Seek the Means to Nearness

Seek the Means to Nearness

Imam Zaid Shakir

The True Wealth of the Heart

We get nothing else from this world. We mention many times, we don't get the house of our dream, the car of our dream, the degree, the job, the yacht, the vacation home, the spouse, the children. But we leave this world and our heart is illuminated by La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah. We've been blessed in this world. And on the other hand, if we leave this world and we attain to the house and the car that we dreamed of, the yacht, the vacation home, two or three vacation homes, one in the Swiss Alps for the summer, in Vail, Colorado to ski in the winter, on the Riviera, to bask on the beach, and who knows where else. And we get the job that we dreamed of.

And we're able to retire at 35 from the dream job. And we get the spouse that we always dreamed of having. All of the attributes we envisioned. We get everything we ever desired from the material worth of this world. But we leave this world and our heart is void of La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah. Then we've received nothing from the world.

Because this world passes quickly. All of those enjoyments and delights, they pass quickly. And what remains before us is eternal. Ultimately, it's going to be eternal bliss. For some people, eternal damnation. For some people, a period in hell, and then thereafter eternal bliss. We pray we're in the former category, the first category. That we're the people who want eternal bliss. And no time in hell. No time being tormented in hell.

Every Soul Shall Taste Death

Everyone will experience death. (كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ - Kullu nafsin dhāʼiqatu al-mawt) And then you'll be given your recompense in full on the Day of Judgment. (ثُمَّ تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ - Thumma tuwaffawna ujūrakum yawma al-qiyāmati) Whoever is pulled back and saved from Hell and entered into Paradise, that's the victorious one. And what is the life of this world except the deceptive amusement or enjoyment? (وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ - Wa mā al-ḥayātu al-dunyā illā matāʿu al-ghurūr)

Using This World for the Hereafter

So we shouldn't be deceived. We should use this world for the benefit of our souls. We should use this world for the benefit of our hereafter. We should use this world for the rectification of our hearts. We shouldn't be deceived by the wherewithal of this world, including its wealth. We shouldn't be deceived by our children.

Wealth and children are the adornment of this worldly life. But that's not the essence. That's the icing on the cake. The icing makes the cake look good. But if the cake itself is rotten, what good is the icing? If the cake is

spoiled, what good is we make it look good? We put nice icing on it. We write on it with the designs. We put candles. We put rose petals on it. What good is all that if the cake is rotten? Who's going to eat the cake?

The Lasting Good Deeds Are Best

So Allah Ta'ala tells us, and we're not going to go deeper into this. This was the subject of the previous khutbah. But He tells us (الْمَالُ وَالْبَنُونَ زِينَةُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا - al-mālu wa-al-banūna zīnat al-ḥayāti al-dunyā) Wealth and children are the adornment of this worldly life. They're the icing on the cake. They're what makes the cake look good. (وَالْبَاقِيَاتُ الصَّالِحَاتُ خَيْرٌ عِندَ رَبِّكَ ثَوَابًا وَخَيْرٌ أَمَلًا - Wa al-bāqiyātu aṣ-ṣāliḥātu khayrun ʿinda rabbika thawāban wa khayrun amalan) But it's the lasting reward from the good deeds that you do. Starting with the remembrance of Allah.

Glorified (سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ - Subḥāna Allāhi wa-al-ḥamdu lillāhi wa lā ʾilāha ʾillā Allāhu wa-Allāhu ʾakbar wa lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata ʾillā bi-Allāh) is fundamental to meaning (الْبَاقِيَاتُ الصَّالِحَاتُ - al-bāqiyātu aṣ-ṣāliḥāt). The is Allah. All praises for Allah. There's no god but Allah. Allah is the greatest. There's no strength or power except with Allah.

The reward from that. That's what's best with Allah. As a reward and that's the best thing to hope for. Which tells us the remembrance of Allah in this world, that's the cake. The remembrance of Allah in this world, that's the cake. So we have wealth and children. But we don't have a life that's filled with the remembrance of Allah. We're putting icing on a rotten cake. On a spoiled cake.

