Masjidul Quds

Khutba: Making the Most of Life - Lessons from Surah Ash-Shura

Opening Prayers and Supplications

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

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"[And whatever you have been given is but [for] enjoyment of worldly life. But what is with Allah is better and more lasting for those who have iman and upon their Lord rely. And those who avoid the major sins and immoralities, and when they are angry, they forgive.]"

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The Urgency of Time: Ramadan's Final Lesson

I want to start by reminding myself and all of you that Ramadan is almost over and these few days that we have left to share this remarkable blessing are a kind of mindset that not only is Ramadan gone very short, but also life is very short and just like we think we should make the most of these few days that are coming, it's really Allah's way of training us to think about how we're going to make the most of our lives.

You know when you set a short deadline in front of you, you get a sense of urgency but when that deadline is over you feel like you have a lot of time, and human beings you and I can be very foolish and we think we have a lot of time, and we don't. We feel that we - how many of us even know we're going to make it to Eid? We don't know. We know every single breath is something given to us by Allah and it's not something we own or control.

So the first thing we learn from Ramadan is the sense of urgency to make the most of our time. It's really you know what you recite in Surah al-Asr all the time, that Allah - you know we swear by time. Allah swears by time that human beings are constantly in a state of loss. No more is that loss felt than when we feel like we're not making the most of these days of worship and getting the most out of our ibadah with Allahazza wa jal.

The Need for Perspective in Life

What I wanted to share with you today is something that Allah teaches us in the Quran in Surah al-Shura that reinforces this concept that life is short and how do you really put things in perspective. You see human beings are frail creatures, there's a lot going on in our minds all the time and we are pulled in many many different directions.

So the men for example in this audience have things to think about in terms of their marriage, or in terms of their children, or in terms of their parents, or in terms of their work, or in terms of their own health or in terms of their friends, and in terms of money, and in terms of - so there's lots of things happening and lots of things going on constantly in our minds.

As a result of that you can lose sight of what your real purpose is, you can get caught in the day to day so much that you fail to step back and realize there's a bigger picture here. You know I often give my students the example that if they're holding a book and they're looking at it like this, they can't read anything they're like I don't understand what's going on - you have to take a step back a little bit to put things in perspective so you can make sense of what's going on, and that happens in life.

The Divine Worldview: Everything is Temporary

So Allahazza wa jal tells us something remarkable - it's a short set of ayat in surah but they're really a world view and it's good to go back sometimes to these ayat, to refresh really what it is, what does it mean to have this life and this time that Allah has given us on this earth.

So He says:

(Quran 42:36) - whatever you have been given of anything - a remarkable opening, whatever you've been given of anything.

Now what does that mean? Not just the things that I've been given - I've been given clothes, I've been given money, I've been given a body I've been given health, I've been given a job I've been given a family, I've been given friends, I've been given these things I've been given my car - those are things that I've been given but that's not all that I've been given. I've also been given some experiences. I've also been given some events in my life. I've also been given some things that have happened to me that have not happened to other people. All of that was given to me by Allah. Every one of those things was given to me by Allah.

So He opens with whatever experiences you've had in life and whatever you physically have in your hands - the material you have in your hands and the experiences that you carry like scars. Some of those experiences are good and some of those are not very good. Some of them are very difficult and painful experiences.

Then know one thing - that all of these things, there's two things that He means by (مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا). One thing He means is all of that is what is put to use for the lowest life. He calls this life the lowest of all lives.

Why This Life is Called "The Lowest"

Now why in the world - (الدُّنْيَا) which we call the world is the Arabic feminine for (الأَدْنَى) which is the lowest. It's actually the superlative - the lowest life. Now why in the world is this planet and our life here called

the lowest life? Because Allahazza wa jal created us in the heavens and the angels deliver our souls from the heavens and bring it down here and when we're done from here we're going to go back up. So we're created from a very high place and we were brought to this very low place - the lowest of all.

And so Allah says in this lowest existence yes everything you've been given you just have to put it to use - you just have to put it to use.

Transforming Our Mindset: Everything as Investment

Now what in the world does that mean? Every experience that I've had, everything that I have I have to think about how do I put it to use to go back up again - to go back up again. Now this changes things. Every conversation you and I have on a daily basis, everything we talk about, everything we think about, everything we spend time on, we ask ourselves: is this conversation going to take me back up higher towards Allah or no? Or is this going to keep me low down here or even take me lower? You see because it's a lower destination possible too.

So you start changing your mindset. You're sitting after Juma, you're talking among your friends and one of them says man Kareem he's got such a problem and you're thinking is this conversation going to take me higher or lower? Is it really a good idea for me to talk about someone else?

(Tirmidhi hadith 2317)

"- it's good of the Islam of a person to leave alone what's not their business.

So you start asking yourself what am I investing my thoughts on? What am I investing my money on? What am I investing my time on? And every one of those things am I putting them to use in this life for something better? Everything becomes an investment.

Finding Purpose in Difficult Experiences

Even a terrible experience - you know terrible experiences in this life are actually an opportunity to earn much more in the next life. All of them are an opportunity. Why is it that the Prophet (peace be upon him) sees a sick person and says

(Bukhari hadith 3616)

- no problem, purification if Allah wills. Meaning this sickness you can sit there and be angry and complain and you can become frustrated and hopeless or you can actually see that as an opportunity that Allah is cleansing you and removing from you sins that would have otherwise come your way - maybe it's a purification for you.

Your mindset will turn every opportunity and every experience into something good, into something that builds you more. You know and this is a matter of perspective now. Now you're not caught up in things, you're not worried about things that don't matter you see. At the end of the day you will put effort in things that matter and you will not put effort in things that don't matter.

