Understanding My Journey: A Qur’anic View
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Overcoming Desires and Difficulties (Part 2)
How do we conquer our desires before they conquer us? As we take the straight path, the Shaytan will certainly seek to divert us. Knowing how to stay disciplined is essential to not losing our way.
Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. MashaAllah, I could get used to getting introduced by a guy named Omar Suleiman. That's not some narcissistic choice, but he happens to be a better version of Omar Suleiman, walhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah wa salatu wa salamu ala Rasulullah wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa man walah. It's wonderful to see you all, mashaAllah, once again. InshaAllah ta'ala, dear brothers and sisters, I wanted to begin tonight actually picking up from a theme which I started to speak about last night. And what I'm looking to do inshaAllah is connect some of the verses from the very beginning of the Qur'an with the very end of the Qur'an that speak to us about our journey in life. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala begins with the story of Adam alayhi salam. It is fitting that it is the first story that we find in the entire Qur'an where Allah tells us about how our father was hasty. And as a result of the hastiness, that mistake that was made, he lost out on al-jannah, the ultimate destination. But Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala forgave him, and now we as the children of Adam alayhi salam do not inherit his sin or his burden, but we are a continuation of that journey. And then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us about the first people in the Qur'an, the first group of people in the Qur'an. And it's only fitting that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala starts with the very first human being to connect us to our essence, and then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala as a collective starts with the immediate ummah, the immediate nation that comes before us to connect us to proximity. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala often will give us a picture of a person and then a picture of a people together.
So for example, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says to us about Fir'aun, and then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will then talk to us about wa thamud alladhina jabu sakhra bilwad. Allah azza wa jalla will talk to us about the people of Thamud. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, ba'da audhu billahi minash shaitanir rajim, Ya bani Israel, adhkuru ni'mati allatee an'amtu alaykum. O children of Israel, remember the blessing that I have bestowed upon you. Think of all the favors and the blessings that I have bestowed upon you. wa awfu bi'ahdi u'hi bi'ahdikum. And if you fulfill your covenant to me, then I will fulfill my covenant to you. wa iya ya farhaboon. And fear me alone. wa aminu bima anzaltum musaddiqan lima ma'akum. wa la takunu awwala kafirin bih. wa la tashtaru bi'ayati thamanan qaleela. wa iya ya fattaqun. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala then says, and believe in that which I have sent to you, and sent previous to you, to the prophets that came before. And do not be amongst those who rush to disbelieve in me. And be conscious of me. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala continues to tell us this story of advices that he gives to Bani Israel. Until Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala then mentions, as a result of that contract, that covenant that you hold with him, wa ist'aeenu bi'as-sabri wa-s-salaa. And seek aid in this journey of yours with patience and prayer.
wa ist'aeenu bi'as-sabri wa-s-salaa. wa innaha la kabiratun illa ala al-khaashi'een. And verily it is heavy except for those who have humility. allatheena yadhunnoona annahum mulaqu rabbihim wa annahum ilayhi rajioon. Those who are certain of their return to their Lord, and those who are certain that their ultimate destination and destiny is back to Him subhanahu wa ta'ala. yadhunnoona annahum mulaqu rabbihim. They know that one day they will stand before Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And subhanAllah there is a beautiful connection here with these verses, and with the verses where Allah azzawajal speaks to Adam alayhi salam, and about Adam alayhi salam and the continuation of that journey. When Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala talks to us about Bani Israel, Allah mentions to us that He has bestowed blessings upon them, and blessings upon them, and blessings upon them. And like Adam alayhi salam, Allah bestowed blessings upon him, and blessings upon him, and blessings upon him. But Adam alayhi salam made a mistake for a moment, and did not see all of the blessings that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bestowed upon him, and instead chose to hasten towards a tree that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala told him to avoid. But then you have a people that are ignoring the blessings upon them, the blessings upon them, the blessings upon them, and continuously hasten towards the disobedience of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And so while Adam alayhi salam returns to Allah's favor, Bani Israel continues to distance themselves from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, with every single test that comes towards them. Now I want us to speak about destination Jannah, but now specifically talk about desires. The idea of controlling our desires,
