Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. Dear brothers and sisters, so often when we talk about the concept of du'a, and we talk about a du'a, a prayer, I can't tell you how many times someone walks up and says, can you give me the du'a for this situation? We're often looking for the perfect formula, the perfect du'a, the perfect supplication to fit our situation. And sometimes we look for the longer du'as, the ones that have such poetry to them, because they're able to encapsulate what we are feeling in such a poetic way. And we know that it comes from our Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, so we attach ourselves to it. So we love these long poetic du'as, and I want to write it down, and make sure that you send it to me, and make sure that you give me this, and make sure that you give me that. And there are two things that are missed in the process. One of them is the value of raw du'a, the value of du'a in your own language, supplication in your own language, where you express those feelings, where Allah does not need you to rhyme, or to sound poetic, or to sound beautiful, or even to speak Arabic when you make your du'a. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala loves to hear your voice, and hear its sincerity, and that is the most important ingredient. However, no doubt, there's blessings in the du'as from the sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. The second part of that, the things that we say so regularly, that we lose value for those things, and we don't realize that they are in fact expressions of du'a. So for example, assalamu alaykum is a du'a, peace be on to you, wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, may the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you. It's a du'a, and so it doesn't really make sense when someone says salam to you, but they intend everything that is in opposition to that peace. So you say salam in anger, and you go on harming and backbiting and hurting the person that you say salam to. No, salam is a contract. It's a prayer and a contract between two brothers and two sisters,
that there is peace, that you're not going to be harmed from my end, and that I will pray for your peace and for your mercy and for blessings in your life. It's a contract that we may betray sometimes when we act in opposition to it. The other one, most common one is alhamdulillah. To say alhamdulillah and to say it in a way that betrays the alhamdulillah. How are you? Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah is an expression of thanks to Allah. It's a du'a, it's a prayer. Alhamdulillah. All praises and thanks are due to Allah. But someone says alhamdulillah in a way that's complaining, even in the way that they say it. Or they say alhamdulillah and then they attach onto it three sentences of complaint. What's the point of your alhamdulillah if you're going to betray it in the way that you say it, and immediately with what you say after it? Alhamdulillah is a du'a. It's a prayer. It's an invocation. It's a powerful one. How are you? How are things going? How are you feeling? How are you coping? Alhamdulillah. No matter what, the hamd belongs to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The praise and thanks and grace belongs to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Now, what we come to today builds on what we've been speaking about over the last few weeks, but I want to preface it with the following. The hadith of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam that we all know. Where the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said, عَجَبًا لِأَمْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ إِنَّ أَمْرَهُ كُلَّهُ خَيْرٌ That how wonderful is the affair of the believer. Everything in his regard is khayr, it's good. If something bad happens to him, إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّىٰ شَكَرًا فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ If he is touched by something that is good, he is grateful and that is better for him. We all know how to express gratitude, we say alhamdulillah. And that is better for him. وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّىٰ صَبَرًا فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ And if he is harmed or if she is harmed by something that is painful,
by something that causes them grief, then they are patient and that is better for them. It's how we express the patience where we actually find most of the du'as. Let me be clear here. The amount of times that I've been asked for du'as for patience versus du'as of thanks is highly disproportionate. Because the reality is we usually look for words when we are in pain. When it comes to gratitude, yeah alhamdulillah. But when it comes to pain and du'a, how do I get this debt away from me, how do I get this pain away, how do I make this situation better? That's when people start looking for the long du'as, right? And that's where we find these blessings from the sunnah. The du'a that I'm going to talk about today has never been given to a prophet before you and I want to say first and foremost what that means. When the Prophet ﷺ was there on the night of al-Isra and al-Mi'raj, on the night of the ascent, he was told, أَبْشِرْ بِنُورَيْنُ أُوْتِيتَهُمَا لَمْ يُؤْتَهُمَا نَبِيٌّ قَبْلَكَ Receive the glad tidings of two lights that have been given to you that were never given to a prophet before you. And the Prophet ﷺ was told, فَاتِحَةُ الْكِتَابِ وَخَوَاتِيمُ سُرَةِ الْبَقْرَةِ The opening of the book, al-Fatiha, and the last two verses of al-Baqara are two gifts that were given to you that were not given to any prophet that came before you. Now when you read Qur'an, when you get into salah, how often do you lose appreciation for al-Fatiha? Because you say it all the time. You get right past it, and now let me think about the surah that I'm going to read. But al-Fatiha is a gift from Allah ﷻ. There is a reason why, and it's for your own good, that you recited every single rak'ah in your prayer, and your prayer is invalid without it. It is greater than what will come after it. So read it over and over and over again, and ponder over it, learn its meanings, and immerse yourself in al-Fatiha, because it's profound, it's beautiful.