The Analogy of Digging for Treasure

Let me give you a small analogy to help you with this mindset -

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If I handed you a shovel and I took you to a field outside and I said, start digging, I want you to dig 10 feet just keep digging and you said, what am I gonna get if I dig 10 feet? I said, at the bottom of those 10 feet, there's 10 rand for you go ahead - it's a hot day and you get started - no thanks.

And if I told you, start digging and there's 100 million rand at the bottom of those 10, all yours, all yours, but you can't take a break - the way you dig now has changed. There's two people and by the way, before I told you to dig I'm tired, I don't know if I have the energy you know and there's a guy much stronger than you and he's digging also, but he's gonna get 10 - you're gonna get 100 million. You could be 75 years old and all of a sudden you turned 18, you know because the effort you're putting in you know what you're getting back in return - you know what you're getting back in return.

That's really the mindset Allah says, things in this life don't have much of a return - they're just things to use, but not things to keep.

What Allah Has is Better and Lasting

And He says:

- Allah has in his possession whatever He's holding on to you for and He's holding on to some things to give you - they are better and they last longer.

He said two things about what's coming for you and me - He said it's better and it lasts longer. So everything you have in this life, for example we have a spouse in this life - Allah says the spouse will become better and longer lasting. Happiness will become better and longer lasting. Food will be better and longer lasting. The house will be better and longer lasting.

Think of all the things we enjoy in this life - people buy their favorite car - it could be better, but it doesn't last very long does it? And eventually something else that comes along, that's what? That's better, that's newer. Allah says, what I have for you is going to always be better and it's always going to last longer. So think long term, think about what you really want to put an effort into.

And by the way, nobody enjoys digging in the ground - that's not the enjoyable part. The enjoyable part is what you're going to get at the end. But watch this - the guy who's waiting for a hundred million and he's digging, he looks happy. Nobody else who's digging in the hot sun looks happy but this one is digging and we're like, why do you look so happy? This is not something to be happy about.

The Power of Guaranteed Hope

I'll give you another example of mindset - if you know, people live sometimes - people live in very poor conditions, they live in very poor conditions and there's one person who doesn't - barely maybe has one meal per day and their neighbor also has maybe one meal per day but one day they get a letter that says

in about a month's time you are about to receive the inheritance of your long lost uncle and it's guaranteed for you - it's coming in a month though, you have to wait one more month.

Now he has this guarantee that he's going to be rich in a month. For that month, is he still poor? Yeah? Is he still eating one meal a day? Sure. But the guy next to him is miserable and he's super happy. He doesn't even feel that hungry. He's not miserable, he's just smiling all the time. Why? Not because of what's happening now but what's coming in the future. He has this in his head, there's a guarantee something is coming and it's removed all of his immediate problems - they all disappeared.

Whatever's happening, he goes no big deal. Somebody's yelling at him, insulting him, humiliating him, pushing him aside - it's okay, it's coming. I'm not worried, it's okay, let them do what they want you know because now it's removed from you - the day to day problems that were your biggest problems are no longer your biggest problems.

The Promise for Believers

This is what Allah has given us when He says in this life you get caught up in everyday problems - you think they're the biggest problem in the world but what I'm telling you, Allah is telling you

- what Allah has is better and it's going to last way longer and it's guaranteed.

- for those who actually believe that's coming. If you can actually believe that's coming it will actually make this life a lot easier.

- and they completely rely on their master. They truly trust that that promise is going to be given to them.

The Human Nature of Impatience

By the way, when Allah says what Allah has is better there's another dimension of that that you and I must think about. In this life Allahazza wa jal describes

- you know the human being was created out of an urge to rush into things. We want things immediately, we want things immediately. Allah is offering us things a lot later. He says Jannah and you say when? He says rivers, gardens, eternal life - yeah I know, I know, but right now I just I really need to do what I need to do.

Shaytan doesn't offer you long term rewards, Shaytan offers you rewards right now - why don't you just eat whatever you want right now? Why don't you look at whatever you want right now? Why don't you make this money however you can make it right now? And Allah says just wait - don't make all of the things you desire, hold back just don't get it right now, deprive yourself, just go with what I'm allowing you, hold yourself back like a prison and I will give you way more but I have to give you later, I won't give you right now.

And you say can I get a preview, can I at least see a trailer on YouTube, what I'm gonna get some kind of, you know, glimpse? No, I'll just - you have to trust me.

- you have to trust Allah, that's it and you have to deprive yourself.

The Temporary Nature of Worldly Pleasures

Other people around you will say you're missing out - everybody else is getting ahead, you're falling behind, and you're thinking what you're getting is

- things that are going to last very little. You think you're getting ahead because you got a bigger house. You think you're getting ahead because you went and had a great time on the weekend in a way that Allah doesn't like. You think you're getting ahead because you're removing your stress by drinking alcohol or doing whatever else, because you - I just want to enjoy myself, I just want to live this life let me live man, let me be free.

You think this is freedom, this is all so temporary, and what Allah has is way, way better. I've decided to hold myself back just a little bit so I can get that.

The Qualities of Those Who Achieve This Mindset

Now these people, who can develop this mindset - Allah didn't just give us, ok this is how you think - develop this kind of thinking, how do you become this kind of person? Allah describes this person in the next ayah, and so before I end this I want to share with you that powerful description.

He says:

- two qualities you would think they're not - they're connected. What are these two qualities?

First Quality: Avoiding Major Sins and Shamelessness

The first of these qualities is they stay away from major sins and they stay away from all kinds of shamelessness - all kinds of shame - those two things, they stay away from major sins, and they stay away from all kinds of shamelessness.

You know what happens in this life, sometimes we say oh I have to make all 20 taraweeh or I have to make extra nawafil or I have to recite this much Quran - those are all good deeds, yes yeah, but at the