7 Farhan Abdul Azeez The First Page

[Error extracting pages 1-5]

And so they haven't entered hellfire or they haven't entered paradise. And so what will happen to them? Allah says,

The people of a'raaf who see the people of jannah and the people of hellfire, they will call out to the people of jannah and they will say peace be upon you, the same greeting, salamun alaykum. Allah says لَمْ يَدْخُلُوهَا They haven't entered it yet, but they're hopeful in their hearts. They're hopeful that they'll be able to enter paradise.

Then Allah says,

Allah says that when they turn their eyes towards the people of Hellfire, people who perhaps they saw in this world indulging in their desires, and in this world wishing maybe for a second that I wish I could have what they have. They will see these same people and what will they say? They will say, Oh our master, Oh our lord, I beg you, I beg you, don't make us amongst them. Don't make me amongst these people.

So what's the lesson? How do we connect ourselves to the akhirah? When we see this, when Shaytan comes to us and puts these doubts in our heart, let our hearts remember the time when we may be seeing these same kinds of people but at that moment we'll be begging Allah to not make us amongst them. So we will say now in this world, now in this world we'll say

Our master, don't make us amongst the wrongdoers. We beg you, Oh Allah, protect me from falling into this trap. Protect me, keep me strong so when I meet you I could be ready to meet you.

Walking Through Crowds

As you stand up, inshaAllah ta'ala, after the session to leave, you see a hall that's full and you see two doors in the back. And as you're walking towards the doors and you're leaving, you're gonna be in a big crowd. When you're leaving Salatul Maghrib tonight, inshaAllah ta'ala, with a jama'ah of 20,000 people praying together and you're walking out, you're gonna be in crowds and crowds walking through a narrow doorway. And when you're in gatherings like that, when you're in situations like that, when you're at home, when you're at the masjid for Salatul Jum'ah and you're waiting to get your shoes and from the shoe rack and there's a big line and you're just waiting in a crowd of believers.

Again, let your heart long for what? The Prophet, he says, he describes the gates of Jannah and he says

(Sahih al-Bukhari 3246)

He says that the Prophet described to us that the gates of Jannah, between two of its outer portions is the distance of 40 years in travel. 40 years in travel is the distance between, that's how wide the gates of Jannah are.

But then what does he say? The Prophet said,

(Sahih al-Bukhari 3246)

He says, there will come upon these gates, as wide as they are, 40 years of travel. There will come upon the gates on this day, that it will be so crowded, it will be overcrowded that people won't find a way in, meaning they have to wait. There's just crowds around the gates of paradise.

So every time you're in a crowd like this, when you're walking out today, as you're walking around the convention, when you're at home, when you go to Hajj and you're around believers, every time you're in a group and you're walking in crowds, let your heart long for what? The moment you'll be crowding around the gates of paradise.

And we ask Allah as we leave the gathering here, that the angels will say to us

As the hadith says, when you stand up and leave the gathering remembering Allah, all of your sins have been forgiven, and not just that, your bad deeds have been turned into good deeds. Allahumma ameen.

More Ways to Connect to the Quran

And I had more to say in terms of the ways we can connect our heart to the Quran, but for the sake of time, I want to give you some concluding remarks.

The Rain and Resurrection

You know, the Quran is remarkable in that so many different scenarios, you'll find abilities to connect your heart to Allah. When you see the rain descending and you see Allah bringing earth to the grass, life to the earth again, you see the grass growing again and the trees blooming, and the flowers, and they're beautiful, magnificent colors. Why does surah Qaf, the surah about the Day of Judgment, why is the whole first page about the rain that Allah sends down? Because the rain brings life to the dead earth, and Allah will bring life to the dead individuals, bring them back to life again.

So when you see the seasons, and you see the rain, and you see the vegetation coming back, think about the day Allah will bring back life from the dead.

Making Wudu

When you make wudu, every time you make wudu, think about the day when the Prophet will recognize the believers by the nur, the light that's on their limbs from when they made wudu from this world.

Visiting the Sick

When you visit the sick, think about when Allah will ask you on the Day of Judgment, I was sick, why didn't you visit me? And they will say, Oh Allah, how can we visit you when you're the Lord of the worlds? Didn't you know so and so was sick? If you visited him, you would have found me there with him.

