Modesty & A Sound Heart in the Last Days

Modesty & A Sound Heart in the Last Days

Opening Praises and Greetings

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to God, the Lord of the worlds. And all praise is due to God, the Sustainer of the worlds.

All praise is due to God, the Lord of the worlds. And surely, there is no animosity except for the oppressor. And I bear witness that Allah is one and has no partners.

And that Muhammad, the son of Abdullah, is his servant and his last messenger. And may Allah always and constantly send peace and blessings to Muhammad, to his family, to his companions, to all those who call to his way and establish his sunnah to the day of judgment. As to what follows, my beloved brothers and sisters, As- salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

Reflections on Sacred Places and Islamic Architecture

Alhamdulillah, it is a great pleasure to be here and to again be in a masjid in the Ottoman style, the Turkish style. Alhamdulillah, it takes me back to a journey that I had to Istanbul where we had a number of people who came from Cape Town and we went into the Middle East. And in the journeys of my life, I remember there was three times when I stood in a state of awe, when I was dumbstruck by the size and the majesty of the building and the place where I was at.

The first and the greatest experience that I've ever had, like many of you, is coming into Mecca to Muqarrama and then looking at the Kaaba for the first time. And when you look at it, it strikes you. It takes you back centuries, Ibrahim alayhi as-salam. And you feel something of this spiritual presence and the people making tawaf. There is nothing like looking at people who are making tawaf. And so that memory stayed with me and will always stay with me.

Also going to the Prophet's masjid, Masjid al-Nabi alayhi as-salam and feeling this sakina, the peace as you enter into Medina. And I had the opportunity to go there to Medina around 1973. And this is when Medina was totally different than what it is now. And you get more of the original feeling of Medina. And the next time when I was struck by a presence, a physical presence of a location, was in Cairo, in Egypt. When I went to the pyramids.

The Ancient Wisdom of Egypt

And when you stand near the pyramid of Giza and you see the size of this building and you reflect upon the size of the structure and the knowledge that the people must have had to build this structure. It's something that, you know, you can't put it together. And studying the history of Egypt, I recognized the fact that this pyramid was not built by the pharaoh that we know in the Quran itself.

It was built long time before the pharaoh. And Allah has told us:

That we have sent to every nation a messenger to worship Allah and stay away from false deities.

And so the ancient Egyptians had something, they had something that the world still does not fully understand. And I stood at awe at the size of this building and to think that people at that point in time could have constructed something like this is mind-boggling.

The Ottoman Legacy

The other time when I stood at awe at a structure is when I went to Istanbul. And then looking at the Blue Mosque, looking at the structures that the Uthmaniyah, that the Ottomans had built, it struck me at the size of the structures and how much power Muslims actually had. And if you go back in history and look at the buildings in other parts of the world at that point in time, you realize how much power and authority actually was in the hands of Muslims. And how much of a loss it was to us.

When the Khilafat was taken down in that part of the world, a major loss to the Ummah that we will not regain until we have the consciousness to rebuild the Khilafat and to have our Amir al-Mu'mineen who at least can have some central authority for the Muslim world. And so alhamdulillah, again seeing this structure and being with this community, I pray that Allah would bless the people who are living in Turkey and would renew the strength that all those who are struggling in that part of the world, may Allah give them strength at this point in time in the struggle that they are going through with the secular forces trying to stop Islam. May Allah raise back Islam in that part of the world and give strength to the people as they had in the past.

The Three Levels of Sincerity to the Quran

Brothers and sisters, Allah has revealed to us in His glorious book, in the Arabic language, a revelation that was not only of vital importance to the believers in the time of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam, but it is still of great importance to us today. And when we read the Qur'an, we should not read it just as you read any book. We should not read it even as some people want to just memorize.

But in the words of one of the great scholars of Africa, of North Africa, Sidi Ahmed Zarouk, Rahimahullah. And he, in one of his texts, An-Nasihatul Kafiyah Liman Khasahullahu Bil-Afiyah. In this text, he was speaking about sincerity to the Qur'an.

How are you sincere to the book of Allah? And he said these three things, Tahseen Tilawatihi, Wa Tadabbur Ayatihi, Wa Itba' Awamirihi. Three things. First, Tahseen Tilawatihi, that we should beautify its recitation.

