Understanding How a Believer Yeilds Good Fruit at All Times
By Zaid Shakir | 2026-01-16T07:15:56.309715+00:00 | Topic: Time
Understanding How a Believer Yields Good Fruit at All Times
Opening Prayers and Introduction
Alright everyone, (الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَحْدَهُ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى مَنْ لَا نَبِيَّ بَعْدَهُ نَبِيِّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ وَأَنَا مَعَهُمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الدِّينِ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ - alḥamdu lillāhi waḥdahū waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā man lā nabiyya baʿdahū nabiyyinā muḥammadin wa ʿalā ʾālihī wa ṣaḥbihī ʾajmaʿīna wa ʾanā maʿahum ʾilā yawmi d-dīni ʾashhadu ʾan lā ʾilāha ʾillā -llāhu waḥdahū lā sharīka lahū wa ʾashhadu ʾanna muḥammadan ʿabduhu wa rasūluhū)
Alhamdulillah, this is going to be, inshallah ta'ala, our final core lecture for the conference. You have heard, I think most of us have heard Imam Zaid Shakir speak in the previous seminar session. So I won't go through any more introductory material.
Just to remind ourselves, his topic tonight is going to be understanding how a believer yields good fruit at all times. Inshallah. Jazakumullah khair.
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. Wa alaikum salam.
Alhamdulillah, it's a great honor once again to be with you. And again, we would like to just express our appreciation to the organizers, all the believers who worked so hard to make this conference happen. Their vision and their niyyah, may Allah reward their intention and their sincerity.
The Strength of Believers United
May Allah bless all of us to be, as we mentioned earlier, bricks in the wall that the Prophet described, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam, (الْمُؤْمِنُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِ كَالْبُنْيَانِ يَشُدُّ بَعْضُهُ بَعْضًا - al-muʾminu lil-muʾmini kal-bunyāni yashuddu baʿḍuhu baʿḍan) (Sahih al-Bukhari 2446, Sahih Muslim 2585) - the believer to the believer is like the bricks in a wall, each brick strengthens and supports the next. The Prophet interlaced his fingers after saying that to demonstrate the believers are like the bricks in a wall. Each brick strengthens and supports the next. And we pray that Allah Ta'ala makes us a source of mutual strength and reinforcement for each other, especially in these days when the fortress of Islam is under attack from so many different angles and so many different ways.
The wall isn't breached at the point where our brick is located. That we're not only bricks in the wall, we're strong bricks. (الْمُؤْمِنُ الْقَوِيُّ خَيْرٌ وَأَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِ الضَّعِيفِ وَفِي كُلٍّ خَيْرٌ - al-muʾminu al-qawiyyu khayrun wa ʾaḥabbu ʾilā -llāhi mina al-muʾmini aḍ-ḍaʿīfi wa fī kullin khayrun) (Sahih Muslim 2664) - the strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer. And in both there's good. So we pray that Allah Ta'ala blesses us all to be strong believers and to be firm about our work. So I just wanted to talk about, consistent with the theme Inshallah wa biiznillah, if Allah so wills and with the permission of Allah, leave of Allah, to talk about some things that can help us to yield to bring forth the fruits of Islam consistently.
So hopefully my comments won't miss the mark too much and there will be something relevant to the topic.
The Reality of Death and Living in Islam
So first of all, as believers, I think it's very important for us to understand that we are all going to die. We're all going to die.
O you who believe, fear Allah fully and do not die except in a state of Islam. This is from خطبة الحاجة that frequently the weddings should open with and frequently our addresses, we open with one of the verses: believe, fear Allah fully and do not die except in a state of Islam. So do not die except as a Muslim, do not die except while you're bringing forth the fruits of Islam. So as death can come at any time, death can come at any time.
As the poet said (جَاءَ الْمَوْتُ فَجْأَةً - jāʾa al-mawtu fajʾatan) - that death comes suddenly without warning. So if we're going to die in a state of Islam, we have to live in a state of Islam. And if we're living in a state of Islam, we'll be bringing forth the fruits of Islam.
The real fruit of Islam, not the Nation of Islam version. But the real fruit of Islam. And may Allah guide all the brothers who are wrapped up in the Nation of Islam. Allah guide them, complete their journey. So I don't want to knock them, but just the real fruit of Islam. The fruit of our Ibadah, the fruit of sincere and deep faith. The fruit of service to humanity.
The Three Core Purposes of Our Existence
So I want to focus first of all on those three things. That if one were to ask, what is our purpose here? We can boil it down to three things.
First Purpose: To Serve Humanity
One, to serve humanity. We're here as servants to serve humanity. (كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ - kuntum khayra ʾummatin ʾukhrijat lin-nāsi) (Quran 3:110) - You're the best community raised up to serve the people. للناس not to serve the Muslims. To serve the people in general. To serve humanity, as some of the exegetes mentioned. And some of them literally say للناس لخدمة - to serve the people. That as Muslims, we should be serving people. We should be helping people. We should be assisting people.
