Khutbah Series Nothing Worth Having is Easy

Nothing Worth Having is Easy

Khutbah by Mufti Hussain Kamani

Opening and Introduction

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ الْحَمْدُ للهِ الْحَمْدُ للهِ وَكَفَى وَسَلَامٌ عَلَى عِبَادِهِ الَّذِينَ اصْطَفَى خُصُوصًا عَلَى سَيِّدِ الرَّسُولِ وَخَاتَمِ الْأَنبِيَاءِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ الْأَصْفِيَاءِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ الْأَنْقِيَاءِ أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَأَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّحِيمِ. بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

صَدَقَ اللهُ الْعَظِيمُ

The Importance of Sacrifice for Success

When I was a student in madrasa, in the Islamic Institute, there was one particular statement our teacher would repeat multiple times in a day. Every day he would say it again and again and again. And this statement of his was so powerful that today when I think about it, it still refreshes me and it puts me back on my toes wanting to move forward. He would always say, there is no such thing as success without sacrifice.

In order for you to see success in life, you have to make a sacrifice. No person wakes up around the morning being a millionaire. And those who do have wealth today, ask them where they were yesterday. And they will tell you where they were. What kind of sacrifices they made. What kind of difficulties they had to bear.

While everyone else was driving around in nice cars, maybe they were busy paying off their loans because that was a sacrifice they had to make. In order to achieve a success, always remember that there must be a very big sacrifice. And depending on how much you sacrifice, that's how much you succeed. If you sacrifice a little bit, then there is a little success. If you sacrifice tremendously, then there is great amounts of success.

Multiple Paths to Allah

Allah says in the Quran, as I recited right at the beginning (Quran 29:69) - That those who struggle in our cause, those who struggle in our cause, we will guide them to our paths.

I'm not going to talk about this extensively, but I just want to highlight a point. Note that the word in the Quran is not (سَبِيلُنَا - sabiluna) (our path), it's (سُبُلَنَا - subuluna) (our paths). It's a plural - paths. And this is just a point for some of

us who believe that there is only one pathway that takes you to Allah. That this is it and nothing else takes you there.

Allah in the Quran Himself says (Quran 29:69) - That we will guide them to our pathways. Because there are many pathways that can take you close to Allah.

Historical Examples of Sacrifice

The Scholars of Hadith

If you look in the Islamic history, one thing you'll notice is that Allah used every part of the world to serve the deen. Look through Islamic history, look through the lands. Where was Makkah Mukarramah and Madinah Munawwarah? And where is Imam Bukhari رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ being born? Some of us we hear that name, Imam Bukhari رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ we don't even know where he was from. Some of us are under the impression that maybe he was born in Makkah Mukarramah. Some may believe that he was born in Madinah Munawwarah. But the reality is that he was born in what we would refer to maybe the greater Russian area. Or possibly you may include as a part of Iran area.

He was born far away from there. And not only was he born there, but all the other masters of hadith were all born in that era. Because Allah used people from that region to serve the sciences of hadith. They came

- That nation came, these people made a great sacrifice, and they went on.

Imam Bukhari's Sacrifice

Imam Bukhari رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ didn't sleep on comfortable sheets made of silk in order to learn his hadith. He had to go through something. He went through a tremendous sacrifice. Imam Bukhari رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ himself says, that when I was young, my eyesight was so weak that it was as if I was blind. I couldn't see properly. Hardly I can see. And everyday at my bedside my mother would hold my hand and she would make dua to Allah saying, Oh Allah, I have so high hopes from him. I have high hopes from my son, but he can't become what I want him to become unless he has his eyesight.

And then he says that one day my mother, while she was making dua, holding my hand, she fell asleep. And in her dream she saw Ibrahim عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ . And Ibrahim عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ said to her, that Allah has accepted your prayer. Your son's eyesight has returned. She went to her son, she woke him up, she shook him like this. And Imam Bukhari رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ says that was the first day I saw the face of the lady who stood by my bedside and cried for all those years.

I mean there was a sacrifice involved in all this. Nothing comes for free.

