Abdul Rahman Chao - 2-14-25

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. Inna alhamdulillahi rabbil alameen.

A delegation from what we could say in present day is the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula near Bahrain came to visit the Prophet ﷺ. They were from the tribe of Abd Qais and came to pledge allegiance to him and to also take the testimony of faith in front of him.

When they got to Medina, they dismounted and they all rushed into the Masjid of the Prophet ﷺ very fast. This sudden arrival was a little bit different for the Prophet ﷺ because they immediately came to him and started kissing his hands and his feet ﷺ. But there was a companion who actually had stayed behind and he tied his camel, reached into his bag, took out a fresh change of clothes, washed up, and came calmly and non-rushing into the Masjid of the Prophet ﷺ.

When the Prophet ﷺ saw this, he was amazed. He said to this companion: "You have two characteristics that are beloved to Allah. The first one is hilm (forbearance). In other words, they are patient, they don't rush, they don't get angry very easily. The second characteristic is anaah, which means they are deliberate, they're not rushing. They take their time to think about what decision they want and they don't just haphazardly say things or do things without thinking."

The Problem with Rushing in Modern Society

This story, brothers and sisters, teaches us a characteristic that we all have within ourselves. We sometimes like to rush things. And it doesn't help that our entire society is always focused on rushing things. Whether it is rushed delivery, checking by the minute every development in the package that you're expecting. If we don't get a product at a certain time, we will reorder it and then we'll tell it to come overnight because we're in a rush.

You look at the idea of instant gratification, how people want instant results, how they want to go viral. And you see this today, so many young people, you ask them, what is it that you would like to be? They say, oh, I want to be a social media influencer. Why do you want to be a social media influencer? Because I want to have viral TikTok videos that can go viral and lots of likes and shares so that I can grow my audience. Not because they're actually promoting some sort of business, but they're just looking for the likes. Instant gratification, rushing.

Good vs. Bad Rushing

Brothers and sisters, this characteristic of rushing - we're not saying that all types of rushing is incorrect. Rushing to right a wrong, rushing to the obedience of Allah, rushing to repentance. These are good examples of how you should rush to those things. But when it comes to your daily life, we should remember to not rush.

Even the way the Prophet ﷺ used to speak, he wasn't rushing through his words. He would speak in a deliberate manner where everyone in the audience could understand what he was saying. And when it was something that was important, the Prophet ﷺ would repeat himself three times.

What Allah Says About Human Nature and Haste

Allah describes humans in that their nature is that they will rush:

It's like humans are created from haste. It doesn't mean they are created from the material of haste. It means they are so hasty in their nature, it's like they were created that way.

The Prophet ﷺ teaches us that being deliberate, not rushing, not being too hasty, is a characteristic and a gift from Allah. He says:

(Narrated in various collections)

To be deliberate, to be calm in your decisions, not rushing to conclusions, not rushing to judgment - all of these are a gift from Allah. And rushing and being in haste, taking action prematurely before you know the facts, that is from Shaytan. Because Shaytan is fueling that adrenaline, that rush.

You think that by taking action immediately, that means you are decisive and you are executing a plan, when in fact you have not taken the time to study the details of its requirements. So when you are driving and you feel that you are late, and you increase your speed by 15 miles per hour, does it really get you to your destination significantly faster? No, it doesn't. In fact, because you are rushing, you are going to be more irate, you are probably going to have road rage, you are probably going to hit someone. So think about these consequences when you rush.

Rushing in Du'a and Supplication

Perhaps the most important thing that we should focus on today is how people rush in their requests and their du'as to Allah. They want Allah to give them what they want immediately. Allah doesn't give you what you want immediately, because if that was the case, there is no meaning to patience if you get instant gratification of what you want.

Allah wants you sometimes to wait, because the time is not right for that du'a to be answered. And for you to say, "I made du'a over and over again, and Allah did not answer," that is not correct, neither is it appropriate.

The Prophet ﷺ says:

(Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)

The person's du'a will be answered as long as they don't rush. What does that mean? The Prophet ﷺ explains: they say "I made du'a and it was not answered."

How many times have you thought in your life that you should do this and that, but somehow a circumstance that is outside of your control completely derails your plans, and you later on realize that initial idea that you had, your plan was actually terrible. There were many potential flaws and hazards along the way. And then you realize, subhanAllah, alhamdulillah Allah protected me from that.