أي الإسلام خير (ʾayyu al-ʾislāmi khayrun) - Which form of Islam is best? أن تطعم الطعام (ʾan tuṭʿima aṭ-ṭaʿāma) - That you feed people. So we should be feeding people. وتقرئ السلام على من عرفت ومن لم تعرف (wa tuqriʾu as-salāma ʿalā man ʿarafta wa man lam taʿrif) - That you feed people and you greet people, those you know and don't know. Feeding people, serving people. Assisting people. Bringing peace and stability to lands. This is what Islam does. And these are the things we should be cognizant of. To serve the people.
Second Purpose: To Serve Allah
Even before that, to serve Allah. So sometimes we deviate because we forget what the essence of the religion is all about. (وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ - wa mā khalaqtu al-jinna wal-ʾinsa ʾillā liyaʿbudūni) (Quran 51:56) - I've only created the jinn and humans that they serve, that they worship me rather. We could translate it that they serve me because عبادة implies service to the Sayyid. And in this case Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. That I've only created the jinn and humans that they worship, that they worship me. إلا ليعبدون So not ليعبدوني but ليعبدون - worship me.
And Allah ta'ala the next verse makes it clear. A lot of times we become overwhelmed with our livelihood. Say why isn't the brother coming to the masjid anymore? Why isn't the brother coming to Juma anymore? Because apparently somewhere along the line the brother got in his head, consciously or unconsciously, the idea that we're in this world to make money.
So the brother's working three or four jobs or the idea that taking care of his family takes priority over worshipping Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. And there's no contradiction between the two. But the next verse Allah makes it perfectly clear.
I've only created the jinn and humans that they worship me. And the next verse (مَا أُرِيدُ مِنْهُم مِّن رِّزْقٍ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَن يُطْعِمُونِ - mā urīdu minhum min rizqin wa mā urīdu ʾan yuṭʿimūni) (Quran 51:57) - I don't desire that they take the responsibility for sustenance. I don't desire that they feed me.
Allah is the provider of sustenance. The possessor of power, the mighty. So Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala is making it clear. Allah has taken responsibility for our sustenance. And Allah will provide. Allah will provide for us.
No one will take from this world any more or any less than what Allah has decreed. There's one hadith Qudsi mentions. It's not that well known. And I don't know its rating but (يَا عِبَادِي يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ إِنِّي خَلَقْتُكَ لِعِبَادَتِي فَلَا تَلْعَبْ - yā ʿibādī yā bna ʾādama ʾinnī khalaqtuka li-ʿibādatī falā talʿab) - Oh son of Adam, human. I have created you for my worship. Therefore, don't play around. وَقَسَمْتُ لَكَ رِزْقَكَ فَلَا تَطْمَعْ - wa qasamtu laka rizqaka falā taṭmaʿ) - And I have portioned out what your sustenance in this world is going to be. Therefore, don't crave for more. Meaning that what's for you to take from this world, you're going to take it.
So don't squander your worship. Don't neglect your worship. Don't fall short in your worship craving for more than what you need. فلا تطمع وقسمت لك رزقك - So we should focus on this and understand the worship is our number one priority. And we make sure we take care of that before we take care of anything. And if we take care of that, everything else in our worldly affairs are going to be in order.
Because Allah Ta'ala will never lead us astray. Allah Ta'ala will never put us in a situation that jeopardizes our well-being by pursuing His worship. Never. So we should focus on that fact. So to serve the people and uplift the people and do positive things for the people. To serve Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. To worship Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. To be good servants of Allah Ta'ala. To actualize the idea of servitude in our lives.
Self-Reflection on Our Servitude
تحقيق العبودية - To actualize that in our lives. To reinforce the message that I'm a servant of Allah. If we ask you a brief exercise, you could do very quickly. It's a mental exercise. Ask yourself during the past year, how many situations were you in? And not we, I'll ask myself also. How many situations were we in where Islam dictated that we do such and such and we fail to do it? Or Islam dictated the principles and teachings of Islam dictated that we not do such and such and we did it anyway.
So let's think about that. I should have done this or not done that. And I did the opposite even though I knew it was counter to sound Islamic teachings. Second part of the exercise, ask ourselves, why didn't I do what I was supposed to do? Or why did I do what I was not supposed to do? So think about the reason. Why did I do A when Islamic teachings and principles said I should do B? Or why did I do B when Islamic teachings and
principles said I should do A? So think about it. And then the final question, what does that decision say about my nature as a servant of Allah? What does it say about as a slave, a servant of Allah? What does it say about me? Am I approaching life as a servant of Allah or am I approaching life as a servant to my nafs, to my soul, to my lower desires? So just something to think about.
