Light Within The Creator and The Created by

Light Within: The Creator and The Created

Opening

"Allah is the greatest"

"Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you"

"All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May peace and blessings be upon the noblest of prophets and messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family, his companions, and may they be granted abundant peace."

"As to what follows"

Introduction: The Process of Da'wah

So alhamdulillah rabbil alameen we heard earlier from brother Mufti Kamani the meaning of da'wah. It's a process. Being active and being an activist, it's a process.

And it's a great honor even to be on this path. But something so many people forget about in the process of making themselves, alhamdulillah, available for the Deen of Allah Azza wa Jal and being always there, giving da'wah and talking to others and being available online and offline all this time. In sharing Islam and serving humanity, sometimes we forget about ourselves.

As we work so hard to deliver Islam to the people, to the world, as we work so hard trying as much as we can to guide people to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, somehow with this great effort that we're making, the intention somehow got dropped somewhere. We don't know what happened. And in that process, a lot of people, they get burned out.

They become dropout on the path of da'wah. So how can I find and how can I keep that light within as I'm trying to shed light on others? How can I keep that light within? This is what we'd like to share with you insha'Allah wa ta'ala to understand that as I'm trying to help other people, I need to make sure that I'm still also well-guarded and well-protected.

Allah's Reminder to Take Care of Ourselves

You see, even Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is reminding us. Allah Azza wa Jal reminding us about the importance of taking care of ourselves:

"O you who believe, you care for your own selves" - that means basically when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala speak in the context of when people, they choose to go astray, you make sure as long as you do your part, you take care of yourself.

It is very important for those brothers and sisters that will handle becoming very active these days as they're trying to become more and more engaged that they never forget about themselves.

The Pattern of Burnout

I've been doing alhamdulillah this work in terms of public speaking and teaching young men and women around the country for the past almost 18, 20 years. But I have seen a lot.

I've seen a lot of young men and women who become very active in high school, mashaAllah. And then become very active at MSA. And then become very active with a lot of youth groups, mashaAllah, for certain time.

But then somehow, they're missing. You go to the masajid, certain age group is always missing from the community. A lot of brothers and sisters, they just kind of like take a year or 10 years off completely.

What happened to them? Why aren't they there anymore? Where is that light that was supposedly from within that was guiding them to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala?

Allah is the Light

Allah azza wa jalla made it very clear to us that Allah is nurul samawati wal ardi. He is subhanahu wa ta'ala the light of the heavens and the earth. So if you wanna have that light, you're gonna go and seek that light from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Allah azza wa jalla says:

"O you who believe, fear Allah. And believe in His messenger."

Now look what does that mean here. O you who believe, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, ya ayyuha alladhina amanu. O you who believe. So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala acknowledging and emphasizing that they're already believers. He says, ttaqullah. Means be conscious of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and then said, aminu birasulihi.

Which means believe in his messenger. What does that mean? I mean, he already said that they are believers but he called them, O you who believe. Why is he calling them right now to believe in the messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم)? In some of the tafaseer, the ulama, they say this ayah and I was speaking about putting this faith into action.

Which means follow his example. What do you get out of this? What am I gonna get if I'm gonna become an activist in the da'wah? In my field, what do I get out of this?

Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

"He will give you kiflayni min rahmati. Which means two loads of reward. You're gonna get a lot of reward from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and then, which is very important over here, waj'al lakum noora. And he will give you light. Tamshuna bihi. That you'll walk with."

So not just believe in Allah azza wa jal. It is also believe in the message of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). Put that into action. Only then you will get that reward for what you're doing. And you will be provided with light. That light is that which comes from within. This is the light that will make a lot of people walk through.

The Greatest Fitna: Confusion

We live in time where people are very confused. This is the time, the greatest fitna. I gave a khutbah a few weeks ago actually on the subject.

It's one of the greatest fitna, the greatest trials and ordeals people are going through today is confusion. When it comes to the young ones specifically, they come out very confused about what is it exactly the right path? I'm a Muslim, I wanna stay Muslim, but which way should I go? Which one would lead me to that which is considered the best?

