What is your legacy Will you be missed

What is Your Legacy? Will You Be Missed?

By Shaykh Omar Suleiman

Opening

"Peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings."

"I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan."

"In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."

"All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May peace and blessings be upon His noble Messenger, his family, and all his companions."

Introduction: The Ground Zero Mosque Debate

So, inshaAllah ta'ala, just a show of hands, how many of you got to watch, I think this was last year, time flies, but the Ground Zero Mosque debate on ABC News, where they had, you know, some progressive Muslim speakers and they had Sheikh Osama Bahlul from Tennessee, the masjid that they're disputing within Tennessee.

Does anyone remember that debate? Anybody? No? Okay. Well, anyway, so they had in the studio Franklin Graham, who obviously is not very fond of Islam, an evangelical preacher, sitting next to the reporter, sitting next to Faisal Abdel Raouf's wife, Desi Khan, and Sheikh Osama Bahlul is in the crowd, and they had a bunch of religious panelists, you know, religious scholars and things of that sort. And they bring this guy called Anjum Chowdhury, named Anjum Chowdhury from London, who, mashallah, is being portrayed as the Islamic expert always.

Fox News loves him, CNN loves him, because he gives them everything that they want to hear. You know, he's got the beard going, he says that he wants to establish sharia, he quotes ahadith, he quotes ayat, and he says, basically he tells them that we're here to take over. And they bring him on during this debate, for those of you that didn't see it.

And first of all, he attacks Desi Khan, he says that, this woman shouldn't even be in your studio without proper khimar, and he goes after her for not wearing hijab. But then the funny thing is that he says sharia will come to America, he was actually going to plan a protest in front of the White House, and he says sharia will come to America, and he says that Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ promised us that we would conquer the White House. And Franklin Graham, of course, who tries to portray Islam as evil all the time, he's shaking his head, he said, yep, he's telling the truth.

He's shaking his head, he's loving it, he's just feeding into it. And of course Shaykh Hussam Bahlu, they put the camera on him, and he has the most puzzled look on his face that I've ever seen anyone have. But I have something to share with you all.

The True Meaning of "The White House"

He was right. But wait, before everybody who's listening, that I can see and can't see, let me explain myself for a second. Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said in the authentic hadith, that you would enter into al-bayt al-abyad, the White House, but he qualified the statement, and he said bayt al-kisra, or al-kisra, the palace of kisra, and the family of kisra, and you would spend their treasures for the sake of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى

Kisra, which was the superpower before Islam, at the time of the Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ I mean a huge superpower, the Persian Empire. You have kisra and he has this humongous palace, that was actually known as their time, al-bayt al-abyad, the White House. And in the time of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqas رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ in the battle of al-Qadisiyyah, under the khilafah of Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي اللَّهُ عَنْهُ the prophecy of the Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ came true.

That the Muslims conquered the palace of kisra. Not only that, but when Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ promised Suraqah ibn Malik رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ who was chasing Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ as a fugitive, when he was leaving from al-Makkah to al-Madinah, as a fugitive in hijrah. And he was after Rasulullah صلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ a bounty hunter.

And then once Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ once he came to Rasulullah صلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَand he realized that his horse kept on falling every time he pursued the Messenger صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ . And so he went to take shahadah and Rasulullah صلّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said how would it be over al-Madinah when the bracelets of kisra are on your two hands. And this came true. And it came to pass.

And the Muslims entered into that palace. And they were not affected at all by the dunya around them. They took everything in that palace and they spent it in the way of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى

Sa'd ibn Abi Waqas's Emotional Response

Now why do I mention this? Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqas رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ when they entered became extremely emotional. At the lack of love that these people had for materialism, their vision, their love for the sake of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى . I mean they were excited not over the bounty that they just earned, not over distributing spoils of war.

They were excited because they saw that this was a huge treasure that they could spend in the way of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى. And he prayed two rak'ahs and he recited some ayat from the Qur'an. And this is the topic of my lecture for today, my very short lecture because I know that time is running out in this session.