Remember Allah Abundantly

O you believers, remember Allah abundantly. (فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُوا لِي وَلَا تَكْفُرُونِ - Fāḍkurūnī aḍkurkum washkurū lī wa lā takfurūn) (Quran 2:152) Remember me, I will remember you. Give thanks for my blessings.

That's the cake. The children, the wealth, the yacht, the car, the house, all of that, that's the icing. Brothers and sisters, make sure the cake is sound. Make sure the cake is delicious. Make sure the cake is sweet. And then the icing will be appropriate.

Seek the Means to Allah

But what we want to talk about is Allah Ta'ala saying in the Quran:

أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم

Understanding Taqwa

Implementing His orders and avoiding the things He's prohibited in order to ward off with that obedience the punishment of hell. That's what Taqwa means. To ward off. So to ward off what? To ward off the punishment of hell through our obedience of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. That's what Taqwa is.

(يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ - Yā ayyuhā alladhīna āmanū ittaqū Allāh) So ward off the punishment of hell. And the asl again of Taqwa is avoiding the prohibitions. Avoiding the prohibitions. And then some say it's avoiding the prohibitions then or implementing the orders. (امْتِثَالِ الْأَوَامِرِ وَاجْتِنَابِ النَّوَاهِي - Imtithāl al-awāmir wa-ijtināb al-nawāhī)

essence of Taqwa. And it comes from a consciousness and an awareness of Allah. So some people translate Taqwa as God consciousness.

And some people translate Taqwa as piety. Or living a life that's guided by the commandments and prohibitions of Allah. But it's both really. It's a consciousness that gives birth to implementing the orders and avoiding the prohibitions. So Allah Ta'ala orders the believers (يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ - Yā ayyuhā alladhīna āmanū ittaqū Allāh) And then He orders us.

The Meaning of Wasilah

(وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ - Wabtaghū ilayhi al-wasīlah) And then seek the means that lead unto Him. Those who say that Taqwa is avoiding the prohibitions. Then they say (وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ - Wabtaghū ilayhi al-wasīlah) is undertaking those acts of worship that draw us nearer to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala.

So the وسيلة in that opinion are the (الْأَعْمَالِ الصَّالِحَةِ - al-aʿmāl aṣ-ṣāliḥah) The righteous deeds. The righteous deeds that we undertake. Our prayer. Our fasting. Our recitation of Qur'an. Our night prayer. Our awrad. Our adhkar. Our commanding the good and forbidding the wrong. Our lowering our gaze from those things forbidden from us. All of those things constitute the وسيلة. We ask Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala to give us that وسيلة.

He's ordering us. (وَابْتَغُوا - Wabtaghū) And then seek out. (يَعْنِي اطْلُبُوهُ - Yaʿnī uṭlubūhu) Seek out. (إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ - Ilayhi al-wasīlah) Those means that draw you near to Him. Some are of the opinion (ابْتَغُوا - Ibtaghū) as we mentioned. (امْتِثَالٍ عَنْ أَوَامِرَ وَاجْتِنَابِ بِالنَّوَاجِ - Imtithāl ʿan awāmir wa-ijtināb bi-al-nawāj) He's both implementing the orders and avoiding the prohibitions.

The Station of Wasilah in Paradise

And some scholars of that vein they say the وسيلة is a station in Jannah that the Prophet said is reserved for one servant of Allah. And he said to ask Allah, pray to Allah that I am that servant. When we hear the Adhan. To ask Allah. We say:

اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ هَذِهِ الدَّعْوَةِ التَّامَّةِ وَالصَّلَاةِ الْقَائِمَةِ آتِ سَيِّدَنَا مُحَمَّدًا الْوَسِيلَةَ وَالْفَضِيلَةَ وَابْعَثْهُ مَقَامًا مَحْمُودًا الَّذِي وَعَدْتَهُ

And that وسيلةthat مقام محمودthe وسيلة. And that's Rasulullah . And then the logical question would be why is Allah Ta'ala asking us to seek that station. وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَابْتَغُوا عَنْتُمْ So, based on that understanding there appears to be a contradiction. But in reality there is no contradiction.

