Fajr Reminders - Mahmood Habib Masjid and Islamic Center

Video of the reminder: https://youtu.be/_cMaDcWtML8

I remind you and myself that a fire can’t be extinguished by another fire but by pouring water over it. Violence does not end violence. It only increases it. As Muslims we are against all violence, no matter who does it. We condemn the actions of Hamas and all calls to violence. We follow the Qur’an which clearly advocates against violence and murder and says: مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَٰلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَىٰ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ أَنَّهُۥ مَن قَتَلَ نَفْسًۢا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَآ أَحْيَا ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعًا Ma’aida 5: 32 That is why We ordained for the Children of Israel that whoever takes a life—unless as a punishment for murder or mischief in the land—it will be as if they killed all of humanity; and whoever saves a life, it will be as if they saved all of humanity. The example of Rasoolullahﷺ is the best example for us to follow. In Makkah where heﷺ and those with him were subjected to the greatest persecution including when some of his Sahaba, like Sumaiyya bint Khayyat (RA) and her husband, Yasir bin Amir (R), the parents of Ammar bin Yasir (R), were being tortured and were eventually murdered by Abu Jahal, Rasoolullahﷺ advised them and Ammar bin Yasir (R) to be patient; to have Sabr. He didn’t tell them to retaliate or fight the oppressor. This was not pacifism. This was guidance from Allahﷻ because whatever Rasoolullahﷺ said or did, was because of Wahi from Allahﷻ. Then when Rasoolullahﷺ had been given victory over his enemies who had persecuted him and his family, killed his daughter, killed many of his Sahaba who he loved more than we love our own children, he forgave them all. He didn’t extract revenge though it was in his power to do so, and he would have been justified if he had done so. He did not do that because there is only one way to stop the cycle of violence and that is to break the cycle. The truth about any conflict without exception, be it between individuals, groups, or nations, is that it can only be resolved by all parties sitting together in an atmosphere of mutual respect and arrive at an agreement which is just and fair for all. No matter how difficult this may seem to be or how long it takes, this is the only way to resolve any conflict. There is no other way. The sooner all parties wake up to this and come together to speak, the sooner the conflict will end. This is what we must pray for. For Sabr, for the ability to get over the pain, for the wisdom to forgive and to go forward. I advise you and myself, that we must repair our relationship with Allahﷻ and beg for His Forgiveness and ask Him for His help. That's the only way to change the terrible situation that we find ourselves in. I therefore want to begin by asking Allahﷻ for His Mercy and Forgiveness and for His Protection from all evil; what is visible and known and what is invisible and hidden. Justice is only with Allahﷻ and will happen only when Allahﷻ Wills it. Allahﷻ’s Will depends on our actions and so we need to correct our actions. Our situation will not change until we change ourselves. Islam demands complete submission and obedience as a condition of faith. A Muslim is one who has submitted. Not someone sitting on the fence and trying to find a desire-compatible version of Islam. Islam didn’t come in different flavors and amounts of caffeine or sugar. Islam came as one complete truth, needing no additions, subtractions, good for all time, needing no alterations or corrections. Allahﷻ commanded us and said: يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ فِى ٱلسِّلْمِ كَآفَّةً وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ Baqara 2: 208 O believers! Enter Islam wholeheartedly and do not follow Satan’s footsteps. Surely, he is your sworn enemy. It is our attitude of selective obedience which is the root cause of bringing upon ourselves the anger of Allahﷻ.‎ Allahﷻ told us that selective obedience is disobedience and will attract its own consequences. We are free to choose but the choice is not free. Every choice comes with a price tag. It is like shopping. You are free to choose anything in the shop but try walking out without paying for it and you will know what I mean by price tag. That is life. Choose anything, any way to live, any action, any way to relate to others, to speak, to earn, to eat or drink. But remember that everything has a price tag. If we choose it, we will pay for it. There are no exceptions. If the choice is good, we are rewarded. If not, it attracts punishment. No exceptions. أَفَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِبَعْضِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَتَكْفُرُونَ بِبَعْضٍ فَمَا جَزَآءُ مَن يَفْعَلُ ذَٰلِكَ مِنكُمْ إِلَّا خِزْىٌ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ يُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰٓ أَشَدِّ ٱلْعَذَابِ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ بِغَـٰفِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ Baqara 2:85 Then do you believe in a part of the Scripture and reject the rest? Then what is the reward for those who do so among you, except disgrace in the life of this