what gets in the way of us getting to Jannah. And sometimes it's easier to frame the discussion of shahwa, the discussion of desires, and how desires get in the way of destination Jannah, by looking at as-sabr, by looking at patience in the face of trial. Abdurrahman ibn Auf radiyaAllahu ta'ala used to say, we were tested with hardship and we were patient, but we were tested with ease and we were not able to be patient. We were tested with tribulations and we were able to show sabr, we were able to show patience, but we were then tested with ease and blessings, and we were not able to show patience. As if to say that sometimes when you're getting hit with something, it's easier to not have an appetite for this world, it's easier to turn that despondence and despair into a connection to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, than it is when the world has opened its doors to you and to still restrict yourself. When Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells us about patience, and this idea of being struck by something of hardship, some of the trials that come our way as we are headed towards Jannah, and they are gifts in disguise because they allow us to focus once again and recalibrate on Jannah. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala mentions to us those who when they are struck with hardship, وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ Give them the glad tidings. الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُصِيبًا Those who when they are struck by a trial, قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَهِ رَاجِعُونَ They say to Allah we belong and to Allah we return. To show us that in that instant of a difficulty, there is an opportunity. And a person who has been struck by a great trial and a great hardship, if they've been preparing themselves for a صَدْمَ for that moment of shock,
then all that they have preparing themselves with will present itself in a beautiful opportunity that cannot be found in any other place. The Prophet ﷺ said, الصَبْرُ عِنْدَ الصَّضْمَةِ الْأُولَىٰ That patience is at the first strike. You don't just suddenly garner up patience when a massive tribulation comes to you. You prepare yourself for a massive صَدْمَ, for a massive moment of trial, and naturally what you have been nurturing inside of you materializes in a beautiful إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ And the ultimate صَدْمَ, the ultimate shock and strike that you're preparing for is death. Because even if you proceed through this life with relative ease, all of us will have that صَدْمَ, that moment of death. And the words that you want to have ready for that moment of death, for that ultimate صَدْمَ is لا إله إلا الله. If you can say لا إله إلا الله at your last moments, and subhanAllah if you've been around dying people, you will see how difficult it is to have someone say لا إله إلا الله at that last moment. But if you can garner up an entire life of trying to live by كلمة توحيد, trying to live by that word of لا إله إلا الله, and then it materializes in a word of لا إله إلا الله in that final moment of your life, you enter into Jannah. It's not because you suddenly remember at the time of death to say لا إله إلا الله, it's because you've been preparing yourself your entire life with لا إله إلا الله, and then the صَدْمَ of death comes to you, the shock of death comes to you, and لا إله إلا الله. It's heavier than a thousand pounds at that moment. But its weight and its reward is eternity in Jannah. Because you prepared yourself for that صَدْمَ, for that shock, for every other صَدْمَ in life,
for every other shock in life, you prepare yourself for that moment of opportunity to say, إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ To Allah we belong, and to Allah we return. And when you are able to do that, whether it is small or big, you have a beautiful reward that is given to you, a beautiful reward that is unlocked for you. And the Qur'an is very visual. The way of the Prophet ﷺ is very visual, that you unlock something that is far more beautiful. And that opportunity only exists in the very beginning of patience. That's not to say that there isn't patience after two days or three days or after six months or a year. But that is to say that الصَدْمَةِ الْأُولَىٰ that first strike presents a very particular opportunity and a very particular reward. So for example, one of the most difficult trials a person can face which is to lose a child. May Allah ﷻ comfort all of the parents in here and beyond, who have struggled with that difficulty, who have been tested with the difficulty of losing a child. Those who are able to in that moment still turn to Allah ﷻ in that great difficulty and say, الحمد لله إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون What do we learn? Allah ﷻ tells the angels, once again, because we're always in the conversation. The one who remembers Allah ﷻ at night focused on the destination of Jannah, تَتَجَافَى جُنُوبُهُمْ عَنِ الْمَضَاجِعِ يَدْعُونَ رَبَّهُمْ خَوْفًا وَطَمَعًا fighting with their sides, exerting themselves for that reward, Allah ﷻ boasts to the angels about them. And now when you're struck by a great difficulty, Allah ﷻ says to the angels, have you taken the coolness of my son's eyes, my servant's eyes? Have you taken the coolness of my servant's eyes?