You Will Be With Whom You Love

Because we're told by the Prophet if we pray for him to have that station and then we understand as he informed one of the companions who asked him:

مَتَى السَّاعَةُ When is doomsday? When is the end of it all? مَتَى السَّاعَةُ And the Prophet from his wisdom he didn't begin, did not begin to enumerate this or that sign. Rather he said to his companion or the one who asked him he said مَا أَعْدَدْتَ لَهَا What have you done to prepare for it?

We can know all the signs. We can know all the signs of the Dajjal. Know what he looks like, what's going to happen when he comes, all the signs. But we never take time to memorize the first ten verses of Surat al-Kahf. We haven't done anything to prepare ourselves, to protect ourselves from the fitna of the Dajjal. Because those

ten verses are a protection from the fitna of the Dajjal. So what's better? To know all of the signs or to do something to prepare ourselves for the fitna. What's better? We have to have our priorities in order, brothers and sisters.

A Religion of Action, Not Talk

This is a religion of action, not a religion of talk. Allah Ta'ala condemns the people of talk.

That is grievously hated with Allah that you say that which you don't do. (كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِنْدَ اللهِ - Kabura maqtan ʿinda Allāhi) Those who understand Arabic, and not a person like me who studied Arabic, it's not my native tongue. Those who Arabic is their native tongue, when that expression falls on their ears, they shiver, they might pass out. (كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَنْ تَقُولُوا مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ - Kabura maqtan ʿinda Allāhi an taqūlū mā lā tafʿalūn) Terribly hated is it with Allah that you say that which you don't do.

This is not a religion of talk. It's not a religion of theory. It's a religion of practice. There are scholars, they're known as orientalists. They know all the theory. They know no more theory about Islam than any of any of any of us. I guarantee you. They spend their lives studying Islam from a theoretical perspective. But most of them, they don't practice it, even what I owe them.

All of that theory renders them less than the most ignorant believer who humbly prays to his or her Lord. All of that theory is worthless. It only has benefit if it enhances our practice. It only has benefit if it softens our hearts. It only has benefit if we translate it into something that draws us close to Allah.

The Hadith of Love

So the Prophet asked the man مَا أَعْدَدْتَ لَهَا And he said in one version (إِنِّي أُحِبُّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ - ʾInnī ʾuḥibbu Allāha wa Rasūlahū) Verily, I love Allah and His Messenger. The shortest possible version. And the Prophet said to him, (أَنْتَ مَعَ مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ - ʾAnta maʿa man aḥbabta) You will be with the one you love. And in another version (الْمَرْءُ عَلَى مَنْ أَحَبَّ - al-marʾu ʿalā man aḥabba) The person is with the one he loves.

So if the Prophet has the وسيلةand we love the Prophet, we will be with the Prophet, and we will share in that station. (أَنْتَ مَعَ مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ الْمَرْءُ عَلَى مَنْ أَحَبَّ - ʾAnta maʿa man aḥbabta al-marʾu ʿalā man aḥabba) And so some scholars say that is love and mercy. That's what the وسيلة is.

But the first meaning is the soundest. That is those righteous deeds we do to draw ourselves close to Allah. And so we pray with Allah telling us in the Quran وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ So seek those practices and those actions that draw you close, those righteous actions, those acts of devotion that draw you close to Allah.

The Believer's Dua for Love

That's from the Quran وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ And the Prophet he taught us to pray, اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ حُبَّكَ Oh Allah I ask you your love. وَحُبَّ مَنْ يُحِبُّكَ وَحُبَّ عَمَلٍ يُقَرِّبُنِي إِلَى حُبِّكَ And the love of those who love you and the love of those actions that draws me close to your love.

That's the believer. That's the believer brothers and sisters. The believer lives a life of devotion. The believer lives a life of love. The believer has a deep and meaningful relationship with Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى. And the believer

because he or she has a deep, meaningful, rich relationship with Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى he or she is not dazzled by the wherewithal of this world. He or she is not dazzled.

