Where Do I Come From and Why Am I Here

Where Do I Come From and Why Am I Here

By Sheikh Waleed Basyouni

Opening Greetings and Appreciation

As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. I'm wondering how we were able to see the hands. I don't see anybody.

The only reason I can tell this hall, masha'Allah, is full because when I walk in, there's people all the way to the doors. May Allah bless your efforts and may Allah gather all of us in Jannat al-Na'im.

May Allah reward tremendously those who organized this conference. And as myself was involved in so many conferences before as an organizer, I know how much effort and time that you have to put in such, basically, to organize such gathering. So I ask Allah to reward them, to reward their family, and to reward those who come also from different places just to gather today.

The Reward of Gathering for Allah's Sake

These days, for one reason, is to please Allah and to please their Lord, and to meet their brothers and sisters. And don't underestimate your steps to this place. Don't underestimate the amount of rewards that you will receive by just being here today.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: "Do you want me to tell you who among you will be among the inheritors of Paradise?"

(Sahih Muslim 2566)

Then I was expecting the one who prays a lot, the one who give charity a lot. Then the Prophet ﷺ said:

"The Prophet is in Paradise, and the martyr is in Paradise, and the man who visits his brother in a distant place for the sake of Allah is in Paradise." (Sahih Muslim 2566)

And the one who leaves his or her house just to go visit their brothers, just to be with their brothers and sisters, they will be among the people of Paradise. And the Prophet ﷺ also told us that Allah the Almighty said:

"My love has become obligatory for those who love each other for My sake, and My love has become obligatory for those who visit each other for My sake." (Sahih Bukhari, Adab al-Mufrad 551)

It's Allah's love. It's not the love of a friend or a spouse or somebody that you dare and you admire so much in this worldly life. It's the Almighty, the Creator Himself. He said, My love will be given to those who love one another for the sake of Allah and those who visit and meet one another for the sake of Allah.

Introduction to the Main Topic

These narrations and stories, I like them. They are the only reason for someone like me and so many of the guest speaker today to not only to travel from Houston or California. I'm willing to travel wherever a good people like you will be even if it is the other side of the world. Where do I come from? From Houston.

Today I would like to address these two questions that the brothers just mentioned. Where do I came from or I come from and why I am here? Islam has the answers for this. For us as a people of faith, as a people who have a book that we refer to, as a people who have a guidance from our Messenger ﷺ who came with a guidance and light to enlighten for us our life.

The Universal Human Quest for Purpose

To be able to answer questions like this which is so many philosophers through the history of humanity, they were debating over why we are here. And so many people even from different faith, different religions, they address this issue. And the only people who have the guidance from their Lord, they have the answer for this.

Where Do We Come From? - Our Human Origin

Which is very simple. Where do I come from? We as human beings, I answer this in two parts. The first part is related to us as race of humans, as human beings.

We all belong to one single human. We all came from a couple, from Adam and from Eve. We believe in the creation theory because that's not a theory. It's a fact. And it's the most factual thing that we believe in as Muslims, as a people of faith and as a people of belief, that we descend from Adam عليه السلام.

"O mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one soul" (Quran 4:1)

And from that soul, He created its spouse, which is Adam and Eve. We all descend from Adam عليه السلام Also the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

(Sunan at-Tirmidhi 3955)

"All of you belong to Adam, and Adam is from dust." (Sunan at-Tirmidhi 3955)

No matter how different we look, our looks look like, or our race, or our tongues, we all belong to one single man, which is Adam عليه السلام

The Implications of Our Common Origin

What that means to us, when we know that we all descend from Adam, and we know that Allah told us plenty of information about Adam عليه السلام. What that means just to know that you are the son of Adam, that you are children of Adam.

No Room for Racism

One, there is no place, there is no room for racism. There is no room for someone to say, you know what, I'm better than you. Or even for a male to say that he is better than a female.

