Tauqeer Shah 2018

And your Lord creates what He wills and chooses. They have no choice. Exalted is Allah and exalted is He above what they associate with Him. And your Lord knows what their breasts conceal and what they declare. And He is Allah, there is no god but Him. To Him is all praise in the beginning and the Hereafter. And to Him is the judgment, and to Him you will be returned.

Allah has spoken the truth and His Messenger has spoken the truth. And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. This gathering, and I ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to protect us. And I ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to make today's talk beneficial for me before anyone else, bi-idhnillahi ta'ala.

A Lesson from the Classroom

My dear respected brothers, sisters, and elders, I'd like to start by sharing with you a story from a class of mine, which I teach. This is a class that I teach at a school in a masjid. And in this class I had approximately ten students.

One day, the class had more than expected students. It so happened that we didn't have enough seats or chairs for all of the students to be seated. So I told all of the students that we'll make arrangements for everyone to sit. But when it comes the time to present and to give your lesson, instead of sitting down today, you can all present by standing up. You can give your lesson by standing up to the teacher. They all said okay, it wasn't a big deal, it wasn't a big issue. In fact they were happy, they thought that today's lesson is going to be easy. We're not going to get in trouble as much, it's going to go smooth. So everyone was okay.

I started listening to the students one after the another. Suddenly I realized there's a student in the line who's about to come up to present. And as he comes closer and closer to present, something happened in me. Before he could present, I stood up from my chair. I went outside of the class and went to the other classroom. And I managed to found a chair and to drag that chair from the other classroom, bring it and placed it in the front. So when the student comes to prepare, he makes sure that he's sitting down and he presents with full attention and concentration.

Later I started thinking: That why did I do that? How come I didn't do that for all of the other students? Why only that student? Why did I give him that preference over other students? What led me to go outside to the other classroom and specifically for this student to make sure that he presents well and not everyone else?

The Power of Self-Respect

And not to take anything from him or from any other students, but just to present my idea and the concept that I'm trying to make: That student whenever he would come to class, he would always be prepared. Whenever he would come to present, he was always serious. Whenever he would come to class and whenever he would be presenting, he never joked around. He would never goof around. He would never waste his time. He would never waste my time. He would never waste anyone else's time.

That student was very competitive. He was serious. He was competitive in everything that he did. He was competitive in class. He was competitive in sports. In anything that he did he wanted to be on top. He wanted to be the best. And he wanted to give his 100%.

That kind of energy, that kind of personality, that kind of attitude forced me by itself to give my 100% as well. Although he didn't say anything, his body language and the energy that he was giving out was so strong that it led a teacher to give his 100%, whereas everybody else agreed to compromise.

My dear respected brothers and sisters, think about it for a moment. If a child can behave in such a manner, if a child can behave in such a manner that allows and forces a teacher to make adjustment and to force him to give his 100% by respecting him, his time and his skills, imagine if we as adults start valuing ourselves. Imagine if an adult carries himself or behaves himself and starts valuing himself, his time, his skills, his culture, his religion, his faith in his family. Do you think that anyone can come and abuse him or take advantage of him? That can certainly not happen.

Because my dear respected brothers and sisters, the positive energy and the good attitude and the valuing of yourself and your skills and your time, it comes from yourself and no one else.

The Reality of Relationships

I've come across so many people in a relationship, and we are all involved in some kind of relationship. Whether it be a husband and wife relationship, or it be a parent or child relationship, or it be a teacher or student relationship, or it be an employee or an employer relationship at a professional work environment.

It's always seen that someone is abusing and someone is being abused. It's always seen that someone is more with the influence, is influencing and the others are being influenced. Especially when it comes to work setting, I've seen that those who become managers or boss or head of the company or head of the project, the way they treat their employees, subhanAllah, it's sad. Sometimes it's sad.

But then at the same time I've seen several individuals at the same workplace and in the same environment that when it comes to that person, certain level of respect comes within. For some reason they deal with one person differently than they would deal with another person. Completely different. Although when it comes to their status and their rank and their grade, it's the same, but one is being treated different than the other. Why is that?

It's because the one who is being given respect is the one who respects his own self. Is the one who respects his own self, his own time. He respects his skills and his values.

Lessons from Surah Ad-Duha

When we come across in the Qur'an, we come to this beautiful ayah of the Qur'an in which Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala talks about the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in Surat Ad-Duha. We probably read this surah many times. This is a very beautiful and a very profound surah. And in this surah Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala addresses the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam by first mentioning the hardships and the difficulties that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam went through. And then Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tells him that how are you to come out of that situation.

The Student with Childhood Trauma

And before I go to the explanation of this surah, I want to give you another scenario of a student that I was teaching. I was teaching this student of mine and he was presenting and he did an amazing job. After listening to him I told him that somehow I feel that you're not giving your 100%. Somehow I feel that there is something missing, but there's nothing that I can point out. It feels that you're not completely giving your 100% and you've been suppressed by something, and I don't know what it was.