Third Purpose: Working for the Salvation of Our Souls
And thirdly, we should be working for the salvation of our souls. We should be working for the salvation of our souls.
Every soul shall experience death. As we mentioned initially, it's very important to keep this idea before us, I'm going to die. Because a lot of people are reckless in this world, they're living as if they're not going to die. كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ - That's what we're preparing for.
And you'll be given your recompense in full on the day of resurrection. Everything we did in this world, we're going to be accounted for. Great and small, in full. Every good will be rewarded for. And every bad will be accounted for. And that which Allah Ta'ala doesn't forgive us for, we're going to be taken to task for.
The one saved, pulled back from hell and entered into paradise, that's the victorious one. So, the salvation of our soul, that's the real victory.
Modern Examples and the Importance of Protecting Muslim Lives
A lot of times now, some Muslims are confused and get caught up in irrational actions and destructive actions because they forget about the good of their soul. Forget about the good of their soul. And forget about the fact that we're going to be accountable for everything. And because they forget about the good of their soul, they do reckless things that jeopardize their soul. So, for example, I'll give you a couple examples.
The September 11th in New York, in America. New York and Washington DC. Which has been attributed to Muslims. And then some Muslims take responsibility and say, Yeah, Muslims did it. Takbir Allahu Akbar. The magnificent 19. Allahu Akbar.
Well, those magnificent 19 killed 352 Muslims. 352 Muslims died in the collapse of those towers. 352 Muslims. How is a Muslim going to rationalize that to Allah Ta'ala Yawmul Qiyamah? How is a Muslim going to rationalize? Qala Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam: إذا قتل رجل في الشرق ورضي آخر في الغرب لقد أشرك في دمه - If a man is killed in the east and another man is pleased with that in the west, they both share the burden of his death. They both share in his murder. So what about someone who not only kills an innocent person, kills an innocent Muslim? Not only kills an innocent Muslim, kills hundreds of innocent Muslims. What is the state of that person's soul when they stand before Allah Ta'ala?
Here in London, what happened on July 7th? They said 5 of those 52 people that were killed, 5 of them were Muslims. Innocent Muslims. Didn't do anything to anybody. Going to work, going to shop, going to visit their parents. والله أعلم والمستعان - Murdered. So now some Muslim children are growing up without their father or their mother for no crime that they committed. For no crime whatsoever. How are those people going to answer to
Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala? To say nothing of the burden and hardship imposed upon the Muslim community in both lands. So, it's very important to think about our soul.
And to think about are we pulling ourselves back from the hell fire or are we assisting and immersing ourselves into the fire of hell? Everyone has to stop and ask that. Constantly. (فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ النَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ الْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ وَمَا الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُورِ - faman zuḥziḥa ʿani an-nāri wa ʾudkhila al-jannata faqad fāza wa mā al-ḥayātu ad-dunyā ʾillā matāʿu al-ghurūri) (Quran 3:185)
Islam's Concern with Society While Maintaining Spiritual Priority
And saying that, I'm not trying to say there's no political, economic aspects of Islam. Islam is concerned with society. When the Romans and Persians were fighting, the Muslims were concerned with the outcome. وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ (wa yawmaʾidhin yafraḥu al-muʾminūna binaṣri -llāhi) - in a number of years, and with Allah's command before and after, and on that day the believers will rejoice. They were concerned. And they'll soon be victorious in a number of years. Before and after. And on that day the believers will rejoice.
So they were concerned with this political development. But politics, economics, everything is subordinate to our worship of Allah. Everything is subordinate to the salvation of our soul. We can engage in actions and lose that are political. Or economic and lose our souls. A person, we know the well-known hadith, the man fought jihad. So he did what's politically sanctioned in Islam. He fought jihad. There are circumstances.
ونسأل الله العافية (wa nasʾalu -llāha al-ʿāfiyata) (Sahih al-Bukhari 2966, Sahih Muslim 1742) - We ask Allah for well-being. لا تتمنوا لقاء العدو وسلوا الله العافية - Don't long to meet the enemy. Ask Allah for well-being, safety, security, good health. وإذا لقيتموهم فاصبروا - But there might be circumstances that are unanimously agreed upon in Allah that we might have to fight. And if we are in those circumstances, we pray that Allah gives us steadfastness. But we can engage in a struggle.
And we can win and still lose. Because we put the primacy of the struggle ahead of the primacy of our religious teachings. So the man fought jihad. And he said he fought feesabilillah. And what was the response? You lied. You fought so people could say you were brave. And it was said of you and it was ordered to be thrown into the hellfire. So he won but he lost. He lost his soul.
He won. He was a great warrior. People, mashallah, he's brave. Mashallah. But he lost his soul. Because he was fighting for the wrong reasons.