Or a black better than a white, or a white better than basically a black person. Or somebody he is from this caste, or that social background, he feels that he is better, just because he belong to that race, or belong to that culture. Because in the end of the day, we all belong to one single great-great grandfather, which is Adam عليه السلام

Descending from a Prophet

What also that means to us? It means to us that we descended from a prophet. The prophet Muhammad ﷺ said:

(Musnad Ahmad 1631)

"Adam is the first of the prophets." (Musnad Ahmad 1631)

We all as human, we know and we feel and we believe that we descend from a prophet. Our great-great grandfather was a prophet and a messenger of his Lord. Believe me, this is completely different than somebody believe that he descend from an ape. Don't you think? If you think your great-great grandfather some ape in trees in Africa or somewhere in the world, it will be different than you believing that you know what, I descend from a prophet who Allah honored, who Allah talked to, who Allah raised his level.

The Honor of Being Children of Adam

That's completely different feelings. We know as human beings that we all belong to the best of the creation, which is Adam عليه السلام. Allah have honored us as a human race with so many ways by just making us the children of Adam. Adam is your grandfather, the one who angels prostrate themselves before him.

"And when We said to the angels, 'Prostrate to Adam'" (Quran 2:34)

Have you ever thought about that? Have you ever thought about your great-grandfather as someone who's the angels prostrate themselves before him? If one of you, one of his grandfathers is a great lieutenant or a great king, or somebody is very famous in his culture, will be always bragging about it, proud of. You know what? Your great-grandfather was a prophet that Allah talked to him and Allah made the angels prostrate themselves before him.

The Trust (Amanah) Given to Humanity

Also, one of the things that Allah honored us with by knowing that we're descending from Adam, what we call it a taklif, which is Allah have given us the responsibility to carry His religion. Listen to what Allah said:

"Indeed, we offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the hills, but they declined to bear it and were afraid of it. But man assumed it. Indeed, he has proved a tyrant and a fool." (Quran 33:72)

Allah, this is an amazing verse. And there is one word, it's my favorite word actually, in these two verses, which is when Allah said that we have giving al-amānah. What's al-amānah means? Anybody knows what al-amānah means? Al-amānah means trust. What is trust? If you look at how the scholar interpreted this word, trust, they said, trust it means al-Islam, the religion that Allah give them the responsibility of carrying this religion, of implementing this religion, of practicing this religion, of delivering this religion, carrying this religion everywhere and practicing it.

Why Allah Called It a Trust

And it's amazing, why would Allah choose the word al-amānah, trust? Why would He call it trust? In this word, there is a clear honoring for you as a human. Because who would you gift the trust? If you have something valuable, a trust, and you want to give it to someone, who would you choose? Someone who is very trustworthy in your eyes. That's right.

Since Allah have given you this al-amānah, have given you the honor to carry His religion, it means He has entrusted you with it. He trusted you with it. And that in itself make you feel that you're a person who is Allah, in Allah's eyes, a trusted person.

So don't betray the trust, because if you do, you will be among the first group of people Allah mentioned later on, which is the hypocrites. Then the disbelievers. As for the believers, Allah will deal with them with His mercy. And He will favor them, subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Our True Home is Paradise

Also, knowing that we're descending from Adam, we knows that basically where we belong. By the way, we belong to paradise. That's where our grandfathers, used to live. And that's what we should go back to. You don't belong to any other place other than heavens.

Believe me. That's where originally we came from. You may hear some of your parents, maybe some of you hear their parents sometimes, back home, back home, back home. You hear this word, okay? You know what's our back home? It's paradise, it's jannah.

"So come to the gardens of Eden" - As Ibn Al-Qayyim rahim Allah said, go, march, forth to jannat, the paradise. Because that's where we belong to.

And that's where our parents and grandfather used to live. Brothers and sisters, if you know that, you know that this is where you belong. And that's also make you live this life, while you're aiming back to go home. Because nothing like home.

The Connection Between All Humans

Just knowing that we're descending from Adam عليه السلام, we know that there is a connection between all humans. Connection between all humans. And that connections, it is deeply rooted in our soul.

Because Allah told us that He created us from a body, then He created our soul.