So after two or three classes and speaking to him for quite some time, he tells me. He tells me that when I was a child I went through this childhood trauma where I was bullied. Not to mention his specific situation, and this can relate to all of us. He mentions that as a child I was bullied. Maybe by other friends. Maybe by a teacher. Maybe by a parent. Maybe someone elder in the family. And because of that childhood trauma I am always suppressed and I cannot give my 100%.

Because of that childhood trauma, every time I sit in the class and try to study I have this fear in me. I have this fear in me that what if the teacher comes and he gets upset at me. What if I go home and my dad gets really mad at me that you failed. And what if I come out of the class and other friends of mine start making fun of me.

So my dear respected brothers and sisters, especially us immigrants, immigrants who come from different backgrounds and different countries, most of us went through some kind of a childhood trauma, hardship or difficulty. And the difficulty with that is that we have never let it go or put it behind our back. We are still living in the past and not letting go of the bad experiences that we had in our life.

Allah's Guidance Through Adversity

Now going back to Surah Ad-Duha, Allah addresses the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in verse number, starting from verse number 6, 7, 8 and 9. Allah says to the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam:

Oh Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, did we not find you as an orphan and we gave you shelter. وَوَجَدَكَ ضَالًّا فَهَدَىٰ - Did we not find you as lost and misguided and wandering around from one mountain hill and one cave from one to another, and we gave you guidance and hidayah. وَوَجَدَكَ عَائِلًا فَأَغْنَىٰ - Did we not find you as destitute and poor and made you self-sufficient.

It's beautiful how Allah is pointing out the childhood difficulties that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam went through. He tells the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam: Remember you were an orphan and we gave you shelter. And remember you were poor and subhanAllah we made you self-sufficient. And remember you were completely lost and misguided and you were looking for some kind of a sign and guidance, looking at these people and looking towards the sky, and we gave you hidayah.

So it goes to show that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam went through the same hardship and the same difficulty. Allah does not completely close that chapter, but Allah mentions it in the Qur'an. And He addresses it to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And then He tells the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam: We took you out of that situation. We gave you shelter. We gave you refuge. We gave you guidance. We made you self-sufficient.

The Response to Hardship

And then in the coming ayahs Allah tells the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam that now what are you supposed to do? He says:

SubhanAllah, such a beautiful ayah and strong verses of the Qur'an. After addressing the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, He tells the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam: Since you went through the difficulty and hardship of being an orphan, so what are you supposed to do now? He says: So as for the orphans, do not repel them. وَأَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ - And as for those who ask and who beg, do not turn them away. وَأَمَّا بِنِعْمَةِ رَبِّكَ فَحَدِّثْ - And as for all the blessings and the in'am that Allah bestowed upon you, do not forget them, but remember them, mention them and narrate them to the people.

Taking Responsibility for Your Life

So my dear respected brothers and sisters, we learn from the seerah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and from the instruction of Allah how Allah is making tarbiyah of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam: That yes, you may have gone through some kind of a difficulty when you were a childhood. Yes you may have gone through some kind of abuse, some kind of a hardship, some kind of a difficulty that I don't know - you know more than anyone else and Allah knows.

But what did you do about that? It's not your fault what happened to you. It's not your fault what happened to you. But it will be your fault if you continue to live upon that. If you continue to continue to bring that up in your life and affect you, it will be your fault if you do not take responsibility and come out of it as a stronger person. This is how Allah made tarbiyah to him.

If you went through a hardship and difficulty in a school, maybe you were bullied by a friend, maybe you were bullied in your marriage relationship, maybe you had some hardship with your parents, make sure you stand up and you come out and you make sure that no one else goes through that experience in their life. This is what Allah told the Prophet:

You had so many hardships and difficulties, but Allah blessed you. Today you are blessed to be here. Today you are blessed with so many things. Today you are blessed to live in this beautiful country. You are self-sufficient, you are well off. So what is your responsibility?

Stop blaming and complaining to the world that I cannot succeed because I had this hardship in my life. I cannot succeed because of my wife, because of my parents, because of the government, because of the society, or because of the era, or because of the peer pressure. The more you complain about the others, the longer it will let you move on.

Start focusing on your problems. Whatever you went through, it happened. Put it behind your back. Come out of it as a stronger person. Come out of it as a stronger person and use it in your advantage. Because you know, you know the difficulty and the hardship of it. You've worn those shoes before. Make sure that it never happens to anyone else. This is what Allah told the messenger Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

With Hardship Comes Ease

And then in the surah afterwards, in surah Alam Nashrah, Allah tells the Prophet:

He says that remember, that remember with every hardship and difficulty comes ease. With every hardship and difficulty comes ease. There aren't many ayahs in the Quran which Allah felt the need to repeat them. This is one of the few verses of the Quran where Allah did not suffice just mentioning it once. Allah says فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا - Surely with hardship and difficulty comes ease. And then He says إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا - Surely with hardship and difficulty comes ease.