And secondly, we should reflect on its verses. So it's not enough just to read the Qur'an with tajweed. And the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, the time would come when people would read this Qur'an with beautiful

tones, and it would not pass their throats.

It would just be a beautiful sound. So Tahseen Tilawatihi, Wa Tadabbur Ayatihi, Wa Itba' Awamirihi, that we should follow its commands. So it is not enough just to read it and think about it. But those thoughts need to be interpreted into actions. We have to follow what Allah is telling us. And look at this Qur'an as a guide and that which will give us knowledge not only of this time, but of the future to come.

The Importance of Dying as a Muslim

And in this light, Allah azawajal has revealed in the off-repeated verses, A'udhu billahi minash shaitanir rajim:

O you who believe, fear Allah in the way He should be feared. And do not die except in a state of Islam.

And so here Allah tells us that we should have the consciousness in this world, Al-Khawfar Raj'a. We should fear Allah, hope in the mercy of Allah. Surround ourself with a wiqaya, a shield of taqwa.

And we should not, we should try our best to leave this world in a state of Islam. And so the word is used, laa tamootunna, and this is a confirmation, illa wa antum muslimoon. Do not die except in a state of Islam. Istislam. That you have submitted to Allah. And so we're leaving the world and we should be in a state of Islam. Salama.

The Sound Heart on the Day of Judgment

The Qur'an speaking again about the hereafter. Takes us now from the stage of death to the hereafter. And then Allah has revealed in Surah Shu'ara verse 89:

That on that day, the day of judgment, your wealth nor your children will be of no benefit to you. The only benefit a person will get is the one who comes to Allah with a sound heart. Biqalbin saleem. And saleem is also from salama. And so that state of istislam, the heart needs to be in the state of istislam.

That we not only say that we're Muslims but that we are in submission to Allah. Enter into the barzakh zone of the next life as Muslims. And when we come to Allah Azza wa Jal, the only benefit we will get is to have a sound heart that we are in this tranquil state, in submission and in peace.

And so the heart is a crucial object. The heart is the essence. It is not just that lump of flesh. The heart, as you can see, coming to Allah, it's not just the lump of flesh pumping blood. But it is your conscience. It is that which connects to your soul, which is telling you to do what is right, which can be affected either way. It's something inside of us, which energizes us and helps us to make decisions and gives us emotions in many of our affairs.

Haya: Modesty as Part of Faith

And this heart, one of the key elements in the heart is haya. It is modesty. It is decency. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said:

(Sahih Muslim 60)

That verily decency and modesty is part of faith and iman will lead you to jannah.

So haya is a crucial concept. It's a crucial ability or a crucial quality that we should have within ourselves. And haya is not just modesty or shyness. It is something to do with limits. That we know the limits of each other. And the real shame and modesty is not just from human beings, it's from Allah. And so we are modest because of our relationship with Allah. Not because we fear people.

The Example of Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah

The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, there were three people in Quraysh, three people. They were the best of people. When they spoke to you, they would tell you the truth. And when you spoke to them, they would not accuse you of lying. They would not suspect you. They believe what you say.

In other words, they're innocent. You're innocent until proven guilty. They accept what you say. There's three people. Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, Uthman ibn Affan, and Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah. R.A. Three people.

And of these three, Abu Ubaidah stands on the highest stage. And he is described as having, he was kasir al- hayat. He was modest and shamed to the point where he wouldn't even look you in the face.

But this modesty that he had is not weakness. He was just a shy person with believers. He is innocent person with you. But it is reported that when the enemies of Allah came, Abu Ubaidah, they described him as the sharp part of the sword. He turned into a lion. Asat.

He was humble and modest with believers. But when the enemies of Allah came, when danger came, he became a lion. He was the first in the line. No fear in his heart. And so this is the description of a believer. This is the modesty we're talking about. This is the haya. It is a modesty with Allah. It is a modesty that is so important to us.

The Modern Attack on Sensitivity and Modesty

Especially today, in the time period when the enemies of Allah have now developed the ability to enter into our homes with the television and with cell phones, internet. And they can teach our children. You might be at work. You're outside. And this thing, this machine is teaching your children how to lie. Or teaching your children filthy habits. How to swear. Racism. To make them ashamed of being Muslim.