That's why when Allah made Adam and fashioned him, He said later on, after he was created from a mud, like the way you look like today, afterwards Allah have blow into Adam or order basically the soul. He created the soul by His words and He let the soul enter the body of Adam.

Understanding Our Dual Nature: Body and Soul

So you as human made of two things, body and soul. Just knowing how you were created, it allowed you to deal with yourself based on light, nur. So you know how to treat yourself. It's not about only building muscles. It's not about only taking care of this body. I'm forgetting about your soul.

And that's why every one of us, every human, it doesn't matter what is his religion is, there is somewhere in his heart, in her heart, a spot where they are connected to Allah. And they realize and they know their Creator.

Allah's Guidance from Birth

For us as an individual, not as a race, we know that we all know where we came from. Allah said:

"Indeed, We guided him to the way" (Quran 76:3)

As Ibn Abbas said, Subhanallah. The baby, when at the time of delivery, he will basically, he or she or the baby, it will move and it will put their head down so it will come out from its mother's womb easily. Allah guided you to come out like that. We know where we belong to.

A Lesson in Humility

Once there is a great lieutenant and general was walking with full of arrogance in a time of war. And there is a scholar, his name Mutarrif Ibn Abdullah Ibn Shikhir. Saw him walking like this with full arrogance.

And as Muslim we don't, we cannot allow to have arrogance inside our hearts. The Prophet ﷺ said, you will not enter paradise if you have as master seed of arrogance inside your heart. Listen carefully, master seed of arrogance, not two pounds of arrogance. Master seed of arrogance.

He walking with full of arrogance and so proud of himself. So Abdullah Ibn Mutarrif told him, the way you're walking is not the way that this type of walk. It's hated by Allah and His Messenger. Don't walk like this. Walk with humbleness.

He said, do you know who I am? He said, yeah, I know who you are. You are a person who were created from a lowly sperm and you will be soon a rotten corpse. And in between you are a carrier of your feces. That's who you are. Why are you so arrogant for?

"He said: You are a filthy drop of sperm, then you will become a rotten corpse, and between these two states you carry filth."

That's who you are. Why are you so arrogant for? So when we know where we came from, we humble ourselves. And by the way, humbleness is not to think less of yourself. Humbleness, it is to think less about yourself. So make sure that you don't mix between these two things.

The Stages of Human Life

Also this is well, let us realize a very interesting fact. Everybody knows how you were like 15 years ago, 20 years ago, maybe 50 years ago. It depends about your age. How you grow up from being just a baby to child to teenager to basically an adult, then you became an old. Allah in the Quran told us that we go through all these stages.

What that means to you? There is no one point in your life you stop, unless you die. And this is also another fact that every human will come to an end. Every life will come to an end.

"Indeed you, [O Muhammad], are to die, and indeed they are to die." (Quran 39:30)

Jibreel said:

"O Muhammad, love whomever you want, for indeed you will part from them." (Al-Hakim)

So this is will let you know that life is keep moving, keep moving, keep moving. And that means you cannot at one point in your life just to say stop.

Life as Continuous Movement

Actually, I love to say that, life is like riding a bicycle. The only way to keep balance is to keep moving. The moment you stop, you lose balance in your life. Also, it shows you that this fact that how you came to this world life, it teach you several points.

One, that as you started from nothing, you're going back to it. As you were not exist, you will not be exist. So are you ready for that day? I don't care how old are you, because the angel of death doesn't care.

Death doesn't care how old are you, how healthy you are, what kind of health insurance you have, what kind of medical record you have. They don't care. Death when it comes, it just strike you.

"Wherever you are, death will overtake you" (Quran 4:78)

Why Are We Here? - Our Purpose of Creation

As for the other question, which is why I'm here? Why I'm this? Why Allah created you for? He told us:

"And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me." (Quran 51:56)

And all of us knows that theoretically. I'm not gonna repeat the talk that, you know, we are here to worship Allah, great. But you know what? We know that, but there is one spot in your heart. Sometimes you know that, I know that I have to worship Allah, but sometimes you feel like you're not submitting yourself completely yet. You didn't take that decision to change your life and to commit yourself to Allah.

A Story About True Commitment

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