A Better Tomorrow
By Nouman Ali Khan | 2026-01-08T22:07:04.749569+00:00 | Topic: Iman
Khutbah by Nouman Ali Khan: A Better Tomorrow
Opening Praise and Salutation
اَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، اَلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ خَالِقِ الْوُجُوْدِ مِنَ الْعَدَمِ وَجَاعِلِ النُّوْرِ مِنَ الظَّلَامِ وَمُخْرِجِ الصَّبْرِ مِنَ الْأَلَمِ وَمُلْقِي التَّوْبَةِ عَلَى النَّدَمِ
فَنَشْكُرُهُ عَلَى الْمَصَائِبِ كَمَا نَشْكُرُهُ عَلَى النِّعَمِ وَنُصَلِّيْ عَلَى رَسُوْلِهِ الْأَكْرَمِ ذِيْ الشَّرَفِ الْأَشَمِّ وَالنُّوْرِ الْأَتَمِّ وَالْكِتَابِ الْمُحْكَمِ وَخَاتَمِ النَّبِيِّيْنَ وَالْكَتَمِ سَيِّدِ وَلَدِ آدَمَ الَّذِيْ بُشِّرَ بِهِ عِيْسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ وَدَعَا لِبِعْثَتِهِ إِبْرَاهِيْمُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ حِيْنَ كَانَ يَرْفَعُ قَوَاعِدَ بَيْتِ اللهِ الْمُحَرَّمِ فَصَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَعَلَى أَتْبَاعِهِ خَيْرِ الْأُمَمِ الَّذِيْنَ بَارَكَ اللهُ بِهِمْ كَافَّةَ النَّاسِ الْعَرَبِ مِنْهُمْ وَالْعَجَمِ
فَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِيْ لَمْ يَتَّخِذْ وَلَدًا وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ شَرِيْكٌ فِيْ الْمُلْكِ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ وَلِيٌّ مِنَ الذُّلِّ وَكَبِّرْهُ تَكْبِيْرًا
وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِيْ أَنْزَلَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ الْكِتَابَ وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ عِوَجًا
وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِيْ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِيْنُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنُؤْمِنُ بِهِ وَنَتَوَكَّلُ عَلَيْهِ وَنَعُوْذُ بِهِ مِنْ شُرُوْرِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ فَلَا مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْهُ فَلَا هَادِيَ لَهُ وَنَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَهُ وَنَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُ اللهِ وَرَسُوْلُهُ أَرْسَلَهُ اللهُ تَعَالَى بِالْهُدَى وَدِيْنِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّيْنِ كُلِّهِ وَكَفَى بِاللهِ شَهِيْدًا فَصَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَسْلِيْمًا كَثِيْرًا كَثِيْرًا
ثُمَّ أَمَّا بَعْدُ، فَإِنَّ أَصْدَقَ الْحَدِيْثِ كِتَابُ اللهِ وَخَيْرَ الْهَدْيِ هَدْيُ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَإِنَّ شَرَّ الْأُمُوْرِ مُحْدَثَاتُهَا وَإِنَّ كُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ وَكُلَّ ضَلَالَةٍ فِيْ النَّارِ
يقول سبحانه وتعالى في كتابه الكريم بعد أن أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم:
"And never say of anything, "Indeed, I will do that tomorrow," Except [when adding], "If Allah wills." And remember your Lord when you forget [it] and say, "Perhaps my Lord will guide me to that which is nearer than this to right conduct."
"(Quran 20:25-28) O my Lord! Open for me my chest (grant me self-confidence, contentment, and boldness). And ease my task for me. And make loose the knot from my tongue, That they understand my word."
