I Could Never Be Like Them Anyway

Loving Them

salah, not too much prayer, not too much fasting, not too much charity. He said, but I did prepare my love for you.

All I have is that I love you, I know that I love you. In another incident, a young man came to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and he was crying. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to him, what's making you cry?

And he said, oh messenger of Allah, my life right now, anytime I want to see you, (أَتَيْتُكَ بِالْمَسْجِدِ) just come to the masjid and I see you.

I can be with you anytime I wanna be with you. You're there, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, I know that I can see you (بِالْمَسْجِدِ. أتَيْتُكَ) He said, then I remembered a day that I will die, and he's put his own death before the death of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam out of his adab with the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. I will die and we will part, and I'll no longer be with you.

And he said, even if I get to Jannah, so he knows he's in Jannah, or he thinks he's in Jannah, because he's obviously a good young person. Even if I make it there, I know you're gonna be in a level that I won't be able to reach. You'll be somewhere in Jannah, you'll be in Al-Firdos, I can't get all the way up there.

And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam told him:

"You will be with the one whom you love."

Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said this statement to over 15 companions:

"A person will be with whom he loves."

Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith 6168

Anas ibn Malikradiallahu anhu, who narrates one of the incidents where that took place. Anas ibn Malik radiallahu ta'ala anhu, when he heard the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam say that, he said, then I'm set. He said, I'm set. I love Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. I love Abu Bakr, and I love Umar.

I'm set. If I'm gonna be with those guys in Jannah, I'm set. So now think about this for a moment.

So we can't be like them. Well, the reason why you would want to be like them in the first place is so you can be with them in Jannah. How about starting off with developing that connection, loving them.

Do you know how much better your salah gets whenever you read the seerah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam? And you read the lives of the companions. Do you know how much your own relationship improves with Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala? Why? Because I love them. I might not have prepared anything else but I love them.

Recognizing Your Circumstances

Also recognize the circumstances that you are in. You know, while we're talking about the avengers and the sahaba. Whenever we're thinking of that, what do many of us think? We can't be like them.

Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said in the hadith of Abu Tha'labaradiallahu anhu:

"Behind you, ahead of you, are days which will require great patience."

And subhanAllah, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, describing how hard it would be to have patience and to do righteous deeds. He says:

"Like taking a burning piece of charcoal."

And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said that, for one who acts in those days is the reward of 50. So the sahaba said, wait a minute:

"Ya Rasulullah, the reward of 50 of them?"

This is how they thought good of themselves. The reward of 50 of them. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, no, no, no, no, no:

"The reward of 50 of you."

Sunan at-Tirmidhi Hadith 3058

When we think of the sahaba of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and we think, man, if I lived in those times, I would definitely be like Abu Bakr. How do you know you wouldn't be like Abu Jahl? He was pretty smart too.

His name was Abu al-Hakam, the father of wisdom. Oh, but you know, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was, we would hear those amazing khutbahs. Can you imagine praying behind the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam the effect that it would have on your life? Abdullah ibn Ubayy ibn Salul, the chief of the hypocrites, prayed behind the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam for years and it had no effect on him.

Don't always just assume, man, those guys were lucky, they got to be with the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Yeah, they also had to be beaten to a point of death, not just put through some humiliation at the airport. They had to be beaten, they had to struggle, they had to give up their lives for following the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and forsaking a present desire for the sake of a future promise. But they did it anyway.

The Story from Hajj

And it's funny because this year in Hajj, I had a young man, subhanAllah, usually when people want to leave Islam, they want to leave Islam for something, you know, that's a very common atheist, they'll sound a very common atheist theme. You know what this guy told me? He said, Allah is not fair. In Hajj, I said, how come? This was this year in Hajj.

And this was a person who was born Muslim. He said, how come Allah allows these people in Mecca, who aren't very nice people, and some of the people of Mecca are very nice people, but you know, when you're in Hajj especially, man, you don't want to buy anything. When you go to a shop in Hajj and you want to buy something, the store owner is going to make you feel like, you know, you got to work for this, you've got to work for this.

He will degrade you, talk about bad customer service. So this guy is like, Allah is not fair. How come these people get the reward of 100,000 salah just because they live here? And we live in the states and we don't get any of that.

And I said, why don't you think in the opposite way and think how come they don't have the opportunity for da'wah that I have living amongst non-Muslims. You know how many times people in the Muslim countries will say, man, you guys are lucky, you get to do da'wah. We never see anyone take shahada.

We never see anyone take shahada. You imagine if someone took shahada at your hands and Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, it's better for you than red camels. And some of you are like, what are red camels? It's better for you than a Lexus, than a McLaren, than a Bugatti, that's how it's read.

It's better for you than any of that, meaning it's better than the world, than anything that's in the world. One person takes shahada on your hands. And people in the Middle East are saying, those Muslims are so lucky in America.

