Light Upon Light

Light Upon Light - Imam Siraj Wahhaj

Opening Greetings and Introduction

As-salamu alaykum, (بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ - bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim), alhamdulillah, ashadu an la ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah, ashadu anna muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluhu mubarak. Brothers and sisters, I'm thankful to Allah the Almighty to have the privilege to address you this afternoon for a few moments. You know, I was telling brother Farhan Abdulaziz that as he was speaking, so many of the references that he had from the Quran and the Hadith, I had the same exact references.

So what I intend to do is just emphasize some of the things that he said. You cannot be a leader and imam, a principal of a school, or a teacher, or a parent, without trying to make an assessment: how are we doing as an ummah, as the Muslims in America, as the youth? Are we doing the job, for real? Because you will never change until you admit where you are. I am convinced that we in America, the Muslims in America, and the Muslims around the world, will not progress the way we could until we look at that model that was given to us 1400 years ago.

The Best of Generations

And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

"The best of my ummah is my generation, and then the generation that follows it, and then the generation that follows it."

[Sahih Bukhari 2652, Sahih Muslim 2533] And every time we go back and study these companions, we ask ourselves the question: How were they able to do what they did?

The Hadith of Being a Stranger

I'm going to spend a few moments on this very famous hadith of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar, radiyallahu anhuma. And he started the hadith by saying that the Prophet grabbed me by the shoulder—I'm going to grab him by the neck—grabbed me by the shoulder and said:

(Sahih Bukhari 6416)

"Be in this world, be in this dunya, like a stranger or a traveler."

The Story of Abdullah ibn Umar at Age Thirteen

First I want to say something about Abdullah ibn Umar. He was young when he took shahada after his father. Is there any young man here 13 years old? You're 13? Come up here. What's your name? 13 years old, look at him. Come walk with me. He will never forget this in his life. Imam Siraj took me by the hand and embarrassed me in front of the ignorant crowd.

13 years old, during one of the most significant battles in the annals of history, the battle of Uhud. And there were eight young men ready to fight on the side of the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And two

of them, Abdullah ibn Umar and Usama bin Zayd, 13 years old, ready to fight, ready to give their lives. And the Prophet told them to go home. Go home, may Allah bless you. What made Abdullah ibn Umar, 13 years old, ready to give his life for the cause of Islam?

Abdullah ibn Umar's Devotion to Following the Prophet

They said Abdullah ibn Umar, more than any companion, watched every step of the Messenger of Allah. And whatever the Prophet did, he did it. If the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was on his camel and the Prophet's camel turned around twice, Abdullah ibn Umar made his camel turn around twice. And he followed the Prophet. And he did everything that he said.

Abdullah ibn Umar's Scholarship and Story at the Kaaba

Fast forward. I was with my beloved brother, Imam Qasim Khan, in Houston, Texas, not too long ago. And I reminded him that Abdullah ibn Umar became a scholar in Islam. And he said he was at the Kaaba. And there was a man from Yemen, carrying his mother on his back, going around the Kaaba. And you know the distance around the Kaaba can be long, depending upon where you are—hundreds of meters. And then he went to Abdullah and said: "Abdullah, I have now carried my mother more than she carried me. Have I paid my debt back to my mother?" Abdullah said: "No. You haven't even repaid one contraction. One contraction of your mother."

The Blessings and Sacrifices of Muslim Education

You, my young brothers and sisters, have no idea how blessed you are. How many of you go to a full-time Muslim school? Raise your hand. Look around. Full-time Muslim school. Do you know the sacrifices your parents made for you to go to a full-time Muslim school? Not only that, I'll tell you something better. I was at a Muslim school fundraiser last week and asked the teachers how much they made in salary. And the average one of them made something like $20,000. That's on the high end in many Muslim schools in America. I said, oh, that's nice. But you know what? Many of them are qualified to teach in a public school. And the average salary of a public school teacher in New York City is $75,000. But they take $20,000 to teach in a Muslim school.

Assessing the State of the Ummah

So I'm asking the question: what is the state of the ummah? What is the state of our ummah? How are we doing as an ummah in America, in Maryland, and in D.C., and in New York City, and Philadelphia, and Jersey? How are we doing? I am happy to see you come to the convention and take notes and learn and get closer to Allah. I am. But I'm concerned with all the others out there who are Muslims but are not here or in the masjid. And I asked myself the question: Siraj, are you doing the best that you can do? Are you doing the best that you can do? Are you doing the best that you can do? And I came to a conclusion, Qasim. I believe that Allah wants us to have a feeling.