Economic Pursuits and Spiritual Loss
So we can engage in economic activities. So the worship of Allah is uppermost. But there are valid Islamic activities for a believer. Where we can pursue our economic well-being and lose our soul. There are many Muslims, I'm sure in this country. There are many, many in America. In Chicago alone there are 3,000 Arab owned liquor franchises. And most of those are Muslims. Some Arab Christians, majority are Muslims. Palestinians and Egyptians overwhelmingly. In our area, San Francisco Bay area, the Yemenis. All Muslims. Every corner. And in the poorest neighborhoods. And Allah says that economic activity is cursed.
Anyone associated with it is cursed. Cursed,ملعون. The one who plants the grapes. Cultivates the crops. Picks the grapes. Squeezes the grapes. Puts it in the bottle. Takes it to market. Sells it. Buys it. Benefits from its profit. They're all cursed. Mal'oon. So a Muslim can go and do that. Get rich. Stuff his pocket. Pockets. Fill up the
The Prophetic Guidance: Three Essential Principles
And these three objectives. They're summarized. One hadith of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم - ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam) summarizes this. The service of humanity. The salvation of our soul. And the service, or rather the service of Allah. The salvation of our soul. The service of the people. Which says to Abu Dharr and Mu'adh ibn Jabal.
(اتق الله حيثما كنت - ittaqi Allāha ḥaythumā kunta) (Sunan al-Tirmidhi 1987) - Be mindful of Allah wherever you are. (وَأَتْبِعِ السَّيِّئَةَ الْحَسَنَةَ تَمْحُهَا - wa atbiʿi as-sayyiʾata al-ḥasanata tamḥuhā) - And any misdeed you might do, follow it up with a good deed that will wipe it out. (وَخَالِقِ النَّاسَ بِخُلُقٍ حَسَنٍ - wa khāliq an-nāsa bi-khuluqin ḥasanin) - And deal with the people with good character.
So (اتق الله حيثما كنت - ittaqi Allāha ḥaythumā kunta) - This is the service to Allah. Because as we mentioned earlier in the earlier section (التَّقْوَى امْتِثَالُ الْأَوَامِرِ وَاجْتِنَابُ النَّوَاهِي - at-taqwā imtisālu al-awāmiri wajtinābu an-nawāhī) - Implementing the orders and avoiding the prohibitions. This is the essence of worship. To do what Allah tells us to do. And avoid what Allah tells us to avoid. So this is the service to Allah.
(وَأَتْبِعِ السَّيِّئَةَ الْحَسَنَةَ تَمْحُهَا - wa atbiʿi as-sayyiʾata al-ḥasanata tamḥuhā) - And any misdeed you do, follow it up with a good deed that will wipe it out. This is the salvation of the soul. The basis of salvation is Tawbah. That's the first step.
The Importance of Repentance (Tawbah)
So if we're going the wrong way. If you want to go to London. What goes from here to London? The M1? M1. So if you're on the M1. You start in Leicester. And you're on the M1 going north. If you're serious about getting to London. What's the first thing you have to do? Get off and go south. Get off and go south.
And this is what Tawbah is. If we're serious about going to heaven. And we're going down the wrong road. We're going down the road of sin. We have to stop it. And then get on the right path. Whoever rejects the false god and believes in Allah. We have to stop going in the wrong direction first. And then get on the right road.
So. Repentance. Tawbah. And we should be a penitent nation. We should be. And again. This helps to make the fruits of Islam permanent in our lives.
Communal Characteristics: What Should Define Muslims?
If we ask people. What are the communal characteristics of Muslims in Britain? In other words. We went to the average non-Muslim British person. And we said. You know anything about the Muslim community here? If they say yes. Say well describe the community. What kind of people are the Muslims? What would our communal characteristics be? What are some things they would say? About us. As a community.
They say we're clean. Our neighborhoods are the cleanest neighborhoods. That we're. Cleanliness is a part of faith. Would they say we're highly educated. Our schools. The highest scoring schools on the national test. National examination. Do our students. Graduates from the high school. The disproportionate number. Go to the best universities. So we're filling up Cambridge and Oxford. And these universities with Muslims who come out of the schools in our neighborhoods. What our community. Our business people known for their honesty and integrity. Someone said. You know Bob. If you could go. You know something about the Muslims. You could go
in the business with a Muslim or non-Muslim. Which one would you choose Bob? And would he say the Muslims. The Muslims never burn you. They'll never backstab you. They won't let you down. They're reliable.
What are our communal characteristics? We should think about what we're doing at each and every moment. To contribute to a positive image of Islam. And one of our characteristics. We should be. Coming from. We should be a penitent nation. We should be a community. Whose collective existence is characterized by repentance. That we're a nation of repentant people.
وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا أَيُّهَ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
So turn to Allah all together. So emphatically. The order is to the group. And then it's reinforced. All of you. Then it's reinforced again. It's reinforced again. So turn all of you all together to Allah and repentance. In order that you are successful. So this should be one of our characteristics. So it starts with repenting individuals. With repenting individuals. And so any misdeed you do. We'll slip no matter how good we are. We're going to slip. Hopefully Allah will elevate us. And we'll work hard to. We'll get to a level we won't consciously fall into sin but we'll get weak and we'll slip. We're human.