Video of the reminder: https://youtu.be/ToKMdA57vN0

My brothers and sisters, the default setting for the Muslim is that he/she is a Wali of Allahﷻ. This is not my imagination but Allahﷻ stated that clearly in His Book and said: أَلَآ إِنَّ أَوْلِيَآءَ ٱللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَكَانُوا۟ يَتَّقُونَ لَهُمُ ٱلْبُشْرَىٰ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِكَلِمَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ ذَٰلِكَ هُوَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ Yunus 10: 62-64 There will certainly be no fear for the Awlia (slaves who Allahﷻ loves) of Allah, nor will they grieve. ˹They are˺ those who are faithful and are mindful ˹of Him˺ For them is good news in this worldly life and the Hereafter. There is no change in the promise of Allah. That is ˹truly˺ the ultimate triumph Allahﷻ, in His Infinite Mercy didn’t specify the level of Iman or Taqwa. Allahﷻ went even further and mentioned His special favor on us: ٱللَّهُ وَلِىُّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ يُخْرِجُهُم مِّنَ ٱلظُّلُمَـٰتِ إِلَى ٱلنُّورِ Baqara 2: 257 Allah is the Guardian of the Believers—He brings them out of darkness and into light. About our last moments which we must always think about, Allahﷻ described a situation that I ask Allahﷻ for all of us, where we will be given the good news of Jannah before we leave this life. He said: إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوا۟ رَبُّنَا ٱللَّهُ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَقَـٰمُوا۟ تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ أَلَّا تَخَافُوا۟ وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا۟ وَأَبْشِرُوا۟ بِٱلْجَنَّةِ ٱلَّتِى كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ نَحْنُ أَوْلِيَآؤُكُمْ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَشْتَهِىٓ أَنفُسُكُمْ وَلَكُمْ فِيهَا مَا تَدَّعُونَ نُزُلًا مِّنْ غَفُورٍ رَّحِيمٍ Fussilat 41:30-32 Surely those who say, “Our Rabb is Allah,” and then remain steadfast, the angels descend upon them, ˹saying,˺ “Do not fear, nor grieve. Rather, rejoice in the good news of Jannah, which you have been promised. We are your supporters in this worldly life and in the Hereafter. There you will have whatever your souls desire, and there you will have whatever you ask for: a welcome from the All-Forgiving, Most Merciful ˹Rabb˺.” As I have said many times before, there are only two things that are critical needs for the human being – Dharooriyaat. Hidaya (guidance) in life and Maghfirah (Allahﷻ’s forgiveness) after death. Nothing else is Dharoori – critical. I remember and remind you that these last moments on earth are the time when everyone is afraid. Without exception everyone is fearful about a world we have not seen and in which we will not have any power to change our situation. At that time, Allahﷻ will send His Angels to comfort us and to promise to be with us in the journey and convey to us, Allahﷻ’s promise of forgiveness. Nuzul is a welcome gesture (like a drink of cold water or juice) for a thirsty traveler which is a precursor and promise of what is to follow. In this case it is the announcement of Jannah for the Wali of Allahﷻ, even before his soul leaves his body. So, In-sha-Allahﷻ all Muslims are the Awlia of Allahﷻ. As long as we don’t commit Shirk or Kufr and we try our best to fulfill our duties, we can hope for Allahﷻ’s Forgiveness. What sense does it make to ruin this by taking interest-based loans and thereby removing ourselves from the list of Awlia of Allahﷻ and entering our names in the list of enemies of Allahﷻ? Especially because whatever we take the loan for, will remain here when we die while our action of challenging Allahﷻ and accepting the declaration of war from Him, will go with us into the Aakhira. That is how evil interest is. Allahﷻ mentioned our Rizq in very clear terms: اللَّهُ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَاء مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَيَقْدِرُ لَهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ Ankabut 29: 62. Allah enlarges the provision for whom He wills of His slaves and restricts it for whom (He wills). Verily, Allah is the All-Knower of everything. إِنَّ رَبَّكَ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَاء وَيَقْدِرُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ بِعِبَادِهِ خَبِيرًا بَصِيرًا Isra 17: 30 Truly, your Rabb enlarges the provision for whom He wills and restricts (for whom He wills). Verily, He is Ever All-Knower, All-Seer of His slaves. أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَاء وَيَقْدِرُ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ Rum 30: 37 Do they not see that Allah enlarges the provision for whom He wills and restricts (it for whom He wills). Verily, in that are indeed signs for people who believe. قُلْ إِنَّ رَبِّي يَبْسُطُ الرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَاء وَيَقْدِرُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ Saba 34: 36 Say (O Muhammadﷺ): "Verily, my Rabb enlarges and restricts the provision to whom He pleases, but most people know not." The question I ask myself and ask you to ask yourself is, ‘If our Rizq is fixed and the only choice we have is about the way we obtain it, then what sense does it make to take it from a place which Allahﷻ prohibited? Whatever we possess in this life, whether it is Halaal or Haraam, will remain here. Only what we send ahead i.e.