The Description of the People of Taqwa

We mentioned in the class we had the other day here the saying of Imam Ali when he's asked to describe the righteous people. So, one of the devout people came to Imam Ali and he asked him فَقَالَ صِفْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ حَتَّى كَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِمْ Describe me the people of taqwa with so much clarity it's as if I am looking at them. And one of the descriptions that he had of them he said:

عَظُمَ الْخَالِقُ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ فَصَغُرَ مَا دُونَهُ فِي أَعْيُنِهِمْ رضي الله عنه كَرَّمَ اللَّهُ وَجْهَهُ

The Creator has become great in their souls, so what's other than Him has become small in their eyes.

The Condition of Most People Today

But what's the condition of most of us today? عَظُمَ الْخَالِقُ فِي أَعْيُنِنَا فَصَغْرَ مَا دُونَهُ فِي أَنْفُسِنَا The creation has become big in our eyes. So Allah has become small in our souls. That's the condition of most people. نَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ بِالْعَظَمَةِ We seek refuge with Allah from that.

We're dazzled by the big buildings. And the nice cars. And the big bridges. And the dazzling light. And the widescreen television. And the this and the that. And the other of the world. And it dazzles our eyes. It preoccupies our time. We spend work and extra job to get more of it. We discard what we paid for. So we can go back into debt. To pay for more dunya. And spend our time that we were freed up. The house is paid off. The car is paid off. The loans are paid off. And instead of enjoying taking advantage of that time. We can work less. It's all paid off. And we can devote more and more of our time. To the worship of Allah. And to deepening our relationship with Allah. What do we do? We refinance the house. And we get a new car. And we get more dunya. And we get in debt all over again. So most of our time is spent working. To pay for that dunya. That's become bright in our eyes.

فَعَظْمَ الْخَلْقُ فِي أَعْيُنِهِمْ فَصَخَّرَ اللَّهُ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ The righteous people. This verse is talking about the people of taqwa يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ And Imam Ali is talking about the muttaqin. عَظُمَ الْخَالِقُ فِي أَنْفُسِهِمْ The Creator has become great in their souls. دُونَهُ فِي أَعْيُنِهِمْ And everything, everyone other than Him has become small in their eyes. May Allah bless us to have that maqam. Maqam of taqwa.

Strive in His Path

وَابْتَغُوا إِلَيْهِ الْوَسِيلَةَ وَجَاهِدُوا فِي سَبِيلِهِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ And strive in His path. This is for the generality of believers. This is for the generality of believers. We should live a life of struggle. When we don't struggle as believers. That's when the dunya becomes big in our eyes. When we don't struggle as believers. That's when shaitan has an opening to our hearts. When we don't struggle as believers. That's when we lose the sweetness of our faith.

People come. Oh, Imam Zaid. Or to someone else. Fulan, Ya Fulan, Ya Imam, Ya Sheikh. Ya Akhi. I don't feel it anymore. You know, I just don't feel it. What are you doing? What are you doing? Are you getting up to pray? When's the last time you read a khatm of Quran? When's the last time you got up at night to pray? And you

stood before your Lord. And you beseeched your Lord. Until the tears started flowing out of your eyes. Until your heart started longing for Allah, Subhanahu wa ta'ala. When's the last time you fasted outside of Ramadan? When's the last time you read the Nasurah? The Nasurah. Or the Wird Khatmi. Or whatever compilation of the Adhkar. As Saba with Nasab. And then you're complaining you don't feel it?

Religion is a Business Requiring Investment

This is business. And every business requires an investment. And if you don't make an investment in a business. Do you get a return? Do you get a dividend? It doesn't work like that in the dunya. And it doesn't work like that with Allah, Subhanahu wa ta'ala. And the proof of that Allah ta'ala tells us:

O you believers. Shall I direct you to a business? A transaction? Shall I direct you to a commerce that will save you from a painful punishment? What's the investment?