Imam Ghazali's Journey

Imam Ghazali رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ is traveling to the lands for 12 years. And after 12 years of struggling and

struggling and struggling, he's returning back home. And when he's returning back home, a group of bandits come to rob them. And when they're robbing them, they take all of their goods and they leave.

Now one principle that was known amongst Arabs, and not only in the Arabs in the Bedouin lands, and even in the deserts, it was known that if you're robbed by bandits, you never follow them because they're gonna think you're after them. Then they're gonna kill you if they spare you the first time. So Imam Ghazali رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ he was a young kid at the time, he told his caravan, you guys go ahead, but I can't go back home without those books because those notes and those books they robbed from me, they mean nothing to them, but that's 12 years of my life. They just took 12 years of my life away from me. So they said, you're crazy, you're on your own, we're not helping you.

Imam Ghazali رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَيْهِ he followed the group of the bandits. When they realized that someone was following them, they spread their people around, they spread their people around, and they captured him. And they said, what are you here for? He said, look, I'm a student of knowledge. And there were certain signs of students of knowledge. One of the signs of a student of knowledge in those days was that when he would travel, he would keep long sleeves. That was a sign that this person was a student of knowledge, he would have long sleeves. And the students of knowledge would wear big turbans.

He said, look, I have a turban, I have long sleeves, I'm a student of knowledge. And what you took from me belongs to me, I want you to give it back. I struggled for 12 years for this. So the bandits, they said to him, what good are you of a scholar if we can steal 12 years of your life just like this? They returned his books back. He came back to his mother and he told his mother what happened. His mother repeated the same thing. She said, what good are you of a scholar if someone can steal 12 years of your life just by taking a few bags away from you? Imam Ghazali says, I went back, I came back to my mother and I said, mother, I have memorized all those books, now no one can steal anything from me.

You know, these were people who made a great sacrifice. And their sacrifice was so great that till today when we sit down, we talk about these people. We talk about how they went around and they sacrificed and they struggled for the sake of Allah, for the sake of this knowledge. Nothing comes for free, my friends.

The Companions' Sacrifices

The companions of the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم honestly, when you read those stories about Bilal رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ being lashed in the scorching heat of Makkah Mukarramah with a boulder on his chest, or Khabab رضي اللهُ عَنْهُ being lashed in the scorching heat of Makkah Mukarramah with a boulder on his chest, or Sumayyah رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا's body being ripped into two, or the other companions that were there and all the great things they went through, the reality of the matter is that we don't understand that maybe it was their sacrifice that Allah accepted and allowed Islam to come to us today in the 21st century.

And where Allah used people at a time every era, every group of people were given their opportunity to serve the deen. And at times, believe this or not, Allah uses those people for the service of the deen who are least expected. The people you would least expect it from, Allah chooses them to serve the deen. And that's just the way Allah's workings are.

The Example of Two Musas

You know in Arabic there's a little poem, they say:

مُوسَى الَّذِي رَبَّاهُ فِرْعَونُ مُرْسَلٌ وَمُوسَى الَّذِي رَبَّاهُ جِبْرِيلُ كَافِرُ

That the Musa (referring to Musa Samiri, who's mentioned in the Quran) who was raised by Jibreel, he grew up to be a kafir, a disbeliever. وَمُوسَى الَّذِي رَبَّاهُ فِرْعَونُ مُرْسَلٌ - And the Musa who grew up in the lap of Firau the greatest tyrant of his time, the peak of tyranny. The Musa who grew up in his house, he ended up becoming the prophet of Allah.

So it's not about your family, it's not about which country you come from or whether you were born to a family of scholars or not. You have to realize that Allah gives every person a chance to serve the deen. And when that chance comes, you need to feel that you are being honored by Allah.

Our Responsibility Today

Every person sitting here, we have a responsibility. And we didn't just come to this country by coincidence. We aren't meeting today by coincidence. There were 101 reasons I shouldn't have been here today. And that's a reality. There are 101 reasons I shouldn't have been here today. And many of us may have gone through different things to come here today. But Allah allows us to meet together because it's possible that there are certain things we need to hear to change our lives. There are certain things we need to hear to make that change mentally so we can stand up and walk towards what Allah wants us to walk towards. This is the reason for this.