آمین یا رب العالمین
ثم أما بعد
Reflection on the Tragedy at Haram
In today's khutbah I'd like to, before getting into the actual subject of the khutbah, comment a little bit about the terrible tragedy that so many of you have already heard about that has taken place at the house of Allah in the haram - the crane accident as a result of which many of those that went to the haram for the intention of hajj have already become shuhada. Many people have been killed there as a result of that terrible tragedy and I just wanted to take a moment to remind myself and all of you of a few things about that incident and when such incidents occur.
Our Obligation as Muslims
First and foremost our obligation as Muslims and our right upon each other is that we make dua for those people whose time had come and it could not have come a moment sooner and it could not have come a moment later. This was the way and the time that these people were going to leave this earth just like you and me have a time when we're going to leave this earth. So in that sense this is Allah's decree on them and that is what we are: (قَدَّرَ اللَّهُ مَا شَاءَ فَعَلَ - qaddar Allahu ma sha'a fa'al) - Allah decreed and what He decided He did.
But at the same time we make dua for them and their forgiveness and especially dua for their families and those who they left behind to come visit the house of Allah and now they are in a much better house that is made by Allah. They are all shuhada, they are with their Rabb being provided for.
The Status of Those Who Die in Allah's Path
Allah says don't say about those who were killed in the path of Allah that they're dead. The path of Allah is actually those who fight in the path of Allah who make hijrah in the path of Allah and what more beautiful hijrah than fulfilling the sunnah of Ibrahim and one of the most ultimate obligations of our religion to make the hijrah to the house of Allah leaving everything else behind.
Literally when people go to make hajj the clothes that they wear are the clothes in which they are ready to meet Allah - those are the clothes that they go in, in those clothes. And what better - there's no one better prepared to meet Allah than the one who comes to his house leaving all of his dunya behind, all of it behind.
So we are in some sense we should also be jealous of these wonderful believers who Allah called to his house and from there he called them to his jannah. May Allah accept all of them in jannah and give their family jannah as a result of that sabr.
Understanding Safety in the Haram
One last comment about this tragedy. Allah says in the Quran for anybody who comes to the haram:
Whoever entered it has been in a state of peace. Anybody who enters the haram is in a state - it's safe, he's safe. And somebody watches this and says wait, how are they safe? A crane fell on them they died a violent death - how is that safety?
You know when that ayah came down (وَمَن دَخَلَهُ كَانَ آمِنًا) there's a Makki ayah you know or early Madani actually by some, and in that ayah also what's going on in the haram when Muslims are getting beat up even at that time, even at that time and what amin when the idols are all around the haram? What does Allah mean by the one who enters it is that it's safe because clearly that's not the case.
And by the way not just this incident - every year people pass away at hajj. Somebody gets trampled, somebody has a heart attack, somebody dies of high blood pressure or heat stroke - these things happen every year. So what does Allah mean that whoever has entered it is in a state of peace?
The Deeper Meaning of Safety
We understand that peace and safety part of it is in this dunya and part of it is in the akhira and the one who comes there is coming to save their akhira. Nobody goes to the haram for dunya - it's not a vacation spot, it's not the kind of temperature you want to spend vacation in. You don't go to Mecca for the scenery, it's not a beautiful place. Allah chose one of the harshest places on the planet to put his house.
So you know if the haram was in Hawaii or if it was in California then you would have other reasons to go there too - you know I'll make tawaf and enjoy the ocean view. No no no, you're going to go to Mecca, you're going to go to Mecca and the only reason that place even survived is miraculously Allah put water out of that place otherwise a valley that has no life, it has no reason for human beings to go there except that they want to save their akhira.
So the one who comes to it with the right intention Allah has offered them safety meaning Allah has offered them safe passage into jannah - that is the guarantee of Allah and that is the promise of our messenger too that a hajj that is accepted - what happens? All your previous sins are forgiven, all of them are forgiven. This is why because you've entered into the safety of Allah and may Allah help us internalize that and appreciate that about those who Allah has called to his ultimate house.
The Main Topic: Understanding the Future in Islam
Now finally the subject matter of today which is kind of related to this matter but I really wanted to talk about this ayah even though I've spoken about it many times before but I don't think in this masjid.
