Reviving a Dead Heart

Reviving a Dead Heart

Friday Sermon by Imam Omar Suleiman

Opening Khutbah (خُطْبَةُ الْحَاجَةِ)

Introduction - Friday as an Opportunity

You know it's not just on Black Friday that you have people that are out there looking for their dunya and are seeking some sort of satisfaction or some sort of happiness but it's every single day and especially every single Friday where Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى He says:

"O you who believe, when the call is made for prayer on Friday, hasten to the dhikr of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى rush to the remembrance of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى and abandon all form of trade - that's actually better for you if only you knew."

Addressing the Best Generation

And Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى is talking obviously to the entire ummah but Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى is also addressing the best generation that has ever walked the face of the earth and that is the sahaba of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. I mean included in this ayah are those great people, those amazing people.

But obviously with every single generation and with every single peoples you have some that incline more towards Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى and some that want to do business and so there were hypocrites that existed at that time as well.

The Hypocrites and Salatul Jumu'ah

And in fact with the establishment of Salatul Jumu'ah it did not come until the Madani phase, until the period of Medina which is where all of the ayahs, all of the verses were revealed in regards to hypocrisy because in Mecca there was no reason to be a hypocrite.

If you were a Muslim, it meant that you were going to be tortured it meant that you were going to be run out of your home it meant that you were going to be a social outcast it meant that you were going to be boycotted it meant all of those things to be Muslim and it had no perks to be Muslim in Mecca. I mean there was no bandwagon of Muslims in Mecca - if you were Muslim, you suffered.

But whenever we look at the Madani phase when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم establishes his state صلى الله عليه وسلم you had then people that tried to take advantage of the situation and so they only show faces at religious events and at religious gatherings when there was a worldly benefit involved. If there was no worldly benefit, there was no reason for them to be there.

Fajr and Isha - The Test of Sincerity

And in fact that's why the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said that the most difficult prayers for the hypocrites are Fajr and Isha not because they're tired, not because they're sleepy not because of any other reason except that going to Fajr and Isha in those days meant that no one was going to see you.

If everyone could please move up inshallah that no one was going to see you at the mosque no one was going to see you praying because there was no lighting in the masjid people would not socialize generally speaking at Fajr or Isha and we find many incidents where people were killed at Salatul Fajr and others were not even aware because it was pitch black.

So the hypocrites felt no need to come to Fajr or Isha because there was going to be no worldly benefit whatsoever they weren't going to get any dunya out of it they weren't going to get any sense of reputation out of it so they would only show their faces whenever their faces would be seen.

And Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم said for that reason that those two prayers are hardest on the hypocrites and the Prophet said in an authentic hadith from Abu Umama:

(Hadith Reference)

"Give glad tidings to those who used to walk in the dhulmat, in the darkness to the masajid of a long reaching light on the day of judgment - those people that walked even when there was no need to go to the masjid from a worldly perspective."

Abu Huraira's Test

And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said if there was meat being distributed in the masjid or some form of money then you would see everyone rushing to the masjid and this is something that was tested by Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه

Abu Huraira one time goes to the marketplace and he tells the people in the marketplace "the inheritance of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is being distributed in the masjid! (هَلُمُّوا - halummu) - go ahead and rush rush to the masajid the inheritance of the prophets are being distributed!"

And so everyone shut their shops and ran to the masjid and they didn't find anything so they went back to Abu Huraira to complain to him they said, "oh Abu Huraira was this some kind of trick that you pulled so that you could dominate the market what was that all about? You know, when everything is shut down you've got the few people that'll go out there and that will sell a few products here and there and they'll make a killing because everyone else is shut down today so what was that all about?"

And Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه said "well did you go to the masjid?" they said, "we went to the masjid." Abu Huraira said, "what did you find?" they said, "we found these circles of Quran and hadith and fiqh you know, these different gatherings of knowledge."

And Abu Huraira رضي الله عنه said "that's the inheritance of the prophets because Rasulullah صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

'The prophets do not leave behind any form of dirham or any form of dinar they don't leave behind any currency they leave behind knowledge as a form of inheritance and whoever acquires that knowledge has acquired something beneficial indeed has acquired something that is great and whoever is forbidden from it has been forbidden from something that is great."

Coming to Allah with Strings Attached

What does that show you? Naturally, when we come to religion when we come to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى we have a goal in mind and a lot of times we come to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى with strings attached and when those conditions don't exist and when those circumstances cease to exist then we fail to come close to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى anymore.

And Allah عز و جل says to the prophets when they see a better business opportunity or they see some form of trade or an opportunity to make some money they would rush towards that:

"And they would leave you standing there. Say: 'That which is with Allah is better than entertainment and trade, and Allah is the best of those who give.' In the first place Allah is the one who grants you your sustenance in the first place."