But when we do we should follow it up. With a good deed that will wipe it out. Because this slip, this sin is one against us. And the good deed as mentioned earlier is at least tenfold for us. Or up to seven times. Seven hundred times in our favor. And many times over that. One of the greatest virtues we'll talk about inshallah at the end of this presentation. Patience. Patience. And the reward for the patient is unlimited. The patient will be given their reward with no reckoning. With no reckoning whatsoever. So anyway so. The salvation of the soul. And the basis of that repentance. And then serving the people.
Good Character: A Core Fruit of Islam
(وَخَالِقِ النَّاسَ بِخُلُقٍ حَسَنٍ - wa khāliq an-nāsa bi-khuluqin ḥasanin) - And deal with the people on the basis of good character. And deal with the people on the basis of good character. (إِنَّمَا بُعِثْتُ لِأُتَمِّمَ مَكَارِمَ الْأَخْلَاقِ - innamā buʿithtu li-utammima makārima al-akhlāq) (Musnad Ahmad 8595, al-Muwatta 1614) - I've been sent to perfect good character. I've been sent to perfect good character. So the tree of faith brings forth fruit. And that fruit, one of the greatest of those fruits is good character. One of the greatest fruits is good character. I've been sent to perfect good character.
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلَىٰ خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ
You're on an exalted standard of conduct.
So we should be known as people of good character. Someone says Muslim mashallah. Those people. I don't know anyone with character like those people. They even learn Arabic. Subhanallah. This is a non-Muslim. This is Bob talking. Mashallah. Subhanallah. Muslims. Subhanallah. I wish all my neighbors was Muslim. Nicest people I know. They help me. The guy was changing his oil. He comes, knocks on my door. You need an oil change Bob? No I'm changing mine. I'll change yours. I have a few extra liters. I'll change yours. Mashallah. That's Bob speaking. Mashallah. He's just overwhelmed. He starts speaking like the Christian talking in tongues. He starts talking Arabic. Mashallah. He's so excited. Alhamdulillah. So we should be people of good character. And again. These are the things that count. These are the deep things.
Faith Manifesting in Action
So having strong faith. Strong faith. And then that faith manifesting itself in action. ليس الدين بالتمني ولكنه ما وقر في القلب وصدقته الأعمال - They said. So deen here referring to faith. Isn't a wish or a fancy. Rather it's that which takes
root in the heart and is testified to by the actions. So again. Constantly ask ourselves. What testimony are my actions giving? For my faith?
لَّيْسَ الْبِرَّ أَن تُوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ قِبَلَ الْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ
So it's not righteousness to turn your faces to the directions of the east and the west. And to summarize the underlying meaning here. The superficial manifestations of religion don't embody the essence of righteousness. They're important. So in the occasion for this revelation. The Jews and Christians were arguing on the virtue of their respective qiblas. And this was at a time when the qibla had changed for the Muslims.
So Allah is reminding everyone. It's not righteousness to turn your faces in the direction of the east or the west. Rather righteousness is to have deep faith in Allah. Righteousness is to believe sincerely in Allah. And the last day. And the angels. The scriptures. And the prophets. And then that faith gives birth to action.
وَلَٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ وَآتَى الْمَالَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِ
And to spend, to give one's wealth in spite of one's love for it.
So we mentioned earlier the human being has been made to love wealth. (زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّهَوَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ وَالْبَنِينَ - zuyyina li-n-nāsi ḥubbu ash-shahawāti mina an-nisāʾi wa al-banīna) (Quran 3:14) - So it's been made alluring to people. The love of the opposite sex. Of children. Sons. Heaped up hordes of gold and silver. Branded steeds. Cattle. Cultivated fields. That is the wherewithal of the life of this world. So we love the wealth.
But the believer as in a function of his or her faith. So Allah mentions the faith first. (وَلَٰكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ وَالْكِتَابِ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ - wa lākinna al-birra man ʾāmana bi-Allāhi wa al-yawmi al-ākhiri wa al-malāʾikati wa al-kitābi wa an-nabiyyīna) - And then he mentions as the fruit that this faith gives birth to, spending the money in spite of one's love. (وَآتَى الْمَالَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِ - wa ʾāta al-māla ʿalā ḥubbihi) - He spends the wealth in spite of his love for it. And spending. This is the indicator of righteousness in the Quran.
لَن تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّىٰ تُنفِقُوا مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ
You will never attain to righteousness until you spend from that which you love. And not just spending some unexpected money you inherited from uncle Ahmed. Who you didn't even know had passed away. And they say well you're gonna get a check. Oh hamdulillah. I'll give it to the mosque. That's easy.
