Hitting Rock Bottom

Hitting Rock Bottom

Shaykh Abdul Nasir Jangda

Opening

The Eternal Relevance of Quran and Sunnah

Allah in the Quran gives us certain principles, overarching guidelines that explain to us the exact nature of this life and that lay out for us the principles and the major understandings of our religion and how this world exactly works, what will occur with us and what should be the appropriate response and then ultimately what will be the conclusion.

Addressing Common Questions

One of the things that is very important to understand is that a lot of times you hear discussions or rhetoric where people will say that the Quran contains all the answers or that the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم will answer all of your questions. Obviously, we're dealing with scenarios and circumstances and situations that are not exactly laid out and spelled out within the Quran.

We're dealing with issues that did not occur in the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم exactly. So how can the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the Quran be a resource for humanity till the end of time? So that even today, 1400 years later, halfway across the world, everything that we're dealing with and we're going through and that all the Muslims around the world are dealing with, how can the Quran which was revealed 1400 years ago and the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم which occurred 1400 years ago still be the primary resource for us to be able to navigate what goes on in this life?

And that's a very very important question that we have to answer. And that we need to move beyond the rhetoric.

The Answer: Principles and Examples

The answer to that is that if you're looking for very very specific outlines, if you're looking for very specific details, then you might not find a lot of that within the Quran and within the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. But the Quran lays out for us principles, usool, axioms, guidelines.

The life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم gives us examples of scenarios. It might not address my exact specific scenario or situation in terms of the details, but it gives examples of similar scenarios. And if I can learn to think about that, and that's why I'm gonna get to the topic at hand here in just a minute, but the first thing I have to emphasize, and I'm gonna circle back to this at the end again, that we need to read, we need to understand, and we need to reflect and we need to think.

The Sacred Nature of the Quran and Understanding

It is not enough for us to be told that the Quran is this and the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is that. We need to read it for ourselves, we need to understand it for ourselves. And that's the second thing, that there is a great place in terms of the original wording and the language of the Quran.

The original wording and the original language of the Quran in the Arabic in which God revealed it is sacred. Allah says:

"Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran that you might understand."

It is sacred. However, Allah said:

"So that you may think about it, you may understand it."

"Why don't they think about and ponder upon and reflect upon the Quran?"

So we need to strive for understanding. Empower yourself with the understanding of the Quran. Empower yourself with the knowledge and the understanding of the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Practical Steps for Understanding

Number one: If someone has the ability to be able to read the Quran and understand what it's saying in its native language, it's an original form, they have the background and the ability to do so, then that's excellence. But if I'm not there yet, there is no problem, there is no shame, and there should not be any hesitation to access any kind of academic material like a translation of the Quran, like a book on the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in the English language.

Number two: In the Islamic tradition in our 1400 years, we have a very beautiful tradition of knowledge and the understanding of the religion being passed on from person to person, from individual to individual. And we are part of a living, breathing tradition that the companions of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم the companions themselves they say, like Abdullah bin Abbas, he says that, I personally read the Quran to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and heard it from him multiple times in its entirety in my life, during his lifetime.

They learned it directly from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. And then they went on and taught it to the next generation directly:

"We would teach our children the life and times of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم,just like we would teach them chapters and surahs of the Quran."

So then find people of knowledge and learn from their knowledge and understand better the Quran, the depth of the Quran and the depth of the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

The Three Essential Steps

First: Read it for yourself. Second: Understand it and utilize whatever tools are available to you in order to be able to understand it, whether it be translation or it be knowledgeable people. Third: Reflect on it. Take time, sit with it, reflect on it, ponder it.

Without that kind of time being invested into something you are never able to really make use and make benefit of it. Anything that is worthwhile, anything that is good, it takes time. It takes time.

Current Global Muslim Struggles

The Reality We Face

Because as the sister mentioned even in the introduction here, we're dealing with so many issues all across the globe. And Muslims are dealing with so many unique circumstances in their everyday lives that while we've heard, we've been told, we've read that the Quran and the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم contain the solutions for your problems. How does that exactly match up? How does that exactly sync up? How do we exactly make sense of that?