The Quranic Verses About Those Who Will Not Be Missed

"How many gardens and rivers did they leave behind."

"And plants and vegetation and high statuses."

"And comforts they were overjoyed within. They were so happy and pleased with all this kingdom that Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى gave them."

"And just like that, we took it away from them. And we gave it to a people who were more deserving."

"Nor the heavens nor the earth shed a tear for them and they were not amongst those granted respite."

These ayahs were talking about Fir'aun and his people. People who had much. People who were given lots of dunya. People who were given palaces. People who were given wealth. People who were given comforts. And just like that Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى took it away.

"The heavens nor the earth cried for them. Nor were they amongst those who were given respite."

Do the Heavens and Earth Cry?

And to really understand this ayah and this is what I want to talk about today. Will you be missed? First and foremost the heavens and the earth as Ibn Abbas رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ was asked. Do they cry over anybody in the first place? And he said وَاللهِ نَعَمْ . He said they cry. The heavens and the earth themselves shed tears.

The heavens shed tears. Because there is not a single person who does good except that he has a gate through السَّمَاوَاتِ through which his good deeds ascend. His good deeds ascend through that. And whenever he dies that gate is closed. So the heavens cry for him. And there is not a single place on earth that was affected by his good, even his place of sujood, his musalla, his place of sujood except that when he dies it sheds tears, it cries for him that he has departed.

And of course the occupants of the heavens and the earth also do not shed a tear. Now if Umar Suleiman, not me, Umar Suleiman the former vice president of Egypt and Husni Mubarak and Bashar al- Assad or Qaddafi were all to be riding in a U-Haul and to fall off of a cliff and to fall into many different pieces, I don't think many of us would feel very sorry for them فَمَا بَكَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ السَّمَاءُ وَالْأَرْضِ We would probably be pretty happy about that.

And it's only natural because the legacy that they left is disgusting. They left the legacy of harm, harshness like Fir'aun. But I want to look to the opposite side.

Will You Be Missed?

فَمَا بَكَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّمَاءُ وَالْأَرْضِ When you pass away, will you be missed? It's a very simple question. Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ in Sahih al-Bukhari from Abu Hurairah رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ . He once saw a janazah and Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said:

(Sahih Bukhari)

"Either he is relieved from the world or the world is relieved from him."

The Hadith of the Two Janazahs

And in another incident, a very famous incident where one janazah is passing by and Rasulullah صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ is with a group of companions. And as that janazah passes by, that group of companions can start to say good things about him and they start to praise him. And Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ says:

"It became mandatory, it became mandatory, it became mandatory."

And then another janazah passed by and the companions said bad things about that body, about that person. Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said:

"It became mandatory, it became mandatory, it became mandatory."

يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ what became mandatory? He says, as for the person that you testified of his good because of your testimony وَجَبَتْ لَهُ الْجَنَّةُ Paradise became mandatory for him.

And as for the one that you spoke ill of, due to your testimony وَجَبَتْ لَهُ النَّارُ Hellfire became mandatory for him. SubhanAllah, very powerful ahadith.

The Question: Will People Really Miss You?

And the only point that I want to leave you with when you die at your janazah, when you die and your janazah is being followed and people are at your funeral, and people are shedding their tears, and people are saying we're gonna miss him.

Will people really miss you? Did you really leave a void? Were you really a person of benefit wherever you were? If you move out of your neighborhood today, will your neighborhood even realize the difference? Will they even notice that something is different? Except that the guy who used to dress funny and the lady in hijab is not there anymore. Will they really feel like there's a difference there? When you pass away, will there be people that used to receive your sadaqah and receive your good that will say, that person when he was alive used to do so much for me.

The Example of Zayn al-Abideen

You know Zayn al-Abideen, Ali ibn Hussain, may Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى be pleased with him, the great grandson of Rasulullah صلّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ . One of the companions narrates, he says that the people of Medina used to receive their ma'ash, they used to receive their sustenance. (أَيْ يَأْتِيهِمْ مَعَاشُهُمْ وَلَا يَدْرُونَ مِنْ أَيْنَ) No idea where it's coming from. No idea.