But righteousness is the spending from that which is gonna make you say ouch. It's gonna hurt. You're gonna have to sweat a little bit. (لَن تَنَالُوا الْبِرَّ حَتَّىٰ تُنفِقُوا مِمَّا تُحِبُّونَ - lan tanālū al-birra ḥattā tunfiqū mimmā tuḥibbūna) - So Allah ta'ala mentions.
Spending in the Path of Allah: Priorities and Historical Examples
وَآتَى الْمَالَ عَلَىٰ حُبِّهِ ذَوِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْيَتَامَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَالسَّائِلِينَ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ
For the relatives. Charity begins at home. The orphans. The poor people. We should have charity centers.
In Islamic history we had awqaf. Even today, not as much, we have جمعية خيرية - the charitable associations. We had awqaf that was spending. In Damascus they had a waqf for the مسكين,the child that broke the water jug. So people had to go to the river, the Barada. To get their water. Then if you got water from it now and drank it you might die. But it was then pure sweet water coming out of the mountains. And if the child fell or the servant and broke the jug, they had a waqf to replace it.
They had endowments for everything. To replace broken dishes. To all kinds of services to the poor and the downtrodden in the community. والمساكين - The wayfarer who's been cut off from the source of their wealth during their travels. They lose their money. They run out of money. Then the Muslims spend for those people. So we had the hostels all over the place. Free medical treatment for travelers. All of this paid for by the Muslims. Private individuals. For those who ask. And for the liberation of slaves.
And in Islamic history there were societies set up to liberate slaves. In the context of the North Atlantic slave trade, in which Britain was a big key participant in, as was America after America was established. And to the credit of the British people, they were instrumental in ending it. And there's a good book you can read that documents that called "Bury the Chains" by Adam Hochschild, that goes into the history of how slavery was ended in the British Empire. One man started, dedicated his life to it, and he succeeded. So if you have firm conviction in a righteous cause and you work hard, you can succeed. This man's name was Thomas Clarkson.
In any case, for the liberation of slaves in the Caribbean, there was in the island of Trinidad an organization called the Free Mandingo Society. So the Mandingo, these were Muslims from Africa who were enslaved and they gained their freedom. They set up a society to buy the freedom of other slaves. And in the War of 1812, they actually liberated 1,500 African slaves in the Southern United States and brought them to the Caribbean to fight against the Americans in the War of 1812. And over 200 of them became Muslim. So they were engaged in Dawah also.
And there were anti-slaving societies in West Africa during the period of the slave trade. And we should be cognizant of this. Because nowadays, one of - they see so many people of African descent coming into Islam in America, I'm sure here in Britain, in the Caribbean, and there's a lot of attacks that Islam enslaved the Africans and all of this stuff. So Islam provided the basis for anti-slaving, anti-slavery activity. And Allah Ta'ala says this is something Muslims have to spend their money for. And today, there's still work to be done.
There's estimated 25 million slaves in the world. Sexual slaves. Girls who've been kidnapped, primarily in Eastern Europe, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, those areas, Hungary, and then sold into slavery. They're lured - you want to be an airline stewardess, a model. Here's a girl, poor, going nowhere. Yeah, you know, that's glamorous. I want to be an airline stewardess. And they sign these contracts and they find themselves strung out on drugs and thrown into brothels in London or New York.
Kidnapped in Latin America and Mexico, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and these places, and they end up in slavery. And they can't leave. If they try to leave, they might be killed. Child laborers. Children confined to sweatshops. Can't leave. Just go home, sleep a few hours, come back to slave over a sewing machine, making things many of us are dying to put on our bodies in some instances. So slavery is still here. And Muslims should be working to free it.
So we'll stop there with that verse. But the faith should give birth to action. The faith should give birth to action. And this is a big part of our religion.
How Faith Bears Fruit: Three Essential Elements
In conclusion to mention the importance, in terms of how those fruits manifest. So those fruits manifest when our faith is deep. Those fruits manifest based on the depth of our faith. Those fruits manifest themselves based
on the understanding of the religion. I understand that as a Muslim, I should be serving humanity. I should be making life better for people. I should be a force of good. Even if I have to do it alone. So there's no one to help me, to assist. I'll go it alone. I'll stand tall myself.
So understanding the religion. And finally being steadfast and patient. Being steadfast and patient. Understanding and again going back to understanding the religion. A lot of time the fruits stop coming because we get frustrated and depressed. Overwhelmed. So Muslims are being pushed from pillar to post and brutalized all over the world. And I have to do something. And realistically I don't see there's anything I can do. So we get frustrated.
And either get involved in desperate counterproductive irrational activities or just drift away. So the next thing you know one day the brother is rah, rah, rah. The next thing the brother you see him with a bottle of alcohol in his hands. What happened brother? I just gave up. You know what could I do? So the situation is so bad.