And here Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says, if you want that light, you go back to the point of reference to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, to the messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم)

Allah azza wa jalla says:

"Whoever, whoever doesn't receive light from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, no one will be able to give them light." Which means if you're really feeling that confusion, instead of going on the internet and googling this and going here and there, go back to Allah azza wa jalla, you will get that light. That light from within is what we're all looking for.

Personal Experience with Dropouts

I've been, alhamdulillah, in the field of dawah since I was very young. And I've seen a lot of my friends, a lot of my peers become dropouts. Why? Because they lost that light.

And many of them, they will be engaged in so much khair, so much khair in dawah, but they work so hard helping and assisting others that they forgot about themselves and as a result, they feel burned out and they lost that light. So subhanallah, they just left that path. Some of them alhamdulillah came back again, but still, it's very dangerous.

Because when we try to see the light somewhere else away from Allah azza wa jalla, it's gonna be very hard, extremely hard. And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

"If Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala wants for somebody to be guided, He will make it easy for them in Islam to receive Islam," which is the light from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

So how can I get that? That is the question people, they ask. Okay, fine. I know I need that light from Allah azza wa jalla. How can I achieve this?

Individual Experience with Allah

Now here's one thing, before I get actually the few points I wanna share with you inshaAllah azza wa jalla.

When it comes to finding that light from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, people don't understand that this is an individual experience. It is an individual experience. And I mean by that, we all feel exhausted, we all feel tired, we all feel subhanallah that we need some assistance to find that light, which is true.

We all need help from other people. So we come to these conventions, we come to these programs and people they go to Umrah, they go to Hajj. So when they see the crowd and they see the size of the people, they feel like, wow, this is awesome.

They feel rejuvenated. But then when the convention is over and the program is done, Ramadan is over as well, we go back to normal life, what happens to us? Oh man, that light is just kind of turning off again. And we start saying, I wish Ramadan can be every single day.

Why? Because we need that torch to always be lit and coming in front of us. But when it comes to this experience, it's an individual experience. What does that mean? Where are we getting that from?

You see in Surat Al-Sharh, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala when he was speaking about the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) as he was giving the da'wah, what did he say? He said, Speaking to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) in the Arabic language, the pronoun that was used over here is an individual singular pronoun speaking to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) directly.

He says, "When you're done, done doing what? Well, we all know that he's doing (صلى الله عليه وسلم) giving da'wah to the people. When you are done, when you're done guiding people, preaching, going out there, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said to him, The word fansab means put yourself to the fatigue, which means get yourself tired again. Doing what? The individual act of worship, al-ibadah, salah, the night prayer. And to your Lord, come closer and do yourself nearer to him subhanahu wa ta'ala."

These pronouns don't have anything, anything actually in terms of group. It's not plural. They're all singular. Allah is saying to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم)When you're done, then you come close to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Do more, but this time do it for yourself.

A lot of us, those who get involved in da'wah, we do soha, we do so much for the people and to others alhamdulillah. And I'm sure that a lot of brothers and sisters in this convention right now, a lot of volunteers. By the time that convention is over, they will be exhausted and tired.

A lot of people came here from different places. Why? Because they're looking for that light within this beautiful gathering, which is amazing and it's true. But you have to look for that from within.

And it can happen only if you have that individual experience between you and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Heavily depending on the group and the people, it's good. That's nice. But don't forget about yourself. You need to have that individual experience with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Five Ways to Keep the Light Within

So what can I do individually in order to keep that light from within? Insha'Allah azzawajal.

1. Always Be Conscious of Allah (At-Taqwa)

Number one, the first thing, always be conscious of Allah azzawajal. At-taqwa. Taqwa Allahi tabaraka wa ta'ala.

Why so? Because Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

"If you have that conscious of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, if you fear Allah azzawajal, truly Allah will give you the knowledge. Allah will teach you. Teach you what? What you need to do."

He will give you guidance. That's what it means. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

"O you who believe, if you truly become conscious of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, if you have taqwa of Allah azzawajal, if you have the fear of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, He will give you furqana."