The Most Beloved and Most Hated Places

All of this is to teach us a very valuable lesson and that lesson is not that we should become ascetics to the point that we don't do business anymore that we don't do trade anymore. It was the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم who said:

(Hadith Reference)

"The most beloved places to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى on the face of the earth are the masajid, are the mosques and the most hated places to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى are the aswaq, are the marketplaces."

And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم though he said that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was in the suq he was trading in the marketplace his companions were trading in the marketplace people were there but at the same time there was an understanding that life is not there life is here.

Why? Why did the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم even make that comparison in the first place? Because a place that is devoid of the remembrance of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى any location whether it is a marketplace and back then you didn't have clubs and things of that sort nightclubs whatever it is a place that is devoid of the remembrance of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى is a place that contributes to the death of the heart is a place where a person finds himself spiritually deflated.

And a place where Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى is mentioned a place where Allah is remembered and our priorities are rearranged to what Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى has demanded that they be then the heart finds life سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى

The Angels and Dhikr

Just think about that for a moment when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

(Hadith Reference)

"No people gather to remember Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى except that the angels surround them, mercy, tranquility descends upon their hearts and Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى mentions them with those that are with him."

Think about that for a moment just being in a place where Allah's name is being mentioned where Allah is being talked about there's a certain peace of mind that comes there's a certain tranquility of the heart that comes and you don't get that feeling anywhere else you don't get that anywhere else.

Ibn al-Qayyim's Question

And Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى constantly reminds you over and over and over again and I'll ask each and every single one of you with the question that Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim رحمه الله asked he said:

"From the strangest of things - it's strange that a person tastes the torture of having his heart attached to other than Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى which causes him that torturous feeling, then he doesn't turn from it to the blessing, to the peace of mind that comes with turning to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى and remembering Him and supplicating to Him."

And it's a very simple question: the feeling that you have after sitting in a gathering where Allah wasn't mentioned or being in a place where Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى wasn't mentioned where there was gossip and nonsense being talked about for hours and hours - that feeling that you have doesn't in any way, shape or form equal the feeling that you have after you've attended a good halaqah or after you've attended a salah in which you made your heart attentive in which you attached your heart to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى

Why Don't We Feel Alive in Prayer?

And many times we treat religion as just that just an obligation to get out of the way and we don't look to it as a source of peace of mind and as a source of peace of heart and then we ask Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى "why isn't my salah making me feel better I feel like my heart is dead how come I don't feel anything when I pray how come I don't feel anything whenever I hear these things about Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى?"

And really the question is addressed back to you: what have you given to your salah in order for your salah to make you feel better? What have you given to your religion for it to give you that sense of peace and tranquility?

The Story of the Young Woman's Shahada

You know I remember and I know mashallah this is a masjid in which many people take shahada and many people embrace Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى in this masjid I mean it's announced every single week right sister so and so has accepted Islam brother so and so has accepted Islam.

And I remember one time I was giving shahada to someone and I see mashallah we have a lot of revered brothers and sisters here and as that person it was a young girl probably 19 years old was taking her shahada and expressing that testimony for the first time she was breaking down in tears and then there was another woman that was in her 60s that was breaking down in tears as well.

And so subhanallah she came to me afterwards the woman the older woman that broke down in tears and she said "imam do you know why I was crying?" I said "why?" she said "because I've been saying (أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - ashhadu an la ilaha illa Allah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan rasul Allah) for 6 years and I've never once cried over it. I've said it my entire life and it never brought me to tears - that's the first time she's saying it and it's bringing her to tears."

Why? Because of what she gave to that shahada what she put on the table for Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala the trust she had in (لا إله إلا اللهُ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - la ilaha illa Allah Muhammadun rasul Allah) that this is life that what I'm about to say is going to change my entire life it's possibly going to alienate me from my family it's possibly going to hurt my reputation I'm going to lose friends over this I'm going to not only have to change culture but I'm going to have to change my entire lifestyle for (لا إله إلا اللهُ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - la ilaha illa Allah Muhammadun rasul Allah) and by them being here to testify that they're saying it's worth it so it means more to them when they say it it means more.

Allah's Question to the Distracted Worshipper

And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala asks us and imam al-qayyim rahimallah says very beautifully you know when we enter into our salah and then we turn away to all of these different things the things that occupy our minds and occupy our hearts when we're thinking about what's coming after the salah or what happened before the salah and imam al-qayyim rahimallah said:

"When a person enters into his prayer and then he turns away spiritually from his prayer he doesn't physically turn away but his heart is in a totally different place his mind is in a totally different place"

"Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says to him: 'Oh my servant, where are you going? Have you found something better than me? Have you found something that is more deserving of your attention right now than me? Have you found something that's going to give you peace of mind and going to give you tranquility and going to settle your heart that is better than me?''