Have you taken what gave that person sweetness in life? And the angels say, yes. مَاذَا قَالَ عَبْدِي؟ What did my servant say? الحمد لله إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون Still all praises due to Allah. And to Allah we belong and to Allah we return. In that moment, Allah ﷻ unlocks a beautiful reward. Go construct that person a home in paradise. Right now, call it بيت الحمد, the house of praise. There is a moment there. There is a moment when عِبَاد الرَّحْمَان, the servants of the Most Merciful, may Allah ﷻ make us amongst them, where they face something that annoys them, something that bothers them, something that gets in their way. But they still maintain patience. And Allah ﷻ says, أُولَٰئِكَ يُجْزَوْنَ الْغُرْفَةَ بِمَا صَبَرُوا And those people have these high lofty rooms in paradise. By what? By their patience. There is a moment where patience strikes. It's in the heat of the argument. It's when you're getting in the middle of an argument. The hypocrite has no sense of the hereafter. إِذَا خَاصَمَ فَجَرَ He gets into an argument, just goes all out. I'm gonna say the most hateful things possible, the most hurtful things possible, because I want to inflict as much pain as possible right now in this argument. I wanna win the argument. The believer thinks to themselves, I could have a house in paradise right now. لِمَن تَرَكَ الْمِرَاءَ وَإِن كَانَ مُحِقًّا The one who leaves off an argument even when they are right. So I don't wanna win the argument. I'd actually rather win a house in paradise. So I'm gonna let you win this argument
because I want to win something in paradise. But it's at that moment, it's only in the beginning of the trial that you have such a beautiful opportunity that is present for you. الصَضْمَةِ الْأُولَى It hits you, it hits you, it hits you. And you know, subhanAllah, when you get struck with a trial or tribulation, the first level of patience is simply not to say something that's going to compromise your reward in the situation or cause you to lose out or maybe even be condemnable. And so you hold yourself. الصَضْر is to hold yourself. So the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said to us, for example, if I was to ask you, what do you say when you get angry? What do you say when you get angry? What are you supposed to say when you get angry? أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ The greatest reward is when you can seek refuge in Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala from the accursed devil. اللهم صلِّ وسلِّم على نبينا محمد وإذا خاطبهم الجاهلون قالوا سلامًا سلام عليكم, say good words. But the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said in authentic hadith in Muslim, Imam Ahmed, إِذَا غَضِبَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَسْكُتْ If one of you gets mad, just be quiet. If you can't say anything good, مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيَقُلْ خَيْرًا أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ You can't say anything good, then stay silent. The bare minimum is silence. But then there is another level. الاحتساب accounting with Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala is الصبر لرجاء السواب is to be patient and to seek a reward from Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. So when the strike comes to me, when the hardship comes to me, I'm going to say good things. I'm going to channel that pain to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala for the very tangible reward in paradise that has been promised to me
that is unlike any other reward. That's when it comes to patience. Hold yourself at the bare minimum when the trial hits. And if you can, seek Allah's pleasure through that trial, then do so. But don't cause yourself to fall into hellfire which would only compound your trial by doing something condemnable in the midst of great pain. That's the bare minimum. But if you want to do even more, look for that غرفة, look for that high chamber in paradise, look for that home in paradise where you praise Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in the midst of great difficulty. Take advantage of الصدمة الأولى, of the first strike. Prepare yourself your entire life for the strike because the ultimate strike will definitely come to you. Now when it comes to شهوة, when it comes to our desires, SubhanAllah what you find is that صبر with our desires, patience with our desires, is a very specific type of patience. And it's often الصبر عند أول الشهوة. That's not a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ but it's comparable in the sense that patience with your desires is when the desire first grows, when you first have the impulse, when you first have the inclination to do something. You know when you think about it, the Prophet ﷺ when he used to wake up for prayer, and I'm not going to take a poll here how you get up for Fajr, but some of you know how you get up for Fajr. Some of you know how, it's not تتجافى جنوبهم عن المضاجع, you're not fighting your bed, you're fighting your phone, you're fighting your alarm clock and you're just going right back to sleep. The Prophet ﷺ was described as وثبأ. He jumped up ﷺ. Because you know, you and I both know, that when that alarm goes off, the شهوة of sleep is so sweet. It's sweet to me right now too by the way. So nice to sleep. Some of you are like,