They don't know what they've got. If someone takes shahada on their hands, they can pray and they get the reward of their salah, they can fast and they get the reward of their fasting, meaning everybody has their circumstances. And Allah will judge you according to your circumstances and how you acted in accordance with those circumstances.

The Wisdom of Abdullah ibn Amr

And that's why Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'Asradiallahu anhu, he said something very powerful. You know, usually when we think about it, it's like it's harder to be Muslim here it's harder to be a hafidh, it's harder to read Qur'an whenever you're outside of the environment of Qur'an and stuff like that. And subhanAllah, it's true.

It is harder. It's harder to be a good Muslim out of the masjid. Just like it's easier not to be a drug addict when you're not in rehab.

It's harder to be a good Muslim outside of the masjid. And that's why sometimes we'll see people who mashallah are hafidhQur'an and they lead taraweeh, but they're also hafidh a lot of other stuff. That's not very good.

And them being hafidhQur'an does not absolve them from being hafidh all the other stuff. And leading taraweeh does not absolve them from all of that. In essence, what happens? When we create this vision where we are supposed to be religious only in the masjid, where everything has to be utopian, ideal in the masjid, everyone has to act religious in the masjid, but outside, you're fair game.

You don't need to worry about developing your iman outside. Whenever you face real situations and real issues outside. Because you're supposed to be worrying about making sure that you're respecting the masjid and acting the way you're supposed to act and all of that.

The Ayah About Testing Hearts

Basically what we're doing is we're forgetting the ayah:

"They are the ones who Allah tested their hearts for faith."

And Umar ibn al-Khattabradiallahu anhu said that the one who is tested is not equal to the one who is not tested. Do you know what would happen to a zoo animal if you took him out the zoo and you put him in the wilderness? He's a big bad animal inside the zoo.

He probably scares you. Shamu can pick on trainers. But if you threw Shamu into an actual ocean with other killer whales after he's been spoiled in sea world, he's not gonna live.

He's not gonna survive. None of those animals would make it because they've been sheltered in the zoo the whole time. So the fact that you can hold your faith insha'Allah and I wanna congratulate all of you.

May Allah bless all of you who are here. Everyone say ameen. Because you could be in much worse places. You could be in much worse places. That is high in the sight of Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala as long as your intention is right. Because Allah will reward you according to that.

The Statement of Abdullah ibn Amr

And that's why Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'Asradiallahu anhu said:

"For me to do a good deed today is more beloved to me, is twice as beloved as doing a good deed while I was in the presence of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam."

That sounds blasphemous. Oh my God. Imagine Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is the fundraiser and you give sadaqa. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is the one giving khutbah. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is the one leading salah and you're praying behind him. You imagine how awesome that would be.

What are you talking about? How could you say it's twice as beloved for me to do something when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam passed away. He says:

"When we were with the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam we didn't care about dunya. All we cared about was akhirah."

"But now, now the dunya is attacking us from every side."

Meaning circumstances count. So you prepare by wanting to be like them. You love those people. At the same time you recognize your circumstances. And you know what? It might be that Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala gives you and I a higher place in Jannahinsha'Allah ta'ala than people that are better than us.

The Dream of Talha ibn Ubaidillah

I wanna share with you all a very interesting narration. It's narrated by Talha ibn Ubaidillahradiallahu anhu. And it's an authentic hadith in سلسلة صَحِيحَةُ مِنْ مَاجَهْ

Talharadiallahu anhu says, I had a dream. And in that dream, I was standing with two other men in front of the gates of paradise. And we were waiting to be called. And with me, the two men that were with me, they both accepted Islam at the same time.

One of them lived a year longer than the other. But the one who died a year earlier, he died in battle and he was better in his charity. He struggled more in the way of Allah.

So he's saying, we're standing there and we're waiting to be called. And Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala calls first the man who was the least in terms of struggle to come to Jannah. He gets called to the gates first.

Then he says, Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala allows the second one to be called, the other person that was with them to be called. Then he says, As for me, I was told that it's not your time yet. And I woke up.

Now Talharadiallahu anhu is greater than person number two who was called. And person number two is greater than person number one that was called. So Talharadiallahu anhu as was the habit of the sahaba, they would share their dreams with the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, their good dreams with the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and the companions.

He says this to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam in the presence of the sahaba. And the sahaba are shocked. They're like, well, wait a minute. The guy that got called first, he wasn't as good as the second one. And so Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam he says:

"What are you surprised about?"

So they said, Ya Rasulullah, the one that got called second, he died in battle, he died shaheed. And he في سبيل الله struggled more

So in essence, he was a better Muslim, right? I mean, you saw this person, and he died as shaheed. The other guy, he died a year later, he didn't die in battle. And at the same time, he did not have as much

salah, as much zakat, and as much charity.

He didn't do as much as the other guy. So Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says, and listen very closely, because we are at the gates of Ramadan, inshaAllah, but we might not make it:

Listen very closely. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says:

"Isn't it that this person lived a year longer than the other person?"

