Abdul Rahman Chao - Setting High Goals

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

Alhamdulillah, we praise Him, we seek His help, and we seek His forgiveness. And we seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our actions. Whom Allah guides, there is no misguider for him, and whom He misguides, there is no guide for him.

And I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, no partner for Him. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. O you who believe, fear Allah as He should be feared.

And do not die except as Muslims. O you people, fear your Lord Who created you from one soul. And He created her husband from her, and He spread from them many men and women.

And fear Allah, whom you ask about, and the wombs. Indeed, Allah is ever watching over you. O you who believe, fear Allah and say a firm word that will amend for you your deeds and forgive you your sins.

And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger has won a great triumph. After this, the best speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad ﷺ. And the worst of things are its innovations, and every innovation is a creation, and every creation is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire.

The Story of Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b

Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b was a companion of the Prophet ﷺ. And he was originally from Mecca. And he was among the first companions to emigrate, and he was a dedicated companion of the Prophet ﷺ. But this companion, he was very poor. He didn't have anything. In fact, he used to live in the masjid of the Prophet ﷺ in Medina.

And the people who didn't have anything, and they lived in the masjid of the Prophet ﷺ, these were the poorest of the companions. And he describes himself as someone who would sleep right outside the door of the Prophet ﷺ's apartment. And he narrates that one day, he was sleeping, or he was near the Prophet ﷺ's apartment.

And when the time came, he brought the wudu water for the Prophet ﷺ. And he would always serve the Prophet ﷺ and bring him the things that he needed. So he really didn't have a business going on like some of the other companions. All he wanted to do was to serve the Prophet ﷺ. You can think of him as a butler, as a personal assistant.

Until one day the Prophet ﷺ looked at him and he said, "Ask me, basically, do you have any request that you have?" And Rabi'ah said, "Messenger of Allah, the only request that I have is your companionship in paradise." Now this companion did not think about the worldly. Not that there's anything wrong to strive for worldly things.

But he had a very high goal. It wasn't just to get to jannah. But it was to be in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ. Just like now he was with the Prophet ﷺ, he wants to be with the Prophet ﷺ in jannah.

And as you know the Prophet ﷺ would be in the highest of all ranks in jannah. So by asking for the companionship of the Prophet ﷺ in jannah, he's getting two things. To be in the highest of the ranks of jannah and also to be with the Prophet ﷺ. So the Prophet ﷺ said, "Is there anything else that you want?" The Prophet ﷺ wants to make sure.

In fact, this could have been an opportunity for Rabi'ah ibn Ka'b to say, "In addition to that, Ya Rasulullah, I want you to also grant me this wish or give me this or bless me with wealth." No, he said, "That's it, Messenger of Allah." Then the Prophet ﷺ he said, "If that is so, then assist me by doing a lot of sujood."

In other words, the Prophet ﷺ is saying, if you want to be near me, and you want to have my companionship in jannah, in the highest of jannah O Rabi'ah, then increase in your extra salawat, pray extra nawafil, and that is your way to your request.

Setting High Expectations

Brothers and sisters, this hadith, despite how concise it is, it teaches us as Muslims that it is important to never set for yourself a low expectation, but to set yourself the highest of expectations. And many of us here, we work downtown including myself, and we work in the corporate world.

And many of us, rightfully so, we are driven by our desire to be promoted, to get a salary raise, to get a bonus, to get to the next level, to jump to the next logical step in your career. And that is worthy. But brothers and sisters, as the month of Ramadan approaches, I want us to rethink and reframe for ourselves.

Is there a way for us to apply that same energy that we have for our career? Whether it is by getting more certifications, whether it is going back to school and getting an extra degree, whether it is attending conferences or networking or whatever. Do we apply that same effort in improving our relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?

The Levels of Jannah

Brothers and sisters, Jannah is not one level. It is of multiple, multiple levels. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has encouraged us not to just settle for the last level of paradise, but to ask Allah for the highest level of paradise. As Ubadah ibn Samit narrates in a hadith that the Prophet ﷺ tells us that Jannah has over a hundred levels. And the distance between each level is like the heaven and the earth.

In fact, in another narration, the Prophet ﷺ tells us of the value of the real estate in Jannah. It doesn't matter what part of, people here today, they compare each other with what neighborhood they live in and how big their house is and how much it's worth. Think about the real estate value in Jannah.

The Prophet ﷺ says, in an authentic narration, that the amount of space in Jannah that is occupied by a whip, you know, for the animal when you're riding the horse, that space that it occupies in Jannah, it's such a sliver. It's probably like, what, two feet, three feet, and like three inches wide. The Prophet ﷺ says, that space is greater and better than the whole world and everything in it.

So what are we doing, brothers and sisters, to strive for that? What are we doing to get to the next level in our pursuit for Jannah? Brothers and sisters, the Prophet ﷺ says, if you are to ask Allah, then ask Allah for Firdaus, the highest.

(Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)

The Prophet ﷺ says, as narrated by Sa'eed al-Khudri radiallahu ta'ala anhu, the people in paradise, they will look at the people that are above them. And we said earlier, that the distance between one level of paradise to the next level of paradise, is like the heavens and the earth.

And here the Prophet ﷺ gives us an even clearer picture. He crystallizes, he said, it's like someone who looks at the stars. And these stars are in the sky. And they're shining and they're brilliant. In fact, the scholars, they explained this description, they said, it's that when you look at the star on the horizon, and then when the dawn comes and you cannot see the star anymore, and you're yearning and wondering, where did that brilliant star go?

That is like how the people are, when they look at the next level up in Jannah, for the people above them. It's that fleeting and yearning feeling, looking and wondering, where are they? It's like a distant star, brothers and sisters. It's not the next street down the neighborhood, where the property is, mashallah, an extra $30,000. This is between the heavens and the earth.

And so the companions, they said, "Messenger of Allah, those are the levels that only the Prophets can reach." The Prophet ﷺ he says, "By the one who possesses my soul in his hand. They can be reached by the people who have full belief in Allah and in the Prophets." And the meaning of that, brothers and sisters, is that you have firm and full belief in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and that you rush to do the things that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells you to do, to get to that next level.

The Way to Higher Levels in Jannah

The Prophet ﷺ tells us of one of the ways to get to the next level in Jannah. In a sahih hadith, the Prophet ﷺ says, that when the people have entered Jannah, the angels will say to them, "Read from the Qur'an just like how you used to recite back on earth, and for every ayah that you recite, you will go up one level of Jannah."

So the question that I have here for you brothers and sisters is, Ramadan is on our doorsteps, may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us the ability to witness this next month of Ramadan, ameen. How many of us here today have not touched the Qur'an? How many of us here today still do not, still have not put in the effort to say, "I need to learn the Arabic language in order to understand the words of my creator?" How is it possible that we go through life and we don't understand the words of our creator?

The Example of Abu Bakr: Being Proactive

So brothers and sisters, back to the hijrah. Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu, he was waiting for the Prophet ﷺ to give him the green light to emigrate to Medina. So one day he came to the Prophet ﷺ and he said, "Messenger of Allah, can I go with you, travel to Medina?" The Prophet ﷺ says, "Do not rush. Perhaps Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, لَعَلَّ اللهَ يَجْعَلُ لَكَ صَاحِبًا. Perhaps Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will give you a companion."

So Abu Bakr, he didn't sit back and relax, he was proactive. This is the first step when you want to reach for the next level. He went to the marketplace, even though he didn't have a guarantee from the Prophet ﷺ, he bought two rides. And he fed them, basically camels, and he fed them, and he got all the food and provisions ready. He was proactive.

And sometime later, the Prophet ﷺ visited Abu Bakr. Aisha radiallahu anhu, the daughter of Abu Bakr, opened the door. And the Prophet ﷺ entered, and it was at a time when the Prophet ﷺ would not visit. So Abu Bakr knew there was something that was going on.

So the Prophet ﷺ he sat down and he said to Abu Bakr, "Indeed, Allah has permitted me to do the hijrah, to emigrate to Medina." Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu, he said, "Messenger of Allah, الصُّحْبَةُ ya Rasulullah, companionship, O Prophet of Allah. Am I allowed to be your travel companion?" The Prophet ﷺ says, "الصُّحْبَةُ, yes, you will be my companion on this journey."

Aisha radiallahu anhu, she said, "I have never seen anyone in my life cry out of joy more than my father Abu Bakr." That, brothers and sisters, is how you get to the next step, to be proactive.

Aiming for All the Doors of Jannah

And I want to close off with another story of Abu Bakr radiallahu anhu. One time the Prophet ﷺ was with his companions, and he said, "There are many doors to Jannah. And on the day of judgment, some people will be called from the door of salah. Some people will be called from the door of charity. And some people will be called from the door of fasting. And some people will be called from the door for those people who went out on war expeditions."

Look at what Abu Bakr is aiming for. He said, "Messenger of Allah, will there ever be a person who will be called and invited to Jannah from all the doors?" The Prophet ﷺ he said, "And I hope you, Abu Bakr, will be called from all the doors of Jannah."

Brothers and sisters, as Ramadan is upon us, the doors of Jannah are open. It is the time now to upskill and to improve yourself, and to make that jump for the next level of paradise. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us among them.

We ask you O Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala at this time in need to be and to give victory to our brothers and sisters who are oppressed in Palestine, in Gaza, in this month of Ramadan that is approaching. O Allah we ask you to grant them victory, to protect them, and to enter all of those who have been killed into الْفِرْدَوْسَ الْأَعْلَى with the Prophet ﷺ