I'm enjoying the sleep so much right now. When people come up to me and say, you know, I listen to you at night when I want to go to sleep, I'm like, so you're saying I put you to sleep, right? So it's kind of insulting, but I'll take it as a compliment, right? But you know that when the alarm first goes off, you have a choice to make, the شهوة of sleep or the call to prayer. Overcome the desire to go back to sleep or the call to prayer. Now if you don't get up at that moment right away, there is a good chance you're going to miss fajr. If you don't fight that initial inclination, there's a good chance you're going to miss fajr. So the Prophet ﷺ, what was he described as? He was like a lion ﷺ. The hypocrites are, وَإِذَا قَامُوا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ قَامُوا كُسَالًا When they get up for prayer, they're so lazy, dragging their feet. Ah, do I really have to do this again? Is it already dhuhr? Is it already asr? Is it already maghrib? Really? Already again? Rasulullah ﷺ hurried to the prayer. He was ready. He was activated towards the prayer. So he overcame the desire to sleep. He overcame the desire to eat. He overcame the desire to relax after a hard day of work. He overcame that because the salah was called. I've got to go to prayer now. He jumped towards the salah. Most of us are on a spectrum between قَامُوا كُسَالًا and وَثَبَة Getting up like the hypocrites or getting up like the Prophet ﷺ. Where are you on that spectrum? Now, the initial strike, the initial moment of your desire is the most important moment. عِندَ أَوَّلِ الشَّهْوَةِ What do I mean by that as well? You know, even if you think about physical things, okay? How many times do you say, I'm just going to have a small bite? And that small bite becomes what?
You eat the whole meal and the plate too. What happened to the small bite? Because once you took that first bite, it was over. That was it. You want to go to the gym. All right, I got 10 minutes. If I don't go to the gym right now and work out, then there's no way I'm going to work out. You're right. Once you said, maybe a little bit later, you're not getting up to work. There's no exercise happening today. But then to make it a little bit more towards that which is sinful in terms of our desire, in the beginning of the sin, you know, you have the angels that are prompting you to not commit that sin. You have the shayateen that are prompting you to commit that sin. If you allow yourself to start, likely in order to enjoy the shahwa, to enjoy the desire, to enjoy the pleasure of that sin, you're going to try to shut off any voice that tells you about consequence because you want to enjoy it right now. So shut it off. That's why there's a powerful hadith where the Prophet ﷺ mentioned, إِلَىٰ ذُكِرْتُمْ بِاللَّهِ فَانْتَهُوا۟ When you're reminded of Allah, stop right there. Stop. You have to learn to control the initial impulse. And in one narration, and even if there's a weakness in the chain, الْعَنْجَلَةُ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ Haste is from the devil. وَالتَّأَنِّي Being very calculated about what you're doing is from Allah. The beginning of the shahwa, the beginning of the desire. You get into an argument. The desire, my desire is I want to punch you in the face. Not you by the way. I don't want to punch you in the face. Like my desire is I'm ready to jump. I'm ready to fight.
If I'm able to just be quiet and say I'm not going to engage, let me cool down and not engage, I likely have won that bout with the shaitan. But if I immediately, or if I start, I likely am not going to finish. Throw the first word, throw the first punch. It's a fight at that point. You fail to resist the shahwa to respond, the desire to respond at that moment. So controlling yourself at the first moment of desire is like controlling yourself at the first moment of hardship. If you're able to conquer yourself in that moment, then you are likely able to conquer the course as well. How do we even do that? And subhanallah we live in a world where our instant gratification is catered to us. You have apps and social media that study you and know your nafs better than you know your nafs. Subhanallah, they literally enslave you to an algorithm and feed you your cravings. And they know what your soul craves sometimes even more than you know what your soul craves. Feed them the next one, the next one. I know what type of drama you like, I know what type of images you like to look at, I know what type of comments you like to read. I'm studying you, feed them, feed them, feed them, feed them, feed them. And when we become impulsive creatures, we're not even thinking anymore, right? Just go to the next one, go to the next one, go to the next one, go to the next one. And it's dangerous. Wallahi it's very dangerous. Think about the hadith of the Prophet ﷺ when he gives a visual reward. That inna min wara'ikum ayyam al-sabr, that behind you or what comes after you, oh sahaba, are days of great patience.