And there's a reason why those last two verses of surah al-Baqara are two verses that the Prophet ﷺ taught us we should never leave before we sleep. Every night when we go to sleep, we should read those last two verses of surah al-Baqara, every single night, don't miss them. Just like you don't miss ayat al-Kursi, don't miss those last two verses of surah al-Baqara. So it indicates that Allah has given something special to the Prophet ﷺ, and by extension, us. It's a gift that Allah gives to this ummah, that He favors us with, that allows us to gain greater blessing from Him. So the dua that I will speak about today. Sa'id ibn Jubair radiAllahu ta'ala says, مَا أُعْتِيَ أَحَدٌ مَا أُعْتِيَتْ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ وَلَوْ أُعْتِيَهَا أَحَدٌ لَأُعْتِيَهَا يَعْقُوبُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَلَمْ تَسْمَعْ إِلَىٰ قَوْلِهِ يَا أَسَفَ عَلَى يُوسِفٍ He said, the words that I'm about to share with you were not given to any ummah before you. They are a gift from Allah, not given to any ummah before you. And if they were given to anyone before you, it would have been given to Ya'qub عليه السلام, Jacob, when he lost his son Yusuf عليه السلام, Joseph. And what does he say in the Quran? Oh my grief over Yusuf, Ya'asafa ala Yusuf. So Sa'id ibn Jubair radiAllahu ta'ala was saying, if Allah was going to gift these words to anyone before you, surely it would have been Ya'qub عليه السلام. But the expression, you know, if I say, ready, write it down, it's going to be many lines, you have to memorize this. أَفْكَارَ صَبَاحُ وَالْمَسَاءِ The morning and evening remembrance. No, you know what the words are? إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ This entire build up for إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ You know the thing that you write when you hear someone died, you text it, you say it sort of as a matter of habit. إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ Verily to Allah we belong and to Allah we return. It's only mentioned once in the Quran.
And that is where Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ And give glad tidings to the patient. Remember we said, وَالصَّبْرِ And patience is at the first strike. أَلَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُصِيبًا Those who when they are struck by any tragedy, قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ They respond with what is known as استرجاع, the homecoming du'a. To Allah we belong and to Allah we return. أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ As a result of that, when they say that, when they're struck with something harmful, when they respond with إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ Allah descends His prayers, His forgiveness, His mercy upon those people, and they will remain amongst those who are guided. What do you hope to not lose in tragedy? Perspective. You hope to not lose your way. That the tragedy stops you in your return to Allah. Stops you in your توبة, stops you in your consistency with worship, stops you in your happiness, stops you in your journey. So Allah says, when you say إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ He descends upon you His prayers, His forgiveness, His mercy, and He keeps you upon guidance. Continue along your way. So let's talk about this du'a. إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ That we often just throw out there because we know we're supposed to respond that way to tragedy. Specifically death. You don't really hear إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ being used outside of the context of death. But what makes this such a gift that Allah chose it for this ummah. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala did not give it to anyone before the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam as a word. And that's why you don't find it. You find hamd many times, the praise of Allah many times in the words of the prophets. But you don't find istirja. What is this gift that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given to us? First and foremost,
I want you to pay attention to the times that you probably just thought as the beginning of a du'a. The story of Umm Salama radiyallahu ta'ala Anha when her husband Abu Salama radiyallahu anhu died. And when Abu Salama died, Umm Salama thought, I have nothing. At this point, Abu Salama was an incredible human being and indeed he was a great sahabi. I've got nothing to look forward to in life anymore. And the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam taught her to say the du'a, اللهم جرني في مصيبتي واخلف لي خيرا منها Oh Allah, compensate me for my tragedy and give me better than that which was taken away from me. You know what the du'a actually is? The du'a is, إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون اللهم جرني في مصيبتي واخلف لي خيرا منها It starts off with إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون To Allah we belong and to Allah we return. Oh Allah, compensate me for my tragedy and give me better than what was taken from me. The du'a of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam when Ibrahim, his son, died. We all know the du'a, نلعين لتدمع That the eyes shed tears, the heart breaks. ولا نقول إلا ما يرضي الله And we only say that which is pleasing to Allah. But you know, in every single narration, the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam started off with إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون The way I want you to think about it, it's like the Basmala is to the surah of the Quran. بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Sometimes you say it so quick and you forget that it's actually there for a reason. إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون is in every one of these narrations and the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said whoever is struck by something وَاسْتَرُجَعْ And they respond with إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون Verily to Allah we belong and verily to Allah we return. He said that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will surely compensate them for their grief and Allah will give them better than that