Allah says this is one ayah - Allah says don't you dare say that I am definitely going to do that tomorrow. Don't say that - actually he doesn't just say don't say that, he said don't you dare say it ever about anything that I am definitely doing that tomorrow.
The Apparent Contradiction
Now if you do that if you stop at this ayah there seems to be a problem because your boss says you better hand in the assignment tomorrow - you say definitely I'll do it tomorrow yeah sure sure sure inshallah. And sometimes you say inshallah sometimes you don't say inshallah but people make definite promises all the time. Yeah yeah I'm definitely going, are you coming to the invitation? Yeah yeah I'm definitely going. Hey are you going to Jumu'ah? Yeah definitely definitely. You know we say these definite things all the time.
It is only in the next ayah that Allah completes the subject and he says with the exception that you say that Allah wills. The only exception is I intend to do this fully except if Allah wills - meaning this is why in the culture of the Muslims when we talk about the future we use the words inshallah - if Allah were to will I'll see you tomorrow at three o'clock inshallah, meaning if Allah decides that I'm not able to see you that's out of my control.
My intention is there but Allah's plans can be different from my plans so as far as my plans are concerned I'm making a commitment but if there's a rainstorm or an earthquake or my car shuts down I don't know - Allah can decide anything between today and tomorrow. The future is not in my hands so I have to make that insurance claim and say it's in the hands of Allah because it's in the future. The Muslim understands that the future is not in their hands.
The Balance in Islamic Teaching
But here we have to understand a very powerful aspect of balance. The Muslims unfortunately when we get further from the book of Allah even the beautiful teachings of our religion become ugly - they look beautiful on the surface but when you don't stay connected with the book of Allah you don't stay connected with the sunnah of his messenger then those same things that are supposed to be beautiful turn into something ugly and this is what many of us are guilty of.
So we say inshallah which means probably not - that's what we do now. Hey are you coming? Inshallah - which means I'm not sure I'm not sure. So inshallah is actually our way of getting out of making a commitment.
The True Meaning of Commitment
These ayat are not about escaping a commitment. As a matter of fact (إِنِّي فَاعِلٌ ذُلِكَ غَدًا) are very strong words - for sure I am absolutely going to do that tomorrow, making a statement of guarantee and making a promise and making a commitment that you're definitely committed to doing.
This is not the problem - as a matter of fact that's what you should do. You should in fact make strong commitments. You shouldn't just casually say okay. If you can't do something say I can't do it. If you can't be there just say I can't be there. But if you make a promise then commit to it, commit to it and then add the only way that this will not happen from me is if Allah decides something that's beyond my control - that's (إلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ).
(إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ الله) does not mean if I wake up late I'm not coming or if I'm not in the mood - you don't use inshallah for that. That's a misuse of this powerful phrase. You're recognizing that not everything is in your control. Allah has given you the ability to make commitments and the capability of fulfilling your commitments but even if you have some capability Allah has all - He is (هُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ) (Quran 2:109) - He can stop you in your tracks with all of your intentions, with all of your intentions. This is the essence of the phrase (إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللهُ)
When You Forget to Say Inshallah
But then Allah adds - He adds (وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيت) - mention your Rabb, make mention of your Rabb when you forget. It was interesting Allah didn't say (إن نسيت) - if you forget. He said (إذا نسيت) - when you forget. And there's a big difference between if and when because if something happens it might happen it might not happen but when you say (إذا نسيت) - when you forget - Allah is guaranteeing because Allah can give guarantees, I can't.
Allah is guaranteeing that you and I will forget. You and I will forget. There will be times where we make promises about the future and we're not going to remember to say inshallah. We're going to make plans in our head.
