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How Paradise Keeps Us Patient | Khutbah
In this khutbah, Dr. Omar Suleiman explains how when we don't find justice or comfort in this life, we turn to what is certain in the next.
Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. Dear brothers and sisters, over the last couple of weeks we've talked about a familiar theme, but perhaps at a little bit of a deeper level when it comes to some of the concepts of supplications, du'a, that we are to make in times of hardship. And why we make the supplications that we do. And so to refresh your memory, we started off with the du'a, Oh Allah, I seek refuge in you from being in grief, in a state of grief, or from being in a state of anxiety. Grief over the past, anxious over that which is still to come. And I seek refuge in you from being incapable or being unwilling through laziness. Being unable to do for myself even though I have the means to do so. And I seek refuge in you from being cowardly or being stingy, holding back when I have. And I seek refuge in you from being overburdened by debt and from being subjugated to men. And we talked about last week how the Prophet's ﷺ reason for hating debt so much was because of some of the bad characteristics that have akhira-oriented consequences. Consequences in the hereafter, if you take on debt habitually and you start to lie to those that you owe money to, you start to find ways out of things, and you get good at lying, you get good at breaking promises, and you start to acquire traits that are undesirable and that ultimately could harm you in the hereafter as well. So not just debt being unpleasant in this life, and we should try to put ourselves in a position where we are not in a state of debt, nor should we hate the poor, or say that this is Allah's punishment to you and Allah loves the rich and He hates the poor. No, but that a person seeks to be in the most favorable and independent state as possible,
so that they can be only vulnerable to the Creator, and at the same time, they activate themselves towards those who have no choice and who are in a state of poverty and debt. So we've talked about these things, and I want to move on to what I think is the most important part of this discussion because it is missing in our discourse on patience. When we talk about consoling people, including ourselves, we often restrict our comforting words to the idea of things getting better or things being better than we can perceive in the worldly sense, meaning what? We say to someone who is going through hardship, including ourselves, we say to ourselves, Allah knows what I don't know. Perhaps, عَسَىٰ أَن تَكْرَهُوا شَيْءٍ وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ It may be that you hate something and it's better for you. There is a wisdom to this entire plan that I cannot comprehend. That's how we comfort ourselves, and we should indeed take comfort in knowing that Allah knows what we don't know. We see the pixels, He sees the whole picture. We also often comfort one another and comfort ourselves by saying, وَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا Verily, with hardship comes ease, and we talk about ease in the worldly sense. Things are going to get better for you. Things are going to look up. Something's going to happen that's going to switch this entire equation, and Allah will support you, and you have been promised victory in this life or to overcome your state of hardship in this life. So we have those things, and they are important in the equation of patience. However, there's something remarkable about the consistency of the Quran and the Sunnah about Jannah, Paradise. Specifically, Jannah, Paradise being a part of the equation of patience. In fact, being its most necessary component. The most necessary component of patience is Paradise.
Now I want to pause here for a moment. We talk about justice all the time, and a believer should not excuse injustice when it happens around them. The believer has to orient themselves with empathy and a strong sense of righteousness, righteous indignation when they see a wrongdoing taking place. And they activate themselves to try to rectify that wrongdoing in this life, especially when it's happening to other than them. So this is not to say that we escape worldly rectification in the name of a better afterlife. But when we ourselves go through this life as individuals or as a community through hardships, the number one ingredient, the number one component of patience is Paradise. And this is throughout the Quran and the Sunnah. And I'll even share with you some things that are very known to you. The stories that I'll share with you in the next few minutes are probably known to most of you, and you've heard them many times. But focus on the familiar components. Number one, the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ, where he said to the woman that was grieving, الصبر عند الصدمة الأولى Patience is at the first strike. What does that look like as a community? When a community is hit hard, what it looks like is Uhud. When the Prophet ﷺ is still covered in blood, he almost died, he lost his uncle, he lost some of his most beloved companions, and the believers have tasted worldly defeat for the first time in the context of battle. And of course it was because of those that disobeyed the Prophet ﷺ and came down from the mountain of the archers and left them vulnerable from the back after they had initial victory. So that's another part of this. But الصدمة الأولى is when my loved ones are still out there and the blood is still fresh and I can see them mutilating their bodies. And I hate to be vivid and vulgar but let's be honest, what are we seeing right now with our brothers and sisters in Gaza and in so many other parts of the world?