Being Burned by Heat

Think about these things, that you connect your heart to Allah. Almost everybody here has one time or another been burned by something hot. Maybe you touch the stove or your biryani was too hot or the plate that you take out from the microwave is hot. And you feel this and you draw back. Think then, if I can't hold patience on this, how can I hold patience on the Day of Judgment? Connect your heart to Allah through the Quran.

Developing a Relationship with the Quran

And to do this, we have to develop a relationship with the Quran. The Quran has to be our best friend. The Quran has to be our best friend. You recite it, you read it, you reflect upon it, you memorize it. And when you memorize it, don't think you're doing Allah a favor.

When Hasan al-Basri rahimahullah, he was told, إِنَّ فُلَانًا يَحْفَظُ الْقُرْآنَ that this person is memorizing the Quran. He said, no. بَلِ اللَّهُ يَحْفَظُهُ . Allah is preserving him through the Quran. He is not preserving the Quran when you memorize the Quran. Allah is preserving you through the Quran. It's an honor to carry the Quran. It's an honor to be one who is a carrier of the Quran. Right? But we have to have this relationship with the Quran, the book of Allah.

Seeing Through the Light of the Quran

And when it's your best friend, brothers and sisters, when the Quran is your best friend, your life changes. You go from being a person who just sees things as they are, to seeing things with like glasses whose tints are the tints of Quran. You see things through the light of Allah. Things aren't how they normally appear, but you see them through a Quranic vision.

The Quran as a Witness

And it's remarkable when you have a heart that's full of the Quran and it's alive with the Quran. On the day of judgment, the Prophet, he says

(Sahih Muslim 804)

He says, on the day of judgment, no prophet will be able to go forward and speak in front of Allah, no angel who is close to Allah will be able to go forth and speak to Allah.

When all the voices will be humble to Ar-Rahman, the Quran will come forward and it will testify. It will not just testify, it will like argue on your behalf, on behalf of the one who was its companion in this world. The Quran will come, will be a guide for you on the day of judgment just as it was a guide for you in this world.

The Complaint of the Prophet

And if you don't have that relationship with the Quran, the Quran will come for those who are the people of the Quran, it will testify in front of Allah on the day of judgment. What about if you weren't from the people of Quran? What would happen? The Prophet of Allah will be complaining about these people.

The Prophet himself will complain to Allah and say, oh my master, my people, my nation, who I stood for dawah. He cried for us when we don't even cry for ourselves. He wished to see us, he wished to meet us. He's sitting with his companions and he's saying, وَدِدْتُ أَنِّي رَأَيْتُ إِخْوَانِي . I wish from the bottom of my heart that I could see my brothers and my sisters.

And they said أَوَلَسْنَا إِخْوَانَكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ. Are we not your brothers and sisters? And he said, no, you're my companions. My brothers and sisters are those who come after me. They believe in me but they've never seen me.

The Prophet wanted to see you. He loved you more than you love your own self. He loves you more than your parents love you. And he's gonna complain about a certain group of people on Day of Judgment. Who? The people who abandoned the Quran. The people who abandoned the Quran. They fled from the Quran. So brothers and sisters, we have to build this relationship with the Book of Allah.

The Story of Baraka (Umm Ayman)

How many of you have heard of Baraka radiyaAllahu anha? Baraka radiyaAllahu anha was an Abyssinian slave. A black woman from Abyssinia who was a slave of Abdullah. Abdullah who? The father of Muhammad . She was a slave of the father of Muhammad. And we know that Amina, the mother of Muhammad was pregnant with Muhammad when Abdullah died. The father of Muhammad died while his wife was pregnant.

And so Baraka became, now was a servant of Amina, the mother of the Prophet. And she would serve her and take care of her and they formed this very close relationship. You know when Amina found out the news that her husband passed away, she fainted. She fainted in distress. And she became very sick. And it was Baraka radiyaAllahu anha waradaha who was consoling and comforting and nursing the mother of Muhammad.

Amina's Journey and Death

And one time Amina wanted to go to Medina. She was from Medina originally from Yathrib which is present day Medina. And her husband had died on a trip to Syria, a little north of Medina. And so she wanted to go visit her family. And so she went with Baraka and with Muhammad. And when they went to visit the family, she went to visit where her husband had passed away and was buried.

