Hamzah Ghia 8 -18-17

A Crucial Investment for Our Lives

My dear respected elders, brothers and sisters in Islam, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has blessed us today to be part of another Friday and attend another reminder.

Today or in a few days you'll see that our brothers and sisters will be heading off for Hajj. We ask Allah that He accepts their Hajj and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala allows us to visit His home often.

The few minutes that we have today I wanted to remind myself first and then everyone here about a very crucial investment. When we hear the word investment we think about a return. Any of us sitting here today if someone came to you and said I have an investment for you. The first question you would probably ask is: How much? And second question would be: What is my return?

And this very important investment that I want to talk to you about is an investment that we all need to work on. And this investment's return is that it will bring you happiness. It will bring you contentment. And it will bring you closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And you will be happy in this life and insha'Allah in the hereafter as well.

Because you and I have one purpose and that is to obey and please Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And to get closer to Him so that on the Day of Judgment when you and I stand and may Allah make this standing easy for us. That when you and I stand in front of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala we have something to represent and we are able to stand there and see our Lord and our Creator and insha'Allah wa ta'ala enter through the gates of Jannah without being questioned or any type of punishment.

Understanding Our Problems and Their Solution

See, the reason that this investment is important is because in our daily lives we have many many problems. We all have our own problems. Some people have - as individuals we have family issues. We have issues where we don't have a job. We have financial issues. We have issues about our health. We may have a family member who is sick. We might have issues where we have some type of disease. We may have issues where some of us have car problems. Where we cannot live in the same house anymore because our rent is increasing or the landlord is selling the house or it's too far. Some of us may have to travel so much for work and that's also a problem. Or some of us may have to work harder than others that also can be a problem.

As a community we have different problems. As a community we may have a problem where we have an increase of people who are leaving the deen. We have youth who are not believing in Allah anymore. As a community we have issues of increase of divorces. We have an increase amount of people who are hurting our Muslim community from the outside pointing fingers at the Muslims or blaming the Muslims. As a community we could have issues where we have masajid who don't have funding. We have organizations who have worked for several years but now they no longer have funds to run their organizations.

There are so many problems that are out there in the world today. I'm not here to remind myself and everybody about the problems that we have. We all know the problems that we have. But I'm here to remind you that there is a solution to every problem.

The Prophet ﷺ, He taught us that to every problem that there is a solution. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala He says in the Qur'an:

That no soul shall taste a task which they cannot handle. Or they may not face a burden that they cannot handle. That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is putting us through something. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala can get us out of that something as well.

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is testing us because He loves us. And this is a fact. As the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was the most tested individual. And his tests were far greater beyond our tests. One of our tests is maybe just one test that we have in our life is compared to one of the tests that the Messenger of Allah may have had. But he had all these tests so that we have an individual to look up to and get through these tests as well. And he was the beloved of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He was Habib of Allah ﷺ.

This investment, brothers and sisters that I'm talking about will help us get through these tests. And this investment is investing in our family.

Four Pillars of Family Investment

Our family is so important. And within the family there are four things that I would like to discuss in these few minutes.

1. Investment in Your Spouse

The first one being the relationship between a husband and a wife between spouses. As a spouse, we have rights to fulfill. And as a spouse whether with the husband or the wife we have responsibilities that we need to attain to. And as a spouse, we have to remember that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

You are a covering for them and they are a covering for you. Shows us that as couples we are responsible for covering our faults but at the same time we are responsible to help each other get closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

What happens often is that we neglect our spouse. And I don't mean that we don't give them time. We go home and we eat together and we have dinner and what not. But now as you grow older in your marriage then you start realizing that after you have children most of you are more experienced than I am. But after you have children now everything becomes about them. Now it's work, children, what not. And we don't have that relationship with our spouse that we should.

And what I mean by that is our relationship where we can sit and have a conversation and remind each other that you and I both have to answer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. What can we do to get closer to Him subhanahu wa ta'ala? How many of us sitting here have actually went home and said today, you know what let's pray together. We haven't prayed in a while together let's pray together.

The Prophet ﷺ he would pray with his spouses. Often times he would wake them up. There's many narrations where he was sitting with one of his spouses and he was praying with them and then the hadith was narrated. Aisha radiallahu anha was actually one of the people, the mother of the believers, who narrated the most ahadith. Why? Because she spent time with her spouse. The Prophet ﷺ was far more busy than you and I are. But he made time and he gave his time.

Why? Because he knew that this has an effect on all of society. You improving your relationship with your spouse goes a long way because if you both are happy your children will be happy and then the next generation to come will see how my father how my mother made time for their spouses. So now that I'm married I should be doing the same thing. So this will bring you closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and it goes a long way.

