TRAILER: The Book of Heart Softeners | Dhul Hijjah 2026 | Dr. Omar Suleiman and Sh. Ali Hammuda
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Do You Really Want to Meet Allah? I Dhul Hijjah Series | Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ali Hammuda
What Goes With You When You Die? I Dhul Hijjah Series | Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ali Hammuda
Ep.3 Your Tongue Will Speak Against You | Dhul Hijjah Series | Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ali Hammuda
Ep.4 Your Actions Will Be Exposed | Dhul Hijjah Series | Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ali Hammuda
Ep.5 How You Will Be Resurrected | Dhul Hijjah Series | Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ali Hammuda
Ep.6 You Will Drown in Your Worst Deeds | Dhul Hijjah Series | Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ali Hammuda
Ep.7 Save Yourself with Small Acts | Dhul Hijjah Series | Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ali Hammuda
Ep.8 How to Have Jannah Pray for You | Dhul Hijjah Series | Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ali Hammuda
Ep.9 | All You Have to Do is Acknowledge Allah | Dhul Hijjah | Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ali Hammuda
Ep.10 | He Will Give You What You Hope For | Dhul Hijjah | Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ali Hammuda
The Book of Heart Softeners Dhul Hijjah 2026
Do You Really Want to Meet Allah? I Dhul Hijjah Series | Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ali Hammuda
"Can you long to meet Allah even if you fear death? In the first episode of The Book of Heart Softeners, Sh. Omar Suleiman and Sh. Ali Hammuda reflect on the profound hadith:
“Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet them.” Together, they explore the believer’s relationship with death, longing for the Hereafter, fearing Allah while hoping in Him, and how sincere striving transforms fear into anticipation.
As Dhul Hijjah begins, this conversation invites you to rethink your attachment to dunya and renew your yearning for Allah’s mercy, pleasure, and ultimately, your meeting with Him."
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings.
How badly do you want to meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? How badly do you want to have that moment, the one that you've been longing for?
So our mother A'ishah radiyaAllahu anha found herself when hearing this hadith for the first time in a bit of a dilemma, a bit of an internal conundrum.
On the one hand, she loves Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and she loves to meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. I pray, I fast, I give charity, I do all the right things or so I thought I did, but here
I am not liking death. As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh everyone.
Welcome to our series on Kitab al-Riqaq, the book of Heart Softeners, where we will be joined by our beloved Shaykh Ali Hamouda bi-idhnillahi ta'ala. I will be reading these ahadith that we've chosen from this wonderful book, and we will
be listening to Shaykh Ali's commentary bi-idhnillahi ta'ala, and hopefully interacting with you a bit bi-idhnillahi ta'ala to really try to get the full benefit of this, especially in a time like Dhul Hijjah where we're transforming ourselves and seeing the images of a journey
and going back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, taking the heart on Hajj, taking the heart on a journey back to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala with our wonderful group here. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless you all in the night, in the middle of the desert
to be enlightened bi-idhnillahi ta'ala by Shaykh Ali's commentary. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless you and preserve you, Shaykh. We start with a hadith that gets to the heart of the matter.
How badly do you want to meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? How badly do you want to have that moment, the one that you've been calling upon, the one that you've been longing for, the one that you could not see but you knew that
he could always see you, now brings you right in front of him and you can see him. How much do you long for that meeting? And so the hadith is under the chapter Man ahabba liqa'a Allah, ahabba Allah liqa'ah, whoever
loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet them. 'Ubadah ibn Samit radiyaAllahu anhu narrates from the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam,
who said, man ahabba liqa'a Allah ahabba Allah liqa'ah. 'Ubadah ibn Samit radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu narrates that the Prophet salallahu alayhi
wa sallam said, whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet them. And whoever hates to meet Allah, Allah hates to meet them. Qalat A'ishah, A'ishah radiyaAllahu ta'ala anha said, inna lanakrahu al-mawt, that verily we
hate death. And the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam said, laysa dhalik, that's not what I'm speaking about.
walakinna almu'min idha hadharahul mawt bushshira bi ridwanillahi wa karamatihi, falaysa shay'un ahabba ilayhi mimma amamahu.