Until Ali ibn Hussain passed away. They realized that it was coming from him. Will there be people who will recognize your absence? People that will realize that you're not here anymore. Will there be a void in your community? Will there be a void in your neighborhood? If the contract that was signed to Halliburton in the time of John Ashcroft, 385 million dollars to build security prisons, if all Muslims were to be rounded up and thrown into those prisons, would people notice a difference except that a lot of gas stations closed down and my doctor is not there anymore? Seriously. Would people recognize our absence as individuals and as a community?

"Either you are relieved from people or people are relieved from you."

The Hadith About Building Wells and Masajid

And I'll close InshaAllah Ta'ala with one hadith. Rasulullah صلّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ says in the hadith of Jabir رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ in Targheeb and it's an authentic hadith. Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ says:

"Whoever digs a well of water from which no jinn, human being, bird," and in another narration Ba'ir, "a wild beast will drink from it, except that Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى will reward him for it on the day of judgment. And whoever builds a masjid for the sake of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى the size of a bird's nest or smaller, Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى will build for him a house in paradise."

The Meaning of Service

And what the ulema say is so powerful about this hadith. Dr. Adil Qarni, he mentioned, this hadith means that you fulfilled either the physical needs or the spiritual needs of another human being.

"The most beloved people to Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى are the ones who benefit the people most."

You benefited people either physically or spiritually, but you served a benefit. And there is a void when you're gone.

The Example of Imam Ahmad

You know, on a grand scale, when you talk about al-ulema, the scholars to whom Rasulullah صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said, even the fish in the sea seek forgiveness for them. Why? Because they serve, these are for the ulema who are also amileen, who also acted in a way that they benefited people with their knowledge. And you look at someone like Imam Ahmad رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ

Imam Ahmad, who dies in the same day that his janazah would take place. You know how many people attended the janazah of Ahmad 1.3 رَحِمَةُ اللَّهُ ؟ million people. Without mass media, without television stations, without newspapers. The Pope didn't even have 1.3 million people attend his janazah. Think about that. Why? Because when he left this earth, people recognized that there was going to be a void.

There is an immediate void. I want you to think on a smaller scale now. When you die, will you be missed? Will your family miss you? Will your neighborhood miss you? Will your masjid miss you? You know sometimes we don't appreciate people in our communities and our masajid until they leave the community.

Then all of a sudden the bathroom is not getting clean like it used to. All of a sudden the masjid is not getting vacuumed anymore. All of a sudden the guy that was collecting donations is not there anymore.

Recognizing Community Contributions

We recognize a void. Your society, will you be missed? And essentially this is exactly what the Messenger صلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ and the companions taught us. That wherever they were, they took their good.

And even the non-Muslims would wish that they would remain there. When Rasulullah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ was with the Ansar, how bad did the Ansar want the Messenger صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ to stay amongst them? How bad did the muhajireen want the Messenger صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ with them? When Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq رَضِيَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ was making hijrah to Habesha, to Abyssinia. Abu Bakr never made hijrah to Abyssinia but he was on his way.

And someone stops him by the name of Dughna. And he says, why are you fleeing? A person like you should not be taken away from his society. A person like you should not be taken away from his society, should not be rejected in this way. And offers him protection even though he's a non-Muslim.

Our Absolute Conclusion

And you know what dear brothers and sisters, the reality is, and this is my absolute conclusion, I promise this time, aside from the White House thing. My absolute conclusion.

No matter how eloquent we are in our speeches, no matter how right our argument is, no matter how involved we get in mass media, we will not truly be able to succeed in giving da'wah until the people of this country stand up on our behalf and testify on our behalf and say we want Muslims in our country. We want Muslims to be here. They change the way we live.

They offer us benefit. When a flood hits, they were the first people there. Ikna relief was there. People with Muslims for Humanity shirts were there. They were serving us. We want them to be here. I'm not going to tolerate the garbage that I see on TV. SubhanAllah, I've said this before and I'll say it again. One positive