One thing before I move on. What happens is as we grow older we forget that there's gonna be a day when one of us will leave this world. Whether it's the husband or the wife. And that time will be is when you'll get the reward because that spouse will make dua for you. That spouse will be there and say that my spouse is not here no longer but they fulfilled my responsibility. Ya Allah have mercy on them.

How many people do you know if you ask them if you could just spend one more day with your spouse, what would you do? And they would trade in the world to just have a few more minutes with their spouse. Why? Because that relationship is so important and it goes a long way.

The Prophet ﷺ in a very beautiful narration some few kids they came to the Messenger of Allah and they said O Messenger of Allah tell us about Khadija. The Prophet ﷺ He said she just was and she just is. As in that he has so much love for her. So much love for her that years after - this was almost 10 years after she had passed away - he still loved her the same.

And this goes a long way. And as we live our life and we're tested with different tests in life this is a very important aspect for us to remind ourselves. And invest some time with your spouses. Go on vacation. Spend some time. Go on walks. Find a mutual hobby and do it together. It doesn't have to be all about religion or work. It could be something fun. Something interesting that you remember doing with your spouse.

Not only that but at the same time when your children grow older and they get married then all you'll have is your spouse with you. So it's very important that you guys come together inshallah. Remind yourself about Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and get closer to him.

2. Investment in Your Parents

The second thing about investing in family is investing in your parents. And what I mean by this is as working professionals. Newly couples. As people who have parents who are at old age now. And now they can't - they don't have the same energy as they did before. They don't have the same physical ability. Capability to do what they used to do before. Now they may be in their 70s, in their 80s. And they sit at home and they watch TV half the day. They pray. They eat. And they repeat the same cycle of their life every single day.

That parent is waiting for their child to call and say how was your day today? How was everything going? Don't just neglect them because you're so busy with your life. Spend some time with your parents and take care of them as they took care of you when you were young. This is so important.

Why? How does this get us through our problems? If I have a problem what does this do with my parents? It has nothing to do with it right? Because they're old. They're staying I'm taking care of them financially. But what else do I have to do?

Brothers and sisters, we tend to forget the du'as of our parents. The du'as of our parents. They go so far away. They go so long that as individuals this is something that we should hold on to. As individuals this is something that we should hold on to is the du'a of our mother, the du'a of our father. Because when they sit on that musalla and you as parents also have experience that when you raise your hands in du'a who do you make du'a for first? You make du'a for your child. That oh Allah keep them guided. Oh Allah give them success. Oh Allah make sure. If your child has a test and they tell you you make du'a that oh Allah pass them in their test. Just like that your parents as old age they will also be making du'a for you.

Last year there was a brother in our community whose father passed away. His father happened to be one of my teachers. As I went to go visit him after his father's death I sat with him and he said one thing that I will really really miss. He said I have a small business and he said every time I would do some sales I would come home and I would tell my father about it. And the next day before I would go back my father would sit there and he would make du'a. He would say Ya Allah put barakah in my son's rizq. He said now that my father is not here who is going to make this du'a for him? Who will be there to make those du'as?

Those calls that you get. Young professionals especially. Just because you work in corporate America doesn't mean you are all that. Your parents are always going to be your parents. Wallahi it is so sad to see the state where young people have neglected their parents. I promise you as experience I have had in the past year that you are going to miss just talking to your parents.

My father last year had a stroke. And while he had a stroke, you know he lost the capability to even remember who I was for those few months. Not only that I still remember the last real conversation that we had because now our conversations are not the same. And based on what the doctor says they will never be the same. So I remember those days we would sit and we would talk and have normal conversations. So I can tell you by far even though he is here alhamdulillah he is alive, he is well, he is walking, but you just miss having that one person you can talk to.

So give your parents a call whether they are here or whether they are out of town. Give them a call because that call will mean the world to them. And if those du'as come out from their mouths, if those du'as come out for you, know that those du'as are so close to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

So take some time. Spend some time. If they are here locally take them grocery shopping. Take your mom to the mall. Buy her something. It is not about ordering something on Amazon. I know everything is done Amazon you can prime it and she will get it in two days. That's not the point. The point is for you to spend some time with them. Even if you have your own life it's okay to take some time out and give it to them. And know that this will help you with your problems. If you have a problem go tell them to make du'a and it will go a long way.

3. Investment in Your Children

The third investment within the family is the investment of children. Our children today are struggling brothers and sisters. It's not the same as it was when you came here from out of country. It's not the same when I was in high school or college. And it's not the same last year. And it's not the same this year. And it's getting worse.