The Story of Abdullah Dhul-Bajadayn

There was a companion of the Prophet صلّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ known by Abdullah Dhul-Bajadayn رضي الله عَنْهُ. He was a very close companion of the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم . And the reason why they called him Dhul-Bajadayn, for those of us who speak Arabic we already know. Al-Bajadayn. Al-Bajad means a sheet, a piece of cloth. Bajadayn means two pieces of cloth. And the reason why they called him Abdullah Dhul-Bajadayn, the Abdullah with two pieces of cloth, was because when he accepted Islam he kept his Islam as a secret.

He didn't tell anyone about it. He kept it between him and Allah. The Prophet صلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ knew. Some Sahaba knew. He didn't tell his family. One day he was praying at home and when he was praying his father saw him. His father called him forward and said, What is this that you're doing? What are you

praying? He said, Father, I tried to keep this as a secret from you. I didn't want you to know. But now that it's come in the open I might as well just tell you I've become a Muslim.

His father became so angry he began to verbally abuse him. Swear at him. Shout at him. He said to his father, My dear father, there's nothing that you can do to take me away from Islam. His father started beating him. He again said to his father, My dear father, there's nothing that you can do to take me away from Islam. His father took his clothes off from his body and kicked him out of the house.

This young man was stripped of his honor and he is walking in the streets now with no clothing on his body. Why? Because of his لا إله إلا الله. When we talk about the sacrifice of the Sahaba, let's not talk about it with a light tongue because this was nothing light. This was big stuff right here. How could we ever do such a thing? It's possible. But we have to develop ourselves from internally to become that. We have to become strong people in order to do things like this. Stories aren't made of weak people. Stories are made of legends and these people were legends.

The Test of True Faith

Allah عَزَّ وَجَلَّ says in the Quran (Quran 2:137) - If they believe the way you believe, speaking to the Sahaba, if their faith matches your faith فَقَدِ اهْتَدَوْا then they're successful.

This Abdullah Dhul Bajadayn is walking around trying to cover his body. His mother sees him. Every mother has, you know, that spot in her heart for her child. She takes her scarf off and gives it to her son. And this Abdullah, he rips that sheet into two. Ties one around his lower waist, one around his upper body. It's just about covering him. And therefore he was called Dhul Bajadayn, the one with two pieces of cloth.

The Prophet's Compassion

He came to the mosque of the Prophet صلّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ . The Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم was sitting with the Sahaba. And Abdullah felt very shy to enter into the masjid because of the way he was dressed and the way he was bruised. And he was so emotionally overwhelmed he was crying away.

The Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم saw him standing outside and he gestured, come inside. And Abdullah Dhul Bajadayn رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ he reluctantly came in the masjid, sat next to the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم . And the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم asked him what happened? And he said, O Messenger of Allah, today I was disgraced. Today I was dishonored. Today I was beaten. Today my clothes were taken off my body because I said لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللهِ

And he cried so profusely that the Sahabi who narrates the hadith, he says, the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ was continuously rubbing his back like a father rubs his child's back telling him, it's okay, everything will be okay. Giving him consolation, consoling him. And then Abdullah Dhul Bajadayn رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ the

Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said, Allah عَزَّ وَجَلَّ will reward you for your sacrifice. Because with sacrifice there is success.

A Beautiful Death

The Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ was traveling with the Sahaba for a battle. And during their journey someone came and told the Prophet صلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ Abdullah was sick. The Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ came to see Abdullah and he saw he was lying on the ground, he was very ill. The Prophet صلى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ asked him, Abdullah are you okay? He said, O Messenger of Allah, I'm not feeling too good. And the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم held his head in his lap and he began to stroke his head.

And Umar ibn Khattab رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ says that I was there that day to witness that Abdullah Dhul Bajadayn the one who was kicked out of his house because of Islam, he was the one that passed away while his head was in the lap of the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ . And he used to say, that I'm willing to trade my entire life to die in the lap of the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ . But you see my friends, it's not for free.