"And he caught Ramadan, he caught an extra Ramadan, and he fasted in that Ramadan"

And he prayed such and such, and made such and such sujood in that year. And he said, yes. And the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says:

"Then what is between them in terms of rank is greater than the distance between the heavens and the earth."

الله أَكْبَرُ Ramadan is coming up inshaAllah. Make the most of it.

The Story of Sheikh Abdul Hamid Kishk

But the last thing I want to leave you with dear brothers and sisters because a lot of times, again, sahaba, we can't be like them. We want to be like them, but we can't be like them. When you make du'a to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, the way Ukasha did, and the way Umm Haram did, to be amongst those people. How sincere are you in that du'a?

I want to share with you the story of an incredible individual. Incredible individual. Wallahi, one of the most incredible individuals that lived in the last 100 years. And you know what? One of the most incredible individuals in history.

A man by the name of Shaykh Abdul Hamid Kishk rahimahullah. Shaykh Kishk rahimahullah didn't die 200 years ago or 300 years ago. He died in 1996. And Shaykh Kishk rahimahullah was a righteous man.

A scholar who truly spoke from the heart. Who till today in the Arab world, you know like people blast Lil Wayne today. People blast Shaykh Kishk in the Arab world.

Even people that aren't that religious. Cars are shaking from the voice of Shaykh Kishk rahimahullah. I'm not saying they don't blast the other stuff too. They do that stuff too.

But till today, you can hear his voice. And it's so powerful. And this man subhanAllah, his dua was mustajab. He made dua and it was answered. He once made dua against Muammar Gaddafi, the leader of Libya. He made dua against him.

And he said, O Gaddafi, I ask Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala that one day your people will pull you from the sewers and will throw you away in an undisclosed location. A place where no one will find you. And that's exactly what happened to him.

So his dua was serious business. I'm not saying he was Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqas radiallahu anhu. But his dua was serious.

The Dream of Sheikh Kishk

Shaykh Kishk rahimahullah, one night he goes to sleep and he sees a dream. And he sees in that dream, Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and Umar ibn Khattab radiallahu anhu. And the messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) tells him:

"Give salam to Umar."

So he's telling this dream. He says:

"I gave my salam to him."

"And I fell dead between Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and Umar ibn Khattab."

Now some of you might be thinking, wow, that must mean Umar is evil. No, no. From a standpoint of dream interpretation الْمَوْتُ مِنَ الْعُمْرِ - Life I gave my life to Umar ibn Khattab radiallahu anhu.

And then he says, the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) picked me up and he did ghusl of me with his own two hands (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). He did my ghusl.

And I'm watching this dream. I'm watching myself and my dream being washed by the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). And it's a Friday morning and he's telling the family members because every Friday morning they gather together to eat breakfast before Jumu'ah. He's telling his family members about this dream that he had.

And his wife says to him, why are you sharing this when the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said that you're not supposed to speak of bad dreams. He said to her, what makes you think this is a bad dream? He says, Wallahi, I wish things would happen exactly as they happened in the dream.

The Dua of Sheikh Kishk

Now Shaykh Abdul Hamid Kishk rahimahullah used to make a very powerful du'a in many of his khutbas. He used to say:

O Allah, allow me to live as an imam and to die as an imam and to be resurrected between your hands while I am making sujood to you, O

Lord of the worlds."

"O Most Merciful of the merciful, O Lord of the worlds, I want to die in sujood."

And that day when he sees that dream, the day of Friday, the day of December 6th, 1996, when he turned 63 years old and he was so happy because he realized that was the age the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) died at.

He makes wudu and he goes into his salah on the day of Friday and he goes into his sujood and he never gets back up. He lived as an imam, he died as an imam on Yawm al-Jumu'ah and he was resurrected with his Lord while he was in sujood to him.

The Sincerity in Your Dua

الصِّدْقُ فِي الدُّعَاءِ "Sincerity in dua"

When you are truthful in your dua.

- I wish I could be with the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)

- Woe to me if I fail to achieve that presence.

When you ask Allah, O Allah, I love Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). I love Abu Bakr. I love Aisha. If you are truthful when you say that and if you are truthful when you say you wanna be like them, then on the day of judgment in Al-Jannah Abu Bakr will be your neighbor. You love him, here he is.

Aisha will be your neighbor. You love her, here she is. Rasulullah (صلى الله عليه وسلم - sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) will be your neighbor in Jannatul Firdaus, insha'Allah. You love him, here he is.

Closing Dua

We ask Allahjalla jalalu to make us from:

الصديقينَ وَالصَّابِقِينَ وَالصَّالِحِينَ وَالْمُخْلِصِينَ "As-siddiqoon, wa-as-sabiqoon, wa-as-salihoon, wa-as- mukhlisoon (the truthful, the foremost, the righteous, and the sincere)."

جَزَاكُمُ اللهُ خَيْرًا عَلَى حُسْنِ اسْتِمَاعِكُمْ

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ

وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