Look at what's going on in society. What happened yesterday. What happened a few days ago within our own borders of America and may Allah help everybody. Make it easy and protect everybody. See what I mean? Because this what's happening in the world today is gonna keep happening. And that is a community problem. And to fix this problem we have to first fix within. We have to be able to educate our children. We have to be able to talk to them and have a way of communication with them. We have to be able to have them trust us and we have to trust them.

As being young they're gonna make mistakes but we have to be there for them. And we have to teach them or we have to help them get through those mistakes. How can you explain to someone what's going on or what happened. A young child who is 9 or 10 years old he's getting blamed for being Muslim while he walks into high school or he walks into elementary school. He doesn't even know his ABCs or he doesn't even know his maths properly but because everything is going on in media he's getting blamed.

So if you don't think that questions is identity or if he questions identity then you are mistaken and you are being blindsided. Know that when our children walk into schools - when our children walk into schools it's not about getting straight A's in becoming a doctor. It's not about becoming the best businessman. It's not about getting the highest GPA. Our children when they walk into high schools they are fighting for their iman. Every day when they walk in after coming back saying لا إله إلا الله you are a very lucky parent.

How many youth have came to me individually and they have came and they have said Brother Hamza, Hafiz Hamza I don't know what to believe in anymore. How am I supposed to tell my parents that I don't want to do this or I don't want to go to this school or I don't want to do this major. I cannot go and talk to my parents. How many individuals have came and said that I don't understand or I don't realize going back to point number one. How come my parents are always fighting? I don't know what's going on in society but just because I have a beard or I wear a hijab or my name is Muhammad people look at me differently and I don't like it.

How do we have this relationship with our children or how can we improve this relationship with our children? Remember that before we take responsibility of outside and becoming leaders of communities we need to start to focus on our own family a little bit as well.

That verily Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will not change the nations until the nations change themselves.

Brothers and sisters I ask you that today do not have sympathy with your children but have empathy with them. That become and realize and put yourself in their shoes that what they're going through and what they're facing and be able to have an open door policy so that your child can come and talk to you.

I promise you it is not a good scene when your child will come and tell you something that you don't want to hear but at that time patience is the most important thing. The Prophet ﷺ had individuals who came to him and said O Messenger of Allah give me permission to commit zina. Can you imagine if the Prophet ﷺ had treated him differently? But he didn't. He showed him mercy. He talked to him. He made him understand.

The Prophet ﷺ would go out and he would kiss his children. How many parents do I know that don't even kiss their children? Kiss them on the forehead. Welcome them every time. Fatima radiallahu anha would walk into the house of the Prophet ﷺ and she would knock on the door. He knew that it was her knock. He would open the door. He would kiss her on her forehead and he would have her sit where he was sitting. This was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

The Prophet ﷺ felt for the youth at that time so much that during the time there was a time during the Eid khutbah where everybody was going to attend the khutbah and they were saying الله أكبر الله أكبر لا إله إلا الله والله أكبر الله أكبر ولله الحمد. Imagine the whole city everyone going to listen to the khutbah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

And as they're going there's a young boy sitting on a footstep and he's crying. The Messenger of Allah he tells the companions you guys move forward I'm coming. And he goes and he sits next to that child. He says what's wrong? He said today I see everybody over here walking with their parents. I see everybody walking with their fathers to the Eid prayer. And my father passed away in the battle. How can I watch the Eid prayers? Let everyone go celebrate and I'm going to sit here and cry. I don't want to go and celebrate Eid today.

The Messenger of Allah he takes his child and he says how can I enjoy my Eid. How can the Messenger of Allah enjoy his Eid if you're going to sit here and cry? How about you say how about you can never say today that you don't have a father. I, the Messenger of Allah will be your father. And he took this child and he went to the Eid khutbah and one narration says he put him right next to him and the other one says he put him on his shoulder and he delivered the Eid khutbah to all of the city of Madinah. This was the muhabba and the love that he had for children.

Our children this is the biggest investment that we can make. When we leave this world it is their du'as. It is our children who will you know donate on our behalf. It is them praying. It is them making du'a that we will still have some hasanat. Some good deeds going on.