We have so many different issues that we are dealing with in our community. There is the political climate and the negative attention that is put on Muslims here. And now Muslims are being vilified and targeted here.

And then when we glance around the world, the atrocities and the difficulties that we see just absolutely leave you speechless. And if you don't have anything to fall back on, it can even leave you broken. When you see what's going on with Muslims in Palestine or in Syria or in Iraq, or in China, in Burma, in Kashmir, and the list goes on and on.

The Fundamental Question

So how do we exactly understand this? Because at some point, and I will present the question, and even the question itself makes your skin crawl, that if Islam is correct, if Muslims are people who believe in the proper deen of Allah, Muslims are good people fundamentally, Islam is good, Muslims are good, then what's going on? How can this be the reality?

On one side, someone could say that we have this current state of affairs because we as Muslims are not maybe properly practicing or understanding and implementing and living by our religion as we should. That's a thought and idea somebody might say. But the answer to that is, but God is so merciful.

And this is still a religion of mercy. And number two, I am more than free to gauge myself, to critique myself, that maybe I am not living in accordance with my Islam. Maybe I am not as devoted to Allah as I should be.

But what gave me the right to pass that judgment on a whole another group of people? Like the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

(Muslim hadith 112)

"Did you open up their hearts and look inside their hearts to see what's in their hearts?"

No.

"And God alone is the one who knows what's contained, what's sealed within the chests."

So I have no idea. I have absolutely no right to speak on anyone else's behalf. So my Muslim brothers and sisters who are struggling, who are enduring, I have absolutely no right to be able to say, well, maybe they're not practicing their Islam properly. They're not devoted to their Islam as they should be. And that's why they are in the situation that they're in. Absolutely not.

So then how do we go about in understanding and making sense of this? So this is when we turn to the Quran, and this is when we turn to the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

Understanding Human Nature: Body, Mind, and Soul

The first thing that we need to understand is that we as creation, we as human beings, we are constructed of three parts:

First: There is the jasad, there is the body, the physical body, the physical reality that we have here.

Second: The aql, the intelligence, the cognizance. The intelligence and the cognizance that we are able to understand, we are able to think, we are able to arrive at conclusions.

Third: The soul, the ruh, which can also be referred to in a sense as the consciousness that we have. Our consciousness, our awareness, our soul, the ruh.

The Nature of Each Component

We are constructed of these three parts. Of these three parts, the soul is everlasting. The soul is eternal. The soul is never ending. This body is very, very temporary. It exists in this world, and then there will come a time when this body will basically wither, it will die, it will decompose, and it will be nothing. The mind and the intellect is something that is very, very limited, and cannot think, and cannot grasp something outside of a certain scope. It's limited in its ability.

So the body is very temporary, the mind is very limited. The soul is something that is eternal. It's everlasting.

The Essential Premise: Life After Death

The first thing that we have to understand is that the equation of this life for Muslims will never ever make sense. I will never be able to win a debate. I will never be able to win an argument about the reality of this world, and what we experience in this world, and what it means.

If we do not first establish the premise, we do not first grasp the reality that while we exist right now, right here in this world, there is a life after death, and we are to live in that eternal life of the hereafter forever and ever and ever. We have to understand that we are not just worldly beings, we are spiritual eternal beings. In the sense that while our body will stay here, but the soul will continue on into the afterlife.

And we'll be given another reality in the afterlife. If we can establish that premise, we can have a conversation based off of that, then this conversation can go somewhere. Because now when we talk about things, about well, Islam is the truth, and Muslims believe in what's correct, and God is merciful.

But you only have a 60-year window of reference, that maybe your math is not gonna add up. But if you have a frame of reference that extends beyond this life, and goes into the afterlife, now it will absolutely make sense.

The Quranic Framework: Life as a Test

And now we can talk about the fact that Allah tells us within the Quran, that the life of this world is a place of trial and tribulation. The life of this world is an opportunity to prove our worth and our value. Allah tells us in the Quran:

Allah gives us the example of a farmer. In surah number 42, ayah number 20, Allah gives us the example of a farmer.