Can you imagine you're already only giving Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala a few moments of your day what are you bringing to that prayer?

The Prophet's Du'a After Salah

And from the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم we learn that after he finishes his salah he says:

"O Allah, You are peace and from You alone comes peace - blessed are You, O Possessor of Majesty and Honor!"

It's an expression - subhan Allah such a powerful expression that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said after every single prayer. "Oh Allah, You are the source of peace from you alone comes peace comes" - subhan Allah سلام.

Think about that because the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم wasn't going to his prayer to get it over with the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was going to his prayer for peace:

"Comfort us with it oh Bilal"

And the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم turned towards salah and the way that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم turned to Allah in prayer made it rewardable not just in the hereafter but in this dunya as well.

The Living and the Dead

And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala constantly invites us and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم says:

"The example of the one who remembers Allah and the one who doesn't remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is like the example of the living and the dead"

And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says in the Quran:

"Oh you who believe answer the call of Allah and His messenger when He calls you to that which gives you life"

Because without it you don't have life.

Dhikr is Like Water to a Fish

And whether it's a place like a marketplace or a club or whatever it is where Allah is not being mentioned or whether it's your heart as Imam Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah said that dhikr, the remembrance of Allah to the heart is like water is to a fish - it's your oxygen if you don't have it you're not breathing you're not living anymore you're not experiencing true life.

Black Friday and the Pursuit of Happiness

How many people on the day of Black Friday and ironically and I'm sure you had a khutbah about this but ironically right after expressing thanks for what they already have go out and camp out in front of stores in front of different places for hours and hours and hours to get a hold of a deal on some kind of gaming console or some kind of product because that product that gaming console supposedly is going to give you happiness.

And that's the first thing Shaytan does is he creates these insecurities these vulnerabilities and then he exploits them and tells you "look I've got a product that can solve your problem." You know in essence that's what marketing is, right? Exploiting people's insecurities and vulnerabilities and Shaytan is a master of that.

Feeling down about your looks? Here's a product. I'll show you a commercial of a person that's standing there and that's miserable and then all of a sudden a product pops up you know, body spray, cologne and then you're in this amazing place all of a sudden you're smiling and everything is all good and all of a sudden everyone's attracted to you you're beautiful now.

Feeling down on your bills and you know they show you someone who's depressed and checking the mail and things of that sort? Well maybe you should try this right? Subhanallah create that insecurity and create that vulnerability and create that need and then exploit it.

True Life Comes from Allah

And you know what the sad thing is dear brothers and sisters is that a lot of times we complain that we're not feeling alive and I want you to think about this for a moment how many people will spend tonight Friday night and tomorrow night Saturday night wasting themselves away at a club or at a bar or in some kind of party trying to feel alive and you could be sitting here listening to قَالَ اللَّهُ وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - Allah says and the messenger says for one hour and I guarantee you you feel more alive than them.

How many people are trying to feel alive and subhanallah the idea here is turning towards Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and understanding that what Allah can give you no one else can give you.

As Imam Al-Qayyim rahimallah said very beautifully that the only one who shaitan can appeal to is the one for whom Allah is not enough because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

"Isn't Allah enough for his servants?"

And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala testifies in the Quran that they are pleased with Allah and Allah is pleased with them.

Being Pleased with Allah's Legislation

And one of the ways of being pleased with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is being pleased with the legislation of Allah being pleased with what Allah has given you with Islam being pleased with the restrictions that Allah has given you because understanding those restrictions are for you those restrictions are to make you live a better life those restrictions are for your own good.

And we have many of our youth who look out and many Muslims who look out of the window sometimes and say, "man, I wish I could not be Muslim just for one day I wish I could enjoy it just today man, it's prom night I wish just tonight I didn't have to be Muslim just so I could experience it just so I could experience one day at the club one day doing this one day doing that one day being able to just do whatever I want and not have to worry about halal and haram I wish I could do that for one day."

And while we're looking out saying that you have those people that come to Islam that have lived their entire lives without halal and haram and are saying that "I never felt alive until the day I said (لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ)" that lived a "free" lifestyle and did whatever they want and didn't have to worry about

anything in some cases obviously and then come to Islam and recognize that in that submission the heart is given life.

When We Turn to Allah

Now why do I mention this? Because a lot of times the only time we turn to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is when we want something and that in and of itself is insincere and sometimes we expect Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to feed our worldly addictions.