And one of the most dangerous parts is it is taking away sensitivities. Taking away sensitivities. That if you are watching a program, if the child is watching a program, and then sees, that person sees on the program, he sees a man or a group of men raping a woman.

This is a horrific act. That most human beings will never see. If you live your life naturally in the world, you will never see anything like this. There are sometimes when they even have, he rapes the woman and he kills her. And the child is watching that. How many people will see this in their life? How many times will you see murder going on? Mass murder. People being tortured. And those who come from the front lines, those who are involved in warfare, go through a state of shock. A trauma that they go through.

Because human beings are not used to seeing this. We're not used to seeing things like this. We're not made to see this.

And it is said that when the American forces were landing on the shores, they always talk about World War II, and they're coming on the shores, and Iwo Jima, and these countries, they're raising the flag, and they're coming on the shores. The psychologist revealed that when they hit the shores, about 60% of the soldiers froze. They couldn't move.

60% of them. They were in total fear. Because they knew that they would probably die. And the only time they started moving is when somebody shot them, or someone else got shot, and they had to run now, and they have to react, because somebody's trying to kill them, and a human being has a natural ability to survive. So in order to survive, you will run, and you will struggle, because you have to survive. But it is not within a human being to kill, or to just throw yourself to suicide.

That is not in a normal human being state of mind. Similarly, it is not within a human being state of mind to be involved in adultery and fornication, and especially to see things like rape and murder. What it does, it takes away your hayat.

The Consequences of Losing Haya

And the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari 3484)

If you don't have hayat, then do what you want to do. If you don't have hudud, you don't have limits, you are capable of doing anything. You can do anything.

And so this hayat is a crucial thing. And the punishments, the things that are happening on this earth today, they talk about the environmental struggle. They talk about, and they say it's overpopulation.

But Allah revealed to us, over 1400 years ago, we already knew what was gonna happen to the environment, when in Surah Ar-Rum verse 41, Allah reveals:

Corruption has appeared on the land and the sea because of what people have earned in order that they would return to the path. And so, Fasad, it is here. It's environmental corruption. Pollution, deforestation. In some countries, in Canada, we even have what is called acid rain.

And that is where the rain, because it's so polluted, the clouds, when the rain comes down, it's filled with poison. And so it actually poisons you instead of giving you benefit. And so, the actions of people are what is bringing on what we see in the environment.

The Spread of Immorality and Its Consequences

And the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said in authentic hadith:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1458)

That if adultery and fornication and interest and usury come amongst the people, they have brought the punishment of Allah onto themselves. They have brought it onto themselves. And sadaqa Allahul Azeem, sadaqa Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم), it has come to pass, and our younger generation is in a serious situation.

Because things that we never even considered, when many people in previous generations are growing up, they're not even involved in sexuality, until they're in their late teens, twenties, or maybe in their 30 years old. But now the younger generation is seeing this. And adultery is so widespread.

It is a horrible thing. Allah tells us in the Quran:

Allah said, don't come near to zina. He didn't say, don't do it. Like you see other things, other sins:

Do not kill. Do not take intoxicants. But here it says وَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الرِّنَا Don't come near to it.

Why would that be? Because killing, as we said, is not a natural thing to see somebody die. It is not a natural thing for a robbery to take place. And somebody's screaming and they lost their goods. But a relationship between male and female, Allah made us for that. Allah made an attraction between male and female. And so when you carry out the act, you are doing something natural. Your body thinks it's natural. That's why Allah said, don't come near it. Don't come near it.

The Battle for Hijab and Modesty

And so the struggle that is going on, the struggle for haya, this is a crucial struggle which is affecting Muslims

today. And the enemies of Allah, the secular forces, they know this very well. And so they are pressurizing Muslims. Pressurizing us to wear the tightest of clothes. This is not only female, that's male as well. Pressurizing us for the man to look like a woman, for the woman to look like a man.

Pressurizing us, especially for the woman in hijab, to force her to take it off. They can't stand it. They hate to see it. Because it represents haya. And the shaitan, wa'iyadu billah, and his forces know, that this is one of the elements that makes the heart of a believer sound. It keeps you on the path.