The Farmer's Example and Its Universal Lessons

Now this goes back to that first thing I had mentioned. How is the example of farming relevant to us? How is the example of farming relevant to someone 1400 years later in America who works in IT? How do I understand farming? Well, Allah uses the example of farming, again not because of the specifics that it's only relevant to farmers. Allah uses the example of farming because farming involves certain truths and realities.

Farming involves certain experiences that we can all relate to. What are some of the experiences of farming?

Hard Work

Number one: It's really really hard work. We've all experienced hard work at some point or another. Your hard work might not have been farming, you might have been doing a master's degree, or going to med school, or raising children, or whatever else your experience may be in life. But we can all relate to the theme of hard work. That some things are just really really difficult, they're very hard.

Patience

Number two: The other thing about farming is that it requires patience. It requires patience. If I'm buying and selling and trading online, then you know what? Something starts to seem like maybe it's going a little sideways, I can quickly change course. I can dump all of my product. I can try to cut my losses. I can maneuver quickly. I can switch quickly. But some things, they just require patience. You just have to stick with it for a long time.

And then eventually you hope that it'll pay off at the end. Farming is like that. The farmer works, toils, just completely exhausts him or herself. Six months, seven months, turning the soil, sowing the seeds, tending to the crop. Six months of non-stop hard work with no payoff. With no payoff.

Nothing is coming back right now. But I have bills to pay. Well, you gotta wait. I'm running out of money. You have to wait. I had an emergency come up. You have to wait. You can't speed up the harvest. It'll come when it comes. It'll arrive when it arrives. You can't do anything about it. You have no choice but to just try to make do. And try to persevere. But there's no speeding up this train. You'll get there when you get there.

Risk and Trust

And then there's this risk, this inherent risk that is assumed by a farmer. That the farmer has his whole life out there, out in the open. Exposed to the elements. What if somebody comes by and lights a fire? We're done. What if an infestation of like locusts basically hits? The crop is gone. What if a tornado comes and tears through the land? Your harvest is gone.

There's a risk that is being assumed. There is a risk that is taken on that cannot be avoided, that cannot be averted. So there's an element of trust and faith you're putting in that.

And ultimately, what you're hoping for is a harvest. So that's why Allah gives the example of the farmer. Because we in the life of this world have to have the attitude of a farmer.

The Divine Promise

We have to work hard. The payoff will come in the life of the hereafter. There's a lot of risk and danger that is assumed during this time. But Allah says:

"But if you keep your eyes on the prize, if you stay focused on the life of the hereafter," Allah says, Allah promises, "we will give you more than what you deserve. We will give you more than what you've earned. We will give you more than what you should have gotten."

If we're just simply giving you based off of your effort. We'll give you more. We'll increase you.

The Ultimate Reward

The hadith of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) talks about the fact that on the day of judgment when a man will come, and Allah will tell the angels:

(Muslim hadith 183)

"Remove from hell the last person, the last person believing from hell. Anyone who's got any amount of iman, find him and take him out of hell."

The last person that is removed from hell, who barely got in, Allah will tell that person, ask what you want. And he will ask and ask and ask. And after he's exhausted, he's done asking, Allah will say, ask more. And he'll ask and ask and ask.

And then Allah will say, ask more. And he'll ask until he'll say, I have nothing, I don't even know where to go anymore. I have nothing left to say. And Allah (جل جلاله) will say, you have been given everything that you have asked for, multiplied by 10.

And he'll actually say, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) says that he'll say, you are the lord of the world and you make fun of me? You're mocking me? I'm the lowest person, last person to get out of hell. And you're saying I get that much? And Allah (جل جلاله) will say that is the blessing and the benevolence of your Lord.

So, understanding that, Allah says:

"You keep prioritizing everything in this life. But in reality, the life of the hereafter is better and more lasting."

The life of the hereafter is much, much more worthy of your consideration.

Understanding Tests vs. Punishments

So, understanding this first premise, that the life of this world has ups and downs, highs and lows, good times and bad times, difficulties and adversities, but also victories. That is the nature of the life of this world. And then the eternal life of the life of the hereafter is where there is mercy, and there is benevolence, and there is the blessing of Allah (جل جلاله) unlimited.