which was taken away from them. The hadith of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam where he said إذا مات ولد العبد قال الله لملائكته When a person loses their child Allah says to the angels قَبَطْتُمْ وَلَدَ عَبْدِي Did you take the child of My servant? And they say نعم They say yes. Allah says, and this is Allah showing you He knows how you feel قَبَطْتُمْ ثَمَرَةَ فُؤَادِهِ You took the apple of His eye You took the most beloved thing in the world to them Yes. قالوا نعم فَيَقُولُوا اللَّهِ مَاذَا قَالَ عَبْدِي Allah says, and what did My servant say? And Allah knows what His servant said. And they say حَمِدَكَ وَاسْتَرْجَعَ They said الحمد لله وَإِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ Verily to Allah we belong and to Allah we return. فَيَقُولُوا اللَّهِ Allah says ابنوا لِعَبْدِي بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَسَمُوهُ بَيْتَ الْحَمْدِ Build for My servant a house in Paradise and call it the House of Praise. إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ is not just the first sentence. It's the core of it. It's the most profound thing you can say when a tragedy hits you. And it's something that we could take for granted. And subhanAllah there's even a narration فُضَيلَ بِنْ عِيَادِ رَحِيمَهُ اللَّهِ One time he saw a man and he saw this man and he said كَمْ أَتَتْ عَلَيْكَ مِنَ السِّنِينِ How many years have passed? Meaning how old are you? He said سِتُونَ سَنَةً He said I'm 60 years old. قَالَ أَوَ مَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّكَ فِي طَرِيقٍ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى Do you realize that you're in that age now where you're getting close to Allah? Right? Wake up. Be certain now. Like make sure that you take advantage of every moment. Because Allah has given you 60 years to know Him and to direct yourself towards Him. That's a gift. قَالَ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ He responded that way and Fudayl said
أَوَ تَعْلَمْ مَا تَقُولُ Do you know what you just said? And he said yeah. He said إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ He said do you know what it means? He said no. I just said it because I was taught that way. We were taught that when disaster hits say إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ He said it means exactly what I'm telling you. إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ You're on your way back to Allah. You're on your way back to Allah. You're getting older so fix yourself, correct your ways now because you are traveling towards Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. So what is the meaning of this word, of this powerful dua? Number one, it is a statement of fact. Number two, it is a supplication of hope combined in one. A statement of fact. إِنَّا لِلَّهِ We belong to Allah. That's a statement of fact. It's acknowledging and affirming what is reality whether you acknowledge it or affirm it or not. If you deny it, it doesn't make it any less true. إِنَّا لِلَّهِ We belong to Allah. قُلِ اللَّهُمَ مَارِكَ الْمُلْكِ تُؤْتِي الْمُلْكَ مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتَنْزِعُ الْمُلْكَ مِمَّنْ تَشَاءُ وَتُعِزُّ مَنْ تَشَاءُ وَتُذِلُّ مَنْ تَشَاءُ بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرِ إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٍ You give to whom you will, you withhold from whom you will. You honor whom you will, you disgrace whom you will. The point is, بِيَدِكَ الْخَيْرِ We affirm that goodness is all in your hand. إِنَّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٍ And you have power over all things. Meaning it's a statement of fact. تُخْرِجُ الْحَيَّ مِنَ الْمَيِّتِ وَتُخْرِجُ الْمَيِّتَ مِنَ الْحَيْي You take the dead from the living and the living from the dead. Statement of fact. And then, Oh Allah, I know that you own me. I know that I am in your hands. I know that I have no power over myself. So it's a statement of fact and a statement of hope.
Ya Allah, I wouldn't want to be anyone else's. I wouldn't want to belong to anyone else. I wouldn't want anyone else to control my affairs. I wouldn't want anyone else to be my master. It's just you, Oh Allah. And I'm happy with that. So it's an affirmation of fact, a statement of hope. إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ To you we return. You're returning to Allah whether you like it or not, whether you acknowledge it or not, right? But إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ is a statement of hope. Ya Allah, you will not let me down when I meet you. So long as I did what I was commanded. Ya Allah, do not let me be amongst the disappointed. Ya Allah, do not let me be amongst the deprived. Ya Allah, let the pain that I feel now that I responded to with praise be granted paradise on the day of judgment. All of these are embedded in إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ I'm coming back to you, Oh Allah. This just reminded me that I'm on my way back to you as well. You took something away from me in this world to remind me that this entire world is eventually going to be taken away from me. One layer of the veil between you and I has been pulled back until the entire layer, which is life as a whole, pulled back. بَصَرُ كَالْيَوْمَ حَدِيدٌ With death, one layer has been pulled, one curtain has been pulled back, the entire thing is eventually going to be pulled. And I'm going to be standing in front of you, Oh Allah. And I have hope in that moment, Oh Allah. I have hope in that moment, Oh Allah, that I stand before you. So it's an affirmation of fact and a supplication of hope. The last thing that I want to say to your brothers and sisters is a story from the Prophet ﷺ in the seerah, where sometimes the way that the sahaba used to use these words is completely different from the way that we use these words. Okay? سُبْحَانَ اللَّهَ لَحَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَةَ أَلَبْلَى In general, right? Like culture dictates sometimes the usage of these words. One of the most powerful usages of these words is in the story of the slander of Aisha رضي الله تعالى عنها.