But rather the believer, when the time of death comes to them, and they are given the news of the pleasure of Allah and the generosity and honor of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, then
nothing is more beloved to them than that which is still ahead, being that meeting with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and what precedes it. So they love to meet Allah, and Allah loves to meet them.
Fa ahabba liqa'a Allah wa ahabba Allah liqa'ah. wa inna al-kafir idha hudira bushshira bi 'adhab illahi wa 'iqabatihi, fa laysa shay'un
akrahu ilayhi mimma amamahu, fa kariha liqa'a Allah wa kariha Allah liqa'ah. As for the disbeliever, at the time of death, when they are given the news of Allah subhanahu
wa ta'ala's punishment, his anger, the consequences of their deeds, then at that point, they hate to meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Nothing is more hated to them than that which is ahead. And they hate to meet Allah.
And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala hates to meet them. You know, subhanAllah, this is such a profound hadith in so many different ways. But I'm often asked, what's my favorite surah in the Qur'an?
And it changes from time to time, Shaykh, based upon the circumstances that I'm either in or the world is in. But the first page and a half of Surah Yunus, for some reason, subhanAllah, was always one of my favorite portions of the Qur'an.
And it's in this particular ayah, inna alladhina la yarjuna liqa'ana wa radu bil-hayat al-dunya wa tamaa'u biha. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, those who don't want to meet us, those who do not wish to meet us.
And they are pleased with the life of this world. And they settle, they are finding their tranquility or seeking their tranquility, seeking their settlement in this world.
And I often think about this idea of what does it mean to not want to meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And I remember reading the tafsir of this, and the ulama had multiple benefits of this. La yarjun min liqa'ihi shay'a.
They have nothing that they hope for from meeting him. They've been denying this meeting altogether. So they have nothing to look forward to from meeting him, except for punishment. La yarjun fi liqa'ihi.
They don't have any want or desire for anything that could come from that meeting. They've been ignoring this meeting because they've been ignoring the Creator Himself.
And here we are Shaykh, and I want you to walk us through this hadith, what are the implications of wanting to meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and hopefully, Allah 'azawajal loving to meet us as well.
Alhamdulillah wa as-salatu wa as-salamu 'ala rasulillahi wa 'ala alihi wa sahbihi man wala. So our mother A'ishah radiyaAllahu anha found herself when hearing this hadith for the first
time in a bit of a dilemma, a bit of an internal conundrum. On the one hand, she loves Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And she loves to meet Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
I pray, I fast, I give charity, I do all the right things, or so I thought I did. But here I am, not liking death.
And since death is the necessary gateway to get to the Beloved, to get to our Lord subhanahu wa ta'ala, and I hate the entry, does that mean that I also hate by extension the destination? This was the confusion.
And here the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam reassured her by saying to her, that's not what is meant. And again, the blessing that Allah gifted us with mother A'ishah to ask these subtle and
intricate questions so that we may discuss it 1400 years and learn new layers of meaning. He said to her, that's not what is meant. And then he goes on to explain essentially, salallahu alayhi wa sallam, as you heard,
that when a person is in the process of soul extraction, he's now slipping away into the other world, wherever that moment may be, whether it's in a hospital bed, or whether
it's on a battlefield, or whether it's in your office. And that beginning of separation starts where you're still in the life of this world, you're still aware of those around you, but you're beginning to see foreign objects, foreign
faces, and it's clear that you are departing. At that moment of reception, underline the word, reception, at that moment of reception, you know what the end destination looks like.
By those who've come to receive you, either they are beautiful faces, with light and reassuring smiles, or either they are dark faces, with very threatening faces, or threatening appearances.
Therefore, from the reception, you know, the end is going to be the pleasure of Allah Almighty and Jannah. So you love to meet Allah, you want to go the full length of the journey. The other person, on the other hand, knows that the end destination will be what?
The wrath of Allah Almighty and Hell. So you are afraid of the end journey, and therefore you will hate God, forbid, may Allah protect us, the meeting with Allah Almighty, so Allah will reciprocate it, he will hate to meet him.
So this was the clarification given by the Prophet to A'ishah, and this was the clarification that she would then give to the Tabi'in. Like Shurayh ibn Hani, when he heard this hadith, he also said, Halakna, we're ruined!