Once we understand this, now we can start to talk about how to deal with the adversity in this world. But the first thing that needs to be understood, because if we do not understand that there is a life of the hereafter, how we're gonna have trouble understanding.

The Historical Perspective

I understand some people go through difficulty, but then they also see victory in this life. They saw bad times, but they will see good times in this life. Some of the sahaba, like Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه) like Bilal (رضي الله عنه) like Zaid (رضي الله عنه) these companions, they experienced very, very tough times in Makkah, and a lot of adversity in the early days of Madinah. But then they got to see the glory of the conquest of Makkah, and Hajjatul Wida, and they got to see Islam being established and spread in Madinah. They saw that.

But how do you understand Sumayyah and Yasir (رضي الله عنهما) al-Yasir, the family of Yasir. They accepted Islam in the early days of Makkah, and then they were tortured, and they were persecuted for being Muslim, until the point where they were killed because they were Muslim, while they were still in Makkah. They never got to see Madinah. They never got to see Madinah.

So how do we understand them? The way we understand them is the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) told us. He said:

"Have patience O family of Yasir, for you shall be reunited in Jannah. Paradise waits for you."

Paradise awaits you. The life of the hereafter will be yours. So we have to have that full vision.

The Default: Everything is a Test

Now secondly, while we are here and now, and we are seeing, and maybe some are even experiencing these adversities and difficulties, trials and tribulations, how do we manage them? How do we handle

them? How do we conduct ourselves within them?

Number one is that there's a profound question that a lot of people deal with, and a lot of people struggle with, and that is the question of a test versus punishment. Am I being tested? Because the whole point of a test is I get to prove myself, and I get to establish myself through the test. Or is this a punishment from God?

Understand that by default, and this is very important, so I want everyone to really understand. By default, everything is a test. The default is everything is a test. The only way to know for certain that something is a punishment is after it happens, is after this life is over.

That's the only way you can know that something is a punishment. Why? Allah tells us in the Quran that the people of Ad, the people of Thamud, the people of Lut, Fir'aun, Qarun, even from the life of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). People like Abu Jahl, we knew that what they experienced was a punishment because after it was over, then we were able to confirm the fact that, okay, this was a punishment. This person was punished for being a bad person.

But in the moment, everything by default is understood to be a test and a trial. A way to prove ourselves, a way to raise ourselves, a way to elevate ourselves.

The Principle of Ease After Difficulty

And that's one of the great Quranic principles:

"Allah tells us that with difficulty comes ease. With difficulty comes ease."

That there is always a test before then you are able to appreciate and you are able to enjoy some new level, some new stage in your life. That every great rise that came in this ummah came at the heels of some kind of difficulty and adversity. And none was probably greater than the departure of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) from this world.

The Gift of Madinah

When the Muslims received Medina, they were given the gift of Medina. Medina was a gift. Medina was a gift.

Pre Medina, what did the Muslim ummah look like? There were a hundred or so Muslims in Mecca who were publicly known as Muslims, who were being persecuted and tortured and harassed. There was another hundred or so Muslims who were secretly Muslim. So they could not even publicly let people know that, yes, I'm a Muslim. They had to lie about being Muslim. Another hundred or so people were living in refuge, in asylum, in East Africa, in Abyssinia, Habesha.

That's what the Muslim ummah looked like before Medina. It was not a pretty picture. Some Muslims are away from their homes and families. Some Muslims are having to lie about being Muslim. And those who are publicly Muslim are being tortured every single day. That was Islam. But they went through that difficulty and then they were given the gift of Medina.

What was the gift of Medina? The gift of Medina was, here is a place that is safe. Here is a city that is yours. Here is a masjid that you can pray in public. You can call the adhan from. You can be Muslim and be proud of your Islam and not have to worry about anyone.