Practical Actions We Can All Take
We can do a lot of things great and small. Great and small. Implement the فرائض in your life. Try to implement as many نوافل voluntary. Implement the obligations and try to implement the voluntary acts. And this is something that brings the love of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
(وَمَا تَقَرَّبَ إِلَيَّ عَبْدِي بِشَيْءٍ أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا افْتَرَضْتُهُ عَلَيْهِ - wa mā taqarraba ilayya ʿabdī bi-shayʾin aḥabba ilayya mimmā iftaraḍtuhu ʿalayhi) (Sahih al-Bukhari 6502) - My servant doesn't draw himself close to me with anything more beloved than the obligations I've imposed on him. (وَلَا يَزَالُ عَبْدِي يَتَقَرَّبُ إِلَيَّ بِالنَّوَافِلِ حَتَّىٰ أُحِبَّهُ - wa lā yazālu ʿabdī yataqarrabu ilayya bi-an-nawāfili ḥattā uḥibbahu) - And my servant continues to draw himself close to me through the voluntary acts until I love him.
And the love has consequences: فَإِذَا أَحْبَبْتُهُ كُنْتُ سَمْعَهُ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ بِهِ وَبَصَرَهُ الَّذِي يُبْصِرُ بِهِ وَيَدَهُ الَّتِي يَبْطِشُ بِهَا وَرِجْلَهُ الَّتِي يَمْشِي بِهَا And when I love him, I become the hearing with which he hears, the sight with which he sees, the hand with which he grasps, and the feet that convey him. Not that Allah becomes incarnate in us - (أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ - aʿūdhu bi-Allāh) - But that Allah gives us success in using these things in ways that are consistent with the Sharia.
وَلَئِن سَأَلَنِي لَأُعْطِيَنَّهُ وَلَئِنِ اسْتَعَاذَنِي لَأُعِيذَنَّهُ - Allah gives us Tawfiq through all of these facilities, all of these faculties. And in that state, if he were to ask me anything, I would give it. And if he were to seek my protection, I would protect him.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ التَّوَّابِينَ وَيُحِبُّ الْمُتَطَهِّرِينَ
Allah loves those who are repenting. That's what we started with, repentance. So now we'll finish with this. Allah loves those who are repenting and he loves those who are pure.
Keep yourself in a state of wudu, a state of purity. Stay in a state of purity. You lose your wudu, renew it. You fall into sin, repent. And this is something that brings the love of Allah.
(ازْهَدْ فِي الدُّنْيَا يُحِبَّكَ اللَّهُ وَازْهَدْ فِيمَا عِنْدَ النَّاسِ يُحِبَّكَ النَّاسُ - izhad fī ad-dunyā yuḥibbuka Allāhu wa izhad fīmā ʿinda an-nāsi yuḥibbuka an-nāsu) (Sunan Ibn Majah 4102) - Turn away, detach your heart from the world. Not meaning throw the world away, but don't attach your heart to it. Attach your heart to the akhirah. (بَلْ تُؤْثِرُونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ - bal tuʾthirūna al-ḥayāta ad-dunyā wa al-ākhiratu khayrun wa abqā) (Quran 87:16-17) - The hereafter is better and longer lasting.
So attach your heart to that and detach it from the world. If Allah blesses us with the world, alhamdulillah, we can be (الْيَدُ الْعُلْيَا خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْيَدِ السُّفْلَىٰ - al-yadu al-ʿulyā khayrun mina al-yadi as-suflā) (Sahih al-Bukhari 1427, Sahih Muslim 1033) - It's better than that we can be the
Social Responsibility and Avoiding Divine Punishment
We mentioned the jealousy and I know it's late so I'm gonna stop here. And earlier session and the implications, the disease of the nations who - (دَاءُ الْأُمَمِ ، الْأُمَمِ ، تَدَبُّ إِلَيْكُمْ، دَاءُ الْأُمَمِ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ الْبَغْضَاءُ وَالْحَسَدُ - the social implications) preceded you will creep up on you, hatred and jealousy. And that the jealousy widespread, so there's widespread desire for Allah's blessings to be taken away from His servants. That's the essence of jealousy.
And Allah ta'ala says
If you reject my blessings, my punishment is severe. So our actions can bring the punishment. We're not helping our brothers and sisters.
So there are Muslims here, young people in desperate need, young people on drugs, young people in gang activity, young people who are floundering in the school system. What are the adults doing for these people?
The Prophet's Concern for Islam's Image
Everyone's thinking about his or her money, getting enough money to move out to a nice country home, saving up enough money to build a villa back in Pakistan or Jordan or somewhere. And neglecting the young people.
And what did the Prophet say about that kind of attitude?
(Sahih Muslim 2699)
- Allah will continue to help the servant as long as the servant is helping his brother or sister. Our brothers and sisters are floundering in trouble, we don't do anything to assist, so what happens? Allah doesn't help us. And so we're on our own, through our own actions. And Allah's help isn't there. And we see the consequences of that. So it's what we're doing.