Just, you know, things that break the heart. الصدمة الأولى is that we have now retreated to the mountains and we are looking at the battlefield when these disgusting actions are taking place, when these people who have no moral fiber are pouring wine on dead corpses and mutilating our loved ones, even though the previous battle, despite us being the persecuted ones, we let their prisoners go for teaching people how to read, showed them benevolence and generosity that was unheard of in the Arab world. But now this is what they're doing to us. And when Abu Sufyan calls out to the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr and Umar, and we all know the words, the words are what? أُعْلُوْ هُبَل May Hubal be exalted. He exalts the idol. الصدمة الأولى We've just been struck. Does the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr and Umar need time to process what has happened so that they can respond? No, immediately. الله أعلى وأجل God is greater than Hubal, more exalted than your idol Hubal. Abu Sufyan says, wait a minute, this is our victory parade. You're not supposed to respond. He says, لا العزة ولا عزة لكم We have عزة, he names another idol, and you have no عزة. What's the answer? Right away. الله مولانا ولا مولا لكم God is our protector, you have no protector. Wait a minute, this is our victory parade. You're supposed to be hurt right now. You're supposed to be confused and lost. And so he shouts out what? The day of Uhud for the day of Badr. We got revenge on you. We win. What's the response from the Prophet ﷺ? قَتْلَاكُمْ فِي الْنَّارِ وَقَتْلَانَا فِي الْجَنَّةِ Your dead ones are in the fire. Our dead ones are in paradise. Think about that. That's الصدمة الأولى, the first strike for a community.
And how the community responds of the Prophet ﷺ عند الصدمة الأولى with the first strike of patience and it revolves around what? Jannah, paradise. How consistent is this in the discourse of the Prophet ﷺ? When he walks by in his most painful moments in Mecca where they are persecuting the weakest amongst the believers. Sumayyah رضي الله تعالى عنها A black woman who had no tribe to protect her, who had no wealth to protect her, who was being punished cruelly by the Pharaoh of that society, Abu Jahl. And Sumayyah رضي الله تعالى عنها as she's going through that and Asr as he's going through that and as Ammar is going through that. And the worst types of torture, disgusting things. And the Prophet ﷺ can't physically do anything. He's unable. This is العجز. This is what العجز is. We're stuck, we're under persecution. And the only sentence the Prophet ﷺ, who by the way, عزيزون عليه ما عنتم حريصون عليكم He loves us more than we love ourselves. The Prophet ﷺ saw people in pain and he saw animals in pain and it broke his heart ﷺ. It made him cry. And it led him to do things ﷺ to offer recourse. He saw the woman on the enemy side that was killed unjustly. And the Prophet ﷺ stops his army and demands justice for the woman on the other side, an unknown woman from the enemy side. How about Sumayyah? Watching Sumayyah be tortured. And the Prophet ﷺ says, صبراً آل ياسر فإن موعدكم الجنة Be patient, O family of Yasser. You have an appointment in paradise. Paradise is waiting for you. Jannah is waiting for you. It's waiting for you. And as Asiyah ﷺ was being tortured
by her Pharaoh, the wife of Fir'aun, the wife of the Pharaoh himself, as he was torturing his wife, Asiyah ﷺ. And she looked up to the sky. She didn't have the Prophet ﷺ to say to her صبراً آل ياسر or صبراً آل فرعون or صبراً يا أسيا Your موعد is in paradise. Be patient, O Asiyah. Your place is in paradise. But what was the first thing that came to her mind? رَبِّ بِنِي لِي عِندَكَ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ Oh Allah, all this. Just build me a house with you in paradise. And Allah showed her her home in paradise as she left this world. إِنَّ الَّذِينَ قَالُوا رَبُّنَا اللَّهُ ثُمَّ اسْتَقَامُوا Those who say that our Lord is Allah and then they are firm. تَتَنَزَّلُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةِ The angels come down to them. أَلَّا تَخَافُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا Do not fear. Remember we seek refuge in Allah from الهم والحزن, from grief and anxiety. Don't be afraid. Don't grieve and don't be afraid. وَأَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ The first thing you hear from them of a guarantee. أَبْشِرُوا بِالْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي كُنتُمْ تُوعَدُونَ Glad tidings of the paradise that you have been promised. Paradise, it's there for you. This promise that was given to you. Allah did not promise you. Allah did not promise you as an individual that you are going to see perfect justice in your life, in this life. And sometimes you know how we comfort ourselves? We think about just the day of judgment and payback. Payback, right? I'm gonna see that tyrant on the day of judgment and I know the day of judgment is there. And that tyrant will face their consequences. But just as I take some comfort in knowing that the tyrant and the wrongdoer and the oppressor will face their consequences in the hereafter, what am I looking forward to? The reward after that for me. That Jannah, if I'm patient. That paradise, if I'm patient. Allah promised us that paradise if we are patient.