And furqan like criteria. Meaning He will give you that insight by which you can tell right from wrong. How many people today you see them, Muslims, they're committing the haram.

Why is that? Because they cannot see the haram in it. They can't see the haram in it. No matter how much you try to tell them, they cannot see what you see. Why? Because unfortunately they lack that. That light from within is not there. And it's not showing them what they need to see.

How to get that Light?

So they need to get that. How do we do this? The first thing, like I said again, having that full consciousness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and the taqwa of Allah azzawajal.

Ramadan is coming very soon inshaAllah. May Allah make among those who witness Ramadan, Ya Rabb al-alameen. And He give you the full reward for fast in the month of Ramadan, Ya Allah. It is the month of taqwa. Fasting is the month of taqwa. Make sure to take your time inshaAllah during Ramadan to increase that taqwa.

But until then, what do I do next? How can I get that light? How can I get that taqwa?

2. The Quran - The Spirit of Your Soul

Al-Qur'an. The Qur'an, the book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, which Allah azzawajal says about it:

"Allah said to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, thus we have revealed to you rooh. Rooh which means spirit. Min amrina, from the command of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, by the command and order of Allah azzawajal."

But rooh, for what? A spirit, for what? The ulema, they say al-Qur'an is the spirit of your soul. Just like the soul is actually the spirit of your body. Just like your body needs that soul in order to survive, your soul needs the Qur'an to survive as well. And need to always engage in the book of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Allah azzawajal called the Qur'an, again many, many occasions in the Qur'an, as being light:

"There comes to you from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, noor, light. And it's a very clear book. Allah guides through this book" to many, many people, to Allah azzawajal.

So the Qur'an is the second thing you think about constantly. And make sometimes, throughout the day and the night, share some of your time with the Qur'an, with the book of Allah azzawajal.

So taqwa, consciousness of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and then have that relationship with the book of Allah azzawajal.

3. Put Your Trust in Allah (Tawakkul)

Number three. What do I need? You know, in the process of living this life again, we have a lot of things to worry about. We have our personal life, family life, school, work, many, many things. So we do everything we can. And then what is left for us, in order for us to continue on this path? We put our trust in Allah azzawajal.

You are not responsible for the result. Like Mufti Kamal mentioned, we are not responsible for the result. We are responsible for doing our part. That's all. As long as you do your part, then you leave everything in the hand of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

Allah azzawajal says:

"Whoever puts his trust in Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, Allah will suffice him. Means He will take care of you. He will guide you through what's subhanahu wa ta'ala."

Then comes after that number four.

4. Patience (As-Sabr)

Patience. You need to be patient. Why? Allah says:

"Means seek that assistance and that aid in two things. In being patient, persevering in patience. And number two, as-salah. Praying regularly."

Patience is a quality that is considered in this time in particular, the quality that's completely lost and missing in our time. It's missing. And Allah azzawajal prays patience and persevering in patience as one of the greatest qualities for those who like to survive in this world.

Surah Al-Asr:

"Those who have faith, have the faith and have the practice of that faith. And then what? They enjoy good among themselves and they persevere in patience as well."

So patience is important. Umar ibn al-Khattab رضي الله عنه, the messenger of Allah said to him:

(Sahih al-Bukhari)

"That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has never given anybody a gift which means a gift better than patience."

So patience is crucial. It's extremely, extremely important. We live in the age of instant gratification and obviously, you know, everything we need to do, drive through things. Everything is drive through these days.

When I go shopping, sometimes you go into these grocery stores and you see how people completely are becoming impatient. They don't even like to stand in line even if there were two in front of you. That's it.

So they keep going from cashier 1 to cashier 10 looking for the shortest line. By the time they go to number 10, they realize number 2 was shorter. They go back to number 2. Right? By the time you get to number 2, subhanahu wa ta'ala number 7 was shorter.

Let's go back to number 7. They waste more time trying to figure out the shortest line when they were just a little bit patient. They could have done, by then they would be actually already in the car. People don't have even patience to go shop, you know, because it takes so much time.

So they do it online. We live in this culture that patience is a completely lost virtue. And in order for things to be perfect, you need to be patient with it.