A Personal Example

As professionals working in downtown, I always remind myself, jobs come and go. If you're thinking that you need to jump on a job opportunity, alhamdulillah, that's good. But sometimes you might think that job is really good for you, and then you're ready and you're wondering, why haven't they called me back? It's been three days. And subhanAllah, maybe that job isn't even right for you.

I once applied to a company in oil and gas, and they made me go through five rounds of interviews. Got to the fourth round, and then they got quiet. One year later, that entire group was disbanded. That hiring manager was fired.

So when you don't get something, you should be saying, alhamdulillah, Allah has saved me from it. You should be saying, alhamdulillah, this is the wisdom of Allah. I might not know why I'm not getting it right now, I put in my effort, but alhamdulillah, I'm okay with Allah's judgment.

أقول قولي هذا وأستغفر الله لي ولكم ونساء المسلمين فاستغفروا إنه هو الغفور الرحيم

Second Khutbah

الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين

Brothers and sisters, rushing has many consequences. Number one, when you are rushing to do something, you are most often not focused on the present, because you're going to be distracted. Because you're so hyper-focused on getting there, you don't see what's around you.

Examples from the Prophet's Guidance

The Prophet ﷺ tells us that it is disliked for someone to enter salah, to start their salah, if they have the urgent need to use the bathroom. The Prophet ﷺ says that you should go use the restroom, relieve yourself, and then go pray. Because if you're lazy and you're thinking, "Oh man, I really don't want to make wudu again, because I need to hold it in," well, guess what? You're going to be rushing through salah. And are you actually focusing on the salah? No, you're not. Because you're trying to not break the wudu in salah. And is that what you want to do during salah? No.

The Prophet ﷺ also says that if food has been fully served in front of you, and the time of salah has come in, you should eat first. Because you know why? If you say, let me go pray first, you will be distracted by the smells, and your hunger, and you're just going to rush through the salah, and then you're not going to focus on salah. Why is it that the Prophet ﷺ tells us that when you break your fast, you break your fast, and then you go pray? Because imagine if it's time to break your fast, and you have to pray first, no one's going to be focusing.

The Prophet ﷺ also tells us that rushing to judgment, especially when you hear of something, of news, you could actually regret that decision:

And then you'll be regretting for that decision that you made.

Don't Rush Your Rizq

Brothers and sisters, we are all working professionals, and my word of advice is when it comes to your paycheck, when it comes to your rizq, don't rush it. It is written for you. And when you try to rush the sustenance that Allah has written for you, there is a likelihood that you will become impatient and you will seek haram means.

The Story of Ali ibn Abi Talib

During the time of Ali ibn Abi Talib, a man came to his house and visited him, and he wanted money. He said, "I need help." Ali ibn Abi Talib said to him, "Wait, I will go in my house, and I will look for what money I have, and I will come and give it to you."

So he went looking in his house, and he couldn't find it initially, so he took extra time to keep looking for these 4 to 7 coins. This man became impatient. He went behind the house of Ali ibn Abi Talib, and he found his horse, and he stole the bridle and the reins that are on the face of the horse that you use. He pulled it off the horse, stole it, and went to the marketplace to sell it.

Sometime later, the servant of Ali ibn Abi Talib noticed that the bridle of his horse was missing. He said, "It seems like this is missing. Go to the marketplace and buy one." He goes to the marketplace, and he finds that same one being sold. He comes back, and he tells Ali ibn Abi Talib, "See, I bought it."

So Ali ibn Abi Talib gave him those 4 coins, and he said, "Go buy it." So he buys it - he buys back his own stolen product. The servant said, "Oh Ali, it seems that this is maybe the same person that came to you earlier asking for money." He said, "Describe him to me." When described, he said, "Yeah, it was that person."

Ali ibn Abi Talib, you know what he said? "If he had been patient and not rushing, those 4 coins would have been obtained through halal means. But because he was impatient and he rushed, he ended up obtaining them through haram means."

عباد الله إن الله يأمر بالعدل والإحسان وإيتاء ذي القربى وينهى عن الفحشاء والمنكر والبغي يعظكم لعلكم تذكرون

اذكروا الله العظيم الكبير يذكركم واشكروه على نعمه يزدكم ولذكر الله أكبر والله يعلم ما تصنعون

وأقيموا الصلاة