Brothers and sisters this is a very very crucial investment. Spend some time with your children. School is starting. You're gonna put them in extracurricular activities. They're spending maybe two or three hours with you maybe. Take Friday or Saturday from your schedule and make sure you spend it with them. Plan a vacation. Plan a weekend getaway but spend time with them now. This is what they're going to remember and this is how they're going to make du'a for you. Teach them and tell them you are there for them and teach them about Allah and how Allah will always be there for them. And whatever problem they may face in life if they look deep down they will find Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

4. Investment in Your Own Self

The last but not least. The last investment in these few minutes that we have is invest in your own self. We need to - with everything that I said spending time with your spouse and your parents and your children - now you have work. You say what time do I have left?

Take maybe two or three hours if you can't do anything in the week and spend it on your own self. Go for fajr prayer at the masjid and go and sit there till ishraq one day a week and just do the dhikr of Allah. Go memorize some Quran. Go learn some du'as.

The best ten days are coming ahead of us. The best nights are in Ramadan but the best ten days are the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. Go and take advantage of these ten days individually. Make du'a to Allah. Get closer to Allah. Go volunteer but invest in your own self.

And as you invest in your own self you will learn and you will value your family and you will spend time with them. Often times we forget because we're so busy that you also have to work on your own self a little bit more. Improve yourself.

If I was to tell you most of you work here in downtown corporate America. If I was to tell you that you are in the same position for three years and now it's your fourth year and I'm sorry I cannot give you a new position or I cannot give you a raise. You'll say, okay why am I working for this company? I should move on. I need to move on. I need to become better. I need to go and grow in my you know, grow in my community so I can make more money.

Just like that if you have not memorized any more Quran than you did last year or any more du'as than you did last year or any more self-improvement than you had last year then there's a problem right there. You need to fix that yourself. You need to go and see what is one thing that I can improve on and fix my relationship with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

And as you fix your relationship with Allah you will find that it doesn't matter what problem you have. You'll know that Allah is there with you. Allah was always there. He will always be there. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala will always help you because He loves you.

Du'a

May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us from those who are closer to Him. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us from those who love Him. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make us from those whom He loves. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala unite all of us on the day of Jannah and may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant us jannatul firdaus. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala accept and forgive us for our shortcomings.

Second Khutbah

This as a recap inshallah, we talked about how there are so many problems going on in the world. We saw what happened these last few days and may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala make it easy on everybody. But we see that for us to bring change it starts as a family and the family time is very important.

Our school is starting brothers and sisters. If you don't have children maybe you have some younger siblings who are in school. Spend some quality time with them. It will go a long way.

We mentioned four things that we all need to work on inshallah wa ta'ala. First one being spending more time with our spouses and if we don't have a spouse or if they have passed on then may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grant them Jannah. Make du'a for them and spend some time with your parents. And again if they're not here make du'a for them that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala grants them Jannah.

And the third thing that we discussed is spending time with our children and investing in them and giving them proper time and being there for them. And last but not least is investing in our own selves in our knowledge base and how we can get closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Ya Allah ya Rahman ya Raheem. We ask you to forgive our sins. Ya Allah open the doors of mercy for us. Ya Allah forgive us for our shortcomings. Ya Allah grant us Jannah bila hisab. Ya Allah make us from those who learn and who seek knowledge. Ya Allah make us from those who seek beneficial knowledge. Ya Allah make us from those who are able to fulfill their rights as spouses. Make us from those who fulfill their rights as children. Make us from those who fulfill their rights as parents.

Ya Allah protect our children. Ya Allah protect our children. Ya Allah shower your mercy on this Ummah. Ya Allah shower your mercy on this Ummah. Ya Allah take care of those who have whatever affairs they have all over the world. Ya Allah solve all of our problems. Ya Allah those who are - Ya Allah our brothers and sisters who are suffering Ya Allah alleviate their suffering. Ya Allah reward them for their patience.

Ya Allah grant us all patience. Ya Allah those who are struggling with their faith Ya Allah grant them good faith. Ya Allah strengthen their iman. Ya Allah strengthen their iman. Ya Allah make us from those who love you. Ya Allah make us from those whom you love. Ya Allah make us from those who pray to you and worship you. Ya Allah make us from those whom you forgive.

Ya Allah those who are going for Hajj Ya Allah accept their Hajj. Ya Allah with the acceptance of their Hajj Ya Allah forgive our sins. Ya Allah with the blessings of their Hajj Ya Allah alleviate the suffering of our brothers and sisters who are suffering.

Ya Allah those who are struggling to have children Ya Allah grant them children. Ya Allah those who are struggling to get married Ya Allah grant them righteous spouses. Ya Allah those who have children Ya Allah allow them to be from the righteous people. Ya Allah make them the coolness of our eyes. Ya Allah make them the coolness of our eyes. Ya Allah allow us to be from those who enter Jannah.