Allah promised us that paradise if we are steadfast. Over and over again in the seerah of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam. And sometimes it's not even injustice. It's when you're at the end of a sickness. It's when it's over. It's when there doesn't seem to be a way out. And the answer from the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam every time is Jannah, is paradise. The woman who had epilepsy that comes to the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam and complains about her condition. And Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa sallam would make dua for shifa, for healing for people all the time. And he would heal people that seemingly were not healable. But with this particular woman, he says to her, If you want, I will ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to cure you. But listen, for you only, this is not for everyone. Allah has something for you. If you're patient, you have paradise waiting for you. She said, no, no, I'm going to be patient though. Haritha bin Suraqa radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu, the young man who died in Badr. And his mother comes to the battlefield and Haritha was very close to his mother. Extremely close to his mother. And she says to the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam, Oh messenger of Allah, I need to know where my son is. SubhanAllah. I need to know where he is, not where he is in the battlefield. In kana fil jannah sabart. If you tell me right now he's in paradise, I'm going to be patient. If he didn't make it, if he didn't make it, then I'm going to cry more and more and more and more. And the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam tells Haritha, Jannah is not just one level. Jannah is multiple levels. And your son Haritha is in al-firdaws al-a'la, is in the highest level of Jannah. The highest level of paradise. May Allah grant it to all of us.
Allahumma ameen. She said in that case I'm patient. I'm okay then. Imam Ahmed rahimullah's son comes to him. Says when does this hardship stop? When do we breathe? When do we relax? When do we get a break? Imam Ahmed rahimullah says what to his son? The first footstep we take in paradise. That's it. We'll be good at that point. Dear brothers and sisters, I'm sharing this particular part because it is in every part of the Quran and every part of the Sunnah. When we comfort ourselves, when we comfort others, which is even more important than comforting ourselves. To remind about paradise. To remind about Jannah. And to be certain in Jannah. Not to feel like it's guaranteed to you. To be certain that it is there and to strive towards it and to seek its reward and to seek its bounty. And if you attach yourself enough to that, then everything else gets put into perspective. Allah tells us in Surah Al-Ghashiyah, when he's talking about the people as they enter into paradise. And what does Allah say? La tasma'u feeha la ghiya. You know everyone talks about a need to disconnect now. What's a vacation now? A vacation doesn't really matter as much about the scenery as it matters about your phone not being with you now, right? I just don't want to be bothered. I want to not have any concerns. I want to not have any worries. I want to relax. Relax the spirit. Your sunset and sunrise are beautiful outside your window too, you know. I just want to relax. I want to get a break. And if you think about a great vacation that you have, as a kid or as an adult, and you knew that two weeks from now, there's this vacation that we're going to take. We already booked the tickets.
We've already seen the pictures. We know it's there. We know the vacation is coming. Doesn't that get you through your workload? Like, all right, I'm going to work really hard for the next few weeks because I know at the end I'm going to take this amazing vacation. Sabran, fa inna mawa'idakumul jannah. Be patient. Paradise has an appointment for you. It has a slot for you. It has a spot for you. Waman sa'al Allah al-jannah thalath marrat qalat al-jannah. Allahumma adkhilhu al-jannah. And the Prophet ﷺ said, whoever asks Allah for paradise three times, paradise responds and says, Oh Allah, enter him into paradise. Allahumma adkhilna al-jannah. Allahumma adkhilna al-jannah. Allahumma adkhilna al-jannah. Allahumma a'idna min al-nar. Allahumma a'idna min al-nar. Allahumma a'idna min al-nar. May Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala grant it to us. May Allah grant us the best of this life and the best of the next. May Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala protect us from harm in this life and in the next. May Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to always have perspective and patience. And may Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala be, may Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala make us amongst the recipients of His promised paradise. May Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us paradise with our beloved Prophet ﷺ and the Prophets and the righteous ones that came before us and that will come after us. May Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala gather us all in Jannatul Firdaus. May Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us patience always and grant us perspective always. May Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala allow us to act with righteousness in our good times and in our bad times. And to seek that which He has promised us of His reward in our good times and in our bad times. Allahumma ameen. Aqoolu qawliya aadha wa astaghfirullahi wa alaikum wa risala muslimin. Fa astaghfiru. Inna huwa al-ghafurun raheem. Alhamdulillah. As-salatu was-salamu ala Rasulullah wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa ma'a lallahu. Dear brothers and sisters, again just a reminder, comfort each other, comfort ourselves with paradise. Ask Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala for it.
Seek the best in this life. Seek justice in this life. But be comforted with His reward in the afterlife. Allahumma adkhilna al-firdaws al-a'ala. Allahumma adkhilna al-firdaws al-a'ala. Allahumma khfir liwalidina. Rabbil hamhuma kamma rabbuna sighara. Rabbana hablana min azwajina wa dhuriyatina qurrat a'ayun. Wa ja'alna lilmuttaqina imama. Allahumma unsir ikhwanina al-mustad'afina fee mashariq al-ardi wa magharibiha. Allahumma ahlik al-dhalimina bil-dhalimin. Wa akhrijna wa ikhwanina min baynihim salimin. Ibadallahin Allahi amru bil-azli wal-ihsan wa ita'idil-qurba. Wa yanaha al-fahsha'i wal-munkari wal-baghih. Ya'ibukum la'adlakum tadhakkanoon. Fathkuru Allah yadhkurukum. Washkuruhu ala ni'ma yadhid lakum. Wa Allahu ya'nima tasna'oon wa aqeem al-salam.
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