Happiness Takes Work

Happiness Takes Work

By Imam Siraj Wahhaj - 2013 ICNA-MAS Convention

The Search for Meaning in Art and Life

I was so inspired by that young man and I felt happy for him. So often, embedded in the arts is a philosophy of life. People are trying to find the meaning of life.

The Death of the Prophet and Abu Bakr's Wisdom

When Sheikh Omar was speaking, I am also affected by the death of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. How do you reconcile the death of the Messenger of Allah? Omar was so touched by the death of the Prophet, he said, I swear by Allah, the Prophet is not dead. And then that man, Abu Bakr, that tender man, whom his daughter said, he is a man with a tender heart.

He tells Omar to sit down and he speaks to the masses. For those who worship Muhammad, Muhammad has died. But those who worship Allah, Allah is alive and Allah will never die.

"Muhammad is no more than a messenger: many were the messengers that passed away before him. If he died or were slain, will you then turn back on your heels?"

Philosophy Embedded in Songs and Literature

There's a song that's so famous that over 160 artists sing it. People sing it, but they don't listen to the words because the words embedded in the song is a philosophy of life. I wish I had the lungs to sing it, but I'll say it. I don't want to live if living is without you.

A man in Atlanta, Georgia wrote a book and in the book he said, there is no one on earth that I'd rather be than to be myself. Allah created me to live and whoever dies, I still must live in the philosophy of life.

Tragedy and the Question of God's Presence

There's so much tragedy in life. People ask the question in Oklahoma, where was God when my children died? On Sandy Hook or the earthquake in Haiti, where was God? Our answer, God was right there.

Listen to this, embedded in Shakespeare's writing is a philosophy of life. Listen to Macbeth: "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and is heard no more. It is a tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." I agree with that if there was no life after death.

The Prophet's Mercy and Grief

Today I leave you with one verse of the Quran. I believe that puts everything in perspective. Yes, you have the right to pursue happiness, yes. But how do you find it? When the Prophet's son Ibrahim died, and the Prophet started to cry, Abdul Rahman Ibn Auf said, You, messenger of Allah, you crying? He says, it is Rahman, it is mercy. He said, the eyes may shed tears. And the heart may be sad. But we don't say anything except that which pleases our Lord.

Understanding Life Through the Quran

I'd like to leave with you an ayat of the Quran that I believe helps us to understand life. Because every one of us right now are suffering from something. Some of us have witnessed the death of our parents, or even our children, the sickness of our loved ones. And we cry and we feel sad.

But I want you to remember what Jesus said, peace and blessings be upon him, when he was born, speaking from the cradle, his first words was:

"I am the servant of Allah." (Quran 19:30)

(Sahih Muslim 2132)

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "The names most beloved by Allah are Abdullah and Abdul Rahman."

We are servants of Allah.

The Pursuit of Worldly Desires

How do we look at life? I'm going to read the ayat from the Quran, and two hadith, and then I'm finished. That's it. That's it. Oh brothers, that's it. Every week, a brother comes knocking on my door. Imam, I want to get married. Can you help me, Imam, get married? I want me a beautiful looking sister. A pretty sister. Let me see her, Imam.

And you have that right. But I tell you this, no matter how beautiful she is, there's going to come a time, she will lose that beauty. That's the way it is. You know why? That's the nature of this world. You go after it. Something that you want. Go ahead. What is it that you want? You want a handsome man? You want an intelligent man? What is it that you want? You want money? You want a good house? What is it that you want?

And I'm here to tell you as your brother, go on and get it. You go whatever you want to get. Do what you want to do. Let there be no boundaries. Do what you want to do. Go get it. Go get money. Go get women. Go get it. And you see, you see if you be happy.

The Story of Junaid Jamshed

I was in Northridge, California last week. I met a brother. I've never met him before. I've never heard of him before. Many of you have. His name is Junaid Jamshed. See? All right. That's what I'm talking about. Used to be a famous pop singer. Pakistan. Well known. Everybody love him. Famous. Rich. And he stood before us and said, I had it all. But yet, I wasn't happy. I was sad. I had fame. I had it all.