It is reported that two years ago, a woman in Germany, a Muslim woman, wearing hijab, that she was taking her child out, and she went to a park, and she wanted to have the child ride the swing. But on the swing was a skinhead. A right-wing skinhead. He was riding the swing. And he looked at her, and she said, can you get off the swing, my baby can ride. And then he started to swear at her, and to curse her, and to call her a fundamentalist Muslim Islamist, terrorist, wearing your hijab, insulting her, and continuing on as much as he could.

She was a strong sister though. And she took it to the authorities. And in Germany, in most western countries, they have laws against abuse. They have laws for this. And so she took it to the court, and the man was fined 780 euros. He had to pay a fine.

But the skinhead was mad, because there's more to this thing, than just paying the fine. To him, it was a struggle. He had fought against a Muslim, a woman who's wearing hijab, who they think is attacking their society. He insulted her, he attacked her, he thought he did his job, so he appealed the case. The case came up last summer in July, and the sister Marwa Sherbini, was an Egyptian woman. She and her husband were in the courtroom, and when she went to make her testimony, and she had her child with her, and she was pregnant.

Just imagine this now, you are in the courtroom, a civil courtroom, the judge is there, and all the people have suits on, and the press is there, and the police are standing there, and the skinhead jumped off his booth, and he grabbed the sister, and he stabbed her 18 times. 18 times, man. Not once. 18 times. He stabbed her in front of everybody, and then her husband got up, and ran to try to save her, and the police shot her husband. Not the skinhead. They shot the husband. And then it broke. And the world recognized this.

But they didn't move. The secular countries, who see the hijab, who see modesty as one of their enemies, they didn't move, they didn't take it serious. Muslim countries tried to move, but they didn't take it serious.

And finally, he has been found guilty. But where is the reaction? Where was the press? Where is the people coming out, and feeling disgusted? A woman pregnant with her child, right there, stabbed 18 times in the court. This is the battle for hijab. It's the battle for modesty. And this battle is deeper than what you think. It is deeper than what you think.

The Battle for Hearts

The Christian missionaries called the battle, the battle for the hearts. They are struggling now in our countries.

They are struggling using the mass media, using internet movies, battling for the hearts of people. And behind them is the shaitan, the evil one, wa iyadu billah, who wants to take us off the path. And so this struggle that we see, is a serious one. The battle for the hearts.

The heart is that which, as the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari 52, Sahih Muslim 1599)

There is a lump of flesh in the body, if it is sound, the whole body is sound. And if it is corrupted, the whole body is corrupted, and that is the heart.

And so the struggle going on now, in our countries, it's not only a heart war. There is a heart war going on in many parts. Muslims are under the gun. But there is another struggle which is deeper, which is for the very essence, our essence, our hearts. It's for the hearts of our children, and for the future generations. And that is the real struggle that is going on. And our people are facing this all over the world.

Knowing Your Heart to Know Your Lord

And so we have to realize, how important it is to protect the heart. We need to protect ourselves. And the great ulama have told us very clearly:

Whoever knows his heart, knows his Lord.

So we need to know ourselves. We need to know what's inside of us. And then we really have our relationship with Allah.

The scholars have also shown us that the heart is like a fortress around it. And there are certain gates that lead inside of it. And there are soldiers protecting these gates. And so we need to know what are the gates, the shaitan and his forces are trying to get inside, trying to get inside the heart. And to reach us, to take us off the path. And this struggle is not as clear as what you think it is.

Sometime it is something which you think is a trivial thing, but it's not a small thing. It opens up a way for your heart to be destroyed. And so we need to know, (مَدَاخِلْ إِبْلِيسِ) We need to know the inroads of the shaitan to our (وَالْعِيَاذُ بِاللَّهِ) .hearts

The Entrances of Shaitan to the Heart

And the great scholars have shown us, Ibn Qudamah Al-Maqdasi, Rahimahullah and other scholars, have shown us that from these (مَدَاخِلْ) entrances into the heart, one of the gates that the shaitan used to get to us is (حَسَد). It is

envy and jealousy. And (حَسَد) is that quality when you see your brother or your sister who make some progress and you become jealous of that person.

They have a new baby. He has a new car. And you see him inside of this and you're jealous of it. If you want one like his or like her, that's okay. But (حَسَد) is when you want the baby and you don't like their baby. And some people will say evil things. They will say evil things about the brother. They see Zayd comes riding up in his new Lamborghini. Now how do you feel about your brother Zayd? You used to like him, right? But now you see Zayd in a Lamborghini.