You see someone who's in the masjid it could be for something halal a young man that's in the masjid all of a sudden why are you in the masjid? "I've got my MCAT coming up you know I really want to make sure that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala puts barakah in it" you know something really really really bad happened to me so that's why I'm coming to Allah and it's sad because many times when you see someone turning towards religion for the first time in a long time it's because one of two things happened either somebody died or something really bad happened to them and then all of a sudden "oh Allah give me this oh Allah give me that oh Allah give me this."

And yes you know what sometimes that is the moment that changes your life sometimes that is the moment that turns everything around for you but your relationship with Allah cannot just stop at that but if Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala gives it to you.

The Test of Blessing and Hardship

"As for the human being as for man when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tests him by giving him the good of this world and honors him, he will say 'my Lord has honored me' - not in a way of praise but in a way of boasting meaning I don't have to worry about anything else I'm doing in my life Allah clearly loves me because Allah is giving me rizq."

"That same person if Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala tests him and restricts his wealth a little bit - Allah just takes a little bit of it away and Allah puts him in a little bit of a hard situation - 'my life is over' - 'why is Allah doing this to me why is God doing this to me?'"

Because why should Allah feed your dunya addictions that would be no different than finding someone who's addicted to a drug something that's not real and instead of stopping him from his addiction saying no I want you to feel good about yourself go ahead and take it Allah breaks us off from those addictions Allah breaks us off from those things so that we can understand what really gives us life.

The Prophet's Pure Intentions

And you know what's amazing about the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم above many other things is that when the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم went to Hira at the age of 40 to contemplate to remember Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to seek meaning in this life did the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم have any marital issues? Did the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم have any economic problems? Was he broke? Was the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم suffering from any lack of reputation? No he was a sadiq al amin he was the honest the trustworthy one did anything happen to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم to send him up to that mountain? No there were no strings attached he didn't go to Allah for a spiritual high he went to Allah to please Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and to revive his heart صلى الله عليه وسلم which was already alive but to adorn it with this beautiful revelation.

Call to Turn to Allah Sincerely

We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to bless us with the true understanding and implementation of (لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ) and to forgive us for our shortcomings and to forgive us when we look to other than him for satisfaction and tranquility.

Second Khutbah

Dear brothers please move forward as much as you can dear brothers and sisters in conclusion of this khutbah when we talk about reviving our hearts and why we feel spiritually low Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants you to turn to him with no strings attached.

Allah's Wake-Up Calls

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sends you moments and Allah عز وجل says:

"Isn't it time for those who believe to soften their hearts to the remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and that which He has revealed from the truth?"

You know Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala sends us many moments and I ask everyone this question: how many times did you have a near death experience where it would have just been a split if it would have been just a little bit different just a split second further and your car would have crashed and you would

When Hearts Become Hard

And that's why Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala says:

"You know what happens whenever you let a time pass - don't let time pass between that wake up call and between their submission time passed and they forgot how they felt when they lost that person they forgot how down they were when they felt that and so their hearts became hard and many of those people are wicked transgressors."

Dear brothers and sisters when we look at the lives of the sahaba many times it was that extreme wake up call that brought them to Allahsubhanahu wa ta'ala but you know what their relationship with Allah didn't stop there it was the catalyst it was the catalyst.

The Example of Umar ibn al-Khattab

Because when Umar bin al-Khattab (رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ) goes to his sister's home and he recites those few verses of surah Taha Umar (رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ) when he's awake goes straight to the messenger (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) and puts his heart now in an environment where it can thrive within 24 hours the same man that was out to kill the messenger (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) is standing out there and defending the prophet because he understood that "I have to change my ways now I'm not going to go home and think about this and say you know what maybe I'll get religious later on and maybe I should no I know the way that I felt when I recited those few verses of surah Taha what I understood and what Allah was trying to tell me I can't shut my eyes after this or else the next time the wake up call is going to get louder and louder and louder."

The Heart Constantly Changes

And that's why when we talk about reviving the heart every time the prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) talked about the heart and he said it was named the heart (الْقَلْبُ) because (تَتَقَلْبُ) it constantly changes and the prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) described it as a feather that would keep on turning over and over and over with the wind and the prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) most frequent dua was:

"O turner of hearts make my heart firm on your deen"

Because the prophet (صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم) is teaching us that in order to settle that very fragile heart which turns over like a leaf in the desert or a feather in the desert you have to create the right wind you have to put it in an environment where it thrives in an environment where Allah is mentioned around people that mention Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) and take it off of all of those things or remove it and detach it from all of those things that cause it to harden and cause it to die.

Closing Du'a

We ask Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) that when we turn to him with our hearts we don't just turn to him because we want something of this world but we turn to him seeking his pleasure we ask Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) to make our hearts firm on his path:

"Oh turner of hearts make our hearts firm on your deen"