The Pain in Your Knee: Feeding the Soul

So he went to an imam. And he said the imam told him, your problem is that you have a pain in your right knee. And you're making treatment in the left knee. He says, imam, what does that mean? He said, you see, you was created from the earth. All of mankind are the children of Adam. And Adam was created from dust. We are people from the earth, he said. And everything you need is right there in the earth. Your food is there. Your clothing is there. Your homes is there. It's in the earth. And you got it all from the earth.

But there's another part that comes from the sky to feed the soul. And your soul is empty. And you don't realize that this world here is a deception. So the kafir, the one who rejects it, this dunya for Muslim is a prison.

The Reality of Youth and Restriction

Think about it, young man. You go to school. 95% of you go to public school. And you got non-Muslim friends. And you know what? These non-Muslim friends do things that you want to do, but you feel restricted. So when your mom and dad is not looking, and when you're with your friends, you do what they do. Because you want to be like everybody else. You want to have fun like everybody else have fun. And so you go ahead and you have fun. But in the end, you won't be happy because this life is a deception.

You go look at all these young actors and entertainers. All of them are messed up. Serious. You ever have Justin Bieber? He messed up. Serious. You watch all of them. In Norway, five schools postponed midterms. You know why? Justin Bieber gave a concert. And they didn't want the students to miss the concert. So they canceled not the concert, they canceled school.

Personal Loss and Coping with Death

My saddest day, 18 years ago, my beautiful daughter had a baby. And the next day, she died. And when I went to the hospital, as I was on my way, I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what would happen. But a husband called me and said:

"From Allah we come and to Allah we return." (Quran 2:156)

He said, you understand? I said, yes. And I knew it either was my daughter or my granddaughter. When I went to the hospital, and I saw my daughter there. The saddest day of my life. There was not a moment for a whole

year that I didn't think about her. A year or more. Every day all day long. But you know what? Allah let me get through it. And I realized this.

The Nature of This Life: Everyone Will Die

You're going to die. Your parents, one day, you're going to go to the cemetery. And you're going to bury them. And you're going to walk away. Your husband, one day, is going to die. Your wife, she's going to die. Your imam, your scholars, they're going to die. You know why? That's the nature of this life. But then, there's good news.

The Boundaries of Allah and Being His Servant

I leave you with these two hadiths to contemplate. And then we finish. How do you feel as a Muslim? And these are the boundaries of Allah. Don't go past them. If you are a servant of Allah, you won't do it. Look at all these women here. Look at these women. Look at all these women wearing hijab. You know why they do it? They do it because their Lord commands them to do it.

And you know what? Some of you, I know, go into public school. And you're the only Muslim in your school. And you have to make a decision. To wear hijab. And you do it. They laugh at you. They make fun of you. But you wear it. You know why? You're a servant of Allah.

Ramadan comes. And your friends are eating. In the middle of the day. But you don't. Because you're a servant of Allah. But you know what? You're going to get paid.

The Promises of Paradise

When the people of Jannah will enter Jannah, a voice will cry out: For you is to live. And you shall never die. Not here. Here, you're going to die. But over there, you'll never die.

One of the prophets said, peace be upon him, the right of a Muslim over another is five. One of them has followed the funeral. No funeral in the hereafter. Number two. It is for you to be healthy. And never get sick.

Could all the young people raise a hand. An audience. Put your hand down. You know what? You know what? There must be something wonderful about being young. I was young one day. Put your hand down. And I'm pretty old now. You know how old I am? Ever hear of Abraham Lincoln? The prophet used to make dua: Oh Allah, I seek refuge with being old. Because when you're old, they have some downsides to it. Oh, but to be young. But then that voice will say, You shall be young and you shall never grow old. In that life.

And then. And you shall have good life all the time. And this is the hadith.

The Hadith of Hellfire and Paradise

The last point. And then I finish. The prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used in this hadith what the

Arabs called it is the superlative. He said the person deserving hellfire who had the most luxurious life in the easiest life will be dipped in the hellfire. Just one dip. And it will be asked him, Have you ever experienced any good? He will say, I never experienced any good in my life. Just like that. A touch of the hellfire. He forgot all this. All the money that he had. All the women that he had. All of the luxurious things of life that he had. He forgot about it. Just one dip in the hellfire.