On their way back she became ill, she became sick. And so she called Baraka close to her. And she whispered in Baraka's ears. And she said that, I feel that the sickness that I have right now is going to take my life. So she says, she says, so take care of Muhammad, her son Muhammad who was six years old at the time. Take care of Muhammad. He lost his father before he was even born. And he is now going to lose his mother. So oh Baraka, be a mother to him.

Baraka's Special Status

Baraka, brothers and sisters, you know who she was? She was the first person in the world, the first person ever, to hold Muhammad when he was born. She was there at the delivery and was the first person to hold Muhammad when he came out of his mother's womb. And now Aminah is telling Baraka, oh Baraka, be to him a mother because I am going to pass away. And so after Aminah passed away, Baraka stayed with the Prophet all the way until he got married.

She stayed in his household and took care of him and helped raise him. And after he got married, the Prophet set her free and encouraged her to get married and got her married to someone from Medina. And so she married Ubaid from Medina. They moved to Medina. He passed away and she came back and lived in the house of the Prophet with Khadija, again being with the Messenger of Allah.

The Prophet would go to her and say (يَا أُمِّي يَا أُمِّي كَيْفَ أَجِدُكِ - Ummi ya Ummi, kaifa ajiduki?) Oh my mother, how do I find you? He called her my mother. Her other name was Umm Ayman radiallahu anha. Umm Ayman was a mother of Usama ibn Zaid. Usama ibn Zaid was one of the greatest companions of the Messenger of Allah who the Messenger of Allah loved deeply.

But Umm Ayman was called by the Messenger of Allah himself, Ummi, my mother. And why am I saying that? Because the Messenger of Allah, he even once said to the companions, whoever would like to marry a woman from the woman of Paradise, I have someone for you. And it was Umm Ayman. He gave her glad tidings of Paradise and this world. So if there's anyone, brothers and sisters, if there's anyone who was attached to the Messenger of Allah, it was Umm Ayman. There is nobody in the seerah, there is nobody who knew the Prophet from birth to death. Nobody except for Umm Ayman. She was the first to hold him and she outlived him.

After the Prophet's Death

And when the Prophet died, when Medina was in a state of chaos, when Umar al-Khattab stood up in front of the people with his sword and he said, whoever said Muhammad has died

He couldn't fathom that the Prophet died. He said, whoever says Muhammad has died, I'm gonna kill him with this sword. He hasn't died and he'll never die.

When Uthman, he couldn't even speak. Ali ibn Abi Talib, he sat in his home, nobody knew what to do. In the famous statement, Abu Bakr brought the people back. And you know how depressed the city in Medina was? There is no greater trial than the trial of the death of Muhammad. And after the people's hearts were being consoled and the eyes calmed down and the tears dried up, Abu Bakr and Umar, they went to go visit Umm Ayman.

And they found Umm Ayman crying. They found Umm Ayman crying. And they said يَا أُمَّ أَيْمَنَ مَا يُبْكِيكِ . Ya Umm Ayman, what's causing you to cry? Don't you know that the Prophet, what he has with Allah is better? He's with Allah, he's in Jannah.

He's with the highest companion.

And she says, Yes, I know. I know that the Prophet has better with Allah. But the reason why I'm crying, The reason why I'm crying is because Quran, the revelation is no longer coming down. That was her depth of love for the Quran. The one who was like a mother to the Messenger of Allah.

The Challenge: Ten Minutes a Day

So brothers and sisters, my challenge to you is this. Is to spend 10 minutes a day. That's all I'm asking. Of not just reciting. Don't read the Quran and you're looking at the bookmark. When am I finishing the surah? When am I gonna get done? Rather, my challenge to you is to read 10 minutes a day and reflect on the ayah. Read the meaning and read the translation. And see how it will move you.

See how it will change your life. Because one verse will change your life just like it changed the life of Umar al-Khattab and all the others. So brothers and sisters, I end with this.

Conclusion: Your Status with Allah

If you wanna know your status with Allah, you wanna notice, know where is your rank with Allah, then look no further than where is the rank of Allah, the rank and the status of the words of Allah in your life.