So now what do you say about him? Some will say, well, you know, astaghfirullah. Look at him. He probably got this on the lottery. It's an ugly car anyway. Look at the color of it. So they will just say wicked things, right? That's the shaitan. That's (حَسَد). And this thing is a dangerous thing. And the worst thing about it is that the (حَاسِد) is more affected than the (مَحْسُود).

The one who has the he is more in trouble than the other one. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:

(Sunan Abi Dawud 4903)

Beware of jealousy. It will eat up your good deeds as fire eats up firewood.

You go to hajj, you fast in Ramadan, and you're jealous of another person, it burns up all your deeds. Someone makes a little progress, they have a nice masjid, and so what do you say, I'm not gonna go to that masjid, that's a Turkish masjid. I'm not gonna go there.

That's the shaitan talking to you. This is the house of Allah, regardless of who set it up. And so, jealousy is one of the ways that the evil one can come to our hearts and destroy us in this world.

Anger: The Monster of Intelligence

Another point which was brought up in this study is anger. It is anger. And this is considered to be ghul al-aql. It is the monster of intelligence. Because when you become angry, your intelligence is gone out your ear. You're no longer, you don't think with your mind anymore.

Emotion starts coming over the person. They foam at the mouth. They tear, they rip. They go out of control. And so anger is a dangerous way, and we need to control our anger, our emotions need to be for Allah. We need to love for Allah.

And if we hate and have anger, it should be for Allah. Not for ourselves. And it needs to be controlled. Discipline and self-control. And so this emotion, this actually is a door by which the evil one can come into our hearts.

Desires and Being Filled with the Dunya

Another area is the shahwa. And this is desires. That through our desires, the evil one comes to us, enters into

our minds, into our bodies. Especially those desires, and one of the areas the ulamas show us, is when we are filled. That is the shaba. When we are filled with food, when we feel satisfied with the dunya, satisfied with the world, and we lay back, this is a way that the evil one, wa'iyyadu billah, comes to us.

And when we look at Islamic societies, and we were studying Andalusia the other day, and you will see the early generations who entered into Spain and Portugal, into Andalusia, Tariq ibn Ziyad, rahimahullah, Musa ibn Nusayr. And when they entered in and they were striving and struggling, and calling to the good, forbidding evil, Allah gave them power. But the next generation got a little bit weaker. And by the third and fourth generation, when they were satisfied, and their wealth had poured in, they started getting corrupt.

And so when that happened, then they lost their authority, and Allah put upon them forces that had no mercy upon them. And it was not until the Murabitun came out of North Africa, and revived Islam in Andalus, that it came back to its heights. And so being satisfied, filling ourself up, this is a dangerous quality, and a door by which the evil one, wa'iyyadu billah, can come into us.

The Love of Fancy Clothes and Material Things

Another interesting point that the scholars make, is that one of the entrances of the evil one into the hearts is the love of fancy clothes. To have fancy clothes, a fancy house. When you love these things, and you build these things inside of this world, and you're into, you love it so much, then you start to forget Allah.

And that does not mean that we have to walk around with rags on. But we have to be moderate, we have moderation in how we dress and how we act. When we cover ourself with gold and silver, and with jewels, and show off with our clothing, then we have entered a dangerous area, where the evil one can come to us.

Remember how important it is. Remember, never forget that Allah says, when He speaks about the day of judgment:

Your wealth, your money, will be of no benefit, unless your heart is sound. So you have to protect your heart.

Glorifying People and Idolizing Leaders

Another one of the entrances into the heart, is when you desire people, when you glorify people, and you make them like idols in front of your eyes, and then you desire to be like them. And you glorify and glorify and glorify individuals. And this is one of the ways the shaytan wa'iyyadu billah comes into our hearts.

And it's so strange when you come into different countries, and our countries have fallen into this too. When you come into the countries and you see in every door or every shop, a picture of the president. Everybody has a picture. And they glorify the individual. In some countries, the people hardly ever see the head of state. He is so protected, and supposed to be so high.