You don't just have your head being stroked by the beloved Habib صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ and let your ruh exit your body. It's not easy, it's something that has to be worked for.

The Principle of Living and Dying

In Arabic they say, in some scholars they relate this to being a tradition (كَمَا تَحْيَوْنَ تَمُوتُونَ وَكَمَا تَمُوتُونَ تُحْشَرُونَ - The way you live is the way you will die. And the way you will die is the way you will be resurrected in front of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى on the Day of Judgment.)

Our Purpose in This Land

So why do I talk about all of this? The reason why I talk about all of this is because we as a Muslim community need to realize that Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى sent us here to this land for a reason. Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى sent us here to this land not just for earning. Even though that's very important, don't get me wrong here. Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى Our purpose in life isn't to just live in big houses and big bungalows and drive beautiful cars. That could be a part of the package.

I'm not saying, don't let that be a part of the package. Make that a part of your package. But that can't be the (مَبْلَغ the مُنْتَهَى - That can't be the end line.) Life has to have so much more to it.

If we stand in front of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى on the Day of Judgment and Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى says, that why didn't you work on your neighbors? Why didn't you contribute towards your neighbors? Why didn't you look after your co-workers? Why didn't you look after your family members? How will we answer to سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى Allah

Character Over Words

And the reason why I bring this up is because saying (لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللهِ - la ilaha illallah muhammadur rasulullah) is just the beginning of Islam. There's so much that follows after that. The Prophet صلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ wasn't only a man of words. The Prophet صلّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ was a man of character.

I mean the neighbors of the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ were amazed by him. The enemies of the Prophet صلى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ were amazed by him. Because his form of da'wah, his form of calling people towards Islam wasn't about debates or lectures even though those were given when there was a need.

But the primary source the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم used to give da'wah, to call people towards Islam, to teach his religion was a silent mode. It was a silent mode. It was where people would come and observe the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ and whatever they needed to know about him, they would see it in him.

You know my teacher used to always say, if you have to tell people you're a Muslim, you're doing a horrible job at being a Muslim. That's the truth. It's like telling people, guys, you know what, I go to the gym. If you have to tell people you go to the gym, keep it a secret. Don't tell anyone. You're doing a bad job at the gym. You need to go and work your, you know, revamp your plan of, you know, making yourself whatever you want to be. But you're not doing a good job at it. We need to work on being good Muslims.

Responsibility to Neighbors

People should see Islam. If every Muslim here knew their responsibility to their neighbor, if every Muslim sitting here knew their responsibility to their neighbor, that would be the greatest da'wah campaign on the face of this earth. And why is that? It's because as Muslims we know the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said:

(Bukhari)

The Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ three times he took an oath. That person is not a believer. I swear by Allah he is not a believer. I swear by Allah he is not a believer. The companions said, O Messenger of Allah, who do you take these oaths about? Who are you talking about? The Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ says, that person is not a believer whose neighbor is not secure from your harm.

If you're harming your neighbor with your garbage, if you're harming your neighbor with a bad smell emitting from your house, if you're harming your neighbor because you're dumping your stuff in their driveway, in their garage, if you're harming your neighbor because you're stealing their electricity, if you're harming your neighbor because you have music blasting late at night and they can't rest at night, then we have to realize as Muslims there's something that we need to work on.

The State of the Muslim Ummah

Today the Muslim ummah is what? Today we are a very strong, firm family. And we all know that there are people across the world that are struggling. And every time we go to a dinner, a few of us will sit together, a few uncles will sit together and they'll say, man, look at the state of the Muslim ummah right now. So much, you know, all the struggling, all the sacrifice, people are losing their lives, starvation, famine. We talk about these things over dinner. And what's the solution? There's no solution. We just talk about the issues.