- If you help Allah's religion, Allah doesn't need help, but if you help Allah's religion, Allah will help you. What are we doing for Allah's religion? People think the religion is a religion of killers and murderers? Making people think it's an irrational religion that's void of any moral vision? Generally speaking, that's how people are looking at Islam.
The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا بلص - peace and blessings be upon him) was very keen in terms of his concern, how people looked at the religion. He was walking with a woman, and some companions, they saw him. What did he say?
(Sahih al-Bukhari 2035, Sahih Muslim 2175)
- This is my wife, Safiyya. So, because why? They might, shaitan afflicts them, and the Prophet is walking with a stranger. I mean, if he's going to get involved in that, I mean, what's the power of Islam? He's clarifying, no, I'm not going to give you any opportunity.
When he judged between people, he said, I judge between you. Some of you are more eloquent than others, and you make a stronger case. So, if I rule against the party that the right is with, don't take what I rule for you. And if you take it, you've taken a coal from the hellfire, a piece of hellfire. In other words, don't associate me with injustice, even if I inadvertently, because some of you can make such a good case.
In America, we have an expression. If you go to a doctor, we don't have a health service. The first question they ask is, how are you going to pay? They don't ask, where does it hurt? A real doctor, they say, where does it hurt? You go to a doctor in America and say, how are you going to pay? And you go to a lawyer, instead of asking, did you do it or not? So, do I have a good case? The lawyer asks you, how much justice can you afford? So, if you're poor, you can't afford much justice, you don't get much justice. And if you're rich, like O.J. Simpson or Michael Jackson, you can afford a lot of justice, and you get justice. So, the lawyer asks you, how much justice can you afford?
So, the believer in this world is a person that is providing good and providing benefit and working to uplift humanity, working to save his or her soul from the hellfire and working to glorify God. So, the point we're making, cognizant of the religion. So, the Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا بلص - peace and blessings be upon him) didn't want Islam to be associated with injustice.
Though, when asked about praying for the hypocrites, and even before that, at one time he didn't pray for the people who died and they had debt, and then he started praying for them. And he said, I didn't want people to think that Muhammad abandons his followers. That, you know, these Muslims, these people, we see them going to the mosque, they died, they didn't even have funeral, janazah for this person. He just kicked them to the curb
and left them out. So, he was very much concerned about how the actions of the believers made Islam look in the eyes of others. And this is something we should be cognizant of.
The Fruits of Islam in Action
We shouldn't, through our action, make people think Islam is a religion that doesn't encourage personal integrity, that has no moral vision, that's not concerned with the uplift of others, that doesn't encourage cleanliness, that doesn't have high educational standards. The first command, اقْرَأْ (Quran 96:1), is read. And the Muslims institute a revolution in human thought.
It was the Islamic knowledge that revived and passed on the foundations for the progress of these western societies. We all know that story. So, what are we doing today? So, these are all the fruits of Islam. Our moral vision, integrity, personal integrity, serving the people, uplifting humanity, working to make the situation better.
- Cooperating in good works. وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ - And turning away and refusing to cooperate and participate in bad works, and negative works, and sinful, rebellious activity.
These are the hallmarks of Islam. And it takes a patient soul, one that's steadfast, not going to be battered around by the vicissitudes of time, but it's going to be steadfast, and patient, and persevere, and endure difficulties and hardship (في سبيل الله - in the way of Allah) and to the glory of Islam.
Closing
(السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته جزاكم الله خيرا - Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Jazakum Allahu Khairan) for the time and keeping people up so late. (جزاكم الله خيرا - Jazakum Allahu Khairan) Thank you.
I remember Imam Zaid mentioning about glamour models. In June 2005, this year, Mobile Entertainment had done a survey. And you might be interested to know that 63% of the girls surveyed in this country would rather be glamour models than a teacher, or a nurse, or a doctor. And then, a thousand girls were then surveyed after that to ask what would they prefer as a profession. And most of them wanted to be a lap dancer, and only 3% wanted to be a doctor. That's the state of the mind of the culture in our country now.
Anyway, we're going to break inshallah wa ta'ala. Imam Zaid has had a very tough week. He has been performing everyday, more or less, very extended and punishing hours. So I'm going to now relieve him of any Q&A, and we're going to take a break for about 20 minutes. And the next session would be a Q&A session with a panel of speakers. I can tell you that the panel would consist of at least Sheikh Suhaib, Sheikh Salim Al-Amry, and Shabbir Ali. And perhaps, I will ask Imam Zaid how he feels, if he's up to it, and he wants to, he may participate. If he doesn't, we can fully excuse him because we understand his physical situation in terms of fatigue and so forth. Jazakum Allah Khair. We'll come back in about 20 minutes time.