The Importance of How We Feel

Farhan asked you after he gave you salams, how do you feel? Don't underestimate what he asked you. I believe Allah wants us to feel a certain way. And I'm going to try to do it in a couple of minutes.

The Story of Hanzala: Fearing Hypocrisy

Abdullah ibn Hanzala, one of the companions of the Prophet, was a very close friend of Abu Bakr. And Abu Bakr said to him: "Assalamu alaykum, how are you, Hanzala? How are you doing, Hanzala?" Qala: "Nafiqa Hanzala" - Hanzala said: "I have become a munafiq. I have become a hypocrite."

Do you feel that you've become a hypocrite? Or you feel good? You feel, I got this. I'm good. My religion is good. I come to the convention. I'm good. I make my salat. I'm good. I give zakat. I'm good. I fast in Ramadan. I'm good. Or do you feel nervous?

The Companions' Fear of Hypocrisy

A man, his name is Ibn Abi Mulaykah, never met the Messenger of Allah, alayhi salatu wa salam, but met companions. And he said: "I have met 30 companions of the Messenger of Allah, and every one of them was fearful of hypocrisy on themselves." So, wait a minute. You're telling me that some of the most prominent companions were afraid of hypocrisy? Yes.

The Messenger of Allah, alayhi salam, said in a Hadith Qudsi:

"O My slaves, every one of you, every one of you is misguided unless I guide you. Therefore, ask Me and I will guide you." [Sahih Muslim 2577]

How Does Allah Want Us to Feel?

So, I'm asking myself: how does Allah want us to feel? I've come to the conclusion that Allah wants us to feel nervous, anxious, scared. What you talking about, Imam Siraj? We heard the sheikh said that

أَلَا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاءَ اللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ - "there shall be no fear, nor shall you grieve." [Quran 10:62] We heard him. We heard what he said. My beloved sheikh, that's when Allah gives us the good news. But right now, I think that Allah wants us to be nervous. Let me give you evidence.

Hanzala's Story Continues: "Ghaseel al-Mala'ikah"

When Abu Bakr asked Hanzala, why are you saying that? You know Hanzala? You know what his nickname is? Anybody know the nickname of Hanzala? Ghaseel al-Mala'ikah. Ghaseel al-Mala'ikah - washed by the angels. You know why he was given that nickname? He was home with his wife and heard about Uhud. And left his home before he could make ghusl. And Hanzala died in the battle of Uhud. And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "I saw the angels washing him, giving him a full ghusl."

The Key: Remembrance of Jannah and Naar

Hanzala gave us the key. I got it now. I got it. I got it. I got it. It's so clear to me. I got it. Listen to what Hanzala said to Abu Bakr. He says that when we are with the Messenger of Allah—that's it. That's it. That's it. And when we are with the Messenger of Allah, he reminds us of the Jannah and the Naar as if we are seeing it. And Abu Bakr said: "We feel the same thing."

So what did they do? They went to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. And the Prophet said: "Why do you feel that you are a hypocrite?" And when Hanzala explained to him, he said: يَا حَنْظَلَةُ لَوْ تَدُومُونَ - عَلَى الْحَالِ الَّتِي تَقُومُونَ بِهَا مِنْ عِنْدِي لَصَافَحَتْكُمْ الْمَلَائِكَةُ فِي قُرُشِكُمْ وَفِي طُرُقِكُمْ وَلَكِنْ يَا حَنْظَلَةُ سَاعَةً وَسَاعَةً - Hanzala, if you remembered Allah the same way you do in my presence, the angels would shake your hand in your beds or on your roads. Ya Hanzala, there is a time for this and there is a time for that. There is a time for this and there is a time for that. There is a time for this and there is a time for that." [Sahih Muslim 2750]

But I got it. If you will permit me, can I take about three minutes to make you scared? Can I frighten you? Would you allow me? No? Say yes. Say yes, Imam. Let me take a few minutes to frighten you. And why I'm going to do this? Because I love you.

Fear of Allah vs. Love of Allah

What I'm going to do now, I'm letting you know, I'm going to frighten you. Probably your heart is going to start beating real fast. You're going to get nervous. You're going to start sweating. Sheikh Farhan already said it. Let me just reiterate it a little bit. I was at the University of Ohio and I had lunch with the Muslim students. And I asked them this question: What motivates you the most? Is it the fear of Allah or the love of Allah? And the sister said: "No, it's the love of Allah. Love. I'm inspired by the love of Allah." I said: "Yeah, I am too. But really, really, for me, it's being scared of Allah, being afraid of Him."