And he had the same issue in his mind that our mother A'ishah had when hearing the hadith. And then he went to her, mother of the believers, I have a problem, and she educated him, just
as the Prophet salallahu alayhi wa sallam educated her. This idea, my brothers, of the reception giving you the ambience of what is to come.
Reception is what gives you the indication of the truth of a place. You realize that reception is what mattered the most, not just you reaching a destination as home. How does it begin? What are the signs of what follow?
And a worldly analogy, that we can all perhaps relate to, is two people who hop off the same aircraft to meet a completely different reception when they arrive at the airport.
Two people who are walking down the same corridor, who heard the same humming of the same engine, who sat on the same row of seats, arrived at the same destination, the same airport. One of them, he meets family and friends at the reception, and there's perhaps flowers
and chocolates and signs and tears and warmth and expressions, and arms are wrapped all around his body, and his heart just forgets all of the pain of the journey, and he's now
excited to leave the airport and see what is beyond it. And the other person, his twin in experience, but has a different moment here, who is taken
aside by grim and angry faces, people in uniform, stern appearances, and a scan
of his iris, and a scan of his DNA, a swab from his mouth, and they are putting his passport up to a scanner, and they are emptying his bag onto a cold metal table.
Every question feels like an accusation, and that's just the reception. So he hates the idea of leaving the airport as much as he hates that experience, because
it's a sign of what is to come, surveillance and pestering and difficulty, and such is the situation in the hereafter. You understand what is to come just by the very reception itself.
SubhanAllah, Shaykh, there's a rule of thumb here, by the way. I don't know if you have this expression in the UK, the juice is worth the squeeze. Have any of you heard, the juice is worth the squeeze? How many of you like being hungry?
No one likes being hungry, but how many of you like fasting in Ramadan? Alright. Do you like skipping sleep, like you are right now? No. But do you like praying Qiyam al-Layl, that feeling in Ramadan?
You will not achieve what you love until you're willing to endure what you hate for what you love. That is a rule of life; Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has placed this upon us. We all hate death.
That is the natural response that our mother Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, gives. No one likes the idea of dying, but we are absolutely consumed with the idea of meeting
our Lord whom we've been calling upon and longing for. It's an inevitable meeting. And what this comes down to, Shaykh, is the destination versus the preparation. I think of this in American terms. I think of ICE agents and border patrol and the police,
and unfortunately I get that reception every time I go back to the United States, right? Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala resonates, right? The reception is just comfort and welcome home, right? Welcome, welcome, welcome.
And what's the first thing the angels say? Salam. Salam, salam. They're reassuring you. Salam. It's just peace, reassurance, peace, reassurance, peace, reassurance.
What it comes down to, Shaykh, is that there is a trepidation about the pain of the travel itself.
You've planned so well for the destination that that allows you to be able to bear what comes along the way. So I want you to think if you've been planning a vacation, right? And you've planned it really well.
You've got your house planned, the resort planned, the food planned, and we're going to do this on this day. Everything is all planned out for you. And when you get there, the experience is actually even more beautiful than the picture suggested. How amazing is that?
And everything that the believer will have is reassuring that it's better. What about Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala? You know what's the thought, Shaykh? The names of Allah that we covered. I want to see that.
I want to experience that, right? There is a longing. There's a desire that we should have for that to actually be there. Now, how do we deal with the fact that there is the reassurance that has to come first before that excitement really sets in?
The 'ulama mention that the believer—Ibn al-Qayyim gives this famous example—that you have a body of love, the love of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. The head is the love of Allah, and then you have the wings of fear and hope. You need
an equal wing of fear and hope. But you're never going to be exactly equal with fear and hope.
Many of the scholars said that the believer lives with a little bit more fear than hope throughout their lives. But then once they get to this position of death, the hope outweighs the fear.
And so that's why you'll see from some of the salaf: someone that might have been weeping out of fear of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala the day before their death. And then the day of their death, they're beaming with joy and light and depending on the mercy of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.
Because when you've prepared for something, that anxiety is there until you get to the moment, and then you put your pen to the paper for that actual test. But you know you studied; as soon as you looked at the questions, you said, "I was ready for this."
