is they who dispose of it at will even though on the face of it, we are its owners. Like most people I too complained, defined our ‘problem’ and re-defined it; discussed it, debated it and agonized over it until I came to the conclusion that none of this was getting me any closer to a solution. And frankly that is all that matters. I read the Qur’an and the Seerah of Rasoolullahﷺ and our history, both ancient and modern because history has the potential to teach us lessons. I spoke to people wiser and more learned than I am and listened carefully to what they had to say; Ulama and others in several countries. I prayed and asked for the help of Allahﷻ to understand our situation and devise a way out of it. As I thought about these times, I couldn’t help but see many similarities between the situation today and the situation as it existed in the time of Rasoolullahﷺ and his Sahaba during the major part of his life in Makkah. They too had almost no influence, power, or wealth. They were the victims of all kinds of persecution and deprivation. They were evicted from their homes, boycotted, and embargoed, tortured and some were killed. Yet in one generation, in less than 20 years, the situation completely transformed and Muhammadﷺ and his followers became the leaders of Arabia and the known world. The big question is, ‘HOW DID IT HAPPEN? HOW DID THEY DO IT?’ The answer is very simple – this happened simply by Muhammadﷺ and his followers living Islam. All that they did was to be Muslims. They were living models of Islam, Standard Bearers of Islam. They did not spend time in giving speeches about Islam or holding seminars and symposia about points of Fiqh. They did not write momentous treatises on the hidden aspects of this Ayât or that. They lived the Qur’an. They did not lecture others about the importance of the Sunnah. They followed the Sunnah in every single aspect of their lives. They did not debate and create nomenclature to distinguish between what is Haraam and what is Makrooh and within Makrooh what is Tanzeehi and what is Tahreemi. They did not get stuck in minor matters of religious observance, thereby creating divisions. They simply did not do anything that was displeasing to Allahﷻ and His Messengerﷺ. They did not ask which sin was big and which was small. They avoided sin because in their mind it was not the quantum or nature of the disobedience but who was being disobeyed, that was important. And that is why when Allahﷻ used the word ‘Believers’ He meant the Sahaba. So, there it was the answer to my question, ‘What should we do to help ourselves?’ The solution was clear as daylight: ‘Be Muslims as the Sahaba were Muslim. Become Standard Bearers of Islam.’ I realized that it was necessary for us to go back to the basics and see how Rasoolullahﷺ and his Sahaba practiced Islam and do the same with the hope that Allahﷻ would then change our condition when He saw that we were ready to do His work and to give it precedence over our own desires and pursuits. It is really quite simple. We are the ones who complicate it for ourselves and then suffer. The Qur’an is quite clear on the fact that the decisions of Allahﷻ that are made with respect to our lives in this world are related to our actions. Good begets good and evil begets evil. ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِي الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِي النَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعْضَ الَّذِي عَمِلُوا لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ Ar-Rum 30:41. Evil (sins and disobedience of Allâh) has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of people have earned (by oppression and evil deeds), that Allâh may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return (by repenting to Allâh). Allahﷻ told us that the solution lies within us: إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُواْ مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ Ar Ra’ad 13: 11….. Verily! Allâh will not change the good condition of a people as long as they do not change their state of goodness themselves (by committing sins). And that is how the idea of becoming Standard Bearers of Islam was born. I believe therefore that the solution to our problems today globally is to return to the Sunnah of Rasoolullahﷺ and be as the Sahaba were – true to Islam to the best of our ability. I agree we are weak, and we ask for the help of Allahﷻ. But we need to do our part. I

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"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well." - Ralph Waldo Emerson Jabir (R) reported: Rasoolullahﷺ said, “The best of people are those who are most beneficial to people.” I am not against happiness, and neither was Emerson. But happiness can be the result of very selfish and toxic behavior. People engaging in substance abuse or in backbiting or slandering, and other negative activities can be very happy in their toxicity. That is why the importance of focusing on meaningful, honorable, compassionate action. The root cause of our problems as a society globally is that we have lost our ethical and moral compass. We have made the single-minded pursuit of profit our life’s objective. That is why we have a world that is full of war and violence. This is not sustainable and must change. People are not equal. Not in this life. Not before Allahﷻ‎. Our job is to become winners and raise winners. Losing is the default. That's the Law of Entropy. Everything goes downhill unless you stop it. A garden untended grows weeds, not roses. A house left unattended doesn't clean itself. A car not maintained breaks down. A body not exercised loses muscle and strength. Not the other way round. So, you must decide what you want from life and then go and get it. The only thing that comes just by waiting, is death. Everything else needs back-breaking effort because results are proportionate to effort. You won’t make that effort unless you enjoy it and that is where a belief in yourself and your mission makes all the difference. To be - You must do. To do - You don't have to be. But unless you do - You will never be My favorite coach is Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers. He won five NFL championships, including Super Bowls I and II. He said: “Defeat is worse than death because you have to live with defeat. Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all the time thing. You don’t win once in a while; you don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all of the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” If you want to know whether you are a winner or loser, check if you made your bed this morning. Check what your car looks like, outside, and inside. Do you return a shopping cart to where it is supposed to be after unloading your shopping? Everything matters. All your attitudes and actions indicate your mindset. Winning is important because only winners matter. In 2021, Georgia Tech coach Lewis Caralla asked his football team a question: Are you willing to sprint when the distance is unknown? That will happen only if you have a deep belief in yourself and in your goal. One without the other won’t work. You need both. That is why passion is so important. In WW2 Japan was all but destroyed with the two atomic bombs that America dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What followed was not one or two people but the whole nation sprinting without a finish line in sight. Despite the unbelievable loss of life and destruction of infrastructure and society there was neither despair, nor an exodus of Japanese towards the West, nor any hatred for Americans who had destroyed their country. Instead using the strength of their Bushido tradition, there began a reconstruction that in 2 generations made Japan an industrial powerhouse. Japan not only excelled in manufacturing products but also innovated production practices and quality standards that became a byword in industry worldwide. The remarkable thing about Japan and the Japanese is how their culture comes through in the best way in all that they do, be it in education, sport, or international relations. It is visible in their schools, railway stations and trains, and in the way their people behave at soccer matches. All this happened, as I said, with the whole nation working as one with no finish line in sight. Working for the love of their nation and with pride in their culture. It happened because their actions came out of their pride in their identity and culture which they showcased to the world. In the Seerah when we read about the Sahaba, we can see many examples of those who sprinted when there was no finish line in sight. Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib, Mus’ab ibn Omair, Sa’ad bin Mua’ad, Abdullah bin Rawaha, Abdullah bin Jahash, Ja’afar bin Abi Talib, Zaid bin Haritha, Abu Salama, Sumaiyya bint Khayyat, Yasir bin A’amir (RadhiAllahu Anhum Ajmaeen) and many more who died before Fatah Makkah were the foundation stones on which stands the grand edifice of Islam. They didn’t see victory, but it stands on their shoulders because they invested themselves in it and continued to do their best and to invest more and more, ultimately their very lives, even though they never saw any sign of victory. T

The man who survived two atomic bombs: https://www.history.com/news/the-man-who-survived-two-atomic-bombs