A Bargain!

A Bargain!

By Sh. Abdul Nasir Jangda

Opening

(اللهُ أَكْبَرُ، بِسْمِ اللهِ وَالحَمْدُ للهِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ. السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ - Allahu Akbar, Bismillah, walhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajma'in. Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh)

Introduction: The Prophet's Final Moments

So in the spirit of concluding messages, I thought that I would share just a little glimpse and some of the wisdom and insights offered by the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) in the last and the final moments of his life. Because that was the ultimate concluding message. What the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) said, what the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) shared, and what he bequested in his last and final moments.

It's a very powerful, very captivating, very... for a believer, a very gut-wrenching account. Where you feel like you are witnessing the departure of Muhammad Rasulullah (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ). But there's a few things that I want to highlight. Insha'Allah.

It's something when I teach a class, where I go through the final week of the life of the Messenger (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ). And that class takes about three hours. But what I'm going to do is, I'm going to select just a few things and highlight them that I feel that we can take home with us, insha'Allah. And we can implement immediately within our lives.

First Lesson: Cherishing Personal Relationships

First and foremost, in the last and final days of the life of the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) he made a very specific point to reach out to, to ask for, to request time with, every single person that the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) had a personal relationship with. Everyone from Abu Rafi'ah. Who was Abu Rafi'ah? Abu Rafi'ah was a freed slave of the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ). But he had a personal relationship with him.

So he called Abu Rafi'ah. So he could sit with him and talk to him. The son of Zaid ibn Harithah, his name was Usamah. Usamah ibn Zaid (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُمَا - radi allahu ta'ala anhuma) Who is Usamah ibn Zaid? Usamah's father was the, like the adopted son of the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ). And his mother was formerly the nanny of the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ). She had cared for the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) when he was a child.

And so even though again, it's not a direct blood relation, the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) requested for Usamah to come. And he held his hand, and he connected with him and bid him farewell. The Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) requested all of his family members, like his uncles and his cousins, Abbas, the sons of Abbas. He requested them to all come, and he sat with them and spoke to them. All the wives of the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ), the mothers of the believers, they came and they visited with him.

The Touching Moment with Fatima

And probably one of the most powerful and touching moments from those last moments of the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) any moment that he shared with anyone, was Aisha (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهَا - radi allahu ta'ala anha) says the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) passed away on Monday morning.

And on Sunday evening, as the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) was lying there and his entire family was huddled around him, including the mothers of the believers, Fatima (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهَا - radi allahu ta'ala anha) walked into the room. The Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) had his eyes closed, he was burning with fever, he was putting water on his own face with his hand. But when Fatima walked into the room, it's like the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) realized, my Fatima is here.

And he immediately looked towards the door and he started looking at Fatima (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهَا - radi allahu ta'ala anha). He couldn't even speak properly. So he looked at Fatima. Like when Usama ibn Zaid came, he says, the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) pointed at me, and he went like this, and he pointed at me, and he went like this. And I knew he was making dua for me. So when Fatima came in, he just started looking at Fatima (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهَا - radi allahu ta'ala anha)

Without breaking his stare. And we all turned around to look, what is the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) looking at so intently? And we saw that it was Fatima. And Aisha (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهَا - radi allahu ta'ala anha) in the narration, she swears, if you saw Fatima walk, it was like you were watching Muhammad walk.

She walked like him, she talked like him, she moved and gestured her hands like him. It was unmistakable that she was his daughter. And so everyone, when Fatima walked into the room, everyone cleared the way and backed away.

The Final Whispers

And Fatima came and sat down by the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ), and held his hand, and started to cry seeing her father. And the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) called her close and he whispered something into her ear. And when he whispered something into her ear, she started to sob like profusely, weep, cry severely.

She couldn't catch her breath. And then he called her close again and he whispered something into her ear, and she started to smile. And then at that time, she bid farewell to her beloved father and she got up and she left.

And years later, or excuse me, days later, after everyone had kind of taken some time for grieving and mourning in the process, Aisha (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهَا - radi allahu ta'ala anha), our mother Aisha, she goes to Fatima (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهَا - radi allahu ta'ala anha) and says, I've been meaning to ask you about that interaction, it was fascinating, please explain. And Fatima (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهَا - radi allahu ta'ala anha) said that when I came and I was very distraught that seeing my father in such pain, but I had not yet come to terms, I had not made peace with the fact that my father was leaving. Her mother died when she was young, her baby brothers died in front of her.