And then that one who suffered the most. Who had no legs. No arms. Could not hear. Couldn't speak. No money. Homeless. All of that. Sick all the time. Allah will dip that person in Jannah just once. And ask the question, Have you ever experienced any hardship in your life? He will say, No. I never experienced any hardship. (Sahih Muslim 2807)

The Real Life is the Hereafter

The real life isn't this life. It's a mirage. It's not real. The real life is the life of Al-Akhirah.

The Prophet said: "There is no life except the life of the Hereafter." (Sahih al-Bukhari 4099, Sahih Muslim 1805)

This is a time of trial. And Ali said it best: This today is deeds but no accounting. And tomorrow there will be accounting but no deeds. This is the time, brothers and sisters.

Happiness in Being a Muslim

I am happy to be a Muslim. And as my beloved Shaykh said, Shaykh Omar, that every time Allah blesses us to do good, we just beside ourselves with happiness. Happy to be a Muslim.

Appreciation for ICNA-MAS

I want to thank publicly Ikh Namas. I want to thank Ikh Namas. Now you know why? Ikh Namas gives us a forum where we can come here and listen to these dynamic speakers them and more who sit there to learn. I see some of you take notes and you go back home refreshed. This place is so packed, no one can get in. So we have to go get a bigger place.

Fundraising Appeal

With their permission, I'd like to take five minutes to thank Ikh Namas by giving them some money. Would you allow me five minutes? Yes? Yes? What I want you to do is this. In five minutes, this is a record, we'd like to raise $300,000. It's a little bit of money. The number of people here tonight is a little bit of money and I want to do it in five minutes. I need an official timekeeper. Can you keep the time for me? I'll tell you when to begin. Don't begin until I say go.

I believe there's ten people here who recognize the great work of Ikh Namas. Ten people whom Allah has blessed with the ability to pay $10,000. I'm going to remind you the Prophet said the hand of Allah is full. It is so full. He said that from the day that Allah created the heavens and the earth and he's been spending and that has not diminished what's in his hand.

I'm going to count to three and when I count to three, I want ten people to raise their hand who recognize the great work that Ikh Namas has done, continues to do and want to donate $10,000. I'm going to count to three. I need someone to put the lights on the audience. One, two, three. Raise your hand if you commit to Ikh Namas. Do its work of $10,000. Raise your hand high. I believe ten of you can do it. Brothers or sisters. Anyone? Ten? And this is seconds to do it. I'm not going to stay on it long. If you feel that Allah has blessed you and you want to give something back to Ikh Namas, Allah bless you to be here tonight, be here at the conference and you want to give something back. How many would give $10,000? There's number one. That's good. That's good. Alhamdulillah. But I don't want him to stand by himself. I want someone else. $10,000. Do it quickly. Where's my timekeeper? I didn't say start yet. $10,000. I'm going to count to three and then move on. One, two. Okay. Not a problem. Not a problem at all. I'm going to show you why in a minute.

How about $5,000? How many of you will commit to Ikh Namas, what Allah has blessed you with of $5,000? Raise your hand. $5,000. If you can commit yourself to $5,000 for Ikh Namas, raise your hand. $5,000. Those who see the great work of Ikh Namas? Okay. Sisters, can you excuse me for one minute? I want to talk to the brothers. I'll be right back. Permission? All right. Listen, brothers. These women can't hear us. It's between you and I.

20 of the 21 richest women in the world, all of them are billionaires. Of the 21 richest women in the world, 20 of them got their wealth from inheritance. Most of them inherited from their husbands. From their dead husbands. No, no, no. You know what I'm saying? Women usually live longer than men. So they inherit from us. We should leave them inheritance. But spend something. Who will give $5,000? Quickly. Quickly for Ikh Namas. I want to hear these speakers. I told myself I'm not going more than five minutes. Are you getting ready? Almost. 5,000? Are you telling me there's no one here will give $5,000 for Ikh Namas? Okay, not a problem.

The $1,000 Campaign

We're going to do something now that's going to be a record. Never done before. Never, ever done before. Never done before. We're going to get 300 people to do $20 for Ikh Namas. Just $20. Something doable? Yes? Yes? I'm going to count 300 people that's going to make a contribution of $20 a week. Oh, I didn't say a week? For one year. That's $1,000. I'm going to be the first one. And I ain't playing with you, man. You make a commitment. It's a commitment. It's a Nia. I want you to write the check today if you can. If you can't write it today, write it partially.