And to be patient in those days is like holding on to a burning hot coal. You know when you wake up and you feel agitated until you open your phone? You know subhanallah they call it digital heroin for a reason. You feel agitated, let me get my phone, what did I miss out on? I've been sitting for a whole hour and I haven't checked my phone two hours. What happened? What messages? What did I miss? What do I need to read? What do I need to catch up on? That impulse is not a healthy impulse. We've got to conquer that or else, or else we become led. We don't lead. And subhanallah at that point the one who is led by desire needs no devil to lead them. When you become a slave to your desires you don't even need the shaitan to decorate anything for you anymore because every shahwa that presents itself you jump to it and you go and you feed and you feed and you feed and you feed. How do I conquer myself in that initial moment with destination jannah in mind? Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, We must seek help in this journey with patience and prayer. As-sabr here refers to the practice of fasting. And the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam particularly mentioned the practice of fasting as a means by which you curb the appetite of the nafs. You discipline your desires. You learn to tell yourself I can't drink water right now because iftar is still not for another few hours.
I can't look at this right now because I might compromise my fast. And so you have delayed gratification. I know that there is a reward that awaits me if I hold back. If I conquer myself. No matter how hungry I get, no matter how thirsty I get, I empower myself to conquer itself. Do you know how powerful that is? Do you know how good that is for your soul and everything in life when you encounter and engage the practices that allow you to conquer yourself? At the beginning of the desire and you say no, not now. Seek help with patience and prayer. Look, this is a very difficult thing except for humble hearts, except for people that have some connection to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. Because ultimately if your why isn't strong enough, why am I holding myself back isn't strong enough, then you're going to fall. But Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says, seek help in this journey of yours with the practice of patience which is fasting and prayer. Then Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says, those who are certain that one day they will meet their Lord and those who are certain that they will return to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.
Now I recognize that it might be difficult to make a connection but as we're looking at the coherence of the Quran in this series of lectures I want you to see something very powerful. Now go all the way to Jiz'amah. This is the beginning of the Quran, go now to Jiz'amah, Surat An-Nazi'at. It stands for the one who is certain and who fears the moment that they are in front of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. And because they are certain and now they are in awe of that moment in which they'll be standing in front of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. And they have forbidden themselves from pursuing empty desires. Paradise is their ultimate abode. Paradise is where they can now breathe, release, delayed gratification. If you were able to conquer the nas, conquer that first shahwa, that first impulse, you have eternal access to what you are seeking. Now dear brothers and sisters, as my time is coming close to an end, subhanAllah there are layers to this. Once again, when you have that initial impulse, the first thing that should motivate you is the fear of compounding your trial. The fear of being led down to something that is going to hurt you. The fear of punishment. And then be motivated by the ultimate pleasure of paradise and what Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala guarantees you instead.
Look how merciful Allah is that Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala keeps telling you about the rewards of Jannah over and over again. Remember your destination, remember your covenant, remember those who follow my guidance, remember all of those verses that tell you about the specific rewards when you hold yourself back from specific desires. Or from a specific reaction when you're hit with tribulation. Remember all of that. But then there is subhanAllah one more thing here, which is the relationship with Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, meeting Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. You see dear brothers and sisters, you can't really conquer that initial moment when yourself seems to be dominating you, unless you become specifically and especially aware of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala who is watching you and to whom you will one day return. Look at the beautiful coherence of the Quran. In the beginning of Al Baqarah, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says, Now, subhanAllah, when you're struck by tribulation, the greatest way to cope with that tribulation is to remember the temporary nature of this life. Allah is going to repay the patience without any form of limits, without any account. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala will reward me. So I'm going to go back to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, so the pain that I am feeling right now, I know there is jaza, there is a permanent reward that exists after this pain. That this life is temporary, and so the pain in this life is temporary. And that the hereafter is forever. So the reward in the hereafter is forever as well.