And it wasn't her that used the word. How did the entire slander of Aisha رضي الله عنها happen? They were on their way back from Bani Mustalaq. Aisha رضي الله عنها went to take a nap under a tree. She overslept. The caravan left thinking that she was in her place and she was not. And so the Prophet ﷺ and the caravan went ahead and Aisha رضي الله عنها slept through it all, right? This is how it all starts. A man by the name of Safwan ibn Mu'attal رضي الله تعالى عنه. Safwan goes out. He's the one that would check after everyone left. And he sees Aisha رضي الله عنها under the tree. And as he sees her, his first expression is إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ He actually says it. Why does he say it? Because he knows there is no way that those people that gossip and make fitna are not going to turn this into something it's not. As soon as I wake her up and even if I act in the most noble way, which I will, Safwan literally sits his camel down, goes back, lets her get on the camel, and then takes her into Madinah. He doesn't even talk to her to maintain that nobility and that barrier, to keep away كلام الناس, to keep away the words of the people and the gossip of the people. But he knew as soon as this is happening, he's a smart man, إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ I know what comes next. I know what comes next. SubhanAllah, and what came? Exactly what he feared. As soon as he walked into Madinah, Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Surur sees them and says, ها ما سَلِمَتْ مِنْهُ She was not safe from him, nor was he safe from her. I guarantee something happened there. Then the whole fitna happens. Right? Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala cleared the name of Aisha رضي الله عنها as we know. But what did Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala also do for Safwan because of the way that he responded? He did exactly what he was supposed to do, right? He did nothing wrong. He did everything right.
And we always talk about the story of our mother Aisha رضي الله عنها being cleared and indeed 10 ayats for Aisha رضي الله عنها. Amazing. Where Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala clears her name. But Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala says in verse 26, أُولَٰئِكَ مُبَرَّؤُونَ مِمَّا يَقُولُونَ Those two, they are free from what was said about them. لَهُم مَغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ They have been granted forgiveness and a wonderful sustenance. You know the barakah, the blessing that comes in the life of Safwan after that incidents because he responded the way he was supposed to respond as well. Safwan is in this equation too. He's just the one that fades into the background. But Allah says he was forgiven. Also cleared from the heavens. وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ And Allah descended upon him all sorts of blessings. And Imam al-Qurtubi says in conclusion of this, dear brothers and sisters, that Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam taught us to say, إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ Even when the lamp goes out. You know sometimes the power goes out. What's your first response? The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was, إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ That's how we are to function with this beautiful word. So let's bring back the life of this phrase, the way that we bring back the life of Alhamdulillah. We ask Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala to always find us in a place of praise and in a place of responding and returning to Him. اللهم آمين أقولك بهذا و أستغفر الله لي ولكم و لسائر المسلمين فاستغفروا إنه الغفور الرحيم الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله وعلى آله و صحبه ومن ولاه اللهم اغفر المؤمنين والمؤمنات والمسلمين والمسلمات الأحياء منهم والأمات إنك سميع قريب و مجيب دعوات اللهم اغفر لنا و ارحمنا و اعفوا عنا و لا تعذبنا ربنا ظلمنا أنفسنا وإن لم تغفر لنا و ترحمنا لنكوننا من الخاسرين اللهم إنك عفو كريم تحب العفو فاعفوا عنا اللهم اغفر لوالدين رب رحمهما كما ربهما صغارا
ربنا هبلنا من أزواجنا و ذرياتنا قرة أعين و جعلنا للمتقين إماما اللهم انصر إخواننا المستضعفين في مشاركة أرض و مغاربها اللهم أهلك الظالمين بالظالمين و أخرجنا و إخواننا من بينهم سالمين عباد الله إن الله يأمر بالعلي و الإحسان و إيتاء ذي القربة و ينهى عن الفحشاء و المنكر و البغي يعظكم لعلكم تذكرون فاذكروا الله يذكركم و اشكروه عن النعماء يزد لكم ولذكر الله أكبر و الله يعلم ما تصنعون و السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
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