I'm going to get 300 people and I'm going to go to my favorite group right here where Imam Zayed is sitting. There was some light coming from here. I couldn't figure it out until I saw Imam Zayed and his wonderful wife. This is my favorite group here. For now. I'm going to count to 3. I want to see from this group how many people commit themselves to $1,000 for Ikh Namas. I'm going to count to 3. 1, 2, 3. 1, 2, 3. 4, 5, 6, 7. 8. 8 people so far. 9, 10. 11, 12. Raise your hand. 12. 13, 14, 15. 16. 16, 17. 18, 19. 20. 20 people so far. 21. 22. 22 people $1,000. 22. 22, 23, 24. Over here. 24 people $1,000. 24. Anyone else that I missed? 24 people, 25. 25 people, 26. Anyone over here? 26, 27. 27. We have 27. Give me three more and that will be 30 from this side. We got 27, 28. Good. 28. Give me two more from this side. 28. Two more? Not you. You on that side. 28. Two more? 29. Good. One more? 30. Good. Now we got 30 there.

Now this is my favorite group here now. No, no, no. We're still good. We're good. But this is my new favorite group. Now, they did 30. We got to beat 30. All you got to do is give $1,000. Good. This is for this group here? Okay, good. Listen to me. Even guys sitting on the ground, you are allowed. Okay? I'm going to count to three. And I want you to beat my used to be favorite group. $1,000. All you got to do is $20 a week. 1, 2, 3. Good. Raise them up. 1, 2. Good. Raise them up high. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Good. 7. Raise them up. 7. Anyone in here? 7. 8. Good. 8. Yes. 9. Yes. 10. Good. 11, 12, 13, 14. Good. 14. 15. Good. 16. Excellent. 16. Great. Over here. 16. 17. 18. Good. 19, 20. 21, 22, 23. 23. $1,000 only. 23. Anyone else? 1,000. 23. 1,000. 23. Anyone back here? 23. 1,000. 23. 24. 24. 25. Good. Anyone? 25. 25 people here.

Now we got 30 here and 25 here. Brothers, I will give you another chance. I will give you another chance. You got 25. All you need is five more to tie with them. Anyone else $1,000? Anyone? Anyone? 25. Anyone else? 25. 26. 26. Anyone else? 27. All you need is three more. 28. Two more to tie. 28 on this side. 29. And one more to tie it. One more. And you tie. It used to be 30. It is 30-30. Wait a minute. We have to break the time. We play basketball. You have to break the time. It can't be 30-30. It doesn't make any difference. One more 1,000. Where is my counter? Start. Listen to me. 30-30. 30-30.

This is my real favorite group. Serious, man. I was looking at you guys. When the speakers were speaking, your faces were bright. You looked like you got money. Serious, you got that money look. I will count to three. Our time is almost over. I want this group here. You will definitely do better than these old groups there. You will definitely do better. And I want everybody to say, you know what, I want to do it. I can do it. I can push myself. I can do $20 a week. I will count to three. One, two, three. One, two, three. Are you raising your hand? No, not you. Three, four, five. Six, seven, eight, nine. 10. I have to get over there, man. This is good. 11. I want more. Raise your hand. 13, 14. This is the group, I told you. We have 14. Anyone else here? 16. Who else? 1,000. 1,000. Yes. How much is that? 17. Anyone here? 18. Very good. 19, 20, 21, 22. 22, 23. 24. Yes, 24. 25. 25. 26. 27. 27. 28. 28. 28. Anyone else? 29. 30. 31. 32. 32. Anyone else? 32. 32. Ha, ha, ha. 32. 30, 30, 32. 30, 30, 33. 33.

The Sisters Show Their Generosity

Now brothers, let me tell you something. The sisters are going to show you. Because my favorite group is this

group right here. I'm serious. Hey, watch this, brothers. These sisters are going to fool you. Sisters, let's show these brothers. Let's show them that Allah has blessed our women. The Muslim women in America. Allah has blessed them and they got money and they will give. And they have Nia for Allah to do something good. I'm going to count to