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala sets in a sakinah, a tranquility, in that moment. So the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, is giving us a specific time, and may Allah
Subhanahu wa Ta'ala allow us to long for Him at all times and to love for that meeting to happen in such a way that as death is happening, we are able to pass through it and look forward
to what comes next. Ameen, ya Shaykh Omar. You reap what you sow. One of the most soothing aspects of this hadith and reassuring is that it reminds us that
we have agency over the destination that we arrive at and what it looks like. Whoever loves to meet Allah will have Allah love to meet him. That's within
my power and yours. The outcome will be that Allah will love to meet him. So this is the idea of divine reciprocity.
Our future in the hereafter is not simply a coin that is tossed into the unseen, a gamble whereby we have no agency, no control. We have decisions, we have agency, we have power.
The home in the hereafter that we shall have is nothing but the design and the work that we invested for today in the life of this world. Love to meet Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala.
Take the practical steps that are needed, and Allah will show you the same and more. Look at how the Qur'an speaks about this idea of reciprocity, which is an empowering one for us.
Where Allah says, "Hal jazaa'u al-ihsan illa al-ihsan?" What is the reward for excellence? Meaning from you and me: only excellence from Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. It's empowering.
When the Qur'an says, "Radi Allahu 'anhum wa radu 'anhu": Allah Almighty was pleased with them, and they were pleased with Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala. The Qur'an says, "Fasawf ya'ti Allahu bi-qawmin yuhibbuhum wa yuhibbunuh":
وَيُحِبُّونَهُ Allah will bring about a people who love Allah Almighty, and He loves them. This is empowering. And the door, of course, swings both ways, because the Qur'an also says, "Nasu Allaha fa nasiyahum":
فَنَسِيَهُمْ They forgot Allah Almighty, so Allah Almighty forgot them. There is a hadith that really illustrates this meaning that we're trying to draw, where
the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said that Allah Almighty will say to a person on the Day of Judgment, "Alam ukrimka wa aswaddaka wa azawwajka?"
Did I not give you a position of authority? Did I not give you marriage? Did I not honor you? Allah will ask you. "Alam usakhkhir laka al-khayl wa al-ibil?"
Did I not give you horses and camels? Wealth. "Alam atadharka tar'as wa tarbac?" Did I not give you positions of nobility and importance? And the man will say, "Bala ya Rabb":
You did, O my Lord. So Allah will ask him the second question, "Afazannanta annaka mulaaqi?" Did you ever think that this day would come when you would meet me? And the man will say no.
And Allah will say to him, "Fa'inni ansaaka al-yawm kama nasitani": So I will forget you on this day just as you forgot me. What is it that we take from these narrations combined and the hadith that we are covering?
Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah will love him back. Allah has empowered you. Allah has given you some agency as to what your akhirah can look like through the decisions we make today.
Nobody can blame a government or blame an ism or blame a friend entirely. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has put it in our hands to design what our hereafter could look like.
Shaykh, subhanAllah, when you bring it all back together the way that you just did, this is not a transactional relationship, as you said. But as you say, this is a relational God, right?
So it's not just a deed met by proportionality and a greater reward. It's closeness is met by a greater closeness. Allah closes the gap, and the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said, "No one of you should
die except that they have a good opinion of Allah." You want Allah to love you? Do you love Allah? But that love can't be empty. Do your deeds reflect that love?
And so when you meet Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, you meet Him with what He loves, and you hope to receive from Him what you love as well. Barakallahu feekum. Jazakallahu khair. Barakallahu feekum.
So how do we balance having husn al-dhann with Allah and also fearing Him at the same time? Well, as Ibn al-Qayyim says, when you fear anything else, you run away from it. When you fear Allah, you run back to Him.
And so your good assumption of Allah is that He will not dismiss your effort, your trying. That His mercy will overcome your shortcomings.
That His greatness will overcome your lowliness. That His perfection is greater than your imperfection. That Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will reward the striving of the striver.
That Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will love the one who loves. So your husn al-dhann in Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala is based on realities that are felt, perceived, and practiced. It's not a fake husn al-dhann.
It's not that I do everything contrary to that love but then say insha'Allah he'll forgive me. Right? Just realize that on the Day of Judgment why this hadith is so important.
What we're being told is that the Day of Judgment is either the reunion of a loving yet imperfect slave with a perfect and more loving Lord or the capture of a rebellious slave who did
not turn to a Lord who was so merciful to him always.