That make it certain and be sure about it that if you are going through a hardship and difficulty, ease and comfort will come after that. Allah will take you out of that situation. Allah will make you strong only if you believe and you put your faith in Allah.

Allah's Divine Choice

We come across this beautiful ayah in the Quran in Surah Al-Qasas in verse number 68, the ayah with which I started. Allah says:

And your Lord is the one who chooses what He wills and what He wants. يَخْلُقُ - Your Lord is the one who creates مَا يَشَاءُ وَيَخْتَارُ - And out of His creation He chooses what He wills and what He wants. مَا كَانَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ - It is not their choosing. سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَتَعَالَىٰ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ - Exalted and high is Allah above all that they associate with Him.

Embracing Your Identity

My dear respected brothers and sisters, sometimes in our life we complain and we say that if I was an Arab, maybe I would have been better off. If I was white person I would have been better off. Or maybe if I was born in a richer and a wealthier family, the outcome of my life would have been different. Or maybe if I was born taller or skinnier or in a royal family or in this certain way or that certain way or maybe if I was wrong I was born in a different family, language or culture or heritage, maybe I would have been more successful. Many times people come and say that.

But this beautiful ayah of the Quran in which Allah reminds us that it was never your choosing to begin with. Allah created you and Allah chose you. The way you are today was always the will and the planning of Allah.

You belong from a culture, you belong to an ethnicity, to the language, the race, and the country and the color that you speak was always the plan of Allah. This is how exactly what Allah wanted you to be. He didn't want anything different from you. He didn't expect anything different of you. Allah created you because it was the best thing for you. So be grateful and embrace yourself. Embrace your culture, your faith. Value yourself.

The Power of Self-Value

Start by valuing yourself, your time, your skills. If you don't start valuing yourself, what makes you think that anyone else will do it? If you compromise and you say that it's okay I can pray later, Juma'ah is not that important, I'm working for my family so I can pray later. If you say to your wife oh it's okay don't worry about my parents, if you do not stand up and value and respect your parents in front of your peers, your family members and your children and anyone else, what makes you think that anyone else will stand up?

If you yourself do not value your faith, if you do not value your religion, what makes you think that anyone else will value it? If you yourself do not value your time and you are the one always showing up late and you're never on time, what makes you think that anyone else will value your time? If you yourself do not value your skills and what you have to offer to the community and to the society, what makes you think that anyone will take you seriously?

The Path Forward

So let us start today by embracing ourselves. Remember that it is Allah who gives the respect and it is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala who dishonors us. Remember that it was always the planning of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to create you the way you are and to give you that culture and that race and whatever that you have. It was always the planning of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Embrace yourself and embrace the will and the destiny of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That Allah is in control. Allah is in control and no one is in control. I'm not in control. You're not in control. It was always the will and always the planning of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

He wanted me to be like this. This is what He willed for me. And whatever the outcome was up until now was the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And as per the will of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, I will take my history and my baggage and everything that happened with me, I will use it as my advantage and strength. And I will not just stand up as a bigger and a better person, but I will make sure that this does not happen to anyone else.

This was the seerah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. This was the tarbiyah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

Let us make dua to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that may Allah azzawajal give us the ability and the tawfiq and the understanding of the sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. That may Allah azzawajal enable us to follow in the footsteps of our beloved Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. May Allah bless us and you in the glorious Qur'an and benefit us and you with the verses and the wise dhikr. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

Second Khutbah and Du'a

Indeed, all praise is due to Allah. We praise Him and ask His help and ask His forgiveness and ask His guidance. All praise is due to Allah who sent down the Book upon His servant and did not make for him any crookedness, to warn of a severe punishment from Him and to give glad tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward. They will never remain in it. And those who say, Allah has taken a son, they have no knowledge of it, nor does their fathers have a word that comes out of their mouths. They say nothing but a lie.

Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon the Prophet. O you who have believed, send blessings and peace upon him.

Community Prayers

As we sit here and gather here today, make sure to make dua for the community. Make sure to make dua for the society. And make sure to include in your prayers the victims of the Florida shooting that took place this week. Those were the members of our nation and it is our religious duty to extend our condolences and sympathy to the loved ones and to the family members of all of those who have lost their family members. Make dua for them that may Allah make it ease for them and may Allah write hidayah for them.

And make dua that all of those cruel and evil forces that have surrounded us, that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala rid us with their evil. Make dua for the protection. Make dua for the protection of the entire Muslim ummah. Make dua for the protection of the entire nation. Make dua that may Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala not only protect us and guide us in this life, but in the life hereafter.

O Allah, grant us good in this life and good in the hereafter and protect us from the torment of Hell.

O Allah, grant us from our spouses and from our progeny the pleasure of our eyes and make us a leader for the righteous.

O Allah, do not hurt our hearts after You have guided us and grant us mercy from Yourself. You are the bestower.

O servants of Allah, may Allah have mercy on you. Indeed, Allah commands justice and good and to give to those near to Him and forbids immorality and evil and the remembrance of Allah is the greatest. And Allah knows what you do. Ameen.