Whenever the worship gets harder on an individual, or when there are a few worshiping Allah instead of being comfortable in their beds, the reward is higher. In the state of NJ, there are about 5 million people. How many people pray Salatul Eid? 1/2 million. Well, ok..you’re one of 1/2 million. How many pray people pray Salatul Jumaa? 1/4 million. Well, alright you’re 1/4 million, but how many people are up at 2 or 3 am to sit with Allah swt and raise their hands to make duaa or lower their heads to make sujood? How many are actually up having this intimate conversation with their Lord? 1/2 million? Nope. 1000? Nope. 100? Nope. It can possibly be 3 or 4 people out of the 5 million.  

What if you were one of those people, and you sincerely repented to Him or sincerely asked Him for Jannah or just anything you want? Open your heart to Him and think of it as an intimate relationship between you and Allah swt <3

The most pure and sweetest love that can ever exist;

Shaykh Safwat Al-Hijazi, a great scholar from Egypt said that there was a man who prayed qiyām’l-layl and never missed a ṣalāh in the masjid for the past 15 years since he was 15 years old. He said, “One day he came to me and told me, ‘I’ve been doing qiyām’l-layl and this and that. What is the difference between me and the ṣaḥābah?’ I could sense from his words that he had arrogance. I said, ‘You are a righteous person. Ask Allāh (subḥānahu wa ta‘āla) to show you what the difference is between you and the ṣaḥābah.’ He came at fajr and said, ‘I found the difference between me and the ṣaḥābah. Last night, I prayed and asked Allāh to show me the difference between us and the ṣaḥābah. I saw the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) come to me in a dream with the same description that I’ve read in books. He was holding my hand and in the other hand he was holding the hand of one of the companions. We were on a highway and a car was coming very fast, and the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) told me to stop the car from hitting us. I took a rock and threw it. I tried everything, but the car kept coming. I felt so sad. I came to the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and told him I threw everything I could and couldn’t stop the car. The Prophet (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) looked at the companion and told him to stop the car, and the companion went and stopped right in front of the car and the car hit him and stopped. He stopped the car with his own body. Then I woke up from my dream with tears in my eyes and realized the difference between us and the ṣaḥābah.’”

Allāh chose the companions specifically to be in the company of Muhammad (ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) because they are role models. We learn from their lives.

As we start practicing our faith more, it is important to surround ourselves with people that help us to excel in the deen. Indeed, some people may hinder our progression in learning more about our beautiful faith so we should not allow ourselves to be held back. We need to try to be with those who are true and righteous as we are told,

“O you who have believed, fear Allah and be with those who are true” [9:119]

Dawah means you’re calling over to somebody to what you have. Dawah is for muslims, non-muslims, family, friends, co-workers, classmates, etc. Dawah is for everyone. You’re calling everyone to the truth that Allah (swt) has given you. When you look at the ummah today, no one will disagree that one of our biggest problems is disunity. We’re all fragmented; different pieces and different parts. Even look at the families, even the families are separated. They’re not one whole functioning movement. Everyone is doing their own thing. How can we have unity in the Islamic ummah if we can’t even achieve unity within 4 or 5 people in our homes? This is why dawah is imperative, this is why dawah is important to everyone, in the way you act, the way you speak, the way you dress, the way you eat are all things that show Islam to everyone: Your mother, your father, children, wives, friends…etc.. 

“Guide us to the straight path.” It doesn’t say “Guide me to the straight path” It’s plural. Believing, and having iman is a group effort. It’s not something you do by yourself, it’s something you do as a community, it’s something you do as a family. It’s something you do together because if you really believed in something, you will share it with everybody and everyone that you love. You should be the shining example of the Truth that you believe in. 

Surat Al-Asr:

Wal 3asr: He uses the time “Asr” and asr comes from the word “3asara” meaning to squeeze something like water or oil or liquid out of something. 

Why do we call the prayer before Maghrib Asr? Because that’s when the day is being squeezed, it’s disappearing. So Allah swears by the time and he gives it this idea of 3asr that it’s squeezing away, so be aware that the time is going away! 

What’s the answer? He says “Innal insan la fe khusr” That indeed, the human being is drowned in loss, the human being is a loser, except for THOSE (plural) who has these four qualities: (il lalatheena)

1) who believe (amanu) 

2) who do good work (wa 3amalu alsale7at)

3) who preach the truth  (wa tawaso bel haq) 

4) who preach patience (wal tawaso bel sabr) 

Scholars give an interesting image:

Imagine that you are unconscious and drowning in a sea. All of a sudden, you realize that you are submerged (drowning) in water and you are just unconscious. What’s the first thing you’re going to do? You’re going to wake up and say “I gotta get out of here or I’m going to die!” 

walatheena amanu: First you have to believe that you have to do something. 

3amalu elsalehat: Then you’re going to try to get out of there so you don’t die. This is like the one who is doing the good work. 

Once you finally get up to the top of the water and you breathe and fill your lungs with that first breath of air. You run and feel something is pulling you from down and suddenly you get drawn all the way back down to the water and you get sucked back down, and you’re drowning again. And you look down below you and you see that your leg is chained to somebody else, one of your family members and he/she is also unconscious and drowning. 

What do you have to do? This is like tawaso bel haqq. You have to say “Come on, wake up, we both have to go, or else we’re both going to die!” So you try and wake up your loved one and then you both get pulled down again. This is watawaso bel sabr (Those who preach patience) 

First, you have to be aware (you believe in the One God) and then you do works to please this One God and then you preach the truth. You explain it to everybody else the truth that Allah (swt) has given you. When you find difficulty or resistance from people, this is when you have to be “watawaso bel sabr” (those who are preaching the patience) not just saying “This is the way to believe.” You have to be patient when they believe it. You can’t just be frustrated and angry. Be like Ibrahim, he said “Rabbena takabel mena” because he was aware that he can’t be perfect every single moment, he can’t remember Allah (swt) in every single moment. 

May Allah make us patient when we are giving dawah. May Allah make us of those who are constantly striving to be the best example of the truth that we believe in.

~Khutbah given by Omar Ibrahim