"Well, what are you—you're not supposed to be afraid of God. You're supposed to love Him." Yeah. For real. Let's see what the Prophet said, let's see what the Christians say from their own book. They say that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. [Proverbs 9:10]

Understanding Khawf (Fear) and Taqwa

Now, when we're talking about fear, we're not talking about taqwa. We're talking about khawf. We're talking about being scared. And the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: أَمَا وَاللَّهِ إِنِّي لَأَخْشَاكُمْ لِلَّهِ وَأَتْقَاكُمْ لَهُ - "I am more afraid of Allah—not taqwa─I have more fear of Allah than all of you and I have the most God consciousness." [Sahih Bukhari 20, Sahih Muslim 2356] Both of them. And what's happening is that people are forgetting the fear of Allah. I'll give you a little sample.

The Story of His Mother's Discipline

Now, brothers and sisters, I don't know, do your parents ever beat you? Huh? They beat you? You probably

never got beat in your life, right? You have? Inshallah. My mother was a giant. And Imam Qasim will tell you that in our community, African American community—I don't know about the other communities—but in the African American communities, at some point, our mothers and fathers didn't have to beat us. They just look at us. And do you have it in your... You never saw that, right? My mother would look at me. And you're talking about the sun being a mile away, sweating. I would be sweating with my mother looking at me.

Now, you know what? I said, my mother is a big woman, but it wasn't until I got to be an old man that I realized that my mother is only five feet tall. I said, what? But, you know, when you're a young kid and she get that belt, man. Now, she didn't beat me often, but she beat me enough that I was scared. And one thing my mother did—I was telling her the other day, I'm blessed to still be alive, alhamdulillah—I was reminding her the other day what she used to do to me. You know, it took me a while to figure it out. She says: "Go get that belt. I'm going to beat you. And go in your room and wait till I get there." I get the belt. I go in my room. And I'm waiting for my mama all day long. Now, she knows she ain't coming, but I think she's coming. And I'm nervous. It's like she beat me a million times.

The Balance: Allah's Punishment and Mercy

But now, I want to take a moment first to say what Allah said in Quran. And you better listen to that Quran. You better know that Allah is strong and punishing on the one hand, but on the other hand, He's forgiving and merciful. What do you mean? One quick example because there's no time.

The Size of the Disbelievers on the Day of Judgment

On Yawm al-Qiyamah, kafirs, those who reject Allah, won't be the size we are now. How big will they be? The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, gave an example. He said: ضِرْسُ الْكَافِرِ أَوْ نَابُ الْكَافِرِ مِثْلُ أُحُدٍ وَعْلَظُ جِلْدِهِ - مَسِيرَةُ ثَلَاثِ - "The tooth of a kafir on the Day of Judgment will be the size of Mount Uhud, and the distance between the shoulders of a kafir on Yawm al-Qiyamah is the distance of three days." [Sahih Muslim 2851]

Well, you see, why? Why? Why does Allah make the kafir so big? Have you ever had a root canal? You don't know what a root canal is, do you? A root canal, when they take out your nerves, the reason that you feel pain is because you've got nerves. If you take out the nerves, you don't feel pain.

Allah's Provision for His Creatures

I read this ayah from Quran : وَمَا مِن دَابَّةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلَّا عَلَى اللَّهِ رِزْقُهَا - "There is not an animal upon the earth but that upon Allah is its provision." [Quran 11:6] I'll give you one example. What's the biggest animal that we know? The blue whale. The blue whale, 100 feet long, weighing 200 tons, with a tongue the size of an elephant, and the heart the size of an automobile. Now, Allah must feed His creatures. So the blue whale, what does Allah feed it? It feeds them krill-like animals, like shrimp-like. And how many krill do they eat? 40 million krill a day. How much does it weigh? Four tons.

The Food and Punishment of Hellfire

Why is that important? That's important because even in the hellfire, people will be so hungry and thirsty. Allah is going to feed them. Why so big? Two reasons I give you. Number one : لَوْ أَنَّ قَطْرَةً مِنَ الرَّقُومِ قُطِرَتْ فِي دَارِ الدُّنْيَا لَأَفْسَدَتْ عَلَى أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا مَعَايِشَهُمْ - "The food of the people of the hellfire is so bitter that just a little bit sent down on the earth will spoil everything on the earth." [Sunan al-Tirmidhi 2585] Horrible taste and hot, boiling water. And yet, despite eating all of that food, poisonous food and the hot, flaming water, that they will still want more. They can't fast in the hellfire.