Sometimes you don't even say something by the way - (قَوْل in Arabic قَالَ يَقُولُ in Arabic) is not just speaking with your mouth but even saying something to yourself. You know in English I said to myself - that idea, just a thought. Sometimes you have thoughts - I'm definitely doing this or that or the other. Even that thought should be accompanied with inshallah, even that thought. And sometimes it's not.
Sometimes I just have it in my head - yeah this week this next week this tomorrow this flight then this meeting okay I got it I got it alright I know what to do now. But the thought of inshallah didn't come in your head and it should.
You know sometimes you're talking to somebody on the phone and you make a promise about the future - I'll see you at dinner okay I'll see you assalamu alaikum and you hang up and you go oh I didn't say inshallah. Now that doesn't mean you call them back and say hey by the way inshallah just wanted to leave you a voicemail inshallah - no no don't do that, they don't have to hear inshallah. Allah wants to hear you say it.
You just say it to your Rabb - (وَاذْكُر رَّبَّكَ إِذَا نَسِيت) - mention your Rabb when you forget.
The Beautiful Language of Remembrance
And this is really beautiful language - (إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ وَاذْكُرْهُ إِذَا نَسِيتَ) - remember Him when you forget. Allah didn't say that - He said remember your Rabb. You see when Allah has already been mentioned in the ayah (إِلَّا أَن يَشَاءَ اللَّهُ) when Allah has already been mentioned, when someone's mentioned by name then the next time you mention them you mention them with a pronoun.
For instance to make this easy to understand you know say if Allah wills and remember Him next time - remember Him when you forget. Now the word Him would refer to Allah but actually Allah doesn't use the word Him, He doesn't use the pronoun. He says (رَبَّكَ) - this is actually reinforcing the idea that you're
almost reintroducing yourself to the concept of Rabb with Allah - that Allah is in control of your future, He is your Rabb, He is your absolute master and you cannot lose sight of that.
This is part of the authority of Allah on you that your future is in His hands. So Allah specifically went out of His way to say (رَبَّكَ إِذَا نسيت) when it comes to us making commitments about our future that it is in fact in Allah's hands.
The Balance of Reliance and Effort
Now this is an incredible ayah of balance so far because on the one hand you are making the strongest guarantees (إِنِّي فَاعِلٌ ذُلِكَ غَدًا) - not even (إِنِّي سَأَفْعَلْ) - those of you that are familiar with Arabic it's not even a verb, it's this commitment with a noun with an (اِسْمٌ فَاعِل) - I'm absolutely doing that tomorrow. But then on the other hand you have this absolute reliance on Allah too and so we have to talk about this balance a few minutes before I move on.
There are some people in this world they think they can do everything because of themselves - I'm really intelligent, I have a really reliable car, I'm a really good driver, I know the best way to get there before I get late - I, I, I, I - all the reliance is on myself. The reason I have a successful business is because I have a really good business plan. The reason I have a good job is because I went to a good school and I got a good GPA and I have a good resume - so it's all about relying on yourself.
And they have these - it's actually a multi hundreds of millions of dollars of industry of this - the self-help and self-motivational industry which the beginning and the end of it is you can do anything, you're amazing, you don't even realize your own power and your own potential. And people pay thousands of dollars to go for a weekend to hear them say you can brush your own teeth and you can take your own flights or whatever and they get fired up because there's this idea of the self, the power of the self which has some validity.
But on the other hand there are people on the other extreme. There are people who say I can't do anything - I'm just a miskeen, I'm just a abd of Allah, what am I? I'm not worth you know the dust of somebody's feet, you know I'm nothing, I'm made of turab, you know I'm made of a nutfa like Allah describes this humble pathetic creature then I can't really do anything at all. They have no self-confidence at all and they say Allah does everything I do nothing, Allah does everything I do nothing.
And these people you know what ends up happening? They do nothing in life and when nothing happens they say well Allah decided nothing should happen so they blame everything on Allah. On the one hand you have people that rely none on Allah entirely on themselves and on the other extreme you have people who rely only on Allah and put no effort themselves.