All three of her older sisters passed away during her lifetime, all I have is my father left. And she said, when my father called me close, he whispered something to me saying that, I've known that I am departing since Ramadan. Because every Ramadan, Jibril comes and he reviews the Quran with me. And this year when he came, we went over it twice. And that let me know that we were confirming the Quran, finalizing the review of the Quran, and it was time for me to go. And she said, I started to cry because that was the first time I actually accepted with my heart that I'm going to lose my father.

And then when he called me close again, then he whispered to me, but you'll be the first of my family to join me in the hereafter. And I smiled. And Fatima (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهَا - radi allahu ta'ala anha) would leave peacefully and beautifully from this world, six months after her father passed away.

Practical Lessons: Cherish Your Relationships

Why do I mention this? I'm trying to highlight some lessons here. A concluding message. Number one, cherish your personal relationships. Value the people in your life. Build fruitful, beneficial, powerful, meaningful relationships. Cherish the people in your life.

Let this weekend be a weekend of renewal. There might be broken hearts, there might be hurt feelings, there might be grievances, and disagreements, and quarrels, and issues. Let this weekend be a moment of rejuvenation.

Repent, renew. And as you're going home from here, call someone, text someone, go to someone's house, knock on someone's door, hug them, embrace them, kiss them. And cherish those personal relationships.

Second Lesson: Good Expectations from Allah

That was a lesson from the life of the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) and a concluding message. Number two, the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ), Aisha (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهَا - radi allahu ta'ala anha) says, the day before the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) passed away, he said this one key piece of advice. He said:

"Always have good expectations from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Always have the best of expectations from Allah."

That's something very very important. We are struggling, we are dealing with some spiritual bleakness. People lack hope. People don't see any light on the horizon. We need to renew our iman, renew our faith and know who we believe in. And His might and His power and His greatness.

And He can bring light in the middle of the night. He can deliver us from the most overwhelming of circumstances. As one of the speakers before me mentioned:

"He will make a way." You just have to believe. So (أَحْسِنُوا الظَّنَّ بِاللهِ - Ahsinu al-dhann billah). Always know that Allah will make a way for you and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will help you.

Third Lesson: Balance of Worship and Responsibilities

And then another very powerful message, concluding message from the life of the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ), was the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) said:

"As-salata, as-salata, wa ma malakat aymanukum"

Another narration, the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) said:

"Sallu salatakum wa atu zakatakum wa addu haqqa man malakat aymanukum"

The Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) he said in another narration, pray your salah, give your zakah and look after, fulfill the rights of those you are responsible for. This is the balance that we have to learn to strike in our lives.

Maintain your relationship with Allah. And the primary form of that is keeping up with your prayers. And then secondly, take care of the people, value the people, cherish the people, care for the people that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has given you responsibility over.

We will be asked about it, we will be accounted for it. There is a reckoning that is coming. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will readily forgive our indiscretions in regards to Him. But when we violate other people's rights, that's something that won't be so easily forgiven. We will be held to account for it. We've heard about the month of Ramadan, and we talk about salah and Quran and fasting.

Make this Ramadan a time of personal improvements as well. Fix your character, repair your relationships. Learn to be more responsible in your personal life. And towards the people that have rights upon you.

The Visit to Al-Baqi'ah

And lastly and finally, what I'll mention here as a concluding message. When the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) he went a week before he passed away, he called one of the other people, it was another freed slave, the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) had freed him. And so he was very close to the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ). He called him and he said, take me to Al-Baqi'ah, the graveyard of Madinah, I want to go pay my respects. His family was there, his children were there, his friends and companions were there.

So he said, I want to go pay my respects one last time. And he helped him walk, and he went all the way to the graveyard and paid his respects there. And afterwards as he was walking back, he says to the man who's helping him walk, that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gave the slave a choice.

He gave me a choice to continue to live in this world or to depart from this world and go and be with Allah. And the man started to cry and he said, please tell me, I beg you, I will do anything. Tell me that you ask to stay. I need you to stay, we need you to stay. And the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) said, no, it's time for me to go and be with Allah.

"Oh Allah, I want to be with you."

Focus on the Final Destination

And so I mentioned this last and final point here, not to create a sense of morbidity, nor to create a sense of, you know, giving up on this particular life, but to understand that we do have a final destination, we do have a goal and objective. And the more we are focused on the goal and the objective and the final destination, the more meaningfully, the more with dignity and honor and focus and respect will we live this particular life.