Video of the reminder: https://youtu.be/0TGj53v72ls

Video of the reminder: https://youtu.be/YnRyL6rehws

Islam is a belief system. You enter Islam by believing and declaring that belief. It is equally simple to leave Islam. That is why it is essential to ensure that we never say or do anything that contradicts or denies our belief. That is why knowledge is important and it begins with fundamentals. Which is why systematic study of Islam is so important. Learning Islam is not about randomly reading this or that book, including the Qur’an but about studying the Usool (Principles) of Deen and then the Usool of whichever discipline of Deen you are studying before touching any of the books. Only then can one expect to understand Islam in any depth. Needless to say, a thorough knowledge of classical Arabic is critical to understanding the texts that no translation in any language can do justice to. Then, like in any practice, be it martial arts, medicine, or flying a plane, it is living Islam under the supervision of a teacher which is the foundation of all knowledge. True knowledge comes only and only from practice. Not from reading theory. Anyone who truly wants to learn Islam in depth, must go the whole way starting with becoming proficient in Arabic at a native speaker level and then seeking teachers to learn and practice under, until he or she is certified as being competent to teach or give their opinion on matters. This is the famous system of Ijaaza – on which our modern-day university education and the awarding of degrees is based. It is taken from Islamic scholarly tradition. To illustrate the matter of entering or leaving Islam with a simple example; Salah is a fundamental principle and one of the five pillars of Islam. If someone doesn’t pray, he is committing a major sin for which he must seek forgiveness. But if a person prays but says that prayer is not Fardh (compulsory) but optional and one can pray or not depending on his wish, that person has left Islam, even though he may pray himself. The same thing applies to everything that Allahﷻ commanded or prohibited. If a Muslim believes and speaks contrary to that, he risks leaving the fold of Islam. It is not just a matter of opinion. If the opinion of a Muslim contradicts or denies what Allahﷻ ordered or His Messengerﷺ taught, it takes the person out of Islam. He will then have to repent, seek Allahﷻ’s forgiveness and re-enter Islam. If not, and he dies, he would have died without Islam, even if he had been doing other prescribed things. Allahﷻ made it clear that selective obedience is disobedience. يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ فِى ٱلسِّلْمِ كَآفَّةً وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا۟ خُطُوَٰتِ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ إِنَّهُۥ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ Baqara 2: 208 O Believers! Enter Islam completely and do not follow Shaytan’s footsteps. Surely, he is your sworn enemy. The Ayah is addressed to the Believers who already believe, showing that merely saying that we believe is not enough. Belief must be demonstrated in all aspects of life and not as a matter of personal choice. The word ‘Muslim’ is a verb. It describes someone who is doing something. Someone who has submitted to Allahﷻ. Not someone who knows about Islam no matter how much. A Haaji is someone who has done Hajj, not the bus driver for Hujjaj. A Sa’aim is one who fasting. Not one who knows about fasting. A Musalli is one who is praying. Not someone who knows how to pray but doesn’t pray himself. About selective obedience, Allahﷻ declared very clearly: أَفَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِبَعْضِ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَتَكْفُرُونَ بِبَعْضٍ فَمَا جَزَآءُ مَن يَفْعَلُ ذَٰلِكَ مِنكُمْ إِلَّا خِزْىٌ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ يُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰٓ أَشَدِّ ٱلْعَذَابِ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ بِغَـٰفِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ Baqara 2: 85 Do you believe in some of the Scripture and reject the rest? Is there any reward for those who do so among you other than disgrace in this worldly life and being subjected to the harshest punishment on the Day of Judgment? For Allah is never unaware of what you do. This is our biggest problem today. Muslims want Islam in their choice of flavor. But Islam didn’t come in different flavors. The beauty of Islam is that it is universal and the same for all people everywhere, in every era. There is no Arab Islam and American Islam and Desi Islam. There is one Islam and all those who practice it are Muslim and equal before Allahﷻ distinguished only by the extent to which they are concerned about pleasing Allahﷻ i.e., by their Taqwa. As Allahﷻ said in Sura Al-Hujuraat: إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتْقَىٰكُمْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ Hujuraat 49:13 Surely the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you. Allah is truly All-Knowing, All-Aware. We Muslims are people of action. We are distinguished by what we do. Let us focus on that. What we choose to do or not to do defines brand value and character. Sometimes we believe that we Muslims are held back from progress because we are not allowed to take interest-based loans. Let me try to address this in the only way that ma