The Quranic Balance
This ayah among many in the Quran is an ayah of balance. You have to make commitment, you have to take action (إِنِّي فَاعِلٌ ذُلِكَ غَدًا) but you are the same one who has to understand that your commitment and your action and your capability is in the hands of your Rabb and He will only grant it to you when you try to fulfill it when you make the best of your efforts.
Sometimes your plans and Allah's plans are the same - sometimes. Sometimes you decide to go somewhere and Allah decides to let you go also. Sometimes you decide to go to a college and Allah gives you admission into that college also. You decide to graduate early and Allah lets you graduate early also - so things go according to your plan. All that means is your plan and Allah's plan was the same for that one thing.
But sometimes your plan and Allah's plan are not the same. Sometimes you want to stay in that job for 10 years but you get fired after 6 months. Sometimes you apply to this school and you had the best application but you still didn't get in and people with a worse application than you got in - it happens. Sometimes your plans and Allah's plans are not the same.
These ayahs are recognizing that not everything will go according to my plan. I will still have to make a plan, I will still have to put in the effort but at the end of the day it is Allah who will decide whether this plan will come through or not. This is (وَاذْكُر رَّبِّكَ إِذَا نَسِيتَ)
The Most Beautiful Part: Hope and Optimism
But then the most powerful part of this ayah that I wanted to spend extra time on because this is really one of the most beautiful lessons in the entire Quran in my opinion - if the Muslim understands this their life becomes easy:
These words are a dua and more than a dua - a statement of optimism. Let's introduce it that way. This you're thinking about the future just because of the use of the word عَسَیٰ which is حرف التَّرَبِّي in the Arabic language, a word or a فِعْلُ التَّرَبِّي - a verb used to express hope.
The Muslim's Optimism About the Future
Allah is teaching us in this ayah that the Muslim has to have hope in the future. My iman in the Quran makes me optimistic about the future. I am - I don't care what the news says, I don't care what happened yesterday, I will not be among those Muslims who sit on a table and say the situation of the ummah keeps getting worse and worse and worse - oh my god things are only gonna get much much more terrible and there's another tragedy coming I guarantee you, watch what happens.
Oh you think 9-11 was bad cause it's the anniversary right? You think 9-11 was bad? Oh my god that was nothing, watch what happens to the ummah now and then watch what happens now. This attitude is
directly against the ayah of this book just in the word عَسَیٰ - you're supposed to be full of optimism and hope that Allah will make things better for you, for the people around you, for humanity. You're supposed to have that attitude.
The Greatest Thing to Hope For
And then he says what should you say about your own future - (عَسَى أَن يَهْدِيَنِي رَبِّي) - perhaps my master will guide me, he'll give me guidance. What is the most optimistic thing you can have in your future? Everybody wants a better job or better financial situation or a better family situation, a better health situation - we want all of these things.
But you know what? The most fundamental thing you and I need more essential than the oxygen that we're breathing is Allah's guidance. So once you have that everything else will work out. When you don't have that you can have everything else and you have nothing.
So in this ayah there's an optimism that Allah will guide me - (عَسَى أَن يَهْدِيَنِي رَبِّي) - that Allah will - my Rabb will guide me, my master will not forget me. I remember him when it comes to the future, he will remember me when it comes to the future.
See, when I say Inshallah, I've remembered him and because I remembered him when it came to the future he will remember me - (فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ) (Quran 2:152) - remember me, I'll remember you, mention me, I will mention you.
Now Allah is giving you the guarantee of guidance and again here an important thing for Muslims to understand today.
Dealing with Information Overload
So many people I meet around the world have the same questions - it doesn't matter which part of the planet you go people have the same confusions today, same questions over and over again. And one of the most common questions I hear is people say you know, there are so many different versions of Islam, so many different videos about what the Quran means or what Hadith means and some people believe in this and other people believe in that.