The Hadith of Strategic Preparation

And I'll end by quoting a hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) found in the book of Tirmidhi, it's an authentic narration from Abu Huraira (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ - radi allahu ta'ala anhu). He says the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) said:

"Man khafa adlaja"

It's a very powerful, you know, metaphor and example, a visual from the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ)

And what this means is, when you are traveling and you're afraid of being pursued while traveling, like the Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ﷺ) and Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ - radi allahu ta'ala anhu) when they were leaving Mecca, they knew the Meccans were trying to assassinate them. So when did they leave? They left at night. They slipped out at night.

(مَنْ خَافَ أَدْلَجَ - Man khafa adlaja) - Somebody who's afraid for their safety tries to leave at night.

"Wa man adlaja balagha al-manzil"

And somebody who is very strategic in their departure will actually reach their destination.

The Meaning of Strategic Planning

What does that exactly mean? What that means is that when you know that there are obstacles, there are challenges, such as in the example of traveling, like in the example of hijrah, you have some people that

are trying to chase you and find you and kill you. You have people that are trying to hunt you down.

So when you know in any endeavor that there are challenges, that there are obstacles, you have to be willing to figure out an alternative strategy. You have to put thought into it. You have to figure out what you're going to do, how you're going to avoid the danger.

And if the answer, the strategic plan, is very, very inconvenient, like traveling in the middle of the night. We're not talking about taking a road trip. We're not talking about taking a red-eye flight.

We're talking about traveling through the middle of the desert on camelback in the middle of the night. Where the only light you have is whatever the moon is providing for you. That's it.

It's very dangerous. But you have to recognize the challenges, you have to figure out an alternative strategy, and you have to be willing to sacrifice. And then he says:

And if you're willing to do that, recognize challenges, strategize, and then sacrifice, you will reach your destination.

The Precious Merchandise of Allah

And then the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) brings it together. And I'll conclude with this. He says:

He says that the merchandise, the end goal, the objective, of what we want from Allah (جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ) is very very precious. It will not come very easily. It's not cheap. It's not cheap. It won't come easily.

Because what we want from Allah (جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ) is we want jannah. And the smallest bit of jannah is more precious, more valuable, more beautiful than this whole world and whatever it contains.

Call to Action

So seize the opportunity. Recognize the challenges. Strategize, know your goal, and then be willing to sacrifice to reach your goal.

May Allah (جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ) grant us all the ability to succeed in this life. Say ameen. And may Allah (جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ) allow us all to reach our objective in the life of the hereafter. Say ameen.

Personal Recommendation: Qalam Institute

Lastly and finally, I just wanted to take a quick 30 seconds just to request something of y'all and make a little recommendation. Just a personal request, a personal recommendation.

Alhamdulillah, I've had the opportunity to interact with many of y'all, you know, at the very least here at the convention or, you know, on a personal basis as well through different classes and programs, lectures, I've visited many of your communities. And some of y'all are familiar with the work that we're involved in, what we're trying to build in Dallas at Qalam, seminary, intensives, different workshops and programs. Really trying to provide an opportunity for people to be able to learn and for people to be able to grow through that learning experience.

(تعليم، تربية، صحبة) - what we call, which is education, training and mentorship. And we have some very fascinating programs from our intensives to our trips to our seminary. I know that everyone's not able to make it there and attend one of those programs.

We're making a very humble effort to try to bring that to you. To try to take all the education, all the curriculum that we've been developing over the last six, seven years and bring it to you in the form of an online platform. It's called Qalam Now.

So what I'd like for you, what I'd like to request you to do is if you can take your phone insha'Allah, I know everyone's got a phone. And if you can text the word Qalam, Q-A-L-A-M to the number 66866. If you're able to text that insha'Allah, I promise there's something in it for you.

If you text it there, you will be sent a code insha'Allah that will allow you to go, instructions and a code that will allow you to log on onto the website, experience a curriculum for a whole month for free insha'Allah. So you can go there, you can learn for a whole month insha'Allah and you can decide if this is something you'd like to continue with.

Closing Dua and Appreciation

Again, I appreciate the opportunity. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bless for putting together this beautiful, wonderful conference every single year. Please, I want everyone as we request and as we end, I want everyone to make dua for the organizers of this convention. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept all of them. Say ameen. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept all their efforts. Say ameen.

Oh, the number is, text the word QALAM, Q-A-L-A-M to 66866. All right, anyway, so as I was saying, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept all their efforts. Say ameen. And may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala abundantly reward them. Say ameen.

And insha'Allah, everyone's going to be here next year as we saw. What were the dates? Let me see if everyone remembers. April 14th through the 16th. Everyone's going to be here. Say insha'Allah.

(جزاكم الله خيرا. السلام عليكم)