In ancient times, the head of state, you could not even see him doing anything but sitting there. You can't see him like a human being, who gets weak and has a stomach ache, and has problems. Because they want you to glorify that person, in the place of Allah.

When you look at the leaders, when they came into Medina, and they look for Amir al-Mu'minin, Umar ibn al- Khattab radiyallahu anhu, who was the most powerful man in the world at that time. And they said, where is Umar? And they said, look over there under that tree, and he's sleeping there with his turban on a rock. He's sleeping.

No bodyguards. Okay, and they go over and they call, that's Umar, that's Amir al-Mu'minin. Because he was not afraid of anybody. He was not afraid of his people. Today if our leader comes, three days the soldiers are standing on the street. And they kick you out the way, because the leader, he's just gonna pass by in the car, and sometime he's not even in the car.

Totally different. Because that glorification leads to the position of the Fir'aun, of the Taghut, of those who are worshipped in the place of Allah.

Haste: A Trait from the Shaitan

Another important issue that comes up in this struggle for the heart, is Al-Ajala. It is haste. And the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, Al-Ajala minash shaitan. That haste is from the devil.

That's clear. We do things in a rush. And we find, Ajala, in our relationship, one of the most dangerous things that can happen, is when a man, especially he's angry at his wife, and he said, talak, talak, talak, talak. And talak comes out of his mouth like water. And after he says this, then he regrets it. He's sorry then.

And he shops around for a fatwa. He wants a mufti who will tell him, he can go back into his marriage. But he divorced his wife over and over and over and over again. Because he's hasty. He does things too hasty. And when we're getting into the marriages, we need to take time and to look at kafa'ah, look at the wealth of the person, at their genealogy, their beauty, and especially their deen.

And you judge these aspects. And the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, If you choose the deen, you'll be successful. Put that over all things. Take your time. And make a right choice. And so decisions, making decisions, that's where shura comes in.

That we should have mutual consultation in everything that we do. Not only in our personal life, but in our family life, in our masjids, our community. We need to sit together and to make decisions together. The leadership needs to listen to the people in the jama'ah.

So haste is a dangerous thing, but the scholars say that you are allowed haste in certain areas, only in certain areas. One of those ways which you are allowed to do things fast is when salat comes in. You can make your

salat, do it as soon as you possibly can. Also if you have az-zad war rahila, if you have enough money on you, and the ability to go to Mecca, then you should make hajj. Don't wait and say, 20 years when I reach 50 years old, or I reach 60 years old, then I'll make hajj.

Don't wait until that time. Don't take your money and go to Paris, or you go to London, or you go to Disneyland, or you go to New York City. Make your hajj. If you have az-zad war rahila, if you have the ability to make that hajj, then the scholars say, do it right away. Do it. And don't wait.

Especially if you're young and strong, and you can go there and perform your manasik properly, then you try to make that pilgrimage as soon as you possibly can. So, these few points are the only ways where haste comes in.

Fanaticism in Schools of Thought

Another issue which is extremely important and one of the entrances into the heart that destroys us, and this is an interesting point that the scholars brought up, and it's amazing. Some of these scholars live a thousand years ago, but it's like they're talking to us today. He said, one of the entrances of the evil one into the hearts is when people become fanatical in their school of thought. Look at this wisdom.

You become fanatical in your school of thought. I am a Hanafi. I am Maliki. I am Shafi'i. I'm not even talking about people who are outside of the deen. I'm talking about right in Ahlus Sunnah wa Jama'ah that people will become fanatic with each other.

A brother came up to me one time and he said, Brother Abdullah, is it permissible for a Hanafi to marry a Shafi'i? So I said, what are you, a Jehovah's Witness and Catholics? What are you, man? Is it permissible? The Imams were students and teachers of each other. They had the highest respect for each other.

And it is reported that when Imam al-Shafi'i rahimahullah, when he went to Iraq, and he prayed Fajr in the masjid of Imam Abu Hanifa. And the Shafi'i's fatwa was at Fajr that you should make du'a kunut. That you should make this du'a. And the Shafi'is will make du'a kunut constantly in Fajr.

And so they asked the Imam to lead Salat. And when he led the Salat, he did not make du'a kunut. And they said, subhanAllah Imam, why didn't you make it? He said, I am in the masjid of Imam Abu Hanifa, I respect his position. He respected his position. And so they were teachers and students of each other.