This Shaykh gives this fatwa, that one gives that fatwa - should I follow this or should I follow that? Somebody says this is halal, somebody says this is haram - I don't know anything anymore, it's all confusing. There's so many variations - how am I supposed to get guidance? How do I know if I'm even following the right thing? How am I supposed to know? It's too much information for me to process.
And I agree we are living in information overload, we are. We are bombarded with so many different perspectives even within Islam. Look at the audience that is sitting in this hall even though we're locals from this area, most of us, the way that you've learned about Islam from the person next to you is very
different. The teachers you've had, the people you've been exposed to, the lessons you've learned - they're very different from each other.
So there's a lot of variation in how we're exposed to Islam and a person gets overwhelmed and says how am I supposed to know if I'm even following the right thing?
The Answer: Direct Guidance from Allah
And you know what this ayah is the answer. I don't guarantee guidance and YouTube doesn't guarantee guidance and Google doesn't guarantee guidance and people don't guarantee guidance - it is our hope that Allah himself will give me personally guidance. Guidance will not come from anywhere else whether you have no information or over information - that doesn't matter. That Allah will guide you to the right course depends on how much you asked Allah not anyone else.
And once you ask Allah you don't have to be nervous anymore because you have absolute certainty that Allah will give you guidance. He does not turn anyone away. Getting guidance from Allah is not difficult, it is not difficult. Allah has opened the door of guidance wide open for those who seek it - we just have to be people who seek it, that's it.
The Example of Ashab Al-Kahf
I mean this ayah belongs to Surah Al-Kahf and I can't talk enough about Surah Al-Kahf as is evidenced in this khutbah but these Ashab Al-Kahf - these people of the cave that we read about every Friday - these people have no prophet around them, no alim around them, no sheikh around them, no sahabi around them. They are by themselves and they live in a village where everybody worships idols and they come to a conclusion that you know there can only be one God.
They don't even know how to say it - we can't worship these things - (لَّن نَّدْعُوَ مِن دُونِهِ إِلَهًا) (Quran 18:14) - we can't worship other gods. And that was enough for Allah to guide them with no knowledge, with no revelation, nothing - that was enough for Allah to guide them and guide them so much that today people who studied the deen for years and years and years studied tafaseer of these young men who knew nothing compared to the ulama that learned from them because they got Allah's guidance because Allah would give them guidance because it doesn't matter how dark your situation is, how hopeless it is when you have hope in Allah that's enough, that's just enough.
The Ultimate Goal: Getting Closer to Allah
The last and what I consider the most beautiful part of this expression - perhaps Allah will guide me - guide me to what? Guide me to what? He says (لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَذَا رَشَدًا). Know the language of this is so
profound and in a khutbah I can't give you grammar lessons because you'll have a headache so I want to try to make this as simple as I can.
In the Arabic language sometimes you say over there and sometimes you say all the way over there. When you say all the way over there you're saying that I'm guiding you to your destination. If you just say over there maybe you get over there then you have to go somewhere else and somewhere else and somewhere else but if I say all the way over there then I've told you that that's where you have to go you don't have to go any further than that.
When the لام is used (عَسَى أَن يَهْدِيَنِي رَبِّي لِأَقْرَبَ) - this laam what it suggests - this is الْمُنْتَهَى - there's no higher thing to ask for in this dunya. If you get this there's nothing to ask for. If the word إلى was used then you get there then you go for something else and go for something else you see.
So I'm asking Allah in this ayah and what you're asking Allah in this ayah is for something that if you have it there's nothing better - it is the ultimate end. Now what is that ultimate end? He says (لِأَقْرَبَ مِنْ هَذَا) - closer than this. I hope Allah will guide me closer - all the way closer than this. What is the word this mean? This means where I am right now.