So reminding yourself, ar-ruju' ila Allah. But, when it comes to your desires, there is a specific connotation, Allatheena yadunnoona annahum mulaqu rabbihim, in Surah Al Baqarah, those who are certain that one day they will stand in front of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, and what Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says, amma man khaafa maqama rabbihi, wannaha an-nafsa anil hawwa. Those who fear that moment, they are in awe of that moment that they will stand before Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. If you can immediately, and that's why the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said, idha dhukirtum billah, fantahu. Remember Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, dhakarullah. Try to have things around you, forms of dhikr. Try to put yourself immediately with the first taste of the sweetness of sin, the first pull of shahwa. Try to transport yourself to that moment that you're standing in front of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. And you know what they say is a rule in disciplining your desires and disciplining your sense of instant gratification? Give up what you want now for what you want more. Give up what you want now for what you want more. You have to be able to tell yourself why exactly you are withholding from this desire because you don't want it to cost you your destination. Give up what you want now for what you want more. And Subhanallah, look at the verses of those people that received their books in their right hand. After enduring the insults of this world, after enduring the tribulations of this world, after dealing with the desires to respond to people in like manner, after dealing with the desires to feed the cravings of the self, after overcoming all of that, Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala mentions, فَأَمَّا مَنْ أُوْتِيَ كِتَابَهُ بِيَمِينِهِ As for the one who is given his book in his right hand,
فَيَقُولُ هَا أُمُقْرَأُ كِتَابِيَ He says, everyone look, read my book. إِنِّي ظَنَنْتُ أَنِّي مُلَاقِنْ حِسَابِيَ I knew, I knew that this day was coming. I knew it all along. You know, Subhanallah, خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ إِنِّي ظَنَنْتُ أَنِّي مُلَاقِنْ حِسَابِيَ أَلَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُ مُلَاقُوا رَبِّهِمْ This constant connection of those who withheld because they knew of that day that they'd stand before Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala in the celebration of those people on the Day of Judgment. When you and I, بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى When you and I receive our books in our right hands, اللَّهُمَّ آمِنُ When all of us receive our books in our right hands, اللَّهُمَّ آمِنُ You know, in this life, you don't like to show off. رِيَاء is a form of hidden shirk, to show off, ostentation, attention seeking. When you get your book in your right hand, in this life, people like to boast with their accomplishments, to celebrate, to show off. In this life, when you do good deeds, you try to hide them. Why? Because you don't want the sweetness of those good deeds to be tasted, the shahwa of those good deeds to be tasted in this life. You want the shahwa all for the hereafter. The more that I'm rewarded for my good deeds here, the less I have saved for the hereafter. And so, I try to hide my good deeds the way I try to hide my sins, right? Now on the Day of Judgment, when you and I, بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ receive our books in our right hands, we're not going to come back to the gathering, hide our books under our jacket and say, you know, brother, how was your hisaab? How was your meeting with Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala? Where did you get your book? Oh, you know, alhamdulillah, I got some good deeds in here, you know. Inshallah, I'll be going to Jannah, you know, hope to see you there. Good luck with your meeting. None of that.
What are you doing? هَا أُمُقْرَأُ كِتَابِيَا Everyone read my book. Prayer, fasting, secret charity, all these things that I could have sought the reward for in this dunya, all these things I was hiding for you because I was preparing for the pleasure of seeing those good deeds show up in my meeting with Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, all of that, it's here. No one's going to be humble with their right hand when they get that book there. No one's going to be humble. Everybody's going to be running through the gathering. Hey, I know you, I met you in Leeds, I met you in this place in the UK. Check it out. I'm in Jannah. You know why? Because we store our deeds for our desire of those deeds to be achieved in the hereafter. الصبر عند صدمة الأولى Patience is at the first strike. Conquering our desires, الصبر عند أول الشهوة Conquering our desires is when you can conquer them in the very beginning. I apologize my throat is not well, but it's wonderful to see you all. I ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala to allow us all to control ourselves for His sake and to seek His pleasure solely for the hereafter. And I ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala to see us through our hardships and trials and see us through our blessings and ease and to allow it all to manifest in our return to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala while He is pleased with us. اللهم آمين جزاكم الله خيرا والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
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