4 AM, you can leave your home in the darkness and you can walk to the masjid and know that you'll be safe. 9 PM, you can walk back home from the masjid in the darkness of night and know that nobody will lay a finger on you. That was a gift. You can sit in the masjid for hours and hours and hours and hours and stare at the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and listen to his beautiful words. You can recite the Quran in public at the top of your lungs and people will stop by and they'll thank you. That's a gift. But that gift came after a lot of blood was left on the ground in Mecca.

The Qibla Change and Its Lessons

But then Muslims in Medina, what were they experiencing? A year and a half, 18 months after arriving in Medina, they used to pray towards Masjid Aqsa. 18 months, a year and a half after arriving in Medina, the Qibla turned:

"The Qibla was turned and now they would pray towards the Ka'bah in Mecca."

Think about what it felt like that I know that the Ka'bah is so sacred. We pray in this direction. It is the house of God, the foundations of which Abraham raised. It is meant for the worship of Allah and yet the Meccans, oppressors, are worshiping idols inside the Ka'bah. Oppressors are worshiping idols inside the Ka'bah. And that's the most sacred place on earth that we pray in the direction of.

But we can't go there, we can't see it, we can't go near it, we can't clean it, we can't do what was meant to be done there. We can't do it. You got a bunch of oppressors worshiping idols inside the Ka'bah.

That's very difficult. But after that difficulty came the ease, came the victory, literal victory. Fath of Mecca, the opening of Mecca, the conquest of Mecca, where Muslims walked into Mecca, the Meccans surrendered, the Ka'bah was cleansed.

"The truth came and falsehood was removed and the Ka'bah was restored to its original purpose. And that was a worship of one Allah."

Hajjatul Wida: The Pinnacle

Came this beautiful moment, this beautiful experience. And just when everything seemed like it had all fallen into place, we had Hajjatul Wida, over 124,000 Muslims assembled. That might not seem like a huge number. That might not seem. When we talk about Hajj, that doesn't seem like a huge number. But think about the fact that just 10 years ago, I told you that there were 100 Muslims in Mecca, lying, having to not disclose their Islam, having to hide their Islam.

There were 100 Muslims being tortured in Mecca and 100 Muslims living as refugees in Abyssinia. That was what was going on. 10 years later, 124,000 Muslims assembled together in Mecca and performed Hajj with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم Hajjatul Wida.

It's a glorious moment. On the day of Arafah, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم gives khutbah to over 100,000 Muslims. And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم reminds us their principles:

"I'm gonna leave you with two resources. You will never lose your way as long as you hold on to these two things: the Quran, and the life, the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. Hold on, because you're gonna need it."

How true were his words? Because two and a half months, three barely, not even a full three months, two and a half months, after they returned back from Hajjatul Wida, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم departed from this world.

The Ultimate Test: The Prophet's Departure

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم became sick. He didn't have the physical strength to get up and go for prayer. He called for Ali and Fadl bin Abbas, his two cousins. He called for them and he said, I need your help. They lifted him up. He put his arms around their shoulders:

"And they took him for the prayer. And he couldn't stand and lead the prayer."

They sat him down and he sat leading the prayer. And this went on for a couple of days until finally it was Fajr time. Just two or three days before he passed away.

It's Fajr time. Saturday morning. And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم can't even sit up. He can't even sit. So forget about somebody carrying him. He can't even sit.

And finally he tells Aisha رضي الله عنها the mother of the believers:

"Go tell your father Abu Bakr, my most trusted companion, to lead the people in the prayer."

And she says, O Messenger of God, if he stands at your place, having to fill in and stand in for you, he'll cry so much no one will even understand what he's saying in prayer. He loves you too much. He said, I know, but what needs to be done, it's what needs to be done.

The Final Days

And so she goes and she tells Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه he comes to the masjid and he leads the people in prayer. The next two days, pins and needles. What's gonna happen? What's gonna happen? Abu Bakr is leading the prayers. Some people who are closer to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم are going and checking on him and visiting him.

He can't open his eyes, he's burning up with fever. He keeps asking for water, to put water on his face. And he's departing from this world.

Until then Sunday, he finally comes out in the afternoon and he addresses the people. And he tells them, my time has come. God gave me a choice. Stay in this world or go back and meet him. And it's time to meet him. And people are broken, devastated.