Number two: Bad enough you mentioned, Farhan, touching the fire in this life. Fire in the hellfire 70 times more. And then Allah will punish and burn the kafir into the fire until all the skin is gone. كُلَّمَا نَضِجَتْ جُلُودُهُم بَدَّلْنَاهُمْ جُلُودًا غَيْرَهَا لِيَذُوقُوا الْعَذَابَ - "And then He put new skin and burn it again, and new skin and burn it again, and new skin and burn it again." [Quran 4:56]

Standing on the Day of Judgment

What country has the highest life expectancy? Let me tell you, Monaco. You know the life expectancy of Monaco is? Like 90 years life expectancy. Farhan mentioned it again, I told you. He mentioned it again. You ever stand in line? You ever stand in line to go on your plane or stand in line to go to a supermarket or standing in line? Well, what about Yawm al-Qiyamah? Standing. What do you think is going to happen on the Day of Judgment? You're going to be chilling in the Hilton? "I'm going to wait till Allah judges me. Let me go sit in the Hilton." No, no. 50,000" - فِي يَوْمٍ كَانَ مِقْدَارُهُ خَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ years." [Quran 70:4]

Temptations of This World

And for you men and brothers—sister, excuse me for a second—you men. I ask you a question. How many of you like and are attracted to women? Raise your hand. Don't be going like this. You like women? Attracted? The young ones, okay, I give you a pass. But for you brother who didn't raise your hand, I'm going to talk to you later after this meeting.

There is a natural inclination of men and women, but be careful because this world is so messed up. The dunya is so messed up, so turned around, that men are preoccupied. "Oh, a woman, a woman, a woman, a woman, a woman. Oh, let me get my iPad. Let me get on the computer. Oh, there's a woman. Oh, woman, woman, woman. Oh, there's a woman. Look at that. Hey, look at that." Are you serious? You like naked women? Huh? You like naked women?

The Reality of the Day of Resurrection

Okay, guess what? The woman will be naked there. Yeah. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said that we're going to be resurrected naked. And he said: "Won't people be looking at each other?" He said: الْأَمْرُ أَشَدُّ

مِنْ أَنْ يُهِمَّهُمْ ذَاكَ - "No, the affair is too much on that day." [Sahih Bukhari 6527, Sahih Muslim 2859] You're waiting 50,000 years, standing there, waiting to be judged, sweating. The good news is that we're still alive.

Be in This World as a Stranger

(Sahih Bukhari 6416)

"Be in the world as a stranger or a traveler."

Brothers and sisters, this world, this whole world is a deception. It is. It's meant to get you. Try to get you to go to the club. Try to get you to go to the bar. Try to get you to go to the party. You want to hang out with your friends. You want to be like your friends. "Why we can't go to the club? Why we can't go to the prom? Why we can't do what they do? Why we can't dance with the girls? Why we can't do what they do?" Because you have guidance. You have Quran. You have Sunnah.

The Beauty of Jannah

But the good news, the good news for the believer to see it, I can see it. Guess what? There's no ugly people in Jannah. For real. Everybody's beautiful and getting more beautiful every week. Can you imagine for an eternal time getting more and more beautiful, eating and drinking? A brother told me—Allah is the truth—a brother told me: "Imam Siraj, if Allah bless me to go to Jannah, all I want to do is smoke me some weed." Yeah, what? You serious? "Yeah, man. Smoke me some weed. So I'm not going to smoke weed now so that at Jannah I can smoke me some weed." He ain't that far off. Because you can't drink wine now. But we'll drink in Jannah. You want wine? Okay. You get wine, but just wait, alright?

Conclusion and Final Advice

So brothers and sisters, I conclude we have to go. I leave you with this. I leave you with this. You can't do it in a 10 minute talk or 15 minute talk. But I would advise each one of us to read, read the hellfire, the verses of hellfire. Study it. And the virtues of Jannah. Study it.

A Personal Note About His Daughter's Book

Last thing I'm going to do, I'm going to make a horrible plug. How many of you know that I have 9 children? I brought 2 of them here, alhamdulillah. One of them, subhanallah, it was Sadiqa Basma Sharifa Siraj Ibn H