It is reported that Imam Malik rahimahullah, the Imam of Dar al-Hijrah, that he was in Medina, and the governor of Mecca sent a young person to him, and said, teach this young man. And Imam Malik was the kind of person, he said, okay, I don't follow the governor's, what is this? They said, look at the boy. So they brought the young man, and Imam Malik looked at him, and asked him some questions. And then the people were surprised, Imam Malik said, this boy has a future.

This boy has a future. Put him in a circle. Okay, you know who that boy was? That was Imam al-Shafi'i. That was Imam al-Shafi'i. He said, this boy has a future. So these are teachers and students of each other. They did

not give us fiqh, to divide us into different religions, or different groups as though we are Protestants and Catholics.

And so, the great scholars, Ibn Qudamah, and other great scholars, they said, one of the ways that shaitan can come to us, is fanaticism in the school of thought. I will take it a step further, even in Islamic movement. Because some people will not deal with another Muslim, because he is not in his movement. He's not part of his jamaat, so I don't want to deal with him. But where did you get this from?

The Unity of the Companions and the Need for a Khalifa

As we discussed the other night, when you look at the companions of the Prophetsallallahu alaihi wasallam, you will see people doing different things. You will see some people who are involved in reading the Qur'an. You will see other people who are involved in giving dawah. Musab ibn Umair, Mu'adh ibn Jabal.

You will see them, their du'at. You will see other people who are involved in jihad and struggle. You will see people doing all types of things, but at the end of the day, they are shoulder to shoulder. They do not have a special jamaat for dawah, and a special jamaat for aqeedah, and a special jamaat for jihad, and a special jamaat for Islamic education.

No, these are all aspects of a community. Yes, we need a khalifa. Some people cry, well, brother, we can't have nothing until we have a khalifa. Who in his right mind would not think that we need a khalifa? But how do we get a khalifa? Do we deserve a khalifa right now? If a khalifa came today, if a person said, I am the khalifa, I feel sorry for him. They will say, you speak Arabic? Do you speak Urdu? They will say, are you Turkish? Do you speak Swahili? We would kill him before anybody else.

So, until we deserve a leader, the leader does not come out of space like an alien coming down, and flying down on earth, and suddenly he is your leader. The leader comes out of you. The leader comes out of the teachers, and madrasa that we have.

You look at the great leaders, it is said that the Sultan Muhammad al-Fatih, it is said his teacher said to him, you will open Constantinople. He was taught this lesson from when he was young. This is your mission. You will open up Constantinople. It is also said Sultan Salahuddin, he was a student underneath Nuruddin Zengi. He got his lessons from Nuruddin Zengi. And his teachers gave him the guidance. And then he grew up inside of this light, and became the great Sultan Salahuddin. So, leaders do not come in a vacuum.

They come out of our madrasa, they come out of our society, and now is the time for unity amongst the Muslims. We need to look at each other, and stop looking at another person, and base his color. Or look at him and judge him because of his language. Or because of his tribe. We need to look at each other, and judge another person. It's taqwa.

The Prophetsallallahu alaihi wasallam said, it's the consciousness of Allah, which separates us. It is not any of these physical things. These physical things are here now, and it goes away. When I die, when you die, we go

down under the ground, and the body is no longer there. The only thing left in me is my soul. So the real me is a ruh. It is my soul. The real you is your soul. So we are a group of souls, arwah, who are here today with each other.

And when we go into the barzakh, there is no Arabic soul. There is no Ajami soul. There is no European soul. No African soul. There is no female soul, or male soul. We are arwah. Allah put us in this form, that we would know one another, not despise one another. It's a test. Whatever form He put you in, that's your test. And you have to live with this.

And so, it is the time of unity, and not fanaticism one way or another. If the imam saw somebody else, amongst the ulama, who had something different than them, or that they disagreed with, they would give advice to their brother. They would give advice. If the person disagreed, make du'a. Make du'a for that person. Don't scandalize that person, backbite, hate that person. Make du'a for that person. Praise Allah, what will help him, if you think that you're right. That is the time that we are living in now.