Abu Bakr cries in the front. He's sitting right in front of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . He cries like how a child cries. You know when an adult cries, we try to kind of hold it in and kind of wipe away our tears and try to stifle our crying. But you know when a child cries, they just let it out. He sobs like how a child cries.

What does this world look like without the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ? I don't know. Can my heart handle that? I don't think so. We get the Quran through him. We know Islam because of him. We follow him. We hang on every word that comes out of his mouth. Like I can't envision life without him. But the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says, time has come.

Farewell to Fatima

That night, his whole family gathers around him to spend some moments with him. Until his daughter Fatima رضي الله عنها she comes, his only surviving child. He was blessed with seven children in this life. Six of them died during his lifetime. The only one to outlive him was his daughter Fatima, who was the most precious thing in this world to him. She would pass away six months after he did. And Ali said that I lost her the day he passed away. She was never the same ever again. She could not handle his departure.

She comes and sits by his bedside:

"My father has to suffer so much."

And he tells her, he consoles her:

"Your father will not suffer after today. No more, no more. There's no more suffering after today."

And then he gives her some good news. He whispers into her ear. She's crying so much when he confirms his departure. She cries and weeps at his bedside. And he whispers into her ear. She would tell Aisha later that you'll be the first of my family to come and join me in the afterlife. We're all gonna be reunited soon. And she smiles through her tears at the thought of being reunited as a family.

The Final Moments

And the next morning, Aisha says it was a very tough night. He had trouble breathing. He couldn't breathe. He was struggling to breathe. But when the morning time came and he heard the adhan and everyone was assembled within the masjid.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم asked her to help me sit up. Scoop me over to the curtain. And he pulled the curtain aside and he stuck his head out and he glanced at the ummah sitting and writing and waiting for prayer. Waiting and ready for prayer.

And the sahaba say we looked at his face. And it was a gift that Allah gave us that we got one last look at his face. And he was smiling. And they said that every time after that moment we close our eyes, we can see his face smiling at us. We can see his face smiling at us. And he smiled at us. And then later that day he departed this world.

Abdullah bin Mas'ud رضي الله عنه says, The day the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم came into our lives, it's like the lights were turned on. He illuminated everything in our lives. And the day the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم left this world:

"It's like the lights were turned off. We didn't know how we were gonna survive. We didn't know what we were gonna do."

The Aftermath and Victory

And somehow in the next 10 years after the departure of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم Islam spread 5 times as far as it did during the lifetime of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم . Islam went 5 times further in the next 10 years after his departure.

Because with every difficulty will come ease. And some difficulties, and there's a lot of pain out there today, will feel like it's gonna break you. But if anything could have ever broken us, it was the departure of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. It was losing him.

That's the thing that could have broken us. And that didn't break us. We've been in difficulty before. We've been in adversity before. We've licked our wounds before. We've picked ourselves up before. We've been able to not just survive, but thrive in the face of difficulty and adversity time and time before. And this time is absolutely no different than that.

The Path Forward

Because remember what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, I leave you with two things. So long as you hold on to them, you're gonna be okay. And not only will you be okay, but you will thrive. You will flourish. You will succeed. And that is the Quran and the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

This is a room full of smart, intelligent, educated, very brilliant people who all have so much brilliance in so many areas of their lives. If every single person in this room, all of us, we dedicated ourselves to understanding the Quran, studying and understanding the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمand then living our lives based off of that understanding and carrying that understanding forward, it could change the world.

It could change the world. We just have to decide to commit ourselves to that. I hope that's the biggest thing everyone can walk away from. Everyone can walk away with. And that is the understanding of the resource and the ability you have. That while the ummah is struggling, you, all of us, have the ability to make sure that the next chapter is one of great successes.

But that will only happen if we decide to commit ourselves and realize our potential.

Closing Dua

May Allah give us all the ability to study the Quran.

May Allah give us the ability to be able to understand the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم

And may Allah allow us to persevere through these tests.

And may Allah grant the ummah of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم great victories in the days to come.