You know, the Urdu poet, he said something very beautiful. He said:

جب بندے نے کہا مولیٰ میرا حال یک دیکھ ايا بندي ابن نما یعمل یک دیکھ

That when the servant said to Allah, oh Allah, look at what has happened to me, look how battered and bombed I am, look, you know, I'm destroyed. Allah عَزَّ وَجَلَّ said to him, if you're gonna complain about your state, first ask yourself, what did you do first in your book of deeds?

Whatever calamity befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. Allah forgives many things. And then sometimes Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى holds us accountable for one thing, and that's just to wake us up again.

Becoming Better Muslims

As Muslims we have a duty to make ourselves into better people. We have a duty to become Muhammadis, people that walk with the banner of Islam. Everywhere we go people are asking, what is this that you have? Why do you dress like this? Why is it that you speak in this manner? Why don't you get angry? Why are you so just? Why is it that you guys are so particular on being clean? Why do you wash your body five times a day? These are questions people should be asking. And the reason why they should be asking these questions is because this is the part of the package of Islam.

When we talk about Islamic manners and etiquettes, many of us we zone out right away. We think to ourselves, oh manners, etiquettes, he didn't mention obligation, so it's not necessary. Well the reality of the matter is that if Islam was void, or if any religion for that matter, was void of good manners and good etiquettes, then what would remain in that religion? What would remain in that religion? Are we gonna drop ourselves so low that all we focus on are our faraidh? And then beyond that, everything's out the window?

The Mirror and the Face

There was a very famous Urdu poet. His name was Mirza Ghalib. Some of you who are from the subcontinent may have heard of him before. He's a very great poet. He said something very beautiful. He said, oh Ghalib, he's speaking to himself, you made the same mistake your entire life. Oh Ghalib, you made the same mistake your entire life. What mistake? That your face was dirty, but you were busy cleaning the mirror. The mirror was never dirty. The mirror wasn't dirty to start with. It was your face that was dirty.

You clean yourself, you beautify yourself, you become a muhammadi, you become a muslim, you become a mu'min, you become a muhsin, you bring these characteristics inside yourself, and you become the perfect person, and an attracting magnet that attracts people around you.

Family and Character

Not only about da'wah, we're not only talking about da'wah here, but even your family. How many of our families are dysfunctional? And the reason is because children are terrified of the bad character of their parents. How many of our families are dysfunctional because brothers and sisters can't sit in the same room and smile at each other? You know, these are serious issues here. And these are things that we have to develop within ourselves. And this is the package that we're trying to work on. This is what we're trying to walk towards. Bringing within people the spirit of Islam. Bringing in people the true characteristics of صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ the Prophet

The Perfect Role Model

Allah says in the Quran, and I'm going to end with this verse. Allah says in the Quran

That indeed in the Messenger of Allah, for you is a beautiful role model.

And the scholars they say, when Allah says beautiful role model, what Allah is saying is أُسْوَةٌ كَامِلَةٌ - That for you in the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ is a complete role model. What that means is that there is a complete role model. You can learn anything you need to from His blessed life.

Conclusion and Call to Action

So let us gather together as a community. Let us bring ourselves together to learn about that next level. To learn about that next, that higher level. The character of the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم . Or if I may call it, let us learn about the prophetic code. The code and conduct of the Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

I pray that Allah accepts from us all, that Allah allows us all to gather together in the gardens of paradise. Allah keeps our hearts united in this world. And reunite us all in Jannatul Firdaus.

رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَأَشَدِّهِمْ فِي أَمْرِ اللهِ عُمَرَ وَأَصْدَقِهِمْ حَيَاءً عُثْمَانَ وَأَقْضَاهُمْ عَلِيًّا وَعَنْ جَمِيعِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَجْمَعِينَ رَبَّنَا رِضْوَانُ اللهِ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِمْ أَجْمَعِينَ

وَصَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالَى عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ وَسَلَّمَ. وَأَنْتَ الْمُسْتَعَانُ وَعَلَيْكَ الْبَلَاغُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ الْعَلِيِّ الْعَظِيمِ. وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مُسْتَعَادٍ مِنْهُ نَبِيُّكَ وَحَبِيبُكَ سَيِّدُنَا مُحَمَّدٌ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَقِيمُوا الصلاة