The Personal Journey of Guidance
Now let's understand what this means in simple language. All of us have some degree of guidance. The fact that we're sitting in the house of Allah on Jumu'ah means Allah has given us some guidance. Some people Allah has given more guidance, some Allah has given less guidance. Some have more knowledge, some have less knowledge. Some have better attention when they pray, some have less attention when they pray - we're not all on the same level, that's a fact.
But you know what this dua is telling you? My ultimate goal is to get closer to Allah than I am today. I am not here to compare myself to someone else. I'm just here to compare myself from where I am right now. If I can just work on getting better than what I am right now - that is the ultimate success before Allah. There is no higher success.
You will never become perfect, I will never become perfect. All we can work on is becoming a little bit better and then a little bit better and then a little bit better - just getting a little closer to Allah and a little closer. And if a person dies becoming closer to Allah they are successful.
Don't Compare Yourself to Others
You don't - a lot of people you know what they do? They compare themselves to others. This one has already memorized the entire Quran, look at how they recite, they are at the masjid every single day, they are there before the adhan is even called, they are worshipping Allah so much more, they are so much more knowledgeable, they have so much more, they know Arabic, they know tafsir, they know this, they know that you know, or they dress better as Muslims than I do you know.
Starting Your Journey Wherever You Are
So what are we learning then? We are learning that if for example you are starting to recite Quran today - you are 35 years old, you haven't even opened the book for 30 years and you decide to start reading Quran today. You can't even get through bismillah, you don't even know what a ba looks like anymore, now you have to learn like children. There are people who are your age who can read like adults but you have to read like a child but that's ok, that's ok.
When you learn even that alif or that ba and you make a little bit struggle closer to Allah and you die that way maybe you are better than even a alim, maybe you are better than a hafidh of Quran who memorized the whole book but has no appreciation, didn't want to make themselves a better person because who wants to make themselves a better person is in the heart and Allah knows that.
So don't underestimate where you are with Allah - people can underestimate you, Allah does not underestimate you. People make it sound like guidance from Allah is hard, it's expensive, it doesn't come easy and Allah is opening the doors of it wide open - he is just asking for you and me to embrace it and say ya Allah guide me, bring me a little closer to yourself in terms of uprightness, in terms of guidance.
The last word of this ayah actually acknowledges that the fact that you are making this dua means that you are already on some guidance that you shouldn't say that I am misguided - it already acknowledged the fact that Allah gave you the ability to make this dua itself is a gift of guidance from him and Allah will give you more and he will give you more and he will give you more. This is the optimism of the Muslim.
The Solution for World Peace
When guidance comes in this world then it comes a heart becomes tranquil and this is what I want to conclude with. When a heart becomes tranquil, when a heart becomes at peace then the people around that person - they are also - the peace is infectious, that iman is infectious. Peace spreads in the family, peace spreads among friends, peace spreads in a community when guidance comes.
If the problem of the world is conflict, hatred, if the problem of the world is war then the solution to that is not other policies or more weapons - that's not the solution, it's not economic sanctions. What humanity needs is guidance because without guidance you can't have peace - you just can't.
"Those who believe and do not mix their belief with injustice - for them is security, and they are [rightly] guided. And that was Our argument which We gave Abraham against his people. We raise [in degree] whom We will. Indeed, your Lord is Wise and Knowing."
Who believed, those who came to iman - this is what we are asking Allah when you and I make du'a for peace in the world, for peace in the Muslim lands, for peace for those who are oppressed. When we make those du'as then we are actually directly asking Allah to increase us and the world around us in guidance.
Closing Du'a and Reflection
May Allah increase all of us in guidance and make us of those who are positive about their future - their own future, the future of their children, the future of this ummah and the future of the world over. This entire world we have to be concerned for it - not just our own ummah, the entire world. We are the millah of Ibrahim - Ibrahim used to be concerned for all of humanity, that is the legacy that we've inherited. So we have to be optimistic about the entire world.
May Allah make us that way and make our future generation a beaming example of what it means to live the beautiful teachings of this book and this sunnah.
"Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows that which you do."
"Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times."