آمِينَ يَا رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

جَزَاكُمُ اللهُ خَيْرًا. السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ

Q&A Session

Question 1: Expressing Emotion During Tests

Question: Does being patient through tests and trials also mean not being able to express emotion? Is this a sign of weakness?

Answer: Very good question. So, hopefully everyone was able to understand and hear the question. But the perseverance and the succeeding in tests and trials in no way, shape or form takes away from us the ability to have a very kind of human response. The idea more so is about what you do in the aftermath of any given test or trial.

It's not necessarily about the physical response that you have. That is something that is very normal. That is something that's very natural. And nothing illustrates that better than again, in the life of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. Many, many examples of this. One of the examples, very powerful ones, that is preserved in the hadith is that when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم lost the last of his children that he lost in this world, a baby boy, a son named Ibrahim. That when he passed away, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was holding his body, covered, shrouded.

And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had tears streaming down his face almost uncontrollably. Like to the point where he wasn't like actually like crying, but the tears were still coming. Like he wasn't sobbing, but the tears were coming.

So much so, that some of the companions sounded a bit curious and they said, Ya Rasulullah, you're crying like this? Because they as well had that question. But I thought you told this to be tough. So how are you crying like this? And then the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said that, eyes were meant to cry. And the heart was made to feel pain. And I miss my son. But I won't say or do anything that would be displeasing to Allah.

It's about what you say and it's about what you do. But as far as my heart aching, that just confirms my humanity. My eyes shedding tears, that just tells me that my eyes actually work. And I miss my son. I'm a human being. But I won't say or do anything:

(Bukhari hadith 1303)

"I'll only say that which is pleasing to my Lord."

Question 2: Test vs. Sign from Allah

Question: When do we know something that is a test to overcome versus when it's a sign from Allah to do something different? For example, changing your major.

Answer: Very good question. It's a good question. Again, I like to try to frame these things a little bit more kind of technically because I think that it helps people make sense of it.

The defaults, I told you all that there see, whenever we study some usool, there's always a default of things. There's always a default of things. The default is that when you have different things kind of occurring in your life, especially in the realm of the choices that you make in terms of life, we do not assume these things to be signs from God.

Everything is a sign of Allah, but everything is a sign of the greatness of God. But we don't necessarily take it as some kind of a sign of something. But these things are basically choices and decisions that we make. And that's how we operate within them.

Question 3: Why Test if God Knows the Outcome?

Question: You mentioned the premises has to be established that there is effect of the afterlife. Oftentimes, we're challenged with the questions of if God knows the outcome of the test, why would he bother to put us there? How can we properly address that question when we're faced with it?

Answer: Very good. So the question basically is about, you know, the idea of the mercy of Allah that if God knows the outcome of the test, then why basically put us through it? One very simple thing that is discounted by us whenever we try to figure this out is the outcome is known by God, but it's not known by us. And it's not known by us. It's not experienced by us.

This entire scenario is for me to be able to experience something. Because ultimately what we can say is that let's play that line of logic out to its ultimate end. God knows the outcome of the test, so why put us through it? Just fast forward is there, right? But then we ultimately are only a result and a consequence of the command of God.

So in that sense, we don't have to exist. So let's fast forward there, and none of us exist. And then no one's having this conversation and we're talking about nothing and nothing really matters.

So the whole point that we have to understand is that our existence is our greatest blessing. Our existence is our greatest blessing. And in that existence, we're meant to have different experiences.

And so the question of the fact that, well, Allah knows the outcome of the test. Why put us through it? Why not just take us straight there? Yes, that might make sense to you initially. But think about what you're saying.

What you're saying is then you experience nothing, you do nothing. But then that would ultimately lead us to the conclusion that we are nothing. And we are nothing without the command of Allah.

But then we're back at square one. We only exist because God willed us to exist. And the system of God works the way He willed it for it to work. And in that sense, we have to try to navigate within that system that God has created. A lot of this also requires just this understanding, accepting that we are at the mercy of Allah. But if we can accept that, then ultimately what we understand is that we're just a product of the will of God.

The system is the will of God. And so really there's nothing more to talk about.