So number 4, patience is what we need in order to find that light from within.

5. As-Salah - Your Personal Connection

And number 5, and the last point insha'Allah wa ta'ala, is as-salah:

"You persevere in patience and also maintain your salah and your regular prayers."

Allah azza wa jal, the Prophet, as a matter of fact صلى الله عليه وسلمhe said:

(Sahih Muslim)

In the hadith of Sahih Muslim, he said, "Prayer, in essence, is light." It's that light from within. But what is salah? Salah is your personal communication and connection with Allah azza wa jal.

It's the most personal experience with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And it happens five times a day at least. And if we don't maintain that regularly, then we're not going to be able to get that light shining.

We might be maintaining the five daily prayers, alhamdulillah rabbil alameen. But a lot of us, in the process, we lose the quality. You see in Surah Al-Mu'minoon, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala says:

"Successful are the believers. Those, when they pray, they pray with khushu' which means focus and concentration."

What does that mean exactly? It's very ironic, isn't it? That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is saying, successful are the believers. He didn't say those who pray. He didn't say those who pray. It was already implied that they pray when He said successful are the believers. But He said those when they pray, they focus.

What does that mean? As an imam, a lot of people come to me and say, Sheikh, I've been praying for the past 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, whatever. I don't feel it. Why are all these things happening to me? I

don't know.

I'm not getting the sweetness of salah that you're talking about. I say, what is the quality of your salah? What's the quality of your worship? If it's not that great, then it's almost like useless. Meaning that doesn't connect.

So, what does that exactly mean? Al-khushu' is not the communication. Al-khushu' is actually the connection. So, the ayah in translation means, successful are the believers. Those when they pray, they connect with Allah Azza wa Jal.

You might be communicating. Like John Maxwell, one of the leaders in leadership, he says actually in his book, everybody communicates, but few people connect.

Which is true. Everybody communicates. Even in your silence, you're communicating. When you're upset, when you're happy, you're communicating. When you just do nothing, just being there, that's part of the communication process probably. But how much of that communication is connecting?

You might be worshiping. You might be praying. You might be giving charity, but are you connecting with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala? The connection is missing.

Two Practical Steps for Connection

How can I do this? My advice. The last two things inshaAllah, tabaraka wa ta'ala. The advice here is that, how can I make that connection sound and strong? Two things. Focus on two things.

Daily Assignment with the Quran

Number one. Always make sure that you have a daily word, a daily communication with Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala through the Qur'an. Which means you read the Qur'an.

Why so? Because the Qur'an is when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is speaking to you. So the Qur'an. And by the way, I'm bringing you this because a survey that was actually released earlier, subhanAllah, last year, saying that those who've been surveyed among the Muslims who lost connection with their deen and their Islam, it's because of two things.

Number one, because they don't have a daily routine or daily assignment with the Qur'an. They don't read the Qur'an on daily basis. They don't. Even if it was one page. So they need to have a daily assignment with the Qur'an. That's number one.

Secret Acts of Worship (Ibadatul Sirr)

Number two, that you need to work on inshaAllah to have that connection so that the light starts becoming on. Having something such as ibadatul sirr, which means secret ibadah, secret act of worship.

What's the meaning of the secret act of worship? You know, a lot of people, when they commit sins, what do they do? They try everything in their power to hide it so that no one would know anything about it.

You see how much we try to hide our sins? This is how much we try to do good and hide our goodness. Think of something that you do. Whether it's a form of dhikr that you do, recitation of the Qur'an, and particularly the night prayer.

Or maybe you're very charitable. You give charity regularly without anyone knows about it. Maybe you're helping your neighbors. You're feeding the homeless. Do something that no one should know about it. You don't have to post that on your Instagram or even on Snapchat or that stuff and so on.

Don't do that stuff. Keep it secret. Having a regular thing, a regular assignment with the Qur'an on a daily basis.

Number two, think of something that you do to keep it between you and Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala that will teach you to remain sincere and always remain sincere.

Closing

May Allah make you among those who are Rabbil Alameen.