Philosophical Arguments Over Allah's Attributes

Another interesting point that comes in madakhil iblis, in the way that the shaitan comes to the hearts of individuals. And this is an interesting point, that the scholars have brought up. They said, when you force people to look for the sifat, the descriptions of Allah. If you spend your time looking for the descriptions of Allah, and trying to figure out, who is Allah, where is Allah, and then you're testing other people like this. You will go to a person and you say, where is Allah? Give me the descriptions of Allah.

If that person answers right, you say, he's not a Muslim. Instead of teaching that person something that you know, you will test that person in order to bring that person down. This is one of the ways that the evil one, wa'iyadu billah, comes to the hearts of the believers.

And when we try to figure out the qada, qada and qadar, and we spend our time trying to figure it out, it weakens us. Because we will never figure out, Allah, laisaka mitlihi shay. There is nothing similar to Allah.

So why do we waste our time arguing over philosophy, when there's children outside taking drugs. Our children are taking drugs. And this drug dealers coming into our communities. And they're selling drugs to our children. And they will turn our girls and boys into prostitutes. I'm sorry for being so straightforward. But it's happening right now. And it's in our community. And they will increase the drugs in our community.

They will increase the pornography in our community. Why? Because they want to take haya out of our hearts. And they want to make us do those things that they know will take us off the path.

Having Suspicion of Other Muslims

The final point of the many points in dealing madakhil iblis that we need to watch out for. And that is su' adhan al muslimeen. And that is when you have suspicion, you suspect other Muslims. You suspect people. You think

bad thoughts about individuals before you even go to them. Su' adhan. And that is an important thing. That will destroy the heart of the individual. And so we need to protect ourself from the inside. Protect ourself.

Because Allah clearly told us:

Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change that which is in themselves. No change.

We start making a move on ourself, forgive each other, forgive the brother, forgive the sister. Unify with other masajids. Pray with other people who are making a salah in another imam. Enjoy the benefits of all of the scholars of Islam. Learn to love each other and to love the broadness of the sunnah. The Prophetsallallahu alaihi wasallam had this type of wisdom. This is what we need today.

The Wisdom of the Prophet: The Example of Banu Qurayza

We will get an argument over a point. In the other day when we were in the University of Melbourne and the brothers were upstairs and then they made salah, some of them followed the jamaat and some of them made their own prayers. And they started fighting each other. They said, I'm right. One said, no, I mean, you can't follow them, you can't see them. The other one said, well no, you can't see them in Mecca either, you're on the third floor, you know, whatever, what's your problem?

So one made it and the other made it, you know what it reminded me of? It reminded me of the time of Banu Qurayza. That the Prophetsallallahu alaihi wasallam after the battle of the trench, the angels came to him and said, you know, the angels have not taken off their armor yet. Go to Banu Qurayza. This is the place of the Yahud who had made treachery against the Muslims and opened up that part of Medina.

And so the Prophetsallallahu alaihi wasallam said, do not pray except in Banu Qurayza. He said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari 946)

None of you should make Asr Salat until you reach Banu Qurayza. Some of the Sahaba said, no. The Prophet said this, but Allah said we should pray Asr on time. So I'm making Salat. Because Allah is above the Prophet. That's his decision.

The other people said, no, Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said this. So we're gonna hold Asr and reach Banu Qurayza. And they start fighting each other. I am right. Like my fatwa is right. They didn't say my school of thought. They didn't have Imams then, right? But then they said, no, my opinion is this. He said, no, my opinion is that.

And so when they reached the Prophetsallallahu alaihi wasallam and they said, which one is right? You know what his answer was? Both of you are correct. You are both correct. You made your decision based on

submission to Allah. You made your decision following the Sunnah of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). You are both correct.

And we say to our brothers in consultation with the Imams and leadership here, whether you're upstairs in the University of Melbourne or pray by yourself, you're both correct. We don't have to fight each other over small things like this. This is how the Shaitan, the evil one comes to us and brings disunity in the ranks of the believers.

Closing Dua and Prayer

So I leave you with these thoughts and I ask Allah to have mercy on me and you. And I pray that Allah would bless this masjid and bring back the glory of the great Uthmaniyah of the Ottoman Empire. May Allah bring it back to the Muslim Ummah and unite the ranks of the believers everywhere we are in this planet.

"I say this statement of mine, and I ask Allah for forgiveness for me and for you. And peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you."